Kingsmill Kindness campaign extends funding for NHS healthcare workers

The Kingsmill Kindness fund was created to enable people who are inspired to help others to advance their careers and gain new skills, while giving much-needed support to the NHS across the UK. It has to-date met the full training costs for 16 health care support workers and nursing associates in Greater Manchester and Staffordshire, and will invest in a further eight roles in Lincolnshire over the next year.

The campaign is an initiative between Health Education England, the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink and Kingsmill’s parent company Allied Bakeries, which is turn falls under the umbrella of Associated British Foods, a global PLC. The Kingsmill-funding for Kindness comes from the companies’ own unused apprenticeship levy funds.

“The whole ethos behind our Kingsmill Kindness campaign is to give back to our bakeries’ local communities and we do that in a number of ways – from making food donations, to supporting community groups and local sports teams,” ​said Emma Eggleton, head of Marketing for Kingsmill.

“However, like our partnership with Save The Children, the apprenticeship levy scheme allows us to give back on a far larger scale.​

“We are all aware of the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on primary care NHS workers, and we are delighted to be helping grow these services for the future. We wish our newest apprentices all the very best with their training and are excited to see all they go on to achieve.”​

Never needed more

Added Darren Altus, operations director at K2 Healthcare, a federation of 16 GP practices within the Grantham & Sleaford area, “Primary care resources have never been so squeezed.​

“Being able to offer advanced training for nurses allows us to deliver more integrated care whilst removing some of the pressures placed on GP surgeries.​

“For example, our latest apprentice recruits will go on to perform routine nursing tasks, run their own immunisation clinics while immediately putting into practice new skills via on the job training. The funding from Kingsmill is a great help for the NHS at a time when it’s never needed it more.”​

Training courses typically involve 2-3 years combined university study and on-the-job training.

“I recently turned 40 and have been looking for new work opportunities that will give me the chance to develop my career further over the coming years,”​ said Helen Marshall, a cohort in the latest round of recruits. The funding comes from the Kingsmill depot in Lincoln, and Marshall will complete her hand-on training at St Peter’s Hill Surgery.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to support St Peter’s Hill Surgery in Grantham and eventually be able to run my own clinics taking blood and giving babies their immunisations.”​