I would like to say how proud I am of my colleagues whose work to provide better support and care for children and young people, and their families who are receiving care and treatment at our hospitals, has been recognised.
Our Children and Young People Team is absolutely fantastic, their commitment and energy to provide the best possible care for our patients is so inspiring.
Their hard work has been recognised for a number of “outstanding” practices within its Children and Young People service.
Initiatives include the use of new sepsis escalation stickers, which are situated within the patients’ records, and identify patients that require escalation due to their deteriorating health, and an eating disorder care bundle which is person-centred to each individual young person.
Another great initiative is the weekly visit from Lottie the dog on the Children’s Ward at Princess Royal Hospital – the children, their parents and carers, and colleagues too are thrilled to see her.
The ‘Pets as Therapy’ cockapoo pops along with her owner Rosalie Chenneour and her visit is the highlight of everybody’s week, putting all at ease.
Other initiatives, the Trust’s Children and Young People service has also been highlighted for good practice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for includes the support of a mental health nurse on the ward and a hospital teacher who works term times on the ward.
Following its CQC inspection at the end of 2023, the Children and Young People service is now rated as ‘good’ across all five domains which is a significant improvement from the previous rating of ‘inadequate’.
A great way for people to explore a career within the NHS and gain training in skills is the Trust’s Volunteer to Career (VtC) Programme.
Applications for the next cohort of maternity VtC is now open. The programme offers our volunteers placements to gain experience in maternity and training sessions with clinical leads to develop their skills and knowledge.
The flagship programme gives individuals a great insight into maternity and you do not need previous experience or qualifications to apply.
As well as volunteering within the clinical setting, the group will have a number of evening masterclasses, including interview preparation, a communication workshop, simulated training and 1:1 career conversation. To date the programme has enabled over 80% of participants to get paid employment at the Trust or train in a health-related course.
The closing date for applications is Monday 30 September 2024. If you are interested in joining the programme and success stories from previous volunteers, visit our website: www.sath.nhs.uk/working-with-us/volunteering/volunteer-to-career-programme.
This week has seen the first patients visiting William Farr House, Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XL, for phlebotomy (blood taking) services. The service has relocated from Elizabeth House at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Kate Jervis, of Shrewsbury, was the first patient on Tuesday and was impressed by the new location and said that the new location was easy to find with convenient parking outside the building.
For further information about blood tests and to book online visit: Book a blood test online – SaTH.