Help Shropshire health services cope with winter pressures, urges nursing director

It is not just our trust but the whole of the health and social care services that are under extreme pressure.

An open letter from health and care leaders in the county was published last week to explain the challenges we all face over winter and how it is likely to get tougher before it gets better.

It talks of the work that is being done to ease the situation but also how we can all do our bit to help out by taking sensible precautions and getting vaccinated – including your flu vaccination.

Having the Covid-19 vaccination and booster jab if you are eligible (current guidance says you are allowed your booster six months or more after your second dose but this may change after a recent national announcement) is still the best way to protect yourself and your friends and family, both from contracting the virus and, if you should get it, from serious illness.

I would urge everyone again to take advantage of the walk-in and pop-up clinics for the Covid-19 vaccination available across the county.

More details of these can be found here; www.stwics.org.uk

Please be aware of the Covid-19 rules too – think hands, face, space, and let the fresh air in. Face coverings should be worn in all healthcare settings as well as shops and public transport (unless exempt).

We would also urge everyone, if they are considering attending A&E, to ask themselves if the emergency department is the right place to go for the care they need.

If you are not facing a life-threatening emergency please contact NHS 111 or visit NHS online to find the best service for you or consider whether your GP, a pharmacist, or one of the county’s minor injury or urgent treatment centres might be able to help you.

I am always extremely proud of the work that my colleagues do at the trust and it was fabulous to hear about a new training programme for our health care support workers.

From January, our trust and others within the health and care system have teamed up with Telford College to form a Health Care Support Workers’ Academy.

A six-month programme will be offered, with the first two weeks being education and training in the classroom, offering a more structured approach which will better prepare our health care support workers for life in clinical areas.

This exciting programme will give them the skills they need upfront as well as the support of a buddy system which will be good for their mental health.

Finally, Christmas is fast approaching, and we are getting in the festive spirit here with the lights already switched on at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH).

The festive lights switch-on at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) will be tomorrow night and will coincide with the official opening of Captain Tom’s Garden.

There will also be music from Shropshire Rock Choir to mark the event.

It will be so good to see Captain Tom’s Garden at the RSH officially opened and this follows the opening of Captain Tom’s Courtyard at PRH in July this year.

Both areas have been transformed into a haven for rest and reflection for our staff as well as patients and visitors, providing a crucial quiet space in amongst the pressures we all continue to face.