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 Your wellbeing matters this Winter
In the world of the NHS and social care, the winter months are even more challenging than any other time. Over the last three fortnightly bulletins, we’ve been sharing information on resources to help us be as ready for Winter as we can be including how to get your vaccines and the cost of living support available locally, regionally and nationally.
In this issue we’re focusing on staff wellbeing. Good wellbeing goes hand in hand with health and there are lots of resources available to LCO staff to support you. We know everyone is incredibly busy but taking some time to look at our own wellbeing is really important so please take a minute to see if there is an offer that suits you. We’ve put together a reminder on the extranet which you can access below.
 Additional cost of living resources
MFT over the last few weeks have been sharing a number of resources in relation to the cost-of-living crisis. However, if you missed any of these, please see the list and overview of them below.
MFT financial newsletter [PDF, 362KB]
This new regular newsletter, shares what help there is for households during the cost-of-living crisis. It also features details of the employee assistance programme (EAP) and what staff discount offers there are.
The MFT Rewards and Benefits Hub [PDF, 484KB]
The Rewards and Benefits Hub is a new portal built into the MFT staff intranet that hosts all the latest staff offers, discounts and schemes. The above poster can download and printed to dispay within your teams.
Renewing your mortgage advice with Lucra [PDF, 133KB]
Lucra is a financial company that MFT have linked up with. They’ll be hosting a webinar on Thursday 17 November where you can ask questions about re-mortgaging during these difficult times.
Financial advice from Quilters [PDF, 171KB]
Similar to the above webinars, but Quilters are providing a number of sessions to staff in relation to the NHS Pension Scheme and money management. Full details and the links to the sessions are detailed within the promotional poster.
Don’t forget that the Manchester Cost of Living Advice Line is now live and offers residents and staff who live in Manchester support with:
- Benefits and help with rent
- Advice about debt and paying bills
- Food support – help to find local community food provision
- Help to get online - support to access the internet, laptops, phones, and data
The advice line can be called for free on 0800 023 2692 and is open between 9:00am until 4:30pm from Monday to Friday. You can also get in touch for advice by using the online form.
In October, Citizen's Advice Manchester delivered a Spotlight Communities of Practice (CoPs) session on the cost of living and support available. We previously shared the PowerPoint they delivered and a recording of one of the sessions. We've now pulled together the outstanding queries that didn’t feature in the presentation, which you can now use in conjunction with the other materials.
Find out how to get your free COVID booster and annual flu vaccination this year on the LCO extranet.
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 Message from Jon Lenney Director of Workforce and Organisational Development
Take five minutes to reflect and have your say
There are just under two weeks left to reflect and have your say in this year's NHS Staff Survey.
Over 500 LCO staff have completed their survey so far, which is great, but we’d love for more people to have their say. The results are really important to us, so if you’ve not had the chance, please take some time out to complete the survey before it closes on Friday 25 November.
Your feedback is crucial, as it’s your reflections, energy, ideas and input that lets us know where we are doing well and where we need to focus improvement work. We need to hear from across our different staffing groups too, so that we can get a more accurate picture of how it feels to work for MFT and the LCOs. I’ve completed mine and it roughly takes just five to ten minutes to complete.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to provide some reassurance around the confidentiality of the survey. It is fully confidential. It's managed by a third party, and we only see the overall results once they’ve been analysed - we don't see any individual responses. I hope this provides some reassurance and I'll ensure you're all updated once the results are out in 2023.
Jon
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Equity First - issue 3 out now
Issue 3 of Equity First, the LCO staff newsletter focused on equality, diversity, and inclusion, is now available for all to enjoy.
In this copy, you’ll get to read about Disability History Month in the UK and explore reasonable adjustments in the workplace. You’ll also be taken back to how we celebrated Black History Month in October and get to read about who the Freedom to Speak Up Champions are across the LCOs. It also highlights Anti-Bullying Week and Movember, and shares with you the experience of a student who’s recently been on placement with our health development coordinators in Manchester and how much they enjoyed their experience.
We do hope you enjoy reading this issue and if you’d like to get involved with future copies, then email India Henry, our equality, diversity, and inclusion lead, to let her know.
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 The North Manchester Inclusion Partnership scooped a top award at the Caribbean and African Health Network Gala Awards last month.
The group was set up in 2021 by LCO health development coordinators Claire Duffy and Dave Bradley in response to the disproportionate impact COVID-19 was having on the African and Caribbean community. They were crowned winners of the Public Sector and Voluntary Sector Collaboration award and earned third place in the Health Equity Campaign category.
Members of the group include more than 30 minority ethnic community groups and other statutory partners and over the years has grown strength from strength. They’ve hosted a series of successful community-based events (as pictured) to build trust in the community and continue to meet on a fortnightly basis to discuss new areas of work. They’re looking for new members all the time. Therefore, if you know anyone who might be interested, then email Claire Duffy for details. You can also find out more about the group from within this short presentation [PDF, 1.29KMB].
 Gorton Hub is a new community, health and learning hub. It brings together a range of great services in a purpose-built, modern building. There are also some great community spaces inside that are open for the public to use.
The hub is on Hyde Road near Tesco Extra, it's a place for the community that's easily accessible. The full address is:
Gorton Hub, 27 Garratt Way M18 8HE
The hub officially opens tomorrow, Tuesday 15 November. However, Social Work, Reablement, District Nurses, Business Support, the Sensory Team and the Crisis Response team have already started to move over. More information on the hub, its services and opening time can be found within the promotional leaflet.
Allied Health Professionals strategy update
We now have five different workstreams in place to help drive and implement the Allied Health Professionals (AHP) strategy, which was launched earlier this year. These include topics such as workforce, leadership, quality, data-driven decision making, and communication and engagement.
Thank you to all of our AHPs who have already volunteered to be a part of these working groups. It's not too late to get involved, either, and you can do so by emailing Laura O'Shea, LCO, head of AHPs.
We'll also be sending out a series of surveys to all our AHPs in the coming weeks to complement the work of our workstreams. As a result, as they arrive via email, please take a few moments ensure your ideas and voices are heard.
From Monday 7 to Sunday 13 November it was Occupational Therapy Week, led by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. This was an opportunity for occupational therapists (OT) around the country to raise their profile. Because occupational therapists are trained in both physical and mental health, they're uniquely qualified to assist people in helping themselves by supporting them in doing the things they want and need to do to overcome challenges such as completing daily tasks or activities. In the LCOs, we have OTs working across a range of our adult and children’s services.
Then it’s also Advanced Practice Week this week until Sunday 19 November. This initiative is led by the Association of Advanced Practice Educators (AAPE) and seeks to highlight the important role that advanced care practitioners (ACPs) play every day in health and care. ACPs come from a range of professional backgrounds and are highly educated, with a broad range of specialist skills.
In the LCOs, these roles continue to be developed to transform and modernise pathways of care, enabling the safe and effective sharing of skills across traditional boundaries. For example, crisis, MSK (Musculoskeletal), and children’s community nursing. ACP roles continue to increase, and we’ve 71 staff working at or towards an advanced practice level.
Thank you to all our OTs and ACPs for all that you do in the LCOs!
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The Greater Manchester wide anti-gambling harms campaign
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has launched an anti-gambling harm campaign called Odds Are: They Win. It’s not an anti-gambling campaign, but its purpose is to raise awareness of the harms linked to gambling and the tactics used by the gambling industry to draw people in.
We’ve talked previously in the bulletin about gambling harm and how this can have an impact on people not only financially but also on their health and well-being, as well as that of their family and friends. The effects can be devastating. Therefore, we wanted to highlight the campaign to you all, and you can find out more about it and how you can show your support on the GMCA website.
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Read about how MFT is working towards becoming a greener organisation in their November Sustainability Newsletter. Its features include details of sustainable procurement, learning sessions you can get involved with, details of the MFT Green Rewards scheme, and how you can get a free bike check this winter.
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Round up of recent nominations
Over the last fortnight, the below staff members have been nominated by fellow colleagues as LCO STARs. To read their lovely messages, just click on the image of the star.
- Sally McClernon, health visitor (MLCO), nominated by Louise Barrett, Healthy Child Programme lead
- Coral Suite team, Community Paediatrics (Moss Side Health Centre) nominated by Professor Andrew Rowland
- Tracy Atherton, Adult Community Nursing Matron nominated by Rachelle Brown
- Lynette Hayes, corporate quality matron (MLC), nominated by Tracy Atherton
Please do keep your STARs nominations coming to us! You can do so by either dropping us an email or by posting your thank you to our LCO STARs forum. We’ll then give them a shout out in a future bulletin.
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 Join us for Team Brief this Thursday 17 November from 9:30am to 10:00am
Team Brief takes place every month and is a way of updating you on the latest news and key issues from across the LCOs. It’s hosted by our chief executive, Katy Calvin-Thomas and is open to staff at any level.
If you’d like to join the November session but have not yet registered, please use the below link to do so.
You can also add to the registration form any questions or concerns that you would like Katy or another member of the executive team to answer on the day. We look forward to seeing you there!
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 Organisation Data Service (ODS) code change for Manchester EMIS
Action required
On Wednesday 23 November from 6:00pm, MFT will be updating the ODS system code on the Manchester EMIS application. This is being changed to help the Trust towards its integrated electronic patient record (EPR) approach and is also a step towards single sign on capabilities in the near future.
If you access EMIS as part of your role, please ensure you read the below communication which advises you what you’ll need to do on the 23rd. There will be no Spine access via EMIS whilst the code is being changed and users will not be able to use their smartcard.
This year’s Anti-Bullying awareness week theme is Reach out and the Civility and Respect team at NHS England are hosting a series of events to support colleagues in reaching out about issues around bullying and harassment. The events aim to promote a more inclusive culture of safety that values staff input to ensure everyone feels heard. The events begin on Wednesday 16 November with the last session being held on Wednesday 30 November.
NHS Pension Scheme seminars
Are you a nurse or Allied Health Professional (AHP) in your late career? If so, the NHS Pension Information Centre are offering you the chance to join their online seminars to help you better understand the NHS Pension Scheme. The first seminar will guide you through the scheme itself and then there’s a session on how flexible working can affect your pension.
NHS England can answer any questions about the seminars via their mailbox at england.nhsreward@nhs.net.
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In support of Men’s Health Month, the MFT Employee Health and Wellbeing Service, in collaboration with suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club, will be delivering two unique awareness sessions. These are an opportunity for you to learn about
The sessions will be held on Tuesday 15 November from 12:00noon to 1:00pm and Thursday 24 November from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. To join either, use the below Microsoft Teams link with the meeting ID 311 423 236 20 and passcode Kv9tAA.
This year, MFT Charities is inviting all staff from across the Trust and in the LCOs to don their best festive jumper on Friday 9 December.
To get involved and join in with the fun, all you need to do is donate £2 via the MFT Charity website. Your support will then enable MFT Charities to continue to fund important projects, ones that will help enhance the care we provide in the community. Note: If you decide to take part, please ensure you follow any current infection, prevention, and control (PIC) guidance for your team regarding Christmas jumpers and headwear.
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Lime Arts is the creative wellbeing programme for MFT staff. It’s been in place for some time now but has recently expanded its offer online. Its new website is fully interactive and showcases the amazing offer they’ve available to you. You can explore the programme’s teachers, take a look around the gallery of artwork, hear about the different projects they’ve worked on and even register to take part in the online art therapy sessions that are on.
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