CEO Daniel Robinson reflects on the first few months of 2023
I continue to be so proud to be part of our Shropdoc team - a team that gives so much to our organisation. The past quarter has seen all of our staff continue to work above and beyond for our patients, supporting our communities, and so much more.
Our Commitment – Ensuring the Best for our Patients
The first item on my CEO blog agenda must be a thank you to all of our staff and GP members who worked so hard over the Easter holidays. At a time when others are enjoying time away from their place of work, the teams here at Shropdoc are going above and beyond to meet the needs of our patients, and those efforts are greatly appreciated.
The Steve Hugh Award
I am extremely pleased to announce the relaunch of the Steve Hugh Award within the organisation.
The award has been presented over many years at Shropdoc in memory of Dr Steve Hugh, Shropdoc’s previous Medical Director, who sadly passed away suddenly in 2005.
This award is traditionally given each year to a health professional or team who is responsible for providing or developing a service that goes beyond normal expectations to benefit patients.
Steve was involved with Shropdoc from its earliest days - he was committed to improving
the quality of services and setting the highest standards in clinical excellence. He was a major influence on the development of Shropdoc from a GP out-of-hours service into one which now delivers a complex range of services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As the Medical Director of Shropdoc he showed great interest not only in the services provided by Shropdoc but also those of other allied health professionals in the local community.
We are extremely pleased and excited to relaunch the award in 2023!
Shropdoc – Working on Wellbeing
Our events
As the sun rises on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on June 11th, a Shropdoc team will be able to watch from the summit after a nighttime trek up the mountain to raise much-needed funds for the charity, The Movement Centre.
The Movement Centre provides life-changing children’s physiotherapy and helps children who have Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome or other diagnoses to achieve new skills through increased strength and control of their movement.
And while our Yr Wyddfa climbers will feel their efforts in their legs after the challenge, those of our team who have signed up for this year’s Dragonboat Festival will feel the pressure on their arms!
Many of our staff are currently in training for the Severn Hospice Dragonboat Festival! The event will take place on the River Severn on July 22nd and 23rd, and it is fantastic that this year the teams will include Shropdoc!
Safety Culture - Protecting our people and keeping them safe
Making the workplace safe for all of our staff is a top priority.
Recognising that a significant number of our people deliver health and care services within the community and in patients’ homes, we have taken additional steps to help keep our people safe, provide peace of mind to all team members and enhance our overall health and safety measures.
Lone worker safety devices are designed to monitor and protect employees who work alone, in isolation or in remote locations. With the recent introduction of the MySOS devices, we have another tool to add more security and assurance to our field staff.
Staff Forum Launch
As an organisation, our mission, vision, and values are at the heart of all that we do - and the launch of our new staff forum is in line with each of the values we work to.
The introductory meeting of the staff forum took place last month, and members will meet monthly. The aim is that the Shropdoc values will be truly embraced as part of everyday working life through the forum.
The Shropdoc values aim to see Shropdoc teams working together to deliver a shared purpose, working together to ensure quality underpins all that is done through living shared values, caring and committing to unlocking potential and a culture of kindness, promoting a culture of openness and honesty and encouraging everybody to take responsibility for actions and enabling shared lessons to be learned.
I am grateful to HR Business Partner Kayleigh Davies, who will chair the forum and to all of the representatives from all areas of the organisation.
The role of the forum is to ensure that all of our people have a representative through which they can express their voice and provide meaningful feedback about relevant workplace issues.
The use of identified representatives will enable the creation of an open, two-way dialogue towards working collaboratively and affecting positive and powerful change to the employee experience.
Leadership Programme
A cohort of Shropdoc’s Operational Management will be undertaking a 12-month Leadership Development Programme delivered by Lisa Butler, a Shropshire-based Leadership and Mentoring Coach.
This exciting programme, which launched in April, will help to continually develop the Shropdoc workforce, encouraging us to reflect on how we practice and ensure our values become part of our daily lives. The aim of the programme is to develop staff accountability and confidence, improve role autonomy and develop increased staff cohesion and responsibility.
Lisa has 25 years of experience as a British Army Officer, Specialist Wellbeing and Exercise Coach and is a mum of two. She brings a unique perspective on the art of leadership and resilience which aligns with our core values and mission to ensure we keep the patient at the heart of all we do.
I am excited that we can offer such an immersive programme of development to our staff and we hope all of our delegates enjoy the next 12 months.
Organisational Development
Radar System
Radar Healthcare has provided Shropdoc with a risk management information system to collect and manage details on a range of learning events such as incidents, accidents and complaints.
Easily accessible and simple to use, one of the greatest benefits is the validity of the information contained within the system to generate significant change, share learning and promote best practice. The fundamental goal is to build a culture and practice that drives excellence in patient and staff safety.
Contract Award - Presteigne Medical Practice
We are delighted to announce that, following a competitive procurement process in October 2022, Shropdoc has been awarded the contract to provide Primary Medical Services for the patients of Presteigne Medical Practice in Powys from July 1st, 2023.
Shropdoc is proud of its long-standing relationships and history of providing quality healthcare to the residents of Powys for over 20 years.
Strengthening relationships
CEO Daniel Robinson said: “This significant and crucial contract award further strengthens our historical relationships in Powys, providing a platform for sustainable growth which is closely aligned with our ambitions to work with our strategic partners to develop new, innovative and sustainable models of 24/7 Urgent and Primary Care.
“GP services provided by Presteigne Medical Practice will continue uninterrupted through the period of transition. We are committed to supporting both our existing and new staff, in addition to patients, through this period of change and will be working closely with key stakeholders to deliver a broad range of engagement activities in the coming weeks and months.”
Key stakeholders
Shropdoc is now working closely with key stakeholders, including members of the existing practice team, Powys Teaching Health Board, and the wider community in Powys to ensure an integrated, seamless and successful transition.
Mr Robinson adds: “We are excited to welcome the Presteigne Medical Practice workforce into the Shropdoc family, all of whom bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise and who will, importantly, continue to provide stability and access to primary care for our patients in Presteigne and surrounding areas.”
Daniel Robinson
Chief Executive Officer
Shropshire Doctors Co-Operative Ltd
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