Latest news with #JoWilliams
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Shropshire health trusts appoint new chief executive
Health trusts that manage community and hospital services in the county have appointed a chief executive in Williams will work across both the Shropshire Community Health Team (ShropCom) and the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH).As the current interim chief executive officer at SaTH, she will move to her new role on 1 September."I am delighted Jo has been appointed into this exciting new role; this is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the good work happening between the trusts," said Andrew Morgan, chair in common for the two trusts. The two organisations said the appointment would increase integration and strengthen local will remain as separate statutory bodies led by a shared chair in common and a chief Williams was previously the chief executive officer of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in Birmingham, before moving to SaTH on secondment in September 2024."Jo brings extensive strategic and operational leadership experience with a strong track record in driving quality and performance improvement in the NHS," added Mr Morgan."She has already made a positive difference in her 10 months as interim chief executive at SaTH and I know she has the ability, ambition, determination and compassion to drive forward excellent care for all the communities we serve."The ROH will begin the process of appointing a new substantive CEO while she transitions into her new Hartland, who has served as interim CEO there since October 2024, will remain in post while the recruitment process is underway. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
STV News
03-07-2025
- Health
- STV News
Record number of children referred to scheme to prevent animal cruelty
A record number of children have taken part in a Scottish SPCA scheme that aims to help young people who have shown tendencies to be cruel to animals. Said to be the first of its kind in the UK, the Animal Guardians programme is an early-intervention initiative designed to prevent animal cruelty by fostering compassion and empathy in young people aged three to 16. Those referred to the scheme include children who have physically harmed or killed an animal or behaved uncaringly, such as teasing an animal or cutting its fur or whiskers. The programme supported 27 children and young people in June, making it the busiest month since the initiative began in 2018. Since the scheme launched, more than 300 children from across Scotland have been directed to it, with referrals coming from educational establishments, health and social care professionals, parents and carers, Scottish SPCA inspectors, and third-sector children's organisations. Susan Witton, Animal Guardians youth engagement officer, said: 'Animal Guardians is about prevention and protection – for both animals and children. 'We're seeing clear evidence that with the right support, young people can learn compassion and emotional control that stays with them for life.' The Scottish SPCA said in one recent case, a four-year-old was observed tormenting the family dog – pulling its tail, disturbing its sleep, and mimicking aggressive behaviour. After a health visitor raised concerns, a Scottish SPCA youth engagement officer worked with the child over eight sessions, encouraging empathy and gentle handling through the use of soft toy animals, praise, and structured play. The parent, who joined the final session, later reported a marked improvement, saying the child no longer disturbs the dog while sleeping and had even reminded the parent to 'use gentle hands' when interacting with the pet. Last year, 102 children completed Animal Guardians – a 44% increase on 2023. In the first half of 2025, 52 young people have already participated, a 7% year-to-date increase. The Scottish SPCA said it is not known why June saw a record number of participants, but that it may be due to growing awareness of the programme and stronger partnerships with external agencies. The University of Edinburgh is carrying out an ongoing evaluation of the scheme, which now operates in 90% of Scottish local authorities. A study published in February by Professor Jo Williams and her research team at the university found children who participated in Animal Guardians showed significantly greater improvements than those in the control group in areas such as animal welfare knowledge, behaviour towards animals, and both cognitive and behavioural empathy. As the summer holidays begin, the Scottish SPCA is encouraging families to behave in a safe and respectful manner when around animals and wildlife. The charity is urging adults to supervise children during interactions with animals, whether in the home, neighbourhood or wider community. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust looks to cut 150 posts
A hospital trust is looking to reduce its overall number of posts by 150, to help meet its savings target for the current financial Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust said it would look at options such as redeployment, not filling vacant posts and reducing hours before it was forced to consider compulsory trust has a target of saving £41.4m by March 2026 and it said it aimed to cut spending on staffing by £ said 2% of its workforce would be affected by the proposed cuts. The hospital trust's chief executive, Jo Williams, said she wanted to have "the right staff, with the right skills, in the right places".That would mean increasing the number of posts in "critical" areas by 267, but the net loss would be 150 also said she wanted to reduce hospital spending on agency said she accepted this would be a "worrying time for some staff" and promised to support them through the changes. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital trust continues to battle £18.6m deficit
A hospital trust's deficit could have been more than £70m if it had not received government support, a meeting has been told. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust board was told it had posted an £18.6m deficit at the end of the financial year. However, trust chairman Andrew Morgan said the figures were "misleading" in light of it having receiving two support packages of £44m and £10m and without them, the deficit would have been "the £70s of millions". He added: "That is unacceptable, stating the blindingly obvious." The position has improved as the trust previously posted a deficit as high as £100m, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The trust has been told it will not have to get a balanced budget in one financial year. Richard Miner, who chairs the trust's Finance Assurance Committee, said: "We have got to be on the button in terms of performance. It is a big year." He said the trust was looking to use new technology to reduce its reliance on agency staff But the possibility of redundancies among the near 8,000 strong workforce was not discussed at Thursday's meeting and a recruitment freeze for "non-critical" roles remains in place. Jo Williams, the trust's chief executive, said she was "being honest" about the challenges the organisation faced but promised the trust would "not compromise on patient safety". The board was told that it had cash balances of £61.8m but a new modular ward would require "substantial outlay and cash balances will need to be monitored closely". This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Park-and-ride hospital buses to be made permanent Health secretary asked to meet over troubled trust Temporary drop-off area introduced at hospital Hospital action plan after undercover documentary Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust battling £18.6m deficit
A hospital trust's deficit could have been more than £70m if it had not received government support, a meeting has been Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust board was told it had posted an £18.6m deficit at the end of the financial year. However, trust chairman Andrew Morgan said the figures were "misleading" in light of it having receiving two support packages of £44m and £10m and without them, the deficit would have been "the £70s of millions".He added: "That is unacceptable, stating the blindingly obvious." The position has improved as the trust previously posted a deficit as high as £100m, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The trust has been told it will not have to get a balanced budget in one financial Miner, who chairs the trust's Finance Assurance Committee, said: "We have got to be on the button in terms of performance. It is a big year."He said the trust was looking to use new technology to reduce its reliance on agency staffBut the possibility of redundancies among the near 8,000 strong workforce was not discussed at Thursday's meeting and a recruitment freeze for "non-critical" roles remains in Williams, the trust's chief executive, said she was "being honest" about the challenges the organisation faced but promised the trust would "not compromise on patient safety". The board was told that it had cash balances of £61.8m but a new modular ward would require "substantial outlay and cash balances will need to be monitored closely". This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
