Ambassador magazine: Summer 2024 by Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

ambassador Public Membership Magazine – Summer 2024

Main construction of L&D Acute Services Block now complete – and on track for Spring opening

See page 16 for more details Inside this issue O ur hospitals are smoke free

C elebrating our diversity

N ext Medical Lecture is on ‘Emergency Care (A&E and Ambulance Service) and How to Stay Healthy’

P ampering Sessions for Cancer Patients

N ext Annual Members’ Meeting C elebrating the wonderful generosity of Dr Navnit Dhabuwala

S upport for carers of those with dementia M ount Vernon Cancer Centre – public consultation G overnors in the community C ome and volunteer for us!

welcome to

ambassador

Ambassador is our way of communicating with you, our Trust members. We want to ensure that we keep you up to date with developments at the Trust and how you can get involved. We now have more than 26,000 members and we are keen for as many of you as possible to play an active role in shaping how the Trust is managed and developed for the future.

Dear Members

Contents

A warm welcome to the summer edition of Ambassador. There is much of interest in this edition, with too many articles to mention in this short introduction, but I encourage you to read them all. Personally I enjoy the ‘A Day in the life of’ articles and this edition follows in the footsteps of an AAA Screener. Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm began over 10 years ago in Bedfordshire and is available to all men aged over 65. See page 20. There are the usual informative updates from our Chair Richard Sumray, Chief Executive David Carter, and Chief Operating Officer Cathy Jones, as well as an update from our lead Governor Helen Lucas. Redevelopment continues at pace on both L&D and Bedford hospital sites, please see page 14 for further information on what is happening next. Changes to the delivery of health services is a natural progression as improvement in treatment modalities evolve, and as such, there will be a Public Consultation on the relocation of Mount Vernon’s cancer services later this year. Further information on page 9. Bedfordshire Hospitals is one of the sites that will be testing the NHS roll out of Martha’s Rule. There has been significant media coverage regarding this development and you can find out more on page 7. The Annual Members' Meeting is scheduled for 18 September at Luton Sixth Form College, and our next Medical Lecture on Emergency Care (A&E and Ambulance Service) and How to Stay Healthy will be held on Tuesday, 15 October at the King’s House in Bedford. Do make a note of these dates and remember to RSVP for catering and parking purposes – see page 8 for more details. We look forward to meeting you at these events and don’t forget, non-member guests are welcome.

Dr Jacquie Farhoud

Public Governor and Chair of the Membership & Communications Committee

3. 3. 4. 5. 5.

Chair’s Message Farewell and New appointment Operational update – Improving patient care Our hospitals are smoke free R eflections of being a Governor – Helen Lucas 6. B LMK Diabetic Eye Screening Programme has launched! 6. Bedford Resuscitation team 7. R oll out of Martha’s Rule in major patient safety initiative 7. We Are One exhibition 8. Diary dates 9. The last Medical Lecture – Prostate Cancer 9. Relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre 10. Research & Development 11. Celebrating the wonderful generosity of Dr Navnit Dhabuwala 11. Governors in the community 12. Celebrating our diversity 14. Redevelopment Update 17. Charity Update 18. Celebrating our Volunteers 19. Come and volunteer for us! 19. Pampering Sessions for Cancer Patients 20. A Day in the Life of an AAA Screening Technician 21. Support at the L&D for carers of those with dementia 22. Staff attend summer wellbeing events We hope you enjoy our Membership Magazine. If we have your name or address incorrect or the person to whom we have sent this magazine no longer lives at the address mentioned in the address label please let us know by emailing us at FTMembership@ bedsft.nhs.uk. If you have already informed the hospital of any changes but we have not updated our Membership database please accept our apologies – this is because our Membership database is not linked to the Patient database.

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the Ambassador in the future please send your email address to FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk

The Foundation Trust Membership Department. Email: FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk Post: Membership Dept – Nova House, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital, Lewsey Road, Luton LU4 0DZ Governors can be contacted by email at Governors@bedsft.nhs.uk or write to the Membership Department as above. This publication is produced by the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Membership Department 2

ambassador summer 2024

Chair’s Message Dear Members I shall focus on two aspects of our work in this edition – the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on our maternity services at both our hospitals and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). The CQC inspected maternity services at our hospitals over two days at the beginning of last November and their report was issued the day after the general election this July. They rated both as ‘inadequate’. We are, as you can imagine, very concerned about receiving such ratings. We know that at the time of the inspection our services were under considerable pressure. At Luton we were at capacity and, along with gradually increasing acuity, the pressure on our staff was considerable. At Bedford Hospital both the region and the integrated care board recognised that considerable improvements had been made and such a verdict was disappointing. In both hospitals improvements were underway and they continued after the inspection. One area commented on by the inspectors was a shortage of midwives and other staff in maternity, a concern raised in many other inspections of maternity as there is a national shortage. In fact, by the beginning of this year, we reached our full complement of midwives at Bedford and the staffing levels at Luton have also been good. In doing so we recruited a significant number of staff from overseas some of whom expressed to the inspectors that they felt discriminated against. We took action immediately when we were told about it,

and work is continuing to ensure that discrimination does not play a part in how any of us behave within the Trust. I would like to pay tribute to all our maternity staff. It is essential we act on the concerns raised in the CQC report, but we know that, often under considerable pressure, our staff have worked hard to create a safe environment and, as a Board, we shall support them to do so. As described elsewhere, our recent ‘tent’ events for all our staff focussed on diversity. This is a really important topic. We are, as one of the largest employers in Bedfordshire and of Bedfordshire residents, a microcosm of the county. Our population is becoming more diverse, but we don’t want it to become more divided between its varied communities. We should respect other cultures and beliefs. Discrimination within our Trust is not acceptable. It damages our services and creates divisions among our staff. Our staff surveys show some improvement through a perceived reduction in those who feel there is discrimination but there are still improvements that can and must be made. We also know that there are considerable health inequalities in the area we serve often caused by poverty. There are actions we can take along with our health and local authority colleagues as well as the voluntary sector that can have a beneficial impact on those communities that suffer from poorer health. Our Board will therefore focus on both EDI and health inequalities in the coming months and years. Kind regards

Richard Sumray

Welcome to new Non Exectiutive Director Hannah O’Neill and farewell to Gordon Johns Hannah is currently Chair of Milton Keynes Urgent Care (MKUC). She lives in Milton Keynes and went to university in Luton. She was the Cabinet lead for Public Health in Milton Keynes which has a shared public health team with Bedford and Central Bedfordshire Councils and, therefore understands the area and connectivity with the local communities. Her early career was in project management for voluntary sector organisations, she spent six years as a Director of the Equality Council and is currently Chief Operating Officer at York House Centre. Hannah was active in local politics until 2021, as an

elected member for Milton Keynes Council where she was Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing.She is motivated by a strong sense of public accountability and patient focus. The Trust said farewell to Gordon Johns on 31 March 2024, expressing their thanks for his many years of dedication and diligent hard work both as Senior Independent Director to Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS FT and as Chair of Bedford Hospital prior to the merger. He joined Bedford Hospital in 2007 and became the Chair in 2015. Since the merger in 2020, he was Senior Independent Director for Bedfordshire Hospitals. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Operational update –

Improving patient care

By David Carter, Chief Executive and Cathy Jones, Chief Operating Officer/Deputy Chief Executive

Over the last six months, the pressure on our hospitals has continued unabated – we have seen record numbers of very unwell patients attending our Emergency Departments who need to be admitted. This, coupled with the continuing industrial action by junior doctors, has meant that we have consistently been on our highest state of alert operationally. In order to counteract this and free up beds for all the patients that need them, we decided to focus our efforts on the discharge process – specifically for those patients with complex healthcare conditions who are medically fit for discharge but need supported care when they leave hospital. We held two weeks of focussed activity – at the end of June/beginning of July – one at Bedford Hospital and one at the L&D – which we called ‘Decompression’. This saw us work intensively, together in the Control Rooms set up on each site, with our colleagues in Social Care, Community Care and Mental Health to discharge those ‘complex’ patients who need further ongoing support, but are no longer benefitting from care in a hospital setting. The discharge process is a complicated one, and often means that patients like these stay longer in hospital than they need to. Patients may be clinically ready to leave hospital but can’t move because their ongoing care is still being organised. It is this delay – which for the patients with the most complex discharge needs averages around 10 days – which we want to avoid, by working closely with our partners in

the community to streamline the processes and reduce duplication and lost time waiting for paperwork or additional information to be passed to the relevant team. By focussing on this small group of patients we can free up capacity across our hospitals, and provide more beds on our wards for patients being admitted as an emergency, but also to protect capacity for patients having planned surgery. The Decompression exercise was a great success, with scores of patients being discharged earlier than they would have, freeing up beds which then meant we could close most of our contingency areas which are used to bed patients when there is no room left on our wards. This gave us a powerful momentum for change which came from the energy and positivity generated by teams working together to a common purpose. Bringing together NHS partners and Local Authority colleagues from across the whole of Bedfordshire was a unique opportunity to build relationships, share our diverse knowledge and experience, and problem solve together in a hugely constructive way.

In the Control Rooms at (left) Bedford, and (right) at the L&D where our operational teams worked over two weeks with our partners in social, community and mental health care to focus on complex discharges. 4

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Our hospitals are smoke free A reminder to all patients, visitors and staff that we do not allow smoking or vaping on either of our sites at Bedford Hospital or Luton & Dunstable University Hospital. A new initiative to address the problem of smoking at our hospitals was recently launched whereby members of our senior leadership team, including our Chief Executive, walk round the site and explain to people smoking that we do not allow it, and the reasons why. As a health Trust we aim to promote a healthy environment, and lifestyle, for everyone in our hospitals, and this includes all our patients, visitors and staff. Smoking is one of the most common causes of heart disease and lung cancer, and increases the risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions. To contact your local stop smoking service for advice and support text QUIT to 88802

Reflections of being a Governor

Helen Lucas, Lead Governor and Deputy Chair of the Council of Governors I am nearing the end of my time as a Public Governor having served nine years representing Hertfordshire. During that period I have also been deputy lead governor and since 2020 I have had the privilege of being the Lead Governor. There have been numerous changes during my nine year office and the Governors have had significant involvement with the Board of Directors and Non Executives in driving forward improvements. I became a Governor at the L&D hospital in 2015, then in 2020 this became part of the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust when it merged with Bedford Hospital. Alongside this merger, we increased our Governors both Public and Staff to ensure we represent the constituencies of both hospitals. The NHS is constantly challenged and no more so than during the Covid period and staff worked tirelessly to ensure patients were safely cared for while dealing with the challenges, and we are very grateful to them all. A good patient environment is a key factor to improving outcomes. The significant development on both sites add to this with improvement works in both A&E departments incorporating more MRI

scanners, a new Energy Centre at the L&D to ensure robustness now and in the future. This next year will see significant improvements at both Luton and Bedford with the opening of the Bedford North Wing community diagnostic hub and at Luton the Acute services block, with new Maternity facilities, Neonatal unit, Critical care facilities and operating theatres. This is an exciting time for staff and patients who will be using these facilities. We must not forget the increase in car parking as well! As a Governor I have been part of a key group to recruit our new chair in 2023 and over my nine years the successful recruitment of many NonExecutive Directors all of which add to the strength of the Board. I have really enjoyed being a Governor and this role brings with it the privilege of being able to contribute to the success of the hospitals. I would encourage anyone both staff and members of the public to consider becoming a Governor to be able to contribute to your local hospital while finding it very rewarding I am confident that the Governors will continue to work with the Board of Directors to be ready for the challenges that lie ahead. Good Luck to all Governors in the future! www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

BLMK Diabetic Eye Screening Programme has launched! In April Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Milton Keynes University Hospital became the lead providers for the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK). Both NHS Trusts already run these services in their own respective areas, but have now joined forces to provide clinical leadership and deliver screenings at more locations – a total of 41 - to increase accessibility for patients across BLMK. Patients do not need to do anything differently, as they will be contacted as normal for their regular diabetic eye screening appointments. All people aged 12 and over with diabetes (type 1 and 2) are offered annual eye screening appointments. The only exceptions are people with diabetic eye disease who are already under the care of an ophthalmology specialist. The screening test usually takes about 30 minutes. Screening does not replace regular eye examinations and it is important to attend both. Full information about this new service can be found at: www.BLMKDiabeticEyeScreening.nhs.uk

Bedford Resuscitation team Public training sessions

Our Bedford Resuscitation team has been running a series of public life-saving training sessions in the community, which have been a huge success! The team has attended the Bedford parkrun, a local prostate cancer support group, and more to help share these vital skills. Over 150 people have attended training in adult basic life support (BLS), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and automated external defibrillator (AED) use, showing there is a real interest in the community. Thank you to everyone who has taken part to learn skills that could save lives. We hope you remember and practise what you learned to respond quickly and effectively in a crisis. Lastly, thank you to the team for using their own time to deliver this training. Keep up to date with our social media for announcements of any future training. 6

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Bedfordshire Hospitals to roll out Martha’s Rule in major patient safety initiative Our hospitals are two of 16 in the East of England – and 143 nationally – which will be rolling out Martha’s Rule in a major new patient safety initiative. There are three key themes to Martha’s Rule: 1. A ll staff in NHS trusts must have 24/7 access to a rapid review from a critical care outreach team, who they can contact should they have concerns about a patient. 2. A ll patients, their families, carers, and advocates must also have access to the same 24/7 rapid review from a critical care outreach team - the contact details of whom will be advertised around the hospital - and more widely if they are worried about the patient’s condition.

Martha’s Rule takes its name from 13 year old Martha Mills who died in hospital after developing sepsis, following a bicycle accident. Martha’s family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to, and in 2023, a coroner ruled that Martha would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier. The purpose of Martha’s Rule is to provide a consistent and understandable way for patients and families to seek an urgent review if their loved one’s condition deteriorates, and they are concerned their concerns are not being responded to.

3. The NHS must implement a structured approach to obtaining information relating to a patient’s condition directly from patients and their families at least daily. In the first instance, this will cover all inpatients in acute and specialist trusts. Bedfordshire Hospitals’ Chief Nurse Liz Lees and Medical Director Paul Tisi said: “We are pleased to be in the first wave of implementation of Martha’s Rule on both our Bedford Hospital and Luton & Dunstable University Hospital sites. This will build on the longstanding critical care outreach services that we have on each hospital site. “A particular focus for our hospitals will be to develop a process to ensure information is captured daily from patients, families and carers to ensure that all health professionals are aware of any changes in a patient’s condition.”

We Are One exhibition unveiled at the L&D Staff were delighted to unveil the ‘We Are One’ mural at the L&D recently, part of the take heART project which aims to increase the availability of the arts for our patients, visitors and staff. The display, located on the first floor of the Surgical Block, was created by members of the take heART team to celebrate the rich multicultural heritage of our staff in the trust. The trust is currently made up of colleagues from more than 100 different countries and, throughout our 75+ year history, many more have been pivotal in creating a lasting legacy for us all. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Diary Dates The next Medical Lecture is on ‘Emergency Care (A&E and Ambulance Service) and How to Stay Healthy’

Tuesday, 15 October 2024. All are invited – RSVP by 10 October 2024 2024 Come along and learn from the experts what the Emergency Department (ED) is really for - what it can and cannot do for you - and get advice on how to stay healthy and avoid the need to attend ED. The lecture will be presented by Consultant and Deputy Medical Director Mr David Kirby, together with the Associate Director Craig Lister from BLMK ICB and other colleagues from the Ambulance Service, and General Practice. More than 250,000 people attend our EDs each year, many of whom could have avoided having to do so. The lecture will take place at 5.30pm for a 6pm start and finish at 7.30pm on 15 October, at King’s House, 245 Ampthill Rd, Bedford MK42 9AZ. There will be time for questions following the presentation and the opportunity for informal discussions with our Trust Governors, from 5.30pm. If you would like to attend the lecture, please contact us in order to book a place, as spaces are limited. Invite your family, friends and anyone who might benefit from this lecture. To book a place you can contact us at FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk

Next Annual Members’ Meeting – 18 September 2024 Come along and find out all you need to know about how Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been performing over the past year, and learn more about our strategy for the future. If you are a member this is your opportunity to meet your governor representatives and hear from the Trust Leadership team. Date: Wednesday 18 September 2024, 5.30pm for 6pm start, 7.30pm finish Venue: Luton Sixth Form College, Bradgers Hill Road, Luton, LU2 7EW Refreshments on arrival: Tea, Coffee and sandwiches will be provided.

RSVP: To register email at FTMembership@bedsft.nhs.uk

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The last Medical Lecture

Prostate Cancer

More than 250 members and patients were able to learn about various aspects of Prostate Cancer at our medical lecture held in May 2024 at the Luton Sixth Form College. They heard from a variety of different clinicians – Clinical Director and Consultant Urologist Mr Asad Saleemi, Consultant Urologists Mr Farooq Khan, Mr Anish Pushkaran, Mr Barnaby Barrass and Mr Rickaz Raheem, Consultant Clinical Oncologist Dr Peter Ostler and Prostate and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Jenny Arnold. The lecture began with Mr Saleemi introducing the team and giving an overview. Mr Khan then talked about Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) and Screening opportunities followed by Mr Pushkaran who spoke about Screening and Diagnosis. Mr Barrass then talked about Biopsy & MRI, followed by Mr Raheem who outlined Surgical treatment, Dr Ostler who explained about Radiotherapy/Brachytherapy and Jenny Arnold who explained about Active Surveillance. Feedback from our members showed that having access to health information is one of the key benefits of being a member of the Trust. Governors are working with staff to plan a series of new lectures. See page 8 for details of our next medical lecture and other meetings.

Public consultation on plans to relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to be launched in November A public consultation on plans to relocate Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) will be launched in November. It is widely accepted that there is an urgent need to re-provide MV cancer services on an acute hospital site in order to provide the best patient care. The challenges of poor buildings, and a lack of other medical facilities on the same site has meant patients can’t always be treated at MVCC and staff have had to oversee their treatment across a number of different hospitals. It is important that any future plans have been thoroughly tested with patients and the public before being agreed by stakeholders. The current proposals involve relocating MVCC to a new, purpose built cancer centre, adjacent to Watford General Hospital. This would give the cancer centre access to clinical support services including critical care that

are not available on its current site, which would increase the number of treatment options and enable the team to care for more unwell patients than they can at the moment. The proposals include an option to have a networked radiotherapy unit at either Luton & Dunstable University Hospital, or at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage. This would be in addition to radiotherapy at the main cancer centre and would improve access to radiotherapy for patients living in the north of the area served by MVCC. You can keep up to date with plans for the consultation on their website: https://mvccreview.nhs.uk/ and keep an eye out for updates on the Bedfordshire Hospitals website, and social media pages. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Research & Development vital in improving NHS care Research & Development plays a vital role in providing new knowledge to help improve health services across the UK Engaging patients, and the wider public, in research and development is an important part of what we, as an acute Trust, do. Bedfordshire Hospital’s Research & Development department works across both Bedford Hospital and the L&D and their role is to provide support, training and advice to staff interested in research. With their hard work, and the engagement of our patients, we have had 12,000 people take part in trials since 2020. The specialities currently involved in research are A&E, Cardiology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology,

Haematology, Oncology, Maternity, Neurology, Obesity, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic, Rheumatology, Stroke, Neonatal, Ear, Nose and Throad (ENT) and Respiratory medicine. Inclusion of patients and public as partners throughout the research process helps to make findings more relevant. It influences the design, delivery and dissemination of research findings, leading to better health and social care services, treatment, care and quality of life. We are particularly keen to gain the support of patients from ethnically and culturally diverse populations.

Are you interested in participating in research? Contact: Monday - Friday 08:00—16:00 Bedford Hospital Email: Rdi@bedsft.nhs.uk Phone: 01234 355122 — ext 6336 (IF NO REPLY PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU)

L&D Hospital Email: Research.development@bedsft.nhs.uk Phone: 01582 718242 (IF NO REPLY PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU) 10

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Celebrating the wonderful generosity of Dr Navnit Dhabuwala

Dr. Dhabuwala, we remain forever grateful for everything you have done and eagerly anticipate celebrating success and honouring your remarkable contributions for many years to come.

Over the past six years, the Trust, particularly the L&D, has been the recipient of remarkable donations by Dr Navnit Dhabuwala.Dr Dhabuwala was a doctor at the L&D in 1968 and his recollections from the hospital at this time and through the last few decades, form part of the rich tapestry that informs the L&D of today. We would like to say a huge thank you to Dr Dhabuwala for his astonishing generosity. Ward 10 – the Dr Hale Ward. In 2018 Dr Dhabuwala, with support from the Luton North Rotarians, made a generous donation in tribute to his mentor, Dr John F Hale, who was particularly supportive of doctors from abroad entering healthcare at the L&D. Dr Dhabuwala attributes a lot of his professional development to Dr Hale and the kindness he showed to a young Indian doctor. This donation led to the naming of Ward 10 in his honour. Nursing Scholarship Scheme Following his earlier donation and passion for inspiring excellence in nursing, Dr Dhabuwala wanted to make a significant donation to fund a nursing awards programme that would run over many years. He was motivated to make this donation in recognition of notable colleagues from his time at L&D, particularly Mr Arthur Mack, a former Chief Nurse at St Mary’s Hospital, Luton.

Air Purifiers In 2020 the L&D faced an unprecedented pandemic Covid 19. Dr Dhabuwala, looking for ways to support patients, donated 30 air purifiers which helped improve our ward environments. CT Scanning in Emergency Department In 2022, Dr Dhabuwala paid for a CT Scanner, located adjacent to our Emergency Department at the L&D. The CT Scanner runs 24 hours a day seven days a week and supports 1600 patients per month – that is over 50 patients a day – all thanks to Dr Dhabuwala. Dr Dhabuwala dedicated this donation to his mother, father and sisters and good friends and family. Dr. Dhabuwala has not stopped there. Collaborating with our former Chair, Simon Linnett, he is now seeking his next opportunity to support the L&D.

This scheme enables funding to be available for successful nurses and nursing students to take forward a project for the benefits of patients. The launch of these awards has been delayed because of Covid and industrial action, but the first Dr Navnit Dhabuwala Awards Ceremony will take place on 19 September 2024, as part of our Nursing Conference.

Dr Dhabuwala seated bottom row, third from the right.

Governors in the community

Our council of governors represents the interests of the communities we serve. Its role is to ensure the voice of our members, the public, patients and staff is used to inform our Trust's decisions and improve medical care and patient experience. Governors Saverio Bongo and Linda Grant were at the Bedford Italian Festival on 7 July promoting membership and engaging Governors Tarsem Paul, Yvette King, Belinda with the community. Chik and public member Pam Brown were Governors Linda Grant, at Bedford River Festival on 21 and 22 July Tarsem Paul, Belinda promoting hospital membership, along with Chik, Dr Jacquie Farhoud volunteering, fundraising, job opportunities and organ donation. Whilst the research and Judi Kingham were team were engaging with the community at the Dunstable Hub on the 17 June promoting promoting their work. membership and engaging with the pubic members. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Celebrating our diversity

Todi Skordileva Senior Infrastructure Engineer, IT Albania

Our Trust is currently made up of colleagues from more than 100 different countries. We meet some of our amazing staff who come from different cultural backgrounds, celebrate their journeys and reflect on what makes them unique. Joana Williams Midwife Ghana Namra Physio Pakistan

Anamika Bangladesh

Joana qualified as a Midwife in Ghana back in 2013 and in 2022, joined Bedfordshire Hospitals. There are over 10 languages in Ghana! Alongside the English language, Joana can speak 4 Ghanian languages – Ga, Adangbe, Twi and Fante.

“I was born in Albania, a small but historically rich country in the Balkans, known for its stunning landscapes from the Adriatic and Ionian coastlines to its mountains.I spent my formative years In Albania, before relocating to Greece to further my education. In 2015 I moved to the UK with my family working for Bedford Hospital as a Domestic Assistant. Driven by my passion to pursue a career in IT, I volunteered with the Service Desk, joining on a permanent position in 2017 - working with remarkable colleagues who significantly influenced my development to my current position as IT Senior Infrastructure Engineer.”

Ronan Cassidy Service Manager – Vascular Scotland

Umar Farooq Senior Radiographer India

Daria Zielinska Maternity Operational Manager Poland

“I’m Daria and I have been at Bedford Hospital since 2018, starting as a maternity care assistant, before becoming a midwife. After 7 years of living in UK I feel like part of the community and I enjoy celebrating all of the British and Polish holidays, including Pancake Day and Polish Donuts Day!”

Joao Barros Portugal

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Noura Bahardrian PA- Corporate Nursing Team Armenia

Catherine Alexis-Lendore Discharge Officer, Grenada

“I am a descendant of the beautiful “Hi my name is Noura. island of Carriacou which is part of Three things you will not Grenada. This is a tri-island state forget about me when consisting of Mainland Grenada, you meet me. My love Carriacou and Petite Martinique. for fashion, my love for Grenada is known as the “spice cooking especially when Island” due to its vast production of you taste my basbousa and Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Cloves and my passion for art. Being Ginger. Grenada is the 2nd largest a third-culture person with producer of Nutmeg in the world, with Armenian/French heritage, Nutmeg a symbol on our flag.” born and educated in Egypt, I cultivated cultural flexibility. Maneka Senior Communications Officer I am family orientated and Sri Lanka enjoy helping people. I am empathetic towards animals “I was born and partly raised in Sri and especially soppy Lanka, a country in South Asia. The towards cats.” island, referred to as “the pearl of the Indian Ocean”, is a tapestry of Desta Wright-Brown rich and colourful history, beautiful Maternity beaches, delicious food and home Stop Smoking to a diverse population of friendly Lead Adviser Jamaica and supportive people. Although I’ve spent most of my life in Bedford, I am deeply lucky to still be so Retno Wulandari Clinical Research connected to my roots through my Practitioner family, being bilingual and speaking Indonesia Sinhala and through following the Buddhist faith, the largest and official religion of the island.”

Mr Aza Mohammed Consultant Urologist Iraq Victor Sopuruchi Obilor Registered Nurse Nigeria Melchizedek Penacerrada Lead Clinical Reseach Nurse Philippines

“I was born in the Philippines, an island nation in Southeast Asia with 7,641 islands. I came to the UK on the 12th May 2000, the day when we celebrated the International Nurses’ Day and Florence Nightingale’s birthday. I was hired by BUPA in one their nursing homes until I joined Bedford Hospital in 2001. I’m now the Lead Research Nurse and married to a lovely woman who also works in Bedford Hospital and we have 2 daughters and 1 son.”

www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Redevelopment Update Bedford Hospital Swannery Garden opening In May we officially opened the Swannery Garden at Bedford Hospital, a new calming space for staff and patients which replaces the area that had to be removed while we created our new electrical substation. The area features landscaping, seating areas and a newly designed swan monument, celebrating the iconic symbol of Bedford.

David Carter, CEO, and Deborah Inskip OBE, Chair of Bedford Hospital Charity and Friends cutting the ribbon.

Thank you to the Bedford Hospital Charity and Friends who part funded the garden, and the Redevelopment team who have worked hard to create a peaceful, calming space for patients and staff. The opening also gave us an opportunity to recognise the huge impact the new substation will have on the future of Bedford Hospital. The substation gives us additional electrical capacity and resilience across the site and unlocks additional capacity, meaning we can plan further developments to improve hospital facilities and work to achieve our net zero carbon aspirations.

Gilbert Hitchcock House Building work has now begun on the £24m project to improve Gilbert Hitchcock House (GHH). When complete this significant investment for Bedford will include a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) that will deliver diagnostic services including MRI, CT, ultrasound, x-ray and cardiology diagnostic tests, increasing testing capacity in Bedford by 50%. Alongside the CDC, therapies, phlebotomy and retinal screening will continue to be delivered in new, modern accommodation. The first phase of works that have started are: n

Plant room ground works

The creation of new, individual phlebotomy bays that will provide more privacy to patients when having their bloods taken. This area will also feature a larger, improved waiting area and a new specialised paediatric waiting area. he preparation of land at the back of GHH to house the new plant T room which will provide additional power to the site, meaning we can power the new CT and MRI scanners and provide a more efficient heating and hot water solution, supporting the Trust’s journey to net zero carbon. The creation of spaces for the new scanners.

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Demolition of existing space at Bedford

L&D Hospital

Energy Centre opening Energy Centre

David Carter, Chief Executive, Mike Poole, Capital Project Redevelopment Manager, Richard Sumray, Chair and Melanie Banks, Director of Redevelopment and Strategic Planning cutting the ribbon to mark the opening.

In May, the Energy Centre on the L&D site was officially opened. This project started back in 2016 when the need to improve the site’s electrical infrastructure, and provide the infrastructure to build the acute services block and new ward block, became apparent. Construction work on the project began in 2020, and completed earlier this year. The site’s energy infrastructure is now upgraded, providing resilience for power, heating and hot water services, as well as having the flexibility to adapt to future green technologies.

Emergency Department upgrades The final phase of works in the Emergency Department at the L&D is well underway, which will see the expansion of the department with a further increase in capacity, including assessment and triage rooms, a larger waiting area and sensitively designed mental health care rooms. This space will be completed by the end of this year. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Acute Services Block and New Ward Block Since our contractors Kier started work onsite in January 2022, excellent progress has been made on the acute services block and new ward block, with the following now completed:

Finish drinking and handwashing water pipework

Finish heating pipework

Complete wiring

n All below ground drainage

Complete ductwork

n A very large rainwater collection tank

Complete medical gas installations

Foundations and concrete frame

Complete wall finishes

External walls

Complete floor finishes

95% of cladding

Complete ceilings

n All internal walls built

Complete lighting

Installation of all air handling units and connections

Installation of chillers (for the air conditioning)

Operating theatre ‘Ultra Clean’ hoods

Staff have regularly been viewing the progress and walking the site, with positive feedback on seeing the plans come to life. The remaining work to be completed, before handover to the Trust in spring 2025 includes

ndertake the detailed testing and U commissioning of the buildings omplete the external works on landscaping, C parking and roadways

Once the buildings are signed off, we will have approximately three months to install equipment and IT systems, and allow clinical teams and estates to familiarise themselves with the buildings. We will then start moving clinical services into the new building.

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Charity Update Because of you… be wearing pink on 18 October. If you would like to join in and support either of the cancer units, please get in touch. As well as raising funds, we are also looking for volunteers to help in these spaces.

2024 has been an exciting year so far for the Charity Team. As we approach October, which is Cancer Awareness Month, we wanted to share how some of the donations have really helped out patients who are undergoing cancer treatment today.

Because of you, the Shand Ward in Bedford has opened up a Rehabilitation Café with a brand new Motomed Bike purchased, with the aim of getting patients stronger and better equipped to recover at home. On the Motomed, there are different options for MS, Strokes and muscular abilities. We are delighted to be able to support this, as it will make such a difference to patients and their recovery.

In Bedford we are delighted to share that because of you, the Primrose Unit is able to transform a space and offer a further two beds for patients requiring treatment. They have also just had confirmation they can repurpose a room to support patient wellbeing, which will enhance patient care focusing on the mental strength needed. In addition at Luton and Bedford, we have been able to support with cooling caps to reduce hair loss, specialist trolleys for blood drawing and more equipment to support patients through their fight against cancer.

From supporting adult and elderly patients, we were delighted to open the new Children’s Critical Care Room at the L&D, supporting young patients in severe respiratory distress. This would not have happened without you and our amazing clinical teams driving the projects!

In support of our units and their patients, we will

What are we up to now, here are some life changing appeals, that we would love you to support: ritical Care Appeal, C helping to fund outdoor recovery space. n Little Feet Appeal, funding to support a new maternity Unit in Luton. n Butterfly Appeals, creating better spaces for maternity loss. n

Want to know more scan the QR code

You can also support by joining at one of our events or activities: 7 September 2 2024 Charity Lunch with Guest Speaker Phil Tufnell, supporting maternity. Fun and lively event that also gives back. n 18 October Wear pink for Breast Cancer n Movember grow facial hair for Prostate Cancer n 17 November is World Prematurity Day n 3 December Light up a Life in Bedford n 5 December Light up a Life in Luton & Dunstable n 12 December is our Sparkle Day n December is Give a Gift Month, we aim to give each patient a present on Christmas day. To know more scan the QR code above n

We are still running our free will campaign.Yes you can get a free will with no catches scan the QR code on the right to take you Octopus Legacy who manages our free will service. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

Celebrating our Volunteers Summer is always the time to celebrate the sunshine our fantastic volunteers bring into our hospitals: with smiles, warmth and a friendly chat, their gift of time makes the day just that little bit better for us all – staff, patients and visitors. 2024 is the 40th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) and to mark the occasion we showcased a number of volunteers, longstanding and new, and treated our volunteers to afternoon tea. With a growing volunteer team nearing 300, during the past year they have dedicated a staggering 24,812 hours of support! Volunteers undertake a range of roles from the more traditional greeting and wayfinding to new roles being introduced that aim to add value to patient experience and recovery as well as supporting busy staff teams. Colin Stewart, Deconditioning Prevention Champion Volunteer

Volunteers at L&D Hospital

"Being on a ward as a volunteer is a privilege and allows me to see first-hand the care and compassion shown by the professionals looking after the elderly patients needing their help. “I have met some lovely, fascinating people who have had interesting and full lives. Being able to interact with both patients and staff gives me great pleasure and a social interaction opportunity that could easily be lost once retired.” Claire Bogust, Cancer Soft Touch Therapist Volunteers “I’ve recently started volunteering and am really enjoying seeing the results and benefits of the therapy on patients, it feels like a privilege and is very humbling. “The therapy is called Cancer Soft Touch Therapy, a gentle non-invasive touch therapy, which calms the nervous system and gives patients a much needed break.” 18

Volunteers at Bedford Hospital

Adrian Carrington, Volunteer in ED Thanks to the care and professionalism of the L&D Emergency Department I am still here after suffering a major heart attack in 2023. Being partly retired I was keen to take up a volunteering role and so, given my ‘close shave’ last year, I decided that a role in ED would be ideal. Having previously worked in the different and dangerous world of complex machinery (power generation and oil exploration), here I am helping people in their time of need. This was a totally new experience for me. In my time at the L&D I have discovered a new version of myself: I have found the time for compassion and understanding, which weren’t always present in the brutal world I once knew. By engaging with patients and staff I have learnt so much about myself and have been able to connect with humanity in the best of ways. I can only describe my experience as a volunteer as the best thing I have ever done and the best decision I have ever made. ambassador summer 2024

Come and volunteer for us! We are planning to introduce more volunteer roles in the coming months to help ease pressure points, maximise best use of clinical time and enhance patient and staff experience. Forget-me-Not volunteers: recruitment recently launched for volunteers who can spend time with the many dementia patients in our hospitals, stimulating and engaging them with simple activities from a stroll down memory lane to arts and crafts or a spot of afternoon tea. Dementia touches every family so if you know someone with time to give, pass on our contact details. Mealtime Assistants: what a difference an extra pair of hands can make at busy mealtimes, even more so when our volunteers are trained to feed patients where safe to do so. Maternity Helpers: Volunteers like Emek can help with tea and chat for new mums, running

errands for staff and completing the Friends and Family Test. Recently re-introduced in Bedford, we’d like to bring in more help for our Maternity teams at both sites. Appointment Reminder Call Volunteers: Already proven to help reduce DNAs (Do Not Attend) in some areas, these calls add an allimportant personal touch that shows patients that we really do care. Chaplaincy Ward Visitor Volunteers: people who have a passion for supporting the spiritual wellbeing of their fellow men, they are here to have a friendly chat with people of all faiths and none. We are building our teams and welcome more support in this invaluable role. There are many more roles too – from Phlebotomy and Pharmacy Runners to Emergency Department, Clinic and Clerical Helpers, or Main Reception – there’s something for everyone who has a passion for supporting their local hospitals and the NHS.

For more information about volunteering in our hospitals email voluntaryservices@bedsft.nhs.uk or call Bedford 01234 795801 or the L&D 01582 718289.

LGFB – Look Good Feel Better Pampering Sessions for Cancer Patients Look Good, Feel Better is dedicated to enhancing the physical and emotional well-being of people living with cancer. They offer practical workshops and online classes to help manage the visible and emotional effects of cancer treatments. The skincare and make-up workshops provide attendees with the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques, boost their confidence, and connect with others in similar situations. These workshops are held at the L&D and are organized by Michelle Evans, the Macmillan

Information & Support Coordinator for the Macmillan Unit, in collaboration with voluntary, trained beauticians from Look Good Feel Better. These sessions are extremely popular, back by popular demand, and receive incredible positive feedback from all attendees. You can be referred by your Clinical Nurse Specialist or Support Worker, or you can contact Michelle directly on 01582 718189. There is a waiting list, so alternatively you can contact the Look Good, Feel Better’ charity directly at www. lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk to find out if there are alternative venues available sooner. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

A Day in the Life of an AAA Screening Technician By Jodi Scholes

I started working in the NHS in 2013 after moving to the UK from America where I worked as a Licenced Practical Nurse. My first role in the NHS was working in Outpatient Cancer Services. Prior to starting my role in the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme, I worked in Radiology for five years. I began working in the AAA Screening Programme in August 2022. I am part of a great team which consists of a manager, an administrator and five screening technicians. This is a communitybased role which means that each day I travel to different surgeries within the Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes area. Our screening programme invites men who will be turning 65 years old to attend a screening appointment at a venue which is convenient for them. I find this role very rewarding as I am providing a service which can make the difference between life and death. An aneurysm occurs as a result of the walls of the artery getting thinner and weaker over time, causing the artery to begin stretching out. This is similar to a balloon that is being inflated. However, this type of aneurysm does not cause symptoms to occur within the body which means that if undetected, the aneurysm would continue to get larger and eventually it would rupture. By using ultrasound to scan and measure the abdominal aorta, I am able to identify when an aneurysm has begun to develop in the abdominal area. When an aneurysm has been identified, the person is enrolled in our screening programme which allows us to monitor the growth of the aneurysm and provide surgical intervention at a time that provides the least risk to the patient. 20

The screening process is very simple and straightforward. The ultrasound scan is similar to a pregnancy scan so the patient can lie down on the couch provided and will only need to lift their shirt up to expose their abdomen. The patients receive their results straight after the scan. Some men look quite anxious when they come in for their scan, but after the scan has been done and they know that there is nothing to worry about, they visibly relax. There have been a few times when I have performed an ultrasound scan and identified a large aneurysm which measures 7.5cm or more. When this occurs, it is essential that I understand

65+ Men A simple scan can tell you if you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is an enlargement of the main blood vessel in the abdomen and if left untreated it can be fatal.

Men aged 65+ are most at risk. NHS screening invitations will be sent to men aged 65 this year and those over 65 can request a scan.

For more information, contact the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes AAA Screening Programme on 01234 792207, visit www.nhs.uk/aaa or talk to your GP

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the correct pathway, as the patient needs to be sent directly to A&E. These instances make me feel very good about the service we are able to provide through our screening programme.

“

Some men look quite anxious when they come in for their scan, but after the scan has been done and they know that there is nothing to worry about, they visibly relax

I feel fortunate that each of my work days is different. I enjoy the variety my role provides as I get to visit different sites each day. I have always enjoyed working with patients and this role allows me to meet a wide variety of different people every day. It is always nice when we receive positive feedback from our patients. For example, one man remarked on his patient survey: “Staff very nice and friendly and gave all information clearly”. Being able to put people at ease and provide a good service makes me feel very proud to be an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Technician.

letter. It can also be quite a struggle to find appropriate venues within our cohort area who are able to provide our programme with rooms to use to carry out our clinics. We do a lot of driving in this role and traffic is not always easy to deal with. However, the positives of this role far outweigh the frustrations and make me feel that I am part of something very worthwhile.

There are some frustrations that come with the role as well. One of the greatest frustrations of my role is the lack of awareness regarding abdominal aneurysms. Many of the men who attend for a screening appointment have never heard of this condition until they received their invitation

Walking has always been a favourite pastime of mine and I like to do a variety of arts, crafts, cooking and baking. My favourite thing to do in my free time is to spend lots of time with my partner, my family and I love spending time with my grandchildren.

”

The team that I work with are in the photo from left to right Michael Wilson – AAA Screening Programme Administrator Jodi Scholes – AAA Screening Technician (myself) Benerdet Woodend – AAA Screening Technician Eleanor Harrison – AAA Screening Programme Manager Karen Fraser – AAA Screening Technician Glen Price – Trainee AAA Screening Technician Rob Clough – AAA Screening Technician

Support at the L&D for carers of those with dementia If you are a carer for someone living with dementia, the Dementia Support Service at the L&D offers the opportunity to visit the carer support room to talk with an Alzheimer’s advisor and discuss any concerns you may have with a Dementia Specialist Nurse. The sessions run between 1pm and 3pm every Tuesday. No appointment is necessary. For further details please contact Yvonne Weldon (pictured left) on 07816 366320 or Louise Brennan on 07526 084816. This is currently only offered on the L&D site. Carer support services at Bedford Hospital are provided via the onsite Carers in Beds Hub. www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

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4,500 staff attend summer wellbeing events More than 4,500 members of staff attended our summer engagements events in July which was fantastic. The events are an opportunity for staff to take a break from their busy day to get involved in the activities and grab a bite to eat. The events were held over two weeks, first at Bedford Hospital, and then at the L&D. The theme of the week this year was ‘Diversity is our Strength’, when we examined the make-up of our organisation and how our own life experiences can influence decisions and perceptions. We looked at all the factors that make us unique as individuals and recognise the impact our different perspectives have on our day-to-day interactions with others. This theme followed on from last year when we acknowledged the individual contribution everybody makes to the safe and successful running of our hospitals, and how everyone plays their part in this incredibly complex organisation. Staff were able to take a break and have some food and meet some of our governors, and other members of the senior leadership team. The next staff engagement events will be held at the beginning of December.

can you spot yourself?… @Bedford site...

ambassador summer 2024

More photos of the summer event @L&D site...

www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk

ambassador summer 2024