News

The Trust’s Alan Jervis will embark on a gruelling 360-mile journey on Cornwall’s coast paths in May to raise money for charity.

Alan, who is head of education for the Trust, is raising money for 3 local charities. They are Penhaligon’s Friends, Cornwall Mind, and Touch Eldoret. At the time of writing, he has already surpassed his £1,000 target.

Alan will be setting off from Porthtowan on 18 May. He will head west on the north coast, before making his way along the south coast towards the Cornwall-Devon border. His journey will continue in-land up to the north coast, before finishing back in Porthtowan.

The challenge will take around 2 weeks to complete. Alan will be carrying a small tent and all the essentials needed for camping along the route.

“I’m hoping to run around Cornwall. So, all of the coastal path and also the stretch from Plymouth up to north Cornwall. I’ll be camping along the way in a bivvy bag and just being pretty self-sufficient. I hope to get it done in around 2 weeks; fingers crossed.

“I will set off and aim to do around 40 kilometres a day, so that’s usually around 25 to 26 miles per day. It’s the coastal path for the majority of it so it’s pretty hilly. Over the 2 weeks I’ll probably complete around 18,000 metres of climb. Each day is going to be pretty tough.”

Alan has always been a keen runner and has taken part in many marathons. Due to health reasons, he was forced to take a break from running. But after receiving treatment for a heart condition in 2020, he is once again donning the running shoes.

“There’s a couple of reasons why I’m doing the challenge. I’ve always ran and done lots of marathons, but I have not done anything for charity in that time. I thought it was about time I did something for charity.

“I have suffered from atrial fibrillation for a number of years and that impacted on my running for about 10 years until I got it corrected in 2020. That will return at some point, so I just wanted to get this challenge done while I’m still fit and healthy really.

“The training is going pretty well. I started properly in January, so we’re a couple of months in now. There’s no major niggles or injuries at the moment, so I just hope that continues.”

Alan set up a donations page at the beginning of the year, with all proceeds going to his 3 chosen charities.

“Penhaligon’s Friends do really great work to support bereaved children and their families in Cornwall.

“The second is Cornwall Mind. They are a mental health and wellbeing charity.

“The third is a charity I am involved in called Touch Eldoret. They support health and employment projects in a small village in Kenya. At the moment we help send 4 or 5 children to school, who would not otherwise receive any education.”

If you are interested in making a donation you can visit Alan’s ‘Givewheel’ page.

Read Alan’s Cornwall coast challenge for charity…

A student nurse has spoken of her pride after being shortlisted for 3 national awards.

Jenita Loheswaran is currently in her third year studying a BSc in Nursing at the University of Plymouth’s Truro campus. She is working as a registered nursing associate for the Trust.

Jenita also has a Biomedical Sciences degree from the University of Plymouth and studied as a degree apprentice for her Nursing Associate qualification.

The Student Nursing Times Awards take place in London on Friday 26 April. The awards bring together the nursing and midwifery community to shine a light on the brightest talent making their way into the profession.

Jenita has been shortlisted in 3 categories. They are Student Nurse of the Year (Adult); Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs; and the Mary Seacole Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion.

She says: “It’s an absolute privilege and an honour to be shortlisted for 3 of the awards. It actually started 2 years ago when I first heard about the awards. I was nominated in the category of trainee nursing associate student of the year by a colleague, which was really lovely.

“Some of my lecturers suggested I apply myself this year. I did not have much confidence in myself, so just gave it a go thinking nothing of it. Then I got 3 emails through, and I could not quite believe it. To be able to go to the finals in London next month will be amazing.”

Judging begins this week, and will involve interviews with all nominees in London.

Jenita adds: “It’s very exciting. I’ve been lucky enough to be shortlisted in 3 categories. 1 of the categories is the Mary Seacole Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion, which is incredible.

“Another award I’ve been nominated for is Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs and the final award I have been nominated for is Adult Student Nurse of the Year. 3 amazing categories to be nominated in and cannot quite believe it.”

Jenita is clearly passionate about her chosen profession. But what is it that really drives her?

She reveals: “It sounds a bit cliché but really making a difference and helping patients. I think being on both sides of it I really see the differences that healthcare professionals make.

“I’m really passionate about promoting inclusion and diversity within healthcare, especially down here in the south west.

“I’ve got a huge passion about widening participation as well. Coming from very humble beginnings myself I feel it’s really important to encourage students of the future to make their way into healthcare. I’d love to support healthcare students of the future.”

Jenita admits that 1 day she would like to return to the classroom and pass on her knowledge to student nurses of the future.

She says: “This is my third degree with the University of Plymouth so I’m ready to take a little bit of a break now! I think I will be a nurse for a little bit because I have worked long and hard to get here. I’ll be a nurse for a few years but eventually I’d like to come full circle and become a lecturer, so fingers crossed that happens.”

Read Trust student nurse shortlisted for 3 national awards…

With this accreditation the hospital has demonstrated that it can offer a range of care services for the Armed Forces community.

The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance is a group of NHS providers, including acute, mental health, community, and ambulance trusts. It encourages providers to identify those patients with an armed forces background. By doing this the Trust can offer access to specific veterans’ health services, including mental health, hearing loss, limb amputation and wheelchairs.

At a ceremony to mark the occasion, a plaque was unveiled by Trust chief executive Debbie Richards and matron Lynda McHale.

Those attending the event included:

• Trust and NHS colleagues
• veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces, including the commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose, captain Stuart Irwin
• local teachers
• members of forces’ charities, including SSAFA and Scotty’s Little Soldiers; Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes, the Royal Air Force Association, the Army Benevolent Fund
• MP Derek Thomas

Neill Wilson is a progress coordinator at Helston Community Hospital. He is also an Armed Forces service champion for the Trust.

“I’m very proud. It has been a lot of work over a long period of years.

“Veteran Aware status comes from the Armed Forces covenant. It has been awarded to us for our work with serving and veterans in the wider local community. We can signpost and support them as they come in to the hospital system.

“It’s not just inpatients that receive support, it is the people that live in the community. The community matrons support veterans as well, the district nurses do, so it’s all of our services that we provide here at this unit.

“If you get either a serving or an Armed Forces veteran coming to the hospital, and they see the Veteran Aware sign they will know that they will be supported.

“For example, if they have orthopaedic issues, they can be fast-tracked for knee replacements, hip replacements. Also, if they need any support at home, we can signpost them to the charities that support them in that way.”

Debbie Richards was joined by matron Lynda McHale as the Veteran Aware plaque was unveiled on Monday. Helston also has the honour of being the first unit to include the King’s crown on the plaque.

“This is indeed a very special occasion. Our Trust is committed to ensuring we promote the welfare of veterans, both in terms of our patients, people who use our services, but also the staff we have amongst us in our organisation. We benefit enormously from what all of those veterans bring to our organisation.

“Over the last few years, we have been setting up staff networks, one of which is the veterans network, so an additional thank you to them for all their hard work and keeping us on track in these very busy times.

“Being focused on all the work we need to do, not just to improve patient care and accessibility to services, but also to ensure we truly recognise the value that our veteran colleagues bring to the Trust, and what more we can do to support them to thrive in the workplace.”

Minister of state for veterans’ affairs, the right honourable Johnny Mercer MP paid tribute to the Trust for their work in achieving Veteran Aware status.

Today is a special day for the residents of Helston, as the community hospital receives Veteran Aware status.

“Having signed the Armed Forces Covenant in December 2021, I know how committed the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is to our Armed Forces community, and I wish want to thank the team, and in particular Neill Wilson, the Armed Forces Staff Champion, and Derek Thomas, your local MP, for his ongoing work in this space.

“The unveiling of the plaque represents another step forward to encouraging more veterans to come forward and say they served, as doing so will help to ensure that they receive the care that’s right for them.”

Read Helston Community Hospital receives Veteran Aware status…

From this week (18 March 2024), Newquay Minor Injury Unit will open from 8am to 8pm from Friday to Tuesday. The unit will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which are its quietest days.

"We have had to make what we hope will be a short-term change to our opening hours after several members of the team left. However, we are pleased to announce that our recruitment campaign has been a success. We have new minor injury unit practitioners joining us soon.

"We will continue to review the operational running of our minor injury unit while our new practitioners undergo the necessary training.

"In the meantime, our x-ray department has also been going through a major refurbishment. This will see the installation of new digital x-ray equipment which will give clinicians access to faster, better quality images." Matron Rebecca Tica

What does this mean for local residents?

Newquay’s Minor Injury Unit will continue to be available 5 days a week from 8am to 8pm.

The unit will continue to treat a range of minor illnesses and injuries which have occurred during the last 14 days, including:

• sprains and strains
• minor fractures
• traumatic wound infections (not surgical wounds)
• minor burns and scalds
• head injuries (where the person has not been unconscious)
• insect and animal bites and stings
• minor eye injuries
• cuts, bruising and grazes
• suspected infections, for example eye, ear, skin, throat (when GPs are closed). Nearly all pharmacies also offer a minor illness service. Find your nearest pharmacy and check opening hours.

When the unit in Newquay is closed alternative units are available 7 days a week:

• Bodmin from 8am to 10pm
• Camborne Redruth from 8am to 10pm
• St Austell from 8am and 8pm

Visit the Trust’s website for live opening and waiting times. People who are unsure which service is best can use the NHS 111 symptom checker or call 111, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

People with life or limb-threatening illnesses or injuries should call 999. This includes:

• patients who have suffered a head injury with loss of consciousness or who are on blood thinners
• breathing difficulties
• chest pain without injury
• stroke symptoms
• abdominal pain
• severe bleeding

Read Newquay Minor Injury Unit temporarily reduces its opening hours…

On National No Smoking Day, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to announce that it has signed the NHS Smokefree Pledge.

The Pledge was created by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). It was set up by the Royal College of Physicians to end the harm caused by smoking.

ASH provides NHS organisations with a platform to show their support for a smokefree NHS. By raising awareness, it aims to help more smokers in their attempts to quit.

We, as a Trust, welcome the Pledge, which not only aims to help people stop smoking but create an environment to help them to do so.

The Trust also offers support to staff and patients who are looking to quit.

The Pledge was signed by the Trust’s chief medical officer, Adrian Flynn, chief executive Debbie Richards and chair Margaret Schwarz.

Adrian says: “The Trust is proud to support the NHS Smokefree Pledge. By signing this pledge, we hope to raise awareness and encourage smokers to take those first steps in attempting to quit.”

Last year the NHS Smokefree Pledge was relaunched to bring it into line with the Government’s target for England to be smokefree by 2030.

Almost 75,000 people die from smoking related diseases each year in England. Smoking accounts for over one-third of all deaths from respiratory disease, one quarter of all deaths from cancer and over one tenth of all deaths caused by circulatory diseases.

On average, smoking reduces life expectancy by 10 years. If hospitalised, people who smoke are more likely to require longer stays and need intensive care after surgery.

Smoking costs the NHS around £2.4 billion each year through smoking-related hospital admissions and the cost of treating smoking related illness via primary care services.

Delivering the NHS Smokefree Pledge will not only bring us closer to targets to reduce smoking rates but save tens of thousands of lives and billions of pounds in NHS resources.

Read Trust marks No Smoking Day with NHS Smokefree Pledge…

Bodmin Community Assessment Treatment Unit (CATU) has a small garden area for patients. It provides a peaceful place for people to relax in. For others it’s also a chance to do a spot of gardening, and a way to pass the time during their stay.

Jayne Parkin is a meaningful activities coordinator at the unit. She likes to get patients involved in the garden area. One day, Jayne took a patient in a wheelchair out to the garden to do some planting. But due to the patient being in a wheelchair, they were unable to reach the planter.

But all that is about to change following the installation of new, raised planters. This means the area is now accessible to all patients, including those in wheelchairs. The planting area was designed and made by students from Bodmin College. The materials were donated by local businesses.

The college was approached by staff from CATU, and they were happy to help. Students were provided with materials, including wood and compost. They were donated by RGB Building Supplies and Bond Timber.

Yaz Andrews is ward manager at the CATU. She says: “It is absolutely fantastic. It’s wonderful that as a community we have come together to create these areas for patients to enjoy.”

Construction students at Bodmin College were challenged by their tutors to come up with a design as part of their course.

Hannah Stephens is a construction teacher at Bodmin College.

She says: “They (the CATU) needed something accessible so that patients could use it. Our sixth form team came up with a template and it’s nice to see that they are proud of their own work. They are creative kids, and they went straight for it.”

Students Axel, Emily and Toby worked on the project. They were thanked by staff at the CATU for all their hard work.

Axel says: “The planters took us about 2 months (to make). It was something really nice to do. It feels really good that we’re doing something for people that are not well enough to do something. They have got something to do while they’re here, so they’re not just sat in a room bored.”

Emily is also studying construction at Bodmin College.

She added: “I think anyone would agree, doing something for an actual cause is the best thing to do. It’s good to know this could help people’s mental health, and people just in general wanting to get out and do some planting. It’s accessible for everyone at all times. It was very rewarding.”

Peter Derry is a sales representative for RGB Building Supplies. They supplied the wood for the project.

He said: “We were happy to donate any materials we could to support. RGB are always at the heart of the community, and we try to support organisations where we can. Bodmin Hospital is very close to my heart. My father was in Garner Ward. I’ve experienced the hospital and wonderful things it does.”

Read Students make gardening more accessible to patients…

Trust nurse Charity Gladstone has praised “courageous” and “purposeful” women after picking up her Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Charity was named in the King’s New Year’s Honours list for services to nursing. She received the award from the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace last week.

Charity chose International Women's Day to share photos on social media. She also paid tribute to her late mother.

“Receiving an MBE from Princess Royal Anne was a significant moment for myself and my community this week. I dedicate this to my late mother Darly Mhone. My first coach and mentor of self-belief and confidence”.

Charity explained that her outfit was made by her brother's wife, Mrs Dr Titha: "Wearing the attire for the occasion held special significance. It made me feel as though my late mother was as there beside me".

Charity also wrote about her work: “I am committed to advancing the nursing and healthcare agenda within my circle of influence. It is an honour”.

She then paid tribute to other women: “I salute all women out there who are courageous, purposeful, and unafraid to accelerate other women and marginalised groups to achieve equity”.

Charity moved to the UK from Malawi in 2000. Since then, she has held many roles in the NHS. These include working in critical care and as a matron in the community.

Charity is now an advanced nurse practitioner for the Trust. She also co-chairs our Ethnic Minorities Employee Network Group.

Charity is only the third person from Malawi to receive the Honour.

Read Trust nurse shares MBE moment on International Women’s Day…

Some familiar and some new faces are being welcomed to the Council of Governors this month.

The Trust has 4 new governors. A further 2 governors have been re-elected. The Trust provides a range of mental health and physical health services to children and adults across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, working from community hospitals and people's homes.

The Trust welcomes Andy Jago and Alison Shaw to its East Constituency. Both Andy and Alison are familiar to the Trust. Andy is a third-generation psychiatric nurse (retired). He was one of the Trust's first Governors. At that time he represented the Staff Constituency. He stood for election as a governor to champion the voice of patients and carers.

Alison Shaw also returns to the Council of Governors. Alison, first held the role in 2019 representing the Trust's Other Constituency. She put herself forward to be a governor after she retired and returned to Cornwall.

Hannah Snelling and Nigel Walker were both re-elected. They hold seats in the East and West Constituencies respectively.

The Staff Constituency welcomes Richard Laugharne and Helen Woods. Richard is a semi-retired Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of Research. Helen is Head of Pharmacy.

Margaret Schwarz, Chairs both the Trust's Council of Governors and Board of Directors.

"I am delighted to welcome Alison, Andy, Helen, and Richard to the Council of Governors. I'm also pleased to welcome back Hannah and Nigel. They each bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Trust. They are all great additions to our Council of Governors.

"Thank you to Barry, Fi, Mike and Zoe for the time, effort, and support they gave the Trust during their tenures."

Governors play a key role within a Foundation Trust. They represent the views of patients, the public, staff and partners. They are a key link between the Trust and the communities it serves. They also hold Non-Executive Directors to account for the performance of the Board.

Anyone from the age of 14, including patients, carers and staff are eligible to become members. Members aged 16 and over are eligible to stand as Governors, who if elected hold the position for a 3-year term.

19 people make up the Trust’s Council of Governors. This is broken down into 11 public governors, 4 staff governors, and 4 appointed governors. The Trust's appointed governors represent Cornwall Council, the Council of the Isles of Scilly, Truro and Penwith College, and Volunteer Cornwall.

Read Newly elected governors announced…

Publication of the 2023 staff survey results show over 66% of staff who completed the survey, recommend the Trust as a place to work.

This result places the Trust in the top 3 most improved mental health Trusts nationally. The result is a 7-percentage point improvement on last year’s score. It shows more staff than ever ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they would recommend the Trust as a place to work.

The Trust has improved against every element of the NHS People Promise. It has increased its score in the themes of engagement and morale. The domains of diversity and equality, development, motivation and thinking about leaving also improved.

“The People Promise sets out the things that would most improve our working experience. This covers factors like health and wellbeing support, the opportunity to work flexibly, and to feel we all belong, whatever our role. Having aligned our staff survey to the People Promise in 2021, we’ve seen consistently that the people who work in the NHS are best placed to say when progress has been made towards achieving our People Promise.”

“It is very encouraging and positive to see improvements across our staff survey results. However, we know we have more to do. In the coming days and months, we’ll be looking at the results in more detail. We’ll also ask staff for their thoughts on what needs to be done. We’re particularly interested in how we support the health and wellbeing of colleagues as well as how we use the appraisal process to support and develop them."

Alison Thorne-Henderson, Chief People Officer

“Our staff work incredibly hard every day to support our patients and each other. Our staff and those in our wider system always do their utmost to deliver outstanding care and I am incredibly proud of them.

“Today’s results show we are making year-on-year progress in becoming the organisation our staff and I want us to be.”

Debbie Richards, Chief Executive

The results are published by the Survey Co-ordination Centre.

Read Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s 2023 staff survey results.

Read More staff recommend the Trust as a place to work…

A nursing student from Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has been named as a student ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing.

Olivia Burgess, from St Austell, is in the first year of a BSc (Hons) adult nursing qualification at the University Centre Truro and Penwith.

She is based at St Austell Community Hospital, where she works as a registered nurse degree apprentice.

The Royal College of Nursing is the trade union which represents registered nurses, including student nurses. It is the world’s largest nursing-specific trade union and professional body.

As a student ambassador Olivia, 18, will offer support and guidance to other student nurses.

“The Royal College of Nursing can support student nurses by offering further training opportunities. We can also offer support with university work, assignments, medication management. A Royal College of Nursing rep can also accompany you into meetings if you do not feel supported in your placement and you want to speak to someone about it.

“I realised there was a gap in Cornwall and our access to resources. The Royal College of Nursing is the biggest trade union for nurses and allied health professionals in the UK. Looking at the maps there is not a lot of support for them down in Cornwall. I was inspired on my night shift to bridge the gap, especially for student nurses.

“By having someone like me hanging around, able to speak to you, I can then signpost you in the right direction to receive support, to access resources and further training, as well as to sign you up for the Royal College of Nursing so they can support you further.”

Olivia also hopes her role will give Cornwall’s student nurses a voice on a wider scale.

“I was so passionate about getting Cornwall on the map, especially student nurses. Because of the pressures we are currently facing in this post COVID time there is a bit of a gap for our learning.

“Some new nurses go into their brand-new roles with their pins, and they do not feel like they are supported enough. So, if we can nip that in now and offer better support, better resources and learning development for both our student nurses and our nursing staff with pins it will allow for a closing of the gap in provision across Cornwall.”

Find out how to join the Royal College of Nursing.

Read Nurse Olivia appointed student ambassador at Royal College of Nursing…