Chatterbox: 31 December 2020

31 December 2020

Happy New Year

13 pages of articles and information inside

Take-away lockers now available

“Limitations are only a perception”: Maxfax team in the spotlight for COVID work Our Maxillofacial and Orthodontic Laboratory team had a six-page feature in the most recent Institute of Maxillofacial Prosthetists and Technologists (IMPT) newsletter for their amazing work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Entitled ‘Limitations are only a perception’ the team was the focus of an article about the thousands of single use visors they created for frontline colleagues looking after patients being treated for COVID-19.

Back in March, when the country went into lockdown for the first time, there was a national shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). But Samantha Bunn (Principal Maxillofacial Prosthetist and Laboratory Manager at SaTH) and her team created more than 75,000 single use visors in just six months.

They were supported by colleagues from Audiology and MSK Secretaries, and after a couple of different prototypes they quickly honed their skills – creating visors from medical grade foam, acetate sheet and elastic.

Samantha Bunn said: “I was about to leave work on 20 March 2020 when I thought there must be something that we could do to help. I thought we have skills that no-one else has and it would be a shame not to use them as a team.

colleague started to put together different ideas while the rest of the team worked from home.

Initially, we 3D printed visors however, the demand was too high for the numbers that we could produce with this technique.”

The six-page feature also highlights some of the other areas of great work being carried out by the team over the past nine months. It includes the CAD -CAM designs of oxygen ventilator ports, mask dispensers inserts, camera visors, ENT microscope screens and storz headlights. Apart from the O2 ventilator ports, all are now in daily use in the trust!

“So I contacted Paul Adams, from our Procurement department, to ask if there was anything that they needed that we could help provide. He said that the Trust was having trouble Samantha added: “Our 3D getting visors, so myself and a printer has been invaluable

during this pandemic and we have since ordered a second printer to keep up with demand.

“We are back to planning surgery again, printing out anything from nasal septums up to a full pelvis, but our professional world has changed beyond all expectations. We must continue to move with the times, provide help and support others.”

She concluded: “Limitations are only a perception!”

Notice Board

If the children can’t get to Santa...Play Team brings Father Christmas to SaTH The Play Team on the Children’s Ward at PRH decided if children being looked after them over the festive period couldn’t get to see Father Christmas over the festive period, they would bring Father Christmas to SaTH. The team created this incredible Santa’s Grotto on the Ward to ensure children could get to meet the man himself ahead of the big day.

Fortunately, some of the Play Team come from a long line of elves, so were able to help Santa out in the grotto.

Father Christmas himself was ably assisted by Ward Clerk, David.

Jennie Probert, Children’s Ward Manager, said: “The children loved it!”

Great Offers

World Braille Day World Braille Day is an annual celebration which raises awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication for people who are blind or visually impaired.

It takes place on the birthday of Louis Braille (4 January) who invented the braille language at the age of just 15, after becoming blind himself as a child.

What is Braille?

Braille is a tactile writing method, which uses six raised dots on a grid. There are 63 different combinations of these dots meaning that they can be translated into many languages. The dots are raised so those who are blind or those who are visually impaired can read using their fingertips to feel the patterns of the dots.

How can I support patients who are blind or visually impaired?

Patients who are blind or visually impaired are entitled to receive information in an accessible format, such as braille. If a patient requires written information (such as an appointment letter or patient information leaflet) in braille, you should contact Absolute Interpreting.

For further information on interpretation and translation services within SaTH, please visit http://intranet.sath.nhs.uk/patients/

Christmas gifts are in the bag Before Christmas, an appeal was launched to find gifts for colleagues at SaTH spending the day away from loved ones.

Kayleigh Williams, Cohort Facilitator with the International Nursing Team, wanted to arrange for a small gift for colleagues at the Trust to open on Christmas Day.

She came up with the idea because all of our international nurses would be away from their families this Christmas.

So Kayleigh started up a collection and, pictured above, are some of our international nurses about to receive their gifts.

Well done, Kayleigh.

Women’s Service Assistant Ocky Baxter made hats for babies born over Christmas to wear on the Postnatal Ward.

Pictured with the hats are WSAs Mel Clews and Sue Walton with Ocky (centre).

The latest winners in the SaTH staff lottery are:

Susan Williams, Information Rachel Byrne, Cancer Services Laura Mound, Ward 24 CCU Gary Walles, Cleanliness Team Angela Charles, ITU PRH Make sure you are in with a chance of winning by downloading a lottery entry form here. Completed forms should be returned to Fund, a restricted fund with the sole aim of sath.charity@nhs.net. improving the working environment and amenities for all employees. Any member of staff can apply Providing entries are made by the end of a calendar month, deductions will be made from the for funds to cover items such as kettles and toasters, fridges and fans for the warmer months subsequent month’s payroll, and you will be etc. entered into the following month’s draw.

A panel will award the money monthly in line with Tickets cost £1 and a maximum of 5 tickets can income to the Fund. be purchased. Payment will be deducted from your salary (a minimum of £1 per month to a Money can also be donated to this fund by maximum of £5 per month). It is the responsibility patients and their families wishing to say thank of each employee to check that deductions are you to the staff at our hospitals. accurate.

For more information visit intranet/Charity/ The extra special thing about our staff lottery is lottery.asp that all of the money raised is spent on our staff – 50% of profits are given out in prizes and the other 50% is adding to our Small Changes Make a Big Difference Fund which is all spent on items for staff. The Small Things Make a Big Difference

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Staff Support

Staff Support

Peer-to-peer listeners In many situations, having someone to talk to can lighten our load; when we are listened to this helps us to feel valued.

Therefore we have trained a group of staff from across the Trust as Peer to Peer (P2P) Volunteers to help support colleagues. P2P are trained to provide confidential, non-judgmental peer support, signposting to other internal contacts where appropriate.

P2P listeners are trained in supportive listening skills but they won’t be acting as counsellors.

Teresa Love, Nurse and Workforce Project Office, P2P Lead Teresa.love3@nhs.net Vicki Robinson, HR Advisor Vicki.robinson1@nhs.net Ella Collison, ITU Staff Nurse e.collison@nhs.net Angie Lunt, Recovery Staff Nurse angelamary.lunt@nhs.net Sarah Thomas, Senior Corporate Education Advisor sarahthomas@nhs.net Nerys Cox, Pain Nurse Specialist nerys.cox@nhs.net Jules Lewis, End of Life Care Nurse Specialist jules.lewis@nhs.net Lucy Stanley, HCA SAU lucy.stanley3@nhs.net Nyree Porter, PA nyree.porter@nhs.net

Rachel Hanmer, TCI Administrator Rachel.hanmer@nhs.net Adam Anderson-Woods, Library Assistant, adam.anderson-woods@nhs.net Samantha I'Anson, Corporate Educator s.i'anson@nhs.net Viv Orme, Radiographer viv.orme@nhs.net Maria Scenters, Library Assistant maria.scenters@nhs.net Erica Davies, Barista erica.davies@nhs.net Sally Roberts, Barista sally.roberts23@nhs.net Elaine Evans, Nurse, TBC Caroline Callister, Workforce Assurance caroline.callister@nhs.net Nick Robinson, Leadership & OD Coordinator nick.robinson5@nhs.net Jeanette Barnes, Specialist Nurse jeanette.barnes3@nhs.net Petro Hryziuk, Champlain petro.hryziuh@nhs.net Megan Griffith, A&E Sister megan.griffith2@nhs.net Mervyn Williams, Champlain mervyn.williams@nhs.net Kirsty Wagg, Specialist Nurse kirsty.wagg1@nhs.net Lynette Charles, Specialist Nurse lynette.charles@nhs.net Jules Lock, EOL Volunteer juleslock@live.com Rachael Maskell, Corporate Education Assistant rachael.maskell@nhs.net