THE trust that runs the borough’s hospitals has been shortlisted for two national awards for its new digital services system.

The Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust’s staff engagement survey system Go Engage was up for a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) gong for Best Digital Initiative in HR in London last night, Thursday.

It is also in the running for a NHS Digital Award for HR Analytics from the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA) in the capital on September 20.

The trust, known as WWL, says Go Engage has led to dramatic, positive changes in relation to how effectively it engages with staff.

It added that this effective engagement with staff has also led to positive results for patients.

The system was developed after an NHS staff survey measuring overall employee engagement in approximately 150 NHS acute trusts ranked WWL in the bottom 20 per cent, citing poor culture and low staff morale.

Martyn Smith, acting associate director of information management and technology at the trust, said: “WWL is consistently an NHS leader in staff engagement with multiple awards, which we are very proud of.

“With the Go Engage system we have shown how you can take an original concept through to a successful venture in a short period of time.

“Go Engage is a great example of how IT systems can be delivered on time and in budget and deliver on every promise by partnering with a small, flexible and enthusiastic small business.”

Essential to the programme was the creation of IT programme Xopa, which surveys employees every three months to identify problems that needed addressing.

The trust has also been boosted by the results of an audiology service survey.

Of the 140 patients who replied to May’s survey, 87.1 per cent thought treatment by the audiology service to be excellent and 89.2 per said they were extremely likely to recommend it.

Audiology is the study of hearing disorders, including evaluation of hearing function and rehabilitation of patients with hearing impairments Services offered by the trust include hearing aid, tinnitus, balance, hearing therapy, complex needs and severe hearing loss services.