Ambassador magazine: Spring 2024

ambassador

Your governors at staff health and wellbeing event

see pages 8 and 24 for more information

Meet our newly appointed Associate Non-Executive Directors page 4

Inside this issue

The next Medical Lecture is on Prostate Cancer – All are welcome

Bedfordshire Hospitals Resuscitation team the best in Europe

Become a Governor – Governor opportunities in 2024

Redevelopment update

A day in the Life of a Porter

Breaking barriers to our maternity services

Celebrating International Women’s Day and Overseas NHS Workers Day

Charity update

welcome to ambassador

Ambassador is our way of communicating with you, our Trust members. We want to ensure that we keep you up to date with developments at the Trust and how you can get involved. We now have more than 26,000 members and we are keen for as many of you as possible to play an active role in shaping how the Trust is managed and developed for the future.

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We hope you enjoy our Membership Magazine. If we have your name or address incorrect or the person to whom we have sent this magazine no longer lives at the address mentioned in the address label please let us know by emailing us at FTMembership@ bedsft.nhs.uk. If you have already informed the hospital of any changes but we have not updated our Membership database please accept our apologies –this is because our Membership database is not linked to the Patient database.

Dear Members

Hello and welcome to the spring edition of Ambassador. The magazine provides an insight to the many facets of the hospitals and as such I recommend you read each article, from the Charity update to A day in the Life of a Porter. I can only mention a few in this introduction.

We are delighted to welcome Dr Charmagne Barnes and Dr. Anthony James as Associate Non-Executive Directors and page 4 will tell you more about them and what they do.

Outside spring is beginning to take shape as is the Acute Services Block and New Wards Block at the L&D. Though completion is a way off yet, the inside is beginning to look like a hospital. At Bedford, work is starting to transform the North wing site – with the development of a Community Diagnostic Centre, and a Primary Care Hub. See pages 9-12.

Do read the operational update on page 5 which outlines the issues faced by the Trust over the winter months and how these have been managed to mitigate the knock on effects to patients.

Congratulations to the Bedfordshire Hospitals Resuscitation Team on winning the European Resuscitation Councils competition to find the best ‘resus’ team in Europe. Representing the UK they won this prestigious accolade in Barcelona.

Our upcoming Medical Lecture on Prostate Cancer will be held on Tuesday, 21 May at Luton Sixth Form College. See pages 6-8 for further details of this and a piece on the role of a governor and how YOU can become involved.

Our staff are at the very centre of what the Trust does – and celebrating them is important. Read about International Women’s Day, Celebrating Overseas NHS Workers Day and the Winter Engagement events from page 19.

Engaging with the communities we serve is important to the Trust and the articles on pages 14-15 give a flavour of the projects with which the Trust is involved.

Dr Jacquie Farhoud Public Governor and Chair of the Membership & Communications Committee

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the Ambassador in the future please send your email address to FTmembership@bedsft.nhs.uk

Contact us:

The Foundation Trust Membership Department. Email: FTmembership@bedsft.nhs.uk Post:

Chair’s Message

Dear Members

At the end of March, Gordon Johns, one of our stalwarts, retired from the Trust as a non-executive. In recent times he has been our vice-chair and senior independent director, both very important roles but, prior to the merger of our two hospital trusts, he was the Chair of Bedford Hospital. He helped ensure that the merger went as smoothly as it possibly could and his leadership during this period as well as through COVID was exemplary. His involvement as a non-executive has spanned seventeen years and we are very grateful to him. During my first year as Chair, I have greatly valued the wise advice he has always given. We shall miss him but wish him well in his retirement.

I also want to pay tribute to our lead governor, Helen Lucas, who will stand down as a governor at the end of September, having served the maximum time she is allowed. She has been superb in her role, always thinking about our patients and staff and she has been very supportive to all of our governors, guiding them appropriately, with confidence and with a smile. We are very grateful for all she has done over the many years of service she has given both as a hugely valued member of staff and a governor.

As you will read in this edition of Ambassador, we have recruited Charmagne and Anthony as our two associate non-executive directors and they are already making a valuable impact in Board discussions.

We are also near the end of the recruitment process for Gordon’s successor and will give you more information in our next edition of Ambassador. What is pleasing is that our Board is gradually becoming more reflective of the community in Bedfordshire that we represent.

As a Board we must never forget that we are the current stewards of our hospitals and, just as the stewardship was passed on to us so, in time, we shall pass on the mantle to others, hopefully having made improvements along the way.

The rhythm of the governors’ meetings has changed over the past year, and they go in three monthly cycles. In no particular order, one of them receives presentations on topical issues from particular members of staff. This month, for example, we shall hear about our estate and the results of our staff survey. The following month two of our NEDs will present the work in which they have been involved and their reflections on the Trust and in the third month the CEO and executive directors report on the major issues they face. The face-to-face meetings that we have enable governors to know what is going on in the Trust and be able to raise questions. The governors have their own subcommittees, and I am particularly grateful for the time the governors put into them. A few weeks ago governors were able to participate in the revision of our 2022-5 strategy and were pleased to be able to make a contribution.

I would like to finish by thanking all our staff for their commitment to deliver the best for our patients. It has been a difficult autumn and winter, coping with strikes and having to cancel operations as well as large numbers of patients arriving at our emergency departments. Our finances are becoming tighter too with some difficult choices that may need to be made and efficiencies to be found. All of us, though, remain determined to provide the best possible services to those who need our support.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our next public meetings.

Kind regards

Richard Sumray

Two new Associate Non-Executive Director roles at Bedfordshire Hospitals

Bedfordshire Hospitals has created two new exciting Associate Non-Executive Director posts which offer an excellent opportunity to gain exposure and experience at board level and become one of the future leaders of the NHS.

We were looking for applications from people in Bedfordshire or our neighbouring counties, and particularly welcomed applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, the LGBTQ+ community, those with a disability, and women.

The role enjoys a vast range of opportunities for development and achievement of Board level skills, and natural progression to a Non-Executive Director role in the future.

Dr Charmagne Barnes

Dr Charmagne Barnes is Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Student experience at the University of Hertfordshire. The remit includes health, AHP and social work amongst a host of other subjects and disciplines including subjects related to medicine and the opening of a medical school in the near future. Prior to this new role she was the Pro ViceChancellor Dean of the University of West London's College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare. As a health care practitioner, Charmagne's specialist area is Nursing – encompassing both Adult and Children’s Nursing – which has been a passion in her career both, as a clinician and as an educator.

Charmagne has worked extensively in the arena of learning and teaching, widening participation and access, student success, quality assurance and enhancement, academic partnerships and stakeholder engagement and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Her commitment to, experience and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion would contribute to the focus on inclusive, equal and equitable processes and outcomes for patients and staff within the Trust.

Prior to joining the University of West London in 2012 she was the Director of Curriculum of Middlesex University and worked there from 1995 to 2012.

Charmagne graduated from the University of Hertfordshire in BSc Nursing and has a Doctorate in Education from the University of Nottingham.

Dr Anthony James

Anthony James is the Chief Operating Officer of the PinkNews, the world's largest LGBTQ+ focused media brand, reaching over 150 million unique global users each month. His ultimate accountability for key business decisions including HR, commercial and communications. One of his key roles has been the ability to gain credibility and build connections with a broad group of stakeholders and advise on HR and ED&I policies.

He worked as a Junior Doctor at the L&D Hospital from 2015 to 2016. He completed GP specialty training at The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust from 2016 to 2020. He took part in the National Medical Director's Clinical Fellow Scheme, with a 12-month placement working as a Clinical Lead at NHS Digital, with specific training across, Policy making, NHS Structure and reforms, influencing change and Leadership. He has an MBA at Quantic School of Business and Technology. He graduated in 2014 from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).

He is the founding member of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ LGBTQ+ Steering Group.

Welcome our New Heads of Health Inequalities and Inclusion

Two 'Heads’ are Better than One!

We have the pleasure of welcoming Angie Heilmann MBE (pictured left) and Maureen Drummond (pictured right) to the Corporate Governance Team, where 2 heads are better than 1 – literally!

Both Angie and Maureen are Head of Health Inequalities and Inclusion

(job share) and have been in post for 2 months.

Angie brings varied work and life experience to this equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) role. She is currently Co-Chair of the Trust’s Disabilities, Allies & Carers (DAC) staff network, Deputy Chair of LGBTQ+ Network. Previous Trust roles span 25 years. She previously led the dental nurse education at Barfield College for 12 years, which is where her interest in equality & diversity was ignited.

Maureen comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience, having previously worked as EDI lead for Luton Borough Council, which includes working and engaging with the diverse communities that make up Luton.

To find out more about Angie/ Maureen and the world of equality, diversity and inclusion, events for National Equality Week will be held on 14 May at L&D and 15 May in Bedford Hospital.

Operational update –Dealing with winter pressures

By David Carter, Chief Executive and Cathy Jones, Chief Operating Officer/Deputy Chief Executive

On an operational level, the winter months have been just as challenging as we anticipated and we have worked closely with our partners across the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System and our wider community to support patient access to our services and the flow through the health system as a whole.

The unprecedented industrial action by junior doctors – which saw the longest strike in NHS history – has required immense planning and organisation from staff in order to keep our hospitals running safely. This coupled with high rates of flu and COVID-19, and cold weather, has put immense pressure on our services.

Throughout 2023 we saw record numbers of patients attending our emergency departments, and over the winter months we were often on our highest state of operational alert, having to open contingency areas across our hospitals in order to

accommodate all the patients who needed to be admitted.

The junior doctors’ strikes involved many days of detailed preparations by staff – including medical, surgical, nursing, allied health professionals and support services – who have worked extremely flexibly and in different ways to cover areas they may not immediately be familiar with, and we are extremely grateful to them for their hard work and dedication.

The knock-on effects of the industrial action are considerable. We are having to re-arrange a vast number of planned care appointments, but despite this, we continue to make progress in addressing the backlog that built up over the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing our waiting lists and improving some of our important performance targets.

It has also been a year when the COVID-19 enquiry has got into its stride and as that considers what learning we might take for the future. We are still seeing of course the continuing impact of COVID-19 both in terms of the patients we treat, but also in the energy and morale of our staff who have come through such turbulent times.

In the year ahead we will focus on embedding our Trust as the key anchor in the local health community, forging closer links with our partners in order to provide excellent health services for patients, as well as address health inequalities among our population.

Bedfordshire Hospitals Resuscitation team the best in Europe

Bedfordshire Hospitals Resuscitation team have been crowned European champions following a competition with 17 other nations in Europe.

They were chosen to represent the UK at the first round of the competition in November in Barcelona, and went on to the final when they beat both Italy and Malta to become European Resuscitation Council (ERC) winners – an amazing achievement!

All the teams were given a clinical scenario and they had to then demonstrate on a sophisticated manikin what they would do in that situation. They were monitored by three judges who looked at how closely they followed current ERC guidelines according to the four-point scoring system, and on the quality of CPR measured by the manikin. The finals drew in a big crowd, with experts in resuscitation from around the world among the spectators.

The team, who received a trophy and an invitation to defend the title next year, were congratulated on the way they collaborated as a team and their excellent communication skills.

Liz Lees, Chief Nurse at Bedfordshire Hospitals, said: “To be selected to represent the UK is a huge achievement, but to win the competition is a testament to the incredible staff we have.

“I am so proud of the team and hope this highlights the huge amount of work they put into this competition, as well as the outstanding work they do on a day-to-day basis.”

Diary Date

The next Medical Lecture is on ‘Prostate Cancer.’

Tuesday, 21 May 2024. All are invited – RSVP by 10 May 2024

Come along to find out more about Prostate Cancer. The prostate gland is a part of the reproductive system in men. You will hear about the different grades and stages of cancer, the symptoms and causes, diagnosis & tests, and finally the management and treatments.

The lecture will be presented by Clinical Director Mr Asad Saleemi and his colleagues at Bedford and L&D Hospitals. The Urology teams on both sites care for patients with surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive organs.

This lecture will take place at 5.30pm for 6pm start and finish at 7.30pm on 21 May, at Luton Sixth Form College, Bradgers Hill Road, Luton, LU2 7EW. There will be time for questions following the presentation and the opportunity for informal discussions with our Trust Governors, from 5.30pm. If you would like to attend the lecture, please contact us in order to book a place, as spaces are limited. Invite anyone who might benefit from this lecture. To book a place you can contact us at FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk

Governor Spotlight

Role of a Governor

Governors have a general duty to represent the interests of members of the public and staff who have elected them. Governors therefore interact regularly with members of the public and staff to ensure that they understand their views, and to make sure that they clearly communicate information on trust performance and planning. The public governors can be contacted via email at governors@bedsft.nhs.uk and staff governors on their staff email addresses. If you wish to know who your governors are please visit the Trust website https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/ and the staff intranets.

Governor opportunities in 2024

Have you ever considered becoming a Public Governor or a Staff Governor of the Bedfordshire Hospitals?

Elections for 2024 will start in June 2024 and notices will be displayed on the Trust website and sent out to our public members around that time. There are three seats to be contested. Elections are to be held for the following constituencies:

Eight Public Governors vacancies in the following constituencies:

n Public: Luton (3 vacancies)

n Public: Central Bedfordshire (4 vacancies)

n Public: Hertfordshire (1 vacancy)

Five Staff Governors vacancies in the following constituencies:

n Nursing &Midwifery (L&D 1 vacancy)

n Medical & Dental (L&D 1 vacancy)

n Non-clinical (L&D 1 vacancy)

n Non-clinical (Bedford 1 vacancy)

n Prof&Tech (Bedford 1 vacancy)

We hold one to one Governor Awareness virtual briefing sessions which give you the opportunity to find out more about the Governor roles and provide you with information on the procedure for applying to be a governor at the Trust. Each session lasts an hour.

Kindly let us know if you are interested in attending the session by emailing us at FTMembership@ bedsft.nhs.uk. If you cannot attend the briefing sessions, do not worry, they are not mandatory.

Vote In July 2024

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

Why is the Trust having elections each year? The Trust holds Governor Elections each year to fill any vacant seats to its Council of Governors or for those Governors whose term of office is ending.

The elected Governors represent members in our public and staff constituencies.

Governors are your voice.

They are accountable to you! Please vote for your governor representative.

The ballot papers will be sent to eligible members in July. Please cast your vote each year for your next governor representative. Governors are your voice!

Email Membership Department at FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk if you wish to know about your eligibility to vote.

Great turnout at our September Annual Members’ Meeting in Central Bedfordshire

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Annual Members Meeting on 27 September 2023 and to our governors and volunteers for their help in making it such a successful evening. It was a delight to see more than 130 members there.

After what has been an extremely busy and challenging year, Chief Executive David Carter spoke about some of the highlights, and there were presentations on how we are working with our system partners and looking to the future. Deputy Chief Executive Cathy Jones spoke on our commitment to restoring services to pre-pandemic levels and Director of Redevelopment Melanie Banks provided an update on redevelopment projects underway and planned on both hospital sites.

We welcomed the new governors. This year’s Annual Members meeting will be held at Luton Sixth Form College, Bradgers Hill Road, Luton, LU2 7EW on 18 September 2024. If you wish to attend please email FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk

Medical Lecture ‘Hearing Loss and Tinnitus’

More than 200 members and patients were able to learn about various aspects of Hearing Loss and Tinnitus at our medical lecture held in October 2023 at the Rufus Centre in Flitwick.

They heard from a variety of different clinicians - Clinical Director and Consultant Otolaryngologist, Mr Pranay Singh; Consultant Clinical Scientist Anna Lazenby, Head of Audiology Services, Consultant ENT & Head Neck Surgeon, Mr Tarun Sood and Hearing Therapist, Miranda Williams.

Mr Singh introduced the team and gave an overview. Anna Lazenby then talked about impact of hearing through the ages and the services offered by the audiology team, followed by Mr Sood who talked about the surgical and medical aspects and the future of medical interventions. And finally Miranda Williams explained what Tinnitus is and outlined the characteristics, causes, mechanisms and treatments.

Feedback from our members showed that having access to health information is one of the key benefits of being a member of the Trust. Governors are working with staff to plan a series of new lectures. See page 6 for details of our next medical lecture and other meetings.

Redevelopment update

Bedford Hospital

Work to begin on community diagnostic centre at Gilbert Hitchcock House

Work will begin in early 2024 to transform the Bedford North Wing site into a one-stop shop for primary and secondary care that will improve access to healthcare and diagnostics for our patients in modern facilities, while reducing the pressure on our hospital sites.

The £24m project includes a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Gilbert Hitchcock House (a building owned by the Trust) and a primary care hub in the Enhanced Services Centre (ESC).

When completed the CDC will deliver therapy services, phlebotomy, and a number of diagnostic services including MRI, CT, ultrasound, x-ray and cardiology, amongst others. The new facilities will allow patients to access planned diagnostic care nearer to home without the need to attend our hospital sites, taking some pressure off our acute hospitals and allowing us to focus resources on the emergency cases coming through our doors.

The project will also deliver a primary care hub in the Enhanced Services Centre (ESC) which will see the co-location of the De Parys GP practices and a number of community services that will ensure patients have improved access to highquality primary care services.

We hope to complete this project by summer 2025.

Moorfields refurbishment at Bedford

To enable the redevelopment of North Wing, we have moved Moorfields Eye Clinic to our South Wing site and refurbished their clinical and staff areas, which will help to expand their specialist eye clinic services. As part of these works we have refurbished a number of different rooms into new vision lane and injection rooms, as well as improving their staff office spaces, storage facilities and well-being areas.

These works help to increase Moorfields capacity and significantly improve the environment for both patients and staff.

Garden Projects at Bedford

As a result of the installation of the new substation located outside Beeden House, we

relocated the original garden and created Cherry Tree Garden in 2022, a beautiful space providing a peaceful place for staff, visitors and patients to relax in.

Now the Substation work is complete, we plan to convert the adjacent courtyard space into an additional garden area to help improve both staff and patients’ facilities and well-being opportunity. We are currently in the design phase of this new project but the scope of the works include installing a new seating area, sleeper beds with a variety of plants, trellis fencing and potential memorial pieces.

Trust Master Plan

In Summer 2023, the Trust completed the Master Planning of the Estate at both Bedford and the L&D.

L&D Hospital:

The aim was to create a single master plan that brings together capital planning requirements and creates an aspirational view of how the Trust envisions and needs the sites to be developed over the next 20 years, to provide modern healthcare facilities and to support the enablement of the Trust’s Clinical Strategy.

We look forward to sharing these plans in the next edition of Ambassador.

For more information

Keep up to date with our plans by visiting the website

Acute Services Block and New Ward Block at the L&D

Work on the acute services block and new ward block continues to progress with a number of internal works now underway with pipe installation, door installation, wall closure and the first coats of

paint being applied.

A number of lifts have now been installed, the external cladding is complete with the removal of scaffolding now underway.

External Acute Services Block and New Ward Block construction area

Interior Acute Services Block and New Ward Block pipes installation

Hear from our teams who are excited to be moving into the new buildings…

Theatres

Stephanie Doyle, Quality Lead for Theatres: “The new theatre suite and pod floor are set to bring lots of positive changes for the team and patients.

“We look forward to working in a brand new building that has been purpose-built, with input from our management teams.

“Two new state-of-the-art hybrid theatres will mean new ways of working; learning and delivering the most up-to-date techniques for vascular surgery.”

Critical Care

Elmarie Mancilla, Critical Care Senior Sister: “The new critical care unit will increase critical care capacity in an improved clinical environment.

“There will also be a resource room, dedicated to study, learning and education, providing staff with a suitable space to carry out research, confer with colleagues and write papers.

“A new critical care balcony for the patient and staff, where they can breathe some fresh air, is very welcome”

“We can’t wait to move in!”

Neonatal

Dr Jennifer Birch, Clinical Director for Neonatal Services: “We are very excited to move into a new, purpose built Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

which will maximise our intensive care and high dependency capacity in a more spacious unit, which has been co-designed with service user input.

“We are so pleased that there will be better facilities for our families including more space for comfortable reclining chairs at the cot side, enhanced and expanded facilities for expressing breast milk, two new en-suite rooming-in rooms to help parents prepare for taking their baby home and a co-located Transitional Care Unit”.

Maternity

Tracey Scivier, Redevelopment Lead Midwife: “The maternity ward sisters have visited the site and are in high spirits as the wards are spacious and bright, ensuring a lovely environment for our service users, their families and our staff. They are very excited about the move!”

Social value

As part of the programme, we have worked closely with our construction partner Kier, to ensure we maximise social value opportunities.

Kier have employed 446 apprentices since the start of project, and continue to recruit staff local to the area.

The team regularly visit schools to deliver talks, upskill their own staff, and donate gifts to Bedfordshire Hospitals Charity.

Emergency Department upgrades at the L&D

In our last update we were delighted to announce the opening of our brand new Emergency Department entrance and waiting area, a dedicated paediatric area and nine new major cubicles.

These new, modern and enhanced facilities have made a significant difference to patient dignity and experience, as well as allowing staff to provide outstanding care in the very best environment.

The final phase of works is well underway, which once complete, will see the expansion of the department where there will be a further increase in capacity, including assessment and triage rooms and sensitively designed mental health care rooms.

Energy Centre at the L&D

The Energy Centre will deliver combined heat and power to the hospital estate, delivering a substantial reduction in energy consumption, supporting the Trust’s drive to Net Zero Carbon and support plans and developments for the future.

Benefits of the project have already kicked in and the final go live scheduled for Easter

Congratulations to Christine Tuazon, Site Team Operations Manager at the L&D, for her recent visit to the House of Commons.

This was a proud moment for all Filipino nurses across the UK, having their General Assembly to recognise the incredible contributions of Filipino nurses in the UK healthcare system.

Christine met other Filipino senior nurses, Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP and the Philippine Ambassador, to recognise, share data and discuss experiences on how to enhance Filipino representation in UK healthcare.

Christine said: “It was such an inspirational day for me. The hard work and dedication of my colleagues

was such a great motivation to lead and support the younger generations of International Educated Nurses. And to focus on empowering Filipino Nurses in UK and highlight the strength of our community.”

External shot of the Energy Centre

A day in the Life of a Porter

by Surjit Kumar, Porter in ED at Bedford Hospital

Surjit Kumar has been a porter at Bedford Hospital since August 2022. This was his first experience working in the NHS, having previously worked in the private sector, in facilities management. He lives in Kempston.

“I work a three shift pattern which equates to 162 hours a month. My normal working day is 7.5 hours and I am based in the Emergency Department (ED) at Bedford Hospital.

No one day is the same and that is one of the things I really like about the job. At the start of the working day I go round and introduce myself to all the teams in ED - A “hello, I am your porter for the day” means they will know who their go-to person is. I carry a bleep so anyone can contact me if they need me to do something.

The other thing I need to do first thing is check the medical gases on the trolleys to see if they need replacing.

Throughout the day I will be receiving calls on my bleep – it could be anything from transporting a patient to a different department like CT, X Ray or ITU or to a ward, transporting blood supplies, or it could be in the event of a cardiac arrest, trauma or brain haemorrhage.

The great thing is meeting the patients – I always introduce myself, and try to put a smile on their face. Sometimes I might recognise someone from my local community.

Sometimes it can be stressful, if you are the only

Karene wins Domestic of the Year

A huge congratulations to Karene Gillon, Domestic on Delivery Suite at the L&D, who won Domestic of the Year at the NHS My Cleaner Awards.

Part of Karene’s nomination read: “Karene, with a remarkable

The great thing is meeting the patients – I always introduce myself, and

try to put a smile on their face “ ”

porter in the department and the bleep is going off and the jobs are mounting. When that happens I will go to the sister in charge who will help me prioritise all the requests for support.

I work as part of a team of two or three porters, depending on the time of day, and the day of the week. We know each other really well and it really is a case of teamwork makes the world go round. There is a lot of banter which helps get us through the day. We always say we spend more time with each other, than we do with our wives...

My life outside of work is also very busy. I am Assistant Secretary at Guru Ravidass Bhawan Temple in Bedford, and was previously an executive member for four years. At the Temple we provide support services to the local community – this could be anything from helping people fill in forms, and for the elderly – computer, exercise and music classes.

During COVID we supplied a total of 10,000 hot meals to front line workers which included Bedford Hospital, East of England Ambulance Service and the wider community. We also ran a free school meals campaign and a Facebook Just Giving page encouraging people from the wider Ravidassia community across the UK to make donations.

Any free time I get I will spend with my three lovely grandchildren.”

tenure since 2012, stands out as an exceptional domestic, consistently achieving 99-100% on audits and adeptly training new colleagues.

“Karene is a prime and real example of somebody smashing stereotypes and understanding her impact outside of her daily cleaning duties.”

There were hundreds of nominations for this award, so to win this is an amazing achievement. Congratulations!

Breaking barriers to our maternity services

Through collaborative working with Luton & Dunstable Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) and BLMK healthcare professionals, our hospitals work hard to break the barriers which block pregnant women and birthing people accessing our services in Luton.

On Monday 30 October 2023, the Roma Women’s workshop in Luton, supported by Luton Roma Trust, kick started a series of workshops covering pre-conception, pelvic health, mental health, sexual health and more!

Following on from its success, the Bengali workshop, the second of the collaborative sessions, took place on Monday 4 December 2023 at Trinity Community Centre in Luton.

At the workshops a range of professionals skilled in their field give a short presentation to the group with a trusted individual from the community group translating throughout.

Alongside the speakers, Patient Experience

Under the surface

In December a new gallery space in the L&D’s newly built main entrance opened, under the auspices of our arts for health programme – take heART.

Following on from our summer staff engagement events, where we looked at the talents and

Midwife Kelly Nicklin-Crookes runs a mini health check clinic where the basics can be checked - blood glucose levels, blood pressure and urinalysis.

Childcare students from Barnfield College facilitate a crèche for the children. In future sessions, where possible, the students running the crèche will speak the language of the service users and their children.

A huge thank you goes to everyone involved and to Emma Ponsonby, Chair of the Luton & Dunstable MVP for making these sessions possible, to enable us to build trust between our hospitals and the diverse community groups we serve.

interests of our staff members outside of work, the gallery is titled “Under the Surface” and showcases the talents of one of our wonderful colleagues, Jason Lee.

Jason works in the Trust as a porter at the L&D, but in his spare time he is an experienced diver and passionate, dedicated and talented underwater photographer.

Emma Ponsonby, Chair of the Luton & Dunstable MVP Laura speaking to service user

Caroline Forder speaks to the group

Attendees listen to the speakerws

Keeping Well in Pregnancy –helping service users quit smoking

The Keeping Well in Pregnancy (KWiP) service, launched last year, provides specialist support for our pregnant service users trying to quit smoking by the time they give birth.

The service offers behavioural support which explores potential triggers and on how to overcome them by controlling cravings, alongside nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

The programme runs for 12 weeks and aims to

Meet the team

Desta Wright-Brown, KWiP Team Lead

“I’m so excited to be working with the new team. They have settled into their roles really quickly and are doing a fabulous job supporting our service users. Their contributions to developing our ever evolving service has been refreshing.”

Karen Dear, Advisor

“Moving to the role of Maternity Stop Smoking Advisor from Orchard Maternity Ward Clerk has given me the opportunity to work towards positively affecting pregnancy outcomes. We are building a great team that will deliver a great service, so lots of good things to come!”

Under the surface (continued from p14)

The pictures take a look at the wonders that lie under the ocean’s surface and through a series of seascapes and sea creatures encourage us to be curious about the wonderful and often unanticipated qualities that lie beneath the exterior.

This is yet another reminder of the amazing staff we have working at our hospitals and how their skills and hobbies outside of work can translate to having a positive influence on their work, and benefit our local community.

The pictures are amazing, awe inspiring pieces that really brighten up our new main entrance area.

Thank you to Jason for kindly donating his fantastic photography for display and to our

have a successful ‘quit attempt’ and to be 28 days smoke free from their set ‘quit date’.

Desta, the KWiP Team Lead, alongside Advisors Karen, Amaria and Becky, who are based at both the L&D and Bedford Hospital, continue to offer support for the duration of the pregnancy up until 28 days after they give birth. This is to ensure they are able to maintain their non-smoker status and have a smoke free home to create a healthy environment for their newborn baby and family.

Amaria Afzal

“I feel very fortunate to be working with such amazing work colleagues who have helped me settle in well, also being able to help pregnant women and birthing people reframe their approach to their smoking behaviour is one of the most challenging but rewarding aspects of my job which I love.”

Becky Dobson

“The best part of my job is being able to build a relationship with our service users, so that we can support them to remain smoke free in their pregnancy and beyond.”

Pictured

take heART team for their work to significantly improve and brighten up this space, and many other areas around both hospitals.

We are getting good feedback that the increase in artwork on our walls is having a positive benefit on the wellbeing of staff, patients and visitors.

with Jason are takeheART founders, Principal Clinical Psychologist Rachel Chater, and Consultant Radiologist Sheena McLaggan.

Charity update

Because of you…

We are thrilled to announce that the fundraising appeal launched in 2021 to support uplift in the Emergency Department at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital is now complete. The Charity with your support has been able to enhance the renovations and provide gold standard equipment and services for patients using our ED, one of the busiest departments in the hospital.

Over £1m was donated to support this appeal, which is an amazing result and really has made a difference. This was raised through a variety of ways from Trust & Grants, relationships built with external charities, support from the local community, and from staff raising funds for their department as well as an exceptional major donor. This appeal made a huge contribution in supporting the experience and care our patients receive in our Emergency Department.

It was a challenging project to put together as pressure on the NHS was still incredibly high. We worked alongside the ED, Redevelopment and Procurement teams to agree on which items would add the most value to support our patients. We have fostered a good working relationship with the clinical and Redevelopment teams, and are very proud of what we have achieved together. We are delighted to share some of these with you below:

POCUS – Donation made by the League of Friends after the Charity Team continued the relationship with them after their ward donations made in 2022.

The POCUS ultrasound scanners located in majors within ED, offer bedside scanning, which will make a big difference for emergency patients.

We were able to fund a brand new CT scanner for the emergency department and sky panels in the room to enhance the environment, ensuring the space is a bit less scary for patients needing emergency diagnostics.

Interactive Whiteboard – Donated by Workflow

Sky Panels and LED Rainbow

– Donated by NHS CT and community fundraising. These are located in the Paediatric Emergency department and have made a big difference to our young patients. We also funded the mental health and uplifts to the reception area, including an interactive projector and more sensory lighting.

Central Monitoring System – Donation from the Amateurs Trust.

Charity update…

The final phase of ED development is ongoing and in the new section to be opened, we are also funding an adult mental health room, training and wellbeing areas.

None of this would have been possible without your support. We are currently busy working on new appeals linked to maternity, critical care, NICU and theatres at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and maternity bereavement and the children’s wards at Bedford Hospital. Please visit our website to keep up to date on exciting activities.

Thank you …

Huge thanks to Houghton Regis Memorial Hall committee who raised £3,500 towards the Sensory Play Equipment Appeal for the Children’s ward at the L&D, through their weekly Bingo Nights in 2023. Pictured are Ken Wattingham, Chair, and Julie Cawthorne presenting a cheque to Charity Ambassador and ex Governor Pam Brown from Bedfordshire Hospitals.

Thank you to everyone who came to visit our stall at the Harpenden Carnival! We had a wonderful time and hope you enjoyed our bed push in the parade. The event raised £630 for our Critical Care Appeal.

Leap into action this Leap Year

Leap into 2024 with a challenge! Complete your bucket list and raise funds for a great local cause. From a single penny to a million pounds, every penny makes that difference to patients, their families and visitors, and has the feel good factor to boot!

Jump out of a plane, run marathons, climb a mountain - the world is your oyster. Not your thing? Hold a coffee/tea morning, bake sale or set up a walking group. All are great ways to connect with others and support your local Hospital.

What will you do?

Get in touch and we can support you all the way with ideas, merchandise and so much more. Email fundraising@ldh.nhs.uk fundraising@bedfordhospital.nhs.uk Call 01582 718 289 / 01234 792213

Visit https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/charity

You're more than just a driver when you join our team

Alan said:

"If you have some time to spare and you want to do something that is both useful and gratifying, go for it".

Derek said:

"I like driving and it's great to be able to help local people in this way".

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Friday 8 March was International Women’s Day and the Trust celebrated by running profiles of a number of different staff across our social media channels.

With thanks to generous donations, we were able to share food and care packages on both sites. Our international nurses took part in an inspiring cultural dance, displaying their hidden talents, to show that no matter what country staff are from, or which culture they value, they are always here to serve the NHS and embrace the Trust’s THRIVE values, with care and compassion. Karen Reep, Paediatric Sister, also showcased her artistic talents, sketching throughout the day.

Carol Smith, Library Manager at Bedford Hospital, and here she talks about how important it is to ensure that all are welcome and valued.

Inspiring inclusion means creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. The mission of libraries is to provide equal access to knowledge and information. As a library service we aim to be inclusive for all learners. Women’s digital inclusion is an important area of gender equality especially because of the digital gap in internet access which particularly affects women. The Library offers 24/7 access to the internet and computers in a calm and safe environment.

Inspiring inclusion involves breaking down barriers, challenging stereotypes, and creating environments where all women are valued and respected.

The Library has regular displays to celebrate women’s achievements: we recently had an exhibition celebrating women in medicine. During Black history Month we had a display on female achievers from diverse communities. The Library promotes inclusivity by actively

Tasnim Rahman, Principal Pharmacist for Women and Children, on International Women’s Day: "An important part of my role as the cross-site Principal Pharmacist for Women and Children is to #InspireInclusion for all patients to ensure their voices are heard

"My team work extremely hard on the wards to deliver excellent clinical care, involving patients in their care, empowering them to take ownership of their medication. We also provide education and training to all staff to help improve the service that we provide

removing text books exhibiting unconscious bias, for example we recently updated our Medical Exam text books. The library provides a collection that reflects the diversity of library users including acquiring books that represent the impact of ethnicity on health such as the collection on Sickle cell anaemia.

Education and awareness play vital roles in fostering inclusion, and in empowering women. Through initiatives such as educational workshops, organisations such as unions can create opportunities for women to thrive which we offer as part of the Union Learning Rep service. By providing support and resources, women can be empowered to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential. The Library actively promotes information on women’s issues such as promoting the Menopause Awareness policy.

Inclusion plays a huge role in ensuring employees feel not only supported at work but recognised and valued for their individuality.

Some of the ways the Library celebrates diversity in the workplace is by recognising significant calendar events such as Black History Month and International Women’s Day and promoting cultural, and religious awareness, in displays such as for Chinese New Year.

"I try to lead my team by example and drive positive change within the Women and Children’s service line. I encourage my team to achieve their full potential by promoting professional and personal development.

"I have been working with Maternity Voices Partnership to deliver pre-conception workshops out in the community to improve maternity services. These ethnic community workshops have been an amazing opportunity to highlight to local women the many key services available to them. The sessions have translation available which ensures inclusivity by addressing any language barriers. Pharmacy also have a new initiative of providing medication labels which can be translated into 11 languages on discharge."

Celebrating Overseas NHS Workers Day

For Overseas NHS Workers Day on 1 March, we welcomed our international staff to a celebration event hosted by Overseas Support Nurse Blenda Correya, Chief Nurse Liz Lees and Head of Practice and Education Louise Molson.

They expressed their gratitude for the incredible work our international staff do – some of whom also shared their stories and spoke about the mentorship and support they had.

From applying to arriving and being provided with resources, local information, and taken on trips to familiarise themselves with the area, we are very happy to say that all our overseas staff are well set up for their careers.

Thank you to everyone from overseas who has become a much valued member of our Trust.

Our Trust has a very positive history of overseas recruitment, and we currently have more than 3,000 international employees working in clinical and administrative roles across our two hospitals.

It can be a huge challenge moving country to work in a new location, and our new employees are guided by our Overseas Recruitment and Overseas Support teams.

5,000 staff attend winter wellbeing events

More than 5,000 Bedfordshire Hospitals staff found time out of their busy day to attend one of the sessions at our winter wellbeing engagement events held in the first two weeks of December.

Three days of events were held at both Bedford Hospital and the L&D, where each day had a different theme – for example, Healthy Mind, Healthy Body and Healthy Eating.

It was an opportunity for staff to take some time away to relax and unwind, grab a free gift, enjoy some food and a hot drink and take part in some of the activities on offer. These included card making workshops, healthy food demos and tastings, chair yoga sessions, sleep workshops, a health MOT at an interactive health check kiosk, meeting our therapy dogs, and chatting to our clinical psychologists and dietitians.

Staff also had the opportunity to meet with some of our Governors and learn more about the role of the Council of Governors, and the benefits of being a member.

The next staff events will be held in July.

Governors engaging with the staff members

The Governors took part in the December 2023 winter staff engagement events (see photos below). The governors manned a stall at the event to encourage engagement with staff across both sites.

Governors Helen Lucas, Linda Grant, David Allen and Belinda Chik coordinated this and encouraged all governors to participate. There were quizzes and puzzles, with gifts given to the staff who completed the tasks.

This was a way for public and staff governors to engage with staff about the work of the Council of Governors and the Board, and to encourage staff to remain part of the FT membership so that they can influence the formal governance structures of the Trust.

It also provided an opportunity to encourage staff to nominate themselves for 2024 governor election, to vote at staff elections, and also generally promote attendance at the medical lectures and the Annual Members meeting and to share any news they might have in Ambassador magazine.