Need to know
For #TeamEEAST Last updated: 18 May 2024 at 05:55
Dear colleagues,
Working in partnership is important in a service like ours, and this week the BBC covered an amazing story of colleagues from Bedfordshire, working with partner agencies to save the lives of a mother and her twin babies, who were born prematurely at home while she was on her own. You can read the story in full on NTK, and it’s definitely worth a look. The story is truly inspirational and highlights why teamwork is so important to achieve the best results.
Speaking of safe deliveries, we had exciting arrivals of our own recently. Our dog has given birth to five beautiful, healthy puppies and although it’s making life slightly more chaotic, it’s also a lot of fun and teamwork is proving essential just to take care of them all.
Last week, we shared an update on changes to our PTS delivery, you can read about the changes in full here. I want to reassure everyone that PTS is still a big part of what we do here at EEAST, and the decision not to bid for a contract is not one we take lightly. We will continue to commit to PTS work wherever possible, providing the right financial support is in place to allow us to provide our patients with best possible care. If you have been affected by the changes please speak to your line manager for support, contact the employee assistance programme on 0808 196 2374 or email the EEAST Wellbeing Team.
Farewell from Marcus
I’m sure most of you will have seen the article on NTK, announcing that Marcus Bailey, our COO, will shortly be stepping down from his role. Marcus is currently on secondment with Norfolk and Waveney ICB and will continue in his position there over the next few months.
I would like to extend my thanks to Marcus for the many years he has spent working for EEAST, most recently, leading the operational response to the pandemic which was a huge undertaking and something we are all extremely grateful for. In the short term, Melissa will continue in the role of interim COO whilst we find a successor.
Changing the way we plan and resource
Over the next two years, the way we resource and schedule across the Trust will be changing. We currently use a number of localised systems to manage this, and a formal review has shown inconsistencies across the organisation, as well as a lack of training and some inefficiencies which we need to address by developing a dedicated team who will be based in a centralised planning and resourcing department, bringing us in line with national requirements.
We began formal consultation on the project this week, and this will remain open for 30 days, until early September, giving colleagues who will be impacted by the changes the chance to look at the proposed plans and provide feedback. The full consultation document will be published on East 24 in due course.
Share your views on the clinical advice line
Our clinical advice line is a vital resource for frontline colleagues, to help ensure we can provide the best care possible for our patients. The team are keen to ensure that the line is meeting the needs of colleagues and are asking for your feedback, on any aspect of the service, positive or negative. You can find the feedback form here.
Senior EMT pathways
As an organisation, we were planning to end the existing senior EMT agreement this summer, however, after extensive discussions with staff groups we will now be extending the agreement for staff in all band 4 AEMT, EMT or AAP roles. You can find the criteria for the agreement in full on NTK. There will be no change to existing SEMT roles.
I’m really glad that we’ve been able to work with the teams to make a clear decision around this, but if you have any concerns or questions please speak to your local manager or your HR business partner. Full details about the changes and how it impacts each of the relevant staff groups are available here.
Meeting basic needs
If you have a rostering issue that you can’t get resolved then the quality improvement and professional standards team are holding the second of their meeting basic needs events today.
The event is taking place at Kempston ambulance station and you can either go and meet the team in person or contact them via this link from 10am today. At this session, the team are looking at concerns around the rostering process. If you contact them virtually you will then get a call back from a subject matter expert. If your issue can’t be resolved there or then, you will be given a completion date for a resolution to be in place. For a full list of future sessions, including dates and the subjects that will be covered in each one, click here.
Testing the performance of CallEEAST
Although a CQC inspection focuses primarily on clinical areas, we need to make sure that all parts of the Trust are CQC ready, including our commercial branch. Over the past few months the CallEEAST team has been working through the non-clinical marking criteria of a CQC inspection that they could be assessed against. Having gathered evidence to support each of the criteria they sat down with the Trust CQC lead and reviewed their position. The great news is that following the internal assessment, they were rated as ‘Good’, and well on their way to ‘Outstanding’ in several areas.
Not only is this good news for the entire CallEEAST team, it is also a great indicator that we’re heading in the right direction as we look to build on the commercial work that we do which brings much needed funding into the trust for frontline innovation projects.
Thank You Thursday
And finally, a thank you for colleagues from Peterborough.
‘The call handler stayed with me until the crew arrived, and the crew who attended to us were there in a matter of minutes and absolutely brilliant. I cannot thank your service enough.’
Thanks to all of you.
Kate Vaughton
Deputy CEO and Director of Integration
Published 10th August 2023