We will be the best - providing excellent compassionate care to the people of Morecambe Bay. www.twitter.com/uhmbt Who s your Doctor of the year? Last week, we launched our Your Health Heroes awards. There has been so much to celebrate in the last 12 months, and these awards are the perfect way to formally recognise and thank you for your commitment to our services, and most importantly, our patients. To let people know what we re looking for in each of the 13 categories, we will be featuring the categories and relevant criteria in the coming weeks. This week, we are focusing on the Doctor of the Year category. Last year s winner - Dr Tom Oldham Doctor of the Year Our people are the ones responsible for looking after our patients and ensuring they have the best possible experience in our hospitals. The Doctor of the year award is for the doctor who has always gone the extra mile and has continually shown strong leadership, innovation, a can do attitude, and an exemplary. professional performance which has significantly improved the quality of patient care in their field of expertise. How can I find out more? More information on the individual award categories and how to nominate can be found on the intranet by clicking here or by visiting www.uhmb.nhs.uk. Hard copies of the nomination pack can also be obtained from the Communications office, by contacting Rachael Whitaker, on ext 45213 or rachael.whitaker@mbht.nhs.uk It s time to celebrate your achievements Our Staff Achievement awards are back, and we re on the lookout for any individual or team that has undertaken some form of learning activity in the last 12 months. This can be anything from formal qualifications, in-house programmes, projects/ benchmarking audits, to improving practice through sharing with others. Let us know what learning you have undertaken, how your practice has changed as a result of this learning and whether it has made a difference to patient care, or the service you provide. As a way of celebrating your learning achievements, you will be invited to a special awards ceremony within the hospitals, week commencing 24 February 2014. If you think you are eligible, please visit the Staff Awards page, in the Communications section of the intranet, or click here. The deadline for entries is Friday 20 December 2013. For more information, or a hard copy of the nomination forms, please contact Rachael Whitaker, Internal Communications Officer, on ext 45213 or rachael.whitaker@mbht.nhs.uk.
www.facebook.com/uhmbt Dementia champions celebrate their success Last week, our Dementia champions from across the Trust got together for the fourth Dementia champions conference of the year. The main aims of the day were to celebrate the success of the Dementia champions during the last 12 months, and to plan the next steps for 2014. Joann Morse, Deputy Chief Nurse, and Dianne Smith, Matron for Professional Standards in Dementia, kicked off the day by looking at what had been achieved in the last 12 months, including: Dementia related training, and Dementia champion - both supported by mental health liaison teams. Also covered were changes that have been made at both the RLI and FGH to enhance the healing environment with dementia friendly colours and appropriate signage. Dianne spoke about the success of the quarterly conferences and the themes that have been discussed at each one, all with the aim of learning more about dementia / delirium and how to plan and care in a way that is person centred. During the last 12 months, our Dementia champions have received some fantastic feedback following the work they have done to improve the environment for our Dementia patients and their families. Some of the comments include: Butterfly scheme visual displays are eye catching especially at FGH. Butterflies now on handover sheet, keeping confidentiality and easier to flag up Colour schemes on the wards for orientation are useful Unrestricted visiting times for relatives allows a flexibility to suit the patients needs and provide the freedom the relatives require Forget me not passport of care now routinely given at pre op assessment which has made a noticeable improvement, and is embraced by families Recognition of carers that are overwhelmed, and asking if they need help and support Development of better relationships with Single point of Access Team (community mental Health) Thank you to all our Dementia champions for their hard work over the last 12 months. If you are interested in becoming a Dementia champion or would like to find out more, give Dianne a call on 07805895862. We ve almost reached our target - keep up the good work! Thanks to our Flu Fighters and Link Nurses, we have now vaccinated 60.2 per cent of our 3,166 front line staff. This is a fantastic achievement and the highest number of staff we have vaccinated at the Trust since we started taking part in the campaign. Almost all of our divisions have increased the number of staff that have been vaccinated since last week, so thank you. There s still time for that final push, so if you haven t had chance to leave your ward or department to get your flu jab, just contact Occupational Health, and they can arrange for one of our link nurses to come to you. If you have any team or divisional meetings over the next week, let our link nurses know and they can come along and ensure you are joining our team of Flu Fighters and are protecting yourself, your colleagues, family and patients from flu this Winter. www.uhmb.nhs.uk
We will be the best - providing excellent compassionate care to the people of Morecambe Bay. www.twitter.com/uhmbt Help us make our Trust a great place to work You may be aware that we have been working hard to redefine our Trust values. Having clear values will help bind staff together and give all a shared sense of purpose and identity. They provide a benchmark for what we stand for as a Trust, and the kind of attitude and behaviours that we should expect from our colleagues, and also those that patients should expect from us. The ultimate goal is for our values to be an essential part of everyone s working life, no matter what their individual role. We want them to be rooted in all that you say and do, and to achieve this, you need to be aware of, understand, and be committed to the values. This is where we need your help This isn t just a tick box exercise for us. We truly consider it to be an essential piece of work, and we need your input to make sure that our values represent what really matters to staff and patients. To make sure we get to hear your opinions, we are holding a number of workshop sessions in the New Year for staff and governors. Each workshop will be led by an Executive Director or Non Executive Director, and will focus on our proposed values and allow you to have your say, and help shape the do s and don ts for each theme. Details of the workshops will be announced by Corporate Communication later this week and more details will be in next weeks Weekly News. Don t miss your opportunity to get involved. It is down to our staff that we have made improvements across the Bay, and it is you that will help us continue to make services the best they can be for our patients. We hope to see you at an upcoming session. Jackie Daniel John Cowdall Wendy Scott Chief Executive Chair Deputy Staff Side Chair Our patients said... We recently had a consultation with a consultant in the Nephrology clinic and cannot praise his caring attitude, professionalism and thoroughness highly enough, in dealing with my husbands complicated and serious conditions. The visit was the first for 12 months, although they are supposed to be every three months, but his treatment more than made up for the long delay. What a splendid doctor! I do hope he remains with the trust for many years to come as I will feel much less anxious about my husbands care if it is in his capable hands. Well done for finding him! - NHS Choices comment Thank you very much for the care and attention given to me in the last 24 hours in the day unit. I underwent a small operation on my noes the skill of all the staff was superb and the overhaul cleanliness of the depth I'm sure represents the entire hospital undoubtedly a leading hospital of our proud. - NHS Choices comment
www.facebook.com/uhmbt Festive fun at FGH was a great success I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the staff, members of the public, patients, and of course Father Christmas, for attending the Christmas light switch on FGH, on 6 December. It was a great success and it showed our hospital in a great light. I was walking in town the other day to do my shopping, and I received such positive feedback and congratulations from local people. They were saying how good the staff were and how friendly the hospital environment was. They appreciated all who attended, including the local school children, choir, the Mayor, and also Jackie Daniel, our Chief Executive. Jackie spent the whole day with us, showing her attention and care to the staff, the patients and the town itself. She encouraged everyone there and was happy to talk with everyone, regardless of how busy she is. She is always there for us and I would like to say thank you to Jackie and her team. I would also like to say thank you to the Children's ward sister, the catering manager and staff, RVS volunteers, and also Mary Moore, Deputy Chief Nurse for FGH. It was a true team effort to get everything together, and I want to say thank you to everyone involved. I have received so many flowers from Oasis for the whole team and messages thanking everyone. I believe that everyone who helps us and is involved with the hospital is trying to break out from the negativities in our past and embrace a team-led, strong-willed future, which we can only achieve together. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and holiday season, and a happy new year. Shahnaz Asghar, Public Governor, Barrow and West Cumbria Christmas deadlines - Locum pay In order for locums to be paid during the Christmas period, it is imperative that all timesheets are authorised by 12pm on Monday 23 December 2013, and Monday 30 December 2013 respectively. Timesheets authorised after this time will not be paid until the following week. Locum timesheets received by 22 December 2013 will be paid on 31 December 2013. Locum timesheets received by 29 December 2013 will be paid on 6 January 2014. If you are on leave, please make sure you have spoken to another colleague in your division and asked them to authorise the timesheets before the deadline. Each division has more than one authoriser. Even if the timesheet does not belong to the specialities within your divisions, it is still possible to authorise those waiting. If you are unsure whether the timesheets are correct, please call HB Retinue on 0845 241 0824 or speak to the relevant medical staffing coordinator, to check the times worked by the locum before the above deadline dates. If you know a colleague is off sick who would normally authorise timesheets in your divisions please authorise any timesheets in their area waiting for authorisation. If you need to, you can verify the shifts with either HB Retinue or the relevant medical staffing coordinator. www.uhmb.nhs.uk
We will be the best - providing excellent compassionate care to the people of Morecambe Bay. www.twitter.com/uhmbt Let s celebrate the NHS together! You may have seen the NHS take centre stage at the 2012 Olympics in London, where millions of people across the country were filled with pride. Now it s all over, do you still feel the same? Most of the coverage the NHS receives isn't like that night in London, but then again, neither is real life. For one day at the start of June 2014, the NHS Sport and Physical activity challenge wants to make sure all the NHS coverage is positive. Join thousands of colleagues in your region to walk, run, ride, and swim your way through the first NHS Celebration Day. At the same time, there will be ten regional events all combining to make a national celebration. The point of holding an NHS Celebration Day is just that - a day to stand together to say we're proud of the NHS. If you're sporty and want to compete as a team or prefer to do something individually, there will be events for you. If you want something more sedate, or just to have fun with family or friends, you can also take partand if you want to bring the children and get them involved there will be events for them. If you would like to take part or find out more, visit www.nhscelebration.org. Kendal ladies rugby needs you! Do you enjoy keeping fit? are looking for a fun new challenge? If so, Kendal ladies rugby might be for you! All levels are welcome, from those who have never thought about playing before, to people who have played for years. If you re interested, as long as you re 18 or over, just go along to the training session, taking place every Monday, from 7pm at the rugby club. For more information, call Gillian on 07843093119. Parking at WGH We have been asked by the manager of the care home next to WGH to remind staff not to park in their car park. Please could all staff coming to WGH ensure they only park in the appropriate staff areas within the WGH car park. Thanks for your cooperation. Fire service - industrial action National fire strikes are taking place on Friday 13 December and Saturday 14 December, between 6pm and 10pm. The Fire and Rescue Service has assured us there will be as little disruption to the service as possible, however please be aware that if placing a call to the Fire Service, it may not be attended as quickly as normal. Please be extra vigilant during this time and continue to follow the normal fire safety procedures. If you have any queries regarding the fire safety procedures, please call Andy Nixon, Fire Safety Officer, on ext 51149 or Russ Stephenson, Fire Safety Officer, on ext 46336.
Quality Strategy Our Vision, Aims and Objectives for Quality The Trust s Quality Strategy was approved on the 30th October 2013 and is now available to view on Heritage To find out more please contact the Quality and Governance Team: Call us on 01539 716 6638 (internal 46638)