A healthcare support worker who has reached the 50 year milestone at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has been named November’s Health Hero. Linda Gandy, 72 from Llandaff, Cardiff started as an auxiliary nurse at Cardiff Royal Infirmary in 1969 and has never looked back. Linda has now worked at the Health Board for 50 years as a Health Care Support worker and has no plans to retire as she loves her job and caring for people. Linda said,…

  Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is pleased to announce they have received five Carer Friendly Accreditations throughout their hospitals during Carers Week.   The Information and Support Centres at the University Hospital of Wales, University Hospital Llandough and Barry Hospital all received accreditation along with Ward B6 and Ward B4 at the University Hospital of Wales.   Only six Carer Friendly Accreditations were presented during this round of awards and out of those six, five were awarded to…

  Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has recently welcomed three overseas nurses to the team who have completed the Adaptation programme to become Band 5 Registered Nurses.   The Health Board runs the Adaptation programme to support nurses from overseas in gaining their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) pin which means they can practice as a registered nurse in the UK.   Having successfully completed the programme Christine John, Maureen Burrows and Sonia Elias are now working as nurses…

  Cardiff & Vale Health Charity, the official charity of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, is joining with NHS Charities across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England to host the NHS Big Tea throughout Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, from Monday 24th June to Sunday 7th July and everyone is invited to join in. People across the UK are holding tea dances, tea parties and are organising other events and activities to show appreciation for NHS staff and…

School children across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have been holding sessions for older people in the local community to raise awareness of and reduce the risk of falling. Staying Steady Schools was launched by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board with the help of Cardiff University students who hosted a number of sessions in local primary schools where children teach older people about the risk of falls and how to reduce them. Following a successful pilot earlier this…

Sepsis Star system launched in Wales’ largest Emergency unit   A new electronic flagging system for sepsis has been launched at Wales’ largest Emergency Unit to improve patient care. The ‘Sepsis Star’ complements the existing sepsis screening tool which is already in place at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and is applied when a patient screens positive for red flag sepsis. The star will alert clinical staff when a patient has screened positive for sepsis and requires Sepsis Six…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) is pleased to announce it will be working in partnership with Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) on a project that will not only help reduce waste but also save the NHS valuable money. For the past ten years, staff from the Physiotherapy Department at Cardiff and Vale UHB have been recycling and re-issuing walking aids in a bid to reduce waste and better invest NHS money. As the population ages and there are…

A box of activities for patients who need a little extra support during a hospital stay has been introduced at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB). Katie’s Wishes is a box of ideas to stimulate, soothe and keep patients active in both body and mind during their stay in hospital. Katie’s Wishes is the idea of Jacqueline Dukes from Ward A7 at University Hospital of Wales (UHW) who came up with the idea from memories of her grandmother Katie….

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is piloting a campaign supporting carers to continue their caring role, if they wish, while the person they care for is in hospital. The campaign was launched at St David’s Hospital by Ruth Walker, Executive Nurse Director, Charles Janczewski, Vice Chair and Julia Jones, Co-Founder of Johns Campaign. John’s Campaign was founded after the death of Dr John Gerrard in November 2014 by his daughter Nicci Gerrard and her friend Julia Jones and aimed…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) is working together with Cardiff University, BRAIN and CUBRIC to deliver a first in man trial of a “gene-silencing drug” for Huntington’s Disease. Huntington’s Disease (HD) is an inherited, progressive, neurodegenerative condition affecting approximately 300 families in South and South West Wales. HD is caused by patients inheriting a faulty gene (HTT), which leads to the production of a toxic protein called mutant huntingtin. Mutant huntingtin protein causes neurodegeneration by slowly poisoning specific…