Our Community

First impressions can be difficult to reverse or undo, and they often set the tone for the relationship that follows.

With many wonderful and talented people joining The Ralph over the next few months, we’re working hard to make sure that first impressions of The Ralph are authentic and genuine. We also want to make sure that our new starters are supported to acclimatise to The Ralph culture as quickly as possible.

So, one of the first documents that we will provide to our people is an employee handbook. And it’s vital we make sure it reflects our culture and values and also showcases ‘us’ and how we work, what makes us tick and ‘how we do things around here’.

Traditionally, a handbook like this is a hefty booklet of formal written policies on things like grievances, disciplinary procedures and health and safety.  Of course, this information will be available (in fact, it’s a legal requirement!) but our hospital is so much more than policies and procedures. So, we identified very early on that we needed an alternative, something that is aligned with us and how we do things,  and that is more culturally consistent.

So instead we’ve been putting together a ‘culture book’ – Life at The Ralph. We’ve been working on it this week, and it’s actually led us to re-visit a few of our previous blogs! It will cover all sorts of things that we’ve already written about – our core values, our commitment to wellbeing and our communities, the importance of feedback, and the way in which we’ll be empowering champions to support their cause. There are no secrets here at The Ralph – if we believe in something, we’ll shout about it for all to hear!

In addition to the cultural elements, we also want to create a very practical guide to joining Team Ralph. It can be daunting starting a new role, especially during those first few days. It’s the crucial things – like knowing where the coffee machine is, who you can go to with questions, and where you can park your bike – that will make our people feel comfortable right from the beginning.

Ultimately, we aim to empower and encourage all members of Team Ralph to behave consistently, to bring our core values to life in everything that we do and to be proud of the amazing hospital and community that we’re building!

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We are confident that right from the outset, Life at The Ralph will instil our philosophy and mindset into the everyday.

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out – you’ll get to meet some of our lovely new team very soon.

Take care,

Team Ralph