Shine a Light Award for staff bereavement support cafes
Well done to Jules Lewis, the Staff Bereavement Support Service and the Palliative and End of Life Care Team for winning a Good Grief Trust Shine a Light Award.
The Good Grief Trust asked for nominations to ‘Shine a Light’ on people, places and projects to help raise greater awareness of outstanding bereavement services across the country.
The Shropshire Education and Conference Centre (SECC) was nominated under the ‘Places’ category for hosting Staff Bereavement Support Cafes for the last three years.
This year, working in collaboration with SECC Manager, Paul Lewis and his team, and with funding from SaTH Charity, (Small Things Make a Big Difference), the Bereavement Team has developed the OWEN Room, in memory of Joan Owen who died during the pandemic.
It provides a dedicated space in which to facilitate staff bereavement support one-toone sessions in a safe space, to be heard with compassion, kindness and understanding.
The awards were presented during National Grief Awareness Week (NGAW) which took place from 2-8 December 2024.
Shrewsbury Men’s Shed success
Congratulations to Shrewsbury Men’s Shed which was crowned Shed of the Year in national awards.
The Shrewsbury Men’s Shed works closely with our Personalised Care Team, providing a muchneeded space to hold the Shrewsbury Men Like Us support group for any man affected by cancer and the horticultural therapy course funded by Lingen Davies.
The UKMSA Shed of the Year Awards winners were announced at a glittering ceremony in Westminster.
Judges said the Shrewsbury Shed, based at the West Mids Showground, has succeeded in providing a community space, hosting other charities and organisations regularly, offering their space and friendship to people with dementia, men with cancer, woodturners and a horticulture group.
The awards were handed out at The Speaker’s State Rooms, in the House of Commons, on International Men’s Day on November 19.
For more information about the Shrewsbury Men’s Shed visit its website
To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2025, the Apprentice Ambassador Network is organising a photography competition for all ambassadors, apprentices, partners and friends of the network who are involved in apprenticeships.
With no specific themes, take a photo of something that reminds you of your apprenticeship, this could be anything, any
categories or styles. The contest will inspire and showcase the incredible creativity across the network.
The competition closes on 31 January 2025 to allow the Network to judge the photos and announce the winners in National Apprenticeship Week. The winner will receive a small prize and a trophy to show their success.
Submit your photo here.
First anniversary of renal dialysis services at Hollinswood House
Renal dialysis services marked its first anniversary at Hollinswood House in Telford with the unveiling of a tree of remembrance.
The unit is on the same site as the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Stafford Park, Telford, and provides care for lower risk dialysis patients.
To mark the anniversary, all patients on the unit were presented with a commemorative gift and the tree was unveiled - anyone was able to pay their respects to patients who had passed away over the year.
Alisha Morgan, Unit Manager, said: “I am immensely proud of the staff since we moved here. We scored a diamond on our Exemplar which is incredible.
“Patient satisfaction is fantastic and they love being here. It’s more spacious, the environment is much cleaner and parking a lot better – all round it is amazing.”
The Diamond Exemplar is the highest award and comes after the team received a hugely impressive score of 100% in nine of the eleven areas measured in the audit. To achieve an Exemplar award which is part of the Trust’s vision to provide the kindest and safest care in the NHS, the teams must meet the highest standards in key areas including caring, leadership and safety.
Lynne Morris, Centre Manager – Respiratory and Renal, said: “It has been lovely to be involved in the celebrations which have included the unveiling of a tree in commemoration of some of our patients who are sadly no longer with us and to mark us being open for 12 months.”
Our January People Pulse Survey is now live and focuses on engagement and flexible working.
Your feedback will enable us to understand these areas deeper, so that we can implement changes to improve the way that we work for the benefit of our colleagues and our patients.
Results from the People Pulse inform local and national actions to improve the experiences of our people and patients. The results from previous People Pulse surveys and our new People Pulse Dashboard is available here
New car lease scheme
The Trust’s car lease salary sacrifice provider has changed to NHS Fleet Solutions. The scheme is designed to provide competitively priced trouble-free motoring.
Further details are available on the intranet If you have currently have a car lease salary sacrifice through Tusker, this will continue for the duration of your car term.
For further information contact: louise.
graham9@nhs.net
quick and easy to complete:
1. Click this link: www.nhspeoplepulse.com
2. Select the organisation by typing in: SHREWSBURY AND TELFORD HOSPITAL NHS TRUST
3. Select your Division
4. Select your Service from the drop down list
5. Complete your survey!
If you have any queries regarding the People Pulse Survey please email sath. organisationaldevelopmentteam@nhs.net.
Financial support information
SaTH are pleased to be partnering with financial education specialists ‘Affinity Connect’ to support all aspects of your financial wellbeing. We would like to invite you to attend any of the following courses. To book on, please click here
Planning for Retirement:
Date
Monday, 10 February 2025 09:30 12:00 Online - MS Teams
Tuesday, 01 April 2025 13:00 15:30 Online - MS Teams
Wednesday, 04 June 2025 09:30 12:00 Online - MS Teams
Thursday, 07 August 2025 13:00 15:30 Online - MS Teams
Friday, 03 October 2025 09:30 12:00 Online - MS Teams
Monday, 01 December 2025 13:00 15:30
Your Pension and the Public Service Remedy:
- MS Teams
Monday, 13 January 2025 10:00 11:30 Online - MS Teams
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 13:00 14:30 Online - MS Teams
Monday, 12 May 2025 09:30 11:00 Online - MS Teams
Thursday, 10 July 2025 13:00 14:30 Online - MS Teams
Friday, 12 September 2025 10:00 11:30 Online - MS Teams
Tuesday, 18 November 2025 13:00 14:30 Online - MS Teams
Your Financial Wellbeing: Date
Tuesday, 18 March 2025 13:00 14:30
- MS Teams
Wednesday, 02 July 2025 10:00 11:30 Online - MS Teams
Thursday, 06 November 2025 13:00 14:30 Online - MS Teams
Understanding Pension Tax Allowance:
Tuesday, 29 April 2025 10:00 11:30 Online - MS Teams
Wednesday, 15 October 2025 13:00 14:30 Online - MS Teams
• Planning for Retirement Promotional Video
• Your Pension and the Public Service Pension Remedy Promotional Video
• Your Financial Wellbeing Promotional Video
• Pension Tax Allowances Promotional Video
Some feedback from the courses can be found below:
“The presenter has a friendly and helpful presentation style and explained the information on the slides well. A good introduction to finance
control with some helpful advice I wasn’t aware of previously.”
“Pensions are a minefield to understand but after today I have a much clearer idea of what to do. I had misinformation prior to today’s course but I am much clearer now.”
“Really helpful session, just getting me thinking about my options to improve my financial wellbeing over the next few decades before retirement.”
The Royal College of Nursing Shropshire branch celebrates a successful year
The West Midlands region of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) presented regional awards at its Board and Branch Committee Development Event on Monday 9 December.
The Shropshire branch has been recognised and awarded the highest growth in nursing support worker membership.
Rachel Webster, RCN Steward and HTP Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Lead, attended the event and accepted the award. She said: “I am very proud to be a Royal College of Nursing accredited Trade Union Steward at SaTH, I represent all nurses and nursing support roles.
“Joining the RCN as a member and now as an active rep has helped me to develop my career over the past 24 years. I joined as a student nurse and have used the RCN’s learning resources and expert advice service ever since.
“I’m looking forward to being the Chair of the RCN Shropshire Branch Chair from January 2025, hosting exciting CPD accredited local learning events and welcoming many new members into the RCN community. Please contact me if you have anything you want to discuss, I welcome suggestions for topics you want to learn about for our branch Local Learning Events in 2025.”
Paula Gardener, Interim Chief Nursing Officer, said: “I welcome the opportunity to work closely
with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and fully support Rachel Webster in her role as RCN steward and Shropshire Branch Chair.
“Working collaboratively with the trade unions, creates opportunity for change, to improve the working lives and careers for our workforce.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the RCN and how they can support you and your development, please contact Rachel Webster, Rachel.webster20@nhs.net
Health and wellbeing
Your wellbeing needs to be a priority if we are to maintain quality care for patients.
Time off work also causes worry and financial hardship, so we want to help you get back to work as soon as you are able.
We are adding to our wellbeing offer for colleagues, in addition to rapid access to physio and other hospital services and our flu vaccination clinics. Please remind yourself of the support we have available for all colleagues
Abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) symposium
Aimed at surgical trainees and consultants who wish to establish an AWR service, the one-day event in November promised to share the practical experience of the consultants at SCARS, including preoptimisation, MDT, operative tips and tricks and more.
Thank you to everyone who attended.
A special shoutout from Pathology
The PRH Pathology Team want to give a well-deserved shoutout to Dave Hall, Senior Specialist Biomedical Scientist, for his kind gestures towards colleagues.
Dave has bought his team doughnuts every Friday for over 10 years. He even comes into the office during annual leave to deliver sweet treats. Well done Dave!
Happy retirement to Karen
Karen has been an invaluable member of the Cleanliness Team at PRH for an incredible 45 years.
Starting her journey at Wrekin Maternity, and later joining PRH, she was part of the team that provided cleaning services during PRH’s very first opening phase in 1989.
Karen’s dedication, kindness, and compassion have been truly inspiring. Her passion for her role and the care she has shown toward her colleagues have left a lasting impact on everyone she has
worked with. She has always approached her work with empathy and a warm heart, making a difference in countless ways.
The entire Cleanliness Team, want to wish her a wonderful retirement filled with happiness and relaxation.
Karen was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for her services to the NHS at our Trust Celebratory Awards in November. You can watch a video of Karen receiving her award here
Breast Screening cake sale raises over £200 for their fund
For the second year in a row the Breast Screening Team have run a successful cake sale during October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The team worked hard to make lots of different edible goodies and raised over £200. This year they also created a line of breast shaped keyrings as a reminder for everyone to check their breasts.
Julia Clarke, Director of Public Participation said: “We are grateful to the Breast Screening Team for their dedication in raising awareness of breast cancer for the second year running.”
Darcie, Health Improvement Practitioner – Breast Screening said: “We greatly appreciate everyone’s support, as every cake and keyring sold helped to spread awareness and support for those affected by breast cancer.”
Movember raises £1360 for the Swan Fund
Congratulations to the RSH theatre orderlies, Gareth, Dave, Nathan, John, Vasi and Stuart for raising over £1300 for the Swan Fund by taking part in Movember.
The six orderlies spent the whole of November growing facial hair to support the Swan Fund.
Added together with previous years the team has raised £4339 for the Swan Fund.
Jules Lewis said: “We are so grateful for Gareth, Dave, Nathan, John, Vasi and Stuart for growing facial hair to support the Swan Fund, we know this money will help to support families and friends at a very difficult time in their lives.”
SaTH’s tree-mendous Christmas decorations competition
Before Christmas, we asked you to vote for the department who had gone all out on their Christmas decorations.
The entries were fantastic – so a huge thank you to everyone who has made both hospital sites so festive for patients and colleagues.
We are pleased to announce the winners, with 181 votes are Ward 19 – The Children’s Ward.
They created a wonderful igloo, made of recycled materials which was very much enjoyed by patients on the ward.
SaTH Christmas Star Award
Congratulations to the 2024 SaTH Christmas Star – Rachel Jones, who works in Cancer Services at RSH.
Rachel received some fantastic nominations from her colleagues, which included the following:
“I just wanted to take a moment to express how much I truly value Rachel as a colleague. Her dedication, professionalism, and positive attitude make such a difference in our work environment. She consistently goes above and beyond, and her contributions don’t go unnoticed. Working alongside her has been an incredible experience, and she makes the workplace better, and I’m lucky to work with her.”
“Her laughter is infectious, her energy uplifting, and her kindness boundless. It’s not just the big moments, but the small ones. Those unexpected gestures, the thoughtful words, that truly make her special.”
“She is a ray of sunshine and an absolute pleasure to work with”
“They broke the mould when they made Rachel! She is always radiating happiness and fun and brings a smile to all her colleagues faces on a daily basis. Kind, caring, considerate and thoughtful, she will always go that extra step for anyone and without fail she brightens up our day.”
A huge well done to Rachel!
Primal Instincts Men’s Mental Health Group donated toys to the Children’s and Young Person’s Unit in the Emergency Department at PRH on Christmas Eve.
Zara Stubbs, Paediatric Lead Nurse for ED, Sister Kirsty Easton and Sister Tina Smart received the gifts that were handed out to our Children and Young People attending our ED over the Christmas period.
Shropshire Tutor came to visit the neonatal unit before Christmas to donate gifts collected from the parents of her students and from the company.
The team were so thankful that babies, parents and siblings had some lovely treats over the Christmas period.
donated 100 Christmas meals to staff at the RSH Emergency Department on Christmas Eve.
The Coracle Inn on Sundorne Road in Shrewsbury
Pictured is Kev who helped deliver the meals, along with Lisa Powel from ED.
Colleague Notice Board
JESIP models and principles have become the standard for interoperability in the UK The JESIP joint Doctrine sets out a standard approach to multi-agency working along with training and awareness products for responding organisations
Ultimately all incidents involve people; they might be the public we are serving or responders who are providing that service To achieve our overarching aim of ‘working together saving lives reducing harm’, we need to put people at the centre of the incident from planning through to response and recovery
To find out more, email sath emergencyplanning@nhs net or call the team on Ext 1244 Scan the QR code to enrol on the course
Colleague Notice Board
STAFF LOTTERY
This month ’s winners
1st £550
Jayne Matthews, Radiotherapy
2nd £275
Katrina Hall
2nd £275
Catrin Craft, Therapies
3rd £125
Christina Petty, Audiology
3rd £125
Jennifer Lamb, Neonatal Unit
4th £100
Hannah Kaur, Women and Children’s
4th £100
Nina Sinclair, Legal & Security Services
5th £50
Coral Llewellyn, Cancer Care Navigator
5th £50
Maria Nainunu, AMU
5th £50
Janine Laming, People & OD
5th £50
Philip Fewtrell, Bowel Cancer Screening
5th £50
McKay Kynaston, Pharmacy RSH
12 cash prizes every month!
Payment will be deducted from your salary; winnings are paid into your salary the following month.
Why not join our lottery?
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 SaTH Small Things Make a Big Difference Fund aims to improve the working environment and amenities for all employees.
Click here to download the T&C’s and enter the staff lottery
I would like to praise all your staff in RSH elective surgery hub, urology team, surgeons, anaesthetics and all the nurses on the ward who took care of me. My experience was overwhelmingly positive, Tara and her staff treated me with great respect and care. Thank you so much.