Category Archives: Notices

Our Housekeeping Team, aka the Pink Ladies, are the unsung heroes of the hospice, ensuring that all of our areas are constantly spotless and sparkling! 

On Housekeeping Appreciation Week, we’d like to thank them for their hard work – without them, viruses would spread and our facilities wouldn’t be safe for the children and young people in our care 

To Nic, Mags, Lynn, Alison, Pam, and Alison – we appreciate you so much! 

Hello,

Just to make you all aware that on the 12/09/24 there is young person coming for respite with a severe peanut allergy. Please do not bring nut products into the hospice.

Thank you.

Looks like PaperCut have changed the way scanning works on the printers.

Process is now…

1. Scan your card OR log in to the scanner
2. Push “Scan”
3. The scanner should automatically fill in your email address, subject and file name.
4. Push settings to change 2 sided, paper size etc. if you wish.
5. Push “Start”
6. The scanner will automatically start scanning and show “1” under Number of Originals.
7. Push “Finish” and then “Start”
8. Push “Send”

Seems to be a few more steps than necessary, but at least it’s clearer to read than the previous method!

Hi all,

Hope you are all well. Just a quick email to remind you about our BRAND NEW event we have planned for this September, right here at the Hospice!

On Friday 20^th September from 5pm, we will be hosting a never been done before in Derian history, triple whammy event called “Walk This Way for Derian House”.

Walk This Way consists of three mind strengthening, exhilarating walks across fire, shattered glass and those pesky Lego bricks that we all dread!

The event itself will be held right here at Derian, well, over on the pony field across the way, and it could see over 300 people attending on the night. This event is suitable for all ages, families, corporates, communities, the lot!

I wanted to give Team Derian a heads up, so that some of you who may be interested can bag those places! All we ask is the you raise a minimum of £50 per person, per walk.

If you are interested in the event or would like to register/sign up, please follow the link below J

https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/walk-this-way-for-derian-house/

It would be great to see some DH staff at the event taking part, and also volunteering to help out on the night too (more details to follow).

If anyone has any questions please do come up and see me or pop me an email.

Looking forward to walking with you all! 🔥

Good morning, it has come to light that fleet vehicles have and are being parked within the Family and Disabled parking bays, could I just remind everyone that these bays are there for the benefit of the intended user only and should not be used for fleet vehicles at any time.

In addition to the reserved bays we are currently in the process of obtaining signage for the new Bus which is to be sited to the right-hand side of reception next to the family parking bay.

This bay is to be dedicated for the bus only at any time so please bear this in mind when parking.

Kind regards,

Richard Duckett
Facilities Coordinator

MONDAY 1^st

• Bonjour, hi! To celebrate Canada Day, we’ll be doing themed arts and crafts in the Messy PlayZone this morning.

• What film will we choose to watch in the cinema this afternoon?

TUESDAY 2^nd

• Derian Playgroup will be held in the Seaside Room this morning, where our babies and toddlers will be enjoying a morning of music, messy play and fun from 10:00am – 11:30am.

• Wimbledon is kicking off, so naturally we’ll be doing tennis themed activities this morning in the Messy PlayZone.

• Join us in Smile Park this afternoon for tennis and outdoor games – weather depending!

WEDNESDAY 3^rd

• Our children and young people will be enjoying sensory tenpin bowling fun in the Messy PlayZone this morning.

• Music teacher Rachel will be in the Snug for an hour of singalong fun from 11:00am.

• We’ll be making a splash in the hydrotherapy pool this afternoon.

THURSDAY 4^th

• To celebrate American Independence Day, we’ll be doing themed arts and crafts in the Messy PlayZone this morning, followed by Hollywood Walk of Fame hand and footprint fun after lunch.

• Individual and group sessions of music therapy with Martha will take place in the Snug from 2:00pm.

• The Sibling Social (for our 16+ siblings) will meet here at the hospice this evening for a relaxation session with Denise.

FRIDAY 5^th/SATURDAY 6^th/SUNDAY 7^th

• The hospice will be closed for in-house respite tonight, tomorrow (6^th) and Sunday (7^th). Please be aware that the hospice will not be open until 7:30am on these days.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

• Walk This Way! On Friday 20^th September, gather your friends and family for our latest fundraising event, which will see our supporters walk 10ft across fire, shattered glass, and/or Lego bricks. All we ask is a minimum fundraising target of just £50 per person, per walk. Get involved by emailing salmon@derianhouse.co.uk.

• If you would like to share with the rest of Derian what your department is up to in the next 7 days, please send an email to cameron.murray@derianhouse.co.uk before Friday the week before.

Have a great week everyone! J

Hello,

The new vehicle NV24 UWU (black Renault Traffic) is now available to book, the process is exactly the same as the other fleet vehicles and can be booked by all departments.  If you want to familiarise yourself with it or want to know how to use the ramp etc then please see Richard.

Please note there is currently no fuel genie card, this has been ordered so until it arrives you will need to get petty cash from Finance.

Happy Driving! J

Good morning all,

A new function has been added to the Vantage reporting system to specify the area a BCYP or family is from if they are involved, affected or witness to an incident. Please see below;

1. Complete initial details such as incident date/time/type as normal
2. You will then reach a blue ‘People Involved’ banner – please select ‘+ Add’ on the left hand side
3. When you ‘Patient’ as person type, a field named ‘Area Patient is From’ will appear – select the relevant area from the drop down list
4. Continue with the form as normal

Completing this field will allow us to more accurately report to our funders on the demographic data for each area. Thank you for your support with this.

If you have any problems, please let me know.

Hi everyone,

Next week, we’re celebrating Pride Month here at the hospice with activities in the House and Lodge throughout the week.

On Friday 14^th June, we’re having a Pride Dress-Up day, where staff and volunteers are encouraged to wear a colour of the rainbow. Please adhere to IPC policies when choosing your outfit.

Good Afternoon,

As you are all aware (or may not be), we have been closing to Planned Overnight Respite for specific nights for the last few weeks. This allows us to safely staff the nights where BCYPS are planned for admission.

On the nights where we are closed, we have no staff in the building and therefore, there will be no one in the building until 0730hrs in the morning. I have listed the dates we have planned closures as I am aware some of our staff arrive before 0730.

The dates where you will not have access to the building until 0730 are:

08.06.24-13.06.24

18.06.24-20.06.24

29.06.24-01.07.24

06.07.24-08.07.24

13.07.24-18.07.24

23.07.24-25.07.24

02.08.24-05.08.24

Please note, the hospice remains open for all other activities during the day.

If there are any changes to any of the above dates, you will be updated via email.

Any questions, please ask.

Thank you for your support with this,

Did you know that every year communities across the UK celebrate the amazing contribution and dedication of volunteers in what is known as ‘Volunteers Week’?

So many of you work alongside our volunteers on a day to day basis, and I am sure you will all agree that they are simply superstars for their unwavering support of Derian House.

From that welcoming face on arrival at the hospice, enjoying a homemade cake from the tea trolley, watching our gardens bloom under the loving care of our gardening team, to the teams of people sorting through donations and ensuring our shops run smoothly, not forgetting all of our Trustees who continually support the growth of our services.

Every single role is important to us here at Derian.

We have 39 hospice volunteers, 66 supporting our retail and 27 event volunteers along with various corporate groups who volunteer for a day with us.

In 2023, they gave over 16,994 hours of their time; that’s equivalent to a staggering 708 days.

Some help weekly, others once or twice a year – it make no difference how much time they give, it’s their continuing support and passion for Derian House that I find amazing.

To say a little thank you we will be hosting an Afternoon Tea in the Seaside Room on Thursday, 6^th June,  from 1.30pm – 3.30pm, if you’re free, please pop in and say hello. We have a few fun things planned for the afternoon.

I hope you join me this week in saying a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to all of our wonderful volunteers.

Afternoon all,

As you may be aware, Derian House is running a TV advert campaign throughout the month of May, encouraging people to leave us a gift in their Wills.

The advert features Holly’s parents Jenny and Mark Prince.

You can see the attached spreadsheet which shows the dates and times that the ad will be running on ITV Granada (in case you fancy tuning in). We have some great slots, on the evening news, The Chase, Lorraine and This Morning.

The advert’s debut will be during the 10.30am ad break on This Morning.

The adverts will ask people to give us a call to ask about how they can make a Will for free with us. The phone number goes straight through to fundraising, but if anyone happens to find themselves taking the call when nobody from fundraising is available then please take down their details using the form you’ll find at www.derianhouse.co.uk/legacy. This will ensure we can send them an info guide on what to do.

Thanks so much for your support with this – I appreciate it.

Caroline

P.s. Here’s the ad: https://youtu.be/iFJe7u-ywSE

Dear Team Derian,

Following the first round of staff briefings in March, which have been a great success, we are holding a further briefing session for those staff who could not attend the March events.

As with previous sessions, these will be hosted by Catherine Randall, Chief Nurse, and Anthony Mohammed, Head of Quality.  It will take place in the Conference Room at Derian House, outlining what and how the CQC assesses us and your role in any visit they will make.

Please remember, this is mandatory for all and will take place on:

Wednesday 3rd April                  3.00 to 4.30 pm

As part of the information we will provide, you will receive a copy of our own Staff Briefing document to take away and reflect on what is expected from our teams.

We will also look at how you can contribute to our plans to ensure the CQC sees all the great work we do.

This is a fantastic chance to ask any questions you may have about the CQC inspection process, what we have done so far and how you can get more information.

To book yourself a space, please contact Anthony Mohammed.

Many thanks,

Anthony.

Hello

Please can we make everyone aware that we have a young adult staying with us for respite this week with a Severe Nut Allergy.

Thank you

Hello All

Just a gentle reminder that the front office (next to reception) is still being used for admin staff and volunteers – on a number of occasions they have been asked to leave the office so it can be used as a meeting room – please remember that until we have a new reception desk the administrators and volunteers still have to remain in that office to continue with their work.

To make it easier for reception (and if you are happy to do so), please will you pass your car registration details on to reception so these can be added to the spreadsheet – this helps to find the right person when someone is blocked in 🙂

Hi all,

We have planned to have a rainbow day theme on Thursday 18^th April 2024 for this we would love if people could wear all things colour, as always for those delivering care or duties around the hospice please adhere to IPC bare below the elbow. We had in mind bright colourful t shirts with uniform trousers.

We will be have rainbow activities and crafts throughout the day, perhaps we will find a pot of gold.

For those of you who have roles within the Care Team, please familiarise yourselves with the updated Education Calendar, which sits under the Education tab on the Intranet.

Keep an eye out in the diary and on handover for ad-hoc training, and for any further information please speak with the Clinical Education team.

Afternoon all,

I just wanted to remind everyone regarding the procedures for handling donations of goods which are given to us by our supporters. This applies to anything from clothes, Easter eggs (boo!) to toys & games.

In the first instance any donations must be assessed by myself or in my absence a member of the Fundraising team. The reasons for this are multiple, firstly to ensure the donor gets the correct recognition. Secondly to ensure that the donation is recorded correctly by the Fundraising and/or Retail team and thirdly to ensure the donation heads to the correct area of the charity – weather this is to our children and/or families or to our Activities/Care Team, Fundraising or Retail arm. No donated items are to be looked through or taken by anyone other than myself or a member of the Fundraising or Retail team.

Under no circumstances or exceptions should there be any variation from the above. No donated items are allowed to be purchased by members of staff without them first heading to myself or Tony (our eCommerce Manager) – this is so we can appraise them for the correct price. Only after any appraisal has taken place will it be possible for a potential staff purchase at the appraised price. This procedure is non-negotiable and is ultimately to ensure the donors wishes of a maximum possible financial return to the charity and our children and families.

If you are unsure on the clarity of the above procedure or have any further questions please feel free to ask. J

Dear team Derian,

As part of our preparations for a potential CQC visit, we are holding a series of CQC briefing events at Derian House.

The first of these are taking place in March and being delivered by Catherine Randall, Chief Nurse, and Anthony Mohammed, Head of Quality.  These will take place in the Conference Room at Derian House and will outline what and how the CQC assesses us and your role in any visit they will make.

This will be mandatory training and it is expected that everybody will attend one of the sessions, with the dates available as follows:

Wednesday 6^th March                  10.30 to 12.00am

Thursday 7^th March                       9.30 to 11.00am

Tuesday 12^th March                       2.00 to 3.30pm

Friday 15^th March                           1.00 to 2.30 pm

Tuesday 19^th March                       2.30 to 4.00 pm

As part of the information we will provide, you will receive a copy of our own Staff Briefing document to take away and reflect on what is expected from our teams.

We will also look at how you can contribute to our plans to ensure the CQC sees all the great work we do.

This is a fantastic chance to ask any questions you may have about the CQC inspection process, what we have done so far and how you can get more information.

To book yourself a space, please contact Anthony Mohammed.

Many thanks,

Anthony.

Good morning 🙂

The time has come that you have all been waiting for…..DIVE FOR DERIAN IS BACK FOR 2024!

Ever fancied jumping 15,000ft out of a plane to raise money for Derian House Children’s Hospice?? Well now is the time!

We have just under 50% of our places left on this year’s event, and I wanted to make sure that Team Derian didn’t miss out!

So here goes….drum roll please…….the dates we have available are…..

• Sunday 7^th July 2024
• Sunday 28^th July 2024
• Sunday 11^th August 2024 SOLD OUT

For you to take part in this years Dive for Derian for FREE, all we ask if that you pledge to raise a minimum of £450 per diver for our hopsice, via our favourite fundraising platform, Just Giving.

However, as with anything of this nature there are certainly risks and terms & conditions involved. To help you make your final decision about taking the leap, we ask that you head on over to Black Knights website to look at their frequently asked questions, terms & conditions, medical consent forms and privacy policy. They are located in the links below, please pay particular attention to the medical consent forms as these can be a deal breaker regarding you taking part in the activity.

• FAQ – https://bkpc.co.uk/faqs/
• T&C’s – https://bkpc.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/
• Medical Consent Forms – https://bkpc.co.uk/consent-forms/
• Privacy Policy –  https://bkpc.co.uk/privacy-policy/

If anyone has ever fancied taking the leap but wants to know more…please feel free to ask me any questions regarding the day, the fundraising or the health and safety details.

Hoping to see some of Team Derian there!

Have a lovely day.

Good morning everyone, I hope that you are all well.

Thank you for your feedback at the We Are Derian Staff Forum held on Tuesday of this week.  My apologies I was not in attendance due to being on annual leave.  I thought it useful to come back to you all with a response on the key themes that were raised during the forum especially as much of the feedback was not dissimilar to the feedback that you gave to me 12 months ago when I chaired my first forum.  I also wanted to share with you that when I was briefed on the feedback on Wednesday morning I contacted Karen Swindley, Chair of the Board of Trustees, who came in to the hospice that day so that I could share your feedback directly with her.

From the debrief I received I can summarise the key points, and my initial response, as follows:

1. Staff feel unnerved and unsettled

I absolutely acknowledge this, change in whatever form is unnerving and unsettling for all.  One of the slides that was shared at the strategic plan staff briefings in November was dedicated to change and how it can impact on everyone.  I would encourage anyone who may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed or just unsure to seek support and guidance from your team leaders and managers, or come to chat to me personally.  Whilst it is undoubtedly uncomfortable for many of us, me included, it is very much a normal part of the process of change in any organisation, and I would ask that you give it time and work collaboratively with your colleagues as we move forward together.

1. A lack of clarity in roles and teams

The Integrated Care Team has been established following the merger of the Community Team and the In House team.  The bringing together of the two teams that had previously worked very much in silos was proposed from the feedback given from staff during the early part of last year.  Having thought about your feedback, we should produce new organograms and structure charts for the charity and this may provide more clarity, so I’ll ensure that we do this.  If there are any other concerns or queries relating to this these then please do let me know.

1. High number of leavers

You are right to be concerned, this concerns everyone at the organisation, and as such we have agreed that the HR Strategic Sub Committee will do a deep dive audit in to the number of staff who have left recently to identify any concerns and/or themes, or lessons learnt going forward.   The number within the last 4 months is less than the 27 that I think was mooted, it is 16 – which is still very much a worry.  Following the deep dive a report will be produced and the key messages will be shared with everyone.

1. Lack of Trustee presence and a feeling of not being able to speak to Trustees

I am very much a supporter of open communication between all staff and our trustees, and have encouraged this.  It is how I have always worked with a trustee board – and as a trustee on several boards that I have sat on.  The trustees will explore this at their next meeting.  It is very positive though that a number of trustees have been visible over recent weeks and many staff have taken the opportunity to feed back about their views directly to trustees.  To make this process more robust and provide clarity on process, going forward where there may be matters that cannot be resolved or addressed through internal escalation procedures we will have an identified nominated Trustee who will become a Freedom To Speak Up Guardian.  Once this appointment has been made we will share their details and how you may wish to access this.

1. Communication

From what I can gather there were a few points raised here.  As a result we will undertake a review of our current Internal Comms, as this is key to staff engagement, ensuring that we are sharing the right things at the right time with everyone.  It was also raised that the updates following SMT meetings weren’t being shared, we absolutely agree that this has fallen by the wayside as we have re-focussed the management team meetings, and so we will ensure that an update from these meetings is shared going forward.  And thirdly there seems to be some distrust of my weekly update email.  Whilst I have received a huge amount of positive feedback about the weekly email, some of you think the email is too positive and isn’t truthful.   You have my assurance that the emails are open and transparent but I’ll definitely bear your views in mind going forward.  If anyone would like to provide examples of information that you feel hasn’t been true then please do let me know.

1. The structure of the Leadership and the Management Team

There seems to be a lack of understanding regarding the management structure.  We will share clear organograms, but as a reminder here is the charity wide management structure which came into effect in September 2023 to help deliver our strategic aims.

1. CEO & Directors – The Leadership Team (Strategic Focus)
2. Heads of Departments/Managers – The Management Team (Operational Management Focus)
3. In addition, given the size and complexity of our Care offer, we have a Senior Care Team Structure under Catherine, which provides oversight and leadership across our clinical and care services.  (Heads of Service, Education Manager, ACPs)

1. Finances

Some people have asked whether they should be concerned about the charities financial position.  The answer here is absolutely not.  I have been keeping everyone up to date regarding our statutory funding discussions and in the last weekly email shared that a deficit budget had been presented to and approved in principle by the F&I committee, ahead of full approval being sought at the upcoming trustee meeting.  Many charities set deficit budgets, especially in times when they are awaiting clarification on funding, it’s also being prudent and cautious to some extent.  Financially we are good shape with strong levels of reserves which will enable us to weather any possible reduction in funding.   We do, however, need to ensure that every penny that we spend is spent well and on the right things and that we obtain good value in all that we do.  As you know we have set an ambitious strategic plan for the next 3 years, this is very much a plan around growth and that remains our focus.

1. Culture

Many are concerned about culture, but it feels like the expectation is that improving the culture is someone else job.  Culture is everyone’s business, it’s how we do things with and to each other.  Your experiences will shape the workplace culture. People work well together when they trust one another, feel a strong sense of community, care about one another’s success, and appreciate one another for who they are. Therefore, to improve our culture, we all need to establish and build trust, build community, invest in each other, and celebrate our differences.  It’s not easy…. and it takes commitment from everyone.  I will think about how we can actively measure our success in improving the culture and everyone’s alignment with our core values.

1. Vinten Place and the Hospice

It was disappointing to hear about the continuing “Us and them” mind-set that is defined purely by two separate buildings.  We are one team.  We are all here for the same reason.  No one team is more important than another.  We will continue to work to break down these barriers, and ask that you all support this.

1. CEO

It was felt by a couple of staff that I am not a visible enough leader.  As CEO my role is across the whole of the charity and it can be difficult to be everywhere, I will however reflect on this and look to spread myself more across the departments.  Since Catherine’s appointment I have consciously stepped away from day to day involvement in Care to enable Catherine to establish her leadership presence.  Over recent weeks due to matters outside of work, I have needed to be more flexible with my working hours and this may have impacted my visibility on site.

1. A loss of fun

You said that we don’t do anything fun anymore.  Who has stopped the fun?  This hasn’t been a directive from anywhere.  You don’t need permission to create a wonderful environment, it’s a given.  We are a children’s charity and we should be creating wonderful activities and fun filled days every day for our children (and our staff!)  Please put the fun back in to your work and if unsure please ask.

1. Anonymous feedback

We were until yesterday unaware that there was a facility for staff to feedback anonymously via the intranet.  This has never been brought to our attention.  Now we know about it we can certainly follow up on this going forward.  In addition we have ordered 2 lockable feedback post boxes which we would encourage you to use.

1. We Are Derian frequency

You have asked that the forum meets more frequently and therefore Kim has already shared monthly dates for the rest of the year.

There may have been other items discussed, if you feel that I have missed something critical then please do let me know.

As you all know, we are on a journey of change at Derian House, a collective journey that involves everyone.  I think some are still unclear as to what this journey is.  This journey is our 3 ear plan which incorporates the change and transition as we aim to be the very best employer, provide excellent in our services, and become sustainable.

I am personally disappointed that we have not made as much progress as I’d have hoped to at this point and have asked that the ongoing difficulties that we have with culture, which spans many years,  are discussed fully at the trustee meeting on the 29^th February.  I have also cc’d our Trustees in to this email for openness and transparency.

If anyone wishes to have a chat with me personally please do let me know.

Thanks everyone and have a great week.

Let’s do this…..together, it’s not easy but as one we will be the Derian we aspire to be.

Good Afternoon Everyone

Please see the We Are Derian dates for your diaries.  All meetings will be held in the Seaside Room.

19 March – 2:30pm

16 April – 2:30pm

15 May – 2pm

18 June – 2pm

17 July – 2pm

14 August – 2pm

17 September – 2pm

23 October – 2pm

20 November – 2pm

17 December – 2pm

Thanks

Kim

To all staff,

Fire up the engines!

Stars & Cars is back for 2024! Europe’s largest collection of Movie & TV replica vehicles are re-assembling to raise money for the hospice.

Being held on April 14th at Bolton Arena in Horwich, Stars & Cars will bring a selection of film characters, props, celebrities and of course our favourite iconic Movie & TV vehicles to the North West of England. Alongside the chance to meet the seventh Doctor Who – Sylvester McCoy – this year’s event will bring together the largest display of Batmobiles ever seen in one place in the UK!

To make this event a success we are looking for volunteer support with the following:

• Option a) 9am to 5pm – duties include marshalling cars, customer queue management, checking tickets, closing down works of moving barriers & tables
• Option b) 9am to 1pm – duties include marshalling cars, customer queue management, checking tickets
• Option c) 1pm to 5pm – duties include marshalling cars, customer queue management, checking tickets, closing down works of moving barriers & tables

Due to the sheer size of the operation we are unable to have any flexibility in the shift times and roles will be assigned on the day.

The team will make sure you are fed and watered throughout the day.

If you are interested in helping Mick on Sunday 14^th April please drop me an email with the option that you can do!!!

Good afternoon everyone,

Be prepared to spread the love this Wednesday 14^th February, as we celebrate Valentine’s Day in true Derian style – with our annual tradition of wearing red, pink, or love heart t-shirts!

If you’re working directly with CYP, please adhere to IPC rules when choosing your outfit.

Hi there,

Dave the IT guy here! You may have seen me around Derian in the last couple of months.

Hope your Wednesday is going well!

This is an email to let you all know that Abbey is now acting as the primary IT support for Derian.

Any new IT queries and issues should be addressed directly to support@abbeyict.com, or called in on 01254 272000, option 1.

You will also be seeing more of my colleagues and I onsite from time to time, so feel free to approach us if you see us!

Get ready to paint the Bay green once again as Derian House’s longest-running fundraising event returns for another year of sea, sand (and hopefully – a suntan!) 

Join us on Saturday 18th May for the Morecambe Bay Walk, and stride with the tide over seven miles from Arnside to the picturesque village of Grange-over-Sands, led by the King’s Guide, Michael Wilson 

Expect various weather conditions and maybe even a 50-metre wade through water up to 2ft in depth! 

All we ask in return is that you raise a minimum of £50 via JustGiving, or you can pay the upfront cost of £50 – whichever option suits you best

For more information and to register, please fill out the form via our website below, email Kerry in Fundraising, or pop across to Vinten Place for a chat

 https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/morecambe-bay-walk/

Good afternoon everyone,

Just a reminder that we are all covered for Sage Employee benefits which offer a range discounts and benefits, see attached.

One of these benefits is a counselling service which is totally confidential.  To access the counselling service you would need to access the portal to arrange.  You can use this counselling service for any needs not just work related.

To access your benefits, simply visit https://www.sageemployeebenefits.co.uk and log in with your username name@derianhouse.co.uk and password.

If anyone needs more than the 6 counselling sessions that Sage offer for work related issues please let me know as we have a counsellor that we can arrange for you to see.

As always if you need anything further please let me know.

Thanks

Kim

Sage Employee Benefits

The weekly Fire Alarm Test will take place every Monday at 11am. The next test will be on Monday 5^TH Feb.

I have been informed in the past, the site team would verbally inform staff when a test would be taking place. Going forward this will not happen.

If the fire alarm sounds any other time, please react accordingly as you would a genuine fire.

Dear all,

As you’ll all know, the price of food has risen lately and this unfortunately means that our catering costs are too high to continue as we are.

From February 1, I’d really appreciate your co-operation in the following measures we’re putting in place:

• Meals will go up from £1.50 per day to £2 per day.

• There will be a strict “no helping yourself” policy on salad, crisps, cake and biscuits, or any other items. If you’ve not paid the £2 that day then ALL food is off limits (apart from Eileen’s weekly cake round of course).

• We will be putting a stop to off-menu ordering. So everyday you’ll have a choice of a good quality hot meal or alternatively a sandwich, salad or jacket potato (with any filling).  Nothing else will be prepared for you so please do not put the catering staff in an uncomfortable position by asking.

We are also looking at installing a vending machine to give you all an opportunity to buy snacks. Taking a bag of crisps or a packet of biscuits from the kitchen now and then may not seem like a big deal and I appreciate it isn’t done maliciously, but when lots of people do this it all adds up and we just can’t afford to let it slide anymore. Hopefully a vending machine will be able to offer more choice and be an option for when you need that afternoon snack.

I understand that a rise in price is never welcome, but this is the only way we are going to be able to keep running our subsidised canteen without using too much of the donations that people give us to look after our children and young people.

Thanks so much for understanding and helping us keep Danni’s Diner the best it can be for our families.

King Regards

John

Due to the delivery costs incurred (especially with uniforms) it has been decided that in future, both uniforms and stationery will now be ordered once a month (unless the order is urgent).

This will be on the first Thursday of every month.

Please forward any stationery orders  to admin@derianhouse.co.uk, and signed authorised uniform request forms to be given to Admin in the usual way.

Many thanks for your assistance.

Good Morning,

Mark Redmond from  Mattioli Woods will be on site on 26 January and 12 February if anyone would like to book a meeting to talk about pensions.

The meetings are for guidance only and Mark can answer any factual questions about pensions, talk about retirement and how to plan for this, talk generically about other pensions that will include the State Pension and then broaden out to other financial questions outside of pensions but cannot give advice.

If anyone would like to book an appointment with Mark please let me know.

Thanks

Kim

Is your perfect pooch Derian’s next Top Dog? 

Our furriest fundraising challenge is back… and you’d be barking mad to miss it! 

Slip on your walking boots throughout the month of February and complete 100km, whilst raising a minimum of £100 for your local children’s hospice 

All of our dedicated dogs will receive a free fundraising pack including a progress tracker, poster, and money-can’t-buy bandana, and there’ll be awards dished out like dog food at the end of the month for those pups that go the extra mile (quite literally!) 

Register your interest or sign up today by visiting our website below (please ask for dog’s permission before doing so) 

 https://www.derianhouse.co.uk/events/derians-top-dog/

Hello all,

This is a polite reminder – please can you inform Reception of any visitors you are expecting, then this can be noted in the reception diary so volunteers are aware who to expect – thank you.

Hello All

Today is the last day for any 1^st class post to be delivered in time for Christmas.

There will still be post collections up until Friday 22^nd December (but won’t be delivered for Christmas).

Good Morning,

To make logging maintenance jobs easier, and keeping a check of how many jobs are being carried out and the time scale. I have asked IT to set up an Estates email address, which is : estates@derianhouse.co.uk.

Please use this email when you encounter any maintenance issue, in your place of work or whilst walking around the site.

Kind Regards

John

Hello All

It’s Christmas Raffle time!  There are 7 prizes up for grabs (and there could be more!) – see picture below.

Tickets are £1 for a strip – these can be purchased from reception – draw will take place on Thursday 21^st December – good luck!

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow (Thursday 7^th) is the UK’s official ‘Christmas Jumper Day’, so please if you haven’t already – adorn your Christmas tshirts, hats, jumpers and accessories (depending on which area of Derian you work in), and be photo ready!

Good Morning,

To make logging maintenance jobs easier, and keeping a check of how many jobs are being carried out and the time scale. I have asked IT to set up an Estates email address, which is : estates@derianhouse.co.uk

Please use this email when you encounter any maintenance issue, in your place of work  or whilst walking around the site.

Kind Regards

John