Engaging 37,000 NHS staff in shaping a new acute provider group
When four NHS trusts came together to form a single acute provider group on 1 April 2026, their leadership faced a question that too many organisations skip: how do you make 37,000 staff feel like they're shaping something, not just being told about it? We designed and delivered a six-week engagement programme across all four trusts, built around the places and meetings staff already used. 35 facilitated sessions, an all-staff survey, and two-stage cross-trust workshops later, 1,888 staff had contributed directly to the priorities behind a new Staff Charter. Programmes of this scale usually take three to six months. This one didn't have that luxury, and didn't need it.
Introduction
On 1 April 2026, four acute NHS trusts in north west London – Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare, London North West University Healthcare, and The Hillingdon Hospitals – formally became the North West London Acute Provider Group (NWL APG). Together, they employ around 37,000 staff and serve one of the most diverse urban populations in the country.
The challenge
Group leadership were clear that staff should shape how the new group develops in practice, not just be informed about it once decisions had been taken. That meant hearing from a cross-section of staff across all four trusts, all staff groups, and all sites, within a tight window before and just after launch. The findings needed to feed directly into a Staff Charter for the APG Board to commit to at launch.
Our approach
Our Insights and Impact team designed and delivered a rapid, two-stage engagement programme over six weeks in February and March 2026.
Stage 1 used a ‘Workshop in a Box’ toolkit of online and face-to-face workshops, all-staff ‘Town Hall’ workshops, and small ward-level huddles, alongside an online survey. The materials were designed to be facilitated by trust colleagues, building engagement capacity and prominence of the APG within the four trusts.
Stage 2 took the emerging themes back to staff in large format cross-trust meetings, testing six preliminary charter commitments and surfacing what would make a charter credible.
Throughout, we worked closely with a steering group spanning all four trusts. A defining principle of the design was to meet staff where they already were. Rather than building new forums, the programme was primarily carried and coordinated through existing meetings and forums across all four trusts, with visible executive sponsorship pulling people in. Engagement programmes of this scale and ambition typically run over three to six months; this one was designed and delivered in six weeks.
What we delivered
- 35 facilitated sessions and cross-trust meetings across the four trusts
- An online survey running for the duration of the engagement window
- A full analytical report, What matters to us: Views from staff in North West London Acute Provider Group, translating findings into clear priorities for the Staff Charter and the group’s 2026/27 strategy
- A staff-facing summary describing the key themes of the engagement data for all staff who took part
- Recommendations for the APG Board on what the Staff Charter needs to contain to carry weight with staff
Outcomes
The programme reached 1,888 staff, exceeding the original participation 5% target of 1,750 set at the start. Findings showed clear priorities across all four trusts: equitable treatment, visible and compassionate leadership, and tangible improvements to working life. Staff were also direct that a charter will only mean something if its commitments are specific, measurable, and openly reported on.
