Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s finance and procurement department has won the accolade of the best healthcare finance team to work for in the north west of England.

The team, which manages finances for Stepping Hill Hospital and community NHS services in Stockport, won the HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Association) awards North West ‘Great Place to Work’ award at their recent annual ceremony.

They were recognised for creating a positive and supportive working environment for all their workforce, with initiatives including the ‘spreadsheets to bedsheets’ pledge scheme of ensuring financial measures are geared towards improving the patient experience, and a ‘positivity tree’ which celebrates staff achievements. Staff surveys show very high levels of satisfaction among the 68 people who work for the team.

John Graham, Director of Finance said “This is a fantastic achievement for the teams and one that is well deserved and a testament to all their hard work and commitment. We aim to make our finance and procurement team a friendly and rewarding environment to work in, and we were very pleased  to see that confirmed with this HFMA Award. Creating a good working environment means better performance as we work towards getting the best value in healthcare for the people we serve."