|
Issue 2
|
Thursday, 25 January
|
|
|
 From left: Sue Wilkinson, executive chief nurse; Karen Newbury, director of midwifery; Theresa Lancaster, lead midwifery practice development and education support worker; Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer England; Sharon Baragry, practice development midwife
The Chief Midwifery Officer for England (CMiO) has presented a prestigious award to our colleague Theresa Lancaster, recognising her outstanding contribution to the development of maternity support workers.
Kate Brintworth, CMiO, presented Theresa, education and practice development lead for maternity support workers (MSWs), with her award certificate and badge during a visit to the West Suffolk Hospital.
 An exciting milestone in the delivery of a new Community Diagnostic Centre at Newmarket Community Hospital took place on 12 January, where ground was officially broken.
Marking the start of the construction phase, this event saw Dr Ewen Cameron, along with members of the estates, projects and diagnostics teams gather to mark this step forward.
 Karen Spriggs, Lizzie English, Carolyn Blackman in the Friends shop
The Friends of West Suffolk Hospital have announced that patients cared for by services across the Trust will benefit from almost £90,000 in grants.
The overall total being donated by the Friends includes grants ranging from under £100 to more than £20,000, agreed from applications made by our staff for items that will improve patient care.
 We only have a couple of photos to share with this story – but congratulations to them all! Pictures show Justin Evans with Tracey Thynne, clinical practice facilitator, and Mandy Steed with Katy Kilpatrick practice education facilitator for preceptorship.
The clinical education team have awarded certificates to mark the first preceptorship champions at the Trust, as they completed their training.
The role of the champions is to promote the value of preceptorship and support implementation within their area and our organisation. The role should be held by an experienced preceptor who is passionate about preceptorship.
See the training section for link to an external study day.
 Apprentice and switchboard services manager Blakenee Green
National Apprenticeship Week 2024 runs from Monday, 5 to Friday, 9 February, and our apprenticeships team is running a week of information events, all inspired by the overall theme “Skills for Life”.
Julia Wood, apprenticeship project manager, said: “We encourage everyone to come along and find out how apprenticeships can help you develop the skills and knowledge required for the next step in your career. If you are a manager, come and see how apprenticeships can support you with developing a workforce with future ready skills, recruitment and retention.”
|
|
 While we spend a lot of time looking after people when they are unwell, there’s a lot we can do to help prevent illnesses in the first place. Prevention is a key priority in the Trust, and you can help by having quick and easy conversations with patients and the community to support them to make the steps towards healthier living.
It can be difficult to know what to say, or how to make a difference when people want to change their behaviours, but training and support is available to help you have that conversation successfully. Whether it’s advising on stopping smoking, encouraging more physical activity, or talking about healthier eating, the principles can stay the same.
Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training can be accessed for free.
 Marcos trained in Sheffield and after his initial training years in Yorkshire, he moved to East Anglia to start his ENT training, first doing a medical degree in ENT (ear, nose and throat) aspects of vasculitis, and later as a higher surgical trainee. Early in his training he considered West Suffolk an attractive place to work and in 2015 he became a consultant here.
|
Work is under way to prepare the Hardwick Manor site for the new hospital. Enabling works, which are a part of planning permission requirements and prepare a site for the forthcoming development, have begun.
 Our Trust has been named the top performing acute trust in the East of England region in the General Medical Council trainee survey of 2023. Our geriatric medicine, and obstetrics and gynaecology teams have been identified as the best specialities to train with in the region.
|
|
|
Click the links below to read the stories.
|
|
 Back: Sue Smith, head of fundraising with Grow Your Dough participants, Chloe Ludkin from Treatt and Arthur Clarke, Rosie Cawston.
Front: From Knights Lowe, Bianca Evans, marketing manager and Paul Knight, chairman
January has seen us launch a new event here at My WiSH Charity, with the aim to raise funds for an activity assistant for elderly patients, many of whom have dementia.
Grow Your Dough will see teams given a starter donation of £50 which they are encouraged to ‘run wild’ with over three months, to claim the title of our Grow Your Dough Champions.
Our fundraising officer and event organiser, Tanya Fifield, said “We are excited to run this event where people can get creative and have fun while supporting their local NHS charity.”
 |
|
Rougham Sings!
The lovely community choir in Rougham have also supported our fundraising appeal to provide an activity assistant with the money raised at their carol service in December.
Our fundraising manager, Sally Daniels, popped along to St Mary’s Church, which holds a coffee morning each month, to take a photo of the choir with the big cheque.
If anyone is interested in joining Rougham Sings! please contact the choir leader, Isobel Bradshaw, on 07910 407871.
|
 |
|
E-bike enhances care for cardiac diagnostic patients
While celebrating five years of the state-of-the-art cardiac unit that we are so lucky to have at West Suffolk Hospital, we also caught up with the diagnostic staff to find out about an e-bike that we provided for the diagnostic unit.
|
|
|
At West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, we want to make sure that we are recognising and rewarding our colleagues for their hard work and achievements. We are inviting you to take part in the following survey about how you would like to be rewarded and recognised at the Trust. This will allow us to use your feedback to shape our future rewards and recognition offer. It should take no more than five minutes to complete. Please click the link below and complete by Friday, 9 February.
- Please be aware that Greatix is changing its name later this year when the new RADAR reporting system launches. However, the process is remaining in a very similar format.
The next Schwartz Round is coming up on Wednesday, 7 February, and the topic is: When your best doesn’t feel good enough. This is being held in the Education Centre at West Suffolk Hospital, beginning with lunch at 12.30pm, with the Round from 1.00 to 2.00pm.
The Trust launched the Schwartz Round initiative last year, and we’ve had positive feedback from those who have shared their stories at the Rounds, or just attended to hear how their peers are feeling.
|
|
 |
NHS East of England has partnered with HSBC to organise a series of free financial wellbeing webinars, with subjects including:
My Family - Wednesday, 31 January, 12pm – 1.00pm
Exploring ways of making your money work harder for your family, straightforward ideas that could reduce your spending and increase your income, and how to have conversations with your family about money. My Family | NHS England Events
Spending your income and budgeting – Tuesday, 6 February, 12pm – 12.45pm
Budgeting can help you to create a spending plan for your money to make it work harder for you, staying on track to reaching your financial goals. Spending your Income/Budgeting | NHS England Events
Managing debt – Thursday, 15 February 12pm to 12.45pm
Dealing with money issues can be off-putting and feel overwhelming, but if you don't know where to get support, you could lose out financially. This presentation signposts support services and information to help you get back on track. Managing Debt | NHS England Events
Free financial health check
If you would like to discuss your finances with an HSBC financial health specialist, you can book a complimentary 30-minute financial health check via this link: book a free financial health check. These appointments are held over the phone and are available to all regardless of where you bank.
|
In February, the Trust’s Pride Network is shining a light on LGBT+ History Month, which this year has the theme Medicine – #UnderTheScope.
The network wants to showcase the amazing work of LGBT+ staff across the Trust, the NHS in general and in other healthcare settings, in providing healthcare, especially during the pandemic.
On the website of the Schools Out charity, which founded and is promoting the event, you can read about inspiring figures from the past and more recent times who have contributed to medicine.
|
The next Christian Fellowship Group meeting is scheduled for Monday, 29 January at 12.30pm in the chapel at the West Suffolk Hospital.
|
|
|
The following training courses are available for colleagues to book onto:
|
|
|
If you have a story you'd like to share, please send it to GreenSheet@wsh.nhs.uk by 5pm Thursday, the week before publication date for inclusion in that issue. Please see the upcoming submission deadline dates below:
- 1 February for 8 February edition
- 15 February for 22 February edition
- 29 February for 7 March edition
|
|
|
|
|
