Season 1: Episode 6: Spring flu reminder and a catch up with Anita Pisani

This time on the Handover: 

• We caught up with Helen and Katy whose lives were turned upside down when Katy contracted flu last year. This winter the UK saw a significant increase in flu cases across, with the number of people in hospital in England with flu four times higher than at this point last year. At the same time, uptake of the flu vaccine nationally has been lower than in previous years. Laura talked to Helen and Katy about why getting vaccinated is so important, even if you think you are fit and healthy.

• Tom meets Anita Pisani, currently Deputy CEO and Director of Workforce at Cambridgeshire Community Services, and from 1 April 2025 Group Deputy CEO and Chief People Officer for our new group.

Chapters

• 1:12 The importance of getting your flu vaccination
• 9:13 Tom meets Anita Pisani

Transcript

Hello, I'm Vicky from the Commons Marketing Engagement Team, and welcome to The Handover, podcast for all staff at NCH&C.

This podcast is created to be an accessible, two-way platform for having a conversation with all of our colleagues.

This time in The Handover, Tom meets Anita Pisani, Deputy CEO and Chief People Officer at Cambridge Shear Community Services.

First though, a couple of weeks ago, we caught up with Helen and Katy, whose lives were turned upside down when Katy contracted flu last year.

This winter, the UK saw a significant increase in flu cases, with the number of people in hospital in England with flu four times higher than at this point last year.

At the same time, uptake of the flu vaccine nationally has been lower than in previous years.

Laura talked to Katy and Helen about why getting vaccinated is so important, even if you think you're fit and healthy.

Hi, I'm Laura from the Communications and Marketing team.

With flu cases on the rise, it's more important than ever to get vaccinated.

I sat down with Katy and her mum Helen to hear their powerful story.

Last year, Katy was seriously ill in hospital with flu.

Now they're sharing how the experience has impacted their lives and why they want others to protect themselves.

Hi, my name is Helen and I am mum to Katy, who is now 19.

I'm Katy.

We're here to tell you our story of Katy.

A year ago, Katy came home from work, not feeling well.

Said she didn't feel good.

We thought it was because she had done an eight-day stretch at work.

She then said her chest hurts.

We thought maybe she had a chest infection.

Went to the walking clinic, which was extremely busy.

She said she was struggling to breathe, got very panicky.

So unfortunately, we ended up in A&E.

They said it was a chest infection.

Didn't know if it was viral or bacterial.

So to go home, plenty of fluids and paracetamol.

And if nothing improves, come back the next day.

Unfortunately, within 12 hours, Katy could hardly breathe.

She couldn't lay down.

She couldn't move.

We went straight back to A&E.

Her oxygen levels were at 65.

Her heart rate was through the roof, and she was admitted straight away.

After final tests, it came back that she had flu, type A, influenza, and things rapidly went downhill from there.

She was put in isolation, put on a drip, put on oxygen until things didn't really improve.

And she was eventually taken to critical care, where she was also diagnosed with pneumonia.

So the chest infection had progressed to pneumonia, and we were dealing with both.

And we were there for six days.

They had several antibiotics that they tried to try and get the infection under control.

Eventually, they did find one.

In all that time, she couldn't come off the oxygen.

We tried a couple of times, but her oxygen levels just dropped rapidly.

So she had to go back on them.

And it was just a very, very scary time where we just felt useless.

So she was the only one in our household that wasn't vaccinated.

I am vaccinated for a health condition.

So is my eldest son.

My husband, because he is registered a carer as well for our son.

And our youngest got vaccinated through school.

He's in year eight.

And Katy just missed the loop.

And unfortunately, because she was the only one unvaccinated, she was the one that obviously got hit the worst.

We were with her for those six days.

And none of us got anything because we were protected.

I'm so grateful for that.

But we just wish that she could have got the vaccination in hindsight with too vulnerable in the household.

Possibly we should have pushed for that, but we didn't.

And unfortunately, this is where we ended up.

We're a year down the line.

You're still suffering, aren't you?

Yeah, I have my flu vaccine every year now.

But I'm still doing them with the effects on my lungs.

Having lots of tests.

I've had an inhaler for a few months.

Trying to figure out why.

Nothing's working.

But it's all been since I was ill with flu.

We were going to take her to critical care.

When I was in recess or something.

Yeah, they moved her into recess only because obviously she was then contagious.

So they moved her in there so they had more space and to isolate her.

And they then said they were going to take her up to critical care.

And I knew that would probably scare her with someone that's not been in hospital before.

But the nurses were absolutely brilliant.

And the doctors did say that this is what they would expect from a person in their 80s, not an 18 year old who was always young and fit and was never been an ill child or anything.

But this absolutely floored her.

So it was very scary.

I do remember parts of it.

I think there's parts I don't remember because I was just sort of out of it.

You were exhausted all the time.

Yeah.

Because I couldn't eat either, so I had no sort of energy and I couldn't move because I'd get too out of breath.

So I just sort of slept a lot.

So I remember parts of it.

I remember feeling very unwell.

I remember struggling to breathe and move and even dream.

You were very scared, weren't you?

Yeah, I think a lot of people think that flu is something that sort of people over 60, 70 get affected by.

But obviously, I think even we thought that before until I ended up with it.

And I wish I had access to a vaccination before I got ill because it would have maybe never happened and I would have never had to go through that.

So I think if anyone has access to a vaccination, you should definitely take up the opportunity.

Definitely.

Especially if you've got family, like family members that could get ill or anything like that.

It's not just protecting yourself, is it?

It's protecting those around you.

And as a family of five, too vulnerable, we have to be careful.

And it's something we vaccinate every year and we will continue to do so.

I'm joined by Carolyn Fowler, Director of Nursing and Quality at NCH&C.

So that was a really powerful account of someone who was young, fit and healthy, being hugely affected by flu, wasn't it?

So people may think they're out of the woods in terms of flu season.

What would you say to staff who haven't had their flu jab for one reason or another yet this winter?

So I would ask staff, still, there's time to get your flu jab, please go out and get it.

This will support not only your colleagues, but yourself and your family.

And actually health workers are going to be much more likely to be exposed to the virus.

So if you protect yourself, we're setting, all of us setting an example to colleagues and peers, as well as showing the commitment we have to our patients, which is why we're here.

So we've increased our flu clinics to the end of March, 31st of March.

If you have a group of staff that would like us to visit you, please let us know.

It's on the staffvaccinations.nhs.uk email, and we'll come out to you.

So please let us know.

I guess the question is, when are you going to go and get your job?

Handing over to Tom now, who recently spoke with Anita Pisani from Cambridgeshire Community Trust to find out more about her, her role, and her hopes for the future of the group model.

Hi, everyone.

Tom from the NCH&C Communications team here.

I'm with Anita Pisani, who is Deputy CEO and Director of Workforce at Cambridgeshire Community Services and from the 1st of April, will be Deputy CEO and Chief People Officer as part of the group board that will lead the new Community Health and Care Group, which is formally established on that date.

Anita's kindly agreed to answer a few questions, which we'll be asking all members of the new group board executive team over the coming weeks as a way of getting to know them and their roles a bit better as our two trusts come together.

So, Anita, hi.

Hello there.

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us what brings you to NCH&C today?

OK, so hi there.

I'm Anita Pisani.

As Tom said, I'm currently Deputy Chief Exec and Workforce Director within CCS.

And I'm over in the North front locality today because I was meeting with our mental health support teams in North Walsham.

And then I've just caught up with Liz Cook, who is your Director of HR.

And then I'm going to be moving on in about an hour's time to get involved in our group conversation for the development of what we're creating in April.

Busy, busy.

Busy, busy today.

Fantastic.

Could you could you tell us a bit about those two rules that you're doing currently?

Yeah, so I've been doing the role within CCS for the last 12 and a half years.

Time flies.

And the sorts of things that I get involved in is I lead everything people.

So your human resources, workforce, training and education, multi-professional education, workforce planning, workforce information.

So anything that relates to creating a fabulous place to work and paying attention to all of the people, things that we need to pay attention to.

I also am the lead exec for our Bedfordshire and Luton Community Adult Services.

And I've been doing the leading on behalf of the Board on Strategy and Business Development as well.

And I've been doing the Deputy Chief Exec role for the whole time I've been at CCS.

So that's also covering for Matthew in whatever I need to cover for Matthew across our patch.

And so you've been at CCS for 12 years.

What do you love about working there?

I just love the services that we provide, the people we work with.

I'm really passionate about making sure we create the best working environment for our people, which then as we know, enables them to provide the fab services for our customers, patients, service users.

I love the variety, I love the diversity.

I really enjoy working across many different systems because it gets you involved with lots of different organizations.

And we've worked across Bedfordshire Luton Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Peterborough, and obviously we do also work across Norfolk and Waverley as well.

Great.

What were you doing before you joined CCS?

So I was Director of Workforce and OD at Hinchinbrook Health Care NHS Trust, a small district general hospital within the Cambridge and Peterborough locality.

And I was there for I think three years.

And I was involved in some of the transfer of the services into Circle, which was the first franchise within the NHS.

And I got lots of learning from that.

And then I moved into CCS.

Great.

What are you excited about learning and being part of once the group is fully formed?

So, I think really creating a really large, vibrant community trust.

It's going to help us influence things locally, regionally, nationally.

I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people.

I'm looking forward to getting to know and understand all of the services across Norfolk community, getting to know all of the people, and bringing together the best of the things that we do currently, which has been part of my conversation that I was just having with Liz, is, you know, we all do great things already.

Let's get the best of those two things and create something even better.

Great.

Yeah, definitely.

And if it's not too abstract a question, what are your hopes for the new role?

Hopes for the new role.

So that I keep learning.

Is this on a personal basis?

So I think for me, is I continue to learn.

I continue to be stretched and challenged in my thinking in the way that I operate.

I get to know, as I said earlier, lots of new people.

I like working with people.

As you get to know me, you'll hear me say many times, always good to talk.

I'm certainly somebody who thinks there's always a solution to something.

We might not just actually see it now.

So I look forward to having those troubleshooting, problem-solving type conversations with colleagues across the group.

Really making sure we make the most of our regional and national voice for community services, and make sure we do influence the future plans that the government are pulling together now for the 10-year plan for the NHS.

Yeah, brilliant.

Okay, lovely.

Away from work, what do you enjoy doing in your time off?

Quite a lot of things.

So I'm quite sociable, as you can probably pick up already.

I love live music, so you'll hear me quite often talk about going to gigs.

I've been very fortunate to get Glastonbury tickets for this year.

I have been before and it was an amazing experience.

I'm looking forward to that.

I love travelling, and I love spending time with friends and family.

Oh, and also I'm an avid Liverpool supporter.

I must mention that, as we are top of the league at the moment.

Noted.

Can you tell us a little bit about your connections at home, partner, children and pets?

Yes, yeah, I have all three.

So I'm married to Justin, and this year I would have been married 33 years, which is a bit scary, isn't it?

So, and I have two children, I have two beautiful daughters, Anna and Daniela, they're 24 and 26.

And I have two dogs, and I have two boy cock-a-poos, Bertie and Bobby.

And again, for those of you who knew me six years ago, you'd be surprised that I love my dogs as much as I do, because I wasn't really a dog person, but they are absolutely amazing.

Excellent.

Thanks Anita.

Well, it was really good to speak to you, and we'll look forward to speaking to you again soon.

Fab.

Thank you, Tom.

As Tom said there, we'll be speaking to each of the new group directors in the coming weeks, and there'll be plenty of opportunities to get to know them more as we head towards April and beyond.

Remember that if you have any questions about NCH&C and CCS coming together as a group, you can find lots of information about the Building Trust programme on The Loop.

Just search Building Trust, and you can join us for the next Building Trust staff engagement session on Tuesday the 18th of February, 2 till 3pm, and Wednesday, 19th of March, from 4 till 5pm.

These sessions will be a group Q&A session with our colleagues from CCS.

So thanks for tuning in to another episode of The Handover.

We really appreciate everyone who's been taking part in the episodes, and we hope you found all that we've talked about today interesting.

Further information about everything we've featured on this episode can be found on the web page for this podcast.

Don't forget to send us your ideas and thoughts about The Handover.

If you have an idea for a feature or would like to host a segment, then do get in touch.

Join us again for The Handover.

Bye for now.