Rachel Simba Simm

Animal advocate and music enthusiast

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

Noooo @thecure tickets sold out in seconds.The app crashed 😩😣

I even got to the ‘book now’ bit and it was letting me add tickets!!! I thought I was in! Absolutely gutted!!

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

The 2x new @thecure singles on repeat.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve played A Fragile Thing 🌚

The Hungry Ghost may finally get a little rest from being played silly amounts.

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

Incredible work, Rob! Forever blown away by the talented and inspiring people at this Trust.

[Rob Galloway @DrRobgalloway]

13 years ago, I came up with a formula. After 13 years of my life being obsessed by this formula, I am steeping back…….

This formula works out how many clinical hours people needed to do when working annualised self-preferencing/self-rostering rotas and has become a passion of mine.

Not because I care about maths but because it has led to what I genuinely care about; a financially efficient way of improving the quality of life for doctors and other NHS staff whilst improving patient care.

Last week I stood back from being involved in medical workforce issues at my trust. Having spent these years helping colleagues to not burn out and get a better work life balance, I am now trying to do the same for myself, whilst allowing time to concentrate on my passion of teaching human factors and patient safety. Crucially though because of the systems created, I am no longer needed to ensure what we have set up continues at my trust.

My last job in this role was inducting all the medical and A&E junior doctors at RSCH, Brighton and PRH, Haywards Heath Hospital into how their rotas would work. It sounds a dull talk to give but its so important and one I love doing, because seeing all the doctors genuinely happy with their rotas makes all the effort worthwhile.

To provide care today, we need the doctors working where the service needs it. To provide care next year, we need to provide jobs which are sustainable and don’t lead to burn out. To provide care in 2 years’ time we need to do it in a way which is financially viable.

Working with healthrota we have managed to do all three and transform the management of the medical workforce at Universities Hospitals NHS Trust @UHSussex . We certainly have not got everything right, but things are so much better than the used to be.

We now we have rotas where the doctors have a much better work-life balance as they choose when they are off and its much easier to work part time.

We have improved training for the doctors for example by guaranteed clinic weeks.

We have better continuity of care, even staffing during the week and 7 days a week ward based care on medical wards, identical staffing 7 days a week in A&E, whilst guaranteeing the doctors all their study leave, self-development time, bank holidays and annual leave they are entitled to without endless fights as is sadly so often the case.

We are locum free except for last minute sickness, had 100% fill rates in our jobs and at RSCH/PRH have over 70 FTE fellows doing 25% non-clinical time in research or education.

These ideas are simple. Work out how many hours you need to do after all the leave and non-clinical time is taken off and make rotas which work for the individual and the service using those hours to do. This is what annualised self-preferencing/self-rostering rotas are. Simple ideas but ones initially not part of NHS policies and one impossible to implement with what was the dominant NHS rota technology.

Originally just thought if as maverick thinking, it is now becoming more common place in the NHS. Lat year it was highlighted as an NHS exemplar, https://t.co/HDHde9gQIw

Indeed in April 2024 the Chief executive of the NHS sent a letter to all trusts imploring them to

“Improve rota management by exploring the opportunities technology offers to move towards greater self-rostering, so doctors have greater control over their lives while meeting the needs of the service.”

None of what we have done would have been possible without partnering with @healthrota who have developed the software which allows these ideas to become a reality.

But its not just technology which is needed. Its about working with a trust’s HR team who genuinely wants to improve things for the better and have facilitated the idea to become a reality.

But behind that is a team of people who share the passion and have the skills to make the ideas a reality. Without the team I have worked with, none of this would be possible.

But there is one person who deserves not just a special word of thanks, but whom without none of this could have happened: Amy Brown. @theonlyamybrown Amy thankyou – the work you and your team have done is monumental to so many doctors and so many patients.

I hope what we have developed gets spread out further across the NHS and not just with doctors– please email me for further information [email protected]

[Rob Galloway @DrRobgalloway]

13 years ago, I came up with a formula. After 13 years of my life being obsessed by this formula, I am steeping back…….

This formula works out how many clinical hours people needed to do when working annualised self-preferencing/self-rostering rotas and has become a passion of mine.

Not because I care about maths but because it has led to what I genuinely care about; a financially efficient way of improving the quality of life for doctors and other NHS staff whilst improving patient care.

Last week I stood back from being involved in medical workforce issues at my trust. Having spent these years helping colleagues to not burn out and get a better work life balance, I am now trying to do the same for myself, whilst allowing time to concentrate on my passion of teaching human factors and patient safety. Crucially though because of the systems created, I am no longer needed to ensure what we have set up continues at my trust.

My last job in this role was inducting all the medical and A&E junior doctors at RSCH, Brighton and PRH, Haywards Heath Hospital into how their rotas would work. It sounds a dull talk to give but its so important and one I love doing, because seeing all the doctors genuinely happy with their rotas makes all the effort worthwhile.

To provide care today, we need the doctors working where the service needs it. To provide care next year, we need to provide jobs which are sustainable and don’t lead to burn out. To provide care in 2 years’ time we need to do it in a way which is financially viable.

Working with healthrota we have managed to do all three and transform the management of the medical workforce at Universities Hospitals NHS Trust @UHSussex . We certainly have not got everything right, but things are so much better than the used to be.

We now we have rotas where the doctors have a much better work-life balance as they choose when they are off and its much easier to work part time.

We have improved training for the doctors for example by guaranteed clinic weeks.

We have better continuity of care, even staffing during the week and 7 days a week ward based care on medical wards, identical staffing 7 days a week in A&E, whilst guaranteeing the doctors all their study leave, self-development time, bank holidays and annual leave they are entitled to without endless fights as is sadly so often the case.

We are locum free except for last minute sickness, had 100% fill rates in our jobs and at RSCH/PRH have over 70 FTE fellows doing 25% non-clinical time in research or education.

These ideas are simple. Work out how many hours you need to do after all the leave and non-clinical time is taken off and make rotas which work for the individual and the service using those hours to do. This is what annualised self-preferencing/self-rostering rotas are. Simple ideas but ones initially not part of NHS policies and one impossible to implement with what was the dominant NHS rota technology.

Originally just thought if as maverick thinking, it is now becoming more common place in the NHS. Lat year it was highlighted as an NHS exemplar, https://t.co/HDHde9gQIw

Indeed in April 2024 the Chief executive of the NHS sent a letter to all trusts imploring them to

“Improve rota management by exploring the opportunities technology offers to move towards greater self-rostering, so doctors have greater control over their lives while meeting the needs of the service.”

None of what we have done would have been possible without partnering with @healthrota who have developed the software which allows these ideas to become a reality.

But its not just technology which is needed. Its about working with a trust’s HR team who genuinely wants to improve things for the better and have facilitated the idea to become a reality.

But behind that is a team of people who share the passion and have the skills to make the ideas a reality. Without the team I have worked with, none of this would be possible.

But there is one person who deserves not just a special word of thanks, but whom without none of this could have happened: Amy Brown. @theonlyamybrown Amy thankyou – the work you and your team have done is monumental to so many doctors and so many patients.

I hope what we have developed gets spread out further across the NHS and not just with doctors– please email me for further information [email protected]

[Rob Galloway @DrRobgalloway]

Today @Nigel_Farage said immigration is to blame for the NHS's failings

100% wrong. We are utterly dependant on immigrants who work in the NHS

For all those immigrants who work in the NHS - thank you, please know you are appreciated so so much and apologies for the tripe @reformparty_uk spout.

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

When the discovery playlist on @amazonmusic plays Lost Prophets. Yikes! 😬

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

Hi @holland_barrett you stock @dr_organic who claim to be vegan and cruelty free. Very misleading. Don’t think they can say that! They’re farming snails and using their secretions 🤔not vegan or cruelty free.

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

@lloyd_rm @BrightonHoveCC @LewesDC FYI. There are A LOT of people struggling. Maybe consider this before putting council tax up the full whack for yet another year. I’ve never known so many working people sofa surfing because they can’t afford anywhere to live anymore.

[CitizensAdvice @CitizensAdvice]

5 million people are in a negative budget.

They don’t have enough money coming in to cover their expenses and they’re building up debt and cutting back or going without essentials to get by... 🧵

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

This so true 😂

[VeryBritishProblems @SoVeryBritish]

Someone on the local Facebook page said, “be careful everyone, there’s a man going round door to door in a van, looking at houses and asking people if they need milk, does anyone know who he is?” and someone replied “yes, he’s the milkman.”

If that doesn’t sum up local Facebook pages I don’t know what does.

[University Hospitals Sussex @UHSussex]

Our A&Es are very busy tonight. We want to help you, but you may need to wait while we help others. Please treat us with kindness while we work to help everyone. Make sure you're in the right place - call NHS 111 first unless it's an emergency.

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

After almost 8 years at Raystede. I’m closing on some amazing projects. Saturday was special 💙 🐾

[BBC Sussex @BBCSussex]

We’re joined this morning by Rachel and Janet from the Marketing team @Raystede

[Scene LGBTQ+ Magazine @SceneLGBTQ]

.@BagelmanBTN, Love Chloe, and @Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare have joined paws in a collab which will see Love Chloe baking homemade, gluten-free, vegan dog biscuits for Bagelman to sell in their #Hove store, with 100% of profits going to Raystede.

https://t.co/gPQTSsih4J

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

Tiny album launch show for @TheHives Let’s gooooooo!

[Veterinary Practice @VetPractice_]

“We, as the most trusted profession in the industry, have a pivotal role in challenging the status quo and advocating positive change in equestrian sports”

@BEVAPresident David Rendle considers social licence and equestrianism in May’s @BEVA_news column: https://t.co/QJGki4j2XK

[Dr Marc Abraham OBE @marcthevet]

Looking forward to monthly #SoundAdvice slot on @BBCSussex/@BBCSurrey on Mon 24 April. Discussing fascinating story of earliest images of dogs on leads, dog control, school visits & revealing exciting news for local pet owners! From 2.40pm: https://t.co/OzyoK6r6kl #AnimalWelfare

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

These two 💖💗#adoptdontshop #rescuedogs https://t.co/Dhx3X8uHxC

[Raystede @Raystede]

Could you offer the comforts of your cosy home to Proki and Elsie? Watch this video to find out more about them and the type of home they need.

Or, read more about this amazing duo and apply to adopt online: https://t.co/ufcuHTShrP

[Raystede @Raystede]

We are delighted to announce that Raystede is opening a new charity shop in Uckfield town centre on Monday 17 April 2023!

The shop is bursting with pre-loved goods. It has easy access and parking close by.

We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to our brand-new shop!

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

@petefrasermusic I feel it could be an utter disaster or a revelation!

[Rachel Simba Simm @RachelSimm]

@petefrasermusic Or you can get canned banana blossom! I bought some but I’ve not dared to open it yet. My culinary skills are limited but the cooking instructions make it sound easy as a plant based ‘fish’ dish.