This week’s news in brief covers new roles and positions at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and the Royal College of Nursing, as well as a raft of new services, clinics and initiatives.
Find out all of the latest updates from healthcare, through our round-up below…
Royal Cornwall recruits for new non-exec director
Sarah Pryce is set to step down from her role as a non-executive director at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT), at the end of the year.
Pryce joined the trust in 2016 and chairs both the People and Organisational Development Committee and the Remuneration and Appointments Committee.
The trust now recruiting for a new non-exec director to take over the role. Applications close at 11am on 5 January 2022, with the expected start date in February.
In a post on Twitter, Pryce said: “If you’re looking for something easy, then this is not for you. But if you want to learn, be inspired by awesome colleagues, to challenge and be challenged then take a look.”
Find out more about the role, and the application process, here.
RCN encourages members to apply for international committee
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is encouraging its members to apply to join the RCN International Nursing Committee.
The College is aiming to appoint seven new members to the committee, with one seat being reserved for a nursing support worker member and one for a student member.
The committee provides advice to the RCN Council, the Professional Nursing Committee and the Trade Union Committee, as well as providing a global dimension to policies and informing about events outside the UK.
RCN President and Chair of the RCN International Committee Dr Denise Chaffer said: “We are particularly seeking applications from RCN members which reflect the diversity of the whole RCN membership. This is an exciting opportunity and we welcome applications from members who are interested in helping us to build on the RCN’s commitment to working globally. We will provide support to new members in developing their knowledge and expertise for contributing to this committee.”
Applications close on 22 December 2021. To submit, you must be a member and log into MyRCN.
Birmingham’s winter recruitment open day
In more career-related news, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is hosting its winter recruitment open day on 11 December 2021.
From 9am to 4pm, divisional teams will be presenting opportunities and will also be available to chat with job seekers. A range of roles are being advertised, including a number of nursing and clinical practitioner positions, as well as administrative posts and vacancies for speech and language therapists.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, registration must be completed online in advance. Find out more, here.
New role for end-of-life care
Staying in Birmingham, a new clinical role, which involves caring for children with life-limiting conditions, has been funded permanently at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
The position of Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine, based at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, had previously been funded by charity Molly Olly’s Wishes, for three years.
After the benefits of the role were demonstrated during that time, the post is now being permanently funded by the NHS.
Dr Yifan Liang, who has carried out the role of Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine, said: “It has been an amazing opportunity made possible by the vision and generosity of a small charity that recognised that there was a need and a desire for change.
“Losing a child is incredibly distressing. But end of life care for those with life-limiting conditions is not just about those final moments. It’s about making a real difference to the lives of those children, and their families, by addressing symptoms, fulfilling wishes for activities, memory-making excursions and enabling end of life in the place and manner of a family’s choosing.”
“My role has helped to create a culture shift, both within the hospital and for those being treated out in the community, demonstrating that our teams can serve the needs of children which are increasingly complex.”
CNWL to launch new approach to adult mental health services
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) will introduce ‘DIALOG+’ – a new approach which puts patients’ priorities at the centre of the adult mental health care system.
The initiative will launch in February 2022 and run across all of the trust’s community adult mental health services.
The DIALOG+ approach is intended to enable professionals to have conversations with service users about what’s important to them. It uses a person-centred and patient-rated scale, wich measures Patient Reported Outcome (PROM) and a measure of Patient Experience (PREM).
This involves set questions for health professionals to ask, which service users then rate their experience of on a scale of one to seven, leading to the co-production of a personalised digital care plan that focuses on patients’ needs and wishes.
Royal Papworth launches new regional heart service
Royal Papworth Hospital has a new service for patients in the East of England, who have a heart condition called refractory angina.
Previously thought to be untreatable, the condition is now being treated at the hospital through a coronary sinus reducer procedure. This has so far been successfully performed on three patients at the site, according to the Royal Papworth.
Cardiology teams insert the reducer into the coronary sinus, which ‘narrows the sinus, elevating the pressure and helping to redistribute blood to where it is needed’.
Blackpool hospital gets new cancer clinic
Clifton Hospital, part of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has a new clinic for cancer patients.
Located in St Annes, The Holistic Needs Assessment Clinic supports skin cancer patients who may need help or advice following their diagnosis.
The service, in which a health professional contacts a patient to talk through next steps, transport needs to and from appointments, referrals, and other practical help, has already proven so popular that it is filled up until the New Year.
Macmillan Skin Cancer co-ordinator, Michelle Forsyth, who runs the clinic, said: “Once someone has been dealt with a cancer diagnosis, they very often don’t take in much information, so this clinic acts as a safety net.
“I contact the patient and speak to them or their carer to talk through the next steps and explain anything they may not have understood at first. I can also help with other issues such as transport to and from appointments, referrals to other services and practical help such as arranging a falls button. It has gone really well so far and patients are finding their treatment journeys a little easier.”
