It’s been a busy couple of weeks at Leading Healthcare. Our Forward Healthcare Awards are just around the corner and we’ve been featuring some of the finalists and their work over the past couple of weeks. There’s still time to get involved with the event – just click here for more information.
Non-executive directors appointed
Two non-executive directors have joined the board of directors at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Glenville Page and Alveena Malik will replace Neil Large and Kathryn Riddle respectively, both of whom are set to end their tenures in the autumn.
Chair of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Christine Outram, said: “We are delighted to welcome Grenville and Alveena to the Board of Directors at The Christie. They bring a wealth of experience with them that will no doubt be beneficial to all we do to provide cancer care and research. We look forward to working with them both.”
Grenville Page has an extensive background in healthcare and is currently a lay member for governance and a wellbeing guardian at Manchester Health and Care Commissioning.
Alveena Malik was previously the head of the youth charity UpRising and and co-founded the One Million Mentors initiative, which aims to connect one million young people with one million community-based mentors.
Solar panels installed
New solar panels have been installed at Milton Keynes University Hospital. Over 2,500 panels have been introduced so far, as part of the Milton Keynes University Hospital Trust’s Green Plan.
The trust aims to be net carbon zero by 2030, and plans are in place to add more solar panels in the coming years.
Estates Services Manager, Tony Marsh, said: “The installation of new solar panels across the site presented the ideal opportunity for us to improve our energy optimisation.
“While the new panels will enable us to produce more electricity on-site, we further used this as a chance to upgrade the roofing so that it is future-proofed and more effectively insulated – reducing the energy required for heating and cooling these buildings.
“Solar energy is a fantastic way to successfully generate electricity which we are able to use throughout the year, so that our patients are able to be seen and treated in a comfortable and secure environment.”
HEE calls for nurses to return
Health Education England’s Chief Nurse is asking nurses who are not currently practising to rejoin the NHS to contribute to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a video message posted on social media, Mark Radford said: “There are many nurses out there who have paused their career, who are doing other work in other areas who might want to come back and work in the NHS and social care. It is really important that we are here to help you and we are ready to support you in building your career with us.”
Health Education England is working with NHS England and Improvement, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Queen’s Nursing Institute, to encourage those who have left the nursing profession to return.
For additional information on returning to nursing, click here.
New ICU improvement
A major refurbishment project will take place at the Croydon University Hospital, with a £14.7 million funding package set to be used to renovate the intensive care unit. The project is expected to take 18 months.
The project went through a two-year planning process, and the new ICU will see bed capacity increase from 15 to 22. The refurbishment will also mean that brand new equipment will be installed to support some of the sickest patients at the hospital.
Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive and Place Based Leader for Health at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said: “Our intensive care team have been at the heart of our COVID response in Croydon, caring for extremely unwell patients around-the-clock, and often for months at a time as we try to help people beat this virus and care for other serious illnesses and injuries. The pace has been relentless and the arrival of this announcement could not be better timed.
“With more beds, we will be able to make sure more patients can receive highly specialist intensive care they need close to where they live, in a much more modern and comforting environment that our patients – and staff – deserve.”
New integrated family services launched
A new integrated community-based service aimed at supporting children and young people has been launched by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Children and Families Newcastle brings together Newcastle City Council, NHS services and community and voluntary based services under one complete service.
Dame Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive for the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “I’m grateful to all of the families who have worked with us over the last few months to help us design a new way of working together.”
ICS scheme to address loneliness
Cheshire and Merseyside ICS has partnered with Chorley Council to support those suffering from loneliness.
Local GPs worked with the council to find residents who were regularly missing their bin collection, and who were visiting their GP more than 10 times a year. The research helped uncover a community of people who needed further support from their healthcare services.
The residents found needing support the most were, in most cases, aged 45 – 60, and 90 per cent were suffering from obesity.
Once those who needed support were found, a social prescriber link worker would visit them at home and offer personalised services to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
