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Tracey McCarthy, Endoscopy Manager, has presented Katy Key with her 25 Years Long Service Award. Katy is a Bank Nurse who works regularly in the Endoscopy Department at PRH.

Freedom to Speak Up

Did you know?

 302 concerns were raised with FTSU in 2020/21  The FTSU team visit over 30 teams per week  The FTSU team is visiting every team, over 300 of you, during the next 12 months to raise awareness of FTSU

Helen Turner, FTSU Lead

 The biggest theme coming through FTSU is behaviours and breakdowns in relationships  Once a concern is closed we ask everyone for feedback on their experience so we can learn and improve In 2020/21 staff at SaTH raised 302 concerns through Freedom to Speak Up. While, of course, the ultimate aim would be that no concerns are raised because everything is running smoothly, this is not realistic given that under normal circumstances we work in an intense and highly pressured environment. Throw a pandemic on top with all the uncertainty that entails and high levels of concerns are to be expected. What these high levels of concerns are also telling us is that staff at SaTH care and are starting to have confidence that action will be taken when concerns are raised. The FTSU team are not only committed to encouraging and supporting staff to speak up but making sure action is taken and lessons learnt and embedded. We do this through working collaboratively with colleagues to ensure action is taken so we can change and improve the way we care and work at SaTH. In the coming weeks FTSU will be sharing more of the work we do and the learning that comes out of it when you raise concerns.

Would you like to become a Team Time Facilitator with the opportunity to develop your skills to become an accredited Schwartz Round Facilitator?

SaTH is working with the Point of Care Foundation to introduce and embed Team Time throughout the Organisation and plan to move onto running full Schwartz Rounds from the Autumn. Schwartz Rounds provide a wellestablished and structured forum where all staff, clinical and nonclinical, come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare. The purpose of Schwartz Rounds is to understand the challenges and rewards in providing care, not to solve problems or to focus on the clinical aspects of patient care. Rounds can help staff feel more supported in their jobs, allowing them the time and space to reflect on their roles. Evidence shows that staff members who attend Rounds feel less stressed and isolated, with increased insight and appreciation for each other’s roles. They also help to reduce hierarchies between staff and to focus attention on relational aspects of care. For more information, click here.

Thank you

See Pages 12. 13 and 14

International Nurse’s Day & National ODP Day

Colleagues across SaTH have this week been celebrating the fantastic contribution of our nursing teams and our ODPs. The celebrations included a free ice cream for all staff, and a treat trolley run for colleagues working nights, funded by SaTH Charity – and Shrewsbury Train Station will once again be lit up in blue tonight as a thank you. All the events were to mark International Nurses’ Day, National ODP Day and International Day of the Midwife last week.

Nursing teams and the care they provide have been celebrated on International Nurses’ Day.

This year, IND recognised the contribution made by nurses in all roles, particularly during the COVID -19 pandemic. COVID-19 has meant that nursing teams have had to change the way they work to care for patients and their families at SaTH. Some stepped out of non-clinical roles to return to frontline nursing. Hayley Flavell, Director of Nursing, said: “I have been in nursing for nearly 30 years, and I have never been prouder to be a nurse. “I would like to thank our nursing teams for the courage and resilience they have shown during COVID-19, and for the compassionate care they give to our patients, and their families, every day. “Thank you, too, to those who support our nursing teams to do their jobs every day.” Kelly Pardy works as Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Specialist Nurse. She said: “My decision to go into nursing was one I made at a young age. I had a great interest in science and decided that this was a career I wanted before I left college. “COVID-19 affected my role significantly, and our team had been preparing for it well before the first cases were identified in Shropshire. Although our standard work was still in place, we had the added pressure of a pandemic to manage in an acute hospital trust. “This included ensuring that the Trust was adhering to frequently changing guidance, educating staff in all disciplines, and investigating and managing outbreaks amongst other things.” Melissa Compton is a Critical Care staff nurse working in ITU and HDU, and has worked at SaTH since completing her nursing degree and qualifying as a nurse eight years ago. She said: “I’d been a ski instructor, but decided to pursue a career in nursing after I took up a position as a carer, and found I really enjoyed the caring aspect of the role. I became a Healthcare Assistant before taking a degree in nursing. “My role did change during COVID19; we worked long hours in PPE and we became the bridge between patients and their loved ones at home. It has been very challenging, particularly emotionally, but we all worked together as a team to care for our patients and their families.” Jamie Henry is a Professional Development Nurse for the International Nursing Team, helping to train and support international nurses to take their competence exams, the nursing OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations). She returned to frontline nursing for several weeks to support colleagues during the pandemic. She said: “During the first lockdown, all the test centres for OSCE closed indefinitely, and our team had to think outside the box as to how we could train our nurses safely while ensuring our safety as well. When the test centres opened again, our nurses took their OSCEs, and as of March 2021, we have successfully trained 158 nurses and supported them in passing their OSCEs and obtaining their PINs. We have these nurses working in our community and aiding the fight against the pandemic."

Jamie Henry

s Day & National ODP Day

Jane Ndhlovu Steve Bennett Kosta Levkov

Being part of a patient’s perioperative journey is also rewarding because I have the opportunity to make the experience positive for the patient

Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) support the anaesthetic, surgery and recovery teams – and care for patients undergoing surgical procedures – every day.

During the pandemic, they saw their roles change with many redeployed to support their critical care colleagues looking after patients with COVID-19 when some theatres were turned into extra Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) space. Today is National ODP Day, a day to shine light on the contribution ODPs make every day, and showcase their profession and the important role they play in patient care. Mr Mark Cheetham, Medical Director for Surgery, Anaesthetics and Cancer, said: “Today we highlight the invaluable work our ODPs do every day – supporting colleagues and helping to care for our patients at each stage of their journey through our theatres. “I am incredibly proud of how they adapted their roles during the pandemic to work in different areas, using their skills to help care for patients in our ITUs during what was a very challenging time, and I would like to thank them all.” ODP Steve Bennett is Team Leader Trauma at RSH providing specialist clinical support across Anaesthetics and Surgery as part of a multidisciplinary team. Steve assists in leading the Orthopaedic Trauma team, managing staff and resources to ensure safe and efficient patient care. He said: “The role is multifaceted across anaesthetics and surgery, supporting all surgical specialties with regular excursions to A&E Resus, ITU, CT and X-ray and inter -hospital transfer of critically ill patients. “During the first wave of the pandemic, my role predominantly switched to supporting Intensive Care. We had to change the way we work, and I found this change in role very educational, teaching me new skills which was very rewarding.” Kosta Levkov has worked as an ODP at RSH since 2018, and his role involves preparing a wide range of specialist equipment and drugs, including anaesthetic machines, intravenous equipment and devices that safely secure the patient's airway during anaesthesia. Kosta said: “I wanted to work as part of a team that really makes a difference to people’s lives by caring for patients when they are at their most vulnerable. The needs and requirements of each patient change which keeps work interesting and challenging. It is rewarding because you can instantly see the difference you make each day.” Jane Ndhlovu is an ODP at PRH, first joining the Trust as a student in 2018. Jane said: “I receive patients after they have had their operation. I assess their general condition and vital signs to make sure they are within the appropriate physiological ranges and if not, interventions are carried out to treat their condition. When the patient is fully recovered from their anaesthetic, we transfer them back to the ward. “Being part of a patient’s perioperative journey is also rewarding because I have the opportunity to make the experience positive for the patient, especially those that have never been to theatre before.

“On a daily basis you are constantly learning and thinking because every patient you meet is different, and adapting becomes second nature. I would definitely recommend the job to anyone thinking about it as a career.”

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