Trust Matters - Summer 2023

11 October 6–8pm

Education Centre 1, Royal Preston Hospital

You can also join the meeting virtually by scanning our QR code. More details on page 11.

In this issue

Trust welcome page 3

News, events and awards pages 4–7

Service developments pages 8–9

Governor news page 10–12

New Hospitals Programme page 13

Charity news pages 14–17

Recognising our wonderful staff pages 18–19

Dates for your diary page 20

Welcome to our latest edition of Trust Matters

Dear Foundation Trust Members, I am delighted to introduce the latest Trust Matters magazine, my first since taking up the role of Chair at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals at the beginning of August 2023. You can read a little more about me and my career history on our website

This edition provides a snapshot of some of the fantastic work taking place across Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospitals including service developments, personal and departmental awards and an update on exciting proposals for a new hospital for Preston as part of the Government’s New Hospitals Programme. It also focuses on some wider issues affecting the NHS including the conclusion of the Lucy Letby trial which resulted in her conviction for the murder and attempted murder of babies in the Neonatal Unit of Countess of Chester Hospital. This has shocked and saddened us all almost beyond words. Our Board will of course be asking for assurance in relation to any advice and guidance that is issued following the NHS-wide review of findings of the Letby trial judge and will report this via our committee structures.

Our Governors play an essential role in making sure that the views of our wider community are considered to help develop our hospital services, and they are very interested in your views about how we can best communicate with you. They would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to fill in the survey included on page 11. I do hope that many of you will be able to join us at our Annual Members’ Meeting from 6–8pm on October 11th – you can either attend face to face at Royal

Preston Hospital or via a Microsoft Teams link which you can access on page 11. I look forward to meeting you!

I am pleased to say we continue to make inroads into reducing our elective lists, despite the ongoing Industrial Action, but there is still some way to go. Our focus is on freeing up beds within our hospitals, as this then reduces waiting times for everyone, whilst allowing our ambulance service to get back on the road as quickly as possible. We are sorry if you or your loved ones have experienced long waits and will continue to work with the rest of the local NHS and partners in social care to make further improvements.

Traditionally, the summer is a slightly quieter period for our NHS, however this year the pressures have continued throughout July and August, and we are heading into what is likely to be a very busy winter. Please do take up the offer of flu and COVID-19 vaccinations if these are offered to you and remember that your local pharmacy, GP Practice and NHS 111 are the best places to access care and advice regarding urgent but non-emergency care.

And finally, it’s time to say goodbye to our Chief Executive, Kevin McGee OBE, who is retiring from the NHS after 38 years of exemplary service. He will be much missed, however I am delighted to confirm that Faith Button, our Chief Operating Officer, will be stepping in as Interim CEO for the next six months whilst a substantive appointment is made. I’d also like to thank Professor Paul O’Neill for stepping into the Chair role for the last year or so and for his continuing support to me as my vice Chair. Thank you for your continued interest in your local NHS. Best wishes,

Peter White Chair

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals CEO to retire from NHS after 38 years of service

Kevin McGee, Chief Executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, has announced that he is to retire from the NHS following 38 years of service to take up the role of Director General of Healthcare at the Gibraltar Health Authority. Kevin said: “Being part of the NHS family for all these years has been an absolute privilege and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with so many talented people who have chosen to make patient care their life’s work.

“Lancashire Teaching Hospitals plays a pivotal role in the local health system and I am exceptionally pleased that funding has now been secured for new hospitals for Preston and Lancaster as part of the New Hospitals Programme.

“Reaching this important milestone is an ideal time to pass the baton on to someone who can commit the next five years or so to bringing these exciting plans to fruition.”

We would like to wish Kevin all the best and good luck in his new role, he has been a fantastic Chief Executive for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and will be deeply missed.

events and awards

The importance of addressing concerns

Following the outcome of the trial of Lucy Letby, the NHS has expressed its profound apologies to all of the families involved. Lancashire Teaching Hospitals would like to reassure our present and future parents and families, and all our partners and stakeholders, that steps are being taken across the NHS to keep patients safe.

These unspeakable crimes have shocked and sickened staff across the NHS and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, just as they have the entire nation. These acts were a profound betrayal of patient trust, and we appreciate how distressed and concerned this can leave people feeling.

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that there will be an independent, non-statutory inquiry into the events at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Although these appalling crimes were the actions of a single individual, this case is a stark reminder of how important it is that the NHS listens carefully to the concerns of patients, families and

staff. This is why we, along with all other NHS organisations, will be doing all that we can to ensure our processes governance and scrutiny are as rigorous as they can possibly be.

A key part of this is ensuring that everyone feels safe and confident to speak up. If you or anyone within the communities that you serve have any questions or concerns about the care we are providing or you need to raise a safety concern at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, please contact the Patient Experience and PALS Team via email PALS@LTHTR.nhs.uk or telephone 01772 522972. This will ensure that your concern is appropriately investigated and escalated through our governance processes. We will continue to make every effort to reinforce our messaging and engagement to ensure our own colleagues are aware of how to escalate any concerns internally, which includes the option to do so anonymously and in confidence via our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals earns NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award

The Trust has been awarded the NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award, recognising the quality and delivery of pastoral care for internationally educated nurses and midwives. Launched in March 2022, the award scheme is also an opportunity for Trusts to recognise their work in international recruitment and demonstrate their commitment to staff wellbeing both to potential, and existing employees.

Once Trusts have achieved the award, it demonstrates a commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives at every stage of their recruitment and beyond.

Research and development team for Liopa is the One to Watch!

Our Research and Development team received the One to Watch Award at the Medilink Healthcare Business Awards 2023 in Manchester, for their work in partnership with Liopa, a technology company providing Visual Speech Recognition software. The award, which was presented at the Lowry Hotel, recognised their work on the ground-breaking lip-reading software SRAVI –or Speech Recognition App for the Voice Impaired – which helps people who have lost their voice after tracheostomies and illnesses affecting speech.

The new equipment has been trialled at the Royal Preston Hospital using the latest lip-reading technology. SRAVI is a joint-venture between the Trust and Belfast-based Liopa, working together since 2018, and their lip-reading software saw off competition from MyPathway and Klinik Healthcare Solutions to take the award, which was collected by Professor Laha, Dr Twamley and Speciality Doctor in Intensive Care Medicine Dr Shravan Nanda. Congratulations to all involved, you can read more on our website

To achieve the award, evidence was compiled by Lauryn Guest, Pastoral Support Officer for International Recruits, and Debbie Tickle, Recruitment Manager at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. It was a big piece of work – detailing the support the Trust provides across the board, from Pastoral Support, Recruitment and Ward Managers. Read more on our website

LTH have taste of the 1940s for NHS75 celebrations

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals had a taste of the 1940s as the Trust joined in the nationwide celebration of the 75th birthday of the NHS. The catering department produced a limited-edition afternoon tea in a takeaway treat box, with a variety of fresh sandwiches, savoury delights and sweet treats to suit everyone’s palette.

The boxes proved so popular that the entire batch, numbering almost 100, sold out within half an hour of going on sale at Charters, Preston’s, Studies and the main entrance café at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, and Preston Business Centre. A pound from each sale was also donated to charity.

The celebration wasn’t limited to staff, with patients also included as the hugely popular Preston trifle was distributed to each ward,

2022 National Staff Survey results

The results of the annual NHS Staff Survey were announced earlier this year, and despite challenging circumstances, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is pleased to be one of only three Trusts in the North West to have increased our overall staff satisfaction score. This year, for the first time, we are above national average in all areas of the NHS People Promise.

We can see an overall improvement across colleague morale and out of the 96 questions asked, we are pleased to see we have made improvements in 71 questions. This is encouraging as we continue to work towards our Trust’s ambition to be a great place to work. The results show overall improvements in how colleagues feel about

enabling everyone to enjoy a special milestone as the NHS reached three quarters of a century.

Elsewhere around the Trust, as part of the NHS Big Tea event, raising funds with a brew for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, the Lancashire Clinical Research Facility at Royal Preston Hospital hosted a garden party, making the most of the sun as it made a fleeting appearance at lunchtime.

A fabulous cake, covered with sprinkles to make the number 75, didn’t last long, along with the rest of the food and refreshments. The Urology secretaries also embraced the Big Tea, with thanks from the Clinical Nurse Specialists and Cancer Support Workers, as did staff on the Sellers Ward and in Pharmacy at Chorley.

their team, especially the opportunities they have to meet and talk about their team’s effectiveness, how valued they feel by their team and that they enjoy working with colleagues in their team. While it’s important to focus on the positive scores we should take pride in, it’s also right to recognise where more work needs to be done, including resolving health, safety and building issues raised, and improving the way colleagues feel able to raise concerns, so they know they have been heard and listened to. We recognise that times are tough for many of our colleagues and we want them to know that we are listening, so that we can take action and support them as best we can.

Read more on our website

Trust’s Learning Mentorship Apprenticeship Programme celebrates success

Nurses at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals were recognised for their efforts in supporting student nurses earlier this year, at an event to celebrate one of this year’s cohorts who completed the Learning Mentor Apprenticeship.

The event, at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, saw over 20 nurses from across the Trust come together to celebrate their achievements on completion of the apprenticeship, awarding them with the recognition of an Accredited Mentor, following an assessment process.

Sarah Cullen, Chief Nurse at the Trust, expressed her pride in the achievements of the apprentices and their growth under the guidance of experienced mentors. Sarah said: “I am incredibly proud of our apprentices and their achievements.”

Jackie Higham, Head of Apprenticeships and Widening Participation at the Trust, added: “The achievements of the learning mentor apprentices are remarkable and are a clear indication of the success of the Trust’s apprenticeship programme.”

Read more on our website.

News, events and awards

Trust Staff enjoy a special day at Westminster Abbey

Four colleagues enjoyed a special celebration ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday 5 July, the 75th birthday of the NHS.

Professor Mohammed Munavvar (Consultant Chest Physician/ Interventional Pulmonologist), Naeem Toorawa (Imam), Khalid Ibrahim (Imam) and Simon Gilbertson (Reverend/Chaplain) were honoured to represent the Trust at the event. They joined other NHS workers from across the country to mark the anniversary at the historic venue, location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs, and several Royal weddingsincluding that of Prince William and Kate Middleton - since 1100.

Professor Munavvar said: “It was indeed such a pleasure and a huge honour to be invited to the NHS75 service at Westminster Abbey, and to be in the midst of numerous illustrious personalities from across the country.”

Reverend Simon Gilbertson was humbled by the experience and said: “It was a privilege to experience an occasion like this. The many different uniforms of colleagues in the Abbey spoke to me powerfully of how we are all diverse but interconnected parts of the ‘one body’ of care we provide for our communities.”

We’re so pleased our colleagues were able to represent the Trust at this momentous event – read more on our website

Macmillan information centre celebrates a decade at LTH

This April we marked the 10th anniversary of the Macmillan Information Centre at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, which supports patients across Lancashire and South Cumbria with a range of issues including financial advice and emotional support. On the occasion, colleagues and patients joined together at the hub in the Rosemere Centre at Royal Preston Hospital to enjoy cupcakes and goody bags. Since the service began it has now grown to three hubs, one in the Rosemere Cancer Centre at Royal Preston Hospital, one in the entrance at Royal Preston Hospital, and one at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital. Over the decade, there have been six paid members of staff and a number of volunteers working at the service, who give up their spare time to support cancer patients and carers with a range of issues. Read more on our website

Major makeover of Charters Restaurant is early NHS75 Birthday present for staff

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals staff received an early present ahead of the NHS’ 75th birthday earlier this year, with the reopening of Charters Restaurant at Royal Preston Hospital.

The major makeover was made possible by funds from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity and NHS Charities Together, and following an extensive refurbishment, the ribbon was cut by Chief Executive, Kevin McGee, at an opening ceremony.

The revamp offers a bright, modern and welcoming space, which includes a dedicated area where hospital staff can relax and have food and drink whilst on shift.

The refreshed restaurant space, which has seating for around 230 people, also connects directly to a new garden area which includes a beautifully hand-crafted steel memorial tree where names of those who have donated organs will be engraved onto leaves. The Trust also held a special late-Eid celebration at Charters

New Vegan menu for patients

A new vegan menu for patients is now available at both Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

The revised menu was a collaborative effort between all Lancashire Teaching Catering colleagues and the Dietetic Department, using the knowledge gained from training and recipe cards given to the chefs at Preston by the Vegan Society.

The team benefited from knowledge sharing, supported by bespoke training and innovative recipe cards.

Patient Production Manager Paul Harris and Dietetic Assistant Nicola Bradley reviewed and updated the offer, having last year launched a new menu including Halal food, while making further exciting additions to our retail outlets on both the Preston and Chorley sites after a visit from the Vegetarian Society – a separate organisation to the Vegan Society. Read more on our website

to allow those who were taking part in Ramadan, when Charters was officially reopened, the chance to enjoy the newly-refurbished facility.

The event saw charity give-aways and special cupcakes carrying the logos of NHS75 and Baby Beat, part of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, with entertainment kindly provided by members of the wonderful Preston Muslim Girls School choir.

Service Developments

UK-first for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals!

The Trust has become the first centre in the UK – and the third in Europe – to utilise the cutting-edge LungVision Bronchoscopic Navigation System at Royal Preston Hospital.

The technology has been available for little over a year, with the Trust’s Consultant Respiratory Physician and Interventional Pulmonologist, Professor Mohammed Munavvar, monitoring its progress and applying to the Rosemere Cancer Foundation charity for the funding.

Rosemere, which is one of three charities based at Lancashire

Teaching Hospitals, raised the £237,500 to purchase LungVision, and although two centres in Italy – Milan and Bologna – became the first in Europe to use the equipment, Professor Munavvar was delighted to be breaking new ground in this country.

LungVision allows doctors to use a bronchoscope (a thin tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) to examine inside a patient’s lungs in real time, penetrating deeper and with more accuracy than before to improve diagnosis and treatment plans. Read more about this exciting development on our website

Sir Lindsay Hoyle launches expansion of Clinical Health Psychology Service

The expansion of the Clinical Health Psychology Service was launched earlier this year with a ribbon-cutting event attended by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Member of Parliament for Chorley and Speaker of the House of Commons.

The aim of the service is to offer help and support to adult patients with psychological distress that they may experience as a result of chronic and life-changing physical health conditions or injuries, such as cancer or severe spinal injury. Sir Lindsay was invited to formally launch the expansion, with the Clinical Health Psychology Service

(CHPS) opening a new department at Royal Preston Hospital, making psychological services more accessible to patients across Lancashire, when they need it most.

The event, which was held at the LIFE Centre at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, brought together colleagues across the service alongside Trust Chief Executive, Kevin McGee, to hear about the impact it has made and what benefits the new expansion will have. This is a great step forward for stroke patients at the Trust – read more on our website

Regional Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) is big step forward

A new Regional Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) has opened at Royal Preston Hospital, bringing experts and equipment under one roof to help reduce death rates in stroke patients.

The new unit is led by stroke specialist consultants, supported by a multidisciplinary team including specialist nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists, who are able to closely monitor and stabilise patients newly diagnosed with a stroke with world-class treatment for the first 72-hours following their diagnosis.

Read more on our website

Exciting new children’s service at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

In June we saw the exciting start to a new service for children based at Chorley & South Ribble Hospital.

After many months of planning, everything was ready for the first ‘children’s surgery day’, with children being admitted to Rawcliffe Ward for day surgery procedures.

The ward became a pop-up children’s ward, with posters and toys and a vast team of professionals - surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, HCAs, and a play specialist - were ready to greet the children as they arrived. This project was created with an aim to improve efficiency in the pathway, reduce the number of waiting children and improve patient experience.

A total of five lists were running on the day, including ENT, dental, maxillofacial, plastic surgery and ophthalmology.

The plan now is to have a ‘children’s day’ at Chorley once a fortnight.

Read more on our website.

UPDATE GOVERNORS’ UPDATE

Meet Our Governors

Appointed Governors

Public Governors

Staff Governors

Being a Governor

To find out about the role of and how to become a Governor please email: governor@lthtr.nhs.uk

Governors are elected by Trust members, both public and staff, or are nominated by some of our partner organisations. Elections to the Council of Governors take place at the beginning of each year, and governors generally serve a three-year term of office, beginning in April.

Governors are the direct representatives of local communities; they challenge the Board of Directors and hold the Non-Executive Directors to account for the performance of the board. Governors also represent the interests of NHS Foundation Trust members

and the public and provide them with information on the Trust’s performance and forward plan.

The Council of Governors holds four meetings each year which are open to the public. The agenda papers are published in advance and are available on the website for the current year and the previous year. Regular workshops are arranged to support Governors to keep up to date with developments in the NHS, the healthcare needs of the local community, and our strategy and performance. Elections are generally held in March each year, if you would like to consider standing for election, please email corporateaffairs@lthtr.nhs.uk

Feixia Yu Public Governor

Graham Fullarton Public Governor

Frank Robinson Public Governor

Alistair Bradley Appointed Governor

Pav Akhtar Public Governor

Suleman Sarwar Appointed Governor

Peter Askew Public Governor

Takhsin Akhtar Public Governor

Paul Wharton-Hardman Public Governor

Janet Miller Public Governor

Lynne Lynch Public Governor

Eddie Pope Appointed Governor

Margaret France Public Governor

Sean Barnes Public Governor

David Blanchflower Public Governor

Sheila Brennan Public Governor

Will Adams Appointed Governor

Mike Simpson Public Governor

Steve Heywood Public Governor

Piotr Spadlo Staff Governor Steven Doran Staff Governor

Windrush 75 stall

The Trust was well-represented at the Windrush 75 Festival held at Avenham Park, Preston, in July.

Members of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Recruitment teams attended, along with some of our Governors, with other colleagues there simply to enjoy the event.

Thursday 22 June marked 75 years since the HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, as 492 passengers from a number of Caribbean islands answered the call to help the UK fill labour shortages - a large percentage of which joined the newly-established NHS, which came into being just a couple of weeks later on July 5.

Membership survey –have your say!

The Governors of a Foundation Trust are charged with reflecting the views of the local population to the management of the Trust.

To do this it is important that Governors engage with our communities, particularly Foundation Trust Members, about what’s most important to them.

We have put together a short survey to help inform how we communicate with Trust members going forward. We want to make sure we are communicating with you using your preferred method both in receiving and sending us information. The survey, which should take no more than five minutes to complete, is open from Monday 18th September 2023 – Friday 17th November 2023.

A link to the survey to complete online is available below or scan the QR code above:

lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/membership-survey Alternatively, please email corporateaffairs@lthtr.nhs.uk with your response.

To request a paper copy, please call 01772 524 412 or email the above. If you would like to respond in writing, please send your responses to:

Corporate Affairs Office, Royal Preston Hospital, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood, PR2 9HT

Annual Members’ Meeting 2023

The Annual Members’ Meeting 2023 will be held on Wednesday 11th October from 6-8pm.

This year the meeting will be held both in person and virtually, to allow as many Members as possible the opportunity to join. If you’d like to join in person, it will be held in the Lecture Theatre, Education Centre 1, Royal Preston Hospital. If you are attending virtually, please join using the following link or scan the QR code below:

lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/membership-events

What it’s like to be a volunteer –

by Sheila Brennan

I have been a volunteer for several years, originally through the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) and now with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. After I retired from a pressurised director role in a private company I wanted something to do, but more importantly, I wanted to pay back the kindness shown to me when I was a teenage patient at The Christie in Manchester, something that continued for 31 years. I currently work on the Cuerden Ward at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, a new ward which has just celebrated its first birthday. My duties mean that I use the ‘brew trolley’ as an excuse to talk, especially to those patients who may be quite a distance from home and therefore have limited visitors. As a new ward, it has a large patient kitchen and a staff room. The bays have a reduced number of beds so that there is a bigger distance between them to help with infection control. All the bays have a separate bathroom which is certainly appreciated by the patients. Cuerden Ward is on the floor below Cuerden Outpatients which is currently being used for blood tests, so I regularly walk with the patients to stop them getting lost. As a volunteer I am given a uniform to wear, a beautiful bright yellow polo shirt (or tabard) which gets compliments every week. It certainly makes us stand out! I am limited on time due to parental caring duties so I can only volunteer on Monday mornings but any time that can be spent volunteering is appreciated by both staff and patients, and if working on the ward is not for you there are other volunteering activities such as “Meet and Greet” at the various entrances at Chorley and Preston Hospitals or working in the coffee shops. Opportunities to volunteer arise during the year and are shown on the Trust website.

I’m also a Patient Experience Champion which helps my role, as volunteers sometimes hear small grumbles that patients don’t want to bother the staff with or think the issues are not important enough to add to the Friends and Family feedback form. Anything that I can do to help the patients stay in hospital a better experience, I will try to do or report it to the appropriate team.

I thoroughly enjoy my volunteering time at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital. I meet many wonderful people, both patients and staff, and some of the patient’s life stories are quite thrilling. Join us if you can spare the time by visiting the Volunteering section of the website.

Election results

For the 2023 Governor Election, there were eight vacancies in the public constituency and four vacancies in the staff categories of nurses and midwives, doctors and dentists, unregistered healthcare and support workers, and other healthcare professionals/healthcare scientists. This year as the number of public candidates nominated was not more than the positions available, all were returned uncontested as public governors. Three governors have also been re-elected for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026.

The outcome of the 2023 Governor election is confirmed as follows:

UNCONTESTED: PUBLIC

(Top row l-r) David Blanchflower, Margaret France, Graham Fullarton (Bottom row l-r) Janet Miller, Frank Robinson, Feixia Yu

ELECTED: STAFF

Steven Doran (representing nurses and midwives)

Lancashire and South Cubria NHS welcomes national New Hospital Programme roadshow

A summer series of national New Hospital Programme roadshow events visited Preston in August, as Government representatives discussed the next steps for building two new hospitals in the region. As part of the roadshow, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS welcomed Health Minister Lord Nick Markham CBE, following the Government’s commitment to replace both Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary with new builds on new sites.

In May 2023, the Government announced a record investment of more than £20 billion, ring-fenced for the next phase of the national New Hospital Programme, which brings proposals for new cutting-edge hospital facilities for Lancashire and South Cumbria a step closer.

The roadshow event was an opportunity for Lord Markham to hear first-hand from staff and patients of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, as well as local NHS leaders, members of parliament and local councils, health and social care colleagues. Lord Markham saw first-hand the challenges of working in and being cared for in some of the current buildings. Conversations also explored what the rebuilds of Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary could mean for those who access these facilities, including improving the working lives of staff and enabling patients to access outstanding care in new state-of-the-art hospital facilities.

Health Minister Lord Markham said: “We are investing in new NHS facilities across the country so patients can access high quality care in state-of-the-art hospitals, both now and in the years to come. “In the long term, our new standardised design means we can rapidly replicate new hospitals across the country, helping to speed up construction and deliver on our commitment of 40 new hospitals by 2030.”

Replacements for Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary are part of a rolling programme of national investment in capital infrastructure beyond 2030. In addition, Furness General Hospital in Barrow will benefit from investment in improvements. The existing Preston and Lancaster sites will remain in place and deliver services to our population until new hospital facilities are opened. The local NHS will continue to keep communities involved and provide further updates as more information becomes available with further detailed work underway to assess the viability of potential locations for both new hospital builds and to develop the required business cases.

Kevin McGee OBE, Chief Executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Being able to build new hospitals on new sites will be truly transformational, and I was delighted to welcome Lord Markham to Royal Preston Hospital for him to hear first-hand what these changes will mean for our patients, community and staff. The New Hospitals Programme will give us the freedom to design our services and facilities around the needs of our patients, future-proofing for the next generation, and today’s event was a fantastic way to discuss our ambitions for the years to come.”

Read more about what we’ve heard so far at newhospitals.info/YourHospitalsYourSay

Please do continue to get involved and have your say to help us build the hospital facilities that our patients, colleagues, local communities and future generations need and deserve.

Find out more about the New Hospitals Programme on Twitter and Facebook

Our Charities

Memorial gardens are lasting tribute to organ donors

As a lasting tribute to organ donors and those who lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity has created Memorial Gardens at both Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospitals, thanks to a generous grant from NHS Charities Together, and donations from public, staff and local businesses.

The project was designed to remember those who were sadly lost during the pandemic, and those who have given the precious gift of life, highlighting the importance of organ and tissue donation across the region.

The memorial gardens were funded by a grant from NHS Charities Together at a total cost of £100,000. The Harold and Alice Bridges

Charity donated £2,000 towards the Chorley project, and the Warburtons Foundation £400. Special thanks go to Service Care Solutions and Home Instead, who sponsored benches for the Chorley garden, as well as Hardscape, who donated a stone obelisk. Darwin Group kindly donated a gift voucher for £450 of plants, while Brian Jolly from Frank Whittle Partnership gave his time free of charge. The garden at Preston was also backed by £5,000 from the Medicash Foundation and £1,000 from David Wilson Homes.

The tranquil spaces will also serve as an extra place on site for quiet contemplation and reflection to be used for the benefit of all staff, patients, and visitors – somewhere to come together to remember, relax and recharge. Read more on our website

Our Charities

Care Team’s leap of faith

A trio of care assistants from St Annes’ Clifton Homecare Ltd took a leap of faith to help raise more than £2,000 for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity’s Children’s Appeal by joining a 21-strong team of supporters, who had pledged to go over the edge of a Lancashire landmark to help raise funds.

In an abseil, colleagues Sue Dobson, Amara Felix and Lauren Kola plunged 128ft from the pinnacle of Peel Tower, which stands on the summit of Holcombe Hill near Ramsbottom.

The event, sponsored by roofing company Gables UK Ltd, was run in association with specialist outdoor activities company Alternative Adventure. It provided all helmets and other safety equipment as well as instruction.

Appeal fundraiser, Lucy Clark, said: “All three ladies were magnificent. It was a blustery day, which made the descent that bit trickier and called for extra bravery!”

Clifton Homecare Ltd is a long-standing supporter of both Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity and Trinity Hospice. The company’s care assistants work to look after clients in their own homes so that they can continue to live independently. Read more on our website.

Former nurse Julie makes her birthday a gift

When former nurse Julie Appleby celebrated her 60th birthday with a party at Penwortham Golf Club, she made the bash a gift of an event for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity’s Children’s Appeal in memory of her beloved eldest son Daniel who died of a catastrophic brain haemorrhage at just 32 years old. Julie organised a raffle and tombola, plus asked her 120 guests, who partied to local band ‘The Brothers of Swing’, to make a donation to the appeal.

Altogether this raised £1,665 which Julie and husband Michael, who are also parents to Richard (32) and Lucy (27), topped up to £2,000.

They then added the sum to an earlier donation of £4,000 which included some of Daniel’s savings, money gifted in his memory and a donation from Julie’s company, New Springs Family Care Ltd, which she founded shortly before Daniel died.

After reading about the Children’s Appeal, which is aiming to raise £1 million for a wish list of items to bring about a raft of improvements to children’s in/outpatients at the Royal Preston Hospital, Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, Leyland’s Broadoaks Child Development Centre and all other children’s facilities managed by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, Julie felt compelled to get involved in tribute to Daniel.

Julie, who also worked for the Sure Start programme, which supported parents with babies and young children, explained: “I saw that one of the appeal’s projects was to refurbish the Children’s Ward parents’ area at the Royal Preston. I think this is great idea as it is important that parents have somewhere to go to give themselves a breather. I asked if our donation could go specifically to this and have now been told it will.”

You can read more about Julie’s generosity on our website

Baby Beat Volunteers are UCLan Community Team of the Year!

The fabulous Baby Beat volunteers won the UCLan Community Team of the Year 2023 award at the Community Leadership & Volunteering Awards ceremony at the University’s Foster Building in Preston, earlier this year. Organised by the UCLan Centre for Volunteering and Leadership, the annual awards highlighted the efforts of those who donate their time to make a difference in the communities across Lancashire, raising awareness of the importance of recognising and appreciating volunteers every year - one of the best ways to retain your volunteers and make them feel valued.

Congratulations to all involved! Read more on our website

Kenzie’s charity pledge takes her sky high

Preston schoolgirl Kenzie Fitzer’s determination to support a charity close to her heart took her to heights she had only ever dreamed of, but proved nothing in life is out of her reach!

Kenzie was born with an extra chromosome to make her a person with Downs Syndrome. At the age of 11 and watching an old war film with her stepdad Mike, Kenzie decided she wanted to parachute from an aeroplane just like the soldiers on the TV screen. Now, having had to wait four years to reach the age of 16 – the youngest permitted age in the UK to undertake a tandem skydive – Kenzie has realised her ambition and in leaping from 10,000ft raised £1,627 for Baby Beat, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals’ mums and babies charity. Kenzie, a pupil at Lostock Hall’s Applebee Wood School, had to get special medical clearance to skydive, which was her dad Jeff’s birthday gift to her. Well done Kenzie! Read more on our website.

Peloton’s tribute to Ted helps other newborns!

A 20-strong peloton wearing a rainbow of colourful cycling jerseys pedalled 130 miles from Euxton Mills to Arnside and back on the first ever Ted’s Ride, to raise more than £5,000 for Baby Beat in memory of Ted Roocroft.

Ted was born in April last year to Euxton civil engineer David Roocroft and his wife Hayley. Following his birth, Ted became poorly and was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Preston Hospital where Ted was cared for by its amazing team. Ted lived for just four weeks and is so dearly missed by all his family.

David and Hayley, who this April welcomed a healthy daughter, Flora, into the world, are determined to keep their much-loved firstborn’s memory alive by creating a legacy for him through what is now set to become an annual Ted’s Ride. Like this year’s ride, future rides will be held to coincide with Ted’s birthday and will continue raising funds for Baby Beat, specifically its projects are to help other poorly newborns and provide support for their parents.

At David’s request, participants, made up of friends and fellow Preston Triathlon Club members, were asked to dress in brightly coloured cycling tops and each were given a pair of commemorative Ted’s Ride socks.

Read more on our website

Rosemere doubles access to anti-hair loss technology

Peter Mileham OBE, Charity Chairman, sadly passes away

The chairman of Rosemere Cancer Foundation and former High Sheriff of Lancashire, Peter Mileham OBE, has died at the age of 80 following a short illness.

Cancer patients at Preston and Chorley hospitals undergoing chemotherapy now have double the access to technology aimed at preserving their hair with £84,815 of charitable funds being used to purchase six new Paxman Scalp Cooling Systems.

The Charity already helped to fund six of the systems a couple of years ago, which were being shared between the chemotherapy unit at Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and Winstanley Ward, the new chemotherapy unit at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

The additional systems purchased now means that each unit can have its own six Paxmans, which together are capable of treating up to 12 patients simultaneously.

Read more on our website

Peter, of Fulwood, also a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire who received his OBE in 2016 for services to Lancashire, put the “Rosemere” into Rosemere Cancer Centre and Rosemere Cancer Foundation, coming up with the name by combining the red rose of Lancashire with the meres (lakes) of the Lake District.

It also led to Peter serving a three-year tenure on Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s management committee until his appointment as National President of the British Chambers of Commerce, which involved a lot of foreign travel

He returned as Chairman in 2018, steering the charity through the difficult years of the Covid pandemic.

Peter, who was an Honorary Fellow of the University of Central Lancashire and a trustee of Blackburn Cathedral, also had personal reasons for wanting to help Rosemere Cancer Foundation. In 2017, he lost his beloved wife Shelagh to cancer. Shelagh had been a patient at Rosemere Cancer Centre. Peter was also treated there for skin cancer last year.

Read more on our website

£1.3m Guiding Light Appeal target has been reached!

240 patients a day, five days a week.

Clinical data supports SGRT’s use to improve radiotherapy treatment’s efficacy and experience for all radiotherapy patients, but its cost means that it isn’t standard provision for the NHS and less than a quarter of the UK’s 65 specialist cancer centres are currently able to provide it.

Rosemere’s Guiding Light Appeal supporters have truly outshone themselves, helping reach our Appeal target and truly revolutionise radiotherapy treatment for the region.

The Guiding Light Appeal launched in Spring 2022 to fund the equipment for SGRT – Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment –and cover its installation costs in six out of the seven radiotherapy treatment rooms at the Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital.

The centre undertakes all radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria, treating approximately

The first of the SGRT equipment arrived at the centre last November and was installed in the run up to Christmas with staff also undergoing training. Since January, it has been used in the treatment of breast cancer patients with plans to now start rolling it out to other patients, starting with lung cancer patients.

Among many other generous donations since launching the Appeal, £100,000 came from St Anne’s based jeweller Beaverbrooks and grants of £7,500 from the Sir John Fisher Foundation and £2,000 from the Hospital Saturday Fund. Money raised from the 2022 Walk in the Dark, Cross Bay Walk and Walk the Lights in Blackpool also went towards the appeal.

Read more on our website.

Recognising our wonderful staff

Karen leaves a remarkable legacy

Trust Lead Chaplain ordained as an Anglican Priest

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Lead Chaplain

Chief People Officer, Karen Swindley, was lost for words on her last day in the office with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, after 22 years’ service.

Current and former colleagues packed out Lecture Room 3 in Health Academy 1 at Royal Preston Hospital to wish her well, and she leaves a remarkable legacy, having been at the forefront of the development of The Health Academy, the nursing degree programme and the LIFE Centre at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, as well as “Our Big Plan” strategy, which received much praise from the Care Quality Commission.

Karen was also involved in the Green Plan, in promoting an inclusive culture within the Trust and ensuring that psychological and wellbeing services for colleagues have been not just maintained but have been improved.

Rest and recreation facilities for colleagues at Chorley and Royal Preston were another area where she had great influence, including the revamped Charters Restaurant, as well as in a great many research trials, and she also oversaw the setting up of COVID-19 testing pods and vaccination hubs.

Happy retirement Karen – you will be missed.

Martin McDonald had the privilege of being ordained as an Anglican Priest in July. One of 24 new Priests and Deacons ordained across Lancashire to serve in The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) to support its ongoing work across the County, Martin’s service was held at St John the Baptist, Broughton, by Bishop of Lancaster, the Right Reverend Dr Jill Duff.

He said: “It was a beautiful and joyful service, full of deep spirituality. A friend commented that it was ancient, timeless and deeply moving.

“After serving a year as a deacon within the church, priesthood marks a turning point in my (very long) journey. I am delighted to continue to serve the patients, staff and visitors of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals as we continue to journey together.

Read more on our website

Retired Consultant is awarded MBE

to employ a consultant in Special Care Dentistry, in Vanita, who was a real pioneer of the specialty.

A fellow in dental surgery of both the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh, she was also an elected board member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of England from 2015-2021.

Fifteen years ago, the General Dental Council ratified the decision to recognise Special Care Dentistry – which provides dental services for patients with a variety of disabilities and impairments, such as those with severe learning difficulties and complex medical problems – as a new dental specialty.

Vanita Brookes, Retired Consultant in Special Care Dentistry, was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for services to improving the oral health of patients with disabilities.

In 2008, LTH became one of the first Trust’s in the North of England

Vanita was instrumental in advancing Special Care Dentistry nationally and was elected as the consultant representative on the Specialty Advisory Committee at the Royal College of Surgeons. Well done Anita! Read more on our website

Gemma is double winner at Apprenticeship awards

Gemma Abbott, a staff nurse in the Neurosurgery Unit, was a double winner at the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Apprenticeship Awards at the Imperial Banqueting Suite in Preston earlier this year.

The event recognised the outstanding contribution and achievements apprentices from the area have made over the last year.

Gemma was a very worthy winner of the Equality and Diversity award, and then went on to take the Excellence Award – as the overall Champion Apprentice of the year.

Gemma gained the highest grade of distinction on her apprenticeship, received fantastic feedback throughout, and she is a champion for health and safety, using her platform to advocate apprenticeships and life-long learning.

Read more on our website.

Recognition award for Trust student Sophie

A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals colleague has earned an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Support Workforce Recognition Award for spreading the word about career opportunities within the Trust. Student Occupational Therapist, Sophie McLean, was recognised by the Allied Health Professions Faculty for Lancashire and South Cumbria for “speaking confidently at a national job centre careers event, sharing her career journey, and presenting alongside the

Health Education England (HEE) AHP workforce.”

Sophie was given her award after she worked on a project to develop apprenticeships within Occupational Therapy, and two years into her role the department have now seen an increase of interest in AHP careers, with two apprentices beginning work just recently. Thank you Sophie for helping to develop our Apprenticeship roles. Read more on our website.

 Dates for your diary 2023

The Corporate Calendar can be viewed on our website

lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/corporate-calendar

Annual Members’ Meeting

Wednesday 11 October 2023 6pm–8pm

Board of Directors’ Meetings

Thursday 5 October 2023 1pm– 6pm

Thursday 7 December 2023 1pm– 6pm

Council of Governors’ Meetings

Thursday 2 November 2023 1pm– 4pm

Lecture Theatre, Education Centre 1, RPH

Virtually using Microsoft Teams Live

Virtually using Microsoft Teams

Virtually using Microsoft Teams

Virtually using Microsoft Teams

Tuesday 23 January 2024 10pm–1pm Virtually using Microsoft Teams

Members are welcome to observe the public section of both the Council of Governors’ and Board of Directors’ meetings to listen to Governors and Board Members discussing Trust business.

Council of Governors’ meetings are held four times per year and members the public are welcome to observe virtually. Please note that meeting dates may occasionally be subject to change.

Please email company.secretary@lthtr.nhs.uk if you would like to observe any of the meetings and the virtual links will be forwarded to your calendar. All public events are advertised on our website: www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk

To view TRUST Matters online go to: www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/trust-matters

Trust Matters is available in different versions including audio. If you require this magazine in a different format, please contact the Membership Office.