News

• Community health services strengthened as Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust announce plans to come together

  by Sarah Turner | Jul 24, 2024

  Today (24 July) the Boards of Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) met jointly to confirm their plans to come together as an NHS Trust Group, heralding it as an exciting opportunity to make local community services stronger and more resilient.

  The Group will see the coming together of two specialist community health and care providers that work across the East of England for the benefit of patients, communities, staff and partners. Under the Group model, NCH&C and CCS will remain independent organisations and have a single Board and executives who will lead the organisations into alignment from April 2025 onwards.

  Matthew Winn, joint Chief Executive Officer for CCS and NCH&C, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to make things better for our patients and our staff, whilst also making our services stronger and more resilient.

  “We already have so much in common, our values, services that provide great care and support to people, so they can lead their best and healthiest lives - but we can do even more together.

  “Our Boards recognise the huge financial and demographic challenges on the horizon for smaller NHS Trusts. Demand and complexity of patient needs continue to increase, so having resilient specialist community health and care providers is essential. By operating together we will benefit from the combined skills, talents, and infrastructure of both organisations. We will be able to deliver the radical approach required to improve health outcomes for local people."

  Find out more about NCH&C and CCS plans to create a group here www.nhsbuildingtrust.info  

  ENDS

  About Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust provides the following extensive portfolio of services: a range of children’s services to children, young people and families, adult community health services, integrated contraception and sexual health services, specialist and musculoskeletal physiotherapy services and neurotherapy services.

  We are proud to provide high-quality services that enable people to live healthier lives and receive care closer to home.

  For more information please visit https://www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk/

  Follow us on Twitter: @ccs_nhst

  Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/CCSNHST

  For further information contact:

  Lea Fountain
  CCS Communications
  Tel: 07912 496355
  Email: lea.fountain@nhs.net

  About Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

  NCH&C provides community-based NHS health and care via more than 70 different service locations across Norfolk, serving a population of nearly 900,000 people.

  We believe that people are better looked after locally and this belief drives us to work hard to bring our expert care to patients in our seven community hospitals, within GP surgeries and in patients’ own homes.

  Our focus is on continually improving the quality of care we offer to local people and on improving access to that care, helping people to move seamlessly from one service to another.

  www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk/home

  www.wearenchc.nhs.uk

  For further information contact:

  Vicky Brooke
  NCH&C Communications
  Tel: 07747115764
  Email: vicky.brooke@nchc.nhs.uk

   

• BMA Industrial Action - 27 June - 2 July 2024

  by Sarah Turner | Jun 26, 2024

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that junior doctors will undertake a further five full days of strike action this month, running from 7am on 27 June 2024 to 06:59 on 2 July 2024.

  We want to reassure people that during strike action the NHS will prioritise emergency and urgent treatment. We have tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption, including during strike action.

  We may have to re-schedule some routine appointments and activities within our services during strike action to ensure we have safe levels of staffing. We will contact you directly if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. If you do not hear from us, please attend your appointment as planned.

  People should continue to come forward as normal if they need care, especially in emergency and life-saving cases (people can go to 111 online for help and advice but call 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency).

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust delivers services across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, Peterborough and Suffolk.

• New podcast episode with Michael West on compassionate leadership

  by Sarah Turner | May 23, 2024

  The finale of series one of the Leadership and Culture in Healthcare podcast airs on 29 May, featuring insights from Professor Michael West CBE on nurturing cultures of high-quality and compassionate care in health services.
  
  Michael, a senior visiting fellow at the King’s Fund and professor of organisational psychology at Lancaster University, and podcast host Matthew Winn, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and of Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust, discuss the NHS staff survey and how staff engagement is the most important predictor of an organisation’s performance.

  
  
  Michael said: “It’s really hard to overestimate how important the NHS staff survey is. If I want to know how a trust will be performing in the future, probably the best measure I can look at is its measures of staff engagement, team working, inclusion and burn out today and if I want to ensure the trust is performing in two or three years’ time then those are the areas I have to focus on improving."
  
  Michael and Matthew go on to discuss how supportive, compassionate leadership is the most important factor of influence levels of staff engagement and the correlation between compassionate leadership and improved patient outcomes.
  
  Michael explains: “Leadership is not a cloak you put on when you come to work, it’s a way of being, it’s about authenticity, it’s about continually learning to be present with those we lead, having the humility to learn from each other, from different organisations.

  “It’s about nurturing our capacity to empathise even though it’s really difficult at times but that’s what compassion is and sometimes it feels really hard when you want to help and you don’t know what to do. It’s about leaning into the difficult at times but to recognise also that being compassionate as a leader in the health service is the only way forward.
  
  “It’s also about having the courage to be self-compassionate because the more we can practise self-compassion as leaders, we know that transmits out into how those we lead behave towards those they provide care for.”
  
  The episode ends with a summary of lessons learnt from Matthew’s conversations with the series’ other 11 guests*, all of whom are NHS leaders with a history of developing positive cultures, as demonstrated by their organisation’s strong staff survey results, and those working to rebuild cultures in challenging circumstances.
  
  Matthew said: “It’s been fascinating to hear the differing perspectives of these 11 healthcare leaders and it’s been encouraging to hear listeners have found the discussions thought provoking and inspiring too.
  
  “So far, the podcast series has had more than 2,600 downloads and it’s been a real privilege to wrap up series one with the wisdom of Michael West.”

  Series two of the podcast will launch later in June and feature discussions with national leaders from regulatory, patient safety and oversight organisations.

  Leadership and Culture in Healthcare is available on Spotify and Apple podcasts.

  For further information, please contact Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s Communications Team on 0300 555 6655 or email ccs.communications@nhs.net

  Notes for editors

  *Series 1 podcast guests included:

  • Jane Tomkinson OBE, Chief Executive of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Acting Chief Executive of Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Tracy Allen, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
  • Neil Carr, Chief Executive of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • Dr Buki Adeyemo, Chief Executive of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust
  • Andrew Strevens, Chief Executive of Solent NHS Trust
  • Anita Pisani, Deputy Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
  • Dr Hal Spencer, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Graham Wareham, Chief Executive of Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • Mairead McCormick, Chief Executive of Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • Julian Emms, Chief Executive of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Dr Birju Bartoli, Northumberland Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

  Matthew Winn has been leading Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust since 2007, which is rated Outstanding by CQC and has the best community trust staff survey results in the country. More information about the trust can be found here https://www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk/. Since November 2023, Matthew has also led Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust, which is also rated Outstanding and has great staff survey outcomes. More information about the trust can be found here https://www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk/

  Matthew has also held national roles including as NHS England’s national director of community health and currently advises on intermediate care.

  
  

• Norwich City players highlight role of dads in protecting babies, as part of a powerful Norfolk campaign

  by Monika Gaubyte | May 20, 2024

  Norfolk and Waveney Children and Young People’s Health Services are excited to announce the launch of the Protecting Babies is Everyone’s Business campaign which has been produced in collaboration with Norwich City Football Club and the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership.

  

  As part of this initiative, a promotional video has been created featuring Norwich City Football Club players Onel Hernández, Ben Gibson and George Long. In the video, the players have reached out to new parents and openly shared their personal experiences of becoming fathers, the challenges they faced while caring for their newborns and where they sought help when it all got too much.

  The Protecting Babies is Everyone’s Business campaign aims to raise awareness about the important measures parents can take to keep their babies safe. The initiative helps parents to understand that crying is part of a baby’s language, crying is normal but can be hard to cope with.

  The campaign offers clear guidance on how to handle a crying baby and outlines steps families and the wider community can take to ensure a baby’s safety. Additionally, it provides information on how to access the support services offered to keep babies safe at all times.

  Sian Larrington, Operational Director for Norfolk and Waveney Children and Young People’s Health Services said: “We are thrilled to launch this crucial, system-wide campaign that empowers every one of us to play a part in protecting babies from harm. Babies are fragile and it is essential to make their protection everyone’s responsibility."

  “This collaboration is a shining example of how partnership efforts can create impactful content that conveys important messages. It emphasises that fathers are as crucial as mothers in caring for their babies. They can struggle too when their baby cries, so it’s important to seek help when needed, to protect their baby from harm and to be the best version of themselves while caring for their baby.”

  Lucy Parsons, Head of Safeguarding and Steph Hambrook, Clinical Lead for Norfolk and Waveney Children and Young People’s Health Services added: “We are delighted and proud to have led on this amazing project to protect babies and keep them safe. It would have not been possible without the invaluable collaboration from partners across the Norfolk Safeguarding system to bring these important messages to life. Protecting babies is everybody's business.” 

  Gary Dack, Head of Safeguarding for Norwich City Football Club, said: “Norwich City Football Club are pleased to support the work of the NHS and Norfolk Children Safeguarding Partnership in protecting babies. We hope that this initiative can use the power of football, to help educate parents, and families, of the risks present with new babies. It is great to see the business sector and statutory services working collaboratively on such an important topic.”

  Watch the #ProtectingBabiesIsEveryonesBusiness video here 

  For more information, useful advice and tips for new parents, please visit the Just One Norfolk website: https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/protectingbabies

  Photo credit: Norwich City Football Club
  
  

• Dr Caroline Kavanagh appointed as joint medical director

  by Sarah Turner | Mar 20, 2024

  We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Caroline Kavanagh as joint Medical Director for Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C).

  

  Matthew Winn, joint Chief Executive of the organisations, said: “We are so pleased to appoint Caroline who brings great experience and shares our values and passion for great community care. We look forward to welcoming Caroline into both trusts and developing children and adults care at home services even further.”

  Caroline said: “I am delighted to have been appointed into the role of medical director and look forward to working with teams to improve care for patients. NCH&C and CCS both have an excellent reputation as being great places to work, I am excited to be joining both organisations.”

  Caroline qualified and trained as a paediatrician in Northern Ireland and undertook specialist respiratory paediatric training in Belfast and the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. She has been a consultant paediatrician since 2007 with the majority of her career spent at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Trust (NNUH).

  Highlights of Caroline’s career to date include leading the work that enabled NNUH to attain children's cystic fibrosis specialist centre accreditation and leading the emergency department to achieve their first ever CQC 'Good' rating.

  Whilst at NNUH she was responsible for doctors’ professional standards and is an appraiser for the East of England. She was the Associate Medical Director for urgent care chairing the Central Norfolk Alliance of PLACE boards, leading work to improve care for patients across North, Central and South Norfolk.

  Caroline lives in Norfolk with her husband and two sons.

  Caroline will start in early July 2024.

   [END]

  For further information, please contact Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s communications team on 0300 555 6655 or email ccs.communications@nhs.net

  Photo credit: Charlottegrayphotography

  
  

• Trust Board Public Meeting - 20 March 2024

  by Rachel Everett | Mar 18, 2024

  A set of papers for the board meeting has been published on our website here. If you would like to join this meeting, please do email ccs.trustsecretary@nhs.net who can provide you with further details. Whilst this is a meeting held in public, rather than a public meeting, there is usually an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions at the end of each meeting.

  In addition, members of the public can submit any questions to the board for consideration by emailing ccs.trustsecretary@nhs.net - please keep questions brief and to the point, and use ‘Trust Board Meeting Question’ in the subject heading of your email. Responses will either be posted on the Trust’s board meeting webpage following the meeting or can be found in the minutes published in due course.

• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust receives national award for its high-quality support for nurses

  by Sarah Turner | Mar 13, 2024

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS NHST) has been awarded the prestigious National Preceptorship Interim Quality Mark in recognition of its exceptional support for newly-qualified practitioners, aligned with the standards of NHS England’s National Preceptorship Programme.

  

  The Trust offers a 12-month preceptorship programme which provides a period of guidance and support for newly registered practitioners, internationally trained practitioners, return to practice practitioners and those transitioning into new roles as they adapt to being confident, competent practitioners during their first year of employment.

  Kate Howard, Chief Nurse at CCS NHST, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our preceptorship programme and are delighted to have received the quality mark which is the national gold standard for NHS organisations to benchmark themselves against.

  “Preceptorship helps to support staff wellbeing and retention by setting in place a structure to support professionals who are newly registered, internationally trained, returning to practice and undergoing a transition in role, encouraging them to put their existing knowledge, skills and experiences into everyday clinical practice, grow in confidence and have the best possible start in their careers.

  “This recognition not only affirms our dedication to nursing excellence but enhances professional growth and development opportunities for our nurses, underpinning high standards of patient care through skilled and well-supported nursing staff.”

  Linda Bazeley, a newly-qualified community paediatric nurse who has benefitted from CCS NHST’s preceptorship programme, said: “The preceptorship helped to ensure I felt well supported from the start of my registered nursing journey and allowed me to meet, share stories, achievements and times when things weren’t going as well.

  “The programme gave me time to consolidate my learning and meeting with my preceptor helped me reflect on my journey so far as well as on the future and assisted in highlighting my strengths and weaknesses."

  Debbie Cubitt, NHS England Senior Clinical Manager East of England said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust has achieved the National Preceptorship Interim Quality Mark Award.

  “The team has worked tirelessly to ensure that preceptees receive guidance, support and supervision to facilitate their transition into the organisation, enabling them to be the best they can for their patients.”

  Interested in a career in health care at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust? Visit https://www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk/careers

  
  

• New podcast focuses on NHS leadership and culture

  by Rachel Everett | Mar 07, 2024

  A new podcast launched today, putting the spotlight on NHS leadership and culture and how they impact staff and patient care.

  Series one guests are NHS leaders with a history of developing positive cultures, as demonstrated by their organisation’s strong staff survey results, and those working to rebuild cultures in challenging circumstances. The launch coincides with the publication of the latest national survey results on 7 March.

  The podcast is hosted by Matthew Winn, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Chief Executive at Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. Matthew has been leading Cambridgeshire Community Services since 2007, which is rated Outstanding by CQC and has the best community trust staff survey results in the country. He has also held national roles including as NHS England’s national director of community health. Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust, which Matthew joined in 2024, is also rated Outstanding.

  Guests in the first Leadership and Culture in Healthcare podcasts will include:

  • Jane Tomkinson OBE, Chief Executive of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Acting Chief Executive of Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Dr Buki Adeyemo, Chief Executive of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust
  • Tracy Allen, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
  • Neil Carr, Chief Executive of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

  Matthew said: “I strongly believe the culture we create as leaders has a direct impact on the care people receive. We have a responsibility to create an environment where the people who work for us feel supported, valued and part of a team, where they can learn and develop, and where they feel safe to speak up when things aren’t right. By doing this, we create a kinder, safer place for patients and service users.

  “Sadly we’ve seen what can happen when trusts don’t get that right, and the catastrophic results this can have. It has never been clearer that investing in the right culture is vital.

  “This podcast series gives us an opportunity to explore what some of the leaders behind the best staff survey results are doing, and how they are building a positive culture – in some cases from very troubled beginnings. Its an opportunity to learn from each other, but also to feel inspired by what’s possible.

  “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the conversations so far and I hope others find them as interesting and motivating as I have.”

  Leadership and Culture in Healthcare are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

  

  
  

• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust is the best performing community trust nationally in six of the NHS staff survey themes

  by Sarah Turner | Mar 07, 2024

  The national NHS staff survey results have been published today and reflect the fantastic culture we've developed together at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.

  The chart below summarises the results (benchmarked against 16 other community trusts nationally) which are aligned to the seven themes within the NHS People Promise, plus two additional themes: staff engagement and staff morale.

  

  Our results are the dark blue columns and show that:
  
  We are the best performing community trust nationally for the following areas:

  • We are compassionate and inclusive
  • We each have a voice that counts
  • We work flexibly
  • We are a team
  • Staff engagement
  • Morale

  We scored well above average in the remaining areas of:

  • We are recognised and rewarded
  • We are always learning

  Data for 'we are safe and healthy' is to follow.

  We also improved on our own scores and our ratings were better than last year in all categories. However, we will not be complacent as we know there is always more we can be doing to improve our working lives and appreciate it’s a challenging time for the NHS overall. 

  Anita Pisani, Deputy Chief Executive at CCS, said: “It truly shines through how compassionate, inclusive, and supportive we are of each other.

  “Thank you to everyone for your part in creating the positive culture this survey shows we have.

  “We’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together and are committed to continuing to develop and improve.”

   

• BMA Industrial Action – 24-28 February 2024

  by Sarah Turner | Feb 19, 2024

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that junior doctors will undertake a further five full days of strike action this month, running from 7am on Saturday 24 February to 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February.

  We want to reassure people that during strike action the NHS will prioritise emergency and urgent treatment. We have tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption, including during strike action.

  We may have to re-schedule some routine appointments and activities within our services during strike action to ensure we have safe levels of staffing. We will contact you directly if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. If you do not hear from us, please attend your appointment as planned.

  People should continue to come forward as normal if they need care, especially in emergency and life-saving cases (people can go to 111 online for help and advice but call 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency).

  We will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust delivers services across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, Peterborough and Suffolk.