Cascade - February 2026

Moving to excellence: Our performance

We continue to make steady progress:

How we are doing

What we are doing

• Cancer FDS – 83%, our 4th month in a row over 80%

• Cancer 62-day – 70.1%, our 3rd month in a row over 70%

• Elective – continue to reduce waiting lists

• Elective 18w RTT – 64.1%

• Diagnostics - DMO1 (6 week waits) – 81.4%

• UEC all-type 4hr performance of 51.6% and Type 1 12hr performance of 75.3%. Early signs of pathway improvement, with special-cause improvements in time to initial assessment, simple length of stay, SDEC utilisation, and early Discharge Lounge transfers

• Stronger Together– system-wide campaign focused on providing safe and timely patient care throughout March – launching soon

• All additional assessment spaces are now open at PRH as part of phase one UEC improvements

• Innovating to reduce waiting times for patients needing elective care (HIT lists)

• Phase 2 of cancer improvement programme to ensure patients start treatment within 62-days of referral

Double HIT list reduces wait times for patients

Our amazing colleagues in the Elective Surgical Hub at PRH have undertaken two simultaneous high intensity theatre (HIT) lists in one day – a first for the Trust.

Twenty patients had their day case operations as part of the lists –which are reducing the amount of time patients are waiting. The procedures undertaken were routine, low complexity - gall bladders, hernias and colorectal operations.

The HIT lists were led by Mr Saurav Chakravartty, Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon and Mr Adam Farquharson, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon. #strongertogether

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Adding Value for Patients

End of financial year – only SIX WEEKS to go!

• Thank you for your engagement and response so far - in January we had a small surplus of £0.2m, but we are still £5.6m overspent year to date.

• If we don’t continue to mitigate cost pressures and take additional actions, our overspend will deteriorate as our support funding reduces in the last two months of the year.

• In a Trust that spends £2m every day, there is still time to close the gap.

• We are on the final stretch – please hold firm and pause all spend that is not critical to patient safety. Ask, can this spend wait?

• We want to step down from the Recovery Support Programme (RSP) –we have been in this for nearly a decade and no longer deserve to be.

• Hitting our financial plan is how we achieve that – it sets us up in a good position for next year.

Every Penny Counts

There are so many fantastic examples across the Trust of teams working together to add value for patients, like the Access to Health Records Team…

✓ Embracing digital and significantly reduced printing/postage.

✓ Only printing what’s necessary (double sided and black and white where possible), sending out copy records electronically, and making better use of digital systems.

✓ Changed process so records are sent via secure email as opposed to recorded delivery, as a default.

✓ No longer spend money on recorded delivery post or courier - a typical batch of records sent via courier can cost up to £200!

✓ Actively looking at creating electronic bundles for court, rather than physical bundles.

Not only is this saving the Trust money, it’s also reducing waste and is a more efficient way of working! What is your team doing?

Stronger Together: A sustainable future

Waste savings

• Since introducing cardboard segregation, we collate around 10 tonnes of cardboard per month, which is compacted into 500kg bales and sold to recyclers, with the revenue generated used to pay the rental for the compaction equipment.

• We have saved over £25,000 in Procurement costs alone in the 12 months since partnering with a contractor for our furniture reupholstery service. This is without taking into account increased disposal costs. ShropCom will also be introducing to the service as part of the Group collaboration. Last year £6,000 was spent on disposal of upholstered furniture and 7.5 tonnes of waste produced (improvement on 12.5 tonnes and £10k from 2024).

• The Trust has exceeded NHSE’s 60% target for proper disposal of offensive waste every month since July 2024. At PRH, the target has been beaten every month since April 2024, with an average of 85%. At RSH, the target has been exceeded every month since October 2024, improving from 2% to 76% in only one year. This has generated financial savings for the Trust of over £150,000.

• Carbon emissions have been reduced by more than 60 tonnes, which is the same as the annual carbon emissions of 39 homes.

From 31 March 2025, the law changed. We must now recycle the same way we do at home. This includes:

• Food waste

• Mixed recycling (plastics, cans)

• Paper and card

• General waste (nonrecyclable)

You will see new bins and new processes across all Trust sites. Some changes happen behind the scenes, but your help in wards, departments and other areas is key to making this work.

If you have any ideas to help us improve, or if you have any questions about waste or recycling, please contact Mark Leighton, the Trust’s Waste Manager or email sath.wastemanagement@nhs.net.

Better Together

We’re getting ready for an exciting change and are in the process of formalising our Group model ahead of April 2026 when SaTH and ShropCom will officially come together.

How we are working together

In our five-year plans, there’s a phenomenal amount of digital improvement planned, with some shared ambitions:

• Full roll out of an integrated Electronic Patient Record

• Roll out of Order Comms giving easier access to pathology and radiology

• Better use of the Patient Portal and NHS App to deliver faster care

• Using our Estates and connecting areas through Telehealth

• Electronic prescribing

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Hospitals Transformation Programme

Emergency Department Refurbishment

• We have completed

• New majors area

• New resuscitation department

• Next stage

• Handover of new ‘Ambulatory Majors’ at end of Feb –operational in March

• Beginning work to relocate the current Ambulance Receiving Area (ARA) building at front of department

• Future phases

ED waiting room and other ancillary areas To start – January 2026

Expected to complete – Summer 2026

Children’s emergency footprint To start – Spring 2026

Expected to complete – Spring 2027

Separate ED entrance To start – Spring 2026

Expected to complete – Summer 2026

Triage rooms and ED reception To start – Spring 2026

Expected to complete – Autumn 2026

Ambulance Receiving Area (ARA) To start – Summer 2027

Expected to complete – Autumn 2027

Lingen Davies Sunflower Appeal

Thank you to staff who helped turned SaTH yellow on World Cancer Day to shine a light on the Sunflower Appeal – which aims to raise £5m to bring a dedicated cancer treatment centre to Princess Royal Hospital and provide the space to double the capacity of chemotherapy provision in the region.

Lingen Davies are hosting a range of events and fundraising activities to help reach their target – find out how you can get involved on their website: Lingen Davies Events | Get Involved | Cancer Fundraising Events

Moving to Excellence: Creating a great place to work

Your wellbeing

As we continue to navigate the demands of our work, please know your wellbeing matters. Every one of us plays a vital role in delivering outstanding care, and that starts with looking after ourselves. Find out more about our support offer on the intranet.

Action for all budget-holding managers - ESR manager’s self service

The NHS is preparing for the future transition from ESR to the new Future Workforce Solution, which is still in development. To be ready for when it arrives, all organisations must have Employee Self Service and Manager Self Service fully in use to meet national readiness requirements. Using MSS now ensures we have the right digital foundations in place for this upcoming change.

From May, Manager Self Service (MSS) will replace current ESR change forms. All changes, such as hours or contracts ending will be completed directly through MSS. MSS allows budget-holding managers to keep employment details accurate in real time and reduce delays. Colleagues benefit from quicker updates; managers benefit from clearer, more reliable information.

96% of departments are already live or being prepared, which puts us in a strong position. Thank you to all managers already using MSS, your involvement is helping us implement this new approach smoothly. All budget-holding managers must have completed MSS training and be ready to begin using MSS before the ESR change forms are withdrawn at the end of April.

If you need to complete your MSS training, get support with accessing MSS, or would like to know more about how MSS works, please contact: karen.cameron2@nhs.net

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Information Governance: Posting on Social Media

NHS colleagues must use social media responsibly, maintaining professional standards of conduct, confidentiality and respect, whether they are online in a personal or professional capacity.

Professional use and conduct

• Maintain professionalism

• Be mindful of public perception

• Declare conflicts of interest

• Act discreetly.

Workplace policies

• Understand local policies

• Report inappropriate posts

• Consequences: Can lead to disciplinary action

• Do not ‘whistleblow’ on social media – please raise your concerns through the appropriate channels instead.

The Trust’s Social Media policy has recently been updated. You can find the policy on the intranet.

Update from Risk Management Team

The risk management team supports teams Trust-wide with clinical and non-clinical risks. We provide assurance that the Trust is providing high quality care in a safe environment and that it is complying with legal and regulatory requirements. Below is a table that demonstrates how each division is managing its risks that affect its achievement of the Trust’s strategic objectives. Please sign up to receive Risk Management Training via LMS.

Email: j.webb19@nhs.net and holly.burrows4@nhs.net

Meet the Team: Medical Engineering Services

A few faces from the team:

Jan Leeson, Head of Medical Engineering Services

The Medical Engineering Department at SaTH is responsible for the maintenance, safety, and compliance of a wide range of medical equipment across our hospitals. This includes critical devices such as anaesthetic machines, ventilators, neonatal equipment, dialysis machines, infusion pumps, patient monitors, and defibrillators.

The department delivers comprehensive medical device training across both RSH and PRH, ensuring staff can use all equipment safely and effectively. SaTH’s medical engineering services are certified to ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015, demonstrating full compliance with quality and regulatory standards. Our technicians and engineers provide servicing, repairs, calibration, and asset management to maintain equipment performance. A dedicated Medical Device Safety Officer (MDSO) supports incident reporting and learning, working with clinical teams and national bodies to promote patient safety.

The department also advises on procurement, evaluates new technologies, and supports lifecycle management of equipment. Operating Monday to Friday, with an on-call service outside of hours, the team ensures 24/7 coverage for urgent equipment needs across all SaTH sites.

Inclusion

Meet the Staff Network chairs

Upcoming staff network meetings

Multi Faith & Belief staff network meeting

MS Teams, Wednesday 11 March, 1-2pm

DAWN staff network meeting

MS Teams, Wednesday 11 March, 1-2pm

Race, Equality & Inclusion staff network meeting

MS Teams, Friday 27 February, 11am-12pm

LGBT+ staff network meeting

MS Teams, Friday 17 April, 1-2pm

Recognising our colleagues

Congratulations to the recent cohort who have completed the Foundations of Supervision & Team Leadership (FOSATL).

Four members of the CSS senior management team are raising money for the Lingen Davies SunflowerAppeal by running, walking, skiing 3946km between January and June 2026. Martin Hall, Anna Martin, Angus McGregor and Heather Rowley chose 3946km as it is the distance between the four places where they were born.

From 9 – 13 February we celebrated National Apprenticeship Week. We have 240 people either on active apprenticeship programmes or existing staff who are completing a qualification alongside their current jobs. Apprenticeships are a vital part of how we support people to build skills for life and develop meaningful careers within the NHS.

Anna Martin Divisional Director of Operations for Clinical and Scientific Services

The Trust is working closely with colleagues in the North Midlands and Cheshire Pathology Service (NMCPS) to shape implementation of the N8 Pathology network which will include our Trust, RJAH and NMCPS. Anna Martin has, alongside her current role, agreed to provide operational leadership as Programme Director to support our colleagues in the NMCPS, helping to improve services across our healthcare systems. We are delighted that Anna has taken up this important role and are grateful for her leadership to support improvements in Pathology services across the whole network.

Our Vision: To provide excellent care for the communities we serve

Looking forward: Key messages

Please get involved with, and support, Moving to Excellence and Stronger Together

Share your ideas –sath.strongertogether@nhs.net

Please familiarise yourself with the finance communications

Please continue to use the two Park & Ride services and be mindful that patients are using it at RSH

From April 2026, pay day will change to 26th of the month.

Did you know there is a Loop app? Download now via your app store

Please consider joining our Staff Networks

Please nominate in the Moving to Excellence Awards Be fab and get the jab!

We are here to help and support you

If you would like to raise a concern, you can contact our FTSU team Contact sath.ahealthieryou@nhs.net for support if you are facing pressures due to rising cost of living

Familiarise yourself with the health and wellbeing support available – details on the intranet

Thank you