Anchor Programme
NHS Golden Jubilee University National Hospital as an Anchor Institution
Anchor institution is a term used to describe large, locally rooted organisations such as the NHS. As an Anchor institution, NHS Golden Jubilee can make a positive contribution to the local community in a number of ways including:
- Widening access to quality work
- Working closer with local partners
- Purchasing locally for social benefit
- Using buildings and spaces to support communities
- Reducing environmental impact
- ‘What is an anchor institution?’ (video link to be added)
- NHS GJ as an Anchor institution
- Being an Anchor institution is central to our contribution towards improving population health and wellbeing, and tackling poverty and inequalities.
Strategic Plan and Objectives
NHS Golden Jubilee submitted an Anchor Strategic Plan to the Scottish Government in October 2023. The plan included the range of Anchor activities currently underway across the organisation’s teams, as well as plans for future activities.
A range of strategic objectives with measures have been developed by our Workforce, Procurement and Estates Teams and feature the delivery of initiatives which will support our role as anchor organisation, specifically:
- Purchasing more locally and for social benefit
- We have embedded community benefits within our tender documents
- Encouraging our suppliers to utilise the Community Benefits Portal to support third sector organisations
- Recently became an affiliated member of the Supplier Development Programme
- The Procurement Team has attended several 'Meet the Buyer' events and hosted one at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel
- Using buildings and spaces to support communities
- Established a Greenspace and Biodiversity Subgroup to feed into Climate Change Sustainability Strategic (CCSS) Group, exploring opportunities working with local community organisations to increase community access to green space on the NHS Golden Jubilee site
- Widening Access to Quality Work
Strategic Advisory Group
Following the implementation of an internal Anchor Steering Group in 2023, a Strategic Advisory Group has now been established. The first meeting took place in January 2025 and the group includes representation from key external stakeholders, aiming to identify opportunities for NHS Golden Jubilee to work in partnership with other Anchor institutions to deliver our Anchor Strategic Plan.
Family Prosperity Network
NHS Golden Jubilee is a member of the Family Prosperity Network, working in partnership with fellow public organisations to identify and deliver priority actions to tackle child poverty across the region.
Staff Community Engagement Group
Following a period of staff engagement and feedback, a Staff Community Engagement Group was established in July 2024. The group has over 70 members and provides a forum to share information from the West Dunbartonshire area.
This includes:
- Free school holiday activities
- Family events
- Volunteering opportunities
- Support available from local charities and organisations
Future Plans
Digital Academy
Working in Partnership with the West Dunbartonshire Council Working4U service, NHS Golden Jubilee’s Digital and eHealth division is exploring the opportunity to offer Digital Apprenticeships with support from Skills Development Scotland. Discussions will continue during 2025/26 to progress pathways.
Civic University
Discussions are scheduled to take place with the University of Strathclyde to identify higher education opportunities for the local community and staff.
Further information
For further information about the work of NHS Golden Jubilee as an Anchor Institution please see the following Public Health Scotland materials:
Contact
You can contact the Anchor Programme Team at: gjnh.perfplan@gjnh.scot.nhs.uk
