Group of staff accepting an award at 2023 Celebration of Achievement.

Membership Matters

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

May 2024

Help celebrate your local NHS hero

Do you know an NHS hospital hero who has gone above and beyond the call of duty, who deserves special recognition? Now is your chance to recognise and celebrate their efforts and pay your own tribute in the ‘Patient Choice’ category at this year’s Celebration of Achievement Awards.

The Trust is appealing to the public to nominate a staff member or team from their local hospitals or community services who has provided an exceptionally caring, supportive, and compassionate service to patients, their families, and their friends.

Simon Morritt, Chief Executive, said: “Every day in the NHS, dedicated teams and individuals go to extraordinary lengths to provide exceptional care and fantastic services. Our Celebration of Achievement Awards has become a valuable and highly regarded way of honouring colleagues who have excelled in their achievements and service for the Trust.

“This award gives the public the opportunity to tell us their stories and say, 'thank you' by recognising the outstanding care, treatment, and kindness freely given, when they needed it the most.”

Nominations for the Trust’s Celebration of Achievement Awards are now open until Friday 17 May. Submit nominations via the Trust's website.

Simon added: “After another challenging year for the NHS, it’s even more important this year to share, celebrate and recognise excellent work.”

Dying Matters: let's talk about it

Let's talk about it - that's the message from the Trust’s palliative care nurses who are spreading awareness of ‘what matters most at the end of life’ during Dying Matters Awareness Week this week (6-12 May).

Every year, people across the country use Dying Matters Awareness Week as an opportunity to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape, or form works for them. This year, the focus is about the language that we use around death and dying.

Debbie Bayes, Lead Nurse for Palliative and End-of-Life Care, leads a team of 22 palliative care nurses across the region. She has worked in specialist palliative care for the last ten years and is encouraging the public to join in conversations, not just in dying matters week but all year round.

“What we’d like to start hearing is better language. Death is a fact of life; we all must face and the language we use helps people with their understanding of what happens to them and the people around them.

"Rather than saying ‘passed on’, we encourage people to say died or dying. Taking simple steps in our communication and finding the confidence to talk about dying helps the patient clearly understand what is happening to them. We are hoping the public can attend the events we are hosting throughout the week as we want to stimulate an open culture about dying. Anyone is welcome to come. We are also encouraging our staff to attend too as they deal with bereavement and grief as part of their daily work life.”

Find out more about Dying Matters Awareness Week and our planned events.

Celebrating 40 years of delivering babies in York

York Hospital’s maternity unit celebrated its 40th anniversary this week.

The special day coincided with a week-long celebration of events, including the annual International Day of the Midwife which praises the incredible compassion of midwives around the world.

The unit was officially opened by the then Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, 9 May 1984. Prior to the opening of the maternity unit, babies were born at the Fulford Maternity Hospital. The hospital closed in the winter of 1983 and all expectant mums and new mums were moved to York.

It was a trip down memory lane for staff as, in honour of the milestone, a montage of photographs of memories from the 1980s was put on display in the unit. This included former NHS staff, families, babies, and visitors who visited the newborns at the time.

Organised by Bev Waterhouse, Deputy Head of Midwifery, the montage was collated after a call out for support.

“The event has brought back a lot of memories and we even have staff now that were born in York in 1984. It’s been a very special week. In the 40 years since opening, we have seen many changes, but one fact remains the same and that is how proud we are to be midwives,” Bev said.

York Press meet first babies born in the Unit.

Health research launched for coastal residents

Researchers from the Trust will collaborate with academics to benefit people living on the Yorkshire coast.

York St John University’s new Institute for Health and Care Improvement and the SeeCHANGE project will support the development of research to benefit the health of the community of Scarborough and the surrounding area.

The new partnership, called Scarborough Coastal Health and Care Research Collaborative (SHARC) has been established to understand and reduce health inequalities affecting Scarborough’s population. It is hoped the partnership will tackle a range of multiple long and short-term health and care priorities and improve outcomes for patients.

Staff from the Trust will work closely alongside academics from York St John University together with the coast’s social enterprise sector, including charities and health organisations.

It will establish new networks of researchers, patients, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders to support the research that is important to the population of Scarborough and its surrounding rural areas.

Visit the Trust’s website to read more about the new partnership.

Take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks

Think you could conquer the Yorkshire Three Peaks this June? There's still time to register with York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity.

This 24-mile circular walk across the Yorkshire Three Peaks offers amazing views and a great team atmosphere. The event will include a fully marshalled walk with checkpoints offering refreshments and support along the way.

Starting in Horton-in-Ribblesdale, you will begin your journey hiking up Pen-Y-Ghent, past Ribblehead Viaduct to ascend Whernside, and finally tackle the short scramble up Ingleborough before heading back into Horton-in-Ribblesdale where our charity team will be waiting to celebrate your return.

It will be an early start, with most walkers expected to complete the challenge in 12 hours. You will need to put in the training and once you are signed up, you will receive an in depth information pack.

Get involved

Public Council of Governors meetings

These meetings are held throughout the year and give you the chance to see first-hand the workings of the Council of Governors speaking up and representing the views of their constituents.

The Council of Governors acts as the voice of the community, ensuring local people have a say in the running of their hospital. Governors are either elected by member of the Trust or appointed by appropriate stakeholder partners, which includes nominated representatives from the Local Authority, University, and other partner organisations.

You can read all about your local governors on our website. If you would like to contact any of the governors, email [email protected], including the name of the governor you wish to contact.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 12 June.

Public Board of Directors meetings

These are held every other month and give you the opportunity to observe the Board of Directors on how decisions are made and what the challenges are of managing a NHS Trust.

Upcoming dates:

Wednesday 22 May, 9.30am
Wednesday 26 June, 10am
Wednesday 31 July, 9.30am

More details on Board of Directors Meetings can be found here.

Star Award finalists

All our staff and volunteers deserve recognition - but there are many that go above and beyond the call of duty to make the Trust a better service - with hard work, exciting new ideas and simply by putting patients first. Click here to read why they were nominated and learn how they made a difference. If you would like to nominate someone for a Star Award complete the online form.

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