News

Trust board public meeting – 17 May 2023

by Sarah Turner | May 11, 2023

A set of papers for the board meeting has been published on our website here. If you would like to join this virtual meeting, please do email ccs.trustsecretary@nhs.net who can provide you with the link to the meeting. 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.

Industrial action between 30 April - 1 May

by Sarah Turner | Apr 27, 2023

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed that strike action will take place within our Trust from 8pm on 30 April until midnight on 1 May 2023.

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 will 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.

Trust board public meeting – 22nd March 2023

by Sarah Turner | Mar 20, 2023

Our Trust board public meeting on Wednesday 22nd March is being held virtually.

A set of papers for the board meeting has been published on our website here. If you would like to join this virtual meeting, please do email ccs.trustsecretary@nhs.net who can provide you with the link to the meeting. 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.

Upcoming carriageway resurfacing works in Wisbech

by Sarah Turner | Mar 10, 2023

Please note that planned carriageway maintenance works (resurfacing) on both North End and Freedom Bridge Roundabout (RAB) (A1101) in Wisbech will be taking place from Sunday 12^th March until Friday 7^th April. There will also be some additional works to the inner ring of the roundabout. Please allow extra journey time if you have an upcoming appointment in the Wisbech area. Click here for full details.

CCS NHS Trust’s staff survey results are the best in the country compared to our peer community trusts

by Sarah Turner | Mar 09, 2023

The national NHS staff survey results are published today and, yet again, thanks to the incredible culture we have built at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust based on kindness, compassion and putting people first, our results are fantastic!

It has been another challenging year and we know there is always more we can do to improve our working lives but, despite this, our people’s commitment to one another and to delivering outstanding patient care shines through.

The chart below summarises our results across nine overall themes (our results are the dark blue columns), compared to our 16 peer community trusts across the country.

Overall staff survey

CCS is the best performing community trust nationally for our staff reporting that:

We are compassionate and inclusive
We each have a voice that counts
We are safe and healthy
We are always learning
We work flexibly

In the other 4 themes below - we were 0.1 mark below the top scoring community trust, which is amazing!

We are recognised and rewarded
We are a team
Staff engagement
Morale

It is encouraging to see that the percentage of our people reporting they have experienced discrimination due to their ethnic background, gender, religion and/or age has decreased over the past 12 months. In addition, it is also heartening that the percentage of staff from minority ethnic groups who reported experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or the public, staff or their manager/team leader or other colleagues has decreased in the last 12 months.

However, there is always room for improvement and we will soon be engaging with our staff networks and local staff side representatives to develop a plan of action. Initial ideas to focus on include:

Encouraging staff to report all incidents of violence, aggression, bullying and harassment, as well as strengthening support to individuals and our communications to patients/service users that violence, aggression, bullying and harassment will not be tolerated.
Building on the changes implemented in our appraisal process to further explore ways colleagues can be more involved in decisions that directly impact their work.
Reviewing what more we can do to prevent discrimination, with a particular focus on disability and sexual orientation.
Continuing to embed a fair, non-biased recruitment and promotion culture.

Non-Executive Director sought for outstanding NHS Trust

by Sarah Turner | Feb 28, 2023

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS), which delivers community services across the majority of the Eastern region, is seeking an exceptional Non-Executive Director to join its forward-thinking Board.

Mary Elford, Chair of CCS, said: “We have exciting plans for the future, and I'm looking for a talented and experienced leader to add value to our forward-thinking Board and play a critical role in turning these plans into reality.

“I’m seeking someone with a commercial background or a clinician with experience of building commercial relationships, or you may have a successful track record of building partnerships and/or integrating services. Ideally you'll have experience of working on a board in the public, private or third sector, however most importantly you will need to have a passion for what we do and a genuine commitment to patients and the promotion of excellent health care services.

“It’s an exciting time to join our Trust. There are many opportunities through the integrated care systems we are partners in across our regional geography, to develop new and innovative ways to meet needs, improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

“With a proven track record for introducing innovative services, we’re looking for an individual with the vision and commitment to ensure we remain at the vanguard of delivering excellence and the very best outcomes for the communities we serve.”

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced leader to make a positive difference to people’s lives, and applicants should live in or have strong connections with at least one of the areas served by the Trust.

The NHS values and promotes diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity. All appointments are made on merit so that the best people, from the widest possible pool of candidates, are appointed given that the best boards are those that reflect the communities they serve.

Applications are particularly welcome from people from the local black and minority ethnic communities and disabled people who are under-represented in chair and non-executive roles.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 9am on Monday 27th March 2023.

The candidate information pack, including information on how to apply for this post, can be accessed here.

If you'd like to find out more about the Trust, Matthew Winn, Chief Executive of CCS, will be holding a webinar at 6pm on Wednesday 22nd March. To join, please email michelle.robinson24@nhs.net to request the Microsoft Teams link.

We strongly recommend an informal and confidential discussion with Mary Elford. Please email Michelle Robinson (details above) to arrange this.

NHS England – for general process enquiries, please email Helen Barlow at helen.barlow2@nhs.net

Listen to Mary Elford, Chair of CCS, talk about our values and the essential criteria she's looking for in a new NED...

Watch Austin Chinakidzwa, Chair of our Cultural Diversity Network, explain how the Network is helping to build an inclusive culture across the Trust, however there's more we're keen to do...

Industrial action on 26th January

by Sarah Turner | Jan 25, 2023

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has confirmed that strike action will take place at our Trust on Thursday 26th January.

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 will 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

Trust board public meeting – 25th January 2023

by Sarah Turner | Jan 19, 2023

Our Trust board public meeting on Wednesday 25th January is being held virtually.

A set of papers for the board meeting has been published on our website here. If you would like to join this virtual meeting, please do email ccs.trustsecretary@nhs.net who can provide you with the link to the meeting. 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.

Industrial action on 20th December

by Sarah Turner | Dec 20, 2022

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed that strike action will take place at our Trust on Tuesday 20 December from 8 am to 8 pm.

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 will 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

Mayor thanks NHS staff and volunteers who have given more than 100,000 life-saving Covid-19 vaccines to King’s Lynn residents

by Sarah Turner | Dec 15, 2022

The Mayor of the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Councillor Lesley Bambridge, paid a special visit to Shakespeare Barn Covid-19 vaccination centre on Wednesday 14^th December to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of NHS staff and volunteers involved in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Cllr Bambridge said: “My heartfelt thanks go to each and every member of the vaccination team who have played such a vital role in helping to protect thousands of King’s Lynn residents from getting seriously ill from Covid-19 and giving hope of a brighter future.”

The first large-scale Covid-19 vaccination centre opened at King’s Lynn Corn Exchange on 1^st February 2021 where 46,209 vaccines were administered before the centre moved to Shakespeare Barn on 20^th August 2021. Since then, a further 55,588 vaccines have been delivered, bringing the total number of vaccines up to 101,797.

It was recently announced that the temporary vaccination centre at Shakespeare Barn will close permanently at 4pm today (15^th December) as Mike Passfield, Clinical Operations Director for the large-scale vaccination centres run by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust across Norfolk explains: “Following a successful campaign to protect local people from Covid-19 over the last two years, some of our temporary large-scale vaccination centres will close between 15th – 30th December 2022 after completion of the autumn booster programme. This is in line with the timing of the national autumn booster programme.

“We’d like to thank all our amazing staff and volunteers for their dedication, compassion, and hard work that has helped to protect thousands of local people from Covid-19.”

Retired nurse Carole Woodlow is one of thousands of healthcare professionals who returned to the NHS to support the coronavirus effort. Having already clocked up 37 years working at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, Carole joined Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s Covid vaccination team in 2021.

She said: “I was keen to join the Covid vaccination programme as I was inspired by what my colleagues had done during the pandemic and wanted to do something to support the NHS.

“I joined the team on 1st February 2021 when we opened the vaccination site at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn - there was such a buzz, and the adrenaline was certainly flowing when we were vaccinating 400 to 500 people a day.

“In August 2021 we moved to Shakespeare Barn, and I’ve vaccinated people of all ages, from 100-year-olds down to 5-year-olds.

“One of my highlights was when we celebrated the NHS’ birthday and had a party in the Corn Exchange where we danced to Abba’s Dancing Queen. The previous Mayor of King’s Lynn, Cllr Harry Humphrey, attended and it was a wonderful feeling to be a part of that.

“What makes me most proud now is walking down the high street in King’s Lynn and seeing more people walking about and being normal again and knowing that I’ve done something towards that.”

The well-established Covid-19 vaccination programme in Norfolk will continue to operate from alternate locations so that those eligible for a vaccination will be able to receive these via pharmacies and other local services closer to people’s homes, including outreach programmes which provide vaccinations in community locations, care homes and for the housebound.

In addition to these services, a smaller Covid-19 vaccination service will operate from Connaught Hall in Attleborough.

End

Editors’ notes

Those who have recently recovered from Covid should still come forward for their vaccination as having had the virus does not give the same levels of protection.

Anyone over 18 and those aged 5-17 who are in a clinical risk group (or live with someone who is immunosuppressed) who have had Covid will need to wait four weeks before being vaccinated, or 12 weeks for those aged 5 to 17.

Norfolk large-scale vaccination centres

Our large-scale vaccination centres are open seven days a week from 8.30 am to 4.00 pm and late evenings at some of the following locations:

Norwich - City Hall, accessible via Bethel Street, Norwich NR2 1NR - closed on 24th, 25th, 26th & 27th December (open 28th & 29th December) & closing permanently at 4pm on 30th December.

Attleborough - Connaught Hall, Station Rd NR17 2AS - moving to a very limited evergreen offer from 16th December when it will be open Monday to Friday only 8.30am to 4pm. Closed on 24th, 25th, 26th & 27th December (open on 28th, 29th & 30th December), closed 31st December, 1st & 2nd January & open on 3rd January.

Harleston - Paddock Road Surgery, Paddock Road IP20 9AT - closed on 24th, 25th, 26th & 27th December (open 28th & 29th December) & closing permanently at 4pm on 30th December.

Information on evening openings is available here: https://apps.norfolk.gov.uk/WalkIn/Form/AllAvailableClinics

Contact:

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s Communications Team via ccs.communications@nhs.net