Theatres Academy helps improve patient care at Hospital Trust
The Trust, which runs the county’s two acute hospitals, is reaping the rewards of its very own Theatres Academy, one year on from launching.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has been training up staff within its Theatres department through a range of apprenticeships and leadership programmes.
The academy at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford has so far seen 40 new members of staff attend with a fifth cohort planned for February 2025.
Andy Hutchinson, Clinical Lead for Theatre Education at SaTH, said: “Hospital theatres are made up of lots of people doing different professions, including healthcare assistants, nursing associates and operating department practitioners to name a few. They all work in different roles including circulator, recovery, scrub or anaesthetic practitioner.
“We developed the academy for theatres staff across our hospitals to receive consistent training and support, which in turn improves the care we deliver as a team.
“The feedback we’ve received from staff has been hugely positive with many saying that they feel more competent in their role as a result of what they’ve learned through the academy.”
Alison Mattey, Theatres Matron at SaTH, said: “We are focused on our teams and understand that investing in them is key to retaining them and their experience.
“The academy has helped us to fill key vacancies, increase capacity within the department and provide better care for patients.
“It forms an essential part of our ‘grow your own’ ethos, enabling staff to develop from theatre orderlies to registered professionals with the potential of achieving more senior positions.
“Neighbouring trusts are expressing an interest in joining the academy and we’re looking at how we can share the learning with others and continue to build on this success.”
Dr John Jones, Executive Medical Director at SaTH, said: “The Theatres Academy is having a really positive impact on the care we’re delivering and this comes at an exciting time for the Trust.
“We recently opened a £24 million planned care hub at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, which will increase our capacity to carry out more same day operations and reduce waits for patients.
“Our Hospitals Transformation Programme is gathering pace and the changes we are making will help us to make sure that everyone has access to the right care, at the right time, from the right clinicians when they need it most.
“Developing and investing in our teams is a key part of this and will help us to provide the quality of care that our patients need, sooner.”
