Thursday
26 June 2025
CHATTER BOX
Your fortnightly bulletin for SaTH colleagues and events
DFN Graduation
On Friday 20 June, the Disability, Freedom Network (DFN) Project Search interns held their graduation ceremony at Telford College.
During their rotations, the DFN project interns have gained real world work experience, developing their employment skills and building upon their confidence. The project encourages the growth of life skills and independence.
The interns are a diverse and talented workforce, who bring so much enthusiasm.
The project is underpinned by collaboration –between interns, mentors and work coaches
and the departments within which they work. The project fosters social inclusion strengthens communities.
Thank you to all the teams who have hosted interns over the past year. This has opened doors for the interns, it doesn’t just offer work experience but futures.
Thank you to the interns who have shown resilience, curiosity and professionalism at every step. The DFN Project Search isn’t just a programme, it is about becoming part of team and part of a change.
We wish you all the success in your futures.
Congratulations to all those nominated for a Moving to Excellence Award
Alison Allwood - Andrea Ellis - Andrea Granger - Angela Yeomans - Anna Emlyn - Catherine Bates - Chrissie Charman - Dr Tim Stone - Emma Mayho - Keely Banks - Louise Green - Marie Trahearn - Mathew Meredith - Phlebotomy Team at PRH - Rebecca Hawkins - Stuart Heeley - Karen Knight - Children’s and Young Person’s Unit RSH and PRH - Alisha Morgan - Amanda Tekoe - Aravind Bhaskaran - Bijimol Varghese - Cardiac Day Unit - Chloe Rider - Dr Adrian Marsh - Dr Molefe Rapalai - Dr Stephanie Keogh - Fern Morris - Gary Francis - Joanna Anderton - Joicee Almoneda - Kimberly Williams - Lisa Hill - Marie Jones - Michelle Edgar - Nat Rose - Po Roberts - Shrewsbury Renal Unit - Zara Stubbs - Stroke bleep holders/Stroke specialist nurses at SaTH - The diabetes pump service - Sustainability team - Acute Oncology - Anish Patel - Bariatric Specialist nurses & DieticiansBlossom Lake - Callum and SACC Flow Co-ordinators - Claire Job - Colorectal CNS Team - TRIOMIC - Critical Care staff - Critical care team PRH - Elaine Carpendale - End of Life Care - Eunice Singson - Ewuadjoa Phillips-Odoom - Inpatient Booking Team - Jane Carpenter - Jenny Stuckey - Jessica Bebb & Leanne Grifiths - Jill Pardy - Jon Lacy-Colson - The TRIOMIC project - Jules Lewis - EOL team - Julie Roberts - Lyall Farquar - Mandy Wilson/Breast CNS team - Michelle Cowdell - Mike Carmont - Mr Nick Jones - Mrs Leonie Seager - MTX Ophthalmology Telford - Nicola Evans - Nurse Led Ear Care Service - Palliative care team - Sandra Forwood - Sara Westwood - Kathryn ButterworthDawn Shaw - Sarah Perry - Sophie Billingham - Stephen Turner - Theatres RSH - Transfer Assistant Team in Radiology - Triomic team - Colorectal nursing team and research and development - Ward 5 - Andrea Eijkelestam and Anna Forder - Andrew Evans - Dr S Sethuraman - Dr Srini ParepalliDr Srinivas Parepalli - Jo Jacques - Sister adeola - Aaron Hyslop - Access to Health Records Team - Carl Ray - Chloe Donnell - Cleanliness services - Denise Rotchell - DWH Project Team - Hospital At Night Team - Jacob Breeze - Jane Wood - Kate King - Kath Preece - Kelly Tucker - Leadership and OD Team - Legal services team, incorporating the access to health records team - Lynette Williams - Menopause Team - Natalie Goldsmith - Natalie Smith - Nick Robinson - PEF Team - People Advisory Team - Post reg education - Sarah Browne - Sharon Parkes and Lisa Baker Murray - Sophie Hatton - Susanne Crossley - The OD Team - TRIOMIC research delivery team - Vicki Robinson
Armed Forces Day
On Wednesday 2 June we celebrated Armed Forces Day.
It is a day where we show our support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community. This includes the veterans and reservists who work, or are patients, here at the Trust.
We held Armed Forces awareness stands in the Treatment Centre, RSH and in Captain Tom’s Courtyard at PRH and were joined by Shropshire Armed Forces Outreach, our very own Veteran Aware Champions, Blind Veterans UK and the Battle Back Centre – a charity established in 2011 to support wounded and injured soldiers.
The Trust, along with local partners, organisations and businesses, support Armed Forces personnel through the Armed Forces Covenant, of which we are a proud signatory. Through the Covenant, we recognise the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and military families bring to the Trust.
Veteran Aware is an accreditation programme designed to support NHS trusts in understanding and meeting the needs of the armed forces
community and providing better healthcare. By holding this accreditation, as a Trust, we seek to deliver a more joined-up experience of care for serving personnel and their families and continues to play a leading role in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin in improving the care of veterans in our community.
As a Trust, we pledge that no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen. We are committed to honour the Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community.
We have many colleagues from Armed Forces backgrounds, including those who are members of 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital - a unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps within the Army Reserve of the British Army, based at Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury. We also have a variety of military veterans across many departments who bring a wide range of skills and experience to our hospitals.
Thank you to the Armed Forces Champions, who have helped to organise this special day.
A message from your Executive Lead and Champion for our LGBTQIA+ PRIDE staff network, Ned Hobbs.
“The NHS is built on values of compassion, respect, and inclusivity. Every member of our community deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported in their workplace - regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Our diversity is our strength, and we reaffirm our commitment to making our hospitals, clinics, and offices places where everyone can thrive.
“June is PRIDE month. It is a celebration, highlighting the importance of love, inclusivity and acceptance. It is a month of raising awareness, of listening to your peers, providing them a safe space to be themselves, and of celebrating the rich diversity and huge contribution to society and healthcare that our LGBTQIA+ community have made. We promote respect for our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and encourage to challenge to any inappropriate remarks or behaviour towards them, or our patients. We hope that this can be consistent all year round, and we use the PRIDE month of June to help make everyone aware of this.
“It was great to join a number of colleagues at the Pride Network meeting last week where we talked to one of our very own volunteers, Claire Ashton, who very powerfully and humbly reflected on over 70 years of fighting institutional injustices and discrimination.
“It is especially important this year to speak
Thank you to our Pharmacy colleagues who shared this picture of their Pride decorated tea room.
out loud and proud about Pride Month after the report of the UK dropping six places to 22 out of 49 on LBGTQIA+ rights. In light of the recent Supreme Court decision, we want to take a moment to express our unwavering support for our LGBTQIA+, and especially our trans, colleagues across SaTH. Decisions of this magnitude can have wide-reaching effects—not only legally but emotionally and psychologically— and we recognise that many of our colleagues and indeed our patients may be feeling anxious, vulnerable, or disheartened.
“Let us be clear: We stand with you.
“We know that moments like these can make it feel as though hard-won rights and dignity are under threat. That’s why it’s more important than ever to come together - to listen, to support, and to protect each other. Discrimination and marginalisation have no place in our health service or in wider society. We will continue to advocate for policies and practices that uphold equality, inclusion, and fairness for all staff and patients alike.
“To our LGBTQIA+ colleagues: thank you for your strength, your resilience, and your invaluable contributions to the NHS and to our local communities. You belong here, and we will continue to stand beside you.
Thank you.”
Wellbeing Week
This week is World Wellbeing Week, and the Health and Wellbeing Team invited you to take some time to think upon your own, and your teams’ wellbeing.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the various activities this week, including the health and wellbeing roadshows and chair yoga.
Some of you may have spotted Penny the pig trotting about over the last few weeks visiting various wards and departments.
Penny is proving very popular with you all and has been helping us to spread the word about The Little Things Challenge, so that we can all do our bit to add value for patients and taxpayers.
Penny will be visiting more areas in the coming
weeks and months to collect your ideas and success stories, so keep an eye out for her!
We’d love to hear from teams that are driving efficiency and improvement, so please let us know what you are doing in your area - sath. strongertogether@nhs.net
For more information about the Little Things Challenge, please visit the intranet
Better Together
Looking to the future
SaTH and Shropcom are exploring opportunities to form a Group. Working as a Group would mean shared Executives and Non-Executive Directors across both organisations.
Thank you to everyone who has attended a staff engagement session. It has been great to hear your ideas and suggestions on how we build a Group model that works best for our communities.
Please consider attending an upcoming session. You can watch a video of a previous session, hosted by your Chair in Common, Andrew Morgan, online
You can also share your ideas and suggestions in our survey. The closing date is Friday 30 June 2025.
Cardboard balers to save money and recycle
We now have cardboard balers at both our hospitals. In just five weeks we have produced 23 bales – the equivalent of 11.5 tonnes of cardboard.
They bring huge financial and environmental benefits as we are recycling all of our cardboard correctly and effectively, as well as complying with the law.
Both balers saved 4.6 tonnes CO2/e, which is the equivalent of driving 20,460 miles in your car and generated a significant income for the Trust, as the cardboard is sold to recyclers.
Savings and revenue pay for the rental of the machines, plus save transport, maintenance and disposal costs on our other waste equipment.
Jake Mound-Evans, a Chargehand Porter at RSH, is pictured with one of the balers.
Special thanks to our Estates and Facilities teams
We would like to say a special thank you to our Estates and Facilities Teams who often work unnoticed in the background.
The teams play a vital role in maintaining, keeping safe and improving our working environments to keep our staff and patients safe and comfortable.
Colleagues were presented with a thank you card and voucher to mark Healthcare Estates and Facilities Day.
The card was drawn by the Children’s ward at PRH with printing sponsored by Brodrick’s and the voucher was kindly donated by Edmond Shipway Ltd.
Space revamped to help get more patients moving
The team on our Care of the Elderly and Frailty Assessment Unit (Ward 28) is involved in a project to get more patients up, dressed and moving by revamping an area.
Some patients felt the existing environment was very clinical and when they were sitting out in a chair felt it was very noisy and there wasn’t much to do.
Limited on space, the team managed to change the existing environment to create a small therapeutic space at the front of the ward. The Dementia Appeal paid for two dining chairs and for the area to be painted in dementia friendly colours.
Housekeepers Rachael and Caroline bought wall stickers to bring more colour to the area and just
It’s OK to Ask
to try and make it feel more homely whilst HCA Darcy and Ward Clerk Georgie were responsible for decorating the area. Using Warp-It, the team was able to source a bookshelf and dining table which have made it into a useable patient space.
Patient Jean and another patient used the space to enjoy afternoon tea out of a china cup and make some paper flowers which she thought was great for keeping her hands moving and meeting new people, as quite a few people stopped to have a chat as they passed by.
She also liked the butterflies and the addition of a bookshelf around a door as she loves books. Jean described it as ‘just like being at home’. Professor Brian Dolan will officially open the area on Friday 26 September.
At SaTH it is important to us that our patients and the people important to them feel empowered to ask questions about their healthcare.
‘It’s OK to Ask’ is our new campaign to help build a culture where people feel safe, supported and listened to. We want patients to know that asking questions is always welcome and can help them feel more confident and involved in their care. The campaign and the materials were produced with our patient partners who developed four questions to prompt patients when discussing their care:
• Why am I here?
• What are my options?
• What happens next?
• What else am I worrying about?
The Patient Experience Team will be visiting your area soon to distribute leaflets, posters and to provide further information.
Wound Conference
On Tuesday 17 June, a wound conference was held at the Trust for Acute and Community colleagues.
The session ran all day with lectures in the morning and activities in the afternoon. The conference was in relation to diabetes foot and ran during National Diabetes Week.
Nicky Beard, Advanced Practice Podiatrist, put amazing work into the conference with knowledgeable guest speakers and was a great chance to showcase some of the fantastic work that goes on at SaTH.
There were approximately 160 attendees from across acute, community and primary care, including internal and external colleagues.
Chloe Sullivan, Operational Manager for Cardiology, Diabetes and Endocrine, said:
“It was a really interesting conference; the speakers were great and from speaking with others they felt that they learnt a lot. It was great to have a mix of settings so that others could learn about the different elements of the patient’s pathway and how we can work together to improve care.”
Windrush Day
Windrush Day is a commemoration held on 22 June every year to honour the contributions of migrants to the postwar economy. Specifically it celebrates AfroCaribbean migrants who began arriving on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948.
News reports at the time reported that the ship was carrying 492 passengers, however the ship’s records show that it was really carrying 1,027 passengers. Several hundred passengers were Jamaican, but others arrived from islands including Trinidad, St Lucia, Grenada and Barbados.
These travellers - and those on other ships which came to the UK until 1971 - became known as the Windrush generation.
The 1971 Immigration Act gave Commonwealth citizens living in the UK indefinite leave to remain -
the permanent right to live and work in the UK. This included the Windrush generation, but also people from other former British colonies in South Asia and Africa.
However, in April 2018, it emerged that the UK Home Office had kept no records of those granted permission to stay, and had not issued the paperwork they needed to confirm their status. It had also destroyed landing cards belonging to Windrush migrants, in 2010. Those affected were unable to prove they were in the country legally and were prevented from accessing healthcare, work and housing.
The purpose of Windrush Day is to encourage communities across the country to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants.
Windrush Day gives communities up and down the country the opportunity to recognise and honour the enormous contribution of those who stepped ashore at Tilbury Docks 70 years ago.
Insulin Safety Week
It was Insulin Safety Week on 12-18 May and the Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) team had the pleasure of visiting wards across RSH and PRH.
It was a great opportunity to meet with colleagues and increase their knowledge and confidence around insulin safety.
There was an insulin safety quiz during the visits
for staff to complete and the team with the most amount of correct answers would win a hamper. We are pleased to announce that the teams who won the hampers were SAU (RSH) and ward 10 (PRH), congratulations to them.
Thank you to everyone for your valued participation.
Leadership programme success
Congratulations to the recent groups who have completed their leadership training programmes.
FOSATL – Foundations of Supervision & Team Leadership
Having embarked on their learning journey back in September 2024 we are delighted and proud of the FOSATL Group members representing SaTH and ShropCom for having successfully completed their training programme. It is a popular internal programme –dedicated to support those aspiring to be a future Team Leader/ Supervisor. On the final day everyone presented back their key learning from the programme – safe to say it was a resounding success across the group.
STEP – Strive Towards Excellence Programme.
Again having commenced their learning back in September 2024 we are delighted to have completed the programme with some of the group members recently. Six days over six months providing an opportunity for our managers to understand their role and SaTH at a greater level, supporting key competency areas of Safety, Quality & Governance, Finance, Our People and Operations. Everyone graduated from the programme and presented their improvement projects as a result of their learning.
Final places are now being filled for our new cohort groups commencing in June and September. Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more about the programmes: sath.leadership@nhs.net.
Successful annual diabetic pumpers meeting
Friday 13 June saw another successful annual diabetic pumpers meeting, held at the Shrewsbury Town Football ground.
The annual meeting has been growing over the last 10 years and with such an impressive turnout of over 250 of our pump patients, they had the pleasure of national guest speakers Professor Partha Kar and Dr Rose Stewart to talk about the psychological aspects of type 1 diabetes care and insulin pump care.
SaTH’s very own Dr Moulik, Consultant Diabetologist, and Sister Marie Jones, Diabetes Pump Device Lead, presented data and useful information to our patients and the pump and sensor companies were on hand to help with advice and information to our pump patients. Some brave pumpers also spoke up to tell us their diabetes story and the impact the pump has made on their lives.
Looking to the future, the team is already planning the 2026 meeting.
National Addisons Awareness Day
Our Endocrine Specialist Nurses have used the National Addisons Awareness Day to promote awareness and knowledge of Addisons and Adrenal Insufficiency around RSH and PRH.
Addisons Disease and Adrenal Insufficiency is when the body does not produce enough of the hormone cortisol.
This requires (usually lifelong) replacement, by taking oral corticosteroids, such as Hydrocortisone.
Patients may also require an emergency injection of an intramuscular (IM) injection if requiring surgery, in severe illness or if the patient has vomiting or diarrhoea.
If patients do not have sufficient cortisol replacement, especially at times of illness, then they are at risk of life-threatening Adrenal Crisis, which is why it is crucial for staff to be able to
recognise and treat it appropriately.
Thank you to colleagues who got involved in quizzes and learning how to recognise and treat patients with Addisons and Adrenal Insufficiency.
New stretcher improves patient care for cardiology patients
SaTH Charity has recently purchased a specialised stretcher designed for patients requiring Fluoroscopy X-rays.
The ‘fluoroscopy’ stretcher was purchased for the Cardiology Service and will greatly enhance the experience for our patients.
As the stretcher is designed to be used during an X-ray, it reduces the need to reposition patients during the fluoroscopy imaging. This means patients will receive quicker, more comfortable treatment.
Fluoroscopy stretchers offer advantages over standard stretchers in fluoroscopy procedures, including improved patient comfort and safety, a wider range of positioning options, better image quality, reduced radiation exposure, and increased efficiency.
They are specifically designed for use with C-arm imaging systems, providing necessary clearance and stability. The purchase of the stretcher, which cost £6,098, means patients can now be treated nearer the ward for things like temporary pacemakers and Pericardiocentesis which reduces the need for them to go down to the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
Keely Banks, Echocardiography
Lead/Clinical Scientist, said: “The purchase of this bed will enhance care in Cardiology, having a positive impact in many areas including enabling out of hours emergency procedures, reducing staffing demands, and increased utilisation of the room.
“It will also benefit staff wellbeing as fewer staff would need to be called into hospital out of hours to assist with these emergency procedures.”
Chair donation to the Medical Day Unit
SaTH Charity has donated a brand new chair to the Medical Day Unit for patients that come into hospital for transfusions or biopsies.
One of the regular patients to the department is Mark comes in every week and who has to stay for up to nine hours at a time for treatment, so the chair will make his stay a lot more comfortable.
Pictured is Mark with Staff Nurse Tracy Lote and HCA Jan Griffiths who work on the medical day ward.
SATURDAY
6PM - 10:30PM THE WHEATSHEAF, FRANKWELL 12 JULY
Live music from Papa Nappy Soul Revue, The Untamed Shrews, The Average Dad Band, Anonymous F R E E E N T R Y
All donations will go to Lingen Davies Cancer Support - the region’s primary cancer charity
Raising money for
Need advice for yourself or a loved one? Call us on 01743 294700 or reach out to us at wearewithyou.org.uk. every step of the way
We provide free and confidential services, without judgement for people having challenges with drugs and alcohol.
We are open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Excl. Bank Holidays Drop in closes at 4:30pm
STAFF LOTTERY
This
month’s winners...
1st £600
Hannah Mitchell, Clinic 7 RSH 2nd £300
Ninu Alex, Ward 37 2nd £300
Kaysey O’Toole, Neonatal Unit 3rd £150
Carole Powell, Audiology 3rd £150
Shannon Clewes, A&E PRH 4th £100
Emma Page, Frailty PRH 4th £100
Sarah Dale, AMU 5th £75
Annie Watkins, Patient Access Care 5th £75
Karthika Manjusha Satheesh Kumar, AMU 6th £50
Patricia Ward, Audiology 6th £50
Sara Whitley, Pathology 6th £50
Eilidh Greer, Neonatal Community 6th £50
Rachael Maskell, Corporate Education
JOIN THE STAFF LOTTERY AND BE IN WITH A CHANCE TO WIN
Payment will be deducted from your salary; winnings are paid into your salary the following month. Tickets only £1 13 CASH PRIZES EVERY MONTH!
Why join our staff 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
Thankyou
I recently attended your A&E at Telford with my mother who was unwell. We were called into the triage room really quickly, a young lady called Shannon triaged my mum. She was so compassionate towards my mum and treated her with the up most dignity and respect, she was very knowledgable and really reassured us both. She did some check on my mum in the triage room and also got her a drink and sandwich as she hadn’t eaten much. Her kindness went a long way to us both on that day as little did she know the day previous my father had passed away, she made an already difficult time a little easier and we are very thankful.
