Staff Message: Prof Michael Luger, Chairman on new CEO appointment

Please Note: Some of the photos included in Connect were taken before we introduced our Infection,
Prevention and Control Measures. Please continue to follow our guidelines around the use of face masks
and social distancing.

                                                                                        22 July 2021

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Staff Message: Prof Michael Luger, Chairman on new CEO appointment
Following the meeting of our Board of Directors and Council of Governors today, I am
pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Owen Williams OBE as our new Chief
Executive. This follows a thorough national search and rigorous and inclusive process of
recruitment and selection.
This is an exciting time for Owen to join our organisation. He will bring his wealth of
experience and strong leadership skills gained from the NHS and his senior roles in local
government to lead and drive forward our plans and aspirations in the next exciting step on
our NCA journey. We hope for Owen to start in post in November.

As we head towards the completion of the PAT Transaction, this is the start of a new era
for the Northern Care Alliance and our NCA Family. I am in no doubt Owen will build on the
foundations our group has made over the last five years and progress further to make us
the employer and provider of choice so that we support and meet the needs of our staff,
patients and the communities we serve.

Read the full staff message on our staff intranet here. The NCA has issued a press release
externally on our website and on social media.

Dr Owen Williams OBE announced as our new Chief Executive

Personal message from Dr Owen Williams:
“I am both delighted and honoured to be taking up the Chief Executive role at the NCA.
Across each of the care organisations there is a track record of providing great care for the
communities that we serve and without a shadow of doubt every one of our 20,000
colleagues has visibly stepped up to meet the challenges of the pandemic.
“I want all colleagues, regardless of whether they work directly for the NCA or they work for
our partner organisations, to be assured that your personal health and wellbeing matters to
me and working with the great leadership team that we have at the NCA, we will continue
to make saving and improving lives a lived reality for the communities we serve."

Through the most difficult of times, our teams still shone

Our community teams delivering the COVID-19 vaccine in people’s homes, the Acute
Respiratory Care Unit at Fairfield General Hospital, Royal Oldham midwife Abigail Latif
and chaplain Catherine Lewis-Smith are just four examples of the teams and individuals
who feature in our eight-page special feature called COVID 19: Responding as the NCA
Family.

The extended article is an integral part of our latest edition of The Loop – our publication
for membership and external stakeholders.

The eight pages are dedicated to putting a spotlight on examples of amazing care and
services and also to tell the personal stories, poems and art work of members of our NCA
Family.

To read more Click here.

Help NorthCare Charity promote Great Manchester Run in the community

Thank you to all staff who have already signed up for Great Manchester Run to support
NorthCare Charity on Sunday 26 September 2021.

The charity is offering free places for both the 10k and half marathon, with staff from across
our care organisations taking on the challenge so the charity can continue supporting the
NCA family.

There are still plenty of places available and the charity is seeking help to promote it to the
wider community.

Do you belong to a local community group or running club or know any local businesses or
centres that would be happy to promote our cause?

There is more information and a downloadable flyer available on the intranet, details on
www.northcarecharity.org/GMR or email becky.swithenbank@srft.nhs.uk with any
suggestions. Hard copy flyers are also available.

All runners are encouraged to raise a minimum £150 per place, and will receive a free
charity t-shirt. Or you can get a running vest for a suggested donation of £10.

Free Manchester United ticket offer for NCA staff

Staff across the NCA are being offered two free tickets to the upcoming Manchester
United v Brentford game on Wednesday 28 July, 8pm kick off at Old Trafford.

This is a token of Manchester United’s appreciation for all the ongoing work from NHS
workers across the local area during these challenging times and as they prepare for the
new season they have offered these tickets to us as a ‘thank you’ from all at the club.

How do I get a pair of tickets?

Those who want to take advantage of the offer should first of all create an account on
Manchester United’s ticketing site if they do not already have one and then log in via
tickets.manutd.com

You will be able to redeem up to two tickets for free, by using the promotional code
‘NHS2021’ during check-out.

NCA colleagues can also purchase additional tickets priced between £10 and £30
depending on the type of ticket and as part of one booking, but you will only be able to
redeem a maximum of two per person as part of the free promotion.

Also, please note that Manchester United do not have the ability to facilitate group
bookings as part of this offer. Those interested will simply need to try and secure tickets
close to each other in the area of the stadium in which they want to sit.

Manchester United have also kindly asked that staff do not to share this promotion outside

of the organisation, and we would encourage colleagues to take their NHS ID along with
them to the game in order to gain access.

The ticket promotion is subject to availability, so it’s first come, first served!

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Staff at Salford Royal’s Hospital Vaccination Hub are celebrating after administering their
50,000th COVID vaccination.

Salford Royal staff and volunteers have worked in partnership with Salford City Council,
local NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups and primary care colleagues to administer
vaccines to NCA staff, patients, members of the public, council staff, social care staff and
staff in care homes.

The vaccine hub has also been administering 2nd doses for community patients and is
currently in the process of undertaking 1st dose vaccinations for all those over the age of
18. Targeted vaccination schemes for particular cohorts, including clinically vulnerable
young carers and now pregnant women over 12 weeks, have also taken place at the site.

Nick Gardner, Operations Manager, Vaccination Hub said: “It’s fantastic to reach the
50,000 jab milestone. A huge thank you must go to all staff involved in our hub, past and
present, clinical and administrative, who without them, this important work to keep
everyone safe would not have been possible.

“We don’t want to stop at 50,000 of course so I’d like to encourage anyone who hasn’t yet
taken up their offer of a vaccine to pop on down and see us. We’re happy to listen to any
questions you may have about the vaccine and our clinical experts will happily guide you
through the process.

“Having your COVID-19 vaccine is quick, simple and helps protect you and those you love
from the virus.”

This is the place where we inspire our future workforce

The NCA were invited by the National Health Education England Talent for Care Team to
showcase our virtual work experience offer at a live webinar to more than 140 delegates
earlier this month.

The national NHS work experience network audience heard all about how the NCA
developed our online learning offer, about our three virtual placement models, and heard
first-hand from one of the NCA’s online work-related learning placement hosts, Miss Antje
Teubner, Associate Specialist Intestinal Failure and Honorary Senior Lecturer University of
Manchester (pictured).

Feedback from the event was very positive, with comments including:

- "Very informative session showcasing great and innovative work. Thank you."

- "Really interesting. We are thinking of doing something similar and this has given us
further ideas on how to make it even more engaging and give it more energy. Thank you."

- "Really great presentation. Inspiring to see the comprehensive and inspiring programme
that is being offered. Thank you."

Reset Day is back - Friday 30 July

Our Reset Day in May was such a success – we’re doing it again.
To help reduce the amount of time we spend on our screens, we are encouraging
everyone – where possible – to refrain from booking online meetings and to reduce
the amount of emails you send.
Reset Day is a chance to catch up on those tasks that have been mounting up, speak to
people over the phone or meet with colleagues face-to-face (where it is safe to do so).
We appreciate that not all staff groups can work in this way, but with reduced online
interactions our leaders told us they were freed up to go and pay visits to wards and
departments to see how staff were doing. Others told us a reduction in email traffic resulted
in reduced anxiety and completing tasks was easier with fewer interruptions. Some
people turned necessary meetings into walking meetings to help get out of the office and
enjoy the fresh air.
You could even use Reset Day to complete your Quarterly Pulse Survey and tell us what
you think about your work and your organisation. The result will help us embed real
change and make improvements for our staff and patients.
And don’t forget to use our handy email reply to send to colleagues who arrange meetings
on our Reset Day to explain why you can’t dial in on that occasion.
Further Reset Days are planned to occur every three months. Make sure to mark them in
your calendar:
30th July 2021
20th October 2021
26th January 2022
29th April 2022
29th July 2022
20th October 2022

Wellbeing Wall boosting morale on ANU

A Wellbeing Wall on one Salford Royal ward is helping boost morale among team
members.
The staff on the Acute Neurology Unit (ANU) were feeling tired and weary after the first
national lockdown and decided they needed something to keep them motivated during the
tough times they were facing.
So they created a Wellbeing Wall display using cards featuring motivational messages and
surrounded them with little hearts each including the name of a member of the ANU team.
Summer Ibriz Chaudhry, Staff Nurse, who helped create the display, said: “The love hearts
indicated that everyone shared the same attributes.
“Staff responded to this very well, it made people feel like they were part of a working
family and boosted morale.
“Additionally, the ward provided a box for staff to write nice comments about each other
and we stuck them to the wall for everyone to read.”
How are you keeping positive wellbeing at the top of the agenda in your ward or
department? Please email staffexperience@srft.nhs.uk and share your story.

NHS Digital Weight Management Programme for NHS Staff

NHS staff are now able to sign up to the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme.
This is a brand new service for people who would like to lose weight and improve their
health and wellbeing.
If you have a BMI of 30 or greater (or 27.5 or greater for staff from Black, Asian and other
minority ethnic groups), you can now access a free, online 12-week weight

management programme which is personally tailored to support your journey to a healthier
lifestyle.
Keeping healthy and active can be hard, especially with the demands of a busy job, but
this digital programme can help you make those small changes, one step at a time.
Signing up is quick and easy – just visit the website for more information and to join today!

Feedback from Google Review: "I can't speak highly enough of all the team who looked after me whilst I
had neurosurgery. I will never forget their kindness and professionalism. Thank you so much."

Feedback from Google Review: "I recently had eye surgery at Rochdale on the eye unit. The nurses,
doctors and consultants were absolutely fantastic. Nothing was too much for them to help me. I would like
to say a big thank you to all the staff at Rochdale Infirmary for being professional and an excellent unit
once again. Thank you."

Feedback from Google Review: "I can't fault the care given at The Royal Oldham Hospital in such busy
circumstances."

Feedback from Google Review: "I tripped up over a hose at my allotment. I cut my shin and it swelled. I
went to A&E and was pushed round to x-ray etc. All the staff were informative, efficient, chatty and
friendly. I am very grateful and appreciative of the treatment I received. Please thank the staff on duty at
Fairfield General Hospital."

           Vivup                                                      NHS Offers
           Job Vacancies                                              E-learning (Pennine)
           Coffee Break (PAT)                                         E-learning (Salford)
           Coffee Break (Salford)                                     Car Leasing
           Charity Website                                            Press Releases

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