Read more about Abdul Aziz’s Ramadan reflections on page six
Thank you to everyone who supported this edition, particularly those who shared their stories, and to the Comms team who interview colleagues and write these wonderful stories.
This week we share Abdul Aziz’s heartfelt Ramadan reflections, highlighting faith and community. We explore how Care Navigator roles are enhancing patient experience, ensuring better support and guidance. Plus, there’s much more to celebrate across our teams. Time is running out to complete our Communications Survey. Tell us what works, what doesn’t, and what could improve.
Emma Parkes
Joint Director of Communications
Don’t miss your chance. Complete the survey today.
Brand-new resource designed to support line managers throughout the Trust has officially launched.
Early feedback for Proud to Manage (P2M) is glowing!
Elle Yould, Medical Workforce Scheduler, praised the tool, saying:
“I’ve shared the new managers' section of the Hub, and colleagues in CBU2 found it incredibly helpful.”
The Learning and Organisational Development team is urging managers to attend the Welcome to Leadership and Management session to explore P2M alongside Our Leadership Way.
Get in touch with the team
Congratulations to the BFS Portering Team who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, collaboration, and innovation throughout 2024, resulting in taking home the Portering Team of the Year Award at the MyPorter Awards this week.
This team of around 70 people has consistently delivered a top-class service while also looking to continuously improve. Their role extends beyond patient movement to essential hospital operations, working seamlessly with clinical teams across departments.
Through effective communication and strong relationships with clinical teams, and through embracing innovation, they have contributed significantly to improving patient flow and reducing elective backlogs.
Through many changes, the team has remained adaptable and professional, handling over 150,000 tasks annually.
Their resilience and teamwork have eased the burden on clinical staff, ensuring smoother hospital operations.
Portering Manager Darren Nunn and some of his award-winning team
Head of Facilities Paul Haytree and Portering Team Leader Scott Hurley
The whole team’s outstanding contributions make them a model of excellence in healthcare support services.
Paul Haytree Head of Facilities
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Read our Ramadan Guide for information on how you can support colleagues
How are Barnsley Hospital and the Chaplaincy Service supporting staff during Ramadan?
During the holy month of Ramadan (beginning 28 February), all hospital departments, including the Chaplaincy, work closely with colleagues to offer support, guidance, and direction.
We encourage everyone regardless of background, beliefs, or none to feel confident in asking questions and seeking information.
A Ramadan guide has been developed by our Inclusion and Wellbeing team,
providing valuable insights and practical information for colleagues not from a Muslim background. This year, colleagues fasting during Ramadan will also receive dates, kindly donated by the South Yorkshire ICB People Experience Team. On behalf of myself and all our staff, I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the ICB, the Inclusion and Wellbeing Team, and everyone who helped make this possible.
What is Ramadan and what does it mean to you?
The holy month of Ramadan is a very special month for all Muslims around the world. It was during this month that the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an was revealed. For me, the holy month of Ramadan is a very spiritual and blessed month, a month of self-reflection.
It is a month which teaches patience, sympathy and self-restraint. The benefits of this month include improvements to both spiritual and physical health and wellbeing.
I wish everyone a Happy Ramadan, Ramadan Kareem.
Our first intern of the month for 2025 (January) has been awarded to Sherona Harper for the way that she interacts with patients on the Discharge Unit, making them comfortable and putting them at their ease. Working on the Discharge Unit is Sherona’s second placement as a part of her DFN Project Search Supported Internship.
WhatisProjectSearch?
DFN Project Search is a transition to work program in partnership with Barnsley College for people with disabilities aged 18-24 in their last year of education.
Students explore a variety of different career paths over three rotations each year.
StarIntern: SheronaHarper
When talking to Sherona in her first placement with Chaplaincy, she said:
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feel proud and honoured to help others. Talking to people and making them feel less alone makes every day an achievement.
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New roles boost patient satisfaction
Barnsley Hospital has introduced two new roles of ‘Patient and Carer Experience Navigator.’ We asked Patient and Carer Experience Lead, Jane Connaughton, to tell us more…
Can you explain a bit more about the Patient and Carer
Experience Navigator role?
The objective for these roles is to drive the Patient
Experience agenda, and to provide the support to improve performance in relevant key areas where patient satisfaction is the measure.
The role came about following a review of the models used by top performing trusts in the national Care Quality Commission (CQC) Adult Inpatient Survey.
The proposal was to recruit two Patient and Carer
Experience Navigator roles as part of a six-month pilot supporting a number of wards in key patient
experience improvement initiatives.
These roles are a driver for increased patient feedback, allowing us to then identify what further patient experience improvements are required.
How did the two current post holders get into the roles?
Both of them started in October 2024. One of them, Mat, is on a study break from university, and was looking for a fixed-term contract. He said the job profile looked interesting and would allow him to gain a non-clinical view on the patient pathway. And he enjoys talking to and building rapport with patients!
Our other post holder Manoshi got into this role after always being interested in working with patient experience since being a volunteer. Manoshi applied for this role after seeing the job advert.
What do they do day-to-day?
Primarily, the focus is supporting key patientfacing initiatives introduced with the aim of improving patient and family experience of care. This includes but is not limited to projects called: ‘3 things about me,’ ‘Care Partners and Welcome Packs.’
In addition, we often find ourselves supporting patients by ensuring they know their voice matters.
Is there more scope in future for the Patient
Experience Navigator role in Barnsley? What differences will it make for patients?
Since the introduction of the role, ‘Friends and Family’ response and satisfaction rates for the wards involved in the pilot have significantly increased. There have been several instances where the navigators have been able to help resolve concerns in real-time through appropriate signposting and support. At the end of the pilot, the Trust will review and consider a suitable patient experience model of support that continues to achieve the results we have seen so far.
Patient and Carer Experience Navigator Manoshi
EndoscopyAdminteam
Focusonwellbeing transformedwaitingtimes
Recovering from the impact of Covid 19, Endoscopy patients were experiencing longer waiting times. Our admin team responded by transforming processes to be more efficient and effective, making a safer and smoother patient journey. Long-term sickness was impacting productivity.
Before we could begin to put new practices in place, we had to start with the welfare of the team.
This led to renewed energy to transform over 100 processes to not only be better for patients, but better for the environment too!
Find out more and make a nomination
ProjectSearchandPrince’sTrust
Empoweringyoungpeople tosucceedinwork
The number of young adults in the UK with learning disabilities in employment is shockingly low, only 5-6% are in full-time paid employment. Through a commitment to foster inclusivity and give our interns life-changing opportunities, the team provided extensive training, empowering interns.
This resulted in remarkable outcomes, transforming the lives of our interns in the local community.
The National Project Search Manager praised the Barnsley team success and the remarkable collaboration it embodies.
Find out more and make a nomination
In addition to these categories, patients or their representatives can make a nomination in the Patient Choice category, and the Chief Executive and the Governors will each present an award to an individual or team within the hospital who has embodied the organisational values and worked hard to make a difference in their work area or team.
Full category descriptions are available on the Hub, and in the nomination form linked below. Don’t delay, nominations close on Friday 7 March.
