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The 4ward programme applies to every member of staff at the Trust – including the Chair and Chief Executive and the Board.

4ward uses proven, evidence-based methods to help us all behave at work in ways which will support more effective team working, build a shared sense of purpose and empowerment and promote a more positive working environment – for the benefit of colleagues, our patients and the community that we serve.

The programme is supported by an increasing number of 4ward advocates – colleagues from across the Trust who have already made a commitment to positively demonstrate our 4ward behaviours in their day to day work. But we want every member of staff to become an advocate and champion 4ward in our hospitals.

In the spirit of ‘Listen, learn, lead’ you can see how one of our teams, our Radiology Team is getting involved in 4ward and using it to transform their service in line with the needs of their patients below:

Colleagues across the organisation can get involved in 4ward by undertaking our 4step process which is outlined below:

  • Step One

    Our 4ward behaviours

    • Do what we say we will do
    • No delays, every day
    • We Listen, We Learn, We Lead
    • Work together, celebrate together

  • Step Two

    We do this by

    step2

  • Step Two

    4ward Showcase

    step 3

  • Step Four

    Checkpoint

    step4

Step 1 – Know what our 4ward behaviours are.

For current colleagues, we have an ongoing engagement programme to help reinforce messages about our 4ward behaviours and our ambition for them to become ‘the way we do things round here.’

For new staff, 4ward themes run through our recruitment processes and are shared at the beginning of every Trust induction

Some examples of our 4ward behaviours are included below:

  • We Do What We Say We Will Do

    Do What We Say We Will Do

    Example: A nurse of a healthcare assistant says they will provide a patient with a drink, they deliver on this committment with no delay.

  • We Plan for No delays, Every Day

    No delays, Every Day

    Example: All members of the Theatre team Surgeon, Scrub Nurses, Theatre technicians arrive on time to complete the WHO checklist meaning patient operations start on time with no delay.

  • We Listen, We Learn, We Lead

    We Listen, We Learn, We Lead

    Example: A ward manager, matron, clinical director reviews learning from a recent patient complaint, working together with the team to implement new ways of working following the feedback.

  • We Work Together, We Celebrate Together

    Work together, celebrate together

    Example: Over 3000 Worcestershire Acute staff join a staff Facebook page whereby they share and celebrate achievements leading to the Trust staff Facebook page winning a national award. (Something else to celebrate!)

Step 2 – ‘We Do This By’

This is a simple process which supports discussions in teams about what the 4ward behaviours mean to them in their everyday work, what it looks and feels like when colleagues positively model our 4ward behaviours and how to deal with it when they don’t, through positive challenge and constructive criticism

Here’s our Executive Team’s ‘we do this by’ as an example:

Executive Team 4Ward ‘We do this by’…

How are we moving forward in line with #PuttingPatientsFirst?

patients first

Putting
Patients First

Our Vision

Working in partnership
to provide the best healthcare for our
communities, leading and supporting our
teams to move 4ward

Our Strategic Objectives

Best services for local people
Best experience of care and outcomes for our patients
Best use of resources
Best people

Our 4ward Signature Behaviours

weWe Do What We Say We Will Do
listenWe Listen, We Learn, We Lead
planWe Plan For No Delays, Every Day
workWe Work Together, We Celebrate Together

Clinical Services Strategy

Our Enabling Strategies

Quality and
Safety
People and
Culture
Estates
Digital
Medium Term
Financial Plan
Communications

4ward Improvement System

  • Do as we say we do

    Do as we say we do

    • Making decisions and taking actions which put patients first.
    • Consistently role modelling our 4ward behaviours to everyone, always
    • Complying with contractual obligations, policies and professional standards, and ensuring others do too
    • Calling out, and encouraging others to call out, when we do not do what we say we will do
  • We Plan for No delays, Every Day

    No delays, every day

    • Communication and being consistent about our priorities and decisions on the use of resources
    • Investing in our people to accelerate innovation and transformation to improve care for our patients
    • Framing issues in ways which encourage and support our people to seize opportunities and salve problems for themselves
    • Escalating issues early to prevent delays
    • Unblocking barriers to change where other avenues have been exhausted
  • We Listen, We Learn, We Lead

    We Listen, We Learn, We Lead

    • Listening to the views of our people, acting where appropiate and providing honest feedback
    • Helping our people to understand their role in realising our vision, strategy and annual plan
    • Developing, coaching and supporting all leaders to empower decision making as close to the patient as possible
    • Actively nurturing an open and transparent culture which promotes continuous quality improvement
    • Learning from success as well as failure
  • We Work Together, We Celebrate Together

    Work together, celebrate together

    • Being visible, accessible, and responsive across our sites
    • Acting as ambassadors for our teams and system partners
    • Never knowingly allowing a colleague to fail
    • Taking time to reflect on our progress
    • Remembering how much everyday courtesy, kindness and respect matter to the people who look to use for leadership
    • Remembering to smile, say hello and say thank you!

Step 3 – Showcase

One of our 4ward behaviours is ‘Work together, celebrate together’ and as colleagues deliver improvements to their service and nurture that more positive working environment, teams are actively supported and encouraged to celebrate their success with each other, the wider organisation and the outside world

Have something you would like to showcase, get in touch with the communications team who can help you to do so: wah-tr.Communications@nhs.net

You can find all of our 4ward showcases in Worcestershire Weekly here and see how other teams are displaying 4ward behaviours, remember you could be next! https://worcestershire-weekly-nhs.tfemagazine.co.uk//search/?q=showcase

We also encourage colleagues to share good news, achievements and celebrate on our award-winning staff Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/WorcsAcuteStaff/. This is a group set up by staff, for staff at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Support. Inspire. Celebrate. Learn. Share. Living the 4ward behaviours, we want staff to celebrate together as well as work together. This is a forum for you to share things of importance for you, whether it be personal or team achievements, fundraising efforts, community events or social ideas.

Step 4 –Assessing and evaluating the positive impact all of this is having.

Currently we measure the impact our 4ward behaviours are having in two ways:

  • Through the quarterly staff friends and family test
  • Through the national staff survey

We really encourage colleagues to complete both and answer all questions including the 4ward questions based around the impact displaying the 4ward behaviours as a team is having on putting your patients first.

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