News

• Taverham High School Celebrated as ChatHealth Ambassadors

  by Alex Keep | Jul 18, 2018

  A collection of bright young students from Taverham High School have been honoured as ChatHealth Ambassadors by the NHS Norfolk Children & Young People’s Services. Fourteen students from year ten received an award for their outstanding participation in promoting a text messaging for young people aged 13 -19 called ChatHealth.

  

  Each of the students in the ELF team (everyone’s listening friend) from Taverham High School volunteered to be a ChatHealth Ambassador over the last academic year to raise awareness of the service. Also to highlight some of the most common topics discussed including: emotional health, relationship advice, healthy eating, smoking cessation, bullying and exam stress.

  The ChatHealth Ambassadors at Taverham High School spoke about ChatHealth and their experience as ambassadors over the past year:

  

  “We took ChatHealth round the year 9 and year 10 forms in the school. We gave a little presentation to show them the animation and talked about when and how they could contact ChatHealth. We also handed out lots of ChatHealth cards and put up pull tab posters in each of the form rooms. We’ve already had feedback from teachers telling us that lots of students have taken the pull tabs with the ChatHe

  alth number on.”

  “ChatHealth has brought getting help at school into the modern day. Being able to just text a number is really normal now, because everyone has a phone. It makes it so easy, and allows you to talk to someone in the comfort of your home without having to go anywhere”

  “Before ChatHealth we wouldn’t have known how to get help without going and speaking to someone at school. Which puts people off, because you then have to tell someone at school about a problem face to face.  Whereas with ChatHealth it’s just there on a screen, so it’s much easier to be open.”

  The ChatHealth Ambassador scheme was created in partnership by Taverham High School and Norfolk Children and Young People’s Services to get young people engaged their own health and wellbeing.

  Glynis Killington. Key Stage 3 Pastoral Student Support, Taverham High School stated:

  “Working with other agencies is something that we embrace at Taverham High School. The ELF Team (Everyone’s Listening Friend) is our Peer Support Project. Part of the training to become an ELF has included students becoming a ChatHealth Ambassador. And over last year the ELF Team has done a fantastic job running ChatHealth promotional sessions every term. Their efforts have really helped to support the service within our school community.”

  Sian Larrington Head of Service, Norfolk Children and Young People’s Services said:

  “We are so thankful to our ChatHealth Ambassadors from Taverham High School. It’s so important to get our young people involved in promoting a service designed for them. Thanks to the example set by these brilliant and passionate students, we look to continue developing our promotional campaigns and enlisting more young people to be ChatHealth ambassadors. Ultimately we want to ensure all young people in Norfolk know who to text for help.”

  To access ChatHealth all users have to do is text 07480 635 060 and a conversation will begin. Norfolk Children and Young People’s Services are now looking for more schools to get involved in the ambassadors scheme and provide schools with lots of promotion materials to advertise the service to students. To get involved schools should contact them on 0300 300 0123.

• Local Freemasons raise £300 for Special Care Baby Unit​

  by Kirstie Flack | Jul 16, 2018

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity ‘dreamdrops’ has received a donation of £300 for the Special Care Baby Unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.

  The money, which was raised by the Chicheley Lodge of Freemason & the Provincial Grand Charity of Northants & Hunts Freemasons, is being used to purchase a wardrobe for the newly refurbished parents’ room.
  
  Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of the ‘dreamdrops’ fundraising committee said: “We are extremely grateful to Chicheley Lodge for their continued support, and for this very generous donation.
  
  “The money will enable us to buy a new wardrobe for the parents’ room, which is currently being refurbished to make their stay on the ward more comfortable.”
  
  David Redden, Charity Steward at Chicheley Lodge said: “The money was raised through a Rock ‘n’ Roll night and a raffle.  We raised £150 and this was enhanced by The Pro Grand Charity enabling us to give £300.
  
  “We wanted to support a local charity and the ‘dreamdrops’ charity is such a worthwhile organisation.”
  
  Money raised through ‘dreamdrops’ is used to provide additional items for the Special Care Baby Unit and Children’s Ward, as well as children who are cared for at home. For further information on how you can help raise funds for the charity please visit www.dreamdropschildrenscharity.org or email dreamdrops.dreamdrops@nhs.net.
  
  Photo: David Redden, Charity Steward, Chicheley Lodge and Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops.

• A fantastic £550 raised for our local children’s unit!

  by Kirstie Flack | Jul 11, 2018
           

  Congratulations to Claire Reece, who took part in the Cambridge half marathon on Sunday 4th March in aid of the dreamdrops charity, run by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.
  
  Claire's son Hugo is a regular user of the children’s unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and the dreamdrops charity is very close to their hearts.
  
  Claire said: "16 months ago I decided to take up running wanting to get fit. After a few months of training I found out I was pregnant but continued to train as long as I could.
  
  "After having my son Etienne 7 months ago I went back to training and 6 weeks later ran the Cambridge half marathon! It was a huge challenge but I wanted to give something back to the wonderful team on the Children’s Unit."
  
  Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chair of dreamdrops said: "What a wonderful achievement just 7 months after having her baby. The money raised will go towards buying those little extras for the unit; we cannot thank Claire enough for her support."
  
  For more information about our charity dreamdrops please visit:
  
  http://dreamdropschildrenscharity.org or email dreamdrops.dreamdrops@nhs.net.
  
  Photos: Claire Reece handing over cheque to Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chair of dreamdrops and Eric (4), Hugo (9), Hilary (2), Claire Reece, Etienne (7mnths) and Martha (7).

   

• Sian Hooban awarded title of Queens Nurse

  by User Not Found | Jul 02, 2018

  Service Manager from the Community Children’s Nursing Service in Cambs, Sian Hooban, has been given the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse (QN) by community nursing charity, The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

  Speaking after receiving the award on Monday 25 June at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington Sian said: “I am really happy and proud to have a voice for community nursing.”

  The title is not an award for past service, but indicates a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership.  Nurses who hold the title benefit from developmental workshops, bursaries, networking opportunities and a shared professional identity.

  Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, Chief Executive of the QNI said: “On behalf of the QNI I would like to congratulate Sian and welcome her as a Queen’s Nurse. Queen’s Nurses serve as leaders and role models in community nursing, delivering high quality health care across the country.  The application and assessment process to become a Queen’s Nurse is rigorous and requires clear commitment to improving care for patients, their families and carers. We look forward to working with Sian and all other new Queen’s Nurses who have received the title this year.”

  Sian was nominated for the award by John Peberdy, Service Director for Children and Young People’s Services, for her work to promote community nursing both locally and nationally in providing and influencing the provision of care for children and young people with complex healthcare needs.  John said “Sian lives the Trust values and keeps children and young people at the heart of what the community nursing teams do.  Her behaviour inspires her peers and colleagues; she is very well respected.’ 

  She contributed to the writing and publication of a recent new RCN guidance – ‘Meeting Health Needs in Educational and other Community Settings; A guide for nurses caring for Children and Young People’, which seeks to ensure best practice to some of the most vulnerable children and young people.  Her teams also provide excellent and well evaluated student placements so that the next generation of nurses are trained to meet the demands of a modern NHS, which sees greater numbers of complex children.  John says “I am really pleased to hear that Sian has been awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse; she fully deserves it.”

• It’s official – community services rated ‘Good’ in all areas

  by Phillipa Davies | Jun 20, 2018

  

  Our services have been rated ‘good’ in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission, following an inspection in June 2018.

  The latest report shows an improvement on our inspection in 2014, with a clean sweep of green and many areas of outstanding being recognised, maintaining our overall 'good' rating.

  Matthew Winn, Chief Executive said: “I am delighted that the Trust and the services our staff deliver have been rated as ‘good’, with many examples of outstanding practice being recognised. These ratings reflect the dedication and professionalism of our staff and the phenomenal programme of service improvements, which have taken place across our regional services in the last few years. All of this contributes to us providing high quality health services that improve the outcomes for local residents.”
  
  Responding to the report’s findings, Julia Sirett, Chief Nurse added: “Quality is at the heart of everything we do; and to be rated ‘good’ for the safety, effectiveness, responsiveness, care and compassion of our services is a credit to our amazing staff.” 
  
  Matthew Winn concluded:  “The Trust’s overall leadership, management and governance arrangements were also rated ‘Good’; which is excellent news for local people given the strong link between these and the quality of services delivered.
  
  “The CQC team did identify a small number of areas where we can improve and these have either been addressed or are in the process of being addressed.  
  
  “I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every member of staff across our regional services for their hard work, without which we would not have received such fantastic ratings.” 

  Summary of outstanding areas identified

  • Our dental services were rated as ‘Outstanding’ for ‘Caring’ – including some staff learning Makaton and simple British sign language to improve communications
  • the Luton respiratory team interventions reducing the prevalence of TB locally by 10% per year in the last three to four years
  • introduction of The Think Pink campaign in Luton (including a pink wristband) which is ensuring patients already known to community services receive speedy resumption of services on discharge from hospital or avoid a hospital admission altogether
  • The Luton community discharge team working closely with the hospital and GPs to anticipate patients who may need additional support before discharge and to triage GP referrals to help avoid unnecessary admissions.
  • The Oliver Zangwill Centre was commended for its involvement in a number of innovative practices including the development of an external memory aid ‘NeuroPage’
  • Each of the Trust’s Board meetings include a patient story to set the tone of the meeting and staff were invited to have lunch with the Board following the meeting

  Are services safe

  • There was a good incident reporting culture. Incidents were investigated and lessons learned were shared as appropriate.
  • Compliance with mandatory training was good. This was an improvement since our last inspection when compliance with mandatory training was poor.
  • Staff protected patients from abuse and the service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff were trained on how to recognise and report abuse, knew how to respond, and were well supported by the safeguarding team.
  • Staff had the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep people safe from avoidable harm and abuse and to provide the right care and treatment.
  • There were still staff vacancies in community health services for adult teams (Luton) but this had improved since our last inspection in May 2014. Staff were flexible in their approach to work and managers proactively ensured there were sufficient staff on duty.

  Are services effective?

  • Care was provided in line with national guidance. Managers checked to ensure staff followed guidance as part of regular supervision and audits.
  • There was effective monitoring and findings were used to improve. Findings were compared to other services to enable learning.
  • Staff were competent to undertake their roles and managers appraised staff’s work performance and held supervision meetings with them, to provide support and monitor the effectiveness of the service.
  • Staff understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They knew how to support patients experiencing mental ill health and those who lacked the capacity to make decisions about their care.
  • Staff of different kinds worked together as a team to benefit patients. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals supported each other to provide good care.

  Are services caring?

  • Staff cared for patients with compassion. Feedback from patients confirmed that staff treated them well and with kindness. This was particularly evident in the community dental service where dental staff took time to get to know patients holistically and provided care that was person centred.
  • Staff involved patients and those close to them in decisions about their care and treatment.
  • Staff provided emotional support to patients to minimise their distress.
  • Feedback was consistently positive and Friends and Family Test results were good overall.

  Are services responsive?

  • Patients’ individual needs were considered when planning services.
  • People could access the service when they needed it. Waiting times from referral to assessment were in line with good practice.
  • Concerns and complaints were taken seriously, investigated and lessons learned from the results, the Trust had acted on negative patient feedback, made changes and shared findings with all staff.

  Are services well-led?

  • The board had the skills, knowledge, experience and integrity to lead the Trust. The Trust board members were a group of individuals with a wide range of experience, knowledge and skills who displayed transparent accountability at decision making levels.
  • The executive team were a stable cohesive team, focused on patient safety and quality of care. They were dedicated leaders with clear strategic vision and commitment to staff engagement.
  • The board and senior leadership team recognised the training needs of managers at all levels, including themselves, and worked to provide development opportunities for the future of the organisation.
  • The board and senior leadership team had set a clear vision and values that were at the heart of all the work within the organisation. They worked hard to make sure staff at all levels understood them in relation to their daily roles.
  • The board were aware of the continuing pressures on the health system and the challenges this presented to quality and sustainability. There was a strong focus on working collaboratively with local partners, acute and social services and external organisations to move forward sustainability and transformation plans.
  • Board members were visible across the trust and without exception, staff fed back that senior leaders were visible and approachable.
  • The board reviewed performance reports that included data about the services, which service leads could challenge.
  • Staff throughout the core services we inspected told us the Trust promoted a ‘no blame’ culture and they were encouraged to raise concerns and report incidents without fear of retribution.
  • The Trust's overall staff engagement score was the best for community trusts and ninth best nationally at 3.97 compared to the 3.78 as the national average for community trusts.
  • The Trust was committed to improving services by learning from when things go well and when they go wrong, promoting training, research and innovation.
  • Leadership development opportunities were available, including opportunities for staff below team manager level.
  • The Trust actively supported leadership development through further training and planned for career succession.
  • Leaders across the trust generally promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, creating a sense of common purpose based on shared values. Staff we spoke with throughout our core service and well led inspection told us they felt positive and proud about working in the Trust and their team. Staff told us they felt empowered to make decisions and to make changes.

  Areas for improvement

  Trust-wide

  • The Trust should improve the time taken to resolve complaints in line with its own policy.

  Adult community services – Luton

  • The Trust should ensure it revises its clinical waste disposal policy and that staff follow the correct procedure for the disposal of clinical waste in patient’s homes.
  • The Trust should ensure that community nursing staff have time scheduled for daily handover meetings.

  Community dental services – Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

  • The Trust should review the storage of patients’ dental care records to ensure they are held securely and confidentially at the Brookfields location.
  • The Trust should review the process around medicine management and daily medicine fridge temperature monitoring, to improve consistency across the whole service.

• Power to the Pedal for NHS Staff

  by User Not Found | Jun 08, 2018

  Health Workers encouraged to use pedal power to visit patients in Cambridge

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS) have hired two electric bikes (e-bikes) at the Brookfields Hospital Campus on Mill Road.  The e-bikes (from Rutland Cycling) will be available for members of staff from CCS to use, and forms part of the Trusts travel plan, which was introduced following the recent redevelopment of the site.  

  Mark Robbins, Director of Finance for CCS said:  “This is the first time that we, as a Trust, have provided e-bikes for staff as part of our travel plan for Cambridge.  If this proves to be a success we may look to expand the scheme across other sites”.
  
  Staff can cycle to their visits during their working day rather than using cars, as they have been supplied with hi-vis vests, helmets and pannier bags so that staff can safely transport equipment.  The e-bikes also come with chargers and Rutland Cycling will service them, and replace the e-bikes every three months.
  

  Dan Murtagh, Retail Area Manager from Rutland Cycling said:  “We are delighted to be working with Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.  It is our aim to get as many people as we can using e-bikes as a form of transport and we know from experience it will have many benefits for the trust and their staff who use them on a daily basis"

  
  The delivery of the bikes also coincides with Bike Week 2018, which runs from 9 – 17 June 2018, and staff will be encouraged to not only use these e-bikes, but also to use their own bikes too and leave their cars at home.  
  
  

   

  
  
  

• Norfolk Just One Number celebrates a very successful first year

  by Alex Keep | May 25, 2018

  To add to the excitement of being nominated for a national Person Centred Care award last week, the Norfolk Just One Number team celebrated their one year anniversary this week.

  A celebration was held at the Just One Number base in Cringleford, where staff from all over the Norfolk Healthy Child Programme came together with colleagues from Norfolk County Council and the Cambridgeshire Community Services executive team.

  Just One Number officially launched in March 2017 providing a single point of access for children and young people 0-19 and their parents and carers.

  In the first year:

  • Over 45000 calls were taken from parents, schools and other professionals and 80% were resolved within the first contact. The remaining 20% of calls are followed up with a call back or transferred to their local team for action.
  • Calls range from requests for health advice and support, links to community resources and requests to book appointments.
  • Over 4800 texts were received into the Chat Health messaging service from young people seeking health advice or support. This resulted in 350 separate interventions with young people.
  • In addition to responding to calls and text messages, the Just One Number Team process information and referrals from partner agencies, ensuring that families receive appropriate care in a timely way.

  Sian Larrington, Head of Service, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Children & Young People’s health Services said:

  “Every child deserves the best start in life and Just One Number is playing an important part in achieving this in Norfolk”
  

  “We are ecstatic with how the first year has gone in Just One Number. It really has been a huge team effort and when we look at the sheer volume of work completed, it makes me very proud of the service.”
  

   “We have clinicians in the team who provide real time support for young people and families, over the phone or by responding to the hundreds of messages we receive on our texting services ChatHealth and Parentline.”

  “Having Just One Number as a single point of access allows us to respond to many more queries and this means that children, young people and families in Norfolk get the right care, at the right time, from the right person.”

  Sarah Barnes Public Health Commissioning Manager for Children and Young People said:

  “This service is so much more than just a phone number, we’ve been delighted with the take up since it launched 12 months ago. Just One Number not only includes a text service for parents, but also offers the opportunity to speak to a clinician directly if needed. It is a health service for the children and families of Norfolk delivered in a way that reflects how people live their lives.  Referrals can be made by a variety of means, by parents, young people and professionals, enabling families to access a wide range of support services whatever their need.”

  *An animation has been created to help advertise the Just One Number service:

  
  

• "Helping Hands" donate their time to local children’s sensory garden project

  by Kirstie Flack | May 23, 2018
   

  
  
  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity ‘dreamdrops’ has received an amazing donation enabling them to revamp the Sensory Garden and play area at the Children’s Unit, based at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
  
  Each year Pope Woodhead & Associates (part of the Huron Consulting Group) run a programme called "Helping Hands," with each office choosing a charity to donate their time to and this year they chose dreamdrops.
  
  Louise Jones, operations co-ordinator and Cherre Northfield, project co-ordinator said: "The money provided by Huron enabled us to buy new plants, herbs, top soil, paint, cleaning materials, tactile tiles, a bird camera, table, new butterflies and ladybirds for the sensory garden and play area.
  
  "Our office in St Ives was excited to be involved and to help dreamdrops tidy up the garden for the children and their relatives to use. It was our opportunity as a company to connect and give back to the local community."
  
  Anne-Marie Hamilton, chairman of dreamdrops said: "The work the Helping Hands team have done in the sensory garden has transformed the area into a lovely space for children and parent’s to spend time in when staying on the unit.
  
  "We cannot thank them enough and we are extremely grateful for this kind donation and for all their hard work."
  
  If you would like to find out more about dreamdrops and how you can donate to this charity please visit their website at:
  http://dreamdropschildrenscharity.org/donations-and-fundraising/
  
  

• Sally’s Triple Challenge helping to raise money for local children

  by Kirstie Flack | May 21, 2018

  

  Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust’s charity ‘dreamdrops’ has received an amazing donation of over £500 for the Holly Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
  
  Sally Burgess from St Ives recently took on the mammoth challenge of Climbing Snowdon, by herself, in under 3 hours! In July she will attempt to swim 100 lengths in 1 hour 50 minutes and in October she will take part in the Great Eastern Run – 13.1 miles.
  
  Sally said: "My son Malcolm was very ill in December 2017. He was looked after on Holly Ward and received care at home after being discharged.
  
  "I decided to raise money for dreamdrops to give something back to the wonderful staff that looked after Malcolm and our family.
  
  "Climbing Snowdon was a huge challenge but also an amazing experience. I met some wonderful people on the day, everyone was really friendly and the views were stunning!"
  
  Anne-Marie Hamilton, Chairman of dreamdrops said: "We are delighted to receive this wonderful donation. I am thrilled that the climb went so well and cannot believe how quickly Sally managed to climb Snowdon; it is a terrific achievement, particularly as she did this ‘solo’ without any back up team!
  
  "The money raised with go towards some new comfortable armchairs for the parents to use on Holly Ward. After nearly 14 years with the original chairs, the parents will be able to sit in comfort whilst on the ward. We cannot thank Sally enough."
  
  If you would like to find out more and donate to Sally’s cause please visit her Just Giving page at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sallystriplechallenge or if you would like to find out more about dreamdrops please visit the website at:
  http://dreamdropschildrenscharity.org/donations-and-fundraising/

• Norfolk Just One Number leads the way in Patient Centred Care in NHS 70 Awards

  by Kirstie Flack | May 18, 2018

  

  Norfolk Just One Number leads the way in Patient Centred Care in NHS 70 Birthday Awards

  The NHS in the Midlands and East area has today (Friday 18 May) revealed that the Norfolk Just One Number service from Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust is one of 10 it has chosen as regional champions in a prestigious competition to mark the NHS’s 70^th birthday.
  
  Norfolk Just One Number was nominated by Chloe Smith MP and Sir Henry Bellingham MP.   This innovative single point of access and care co-ordination hub is enabling thousands of families and professionals across Norfolk to speedily access consistent and evidence based services from the right health care professional within the county’s healthy child programme service from their first contact.  
  
  Clinical and administrative response times within the Healthy Child Programme services have improved and the introduction of text based messaging services are providing alternative channels for young people and parents to seek advice.
  
  Our innovative plans for digital and app based improvements will help us achieve our aspiration for every child in Norfolk to have the best start in life.
  
  Sian Larrington, Head of Children & Young People’s Services, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust said: “I am absolutely delighted that the Norfolk Just One Number team has been shortlisted as a national finalist for the Person-Centred Care Champion Award. 
  
  "The team has worked incredibly hard to ensure children, young people and families across Norfolk are able to easily access high quality advice, information and community health services.  This recognition reflects their commitment to achieving the best outcomes for Norfolk families. We’re over the moon!”
  
  Norfolk Just One Number is representing the Midlands and East of England as they vie with other regional winners from across England for a national award to be presented at a special ceremony in the Palace of Westminster in July.
  
  From almost 160 entries, senior experts have chosen 10 outstanding nominations, which exemplify the best of what the NHS and its partners do day in, day out.
  
  All 10 of the champions will now be invited to the national awards ceremony, which will be held on 4 July 2018, the day before the NHS’s 70^th birthday.  The ceremony will be hosted by Dr Sara Kayat, NHS GP & TV Doctor best known for This Morning, Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls and GPs: Behind Closed Doors.