News

We have received the Silver Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) award from the Ministry of Defence. The award recognises how the Trust supports the armed forces community.

The Defence ERS offers awards at 3 levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Employers also need to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Trust signed the Armed Forces Covenant in December 2021. It achieved the Bronze award in 2022.

Chief Medical Officer, Adrian Flynn is the Trust's armed forces network executive sponsor. He said:

“The achievement of the Silver award is a positive step forward for the Trust. We are working hard to always offer prompt access to the right treatment and support to people from the armed forces.

"Through our involvement with the scheme, we have made positive changes to how we recruit. In response to feedback, we now offer assessment days and guarantee interviews for candidates from the armed forces who meet a role's core criteria. We have improved links with reserve and cadet units. We also offer paid leave for training. I hope this helps us retain colleagues with past or present links to the armed forces and allows us to benefit from the wealth of experience and expertise they bring to the NHS.”

The Trust employs almost 70 people with a connection to the armed forces. This includes veterans, reservists, volunteers, or family members.

The Silver award builds on the wider work of the Trust to support this unique community. Both Camborne Redruth and Helston community hospitals proudly display Veteran Aware plaques. This demonstrates how they are going above and beyond to support the armed forces community. Falmouth and Newquay community hospitals are now working towards accreditation. The Trust intends to build on these achievements across all its community hospitals.

The Trust is now working towards the Gold ERS award.

Read Trust recognised for its support of armed forces community…

Events are taking place across Cornwall to celebrate colleagues who have worked with the NHS for 25 years or more.

The events are being hosted by the Trust.

The Trust manages mental health and adult community services within the county.

“We have been working with our staff on how we can improve employee recognition.

“From this month we have started to celebrate and give recognition for the long service of our staff. We have held 2 events at the Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf Club and the Penventon Park Hotel. We have more events in the pipeline.”

Fiona Duguid, Trust Retention Officer

30 colleagues who have worked with the NHS for 25 years or more were celebrated. This equates to 750 years.

Trust staff enjoyed a lunch and were thanked by Chief Executive, Debbie Richards and Chair, Margaret Schwarz for their long service and commitment to providing quality healthcare to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“You are the epitome of the NHS. You are loyal, dedicated, and hardworking employees. You are the foundation of the NHS. Every one of you, no matter what roles you do, are important and we, collectively, cannot thank you enough.”

Debbie Richards, Chief Executive

Henry Cameron is a consultant psychiatrist for older adults. He joined the NHS in August 1998.

Alongside his role, Henry supports and supervises junior psychology doctors. He was nominated supervisor of the year in 2020.

Henry attended the 25-year celebration at the Penventon Park Hotel in Redruth.

Dr Sally Thomas is also a consultant psychiatrist for older adults. She works alongside Henry and her words were read out at the event.

“Henry is a highly respected colleague. He is valued for the compassion, kindness, energy, and wisdom he brings to the care of older people with mental health needs in Cornwall.

“Henry is an enthusiastic trainer and educator. He has successfully taken on a variety of extra roles with the medical school and as an educational supervisor.

“He is regularly described to others as the nicest doctor in the NHS. But the word ‘nicest’ does not describe the combination of the most humble, supportive, kind, generous, dedicated, and good-humoured colleague you could ever wish to have.”

Speaking of the celebration, Henry said:

“I would like to say thank you for the efforts made to mark the 25-year milestone.

“It was nice to hear from some of our colleagues and the positive feedback from our peers. These things can often go unsaid, and it helps with morale and purpose.

“It was a great opportunity to get together and talk with others about their careers.”

Sally Shenton is a tissue viability clinical nurse. Sally qualified in 1998 and this September will be celebrating 26 years of working in the NHS.

It was a privilege to be invited to the 25-year NHS service event and receive a beautiful award as recognition of my service to the NHS.

“The service was very moving and made me feel appreciated for the demanding work I do. It made me feel proud to have achieved 25 years’ service.

“I love being a nurse and really making a difference to my patients. Despite the challenges that working in the NHS brings, I would not want to do anything else. I am fortunate to work within a fantastic team in beautiful Cornwall and consider myself lucky to be doing something I love every day.”

Vanessa Whyte is a cognitive behavioural therapist in our Early Intervention for Psychosis Team. Vanessa also attended the Penventon Park Hotel event.

“It was nice to go along to the awards and share the celebration of our long service together with colleagues.

“Working in the NHS is a vocation. We do it because we care. It means a lot to have our work appreciated by the organisation."

Read NHS Trust celebrates over 750 years of staff service…

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…

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…

The Trust is delighted to have received highly commended in 2 categories at this week’s Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards.

Set up by the charity Parkinson’s UK, the awards celebrate outstanding health and social care services for people with Parkinson’s.

The Trust received highly commended for the ‘Innovation in Practice’ award. This follows a successful project to cut waiting times for medication for people with Parkinson’s. It was also highly commended for the ‘Sharing Learning and Education’ category. This project promotes physical activity and exercise for people living with Parkinson’s.

In March 2021, we began a new project with the aim of reducing waiting times for medication. It wanted to ensure that people with Parkinson’s received their medication within 30 minutes of being prescribed.

To achieve this the team brought in a new and improved method to be used across the Trust. The Parkinson’s Service have been working with our Education Department. Training is in place for all ward-based staff to support the project.

So far there has been a 13% reduction in medications received outside the 30-minute window. 5 wards have achieved the gold standard target of all medications received within 30 minutes.

“It is great that this project has been recognised. It has been beneficial for people with Parkinson’s. With plans in place to continue this ongoing project we hope it can help many more.

“We are 1 of 3 services nationally to be nominated for this award, and to receive highly commended is great.” Lynne Osborne, Consultant Nurse

The Trust was also highly commended in the ‘Sharing Learning and Education’ category. This project aims to help people with Parkinson’s lead active lifestyles.

Since 2019, the Trust’s partnership with Active Cornwall has helped the team provide high quality training of new Parkinson’s friendly providers. This is thanks to an evidence-based and sustained approach to training.

The project has also built greater awareness of Parkinson’s, showing the value of exercise. It has also opened up new paths for people living with Parkinson’s, with a range of activities to choose from. This also means people are able to self-manage in a highly active and fun way.

“The Trust is passionate about promoting and supporting physical activity and exercise for people living with Parkinson’s.

“By collaborating with Active Cornwall, we were able to expand our work and improve the opportunities for our patients to be more active in a variety of ways, right across the county.

“The project has been a great success both for people with Parkinson’s in Cornwall and the team. The team’s highly commended at the Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards is a fantastic way to spread the word about what we have achieved so far.” Sophia Hulbert, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Parkinson's

The awards ceremony took place at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Wednesday 22 November.

“To hear we have received highly commended not once but twice at the Parkinson's Excellence Network Awards fills me with great pride.

"As a Trust, our vision is for outstanding care for all. It is great to hear of projects that worked towards supporting that ambition acknowledged nationally.” Debbie Richards, Chief Executive

Read Parkinson’s Service highly commended at national awards…

Today marks Nursing Support Workers Day, and we are delighted to announce that 2 of the Trust’s healthcare support workers have been given national awards.

Zina Haimotu and Lauren Dombrick from St Austell Community Hospital were presented with Chief Nursing Officer Healthcare Support Workers Awards this week.

They received a surprise visit from Ed Cox of NHS England, who read out the moving nominations from their colleagues.

Zina was nominated by senior staff nurse, Stacie May.

"Zina’s potential for development was evident from the very first day she started here.

“Zina consistently demonstrates a high level of care with each patient. She is often the person we go to for information on patients and their visitors.

“Zina has played a huge part in developing our use of the ‘This Is Me’ records that we use on the wards. These documents aim to ensure that we provide personal attentive care and also how we can improve their care.

“Her awareness of every aspect of care, from moving and handling, to dietary requirements, is exemplary.

“Zina can fulfil her everyday role as healthcare assistant, while showing a keenness to develop in any way she can.

“Zina is a real inspiration to her patients and her colleagues. We are consistently receiving positive feedback about her from all team members.

“I can honestly say that we have seen a real improvement in patient care since Zina joined us. She is a great role model to all of our health care assistants and student nurses.” Stacie May

Lauren was nominated by senior staff nurse, Annie Dyson. Annie’s nomination read:

“The term compassion is something Lauren encapsulates. Not just for the patients in her care but their loved ones and also her colleagues. Her outstanding level of care is consistent as she demonstrates the values of our ward. On the Harold White ward, we strive for excellent patient care and Lauren meets this daily.

“Lauren has this magical skill of understanding each patient and their emotional and physical needs. She reads an atmosphere and provides the patient with whatever it is that would improve their day.

“I consider Lauren to be one of the most professional, kind, and genuine people I have every come across. I have seen Lauren comfort her colleagues when needed and if there is a challenge in another bay Lauren will be the one to step forward and provide that calm element while achieving the goal of making sure everybody is safe and happy.

“We do have some patients with challenging behaviours and I often delegate their care to Lauren, particularly if they have cognitive issues such as dementia. I sometimes get quite emotional watching Lauren with patients that are struggling psychologically. She has the power of turning that emotion into a positive thing and building that rapport, which their families find reassuring.”

Zina admitted the award had come as a complete surprise after she was asked to come into work on her day off.

“I am honoured to receive this award. It’s a big surprise. The ward sister asked me if I was available on Monday. It’s my day off but I said yes. I thought I was in trouble, but she said ‘no, you’re not in trouble!’

“I am not very good at receiving praise, so today I was gobsmacked. Coming into work and giving that care to our patients, it is very rewarding to know that we recognised.

“I love interacting with patients and working really well with our team. It’s a lovely feeling to help. Giving that extra care and seeing patients go home with happiness makes me happy.”

Lauren was also in complete shock after she was presented with her award.

“It was a surprise; I was not expecting it at all. I’m very honoured and emotional.

“I think when you’re doing your normal day-to-day job you do not realise what people are thinking of you.

“It was amazing to hear (the nomination). I love interacting with the patients, getting to know them and hearing their stories. A lot of the patients are elderly so hear about their stories from the past, their family stories. I just enjoy making their days better in any way I can really. I’ve always wanted to look after people.”

Read Healthcare support workers receive surprise awards…

The Trust is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted for 2 awards at this week’s Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards.

Set up by the charity Parkinson’s UK, the awards celebrate outstanding health and social care services for people with Parkinson’s.

The Trust has been shortlisted for the ‘Innovation in Practice’ award. This follows a successful project to cut waiting times for medication for people with Parkinson’s. It has also been shortlisted in the ‘Sharing Learning and Education’ category. This project promotes physical activity and exercise for people living with Parkinson’s.

In March 2021, we began a new project with the aim of reducing waiting times for medication. It wanted to ensure that people with Parkinson’s received their medication within 30 minutes of being prescribed.

To achieve this the team brought in a new and improved method to be used across the Trust. The Parkinson’s Service have been working with our Education Department. Training is in place for all ward-based staff to support the project.

So far there has been a 13% reduction in medications received outside the 30-minute window. 5 wards have achieved the gold standard target of all medications received within 30 minutes.

“It is great that this project has been recognised. It has been beneficial for people with Parkinson’s. With plans in place to continue this ongoing project we hope it can help many more.

“We are 1 of 3 services nationally to be nominated for this award, which is great.” Lynne Osborne, Consultant Nurse

The Trust has also been shortlisted in the ‘Sharing Learning and Education’ category. This project aims to help people with Parkinson’s lead active lifestyles.

Since 2019, the Trust’s partnership with Active Cornwall has helped the team provide high quality training of new Parkinson’s friendly providers. This is thanks to an evidence-based and sustained approach to training.

The project has also built greater awareness of Parkinson’s, showing the value of exercise. It has also opened up new paths for people living with Parkinson’s, with a range of activities to choose from. This also means people are able to self-manage in a highly active and fun way.

“The Trust is passionate about promoting and supporting physical activity and exercise for people living with Parkinson’s.

“By collaborating with Active Cornwall, we were able to expand our work and improve the opportunities for our patients to be more active in a variety of ways, right across the county.

“The project has been a great success both for people with Parkinson’s in Cornwall and the team. The team’s shortlisting for the final round of the Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards is a fantastic way to spread the word about what we have achieved so far.” Sophia Hulbert, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Parkinson's

The awards ceremony takes place at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Wednesday 22 November.

“To hear we have been shortlisted not once but twice for the Parkinson's Excellence Network Awards fills me with great pride.

"As a Trust, our vision is for outstanding care for all. It is great to hear of projects that worked towards supporting that ambition acknowledged nationally.” Debbie Richards, Chief Executive

Read Parkinson’s Service shortlisted for national awards…

The Health Service Journal has shortlisted a local clinical pathway for the Modernising Diagnostics Award.

Camborne Redruth Community Hospital is the base for this. The pathway diagnoses and treats low acuity chest pain.

The community hospital assesses patients and offers senior medical advice.

The pathway is available to patients throughout Cornwall. It provides an alternative care setting for over 100 patients and reducing the pressure on the emergency department.

The patient is then referred back to their local primary care team or referred into the hospital if they require more specialised cardiology review. Over 1,000 people have taken part in the pathway.

“The aim of this pathway is to provide same-day emergency care for patients with low acuity chest pain.

“An episode of chest pain can be very alarming for patients.

“It is important to always seek medical advice from a healthcare professional as there are urgent important investigations that need to be carried out on the same day.

“A patient who has presented to their primary care team or calls 999 will be reviewed and have an ECG done by the initial team.

“If the ECG does not show an acute heart attack and the pain has settled, then the patient is referred to the low acuity chest pain pathway. Even with a normal ECG there can still be concerns with the heart and so further blood test need to be carried out urgently.

“The patient is then looked at and cared for in one of our community hospitals.” Dr Janine Glazier, Associate Medical Director

The new technology allows health care professionals to take blood and put it through a handheld machine.

This provides results within 10 minutes and saves a trip to an acute hospital to access this important test

"Health care professionals use an Atellica Patient-Side Analyzer to see if there has been any damage to the heart muscle.

“They then conduct blood tests and investigate other causes of chest pain. This can include chest infections, stomach ulcers, and joint inflammation.” Dr Janine Glazier, Associate Medical Director

The pathway runs in collaboration with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

It uses their specialists in chemical pathology, cardiology, and emergency care. The patient is referred to an acute cardiology team if they need more care.

Their GP is told the results and changes to medication on the same day.

“Chest pain is the main reason many go to the emergency department. 8 in 10 people go home after a day or less.

“Our pathway treats patients in the community to free up the emergency department and ambulance service for those distressed and in pain.

“The pilot is a success. The patient is seen closer to home in a quiet and calm place.

“Where appropriate This is much better for our patients, especially those who are frail and elderly.” Dr Janine Glazier, Associate Medical Director

The trial has also cut the numbers of people admitted to hospital. The pathway is now in West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and the Isles of Scilly. Bodmin will soon follow.

The Health Service Journal will announce the award winners on 16 November 2023 in London.

Read Chest pain pathway shortlisted for national award…

The Trust is delighted to announce that 2 of its members from the Practice Education Team have been shortlisted for national awards.

Becky McSorley, Lead Practice Educator, and Kerry Siau, Practice Educator, will attend the Nursing Times Workforce Summit and Awards in London on 21 November.

Becky has been shortlisted for Manager of the Year (non-clinical). Kerry has been shortlisted in the Practice Educator of the Year category.

Kerry’s role as practice educator means she supports mental health and learning disability students. This includes arranging the placements for students to attend. She also offers pastoral support while they are on placements.

It is a highly demanding role, which covers a wide area of students. The Practice Education Team has 4 groups of students that they work with. They include nursing students and apprentices from Exeter University, Plymouth University, the Open University, University of West of England, and Truro and Penwith College.

Becky manages the team, which currently has 79 students on placements across Devon and Cornwall. She also manages the staff supporting work experience, early careers, and induction training programmes.

“It is fantastic for us both to be nominated for the awards. It is also good for Cornwall and the Trust. We have difficulty recruiting people down here. Some people want to stay in Cornwall and some people want to come to Cornwall. This is why our apprenticeship opportunities are so important. It also allows them to earn a wage while learning and gaining a qualification. They allow our current staff to undertake development pathways without having to leave Cornwall. They also offer real career opportunities to attract new staff into the organisation.

“If you live in somewhere like Bristol you have 4 or 5 Trusts around. It is much more difficult down here. It is good that we are getting the message across about Cornwall. How good we are, how advanced we are and how professional we are. That will hopefully make people think that Cornwall is a good place to come and work.” Becky McSorley

The awards recognise the excellent work of the Practice Education Team and the progress which has been made.

“The way that we have built up our apprenticeships is great to see. We have just started some new external apprentices. They are starting their registered nurse degree apprenticeships and nursing associate apprenticeships.

“In total we have 63 across adult mental health. That is another new load of people coming in, who will hopefully qualify and be our nurses and nursing associates of the future. A lot of hard work goes into that recruitment.

“It is very rewarding, especially when you see some of our apprentices graduating. We have supported them throughout their journey. Some of them we have already recruited, so it is fantastic.” Becky McSorley

The Practice Education Team continue to support students even after they have graduated.

Becky explains: “We support them when they are newly qualified. We see them once a month, into the autumn period and again later in the year.”

There has been more good news for Kerry. She has earned a place on the chief nursing officers research fellowship. This begins at the end of September.

“I will be released alternate Thursday for the academic year to look at a project that I want to develop. The thing that I am looking at is CLIP (collaborative learning impact in practice). This involves putting more students into a clinical environment and them learning their skills using a coaching model.

“They have that peer support, so they are on shift together. Lots of the adult wards do it already. We are looking at bringing it in to mental health.

“We want to look at how the students find it, the staff, and possibly the patients as well. Does having more students on a shift impact patient care? Does it reduce the use of medication? These are the things we want to look at.” Kerry Siau, Practice Educator

Becky and Kerry have played a big part in the Practice Education Team’s success. But Becky insists the whole team deserve credit.

“Without the team of staff that I have I would not be able to do my job. I really appreciate the work of all my team. They are absolute stars, every single one of them. I try and make sure they know how appreciated they are.

“It is important to recognise that it is a very stressful environment working in healthcare. Although we are based in head office we are still dealing with patients. We are working with the individuals who support patients with their difficulties. They have their own difficulties and frustrations through their development journey.

“The benefit of having such a supportive team is that we support each other. If I have a challenging day then I know they will support me. And in return that is what I do with them to make sure they have that time and support. Without doing that they cannot be the best that they can be at work.”

Read Trust members shortlisted for national awards…

We are delighted to announce that the Trust’s Ageing Well Team have been shortlisted at this year’s Nursing Times Awards.

With life expectancy increasing, so has the number of older people with complex health and care needs. These patients are cared for in nearly all health and social care settings.

A growing older population is driving greater demand for health and care services. But there are also opportunities to improve health in later life. There is also a chance to develop more appropriate services that may reduce demand for more expensive care.

The Trust’s Ageing Well Education and Coaching Programme aims to meet the ever-changing demands in community healthcare. This includes training staff to give them the knowledge and confidence to assess patients, who may be frail or have more complex conditions.

As an accelerator site for the national Ageing Well Programme the investment has allowed them to provide additional, enhanced skills to the community. They are also keen to enhance the existing workforce and their clinical knowledge.

The work of the programme has now been recognised nationally after it was shortlisted in the Care of Older People category. The awards take place in London in October.

“The programme is trying to meet the changing needs in community healthcare. It has changed hugely over the last 20 years. Patients are more complex. If you are over 65 you are more likely to have 3 long-term conditions than 1.

“Most of the clinical workforce have not had the opportunity to develop their knowledge to meet the changing complexity of the patients they are responding to. The intention of the programme is to increase the confidence and skills of existing clinicians to meet the needs of patients in health crisis. Or with multiple long-term conditions, alongside varying health professionals.

“We did not want it to be just for registered nurses. We wanted it to be across the board for all our clinical workers. The joy of the Ageing Well Programme is that we have a collaborative learning environment with both registered and unregistered nurses. This is alongside occupational therapists, dieticians, and podiatrists. It is also not just for the general workforce. We have also had students who work in mental health. It is a lovely model of multi-disciplinary working and mutual learning.

“We are valuing education and investing in the ability to release our staff for training. This award nomination recognises the hard work which has gone into the design and delivery of the programme. It also commends our team of clinical facilitators and programme manager. It also recognises the investment of all the students who have taken part in this training.

“As far as we are aware nobody else in the country is doing something this robust. What we are also trying to do is take the pressure off the teams by not having everybody out of their clinical area for too long. There are 5 face to face taught days. The real learning takes place in the students’ work environment with individual coaching from the clinical facilitators.

“Some of the other candidates that are in the shortlist are really impressive. It will be good to talk to them and learn from each other. It will be a really good network opportunity.” Marie Prior, Clinical Lead for Frailty and Ageing Well

The team is made up of 3 clinical facilitators, which consists of a physiotherapist, with experience in rehabilitation and reablement, a nurse with a background in long-term conditions, and a mental health practitioner.

Marie adds: “This coaching model which reflects our multi-disciplinary approach is supported by Sue Blake. She is our programme manager and has invested time and commitment in enabling us to set up the programme and in enabling me to design it.

“We were really fortunate to be an accelerator site for the national Ageing Well Programme. This gave us investment to put in additional, enhanced skills to the community. But what we were really eager to do was also enhance the existing workforce and their clinical knowledge.

“The Ageing Well Programme with educational coaching is to support our existing workforce and give them greater confidence. It will also give them better knowledge to manage the increasing complexity of people we are looking after.”

The Care of Older People award seeks to highlight the excellent care being provided by nursing staff for older patients. It also aims to shine a light on innovation in an area that is far too often ignored.

“I think one of the major priorities in the health and social care sector now is integration. The integrated place-based approach is really important, but we are also focusing on a skills-led approach. That is really about equipping staff with those skills to enable them to work with versatility and flexibility.

“The journey began before COVID when we started doing quite a detailed skills analysis to look at where the gaps were in clinicians’ knowledge and skills. And also, in terms of their confidence because obviously that is key, particularly when you have staff working in community settings where they are often working in a solitary environment. Confidence is really important to being able to use the skills and knowledge they have.

“We were really grateful to Lucy Clement, Associate Director of Community and Nursing, for encouraging us to apply. One of our main aims in applying was to be able to increase awareness of this other programme which is highly transferable.

“It can be quite easily picked up by a range of organisations, including health and social care, voluntary and community sectors. Its potential is huge, and we wanted to have the opportunity to share that on a national programme.” Sue Blake, Programme Support Manager

Read Ageing Well Team are Nursing Times Awards finalists…