NCIC News
All the latest from the Trust | April 2025
Intro from the Chair
Hello and welcome to our newsletter for foundation trust members and the wider community.
I hope you all had a nice Easter and enjoyed the pleasant, sunny Spring weather.
We have a number of important leadership changes at NCIC this month and we thank those who have left us and welcome those who are joining us or taking on new roles.
Our building projects continue to progress and we are looking forward to the opening of the Endoscopy Unit at the Cumberland Infirmary and our Clinical Diagnostic Centre in Workington, which is due to open in the summer.
Until next time, with best wishes,
Steven Morgan
Chair
New entrance for CIC's Emergency Department
The entrance to the Emergency Department at the Cumberland Infirmary is moving temporarily as building work continues on our new Urgent Treatment Centre.
From Monday, April 28, all patients needing to access the Emergency Department will need to come through the main front doors of the hospital and not the current A&E/ED entrance.
Rectangular, red floor stickers will mark a pathway to the new ED entrance featuring both words and arrows. Volunteers will also be around to direct patients to ED through the main hospital atrium.
Visitors should walk through the main hospital doors through the atrium and up towards the Costa coffee shop. Turn left here and pass the lifts and straight ahead into ED.
Pop-up banners will also be in place to guide you but these will be minimal to avoid cluttering. These will be in place near the volunteers desk and also near the lifts highlighting the need to turn left.
The closure will be in place until late 2025.
Ambulances will still be able to drop off patients at ED and disabled patients will have access to wheelchairs at the front entrance.
We ask people to use the area outside the main hospital considerably during this time.
Thank you.
Parking at The Cumberland Infirmary
People attending appointments, or visiting relatives are being asked to plan ahead due to a temporary reduction in parking spaces at Cumberland Infirmary (CIC).
A number of exciting construction projects are taking place on site, which will be of huge benefit to both patients and staff. However, this unfortunately means that in the short term there is a reduction in parking spaces. Please plan ahead and, if appropriate, find an alternative to parking at CIC. For example, getting a lift to and from hospital, using public transport, or parking off site and walking to CIC. These options will not be suitable for everyone, and if you do need to park on site then please allow time to find a parking space - particularly at busy visiting times.
If parking on site please be aware that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is in place, meaning that visitors no longer need to pay and display on arrival, instead you park your car in an available space and make your way to the main hospital. Your number plate will be automatically read when you enter the car park and then again upon leaving. There are a variety of different payment options before you leave, or you can pay later by downloading the 'Your Parking Space' app.
Update on Clinical Diagnostic Centre
Building work on a new Clinical Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is nearing completion. The £19m investment for the CDC in Workington is due to be completed and fully operational by summer 2025.
This will be a brand new, state of the art build and will increase a whole range of diagnostic tests under one roof for patients across north Cumbria, including CT, MRI, Ultrasound, Plain Film and physiological measurement capacity.
It is anticipated that the new facility will improve access to diagnostic services reducing wait times for diagnostic tests, leading to quicker diagnoses and ultimately start patients on treatment plans sooner leading to an improvement in overall outcomes.
Leadership changes at NCIC
We have some important leadership changes at NCIC. Our chief nurse, Jill Foster, has retired and Medical Director Dr Helen Skinner will be leaving during the summer to take up her new post as Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Rod Harpin is the new collaborative chair for the women and children’s collaborative. Dr Harpin previously worked at NCIC as Medical Director. Dr Claire Gray, who is currently a consultant in the emergency department, has been appointed as the new collaborative chair for Emergency Medicine
Nurse sets up mental health support group
A nurse from Cockermouth Hospital has set up a new support group for women in memory of her daughter.
“Nic’s Voices of Hope” is named in honour of Nicola Wilson from Workington who died in 2018 following a battle with mental health issues.
Her mum, Julie Wilson is a registered nurse based on the Isel Ward at Cockermouth Hospital and was approached by Mike Glaister and Lynda Williams who felt there was a need for a women’s peer support group in the area.
The support group opened its doors last night at the West House Resource Centre on Windsor Road in Workington between 7pm and 9pm and will follow every Thursday evening at the same time.
VE Day celebrations at NCIC
VE Day takes place on May 8 and here at NCIC we will be flying a special flag and showing our support.
The Carlisle and Stanwix branch of The Royal British Legion is hosting an event to mark VE Day on May 8.A parade will also take place in the city that day at 12pm.
A VE Day poppy table will be set up at Carlisle Railway Station from 9am to 5pm.
At 5.45pm there will be a choral evensong service at the cathedral led by The Dean of Carlisle, The Very Revd Jonathan Brewster, with the Blessing pronounced by the Acting Bishop of Carlisle, The Rt Revd Rob Saner-Haigh. The gathering will provide an opportunity to join with others from across our communities to give thanks to God for the courage and sacrifice of those who helped bring peace to Europe 80 years ago. The service will conclude with the ringing of the Cathedral bells from 6.30pm as part of the national “Ring Out In Celebration” which will mirror that moment, on May 8, 1945, when bells rang out across Britain as the nation took to the streets in celebration of Victory in Europe Day.
In the evening, a beacon will also be lit at the castle from 9pm with the Lighting of the Peace followed by the beacon lighting at 9.30pm.
Families donate to WCH maternity unit
Two Cumbrian families have been busy fundraising for North Cumbria Hospitals NHS Charity for the bereavement suite and facilities at the maternity unit at West Cumberland Hospital. The hope behind the funds raised are to support the needs of families experiencing the loss of a baby, ensuring they have the privacy and support they need during such a difficult time. Alice Clara Ross was stillborn at West Cumberland Hospital on June 21, 2023 weighing 4lbs 1oz, Alice’s Mum, Lynsey Ross, explained why it was so important for her to raise money for the bereavement fund.
She said: “After what we experienced losing Alice, it was really important that we would try and support any other families who were experiencing such a devastating loss in any way we could. Our initial aim was to raise funds for a new Cooling Cot, which we were thrilled to achieve. We then decided to keep on going and improve the facilities in the Bluebell suite, a place which had been such a safe haven for me and my family when we really needed it. It was here we were able to spend time with Alice making precious memories with her.”
Messages from the chaplaincy team
Our chaplaincy team sent an Easter message to staff thanking them for their hard work and helping making people well again.
Some Easter treats were also shared with some staff via chaplaincy and our volunteers.
Earlier this week, lead chaplain, Jane Nattrass, penned a message following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday.
She said: “Following the announcement of the death of Pope Francis, we join our Roman Catholic colleagues, patients and families in giving thanks for, and recognising, the service of Pope Francis. With gratitude, we acknowledge his commitment to the poor, his love of neighbour especially the isolated, migrants and asylum seekers, his deep compassion for the well-being of the earth and his desire to find new ways to lead and build the church. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."
Member and Governor update
Governors message
The Governor column this month comes from Lead Governor, Jacqueline Nicol.
“Governors from the Trusts in the Great North Care Alliance were invited to a Governors Event in the North East this month. I attended alongside Mary Ann Hargreave and Tracy Ward.
“Our Trust is part of the alliance alongside Northumbria, Newcastle and Gateshead Hospital Trusts. The alliance is aimed at improving and increasing collaboration between each other for the benefit of all our patients. A lot of work has already taken place in smoothing a patient’s journey in order to receive the right treatment in the right place.
“It was the chance for us to have an update and contribute to the event. We heard that that three Trusts in the North East are in the process of recruiting a joint Chair. Our Trust has opted to remain as we are with our own Chair but we fully engaged with the rest of the Alliance. This arrangement will benefit our patients with greater collaboration and ease the accessing the expertise and facilities we do not have here in Cumbria. A good example is the Cancer Centre on our Carlisle hospital site.
“We took the opportunity to ensure we are sighted in future plans as a valued member of the Alliance. We plan to attend future events and will keep you updated on the progress as it evolves.”
Jacqueline Nicol
Lead Governor
Governor questions
Governors raised a concern as to the standard of cleanliness in some areas of CIC.
They said: “Governors have had feedback from patients and relatives and have directly observed when visiting the hospital that standards of cleanliness in the Cumberland Infirmary corridors - and on the wards - do not seem to be what they should be. Is it possible to get Mitie to take greater action over cleaning and hygiene?”
The Trust response states: “The feedback from the Governors Council was discussed at the NCIC System Infection Prevention & Control Group on April 1.
“They thanked the Governors for their feedback and acknowledge that sometimes corridors that are high traffic but low risk can look less clean than some higher risk areas. Cleanliness Scores for CIC are almost always above the level required and are monitored regularly in line with the National Standards for Cleanliness.
“If patients, visitors or governors observe issues with cleanliness those should be reported at the time to the department concerned or to the Mitie helpdesk to allow the issue to be responded to. Please note that cleanliness is a joint effort between the clinical and domestic teams and does not fall just to Mitie.”
Become a member
Anyone living in Cumbria over the age of 14 can become a member, you can choose how much or how little you want to be involved – join today.
Concerns or comments
If you have any concerns or comments please contact your governors on the email below. We are here to raise any concerns on your behalf. More information on the members of the Governors’ Council and their role can be found on our website. If you have any comments or suggestions please contact us via the email below: AskYourGovernor@ncic.nhs.uk
Keep right up to date
You can keep right up to date with our news on our public website www.ncic.nhs.uk/news or follow us on Facebook, linked in or ‘X’ @ncicnhs.
Subscribe to receive our monthly news
You can fill in the below form or email communications@ncic.nhs.uk to recieve the news on the last Friday of each month.