Here at the Trust, we are always looking at ways to help our colleagues progress, develop new skills and awareness and lead others. 

This week I would like to congratulate Jamie Henry, a Professional Development Nurse at SaTH – she has completed the Developing Aspirant Ethnic Minority Nursing and Midwifery Leaders (DAL) Programme.

The programme is a regional pilot to support ethnic minority nursing and midwifery staff to develop leadership skills.

Jamie came to the Trust from the Philippines and has worked tirelessly to help educate, train and support our international nurses to take their competence exams.

It was an absolute privilege for me to be Jamie’s Executive Sponsor for the DAL programme. It meant that we worked closely together with Jamie shadowing me but there was so much I learned from her too.

The benefits of the programme are far reaching for both of us. For Jamie it was the skills, knowledge, confidence and academia and for me it was the experiences, the conversation, watching Jamie grow and helping her by ‘opening door and being supportive.’

I can’t sing Jamie’s praises highly enough. She made my role easy – her commitment, courage and professional questioning allowed us to develop a really effective relationship quickly.

The other part of the role was listening to Jamie’s experiences of working within the UK and particularly within rural Shropshire – it really made me think and gain a degree of appreciation of some of the challenges I would never would have considered before speaking with Jamie.

We are also extremely proud of our work with the Armed Forces and we recently received the good news that we have retained our Silver Employer Recognition Award (ERS) for our commitment to support Armed Forces.

The scheme celebrates and recognises employers who actively demonstrate and pledge their support to the Armed Forces community.

We were first presented with the silver award in 2017 and this has now been revalidated. The silver award is given to those employers who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and have demonstrated and communicated supportive behaviour.

At SaTH, we recognise the added value employing veterans and reservists has to the Trust. We have a programme of work that strives to have our Trust recognised as a place where military people wish to work and develop, and where staff are supported to become Reservists if not already when they first join us.

We are seeing an increasing number of patients being cared for in our hospitals with COVID-19 and rising cases in the community. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to take measures to protect yourselves and your loved ones.

If you are eligible for your spring booster or have not had one or all of the vaccinations or booster jabs please take the time to have them as soon as possible. You can book an appointment or pop along to one of the vaccination drop-in clinics. You can book online via the National Booking System or by calling 119. Details of these clinics are available on www.stwics.org.uk.

Other measures include washing your hands regularly, wearing masks and social distancing.

Hayley