Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) is proud to announce that after taking part in the pilot NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award for clinical support workers, we’ve been awarded silver status and are currently the only community Trust to have achieved this.

Our clinical support workers are a highly valued integral part of our workforce providing the highest quality care to the diverse communities we serve to make their lives better. As a community Trust, our clinical support roles cover a diverse range of specialities across all our clinical divisions. 

To achieve the award, we successfully met a set of standards and demonstrated best practice pastoral care for support workers, including recruitment and induction, in-role support, ongoing learning and development, valuing staff and recognition.

In her letter, Dame Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, praised the Trust's work saying: “This achievement is testament to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s commitment to retaining staff and supporting them at every stage of recruitment and beyond. 

“You demonstrated an approach to pastoral care which recognises and values the vital contribution of support workers to the care of our patients.

“I would like to thank you for participating in the pilot and for your ongoing work and commitment to providing excellent pastoral care for support workers.”

Effective pastoral care continues to be a key priority for us at CCS and plays an important part in the experience of our clinical support workers. 

Kate Howard, Chief Nurse, said: “What an amazing achievement, huge thanks to all our colleagues involved in making this award happen. 

“I’m really proud of the work that’s been undertaken to ensure we’re providing the right support to those in clinical support posts as these roles are absolutely vital in providing the right care, at the right time to our communities.” 

Pictured left to right - Alex James, Jenny Williams, Justine Hogg, Kate Howard and Matthew Winn