safe, secure and here for you

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Issue 7Summer 2020

Safe, Secure and Here for You

In this issue

Salford | Oldham | Bury | Rochdale

Magazine for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group

Page 9CQC praise Swan Bereavement Centre at Fairfield General Hospital

3Celebrating new era in trauma care at Salford

Page 18Annual event supports Rochdale’s homeless

Page 16Toddle for Teddy raises funds for Oldham’s NICU

Please note that many pictures in this edition of The Loop were taken before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that they may not reflect our current strict bio-safety and Infection Control and Prevention measures we have in place on our hospital sites to protect our staff and patients.

Page 5Saying thank you to our #NCAFamily

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Northern Care Alliance NHS Group Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

Chairman’s introduction

Jim Potter, Chairman

As part of plans to invest in and further strengthen the standards and long term sustainability of hospitals currently under The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, new interim management agreements came into effect from 1 April 2020. This means that Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) has taken on responsibility for managing services at North Manchester General Hospital as part of its group and plans for a single hospital service for the city of Manchester and Trafford.

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust continues to manage hospital and community services in Oldham, Bury and Rochdale, in addition to Salford, as part of its Northern Care Alliance NHS Group.

While Salford Royal and MFT are responsible for managing the respective parts of Pennine Acute Trust, these management agreements do not constitute a formal legal transaction. This means that Pennine Acute Trust as a statutory NHS organisation (employer and service provider) continues to exist until plans to dissolve the Trust in 2020/21 conclude and the two transactions are completed. During this period North Manchester services will formally become part of MFT and Oldham, Bury and Rochdale services will formally become part of Salford Royal. The public and patients who receive care and treatment at these PAT hospitals will not be affected by these arrangements as services will continue to be provided by the same staff, in the same locations.

These changes are a result of the plans being made to improve the way patients receive their care, and to ensure that the resources and expertise that we have are being shared and used in the best possible way. We are confident that these changes will give us an opportunity to strengthen the healthcare services we provide across our communities.

Creating a brighter future for PAT hospitals

Welcome to the Summer edition of our Loop magazine. Since our last edition, in February before the pandemic hit, we were delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its latest inspection of hospitals at Oldham, North Manchester, Bury and Rochdale had recognised the significant improvements made over the last three years after it rated the Pennine Acute Trust as ‘Good’.Under Salford Royal’s leadership as part of our Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, the CQC’s assessment means that PAT’s rating and standards of care have improved, year on year, from ‘Inadequate’ in 2016 to overall ‘Good’ in just three years. Of the service areas inspected across the CQC domains, 90% are Good or Outstanding. This is a tremendous achievement and a credit to those staff involved.

True spiritThe NHS, including our organisation, has been at the forefront in the fight against Coronavirus, supporting the communities we serve with unwavering bravery, commitment, skill and compassion. Echoing the sentiment of Raj Jain, our Chief Executive, recently, when we look back on how our staff and services have responded to the pandemic and coped over the past number of months, we do so with an immense sense of pride and admiration.It has been a challenging time for everyone. Our resilience has been tested time and time again yet, day in day out, in the true spirit of our NCA Family, we have never given up on this fight to ensure our patients, service users and our staff remain safe and supported. There is not a single person in our NCA and across the NHS who has not had a part to play and continue to.And it is important that as an organisation we recognise and remember all those we have lost to COVID-19, including staff members of our own NCA Family. Our thoughts are with their families and close colleagues. Despite these strange and testing times, we have experienced first-hand the true acts of kindness and positives that have come out of this situation. This has included the overwhelming support we have received from local communities, including businesses, volunteers, the voluntary sector, our external healthcare partners, families and all those who have supported us on social media, sent letters of thanks and messages of support, and for the fantastic donations that helped and meant so much to our teams. On behalf of our Board and our staff – thank you.

Safe, Secure – Here for youThere have been, and will continue to be, some incredibly difficult times and as we all know, COVID-19 remains with us and a constant battle that we are faced with each and every day both in our hospitals, in the community and in our own homes.The safety and wellbeing of our staff, patients and visitors to our hospitals is our organisation’s top priority. In response to the pandemic, we have put in place a range of measures to ensure our hospitals are safe and secure, and to prevent the spread of the virus. We want everyone to be safe, and feel safe, across our hospitals, whether you are at work or in our care.If you need to come to hospital you will be required to wear a mask and enter our hospitals via a controlled public entrance. You must wash or sanitise your hands on entering and observe social distancing. Our staff will be on hand to advise and support you as we prevent overcrowding in some of our busiest areas such as our emergency departments.

Help us, help youOur staff in our busy A&E departments continue to deal with high demand for our services. We are asking the public to think carefully before attending A&E and consider alternative healthcare services that may better meet your needs, and use NHS 111, or other appropriate local health services, for advice before attending in all but emergency situations. We need to keep our emergency departments free for those who require urgent medical attention and for those with critical or life threatening conditions. We will be prioritising treatment for those who are a genuine emergency case above those with minor conditions.

Finally, details about our Governor elections are on page 19 where we have vacancies for eight public seats and two staff governor seats. If you would like to be a governor, nominations will be open until 1st September. One of the vacancies is at Salford where Dave Pike, our former Lead Governor, has stepped down after eight years as a Public Governor. I would like to thank Dave for his contribution and service.

Thank you once again for your interest and support of the NCA. Please keep safe.


About this editionDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the articles within The Loop were written earlier in the year prior to the pandemic beginning. Other articles are more recent. We wanted to ensure we were able to share with you a broad range of stories from the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group since our last magazine. We hope you enjoy our Summer edition.

We are delighted that our hard-working, caring and compassionate nurses and midwives are being celebrated across the globe.The year 2020 was designated by the World Health Organisation as the first ever International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. For the first time in history, all countries are united in celebrating the contribution of nursing and midwifery to the global population.

Although the year 2020 has been somewhat overshadowed by COVID-19, we’ve still been very keen to show everyone how special it is to be a nurse or a midwife at the Northern Care Alliance and the high standards of care and treatment they offer to our patients and service users. We used the International Day of the Midwife and the International Day of the Nurse earlier in the year as an opportunity to thank and praise these wonderful colleagues.

Pam Town was Bury Care Organisation’s winner of the Improving Lives Award at our most recent Staff Awards. Opposite, she answers three key questions about her career.

International platform for our nurses and midwives What made you choose nursing?

I originally wanted a career in childcare and gained a place at college, but a couple of months before I was due to start, I suddenly decided it wasn’t for me! I had been doing some part time work in a medical centre/ nursing home and had been really enjoying my time there. I believe I was always destined to work in the caring professions in some way. I was once told by someone very dear: “Life is only froth and bubble, two things stand like stone, kindness in another’s trouble and courage in your own”. Some days I can’t remember where I left my glasses but I have never forgotten those words and I think they have served me well.

Where have you worked?My background is ear, nose and throat & maxillary

facial. Until December 2019 I had always worked with surgery covering many different specialities. I have moved to unscheduled/ urgent care at Fairfield General Hospital, which is a new challenge but something I am already really passionate about.

Why do you love your job?I am lucky as I have had some great managers and role models throughout my career, that in itself speaks volumes. The type of manager that allows you a voice and allows you to develop and supports you is essential in this job. You want to achieve and succeed for them too. Every day I see the passion and commitment by front line staff. Recently I had the opportunity to see things from a patient perspective. I had a period of illness and had to undergo surgery. For the first time in a really long time I felt scared and vulnerable. The staff who cared for me were fantastic. I could not find fault in anything they did. They were compassionate, caring, and most of all they made me feel safe at a time when I felt so unwell and couldn’t see a positive outcome. I think as nurses we forget every day the impact we can have and do have on people and their families.

We support Black Lives Matter Our chief executive Raj Jain showed his support to the Black Lives Matter movement with a message to staff, which we made publically available on our social media platforms.In his message Raj said: “As a member of the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority ethnic) community myself and leader of one of the largest NHS organisations in the country, I can only add my voice to the many people who continue to stand up against all forms of racism in our society and want to see it eradicated completely. We are with you.”

Raj pledged to keep on being a champion, adding: “We have done a lot of work on equality issues, but we know we have a long way to go and that there is more we can do. Equality, diversity and inclusion will remain at the top of our agenda.”


4 5Please note that many pictures in this edition of The Loop were taken before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that they may not reflect our current strict bio-safety and Infection Control and Prevention measures we have in place on our hospital sites to protect our staff and patients.

We are extraordinarily proud of the way our organisation responded to – and continues to respond - to the COVID-19 pandemic.We rose to the challenge of swiftly and successfully re-arranging our workforce, estates and ways of working so we could deal with an increased number of critically unwell patients. This was at the same time as finding safe ways to care for patients within the hospital, community and social care services who were confirmed or suspected to have the virus and also to treat and care for non-COVID patients who still needed our help.

Our staff have been truly amazing, working through the most uncertain and daunting of times to display the highest levels of care and compassion for patients. Many staff members had to carry out different roles or work in different areas to help with the COVID-19 response. A significant number of our teams had to quickly adopt an enhanced use of technology, for example, to offer virtual outpatient appointments or assessments.

We are delighted to have successfully discharged more than 1,000 patients from across all our Care Organisations who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Hopefully you’ve seen the many stories we’ve shared on our social media platforms, updating on our discharge figures and sharing stories about the patients we have been able to discharge home to their loved ones. There are a couple of examples below and for more, please find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @NCAlliance_NHS

We’ve also ensured being treated by one of our services during the pandemic was the best experience it could be. An example of this is our fantastic colleagues in the PANDA Unit, which treats children and babies, at Salford Care Organisation. They adapted their visors with popular film and cartoon characters to make the masks feel less scary for their young patients.

COVID 19: Challenging times, amazing responses

Doing what we do best

We wish Greta, 90, all the best for her recovery from Covid-19.Greta is a 90 year old patient we

cared for whilst she was Covid-19 positive.

We have now discharged her from our care at Butler Green Enhanced Intermediate Care

Unit in Chadderton, to begin her onwards recovery.

Thank you to all our wonderful staff for the fantastic care you are

providing to our patients.#SafeSecureHereforyou

We wish Anthony Lee all the best for his recovery from

Covid-19.Anthony was cared for whilst he

was Covid-19 positive. We have now discharged him from our care at Salford Royal to begin his onwards recovery. Thank you to all our wonderful

staff for the fantastic care you are providing to our patients. #SafeSecureHereforyou


Safe, Secure and Here for YouWhilst the numbers of patients with COVID-19 has thankfully decreased, we are taking all steps to help keep infection rates down. A range of infection control and prevention measures across our sites have been introduced. This includes asking all staff and patients to wear face masks and changing the way that people access our sites to control the flow of people and promote better social distancing.

NCA deputy chief executive and medical director Dr Chris Brookes said: “We are here – and have always been here – to provide our patients with the care and services they need across the Northern Care Alliance. We need to do this at the same time as taking all steps to keep our patients safe and secure. It may therefore feel and look different when patients use our services, for example, patients will need to wear a face mask and maybe use a different entrance.

“It remains as important as ever that we only have patients on our site if they really need to be here. We’ll continue to work hard to keep our A&E departments free for people who have suffered serious or life threatening injuries or symptoms. We’d ask anyone else to explore whether there are other services that could better help them with their needs.”

For more information about how we are protecting our patients against COVID-19, please visit www.pat.nhs.uk

Saying thank you to the #NCAFamily

We recognised that the COVID-19 pandemic was, and continues to be, a difficult time for our staff members - both in the workplace and in their personal lives.We felt it was really important to acknowledge this and to say thank you to our staff members’ families - namely their children - to highlight their courage, sacrifices, bravery and support.

The #NCAFamily campaign was launched, which included a suite of thank you letters from chief executive Raj Jain to our staff members’ children. Superstar footballer David Beckham helped to give the campaign a boost with a video message to our staff and their families.

We’ve had a great response from our staff members’ children, with lots of positive feedback and happy smiles upon receiving a letter. To see some of these reactions, visit our social media platforms, hashtag #NCAFamily.

We were overwhelmed by the tremendous support we received from the community. This included letters of thanks, pictures, cards, messages of support and encouragement on social media and donations of food, drinks, equipment and many more supplies to keep our staff members’ and patients’ spirits up throughout the most challenging of times. We appreciated every single gesture. Thank you

An amazing community response

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NHS72 - a time to say thank youThanking our long-serving staff....

The NHS celebrated its 72nd birthday on 5 July and to mark the occasion the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group said a heartfelt thank you to all our colleagues for their hard work and dedication, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief executive Raj Jain explained: “We always mark the formation of the NHS on 5 July, but this year has a particular significance for us as we work through the most challenging of times which many of us will never have known before.

“It may not have felt like a time to celebrate but it’s definitely a time to be thankful; thankful that we have been able to successfully discharge more than 1,000 patients from all our Care Organisations who have recovered from COVID-19. It’s also a time to be thankful for our frontline clinical teams, our community colleagues, the many corporate functions that have supported our infrastructure and frontline services and those who were redeployed into different roles to support our response to COVID-19 – everyone has played their part.”

To give colleagues a lasting memento to mark NHS72 and following on from the huge success of our NCA Family letters, we produced a beautiful birthday card, which we invited colleagues to print off and share with family and loved ones (pictured below).

Recognising members of the NCA Family who have devoted decades of their lives to serving our local communities was an important feature of our NHS72 celebrations. An amazing 1,259 of our NCA family have over 30 years of NHS service which equates to 44,635 total years’ service in both clinical and non-clinical roles, caring for patients in hospital and community settings.

….And our amazing volunteers Our NCA volunteers were a priority on the thank you list as we marked NHS72, with dozens of kind and caring individuals giving up hours of their time to help our patients and staff at sites across Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Salford. Escorting patients to day surgery, helping them navigate the buildings, advising them on booking transport and providing a front desk service to our hospitals, the small army of dedicated volunteers are an invaluable part of our NCA Family.

Lilian Fairhurst, staff nurse at Rochdale Infirmary has been nursing for around 50 years in the Rochdale area and is well known for her care and compassion.

Volunteers Edna and Joan help out at Rochdale Infirmary.


On Time to Talk Day chief executive Raj Jain and chief of people Nicky Clarke signed the employer pledge to kick-start lasting change across the organisation. Time to Change is a growing social movement working to change the way we all think and act about mental health problems. Statistically, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. The pledge is underpinned by a number of core standards that the NCA will strive to meet, including encouraging open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling, plus providing employees with good working conditions and ensuring they have a healthy work life balance and opportunities for development.The NCA has created an action plan to ensure it meets these standards with goals including training 500 staff members as mental health first aiders and delivering counselling support through occupational health and an employee assistance programme. Chief of people Nicky Clarke said that the NCA was already enhancing what it offers to staff to help them maintain good mental health and to help them when they’re having problems. She explained: “We ensure staff have access to counselling and online resources and we want to supplement this with safe spaces where staff feel able to talk more openly, training for managers in recognising symptoms for mental health concerns and how to deal with them and improving education for all staff on mental health issues.

“Being there for staff who have mental health issues or concerns is a priority for us all at the Northern Care Alliance – we have to give the same quality of care to our staff that our staff give to our patients.”

Chadderton dad Mark Taylor thanked staff for their dedication after being told he was cancer free the day before his 57th birthday.Mark had surgery on 21 October 2019 after it was discovered he had a 7cm cancerous tumour in his colon. He said: “After receiving excellent care, I was discharged from hospital on Friday 25 October. Three weeks later, I was given the news that the biopsy of 45 lymph nodes was clear. I was free of cancer and no further treatment was required.

“This was the day before my 57th birthday – a double celebration. It was the best news to get – it was fabulous. I think for me the thing that helped the most was my positive frame of mind and taking every step one at a time.”

Mark now has a 5-year care management follow up plan which includes having blood tests, CT scans and colonoscopies.

His care spanned three hospital sites - North Manchester, Fairfield General and The Royal Oldham Hospital who all worked to get Mark fit and well, so much so he was able to return to his job as an operations manager for a building firm.

Mark added: “I can only thank all the staff of the NHS for the care and treatment that I received from diagnosis through to the present day for their professionalism and dedication.”

Talking to prevent tooth decay

It’s Time to Change, says NCA

Double celebration for Chadderton dad who has thanked staff for their dedication

Nearly a quarter of five-year-olds in the UK experience tooth decay. In some areas, it’s even higher - in Salford and Oldham it is 51 per cent.33,779 children aged nine or under were admitted to hospital to have teeth taken out because of decay in 2017-18. It’s the highest reason for children to be admitted to hospital.

And children who need to have baby teeth taken out are much more likely to get decay in their adult teeth.

That’s why a new research study highlighting a novel ‘talking intervention’ to improve children’s dental health is so important. Researchers found that a single therapeutic conversation by trained dental nurses with families of children having teeth extracted has led to a 29 per cent reduction in risk of those children having new tooth decay two years later, compared to children whose families didn’t have that conversation.

Chief investigator Professor Cynthia Pine CBE (pictured) who is consultant in dental public health at Salford Care Organisation led the trial. It was funded by the National Institute of Health Research.

Professor Pine said: “We found that if we change how we talk to parents about prevention, their children go on to develop many fewer cavities. The key is helping parents to choose one or two behaviours they feel they can change for their child, rather than us telling parents what to do.”

The research team have been invited by Health Education North West to develop the research into a training module for NHS dental nurses.

The Northern Care Alliance has pledged to turn the tide on the stigma attached to mental health.

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Pictured: Mark Taylor (right) at his son’s graduation in July 2019, ahead of his cancer surgery

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Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is now providing safer, more reliable higher standards of care than ever before as confirmed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following its latest inspection.

Staff who work across The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and North Manchester General Hospital have been recognised for the significant improvements made over the last three years after the health regulator published its report, rating the Trust as ‘Good’.

The CQC’s assessment means that Pennine Acute’s rating and standards of care have improved, year on year, from ‘Inadequate’ in 2016 to overall ‘Good’ in just three years. Of the service areas inspected across the CQC domains, 90% are Good or Outstanding.

Pennine Acute has been on a quality improvement journey since 2016 after it joined with Salford Royal as part of the formation of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group.

CQC inspectors visited the Trust from 3 to 26 September 2019 to assess the quality, care and safety in six core services: urgent and emergency services, surgery, medical services, critical care, end of life care and community inpatient services.

Commenting on the CQC report Raj Jain, chief executive of the NCA, said: “This is fantastic news. We are really pleased for our staff to receive this positive CQC report. It rightly recognises the hard work and continued commitment staff have demonstrated over the past three years in providing high standards of care and also in driving the improvements that were needed.

“We know we have caring and compassionate staff, but by working together, by learning from each other and by putting the patient experience at the heart of everything we do, we have been able to really improve on the quality of care and reliability that was required. There is a completely different culture now – we are more open, honest and transparent, and benefit from a real positive learning culture. Thank you to our staff; this report is testament to their care, hard work and a can do team effort.”

Feels ‘Good’ doesn’t it!

Support from our partners

Glowing reports from our patientsPatients spoke highly of the care and treatment which they had received when they were interviewed at The Royal Oldham Hospital by Gill Dummigan from North West Tonight in a special report on the new CQC rating.Patient Alison Tackley, who was treated on The Royal Oldham Hospital’s ward F8, said: “You come in and the staff put you at your ease. The doctors and nurses have communicated everything that is going on, step by step, so it’s been perfect.”Angela Collins, commenting on her care said; “Brilliant. Second to none. It’s been really, really good.”

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust turns major corner after CQC rating goes to ‘Good’ from ‘Inadequate’ within three years under NCA Group

GoodInspected and rated

Dr Jeff Schryer, chair of NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said:

Ben Greenwood, vice chair of Healthwatch Rochdale, said:

Mike Barker, chief operating officer at Oldham CCG , said:

“The revised rating of Good for the Trust as a whole, and Outstanding for the Fairfield site, is testament to the significant improvements that have taken place in a managed way over a relatively short period of time under the Northern Care Alliance Group’s leadership. It is clear that this result is down to the experienced and focussed leadership, great team work and a talented, skilled and committed workforce who are supported to work together to deliver the best quality care for our patients.”

“It is encouraging to see the results of the latest CQC inspection. Over the last three years, Oldham Cares colleagues have worked hard and collaboratively to improve services across all areas. To see such improvement in a short space of time, with an increased demand on services, is a great achievement and testament to all the hard work and commitment of our colleagues. We look forward to working together in the future to further improve services for patients across Oldham.”

“This is great news. We are pleased the latest CQC report highlights The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has made significant improvements over the last three years. Their alliance with Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust seems to have been of some benefit to the Trust and its continued investment to its improvement plans. We want to pay credit to all the extremely hard working staff, for their contribution in these improvements, which have a direct impact on patients’ experiences. Healthwatch Rochdale will continue to support the Trust, as a critical friend, to ensure they continue their investment to continually improve services.”


CQC rating and findingsThe CQC can give one of four ratings to NHS Trusts and services: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires Improvement’, or ‘Inadequate’. Pennine Acute Trust was previously inspected in October 2017 and rated ‘Requires Improvement’. In February 2020, they rated 15 services, 3 as outstanding, 11 as good and one as requires improvement.

What feels ‘Good’ to us:These are some of the areas which came in for particular praise by the CQC inspectors:

Rochdale: CQC Inspectors were impressed with the care and facilities witnessed on the Oasis Unit. They highlighted outstanding practice, with Oasis providing patients with a safe ‘dementia-friendly’ environment in a suitable purpose built area. The unit has its own lounge, kitchen and dining area to meet the needs of patients, relatives and carers. Dementia-friendly contrast colour schemes are used throughout, to aid patients, and signage is clear for patients and visitors.

Fairfield: CQC inspectors rated Fairfield General Hospital as outstanding. Particular praise was given for end of life care and the Swan Bereavement Centre. This purpose built area off the main hospital is designed to meet the needs of a range of people who use the service. The inspectors were impressed by the bereavement nurse working within the local coroner’s office to provide bereavement advice and support to people who would otherwise have had to actively seek this out themselves and the flexibility of the service, adapting to patients’ different spiritual needs.

Oldham: A kindness collaborative has been launched at Oldham Care Organisation, which aims to boost kindness and improve the way we treat each other. It’s not just about being nice to each other or sharing cake. A growing body of evidence highlights that taking a quality improvement approach to boosting kindness within healthcare settings can help to improve the quality of care we deliver to our patients and reduce harm. The concept is now being introduced within our other NCA Care Organisations and other NHS Trusts throughout the country.

North Manchester: CQC inspectors identified a ‘teen bay’ in the paediatrics area at North Manchester as an area of outstanding practice. The colourful bay was developed by students from a local school who came in to do the artwork at the Crumpsall-based site. They particularly liked that the bay had information and posters available for young people attending with potential safeguarding issues and that staff had co-designed with students a pledge as to what attending children could expect from the department.

OutstandingFairfield General Hospital and the Trust’s End of Life Care are rated Outstanding.

The full report is available on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RW6


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NCA to become a smoke-free organisation

The NCA is becoming a smoke-free organisation to help improve the environment for patients, staff and visitors. As part of the NHS Five Year Forward View to support smokers to quit, all NHS premises around the country will be smoke free in 2020.Smoking shelters currently installed around the Salford Royal hospital premises will be removed.Anyone admitted as an inpatient at Salford Royal, The Royal Oldham, Fairfield General and Rochdale Infirmary who is a smoker will be supported by the CURE project, a Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Greater Manchester Cancer initiative to reduce smoking rates across the city.Inpatients will be given smoking cessation advice and support and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to help reduce cravings while they are in hospital.Raj Jain, chief executive of the NCA, said: “Our staff, patients and visitors should expect to come to one of our hospitals and for it to be a smoke-free environment.“We are committed to supporting anyone who wishes to stop smoking and our aim is to improve the environment for the benefit of everyone who either works at or visits any of our hospital sites.”To find out more about CURE visit www.thecureproject.co.uk

Staff across the Northern Care Alliance said that they are happier and more likely to recommend our organisation as a place to work than this time last year, following the publication of our 2019 National Staff Survey results.More than 10,000 staff responded to this year’s NHS Staff Survey, an average increase of 8% on 2018, with overall results showing staff morale has improved on the whole across the Group.The Group has also seen a positive increase in its scores across a number of other key areas including quality of

appraisals, quality of care, patient safety, staff retention and teamworking.The Group executive team and Care Organisation leadership teams are committed to building on these survey results at both Group and Care Organisation level, to developing further improvements where these are required and to providing ongoing support to our staff across the organisation as we move towards a bright, positive future.The full National Staff Survey results are published at www.nhsstaffsurveys.com

NCA 2019 Staff Survey results – a positive picture overall

Celebrating reduction in cardiac arrest ratesOldham Care Organisation hosted a celebration event to recognise the reduction in cardiac arrest rate in collaborative wards in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and North Manchester.The event was attended by Group chief nursing officer, Elaine Inglesby-Burke CBE, as well as Care Organisation nurse directors and staff from all grades across the Northern Care Alliance.Staff celebrated with a special cake which was decorated to mark the occasion and show that cardiac arrest rates in collaborative wards at Oldham, Bury, Rochdale and North Manchester had decreased by 42.34%.Staff networked together and shared ideas and best practice with colleagues about how this success can be built on in the near future.Celebratory trees will be planted at each Care Organisation to symbolise the growth and transformation that has taken place through this quality improvement initiative.

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group executive team are pleased to announce that our Staff Survey results highlight a positive picture overall.


The resourcing team are getting ready to roll out a new employer brand – This is the place - across the Northern Care Alliance.The brand sets the NCA out as the place to be, a place to save lives, a place to act, a place to break new ground and a place to take careers forward. This is the place where our people take centre stageAll the best employer brands are informed by the views, opinions and personalities of the people who work in their organisation. Ours is no different. The resourcing team have worked hard to make the employer brand as authentic and representative of what it’s like to work within the Northern Care Alliance. As you will soon see, the new branding is all about our staff taking centre stage. Real members of staff are featured in both the imagery and the main concept, and their unique stories highlight personal insights of why they believe the NCA is the place to be.Michelle and Anjum are NCA staff who star in our brand.

NCA – the PLACE to be for our staff

Our teams make prestigious shortlistTeams across the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group are celebrating after being shortlisted for four Health Service Journal (HSJ) patient safety awards.Salford Royal has been shortlisted for three HSJ patient safety awards:

Two awards – an ‘Improving Safety in Medicines Management Initiative’ award and a ‘Patient Safety Innovation of the Year’ award for Salford Pharmacy team for their work on medicines related admissions related harms across boundaries.

An ‘Improving Safety in Medicines Management Initiative’ award for the Neighbourhood Practice Pharmacists in Salford (NIPPs) for a Rationalisation and Safety Review of DOACs in Primary Care project.

The Royal Oldham Hospital has been shortlisted for a ‘Changing Culture Award’ for work being undertaken by the hospital to improve staff experience and patient safety, with the introduction of a new ‘Kindness Collaborative’.

Dan Grimes, Director of Operations at Oldham Care Organisation, said: “We are thrilled to be shortlisted. To have the hard work, dedication and efforts of our teams recognised is fantastic. We’ve put a massive amount of work into changing the culture at the hospital – and we’re starting to reap the benefits.”

This is the place where hard work pays off Anjum Hadi, speciality doctor, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Oldham Care OrganisationI have been working as a specialty doctor in neonatology at The Royal Oldham Hospital for the last 8 years. We look after new born and extremely premature and sick babies. We see families at their most vulnerable and the amazing team of doctors, nurses and support staff do their upmost to ensure families are reunited as soon as possible. They work tirelessly to save highly vulnerable and sick babies. This dedication and camaraderie are some of the reasons why I love my job, I derive satisfaction from knowing that my work does not just save lives but helps families at times of stress and anxiety. I have worked and trained in a number of institutions and countries, yet when I came to Oldham I was enveloped in unconditional friendship and made to feel welcome and part of the community. This is the place for me because I have found

something I’m very passionate about and which is precious to me. This is the place where I can feel immensely rewarded from helping others.

This is the place where you can support others Michelle Baglin, housekeeper, Salford Care Organisation

Salford Royal has a special place in my heart. I was born here, my relatives have been treated here, and it’s where I found my perfect job. I’m a housekeeper and I take immense pride in what I do. Working for the Northern Care Alliance means I have a chance to make a difference; I’m responsible for creating a safe environment so that nurses and other staff can work effectively and treat patients to their best ability.

This is the place for me because I’ve been supported by the hospital all my life, and so it’s a place where I can give support back.


The diagnostics and pharmacy group are keen to get involved in the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife (see main feature on page 3) and have been busy posting case studies of some of their staff on social media.Elaine Tindale and Lindsey Dawson have both been featured on Twitter at @NCADandPGroup Elaine has worked at Salford Care Organisation for a whopping 28 years as part of the radiology team, while Lindsey is the lead chemotherapy nurse based at Oldham Care Organisation. Below are brief profiles on the two nurses.

Elaine Tindale, radiology sister, interventional radiology at Salford Care Organisation

What do you love the most about your job?

The thing I love most about my job is meeting so many different people especially the patients. In interventional radiology, patients often come to us very scared and worried but they leave with a smile on their face because the nursing team have supported and relaxed them throughout their procedure. That to me is what nursing is all about.

What is your future vision for your role and how do you see this developing within the next 20 years?

The interventional radiology service has changed so much in the last 20 years, as has my role. When I started in this role there were only three nurses and the work was very much Monday to Friday 9-5. My team now consists of 18 staff and we work seven days per week 8am to 6pm. Over the next 20 years this service will continue to expand and change. We will soon be working 24 hours a day, seven days per week. There will be more advanced clinical roles for radiology nurses.

Recognising our fantastic staff during celebratory year

International recruitment for new staff in radiologyThe diagnostics and pharmacy group has enrolled in an international recruitment pilot scheme called ‘Earn, Learn and Return’ to address current workforce shortages across the NCA.The scheme led by the Royal College of Radiologists and supported by Health Education England has brought fully qualified post FRCR fellows to the NCA who will be appointed to vacant consultant radiologist posts, enabling them to contribute to service delivery with direct clinical care activities. The NCA was matched with four Global Fellows based on current sub speciality vacancies, and two of the four are already in post.

Aparajita Singh (pictured) is based at The Royal Oldham Hospital. She said: “I am really happy to have the opportunity to work within a radiology department within the UK and discover how practice compares to that in India. During the three year programme I will be developing my sub speciality interest in GI / body imaging. The scheme is a two way relationship in that I get to learn while also giving back to the hospital and patients. All the staff here have been very welcoming and supportive, and I look forward to getting the maximum from this opportunity.”

Another exciting recruitment campaign is also taking place in radiology. The NCA and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have been selected to pilot the Health Education England (HEE) global engagement programme for the international recruitment of 113 diagnostic radiographers by 2021.

The project aims to recruit qualified, experienced and Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) registered radiographers from abroad to work in NHS organisations for three years, while learning through the experience and creating capacity for existing Trust staff to upskill, learn new skills and have thinking space to work differently.

Lindsey Dawson, Macmillan lead chemotherapy nurse/ nurse clinician at Oldham Care Organisation

What do you love the most about your job?

The close relationships we form with our patients and their families and the help and support we can hopefully give them at such a vulnerable time. To influence change and improve patient care and patient experience.

What is your future vision for your role and how do you see this developing within the next 20 years?

I am a band 8b lead nurse that has a 50:50 clinical / management role managing a busy chemotherapy service. I see the future of the service expanding to allow all tumour groups access to local treatment where clinically possible, and allowing more clinical trials to be delivered locally for cancer patients. My ambition is to become a director of nursing and to work with NHS England to ensure cancer patients receive the best treatment possible, ensuring we have a highly skilled nursing workforce to deliver the future of cancer care.


Internationally-renowned trauma lead Professor Sir Keith Porter has helped celebrate an exciting new era in major trauma services for Greater Manchester.Construction work will soon begin on a six-storey state-of-the-art Acute Receiving Centre (ARC) at Salford Royal, which will treat trauma patients from across Greater Manchester who have experienced life changing or life threatening injuries, for example, after a serious road traffic accident or serious fall.

The new building will include 72 new inpatient beds, five new theatres, treatment rooms and x-ray areas. There will also be a helipad to ensure patients receive even faster access to highly specialised, life-saving treatment.

Salford Royal has been the lead provider for major trauma services since 2015 and every year treats around 1,250 trauma patients from emergency care to rehabilitation.

Professor Sir Keith, who was instrumental in the establishment of

trauma networks in England, said: “It’s been clear throughout my visit that everything is focussed on the patients – they are absolutely at the front and centre of everything and I know that the service that Salford Royal is offering for patients across Greater Manchester will go from strength to strength.”

Dr Chris Brookes, deputy chief executive and chief medical director of the NCA, said: “The new facilities give us the platform to build on our already impressive trauma outcomes and help more and more patients to both survive and then recover from their injuries.”

Renowned professor celebrates new era in trauma care

Beautiful tapestry celebrates Swan model of careAn intricate tapestry has been donated to Salford Royal in recognition of the care and compassion shown to patients receiving end of life care.The Swan model of end of life and bereavement care is used to support and guide the care of patients, and their loved ones, at the end of life and after they have died.

The model was launched at Salford Royal, spearheaded by assistant director of nursing Fiona Murphy MBE, and has since been adapted and used at other NHS Trusts around the UK.

The quilted tapestry was created by staff member Helen Collinge, who has also created tapestries to be displayed at the other hospital sites in the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group.

Helen has also donated throws for use in the bereavement centre, all of which feature the Swan logo.

Fiona said: “Helen has created these as a result of her journey as a nurse working with the swan but also as a result of her own personal journey.”

Director of nursing Tyrone Roberts joined colleagues to mark the unveiling of the tapestry, in Hope Building at Salford Royal. Helen, who was unable to attend on the day, joined the gathering by Skype and was proud to see her work now has pride of place.


Celebrations for our gold standard children’s services

Committed, dedicated and passionate teams looking after babies and young children across Salford were praised for improving hundreds of lives at a celebration event marking their gold standard status. The 0-5 services, within Salford City Council and Salford Care Organisation, have become the first in the region to achieve the joint Gold Standard UNICEF Baby Friendly Award.

The UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative is an internationally recognised mark of quality care, demonstrating a service is supporting families with feeding and helps them develop close, loving relationships, ensuring all babies get the best possible start in life. Gold standard accreditation recognises that a service has the leadership and culture to maintain the standards for the long term.

Breastfeeding rates have risen from 33% to 48% as a result of the two organisations’ joint work on the award.

Michelle Ward, Baby Friendly guardian and assistant director of allied health professionals and nursing children’s services at Salford Care Organisation, said: “This is all about demonstrating how we provide quality services that impact positively on the health outcomes of the children of Salford, enabling them to reach their full potential.”

Pictured L-R: Janette Westman, from Unicef; from Salford Care Organisation Michelle Ward, Baby Friendly guardian; Pauline Mulhall, Baby Friendly Initiative project manager; Andy Lewarne, managing director integrated care division.

Salford Royal named in Newsweek’s Top 100 Hospitals of the World 2020The organisation makes the list for one of the top hospitals in the UK and the only hospital from the North West of England. Newsweek partners with a data research company to rank the leading hospitals in 21 countries.

Zaf Naqui, consultant hand and wrist surgeon at Salford Royal, said it was a huge achievement for the organisation.

He added: “There are some very good reasons why Salford Royal would be rated as one of the top hospitals in the country.

“The culture right from the top through to the shop floor where we deliver our care, is always focused on the patients and is something I have noticed that runs right through the entire organisation.

“It’s reaffirming and a great honour to serve the residents of Salford and beyond.”


Fine art students from Oldham College have unveiled some fantastic artwork created especially for the children’s ward at The Royal Oldham Hospital, as part of a brilliant community project between the college and the hospital. The artwork is the result of months of hard work by the students, who have been regular visitors to the children’s ward. The project started back in October 2019, when the students had to pitch their ideas to the ward team and since then, the students and ward staff have worked closely to translate their creative ideas into the fantastic artwork that now lines the corridors leading to the unit. The end result is uplifting artwork that catches the eye as soon as you enter the ward.

Mark Smith, ward manager on the children’s ward, is thrilled with the artwork. He said: “Working with the fine art students at

Oldham College has been a fantastic opportunity for the hospital to work with our local community and we’ve really enjoyed collaborating with the students to create a fantastic new entrance to the ward.

“Our new entrance is so uplifting, colourful and most importantly, child focused. Thank you so much to all the Oldham College students and staff who have been involved with this project. You have all truly made a difference and we couldn’t be happier.”

Both the hospital and Oldham College hope that this brilliant project is the start of many similar community projects in the future.

Oldham College students create brilliant artwork for the children’s ward The NCA is hoping to extend the main

building at The Royal Oldham and has been busy consulting with staff and patients about proposed plans. The plans are currently being developed by the Northern Care Alliance Group in association with DAY Architectural and Arup Town Planning.

The new extension will be four stories, including a basement, with an enclosed rooftop plant. It will contain two 24-bed wards at Level 0 and 1 and each ward will have staff support facilities, spacious day rooms and equipped therapy spaces. The building will also provide storage space and a landscaped courtyard within an internal void.

Patient rooms will be located on the southern and western elevations to provide lovely outward looking views for patients. New landscaping, including tree planting along Steptoe Drive will link the extension with Fountain Gardens, a much-loved green space currently located at the heart of the hospital.

To achieve these plans, some of the hospital’s existing buildings including K block and the phlebotomy/adult medicine buildings will be demolished and existing services relocated. The plans will also see works undertaken within the existing hospital to create a new emergency theatre, including improvements to the existing recovery area.

We will keep people up to date on this exciting development in The Loop and also on our website at www.pat.nhs.uk

Proposed extension to The Royal Oldham


The family and friends of a set of premature twins born at The Royal Oldham have helped raise vital funds for the hospital’s neonatal unit.The NICU ward team were thrilled to receive a visit from the family and a cheque for a fantastic £2,125.

The funds were raised by staff and students at Newman RC College in Chadderton while the family were in hospital following the birth of their premature twins, Teddy and Tilly, with lots of activities including a ‘Toddle for Teddy’ sponsored walk.

The twins were born to parents Ian and Emma Worsley in August 2019, over 13 weeks premature. The waters around Tilly ruptured after just 20 weeks and the doctors said there was no chance that the twins would survive if they were born so early.

Tilly came first, and then just two minutes later, Teddy was born. They were both taken away by NICU doctors and

needed a lot of treatment because they were born so early. Unfortunately, Tilly’s lungs hadn’t developed fully and she was only with the family for two days.

Teddy spent the next four months on the neonatal unit. For the first six weeks, he needed a ventilator to breathe for him and spent another two months on different breathing support machines. He went on to overcome a number of challenges including a serious stomach infection and life-threatening bleed on his lungs, but is now thriving at home.

Dad, Ian said: “We will always be grateful for everything the staff of NICU have done for us all over the four months we were on the unit and for all the money our ‘Newman Family’ have raised to thank NICU, and in memory of Tilly.”

‘Toddle for Teddy’ helps raise vital funds for the NICU ward

Oldham breaking new ground with home cancer treatment The F11 haematology team at The Royal Oldham Hospital is offering a pioneering self-injection treatment programme to help train cancer patients to administer their own chemotherapy from the comfort of their own home. The Royal Oldham Hospital is one of a handful of hospitals to introduce this initiative.

The self-injection velcade treatment is aimed at patients with myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer. The cancer often affects several areas of the body such as the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs, which can make coming to hospital for regular appointments a challenge. Self-injection reduces the number of visits by an average of three attendances per cycle of treatment and most patients require 6-8 cycles of treatment.

The haematology team have worked hard to establish the safety of the drug for self-administration at home and to develop a bespoke training programme that supports patients to administer their own injection. The team have been developing the programme for some time, but accelerated the work during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that patients continued to receive the treatment they need.

The feedback from patients has been very positive. Patients are finding the experience a simple process that not only improves their quality of life - it saves them a trip to hospital, time and money spent parking and hours waiting for their treatment.

Patient Ann Gurd with F11 haematology ward team

Bury staff raise over £3500!

Digital early years assessments in Bury

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, NHS, local authorities and other public bodies are working together to invest in digital technologies that will help Greater Manchester to enhance care, improve services and save lives.

By using digital technology, we are transforming the current paper-based developmental assessments parents/carers undertake with health visitors to check that children are developing as expected.

Parents/carers will be able to access an online portal to complete the assessment questionnaires with their health visitor, instead of having to complete cumbersome paper forms.

Bury will be one of the first areas in Greater Manchester to trial this digital technology.

This new technology will save staff a significant amount of time and crucially, it will also allow parents/carers and other professionals involved in their child’s care (such as GPs, health visitors, school health and children’s services) to be able to track a child’s progress, identify issues earlier and better coordinate care that supports the whole family.

A small group of physio staff were redeployed to form the COVID-19 intensive care physiotherapy team at Fairfield General Hospital.The work they have undertaken has been both physically and emotionally demanding and so looking after their own mental and physical wellbeing was important.As a team they wanted to find a way to give back and help vital services. Physical activity has been shown to have huge improvements on mental health and so the team decided to set themselves a physical challenge throughout June, to run 600km collectively, approximately 100km each, to raise money for three separate charities: Swan endowment fund, Bury Hospice and the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub.As June progressed, the team upped their run target from 600km, to 800km and by the end of the month, they’d collectively run an amazing 820km and smashed their original fundraising target, raising over £3500. This money will now be split between the three charities.



Bury and Rochdale Care Organisation treated people from the homeless community to an evening of entertainment and food at Rochdale Infirmary.

The Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Billy Sheerin, joined senior members of the Care Organisation, staff and volunteers to welcome attendees to the special event.

Local school choirs sang during the evening where homeless people were

treated to gift boxes containing toiletries and personal items and cared for with free hot food and drinks, plus given new outdoor clothing and quilts.

Advice was also available to help homeless people safeguard their health when cold weather draws in. They were given information on housing and staff from the tissue viability service, podiatry, TB, respiratory services, as well as the drugs and alcohol team, were all on hand.

Jackie Heatley, assistant director of nursing at Rochdale Infirmary, whose team organised the event, said: “It was wonderful to see so many homeless people being treated to a hot meal and some free care and attention. The event has really built on the success of last year and it makes me proud to think that we are making this time of year a little bit special for some of the neediest in our society.

“Thank you to all the teams from the hospital, council and community for making this event so special.”

This was the fifth year that Rochdale Infirmary has held the event, which was funded through charitable support from the hospital workforce and local community.

Annual event supports Rochdale’s homeless

Bold Moves Towards Integrated Care: Chief Officer’s Blog for NHS England

NHS England has published a blog by chief officer, Steve Taylor. Talking about Rochdale’s ‘Bold move towards integrated care’, the article focusses on some of the outstanding work being carried out in the borough to integrate health and social care services for the benefit of patients. “They say that fortune favours the brave, and in Rochdale some bold decisions across the health and care system are really paying off,” writes Steve, and as the chief officer for Bury and Rochdale Care Organisation, he would know.

Steve Taylor believes strongly that integrating services provides a better experience for patients and families and that is strongly reflected in the services he leads. His blog showcases Rochdale as leading the way in this respect both at a Greater Manchester level and nationally. It also acknowledges the importance of both statutory and non-statutory partners and sectors to be involved in order to achieve the outcomes that we want for the borough.

He writes: “…we’re not working in isolation: we have strong links within Greater Manchester Health and Care to ensure everything we do locally is aligned to what looks good from a Greater Manchester point of view. While Rochdale may have taken its own path to integration, based on our local picture, we’re also part of a wider health economy, and the learning we share helps boost all our efforts to improve health and wellbeing across Greater Manchester.”

You can read the full article here: www.england.nhs.uk/blog/bold-moves-towards-integrated-care/

Over 2,500 staff employed at Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield General Hospital are now eligible to sign up to a new discounted bus scheme.

Bury and Rochdale Care Organisation has signed up to bus operator Rosso’s new ‘Commuter Club’ which offers employees a 10% discount. The offer is being promoted across the north by parent company Transdev to encourage more people to make an environmentally-friendly choice for the journey to work.

Get on board with our staff

Dave Pike, lead governor for Salford Royal and the Northern Care Alliance, stepped down at the end of December 2019. Dave was first elected as a public governor at Salford Royal in October 2012, and was appointed lead governor in 2014.We are thankful that Dave led the Council of Governors alongside chairman Jim Potter through the change from Salford Royal to the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his service and wish him all the best for his future. Chris Mullen, Salford public governor and deputy lead governor, has now stepped into the role as interim lead governor, with a rather unusual start to her tenure as the Covid-19 pandemic escalated throughout the early part of this year.

Chris said: “During this strange time, governors have been kept up to date with weekly Covid-19 briefing emails. In June, we held a private ‘virtual’ Council of Governors meeting to progress urgent matters including the reappointment of Mr Jim Potter for a further term of 3 months, until the Annual Members’ Meeting in October 2020. This will ensure continuity during the challenging months ahead. The meeting was followed by a live broadcast from Raj Jain, chief executive. It was incredibly meaningful to learn more about the journey the NCA has been on in recent months under the pressures of Covid-19. We realise there are still challenging times ahead, and look forward to engaging with our members as we return to the “new normal.”

If you would like to share your experience or speak to a governor, please email [email protected]

Council of Governors update

Would you like to be a Governor?We will be holding governor elections during Summer 2020. Governor’s responsibilities include representing the interests of members and the public as a whole, contributing to future plans of the organisation, holding Non-Executive Directors to account for the performance of the Board and appointing the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors.The following governor seats are up for election:PublicSalford – 3 seatsBury & Rochdale – 3 seatsOldham – 2 seatsStaffSalford – 2 seats

If you would like to be a governor, nominations will be open on the 14th August and close on 1st September.

In the current circumstances we are encouraging submissions to be made online, for more information and to complete a nomination form visit www.cesvotes.com/nca2020

If it is not possible for you to apply online you can request a hard copy nomination pack as follows:

Telephone: 0208 889 9203Email: [email protected]: Civica Election Services Limited,The Election Centre,33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NWFor more information please call 01706 517302 or email [email protected] You can also find information on the website: www.srft.nhs.uk/for-members/council-of-governors/elections/

Date: Wednesday 14 October, from 6pm We will still be holding our Annual Members’ Meeting on 14th October to share updates and highlights from the previous year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on public events, the meeting is likely to be held a little differently this year. We hope you appreciate the uncertainty at this present time. Further details will be shared on our website at the beginning of October. Please visit: www.srft.nhs.uk/for-members/membership-news-events/

If you have any additional queries about our Annual Members’ Meeting 2020, please email the membership team on: [email protected]

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Our membership continues to grow and we are keen for as many members as possible to play an active role in shaping how the NCA is managed and developed for the future.

Upcoming Governor Elections 2020


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As a member of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group we believe that your feedback is invaluable in helping us to improve and shape our services going forward. Here are some of the things we have done with your feedback.

There always seems to be technical difficulties with the sound system at public events.

We have installed new audio visual equipment in both lecture theatres.

We invited Oldham College art students to come and redesign the entrance corridor making it look bright and friendly. Children’s outpatients also features art work from the students (more on page 15).

I found it hard to share feedback with staff in a meaningful way during my treatment in cardiology.

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Your Health MattersSince the launch of ‘Your Health Matters’ programme in October 2019, we have held 11 health related events including talks on neurosurgery, chemotherapy, Parkinson’s disease, trauma and orthopaedic surgery, cancer and falls and frailty.

Forty-two people attended the neurosurgery event (pictured) and were very impressed to learn more about brain surgery and the surgical management of conditions of the brain and spine.

Salford Royal has one of the largest neurosurgery departments in the world which gives it the opportunity to excel in managing common conditions as well as specialise in some rare disorders. Consultant neurosurgeon Mr Joshi George spoke about the history of brain surgery/trephination, and examples of the types of conditions treated including: head injury, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, brain tumours and spinal surgery.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: To ensure compliance with the NCA’s infection prevention control measures, we can confirm that the ‘Your Health Matters’ events will not be going ahead face to face until further notice. We know how much members enjoy these events and we hope to bring them back as soon as it is safe to do so.

Please continue to check our website for further information regarding these events or contact Angela Greenwood, membership and public engagement manager, [email protected] or 01706 517302

The Group Council of Governors meet regularly throughout the year and are open to the public. Currently our meetings are experiencing disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The health and safety of the public and staff is paramount, and we are now exploring options to hold our meetings virtually. Dates for future meetings are: •23September2020–2pm•7December2020–2pm All papers will continue to be made available to the public on the members’ section of our website: www.srft.nhs.uk/for-members/council-of-governors/governors-meetings You will also be able to find out further details regarding future meetings.

Council of Governors’ meeting dates

Your Views, Your VoiceYour opinion matters - Your feedback helps us to ensure that our services are the best that they can be. You can contact us with your feedback and suggestions – including if there is a particular event or topic you would like to see covered. Contact us on 01706 517302 / 0161 206 3133 or email [email protected] / [email protected]

Stay in touch and up to date – Have your details changed? Have you moved or changed your email address? If so, please inform the membership office (details above) so that we can ensure we address any correspondence correctly.

Send us your email address – Please send us your email address if you have not had any email contact from us, so that we can send you future communications including event invitations and this newsletter electronically.

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We launched listening clinics for both stroke and cardiology units at Fairfield and Rochdale, giving patients a space to have their voice heard on their experiences.

Parents said the children’s unit is looking a bit drab and tired.

safe, secure and here for you

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