News round-up for March
Catch up on all the latest news from our trust. In this bulletin:
- New chief executive to take the helm
- The future is bright for Victoria Hospital
- Nobody left behind: Our equity, diversity and inclusion strategy
- Have your say on our quality priorities
- New equipment reduces dental waiting times
- New adult neurodiversity service for Kent
- Campaign to find compassionate people who are ready to care
- Urgent Treatment Centres: The right help for you
New chief executive appointed
Mairead McCormick
We are delighted to announce that Mairead McCormick has been appointed as chief executive at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) and will take up her role later this year.
A nurse by background, Mairead is an experienced director, with 34 years in the NHS.
The future is bright for Victoria Hospital
Victoria Hospital in Deal has started 2022 with a bang by welcoming three new members of the nursing team and seeing more than £150k worth of investment in creating a sustainable future.
As part of our sustainability strategy, we installed 284 solar panels at the hospital. This will help us reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced to run the hospital by 40 per cent (30,000 kilos), the equivalent of travelling from Deal to London, a distance of 83 miles, 682 times a year.
Deal is now also the home for three new recruits from Nigeria who have joined the nursing team at Victoria Hospital after a successful international recruitment campaign appointing 19 new nurses.
The hospital also hosted a Social Prescribing Day celebration on Thursday, 10 March, organised by Deal and Sandwich Primary Care Network (PCN).
Colleagues from the PCN and KCHFT welcomed members of the public to highlight what is on offer through social prescribing. It is hoped the Social Prescribing Team will set up a part-time base at the hospital in coming weeks.
The health care staff and a group of volunteers at Victoria Hospital have also been hard at work revamping a garden area which now provides a dedicated space for patients, visitors and staff to use.
The garden will also provide ongoing therapeutic treatments for patients through potting and planting sessions and improve gardening skills, as well as a place to relax with visitors.
Find out more about the developments in Deal on our website.
Nobody left behind: Our equity, diversity and inclusion strategy
We want to be the best employer, as set out in our People Strategy, with equal access to career opportunities and fair treatment in the workplace, helping people to be confident to bring their whole selves and potential to work.
This isn’t just a ‘nice thing to do’. We want to go beyond the Equality Act which compels public sector organisations to be equitable in their approach.
We want to be known for our inclusive culture and we’ve set out how we plan to do this in our Nobody Left Behind – people, equity, diversity and inclusion strategy.
We want to celebrate diversity and have a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We want an equitable environment, free from harm; a just culture that is safe and respectful for all.
We have set out eight pledges based on our charter that can be read in full in our Nobody Left Behind – people, equity, diversity and inclusion strategy.
Last week, leaders across the organisation came together for its official launch.
Listen to their reflections in this film.
What are the most important quality priorities for you?
During the pandemic, we saw many examples of how to quickly transform services, while analysing the impact on patients and colleagues. These and other projects developed throughout the year contributed to improving quality of care, services and the working experience of our colleagues. Together, we made a difference.
We are now looking at how we can make improvements for the year ahead and we want to hear from you. Tell us what you feel would make the greatest difference to the quality of our patient safety and patient experience, as well as our clinical effectiveness.
Take a look at the priorities we have identified and complete the survey to help us drill down to our final 12 and let's make this year, a year of change. You have until Friday, 25 March to share your views.
New equipment helps to reduce dental waiting times
Thanks to our dental colleagues working with new equipment and in a different way, we are now able to see more patients and reduce waiting times.
The new equipment results in less aerosol splatter during certain procedures, which in turn, reduces the risk of virus transmission. When the equipment was bought, aerosol generating procedures carried an increased risk of Covid being passed on and so took up more clinic time. This used to mean an average of 25 minutes of downtime between patients.
With the use of the new equipment, the risk is greatly reduced. Less personal protective equipment is needed, resulting in more time for patients.
Read the full story on our quality improvement website.
New adult neurodiversity service for Kent
We will be accepting referrals into our new Adult Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Service from Friday, 1 April.
We will provide community-based assessment, diagnosis and support, working with existing specialist health services, local authorities and independent and voluntary sector organisations. We can manage the shared care of people diagnosed with ASD and/or ADHD with their GP.
We will take referrals from health (e.g. GP, secondary care mental health etc.) or social care professionals. In some circumstances we can provide assessment or support to people at home.
From 1 April referrals should be made to the service via our website.
KCHFT will also take over the Medway Looked After Children Service from 1 April.
Campaign to find compassionate people who are ready to care launches in east Kent
Four KCHFT colleagues will be starring in new campaign to encourage people to apply for jobs in the NHS or social care, which launched this month.
Ready to care is a recruitment campaign by the East Kent Health and Care Partnership – a coalition of NHS, Kent County Council, social care and voluntary sector organisations in east Kent. It is designed to encourage anyone who can bring life skills and experience, rather than formal qualifications, to apply for entry-level care and support roles, and start a rewarding career.
The campaign features KCHFT colleagues including facilities operative Jason Keen, healthcare assistants Anna Sampson and Tina Cooke, who all work at Faversham Cottage Hospital, and Marie Wilson, a pulmonary rehab assistant from Canterbury.
You can read their stories and find out more about the Ready to Care campaign here.
Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs): The right help when you need it
We run several Urgent Treatment Centres in Kent and Medway, which are open for a minimum of 12-hours-a-day from 8am to 8pm. They are able to diagnose and treat a range of minor illnesses and injuries, with access to a range of diagnostics from blood testing to x-ray.
Facilities vary at each site so people are encouraged to phone 111 or visit NHS 111 online, if they need urgent medical help to find the most appropriate service for them. Most sites will also accept walk-ins.
NHS 111 is available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, offering support on a wide range of conditions, covering both illnesses and injuries. Help is at hand from a team of highly trained experts and, if needed, an appointment can be booked at an urgent treatment centre (UTC) or even an A&E department.
Find out more details online at www.stopthinkchoose.co.uk
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