InTouch
Festive events
Construction work to begin for Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC)
Supporting our #PAHTPeople
Christmas: Events for our people
Construction work to begin for Community Diagnostic Centre
No excuse for abuse campaign
Supporting our people through the cost of living
Congratulations to our latest DAISY Award® winner
The Christmas countdown has begun and the festive season is upon us. For many people this is a time for festive cheer; but for some this can be a lonely and stressful time too. Our chaplaincy team have arranged a number of different events for our patients, visitors, local community and our people to both celebrate and reflect.
Annual Christmas carol service
Thank you to everyone that was able to join the chaplaincy team at the annual carol service on 17 December, held at St Paul’s Church in Harlow.
The atmosphere was very festive with wonderful singing from the New Edition Choir, pupils from St James Church of England Primary School and the wider congregation.
Members of our executive team participated in proceedings with readings and words of thanks; and some of our staff read the bidding prayers.
Thank you to everyone that took part in the service and attended to support. A selection of photos are overleaf.
For further information about any of the events, please contact our chaplaincy team by emailing paht.chaplaincy@nhs.net.
y Pictured: the annual carol service.
A reminder to join the carol singing around the wards
Help bring Christmas cheer to our patients and put a smile on their faces by joining our hospital chaplaincy team and local church members on Thursday 19 December from 5pm-7pm as they tour the wards singing festive songs. You do not need to be a skilled vocalist – all are welcome.
To join, please meet the group at the hospital sanctuary (lower ground floor) at 5pm on the day.
Add the event to your calendar >
If you have any questions, please contact the chaplaincy team by emailing paht.chaplaincy@nhs.net.
Festive tunes from some of our PAHT People to be aired on Harlow Hospital Radio
Tune into Harlow Hospital Radio (HHR) on Sunday 22 December at 5pm for a very special hour-long Christmas programme.
Many of the festive performances have been recorded by some of our own colleagues here at PAHT (pictured right), with a mixture of traditional songs, modern tunes and some new original performances composed by the performers themselves.
Tune into Harlow Hospital Radio (HHR) and listen out for the PAH staff performances. You can also ask Alexa to play Harlow Hospital Radio.
A special thank you to Linda, Andy and Mark at HHR who have co-ordinated this festive programme for all to enjoy.
Festive trees at PAH thanks to generous donations
The main hospital site and Kao Park are looking very festive thanks to the generosity of companies that have donated Christmas trees to PAHT.
Special thank you to the estates team for co-ordinating all of the deliveries and installations from companies that include:
• Morgan Sindall – outside the emergency department (ED)
• FES Ltd - Outpatients Department waiting area
• K&H Medical – Alexandra Restaurant entrance
• Elm Site Services – main entrance reception desk
• Brace Services – EFM Helpdesk
• R&B Ltd – Kao Park
• Metro Rod Ltd – Kao Park
• P&D Ltd – Maternity waiting area
Construction work to begin for Community Diagnostic Centre
Preparation work for the construction of the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at St Margaret’s Hospital, Epping, has begun, as part of plans for PAHT to provide quicker and more local access to diagnostic tests close to patients’ homes.
We have appointed contractor Morgan Sindall Construction, which has begun preparatory work to establish the site boundary and within the North Bungalow building at the Spencer Close site. The local community will see hoarding up at the hospital site as this exciting programme gets underway.
The preparatory work is currently being carried out, with construction to begin this month (December). The CDC is due to open in December 2025
There will be extended opening times and additional equipment at the St Margaret’s Hospital CDC to support the current additional capacity being provided for MRI scans, X-rays and non-obstetric (non-pregnancy) ultrasounds, including:
y Two additional computerised tomography (CT) scanners;
y Extended hours for X-rays;
y New ultrasound equipment;
y New cardiology equipment;
y New respiratory equipment;
y Relocated MRI scanner; and
y More phlebotomists to be recruited – increasing the number of blood tests that can be carried out
Additionally, as part of the CDC programme, the services provided at Herts and Essex Hospital, Bishop’s Stortford, include extended hours for ultrasound, X-ray and audiology. Additional capacity for non-obstetric (non-pregnancy) ultrasound and audiology are currently being provided, together with additional hours for X-ray.
Michael Meredith, director of strategy and estates at PAHT, said: “We are excited for construction to begin on our Community Diagnostic Centre at St Margaret’s Hospital and we are looking forward to our vision taking shape in the coming months.
“The CDC will enhance patient experience by enabling our patients to be seen more quickly and closer to their homes, providing modern, integrated, outstanding healthcare to support our community.”
Ryan Liversage, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Essex, said: "We're delighted to be getting started onsite at the Community Diagnostic Centre at St Margaret’s Hospital, as this is a key milestone in the creation of a facility that will bring a wide range of vital healthcare benefits to the local area. Thanks to a close, collaborative relationship with The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and the ProCure 23 (P23) procurement framework, we've developed a design and a construction process tailored to the needs
of the hospital's staff and the community.”
Christopher Philbedge, Estates Strategy Lead, at NHS Property Services, said: “We are excited to see works commence at the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at St Margaret’s Hospital, Epping. It brings us great pride to be able to support PAHT in providing the community with the excellent healthcare they need by optimising and rationalising their estate.”
Pictured: The CDC project team (top, overleaf).
An artist's impression of the CDC (above).
Putting a stop to abuse against our people - there’s no excuse
We have launched a new zero tolerance campaign, titled no excuse for abuse, which is aimed at combating the risk of violence and aggressive behaviour towards our people and encourages patients and visitors to reflect on their actions.
The new campaign aims to embed a culture of support, safety and respect at all times and to create an environment that is free from abuse of all kinds, including verbal, physical, and racist taunts.
You are the backbone of our trust, ensuring our patients receive high-quality care, support and experiences, often in challenging circumstances.
However, it is with concern that we recognise an increasing number of incidents involving abuse and violence towards our people, and this is unacceptable.
Everyone deserves to work in an environment where they feel safe, valued, and respected, which is why we are launching our new campaign.
The visual assets for the campaign are promoted across the hospital, off-site offices and community sites, through vinyl graphics and posters on entrance doors and lifts, including our off-site locations, as well as through digital messaging display screens and social media channels.
In order to further reflect
our commitment to creating a workplace that prioritises your safety and wellbeing, the campaign is underpinned by:
y The encouragement of reporting all incidents relating to violence and aggressive behaviour through Datix
y Enhancing policies and protocols in place to manage challenging behaviours and to guide appropriate action to be taken
y Introducing a straightforward process to exclude patients from the hospital and community sites, when it is clinically safe to do so, if they have acted violently or aggressively towards our people
y Providing adequate safety
and de-escalation training for colleagues in ‘high risk’ environments
y Developing a violence prevention and reduction strategy
Keep a look out for information across our communications channels about how we are implementing the above.
Together, we can foster an environment where everyone feels safe and respected and stand united against abuse and violence. If you have suggestions or need further information, please reach out to your line manager or Giuseppe Labriola, deputy chief nurse, at giuseppe. labriola@nhs.net.
Supporting our people through the cost of living crisis
We understand that the ongoing cost of living crisis is impacting many of us, and we want to do everything we can to support our PAHT people.
To help ease this burden, our staff side colleagues have proudly organised two new initiatives aimed at providing practical assistance, in partnership with our wider people team and partners.
Emergency food boxes
Effective immediately, we have a limited supply of emergency food boxes available for any colleagues facing challenges in affording everyday food items (one box per family).
These food boxes are intended to offer short-term relief and help you access essential items. To arrange collection for an emergency food box, please contact
Daniella Pritchard or Nicola Maguire-Smith, staff side representatives, at daniella. pritchard@nhs.net and n.maguire-smith@nhs.net.
Bounty Club partnership
Looking ahead, we are working on a partnership with the local Bounty Club. Their low-cost supermarket van will soon be visiting the main hospital site, making it easier for people to access affordable essential supplies. Details regarding the location, day, and time will be shared shortly.
Support or questions
If you need support or have any questions, please contact daniella.pritchard@nhs.net and n.maguire-smith@nhs.net
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our patients and PAHT. Together, we’ll navigate these challenging times.
Congratulations to our latest DAISY Award® winner
Congratulations to Katie Beall, registered nurse on the Adult Assessment Unit, who is the DAISY Award® winner for October 2024.
The DAISY Awards® aim to shine the spotlight on nurses and midwives who go the extra mile to ensure our patients receive high quality care and experiences.
Katie was nominated by a colleague for the empathy and compassionate care she gives to patients in her care, especially those approaching the end of their life. A recent example was offering to shave a gentleman’s face who was usually clean shaven; something the family were extremely grateful she had proposed should be done.
Nominations are now open for the December 2024 DAISY Awards® - the deadline to nominate is Tuesday 31 December
You can nominate using this link >
Take a look at AlexNet for more information >
Pictured: Katie Beall (centre) with Giuseppe Labriola, deputy chief nurse (left), and Sharon McNally, chief nurse (right).