NHS Highland charity boost enables Raigmore nurse wellbeing project
The official charity of NHS Highland has announced the launch of a £150,000 three-year nurse wellbeing and leadership development project at Raigmore Hospital.
The Highland Health Board charity was approached by a generous anonymous donor last year wishing to support a project focused on enhancing the wellbeing, resilience, and professional development of Raigmore’s nursing workforce.
Through their generosity, match-funded by the charity, a collaborative initiative was developed in partnership with senior nursing leaders.
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The donor said: “Nursing is a giving, caring profession that achieves so much under increasingly challenging circumstances.
“I want to support the nursing staff at Raigmore in a meaningful way that provides long-term, compounding benefits and is guided by the knowledge and expertise of senior nurses.”
This project directly addresses the challenges facing the nursing and midwifery workforce, including staff shortages, workplace stress and post-pandemic pressures. There are in excess of 1600 nurses at Raigmore Hospital and targeted groups will be the focus of this initiative.
By implementing targeted leadership development and wellbeing initiatives, the programme aims to create a more supportive and sustainable working environment.
Evelyn Gray, associate nurse director, said: “This project marks a major step forward in our commitment to nursing staff wellbeing.
“By investing in leadership development, resilience training and enhanced peer support structures, we hope to foster a more fulfilling workplace that ultimately benefits both staff and patient care.
“We also anticipate valuable insights from this project that could inform similar initiatives across the rest of Highland and Argyll and Bute.”
Philip MacRae, chairman of the charity endowment funds committee, said: “This initiative is not just about supporting our current workforce, it’s about building a lasting legacy of strong leadership, enhanced wellbeing and professional growth within Raigmore’s nursing community.
“We are deeply grateful to our anonymous donor for their vision and generosity in making this possible.”
The project will launch in April with key milestones set throughout its three-year duration to assess its impact on staff wellbeing, retention and overall job satisfaction.
