Christmas can be a time of joy, but it can also, for many, feel like a time of anxiety and even solitude. It's easy to feel stress at a time of financial strain, more prevalent illness and NHS winter pressures at work. Our lead for health and wellbeing, Elaine Hotson, talks us through the support that is available to everyone over the festive perio…

A conversation between Patricia Wright, CEO, and Phil Spivey, chief people officer, discussing our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in initiatives, what we are offering, our EDI action plan, and the importance of staff networks for the Trust. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what y…

Elaine Hotson, Health and Wellbeing Lead, talks to Mo Holas about the Staff Survey and the impact that your responses can make. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what you thought of this episode or what else you'd like to hear about from across the Trust by tweeting us at @HillingdonNHSFT.…

Patricia Wright, CEO, and Matthew Swindells, chair in common, discuss our Well-Led programme in this podcast edition. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what you thought of this episode or what else you'd like to hear about from across the Trust by tweeting us at @HillingdonNHSFT. For all t…

In this episode Elaine Hotson, health and wellbeing lead, talks to Dr Phil Pocock – Clinical Psychologist at CNWL Psychology Service and Dr Chloe Schneider - Clinical Lead at Keeping Well North West London. They talk about their roles, what support they offer our staff, how staff can access that support. Thanks for listening and don't forget to com…

In this podcast we talk to Shveta Kajal, consultant anaesthetist, and Ritu Gupta, consultant anaestetist and director of medical education. They are discussing their roles and their team, with details of a new course that they have created for staff: Use of ultrasound and nerve blockade. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new …

This podcast is part of the Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) Week celebration activities on 14 - 18 October, discussing various issues relating SAS doctors. In this podcast Dr Agnes Ngassa, A&E Associate Specialist interviews Dr Athalyn Tizon A&E speciality doctor, about this topic: Why be a Specialty & Associate Specialist (SAS) doctor? Th…

SAS Week: Interview with Dr. Immad Qureshi, Chair of EMSAS at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine In this podcast, Dr Agnes Ngassa, associate specialist in the Emergency Department at Hillingdon Hospital talks to Dr Immad Qureshi, EMSAS Chair at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. They have a conversation about Specialty & Associate Specia…

On World Mental Health Day, let’s all come together to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. Talking about our mental health can help us cope better with life’s ups and downs. In this episode Elaine Hotson, health and wellbeing lead, talks to Phil Spivey, chief people officer, about supporting our staff with their m…

We also have a special edition podcast for you, with Phil Spivey (chief people officer), Paula Lewis (Freedom to Speak Up Guardian), and Elaine Hotson, health and wellbeing lead. They are discussing what Black History Month is about, plus the events we have for the month of October. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episo…

Martha’s Rule is being implemented to give patients, families, carers and staff round-the-clock access to a rapid review from a separate care team if they are worried about a person’s condition. Jide Menakaya, consultant paediatrician, talks to Jessamie Hockings about the project. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode…

National Inclusion Week events (23-27 Sept) National Inclusion Week is a significant time for organisations across the UK to focus on creating inclusive workplaces where everyone feels they belong. This year’s theme is “Impact Matters”, which emphasises the importance of the actions we take and the difference they make at our Trust in fostering an …

Kavita Goreeba, antenatal lead midwife talk about the upcoming joint Women's Network and Macmillian event on 26 September (12 - 2pm) in the Education Centre. Guest speakers are Fiona Hussey (Mcmillian Support Manager, Phil Pocock (Clinical Psychologist and Elaine Hotson (Health and Wellbeing). Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for …

We celebrated a wonderful evening of staff awards, with winners announced in an exciting ceremony. Listen online for the winners, hearing from the staff who nominated them. There were nearly 300 nominations for our awards, over eight different categories – a record number. This reflects the amazing work that our staff do every day. Five of the cate…

We are proud of the care our staff and services provide. In order to continue providing excellent care, we want to celebrate and recognise the things our staff do well. We have our Staff Awards evening coming up on 5 September, where will be celebrating the staff who have won an award in one of eight categories – Communications, Attitude, Responsib…

In this week's episode we talk about how the recent riots that took place across the UK have impacted colleagues, how the Trust can provide support, what 'zero tolerance' means in practice, and what to do if you ever experience any form of abuse in the workplace. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let …

In this week's episode we speak to doctors Sabrina Waheed and Anna Burford about trialling self-rostering, and whether giving doctors greater control over their shifts can help with work life balance, morale, and wellbeing. Tune in to find out more. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what y…

Talking to us in this podcast are Tara Peaks, lead nurse for resuscitation, and Laura Wilkins, resuscitation officer in Tara's team. The Resuscitation Team has recently reported on an improvement in the resuscitation outcomes in the trust, and Tara and Laura talk about the team and about this improvement. The team has recently produced a report to …

In this week's special episode, we talk to Duncan Alston, consultant geriatrician, about Parkinson's Dementia and his work to try and improve the conversations we have with patients about the condition. Around half of people who have Parkinson's for over ten years will develop Dementia, but the cognitive aspect of this disease is not commonly discu…

What does a clinical health psychologist actually do? It's a good question and one not many people will have the correct answer to. On this podcast, we catch up with Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Clinical Health Psychology at Hillingdon Hospital, Dr Alex King, to talk about his role at the Trust. Alex provides a fascinating insight i…

We speak to deputy chief nurse Graeme Wright about the Trust's work to become Veteran-Aware and what it means for patients and staff. He also explains the significance of the Armed Forces Covenant, which the Trust signed earlier this year, the various stages of accreditation to becoming a Veteran-Aware organisation, and what staff and patients need…

We sat down with Elaine Hotson, the Trust's Health and Wellbeing Lead, to talk about plans for this year's Staff Awards and how you can help make sure our excellent staff are recognised. Tune in to find out more about the awards categories, what our judges are looking for, and how you can get involved. Nominations are open until 12 July. Thanks for…

We catch up with famous gardener and landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith to talk about the new Jubilee Rehabilitation Garden at Hillingdon Hospital. Tom has overseen the project alongside colleague Max Harriman to transform the space next to the Jubilee Building and provide an oasis of calm for patients undergoing rehab. On the podcast he talks ab…

Behind every operating theatre department door are a skilled group: Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs). From preparing the operating room to assisting anaesthetists in intubation, airway maintenance and ensuring the patient’s wellbeing, ODPs are critically important members of the surgical team. To find out more about what it's like to work …

It's almost time for Estates and Facilities Day 2024 so in the build-up to the event, we catch up with Steve Wedgwood, our Director of Operational Estates and Facilities, to talk about what people can expect from the day. Steve also talks about his near 500 strong team, why they are known as 'the backbone of the NHS' and the leadership team recentl…

In this special episode, Adam Tocock, library services manager, speaks to Louise Cave about the chapter she authored for 'Harnessing Digital Technology and Data for Nursing Practice'. They explore how collective leadership can drive positive change and ensure everyone plays a role in shaping the future of digital technology in healthcare. They also…

We're joined by the Trust's Head of Therapies Alex Porter to find out more about what his role entails and the services Therapies offer for patients and staff. Alex also talks about what the department has done following last year's staff survey, as well as explaining some of the new measures being implemented as a result of the feedback. Intereste…

As part of Palliative Care and Grief Awareness Month at the Trust, we catch up with Mortuary Services Manager Joanna Balchin and Bereavement Office Manager Larry Quinn. They discuss what the process of care after death looks like at the Trust, the support they provide to patients and families, managing emotions and expectations, the pressures of th…

We catch up with clinical psychologist Phil Pocock and Elaine Hotson, the Trust's health, well-being and engagement lead, to talk about mental health in line with Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May). Topics up for discussion include common misconceptions, why being open and honest is so important, this year's theme for the Week which is moveme…

In this week's episode, Adam Tocock, our Trust's library services manager is joined by Phil Perks, regional manager for BMJ, and Ross Whistler, head of learning and assessment products, for a chat about BMJ learning and what it has to offer for Trust staff. Tune in to hear more about some of the key features of BMJ Learning, how it can help staff p…

We catch up with Godfrey Sahayadass to learn more about Microsoft 365 and the new apps which are now available to Hillingdon Hospital staff. Godfrey, who is the Corporate Applications Service Manager, discusses a range of apps and tools, including Lists, Planner, Power Apps, Power Automate and Power Autoagents, with the aim of increasing productivi…

Freddie Mundy shares his incredible story on this week's podcast having been born at Hillingdon Hospital eight weeks prematurely. Freddie, who is now 29, is running the Edinburgh marathon in May to raise funds for the hospital's neo-natal unit. The civil engineer talks to us about his and his family's experience at the hospital, meeting staff years…

We catch up with Director of operational Estates and Facilites at the Trust, Steve Wedgwood, to talk about the new incinerator - or Energy Generation Centre as it is now known. Following a two-year project costing nearly £10m, the plant is now up and running and providing heating and hot water for patients and staff at Hillingdon Hospital. Steve di…

It's a special podcast this week from our recent Women's Network event workshop, where Leslie Gaudet talks about the importance of self-care and ways to prevent burnout. Leslie is a self-care strategist for female CEOs and their teams, and provide clients with self-care strategies for them to prevent burnout and enhance their quality of life both i…

Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what you thought of this episode or what else you'd like to hear about from across the Trust by tweeting us at @HillingdonNHSFT. For all the latest Trust news and information check out our website - www.thh.nhs.uk/…

Following national Moisture Associated Skin Damage Awareness (MASD) Day, we sat down with our Trust's experts, the Tissue Viability Team, to talk about MASD, risk factors, the common causes, and how we can help prevent patients from developing skin damage. Tune in to find out more. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episod…

THH Library Services Manager Adam Tocock met up with Helena Delagdo Cohen, Clinical Engagement Lead at BMJ Best Practice, to hear about this point-of-care tools' many features and how it can help busy staff at the point of care or elsewhere. It's freely accessible to all Trust staff on-site via the staff intranet, or remotely via NHS OpenAthens. It…

We talk to the chair of our multicultural network, Weli Farah, all about Ramadan and the support on offer to Trust staff during this period. Weli discusses the importance of the month, fasting and what colleagues can do to support those observing Ramadan. Do you have an achievement we should be talking about? Have a story we should be discussing? O…

Join Adam Tocock, library services manager for a conversation with Dr Shveta Khajal and Dr Neil Verma about their recently published research paper, which looks at regional anaesthesia in the UK. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what you thought of this episode or what else you'd like to …

February is Medication Safety Awareness Month at the Trust so to find out more about this, we chat to Sarah Abdul-Amir and Sarah Newman from the pharmacy team. The pair talk about medication safety, safeguarding measures you can take and the importance of awareness. They also explain what the 5 Rs are when it comes to medication safety. Do you have…

We talk to the Trust's new chief people officer Phil Spivey about his career to date, what his position entails, his ambitions for the organisation and what his life is like away from work. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what you thought of this episode or what else you'd like to hear a…

In this week's episode we speak to Jenny Jean -Jacques, information governance manager about our duty to protect personal data, common threats that we should consider, how to keep data secure, and what to do if a breach occurs. Tune in to find out more. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know wh…

In this episode, we talk to Ed Cox, a patient safety specialist at the Trust, about the launch of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and what it all means for staff and patients. Ed explains why this new approach to responding to incidents is being taken, the background behind it and what the overall aim of the scheme is going f…

We chat with leading surgeon and cancer specialist Yasser Mohsen who has been elected Chair of the Court of Examiners at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Yasser talks about his career at Hillingdon, being recognised by his colleagues, what working was like during the Covid pandemic and how the Da Vinci robot is taking bowel surgery to the …

Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new episode each Monday! Let us know what you thought of this episode or what else you'd like to hear about from across the Trust by tweeting us at @HillingdonNHSFT. For all the latest Trust news and information check out our website - www.thh.nhs.uk/…

We catch up with Practice Development Nurse Priya Priya and Practice Educator Mohan Selvaraj who are both from the clinical training and development team to talk about the upcoming Healthcare Assistant recruitment day, how you can become one and the training on offer here at the Trust. Thanks for listening and don't forget to come back for a new ep…

In this week's episode we speak to Elaine Hotson, our Trust's Health, Wellbeing and Engagement Lead about some of the things you can do to proactively look after your wellbeing this coming year, support and offers available through the Trust, and what to do if you are finding the winter months difficult. Tune in to find out more. If you would like …

We talk to Gemma Taylor, lead haematology nurse in the Medical Haematology Day Unit, after her team won the 'I am the Change' Award at our Staff Awards ceremony. This award is for a person or a team exemplifying change, either through innovation or by introducing new initiatives to the workplace. Gemma explains the story behind the nomination and w…

In this episode, Priya Priya, practice development nurse - HCA support, speaks to Raviraj Biefun, lead nurse for education about the importance of healthcare support workers within the Trust and how they can progress their career from completing the mandatory care certificate to upskilling through apprenticeships and degrees. Thanks for listening a…

STAFF Awards podcast with the winner of the CARES Award for communication, Ashifa Trivedi. Ashifa was our lead pharmacist for women and children at Hillingdon for nearly seven years before recently moving on. She talks about her award, the importance of communicating well in her work and how she reflects on her time with the Trust. Thanks for liste…