Our patients are our top priority and we are doing all that we can to ensure that they are receiving the right care in the right place.
This week we shared the great news that the Trust has submitted plans for a modular ward extension at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH).
If the plans for the two-storey extension are approved, there will be two wards for patients who need further care to recover from illness or injury after a stay in hospital, and to increase resilience.
The hospital’s current rehabilitation and recovery unit, which provides general rehabilitation for people who no longer need acute hospital care but, for example, who have had a stroke or experienced loss of mobility or function due to trauma, will also relocate to this new building.
Care at both the rehabilitation and recovery unit at RSH and Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford is provided by Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.
These plans are one of many to meet the needs of our communities and the extra capacity will also help our resilience during times of extreme pressure, helping to reduce delays and waiting times for patients.
This week is National Healthcare Science Week and it is a time when we recognise those who work behind the scenes and ensure our patients get the best possible care.
We are acknowledging the incredible work of our healthcare scientists who play a crucial role in patient care, diagnosis and treatment.
We have more than 350 healthcare science staff working across around 50 different specialties ranging from Audiology, Medical Engineering all the way through to Medical Physics.
Thank you to all of them and please look out on our social media channels to find out more about these fascinating and critical roles.
Last week, the results of the NHS Staff Survey 2023 were released. This is an annual survey and I would like to thank all my colleagues who took part and shared their valuable feedback.
The feedback helps us understand what it feels like to work at our Trust and set our improvement goals for the year ahead.
We are pleased to have shown improvement in all areas of the NHS People Promise. This shows we are making a difference, but we recognise that there is more work to do and will strive to make further improvements.
It is important that we make our Trust a great place to work and receive care for everyone.
We also recently recognised at a presentation evening 16 aspiring healthcare individuals who have completed the Volunteer to Career (VtC) Programme in midwifery at the Trust.
Volunteers on the most recent midwifery programme have collectively accumulated over 1,000 hours of volunteering on the antenatal and postnatal wards. This has allowed them to experience what life is like in the clinical setting of Maternity Services whilst offering additional support for patients and staff.
This programme has been instrumental in connecting our hospitals with our local communities by attracting people from all walks of life to the programme.
We are now recruiting to the first cohort for Radiotherapy. A Therapeutic Radiographer is an allied health professional (AHP) who has undergone specific training to be able to deliver radiotherapy for patients undergoing treatment for cancer.
This programme will give volunteers a great insight into this profession. The Trust is holding an online event to find out more on Thursday 21 March 2024 6pm-7pm. If you would like more information about the programme email sath.volunteers@nhs.net