News

• 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.

• Think Measles!

  by Sarah Turner | Jan 31, 2024

  The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently declared measles as a national health incident due to a surge of cases across the UK and because uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is at its lowest level for more than a decade.

  In order to protect our staff and other patients, if you have symptoms of measles (a fever and a rash that starts from the head/neck down) and have not been vaccinated, please do not attend your appointment.

  More information about measles can be found on the NHS website here. 

  Please contact your GP to discuss getting vaccinated against measles. 

• Trust board public meeting – 24 January 2023

  by Sarah Turner | Jan 23, 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.

• Gifts from Santa

  by Kirstie Flack | Dec 22, 2023

  

  Gifts from Santa, bring huge smiles to local Huntingdonshire children

  With Christmas just a few days away, Santa made a special visit to children in Huntingdonshire.

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity Dreamdrops organised the event and between 300-400 gifts were donated by Dunelm and Tesco Extra in Huntingdon.

  There was excitement in the air, as the children and their families waited for Santa to arrive. Dressed in their winter woollies to keep out the cold, they were thrilled to see Santa on his sleigh outside the Barley Mow in Hartford.

  Christine Luckham, Chairman said: “A huge thank you to Dunelm and Tesco Extra, and all their staff and customers for donating so many gifts to Dreamdrops.

  “Our thanks also go to The Barley Mow at Hartford for supporting Dreamdrops again this year and to the Huntingdon and District Round Table for helping Santa on his sleigh and a big thank you to Round Tabler Thomas Birch for organising this wonderful event.”

  Mike Andrews from Dreamdrops said: “On a cold evening in the car park of the Barley Mow in Hartford it was wonderful to see the children’s faces light up as they received their festive presents from Santa on his sleigh. It caused a lot of interest as the great man welcomed children who were passing by, and he even had time to wave to passengers travelling home on the local buses. A little 6-year-old boy summed it up with the comment ‘good job.’

  Santa said: “I love visiting the children every Christmas and seeing so many smiling faces. I wish all the children and their families a very Merry Christmas!”

  For more information about Dreamdrops and how you can donate please visit:

  • www.dreamdropschildrenscharity.org
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamdropschildrenscharity - @dreamdropschildrenscharity - please like, follow, and share.

  Photo:
  Families receiving their presents from Santa at the Barley Mow in Hartford.

  
  

• BMA Industrial Action – 20-23 December and 3-9 January

  by Sarah Turner | Dec 19, 2023

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that junior doctors will undertake further strike action in December and January.

  The first strike action will take place over three days from 7am on Wednesday 20 December to 7am on Saturday 23 December.

  The second strike action will take place over six days from 7am on Wednesday 3 January until 7am on Tuesday 9 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 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.