Bulletins

Better Together – April 2022

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This is the third edition of our regular publication to keep staff and partners up to date with the Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare and Kingston Hospital Better Together programme.

Welcome to our new Chair

This month, we welcomed our new chair, Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs, and she has been out meeting staff to find out how things are for us right now.

Sukhvinder was struck by how busy teams are and by the pressure the NHS is under. She really appreciated the warm and friendly welcome she got everywhere and has also chaired her first HRCH board meeting.

Thank you everyone for talking so openly with Sukhvinder when she has been out and about and for helping to give her a sense of working life in our Trusts and the care we’re providing.

Jo Farrar named in HSJ ‘Top 50 Chief Executives’

Jo Farrar, CEO, has been recognised as one of the Health Service Journal’s ‘Top 50 Chief Executives 2022’, published this month.

The list of top CEOs in the NHS was judged by some of the service’s leading figures, based on criteria such as performance during the pandemic and contribution to the wider health and social care system.

Winners were said to “role-model the behaviours they want to see among their managers, clinicians and staff…[and work] in a collaborative way, thinking about the system rather than just the organisation they lead.”

Chair Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs said: “I am sure you will all join me in sharing heartfelt congratulations to Jo for this well-deserved recognition.”

Partnership working

Over the last year, HRCH and Kingston Hospital have taken significant steps towards working more closely. Through a more evolved partnership, we expect this to reduce handovers, eliminate unnecessary duplication and improve patient experience and outcomes.

We also expect to increase resilience for services, creating a one-team ethos, with new and exciting job opportunities and roles for staff, as well as providing an opportunity to make best use of collective resources and increased scale.

As our collaborative journey develops, we will engage with patients, the public, staff and partners to agree a clear vison, strategic objectives, and values.

While governed by separate trust boards, we are beginning to meet as a single executive and our Committee in Common (CiC), which has delegated decision-making powers will meet for the first time this month. Read more information

The Trust Boards and CiC will run in parallel until October and after that board meetings will move to quarterly throughout the year.

While this is all happening, our corporate teams will start joining up into single teams, to consolidate and streamline work where it makes sense to do so.

We will keep you informed about all future developments through these regular updates.

Vaccine clinic best practice to be shared nationally

Following a recent visit from the national COVID-19 vaccination team, the clinic at Teddington Health and Social Care Centre has been identified as a source of best practice for the wider vaccine programme.

The team have been asked to share their extensive insights into delivering the vaccination programme, particularly in the areas of patient experience, children’s vaccination and supporting patients with additional needs.

One parent of children with additional needs described the clinic as “outstanding – world class,” adding that “everyone was incredibly kind, understanding and thoughtful.”

The clinic at THSCC is now running six days a week, vaccinating the over 75s (spring boosters), healthy 5-11 year olds and 12-15 year olds who need second doses, as well as people who are continuing to attend for their first dose. The team has also started giving second doses to clinically vulnerable 5-11 year olds.

Since it opened, the clinic has been open to all local health and social care staff, including Kingston colleagues, some of whom also joined the team of vaccinators in the past. This has been an important part of our local response to the national vaccination programme across our local systems.

Huge congratulations to the vaccination team for being recognised in this way and for helping to keep our communities and our staff safe.

Long COVID information sessions

As mentioned in the March edition of this update, we are running a series of sessions for NHS colleagues who want to know more about Long COVID and what can help.

Sessions are open to both our trusts and to NHS colleagues elsewhere in south-west London.

Each one starts with a 30-minute presentation, followed by a 30 minute Q&A.
Watch a recording from the first session on 14 April

Future dates, topics and joining links:

AHP listening events: Have your say

Across HRCH, Kingston Hospital and Your Healthcare, we are holding a series of virtual open forums for our AHP colleagues in May and June, offering them a chance to share views and experiences, to help shape our collective strategy for AHPs.

The virtual open forums will take place on the following dates:

Tuesday 3 May

  • 11am – 12pm: Bands 2-4
  • 12pm -1pm: Band 5s
  • 1pm – 2pm: Band 6s

Tuesday 10 May

  • 2pm – 3pm: Band 7s
  • 3pm – 4pm: Band 6s
  • 4pm – 5pm: Bands 8s

Thursday 19 May

  • 9am – 10am: Band 5s

Monday 6 June

  • 2pm – 3pm: Band 6s
  • 3pm – 4pm: Bands 2-4
  • 4pm – 5pm: Bands 8s

Tuesday 14 June

  • 12pm – 1pm: Band 6s
  • 1pm – 2pm: Band 7s

Thursday 16 June

  • 12pm – 1pm: Band 5s
  • 1pm – 2pm: Band 7s

Monday 20 June

  • 12pm – 1pm: Band 6s

Thursday 23 June

  • 3pm – 4pm: Bands 2-4

To book your space at one of these sessions, please email Georgina Mabey at [email protected]

You only need to attend one session, and if you unable to make our virtual forums, you are welcome to book a 1:1 meeting, either virtual or face-to-face, to share your views.

Colleagues at HRCH can contact Clare Miller ([email protected]) or Ann Murray ([email protected]) to arrange a 1:1 meeting.

Colleagues at Kingston Hospital can contact Caroline Hopper ([email protected]) or Emily Orme ([email protected]) to arrange a 1:1 meeting.  

We look forward to seeing you and hearing your views and ideas.