Cascade October 2025

Cascade Live

Moving to excellence: Our performance

How we are doing

What we are doing

We are making progress – thank you

Elective care – reduced overall elective waiting list by 30%

Reduced number of patients waiting 52 weeks by 95%

Almost eradicated waits of over 40 weeks for children

Improved 28-day cancer FDS to 75.9% in Aug (latest) – lifting us out of bottom quartile nationally

• Improved 62-day cancer RTT standard in Aug to 68.8%, best performance for over 3 years and out of bottom quartile nationally.

• Diagnostics - DMO1 (6 week waits) – 85.33% in Sept

• UEC – Improving position in Oct, with more to do

• Estates works for PRH, includingApley Ward, and RSH expansions on track – operational in Dec

• New GP out of hours provision, Health Hero, operational

• Expansion of Urgent Community Response Service until midnight from Dec

• Expansion of Care Transfer Hub to support patient discharge

- 8pm Mon-Fri at PRH - plans to extend to 7 days by Dec

• Integrated front door team started at PRH with RSH in Dec

• Phase 2 of cancer improvement plan – further focus on improvement to time to treatment

More patients benefiting from robotic surgery

We are using robotic surgery to carry out even more operationswith patients benefiting from quicker recoveries.

We already use the robot to assist with colorectal, gynaecology and urology surgery, and this now includes upper gastrointestinal (UGI) – thank you to SaTH Charity for their support.

Using this technology means patients experience higher quality care, usually going home the same day #strongertogether

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Moving to excellence: Improving UEC

We have invested in hospitals for winter improving the urgent and emergency care pathway, helping our patients to be seen more quickly.

• Estates works for with go live planned in Dec

Our Stronger Together improvements will reduce waits in our EDs and support shorter stays on our acute and frailty wards.

• New GP out of hours provision,

• Expansion of until midnight from Dec

• Expansion of being discharged to 8pm Mon this to 7 days between now and Dec

• Integrated front door team starting in Dec

Stronger Together: Adding value for patients

• Month 6 Trust position – £1.3m deficit

• In months 1-5 we achieved a breakeven position, which was in line with our plan, for the first time in years. This built credibility and attracted investment.

• We don’t expect to breakeven in months 6-7. We must get back on track for month 8.

• October is a time to get ahead and ready the finances for Winter.

• This is a new NHS - we can’t rely on being given more funding if we overspend.

• The next six months have the toughest targets in our plan – we need to dig deep.

• We have strengthened our Winter plan this year, with more investment, better data and more effective job planning.

• We can’t work harder, but we can work differently - maximise new and existing support e.g. virtual ward, OPAT.

How you can help:

• All managers to stay within their budgets, act and escalate risks early.

• Complete your mandatory training, where possible, ahead of Winter.

• Little things add up – switch lights and computer screens off when not in use, only order what you need.

• Get your flu jab early! Better for you, better for patients and better for our budgets.

Stronger Together: Adding value for patients

• Our Cost Improvement Plan (CIP) is managed as part of the overall Trust plan – we can deliver on this whilst having emerging risks elsewhere.

• Month 6 CIP position - £18.3m delivered to date (44% of annual target).

• We need to deliver £23.1m more by the end of March 2026 to meet our target of £41.4m.

• The last six months of the year will be tougher than the first due to the challenging winter period and CIP plan expectations increasing.

• We are actively working on delivering 109 projects – thank you for your support.

• We are already planning for next year (2026/27) – this is earlier than usual.

We are halfway through the year – let’s keep up the momentum!

Better Together

On Tuesday 23 September, at our first Boards in Common meeting, we agreed to establish a Group between SaTH and ShropCom. We are working on establishing this by April 2026.

There’s been a huge amount of work that has happened to get to this stage. Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback to help inform our Case for Change.

We have a lot in common and there is a real determination for us to work together to deliver a modern and innovative NHS that will realise the 10 Year Plan.

Next steps:

Develop governance and leadership structures - aim to become a Group by April 2026

Involve you in developing our vision and values and culture

Hospitals Transformation Programme

• We are pleased share our Transforming PRH Hub is now open – colleagues from HTP will be based at the hub on the first Monday of every month. Please do come and speak to us to find out more about the programme

• We are continuing to train our HTP Change Agents to ensure all our teams are HTP ready for 2028 – we’ve now trained 32 colleagues, with over 100 colleagues signed up

• We are holding a drop-in session for colleagues on:

• Thursday 6 November, 12pm-1 W&C atrium (PRH)

• Thursday 4 December, 12-1pm W&C atrium (PRH)

Familiarisation

Understand your role in HTP

We’re getting HTP ready… we need your help

Engagement

Understand how your teams are impacted Communicate and engage often Team meetings and 1-1s

Feedback

Know how and when you can feed back into the programme

Share feedback with HR BP/HTP Workforce lead

Continuous investment Operationalisation

Engage with familiarisation exercises for new building

Opportunities for teams to visit areas

Updated and refreshed SOPs/policies etc

HTP is the starting point

Working to provide more connected services

Secure more funding to realise option 3 and 4 of Business Case

Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Our estate: Car parking

ANPR cameras and payment machines are now installed at William Farr House. Enforcement starts on Monday 20 October.

You can avoid a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) at William Farr House, RSH and PRH, by following these guidelines:

• Register your car on the GroupNexus platform – this applies to all staff, whether you pay monthly, pay-as-you-go or have free parking

• Park only in marked staff areas. If you use a patient car park, you must pay patient rates

• Car share spaces are for registered users only, with two or more people in the car and both permits displayed

• Park in marked bays only. Do not park on verges, footpaths, crossings, yellow lines, loading bays, green areas or in coned/taped spaces

• Disabled spaces require a valid blue badge and registration with parking attendants

• Do not park in the purple zone unless authorised

• Electric charging bays are for vehicles actively charging only.

William Farr

House colleagues You can use the request stop on Mytton Oak Road

Only a short walk to William Farr House

If you receive a PCN and want to appeal, please follow the instructions on the notice. If you need to speak to the Parking Team, we ask that you email sth-tr.parking@nhs.net and do so with kindness and patience. They are here to help, and we’re all working together to make parking fair and manageable for everyone.

Digital Transformation

Over the past few years, our Trust has made significant progress in laying the digital foundations that support innovation across clinical and corporate services. From rolling out key systems like CareFlow, BadgerNet and Paediatric Vitals to upgrading infrastructure and security, we’re transforming how we work. In 2025/26, we’ll continue this journey by prioritising high-impact projects. You can find the digital roadmap on the intranet.

ICE Order Comms update

We’re transitioning from tQuest and Review to ICE (Integrated Clinical Environment) for Radiology requesting and reporting.

Key changes:

• Radiology referrals will be fully electronic

- no more paper forms

• Requests can be made using ICE or through CareFlow PAS

• Radiology reports will be visible in ICE, Clinical Portal and PACS

• Electronic sign-off of results will be required

You can see a demonstration of the system here

CareFlow Connect demo sessions

We’re introducing CareFlow Connect, a mobile friendly platform to improve handovers, referrals, and task management.

Demo dates:

• Wednesday 22 October at SERII Room 7,

RSH - 11:15am to 12:15pm, 12:45pm to 1:45pm and 2pm to 3pm

• Thursday 23 October at Lecture Theatre,

PRH - 11:15am to 12:15pm, 12:45pm to 1:45pm and 2pm to 3pm

Why attend:

• Explore the system in action

• Ask questions and share feedback

• Learn how it supports flexible working and better decision-making

SEW2 update

SEW2 (Secretaries Workstation v2) is replacing SEW with enhanced functionality and a more secure, efficient platform.

Benefits of SEW2:

• Faster delivery of letters to patients and GPs.

• PDF format ensures version control and audit trails

• Reduced printing costs

Switch off update:

• Duplicate printing of letters has now been disabled

• Manual printing remains available if needed

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Digital update: Meet the new Digital Nursing Team

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Josh, our Chief Nursing Information Officer, said: “I’m delighted to be leading a team of exceptional digital clinicians, with an exciting and ambitious vision for how we deliver care. We aim to empower our patients and clinical teams, by safely and responsibly working with colleagues to enhance our digital capabilities, skills and collaboration. I’m confident the new team members will be made very welcome as they work to support you and your colleagues.”

Jeff Zurbano – joining soon

Jeff’s experience spans theatres, clinical informatics, and digital health leadership. He’s driven by a commitment to safer, more supportive and more efficient care through technology. He is excited to contribute to our values (partnering, ambitious, caring and trusted).

Aravind Bhaskaran – in post

Aravind is motivated by the potential of digital systems to improve healthcare delivery and enhance patient care. He’s passionate about innovation and making a positive impact on people’s lives as is it incredibly fulfilling.

Gabriella Knott – joining soon

With over 12 years of nursing experience, Gabriella brings leadership, clinical insight, and a passion for digital innovation. She’s committed to using technology to enhance care and drive sustainable improvements across the system. She is excited about being part of the digital nursing team, helping to shape the future of care, advocate for front-line teams, and ensure that technology serves as a true enabler of excellence in nursing practice.

Dave Uwanyeremugwu – joining soon

Dave has a background in clinical education and digital transformation, especially around PAS/EPR systems. He has worked closely with clinicians, project teams, and system providers to co-design workflows that are safe, practical, and make a real difference to patient care. Dave was drawn to this role because of the opportunity to contribute to a forward-thinking digital clinicians' team, at a Trust that values both innovation and collaboration.

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Moving to Excellence: Creating a great place to work

Shrewsbury PRIDE was held recently and a number of the SaTH LGBT+ staff network got involved. Find out more about our staff networks on the intranet.

Colleagues from both SaTH and ShropCom came together this week to discuss the importance of leading with compassion as we look to the future to from a Group. Presentations were heard from each Trusts biggest transformation programme which are reliant on each other to improve care for our communities – Neighbourhoods (ShropCom) and Hospitals Transformation Programme (SaTH).

Colleagues were joined by Maria’s Movement who demonstrated how compassionate care encourages empathy, enhances active listening, and leads to improved outcomes for all.

EDI training

EDI training is available for clinical leaders in October and November. The training is in person, interactive and covers anti-racism, cultural competency, active bystander and LGBT+ awareness. The training is available to book on the LMS.

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Moving to Excellence: Staff Survey

The Staff Survey is now open.

We can’t improve without you –please share your views.

Lots of good work is underway as a direct result of last year’s survey including flexible working, appraisal and talent conversations, civility, respect and inclusion and supporting our managers to be great leaders. We have also developed our Culture Programme focusing on compassion, teamwork, health and wellbeing, goals and performance and learning and innovation.

Following your feedback, we are pleased to have launched a comprehensive menopause support programme for colleagues. This includes menopause cafes, walks, a new toolkit for colleagues and managers, an education programme every month and new advocates to ensure the programme is embedded successfully.

The vaccination clinics are updated regularly and can be found on the intranet or by scanning this QR code If you would like a vaccinator to visit your department, email Karen Mann, Flu Co-ordinator, at sath.fluservice@nhs.net to arrange a time You can now get your flu vaccination. It helps protect you from the virus and helps to prevent the spread within our communities.

Freedom to Speak Up Week

This week is Freedom to Speak Up Week

Freedom to Speak Up is speaking up about anything that gets in the way of us doing a great job. The theme of the week is Follow Up in Action.

What Can I Speak Up About?

• Patient Care

• Bullying

• Misconduct

• Staff Safety

• Harassment

• Quality

• Improvement

Ultimately you can raise a concern about anything to Freedom to Speak Up which the FTSU Guardians can discuss and decide what the best course of action is.

Ways to Raise a Concern at SaTH

You can speak to your line manager, HR, or the FTSU team. Other options include senior leaders, union reps, chaplaincy, staff networks, or using Datix. Clinical staff can contact Professional Advocates or education leads. Junior doctors can speak to supervisors or the Guardian of Safe Working. FTSU Guardians offer confidential support.

FTSU Ambassadors

Currently the trust has around 40 Freedom to Speak Up Ambassador but we are always keen for new ambassadors to join our team to help raise awareness of Freedom to Speak Up.

The primary role of a Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Ambassador is:

1. Awareness raising of Freedom to Speak Up and its role and purpose.

2. Signposting and supporting staff who wish to raise concerns.

Why should I apply?

As an FTSU Ambassador you will make a real difference to the working lives of your colleagues and the experience of our patients ultimately creating an open, safe and transparent culture at SaTH.

Who should apply?

Those who are genuinely interested in creating an open, safe and transparent culture at SaTH and who role model the values of integrity, courage, impartiality, empathy and learning.

Courage … speaking truthfully and challenging appropriately

Impartiality… remaining objective and unbiased

Empathy … listening well and acting with sensitivity

Learning … seeking and providing feedback and looking for opportunities to improve

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Information Governance: Information Asset Management

An IAO should understand:

• The risks associated with their asset

• The consequences of those risks materialising

• What steps are required to manage those risks

IAOs should be in position to have a good knowledge of their asset and how and why it is processed to give them a good understanding of the risks (and opportunities) associated with it. They also need to be aware of the consequences and impacts of those risks materialising. SWOT pattern analysis methodology is a good way to assist you here!

This knowledge will be reflected in the organisation’s risk register and it’s IAR. Because risks are being identified, assessed and managed by someone who is closely associated with an asset and it’s day-to-day processing they should, in theory, be more specific and comprehensive than if they were being identified by someone who is more remotely linked. This will be beneficial to the organisation and ensure that risks are mitigated or managed more effectively and that opportunities can be exploited more efficiently and safely

When conducting our audits, we would expect IAOs to have input into Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for any new systems or projects that will involve the processing of their asset.

Update from the Risk Management Team

The risk management team supports teams Trust-wide with clinical and non-clinical risks. We provide assurance that the Trust is providing high quality care in a safe environment and that it is complying with legal and regulatory requirements. Below is atable that demonstrates how each division is managing its risks that affect its achievement of the Trust’s strategic objectives.

New roles: Medicine and Emergency Care

Since joining SaTH in 2023, Hannah has played a key role in the operational delivery and transformation of MEC, bringing extensive experience from both NHS and independent sectors.

She’s passionate about improving care for patients and creating the best possible environment for our teams.

With over 20 years’ experience as a registered nurse and senior leader, Donna is passionate about providing the highest quality care for our patients, families and communities.

She believes in learning from our patients’ experiences and supporting our teams to deliver the very best, both now and for the future.

With more than 20 years’ experience in emergency care and transformation, Liz has a real passion for improvement and continues to work clinical shifts to stay connected to frontline care.

She’s looking forward to working with teams across MEC to build on the great work already underway.

Improvement Sharing Huddle

• Colleagues can showcase their improvement projects through the monthly ‘Sharing Huddles’ held by the Improvement Hub.

• If you would like to take part in a future huddle, please contact: sath.improvementhub@nhs.net

• The next huddle takes place on Wednesday 22 October, where Naomi Olagunju will share her project. To join, please visit the intranet for details.

• Here Naomi shares a quick preview of what to expect…

A new chapter for SaTH Charity

• Rebrand - As part of our five-year strategy, we are rebranding the SaTH Charity logo. We ran a survey to ask your opinion on the logo and new colour, and the winning logo and colour has been chosen (pictured to the right)

• Charity Mascot - We’re also thrilled to introduce our newest, cuddliest addition to the SaTH Charity family –an adorable teddy bear named – Severn

• Jackfield Brass Band Charity Concert – Featuring performances by the Jackfield Brass Band and the Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby Jazz Band, we're raising vital funds for Children’s Services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Volunteer Mike Yates is driving the concert and he is a member of Jackfield Brass Band. Join us 15th November 2025: https://www.sath.nhs.uk/about-us/charity/fundraise2/jackfield-bradd-band-charity-concert/

Inclusion

The Galvanise programme restarted in September with a new cohort of 17 participants, including three Shropcom and one RJAH colleagues.

Congratulations to Sherilyn Ndhlovu who was named Midwife of the Year in the National BAME Health and Care Awards. She was awarded this prestigious prize as she delivered a comprehensive improvement package combining data, staff education and cultural intelligence to transform maternity care. By developing dashboards and outreach to marginalised groups such as Roma communities, they showed measurable impact across safety, equity and patient experience. Well done Sherilyn.

Upcoming staff network meetings

Multi Faith & Belief staff network meeting

MS Teams, Tuesday 21 October, 1-2pm

DAWN staff network meeting

MS Teams, Wednesday 12 November, 1-2pm

Race, Equality & Inclusion staff network meeting

MS Teams, Wednesday 17 December, 11am-12pm

LGBT+ staff network meeting

MS Teams, Friday 12 December 1-2pm.

Recognising our colleagues

Congratulations to the recent SaTH 4 Senior Leadership Programme participants who completed the programme over four months in September!

The Renal Vascular CNS Team were invited to present at the Midlands Kidney Network Conference as they are the leading West Midlands Trust in maintaining the prevalence of 80% fistulae within their services.

Congratulations to the Digital Team who has been awarded the HTNAward for Best Use of Digital and Data for its work with the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), a new national system designed to improve how data is shared and used across health services.

Fiona Lourenco a former Trust Dental Core Trainee, has been awarded the Clinical Effectiveness Poster Prize at the recent British Orthodontic Society Conference. This initiative is part of a wider quality improvement project led by Consultant Orthodontist Leonie Seager and supported by the Improvement Hub.

Estates Compliance Manager, Mark Leighton, won the Waste Management Champion of the Year at the Excellence in Waste Management Awards . SaTH as an organisation was nominated for the Best Reduction of Clinical Waste of the Year. Well done to Mark and the rest of the team for everything you do

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Looking forward: Key messages

Please get involved with, and support, Moving to Excellence and Stronger Together

Share your ideas –sath.strongertogether@nhs.net

Please familiarise yourself with the finance communications

Please continue to use the two Park & Ride services and be mindful that patients are using it at RSH

Did you know there is a Loop app? Download now via your app store

Please consider joining our Staff Networks

Please nominate in the Moving to Excellence Awards

Please complete your Staff Survey

We are here to help and support you

If you would like to raise a concern, you can contact our FTSU team

Contact sath.ahealthieryou@nhs.net for support if you are facing pressures due to rising cost of living

Familiarise yourself with the health and wellbeing support available – details on the intranet

Thank you