Trust Matters June 2025 edition

Welcome to the June edition of Trust Matters packed full of the latest news from across our trust

I want to start by saying “thank you” to all our colleagues for everything they do for our patients and communities. We truly value our people, and this is why we took the brave decision to become a real living wage employer from the beginning of April. Since then, our lowest paid colleagues have been supported with a wage that helps them to better meet their everyday needs. It also helps us to tackle inequalities in our workforce and boost our recruitment efforts which now see fewer vacancies across our trust.

During Pride month, our services proudly flew the RDaSH flag at Rotherham Pride. Being part of this vibrant and fun occasion gave us the perfect opportunity to really connect with our communities. More Pride events are taking place this August in Doncaster and Scunthorpe. Why not go along, celebrate diversity, and enjoy a great day out.

I know that the national NHS staff survey may feel like a distant memory. But our teams at directorate level are busy going through the results and working on action plans to make improvements in the areas which our colleagues told us about. This is important work, and I would encourage all our colleagues to get involved to help bring about meaningful changes which make your workplace somewhere where everyone can thrive. Helping people with a long-term mental health condition to stay well in our communities is our promise 23. This is why we are expanding our services into Burns Court, supported living accommodation in Rotherham. This investment gives Rotherham people somewhere to stay as a step-down or step-up facility helping them to live safe and fulfilled lives while becoming more independent.

You may have heard about the government’s 10-Year Health Plan setting out the 3 big shifts that the NHS needs to make to be fit for the future. These are, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. I want to let you know that as an organisation we are fully committed to our promises which will remain unchanged and continue to be the focus of our work until 2028.

With our community fun day and annual members’ meeting just a couple of weeks away, I hope you will join us at Scunthorpe Brumby Hall Sports and Social Club on Saturday 19 July.

The fun starts at 10am until 4pm with lots of free activities for everyone. Come along and meet the giant walkabout dinosaurs, watch community teams going head-to-head in it’s a knockout competition and quick cricket. We will be holding our first ever NHS Bright Futures Summit at midday for young people. For those of you who want to find out more about how the trust performed last year, we will be holding our annual members’ meeting at 2pm.

We have launched our Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) Awards 2025. Please make sure that a colleague, team, or volunteer receives the recognition they deserve by nominating them for an award. More details about our awards are available inside this edition.

Thank you for reading Trust Matters and until next time, please take care.

Kind regards,

Kathryn

We are on Bluesky and Threads

We’ve joined two new social media platforms.

You can follow us on:

• Bluesky: Bluesky
• Threads: Threads

In addition to our existing social media channels:

• X: X
• Facebook: Facebook
• Instagram: Instagram
• YouTube: YouTube

Consistently good: the high quality therapeutic care work of the trust

On Tuesday 10 June, over 50 clinicians, students, volunteers and patients gathered in the community hall in Doncaster.

Their task was a daunting one. To consider how best to move the trust’s wards to a consistent way of working. Working with the standards set by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, informed by the culture of care assessment of each ward already undertaken by our staff and patients, and bearing in mind the quality and safety plan that our Board has approved, a whole day was spent trying to find the best way.

Jon Rouston, Chief Allied Health Professionals, led the event, with a focus on patient and staff experience. He explained that the high-quality therapeutic care taskforce wanted to move to a standard model for care plans, for multi-disciplinary teams, for visiting hours and for other ways of working. But the purpose of that consistency was to help to focus on personalising our care for patients.

The work of the day has since been considered by the taskforce and approved by the clinical leadership executive. Consistently good: the high quality therapeutic care work of the trust.

In the coming weeks, we will begin to see real change:

• a consistent timetable for when things happen on our wards will be implemented this summer, ensuring that staff who move between wards are clear how things work around here
• an initial pilot ward (thank you Sandpiper) will test a model for purposeful in patient admission (PIPA), multi-disciplinary teams (MDT), and care plans, before rollout across the organisation in the early autumn
• from October, every ward will be supporting at least one organised therapeutic activity each day across a 7-day week. Making use of the skills of peer support workers, community groups, and the time and passions of clinical professionals

Closing the event, trust Chief Executive Toby Lewis, thanked all involved for their energy and commitment to making positive changes. He stressed that this is about “Taking the best of what we do at RDaSH now and making it what we do across the trust”.

He emphasised that “We need to get the basics consistently in place so that our patients are safer but also that everyone in our teams can have their voice heard and be able to provide the care they want to provide. We know from peer review visits undertaken alongside patients and peers that making sure we have activities in place makes a huge difference to quality of care.”

Getting Care Quality Commission ready

We are expecting the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to visit us to undertake a full assessment, noting that they have recently been to inspect our adult inpatient mental health services, and we await their formal feedback from this. Although we do not know when this visit will happen, we are doing our very best to make sure that we are fully prepared for this.

Currently we are rated “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission. We want to change this so that we receive a “good” from the next assessment visit.

We have recently carried out an internal self-assessment against the Care Quality Commission assessment framework, which has found several areas we need to improve on, to achieve a good rating. To help us to do this we plan on working across the organisation to prepare key pieces of information that will help evidence the high quality care we provide to the people who use our services.

Developing evidence libraries

Evidence libraries will be developed in each part of the clinical structure. These libraries will include “evidence entries” which are cover notes adding context to the data and explaining what the data means. This will be of value to those who need to use the data to make informed decisions.

There will also be a system of peer critique, where someone from outside the directorates will look, research, and provide an appraisal of the evidence in the libraries. The evidence from the libraries will be a standing item for discussion at directorate delivery reviews.

For completeness and oversight, the qualitative and quantitative data from the evidence libraries will be provided to the Board of Directors.

An important part of these libraries is that they will be developed through the eyes of the patients.

Moving from requires improvement to good and keeping it

• Achieving success in November is about creating meaningful change plans.
• While there is always room for improvement, we must do better in the following areas:
  • consent including Mental Capacity Act
  • personalised care planning and risk assessment
  • confidence relating to urgent access
  • strong local clinical governance oversight, including effective risk management

Some plans are already in place, and they are:

• review of assertive and intensive outreach services
• managing and validating waiting lists to achieve waits of no more than 4 weeks
• deliver high quality and high-quality bed-based care

Here is an outline of our plans over the next few months to be prepared for a Care Quality Commission inspection

July: we are aiming to develop a standardised approach to evidence libraries and formalise our key plans to achieve “good” at our next Care Quality Commission assessment. We will also be developing peer reviews community services, much like our inpatient units currently have.

• August: we will utilise peer critique to review each directorate’s data, taking a see, show and share approach
• September: we will review progress against the action plans created in July and continue to build our evidence libraries
• October: we will focus on reassessing our position internally against the Care Quality Commission quality standards
• November: we will share with the trust and the board of directors our progress in any areas still in requires improvement or lower

We want all colleagues to know what we are doing to be ready for the Care Quality Commission assessment visit and to understand the importance of the work we are doing.

For more information about our Care Quality Commission readiness work please contact Jim Cooper, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, on email at james.cooper35@nhs.net.

Therapy pool appeal

Diamond activity and therapeutic services

We’ve launched a major new fundraising appeal, in a bid to transform a therapy pool into a fully functional sensory space, helping to boost the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities and special needs across the region.

The ambitious £250,000 therapy pool appeal was officially launched on Thursday 19 June at the Diamond Activity and Therapeutic Centre at Tickhill Road, in Balby, Doncaster, as part of Learning Disability Week in partnership with representatives from Choice for All Doncaster (CHaD), who are working in partnership with the charity to co-design the new pool area.

Installed in 1996, the current pool no longer meets the needs of the people it was originally designed for. The new fundraising appeal aims to see a total revamp of the current pool and its surroundings. The pool will be made bigger so that more people will be able to benefit from its water based therapeutic exercises and sensory environment. The changing area will see a total makeover, including facilities which are fully equipped for wheelchair users and those with low mobility.

Jenny Baynham, Fundraising Manager from Your Hearts and Minds charity, said: “This appeal marks the start of an exciting new chapter for the people of Doncaster and beyond. Every penny raised will go towards supporting those who have a disability and the wider special needs community helping them to enjoy the benefits of water therapy activities, in a safe and welcoming environment.

“A big thank you to Choice for All Doncaster, a local group which supports and speaks up for adults who have a learning disability for helping us in launching our charity appeal.

“They are working with clients and families to ensure the new pool and surroundings will ensure it will meet the needs of people with learning disabilities for the next chapter in its history”.

Morag McKay-Ellison, Team Manager at the Diamond Activity and Therapeutic Services, said: “Water therapy is a vital part of the treatments we offer. The calming effect of the warm water eases pain, strengthens muscles, improves fitness, and promotes wellbeing. Having a thoroughly modern new pool and enriched sensory environment will greatly help us to provide a wider range of therapeutic support to a larger number of clients, their families and to the wider community”.

Congratulations

Huge congratulations to our colleagues who have worked with our trust for 10, 20, 30 or 40 years and who were invited along to our Distinguished Service Awards in May.

As you may know in 2024, the Clinical Leadership Executive altered our recognition and awards schemes, trust-wide, making them bigger and more extensive than ever before.

In May this year we held our first Distinguished Service Awards event for those who reached their anniversary between April 2024 and March 2025.

Held at Rotherham’s Hellaby Hall, the morning saw colleagues who had worked for us for 10 and 20 years being celebrated with an afternoon style tea. Then in the afternoon colleagues who had served 30 and 40 years with us had a sit down two-course meal, in the company of The Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Sheila Cowen.

Our Chair, Kathryn Lavery, together with some of our executive and non-executive directors also attended to thank our colleagues for their distinguished service to our trust. Here’s some feedback from our colleagues:

Rebecca Ryan, Contracts Manager, 30 years: “The event last week was so much more than I had expected. It was a lovely afternoon celebrating my 30-year anniversary for distinguished service. I felt recognition and valued for the years I have worked in RDaSH. It was such a lovely gesture by the trust which was very much appreciated by me and other colleagues celebrating their milestone anniversaries too. The words from Kathryn Lavery and the Mayor of Rotherham were very moving and overall, it was such a special afternoon.”

Pauline Vickers, Non-Executive Director: “It was a privilege to join colleagues to celebrate their 10 and 20 years distinguished service with RDaSH. We shared fabulous memories about first days at work and what makes our trust special. A common theme was that it is all about the people, working with colleagues who share great values and make a positive difference to our patients’ lives, every day. Truly inspiring.”

To see all the photos from the day visit our Facebook.

During the “pandemic period” from 2020 to 2023 the trust’s recognition scheme did not operate consistently so we took the decision to retrospectively apply the new approach to colleagues over some prior years (from 2022). This was based on feedback from colleagues and testifies, we think, to an organisation keen to listen and learn. Those colleagues have been invited to attend a small ceremony on the morning of our trust fun day and annual members’ meeting, on Saturday 19 July, at Brumby Hall in Scunthorpe.

We are also backdating distinguished service awards to colleagues who reached 10, 20, 30 or 40 years service with our trust since April 2022. If you qualify you will have received an invitation to join us at our fun day and annual members’ meeting on July 19 where we will mark the occasion.

Celebrating International Nurses Day

We said a big thank you to our fabulous nurses on International Nurses Day in May. Steve Forsyth, Chief Nurse, and his deputy Jim Cooper, together with their team went out and about delivering goodies to nurses across Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire. We also tried to thank our nurses in their heritage languages.

Steve said: “We went out and about to say a huge thank you for all of the work that our nurses do. Remember, without our nurses our services would grind to a halt and I wanted to thank them all for their dedication to our patients and the trust.”

Photos from the day can be viewed on our Facebook

Rotherham news

With me in mind

Rotherham United Players Team Up with Local Schools to Launch New Mental Health Campaign.

Two Rotherham schools, Herringthorpe Junior School and Swinton Academy have joined forces with Rotherham United Community Trust and With Me In Mind Rotherham to kick off a powerful new mental health initiative aimed at boys in Years 6 and 9.

The campaign, titled “Mind goals”, is being developed in response to focus group feedback, where young male students shared that they are more likely to engage with mental health messages when they are delivered through relatable role models, engaging activities, and connections to the outdoors.

In an exciting collaboration, Rotherham United players Cameron Dawson and Joe Powell took part in a special filming day at the club, where they were interviewed by wellbeing ambassadors from both schools. The players shared personal insights on how they manage their own mental wellbeing, including dealing with anxiety, anger, self-esteem, and the pressures of social media.

Footage from the interviews, along with supporting photos, will be used to create a range of youth-friendly mental health resources such as posters, social media content, and videos. These tools will be used in group sessions and across schools to spark conversations and raise awareness.

Gemma Thomas, Engagement Lead at With Me In Mind, is leading the project and working closely with young people to ensure the campaign is co-designed and relevant. The full “Mind goals” campaign is set to launch in schools and community settings across Rotherham in September 2025.

This initiative not only aims to break down stigma around mental health but also gives students a platform to engage in meaningful dialogue, led by the voices of young people themselves.

If you know any youngster who needs support from our With Me In Mind team please ask them to look at our With Me in Mind service.

Praise for improving the wellbeing of a school community

A “strong and deeply embedded commitment” to the wellbeing of its pupils and staff has seen Ravenfield Primary Academy receive a top award from our children’s mental health initiative.

The school, part of Maltby Learning Trust, achieved the “With Me In Mind Mental Health and Wellbeing Award” after a detailed review process.

With Me In Mind, run by our trust, is a team of mental health support workers (MHSW), who are based in schools, colleges and academies in Doncaster and Rotherham supporting children and young people with their mental wellbeing. This work is part of promise 17 of embedding our child and psychological health teams alongside schools, early years and nursery providers to help tackle poor education and school readiness and structural inequalities.

Laura Sutcliffe, Team Lead for With Me In Mind said that children are clearly at the heart of everything Ravenfield does, with staff open to learning and consistently seeking out new strategies to support pupils. We could also see the “clear focus on staff wellbeing”, and how consideration is given to the impact of new policies and practices on workload and mental health.

“A genuine open-door policy is felt across the whole school community, contributing to a strong sense of trust, care, and togetherness,” she added. “The atmosphere is often described as that of an ‘old-fashioned village school’ small, nurturing, and personal, with a shared sense of responsibility and belonging among pupils, parents, and staff alike.”

Ravenfield principal Leanne Jepson said: “This award underscores the significance we place on wellbeing at Ravenfield and everyone at the school is proud of what we have achieved. Our wellbeing ambassadors, staff and families actively participated in this initiative and their contributions proved invaluable as they shared insights into how the support, they receive at Ravenfield has positively impacted their wellbeing.”

Anyone wanting more information about the With Me In Mind award should visit our with me in mind service.

Community fun day Scunthorpe

A free fun day is going to take place in Scunthorpe on the 19 July, 10am to 4pm at: Brumby Hall, Brumby Hall Sports and Social Club, DN16 1AA.

RDaSH NHS Bright Futures Summit midday and Annual Members’ Meeting 2pm will also take place in Brumby Hall’s function room, public welcome.

Nominations open now for our 2025 awards

This year we have opened all the award categories to our patients and the public to also enter a colleague, volunteer or a team which they think deserve an award.

We have 4 awards for a colleague, team, project, or idea which has a made an incredible contribution to our work in any of the 4 categories below:

• Quality and Safety Award
• Equity and Inclusion Award
• Learning and Education Award
• Research and Innovation Award

There are 5 awards for a colleague or team which exemplify our trust values in different ways:

• Living our values Award (shortlisted by our staff governors)
• Nurturing the power in our communities exemplar Award (shortlisted with our patients)
• Equality Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award (shortlisted by our staff networks)
• Volunteer of the Year Award
• Peer Support Worker of the Year Award

The following 6 awards are up for grabs for colleagues and teams which have made a massive difference in 2024 and 2025:

• Colleague of the Year Clinical Award
• Colleague of the Year Backbone Award
• Leader of the Year Award
• Backbone Team of the Year Award
• Team of the Year Adult Clinical Care Award
• Team of the Year Children’s Clinical Care Award

To make a nomination please follow the steps below.

Colleagues:

1. log into the Staff Portal on the intranet
2. go to “questionnaire”
3. then “start new questionnaire”
4. select a questionnaire to fill out from the drop-down box and select “annual awards nominations 2025”
5. press “select and continue”
6. once you have completed the nomination press “submit”, you can save your nomination at any time, and return to it

Public and patients can submit their nominations through our online form or on a paper copy form available from the Communications team by:

• Phone: 03000 212 100
• Email: rdash.rdashcommunications@nhs.net

The closing date for nominations is Friday 8 August at 5pm. The winners will be announced at our 2025 RDaSH Awards ceremony on the 21 November at Doncaster Racecourse.

Celebrating staff networks day

To mark staff networks day on 14 May we celebrated the value that our staff networks bring to the lives of our colleagues at a celebration event in the Community Hall on Woodfield Park.

Our networks give colleagues the opportunity to influence trust decisions and policies, provide peer support and advice and guidance and champion people’s voices. Each staff network chair is also a member of our new Trust People Council chaired by Kathryn Lavery, our trust Chair.

The event was a huge success with colleagues from across our trust calling in to chat with the network chairs and co-chairs. At the event, network members discussed this year’s staff survey results and how the networks can work with the trust and each other to make improvements in important areas such as reducing discrimination and bullying.

We have 5 active networks, each acting as forums and offering peer support. They are:

• Carers’ Network
• Disability and Wellbeing Network
• Race Equality and Cultural Heritage Network
• Rainbow Network
• Women’s Network

Like to join any of our staff networks? Then details are available on our intranet and also the app.

Care Opinion star responder

Responding to feedback is just as important as receiving it. When people take the time to tell us about their experiences, whether they are good or not so good, we need to let them know that we have read them, listened and taken on board their comments.

All feedback is good, and bad feedback is even better. It shows us where we need to improve when we fall short of providing the best care and experience possible.

Placing patient feedback at the heart of how we deliver care is our promise 4 and helps us to shape our services around people’s diverse needs.

Responding to feedback in a timely way, with sensitivity and understanding lets people know that they matter to us.

Thank-you to Tim Godley, Team Manager Doncaster Talking Therapies, for being a Care Opinion Star Responder. His reply on Care Opinion, showed warmth, empathy and gave useful information and direction to the person providing the feedback.

Posted by footballch66: “It felt like an excuse””.

I feel overlooked and insignificant due to twice being referred back to primary care. The first time was a massive cop out as they’ve read on my file I once experienced domestic violence, and this was used as the reason to refer me back to the GP even though it was unrelated. It felt like an excuse.

After discussing this, I had a second call and again referred back to my GP, however the referral is now due to my emotions. As explained on the call… I am suicidal, I believe I have bipolar disorder, I feel that I’m ruining not only my life but the lives of people around me and I’d like a proper diagnosis. They never once explained that primary care is back to square one.

I feel the service uses whatever get-out they can.

Read Tim Godley’s response on Care Opinion.

Thank you to Cantley Podiatry

Here are a couple of reviews for our podiatry foot protection service:

• “My GP referred me to podiatry with an infection on my right big toe. I came in and saw Andrew and Jess, they made the decision to admit me to Doncaster Royal infirmary. I then spent several weeks in hospital, the end result being the amputation of my right big toe. Being a type 1 diabetic, blood circulation was poor, and the hospital wanted to amputate my right leg below the knee, to enable it to heal. I then paid for my own hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatment, but most important, the care and treatment from every single member of staff at Cantley podiatry has been absolutely amazing, I can’t thank them enough, and two years on, I stand full intact with all my limbs, apart from my big toe, but fully healed and able to live my life normal. They are an incredible and amazing team of people. A special word and a massive thank you goes out to Jess, who is an amazing young lady, and has seen my story from cradle to grave. Thank you.”
• “I had a blister which got infected and became a very painful ulcer. This caused me to be off work for 3 months, it’s been a difficult and stressful time. The care and consideration I received from the service was second to none. Thank you so much for all your help through this episode.”

Fabulous feedback for With Me In Mind service

Parent Jo Swiffen kindly shared this feedback with us about the support both she and her child Ashton received from Jane Baker, Education Mental Health Practitioner in our Doncaster With Me In Mind (WMIM) service.

Here is what she said:

• “The support we received was extremely quick and also supported the whole family (not just the pupil in question). The With Me in Mind practitioners were there for me and only a phone call or email away. In the darkest of time for us, With Me in Mind were our shining light, and we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. You rang us in the holidays to check in (I remember being at Bridlington with Ashton to see Frank Bruno and speaking to you as you commented on the seagulls). One of the best things was during the 6-week holidays, they weren’t forgotten until term started. The support continued during this time and was local to us. Ashton still has his plan in case he relapses however that thankfully hasn’t happened. We talk more about sensitive subjects and even though the one-to-one support has ended (rightfully so) you are always there to speak to. You and With Me in Mind lifts the entire family and envelops us with support and kindness. I did not see a solution but now I think both myself and Ashton feel empowered from the education you gave us. From my background in work, I knew what to do however it is so much easier to support when you aren’t emotionally involved. Ashton is a different child (young man) now. This wouldn’t have been the case without your support. Thanks never seem enough.”

Great Oaks inpatient unit, Mulberry ward: “since arriving onto Mulberry Ward, I have been made to feel comfortable and welcome. The staff are great and are always there for a talk if needed. They have all been very helpful and are always on hand if needed.

“I’m so grateful for the help and support that I have received while I have been here and for that I’m very grateful”.

Please tell us about your experience of Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust

Tell your story and make a difference. Or call 0800 122 3135.

Doncaster news

Doncaster man’s remarkable recovery inspires others

John Houghton, a peer mentor at Aspire drug and alcohol services in Doncaster, is celebrating 13 years of sobriety.

John’s story begins with a seemingly happy childhood as part of a military family living around Europe and the UK. However, hidden trauma from his early years set him on a path of alcohol misuse that escalated through his teenage years and into adulthood.

“I was heavy drinking for almost 20 years, my daily routine had continued to involve secretly drinking two bottles of white cider, just to get started before my wife returned home from work” John recalls.

“I thought she didn’t know about this, and would then either continue drinking at home throughout the rest of the night or go out to the pub to drink more. I thought I was hiding it well, but it was taking a toll on everyone around me.”

The turning point came when John’s wife gave him an ultimatum to seek help or risk losing everything. He did this with the support of his father, who devised a plan to help him quit drinking.

Since then, John has rebuilt his life in remarkable ways. He reconciled with his wife, adopted a daughter, and discovered a passion for fitness, losing six stones through boxing and gym work. Though life brought further challenges, including a divorce, John continued to thrive, later becoming a biological father despite previous fertility issues.

In 2019, John married Theresa, and he is incredibly grateful for her unwavering love and support throughout his journey. He believes that if it wasn’t for her caring presence, his story might have ended very differently.

Today, John is dedicated to helping others overcome addiction. As a recently graduated peer mentor with Aspire drug and alcohol services, he uses his lived experience to support those battling substance misuse. “I believe that if I can do it, anyone can” he says. “Recovery is possible, no matter how dark things may seem”.

Mental health support on offer for new mums

You can watch Molly’s story here on YouTube.

When new mum Molly Peel felt irritable, anxious and angry she didn’t think anything of it.

But her health visitor realised she was suffering from maternal mental health and suggested she met with a specialist. She did and Molly soon began to feel better and enjoy being a mum even more.

Molly, whose baby is now seven months old, said: “I wasn’t sure straight away that help would be beneficial but after having a little bit, I realised it was.

“I could talk through things and receive reassurance that I am a good mum,” she explained.

“I was feeling so irritated and angry, which I know now is normal after having a baby. I felt anxious, I knew I loved my baby and would do anything for him, but I felt I wasn’t being the best mum I could be. I soon found out from the support I was receiving that this was normal but as a first-time mum, I didn’t realise this at first,” she added. Nicola Dyke, perinatal wellbeing health visitor, is one of the team supporting Molly. Molly, speaking during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, (5 May to 11 May), said: “It’s been good support, talking things over, or discussing feelings, I’ve also been videoed with my baby and this showed how devoted I am to him. It made me realise when I watched the footage back.

“It’s a brilliant service and it’s so niche catering for the mental health of new mums, but it’s great. Molly also says that any other new mums needing the service should get in touch”.

She said: “If you don’t desperately need the service, still get in touch. Don’t let everything get on top of you while you cannot cope”.

Well done to Atinuke

Atinuke Omogbai, central community nurse, has been presented with her badge and lanyard from Rosanna, Nurse Consultant, for completing her professional nursing advocate course with the highest mark overall.

Well done, Atinuke.

If you are interested in doing the professional nursing advocate course, then contact our Learning and Development team or speak to your ward manager.

Asking for x-ray saves life

A man who survived cancer is praising the work of doctors, nurses and the Macmillan team who saved his life.

David McLean, better known as Tommy, or his nickname Danny, of Intake, a former tradesman who built suspended ceilings and created partition walls, has lost both parents and four brothers to the disease.

Because of this, every year, he would find an excuse to head to his GPs to ask for a chest x-ray.

Tommy, a dad-of-three, who was also sleeping in his van for work, was x-rayed, a range of other tests were carried out and it was found he also had lung cancer.

“When my parents and brothers, aged 59, 61, 63 and 66, all died from cancer it makes you highly aware of it” said Tommy. “I knew I’d get it. I knew I wouldn’t escape.

“I’d annually make up excuses to have an x-ray. I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, but I was finding I was out of breath more than usual, that’s why I asked for the last x-ray.”

Tommy had surgery to remove the cancer.

“I can’t thank the doctors and nurses at Sheffield’s Hallamshire Hospital enough,” he said. “The Doncaster Macmillan team was fabulous. They gave me a grant to help me financially, helped me to get temporary accommodation, which hopefully will soon be permanent, and answered any questions I had. They were so supportive.

Tommy has totally changed his lifestyle since his diagnosis. He stopped smoking overnight, changed his diet and now heads to the gym regularly.

“I want to say a big thank you to all who helped me and to say to people if you are in doubt over something health wise see a doctor. Getting checked out saved my life. The quicker cancer is detected, the quicker it’s treated, and you’ve chance of a better success rate.”

Kris McKay, Macmillan Community Cancer Care Coordinator, said: “It was a pleasure to support Tommy. We can help people with cancer and their loved ones in a wide range of ways. We can answer questions about the condition, treatment and explain the local services and support that is available. This includes helping them access counselling and emotional support as well as assessing for grants, benefits and addressing issues with housing. It is great for us to see Tommy so well and back on his feet.”

You can watch Tommy’s story on YouTube.

Going green

When we say going green most of you will think of being eco-friendly and being sustainable, but for once, we went green for another important issue, Mental Health Awareness Week. The week is a focal point to raise awareness, reduce stigma and encourage open conversations to create supportive environments for people experiencing poor mental health to feel comfortable in seeking help. Many of our staff donned green t-shirts, blouses or dresses to show their support for the week which took place mid-May. Look and see who you can spot on our photos here.

Come and watch the Recovery Games

Got some spare time in September? If so, why not come along and watch our drug and alcohol service’s Recovery Games and celebrate the achievements of people in recovery.

The annual games, run by Aspire Drug and Alcohol Service, is a partnership between us and the Alcohol and Drug Service and is part of the commitment to promise 10 of being recognised as an outstanding provider of inclusion health care.

This year’s event takes place on 13 September at Hatfield Activity Centre, Doncaster. Entry is free and is open for spectators from 10am until 5pm. You can see teams from across the country who have recovered from addictions take place in the it’s a knockout type of event.

There will be live music, amazing challenges, as well as a free children’s inflatable play park.

Anyone from the drug and alcohol community wanting to put forward a team, will see the advertising for registrations in July.

You can see more photos from last year’s games on Facebook.

Proud to be at Pride

We were proud to fly the RDaSH flag at Rotherham Pride earlier this month.

Colleagues from across our Talking Therapies service, our Your Hearts and Minds charity, and the Communications team chatted to the public and answered questions and signposted them if they needed our support or to help them if they were job hunting. It was a great day in All Saints Square in the town centre.

Pride event diary dates 2025

• Bawtry Pride: Saturday 19 July, midday till late
• Doncaster Pride: Saturday 9 August, 11am till late
• North Lincolnshire Pride: Saturday 23 August, midday to 7pm

We will be at two more Pride events in the coming months.

Want to be on a trust stall? If so, contact Communications by:

• Phone: 03000 212 100
• Email: rdash.rdashcommunications@nhs.net

Or come along and see us on the days.

Walk for mental health

A local Rotherham support group hosted its first ever fundraising walk for mental health awareness.

The S62 Community Together Rotherham which is made up of people with lived experience of mental health set off on their 10km walk from Swallownest Court on 17 May.

Connecting and working with community groups is part of promise 12 to help us to better recognise and respond to the specific needs of the rural communities and villages that we serve.

Wearing green to match the colour of Mental Health Awareness Week, around 30 people with their families joined the walk stopping off at key locations along the way.

Sarah from S62 said: “The support and enthusiasm has been fantastic, and we hope it will be the first of many. We wanted to do something to let Rotherham people know what support is available to them if they are struggling with their mental health. We started at Swallownest Court and called in at The Woodlands, and Ferham Clinic, places where people have received support. We also included other locations like Whiston cricket ground and Riverside library.”

North Lincolnshire news

Community celebration event for baby friendly award

Families in North Lincolnshire joined colleagues from 0 to 19 health and wellbeing service in a community celebration of the team receiving the prestigious UNICEF UK baby friendly gold award.

The award links with our strategic promise 16 and represents the highest level of recognition and celebrates organisations that consistently meet and enhance baby friendly standards with a focus on infant feeding and nurturing parent-infant relationships.

Held at Bath’s Hall in Scunthorpe on 28 May, the event saw many families and professionals from the NHS, local authority and many other services celebrating this amazing achievement giving North Lincolnshire babies the best start in life.

Paula Cafferty, Team Leader for the 0 to 19 health and wellbeing service said: “We were thrilled to meet parents, friends and professionals from the North Lincolnshire community to celebrate this significant success with us. We are very proud of our team and everything we have accomplished, and this event was an opportunity to share it with our local families. Our service was also awarded a surprise certificate of recognition from the maternity and neonatal voices partnership, which is only given for exceptional work.”

The event was fun offering families a chance to connect and celebrate the positive impact of Baby Friendly standards on local health services.

If you know of anyone who may benefit from our health and wellbeing age 0 to 19 service then please share the health and wellbeing (age 0 to 19) service with them.

Baton of Hope, bearer for our trust

Congratulations to Lou Redhead, Continuous Service Improvement Manager, who will be representing our trust on the Baton of Hope tour in September.

Lou will be one of the official Baton Bearers as the tour comes through Scunthorpe on Monday 15 September to raise awareness of and challenge stigma around suicide.

On being nominated Lou said: “I am very excited honoured to be representing RDaSH carrying the Baton of Hope when it comes to Scunthorpe. I’ve never done anything like this before. I am very passionate about helping to raise awareness of our mental health services and suicide prevention. I hope that by being a baton bearer will encourage more people to start those important conversations about mental health and suicide to prevent lives being lost.”

The Baton of Hope is a powerful symbol in the mission to prevent suicide. Our organisation has pledged its support, and Lou Redhead will be representing the care group and our trust as it journeys through the region.

Julie Thornton, Care Group for North Lincolnshire Adult Mental Health and Talking Therapies, said: “Following a request for nominations for Baton Bearers, Lou was nominated by one of her colleagues.

This is what they said: “Lou is our shining beacon for the care group. She tirelessly drives positive changes that we don’t always see straight away. Working in the background keeping us all organised, ensuring our agendas are true to the focus. Liaising with our backbone services so that services are consistent across the trust and collaborates with partners in our communities. Lou is always there to give that helping hand and listening ear with strong advice and guidance. She holds the values of our trust close to her own and would truly be a great representative for our care group.”

Find out more about the Baton of Hope.

160 foot abseil

Make a difference!

Go over the edge for charity. Saturday 19 July at Brumby Hall Sports and Social Club, Scunthorpe, DN16 1AA.

Book now! Free registration… don’t miss out.

For more details call the Hearts and Minds Fundraising team on:

• Phone: 03000 212 100
• Email: rdash.your-hearts-and-minds@nhs.net

Charity news

Our community grants are starting to make a difference

In April, we allocated grants worth £77,000 to 30 voluntary community and social enterprises, who are working in collaboration with trust colleagues to support projects across Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire, which make a real difference to those in need, and who may not benefit from mainstream support.

Each of the projects aligns with our five key charity missions: a good start (children and young people), our best self (mental wellbeing of patients and colleagues), RDaSH research, learning and development, and a good death.

We’re delighted to be working in partnership with these local organisations and follow their progress as they start to make a difference. Over the coming months we’ll be sharing news with you on what they’re doing and how they’re helping people in our local communities.

Rotherham

Feeding our Community Lunch Club offers more than a free meal

S62 Community Together Rotherham is a team of lived experience people, striving to support the community of Rotherham to tackle mental health and wellbeing, isolation, poverty, and promote self-development and recovery.

Thanks to a £3,000 community grant from us, they’ve launched their “Feeding our Community” free weekly lunch club, for older people with mental ill health, who may struggle to eat well, or feed themselves adequately.

People are already enjoying the benefits of the club and sent us the following feedback: “It makes a lot of difference to me. I live on my own, so I won’t bother to cook. This is the only hot meal to have a week. Thank you very much for your help, the people I have met are wonderful.”

“Thank you for these sessions, it has been a lovely afternoon meeting new people. I am going through a lot in my life at the moment and this is a well needed break. Once again thank you, the food, the company and the staff are so nice.”

“I would say this a more than a free meal. It provides a social outlook that is invaluable. I am married and have a grown-up family that I’m actively involved with.

“Some people are not so lucky, and I see what being able to socialise means to others. Over the past couple of visits since it began, I have enjoyed meeting people with different outlooks, so yes, it is invaluable.”

Doncaster

Revamped dementia garden unveiled

We granted £3,000 towards a revamped community dementia garden, which was unveiled during Dementia Action Week.

Located outside St Catherine’s House, a Grade II listed building at Woodfield Park in Balby, the garden has been lovingly created by Doncaster Dementia Partners.

The multi-sensory planting aids memory recall, appealing to all the senses, thanks to the clever use of herbs and edible produce grown in the raised beds. Initially created in 2015, the garden needed a revamp.

It now has new seating, wind chimes, bird feeders, refreshed planting scheme, and a new fountain. More grasses will be planted, and the paving will be cleaned in the coming weeks.

The £6,500 project was funded from a range of charities including from the Alzheimer’s Society, DonMentia, The Memory Club, Age UK, Bluebird Care, Crossroads Care, other Doncaster Dementia Fundraisers as well as from our Your Hearts and Minds community grant. The project was also supported by Flourish, our community enterprise at Woodfield Park. Director of Strategic Development Joanne McDonough, who oversees the Your Hearts and Minds charity, said: “I’m so pleased to be launching the dementia garden for not only our patients but also for people in the community to enjoy. Supporting people and their families to live well with dementia is important to our charity and I hope this garden goes some way to bringing joy to people with dementia and their loved ones. It’s such a pleasant place to come and spend time, enjoying the sights and smells of the flowers and plants.”

Wayne Goddard, from Doncaster Dementia Partners said: “The Your Hearts and Minds grant supported us to produce a substantial funding pot to enable the refresh of the Community Sensory Garden at St Catherine’s. The garden is a great relaxing space for the whole community to enjoy.”

Eileen Harrington, founder of DonMentia, said: “It’s lovely to see the garden reinvigorated for people to enjoy.”

North Lincolnshire

Supporting rural communities to keep connected

The Humber and Wolds Rural Action (HWRA) Voluntary Car Service uses volunteer drivers and their own cars to take individual passengers on journeys to destinations of their choice, both in and beyond North Lincolnshire, where almost half of residents live in rural areas, which are not well served by public transport.

Thanks to £3,000 community grant funding, the Humber and Wolds Rural Action (HWRA) has been able to increase the service, to help people to maintain an active lifestyle and independence, while reducing social isolation.

The Humber and Wolds Rural Action (HWRA) Chief Executive Officer Jane Owen told us: The funding from Your Hearts and Minds is enabling us to meet the increasing need for the voluntary car service. Helping us to support people in North Lincolnshire who can’t access public transport to get to hospital and health appointments as well as visit friends and family, go shopping and simply get out of the house.

“You are also funding the support for our fabulous volunteer drivers. It’s not just about the money though, you have taken the time to really understand our service and how it helps people living in North Lincolnshire to stay independent and active, and that means a lot to us.”

Peaks, planes and cardio machines

Thank you to our amazing fundraisers who have launched themselves out of planes, hiked up peaks and taken part in cardio exercises. See the full stories next time in Trust Matters.

Taking strides for charity

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to take part in the Great North Run on 7 September.

We’ve 12 runners who have pledged to raise cash for our Your Hearts and Minds charity and Stephen Mitchell is one of them.

A recovery worker at Aspire drug and alcohol service Stephen Mitchell is flying the flag for local charity Your Hearts and Minds at the Great North Run.

A keen long-distance runner and no stranger to half marathons, he will be joining thousands of other runners for the 13.1-mile race from Newcastle to South Shields.

Stephen said: “It is a great honour to take part in the Great North Run and support the Your Hearts and Minds charity. Running this race is one of my all-time life goals and I want to thank the charity for making it happen. I am hoping to finish the race in 2 hours which will be a personal best but anything under 1 hour 46 minutes will be fantastic.”

He has started his busy training schedule which involves running around 30 miles a week. He will be running the Great North Run with one of his friends who is supporting a suicide prevention charity the calm zone.

If you would like to support Stephen in his fundraising challenge for Your Hearts and Mind, please visit his fundraising page.

Good luck to the both of you.

Best foot forward

One of our colleagues Dan Todd is aiming to run 50 miles in July to raise money for charity.

Dan (42), of Doncaster also known by many as the Bearded Runner UK, loves running. Now he’s going to put his best foot forward to raise cash for Andy’s Man Club.

Dan took up running when he was about 38-years-old after suffering with his mental health and found the hobby great for his wellbeing.

He will now do the charity feat on 26 July where he will run round The Lakeside in Doncaster, where there will also be a range of charity and mental health stalls, including one from our charity Your Hearts and Minds.

Dan said: “I’m dedicated to raising awareness and funds for mental health charities through running. I think that by working together we can make a difference and remember it is always OK to talk.” Dan intends to help raise funds for our Your Hearts and Minds Charity in the future.

Anyone wanting to sponsor Dan can do so by visiting Dan’s fundraising page.

Hospice news

Veterans Day afternoon tea

The 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day was celebrated with afternoon tea at the Parish Rooms in Tickhill, Doncaster, in early May to raise funds for our St John’s Hospice in Balby. The event raised around £400.

Our Fundraising Manager Jenny Baynham said: “We want to thank everyone who came for the delicious afternoon tea containing sandwiches, savouries and sweet treats. It was a lovely afternoon with fantastic company in a nostalgic atmosphere”.

Huge boost for three hospices

A staggering £5,550 has been raised in Braithwell, for three local hospices, including ours.

The money, split equally, was presented to our St John’s Hospice, Doncaster, The Rotherham Hospice, and Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, near Rotherham, at a recent Sunday service on behalf of the St James’ Church charity.

Over the past two years the money has been raised at monthly coffee mornings organised by Joan Addenbrooke and Christine Fish. Funds were also raised by generous donations and the contribution from the harvest festival auction.

Joan, the verger at St James Church, said: “Our community and beyond are wonderful. They have helped to raise so much money for such worthy causes.”

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, also attended the presentation. She said: “It’s amazing how much people in Braithwell and beyond have raised. This money can now go to the three local hospices. I am so delighted.”

Jenny Baynham, Fundraising Manager, said: “It is an amazing achievement to raise so much money. On behalf of St John’s Hospice, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and Rotherham Hospice, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped to raise such a fabulous amount”.

Big hearted building society donates £10,000

Big-hearted staff at Nationwide have helped our hospice secure £10,000 in funding, inspired by the care a colleague’s grandad received.

Max Hudson, from Nationwide, cherished the care his grandad Norman Hudson received so much at St John’s Hospice in Balby, that he asked colleagues to support him with a fundraising event at ASDA supermarket, last May.

The Nationwide team also helped set up one of the hospice’s major fundraising opportunities, with Nationwide staff travelling from Doncaster, Rotherham, Blackpool, Bradford, Howden, Lincoln, Leeds, Manchester and even Dundee.

However, Max’s team still wanted to do more, and following an application was successful in receiving a Nationwide colleague grant to help support the meaningful work done at St John’s Hospice. This money will be used to remodel the hospice café, to make it more comfortable and welcoming. As well as decorating and adding new features to the café, it will also now have 24-hour access to food and drink for patient families, staff and volunteers.

Carrie Gascoigne and Karen Cockram, Mortgage Advisors at Nationwide Building Society, said: “What started out as a thank you for the care Max’s Grandad has received from St John’s Hospice turned into a fulfilling relationship for all our team. We are so happy to have secured part of the £1.4 million that Nationwide has awarded to charities across the UK through Nationwide’s Colleague Grant programme. We can’t wait to support them further”.

Jenny Baynham, our Your Hearts and Minds Charity Manager, who raises money for the hospice, said: “I want to whole-heartedly thank Max, his colleagues and Nationwide Building Society for their help, support and amazing donation. Charity funding enables us to go over and above what the NHS can provide for our patients and families. Revamping the café will make a more comfortable and restful space for our families to have a little respite away from the ward environment, as well as a calm and welcoming area for patients to join them for a coffee and cake when they are well enough. Our staff and volunteers will also be able to take time out from caring to have their well-earned breaks in a cosy environment, where they can rest and relax during their busy shifts”.

Flourish news

Volunteers needed

Do you live in Doncaster and have some free time that you don’t know what to do with? If so, why not volunteer to be a Community Palliative Support Befriender with Woodfield 24.

Woodfield 24 Care Services, which offer end of life care in the community, is looking for volunteers who can offer companionship to patients on their end-of-life journey in their own homes. No previous care experience is needed, just compassion and sensitivity to carry out this rewarding role. If you’re interested, the hours are flexible and travel expenses will be paid, non-drivers are also welcome to apply.

Woodfield 24 Care Services are part of Flourish, a community interest company in Doncaster that aims to provide work, vocational training and therapeutic opportunities to people who need support. They work with partners and stakeholders to provide a valuable contribution to the local community and provide opportunities for community involvement with those that need it the most.

Bee inspired with craft workshops

Families came along to Flourish Enterprises to get involved in free nature inspired craft workshops and to learn all about bees in Doncaster.

They celebrated Doncaster Remake Learning Day’s Festival in May, where they hosted bee related talks and live demonstrations by their beekeeper, alongside free crafting workshops.

Ashley Evans, Operations Manager from Flourish said: “It was a fantastic couple of days for families and anyone interested nature who joined us as part of the Doncaster Remake Learning Festival.”

Auction to raise funds to upgrade community space, a free charity auction and community showcase is going to take place at St Catherine’s House, run by Flourish, our community enterprise company, to raise money for revamping a community space in the grounds of Woodfield Park.

The event takes place on Saturday 12 July from 10am to 4pm with the charity auction at 2pm.

For more details visit therapy with Neena charity auction.

Come along to table tennis

Fancy a game of table tennis? Whether you love the sport or simply want company, why not call into Woodfield Community Hall on Mondays from 5pm to 7pm. There will be a free table tennis session, everyone welcome including all abilities at the sport. For more information scan the QR code

Walk this way

Did you know that Flourish has a weekly walking group? Why not put your best foot forward and join in?

Walkers meet in the Walled Garden, outside St Catherine’s House, Woodfield Park, at 1pm every Wednesday. Simply turn up, no need to book.

For more information contact:

• Phone: 03000 212 000
• Email: lisa.hughes38@nhs.net

If you would like to know about how Flourish can support, you then head to the Flourish website.

Trust news

What does therapeutic care mean to you?

Are you a patient? Have you had a stay on one of our inpatient wards in Rotherham, Doncaster or Scunthorpe in the last 12 months?

If so, we want to hear your thoughts on our care. We will use these comments to shape future services.

This will help us on our promise 18 of investing, supporting and researching the best models of therapeutic multi-disciplinary inpatient care, involving those with lived experience and expert carers in supporting our patients’ recovery.

Things to think about include:

• did you get the care you needed?
• did our care meet your needs?
• what does therapeutic care mean to you?
• did you receive your care in the right place and the right environment?

Tell us more. Please email your comments to rdash.patient-experience@nhs.net.

Quitting smoking improves health and finances

When Lesley Brown headed onto our Hazel ward for rehabilitation after breaking her ankle, she smoked around 15 to 20 cigarettes a day.

Faced with receiving rehab in a non-smoking hospital, she needed to change her habit and quickly. So, she was put in touch with our QUIT smoking team and now, she’s stamped out the habit, feels healthier and is saving money to be able to treat herself.

Lesley, who has been renamed for the story as she wants to remain anonymous, of Balby, Doncaster, was in Tickhill Road Hospital in November last year.

She found she couldn’t smoke in hospital, but went for a smoke when her family visited, and they could take her off site. Lesley was discharged 8 days later and her support kicked in the next day. She was placed on patches, which reduced in strength over time, she vaped and had a fidget toy to help to wean her off her habit. At first, she relapsed but started again on the treatment and her perseverance paid off.

“It has been well worth it,” she said. “I couldn’t smoke in hospital, and I was having to go to the main road for a cigarette. It isn’t worth it. Also, cigarettes cost about £17 per packet. Since I stopped smoking, I’ve bought a new washing machine, and I’ve now saved £700 to decorate my room and to buy a new carpet.

“I feel lots better, my chest is so much better,” added Lesley, who has asthma, beat breast cancer and has brittle bones. “Smoking doesn’t help these illnesses and I’m better off financially and health wise.

“Anyone who smokes should try and quit. You can’t lose by simply trying and it may be the best thing you ever did,” she said.

Adele Devy, of our QUIT Smoking Team, said: “What Lesley has achieved is fantastic. We can help patients and staff to stop smoking, so if you’re interested in receiving support to kick the smoking habit, simply get in touch”.

You can contact the team by:

• Phone: 03000 212 469
• Email: rdash.quit@nhs.net

Your right to be heard

This is where you can get in touch about topics of interest, either work related or something else. Here are the latest questions people have sent in.

Last year the trust banned agency working, does that ban stay now?

The trust has never banned agency working. But the clinical leadership executive introduced in May 2024 approval processes designed to scrutinise any agency use. This meant we aimed never to use agency staffing for nonclinical functions (and we have not since June 2024), and never too for non-registered clinical functions. In early 2025 this then became wider NHS policy. Right now, we have two approved agency roles, both for doctors, where recruitment has not been possible, and services would be unsafe without a postholder. Our safety and our financial plan are based on not using agency posts, but of course every case in the approval process is judged on the specific circumstances.

RADAR looks like it could really help give us insight into patient care. Is there a plan for more training and tutorials?

It is an exciting step forward, even if we are in the first few weeks since go live in May. There should certainly be time in future learning half days this year to share what is being learnt about RADAR, and from within RADAR. In particular, we want people to be able to “run queries” from the system and understand patterns across data. Right now, the focus of managers and teams need to be in making sure every team that needs to use it has access and is making good use. Risk registers move across to the system at the start of July.

Why has the trust banned leaflets? (staff open meeting question)

We haven’t. This confusion seems to have arisen because we have ceased producing and designing leaflets in our communications function. All our patient leaflets are online via our website. Niall and the team are working now to make sure that the versions on our website are easy to print out, and local teams are encouraged to display paper copies of these print-outs. What this will mean is that it is easier to keep leaflets up to date and easier to translate them into various local languages.

Can we have a bigger range of learning material in our learning half days? (staff open meeting question)

Absolutely. Learning half days are now an established part of the trust. We are recruiting a coordinator role to help to make sure that it is easy to find what is available, and to ensure we keep a decent library of learning too. The professional advisory group for admin, led by Lindsay Fleming, is working on ideas about what learning our admin and clerical colleagues would find most valuable. Get in touch with her or with Jude Graham if you have any ideas.

Will there be a patient gym in the new wards at Great Oaks? (staff open meeting question)

There will be. We have good gym access generally and we want to make sure that all mental health inpatients have recreational access. When the two refurbished wards open in March 2026, with work getting started in July on site, there is good provision for this. The opportunity for colleagues to learn about how to support great use of this gym is also available with training. Remember we have a sizeable ring-fenced training budget.

Is there still time to enter my team in the quick cricket or in It's a Knockout for the annual members' meeting?

Yes, there is but we do need your entry before the big day. For full details see the community fun day.

Toby’s last word

Estate is a very jargony word. It is about the homes of our teams, and places in which we provide care. Buildings we work in carry memories of colleagues, of recovery, and of course for some patients, feelings that are much less positive. So, for all those reasons we need to be kind and compassionate in how we approach change. I hope that locally team leaders can talk to that sensibility.

Long-term investment ongoing

Over the last few years, many of our inpatient wards have been rebuilt or changed. Cusworth, Skelbrooke, Brodsworth, Kingfisher, Osprey, and Sandpiper have benefitted from almost £10m of investment since 2022. At long last, after some delay, wards at Great Oaks, Mulberry and Laurel, will have investment too, with work starting in August and completing by March 2026.

Not all our rebuilds have worked perfectly. We know we have work still to do to make these spaces suitable for patients with neurodiversity and other sensory needs. And there is work being led by Steve Forsyth, Chief Nurse, alongside our estate team, to define suitable, safe but stimulating, ward gardens and put those into place as key spaces in any inpatient unit. The wonderful garden in our St John’s Hospice illustrates what can be achieved.

Excitingly, this year will see many services in Scunthorpe move to a beautiful central building in the Elizabeth Quarter. Alongside Great Oaks, and St Nicholas House, this triangle of spaces should offer us places that people want to work and can work across teams, while giving us more clinical rooms to help see more patients in the months ahead.

What’s the plan in Rotherham and Doncaster?

Finalising our estate plan continues. The NHS capital regime is changing, and we think that will give us opportunities to move faster and to do more. We hope to put pen to paper with a draft plan this summer and then begin to engage widely among teams. At the same time, we are going to start engaging on our remote working policy for the long-term, which may alter the scale and type of spaces that we need for some teams. A lot of departments have limited shared space, team meeting rooms, and such like, and that is something we want to change.

In Rotherham we know that we want to retain Swallownest and have a long-term commitment too in making sure The Woodlands building is well used. Our other sites across the town have often been the subject to negative feedback from teams and from patients. We continue to work with the local authority to identify the right locations going forward, with Riverside House a possibility.

In Doncaster, the expectation remains that we take on some new buildings in the city centre, and negotiations continue over the Waterdale site. We have set aside capital to begin to create purpose-built facilities to replace Hawthorn and Hazel, and generally the focus of the Tickhill site will, we expect, begin to cluster nearer to the Loversall end of the site. Of course, St Catherine’s House and our hospice will remain, but there is a likelihood that our draft plans will propose that much of the balance of the buildings in the old community hospital are re-provided in new accommodation.

Importantly, any plans have to take account of education and of research. We need places to learn and a hub for our research work, even if those activities have to happen across our estate. Your Hearts and Minds has a fundraising mission in respect of both research and learning, and we want to create purpose-built spaces that can help to attract and retain clinicians with an interest in these fields.

Want to know more?

Look out for details as we move through the summer. We plan to try and develop an estate plan that is funded and timetabled over that period of time, culminating in a board discussion in September. As we look to put in place enough clinical spaces to see the volume of patients needed to deliver our 4-week promise, we know that there are some pressing issues to resolve. But this estate plan needs to be fit for our long-term future too. Working at Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust should involve having the basics in place to do your work, and the spaces to work with others.

Another exciting change

Even while plans are being finalised, we are taking the opportunity to move forward opportunistically, one area of our care where the volume of service we need to provide has to change utterly, by about 500% in fact, is in neurodiversity. The prior Emerald building in Bentley will be repurposed this summer to contribute to that work, as a dedicated neurodiversity hub for some of that work. Tremendous news, including for the many colleagues who wondered what would become of this building and the wider site.

Page last reviewed: July 03, 2025
Next review due: July 03, 2026

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