Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Because you Matter Conversations?
The Because you Matter Conversations are two online Conversations that take place on the Clever Together Conversation platform. This platform is hosted independently, and everything shared is completely anonymous.The aims of these Conversations are to:
- Understand the truth about the culture we have right now at Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust
- Learn what our people want for the future of our Trust and hear your ideas for the culture you want to build
In the first Conversation (10 October – 24 October 2023) we asked you about the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly of working at our Trust. This Conversation was completely shaped by our people; it was an opportunity to tell us about your experiences with the promise that you would be heard and your contributions would be acted upon.
All contributions were analysed by Clever Together and they provided a detailed report about what was said (you can read the report here). This was used to draft a set of behaviours that work with our values (which you can read here).
Then, in the second Conversation which was open 16 January - 2 February 2024, we invited you to:
- Check and challenge the behaviours we drafted using your contributions from the last Conversation
- Tell us about the opportunities we have to improve patient care and staff experience through our future plans – these include our new digital clinical system and our new hospital programme
Who can get involved?
The Because you Matter Conversations are open to all staff and volunteers at Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust, no matter your role or location.
How is this different to the NHS Staff Survey?
Like the staff survey, the conversation is anonymous. Unlike the staff survey, the Because you Matter Conversations allow dialogue between you and your colleagues. When you share an Idea, your colleagues can publicly agree, disagree, ask questions about and build upon what you said. It’s a chance to have a discussion about topics you may not feel comfortable or able to talk about in-person, with people you may not often interact with. You will read the thoughts, ideas, concerns and experiences of colleagues right across the Trust and know that everything you say will be read and taken into account.
What is a values and behaviours framework?
A values and behaviours framework is a set of guiding principles that define the core values and expected behaviours within an organisation. It serves as a foundation for decision-making, fostering a shared culture, and aligning everyone with an organisation's shared expectation for how people should treat each other. Values and behaviours frameworks are important for several reasons:
- Cultural Alignment: They help align individuals with the organisation's culture, fostering a sense of shared expectations for conduct at work.
- Decision-Making: They guide decision-making by providing a consistent set of principles that individuals can refer to in various situations, including recruitment, performance management, and reward and recognition.
- Employee Well-being: They contribute to employee wellbeing by helping create a positive and values-driven workplace.
What is a strategic framework?
A strategic framework is a structured plan that outlines an organisation's long-term goals expressed as its vision, purpose and priorities (and sometimes includes values). It provides a roadmap for achieving success by defining priorities to make decisions about allocating resources and where to direct effort and attention for everyone in an organisation. A strategic framework is important for several reasons:
- Direction: It provides a clear direction for a whole organisation, outlining its long-term goals and the path to achieve them.
- Making decisions about resources: It helps allocate resources efficiently by prioritising initiatives that align with strategic objectives.
- Adaptability: It allows for adaptability to both planned and unplanned change by maintaining a focus on overarching goals.
- Communication: It serves as a communication tool, ensuring that staff and stakeholders understand the organisation's vision, purpose and priorities.
How does the Clever Together Conversation platform work?
The Conversation works a bit like a social media platform; people can join around their individual work patterns, from any device, and contribute as much or as little as suits them. Most importantly the process is anonymous and independently facilitated, meaning people can feel safe sharing their honest thoughts and feelings.
When is the Conversation open?
The first Conversation was open in October. The second Conversation is open from 16 – 30 January 2024.
How do I register?
Staff: If you are a member of staff, you do not need to register. You will receive an email with your login details when each of the Conversations launch.
Volunteers and lead employer trainee junior doctors: Please click here to register. Once registered, you will receive an initial email confirmation and another email with your login details when each of the Conversations launch.
Please note: If you took part in the first Conversation, you do not need to register again for the second one. Your login details will remain the same.
All emails will come from becauseyoumatter@clevertogether.com, so keep an eye out! If you can’t find your emails, please check your junk or spam inboxes. If you don’t see them there, please send an email to support@clevertogether.com and we will help you get logged in as quickly as possible.
What are the rules?
We welcome all ideas, whether they are potentially controversial or about difficult topics. However, we expect you to be respectful with your contributions.
Please take a moment to read our Community Guidelines which outline our simple Ground Rules:
1. Keep it anonymous
2. Keep it respectful
3. Keep it relevant
4. Keep it legal
Our Community Guidelines also include some practical tips on how to use the platform and guidelines for having a good Conversation.
How can I contribute to the Conversation?
There are three main ways to contribute to the Conversation:
1. Adding Ideas
2. Commenting on the Ideas of others
3. Voting on the Ideas and comments of others
For more tips on how you can contribute to the Conversation, take a look at the ‘How to have a good Conversation’ guide.
Do I have to make comments or post Ideas?
No. You can simply log in and read the discussion or use the ‘Agree and ‘Disagree’ buttons to submit your views. We believe that everyone has something to contribute.
What does it mean to ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with an Idea or comment?
A 'vote' is a way for you to express your opinion about an Idea or comment. It indicates to us as facilitators whether you find the content valuable, interesting, or relevant.
The more 'Agree' votes a post or comment receives, the more popular it is, and we will take that into account in our analysis. On the other hand, content with more ‘Disagree’ votes is less popular or perhaps contentious and we will also take that into account in our analysis.
Popularity alone doesn’t mean that an Idea will necessarily be carried forward to action after a Conversation closes. There can be lots of reasons why popular Ideas or comments cannot be achieved (such as availability of resources, or legal restrictions). However, it is still important that we respond to these Ideas.
Can I change my vote after casting it?
Yes, you can change your vote at any time by clicking on the ‘Agree’ or ‘Disagree’ button again while the Conversation is live. This allows you to adjust your opinions based on evolving discussions or new information.
Is this really anonymous?
Yes, your name or identifying information will not appear with any of your Ideas, comments or votes on the platform. This means your contributions will be treated by other participants based on what you say, not on who you are. Find out more about your anonymity here.
How can I see the Conversation in other languages?
On desktop:
On the top right-hand corner of your screen, you will see a translation icon which looks like this: 
Click on this icon and a toolbar will appear at the top of your screen.
Click on the same icon on this toolbar (fourth from the left) – this will open a dropdown. You can either scroll through the list or use the search function to choose your language.
On mobile:
Follow the first step above and you will see three icons appear at the bottom of your screen. Click on the settings cog icon and then select the translation icon (pictured above). Then, choose your language from the list. This will then automatically translate all the text on the page into your chosen language. You can change this back at any time by following the same steps.
What accessibility features are there on the platform?
As well as translating the page, you can also:- Have the page read out loud in its entirety
- Highlight certain blocks of text that can be read out loud
- Display pictures related to text selected
- Convert selected text into an MP3 file
- Reduce screen glare and increase focus
- Magnify text
- Remove distracting content from pages
Why can’t I see the translation icon on the top right-hand corner?
Some ad blockers can stop the translation feature from showing. If you are running an ad blocker, please disable it for this site and then refresh the page. You should now be able to see the icon. If you are still having trouble, please get in touch with our team on support@clevertogether.com
How is the Conversation facilitated?
This Conversation is being facilitated by the Clever Together team. In order to facilitate the Conversation, the Facilitators may need to:- Move some Ideas to other sections of the Conversation if that’s where they more logically fit.
- Split some Ideas that discuss multiple topics in one post. If your Idea contains more than one distinct topic, the Facilitators may choose to break the post up into multiple posts.
- Deal with inappropriate contributions. If contributions break the Ground Rules, they may be removed or amended.
- The Facilitators may also add comments to the Conversation, inviting you to expand further or asking clarifying questions.
Read more about our facilitation processes here.
How is the Conversation analysed?
All contributions, no matter how large or small, will be read and analysed by Clever Together. They will then develop an iterative coding frame and use qualitative thematic analysis to identify key themes and trends. Clever Together will produce a summary report to represent the views from the Conversation, highlighting the main areas of discussion and strength of opinion.
Who can I contact if I am having difficulty?
If you're having difficulty using the platform, please email the Clever Together support team on support@clevertogether.com
Our safeguarding responsibility
The aim of this process is to talk about our culture and hopes for the future. However, we recognise that thinking about your experiences can be distressing.
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of support for its people. To access these services please click here (you will need to be logged in to the intranet to access this). If from your responses on the platform, we are worried about your health and safety, we are duty-bound to act. In this circumstance, the Clever Together team would seek to contact you via email to offer support.