COVID-19 Update 16Raising concerns and continuing innovation in video and digitalIntroduction Our continuing successful response to Covid-19 proceeds without let up. It was good to hear last week from the Prime Minister that we now appear to be moving beyond the peak of the virus, without the NHS having collapsed under the strain. That, in large part, is due to the fantastic efforts of NHS staff all over the country doing what they do best - rising to a challenge, supporting each other and going the extra mile again and again. I know that includes all of us at Combined. You should all be very, very proud of what you are doing and what you are continuing to do. Today I want to update you on the following:
Jonathan O'Brien - Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive Continuing innovation in use of video and digital I don't need to tell you that our use of video and digital has increased exponentially in recent weeks. In particular, our adoption of Microsoft Teams has been a revelation in how we are able to communicate and engage digitally. This has the potential to make us much more efficient and we will continue to use these tools long after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided. We will hopefully be able to reduce the time and expense spent on travel, be able to keep in touch with service users more regularly and adopt more flexible working practices. To support this, I am very excited to announce that we will be installing video conferencing facilities in all of the sites listed below in the coming weeks:
Exec Drop-In Sessions Online Our Executive Drop-in Sessions and Director Q&As with teams are something which we know are valued by all participants. With face to face sessions not possible at present, we will be introducing Exec Drop In Sessions Online using our MS Teams facility to run them as Teams Meetings. Your team will be notified In advance when your session is upcoming. Staff members of Combined Teams with an upcoming session will be e-mailed by Peter's PA, Mandy Brown, inviting them to sign up for a specific drop-in session via a dedicated page on CAT . When they select a specific meeting from a drop-down list, they will be invited to suggest a topic they would like discussed or a question they would like to raise. Mandy and the Comms Team will receive an automatic notification whenever someone signs up. This will enable them to manage numbers and commission answers/briefing in advance. Our current thinking, to keep the events manageable and enjoyable for all, is to limit participation to around 15 participants per session. A week before the meeting, all those who have signed up will receive a MS Teams meeting. We hope you enjoy this new facility for increasing our engagement with you. Arrangements for raising concerns As a Trust, we have always been proud of our track record of commitment to Freedom to Speak Up and ability of staff to raise concerns with us. We are always striving to encourage all of our staff to be open in their views, comfortable about raising any concerns they might have and able to ask any questions either to their manager, through confidential support and counselling services or even ask questions or provide comments direct to our Chief Executive via our Dear Peter facility available to all, or our Freedom To Speak Up Guardian, Zoe Grant, or our network of Freedom to Speak Up Champions. This is something we really feel passionately about and we cannot stress enough how much we welcome and value feedback and opinions from all of our staff, whether it’s praise, ideas, questions or concerns. We are aware that a particular issue of concern nationally at the moment is around PPE. We have produced detailed support and guidance on this topic, which can be accessed on our CAT Intranet I should stress that the Trust have no concerns about the supply or ability to access PPE in order to ensure that all of our staff are adequately protected from the risks associated to COVID-19. The guidance has been produced by the Trust in order to ensure that all staff are aware they can raise concerns regarding access appropriate PPE. I would also like to emphasis to all of our staff that all of our existing mechanisms available to you to raise any concerns you may have remain fully operational and available. These include: Freedom to Speak Up Champions - Working with the Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, Zoe Grant, the Champions help promote a positive culture in which staff feel comfortable and supported to speak up about things that may concern them. By having Freedom To Speak Up Champions across the Trust’s localities and diverse staff and professional groups, the aim is to give staff a wide choice of who they may be most comfortable in speaking up to. The Champions are supported by Zoe and their role is to support staff to speak up and help her identify themes and trends emerging from the front line. You can find details of the Champions via this page on our CAT Intranet. If you wish to speak up directly to Zoe, our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, with a specific concern, you can do so directly by e-mail to speakup@combined.nhs.uk This e-mail address is only accessed personally by the Guardian and any e-mail you send to this address will be kept confidential, should you prefer.speakup@combined.nhs.uk This e-mail address is only accessed personally by the Guardian and any e-mail you send to this address will be kept confidential, should you prefer. Dear Peter - The Dear Peter website provides our staff with an additional mechanism to raise concerns in an anonymous way. It underpins the Trust’s commitment to the recommendations set out in the Freedom to Speak Up report published by Sir Robert Francis QC. Please note that if your question has any identifiable information, we will be unable to publish your post. You will only receive a direct response to such queries if you leave an email address. What can you expect from raising a concern:
Social Media In the current situation, we are well aware that social media is increasingly being used by staff and teams to keep in touch with each other and to share and celebrate all of the great things going on across Combined to rise to the challenges we face. In particular, we have been able to use our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn channels to promote all of the fabulous examples and tributes that are coming in to us via our Combined United Hall of Fame on our public website. One of the benefits of asking staff to use Combined United as the first port of call for posting pictures and examples of the great things going on is that our Comms Team are able to have a quick look before releasing them publicly, to check for example that any pictures adhere to the government's and NHS rules on social distancing. This is something to which I know that our staff are committed and adhering to, but in the instant world of tweeting something it can very occasionally slip the mind. Part of the role of the Comms Team is to support all our staff by being that final 'eye' to ensure nothing inadvertently slips through the net. We want to support and encourage all of our staff to harness social media positively and in the right spirit. A new social media policy is in the final stages of being produced, as well as online training and support materials to help all of our staff to understand and maximise the opportunities that social media affords us all as individuals and the Trust overall - including handy Do's and Don'ts. We should also emphasise that given all of our internal and external mechanisms for staff to raise concerns, social media should not be used for this purpose. Mental Health Policy Research Unit The Mental Health Policy Research Unit are looking at the impact of COVID-19 on mental health services and staff. They are conducting a survey for people who are working in mental health care in the UK and are particularly interested in finding out what's helping and what's not in relation to COVID-19. The survey link is https://opinio.ucl.ac.uk/s?s=67377 You may like to complete the survey or share it with your colleagues. If you have any queries about the survey, you can contact Prof Alan Simpson, co-director of the PRU at King’s College London (alan.simpson@kcl.ac.uk) or Prof Sonia Johnson (s.johnson@ucl.ac.uk), Director of the PRU at UCL. |