123752_CHR_Chinwag_Jan_2020_Final
Chinwag
Staff Magazine Winter 2020
Sporting stars spread festive cheer Lancashire cricket, Man United and Man City stars among Christie Christmas visitors
cancer research – P8 BBC star supporting
campaign – P10 Staff join in our 'Touching Lives'
New chemotherapy service launches in Royton – P9
Introduction & contents
Welcome to the winter edition of Chinwag
Welcome to the latest edition of our staff magazine. As we embark on another new year, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone well for 2020. As ever, here at The Christie, we have much to look forward to in the coming months. We’re looking forward to construction work getting underway on two vitally important projects of course, which are our new centre at Macclesfield and our ambitious new research facility. We also have exciting plans in the pipeline to overhaul our scanning
department and assessment unit, more details of which will be announced in the next few weeks. Of course, these wonderful new facilities are important in helping us provide a truly world-class cancer service, but the most important factor in all our successes remains the people who work here. The skill and commitment of the teams here at The Christie is what makes projects
like these a reality. Roger Spencer, Chief Executive
Chief Executive Roger Spencer
Contents Corporate news
Follow us on Twitter @TheChristieNHS or our charity on @TheChristie Like our charity Facebook page facebook.com/TheChristiecharity and our Trust page at facebook.com/ TheChristieNHS
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Staff news
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Making the headlines
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Connect with The Christie LinkedIn company profile
HR news
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Research news Charity news
Follow our charity on Instagram @christiecharity
Get in touch If you have any news, achievements, team updates or interesting stories you would like to share in Chinwag, contact the communications team on ext 8619 or email press.office@ christie.nhs.uk
You made a difference
A day in the life
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The Christie Private Care
Quick quiz
STOP PRESS: changes to email The Trust will be changing to NHS mail (email addresses that end nhs.net) between February and April 2020, which will affect all email users. Your email folders and calendar will be preserved but all users must ensure their information governance training is up to date before the switch. For more information visit: https://hive.xchristie.nhs.uk/ Interact/Pages/Content/Document.aspx?id=11783 2
Corporate news
A Christie Christmas
Players from Manchester United and Manchester City Women’s team were among the stars who visited us to hand out gifts and good wishes to patients and staff. We were also visited by players from Lancashire County Cricket Club and the Great Britain taekwondo squad. Meanwhile, a programme of festive entertainment was organised in Oak Road – with everything from school choirs to a visit from Star Wars Garrison 501, there was something there for everyone. from a galaxy far, far away – attended the hospital to spread some Christmas cheer. The Christie was a hive of activity during December as sporting stars from clubs across the North West – and even visitors
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Corporate news
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Corporate news
The festive entertainment programme was another huge hit, popular with
patients, visitors and staff alike. There were visits from schools, choirs, a steel band, talented pianists, and even art sessions for people to enjoy.
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Corporate news
International Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020 The Christie will be joining in worldwide celebrations to mark this significant milestone. 2020 is Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year, designated by World Health Organisation as the first ever global Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Nurses and midwives make up the largest numbers of the NHS workforce. They are highly skilled, multi- faceted professionals from a host of backgrounds that represent our diverse communities. 2020 is our time to reflect on these skills, the commitment and expert clinical care they bring, and the impact they make on the lives of so many. This year is also an opportunity to say thank you to the professions; to showcase their diverse talents and expertise; and to promote nursing and midwifery as careers with a great deal to offer. The Christie will be joining in national events to mark this momentous occasion. Look out for updates on HIVE.
Surgical strategy Our surgical strategy for the next five years has been refreshed. The vision is to offer world leading treatment including access to research and innovations in all surgical specialties with care delivered that consistently goes beyond the performance standards set in the NHS and ensures long-term financial sustainability. The key themes involve improved collaborative working within all the surgical specialties and with other providers, change in practice driven by data, practice changing research available to patients and expanding the educational activities driven by outcomes from research. The strategy is 'patient focused' and also ensures staff professional needs are met. This strategy sets a high standard for cancer care regionally, nationally and internationally. For further details please visit HIVE , watch the video at https://cht-easycast.xchristie. nhs.uk/videos/mr-chelliah-selvasekar or contact sequoia.chapman@christie.nhs.uk
CQC inspection The CQC inspection team will be visiting the Trust in the coming months to assess if we are still ‘Outstanding.’
The CQC project team is inviting colleagues to drop in sessions which will take place at Trust Admin on: • Friday 28th February, 1-2pm • Thursday 12th March, 12-1pm •Wednesday 25th March, 9-10am • Tuesday 7th April, 2.30-3.30pm For further details please contact zoe.gale@christie.nhs.uk or lynsey.james@christie.nhs.uk
The inspectors want to hear examples of good practice, what you are really proud of and the improvements you have made within your services balanced against any challenges you are facing and how you are planning to address them.
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Corporate news
Leading the way in radiotherapy research
Christie scientists and clinicians have been awarded a major cash boost to pioneer new radiotherapy technologies and techniques that could help more people survive cancer in the future. Experts will receive £16.5 million over the next five years from the Cancer Research UK RadNet programme to develop new state of the art radiotherapy treatments at The Christie. Manchester has been chosen to be one of just seven centres of excellence in a UK-wide network that will accelerate advances in radiotherapy research. The Manchester centre has been awarded Radiation Research Unit status, with funding for both research groups and infrastructure. In collaboration with The Christie, the funding will support University of Manchester researchers to use advanced radiotherapy technologies such as proton beam therapy, MR-linac machines and FLASH radiotherapy which delivers ultrahigh radiation doses in fractions of a second. Scientists and doctors will also work to personalise radiotherapy in combination with new treatments. For example, one of the aims is to identify new biomarkers that can be
NEW TECHNIQUES: the cash will allow research into new radiotherapy techniques including proton beam therapy
He said: “We are very proud that Manchester has been awarded this grant to bring the next generation of radiotherapy treatments to patients sooner. The funding will support us to develop new radiotherapy technologies to help more people survive cancer, with fewer side effects and a better quality of life after treatment.”
used to predict how patients will benefit from having immunotherapy with radiotherapy. Professor Rob Bristow, Director of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and Chief Academic Officer at The Christie, is lead researcher for the centre.
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Corporate news
BBC star supporting cancer research
Legendary BBC broadcaster Mark Radcliffe has given his support to the fundraising campaign to build a new world class transformational research facility to replace the Paterson building.
Mark’s message: Mark is pictured with his bench at The University of Manchester
The BBC star, who has recently been a patient at The Christie, unveiled an engraved park bench dedicated to cancer research. In a twist to ‘in memoriam’ benches, Mark’s bench highlights his recovery from cancer and salutes the scientists, doctors and nurses who are making game-changing progress in tackling the disease. The inscription reads: “Mark Radcliffe loved sitting here… and still does thanks to advances in cancer research.” The new £150m flagship building will be a purpose-built biomedical cancer research facility, bringing together three powerhouses of innovation – The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK. These three partners are currently working towards reaching that target. Mark was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 with a cancerous tumour on his tongue which had also spread to lymph nodes in his neck. Yet following successful treatment, he returned to the airwaves in February last year. He said:
“ Plans for the new research building sound exciting and it’s amazing that such a world-leading facility will be built on my doorstep in the North West. Research into cancer is the key to changing lives now and in the future. Without it I simply wouldn’t be standing – or sitting – here today. ” Mark Radcliffe The new facility – twice the size of the Paterson building which was extensively damaged by fire in 2017 – will bring together several hundred scientists, doctors, nurses and support staff. By 2030, the building will be at the heart of our ambition to lead the world in clinical trial recruitment – supporting the development of new and kinder cancer therapies.
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Corporate news
Oldham cancer patients set for shorter journeys
More cancer patients from the Oldham area can now receive first class chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments closer to home with the launch of a new Christie chemotherapy suite at Doctor Kershaw’s Hospice in Royton. With six treatment chairs, the new facility is expected to be able to treat between 15 and 20 patients each day. The new service in Oldham will be operating initially on Monday each week, with the potential to deliver additional services on a Friday in the future. Doctor Kershaw’s Hospice will be the sixteenth site in the North West to benefit from Christie chemotherapy services closer to home. The Christie also operates an ‘At Home’ service providing treatment in patients’ homes. Beverley Haigh (56) and Pauline Nixon (59) (both pictured) were two of the first patients on the day the new service opened. Victoria Burns, outreach chemotherapy manager at The Christie, said: “This new service at Doctor Kershaw’s Hospice is the latest part of our ambitious care closer New tiered car park Work to build our new tiered car park off Cotton Lane will start in March and is due to be completed early next year. From now until February 2020 site investigations will be undertaken but these should not affect staff parking. From March 2020 we
to home programme following the success of similar services throughout the North West. “Thanks to the dedication of our team, more than 5,000 patients each year benefit from having 22,800 chemotherapy or immunotherapy treatments closer to home. It’s so rewarding to see what a big difference this makes to cancer patients’ lives.” Care closer to home: (Front left to right): Natalie Hallard (chemotherapy outreach nurse), Beverly Haigh (patient), Liz Kings (senior sister) and Pauline Nixon (patient); (Rear left to right): Receptionists Karen Fielding and Patricia Radcliffe
will be implementing a ‘Park and Ride’ programme at three nearby sites. Further details will be published when available and drop-in sessions will be organised. For more further information please contact stuart. keen@christie.nhs.uk
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Corporate news
Patients and staff become faces of The Christie
The Christie charity has launched a major new advertising campaign featuring the stories of people whose lives have been touched by The Christie – including our very own staff as its stars.
Matron Matt Bilney is featured in the campaign.
The 'Touching Lives' campaign aims to show how crucial fundraising for The Christie charity is and how many of the services provided by The Christie would not be possible without the support of charitable donations. The campaign also shows the human side of care and treatment that The Christie provides throughout Greater Manchester and the North West. It highlights the everyday work of The Christie, talking about saving lives, making breakthroughs, holding hands, wiping tears, lifting spirits, raising funds, ringing bells and beating cancer. All the people involved are real people who have a direct connection to The Christie including patients, volunteers, fundraisers and patient relatives.
Raising awareness: an example of the advertisements featuring Matt Bilney and a glimpse of one of the adverts on Victoria Warehouse at Old Trafford
His voice has appeared in
relatives and I hope people will really get behind this campaign and make a decision to fundraise for us.” Professor Corinne Faivre-Finn is another face of the campaign. Prof Faivre-Finn has worked at The Christie for 21 years and has benefited directly from funding from The Christie charity as it has funded her current post as a consultant clinical oncologist. Charmain Sangster also features in the campaign. She has been a volunteer at The Christie for the last
a radio advert and he also featured in newspaper adverts and on bus sides. Matt lives in Didsbury and joined The Christie as a student nurse in 2002. He said: “I was very proud to be asked to represent all Christie nurses in the campaign. I work with some amazing colleagues who go above and beyond to provide care and compassion to our patients. In my previous role, I managed the integrated procedures unit (IPU) which brings together day patient services in one place and which our charity raised almost £5m for, and so I know first-hand just how
four years using her
experiences as a former patient to help first time patients find their way around the hospital.
important the support of our charity is. Now, as a senior nurse manager for inpatient wards, it is clear every day what a difference our charity makes to patients and their
Professor Corinne Faivre-Finn
Prestigious award for Claire Congratulations to consultant endocrinologist Claire Higham who has been awarded a Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Academic Research Partnerships (CARP) fellowship. CARP supports NHS consultants with a PhD or MD – or equivalent higher research degree – but who are not currently research active, to participate in collaborative, high-quality research partnerships with established biomedical researchers.
Claire Higham
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Corporate news
£3m for The Christie at Macclesfield
Fundraising for our new state of the art cancer centre in Macclesfield has now reached the £3mmark. The new centre will bring together essential cancer services into one purpose-built unit delivering local specialist access to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, holistic support and information services, outpatient care, palliative care, and a wider range of clinical trials. The Peel Group has agreed a £1m partnership with The Christie charity to help fund vital research into urological cancers. The pledge from the infrastructure, transport and real estate investment group will see two clinical researchers join The Christie’s uro-oncology department to oversee new studies in prostate, bladder and kidney cancer. The Peel Group will donate £200,000 a year for five years to fund the posts which it hopes will lead to advances in research that will have a positive impact on the future treatment of patients. Deputy Chairman of the Peel Group, Neil Lees said: “As a major contributor to the regional economy we wanted to pledge our support
Bringing The Christie to Cheshire: an artist’s impression of the new centre
charity, Louise Stimson said: “This is a fantastic start. There will be hundreds of fundraising activities and events in 2020, so plenty of opportunities for staff to get involved.” Work on the two storey building is expected to begin in May 2020 with the aim of opening during autumn 2021.
Dr Andrew Sykes, the lead consultant for the project said: “I can’t say a big enough thank you to everyone. The new centre will provide world class cancer care closer to home for 1,500 existing patients.” The Christie charity is aiming to raise £23m towards the £26.5m project. Head of fundraising at The Christie
The Peel Group announces £1 million research partnership
to an initiative which would have a positive impact on many people’s lives. We are delighted and excited to support this important research into urological cancers and we hope the legacy of this research benefits patients for many years to come.” The Christie’s uro-oncology department is at the forefront of cancer diagnosis and treatment in the UK and is a global leader in research. Professor Noel Clarke, consultant urological surgeon, said: “We are very grateful to The Peel Group for this investment and we are delighted to be able to invest in two new research posts which we hope will have a significant impact on our research into urological cancers.
“In order to continue to be at the forefront of cancer research and treatment, The Christie must continue to develop its academic and training capabilities, with scientists working alongside clinical teams. This funding will help us immensely in reaching our goals.” Important research: Neil Lees, Deputy Chairman of the Peel Group , Professor Ananya Choudhury, Professor Noel Clarke and Kate Holland from The Peel Group
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Corporate news
Speaking up, raising concerns
Freedom to speak up is supported when we: • set a positive example • are open and honest with colleagues • thank those who raise a concern • view a concern raised as an opportunity to improve • listen and take action • access the training module For more information, contact Sue Mahjoob, Freedom to Speak Up guardian on ext 3568 .
It was with great sadness that we learnt about the death of respected businessman and Christie supporter Mike Oglesby in November. Mike was the founder of Bruntwood, a highly successful property development company, widely We want it to be easy to speak up and raise concerns. It is also important that when you do speak up, we listen and take action. Over the last year we have reviewed what you have told us via the national staff survey, the freedom to speak up survey, safety culture survey as well as listening to what those who have spoken up have raised. You said You value having alternative sources of support and ways to raise concerns and will speak up when there is the possibility that the care has been or could be compromised. You say that the barriers to speaking up are: • A belief that nothing will be done about it.
His insight as a cancer patient was powerful and invaluable and Mike was incredibly supportive of The Christie, with a keen interest in supporting research. He was the founding chair of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and chaired the fundraising appeal when we wanted to build the MCRC building. This building was very recently named ‘The Oglesby Cancer Research Building’ in recognition of Mike’s tireless support and dedication. More recently Mike was a lay member of the programme board for the Paterson rebuild project, overseeing the development of the new cancer research building which will replace the badly fire damaged Paterson building. • You will not be listened to or taken seriously. • You are concerned about the impact on your job and your relationship with your team or manager. We have: • Invested in investigation training for managers so they are suitably skilled to review and carry out a thorough investigation when concerns are raised. • Launched in-house mediation to help with difficult conversations. • Updated the Freedom to Speak Up policy and launched the positive working relationships policy so that the process and sources of advice and support are clear. • Board members conducted a self- assessment on how their leadership can support and encourage a positive culture of speaking up.
Dr Mike Oglesby CBE 1939-2019
Personally, through his family charitable foundation and his
corporate business, Mike and his wife Jean gave extremely generously to The Christie. They donated their golden wedding anniversary gifts towards leukaemia research and hosted lunches and dinners including an event to raise funds for our first Da Vinci robot. They also sponsored The Christie garden at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park and provided funding for three bursaries. Mike’s wife Jean also helped to establish and was the original chair of the Altrincham and Sale fundraising group for The Christie which has since been raising funds for over 23 years.
respected for his leadership
Dr Mike Oglesby
and business acumen and developing an ‘ethical business’ that cared about its people and the environment and gave back to local people.
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Staff news
Another prestigious medal for Tim In November Professor Tim Illidge was awarded the Skegg medal by the Royal College of Radiologist (RCR) and gave the medal lecture at Central Westminster Hall at the RCR graduation in front of a large audience. He received it from the RCR’s President, Dr Nicola Strickland. Tim has previously been awarded the RCR gold medal, the highest honour the college endows for outstanding contribution. He is one of only 10 oncologists to receive it since 1961, the other being the other being Professor Ralston Paterson in 1966. Earlier this year he also became the first oncologist at The Christie to be awarded a Senior NIHR award, the only oncologist in the UK to be given one in 2019, and one of only 20 clinicians in the UK to be awarded one, joining a national faculty of 200.
Highest honour: Professor Tim Illidge receives his award
Team of the year Well done to the team in our proton beam therapy unit who have recently been named as radiography team of the year by the North West Region Society of Radiographers.
Giving skin cancer expertise in Brussels Skin cancer experts from The Christie hosted a course dedicated to multidisciplinary management of non-melanoma skin cancer in November. For the second year, The Christie was represented by Dr Agata Rembielak, clinical oncology consultant and the course director, Mr Damir Kosutic, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Judy Harker, former Christie tissue viability nurse and radiographer Maria Vassiliou. The course was met with great interest from the international audience from 15 different countries, including Europe, USA, South Korea and Indonesia. One of the biggest highlights of the course was interactive case discussions, during which participants had the opportunity to present their own challenging cases and share examples of good practice from their places of work.
A sweet treat It was cake all round when Jane Haigh, a sister on the teenage and young adult unit, was given a Martyn Smile Cake to thank her for all she does to support young people. She was nominated by colleagues on the TYA for 30 years of dedicated service. Martyn Smile Cakes are donated on a monthly basis to a deserving cause in memory of Martyn Hett who lost his life in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.
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Corporate news Staff news
Research stars We had a successful evening at the Greater Manchester Clinical Research Awards in November.
Congratulations to The Christie at Oldham, winners of the Rotary of Oldham’s community shield. The shield was awarded for all their hard work within the community, including visiting local schools and holding open events. Rotary Club of Oldham – community shield
Congratulations to Kate Law who won early career researcher of the
year and our experimental
cancer medicine team who won research team of the year. Kate Law, a research fellow nurse, is pictured with her award.
Infection Prevention Society – honorary membership Congratulations to Gary Thirkell who has been awarded honorary membership of the Infection
CODE Gold status for ward 4
Ward 4 has successfully been reaccredited with CODE Gold status for the third consecutive year under the leadership of the ward manager Gemma Jones. The whole team has once again demonstrated excellence in patient care, with a commitment to improving quality and delivering safe, effective and personal care – well done! For further information about CODE please visit https://hive.xchristie.nhs.uk/Interact/Pages/ Content/Document.aspx?id=1999 Electronic prescribing for transfusion project Congratulations to Sharon Jackson and Andrea Webber who have been nominated for an award at the Connect Conference in Blackpool for the electronic prescribing for transfusion project. This is now live on all inpatient wards and outpatients and a pilot is about to commence in theatres. For further information please contact julie.gray@christie.nhs.uk
Prevention Society for his outstanding contribution to its work.
Education and training handbook The School of Oncology has relaunched its education handbook which provides details of education and training opportunities available to all staff across the Trust; with useful links and booking instructions. The handbook is at https://view.pagetiger.com/ christieeducationhandbook/2019-20 Colleagues will need to register with their Christie email address. For more information please contact morgan. walsh@christie.nhs.uk on ext 3687 .
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Staff news
100 voices
Have you had your jab? Christie patients and carers have come together to become ‘100 Voices’, describing their experience of cancer using only one word. The workshops were guided by a writer and artist, sharing experiences in a small group using story-telling, art and creative practices. Patients and carers from the across the hospital participated, including some of our younger patients from the teenage and young adult unit. The complete collection of 100 words shines a diverse and unique light on what it means to live with and beyond cancer. You can see an art installation of the project in our restaurant.
Staff wellbeing As a Trust we value the wellbeing of staff, and have been working on various staff wellbeing events to support and improve mental, physical, and emotional health & wellbeing. A few events have already been held in 2019 with a couple focusing on front line staff, and was delivered by the complementary therapy team, providing techniques on resilience, mindfulness, and offering free massage. Staff reported an improvement in both mood and stress levels and this feedback is helping to develop future events. For more details or to be involved with the healthy workplace steering group contact laura.smoult@christie. nhs.uk
It’s flu season here at The Christie and there is still time to get your jab. Our CEO Roger Spencer was first up to have his #jabdone .
Job swap January Staff on ward 10 have been learning about each other’s roles during ‘Job swap January’. A range of staff in various roles have been working alongside a colleague to gain more insight into each other’s roles. Lauren Toman, clinical practice facilitator, said: “We have had excellent feedback so far. The ultimate goal is to combat negativity and to get people feeling more motivated about their roles and understand how valued each and every one of them is.”
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MAKING THE HEADLINES As always the work of our staff, patients, volunteers and fundraisers has received lots of media attention over the last few months.
Max power We received extensive coverage in November when Manchester United player Max Taylor had his first team debut. Max was treated at The Christie in 2018 for testicular cancer and recently returned to meet patients in our proton beam therapy unit.
Proud of Brenda Brenda Walker, one of our charity fundraisers was been nominated for the Pride of Britain Awards this year and featured on Granada Reports during October. She has played the keyboards in Bury and Rochdale town centres for over 20 years raising money for our charity. Brenda was also one of the faces of The Christie in the charity awareness campaign that ran just before Christmas .
Christie clinical trials focus BBC North West Tonight featured a week of stories about clinical trials at The Christie during December. The emotional films followed prostate cancer patient, Dave Kearney, who is currently on an early phase trial led by Dr Matt Krebs and the ECMT team.
Join the conversation
Laura Hurrell Fab hospital who have been supporting my dad with his cancer treatment / care over the last few years xx
John Abbott What would we do without The Christie? It doesn’t bear thinking.
Sarah Collinson A world of kindness and amazing medical science has helped our dear friends through one of the most difficult times x thank you The Christie Go Teddy x
Hayley Fuller What an amazing boy!! Well done. The Christie is one amazing place and I can’t thank you enough for saving my life.
Esther Parkinson Beautiful. The Christie works miracles. Amazing place. Xx
@fkmac17 Really lovely to see some very talented brass players performing for the patients, visitors & staff today @TheChristieNHS. Enjoyed some festive tunes and a walk down memory lane
@NicolaHodkinson A big thank you to @TheChristieNHS. Yesterday I got the most wonderful news that I surgery for breast cancer. Thank you everyone for your support and love, you will never know how much it meant to me. am CANCER FREE following chemo &
@aubrey_writes The staff at @TheChristieNHS have been incredible. Each day they have looked after him with the best skill, care and dedication a person could need. I’m constantly in awe of their talents and our wonderful, life-saving NHS.
@EmmaRodgers Thanks so much to all @TheChristieNHS for their help, empathy and professionalism. I cannot thank them enough for the brilliant individualised care and support they are giving.
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HR news
Supporting our staff with mediation
Promoting positive working relationships plays a huge part in keeping our staff happy and healthy at work.
A new confidential mediation service is available to support colleagues who are experiencing conflict in the workplace. Mediation involves one or two neutral people working with staff who have a disagreement, to help them explore the issues and to identify ideas about how they might be resolved, in a way that's acceptable to everyone.
Mediation can develop understanding and improve relationships, and it is likely to be less stressful than formal procedures for those involved, as well as being concluded more promptly. Further information on mediation is available on HIVE. Mediation can be requested by emailing a completed mediation request form to mediation@christie.nhs.uk Annual Leave carryover 2020/21
If required, you may carry over up to 37.5 hours (pro rata for part time employees) into the new leave year. Please note that if you are also buying annual leave, you may not be able to carry any leave over. The maximum amount a person can buy and carry over combined is 37.5 hours, or the equivalent of one working week. Your manager will need to confirm the leave to be carried over (in hours) via email to alcarryover@ christie.nhs.uk no later than 15th March 2020.
The new annual leave year starts on 1st April 2020. Please discuss with your line manager if you have any annual leave for the current year that you haven’t yet taken or booked. You should both have ensured that you have taken sufficient leave breaks during the year to allow for appropriate rest periods therefore there is an expectation that your annual leave will have been used.
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HR news
Staff support mechanisms Employee assistance programme The Trust’s employee assistance programme providers, Health Assured, were on site for our staff support day held in December where they were able to speak to staff and raise awareness of the support available via the Employee Assistance Programme. The Health Assured employee assistance programme is an employee benefit designed to help staff deal with personal and professional problems which could be affecting their home or work life, health and general wellbeing. For further information about how you can access the employee assistance programme, please visit the pages on HIVE: https://hive.xchristie.nhs.uk/Interact/Pages/ Content/Document.aspx?id=9692
Salary Finance Also onsite at our staff support day were Salary Finance, an employee benefit, providing access to low cost loans, simple savings and financial education. Being in control of your money is key to being able to enjoy the best that life has to offer. Everyone has money worries at some time in their lives, and it's important to have access to the tools and information that can really make a difference to financial stress in both your home and work lives. For further information about how you can find out more about Salary Finance, please visit the pages on HIVE: https://hive.xchristie.nhs.uk/Interact/Pages/Content/ Document.aspx?id=9781&SearchId=423930
Managing stress in the workplace guidance
A new guide has been created to help staff identify stress and it explains how to access the support available. Stress can show itself in many different ways from a cognitive, emotional, physical and behavioural symptom perspective. Often there are early warning signs that individuals may be under some form of stress and if you can spot these signs and take appropriate action you can
reduce the chance of the stress turning into a period of absence. For more information about the symptoms of stress, the
conversations that you can have and what support options are available, please read the Managing Stress in the Workplace Guide: https://view.pagetiger.com/ managing-stress
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HR news
Save the date The Christie will be holding its first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Summit this summer. The summit will be an opportunity for Christie staff to learn about the Trust’s work, plans and achievements in the area of EDI.
More information will be provided later as our plans are finalised including the booking arrangements. Please keep an eye on HIVE and Team
briefing. Remember to save the date in your calendar. For more information, email david.codner@christie. nhs.uk
Making the most of your PDR The performance development review (PDR) is a valuable opportunity to invest in each of our staff, to recognise their achievements, support their wellbeing and development, and to enable them to reach their full potential at work. workshop is also available for line managers (see Managing for Success – Invest in Success). Jo Ann Hughes, head of talent, said: “The PDR isn’t a ‘once a year’ meeting; it’s part of regular check-ins and feedback between the line manager and the member of staff – a continuous conversation through the year. It provides the opportunity to spend quality time thinking about all aspects of the individual’s performance, new objectives, development plans and career aspirations
and how they can be supported to achieve these.” For further information on PDR, please contact freya.macfarlane@christie.nhs.uk in HR.
To support this, new interactive PDR guidance for staff and managers is available on HIVE to help you to have the most effective PDR conversation. A practical
Staff Christmas quiz 2019
30 teams participated on the night – starting with delicious food and refreshments provided by our catering team. The quiz was hosted by Barclays Bank and celebrity host Victoria Ekanoye. It was a fast, furious, and fun evening which was enjoyed by all. Congratulations to the winners 'Centrifugal Farce' from the CRF Lab Team. In second place was the financial management team 'Accounting Down to Christmas' and in third place was the 'Diagnostic Quizics' from our XRD physics team. We held our annual staff Christmas quiz in December.
If you have any questions or require further information on any of the articles in the HR News section of Chinwag, please contact Rebecca Patel, head of engagement on ext 7861
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Research news
Breakthrough for cholangiocarcinoma cancer patients Result of an international clinical trial have shown for the first time that targeted therapy can improve the outcome of patients diagnosed with advanced cholangiocarcinoma (a type of biliary tract cancer), an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. The data from the ClarIDHy phase III study shows that ivosidenib, an oral drug targeting the IDH1 mutation, found in approximately 20% of advanced cholagiocarcinoma patients, significantly improved progression-free survival with a trend to improved overall survival compared to placebo. The drug also increased the chances of the cancer being under control at six and 12 months after the start of treatment, compared to placebo. Professor Juan Valle, principal investigator for this study at The Christie said: “This is a breakthrough in our research into cholangiocarcinoma. We have found a meaningful treatment that increases the chance of being free from progression by 30% at six months after starting treatment and that prolongs survival from 6 months with placebo to 10.8 months with ivosidenib. "We now have a new option for patients. This is likely to lead to a change in standard of care and encourage further research into targeted therapy for this disease.” The Christie was the largest UK recruiter to the trial that had 188 patients across 38 sites globally.
Professor Radford becomes president Professor John Radford has become president of Lymphoma Action, having had a long standing association with the charity.
Global and UK first for ECMT The experimental cancer medicine team (ECMT) has recruited the first global patient to the ‘SN38’ first in human trial for patients with advanced solid tumours. Dr Natalie Cook is the chief investigator for the study. The patient, who has metastatic breast cancer, is given the treatment intravenously. The team has also recruited the first UK patient to a phase II ‘FUZE’ trial which treats patients with solid tumours. The patient’s primary cancer is cholangio- carcinoma. The drug is given intravenously. Dr Donna Graham is the principle investigator for this study. He’s narrated videos, spoken at patient conferences, reviewed their information resources and been a long-term member of their medical advisory panel, which he’ll now chair in his new role. His team at The Christie already work closely with Lymphoma Action, speaking at events and advising on forthcoming clinical trials of new treatments that patients can take part in. The charity lists all current clinical trials on its online database TrialsLink – one of its information services for people diagnosed with hard-to-treat lymphoma.
Lorraine becomes UK’s first advanced nurse practitioner in clinical research Lorraine Turner has been appointed to the newly created research division post of consultant advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) making her the first nurse consultant in the UK for clinical research.
to clinical research closer to home; with particular focus on hard-to-reach populations in ethnically diverse and deprived communities. Lorraine has well established working relationships with key stakeholders both at The Christie, locally and nationally which will help drive this strategy forward. She’ll aim to build on the successful initiatives she has put in place at The Christie, by replicating them at peripheral sites. Lorraine has also started a part-time PhD in Cancer Sciences at The University of Manchester this month.
She will be based in the CRF and will start the new job at the beginning of October. One of her remits will be to raise the profile of research within the organisation, and sites across Greater Manchester, to encourage referrals to experimental clinical trials and provide access
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Research news
ASCO Scholar’s program selection for Mairead
Dr Mairéad McNamara is one of only 12 people to be selected to join the highly competitive ASCO Education Scholars’ Program.
Mairéad, who specialises in treating patients with heptopancreaticobiliary and neuroendocrine tumours, joins the second cohort of
individuals for the 2019/2020 program and is the only selected participant from the UK and outside of the USA. “What I am most looking forward to is the opportunity to learn and network with fellow clinicians and teaching experts to enhance my own abilities” Mairéad said. “While it will involve some travel to America for the seminars, I have tried to minimise disruption to clinics or teaching commitments. It will be extra work, but everything worth having is well earned.”
Congratulations to Corinne This year-long program trains participants to become exemplary teachers, who effectively spread the latest knowledge about cancer research and treatment to the oncology community, through ASCO’s educational offerings, as well as within the participants’ institutions. Additionally, this program provides participants with leadership skills to become effective change agents. The International Association for the study of Lung Cancer has selected Professor Corinne Faivre-Finn as the recipient of the prestigious 2019 James D. Cox Lectureship Award for Radiation Oncology in recognition of her long-standing work in the field of radiation oncology.
First patient on sponge study The first cytosponge procedure at The Christie was undertaken on a patient as part of a feasibility study in November. The CYTOFloc trial is aimed at patients who have recovered from cancer of the oesophagus. The patient swallowed the sponge which expands in their stomach and then drew cells with it when removed. This study aims to understand if the procedure can be tolerated by oesophagus cancer patients. It’s the first time this technique has been tested in an oncology setting and it is hoped that the information derived can be used to determine the impact of treatment on patients with oesophageal cancer following radiation therapy. Dr Ganesh Radhakrishna is leading the project and is aiming to recruit up to three patients per year.
The IASLC gave the award to Corrine for her extensive contributions in the lung cancer arena. She will accept the award and give a lecture at the WCLC in Barcelona later this year. Corinne said: “This is the highest distinction in my specialty from the International Association for the study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). This is a great honour as this type of award is often given to individuals at the end of their career.”
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Christie charity news
Brave soles In October we held our Firewalk event at Macclesfield Town
Hall where brave participants bared their soles and walked barefoot across hot embers in support of The Christie.
Feet of flames: Dr Andrew Sykes prepares to walk across hot embers
The event was raising money for The Christie at Macclesfield appeal and was led by Dr Andrew Sykes who is the lead doctor for this appeal. Dr Sykes began the evening by lighting the fire ready for the challenge ahead and after a short training session was the first person to lead the group over the hot embers. A firewalk is designed to help overcome fear and to inspire people to do things they didn't think possible. The evening was a great success and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone taking part and to date it has raised over £14,000.
Events calendar If you’ve been inspired to support The Christie charity, there are plenty of upcoming opportunities to get involved! What will you do? For more information on any of our upcoming events, please get in touch on 0161 446 3988 or email events@christies.org
Sunday 23rd February *event postponed due to severe weather forecast.
Frosty 5k
Zipslide
Saturday 15th March
Wilmslow Half Marathon
Sunday 15th March
Greater Manchester Marathon
Sunday 5th April
Wilmslow Triathlon
Sunday 19th April
Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th April
Skydive
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Christie charity news
Bowled over by Mark’s support
We’d like to say huge congratulations to our volunteer Mark Senior on raising £7,200 in memory of his late wife Susan. Mark has taken on a number of fundraising challenges over the years for the Christie, but with Susan’s 60th birthday approaching, Mark wanted to challenge himself further and do something a little out of the ordinary. Christie catchphrase
As a cricket enthusiast and a scorer for Glossop Cricket club, Mark decided to take on a walking challenge, which would see him walk to every single away match in the Greater Manchester Cricket League. A challenge which would see Mark walk the length and breadth of Greater Manchester for 22 weeks. Mark walked to 11 clubs, with one walk starting at Glossop and ending at Brooksbottom. This walk alone totalled 42k, that’s a whole marathon!
Mark even walked when cricket matches had been postponed due to weather conditions. In 22 weeks, Mark covered 165 miles for The Christie. That’s 350,000 steps, two pairs of walking boots and 1 pair of trainers!
Will you join us on Snowdon?
Join Team Christie for this fantastic challenge as we explore and summit the highest mountain in England and Wales throughout the night! Trekking Mt Snowdon (1,085m) during the day time forms a great challenge, but by using torches to light our way and having the moon as our back drop, Seeing the sunrise across Snowdonia National Park will be a memory never forgotten! Upon our descent we will witness the breath-taking mountain range open up to give glorious views and then we tuck into a delicious celebration breakfast! The trek will take place from Saturday 13 June to Sunday 14 June 2020. summiting at night brings another sense of achievement to an already recognised trek.
A big congratulations and thank you to actor and comedian John Thomson who won an episode of Celebrity Catchphrase in November. John selected us here at The Christie as his chosen charity, winning an amazing £14,600.
If you love a challenge, are thirsty for adventure and want to support the fight against cancer then come and join Team Christie, find out more: www.christies.org/snowdon
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You Made A Difference
Going the extra mile
Everybody benefits when somebody goes a little beyond the call of duty to help out patients or colleagues. If you know someone who has done something which makes life just a little bit better for those around them, nominate them for a ‘You made a difference’ award.
June 2019 Abbie Stones, clinical support worker, proton beam therapy was our July 2019 You made a difference award winner. She is a clinical support worker in the proton beam
July 2019 Oldham radiotherapy team members Louise Clarke, Shrada Amin, Jess Smart and Emma Turner were our winners in June for the help they gave to man who had collapsed in a car park when they were off duty and on their way home from work. Thanks to their efforts, they managed to revive and stabilise him before an ambulance arrived. Superintendent radiographer Julie Davies said: “These individuals are part of a fantastic team who on a daily basis go above and beyond for their patients and I am proud of each and every one of them. I generally would never single anyone out as we are what we are from the support we give each other, however on this occasion these four individuals on their way home showed professionalism and duty of care to step forward and help an individual in urgent need.
therapy team. Her role involves clinical skills and admin work, alongside cleaning duties and stock management. She is part of a patient facing team which helps people from start to
finish with their treatment. Colleagues nominated her because she continually puts the patients first, and they are always at the heart of everything she does. Abbie set up a weekly coffee morning so that patients could have a couple of hours a week to get to know staff in a different context to just receiving treatment. Patients absolutely love this service and always talk about how much it helps them and how much they look forward to it. She also organised a patient book swap service. Colleague Jane Miller said: “Working with Abbie is an absolute pleasure as she is always happy and eager to make sure everyone is in the best mood whilst carrying out their job.”
At the point many would panic they immediately
offered support to the unknown gentleman who was in cardiac arrest, utilised their skill, acted
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You made a difference
October 2019 The winner of our October award was clinical research nurse Nicola Heazell. Nikki has worked with the lymphoma team for just over a year as a research nurse working with the team to deliver highly complex early phase trials. Her manager Andrea Whitmore, a research nurse team leader said: “Nikki has always been a team player and is always willing to go the extra mile for the patients. She runs clinics, arranges trial set up and deals with data queries; she delivers treatments and attends MDT meetings to identify possible trial patients. She is a committed nurse and I’m not surprised at all that she has been nominated for this award as she continuously strives to improve service but also encourages others to do the same. “Her rapport with her patients is second to none and she will go above and beyond wherever she can to ensure patients get the best care we can offer. In this role Nikki sees the patients go through many ups and downs it can sometimes be such a roller coaster of emotions for them and their families but Nikki is always there to listen and support. “I hope she won’t mind me saying that although she has a physical impairment she is a real inspiration to us all. She did her nurse training against all the odds and when the powers that be said she couldn’t manage this she proved them all wrong and went on to qualify with the highest grades. “She is now an advocate for nurses with impairment or disability and works closely with nursing governing bodies to promote more understanding and support. I have seen her drive in action when the IV skills team thought she could not access lines… oh did she show them she could! Not only did she devise a way to do this safely but she really does have one of the best aseptic techniques I have ever seen.”
as the team they are and stabilised the patient until the ambulance arrived. I am very proud and they should be too.” August 2019
Hayley Beswick, a staff nurse, and Maria Nolan, a healthcare assistant, both on ward 11, were our joint winners during August.
Both were praised for working hard in very difficult circumstances. Their manager Ruth Paterson said: “Hayley has progressed to an extremely competent and caring nurse. “The ward is physically and emotionally demanding with very vulnerable patients at times but she will give 100% to ensure that all her patients’ needs are met; always has a kind word for her patients and tries to make their stay a positive experience. Maria is a great support for the trained nurses. She goes above and beyond of what is expected of her in her role, always has a kind word for all of the patients on the ward and makes each patient feel special, never sits down, is always on the go to help her colleagues out.” September 2019
The award in September was presented to charge hand gardener Phillip Walker. Philip joined The Christie in July and a short period of time has received extensive
praise for his gardening talent and the impact he has made with the care and maintenance of the grounds and garden. Wayne Daley, operational estates manager said: “Phil has spoken at length about the projects that he wishes to carry out and his enthusiasm is infectious. His work ethic and passion for what he is why he deserves the award.”
If you want to put someone forward for ‘You made a difference’ , nomination postcards and entry boxes can be found in the restaurant, reception areas and on wards, or you can nominate a colleague via HIVE. A panel, which includes a non-executive director and governor, agrees the winner.
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