Nightingale News | 29.07.20

We have now received the feedback from our Staff Pulse Survey, which was undertaken in June, and would like to share some of the initial headlines with you. We were really pleased that over 100 colleagues completed the survey (around 22% of our team) and shared their experience of working at the Nightingale with us. We received lots of positive feedback, which we can all be proud of. You told us that the Nightingale has a strong set of values and there was real compassion for our patients. You also recognised our commitment to staff health and wellbeing and felt we had an inclusive culture. You felt that we strived to treat everybody with respect and you had a really clear sense of belonging. You also felt this was a place for innovative practice.

There are also areas where you told us we could do better. Many of you said you would like to see a more comprehensive role-specific induction, that our senior leaders need to be more accessible and also that those colleagues who joined the team later on, often had a different experience. We also know that experiences differed across our teams and professions.

The Executive Team continues to meet on a regular basis and we are in the process of reviewing all of the survey feedback, along with what you told us in the debriefing sessions; to help improve the way we work should we need to reactivate. In the meantime, there are a number of actions we are already committed to taking as a result of your feedback should we reactivate:

1. Introduction of a full MDT induction that will include theoretical and practical hands on training to prepare clinical staff for working at Nightingale.
2. Improving the accessibility of our clinical leadership and executive team, especially in the red zone, including making the most of our weekly team briefs
3. Improving the way the whole MDT works together, with team building support to help create a strong sense of team

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experience and help us to reflect on how we could improve the Nightingale should we be asked to reopen. We will be running a further Staff Pulse Survey next month; to check in with you, how you are feeling and your readiness for reactivation, should we be needed. It would be really helpful if everyone could take a few minutes to complete the survey when it opens.

We are also committed to ensuring the lessons we learned from doing things differently at the Nightingale are shared more widely – within the North West health system and across the country. Building a hospital from scratch during a pandemic had lots of challenges, but it also provided some real opportunities to try to do things differently. It is so important that we share these learnings whatever the future of our hospital. There are a number of ways this is being taken forward. Please do get in touch with your Nightingale line manager if you would like to get more involved in this.

Lastly, we previously mentioned this week’s newsletter would include a special memento of your Nightingale journey. There has been a slight delay on this – but we’re working hard to make sure it is ready for our next update on 12 August. So please do make sure to look out for it!

Until next time,

Best wishes,

Professor Michael McCourt
Chief Executive

PS. Please see information below for joining our virtual Team Brief on Monday.

If you want to be kept updated on the Nightingale during Standby please ensure you inform us if your contact details change. Email any changes to [email protected].

The next Team Brief will be held virtually on Monday 3^rd August at 1pm. Joining details below:

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
+44 20 3794 0272   United Kingdom, London (Toll)
Conference ID: 673 766 875#

We have encouraged you in the Debriefs to reflect on your time at the Nightingale, the skills and abilities you developed, and what you have learnt about yourself and others. We know that as you return to your home and work spaces, the people around will not have had the same experiences as you, and this can prove to be challenging at times.

• Remember to be proud of your time and contributions while at the Nightingale.
• Pay attention to how this experience may have changed you or your practice – and how you can build on this moving forward.
• AND don’t forget you have a fabulous network of Nightingale colleagues around you.

To check-in for advice or guidance, or a virtual coffee please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Please refer to the check-in document below.

We are really keen to find out more about your experiences of working at the Nightingale. We know members of our team joined us from so many different sectors and backgrounds; each bringing their own experience to their role. We want to help celebrate your contribution and will be collecting staff stories on our Staff Hub.  If you have a short blog (around 300 words) to share about your experience and learnings, please share it with [email protected] and the Communications Team will be in touch..

Throughout the life of NHS Nightingale Hospital North West, from build to standby, we have been fortunate to have a photographic record taken by award-winning Manchester-based photographer Joel Goodman.

Almost all of these photographs feature staff members either individually or in groups with colleagues and/or patients. A number of staff members have requested access to these photographs.

All photographs taken at NHS Nightingale North West are now available to view here. 

Please note that you cannot download photographs from this site.

If you would like to receive a high-resolution copy of any photograph, please e-mail [email protected] quoting the full file names of the images you request. Please note we cannot send any image in which patients are visible. 

Photographs are shared for personal use only. This means:

• You are authorised to display the photographs at home or in your personal workspace
• You are authorised to use an image of yourself on your personal social media accounts. If any other colleagues are visible on the photo, you must gain their permission before sharing it on social media.
• You are not authorised to share the photographs for publication by any other NHS organisation or by any external organisation.

The distribution process is managed by Camilla Sutcliffe, External Communications Manager, with support as necessary from NHS North West and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

For security reasons all ID passes have been deactivated. If you still require access to site please email Mirjana Liptrott, [email protected]. From Friday 3 July there will no longer be office space available for Nightingale staff. If you require access to office space, please contact Mirjana.

Catering services have also stopped on site for the Standby period. If you are working on site, please ensure to take refreshments and food with you.

The Staff Hub includes helpful information about the facilities on site, staff offers, how to access accommodation, useful information and contacts as well as previous copies of this newsletter. Please email [email protected] if there is important information you would like to see on the hub.

We send this update by email every Wednesday and you can see previous editions here. Please email [email protected] if you would like us to use an alternative contact.