220114 - Chatterbox

14 January 2022

Shirley's headshave for charity

SaTH nurse Shirley Downes has had her head shaved to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Shirley was diagnosed with breast cancer just as her younger sister was nearing the end of her chemotherapy for breast cancer and decided to do the headshave for charity.

“Although there have been many changes in treatments, people are still dying from cancer and research is vital,” said Shirley.

“Cancer does not discriminate, it can affect anyone. I personally have lost both friends and family to this dreadful disease."

She added: "All donations will be gratefully received. Let’s help find a cure for cancer.”

Shirley started working for the NHS in 1978 and has worked within many disciplines including elderly care, isolation, children’s, respiratory medicine and haematology. Most

recently she has been working in the Chemotherapy Day Unit.

If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, please visit Shirley’s giving page.

We wish you all the best Shirley!

LoF volunteer Jill retires after nearly six decades Former nurse Jill Wellings has just retired after nearly 60 years of volunteering at RSH. Jill started as a volunteer during her training as a nurse and then joined the RSH League of Friends (LoF) when it formed in 1966, helping out when its first shop opened at the Old Copthorne South in 1971.

She has seen many changes over the years and has loved her time as a volunteer even abseiling off the top of the hospital building to raise funds.

“People weren’t able to use the telephone to ask someone to bring something in, so when we took them hairspray or chocolate that really brightened their day,” Jill said.

“In the early days fundraising was for a picture or TV for a ward, but we raised £1 million for a scanner three years ago – it puts it in perspective how things have changed.”

Jill added: “I have got a great deal of satisfaction out of volunteering.

I’ve made a lot of friends. It has

Volunteer Jill Wellings and Richard Steventon at her presentation

been a continuation of being a nurse and wanting to care.”

She would also not hesitate to recommend volunteering to anybody who has a few hours to spare because she has had so much enjoyment from it.

of Public Participation at SaTH, presented Jill with a long service award and engraved glass bowl.

Jill chatted about her time as a volunteer with Adam Green on the Radio Shropshire Breakfast Show and she told him that she is thinking of doing a zip wire to raise funds.

Chair of the RSH LoF Richard Steventon and Julia Clarke, Director You can listen to Jill’s chat here

Competition winner Clare presents training aid prize to Tissue Viability Team RSH matron Clare Walsgrove has presented a training aid to the Tissue Viability Team after winning it in a Twitter competition.

Clare, a Quality Matron in Corporate Nursing at RSH, was the lucky winner in the Medstrom Seymour Wound Model giveaway. She is pictured being presented with her prize by Mandy Hamer from Medstrom.

ity Specialist Nurse, said: “This is a brilliant piece of kit and will really enhance our face-to-face teaching. Nurses often learn best by doing, so classroom based teaching always benefits from practical sessions.

“This will really help support that and consequently help to improve our nurses’ knowledge which will directly impact upon patient care.”

The training aid is used to identi- She handed it over to Clare fy pressure damage.

Checketts, Lead Nurse for Tissue Viability (pictured bottom Leanne Whitfield, Tissue Viabil- right).

Thrillseeker Debbie takes to the skies Thrillseeker nurse Debbie Snooke jumped 10,000 feet from a plane in a tandem skydive to raise funds for the Swan Fund, but this was not her first skydive … it was her third.

Debbie, a Swan End of Life Care Specialist Nurse at SaTH, raised £477 for the fund and £200 of the funds raised will be donated to the bereavement fund in the maternity unit at PRH. The remaining money will be used to purchase additional items which make a difference to our patients receiving End of Life Care and the people important to them.

She said that the money will probably go towards CD Boomboxes for all Trust wards.

Debbie who skydived at Tilstock Airfield near Whitchurch said: “I am now planning my fourth skydive this year. The more skydives I do the more I love it – and it is just great to raise money for causes close to my heart.”

The funds raised from a previous skydive provided a mood light for every ward at the Trust.

The Shropshire Round Table Lodge also very kindly raised £250 which has been used to buy five CD Boomboxes.

Debbie had cared for the mother of Steve Pritchard-Jones, a member of the lodge, in the last days of her life. Steve’s sister Karen Thompson also made a donation of two CD Boomboxes. Steve and another member of the Lodge are pictured presenting the CD Boomboxes to Debbie.

Debbie said: “I had the privilege of caring for Steve and Karen’s mother in her last days of her life and this was the reason for their very kind donation.”

She also received a separate donation for the Swan Fund just before Christmas from the family of the late John Jones. The family also donated £200 to the Dementia Team. The Swan End of Life Care specialist nurses are currently considering what can be purchased with the money donated by Eileen Jones and her family in memory of John who was known to his family and friends as Squigee.

UNICEF accreditation for Neonatal Unit Congratulations to our Neonatal Unit for achieving UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Stage One accreditation!

Sam Petridis, Baby Friendly Lead Nurse and Neonatal Sister, said: “Through this work, we are putting parents voices at the heart of care, minimising separation and empowering parents to take part in all elements of their baby’s care.”

"This is a really important initiative for the Neonatal Unit, we are committed to improving outcomes for babies and their families and by implementing these standards we can help the next generation."

Vicky Wykes, Senior Sister, and Sam Petridis

The team will now progress into the next stage of the programme.

SaTH staff brush up on health and wellbeing with art club

Healthcare workers can brush up on their arts and crafts skills with a Healthcare Art Club set up by a SaTH doctor to help colleagues with their well-being and positive mental health.

to meet others, socialise and learn new skills.”

Julia Clarke, Director of Public Participation at SaTH, said: “The art club is such a great idea and so relaxing for colleagues. SaTH Charity is delighted to support Dr Pamela Sturges created the art club as a medical stu- these classes and help with the well-being of our coldent during COVID –19 lockdown in the summer of 2020 leagues.” with another foundation doctor in Liverpool. She now coleads the club at SaTH with Dr Mohamed Nedham, a The next face-to-face workshop – Portrait Photography surgical fellow, and they run monthly workshops – some with Adam Threlfall from Life Group – will be on Friday, virtually.

28 January, at RSH. There are limited places so please book on here.

The art club is free and available for any NHS worker to attend. Classes, which are supported by SaTH Charity - The schedule for this year so far is: Small Things Big Difference, include digital art photog• January: Portrait Photography Workshop, with Life raphy, calligraphy, origami, painting in lots of mediums, Group, Telford (details above) crochet and sketching.

• February: Origami • March: Surgical art The club has been such a success that it has now expanded nationally with the recruitment and appointment • March: Knitting/crochet of regional leads in six different hospital trusts across the • April: Cake decorating UK. • May: Ink Printing SaTH has held three face-to-face workshops where they • June: Sketching have had a range of healthcare workers attending, in• July: Museum Trip cluding pharmacists, nurses, midwives and doctors.

• August: Exhibition and competition Dr Sturges who works as a Foundation Doctor in MediIf you would like any more details please contact the art cine (Care of the Elderly) said: “Our aim is to create a club on healthcareartclub@gmail.com space for creativity but most importantly encourage wellbeing and positive mental health, a time away from work

Health and well-being sessions Further Health & Well-being sessions are available via MS Teams emphasising the importance of having the wellbeing conversation and checking in with each other as well as signposting and understanding what support is available.

The dates of the sessions are:

1pm Friday 14 January 1pm Tuesday 18 January 12pm Thursday 20 January 10.30am Monday 24 January To book you place visit the SaTH Training Diary select category Health & Wellbeing and select course Health & Wellbeing Session.

Launch of Health Care Support Workers’ Academy An Academy to train Health Care Support Workers (HCSWs) at our Trust is to be launched on Monday.

Rachel Armstrong, Lead Nurse for Education and Quality at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, said: “At the moment HCSWs have a three-day induction and this may not necessarily We will be working with our partner organisations and Telhappen before they go into a clinical environment. It is diffiford College to launch the six-month pilot programme which cult for them to get a Care Certificate signed off because starts on January 17. they are trying to juggle the training with working clinically.

We are hoping with this more structured approach it will The first two weeks of HCSWs’ training will be in the class- better prepare them.” room, supplemented by further study days which will combine to create a preceptorship programme. At the end of six The collaborative approach with other partners within the months, if successful, candidates will receive their Care Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS) Certificate. means all HCSWs will have the same training, regardless of Hayley Flavell, Director of Nursing at SaTH, said: “This exciting, innovative programme will provide our HCSWs with the essential skills they need when they commence working within the Trust. As part of this new initiative, the Trust has also created buddy training for existing HCSWs, thereby providing invaluable pastoral support and enabling health and wellbeing to be at the forefront of the programme.

whether they work in social care settings, the community or a hospital setting.

Telford College has set up a skills lab, classroom, computer suite for the programme. Cohorts of about 32 will take part in the programme once a month.

Caroline Bastow, Learner Manager for Higher Education and Access at Telford College, said: “We are completely It is hoped this new programme, incorporating relevant edu- renovating part of our campus to create a new industrycation and training, will ensure our HCSWs are retained standard hospital suite to house the academy. here within the Trust, as they feel supported and invested in, by both the clinical areas and the Trust.

“There is a growing need for more healthcare assistants to In addition, it is hoped the new preceptorship programme will create an appetite for health careers in Shropshire, encouraging candidates to follow a pathway to further nursing roles, whether that be as Nursing Associates or Registered General Nurses.

work in both hospitals and care home settings, and this induction process will be transferable across multiple sites. By increasing the number of newcomers in the pipeline, it also provides career progression opportunities for existing health care assistants.”

Lavendar garden opens for staff and patients A previously unloved spac behind Ward 32/Fracture Clinic at the RSH has been redeveloped using SaTH Charitable Funds.

shire Girl Guides to thank NHS staff for their care.

Julia Clarke, Director of Public Participation said “We are grateful to the End of Life Care Team The redevelopment came from a for thinking about how this space request from the End of Life could be improved and contactCare Team after a patient on ing SaTH Charity for help.

Ward 32 expressed a wish to go outside for a final time to feel the “We’ve worked with ward staff sun on his face. It was agreed to on the design and it’s a great improve this space for future in- example of teams working topatients to access and for colgether to improve the experileagues on Ward 32 and Fracence of patients and colleagues, ture Clinic. and a great use of charitable funds.”

The Lavender Garden, which was officially opened on 8 December, now contains raised flower beds, a pod with light and heating for staff to take breaks, outdoor seating, and room to wheel out patients beds down a sturdy ramp.

There is also a rainbow mosaic on the freshly painted border of the pebbledash walls, which was made and donated by Shrop-

Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Ambassadors play a crucial part in SaTH and are available to raise awareness of FTSU, its role and purpose. They are also there to signpost and support staff who wish to raise concerns.

Once a month, we will focus on one of our Ambassadors. For this edition of Chatterbox, we find out more about The Reverend Keith Osmund-Smith BEM. After more than 10 years as a Bank (on-call) Chaplain at both the RSH and PRH I was appointed in the autumn of 2021 as NHS Multifaith Chaplain for SaTH and joined the established Chaplaincy team, based at PRH but covering both hospitals as necessary.

I have been a Baptist Minister for 20 years and was the minister at Madeley Baptist Church from 2002 to 2021. Prior to that I worked for several years globe-trotting as a Senior Consultant in Leadership training and Psychometrics in the pharmaceutical industry; and before that I served half of my working life as a Police Officer retiring as an Inspector in 1995.

From 2007 to 2021 I was West Mercia Police Chaplain and have served as Chaplain to the Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service since 2019. In 2011 I founded Telford Street Pastors – a charitable group of trained volunteers working in the weekend nighttime economy of Telford with its mantra of ‘Listening, Caring, Helping’.

No surprise then that, underpinned by my own faith-walk*, from my earliest memories I have always championed the cause of those who are treated unfairly, discriminated against or oppressed, believing that ‘the only thing necessary for evil to prosper is for good (people) to do nothing’.

times be a personal cost in standing up to be counted. I was delighted to discover that there were two ‘in-house’ groups within SaTH (FTSU and P2P) both of which are critically peoplecentred and seek to develop the core values of an honest and open environment and to promote discourse without fear within the Trust.

I count it a real privilege to be a FTSU ambassador and to join a group of people to whom staff (including volunteers and students) can turn, secure in the knowledge that any dysfunctional practice will be addressed and dealt with - and with confidentiality assured.

When I am on duty the Chaplaincy office doors are always open and I’m available on the ‘phone but I take this opportunity to encourage everyone to identify the FTSU ambassadors and be ready to act swiftly, and in so doing ensure the wellbeing and safety of patients and staff.

Contact details: k.osmund-smith@nhs.net *”Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me”.

(Christian Bible – Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 25 v. 45).

FTSU drop-ins Hayley Flavell, Director of Nursing, will be holding a number of drop-in sessions for colleagues across the coming weeks to ensure everyone has the opportunity to raise any issues they want but also, specifically, to seek to address concerns that have been anonymously raised. Louise Barnett, Chief Executive, will be joining Hayley for some of the dates.

• • • • •

Some might rightly refer to this as a charter for • ‘whistle-blowers’ recognising that there will some-

Monday 17 January – 11am-1pm, PRH, Director of Nursing office, Education Centre Thursday 27 January – 12pm-2pm, RSH, Therapy Gym on Level 2 near Ward 22SS Tuesday 1 February – 12.15pm-1.45pm, RSH, Syndicate Room 1, SECC Monday 28 February – 11.30am-1.30pm, PRH, Director of Nursing office, Education Centre Monday 14 March – 2.45pm-3.45pm, PRH, Director of Nursing office, Education Centre Tuesday 29 March – 3pm-5pm, RSH, venue to be confirmed.

Notice Board

Notice Board

Teleflex EZ-IO Training day 10 February 2022 at PRH The Resus Team is excited to provide an EZ-IO skill session supported by Teleflex.

The course is initially aimed at clinicians who will utilise the skill regularly, for example, those that work in acute/emergency care, ACPs, members of the cardiac arrest team but we will consider applications from qualified members of staff.

To register your interest and book either an AM or PM slot please email: Ami.Hanwell1@nhs.net

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At SaTH your wellbeing matters and that’s why we all need to take some time to consider the factors which have an impact on our wellbeing.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected us all, whether this is within our personal life or at work. This is why this week we’ve launched Wellbeing Wednesdays. Each Wednesday we will be touching on a different topic ranging from exercise, nutrition, sleep, financial advice and mindfulness. You will be able to find useful tips, resources and we will also be arranging some online sessions.

Each Wednesday our staff wellbeing team will be walking round our two hospitals to speak to you, ask how you are feeling and what we can do to support you and to promote the importance of looking after ourselves. They will be in their purple wellbeing t-shirts so do look out for them – they are there to help you.

To find out more about the weekly activities, please look out for detail in the weekly staff information bulletin and notifications from the staff app.

These sessions will be facilitated by Team Prevent and are available for all staff to attend. To book please email l.westcott@nhs.net and you will be sent a link for the session.

As part of Wellbeing Wednesday, we’ve created a Wellbeing Wheel which is intended to help you think about your wellbeing and lifestyle. We encourage all staff to work with a trusted colleague or line manager to complete the Wellbeing Wheel and to develop a Wellbeing Action Plan which you should review regularly. This booklet also outlines the support available from SaTH to help improve and enhance your wellbeing.

Long COVID support As part of our Wellbeing Wednesday’s we are pleased to launch our full Long COVID Support package for staff and managers. This includes a support group, information booklet, manager’s guidance to support staff with Long COVID and a breathing techniques video created by our Physiotherapists. To access this package, please visit http:// intranet.sath.nhs.uk/hr/health_wellbeing/long_covid_support.asp

There is a lot of research to support the role nature plays in protecting and supporting our mental health. Nature is all around us whether it be in a garden, outside our office window, a local park or on daily walks. We are very lucky at SaTH with the surroundings we have, therefore we have put together these walking route maps and a list of common wildlife for you to enjoy on your own or with colleagues, friends and family. This could be on your lunch break or maybe schedule in a weekly walk after work in the evening. More info here.

We have added more financial sessions to our wellbeing offer. Barclay’s Bank will be delivering seminars on “New to Investing” and “Move or Improve” throughout July 2021 and to ensure these are easily accessible to staff we will be delivering these online as well as streaming at both PRH and RSH sites.

To find out how to book on, click here. 14-19

Staff Support

Staff Support