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“A great place to be cared for; a great place to work”
Issue 406, 13 January 2014
For the latest news on better care together, please visit www.bettercaretogether.co.uk
Thanks to Staff for their Hard Work
Staff will be aware of the pressures which were faced by our Trust and
hospitals across the country last week. We’re extremely appreciative of
all the support shown by staff across the Trust during this difficult
period and will continue to keep the situation under review.
A number of measures were taken during the week to help the A&E
departments at the RLI and FGH deal with these additional pressures.
We recognise the additional strain on staff over this period and wish to
re-iterate our thanks to everyone for their dedication and hard work,
which is most certainly paying off.
A&E performance improved over the weekend, with the Trust achieving the 95% standard on Saturday,
Sunday and Monday. FGH improved from Thursday 8 January and even hit 100% on Sunday 11 January. The
RLI achieved the 95% standard on both Saturday and Sunday.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and performance will continue to be reported through
Team Brief.
Are you a Flu Fighter?
With the cold weather now upon us, people will be more likely to catch the flu. In other hospitals across the
North West, the influenza virus infection has already hit Intensive Care Units. The flu vaccine not only
protects you from the virus, it also protects those around you.
With this in mind have you contacted a Link Nurse near you for your flu vaccination? If you have a team
meeting coming up, get a link nurse along to vaccinate all your team and help the fight against flu!
Below is a list of some more link nurses you
can contact by finding them on
the global address book or Occupational
Health on RLI - x42290 /
WGH - x45173 / FGH - x43570.
Jackie Smith
Helen Thompson
Janet Towers
Sascha Wells
Kim Wilson
‘A great place to be cared for;
a great place to work’
Sue Smith
Pauline Thompson
Shannon Wall
Imelda Wheeler
Paula Witter
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Issue 406, 13 January 2014
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Big Steps in our Listening into Action Journey
We are about to take another big step forward in our Listening into
Action journey, as we identify the first schemes we will carry out.
They will be Pioneering schemes, which aim to develop new ways of
doing things, and Enabling our People schemes, which concentrate
on breaking down the daily barriers we all face in our day-to-day
work.
To help us do this, we will bring together everything we have
learned so far through our Pulse Check Survey and Big Conversations
into a single “What Matters to our Staff” document.
We will review all the expression of interest forms we have received
from those who want to lead and develop individual Pioneer
Schemes, to kick off our First 10. So there are big developments
coming up – with announcements of the details of all these
milestones on Friday 23 January.
In the mean-time, take a look at the first video looking back at our
Big Conversations, on our Listening into Action intranet page, on our
website, or on our Youtube channel here.
If that makes you feel inspired, but you haven’t yet filled in an
expression of interest form, don’t worry! Later this year we will be
selecting a further set of staff-led schemes under Wave 2 of Listening
into Action – and it’s never too early to get your ideas in for the
second stage! Fill in a form linked to our Listening into Action intranet
page here.
Help Patient Relations keep hitting 100%
The Patient Relations department, based at WGH, is comprised of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service
(PALs) (of which there is an officer at each of the three main sites); patient experience; and dealing with
any compliments, comments, and complaints that come into the Trust.
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with the services, care or facilities provided by the Trust
that requires a response - of any kind. All staff have a responsibility to listen and respond to patient and
visitor complaints, ensuring timely and effective resolution where possible, and as an NHS Trust we also
have a legal requirement to deal with formal complaints efficiently and comprehensively, and within set
protocols.
The Patient Relations department works within these regulations and part of this is to provide a formal
written response to a complaint within 35 working days, from the date on which the complaint is received
- the Complaint Regulations 2009 allow a period of 6 months.
The department works very hard to achieve this objective, and is pleased to
say that in November 2014 they responded to 100% of complaints within
the 35 working day timescale. In December, there was a slight dip at 98%.
How you can help: if you are asked to provide any information during the
investigation of a complaint, please respond in a timely manner and within
the timescale given by the Case Officers and Assistants.
If you have queries with regard to any aspect of Patient Relations, please
contact the department on 01539 716621, x46621.
www.uhmb.nhs.uk
www.twitter.com/UHMBT
Issue 406, 13 January 2014
www.twitter.com/UHMBT
Is your department online?
When booking a holiday, you go on the internet to check out where
you want to go, how to get there and what you might expect to
happen. For example, if you are planning a skiing holiday, you
would want to know more about the local ski school for your
children. Now imagine you are a patient coming to an appointment
at one of our hospitals. What would you expect to see about your
department on the Trust’s website?
Corinne Kemp, Online Communications Officer, has been working
with a number of departments to develop their webpages on the
‘Our Services’ section of the Trust’s website. You can view the
current webpages for Maternity, Nutrition and Dietetics, PALS,
Oral and Maxillofacial, Outpatients by clicking here.
Although these pages are a vast improvement on what we started
with, we still need the rest of our clinical departments’ information
on the Trust‘s website for patients. Contact Corinne Kemp on
[email protected] or x46105 to arrange a meeting to
discuss developing your department’s webpage.
Caton Road Closure
A critical section of Caton Road (A683) will unavoidably have
to close to allow major reconstruction and resurfacing to take
place.
On the weekend of Friday 16 to Monday 19 January, Costain,
the contractors appointed to build the Heysham to M6 Link
Road, will close off the section of Caton Road directly under
the M6 motorway bridge, for resurfacing works as part of the
scheme. The section will be closed from 8pm on Friday 16
until 6am Monday 19 January.
Engineers will close the road between the M6 sliproads north
and south, located either side of the M6. Although diversion signs will be erected, its important drivers
familiarise themselves with alternative routes, and plan ahead.
Find out more about the closure and planned diversions here.
Security Update
Submitting to Weekly News
Alternatively, you can call the Confidental
Anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 You
can check updates on the terror threat levels
on the MI5 website here.
Send your news or ideas about what you’d like to see
more of to [email protected]. After receiving
your email or speaking with you,
we will send a confirmation of
when your story will appear.
Staff should be advised that the current
threat level for the United Kingdom is severe.
If you have any concerns or suspicions you
can contact Dan Willis, Local Security
Management Specialist, on x45261 or
[email protected].
Do you have any news or know of a story that you would
like to go in the Weekly News in 2015? If so, please let us
know about it. It is your newsletter and it is important to
us that the content is something you are interested in
reading.
“We will constantly provide the highest possible
standards of compassionate care and the very best
patient and staff experience. We will listen to and
involve our patients, staff and partners.”
www.facebook.com/UHMBT
Issue 406, 13 January 2015
www.twitter.com/UHMBT
Issue 251, 6 January 2012
Pension Clinics
Please find below the dates and venues for Pension Clinics for January to June 2015.
Site
FGH
WGH
RLI
FGH
WGH
RLI
Date
26 January 2015
2 February 2015
2 March 2015
7 April 2015
5 May 2015
1 June 2015
Venue
Chief Exec’s Office, Level 5, FGH
Room 3 Education Centre, WGH
Meeting Room, Pointer Court, RLI
Chief Exec’s Office, Level 5, FGH
Room 3 Education Centre, WGH
Meeting Room, Pointer Court, RLI
To book an appointment, please contact Employment Services on x46084. Please have your assignment
number available when you call and bring along your most recent payslip when you come to your
appointment. If you require a pension estimate you can request this over the telephone from Employment
services, you do not need to book an appointment for this.
Job of the Week
We are delighted to offer the opportunity to work in an exciting, modern and
forward looking organisation as Ward Manager for the Colorectal / Urology
Ward at the RLI.
The post is essential to leading clinical care, and managing the nursing team
with the focus on safe, high quality care for patients admitted to the ward.
We are looking for a highly motivated, experienced nurse with excellent
leadership, interpersonal and communication skills who is able to work
effectively as a role model. You will be leading and developing a dedicated team of nurses, developing
your clinical expertise and management skills and making a real impact on the future of nursing with this
Trust.
For further details, please contact Janet Towers, Matron for Surgery, on 01524 516466
Clear out your Rubbish - Waste Amnesty
Do you have old chairs, cabinets, televisions, desks, fridges, beds, drip stands,
chemicals, aerosols cluttering your ward / department? Why not have a clear out
on the waste amnesty days - Thursday 5 and Friday 6 February?
Contact the Patient Environment Team to arrange collection of the old items /
equipment from your ward / department on the amnesty days. Please ensure all
waste is decontaminated where applicable. For more information contact the
Waste Manager on 07813 454159 or call the Patient Environment Team for your
hospital. FGH x51215 / RLI x42235 / WGH x55384.
Care and Compassion – I AM the patient experience
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust are holding an event to promote the 6Cs.
The event is aimed at people, both in the NHS and beyond, and will be an opportunity to
share learning about embedding the values and behaviours of the 6Cs to improve patient
and staff experience.
The event is being held at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, on Thursday 5 February. Ticket are £50. For more
information about the event and to book, click here.
www.uhmb.nhs.uk
www.twitter.com/UHMBT
Issue 406, 13 January 2015
www.twitter.com/UHMBT
Issue 251, 6 January 2012
Blood Glucose Meter Training Sessions
All staff who use meters should attend a training session annually.
Glucose Meter Competency Training
2 February
FGH Teaching Room 1
Link Nurse Training
2 February
FGH Teaching Room 1
Glucose meter Competency Training
3 February
RLI Orthopaedic Seminar room
Link Nurse Training
3 February
RLI Orthopaedic Seminar room
10:45 -11:30 / 12:30 - 13:15 / 14:45 - 15:30
9:30 - 10:30 / 13:30-14:30
10:15 - 11:00 / 11:15 - 12:00 /12:15 -13:00
9:30 -10:30 / 14:30-15:30
Please book through My Learning and Development (TMS).
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Taster Day
Cumbria Partnership Foundation Trust (CPFT) are offering a free inductory day
course on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for long term health
conditions. If you are a Band 4 or above in Cumbria and work in a clinical role
with patients who have cancer or other long term conditions (such as Heart
Failure, Diabetes or COPD) or are involved with palliative care then this course
could be for you! The course is being held on Tuesday 10 February.
This free course is open to University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS
Foundation Trust staff. This is your chance to find out what CBT is all about
and acquire skills relevant to everyday practice! For further information please click here.
CPFT are also offering a further 6 day training course: Intermediate CBT Skills for Cancer, Palliative Care and
Long term conditions. They are able to accept applications for the 6 day training if you have booked a
place on this taster day. Find out more information about this course here.
Mary Seacole Programme 2015 - Leadership Development
The Leadership Academy has announced that recruitment is now taking place for
the Mary Seacole leadership programme, for the Spring 2015 cohort. The closing
date for applications is Friday 23 January 2015.
The programme is open to all NHS staff both clinical and non clinical, aimed at
those who are either in their first leadership role or aspiring to this.
For more information, contact [email protected] / [email protected] or click here
Fire Alarm Testing at FGH
The Fire Alarm System Engineers will be testing the
fire alarm system on Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and
Thursday 15 January 2015. This will involve fire bell
testing on Tuesday 13 between 08:30 and 17:00.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause;
it is a necessary procedure to ensure that the system
operates effectively.
FGH Estates Department
MIAA Anti-Fraud Newsletter
In this issue you will find local and national news
stories about topical fraud issues and successful
NHS fraud prosecution cases as well as the contact
details for your health bodies nominated AntiFraud Specialist (AFS).
Find out more
and read the full
issue here.
“We will constantly provide the highest possible
standards of compassionate care and the very best
patient and staff experience. We will listen to and
involve our patients, staff and partners.”
www.facebook.com/UHMBT
Issue 406, 13 January 2015
www.twitter.com/UHMBT
Look out for a new Pulse survey!
Our Trust-wide monthly Pulse surveys will be back soon – keep an eye out for more details in the next
couple of weeks. We want to be able to monitor how you’re all feeling month-by-month, so that we can
receive instant feedback on the work we are doing to make life easier for staff. Please make sure you
take part in the next survey – more details and dates will be available next week.
Nominate your Star of the Month
Say thank you and take a moment to recognise those colleagues who you believe deserve to be a STAR
OF THE MONTH NOMINEE.
You may have seen the ‘Wonderwalls’ that are on each site, which recognise our hard working staff
and volunteers. If you believe that a colleague deserves a formal thank you, please nominate them for
Star of the Month. It is not just about winning; it is about the formal recognition that they do an
amazing job. Every nominee receives a personalised thank you letter, detailing why they were
nominated, with the winners photo appearing on the Wonderwalls.
If you appreciate somebody, let everyone know and nominate them! Nominations for December close
on Thursday 15 January. Click here to nominate.
New Years Resolutions
Resolutions are much easier to make than to
keep and before long many people will have
abandoned their resolve and settled back into
old patterns. The Sustainable Travel Team at
Lancashire County Council have a solution to
help you stick to it.
The Sustainable Travel
Team have a wide range
of free and low-cost
options for you to try.
This means your
resolution doesn’t have
to cost the earth and it
might even save it by
reducing your carbon
footprint.
Options include:
• Free Personal Journey
Planner
• Low-cost Bike Hire
• Free Cycle Training
• Free Cycle
Maintainance
A new year often feels
like a fresh start, an
opportunity to establish
new routines. So why
not start now? Find out
more information about
the schemes here.
Dry January
It's the time of year when we
often try and give up something
whether it's alcohol, chocolate
or smoking.
How many of us actually
achieve our targets? This year
I’ve signed up to Dry January.
For 31 days, many NHS
organisations are encouraging their staff to take a
break from drinking, giving them an opportunity
to reflect on their long-term relationship with
alcohol.
Our occupational health team has created a
Health and Wellbeing page on the staff intranet
here, which is packed with useful information.
In addition, throughout January, I am blogging
about my experiences on the NHS Employers’
website, including a short weekly video (vlog).
http://www.nhsemployers.org/campaigns/dryjanuary/dry-january-blog.
As a final request, if you are
taking part in Dry January
and showing support by
wearing a wrist band, please
remember to remove it in
ward or clinical areas.
Jackie Daniel
Chief Executive