One day. Every profession. One celebration. Celebration Day recognised the impact of every role across our hospital. More inside...
Oneday.Everyprofession.Onecelebration.
It was great to see you at our Celebration Day on Wednesday, recognising the dedication, skill and impact of every role across the hospital and beyond.
It was such a fun day in Colliers. Thank you to everyone who came along, our organisers, and our amazing stall-holders. It was possible because of you.
Wecouldn’tdoitwithoutyou
For those colleagues who were not able to join us in Colliers’, we still wanted you to be involved in some way. With this in mind, night shift staff, colleagues at the Alhambra, CDC and Gateway were all given a variety of sweet treats on the day so that teams could also get involved in the festivities.
At Barnsley Hospital, we know that many of our colleagues go above and beyond not only at work, but at home too. Across the Trust, there are colleagues who provide unpaid care and support to loved ones –whether that’s a family member, partner, friend or neighbour.
That’s where the Barnsley Hospital Carers Forum plays a vital role. The forum brings colleagues together to share experiences,
access advice and find out about support available both within the Trust and externally. It also helps ensure the voices of working carers are heard and represented.
A member of the Carers Forum said: “Balancing work and caring can be overwhelming at times… The forum has helped me realise I’m not alone and shown me what support is available.”
Open to all staff, the forum is here to help make balancing work and caring responsibilities easier. Find out more about our Carers Forum
CarersWeek: AwarenessandSupport
Carers Week shines a light on the invaluable contribution carers make and why recognising them matters. It helps ensure carers are identified earlier, supported effectively and able to balance their responsibilities with their own wellbeing.
By raising awareness, we can help carers feel less alone and ensure they understand the support available to them, both as patients in our care and as colleagues within our workforce.
Information is also available on the hospital website, helping carers to access the advice and support they need.
The Patient Experience Team have attended a variety of different events this week in support of parent carers, young carers and working carers.
See what’s on our website for carers
CarersWeek
Spotlighting our carers
To recognise the important voices of our working carers, here we share anonymised stories from colleagues.
“Although infrequent, there are times when it is not convenient to arrange an unexpected meeting at short notice or attend my son's appointment due to work commitments. Overall, a very positive experience. I feel well
supported at work and can manage my diary, if I need to change my day off this can be arranged.
I work compressed hours in 4 days a week, and appreciate day off during the week to support my son.”
Thankyoutoourcarers
“As a parent of a child with autism, I often need more time for appointments. This leads to guilt at needing time off during difficult periods - e.g stressful school days which create meltdowns or shutdowns.
It can also be challenging to manage workload during these times.”
“Recognise yourself as a carer and not a family member providing support. Know your rights as a carer and seek support from support groups/forums.”
“I am a registered Learning Disability nurse, and it helps to have a support network of friends who are also Learning Disability nurses.”
“The support from my line manager has been great, with an understanding approach to workload. That can make a big difference.”
Welldoneto ourvitalCCNs
Our 7-day Children’s Community Nursing (CCN) service plays a vital role in ensuring children and their families receive consistent, high-quality specialist nursing care outside of the hospital setting.
The team support children with acute and long-term conditions to live as normal a life as possible, while also providing essential support to families and helping to reduce the need for hospital admission
The role is highly diverse, and care for a wide range of patients with complex needs. This includes administering home intravenous antibiotics, providing wound care, and managing tracheostomies, gastrostomies, and nasogastric tubes. The team also support children receiving oncology care, as well as those requiring palliative and end-of-life care.
“Reaching this milestone is something I feel incredibly proud of, as it reflects the hard work, dedication, and compassion of the entire team over the past five
TRiMPractitioners playvitalrolein supportingstaff
TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) is one of several options of secondary support offered by the Trust following an Acute Distressing Event (ADE).
TRiM is an evidence-based approach whereby trained TRiM Practitioners within the organisation provide structured peer support, risk assessment and active (wellbeing) monitoring to colleagues.
Since launch in April 2025, TRiM has supported 21 ADEs and around 217 colleagues have been offered a TRiM intervention as a result of referral.
Find out more about TRiM and become a Practitioner
“The [TRiM Practitioners] were very supportive and compassionate.”
To date, our feedback survey indicates most colleagues who take the offer of TRiM find the intervention helpful towards accessing further resources and support (83%), while also helpful for supporting them to remain in work following the distressing event (75%).
One colleague stated that TRiM offered a “safe environment, allowing me to reflect on how to look after myself.”
Overall, most colleagues indicate they’re satisfied with the intervention and they’d recommend TRiM to others (83% respectively).
‘MyHealth,MySay’groupshortlistedfornationalaward
This Learning Disabilities Week, we wanted to highlight a group helping people with learning disabilities shape their healthcare. The group have been shortlisted for a national award.
Over the past year, the ‘My Health, My Say’ group has developed through a partnership between the Trust’s Learning Disability Liaison and Autism Nurse Michelle Evans, Sally Davis from South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS FT, and Jayne Armstrong from Barnsley Mencap.
The group is led by its members and provides accessible health information on topics they choose, while giving professionals the chance to co-produce services and develop easy read resources.
Thanks to its success, the group is now a finalist in the Learning Disability and Autism Awards, with winners announced next Friday.
LEOprojectandcelebration
Thursday 28 May saw another cohort of our amazing Leading an Empowered Organisation (LEO) delegates complete the programme by presenting their projects and reflecting on their leadership development.
th As always we saw a range of different projects presented that have not only have made a meaningful difference to patients and colleagues, but also given delegates the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills and try out new approaches.
“I look forward to applying everything I have learned as I continue my leadership journey.”
Chris Makuni,
CT / MRI Lead Radiographer
Information for colleagues interested in LEO
Andreatakesinnovation tothenationalstage
Andrea Lee, a speech and language therapist, has secured a place on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Programme 2026.
Passionate about inclusive communication, Andrea is developing Soundscape – an innovative electronic communication aid designed to meet the personal, cultural and literacy needs of children with no speech.
The project has been supported by the Barnsley Assistive Technology Team.
As part of the programme, Andrea showcased her work at the NHS Big Pitch 2026 in London, connecting with fellow innovators and gaining valuable insight into the future of the NHS.
A fantastic achievement –well done, Andrea!
Alan Heathcote, Matt Hall, and Rob McCubbin represented BFS at the event
CongratulationstoBFSfortheir amazingawardwin
BFS Capital Projects team won Project of the year for Alhambra Outpatients at the Health Estates and Facilities Management Association (HEFMA) Awards last week.
BFS were also runners up in two further categories: TeleTracking project in Digital Innovation category
Foundation Trust has been shortlisted twice at the prestigious HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026, recognising its commitment to improving patient safety and quality of care.
The Trust has been shortlisted for:
Improving patient safety: a daily MDT approach on Barnsley’s orthopaedic ward.
Decaf by Default: A hospital-wide Quality Improvement initiative to reduce falls, improve sleep and enhance continence.
Claire Lawson and the Ward 33 team
Rachel Jane and Lindsay Reynolds
Colleagues on Ward 33 (Orthopaedics) introduced structured daily multidisciplinary (MDT) safety board rounds, creating a more open and supportive culture where staff are encouraged to raise concerns and work together to improve patient safety. This approach has helped embed consistent processes and strengthen shared accountability across teams.
Meanwhile, the Trust’s innovative “Decaf by Default” initiative has made decaffeinated drinks the standard option for patients. The project was designed to improve sleep, reduce anxiety and lower the risk of falls and toileting-related incidents, while also supporting continence care. The initiative has since been rolled out across the organisation.
Proudofmy
Meet Moomin - a cheeky little escape artist with a love for adventure.
One moment she’s w she’s somehow joine there. She definitely doesn’t stop her try
With her mischievou Moomin keeps everyone on their toes and always brings a smile to people’s faces.
Proudly owned by Nicola Dixon
Thank you to everyone who has sent in your photos. It’s brightened up our inbox.
To submit your pet, email the comms team with three facts about them.
