Countess Matters Winter 2022/23

MATTERS COUNTESS

Making a difference in Maternity

Improving our services: Read about how our staff are improving the quality and safety of our services in our Improvement special, pages 6-9.

Patients tour planned new facility

CONTENTS

WELCOME

Welcome to the latest edition of Countess Matters. You can also keep up with our latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

3 Spotlight on our Major Trauma Team

4 Going Green: Chris Boardman unveils new cycling facilities and our new Green Café opens for business

5 Focusing on patient safety

6 - 9 Trust Improvement Plan feature:

Unveiling plans for the new Women and Children’s Building

New Diagnostic Centre opens its doors

Making a difference in Maternity

Same Day Emergency Care getting ready to open

Supporting our People: wellbeing, engagement and psychological safety

Improving governance

Bringing Board Rounds to our wards: making a difference to patients

10 News round up

11 News from our Fundraising Team

12 Governor and Membership update

COFFEE WITH CATHY

Engagement with colleagues is a key area of improvement for the Trust and one way this has been improved is through the newly established Coffee with Cathy sessions.

Held on a monthly basis, Cathy Chadwick, Chief Operating Officer invites colleagues to come and talk to her face to face and share their experiences of working at the Trust and discuss how the Trust can work better for our patients. It is also an opportunity to ask

questions, share ideas and talk about how our hospital is running.

Cathy explained: “These sessions are a fantastic way for me to meet more of my colleagues and understand what is working well in their area, what challenges they’re facing and how I can help improve their working area. It’s proven really useful so far with some really constructive feedback and great ideas to improve the environment for staff and quality of our services for patients.”

Help us to help you this winter

Winter brings with it a range of winter bugs and other issues from rising levels of flu to icy pavements causing more slips, trips and falls.

Help us to help you this winter by choosing the right NHS service for your needs and making sure you have had your winter vaccines.

NHS 111

If you have an urgent but not lifethreatening medical need, please phone 111 or visit NHS111 online. Clinical experts at NHS 111 can give you healthcare advice and support you to get the help and care that you need.

NHS111 staff can arrange a telephone consultation with a healthcare professional, book a GP appointment or direct you to pharmacies, emergency

dental services or other more appropriate local services.

Stock your medicine cabinet

Winter bugs, coughs and colds are out and about so now is a really good time to stock up your medicine cabinet. Most common aliments can be treated at home using well known medication, much of which can be picked up at supermarkets or in your local pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist for advice –they are highly-qualified healthcare professionals and you don’t need an appointment to see one.

Medicines to consider: Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, junior/child Paracetamol, Aspirin, throat lozenges, diarrhoea relief, constipation relief, antacid and antihistamines.

Staff meeting Cathy Chadwick in December

SPOTLIGHT ON…

MAJOR TRAUMA

WITH DR DAVID WILSON, TRAUMA LEAD AND JACKIE MILLIKEN, MAJOR TRAUMA NURSE CO-ORDINATOR

The Countess is one of serveral Major Trauma Units in the North West. It is part of the region’s Major Trauma Network that works collaboratively to treat patients who have suffered serious injury.

What is the role of a Major Trauma Unit?

Our overarching aim is to reduce death and disability following injury and that means being ready and able to respond swiftly to a range of scenarios and injuries. Some patients arrive by air ambulance and we work within the Emergency Department (A&E) to stabilise and treat them.

How does the Unit work with the wider Major Trauma Network?

The Network spans the North West region and is made up of Units like ours as well as Major Trauma Centres (MTC) - our nearst MTC is in Liverpool, on the Aintree Hospital site. At the Countess, we can treat patients across the entire spectrum of trauma. More complex cases, in England, will be taken straight to a MTC however, if it would take more than 45 minutes to get the patient there or are from Wales, they will be taken to a Unit like ours to get them stabilised and ensure they get immediate treatment before they are transferred.

What does ongoing care look like for trauma patients?

Major trauma patients can often have complex injuries and may need expert and

long term care to have the best chance of surviving and recovering. Within trauma care, we consider the care patients receive before they get to hospital, while they’re in hospital and then their longer term rehabilitation. The Network covers all three aspects and for our Unit this means that we provide care and treatment in hospital immediately after an injury has been sustained but also we provide on-going treatment and rehabilitation to patients on a long-term basis.

What is it like dealing with a major trauma case?

It can be a very anxious time but we have a very skilled and experienced multidiscplinary team, including doctors, nurses and therapy specialists, who work very well together. We train and practice together to ensure we can support our patients and also each other through what can be a difficult time. Of course, it’s not just treating the patient. They are often

accompanied by loved ones who can also be very distressed and whilst they may not have physical injuries, we take responsibility to ensure they are supported in what can be a very worrying time for them.

What skills and experience do staff need to work in major trauma?

Our team have all received specialist major trauma training and we refresh this regularly with the pressures on time and services requiring us to think of a different way to achieve this. The off site training provides the major trauma team with a different experience and set of skills to enhance our overall resilience and capability. The Outreach Rescue Medic Skills Centre in Bangor has hosted and collaborated on many of our sessions, offering a unique experience and covering a range of scenarios including road traffic collisions, someone falling from a cliff and industrial injuries. Over 50 staff have attended this specific and expert rescue and safety training including nurses, doctors, health care assistants, medical students and administration staff. Together, we provide a multi-disciplinary response to ensure our patients receive the very best care at the outset but also for the long-term recovery.

Jackie Milliken (third from left) and Dr David Wilson (first on right) pictured with members of the Outreach Rescue Medic Skills Centre team.

WE’RE GOING GREENER

This year, the Trust has launched its new ‘We’re Going Greener’ initiative. It is our pledge to make more sustainable choices across our hospitals for both patients and staff and support the NHS target in its drive to reach net zero emissions.

Our Going Greener initiative sets out how we will achieve the targets set by NHS England:

• For the emissions we control directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint), we will reach net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032;

• For the emissions we can influence (our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus), we will reach net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039.

Cara Williams, Executive Sustainability Ambassador at the Countess, said: “This is a really exciting moment for us as a Trust and our sustainability journey. I’ve been really impressed with the passion and enthusiasm colleagues have shown for our plans to become a greener organisation. We have a long journey ahead to make the differences we want but I can already see how we’re beginning to make an impact.”

Olympic and World Champion opens new cycling facilities

In early Autumn, we welcomed Olympic gold medal cyclist Chris Boardman MBE, to open a new cycle storage unit for Countess of Chester Hospital staff as the Trust also launched a sustainable travel strategy.

The secured storage unit has 40 spaces for bikes and was made possible by a grant to the Countess Charity from NHS Charities Together, using donations made during the pandemic to improve the health and wellbeing of NHS staff.

New café takes shape

New Greener Café taking shape

In early 2023 we will be opening our new ‘We’re Going Greener’ Café. The ‘We’re Going Greener’ Café has been created using fully recycled, reused and sustainable materials and equipment that have been locally sourced.

Jill Young, Assistant Facilities Manager, who has led this work said: “We’re really pleased at how environmentally friendly we have been able to make this Café. All of the packaging is fully compostable and it’s designed to be recycled and to produce high quality

compost. The packaging on goods sold at the Café will be made from plants, using renewable, low carbon, recycled or reclaimed materials.”

Russ Morrow, Head of Facilities, said of the new ‘We’re Going Greener’ Café, “We’re delighted to have achieved a fully sustainable Café. The ‘We’re Going Greener Café will provide staff, patients and visitors with an exciting alternative for refreshment when visiting our hospital. We are working towards Net Zero and the ‘We’re Going Greener’ Café is a great stride in our quest.

New changing facilities have also been opened adjacent to the cycle storage for staff to use before and after travelling to work.

Cara said: “We were delighted to welcome Chris to formally open our new facilities and to launch our Active Travel Strategy which we hope will encourage more of our staff to cycle, run or walk into work.

“I know Chris is an advocate of both the environmental and health benefits of active travel and that is something we are also extremely passionate about for our staff and our patients.”

Chris Boardman pictured centre with the Greener team (L-R): Jill Young, Russ Morrow, Cara Williams and Veda Carter

IMPROVING THE SAFETY OF OUR SERVICES: SIX STEPS TO SAFETY

Patient safety is the cornerstone of quality care which concerns everyone in the NHS. Earlier this year, the Trust launched a new initiative called Six Steps to Patient Safety to support the Trust to improve, grow and become an even safer organisation.

The aim of the programme has been to focus on simple goals for all patients across the Trust each month. These goals focus on key areas and raise the awareness of patient care issues. The first six months of the Six Steps to Patient Safety was celebrated during World Patient Safety week with publication of the results and launching of the new steps.

Michelle Greene, Deputy Medical Director said: “Six Steps to Safety has already made a real and tangible difference to our services, making them even safer which is absolutely fundamental. Importantly, the Six Steps approach has been led by staff – they are identifying areas for improvement and then leading the work to ensure changes are made and sustained.”

Dr Michelle Greene presents Bincynol Mathew, Staff nurse, a Safety Ambassador, with her certificate

Celebrating World Patient Safety Day

Staff lead our safety work: Patient Safety Advocates

To recognise colleagues who have gone above and beyond in their daily roles for Patient Safety, Patient Safety Advocate Awards were introduced. Staff nominate each other monthly identifying the work individuals have undertaken to raise safety and quality across the organisation.

Michelle added: “We want to recognise everyone’s work to improve patient safety.

It doesn’t matter where in the hospital they work, from housekeepers and nurses to administration staff, anyone can contribute to, and be nominated for, the work they do to improve patient safety.”

Already, 25 staff have been awarded as Patient Safety Advocates; each of them received a badge and certificate to recognise their contributions to safety.

In September we marked the annual Patient Safety Day. World Patient Safety Day calls for concerted action by all countries and international partners to improve patient safety. This year the global theme is medication safety.

To recognise all the work being undertaken across the Trust for patient safety and share the learning wider, the staff set up a week of exciting events across both sites for all our staff.

Dr Michelle Greene, Deputy Medical Director (pictured) said: “The aim was to raise the profile of what we are doing to improve patient safety. We looked at different way to share the learning, these included quizzes, presentations and information given in a number of different formats. This encouraged all staff members to form collaborative links and resources were shared across the trust.

“Patient Safety Week was an opportunity for colleagues to meet each other and find out what others have been doing to improve safety for our patients. It was a fun week for staff with plenty of sharing - learning, education and support to complete the Trust’s many safety initiatives.”

Patient Safety Advocates receive certificates in recognition of their work.

OUR PLAN TO IMPROVE FOR OUR PATIENTS

Across the next four pages you can read about some of the work we are doing to improve our services to ensure our patients get the best and safest care in our hospitals. The Trust has developed an Improvement Plan focusing on seven key themes to ensure it continues to improve the lives of the people it serves – local communities, patients and their loved ones.

Jackie Davies, Associate Director of Improvement said: “Our aim is to improve the care we provide to our patients and to be a better place to work for the people who work here. We want to ensure we learn and continuously improve our services. Our Improvement Plan is built on feedback from patients, our staff and the people and organisations we work with and it is focused on patient care, patient experience and supporting our staff.”

Community Diagnostic Centre opens its doors

Patients are now benefitting from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home thanks to the new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Ellesmere Port Hospital which opened in August.

The CDC at Ellesmere Port Hospital gives patients direct access to diagnostic services without the need to attend acute hospital sites like the Countess Hospital or be transferred to other locations.

Richard Baird, Divisional Director for Diagnostics and Infrastructure said: “The CDC is part of a wider national initiative that will see over 100 community diagnostic centres open across England. The CDCs will make accessing diagnostic services more convenient for patients and they will help to ensure patients have shorter waiting times.”

An artist’s impression of what the new building might look like.

Planning application submitted for new Women and Children’s Building

The Trust has submitted its proposals and planning application to redevelop its Women and Children’s Building, which will play a vital role in enhancing the quality of its care and treatment for the local community and wider region.

The proposed redevelopment of the Women and Children’s Building reflects the Trust’s ambition to provide the local community with effective and safe treatment and care to patients and their families.

Joan Carter, Project Manager leading on the new build project said: “It’s a really exciting time as we see the plans coming together. The existing Women and Children’s Building was one of the earliest parts of the modern Countess Hospital and has supported countless patients and their families over the past fifty years.

“The proposed new building will enable a step-change in how we provide families with the highest levels of care and treatment, while supporting our wider ambition to tackle health inequalities in our region.”

A series of engagement sessions have already been held to ensure patients and staff are involved from the very early stages of the project. Joan added: “The engagement sessions are an important part of the planning work for the new building. They will ensure that the views and experiences of patients and staff are heard and will help us to make sure that we create a building for our services that meets the needs of our patients and their families.

The new facility will enhance the experience of patients and strengthen the Trust’s clinical effectiveness across its services. It will also be fully integrated with community and primary care services promoting an increasingly joined up approach to patient care across the region.

The Trust has been successful in gaining £110 million funding from NHS England for the new building. It is expected that construction on site will begin in summer 2023 with the building completed in early 2025.

The Community Diagnostics Centre is a one-stop shop for diagnostic testing, with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) and Ultrasounds (US) taking place. These imaging tests are all used to map out what is happening inside patients’ bodies and are used to diagnose a wide range of issues, including many types of cancer.

Jayne Beedles, MRI Team Lead shared her excitement about the arrival of the new MRI scanner which was craned into position at Ellesmere Port Hospital over the summer: “It’s making a huge difference having the scanner over here at Ellesmere Port. It’s gives us a lot of extra capacity for patients. Along with the technology of the newest type of scanner, there are faster scanning times so the number of patients we can scan will increase, and we can continue to bring the waiting list down. We’ve got a great team and we’re really hopeful for the future.”

In the four months since the Community Diagnostic Centre opened, it has already seen an additional 5,642 patients who have received life-saving checks, scans and tests closer to their homes.

Making a difference in Maternity

Staff leading the way to improve care

Delivering the safest possible care to expectant and new mothers is the driving force behind the Maternity team’s focus on post-partum haemorrhage.

The team have come to work together to develop collaborative working across the service as well as with other connected clinical services at the Trust.

Natasha Macdonald, Director of Midwifery commented “I’m very proud of how the whole multi-disciplinary team (MDT) have worked together. It’s important that we always work to further develop our services. The Care Quality Commission visited the Trust in the Spring of 2022 and since then the team have worked tirelessly to take on board recommendations and implement changes to improve. I would like to thank the team and the wider MDT for their commitment to our patients and their families and for their constant hard work.”

The Maternity team showed the new ROTEM machine to members of the Board and explained its effectiveness in December. Pictured L-R is Ros Fallon, Non-Executive Director and Maternity Safety Champion; Natasha MacDonald, Director of Midwifery; Caroline Edwards, Senior Midwife; Melanie Kynaston, Deputy Director of Nursing & Quality and Faye Bruce, Non-Executive Director.

Post-partum haemorrhage: supporting patients

The Maternity team have implemented a new pathway – the route or path a patient will take through hospital services once they are referred for treatment, making sure they adhere to the latest clinical guidance. The pathway will help them to improve monitoring and escalation of post-partum haemorrhage (PPH)excessive bleeding at any time after a baby is born (up to six weeks).

The team’s aim was to ensure effective collaboration to lessen the harm caused by possible post-partum haemorrhage.

There are four key pillars to the new pathway implemented by the team:

1. Risk assessments performed for every patient

2. Early detection practices

3. Multidisciplinary teamwork

4. Use of ROTEM point of care testing.

A ROTEM is a globally recognised test, carried out using a special piece of

equipment, to measure bleeding and the body’s ability to stop the bleeding and begin to heal. The Maternity team’s new ROTEM machine was installed in September 2022. David Castillo, Consultant Anaesthetist, who led on this part of the project said: “Having a ROTEM on the labour ward is an integral part of the quality improvement project. It allows a measurement of coagulation function to be performed quickly and near to the patient. Coupled with fibrinogen concentrate stored on the labour ward, this means we can rapidly respond to coagulation defects acquired during a postpartum haemorrhage and stop them progressing.”

Additional training for staff

The entire Maternity team have now completed PROMPT training for PPH and unplanned hysterectomies.

PROMPT is an evidence-based multiprofessional training package for obstetric emergencies which uses live scenarios to support learning. Staff have found the scenario training sessions extremely beneficial, with a full range of personnel present.

Caroline Edwards, Senior Midwife said “In addition to the obvious advantages regarding patient safety, I have found the experience such a positive one, with the joint working, collaboration and new working relationships a highlight. I am very proud to have been a part of this implementation.”

Enhancing round the clock care

A new standard operating procedure, written by a multidisciplinary team to support maternity procedures has provided access to additional twenty-four seven emergency surgical intervention.

By working with the blood transfusion service, the team could modify the major haemorrhage protocol to ensure that women at risk of PPH were screened for blood antibodies in the event that an emergency blood transfusion was required.

Emma Kirkham, from the Transfusion Team commented: “It has been such a positive experience working with the different teams involved in implementing the PPH pathway. It has allowed for a greater understanding and appreciation of the hard work and dedication from all the departments involved, all with the aim of providing safe and efficient care for our patients.”

Same Day Emergency Care Unit getting ready to open

Soon, patients who need emergency medical care will be seen and treated on the same day rather than being admitted to hospital for an overnight stay thanks to the Countess’ new £15 million Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC).

Opening in a phased way over the winter, patients will be referred to the new SDEC directly from the Emergency Department, by NHS111, their local GP or by the North West Ambulance Service.

The Unit will provide joined up, quicker assessment of patients who may require hospital care or a same day intervention. Patients will be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated by healthcare teams across medicine, surgery and geriatrics.

Cathy Chadwick, Chief Operating Officer said: “The SDEC is one of the many ways the Trust is working to provide right care, in right place, at right time for patients. The SDEC will reduce delays for our patients and ensure they receive the care they need quickly and wherever possible,

Patients took a tour of the building to see how accessibility and patient experience could be improved.

on the same day so that they can get back home to recover in familiar and more comfortable surroundings.”

Whilst construction of the unit was still in progress, interested volunteers and lived experience advocates were invited for a tour to offer their insight into the functionality of the space and offer their feedback on areas where they felt the internal functionality could be improved. Their feedback was very positive, with comments on the expansive room sizes, the

Supporting our people

Focusing on how staff are supported, listened to and involved in the Trust’s future plans is key to the Improvement Plan.

Nicola Price, Head of HR and Organisation Development said: “Setting out our plans for how we better listen to and support our staff is essential if we are to ensure we can

consistently deliver the best and safest care for our patients. Alongside that, we want to become an employer of choice to retain our existing staff and attract other highquality people to work in our hospitals.”

The Trust’s priorities are: Improve staff engagement: Making sure staff have a voice, are listened to and that they see the results of their feedback and contributions in action is key. Nicola added: “Our focus extends beyond the more traditional methods of engagement – we’re working on how we retain staff, how we recognise their achievements and how we ensure their wellbeing and welfare is central to the way we operate.”

Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion more visibly: Creating an inclusive environment is fundamental. A new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is in development.

Getting the right resources in place: The People and Organisation Development team is being increased in size to better support delivery of the People Strategy.

Kathy Cofax, Wellbeing Practitioner has been substantiated in post, and two organisation development practitioners, one focusing on equality, diversity and inclusion and the other on culture and

recognition of the privacy and dignity of patients and the way that teams will work within the building were all mentioned.

Cat Witkiss Acute Medicine Matron at the SDEC, said: “It’s important to realise that hospital isn’t always the best place for every patient to recover from their illness. Rather than being admitted to hospital, if patients require further treatment but are well enough, they can now receive their treatment at the SDEC and then return to their own home to recover. This is a much better option for them and frees up beds for other patients who need them.”

engagement will join Fleur Flanagan, Head of Organisation Development. Andy Morris, Strategic Workforce Planner will support a more strategic approach to developing our staffing, recruitment and retention.

Fleur Flanagan, Head of Organisation Development said: “Our staff are our most important and valuable asset and these new posts will help us to support them better. It’s imperative that our people feel that they have a voice, feel supported and believe that the Trust cares about them. We want them to feel that they can share their thoughts, worries and ideas freely –it’s one of the best ways we can learn as an organisation and that we can embed safety at a fundamental level.”

Nicola Price, Head of People and Organisation Development

Kathy Cofax, Wellbeing Practitioner, Mark Dale, Head of HR and Andy Morris, Strategic Workforce Planner have all recently joined the Trust

Raising the bar of Corporate Governance

Corporate governance is a vital component of our Improvement Plan and significant progress has been made already.

Paul Edwards, Director of Corporate Affairs explains: “Corporate governance sets out how we will manage ourselves as an organisation. It provides the clear and transparent rules and controls that determine how we operate and how we make decisions based on clear priorities and strategic objectives.”

Within the Trust’s Improvement Plan, there are three key elements:

Developing our Board

A development programme for all Board members will increase the effectiveness of our Unitary Board and provide more targeted activity to support executive and nonexecutive directors. Roles and responsibilities have been re-evaluated and decision-making processes have been reviewed.

Strengthening our Board Assurance Framework

The Board Assurance Framework (BAF) is used to log and manage strategic risks and work to make it more visual with clearer timescales will make it easier for everyone to understand – including the public.

Governance training

Face-to-face governance training is in place for the Senior Leadership Group with a second phase to support wider knowledge and understanding of governance rolling out to all staff in early 2023.

Paul added: “We want to demonstrate to patients, the local communities served by the Trust and members of staff that their healthcare is in safe hands and that this is supported by open and transparent processes. Strong governance can help us to do this. We will embed more open and rigorous procedures so that people and other organisations can have trust in us and the way that we work.”

Bringing Board Rounds to our wards: making a difference to patients

Working with the Emergency Care Improvement Support Team (ECIST), the Trust has successfully implemented Board Rounds to improve patient care and communication among staff.

Most people are familiar with ward rounds – a group of clinical staff, led by a consultant which moves from patient to patient to discuss their care and progress with their treatment. We wanted to improve this process and Board Rounds are proving a success on our wards.

They differ because typically they do not take place near a patient’s bed. Instead, a multi-disciplinary team of staff gather around a visual management board which has all the data, test results, care management plan and other information they need to see for each individual patient.

The aim of the Board Round is to keep up the momentum toward patient discharge. Non-medical tasks, such as communication with family members and community or social care services required for discharge, can be discussed with a clear plan of

action to ensure a patient’s care plan and planned discharge date stays on track.

One of the primary benefits of the Board Round is making sure everyone involved in a patient’s care knows exactly where their care and treatment is up to. Teams can better identify potential issues, take early action and keep discharge planning on track.

The implementation of Board Rounds

Board Rounds take place every day with a multi-disciplinary team

has been well-received by both staff and patients. Staff have reported feeling more supported and valued, and patients have told us that they have seen an improvement in communication and care which is exactly what we hoped would happen.

FEEDBACK FROM OUR PATIENTS

“A consultant went above and beyond to get my Dad seen at short notice. She was so professional and reassuring. Our family want to express our thanks for her kindness and understanding, she’s a true asset to the NHS.”

“Thank you to the amazing & lovely nursing staff @TheCountessNHS who truly looked after my Granddad today for his eye surgery. They are a credit to you and so caring.”

Peter, a patient who spent two short spells in our hospital in September and October shared with me that he had “nothing but praise and indeed admiration for the staff both medical and support workers.”

New faces on the Board

The Trust welcomed Dr Nigel Scawn, Executive Medical Director in September. Nigel has previously worked at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Over the summer, the Trust also welcomed Dr Faye Bruce who joins the Board as a Non-Executive Director.

BAME leadership celebration

This year a leadership course commenced for a second cohort of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) NHS staff. Twelve staff from the three acute NHS Trusts in Cheshire took part, with the Trusts themselves developing and delivering the course content. After

the cohort completed in November, a special event was held to recognise their achievements and reflect on the success of the programme. The course aimed to encourage staff to step forward into leadership roles. Pictured are: Angel Lewis-Aaron, Dadirai Kambasha, Vanessa DJabatey, Teekeedaize Hari, Ngozi Ikoku, La’Raib Wayn.

100th birthday celebration

Staff on Ward 44 threw a party for patient Winifred Glenet who celebrated her 100th birthday while she was a patient at the Countess in October. Staff organised balloons and a cake to mark her special day.

Text reminder service relaunched

The Trust’s text reminder service is relaunching with a phased roll out across clinical services in the coming months. The service will help reduce the number of appointments that are missed with simple reminders being sent seven days before an appointment. Patients will be given the option to confirm, rebook or cancel their appointments. It’s a free service and patients can opt out at any time.

Staff Handbook updated

New starters to the Trust will now receive a revamped Staff Handbook to help them settle into their new roles. Over 20 different departments helped put together the content with more improvements planned for the future.

Annual Report available online

Our Annual Report, including our Annual Accounts, is now available on our website. Go to www.coch. nhs.uk and click on about us / corporate documents.

Fundraising News

Latest news: Blue Skies Balcony Appeal

The priority for the Fundraising team is to complete the Blue Skies Balcony Appeal. Lesley Woodhead, Head of Fundraising said: “We have had great support to date from individuals, the community and businesses. and we look forward to sharing an artist’s impression of how it will look. Our colleagues on ICU are leading on the development work and we can really see what a difference the outdoor space will make for patients and their families.

“2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the NHS and we would love as many people as possible to help us achieve our goal of completing the Appeal. Follow us on our Facebook page The Countess Charity to keep up to date with all we are doing.”

The Blue Sky Balcony Appeal

The Appeal is raising funds to build a balcony onto the Intensive Care Unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Once built, the balcony will allow ICU patients to access fresh air in a safe and infection control supported area.

Pauline’s knitting fit for a Queen

The Countess Charity has a lot of support from local knitters and crafters who share their talent by making items that are sold in aid of the Blue Skies Balcony Appeal.

Angie Lopez, Community Fundraiser, said “Pauline’s beautiful knitted queens were sold in 4 minutes on Wednesday! All the queens had lovely new homes for the Jubilee weekend.”

To support the appeal by donating crafted items please contact Angie on 01244 366272.

Sporting Lunch

The Countess Charity Sporting Lunch returned in November in support of the Blue Skies Balcony Appeal.

The Fundraising team were delighted to welcome Wales international football goalkeeper Mark Crossley as a guest speaker at the event.

This event was sponsored by long standing supporters of The Countess Charity, HM3 Legal. Richard Burnett, Commercial Director at HM3 Legal, said: “By sponsoring the Sporting Lunch we are in a small way bringing the Blue Skies Balcony one step closer to being built so it can help patients – which might include people we know – who are receiving treatment at the Countess Hospital. Our business makes a difference by taking action and having a positive impact within our communities. We would also hope that HM3 Legal promoting the event may encourage others to support this appeal.”

Edward Feather from Pugh Auctions Chester took the floor as a live auctioneer, raising £2,000 towards the overall total of £8500.

If your business would like to support The Countess Charity Blue Skies Balcony appeal by choosing them as Charity of the Year please contact Nicola on n.stubbs@nhs.net or call 01244364341.

Valued volunteer retires

After ten years of volunteering Pam Price has hung up her volunteer’s lanyard.

Pam has sent out lovely and personal thank you letters to hundreds of donors over the past ten years and she helped at the annual Duck Race and Santa Dash. The Fundraising Team and volunteers gathering for a farewell tea party to thank her for her contribution – she will be greatly missed.

Santa Dash: December 2022

The streets of Chester were red with santas dashing through the streets in December, raising money for the Countess Charity Blue Skies Balcony Appeal and the Hospice of the Good Shepherd.

Paul Gambon, Medicash Sales & Marketing Director, said: “We loved seeing so many santas all getting fit ahead of their busy festive season and raising money for two worthy charities in the process. The dash through the streets of Chester is a fun-filled family event, fuelled by real Christmas spirit. With so many santas filling the streets, it really is a sight to be seen as we start the real run into Christmas.”

Mark Crossley and Richard Burnett

Lesley Woodhead, Head of Fundraising and Pam Price

News from

Governors

From Peter Folwell, Lead Governor

Monthly Governor Forums up and running

I am really pleased to report that our monthly face-to-face Governor meetings (Governor Forum and Council of Governors) have been back up and running since October. After the restrictions of the pandemic, it has been extremely positive to be able to come together to discuss and debate how we can contribute to the smooth and effective running of the Trust’s services.

At the November Forum, we received updates from a number of staff including Hilda Gwilliams, Director of Nursing and Quality who told us about current pressures on hospital services. It was reassuring to hear how quickly the Trust mobilised and how the staff have pulled together to respond.

Hilda also told us about the Autumn vaccination programme and how many staff have stepped forward to receive their flu vaccination and Covid-19 booster ahead of winter. She also updated us on the plans to improve the way complaints are dealt with. Recruitment to increase the size of the nursing team is already underway and

it is clear good progress has been made although Hilda acknowledged there remained more to do.

We also heard about the Trust’s ambitious and wide-ranging Improvement Plan which you can read more about on pages 5-8. It was very positive to hear how much work is being done to improve patient care and the urgency with which the Trust is approaching it.

Governor walkabouts

Governor walkabouts are also now back in full swing and have been scheduled every month for the coming year with clinical and non-clinical areas included. Reports from these will be included in future editions of Countess Matters.

Paula Edwards, Quality Matron said: “It is always good to have a critical eye – staff can get very used to their surroundings and so it’s always useful to have someone with fresh eyes to visit our areas and give their feedback and support. I have always found the conversations and the reports from Governors about their visits very useful.”

Welcome to our new Governors!

Following elections over summer, I was very pleased to welcome three new Governors to the Trust.

Angela Black, Lucy Liang and Tim Wheeler (pictured top to bottom) are a welcome addition to the team.

There remains three vacancies – two in the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency and one in Flintshire - so if you’re interested in getting involved and supporting the Countess then please do contact the Membership Team (see bottom of page) to find out more about the role.

Join us: become a member

Anyone can join the Trust as a member and help develop services by giving feedback and supporting the Trust in its work. Members can expect:

• Free copies of Countess Matters delivered by email (or post if required).

• Invitations to take part in discussions or surveys about services

• A vote in the annual governor elections

• A personal invitation to the Annual Members’ Meeting

Sign up today by contacting our Membership team – details below. You can find out more, including who our Governors are on the Trust’s website: www.coch.nhs.uk.

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