We entered The Investors in People Awards to benchmark ourselves not just against other GP practices, but against the very best employers across the UK. Working within the NHS, one of the most demanding and resource-constrained environments, we wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to build a thriving, high-performing organisation by putting people at the heart of everything we do.
Our Gold accreditation earlier this year confirmed the progress we have made, but we entered the Awards because we see recognition as part of a much bigger journey. We have spent the last decade shaping a positive, people-first culture at Compass House, and the past two years have been about deepening that through a more evidence-based approach. Following a period of major operational change, we focused on rebuilding connection, collaboration, and trust. Our work has taken ideas from positive, organisational, and leadership psychology, tested them in general practice, adapted them for our environment, and we are now sharing this learning across Devon through leadership development programmes.
Entering the Awards was an opportunity to share this story and to celebrate what is possible when a healthcare organisation commits to world-class standards. It also allows us to show that positive and organisational psychology are not just academic theories but can be applied successfully in frontline NHS settings to improve wellbeing, engagement, and performance.
The process of reflecting on our journey has already added value. It has given us new insight into our strengths and future priorities, including our continued focus on leadership development, equality, and team resilience. Most of all, we entered because we are proud of the people behind our success, a team who have embraced change, cared for one another, and shown what is possible when you invest in people, even in the most challenging of times.
For our team, it is both a validation and a celebration, recognition that the care, commitment, and collaboration that define Compass House are seen and valued beyond our own organisation. Working in general practice is demanding, and many NHS teams face daily pressures around workload, resources, and morale. Against that backdrop, this shortlisting is a powerful reminder that it is possible to thrive when people feel heard, supported, and trusted.
For our leaders, it has reinforced that our focus on people and culture is the right one. We have not aimed to create a single wellbeing initiative but to build a sustainable, high-performing workplace grounded in evidence and humanity. Our Gold accreditation and now this shortlisting affirm that you can achieve excellence by putting people first, even in a high-pressure public service environment.
For the organisation as a whole, the recognition has been energising. Our team have described feeling proud, motivated, and connected to something bigger than their individual roles. It has reignited the sense of shared purpose that underpins our vision to create a place where our people and our patients can both thrive.
To win the Investors in People Award would be extraordinary. It would affirm that a GP practice operating within the constraints of the NHS can stand alongside the UK’s best employers. It would also send a message across primary care that investing in people is not a luxury but an essential route to sustainability, wellbeing, and performance.
Winning would symbolise the journey we have taken together, from rebuilding morale after major change, to embedding positive and organisational psychology into daily practice, to creating a culture where everyone has a voice.
It would demonstrate that these approaches work in healthcare and can be shared across the wider primary care community. Most of all, it would be a collective achievement, a reflection of our belief that when people flourish, organisations follow.
It connects us with a wider network of organisations that share our belief in the value of investing in people and continuous improvement. The framework provides both a structure and a challenge, encouraging us to hold ourselves to the highest standards and to learn from others who are also striving to create exceptional workplaces.
Engaging in awards and events like this one allows us to celebrate progress, benchmark against leading organisations, and exchange ideas that can be adapted for healthcare. It also gives us a platform to share our own learning, showing how evidence-based approaches from psychology and leadership research can be successfully applied in the NHS. We are now helping other practices to apply these principles and tools, spreading good practice and supporting a stronger, more resilient primary care workforce across Devon.
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