The Chief Minister and Member for Ramsey Hon Allan Bell MHK, has presented the staff of Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital with their official certificate and plaque to mark their re-accreditation as meeting the Investors in People (IIP) standard. Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital first gained IIP status in 2005, and this presentation follows the hospital’s second external review, which has seen it move beyond achieving the baseline IIP standard and awarded Bronze status. The IIP scheme is utilised by many organisations across the Isle of Man, the UK and globally, in both the public and private sectors. IIP aims to help organisations improve their performance by developing and harnessing the skills of the people within the organisation. Chief Minister, Hon Allan Bell MHK said: “It’s wonderful to see so many successful businesses in the Isle of Man and several areas of Government achieving, maintaining and now exceeding the IIP standard. IIP can help local businesses to grow and thrive, and it affords equally important results for the public sector; allowing Government services such as those at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital to be delivered by motivated and engaged staff, which can have a real benefit in terms of the quality of service and care. “I fully support IIP, and now more than ever it can help fuel growth and business excellence locally in the private sector, whilst also helping Government to improve services and deliver efficiencies by engaging with the workforce. I’d like to extend my sincere congratulations to the team at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital and thank them for their ongoing work to make the hospital such a resounding success.” 2011 sees the IIP scheme celebrating its twentieth anniversary, with 26% of the UK’s workforce now working for organisations that have achieved or are currently working towards IIP status. IIP is co-ordinated in the Isle of Man by the Department of Economic Development, whose team have worked with Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital since their original accreditation and throughout their regular reviews. Minister for Health, Hon David Anderson MHK said: “I’m delighted that the hard work and dedication of the team at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital has paid off. Their endeavours to meet the exacting standard of IIP have seen them not only achieve re-accreditation, but also move beyond the first level of the standard to achieve the Bronze award. A very well done indeed to everyone at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital for achieving such an excellent result which will continue to ensure that the hospital can provide excellent care for patients.” The IIP framework has four levels: Standard, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Hospital Manager, Janet Grib said: “IIP is an ongoing process which has become part of the fabric of the hospital and how we work. Our commitment to continuous improvement, learning and development, induction and career development were some of the areas identified where we had particular strengths, which is fantastic. The team are over the moon, but we’re always looking to raise the bar, so the work continues, with our eyes on the Silver award!” ENDS