|
Grand Round – now open to all staff
As part of the cultural transformation workstream ‘Safe to work, safe to care’ we’re refreshing our Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIF) to ensure all staff know and understand how we respond to patient safety incidents and how we learn from them and improve the care we provide.
In order to do this we’re opening up our Grand Round sessions to all colleagues.
The first Grand Round session in its new format takes place on Friday from 1pm to 2pm on MS Teams. It is entitled ‘Deterioration following intentional amlodipine overdose - HIET, metaraminol implementation, critical care flow and system learning’.
|
|
|
 Still time to nominate your Medway Stars!
A huge thank you to everyone who has already nominated a colleague or team for this year’s Medway Annual Star Awards. We’ve had a fantastic response since nominations opened, and it’s been wonderful to see so many examples of outstanding care, compassion and teamwork from across the organisation.
Your nominations help us celebrate the incredible people who make Medway such a special place to work and receive care.
If you haven’t yet submitted a nomination, there’s still time to shine a spotlight on someone who’s really made a difference. We’re especially keen to receive nominations for the Sustainability, Governance, and Volunteer of the Year awards, so if you know someone who fits the bill, please do nominate them.
 Our 2025 Medway Annual Star Award finalists!
Bronze for Arethusa
Well done to Arethusa Ward who achieved a Bronze award under our Ward Accreditation Programme.
Some examples of why the ward achieved their rating are:
- demonstrated exemplary person‑centred care, with all patients consistently reporting that their individual needs are understood and always met
- demonstrated strong safety standards, with consistently positive results across hand hygiene, cleanliness, and prevention bundle audits, reflecting well‑embedded harm‑free care practices
- ward leadership is consistently praised for being visible, approachable, and supportive, fostering a strong patient‑centred culture and positive team environment
- patients consistently described the ward as clean, caring, and supportive, with staff regularly encouraging independence and maintaining a positive, respectful approach to care.
Patient Knows Best makes Joint School easier for hip and knee surgery patients
Patients Know Best (PKB) is our online patient portal and provides people with access to their personal health information. It is designed to improve patient experience and make it easier for people to access NHS services and information and is accessible through the NHS App.
We are pleased to share that the Therapies Team has now added the digital Joint School pathway for patients preparing for knee or hip replacement surgery.
Joint School is a compulsory pre‑operative education session that helps patients understand what to expect in hospital, how to prepare for surgery, and what their recovery will involve. It is normally delivered in group sessions and gives patients the chance to ask questions before their operation.
By moving Joint School into the NHS App, around 40 patients each month no longer need to come into the hospital for this session. They now receive the same information, along with additional resources, digitally at a time that suits them.
This has made the Joint School process even more efficient for the team, reducing the time spent delivering these sessions from six hours a month to just 30 minutes. The time saved is now being used to support patients on the surgical wards, helping to speed up discharge and allowing staff to spend more time with patients who need them most.
This is another example of how digital tools like PKB are improving patient experience while strengthening the support we can offer on our wards.
Wireless x-ray machines speed up patient care
Patients can now get a clinical decision about their treatment faster thanks to our mobile and theatre x-ray machines being connected to the hospital’s WiFi network.
The upgrade means our radiographers can now access patient records and send x-ray images remotely to a patient’s record on our Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), which is used to store and view medical images. Previously, they had to return to the General Imaging Department to connect machines to a network port before and after carrying out portable or theatre x-rays to download patient details and then upload images to PACS.
As well as supporting faster clinical decision-making so patients receive their treatment sooner, the change significantly reduces the time spent by our radiographers travelling back and forth across the hospital meaning delays to image a patient are reduced as they able to respond more quickly. It also reduces the need for manual intervention by the PACS Team who previously had to access each image and manually move them into the correct patient’s imaging folder online.
The project was delivered by our IT Team, equipment engineers, General Imaging Radiographers and the PACS Team, with costs covered through the general imaging budget. Thank you to everyone involved with getting this important piece of work off the ground.
|
|
|
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion |
|
Supporting neurodivergent colleagues
A new guide to help managers and colleagues support neurodivergent colleagues in the workplace is now available to download and view on The Clock Tower.
Developed with support from our Communications Team, it features nationally recognised resources, signposts to relevant Trust policies and guidelines and highlights our Disability, Accessibility, Wellbeing and Neurodiversity (DAWN) staff network.
|
|
Education, Training and Professional Development |
|
Research and Innovation Conference
The 2026 Research and Innovation Conference will be held on Monday 1 June from 10am to 4.30pm in the Education Centre.
It will highlight a range of projects and initiatives that demonstrate the real‑world impact of research here at Medway, offering staff the chance to engage with stalls and poster displays during the lunch break, with lunch provided for all attendees.
A full agenda will be shared ahead of the event. Colleagues can secure their place by scanning the QR code below.
 Book your place for the 2026 Research and Innovation Conference
SAS and LED CPD workshops
We are pleased to invite Specialty, Associate Specialist and Specialist and Locally Employed Doctors (SAS/LED) at Medway to a series of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops designed to support professional growth, career progression, and day-to-day clinical practice.
These, free, interactive workshops will offer practical guidance, peer discussion, and tailored support that will help you in completing your workload.
Why attend?
- Dedicated CPD time for SAS doctors.
- Opportunities to share experiences with colleagues.
- Practical takeaways you can apply immediately.
- Supportive and inclusive learning environment.
The online sessions will take place from 1pm to 5pm on:
- Tuesday 28 April – Developing as an educator.
- Wednesday 20 May – Breaking bad news.
- Thursday 2 July – Working effectively in a multi-cultural context.
If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, please email Daniel Scott.
|
|
Boost your confidence and assertiveness at work
Thursday 1 May from 1pm to 2pm
If you struggle to speak up in meetings, or find it hard to set boundaries, you're not alone. This interactive session is all about understanding what holds you back from feeling confident and assertive at work - and how to move past it.
|
|
You can still vote in this month’s staff awards
Our Monthly Staff Awards are a great opportunity to recognise the great work that goes on across the Trust, day-in, day-out.
They’re also an opportunity for us to celebrate, recognise and learn from excellence.
From colleagues working behind the scenes such as porters, housekeeping or administrators, to those working on the frontline such as clinical support workers, doctors and nurses, everyone plays an important role in ensuring we provide the very best of care to our patients.
Tell us what the person or team has done that’s made a real difference to our patients and/or staff.
|
|
Stress Awareness Month
With April being Stress Awareness Month, the Health and Wellbeing Team have created three stress management videos to demonstrate some quick in-the-moment stress reducing exercises:
View our Wellbeing padlet for more stress management resources.
The Health and Wellbeing Team is available to support all colleagues, students, and volunteers. Get in touch with the team by email to arrange a confidential and informal chat.
Sip and paint session
To close Stress Awareness Month, the Health and Wellbeing Team is hosting a Sip and Paint session for all colleagues. All materials will be provided, including light refreshments.
The session takes place on Monday 27 April from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in the Wellbeing Hub (next to Below Deck Galley, Level 1, Purple Zone). No need to book. Just turn up and join at a time that suits.
|
|
It's ok to not be ok...
NHS Our People - for confidential support lines, free apps and resources.
Contact Carefirst 24/7 counselling on 0800 174 319.
Email medwayft.yourwellbeing@nhs.net for a listening ear or health and wellbeing advice.
|
|
Switch from Dalteparin to Enoxaparin
From Tuesday 21 April, we are changing the first-line Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) for prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) from dalteparin (Fragmin) to enoxaparin (Inhixa) for all adult patients 16 years and over, including pregnant and post-partum women.
To help clinical staff prepare for this formulary change, face-to-face training will be provided at ward level until tomorrow (Thursday 16 April).
MS Awareness Week
Our multiple sclerosis (MS) specialist nurses will be promoting MS Awareness Week (Monday 20 to Sunday 26 April) on Friday 24 April in the Atrium (Level 2, Green Zone).
They will be there from 10am to 2pm, with leaflets, books and a selfie frame. Pop along to find out more about the service.
|
|
Bank shifts
Due to the Trust’s current financial challenges, the use of clinical Bank staff will be minimised wherever possible. Non-clinical Bank usage is currently frozen.
Bank shifts are advertised on LOOP and are typically available to book up to six weeks in advance. However, in light of our current financial position, an additional approval stage is now required before shifts can be released. This will affect the number of shifts available and impact how far in advance they can be viewed or booked.
All approved Bank shifts will continue to be published and available to book through LOOP.
Updated meeting templates
Following a period of consultation, we have now standardised the meeting templates that will be used across the Trust. This ensures a consistent approach to agendas, minutes, and action tracking, supporting clearer communication and stronger governance.
All approved templates are now available on Q‑Pulse for colleagues to use in meetings.
Search ‘Corp-Cos-Tem’ to bring up the full list of templates.
NHS Mail changes
On Friday 24 April, NHSmail will transition to NHS.net Connect. No action is required from staff.
What this means for colleagues:
- You will continue using the same email address, password, and tools.
- Organisations can keep collaborating as normal throughout the migration.
- After the migration, you’ll automatically be using the enhanced NHS.net Connect platform.
Please keep an eye on The Clock Tower for further updates as we get closer to the launch.
|
|
|
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Windmill Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5NY
|
|
|
|
|
