Season 1: Episode 1 The Handover, with NCH&C

Dedicated to keeping conversations flowing at NCH&C, we’re excited to unveil the all new trust podcast: The Handover.

The Handover is all about having conversations with staff. We want it to be two way in that staff are handing over information to us, and we can do the same to staff via an easily accessible platform. Our last podcast was incredibly popular with colleagues and we hope the new format of The Handover will be as useful and engaging.

The 25-minute podcast episodes aim to be useful and interesting. Something staff like to listen to and take something from. 

If you have ideas about what we should cover in The Handover, or you’d like us to come out and interview your team about your work, get in touch.

In the first episode of The Handover, we feature:

• An insightful visit to Norwich Community Hospital, North Walsham, Kelling, and NNUH to discover what it’s really like working in admin within the NHS, exploring both the rewarding and challenging aspects of the job.
• Carolyn Fowler, Director of Nursing and Quality, and Rob Mack, Director of Community Health and Social Care Operations, sharing important updates for our frontline colleagues.
• A special trip to Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse with Melissa Taylor, Communications and Marketing Manager, and Laura McCarthy, Digital Communications Officer, accompanied by NCH&C nurses, to experience the new exhibition “Making the Rounds – Stories of Workhouse Nurses Told in Textiles” in celebration of International Nurses’ Day.

Tune in for these stories and more as we dive into the heart of our community and the people who make it all happen. Don’t miss it!

Transcript

WEBVTT

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<v SPEAKER_1>Hello, and welcome to our new podcast.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's been a while in the making, but we've taken some time to really think about what staff might like from their new podcast, what would be interesting, and what would be useful.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We hope this new format is along the lines of what you'd like, but we're always open to constructive feedback, and the podcast format means we can be really creative in what we talk about.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I'm Vicki.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I head up the comms and marketing team at NCH&C, and I'm hopefully not going to be the host of the podcast every time, because we hope it becomes something that lots of people can and want to get involved with hosting.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I'm just really awkwardly starting the ball rolling.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We've called the new podcast The Handover, because it's about handing over updates and information.

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<v SPEAKER_1>That's both us to you and you to us.

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<v SPEAKER_1>One of the things I want us to get better at at NCH&C is being inclusive of all staff and their communication needs.

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<v SPEAKER_1>How do you want to be communicated and engaged with, and also, how do you want to feed back to the Trust?

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<v SPEAKER_1>I'm really hopeful that this podcast will be a good two-way platform for having a conversation with all of our staff.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This week on The Handover, we'll be hearing from Carolyn Fowler and Rob Mack with key updates for frontline colleagues.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Staff in North Walsham, Kelling and Norwich tell us what it's like working in admin in the NHS, and we've been to the workhouse for Nurses Day.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So people who work in our admin teams are real communication superheroes, in my opinion.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But what's it like working in admin in the NHS?

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<v SPEAKER_1>I spoke to some staff about the best bits and the most challenging bits of their job.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So there's around 200 members of staff working in admin roles across NCH&C, and these roles are hugely varied and include jobs such as ward clerks, inpatient admin assistants, medical secretaries, receptionists and personal assistants, to name just a few.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The first team I visited was the Single Point of Contact Team, or SPOC, as it's widely known, and the Central Booking Team.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So SPOC is the first point of contact for our patients and our healthcare colleagues when making a referral to our community nursing and therapy teams.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The team is made up of 20 administrators, three coordinators that oversee the day-to-day running of the team, as well as a dedicated admin lead.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The team covers phone lines between 8 a.m.

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<v SPEAKER_1>and 6 p.m., Monday to Sunday, 365 days a year.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Administrators in SPOC work from Norwich Community Hospital, St.

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<v SPEAKER_1>James's and King's Lynn, and also from home, and they process referrals for patients throughout the whole of Norfolk, taking between 2,500 and 3,000 calls a week from the patients themselves, their family, carers, GPs, social services, and other healthcare professionals.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This amounts to as many as 1,000 referrals a day, so the team are always really busy.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The calls received from housebound patients are wide and varied, from those with wound dressings to family and carers of palliative and end-of-life patients.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Pink Duppert, SPOC admin lead, told me that whichever type of call is received into the SPOC team, the administrators are dedicated to give care and compassion at all times, to ensure that each caller who makes contact with the team are always given a professional, positive, and personal experience.

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<v SPEAKER_2>So my name is Lucy Brock.

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<v SPEAKER_2>I'm one of three operational health coordinators here in Single Point of Contact.

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<v SPEAKER_2>So we open doors at half seven and sort of clean up, if you will, anything left over from the Out of Hours service overnight.

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<v SPEAKER_2>Our phone lines open at eight o'clock, and we take calls then all the way through the day until six p.m., where we then spend between six and half six, essentially handing over to the Out of Hours team.

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<v SPEAKER_2>Last week alone, we took 627 calls in one day.

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<v SPEAKER_2>So we always have one allocated wall board coordinator available at any given time.

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<v SPEAKER_2>So that's one of the three of us solely allocated to sort of looking after the team, keeping an eye on potential cues into the service, making sure we're managing the team effectively to reduce wait times into the service and making sure things are getting through to triage quickly.

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<v SPEAKER_2>We are constantly available over the phone, in person, and on teams to all the staff.

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<v SPEAKER_2>Obviously, if we've noticed a particularly long call or perhaps overhear something, each of the staff has an allocated coordinator that sort of looks after them, but all of us will still have a chat.

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<v SPEAKER_2>I mean, I've been in the NHS seven years this year, and I've never worked in such a team that feels like a family.

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<v SPEAKER_2>On behalf of the coordinators and Pete, how incredibly grateful we are for the team day to day here.

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<v SPEAKER_2>I mean, there's not a single day I go home and think, oh, wish I hadn't have gone in today.

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<v SPEAKER_2>I've met some people that I know, I will be friends with for the rest of my life here, and I just can't thank them enough.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So what's it like being on the very frontline of calls from patients and healthcare colleagues?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Kim from the central booking team covers newer and epilepsy bookings.

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<v SPEAKER_1>She told me more.

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<v SPEAKER_3>I think with speaking to the patients, a lot of them like to have a chat with you as well about things, and you know, you don't rush the call, because you could be the only person they speak to, that week, and they love having a chat as well, and making sure they're okay.

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<v SPEAKER_3>Probably the most challenging thing is when you've got a colleague on annual leave, obviously you're doing their work as well.

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<v SPEAKER_3>We work really well as a team.

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<v SPEAKER_3>We communicate a lot, as, so for instance, today, I'm based in the office, and we have a lot of orange flag tasks, which are printing tasks, so they have to be done if you're physically in the office.

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<v SPEAKER_3>Whereas, I would normally be doing the epilepsy green tasks, but because I'm in the office, my colleague is helping out with my green tasks, so I can focus on the printing tasks.

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<v SPEAKER_3>So we very much help each other and support each other and share the workload, which is really good.

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<v SPEAKER_3>It's actually really nice that when it comes to half past four, and I clock off for the day, I don't take work home.

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<v SPEAKER_3>Yeah, I can leave at the end of the day, and I'm happy with the work that's been done during the day, and go home and have a nice, restful evening.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So after speaking to the Spock team, I headed off to North Walsham Hospital, where I met with Sam.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Sam is a peripatetic admin for the North team.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So this means she works in nine different locations in her role.

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<v SPEAKER_4>My name's Sam.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I am peripatetic admin for the North, and at present, I cover nine different roles across the board.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I have multiple sclerosis, and working on my feet constantly was becoming too much of an issue.

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<v SPEAKER_4>And I always knew that I always wanted to head back into an admin form of role.

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<v SPEAKER_4>Being peripatetic, every day is a different day.

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<v SPEAKER_4>So you can spend a week or more at different locations.

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<v SPEAKER_4>It might just be for the day.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I get in my car in the morning and know whether I turn left or right out of the end of the road, I'm absolutely okay.

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<v SPEAKER_4>It's a very varied role that I do and lots of different things.

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<v SPEAKER_4>That I've had jobs in the past where I difficult to get out of bed in the morning, but this is, it's totally different.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I absolutely love this job.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I love being peripatetic.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I'm one of these people that has to know everything.

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<v SPEAKER_4>And it's sad really because I want to know it all and I want to know it all now.

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<v SPEAKER_4>And that's what I thought when I started here.

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<v SPEAKER_4>It's great.

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<v SPEAKER_4>It's about hat swapping.

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<v SPEAKER_4>But you get to see the whole picture, the whole picture of how things work from wards to keeping patients at home.

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<v SPEAKER_4>But you just have to be ready for it.

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<v SPEAKER_4>And like, you can leave off at four o'clock on a Thursday on a ward, come in on a Friday, and there's been three bed changes overnight and somebody's been discharged and someone's been admitted in.

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<v SPEAKER_4>Every day comes with its challenges.

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<v SPEAKER_4>They're positive.

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<v SPEAKER_4>They're positive challenges.

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<v SPEAKER_4>And I think I use my positive mental attitude on a day basis to kind of go, I'm doing, I'm going, and it's gonna be a good day.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So what really comes through from everyone I've spoken to about their admin job is that there is a real variety in the role, but also that it's really crucial that you are a people person.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So Becky Ward-Clark at Pine Heath Ward in Kelling is usually the first person, patients and their families see when they come on to the ward.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I talked to her about how the staff all work together to make the ward a welcoming place.

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<v SPEAKER_4>I'm Becky, and I'm Ward-Clark for Pine Heath Ward, Kelling Hospital.

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<v SPEAKER_4>So I support obviously the ward manager and the colleagues, the nurses, the HCA, everyone, getting paperwork ready for the patients coming in, discharge paperwork for the patients going home, just make sure that all the ward is running smoothly.

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<v SPEAKER_4>Obviously I greet all the relatives that come in to meet the patients, see the patients coming in themselves, so they get to see my face first, unfortunately.

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<v SPEAKER_4>It's a nice hospital, so we are lucky, so that is rewarding.

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<v SPEAKER_4>Making sure it is a unit people will use, do all work together, I feel, here.

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<v SPEAKER_4>And we all communicate well.

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<v SPEAKER_4>There's no downsides to anything here.

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<v SPEAKER_1>My final stop on my brief tour of some of our admin teams was the Northcote Norwich Hospital to meet Caitlin, who works in our Community Access team there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The service aims to help avoid unnecessary admissions into acute hospitals.

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<v SPEAKER_5>My name is Caitlin.

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<v SPEAKER_5>I work in the Community Access team based at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital as a CAT administration assistant.

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<v SPEAKER_5>So I've been here around two months now, so I'm quite new to the team.

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<v SPEAKER_5>I've loved every moment of it so far.

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<v SPEAKER_5>I will check our book to-goes on the board.

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<v SPEAKER_5>So I will just see what patients we've booked just today, who's arrived, who we've got planning to go today.

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<v SPEAKER_5>And I will just highlight to the nurse on call anyone who didn't arrive.

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<v SPEAKER_5>And once I've done that, I will check the Community Access Limit box for any important emails, what may have been missed.

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<v SPEAKER_5>Some days can definitely be very busy and challenging, and others, it depends, we might have some tricky patients.

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<v SPEAKER_5>I have learned a lot in the last couple of months, including a lot of medical terms and conditions, which has been really fantastic.

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<v SPEAKER_5>I also work with the cat nurses and communicate with them in my role.

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<v SPEAKER_5>And I learn a lot from them, which is really rewarding.

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<v SPEAKER_5>And it's a really great feeling, knowing that you're helping them with their workload and making a difference as well, even if it's behind the scenes.

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<v SPEAKER_5>I would really like to progress and develop in my career as in administration.

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<v SPEAKER_5>So yeah, excited to see what the future holds.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I want to say a really big thank you to all the teams that took the time to talk to me about their admin jobs.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I found it really, really interesting to see the breadth of work colleagues in these teams do and how varied the job is, and also how you have to be super prepared for the unexpected a lot of the time.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Dealing with our patients and families and referrers and seeing their role in delivering brilliant health and care to people seemed to give everyone I spoke to real immense satisfaction.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So you can read more about our admin teams on our careers website, we are NCH&C.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you want your team to be featured in a future podcast, then please do get in touch.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Details of how to get in touch will be at the end of this episode or on the podcast page on The Loop.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Time to hand over to Carolyn Fowler and Rob Macknell.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Carolyn is our Director of Nursing and Quality, and Rob is Director of Community Health and Social Care Operations.

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<v SPEAKER_1>As usual, they've been out and about talking to frontline colleagues in the last few weeks, and wanted to reflect about discussions that they've been having about the pressures that have contributed to the high numbers of unallocated visits in recent months.

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<v SPEAKER_6>Hello, I'm Carolyn Fowler, and I'm Director of Nursing and Quality.

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<v SPEAKER_7>Hi, I'm Rob Mack, Director of Operations.

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<v SPEAKER_7>So this is Carolyn and I wanting to start a new type of podcast where we share with you some of the things we have seen and heard, some of the feedback we've had from staff, and offer you our thoughts on it.

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<v SPEAKER_7>The aim is for this to be interesting and engaging, hopefully, but you'll soon tell us, and for us also to hear back from you guys about things you'd like us to talk about, and hopefully for some of you to join us with it in the future.

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<v SPEAKER_7>One of the things we wanted to start with is to share some of our thoughts on some of the interactions we've had with our community nursing teams lately.

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<v SPEAKER_7>Carolyn, have you been out with any other teams recently?

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<v SPEAKER_6>So I have, and one of the things that some of you know, I try and get out as much as I can, but community has been an area we've been concentrating on, just because of the huge number of unallocated visits, and the number of deferrals that community teams have had recently.

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<v SPEAKER_6>I think both Rob and I realized the impact that has on staff as well, going home and not always finishing everything that he's doing.

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<v SPEAKER_6>So that's something I've been listening to, about what would make a difference.

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<v SPEAKER_6>And I think lots of things have come out.

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<v SPEAKER_6>I think what surprises me sometimes is quite simple things.

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<v SPEAKER_6>Having the right tools, that is a theme for me.

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<v SPEAKER_6>You know, can I get a syringe driver in the middle of the night?

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<v SPEAKER_6>And why is it that that's left the out of hours team, for instance?

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<v SPEAKER_6>And could somebody do something different?

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<v SPEAKER_6>So we started to look at that.

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<v SPEAKER_6>And I know there's over 300 drivers have been out in the community, but they're not there for our staff.

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<v SPEAKER_7>And there's been a lot that when we've spoken to teams, I know we recently spoke to the out of hours team together, been at the community teams as well.

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<v SPEAKER_7>The Norwich team were kind enough to let me shadow them for a day, which was very kind of them.

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<v SPEAKER_7>I'm amazed by the variation of tasks and work people have to do as well and how much they rely on each other's teams.

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<v SPEAKER_7>When you talked about people relying on out of hours, one of the things I think we need to work on is how we help teams talk to each other, how we help them communicate between one another as to what they need, whether it's a syringe driver or how busy they are, how pressured they are.

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<v SPEAKER_7>One of the things that worried me is how everyone I spoke to was so proud, right, at what they do, but they kind of felt quite personally responsible for making sure that everybody was seen and their needs were met.

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<v SPEAKER_7>And that was quite difficult, because I know that's a really possible task for teams at the moment.

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<v SPEAKER_7>I felt a real need to kind of want to help them with it.

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<v SPEAKER_7>And I think one of the challenges for us is thinking, what is it we need to do to help teams?

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<v SPEAKER_7>We know it's not just the winter pressure anymore and to do the demand.

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<v SPEAKER_7>It's not just about acute hospitals or GDPs.

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<v SPEAKER_7>It's actually about how do we help our community teams?

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<v SPEAKER_7>How do we get them in a different shape for the future a little bit?

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<v SPEAKER_6>Yeah, I completely agree with you.

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<v SPEAKER_6>And I think one of the things that I'm hearing is we're very task-oriented, and people just have a list sometimes, and they just got to get through that, and they feel that pressure.

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<v SPEAKER_6>And that idea of doing a holistic assessment and really looking at the whole person, there isn't always the time, and then you end up asking someone to do something for you.

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<v SPEAKER_6>And I think that's something we could help our teams work together in an integrated way, so that everybody, the community major and positive care nurse, the community nurses and our AHPs, are working in groups where they all can support each other, and maybe we can help with duplication in that respect.

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<v SPEAKER_7>Definitely.

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<v SPEAKER_7>One of the things I've noticed as well, I'm thinking about, I spoke to one of the teams in Denmark a few months ago, I spoke to an Irish team, Tracy, is every team feels like things could be improved and they feel like they've got ideas and things that could work for them.

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<v SPEAKER_7>But our teams are also very, very different.

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<v SPEAKER_7>So as a director of operations, I've been a bit worried sometimes when I ask a team as to how do you decide who do you see or who do you don't see?

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<v SPEAKER_7>And each team maybe has a slightly different way of thinking of that or doing it.

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<v SPEAKER_7>And we're not as consistent as teams would like.

00:15:47.160 --> 00:15:51.780

<v SPEAKER_7>I guess what I'm a bit nervous about is there's no one perfect answer to this.

00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:58.440

<v SPEAKER_7>But we do need to know that we need to think about how do we make sure those community teams are well set up to meet people's needs in communities?

00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:01.740

<v SPEAKER_7>And we need to better think about what type of resource do we need?

00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:04.440

<v SPEAKER_7>How, what size of teams do we need?

00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:09.000

<v SPEAKER_7>And how do we make sure they particularly are working well with primary care so we're getting the right people?

00:16:09.280 --> 00:16:15.320

<v SPEAKER_7>There's a lot of demands coming through TreeArch and through SPOC where people are managing lots of phone calls a lot of the time.

00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:22.840

<v SPEAKER_7>And actually what they want to be doing is getting to the right people as quickly as they can in homes or in care homes or wherever they might be.

00:16:23.060 --> 00:16:24.200

<v SPEAKER_6>Yeah, I agree.

00:16:24.220 --> 00:16:31.440

<v SPEAKER_6>And I think we've probably set up a number of processes and built on things that aren't helping our staff, and it's unpicking some of those.

00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:39.640

<v SPEAKER_6>But when I've talked to people, been out with community medical today actually, Rachel, out with community nurses, they've got the ideas actually.

00:16:39.660 --> 00:16:41.860

<v SPEAKER_6>I think they do know what would help them.

00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:51.980

<v SPEAKER_6>So listening to those ideas and hopefully what we can do in the future, well, is actually make some support in changing some of these things.

00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:53.460

<v SPEAKER_6>I think it will be really helpful.

00:16:54.120 --> 00:17:10.720

<v SPEAKER_6>And what I see also is lots of process in place where we're asking people to refer back and forwards to each other, rather than just being part of a team that has a conversation about a patient and works out the best place or the best person to support that patient.

00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:23.320

<v SPEAKER_7>So I think one of the things that we've definitely seen and one of the things that we've started trying to address in the community teams is particularly patients who need an urgent response.

00:17:23.840 --> 00:17:34.900

<v SPEAKER_7>And I think at this trust, we've been really, really brilliant at being really inclusive about which patients need an urgent response, whether that's within two hours or four hours or sometimes within 24 hours.

00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:42.960

<v SPEAKER_7>And just so people know, in the East of England region, we're one of the highest providers in terms of numbers of people we see needing an urgent response.

00:17:43.340 --> 00:17:46.740

<v SPEAKER_7>But we also know that's really difficult because that's an area of real growth.

00:17:46.760 --> 00:17:49.700

<v SPEAKER_7>So over the last two to three years, we've seen a real increase.

00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.260

<v SPEAKER_7>And it's really great now that we can take people straight off the ambulance stack.

00:17:54.400 --> 00:18:00.220

<v SPEAKER_7>But we also know that means for you guys in the team, you're really juggling day to day on, am I going to be doing some planned work?

00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.560

<v SPEAKER_7>Do I know what I'm doing when I come in on?

00:18:01.580 --> 00:18:03.440

<v SPEAKER_7>Am I going to have to work in a different locality?

00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:04.820

<v SPEAKER_7>Or am I going to have to kind of manage that?

00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:06.320

<v SPEAKER_7>So we're really trying to address that.

00:18:06.340 --> 00:18:15.480

<v SPEAKER_7>And it came through when we met with the Out of Hours team, that often it's patients between the hours of kind of four o'clock and 10 o'clock that have to wait the most, the longest period of time.

00:18:15.840 --> 00:18:24.960

<v SPEAKER_7>And we know the reality is that's about what we do during the daytime, and making sure the daytime teams have got enough resource, enough staff, enough time to care and to meet patients' needs.

00:18:25.420 --> 00:18:30.560

<v SPEAKER_7>And that's one of the things, Carolyn, we're looking at around how do we now start to approach the community nurse teams?

00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:34.540

<v SPEAKER_7>Some of the thoughts we've shared today, how do we take that further, and what do we want to do about it?

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:41.720

<v SPEAKER_6>So, I think it's all very good, us talking to you about what we've heard, but unless there's some action, it won't make a difference.

00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:47.040

<v SPEAKER_6>So, we spent a lot of time, Rob and I, and with the rest of the execs, talking about the next stage, really.

00:18:47.080 --> 00:18:50.620

<v SPEAKER_6>And I think it is about finding out what would make the difference.

00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:52.740

<v SPEAKER_6>There's some key areas that we've identified.

00:18:52.760 --> 00:18:56.600

<v SPEAKER_6>I mean, there's some pathways, and these will be familiar to all of you.

00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:03.660

<v SPEAKER_6>So, there's diabetes, tissue viability, there's triage, and these are areas that you're telling us don't work well enough.

00:19:04.420 --> 00:19:13.240

<v SPEAKER_6>Or there's too much to do, and it means that you have to prioritize some patients, and other patients, maybe like your patient's tissue viability basis, don't get the care they need.

00:19:13.580 --> 00:19:19.880

<v SPEAKER_6>So, we're going to be looking at a system across some of those pathways, because this is about working with our partners, not just us.

00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:29.920

<v SPEAKER_7>There are some real changes that we're clinically, in terms of thinking about the way you lead as kind of chief nurse around things like people who are needing insulin, for example, not just the numbers, but the type of people.

00:19:29.940 --> 00:19:36.700

<v SPEAKER_7>And I think there's some different conversations that when I speak to clinical teams, they want us to have around, who are we really here for?

00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.940

<v SPEAKER_7>What is it we can definitely offer?

00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:46.720

<v SPEAKER_7>And I think one of the ones I do a lot is around end of life care as well, and make sure we've got time to care, not just focus on the task.

00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:51.620

<v SPEAKER_7>And I think that's one of the things that's hardest to listen to for teams, but we know it's really important to me.

00:19:51.640 --> 00:20:09.320

<v SPEAKER_6>Yeah, and also allowing teams and patients to take risks and make informed choices, and look at what is it they want, and not what we think that we should deliver, and giving our staff the ability and the confidence to help make those decisions, which they absolutely do.

00:20:09.580 --> 00:20:20.000

<v SPEAKER_6>And I think some of the work that's been going on over the last few years, things like pressure ulcers, we talk about increased security in the community, but actually, yes, we know that our pressure ulcers have actually gone down.

00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:24.480

<v SPEAKER_6>And that's due to excellent training, and staff getting a bit more support.

00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:28.360

<v SPEAKER_6>That doesn't mean they don't need more support, and they certainly do, more expertise.

00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:38.520

<v SPEAKER_6>And I think the diabetes, we know that in the West, there's been some work done to improve the outcomes, reduce the number of visits, actually think about what's right for the patient.

00:20:38.540 --> 00:20:42.540

<v SPEAKER_6>So an elderly frail patient, do they actually need to be on insulin?

00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:43.760

<v SPEAKER_6>Who's that for?

00:20:44.040 --> 00:20:46.460

<v SPEAKER_6>So really reviewing the needs of the individual.

00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:50.740

<v SPEAKER_6>And that work I know is being rolled out across, will be rolled out across the trust.

00:20:51.240 --> 00:21:00.920

<v SPEAKER_7>So I know one of the things that we've done, and it's been supported by the E-Tech team, is to start to set up a team to look at how do you take forward ideas, and how do we improve our community nursing pathways.

00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:07.820

<v SPEAKER_7>We're very clear we want to make it more consistent across places, but we know that's an easy thing to say, and we need to work through the detail.

00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:18.720

<v SPEAKER_7>So there'll be more to come on that, in terms of what some of the details, but I guess for us, one of the hopeful opportunities of this podcast is to also amplify that voice.

00:21:18.820 --> 00:21:23.000

<v SPEAKER_7>And I know Carolyn and I would really love to hear from people around ideas or thoughts.

00:21:23.360 --> 00:21:28.260

<v SPEAKER_7>You can either email them in to us, or also hopefully maybe even join us on this.

00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:32.380

<v SPEAKER_7>So we can kind of actually have a discussion and share it, because we know there's no right or wrong models.

00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:36.100

<v SPEAKER_7>We know there's some good practice across the country we want to learn from, and we're looking at partners.

00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:39.960

<v SPEAKER_7>But it's really important that we're having this discussion here in NCH&C.

00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:43.120

<v SPEAKER_7>So yeah, please do get in touch if there's thoughts, ideas.

00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:51.460

<v SPEAKER_7>It's a really good opportunity for you to contribute and help shape kind of future community services, because it is clear we're going to need to do something quite different, going forwards in a positive way.

00:21:51.920 --> 00:22:00.960

<v SPEAKER_6>I don't know about you, Rob, but I never go away from a visit without a list of things I've learned, and a list of ideas from people that are brilliant.

00:22:01.300 --> 00:22:03.560

<v SPEAKER_6>And actually, we just got to turn those into actions.

00:22:03.820 --> 00:22:09.140

<v SPEAKER_7>And every time my operational brain tries to simplify it, I realize I've got it wrong, because it's not simple.

00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:16.060

<v SPEAKER_7>And one of the nurses went out, and one of the nurses went out, went to call an A-man, in case she doesn't want me to.

00:22:16.080 --> 00:22:24.760

<v SPEAKER_7>But I went out, and we saw during the day, we saw a gentleman in, it must have been about mid-40s, in really dire social circumstance.

00:22:24.780 --> 00:22:26.100

<v SPEAKER_7>And she managed that brilliantly.

00:22:26.620 --> 00:22:28.160

<v SPEAKER_7>We saw an elderly lady with dementia.

00:22:28.180 --> 00:22:31.240

<v SPEAKER_7>We saw a young person at end-of-life care, in their teens still.

00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:33.560

<v SPEAKER_7>And what really struck me is the variety of work we do.

00:22:33.780 --> 00:22:41.580

<v SPEAKER_7>So as much as we can try and set up our tasks, we know we need to set up teams and to trust teams to understand what the work is that they need us to support them with.

00:22:41.800 --> 00:22:43.440

<v SPEAKER_7>We are really committed to making those changes.

00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:44.940

<v SPEAKER_7>We're just going to need to work through it.

00:22:45.340 --> 00:22:46.600

<v SPEAKER_6>We certainly are, yes.

00:22:52.645 --> 00:22:55.805

<v SPEAKER_8>Melissa and Laura, from the NCH&C comms team.

00:22:56.505 --> 00:22:57.805

<v SPEAKER_8>Whereabouts are we today, Laura?

00:22:58.185 --> 00:23:02.165

<v SPEAKER_9>We are at Gressen Hall Workhouse Museum, just outside Durham.

00:23:02.605 --> 00:23:22.905

<v SPEAKER_8>Yes, so today we're at Gressen Hall Farm and Workhouse Museum, because they've currently got an exhibition on, called Making the Rounds, which tells the story about all the different nurses that lived and worked at Gressen Hall Workhouse over the years, and it uses textiles and fabrics, as well as items from the museum collection and bits inspired by the collection as well.

00:23:23.525 --> 00:23:28.025

<v SPEAKER_8>So Gressen Hall Workhouse is one of many workhouses that operated across the county.

00:23:28.125 --> 00:23:33.065

<v SPEAKER_8>So Gressen Hall was open from the 1770s to 1948.

00:23:33.125 --> 00:23:42.645

<v SPEAKER_8>And when we think of workhouses in the history, we often think of very harsh environments, unforgiving places, where quite vulnerable people went who didn't have many other options.

00:23:43.165 --> 00:23:48.225

<v SPEAKER_8>It's worth remembering that at the time, the NHS hadn't been created, there was no social care.

00:23:48.245 --> 00:23:54.305

<v SPEAKER_8>So workhouses and places like Gressen Hall were the only place for people to turn to during some of these times.

00:23:54.325 --> 00:24:00.825

<v SPEAKER_8>So during illness or old age or disability, or if they needed a safer place to give birth or to bring their children.

00:24:01.185 --> 00:24:12.105

<v SPEAKER_9>So to celebrate International Nurses Day, the team at Gressen Hall Workhouse Museum invited some of our nurses down to the museum to have a tour of the exhibition given by the artist, Connie Flynn.

00:24:12.585 --> 00:24:17.545

<v SPEAKER_9>So we'll be hearing from Caroline Farler, our Director of Nursing and Quality, very shortly.

00:24:18.205 --> 00:24:20.725

<v SPEAKER_9>The exhibition runs until November this year.

00:24:21.065 --> 00:24:28.985

<v SPEAKER_9>The team at Gressen Hall Workhouse Museum is also very kindly offering 50% off admission prices for all NHS staff during the month of May.

00:24:29.365 --> 00:24:37.265

<v SPEAKER_9>So if you do want to come down for the day, spend it with your family, make sure you bring your NHS ID badge and show it to the team selling the tickets.

00:24:38.685 --> 00:24:49.725

<v SPEAKER_8>So why do you think it's important that we recognise the stories of nurses from the past as well as currently?

00:24:49.745 --> 00:24:54.285

<v SPEAKER_6>So I think nursing has developed.

00:24:54.305 --> 00:24:57.865

<v SPEAKER_6>It's not just, it just didn't arrive one day.

00:24:57.885 --> 00:25:05.685

<v SPEAKER_6>I think it grew up through bravery and courage from individuals, and let's face it, women.

00:25:06.545 --> 00:25:18.185

<v SPEAKER_6>And I think over the years, women have pushed forward to make sure that we are caring for our most vulnerable in the best way we can, but we're always striving to do it better.

00:25:22.985 --> 00:25:25.145

<v SPEAKER_1>So we hope you found all of that really interesting.

00:25:25.625 --> 00:25:30.025

<v SPEAKER_1>I definitely learnt a lot, and I loved meeting people who are working in really different roles to mine.

00:25:30.485 --> 00:25:34.725

<v SPEAKER_1>Remember, if you want to have your team and its work featured on this podcast, please do get in touch.

00:25:35.065 --> 00:25:53.265

<v SPEAKER_1>You can email communications at nchc.nhs.uk or visit The Handover podcast page on The Loop for contacts and more information about all you've heard about today, including more about the CNNT Better for All project that Rob and Carolyn talked about, and photos and interviews from the Gressen Hall exhibition.

00:25:53.885 --> 00:25:56.425

<v SPEAKER_1>Don't forget to send us your ideas and thoughts on this new platform.

00:25:56.705 --> 00:25:59.645

<v SPEAKER_1>We want it to be a real community thing and for everyone to feel involved.

00:25:59.805 --> 00:26:03.645

<v SPEAKER_1>So if you have an idea for a feature or would like to host a segment, get in touch.

00:26:04.285 --> 00:26:05.845

<v SPEAKER_1>Do join us again for The Handover soon.

00:26:06.205 --> 00:26:06.765

<v SPEAKER_1>Bye for now.