WWL is proud to be an Anchor Institution
At WWL, we view the Wigan Borough as a place in which people can thrive, and it is our collective responsibility as Anchor Institutions to contribute towards this. By working together with local partners outside of healthcare, WWL can help towards making a significant impact, addressing the daily health inequalities we see in our communities, creating exciting employment and education opportunities and helping the prosperity of businesses within the Borough to flourish.
Anchor Institutions are organisations that are rooted in local communities, and through their size and scale, positively contribute to the local area in ways beyond their direct service provision. WWL is an Anchor Institution, and we positively contribute to our local area beyond our direct service provision.
- WWL employs locally: the largest employer in the Wigan Borough – we currently employ over 7,600 people, 69% of whom are from the local population.
- WWL spends locally: £36million with companies based in Greater Manchester, of which £10million was with companies based in the Wigan Borough.
- WWL creates employment opportunities: 271 people have taken part in apprenticeships, T-level placements and pre-employment programmes through WWL.
- 1,000+ students: Through our career ambassadors, WWL has connected with more than 1,000 students, supporting our ambition to ensure that one in 10 school leavers go on to pursue a career in health and care.
- WWL is in the heart of our community: There are 43 individual sites used by WWL services across the Wigan Borough.
In Our Strategy 2030, the Trust set out a vision to place our local communities at the heart of everything we do. Working with our partners, we are using our role as a significant local employer and purchaser of goods, along with our building assets, to support the development of a thriving and sustainable local economy. Through this, we aim to reduce health inequalities and poverty, positively impacting the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve.
The Trust also creates employment opportunities through apprenticeships, T-level placements and pre-employment programmes.
Work is ongoing at WWL as an Anchor Institution, supporting local residents and staff, increasing access to quality work for local people, spending more money locally through procurement and employment, and caring for the environment throughout the Wigan Borough.
We want our staff and the public to recognise the impact we have, the benefits of being an Anchor Institution, and how they can help us to continue to grow and develop.
The key strands of our Anchor Institution are badged under the following themes:
- Community Wealth Building through our Partnership Working
- Increasing access to quality work for local people
- Spending our money locally and to create social value
- Opening up our buildings and spaces for the local community
- Caring for our environment
Working in partnership with other organisations across the Wigan Borough is fundamental to our approach and provides the potential to have an even greater positive impact on the population than working in isolation. In Wigan, we describe our approach as ‘Community Wealth Building’.
Across our local partnerships, there is an estimated £1billion of public spending, with more than 22,000 people employed across the anchor partnership, illustrating the huge potential we have collectively to positively impact the local economy and prosperity within our communities.
WWL is part of a growing network of partners, which was officially established in September 2020. This now includes, WWL, Wigan Council, the Department for Work and Pensions, Wigan and Leigh College, Wigan Youth Zone, Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue and Groundwork, a Wigan and Leigh community charity.
Overall the health of the Wigan population is worse than England, as shown in the graphic below. Consequently, when compared to England, local people experience shorter lives and spend less time in good health, equating to almost a quarter of life in poor health.
Within Wigan Borough, health outcomes vary across local communities. These health inequalities are reflected, across the life course, throughout the range of health outcomes and are predominantly associated with deprivation. This is why our role as an Anchor Institution, is so important in improving the socio-economics of our Borough.
