This month, unLTD’s Holly Dibden heard from the Chief Executive of Sheffield Hospitals Charity (SHC), Beth Crackles. They met at the ever-impressive Cambridge Street Collective, fittingly located next to Leah’s Yard, which SHC are moving into next month.
Joined by gaffer Phil Turner, we spoke over coffee on a busy Thursday lunch, about Beth’s impact so far, health inequalities and what’s to come for SHC…
“I guess it’s a weird story” Beth tells us when asked how she started out in the charity sector; “I grew up on a riding school which was the local Riding for the Disabled Association centre, so from a really young age I was surrounded by people from different walks of life and always fundraising.”
Beth grew up near Selby and attributes her values and work ethic to her countryside environment, surrounded by animals and hard-working parents who ran their own businesses.
After a degree in Equine Science, moving to London and completing a marketing diploma and MSc in charity management, Beth found her feet in business planning and strategy. “From RNIB, I went to Friends of the Earth, developing fundraising products from scratch and working on corporate partnerships, a huge learning experience.” After becoming a mother and relocating to Sheffield, Beth’s now been in her Chief Exec role for a year.
It’s fair to say that this is a new era for SHC, in her brief time Beth has already shifted the charity’s trajectory, driving forward with structural and organisational changes. “I went off my experience and led with developing a new strategy; the rest will fall from that.”
Then came the decision to physically move the charity’s premises. In September, SHC will relocate from the Northern General Hospital to Leah’s Yard in The Heart of the City, a move which Beth believes is integral for the charity’s growth. “Positioning us physically within the city is important in terms of being able to be active, it gives us a presence in a really cool space and a platform to connect and develop.”
An important part of SHC is that supporting Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT (five hospitals, 40 community settings) and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS FT (mental health, learning difficulties and other specialist services) means that it has the largest healthcare remit of any charity in the City. 21,000 NHS staff caring for two million patients each year. Whereas other charities typically focus on one specific issue or demographic, SHC helps to improve the lives of many people across Sheffield, whether it be patients and their families or the NHS staff who take care of them. From welcoming babies into the world on the Jessop Wing, to supporting cancer care at Weston Park, or receiving specialist care at the Royal Hallamshire, Charles Clifford Dental or the Northern General, its support touches us all.
As a charity for the hospitals of Sheffield and the people they serve, deciding who and where to support might seem like an overwhelming task, yet Beth sees this as a positive; “We must be all things for all people because that’s what the NHS is.”
Part of having a good strategy means getting SHC funding priorities straight, not only supporting the staff, patients and families, but also focusing on what matters most and campaigns that touch our community.
Going forward, Beth says the charity will be focusing on fundraising for dementia, as well as highlighting and helping reduce the health inequalities in Sheffield. This is an important area, as from the start to the end of the number 83 bus route, life expectancy drops by a whopping 10 years.
To help shape this campaign, Dr Bola Owolabi has joined the charity as an Ambassador for Tackling Health Inequalities. Dr Bola is hugely influential as NHS England’s lead for health inequalities and has been proactive in what interventions are needed to start the change in our communities.
It’s clear that Beth’s fresh perspective has brought new ideas and a cleaner focus. SHC would have ticked on regardless, but by appointing a Chief Exec like Beth, using strategy, planning and forging solid corporate relationships, turnover targets can be increased. A bigger picture makes for bigger goals; “We’re not the obvious choice at the moment, but we have an ambition to be one of the major charities in the city.”
What comes across most in our interview is Beth’s unwavering excitement and determination to make a change in her role. It’s clear why she was selected for the Chief Exec job. Towards the end of our meeting, she passionately makes the case that: “This isn’t just cute fundraising, this is a really big deal and SHC has the potential to drive changes to improve healthcare in Sheffield.”
One year in, Beth’s certainly made an entrance, and while there may yet be a few bumps in the road, it’s obvious that she’s cultivating a modern charity, that’s efficient and direct, with the main goal to help ensure the best healthcare for all of us.
For more information visit Sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk.
