Liam Williams, Director of Quality and System Performance and registered nurse, shares insights as to how he uses his nursing experience at SCW as well as his appreciation for frontline staff.

SCW is celebrating International Day of the Midwife (#IDM2022) by acknowledging the unique and long-lasting work that midwives do. In our experience, working with highly skilled midwives is inspiring, innovative and impactful.  Here, we outline the recent work our own midwives, Melissa and Sophie, are delivering to demonstrate how they are using their midwifery skills and experience to digitalise, connect and transform maternity services to champion safe and effective care.

European and World Immunisation Awareness Week has been a great time to reflect on the delivery of the national childhood immunisation programme. Our primary care colleagues have continued to ensure key childhood vaccinations are prioritised during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Although many areas have maintained high uptake rates for childhood vaccinations over the last two years, there remain several ongoing future challenges for primary care colleagues in delivering the childhood immunisation programme.

Could the issue of too many people with a learning disability dying earlier than they should, have been prevented with better or alternative treatment? The learning from deaths of people with a learning disability (LeDeR) programme reviews the reasons for deaths of people with a learning disability either physical or mental health. It looks at why people are dying and what can be done to change services locally and nationally to improve health outcomes for people with a learning disability and reduce health inequalities.

Elspeth Griffiths, Director of HR, Workforce and OD, shares her reflections on a recent physical injury and her surprise at how this impacted her mental health. She discusses how talking openly about a variety of topics including mental health in the workplace is an important aspect of SCW’s wellbeing and culture of belonging.

The Core20Plus Connectors programme has recently passed an important milestone, with the selection of the first 11 areas to receive funding and progress their local initiatives. We share the rapid process to design and launch the programme, with the vital contribution of people with lived experience of health inequalities and those who have been in similar ‘connector’ type roles. 

James Jackson, our EDI and Wellbeing Programme Manager, shares his lived experience of dealing with mental health and mental illness. He discusses his coping mechanisms and insights into how role modelling can help create a ‘safe space’ to talk openly about mental health.

A diagnosis of cancer is devastating and can affect our personal, social and working lives along with all those who are close to us.  We need to ensure that people with a cancer diagnosis have access to high-quality health and cancer services, no matter where they are born, grow, age, work or live. 

Jade Smith, Programme Manager in our Strategy and Transformation team, explores her Asian Indian heritage and how the SCW Black and Minority Ethnic staff network helps to support her work and career. She shares insights as to how the strengths of members from diverse backgrounds contribute to supporting the customers that we work with.