Issue 19 Winter 2019 Staff achievements - RJAH€¦ · Other award recipients included Miss Gill Cribb, Consultant Orthopaedic and Oncological Surgeon and Clinical Lead for the Tumour

Issue 19 Winter 2019

www.rjah.nhs.uk Aspiring to deliver world class patient care

Staff achievements celebrated at annual awards night The hard work and dedication of staff and volunteers working at RJAH was recognised at its fourth annual Celebration of Achievement Awards.

A total of 17 awards were presented to individuals and teams during the ceremony at the Lion Quays Hotel, which was compered by much-loved BBC Radio Shropshire presenter Eric Smith.

Winners on the night included Jean Blakemore - Healthcare Assistant on Alice Ward – the hospital’s dedicated children’s unit, who was presented with the Patient Choice Individual Award, while, the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) won the Patient Choice Team Award.

Other award recipients included Miss Gill Cribb, Consultant Orthopaedic and Oncological Surgeon and Clinical Lead for the Tumour Unit, who was presented with the Chief Executive’s Award for Inspirational Leadership.

The Mary Powell Nurse of the Year Award – named in honour of a legendary former matron at the hospital – was presented to Anne Lloyd, Clwyd Ward Manager. The Sir Robert Jones Doctor of the Year Award went to Mr Andrew Bing, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in the Foot and Ankle Team.

Gwyndaf Lloyd was recognised by winning the League of Friends Volunteer of the Year Award, while some of the loudest cheers of the night were reserved for the Estates Team, who won the Outstanding Team Achievement of the Year.

A message from the Chairman By the time you read this article, we will be clear on the outcome of the General Election. During campaigning, all of the major parties pledged additional money for the NHS but whatever the outcome, there is no doubt that the NHS will continue to be challenged by increasing demand from our ageing population.

Here at Robert Jones, our clinicians work tirelessly to look at new and better ways to provide care for our patients and our non-clinicians work equally tirelessly to maintain our estate and deliver support services in the most efficient way possible.

Our senior leadership team, led by our Chief Executive and Medical Director, work in partnership with other Trusts, the Clinical Commissioning Groups and the local authorities to deliver the best care we can across our system within the constraints of limited finances and resources.

These activities often go unnoticed but are another reflection of the values of RJAH where we face up to challenges and work to deliver the best possible care we can.

Election talk aside – I was unable to attend the Trust’s annual Celebration of Achievement Awards last month - for the first time since they’ve been held - so I would like to put on record my congratulations to Jan Greasley, our Lead Governor, who won the Governor of the Year Award. Well deserved, Jan.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all of our staff, Governors and members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you all for your hard work, commitment and support over the past 12 months.

Best wishes,

Frank Collins, Chairman

Governors MeetingsThursday 26 March 2020 Thursday 28 May 2020

Members of the public are also welcome to attend these meetings. Please confirm your attendance by emailing [email protected]

Governor Profile Allen Edwards – Staff Governor Allen is the Trust’s Learning and Development Officer in the People Services team as well as the lead of Apprenticeships and Work Experience. His role requires him to work closely with local schools across Shropshire and Wales.

He has been part of the Council of Governors at RJAH since July 2016, and this year, was re-appointed for a further three year term. He also serves as Branch Chairperson for Unison at RJAH.

Outside of work, Allen is married with three children and one grandson. In his spare time, he plays competitive football several times a week, including playing walking football for TNS in the newly-formed Welsh National League. He also enjoys travelling, gardening and walking his two dogs.

Engaging with our MembersOur next Members Surgery will take place on Thursday 19 March 2020, 9.30am-12.30pm in the Conference Centre of the main entrance to the hospital.

Representatives from our Council of Governors will be on hand to discuss a number of issues and point you in the right direction to get more information.

The stand in the Main Entrance has been a great success so far and has allowed Governors to engage with more patients and visitors than would otherwise have been possible. Those of you with private matters you want to address, can request a private room if necessary.

Representing PeopleWhen Parliament created NHS foundation trusts, it provided them with independence from central government and a governance structure that ensured participation from within the local communities they serve.

NHS foundation trust governors are the direct representatives of local interests within foundation trusts. Governors do not undertake operational management of NHS foundation trusts; rather they challenge the board of directors and collectively hold them to account for the trust’s performance. It is also the governors’ responsibility to represent their members’ interests, particularly in relation to the strategic direction of the trust.

Legislation provides governors with statutory responsibilities to help deliver these key objectives. The legislation is the National Health Service Act 2006 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Please note that meetings of the Council of Governors are open to members of the public. The public are asked to notify the Trust of any matters they wish to raise in advance, as this will allow the Trust to be able to respond fully and will assist in the time management of the meeting. If you would like to attend, please email: [email protected] to confirm your attendance and also of any matters you wish to raise.

Membership figuresAt the end of October 2019 the Membership figures were:

Staff 1173Public 4735Volunteers 481Total 6389.

Your elected Public GovernorsShropshire Colin Chapman / Sue Nassar / Victoria Sugden

North Wales Jan Greasley / Martin Coggan

West Midlands Russell Luckock

Cheshire & Merseyside Katrina Morphet

Powys William Greenwood

Rest of England & Wales Vacant Position

Staff Governors Kate Chaffey / Allen Edwards / Kate Betts

Stakeholder Governors(appointed by organisations that work closely with the Trust)

Peter David – RJAH Voluntary Services Committee

Cllr Karen Calder – Shropshire Council

Dr Karina Wright – Keele University

Staff commended at the ‘Oscars of the healthcare sector’ Staff at RJAH have been highlighted as some of the very best in the NHS at an awards ceremony, widely regarded as the ‘Oscars of the healthcare sector’.

The Trust was awarded Highly Commended at the Health Service Journal Awards in the Acute or Specialist Trust of the Year category.

The special recognition comes just months after the Trust received a glowing report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), where it was rated as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ for care.

Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive, said: “Being awarded Highly Commended in our category was truly the icing on the cake of what’s been a fantastic year for us.

“We are lucky to have, in my view, the best staff in the NHS, and I’d like to congratulate everyone for all their hard work. This achievement truly is testament to our consistently high levels of patient experience and outcomes.”

Unveiling of flat used by RJAH patients to help regain independence

A flat used to support patient rehabilitation has officially been unveiled following a major renovation.

The Occupational Therapy flat at RJAH has long been used by patients to carry out day-to-day activities and help regain their skills and confidence, but had started to look old and dated.

It has now been transformed thanks to a £20,000 investment from the Estates budget and the RJAH Charity. The project was managed by the Estates team.

The cottage is used by patients who are seen by the team of Occupational Therapists, and a special launch was held to officially open the flat with members of the Occupational Therapy and Estates teams.

News from the TrustSnowpaedic Challenge raises £7,000 towards supporting Veterans’ ServiceAlmost 120 walkers, who joined together to walk up Mount Snowdon in September, have between them raised more than £7,000 towards supporting the ground-breaking Veterans’ Orthopaedic Service.

The money was raised by the 118 walkers, who took part in the annual Snowpaedic Challenge, which is organised by The Orthopaedic Institute, a charity based at RJAH.

This year, the annual walk was raising funds towards the Veterans’ Centre Research and Education Fund. This will allow continued research into lower limb conditions and provide teaching for new staff.

Distinguished Service Award for ‘proud’ physio PhilipA hugely respected physiotherapist at RJAH has been recognised with a prestigious Distinguished Service Award.

Philip Hulse, who is Therapy Services Manager, has received the honour from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

The CSP – the main professional body for physiotherapists in the UK - only presents a handful of such awards each year.

Ask others to join Over 6000 people have chosen to become a member - anyone over 14 years of age can join and there are a number of benefits, including invitations to events.

As a member you:

• Become part of a wide network patients, carers, local community members and staff supporting RJAH for the future.

• Have a say in how the hospital is run through voting for governors (or by being elected as a governor) and by sharing your views in our member surveys.

• Receive regular news from the hospital, invitations to our members’ events and a copy of the Governors’ annual report.

• Support the hospital as an NHS Foundation

To join online please visit: www.rjah.nhs.uk or for a membership form ring 01691 404394 or email: [email protected]

Feedback mattersDo you have any feedback on this bulletin?

Is there any other information you would like us to include in the next edition? Do you have any articles you would like to submit? By passing on ideas and suggestions about the report - or any other feedback - you can help us carry out our role more effectively.

Contact the editors – Katrina Morphet and Allen Edwards at: [email protected]

Six-month long project to revamp Theatre Sterile Services Unit complete The new and improved Theatre Sterile Services Unit (TSSU) has been unveiled, following a six-month long project to modernise and improve working conditions and safety.

The aim of the work was to deliver a modern, compliant facility that can increase the throughput and productivity of the TSSU at RJAH for the next decade, allowing the hospital to grow and provide surgical teams with a state-of-the-art department.

The TSSU team are responsible for cleaning surgical equipment and instruments.

The work, which was a joint effort between the Trust’s Estates team and Read Construction, has seen the department transformed into a modern and efficient space, with brand-new equipment.

The project has involved a significant re-working of the existing space, allowing used surgical equipment to follow an improved linear pathway.

Smiles for Scoliosis set up by patient to support spinal fusion patientsLottie O’Byrne, spent a week at RJAH recovering from spinal fusion surgery, is now creating unique care packages for future patients.

She was diagnosed with scoliosis in May 2018 at 17 years old, and then went on to have surgery in October 2018 under Mr Jayesh Trivedi, Consultant Spinal Surgeon.

Since her surgery, Lottie decided to set up Smiles for Scoliosis, with the aim to put together care packages for other children and young people who are recovering from spinal fusion surgery.

Scoliosis is where the spine twists and curves to the side and most often happens when children have their growth spurt between the ages of 10 and 15 years old.

Lottie has been purchasing items such as toiletries and blankets for the care bundles, but she’s also had support from a number of businesses who have donated to the packages.

Lottie has also set up a Go Fund Me to help her purchase products for the bundles. If you would like to support, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/smilesforscoliosis.

Get Connected!Join us on social media and keep up to date with the latest news and events going on across the Trust.

We have an active community on Facebook with almost 7,000 likes.

You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram at @RJAH_NHS.

And if you are talking about the Trust, remember to use our Twitter handle and help us spread the word!

If you’ve got anything you think we should be sharing on social media, why not let us know about it?