Latest news with #ESNEFT
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Suffolk first area in UK to officially enter heatwave
Suffolk has become the first county in the UK to officially enter a heatwave, after temperatures surpassed 27C for a third consecutive dayA temperature of 29.3C was recorded in Santon Downham, near Brandon, on Thursday and more hot weather is expected over the temperatures due to reach 31C, utilities company, Anglian Water, is urging people to only use what they need over the weekend, while the trust in charge of Ipswich Hospital urged people to stay comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an amber heat-health alert for all English regions - the first since September 2023. Ian Rule, director of water services for Anglian Water, said while supplies were "currently in relatively good health across the region", it was asking everyone to use "a little less wherever they can". "When the weather heats up, the demand for water significantly increases which puts added pressure on the water network," he said."When everyone tries to draw on the water supply at the same time water pressure can dip, so customers may notice water can't flow from their taps as freely as usual." Nick Hulme is the chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) which runs Ipswich Hospital."We do plan to have additional staff on at the weekend in A&E, particularly for people with respiratory and cardiac conditions because we do see a rise in people presenting with those conditions in the very hot weather," he urged people to stay hydrated, wear sun cream, cover heads and check on vulnerable and elderly neighbours or family members."Of course we don't want to be killjoys - we want people to enjoy the great weather when it's here, but just to understand the associated health risks because of the impact [it can have] on them and health services," he told BBC Radio Suffolk."We're pretty stretched most of time so anything that people can do to keep the pressure, particularly, off our emergency departments will really help." For a heatwave to be declared by the Met Office a threshold temperature needs to be met for at least three consecutive the heat being record-breaking for 2025, temperatures are still below the June peak of 35.6C in over the weekend are expected to remain high with places like Ipswich, Woodbridge, Beccles and Bury St Edmunds forecast to see between 25C and 31C both along the Suffolk coast are expected to be a little cooler, however. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Suffolk and Essex hospital trust given £7.8m for building repairs
A hospital trust has been awarded almost £8m for vital building maintenance and Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ENEFT), which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, has been given £7.8m from the money is part of a £750m package previously announced to tackle issues such as leaky pipes and poor ventilation, helping to prevent delays or cancellations to Daniel, interim director of estates and facilities at ESNEFT, said the money would allow for a maintenance backlog to be tackled. "Our buildings must be safe and fit for purpose for everyone who uses them - patients, visitors, and staff alike," Mr Daniel said."We're very pleased to have secured this Government funding. "It will allow us to speed up vital backlog maintenance work across our hospital sites. "This investment means we can carry out essential improvements more quickly, helping us to maintain high standards of care and safety." Across the hospitals, the money will go to improvements on electrics, fire and safety systems, lifts, and security clinical upgrades like theatre improvements and ward Daniel said maintaining the hospital buildings was a "year-round priority" and the estates team regularly inspected and risk-assessed sites "to prevent any issues before they arise". Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said the government was "on a mission to rebuild out NHS through investment and modernisation"."Patients and staff deserve to be in buildings that are safe, comfortable and fit for purpose," he added."Through our Plan for Change, we will make our NHS fit for the future." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Essex and Suffolk hospital job cuts may harm patient care
A search for voluntary resignations at a health trust's hospitals "could harm patient care", a union has at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Colchester, Ipswich and some community hospitals, have been invited to apply as part of a government drive to cut down on back-office also claimed the payout for staff who opted to resign would be less than they would get under an ordinary redundancy trust said the scheme would "achieve significant savings" and was not open to clinical staff. Health trusts across the country have been asked to reduce bureaucracy as part of the government's efforts to slim down administration in the biggest change will be the abolition of NHS England, but hospitals are being asked to do their said it was "offering staff in administrative and clerical roles the opportunity to apply to leave the trust under a mutually agreed resignation scheme"."The trust is launching the scheme, along with a recruitment freeze on posts in administrative, clerical and corporate functions, to achieve significant savings during the current financial year," it Unison said the "targeted staff play a key role in helping clinicians deliver patient care".It added that the payout on offer to staff was "less than they would receive under a regular redundancy scheme". The union's Colchester and Ipswich area health branch secretary Natasha Hunt, a nurse at the trust, said: "This is bad news for staff and patients. Anyone working in the NHS knows the vital contribution made every day by administrative employees. "Without the support of administrators - nurses, doctors and other overstretched healthcare professionals will be forced to spend more time on clerical tasks and less time caring for patients."The NHS needs real investment in its workforce, not destructive staff cuts." ESNEFT's chief executive Nick Hulme said: "Taking these steps will help us to achieve the savings we need to make while protecting our frontline services and retaining staff who wish to remain in employment."I'd like to offer my reassurance that while we go through this process, we will make sure our services remain safe. People in our communities will continue to get the care, treatment and support they need, when they need it."The trust said it would not undertake any more savings schemes in this financial year. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
