22 February 2021
Second vaccine dose on the way
Clinics for second doses will be starting on Tuesday 2nd March - appointments will be
arranged over the next two weeks so please bear with us.
To make the process as easy as possible, please try and keep to the date and time of
the appointment you are given.
It will be an enormous help to the brilliant booking team (pictured above), who are working hard to get more than 8000 people booked in! Of course, some people have exceptional circumstances and if you can’t make the appointment, contact details to rearrange will be in the letter and text message.
We will be:
• Inviting staff in order of the date they received their first vaccine. • Sending the invite out via letter and backed up with a text message
Meet The Executives
This week Meet the Executives is with our Director of People and Organisational Development, Lisa Crichton-Jones.
Hello everyone. Looks like it is my turn to take the exec slot this week! I started the role of Director of People and OD on October 1st 2020 but have been working within the
NHS for over 20 years now, having stumbled into it in 1999 and only intending to stay for 2-3 years! However, I have been lucky to have had some great opportunities and work with some amazing people and I’m now really looking forward to working here with the teams at
Gateshead. I’m passionate about working with you to help, support and make sure we do all we can to look after our people and for Gateshead to continue being a great place to work.
It has been a strange time to start a new job as the typical induction programme has gone out the window but I have managed to meet some people and spend time with our trade unions and staff networks; our partnerships are really important. I’m really pleased to have been out and about with Jo Baxter in recent weeks, meeting some staff and getting the chance to chat to try and understand more about your
experiences of the last year and your views as to where we focus our effort and energy as we look to the future.
Health and wellbeing is our number one priority but over the coming weeks I will also be looking at new leadership and management programmes and starting to think about longer term workforce planning.
My role here at Gateshead is a strategic role, working within the framework of the national People Plan NHS England » Online version of the People Plan for 2020/2021
with a focus on supporting and valuing our 4500 staff, helping us to look after each other and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, as well as action to grow our workforce, train our people, and work together differently to deliver patient care. The plan sets out a series of
these over the next couple of years.
I am also delighted to welcome Amanda Venner to the Trust today, who starts as our Deputy Director of People and OD (and has also done a piece for QE Weekly
too). Amanda will be a great addition to our directorate leadership team. I know she will equally enjoy learning about the Trust and exploring how we can work to help everyone be the best they can be at work.
Finally, I’m a big believer in relationships and will invest a lot of my time in building relationships and subsequently trust. Even more so, I am also a firm believer that a lot can be solved with a good discussion, a cup of tea and a biscuit! (supply always ready and waiting in the grey cupboard in the office if you ever want to head my way……….!)
Thanks for everything you all do and I look forward to meeting more of you soon.
Hi, I’m Amanda (Venner) and I take up the new post of Deputy Director of People and OD from today!
It’s a little bit daunting to write an intro for myself on day 1, but here goes... I’ve worked in People and OD for around 17 years with the last 13 in the NHS in the North East.
Most recently I’ve spent the last 2 years working in the
workforce programme in the Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting work across health and care and tackling issues such as supply of staff, training and
development for the future workforce, strategic workforce planning, system leadership and making the NHS a great place to work. It’s safe to say that System working and collaboration with partners will always be close to my heart and I hope to build on this at Gateshead.
Prior to the ICS I spent 11 happy years at Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS FT (CNTW) the local mental Health and learning disabilities Trust. I worked in numerous different posts (we know the NHS loves a restructure) and latterly headed up workforce planning then medical education, medical recruitment and medical staffing.
But to today - the Deputy Director role is a brand new post working with the Exec Director and senior team in People & OD to oversee the provision of excellent, customer focused People services for our 4 business units and our corporate services teams, working in partnership with our operational colleagues to reposition the Trust’s people strategy at the heart of the organisation. I will be involved in setting and implementing a long term strategic vision for People and OD that will deliver our clinical service model, our integration and transformation programmes, within the context of our financial challenges. I will have a key role to play in working with our own directorate staff and ‘getting the basics right’ with a strong focus on improving and enhancing workforce
development, staff experience and developing our culture to support and enable transformational change across the health care system across Gateshead and beyond.
We have all been through an incredible 12 months and there is a huge amount to do in terms of caring for and supporting our staff to repair, recover and
reset. Health, wellbeing, equality and inclusion are major priorities for the team to support this work.
I look forward to working with you all! Amanda
Resuscitation Training
Covid has resulted in several changes to resuscitation practice, if it is more than 8 months since you last attended an update please ensure that you book yourself on to attend. You are required to undertake a short e-learning package and a 1 hour practical session; until the end of April 2021 the practical sessions are being held at the Metrocentre Marriott hotel, a shuttle bus is provided to transport staff to and from the hotel.
Booking is straightforward, it can be accessed directly via ESR and selecting my learning, or you can go via staffzone / learning & development / trust prospectus and then scroll down to resuscitation. Help guides on how to book via ESR are available via this route.
As we come to the end of LGBT History Month 2021, we want to say thank you to everyone who got involved with all the activities we set out and for the continuous support!
Here are a couple of entries that were submitted for the Poetry competition!
Keep an eye next week’s issue for the winner!
Changes To DVSA Driving And
Theory Tests With Exception To
Front-line Workers
To help stop the spread of coronavirus, routine practical driving tests and theory tests have been suspended in England, Scotland and Wales.
However, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is still able to provide a theory and/or practical test service for frontline NHS health and social care workers and other frontline roles responding to ‘threat to life’ and who need to drive as part of their job. This includes ambulance drivers, paramedics, social workers,
Environment Agency flood defence workers, and local authority winter defence drivers in England and Wales.
Click here to see the full document from the DVSA sets out how this process will work and how to make a request. The request to the DVSA must come from the staff member’s line manager, or department lead.
Coming to ESR
The transfusion team are pleased to announce that annual updates are soon to be added to ESR.
Deceased Patient’s Property
Please be aware that there is a dedicated COLLECTION POINT for family members to attend for any remaining property for deceased relatives. During the past few
months, many personal items have gone missing and this is causing extra stress for bereaved families.
Please note the process below:-
VALUABLES - should be placed inside property envelopes contained within
Bereavement Packs, clearly labelled and dropped into the Night Safe (beside Cashier's window).
CLEAN CLOTHING - packed within green property bags and placed inside a clear bag
which must be sealed at the top. A property list should be attached to the front and again clearly labelled. Once ready, place a task on porter trac with deceased's
named and the word 'property'. The porters will then collect from the ward and take to the designated, locked facility.
SOILED CLOTHING - should be destroyed.
Bereavement services staff will arrange an appointment for families to attend the Collection Point for any remaining items.
Any questions please contact Bereavement Services on Ext 2647
In addition to the above, you are required to complete a one off practical
competency relating to your role. Once complete, the competency will show as green with no expiry date.
Any previous evidence of competency assessment may be accepted, please contact the Transfusion Nurses, [email protected] or [email protected] for advice.
Safeguarding Update - Training
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on vulnerable adults, children and families, with the potential to exacerbate pre-existing safeguarding risks, and bring about new ones making safeguarding training more important than ever. The Children & Adult Safeguarding teams have launched a range of new training packages that are up to date and more easily accessible to staff. Check your ESR and make sure you are up to date.
SAFEGUARDING IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS Safeguarding Children
• Level 1 & 2 ELearning packages via ESR, relevant staff to complete every 3 years • Level 3 staff - 2 new ELearning packages via ESR, relevant staff to complete every
3 years.
• Level 3 Core Staff should also complete a half day GSCP Multi-agency training, or alternatively whilst training is limited staff can watch the new Level 3 children’s safeguarding video available in ESR
• Level 3 Role Specific/specialist Staff require the 2 ELearning packages and a further 6 to 10 hours safeguarding training over 3 years. Options are:- • Option 1 – A full day GSCP multi-agency training or other approved full day
training
• Option 2 – Complete learning passport with 6 hours pick and mix approved Level 3 training activities which can include- GSCP multi agency training or other
approved training, the 2 hour Safeguarding training video, Safeguarding group supervision/update sessions, approved ELearning packages with accompanying certification.
Safeguarding Adults
Health Roster Time Clock Update
Time Clocks Phase 2 successfully went live on the 14th Feb and we are now planning
for phases 3 & 4. For a full list of wards and departments that are currently live and those scheduled to go-live, please click on the following link: Time Clock
Implementation Plan
Phase 3 Managers, please ensure you are booked in for your Manager Exception training and that your staff are enrolled onto a time clock.
Enrolment takes 2 minutes and can be arranged by contacting the health roster team at [email protected] or call 5727. Phase 4 adopter sites – we will be in touch soon!
Thank you to everyone involved in phases 1 & 2, your patience and participation has been greatly appreciated.
The Health Roster Team
Level 1 New eLearning package now available via ESR Level 2 New eLearning package now available via ESR
Level 3 core
2 x eLearning packages via ESR AND
Half-day multi-agency training
(or due to limited training being available, can alternatively watch Level 3 training video via ESR)
Level 3 specialist / role specific
2 x eLearning packages via ESR AND
Further 6-10 hrs Level 3 training;
Attend full day GSCP multi agency training or other approved full day Safeguarding training
OR
Complete the learning passport with 6 hours of pick and mix approved Level 3 training activities
Waste Segregation Update
COVID-19 has seen our clinical waste volumes more than double and this is a similar picture across the UK which has resulted in more clinical waste being generated than the available disposal capacity.
Please can you ensure if you are not working in a designated COVID ward that PPE is disposed of in a tiger bag (offensive waste stream) and that waste from
non-infectious patients is disposed of via this waste stream route as well.
• Areas that are COVID secure for example an office you can dispose of your PPE via the household waste stream (black bag).
• The household waste stream is otherwise to be used for packaging, hand towels and general waste across the Trust.
• Orange clinical waste bags should only be used for patients known to be infectious including COVID-19.
All of this information is in line with the latest SOP from NHSE and the management and disposal of healthcare waste.
If you need waste bags or bin labels changed to ensure you’re following this guidance please contact domestics or call log with estates as appropriate.
Any issues or questions please contact Sarah Needham on ext. 2456 or
Thank you to all of the 110 participants who signed up to the JML February Challenge, this has provided some much needed fun and helped participants get active and improve their mental health during these difficult times.
The aim of the challenge was to raise money for our Urology Team and also our Covid Response Fund.
Please show your support to our amazing participants by donating via this link.
Counter Fraud Update
NHS Pension Scheme employer contribution rates
For 2021/22 all employers should continue to pay 14.38% in employer
contributions, including 0.08% for the Scheme administrator charge, under their normal monthly payment process to the NHS Pension Scheme.
The email address for your pension queries is changing
From 1 April 2021 send your pension queries to
[email protected]. If you send your enquiry to the
[email protected] account you will receive a response asking you to forward your enquiry to the new email.
The NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme 2020
Information on the government’s life assurance scheme for eligible frontline health and social care workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can be found on the NHSBSA website.
Take a look today and make sure you understand your responsibilities as an
employer in helping to communicate the scheme to staff, support bereaved families to make a claim and oversee their claims process.
NHS Pension Update
A staff member for an AuditOne client recently received a phone call from a
fraudster who said they were from the National Office of Statistics for Vaccinations (or something very similar). They told the staff member that calls were recorded and claimed that there was no evidence on the national database that the
employee had received their flu jab. The caller then asked for the employees date of birth, 1st line of address and Postcode. The staff member explained that they
were not happy to pass on their details due to a high number of scams. The caller then asked for the employees NHS number in order to confirm their identity. The caller gave a fake telephone number.