Chatterbox - 230428

Friday 28 April 2023

CHATTER BOX

Your fortnightly bulletin for SaTH colleagues and events

Mr Motivator gets us on the move

Mr Motivator helped colleagues and patients get active when he paid a visit to PRH and also judged our Easter competition. The TV workout star, aka Derrick Errol Evans, chatted to staff and patients about the benefits of activity at the hospital.

Dressed in his bright trademark fitness clothing, Mr Motivator was also on hand to judge the competition to design a Patient Information Board focusing on the dangers of inactivity and the benefits of keeping

active in hospital and at home.

Vicki Saddington and the rest of the Pre-op Assessment team at PRH were the lucky winners of the giant Easter egg (donated by Magna) with their snakes and ladders ‘Home Run’ board.

The board will be replicated at the entrance to both hospital sites raising further awareness to all visitors to the Trust about keeping on the move.

Vicki said: “It was a full team effort. We are donating this huge

egg to one of our team members, Ali Giles who is running a charity fun day on Saturday 1 July.

“She is organising this ‘Fun Day’ for The Brain Tumour Charity (in memory of her daughter Takeeta). Raffle tickets for the egg and many more wonderful prizes will be available from Pre-op soon. Everyone is welcome to the fun day at Dawley Town Hall, starting at 11am.”

Clare Walsgrove, Quality Matron who organised the visit said: “It was great that Mr Motivator came along to judge our competition and he

even took the time to run through a few chairbased exercises with one of our patients in the Discharge Lounge.”

The competition was part of the Reconditioning Games.

Bronze and silver awards have been presented to many of you and we have recently had the great news that we sit fourth in the national league table and second in the regional league table for our medals tally.

To find out more about our medals, turn to page 2

Champion effort sees medals tally on the up

Well done to all those who have got behind the Re-conditioning Games as we now stand fourth in the national league table and second in the regional table for our medals tally.

We also have a first for our Trust with the Acute Orthopaedic Trauma Unit (AOTU) Team being recently awarded a silver medal for their work on the Games by demonstrating they had built in activities to their daily work consistently.

Our bronze and silver tally now stands at 41 medals –we will now be aiming for gold!

All of you have embraced the Re-conditioning Games – a national initiative, which was launched in November to encourage everyone to stay active, mobile and healthy following the pandemic.

By keeping mobile, it has been shown it can help reduce a person’s stay in hospital and bring both physical and psychological benefits.

Clare Walsgrove and her team have encouraged colleagues, patients and visitors to get involved and there has been plenty of fun activities for you to get involved in, including chair-

based activities, balloon tennis and special events for Valentines and Easter.

Medals are awarded for making a difference, supporting people to keep moving and supporting colleagues to keep active and well.

Bronze and silver awards have been presented to many of you and we have recently had the great news that we sit fourth in the national league table and second in the regional league table for our medals tally.

Pictured with their awards are: AOTU team with its silver award; the Quality Team and Ward 35 Renal Team with their bronze awards, and Helen Mold who works in the discharge lounge at PRH and was lucky enough to be presented with her bronze award by Mr Motivator.

Double act as Sara and husband run

Manchester marathon

It was a fantastic achievement for Sara Downes, a Women’s Services Assistant (WSA) in Maternity, and her husband Matt when they completed the Manchester Marathon.

They raised a massive £1,705 for Cancer Research UK and finished in just under five hours at 4 hours, 58 minutes and 25 seconds.

Sara said: “We did it - we ran the Manchester Marathon. All 26.2 miles! I am so

unbelievably proud of myself and Matt. We managed to finish in just under five hours at 4:58:25. The struggle was real for the last 10k when poor Matt’s left knee was hurting and he pulled a groin muscle, but we got through it together.

“Thank you to everyone who donated as we raised a massive £1,705 for Cancer Research UK. From the girl who couldn’t finish a 5k without a little stop I definitely smashed it and couldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for Matt Downes.”

Totty’s marathon in memory of Grandmother

Toria Millington, a trainee anaesthetist, put on her running shoes and ran her first ever London marathon – raising nearly £2,000 for charity.

She completed the marathon in 4 hours 52 minutes, which beat her goal of sub five hours, and has vowed that she will run it again.

Toria was running for Asthma+Lung UK (the combined team for the British Lung Foundation (BLF) and Asthma UK). The charity is close to her heart, both being an anaesthetist during the pandemic at PRH and with her eldest son having asthma, she has witnessed first hand the importance of respiratory health. She

was running in memory of her grandmother, who died in September of complications of pulmonary fibrosis, and as a family they accessed support through the BLF. On her running vest, Toria had the nickname ‘Totty’ which was given to her by her grandmother at the age of three.

Toria said: “Sunday was a fantastic experience. It was my first marathon, but definitely not my last! Despite the rain the crowds really came out to cheer everyone on - London Bridge and embankment were particular high points.”

Her husband carried their 13 month old all day and carried their four-year-old son at points.

Pictured is Toria with her son at the 14mile spot on the run.

Epic challenge success for Pete

Pete Checketts, an Anaesthetic and Intensive Care Doctor working at PRH, completed his epic challenge to hike 85 miles over six days and raised £2,100.

He ticked off the 20 highest hills in Shropshire on his travels, carrying all the food and equipment he needed on his back and camping along the way.

Pete was raising money for a charity called Doctors in Distress. They run confidential mental health support groups for doctors and other medical professionals, with the ultimate aim of preventing suicide.

He said: “Over six days, I was

able to explore my home county on foot. The route took me along some of most rural parts of Shropshire, winding over the 20 highest points with a total ascent of 4,300 metres.

“Along the way, I was treated with blue skies, the occasional bout of sideways hail, quiet country lanes, sunken footpaths, stream crossings and countless stiles. I was also lucky enough to spot plenty of Shropshire wildlife such as deer, red kites and peregrines.

“The hike was a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for an essential, life saving charity. Thank you to everyone who kindly donated and supported me along the 85-mile journey.”

Cake sale for Bowel Cancer UK

A cake sale at RSH raised more than £387 for Bowel Cancer UK and donations are still being handed in.

Colorectal Cancer Navigators Sue Colman and Bunty Rawson and Colorectal Clinical Nurse Specialist Sarah Magundayao are pictured at the stall, which was outside the Chaplains’ Office.

Quizzes and games were also part of the event organised by our Colorectal Clinical Nurse Specialists and Cancer Navigators who also baked the array of delicious

cakes. The aim of the event was to raise awareness with colleagues and visitors.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer. Nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK.

National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day

This week, National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day was celebrated, putting some of our colleagues in the spotlight and the role that they play.

The role of a CNS is crucial for patients who have received a diagnosis of cancer. Macmillan Cancer Support estimate that by 2040, there will be approximately 5.3 million people living with cancer in the UK. On the second National Cancer CNS Day, we explore more about what that role entails and how they support those affected by cancer.

A cancer diagnosis can be devastating for patients and their loved ones. In addition to supporting them throughout their clinical pathway, the role of the Cancer CNS encompasses much more than this; they are there to provide a wide range of support to empower their mental and physical wellbeing.

The role of the Cancer CNS can vary within the team but one thing that all of these roles have in common involves supporting

cancer patients across all stages of treatment, including helping them understand their treatment options, encouraging the shared decision process in all aspects of their care.

As well as this, these highly skilled professionals also excel at performing clinical tasks and providing check-ups whilst providing the crucial continuity of care across the pathway. By providing this continuity of care and building the rapport and personal relationships from diagnosis and throughout treatment, it can be invaluable to support those with their emotional and mental health.

The Cancer CNS is constantly striving to improve the quality and experience for patients, reinforce patient safety, and work with other healthcare professionals and organisations to improve patient care. They use their expertise in many ways including to assess, diagnose, and treat patients and in addition to this, their role often extends into other areas like healthcare management, leadership, and research.

The Cancer CNS workforce is currently facing a crisis; with the demand for cancer services increasing, it is evident that more Cancer CNSs are needed. Currently, there a large number of experienced nurses within the workforce who, in the next few years, will be looking to retire so we must ensure that we are developing and investing in the next generation of specialised nurses to be recruited so that they are able to continue the amazing work that is being delivered.

If you are you a nurse or considering a career in nursing, be sure to explore the prospect of becoming a Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist. Our cancer workforce needs you more than ever before!

Pictured left to right are:

• Bridget Atkins (Haematology)

• Helen Moore (Neurooncology)

• Rebecca Fossett (Colorectal)

• Sally Van Rees (Haematology)

• Helen Chaplin (Gynaeoncology)

Cancer Services Newsletter

The April edition of the Cancer Services Newsletter is now available. To read click here

Additional Resources:

• National Cancer CNS Day: For information and to learn more, visit the West Midlands Cancer Alliance website

here

• SATH Bowel Cancer Patient Support Group - Instagram Account

• Bowel Cancer UK

• Information from Macmillan Cancer Support on Testicular Cancer

Experience of Care Week

The work we do alongside members of the public is so important to keep improving the experiences of care for patients, families, carers and colleagues.

Experience of Care Week runs

until today, Friday 28 April, and we embrace being able to collaborate on ideas and improvements with patients, families and communities.

Feedback from patients and carers is used to enhance our services, the care provided and patient experience, and we have put some of that work in the spotlight this week.

We have a Patient and Carer Experience (PaCE) Panel comprising of members of the public who volunteer their time to work with it to ensure a collaborative approach to how quality improvement is adopted.

and Greg Smith, a patient representative, the panel brings together patients and colleagues to focus on the patient, carer and public voice within the Trust, listen to these experiences, celebrate good practice and take action to continuously improve services and the care it provides.

Greg said: “This Experience of Care Week, I would like to thank all teams for the work they do to improve the experience of care delivered to our patients. The feedback of patients is helping services to develop - in particular, drilling down and focusing on specific aspects, and opening up opportunities for more patients to become involved.”

GregSmith, Patient Representative

Lynn Pickavance is a patient representative who supports us in a number of roles and activities. Here she talks about her role:

I have been a patient volunteer at SaTH since 2018 as a member of PaCE. During the last couple of years I have been particularly busy as my interest in getting involved has increased.

At present I am a member of two speciality groups (Medicine and Corporate), the food focus group, I chair the Independent Complaints Review group, help on the Patient Information Panel and participate in recruitment for new patient representatives.

Playing an active part in the above roles gives me the

opportunity to make a real difference to the experience of patients. I may not be “hands on”, for example, by helping on a ward or supporting patients in A&E, but the “behind the scenes” roles are just as important for helping to make improvements.

One example of how I make a difference is my work on the Patient Information Panel. This involves looking closely at a variety of patient information leaflets to see if the language used can easily be understood by members of the public.

I can help identify medical terms that may need explaining in more simple words. Ensuring that patients have clear instructions and information is

so important to help with their care and wellbeing.

I enjoy working with staff from a variety of departments who willingly share their knowledge and an infectious enthusiasm for making improvements in their work area. Working with other patient representatives is

Chaired by Hayley Flavell, Director of Nursing at SaTH,

always great as you can hear and appreciate different points of view and differing needs.

The first meeting I attended was a little unnerving because I was unsure of what I had to offer. But as I soon found out, I was quickly welcomed and encouraged to give my thoughts, opinions and ideas. The patient voice is respected

and listened to and it is very clear that patients and staff working together can make a difference.

The wonderful thing about volunteering is you can decide how much time you want to give and how much you want to get involved. I certainly recommend patients of all age groups to come forward and get involved to help the Trust

Dying Matters Week

Every year, people around the country use Dying Matters Awareness Week as a moment to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form.

Fifty-seven per cent of employees will have experienced a bereavement in the last five years and every day, more than 600 people quit work to look after older and disabled relatives. And yet, fewer than one in five managers feel very confident supporting someone they manage with a bereavement.

Therefore we are pleased to share the new bereavement guide which you can find on this page

In 2023, Dying Matters Awareness Week will take place from 8-14 May, but many activities

will be taking place the week before:

• Wednesday 3 May: Jules Lewis and Jules Lock from the Swan End of Life Care Team (part of the PEoLC Team) will be hosting a staff bereavement support café at PRH

• Thursday 4 May: Jules Lewis, Swan End of Life Care Lead Nurse, is presenting at a ‘Good is Great’ event, sharing what’s good in End of Life & Bereavement Care, the event is with The Good Grief Trust and the Academy of Fabulous Stuff

• Thursday 11 May: Join a Hospice UK webinar. you’ll hear from Simon Blake, CEO Mental Health First Aid England and Aongola Victor Simuyemba, Bereavements Lead at Monzo. Register

continue to improve the patient experience and shape the future of our hospitals.

For more information about how to get involved visit our website (Speciality Patient Experience Groups - SaTH), call the Patient Experience Team on 01743 261000 ext 3032 or email sath.patientexperience@ nhs.net

here.

• The Swan End of Life Care Team (part of the PEoLC Team) will be doing ward/ department visits to offer support and share Swan modelof-care resources for colleagues caring for end-of-life care patients and the people important to them

• Ward 28 will be officially opening their Swan Suite

and Swan Room on the Ward. Thank you to the team for making this happen. It will make a real difference to the care our colleagues provide to end of life care patients and their friends and families

We have one chance to get end of life care right, for every person, every time, thank you for all you do.

Listening and responding to your feedback is at the heart of our work to ensure SaTH is a great place to work and receive care for everyone.

This is why, in partnership with NHS England and Improvement, we carry out a regular ‘pulse check’ which is entirely anonymous and voluntary to find out how we are doing.

The People Pulse Survey allows us to listen to your views and help improve the support we provide. This quarter’s survey is now live.

Have your say here. To see what we’re doing in response to your feedback in the last People Pulse survey and for the National Quarterly Pulse data, click here

Getting active to raise charity funds

Chantal Harding, an Adult Safeguarding Liaison Nurse at PRH, will be doing ‘31 minutes of exercise for 31 days’ in May to raise money for the Stroke Association.

Her partner had a stroke in January and was treated at PRH for just over a week, before receiving five weeks of Early Supported Discharge from SaTH in the home.

Chantal says that the stroke association have been on hand with emails, phone calls and a website full of information that has supported their changed lives.

She will be doing a mix of exercises, from long walks/jogs, Wii sports, reconditioning exercises with patients on the wards, as well as exercises with my partner such as throwing and catching, shorter walks and up and down stairs as part of her partner’s ongoing physio.

If you would like to help Chantal raise money for the Stroke Association, sponsorship forms are available on Wards 15, Ward 10 and AMU and in the safeguarding office at the Ironbridge Suite.

You can also donate to her JustGiving page by clicking here.

SAS Away Day focuses on health and wellbeing

An away day held for the Specialty and Specialist (SAS) Team was a resounding success.

Katie Shellis, SAS Advocate, supported by the Medical Director Services Team organised the away day to kickstart the SAS Doctor CPD Programme for 2023. The event took place off site at the Wroxeter Hotel in Shrewsbury.

More than half the SAS doctor workforce attended - 52 doctors in total – and they welcomed one external speaker Catriona Hudson, who presented Paul McGee’s insightful and inspirational SUMO approach.

Katie Shellis said: “We recently held our first SAS development day at the Wroxeter Hotel. It was an amazing opportunity for our SAS workforce to really focus on our mindset, health and wellbeing and to be able to network and build relationships with others.

“I am hopeful that we can build upon the things we began to discuss and, that in time we will have a thriving development programme for our SAS doctors.”

Feedback was positive with delegates saying: “Good opportunity to meet colleagues, really enjoyed and benefitted from the day.”

“Loved the SUMO session, gave me lots to think about.”

“SAS Advocate presentation made me feel optimistic about the grade being more valued and gaining credibility.”

Electric vehicle chargers installed

As part of our commitment to becoming a more sustainable organisation and reduce our carbon emissions and air pollution, we have installed our first electric vehicle charging points at the RSH site.

The eight new points (four outside the Learning Centre and four to the rear of Ward 32) were installed at the end of March and will enable patients, visitors and staff to charge their electric vehicle in a “Pay As You Go” style approach.

A QR code which can be scanned for full instructions is provided on each charger. We are looking to install more electric vehicle charging points across the whole Trust in the future.

Recycling pilot gets under way

The Sustainability Team is pleased to announce that a recycling pilot has begun at RSH.

The following areas have just received their new recycling bins: Estates, Theatres, Trust HQ and the Mytton Restaurant. There are new bins for general waste, dry mixed recycling and paper (nonconfidential).

Running for the next few weeks, the pilot will, if successful, be rolled out to other areas across the whole Trust.

Currently, 100% of our Trust waste is diverted from going into landfill, but only a very small amount is recycled, however following the introduction of our

recycling bins the amount we recycle should greatly improve.

We would be grateful if you would help to make this pilot a success by disposing of your rubbish in the correct bins.

If you are unsure of how Trust waste should be correctly disposed of, you can access an online training course called Healthcare Waste Management and Disposal via ELearning for Healthcare https://portal.e-lfh. org.uk/

Pictured: Rhia Boyode, Director of People and OD using the recycling bins in Trust HQ.

Menopause meet-up

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

Integrated Care System Health and Wellbeing Team would like to invite you to join the next Menopause Meet-up, bringing women together to share their experiences of the menopause.

The topic for the May meet-up is Beginners Guide to Menopause, and will be particularly relevant to those who are just starting to go through perimenopause or menopause.

This session will be supported by Kate Trifunovic, Specialist Occupational Health Nurse, and Dr Melanie Thompson, GP Partner and Clinical Lead for Health and Wellbeing for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System.

Everyone is welcome to come along – whether you have attended a meet-up before, or are new to all things menopause. You can book your place at the meet-up here

Meet-ups are held virtually via Microsoft Teams and is an informal peer support group, where attendees are welcome to contribute to the conversation or simply listen while others talk about their experiences.

Free reggae event

A special Reggae event is being held at the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry and is free to NHS workers.

It promises to be a day filled with groovy live music, a day of celebration and great vibes.

This fun-filled day is principally to salute NHS workers and the 75th anniversary of the NHS. It will take place on Saturday 3 June from 11am to 3pm. It is free to

anyone with their NHS ID CARD and non NHS is £5

TUF Kingdom, a Reggae fusion collective from Wrexham who will be taking on styles from dub to jungle. There will be a full day of reggae, dancehall, world music and hip hop to look forward to.

Limited ticket numbers are being released, so click here if you’d like to come along and enjoy.

Do you know anyone who wants to find out more about the hospital/go into a career in healthcare?

The Young People’s Academy is a free one-day course developed for young people aged 14-25 who are considering a career in the NHS, or who simply want to find out more about their local hospitals.

The day includes presentations, videos, and two interactive sessions (previous sessions have included Dementia Friends Awareness and British Sign Language, first aid, suturing, St. John Ambulance, and Sighted Guiding).

You will find out about how the NHS works, the huge choice of careers available in the NHS and how you can get involved with the Trust through fundraising or volunteering. Everyone completing the course will receive a certificate of attendance and a pin badge, as well as evidence for their CV or university application. The next academy takes place at 9am on Wednesday 31 May at Princess Royal Hospital, Telford. Places are limited, so please register today!

Staff Psychology Service

The Staff Psychology Service was launched on 1st March 2023 and is commissioned to provide a range of evidence based psychological support and interventions to staff, to enable them to manage the emotional impact of working in the NHS

The fundamental aim of the Staff Psychology Service is to meet the psychological needs of staff, increase psychological awareness across the organisation and to support the Moving to Good workstreams.

How we can help:

• Individual support for staff

• Support for teams

• Critical incident debriefing

• Embedding psychological thinking across the organisation

How to contact us:

You can contact the team directly or ask a manager to contact us on your behalf by emailing us at sath. staffpsychology@nhs.net

A member of the team will contact you by email, or by telephone if you prefer, to arrange a time for an initial conversation.

This will usually take place on Teams but we can also arrange to meet in person.

Individual support for staff:

Our team are available to provide psychological support to staff who are struggling with the psychological and emotional impact of their work.

Our service is confidential. That means that no information will be shared outside our conversations with you without your consent. The only exception is regarding concerns about your safety or the safety of others.

Should a manager make contact with us on your behalf we will email to acknowledge that the request has been received and that a member of the team will make contact but will not share any further information.

If in doubt please get in touch. We welcome any conversations to explore whether psychological support would be helpful for you.

STAFF LOTTERY

This month ’s winners

1st £400

Kerry Rushton, Women & Children’s

2nd £200

Shalet Wilson, Ward 4

2nd £200

Melanie O Donoghue, Quality Governance Team

3rd £100

Emily Wright, Healthcare Assistant

3rd £100

Debra Williams, ITU/HDU RSH

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.

download the T&C’s and enter the staff lottery

A quick letter of praise for the staff at your A&E Department at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

To have your father call you in the early hours to tell you that your mum is in cardiac arrest and being treated by paramedics is not a good way to wake up. Mum was swiftly transferred to A&E, where the Resus Team treated her. My mum never woke up again, but what made a huge difference to the experience was the stalwart efforts and compassion shown by your staff. I cannot praise them enough. Sister Georgina was the ‘face’ of the team and dealt with the death in a professional and empathic manner, for which our family thank her.

What made my own experience even more bizarre was having to be book into A&E myself, where I was assessed and treated promptly. Needing to be plastered, HCA Emma did a fantastic job and was sympathetic to our grief. She too deserves praise, for what could have been an awkward situation. The next day in the fracture clinic I was again promptly and professionally; assessed, treated and educated. Thanks to Phil, Jason, Helen and Julie, for putting up with a sleep deprived slightly addled patient at ease.

In conclusion Shrewsbury is lucky to have such a great group of professionals looking after us.