Our People Podcast

In this episode of Our People Podcast, we sit down with Emma and Catherine, two fundraising managers from STS Charity, the dedicated charity supporting South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT). Together, they explore what an NHS charity is, the difference STS Charity makes for patients, families and staff, and the exciting projects on the horizon. They also share the many ways yo...

In this episode ahead of White Ribbon Day 2025, we sit down with Nathan King, Domestic Abuse Health Advocate, from South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT). From quick-fire questions to deep insights, Nathan shares his journey into healthcare, the role of safeguarding in NHS settings, and how STSFT is taking action to end violence against women. Learn what it means to be a White...

Our People Podcast: Martha’s Rule Live Special In this special live episode of Our People Podcast , recorded at the Patient Safety and Safeguarding Conference 2025 as part of Safetember , we shine a spotlight on Martha’s Rule - a vital initiative putting patient and family voices at the heart of care. Discover expert insights from Phillip O'Donnell, Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Pre-Hospi...

It’s Cataract Awareness Month! We’re throwing it back to an episode of the Our People Podcast, featuring Lynn Bates, Cataract Treatment Centre Manager at Sunderland Eye Infirmary. Lynn walks us through the journey a patient takes when coming to us for cataract treatment. 👉 Listen to the full episode on YouTube and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from across o...

The Check Up: Looking After Your Mental Health | Expert NHS Advice in less than 10 Minutes Welcome to The Check Up, a new series of 10-minute, bite-sized episodes where we bring you expert advice, top tips, and valuable insights from various departments at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust to help you stay healthy and informed. In this episode, we’re joined by Carl Sketchley, Clin...

In this special episode, part of Dying Matters Week , we sit down with Joanna and Joy, two end-of-life facilitators at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT). Together, they share their insights, experiences, and expert advice on how to navigate the difficult conversations surrounding death with care and understanding. Joanna and Joy explore the importance of initiating open di...

Staff Recognition Awards 2025 | South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 🎉 On Friday 4th April 2025, we proudly hosted our third annual Staff Recognition Awards at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland – and this year’s event was bigger and better than ever! Join us as we celebrate the incredible dedication, compassion, and achievements of our amazing staff across South Tyneside and Sunderl...

Welcome to The Check Up , a brand new series of 10-minute, bite-sized episodes where we bring you expert advice, top tips, and valuable insights from various departments at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust to help you stay healthy and informed. In this first episode, we’re joined by the experts from our Dietetics department. Kate Roberts, Childhood Weight Management Dietitian, Cl...

To mark Healthcare Science Week, meet Amanda, Julie and Caroline from the Neurophysiology department at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. We ask some quick fire questions, and take a deep dive into what Neurophysiology is all about and the investigations that take place at STSFT.

As we have already discovered in this series of Our People Podcast, a series of teams work alongside each other to provide care at Sunderland Eye Infirmary. The latest to be featured on the podcast is the research team, who carry out such valuable work to help us maintain the highest of standards. Hear from Senior Research Nurse Karen Davidson, Research Nurse Michelle Young and Senior Ophthalmic P...

Rafaela Schelle is a Specialist Orthoptist and Orthoptic Department Manager at Sunderland Eye Infirmary. She joined us for this episode of Our People Podcast to discuss all things orthoptics, and the transformational effect she expects the new eye hospital to make.

Changing Futures is a multi-million pound partnership aimed at reforming health and wellbeing for those most in need. Our Alcohol Care Team here at the Trust plays a key role within Changing Futures. Listen to Lead Alcohol Nurse Specialist Roisin Burdis to find out how the Alcohol Care Team help patients in our region. Roisin is joined by host Rob Parnaby who is the Trust's former Directorate Mana...

Continuing our theme on the eye care provided by the Trust, we catch up with consultant optometrist and the head of optometry service at Sunderland Eye Infirmary, Chris Steele. Chris talks about his career background and provides a guide to optometry, as well as a description of just what a difference the new Eye Hospital will make.

We again focus on the fantastic work of Sunderland Eye Infirmary in this episode of Our People Podcast. In the hotseat are Directorate Manager Fiona McKinley and Matron Carol Jobling.

Excitement is growing within South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust ahead of the opening of the new Eye Hospital in Sunderland. In this latest episode of Our People Podcast, we focus on the Eye Clinic Liaison Service, which is currently based at Sunderland Eye Infirmary. Eye Clinic Liaison Officer Mary Hall speaks about just what a difference the new facility will make, and discusses...

This episode of Our People Podcast sees us delve into the emergency department at Sunderland Eye Infirmary with department manager Gemma Sloanes and junior charge nurse Adam Taylor. The pair discuss their careers so far and give us an insight into life at the Eye Infirmary.

Lynn Bates is our Cataract Treatment Centre Manager at Sunderland Eye Infirmary. Lynn talks us through what cataracts are and what happens when a patient comes to us to have them removed. She also discusses how excited she is to move to the new Eye Hospital and how this will benefit patients needing cataract treatments.

Tina Morrell helped launch our plans for the new Eye Hospital in Sunderland city centre. Ahead of her retirement as Programme Manager she joined us to talk about why there is a need to replace Sunderland Eye Infirmary and what's involved in such a huge project. This includes the thought process into every decision being made to ensure we continue to provide the best possible care. Tina also talks...

Our People Podcast is back. On Friday 19th April we hosted our second annual Staff Recognition Awards as South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. The event was held at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland and it was even bigger and better than last year. Listen to find out who the winners were.

On the last episode of Season Three, here at STSFT we're in the festive spirit. As a Trust we're proud to have so many international recruits that work in our hospitals and within the community. We met up with Ward E54 Manager Jay de la Cruz from the Philippines, Theatre Manager Juna George from India and Adaptation Nurse Lynda Nwaokweanwa from Nigeria as they share how they celebrate Christmas wh...

On the latest episode of Our People Podcast we met up with Louise Howe and Lisa Hobbs from our Critical Care Outreach Team. Louise and Lisa talk about Call4Concern which is a service for adult patients, families and friends to call for help and advice if they are concerned about a patient's condition. The service is led by the Critical Care Outreach Team and Louise and Lisa discuss how this benefi...

On this week's episode of Our People Podcast we visited Durham Road's Children Centre to talk to Tracy Dawson, Kerry Pate and Janice Blakey from our Safeguarding team. The team discuss the importance of safeguarding here at STSFT and how they advise and support our staff and patients. They also talk about how someone can look after their own wellbeing and provide an example of what a case may look...

On this week's edition of Our People Podcast, our Internal Engagement Officer Jade, speaks to Wellbeing Practitioner, Claire Skaife, about our upcoming Workforce Health and Wellbeing Week. Listen to find out how the events will look, how our staff can get involved, and why making sure our staff feel supported, is important to our Trust.

On this week's episode of Our People Podcast we met up with Matron for NMAHP Workforce Retention Jayne Billings alongside Legacy Mentors Jimmy Sarmiento, Bency Raseena and Siobhan Lynch. Earlier this year the Nursing and Quality Workforce Team launched our Legacy Mentor Service. The team is made up of experienced registered nurses who offer support to newly registered Nurses, Midwives, and Allied...

On this week's episode of Our People Podcast we met up with Oral Health Promoters Pauline Wright and Emma Bruce. Pauline and Emma talk about the importance of promoting oral health and the best ways to practice good oral hygiene at home. They also discuss how bad oral health can have an impact on your overall health and what the most common issues are.