The six-week programme will see the Trust engage with its staff, patients, carers, partners and communities to hear their views and ideas.
It will lead to the development of a small number of clear, memorable values supported by practical behaviours. These will help guide care and difficult decisions, shape how the Trust’s teams work together, and create clear expectations for leadership and accountability.
The engagement programme will feature a range of activities including facilitated online and in-person workshops, pop-ups at hospital sites and an online survey, as well as targeted engagement with professional networks, community groups and people whose voices are less often heard.
Provide feedback now through our short public survey
The survey closes 11:59pm on Wednesday 7 October.
Feedback heard during the engagement process will be independently analysed, with emerging values and behaviours tested and validated before they are finalised.
The findings will be published in a report, demonstrating what people told us and how that feedback shaped the final values and behaviours.
BFT Chief Executive, Maria Kane, said: “The development of our values and behaviours marks a significant cultural step for our new Trust.
“The merger brought together two organisations with proud histories, considerable strengths and established values of their own.
“We now have an opportunity to build on the best of both while creating something new for our Trust that reflects what matters to us, the organisation we want to become and what patients, communities and colleagues should be able to expect from us.
“That is why it’s so important we hear the views not only of our staff, but patients and communities – including the seldom-heard voices – too.”
BFT Chair, Ingrid Barker, said: “Values are more than just warm words on a page. They will guide how we care, lead, work together, recognise good practice and hold ourselves to account.
“They should help us understand what doing the right thing looks like in everyday work – and on the difficult days, when the answer is not always clear.
“That is how we move from statements into the lived experience of our colleagues and the people and communities we serve – and it’s why it’s so important we are inquisitive and listen to what they have to say.”