The Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter is a voluntary membership and assessment scheme which has been created to improve employment standards across all Greater Manchester employers, regardless of size, sector or geography. Organisations – including public sector bodies, private sector businesses, service providers, the third sector, and voluntary and community organisations – can sign up to the Charter.
The Charter was developed through a process of co-design, involving the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), all GM districts, Trade Unions, and employers and employees from all sectors.
In order to become a member, employers need to demonstrate that they excel across the seven characteristics of good employment, which include flexible working, payment of the real living wage, wellbeing and inclusive recruitment.
Hawkley Brook Medical Practice became the first employer in the health and care sector to become a member when they were presented with their Member plaque at the Greater Manchester Health and Care Workforce Summit at the Museum of Science and Industry in March.
NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, responsible for making decisions about health services across Greater Manchester, is supporting health and care employers across the city region to become Employment Charter Members. A network is being set up to help employers learn from established members and improve their employment practices for the benefit of the workforce. The ambition is for all health and care employers to become members.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said: “We are pleased to welcome our first health and care employer as a Member of the Charter. It is more important than ever that we value our health and care workforce and provide them with good employment. I look forward to supporting the sector to build on this progress and welcoming more health and care Members in the year ahead.”
Janet Wilkinson, Chief People Officer, NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care said: “I am delighted that Hawkley Brook are leading the way and demonstrating that health and care employers, including GP practices, can break down barriers and take action to become truly good employers. As an integrated care system, we are committed to supporting all of our employers to become members of the Charter and ultimately provide our workforce with good employment.”
Dr Nikesh Vallabh, Partner and General Practitioner at Hawkley Brook Medical Practice said: “Hawkley Brook Medical practice is extremely proud to be the first health and care organisation in Greater Manchester to become a member of the Good Employment Charter. Being an excellent GP practice is about looking after our practice team as well as our patients. The Good Employment Charter articulates a set of standards that we have made a strong commitment to and can hold ourselves accountable against as a practice. We hope this will inspire other organisations in health and social care to do follow suit in becoming members of the charter. We look forward to working with other organisations, including those outside of health and care, to share learning, innovation and best practice as part of the Good Employment Charter community.”
