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Weekly message
from Jayne Black, Chief Executive
Friday 4 October 2024
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Hello
Our annual staff flu vaccination drive launched this week and I have been really encouraged to see a great response from colleagues across the hospital.
We’ve seen more than 300 doses of the jab administered since Wednesday at walk-in clinics in the Vaccination Hub (located in Brown Zone, Level One).
Staff Nurse Jay and Clinical Sister Viji (pictured) were among the first to become ‘flu fighters’ – thanks to them and everyone else who has already come forward, as well as our Occupational Health Team for overseeing a very busy start to the campaign!
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Don’t forget this year we have a range of exciting prizes to be won by anyone who gets a vaccination, including an air fryer, coffee machine, back massager, and Amazon Echo Dot. To be in with a chance of winning, simply collect a raffle ticket after you get a jab from one of our friendly Vaccination Team.
While you are in the Vaccination Hub, there are a range of refreshments including tea, coffee and other snacks available to all.
Upcoming flu clinics
We are hosting further walk-in clinics this weekend and next week which will take place in the Vaccination Hub unless otherwise stated:
- Saturday 5 October from 10.30am to 2.30pm
- Sunday 6 October from 10am to 2pm.
- Monday 7 October, 9am to 3.30pm
- Tuesday 8 October, 6am to 3.30pm
- Wednesday 9 October, 8.30am to 9pm
- Thursday 10 October, 12.30pm to 3.30pm Occupational Health, Residence 12.
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Meanwhile, to make it as easy as possible for you, vaccinators are visiting wards and other clinical areas to provide the vaccine to you in your place of work.
I look forward to getting my jab very soon and I would encourage you all to do the same and help boost our protection as we head into the colder winter months.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact the Vaccination Team
 Thank you to the vaccination team Tracey, Joy, Sandra and Gina.
Going above and beyond
I see lots of great care by our staff going on across the hospital every day but I wanted to shine a light on Harvey Ward who went above and beyond for one of their patients this week.
Elizabeth Ross was admitted on 14 September after breaking her hip following a fall at home. During a chat with Matron Penny Horton, she revealed her 96th birthday was coming up. She said she was sad that she wouldn’t get to spend it with her beloved husband John, who she is the sole carer of, as he is currently in a care home due to her staying with us. It is the longest time the couple have spent apart since they were married in 1949.
In the hope of putting a smile on Elizabeth’s face, Penny and Acting Ward Manager Sarah Burton arranged for John, aged 97, to be brought in to the hospital for a surprise birthday tea party in the ward’s day room on Wednesday (2 October). Nick Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer and Nikki Lewis, Associate Director of Patient Experience, presented Elizabeth with a potted plant.
I understand it was an emotional reunion between the husband and wife with tears shed by both. Four of their five children, as well as some of their grandchildren and other family members, were there on the day too. There were sandwiches and other nibbles as well as a cake and Elizabeth, who worked as an auxiliary nurse at Sheppey General Hospital for 25 years, proudly wore a birthday sash.
A huge thank you to everyone who arranged this very special event. It really is a great example of living our values BEST. I’m sure Elizabeth and her family are extremely grateful for all of your efforts to ensure they were together ahead of her birthday which is actually today (Friday 4 October). Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!
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 Thank you to everyone involved in making Elizbeth's 96th birthday such a special day
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Join me for next week's Staff Briefing
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I hope to see many of you at the Staff Briefing next Tuesday (8 October) from 3pm to 4pm in the Lecture Theatre (Education Centre) and on Teams. I will be joined by Sylvia Stevenson from Absolute Diversity, who we are working with on an important piece of work to improve your experience here at Medway, in response to your feedback.
As well as discussing our progress and priorities, these monthly briefings are also an opportunity to answer any questions that you might have for me or Executive Team colleagues. We also reveal our latest Employee and Team of the Month winners. So do join us and remember that you can catch up on previous briefings on The Clock Tower.
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Your feedback in the NHS Staff Survey is confidential
I understand that some colleagues have queried how the NHS Staff Survey can be anonymous if they are being entered into a prize draw for the chance to win an extra day of annual leave if they complete it before the closing date (Friday 29 November).
Because it is run by external provider IQVIA, I can give you my assurance that the survey is completely confidential and cannot be tracked back to you. This is because every staff member is allocated a unique link to complete the survey online or a unique bar code printed on paper copies of the survey. Only IQVIA can match the name of an individual to a bar code.
We have no access to any of this information and we will never see any individual responses. You can watch a video by IQVIA which explains all of this in more detail.
Once the survey closes IQVIA will randomly select three links or barcodes to receive an extra day’s holiday in 2025/26, rising to a total of five if the response rate is above the national average of 45 per cent. Because the survey is anonymous you will be asked at the end of the survey to give consent for your name to be shared with us if you win. This in no way compromises the anonymity of your responses.
So far 22 per cent of substantive staff and five per cent of bank staff have completed the survey which is a fantastic response so far. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to do so.
If you haven’t responded yet, I strongly encourage you to complete it as it is one of the most effective ways for me to truly understand what it’s like for you to work here and if things have got better – or worse – over the past 12 months.
You can read how we have been acting on your feedback to last year's survey, as well as drop in sessions to make it easier for colleagues to complete the survey, on The Clock Tower.
Place your votes now!
 You may remember a few weeks back staff were asked to enter a competition to name two new mannequins and a simulated practice ward based in the Education Centre.
Thanks to dozens of suggestions a poll has now been produced for staff to choose their favourite names. You have until 5pm Friday 11 October to place your vote. The colleagues who came up with the names that receives the most votes will receive a mystery prize.
As a quick reminder, the mannequins were bought by the Clinical Education Team and the Infection and Prevention Control (IPC) Team to help new nurses and clinical support workers (CSWs) practice their fundamental nursing care now that the clinical induction programme is being held face-to-face once again.
Through simulated practice, new starters have two days to understand and participate in the patients' journey through our care.
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Recognising our Allied Health Professionals
Allied Health Professionals’ (AHPs) Day is on Monday 14 October.
Here at Medway we employ Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dietetic Assistants, Therapy Assistants, Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) and Radiographers, plus one Speech and Language Therapist in neonates.
To celebrate, we’re asking staff to nominate our AHPs for an award, the winners of which will be announced at a special awards ceremony in Below Deck Dining on Monday 14 October from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.
On the same, day, as part of the celebrations, our AHPs will be hosting stalls in the Atrium (Green Zone, Level 1) from 10am to 12pm so do try to pop along and show your support. It’s also a great opportunity to find out about the incredible work they do here at Medway.
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A royal reception for Non-Executive Director Paulette
It’s not every day you get to meet the King and Queen, but Non-Executive Director Paulette Lewis MBE was lucky enough to be in that position this week when she was invited to St James’s Palace for a reception ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Paulette (pictured centre) was there as President of the Caribbean Nurses and Midwives Association (UK). A well-deserved honour for Paulette and I am sure it something that she remember for a very long time.
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Feedback Friday
Well done to everyone who gets a mention in this week’s Feedback Friday, especially the individuals on Pembroke Ward who clearly stood out for the care they provided to one patient.
Remember, the simple act of wearing your yellow ‘Hello my name is..’ badge, and introducing yourself to patients when you care for them, could be the difference between you getting a mention or not when they complete our Friends and Family Test (FFT).
And finally...sharing our Patient First journey
We were delighted to welcome visitors from Bermuda to the hospital once again this week to see how our Patient First journey is progressing.
We first welcomed a group from Bermuda this time last year on a fact-finding exercise about Patient First and they returned on Wednesday (2 October) to see how things had moved on since then.
During their day with us, Scott Pearman, Chief Executive, Bermuda Hospitals Board and Dr Edward Fitzgerald, Director of Healthcare and Life Sciences from KPMG in Bermuda, visited improvement huddles in Penguin Assessment Unit and our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and paid a visit to our Care Coordination Centre. They were very impressed with what they saw and will be taking their learning back to colleagues in Bermuda.
My thanks to all involved in making this visit successful and showcasing the great work we are doing to an international audience.
That's it for this week. Thank you for all you are doing to support and care for our patients.
Take care of yourselves.
Jayne
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