Training updates:
Please follow this link to the latest information from Future Focused Finance
Future Focused Finance - Latest Update
Please follow this link to the latest update from HFMA
Please find below the events currently open for bookings on the Skills Development Network website, please go to www.skillsdevelopmentnetwork.com for full details on each course and to book a place.
Please follow this link to the October edition of the North West Skills Development Network Newsletter.
This month covers the following topics:
- FOCUS ON … Message from David Ellcock - Director of NWSDN
- Accreditation Successes from 1st September 2022
- Apprenticeship Programme
- Conference Update
- Dates for Diary 2023/24
- Focus Learning and Development Programme
- Student Forum Update
- Informatics Special Interest Groups Update
- Christmas Competitions - most Christmassy office, Best Dressed Pet and Most Festive Tree!
- Get in touch…
There is also a dyslexia version of this newsletter available by clicking here.
Career Event – face to face meeting – Monday 16 October at 10:30am (3 hours) taking place at Room 7, Training & Education Centre, Nightingale House, Whiston Hospital, L35 5DR
Hear careers stories from Senior NHS Staff on how they got to where they are now, their career progression, their time studying and any plans they may have for the future. With interactive sessions and a game/quiz session to finish the day working with the speakers to see how they work and time to ask them any questions you may want to know.
Bookings on the website www.skillsdevelopmentnetwork.com
Less than 10 weeks to go until our biggest event of the year. Will you be joining us?
The HFMA annual conference will take place on 4-8 December, with a packed programme of live sessions. Our programme themes include: health inequalities, delivering value with digital technologies, global healthcare, and priorities for finance functions over the coming years.
As part of the conference theme Working as one, there will also be a focus on how all partners in a system can collectively pull together behind a shared vision and the important role the finance function must play in supporting system behaviours and values.
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Cheshire & Merseyside Microsoft 365 Knowledge Hub is accessible to all staff via Sharepoint providing training, best practice and development opportunities.
The course catalogue gives a list of all the training readily available to you and includes courses for Excel, Word, Access, Forms, Teams, One Drive, One Note and Sharepoint as well as hints and tips on working remotely and being in a hybrid workplace.
Course Catalogue (sharepoint.com)
Personal Development
Hi, my name is Lee Gough and I work in Community Care Division in Financial Management. I have now become a personal development coach.
If anyone wishes to speak to me about setting your own development goals, please do not hesitate to contact me via teams.
What is personal development?
It’s certainly not as easy as it sounds. Every person is unique. So, it only makes sense that personal development will look different for everyone. But what does it mean? Personal development is looking inward and focusing on ways to better yourself. Personal development increases your self-awareness, your self-esteem, increases your skills, and fulfils your aspirations.
The five areas of personal development are:
Mental: developing intelligence and problem-solving skills.
Social: improving interpersonal relationships and communication.
Spiritual: finding meaning and purpose in life.
Emotional: managing and expressing emotions effectively.
Physical: enhancing health and fitness.
Why is personal development important?
Keeps you motivated.
Allows you to reflect on your talents.
Refines your existing skills.
Increases confidence.
Improves self-awareness.
Provides a sense of direction.
Increases creativity and resilience.
Here is a simple question for your own reflection.
What could you do today that you couldn’t do a year ago?
For me, I began my new journey into the world of NHS Financial Management within the Community team. Over the past 12 months I have started a journey of self-development by asking myself “What can I do today to better myself” this maybe small things like speaking to your colleagues or not being afraid to challenge others etc. For me setting myself a goal for each day is key to my own motivation. If I feel I have accomplished something, then that would make a whole lot of difference to my working day. So, what’s the difference for me from 12 months ago to today. Recently I have been offered the perfect development opportunity for completing a 6-month secondment into the band 5 realm of financial management so for me this shows a big effort on my part to get this far in my own personal development.
Why not have a discussion today with a colleague today? Maybe you have some personal development goals or maybe you need assistance?
Do not be afraid to ask for help, do not be afraid to own up and say I need improvement 😊
Digital Improvements and Innovation
This month we can share an update on the current projects being developed and rolled out; Sostenuto Inbox Solution and RPA (Robotic Process Automation).
Sostenuto Inbox Solution: The proposed solution is to implement Sunrise Sostenuto, a service that provides a centralised incident management system for incoming emails. The service will allow the Finance and Procurement team to manage incidents efficiently and effectively, assign tasks to team members, and track progress in real-time. This is due to go live on 2 October 2023.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA): The Directorate is currently in the planning stages for the introduction of “robotic” processes to parts of our work. The idea of this development is to automate some of our simple, repetitive processes. The first few being looked at are Home Electronics Salary Sacrifice schemes, NHS Fleet Solutions, Forecast Sheets and Supplier set up.
The slides in the link below show the progress of these projects as of September 2023.
Hello and welcome to our October edition of the Finance EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) Blog.
This month we’re covering the important subjects of Black History month, Breast Cancer Awareness month and upcoming Movember.
Black History Month - Black History Month 2023 (1 October to 31 October) is a momentous occasion to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of black people to British society. Black people have always been at the forefront of social justice movements, fighting against oppression and paving the way for change. However, despite their countless contributions to society, the achievements of black women have too often been overlooked or forgotten.
That is why, this year, we will be celebrating the exceptional achievements of black women. This year’s celebration will showcase pioneering black women who have made remarkable contributions to literature, music, fashion, sport, business, politics, academia, social and health care, and more.
Exceptional achievers
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Angela Davis - Born in 1944 in the segregated town of Birmingham, Alabama, Angela Davis was a political activist, scholar, and author. In her biography she talks about living in "Dynamite Hill", a neighbourhood marked in the 1950s by whites bombing the houses of middle-class black people who had moved into the area. As a teenager, Davis organised interracial study groups, which were broken up by the police. She grew up to be a political activist and was considered a radical in the sixties for being the leader of the Communist Party. She also had close affiliations with the revolutionary black nationalist organisation Black Panther Party from her involvement in the civil rights movement. No matter what she was doing, her life centred around the liberation and civil rights of African Americans.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Liberian politician and economist. After studying in the United States, including at Harvard, she became Assistant Minister of Finance followed by Minister of Finance on her return to Liberia.
Waris Dirie - The daughter of Somalian nomads, Waris Dirie fled her home to Mogadishu in order to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man, before later moving to London, where she stayed with and worked for her uncle, who had been appointed Somali ambassador. When his term in office ended, Waris stayed in London and worked at a McDonald's, learning English in the evenings. It was at this time she was discovered by photographer Terence Donovan, who secured her for the cover of the 1987 Pirelli calendar. She soon began modelling and appeared in campaigns for Chanel, Levi's and L'Oreal, as well as appearing on plenty of catwalks and fashion magazines like Elle, Glamour and Vogue.
Madam CJ Parker - Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, Parker was the daughter of slaves from Louisiana. Orphaned at the age of 7, she soon found herself faced with the adult world: she was a servant at 10 and married by 14. But she was destined for greater things.
Michelle Obama - To give her full name, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the First Lady of the United States (or FLOTUS for short). She is married to President Barack Obama but is a star in her own right. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School and spent the early part of her legal career working for law firm Sidley Austin, where she met Barack Obama.
Josephine Baker - Born into poverty in Missouri in 1906, Josephine Baker was of African American and Apalachee Indian origin. Married at 13 and separated a few months later, she dedicated herself to her passion: dance. This led her to the cabaret in America and Paris, where she finally settled and obtained French nationality.
Rosa Parks - Born in the highly segregated state of Alabama, Rosa Parks grew up to be an African American civil rights activist whom the United States Congress referred to as "the first lady of civil rights".
Donyale Luna - Donyale Luna, born Peggy Ann Freeman made her mark in the fashion world by becoming the first black woman to be featured on the front of Vogue magazine. She was raised in Detroit, Michigan, with a troubled childhood. Her mother shot her abusive father in self-defence in 1965.
Oprah Winfrey - Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty in Mississippi, but later in life became the richest African American person of the 20th century and the first black woman to become a multi-millionaire. Winfrey spent her earlier life living between her mother, father and grandmother in poverty. She was molested from a young age by two family members and a family friend. She became pregnant at 14 but her baby was born prematurely and subsequently died. She had a half brother and half sister, who both died; the former of AIDs-related causes, and the latter of a drug overdose. Her mother also had another child called Patricia who was given up for adoption, whom Winfrey only met in 2010.
Beyonce Knowles - How could we not include Queen Bey in this list! Beyonce was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and found fame with her band Destiny's Child. But it's her later life which has cemented her as one of the most influential women of colour in recent times. Where to start. In terms of music, she has won 20 Grammys and been nominated for a whopping 53. In 2006, she walked away with 6 Grammys, making it the most Grammys won by a female artist in one night, only to be overtaken by Adele in 2012. In 2015, Beyonce graced the cover of US Vogue, becoming the first black musician in history and only the third African American woman ever to appear on the front of the American fashion powerhouse magazine.
October also has some important Awareness Weeks
Dyslexia Awareness week – 2 October to 8 October
Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing, and spelling. It's a specific learning difficulty, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn't affected. It’s estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. Dyslexia is a lifelong problem that can present challenges daily, but support is available to improve reading and writing skills and help those with the problem be successful at school and work.
Dyspraxia Awareness Week – 9 October to 15 October
Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), is a common disorder that affects movement and co-ordination. Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your co-ordination skills – such as tasks requiring balance, playing sports, or learning to drive a car. Dyspraxia can also affect your fine motor skills, such as writing or using small objects. You can also read about childhood dyspraxia by clicking on the link enclosed.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Whether you’re one of the 55,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer each year, or just want to find out more, Macmillan can help.
Bami was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. Watch her video to find out why regularly checking your breasts can help early detection.
Watch Bami's breast cancer story
Next month leads into Movember – Why not sponsor someone to grow a moustache to support men’s health.
Grow a moustache this Movember to support men’s health - Movember
What is Movember? Movember is a month-long event during November in which people grow Mustaches or sponsor others to do so. The purpose is to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. Movember is a portmanteau of "mo", a diminutive word for moustache, and "November". The Movember Foundation is the global charity that runs the event at Movember.com
If you want to be involved with the blogs, or what you want to see within the blogs please do not hesitate to contact Lee.Gough@merseycare.nhs.uk
Wellbeing
It’s Optimistic October!
Signs of Optimism
There are many key characteristics that optimists tend to share. Some signs that you tend to be optimistic:
- You feel that good things will happen in the future.
- You expect things to work out for the best.
- You feel like you will succeed in the face of life's challenges.
- You feel that the future looks bright.
- You think that even good things can come from adverse events.
- You see challenges or obstacles as opportunities to learn.
- You feel gratitude for the good things in your life.
- You are always looking for ways to make the most of opportunities.
- You have a positive attitude about yourself and others.
- You accept responsibility for mistakes but don't dwell on them.
- You don't let one bad experience muddy your expectations for the future.
An example of optimism is believing that there will always be opportunities to make things better tomorrow, even if you are experiencing challenges today.
Reminder!
In autumn the clocks will go back at 2am on the final Sunday of October, which this year falls on Sunday 29 October.
It means an extra hour in bed for your Sunday lie-in and will give an extra hour of daylight as the dark nights roll in.
Why do we change the clocks?
The principal reason we change the clocks is to get the most out of the daylight.
The first clock change was introduced by the German government in 1916 during the first world war as a means of saving energy - the longer the daylight hours lasted, the less electricity was required.
Many European governments followed suit, including Britain, and so BST was born, with the current system in place since 1971.
Wellbeing Events Calendar – October 2023
Every year we celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10 October. The theme for 2023, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.
World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness of mental health and driving positive change for everyone’s mental health.
It’s also a chance to talk about mental health, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to get help if you are struggling.
Come together with friends, families or colleagues this World Mental Health Day, by holding a Tea & Talk!
Mental health awareness days - Mental Health UK (mentalhealth-uk.org)
Stoptober
Stoptober is a Public Health England (PHE) initiative that encourages smokers to abstain from smoking for 28 days in October. It's much easier to stop smoking when you get the right support and our wellbeing team and Smoke Free Lead, will be getting out and about throughout the month to host stalls across the trust to provide you with that support. You can find out more and see the full schedule here.
Food for Thought- last chance to join new group starting 4 October
Are you looking for some support and advice to help you lose weight? Food for Thought is a virtual weight management programme, designed to help you achieve your goals. The group sessions re-start with an early evening timeslot from 4 October. Find more information and book a place here.
Financial Wellbeing Webinar- Make the most out of your pension and know your taxes
The next in our series of financial wellbeing webinars takes place on 5 October. This session gives explores the benefits of pension schemes and tax efficient savings. These webinars are facilitated by a financial advisory service, and they’re also offering free 1:1 guidance sessions. You can learn more about the offer by watch this short, welcome video.
How to get a good night’s sleep - 10 October
Our sleep well session is designed to help you get a good night's sleep. We all have times when we find it hard to fall asleep or find ourselves waking up feeling unrested. How we sleep and how much sleep we need is different for all of us, but if you have problems sleeping, you may benefit from some simple steps.
Staff Wellbeing Offer - Autumn 2023
Please see attached summaries of the fraud notices we have received from MIAA since January 2023
September 23 - 3 fraud notices received
August 23 - 8 fraud notices received
July 23 - 8 fraud notices received
June 23 - 6 fraud notices received
May 23 - 6 fraud notices received
April 23 - 3 fraud notices received
March 23 - 7 fraud notices received
February 23 - 4 fraud notices received
January 23 - 5 fraud notices received
NHS Games
Well done to our colleagues who completed the 5K and 1K events in Liverpool this past weekend!
Congratulations to Dan Hughes who finished 3rd overall!
We are now looking for participants to take part in the final event of the 2023 schedule. This is a Men’s Football competition, taking place in Liverpool on Sunday 22 October. ⚽️
The event is free to take part in with all ages and abilities welcome. Find more information on the booking page.
Send Dan a message if you are interested in taking part as he is hoping to enter a team into this event! All skill levels welcome 👍🏼
daniel.hughes@merseycare.nhs.uk
Good Luck to everyone taking part in the HFMA North West Branch Annual Quiz on 28 September 2023!
Maybe there'll be a question on beard tax and the technical name for a blob of toothpaste!
Ho ho ho, its nearly Christmas!!
The confirmed date for the Finance and Procurement Christmas Party is Saturday 9 December 2023
To be held at the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool city centre.
The cost is £49.00 and includes –
- Three-course meal
- Arrival glass of fizz
- DJ and dancing until late
Hope you make it, it will be a chance to party and get ready for Christmas!
We all wish a warm welcome to our new colleagues; Anisa Razzaque (Corporate), Diane Maines and Reem Osman (both in Mental Health Care Division) and Nathan Hill (apprentice in FS Technical Accounts).
Nathan Hill
Hi, my name is Nathan Hill, and I am a new financial services apprentice.
I have recently left a sixth form college after studying, maths, physics, engineering and music.
My hobbies include playing football, drumming and gaming. I have been playing the drums for 11 years and football, as a goalkeeper, since I was 10.
Diane Maines
Having been asked to introduce myself to you all, here goes my little “Pen Portrait” of myself! 😊
Hey everyone, I’m Diane and I’m one of the new kids on the block in the Mental Health Care Division finance team (only those of over a certain age will remember the NKOTB era! Ha ha)
I graduated from Uni back in 2001 with a degree in Psychology with French, which means I’ve a huge geek streak for the human mind and people in general and I enjoy exploring the world! (I find us humans and the world in which we live, absolutely fascinating)
Career wise; I’ve worked in finance roles both in public and private sector since I was in my late teens, whilst I was doing my A Levels and degree and studying CIMA. But despite working with the NHS on SLA’s previously, this is my first role within the NHS and therefore, I’ve a wealth of knowledge, experience and qualifications to bring with me to this organisation.
I’ve actually just come out of a ten year break from the corporate world whilst I owned my own hair/beauty/aesthetics clinic and found this invaluable life experience. (My psychology degree actually came in extremely handy at this point as you wouldn’t believe the tales you hear whilst you’re stood behind the chair ha ha 😲)
My personal life revolves mostly around my 19 year old son and my 18 month old pup ❤
My boy is just about to pass out into the army and is taking life in his own sweet stride and spreading his own little wings (in the most daunting of ways to me, as his Mum! Ha ha )
And my giant-sized pup, well I’m sure he thinks he’s a miniature dachshund sized lapdog ha ha….
But that’s me, in a nutshell…please feel free to say hello and introduce yourselves to me too if you see me about the place and I look forward to working with you all. 😊
Anisa Razzaque
Hi everyone! I’m Anisa Razzaque and I am one of the Finance Business Partners in Corporate - Financial Management and support Perfect Care, Research & Development: M-RHIC, Mental Health Mission, Gothic 2 and Quest
I’m delighted to join Mersey Care, having previously worked at Lancashire & South Cumbria. Prior to that I worked in Acute setting at Stockport & Manchester. Although my background is predominantly financial management in the local authority, I look forward to building on my NHS Finance knowledge.
I am a full-time Uber driver to a 13-year-old, (which generally involves, cheering from the side-lines in the rain)!
Pre-pandemic, I used to enjoy, travel, reading, stand-up, and was a HOME member. I now content myself with podcasts, walking and bibimbap.
Favourite TV: HIGNFY
Favourite Film: Jafar Panahi’s ‘The White Balloon’
Favourite Book: ‘The God of Small Things’ by Arundati Roy
Favourite Food: Korean barbeque
Person I would like to meet: Barack Obama
Interesting fact: Well, this may be interesting to some people, I hiked up the Atlas Mountains whilst five months pregnant, and like to think I know my Marilyn’s from my Munro’s.
Reem Osman
Hi I’m Reem and I joined the Mental Health Care Division Team as Finance Analyst on 11 September ‘still fresh’ and will appreciate all your support.
I joined the NHS in 2020 as a volunteer then became a bank staff, and in March 2022 I started my first full time job at LUHFT as Audit & Improvement Officer. Prior to the NHS, I worked for 10 years within the United Nations in Sudan.
I’m a mum of 3, two boys and a girl (Aziz 13, Haneen 11 and Kareem just turned 9). When I’m not working or looking for the kids, I enjoy watching movies.
I am usually very shy and will take me longer to get used to people but once you get to know me, hopefully you’ll see a different person that you’ll enjoy 😊
Happy Birthday to everyone who has a birthday coming up in the next couple of months!
October
8 Mike Jones
12 Jake Litherland
16 Rachael Yau
27 Georgia Bell
November
2 Peter Ryan
13 Beverley Connell