News

• Trust board public meeting – 27 September 2023

  by Sarah Turner | Sep 21, 2023

  A set of papers for the board meeting have been published on our website here. Our Annual General Meeting is also being held on the same day. The annual report and accounts for 2022-23 can be found here.

  If you would like to join either of these meetings, please 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.

• BMA Industrial Action – 19-22 September

  by Sarah Turner | Sep 18, 2023

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that further industrial action will be undertaken by consultants and junior doctors on the following days this week:

  Tuesday 19 September 2023           Consultant strikes

  Wednesday 20 September 2023     Consultant and junior doctor strikes

  Thursday 21 September 2023         Junior doctor strikes

  Friday 22 September 2023              Junior doctor strikes 

  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.

• Hot weather forecast for the East of England

  by Sarah Turner | Sep 05, 2023

  A heat health alert is currently in place from today Tuesday 5 September until 9pm on Sunday 10 September. The Met Office has forecast temperatures exceeding 30°C.

  There are plenty of tips and advice on how to cope with the hot weather on the NHS website and below are some of the top tips. 

  

• BMA Industrial Action – 24-26 August

  by Sarah Turner | Aug 24, 2023

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that 48-hour industrial action will be undertaken by consultants from 7am on Thursday 24 August until 7am on Saturday 26 August.

  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.

• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) demonstrates its support to members of the armed forces community and receives silver award

  by Rachel Everett | Aug 10, 2023

  CCS has had the honour of being awarded the 2023 Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) silver award in recognition of the fantastic work taking place across the Trust to support veterans, reservists and their families within our community.

  The Defence ERS recognises positive actions taken by organisations to help ensure members of the Armed Forces, including existing or prospective employees who are members of the association, are not unfairly disadvantaged during recruitment and are supported in the workplace.

  The recent accolade follows the Trust pledging its support to the military community and receiving the ERS bronze award in October 2022 after signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

  Clare Dinnick, Project Manager for the Veteran Aware Programme for CCS, said: “We are thrilled to have received the silver ERS award and are looking forward to attending the presentation ceremony at Madingley Hall in October.

  “The award reflects the hard work CCS has been doing, building on foundations already in place, to support veterans, reservists and their families by making sure they are being fairly represented and given appropriate employment opportunities.”

  Dr David Vickers, Medical Director, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Veteran Aware Project Sponsor, said: “We’re delighted to receive this award which demonstrates we’re a forces-friendly employer and open to employing reservists, Armed Forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.

  “CCS is embarking on a journey to become a Veteran Aware NHS Trust, and this is another significant step towards gaining accreditation.”

  Veteran Aware is part of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), which consists of more than a hundred NHS providers in England who have been accredited as exemplars of the best care for veterans, helping to drive improvements in NHS care for people who serve or have served in the UK armed forces and their families.

  David Wood, Regional Lead for Veteran Aware, said: “I am so pleased to see that Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust has achieved its Defence Employer Recognition Scheme silver award, demonstrating the Trust’s commitment to supporting the military community, and as part of its progress towards accreditation to become Veteran Aware.”

  Kristina Carrington, Regional Employer Engagement Director for the East of England, added: “We congratulate Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust on being awarded their Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award in recognition of the intention to support Defence People, and are looking forward to working with them on their journey to attaining a Gold Award.”

• BMA Industrial Action – 11-15 August and 24-26 August

  by Sarah Turner | Aug 10, 2023

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that further industrial action will be undertaken by junior doctors in England for 96 hours from 7am on Friday 11 August until 7am on Tuesday 15 August, and that 48-hour industrial action will be undertaken by consultants from 7am on Thursday 24 August until 7am on Saturday 26 August.

  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.

   

• Mums welcome #FreeToFeedCP anniversary which empowers parents to breastfeed and pump in public

  by Alex Hinton | Jul 31, 2023

  

  Parents are empowered to breastfeed or pump in public in venues across South Cambridgeshire thanks to a campaign that celebrates its first anniversary.

  The #FreeToFeedCP campaign celebrates its anniversary during World Breastfeeding Week and has seen more than 70 venues in the District pledge their support in the last 12 months.

  The South Cambridgeshire campaign has been so successful it is now being rolled out into East Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

  Breastfeeding mums Kat O’Shea and Lucy Borg, who attend Gamlingay Eco Hub’s mums and tot group, Cha Char Chimps, say #FreeToFeed helps give parents confidence knowing that venues are welcoming and understanding.

  The Eco Hub at Gamlingay is just one of a range of venues which have signed up to the #FreeToFeedCP project, including community centres, cafes, restaurants, a business conference centre, Govia Thameslink Railway and Shepreth Wildlife Park.

  Venues pledge their support by signing up, ensuring staff are aware about being breastfeeding and pump friendly, and displaying campaign stickers and promotional material in their premises.

  The initiative is supported by NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Infant Feeding Team and the ‘Family Hubs’ partnership. Funding comes from the Public Health team at Cambridgeshire County Council from their Healthy Weight grant, as breastfeeding can prevent obesity risk by up to 25 per cent. Breastfeeding reduces child obesity risk by up to 25%, WHO finds - Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk).  

  This project supports the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Health System priorities of supporting people with opportunities to be as healthy as they can be.  

  Kat O’Shea is breastfeeding her third baby, son Lucas, born July 2023. She said: “The #FreeToFeed project is a brilliant campaign as it is easy to look for the sticker in a window. It can make a significant difference to help women feel more comfortable about going in to feed their children. Having that welcoming atmosphere can really empower women to feel safe. Plus, I’m sure it will encourage women to return if they know they can relax in a welcoming environment, so it’s good for business too.”

  Mum Lucy Borg, 23, breastfeeds her first baby, son Ashton Ramsay, 10-months old. She said: “We love to go out and about, and for me breastfeeding is easy as I don’t have to pre plan packing up bottles. It is also good for Ashton. There’s not always a designated place where you can go to feed and while I’m happy to feed him in the open, not everyone is comfortable, so the #FreeToFeed project is great for helping give women confidence to feed in public. Seeing a #FreeToFeed sign is a great way to know you’ll feel welcomed by staff. It can make such a difference. I know of mums who have felt anxious breastfeeding in public especially when first learning, so knowing you can find a safe space to go is really helpful.”

  Cllr Bridget Smith, Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We are delighted at how successful #FreeToFeedCP has been in the last year. Breastfeeding is proven to be very beneficial to the health of the mother and baby, so it should not be daunting to breastfeed or pump in public while families are out with their children. As someone who breast fed all three of my sons, I feel strongly that normalising breastfeeding and pumping in public is really important.”

  Nina Morley, Infant Feeding lead, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Health Visiting Service, said: “Feeding in public can be daunting for some, so having venues that people can go to knowing that they will welcome and cater for breastfeeding or pumping mother's is very important. #FreeToFeedCP is such an exciting initiative that we want to grow in the community. We hope it will help families feel confident and ‘free to feed’ wherever they are.”

  Helen Freeman, Commissioning Team Manager of the Healthy Child Programme for Public Health Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “We are excited to see #FreeToFeedCP grow and develop across county. This important campaign raises awareness with community hubs and local businesses. It’s also a great way to support local families and we hope it is inspiring, giving confidence for them to go out and enjoy quality time together – which is good for the wellbeing of the whole family.”

  Cllr Susan van de Ven, vice-chair of the Adults and Health Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council and local member for Melbourn & Bassingbourn, said: “Breastfeeding is well known to lead to positive health outcomes for both mother and baby, so we were very pleased to support the work of #FreeToFeedCP as part of our commitment to help the residents of Cambridgeshire to be as healthy as they can be. We are now delighted to hear how successful the campaign has been in its first year. I was surprised to learn that breastfeeding rates in the UK are among the worst in the world so it’s vital that projects that destigmatize both breastfeeding and pumping in public continue to be supported.”

  • For more information and how to get involved, visit the South Cambridgeshire District Council #FreeToFeedCP page on their website or Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust website.
  • To find out more about taking the pledge to become a breastfeeding / pump friendly venue email: Duty.Communities@scambs.gov.uk

  World Breastfeeding Week, organised by the World Health Organisation, is supported by WHO, UNICEF and many Ministries of Health and civil society partners. World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August every year.

  For further information contact:

  South Cambridgeshire District Council

  Kath Sansom in South Cambridgeshire District Council’s communications team on kath.sansom@scambs.gov.uk or 07583-282849 or

  The Council Communities portfolio responsible for new towns, community resilience, heath & wellbeing, arts and culture:

  Cllr Bridget Smith (Liberal Democrat) on 07729 836449 or cllr.bridgetsmith@scambs.gov.uk

  Cllr Sue Ellington (Conservative) on 01954 202923 or cllr.ellington@scambs.gov.uk

   

  NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Infant Feeding Team

  Joint Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Children and Young People’s Health Services Communications team: ccs.cpft.hcp@nhs.net

  The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Infant Feeding Team is part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Healthy Child Programme, which is provided in partnership by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

• Trust board public meeting – 19 July 2023

  by Sarah Turner | Jul 13, 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.

• BMA Industrial Action – 13-22 July

  by Sarah Turner | Jul 13, 2023

  The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed that further industrial action will be undertaken by junior doctors in England for five consecutive days from 7am on 13 July until 7am on 18 July, and that 48-hour industrial action will be undertaken by consultants from 7am on 20 July until 7am on 22 July.

  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.

   

• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and partners win HSJ digital award 2023

  by Sarah Turner | Jul 06, 2023

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) is proud to announce that an urgent community response (UCR) partnership project which is helping to reduce pressures on the ambulance service and emergency departments has been crowned the winner of the Improving Urgent and Emergency Care through Digital at the first ever HSJ Digital Awards 2023, recognising excellence in digitising, connecting, and transforming health and care.

  Winners from a total of 19 categories were announced during a ceremony at Manchester Central on 22 June 2023, hosted by comedian and author Mark Watson, celebrating the achievements of a total of 162 shortlisted finalists, from across 120 individual Trusts and organisations.

  The HSJ’s new digital awards are borne from a sector-wide desire to champion the power of digital, data and technology in revolutionising care delivery, enhancing efficiency, and overall, improving patient outcomes.

  By shining a light on innovative digital projects and programmes taking place in NHS organisations across the UK, it’s hoped there will be a growing recognition of the value and benefits delivered to both staff and patients, and provide a springboard for widespread adoption of successful initiatives.

  ‘Access to the 999 stack’ is a partnership between East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, NHS East of England and UCR provider teams across the region including CCS, which involves specially-trained rapid response teams accessing the 999 call stack and responding to less urgent 999 calls.

  CCS has been offering the service in Bedfordshire and Luton since November 2022 and between 15 November 2022 and 14 April 2023, the team helped 135 patients, 85 of whom had suffered a fall. These patients were able to receive care much quicker than if they'd had to wait for an ambulance, preventing any further harm and avoiding a possible hospital admission.

  In addition, a linked arrangement has been established with the technology providers behind personal alert buttons enabling the providers to come directly to our team, rather than entering the 999 system, for issues such as falls or blocked catheters.
  
  By delivering care quickly in people’s own homes or care settings, our rapid response team is helping to prevent unnecessary A&E attendances and hospital admissions, which in turn is helping to free up emergency services to respond to the most urgent cases as well as improving patient flow through the whole health and care system and tackling wider capacity challenges such as discharging patients from hospital.

  CCS’ rapid response team consists of nurses with dedicated equipment who are dispatched to respond to category 3 to 5 999 calls between 8am and 8pm 7 days a week. In the unlikely event they’re unable to help because a case is too serious, they can re-prioritise the call and add it back to the call stack, so it will be responded to by normal paramedic crews more quickly.

  Pete Reeve, Service Director, Bedfordshire and Luton Adult Services, said: “We're delighted to have been named as winners of Improving Urgent and Emergency Care through Digital recognising the dedication and inspired efforts of our team to successfully implement access to stack. We're always committed to delivering improved outcomes for patients as well as striving to instil a sense of satisfaction and achievement for our staff and colleagues – and it’s wonderful to be able to do so through our shared knowledge of digital services and innovation.

  “This is a fantastic example of partnership working and to be recognised in this way, at this pioneering event organised by the HSJ, is such an honour and really will mean so much to all those involved. This accolade will certainly encourage us to continue moving forward with the drive to do even better, taking real pride in the projects we’re developing and delivering.”

  Categories in this first ever HSJ Digital Awards cover many aspects of the health and social care sector, demonstrating how digital initiatives can help to improve ‘hard to tackle’ issues such as reducing inequalities; improving mental health through digital services; assisting with the ongoing move to net zero and enhancing workforce engagement, productivity and wellbeing.

  HSJ editor Alastair McLellan said: “There’s little doubt that digital services and tech innovation is important to the future of the NHS and brings with it much promise for improved patient experience as well as cost efficiencies and staff morale.

  “For several years, we’ve noticed that more and more projects – with digitisation at their core – were being entered into other awards within the HSJ’s awards programme – and it increasingly felt that this emerging and important category needed an awards ceremony of its own.

  “So, what better opportunity to launch the HSJ Digital Awards than in the follow up to NHS England’s recent Year of the Digital Profession. It was no surprise to us that the level and quality of entries in the inaugural HSJ Digital Awards were absolutely outstanding, presenting our panel of judges with some difficult decisions! It therefore gives me great pleasure to personally congratulate Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust as winners in the category of Improving Urgent and Emergency Care through Digital at the 2023 HSJ Digital Awards.

  "This initiative really did stand out amongst some tough competition, every one of which demonstrated incredible innovation and strategic thinking about how to navigate our health services through this current tech revolution. Well done CCS and I look forward to seeing how your project progresses and what else you go on to achieve.”

  The winners were selected following a rigorous two-stage judging process by a group of 56 judges ahead of the HSJ Digital 2023 awards ceremony. The full list of winners and those Highly Commended for the 2023 HSJ Digital Awards can be found at https://partnership.hsj.co.uk/winners-2023.

  -ENDS-

  For more information / media enquiries relating to the HSJ Digital Awards 2023 please contact Jo Hudson or Katie Hinksman via jo.hudson@trinitypr.co.uk  /  katie.hinksman@trinitypr.co.uk  or 0207 112 4905 / 0770 948 7959

  NOTES TO EDITORS

  About HSJ Digital Awards:

  HSJ Digital Awards 2023 have been designed to celebrate excellence in digitising, connecting, and transforming health and care

  About HSJ:

  Health Services Journal is the only title to cover all aspects of publicly funded healthcare, providing news, analysis and best practice information from some of the most powerful and respected figures in health. The HSJ audience is formed of healthcare leaders from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds and both public and private sectors.

  HSJ is published by Wilmington PLC, a company dedicated to providing information and training to professional business markets. Their publications across the health, risk and compliance, finance, legal and insight sectors are united by one common aim - to turn knowledge into advantage. Wilmington PLC enables professionals to enhance performance and innovation by providing high-quality, relevant and reliable information, education and knowledge.