The BIG Money Team Talk

The #BigMoneyTeamTalk is an important, on-going piece of work. We want to do all that we can to help. Across November and December 2022, we were out and about across the Trust, asking YOU three key questions: 

• What are your money worries?
• What support would be helpful?
• What would make the biggest difference to you?

We also shared lots of helpful resources and links which you can access on the tiles at the bottom of this page.

Thank you to everyone who got involved to give their views. We looked at all of your comments and immediately we heard some themes coming through loud and clear.  Most significantly is the impact of the current cost of living crisis.  With this in mind, we can therefore confirm the following steps which have been in place from 1 December 2022 and will continue until the end of March 2023.

• Free staff car parking – we have extended free staff car parking until the end of March.  This means our new payment system won’t come into operation until 1 April 2023. 

• Increased mileage rates – our current increased mileage rates will also remain in place.  To read the detail click here. 

• Weekly welfare delivery to clinical areas – these are still being delivered to clinical areas in our hospitals and in the community, where staff are physically unable to get off wards/departments for a break, given the current pressures and volume of patients. We have therefore been delivering some supplies to ensure they can still have something to eat/drink whilst at work.
• Half price food in Trust restaurants – we have increased the 20% discount in our Trust restaurants to 50% off food and drink for all staff. 

• Staff food provision overnight – trial with Just Eat. We have agreed to trial a new arrangement with Just Eat.  This will provide a discount for staff who are working nightshift who choose to order through Just Eat. Click here to find out full details.  

• Free bottled water – we are providing free bottles of water to all staff. These are available every day from the Trust restaurants at South Tyneside District Hospital, Sunderland Royal Hospital and Sunderland Eye Infirmary.   This includes a weekly delivery to community sites.  We are also working on a long-term solution to reduce plastic waste.  We ask that you please re-fill water bottles as much as possible rather than get a new one. 

• NHSP incentive arrangements – we are constantly reviewing our current incentive arrangements and will share regular updates through Trust Comms.

We know it is a difficult time for everyone at the moment, and your health and wellbeing is most important to us.  

We hope these small gestures will make a positive difference for you. 

Thank you all so much for your hard work and support.