1 May 2025
In DHCW, we are proud to acknowledge our strong partnership working ethos and arrangements, this partnership has grown over many years of working together.
Working in partnership is all about establishing more connections and relationships with people, how we engage, communicate and discuss our challenges through mutual trust, respect, listening and learning together to seek the best outcomes for all. This doesn’t mean that we always agree on everything, however we have always worked in a positive and constructive way which has ensured DHCW continues to be a great place to work.
There are many examples of how we work well together and the value of our partnership working which include:
At Board level, a trade union representative is appointed democratically by representatives from all visible TU’s in DHCW. The existence of such role is embedded in legislation in Establishment Order.
At organisational level, there is the Local Partnership Forum (LPF) where we discuss strategic and operational matters which affect our people, which is co-chaired every other month by Trade Union Board member.
At local level, we have our weekly Union and People and Organisational Development (POD) meetings and ad hoc meetings, we meet with our senior POD leads to discuss any hot topics or live operational business which is important to our people and to progress activity outside of LPF and Board meetings. This could be related to policies, pay, organisational change, wellbeing, development, equality, commenting on documents, drafting joint communications and much more.
In recent months and to support actions and recommendations from NHS Wales Staff Survey 2023 and the Workforce Race Equality Standards, we have been involved in TENTalks for our people, which included co facilitating two Anti Bullying and Harassment TENTalks in 2024 and following up with drop-in sessions in January and February 2025.
We are also involved in the development of the new Wellbeing Statement and Objectives for the Wellbeing Future Generations Act (WBFGA) and co-delivered a workshop in December which was well attended by senior leads in DHCW and presented the new social partnership duty and our positive self-assessment on our partnership.
It would be great to have more colleagues involved in our partnership working and would encourage anyone with an interest in becoming a union representative to contact us. There are opportunities to be involved in networks and task and finish working groups to help shape and influence the agenda for DHCW.
Sam Morgan, our new Director of People and OD also shared her views on partnership working:
“I believe that the foundation of any successful organisation lies in strong, meaningful relationships. At the heart of how we work together are the partnerships which have been built between our Leadership and Management teams and trade unions. These relationships are grounded in meaningful consultation, mutual trust, and a shared commitment to supporting and valuing our people.
Our collaborative approach not only helps us navigate challenges together but also nurtures a culture of openness to fresh ideas and new perspectives. It’s this spirit of partnership that inspires our creativity, keeps us innovative and adaptable, and ensures we always put people at the centre of everything we do.
It is through our shared efforts and mutual respect that we create something truly special. I look forward to us building on this strong foundation and to ensuring DHCW is a great place to work.”