staff magazine | Autumn 2020
Navigating the new normal
Contents
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Junior Doctor Awards
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HoloLens VR
6 Staff engagement during COVID-19 7 Using LIM to help respond to pandemic 8-9
Old Nurse’s Home memories
10-11 Year of the Nurse and Midwife 12
DAISY Awards winners
13 Daring Designers competition 14 Writing the BME experience 5
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‘Mixed reality’ streaming
Old Nurses’ Home memories
15 Psychological support –Catherine Derbyshire 16-17 Leeds Cares COVID-19 response 18 Volunteering during the pandemic – Sarah Rogers 19 Staying connected during lockdown
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DAISY Awards winners
Daring Designer competition
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My Job – Mike Ewens
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Hepatitis outreach
22-25 Farewells Bulletin is produced quarterly by the Communications Department. Photography by Medical Illustration Design by Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd Send your feedback, ideas and suggestions for the next edition to communications.lth@nhs.net or call exts. 64303/66494/66244. Copy deadline is 6th October 2020 For more news on a daily basis from LTHT please follow us on social media: 14
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Writing the BME experience
Staying connected during lockdown
search for ‘Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’
@LeedsHospitals The photos used in this issue of Bulletin portray different uses of face masks and social distancing. This is because they have been taken at different times before and during the pandemic, and reflect the evolving nature of Government advice during this time.
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News
Olivia Smart recognised by football club for dedication on the pitch and on the ward Olivia Smart, Transplant Trainee Surgical Care Practitioner at LTHT, was awarded the prestigious Bobby Collins Unsung Hero Award from Leeds United Football Club in July. As well as Olivia’s busy role in the Trust, she also plays for Leeds United’s women’s football team. The award recognised her contribution to Leeds United football as well as the hard work she has been doing for patients at hospitals in Leeds during the pandemic.
Lead Nurse Sean Willis said: “We are all extremely proud of Olivia for her work on and off the pitch. Leeds United have always supported our work to promote organ donation and transplantation and Olivia is an amazing ambassador for Leeds Teaching Hospitals.” Olivia was invited to an award ceremony at Elland Road to receive the prize during the summer. She is pictured receiving her award with Leeds United Captain Liam Cooper.
Welcome 2020 has been a year like no other. The NHS has faced without a doubt the biggest challenge in all its 72 year history – and it’s fair to say nothing has been untouched – or changed - by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While here in Leeds, we were fortunate enough to not face the sort of numbers seen elsewhere, the toll across the UK as a whole has been huge. Many of us will know friends or family, patients or colleagues who have been affected by the virus in some way, and it’s tragic to know that some people have died from the virus. We will remember them. I’d like to pay special tribute to our colleagues in Cardio-Respiratory and Critical Care for being there for their patients in their last moments when their loved ones could not. This is a burden and responsibility I suspect few of you would have imagined at the outset of this year. To you, I say thank you – thank you for your courage, your compassion, and for being there when no one else could be. It’s clear that the pandemic is far from over, and amidst this uncertainty we are having to adapt the way we approach both our work and our daily lives. This Bulletin is a recognition and a celebration of the ways in which you have risen to the challenge of navigating the new normal. Thank you to all of you for your magnificent work in the face of this unprecedented challenge. Kind regards
Julian Hartley Chief Executive
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Junior Doctors celebrated with annual awards event Junior Doctors at LTHT were recognised for their contributions over 2019 and 2020 with a special Appreciation Event and awards ceremony in July.
Chief Operating Officer; and Dr Phil Wood, Chief Medical Officer, were also in attendance to present awards and congratulate the nominees.
The event was a chance to celebrate the fantastic work of Junior Doctors in Leeds through several different categories, recognising the contributions made in different fields - from quality improvement and teamwork, to teaching and inclusivity.
Chief Executive Julian Hartley said: “There are some magnificent nominations this year that are a true testament to the calibre of our Junior Doctors working in Leeds. The level of excellence, commitment and hard work on show has made me very proud of our medical trainees and their contributions to our hospitals.”
Although a live event was not possible this year due to the pandemic, a pre-
Recognition of Excellence in Team Working WINNER: Lloyd Thomas HIGHLY COMMENDED: Sam Pearson, Rakesh Acharya Basrur, Micheal Taylor.
recorded event allowed the winners to receive their awards either in person or via a video link up. Chief Executive Julian Hartley; Clare Smith,
Recognition of Excellence in Team Working during the Covid-19 pandemic WINNER: Chris Hogg HIGHLY COMMENDED: Lauren Coles, ID & GUM, J7 Team.
Recognition of Excellence in Inclusivity & Diversity
Recognition of Excellent Teaching and Training
WINNER: Ash Birtles HIGHLY COMMENDED: Kate Fenton & Maddy Crow.
WINNER: Omar Jundi HIGHLY COMMENDED: Mayada Elsheikh, Rebecca Powell.
Kate Granger Award: Compassionate Care
Recognition of Excellent Leadership
Recognition of Excellence in Quality Improvement
Recognition of Excellence in Innovation and Research
WINNERS: Chris Saunderson and Ramesh Nadarajah HIGHLY COMMENDED: Rebecca Chave-Cox, Thomas Mackrell, Hannah Elkadi, Jessica Shearer.
WINNER: Alix Fonfe and the Every Drop Counts QI Team HIGHLY COMMENDED: Katherine Godfrey.
WINNER: Bethany Williams WINNER: Alex Butcher HIGHLY COMMENDED: Jennifer HIGHLY COMMENDED: Milly Murira and the Covid-19 West, Ash Birtles. Research Team, Khyatisha Seejore.
Watch the full Junior Doctor Appreciation Event 2020 on the LTHT YouTube channel. 4
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News
‘Mixed reality’ streaming device enables remote medical training during pandemic Medical students at LTHT can continue their hospital-based training during the Covid-19 outbreak thanks to a new headset camera – called HoloLens2 – that live-streams images from a patient’s bedside direct to trainees screens at home or elsewhere on site. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on undergraduate and post-graduate clinical education and training across the NHS because of the need to reduce the spread of the virus through social distancing and to protect patients, staff and medical trainees. Microsoft HoloLens2, a ‘mixed-reality’ device, is being pioneered at LTHT as an innovative solution for delivering remote hospital-based teaching while maintaining a safe clinical environment. The device is a wearable headset that can live-stream clinical situations in a secure format, allowing two-way communication in mixed reality for teaching and training. The innovative functionality of HoloLens2 means that patient consultations, ward rounds or operating theatres can be viewed remotely by trainees to help continue their medical training whilst maintaining social distancing. X-rays, blood results and scans can also be viewed using this technology. Dr Andrew Lewington, Associate Medical Director for Medical Education, together with Dr Shefali Parikh, a Clinical Leadership Fellow in the Medical Education Department, are leading the Trust-wide programme to deliver multi-professional, undergraduate and post-graduate education using this new technology. Virtual ward rounds have now been
officially incorporated into the timetable of student placements in the Leeds Cancer Centre that have re-started after being cancelled due to the pandemic in an area where patients are particularly vulnerable to infection. Dr Lewington said they were delighted with how the new remote teaching device had worked. “It is vital that the training of medical students continues despite the current situation with Covid-19 - this innovative solution protects patients and staff while still delivering student training. “Online resources for medical training have long been required, but their production has rapidly accelerated in light of the impact of Covid-19 and the urgent need for remote education using mixed reality technologies.” Dr Gemma Dart and Dr Dan Lee from
the Leeds Cancer Centre, together with Tobias Mill, a fourth-year medical student, piloted the first remote teaching ward round at the Centre. The experience prompted one patient to say: “It limits the number of people at the bedside which is very important at this current time. This also means it feels more personal during the consultation.” The students were also pleased with the results and have found it a valuable learning experience. “It was a proper teaching ward round - it was tailored to our learning, and very engaging,” said one. Dr Lewington added: “As a group we’ve proved we’re able to combine our broad skills and the resources available to great effect and I’m confident in the ability of this technology to fill the wider clinical skills gap with this remote training.”
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All in it together
How LTHT teams have been staying the course through COVID-19 From wobble rooms to pause buttons, our CSU teams have been innovating fantastic new ways to keep their staff engaged, informed and healthy during lockdown. Here are few of our teams in their own words about what worked well for them.
Women’s Services Sue Gibson, Head of Midwifery, said: “Maintaining the wellbeing of our teams throughout the pandemic has been a big priority. Our Maternity team introduced ‘Wobble Rooms’ at St James’s and the LGI so that staff could have space to recover when things got too much. “Our Professional Midwife Advocate (PMA) team developed a staff support handbook that provided help for dealing with anxiety, and we managed to source special Sanctuary boxes which went into the wobble room and were replenished as required. The PMA team continued with regular visits to the clinical areas to offer pastoral support on an individual basis. “We also made an extra effort to keep teams informed about changes to our services and to make sure staff knew their hard work was being acknowledged. We sent regular email briefings from the Women’s tri-team, whilst our Director of Midwifery held weekly virtual forums for staff in Maternity to check in with any problems or concerns and to ensure they felt as supported as possible with as much information available. “Leeds Cares have also committed to providing a gift for all our community Midwifery staff. Community staff are a huge part of the team and we know you are all working so hard too. “Our staff who were shielding were offered the opportunity to meet regularly virtually as we were aware of the need to support staff who through
no fault of their own were unable to work as normally. “Our third year student midwives also had the opportunity to join a virtual check-in where they could talk to the Director of Midwifery and have a voice for any issues they were having. It was extremely important to the Women’s CSU Triumverate team that our staff felt valued and appreciated, with up to date information in such an unprecedented situation.”
Leeds Children’s Hospital Celia Mckenzie, Deputy Head of Nursing – Leeds Children’s Hospital, said: “At Leeds Children’s hospital we recognised the importance of the health and well-being of our staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our psychology team provided support and tips on coping mechanisms as part of our CSU-wide daily updates. This went down really well and soon became the ‘Pressing the Pause Button’ daily update sent to all staff Trust-wide. “Our daily Covid-19 meeting ensured our staff were kept up-to-date with the impact of the pandemic with all clinical departments represented, allowing us to communicate key updates, changes in policies, and address any issues in a timely fashion. “Our weekly Grand Round went virtual (with regularly over 150 people attending)
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and saw our resident Covid-19 expert Sean O’Riordan providing informative and topical reviews during the height of the pandemic. Regular CSU-wide communication allowed us to disseminate changing clinical practice along with having a topical “Sean says” comment from Dr O’Riordan. “Virtual meetings were adopted throughout by many of our staff teams including admin, allied health professionals, nursing, and medical teams. Our Junior Doctors were able to take ‘Tea with the College Tutor’ – a weekly virtual meeting where they could ask questions. “It was important the support to our teams was not just virtual, and our Matrons did a fantastic job conducting daily walks of each of the wards in their area, seven days a week. Staff were also offered drop-in ‘hubs’ where they could speak to someone face-to-face about any problems they were having. “With help from Leeds Cares we opened our Wellbeing Room in the school room (closed during the pandemic) in June as a space for staff to relax and have a moment away from the wards. This was possible to the generous donations from Leeds Cares and Asda providing products such as colouring and mindfulness books, and a coffee machine and pods.” Join the conversation and share your views on what went well and what can be improved on in the 2020 NHS Staff Survey.
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Using Leeds Improvement Method to respond to the pandemic Mike Philpott, General Manager Pathology, and Helen Gilbert, KPO Lead, explain how the Leeds Improvement Method has supported the Trust’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Leeds Improvement Method (LIM) is an improvement programme which aims to improve the efficiency and flow of LTHT services, with patient and staff experience embedded at the centre of this work. Many teams have continued to use the methodology and skills they have learnt to drive forward improvements during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Improving Covid-19 sample turnaround times “Work carried out collaboratively in Pathology, Emergency & Specialty Medicine, Abdominal Medicine and Surgery and Facilities using the LIM has significantly improved turnaround times for testing Covid-19 samples. “Data at the beginning of April showed that 90% of samples were being turned around by the pathology team within 24 hours. However, when the time from sample taken was included, that figure fell to just 65%. “The LIM work investigated where the significant waiting times were for the samples and worked to remove these to improve the process. Samples were identified as waiting in the areas and departments where they were taken in some cases for over 90 minutes. Clinical teams worked hard to identify staff to move the swabs onto their local pathology department immediately after they have been taken. “When this was audited after the improvement work, the sampling was shown to take an average of 10 minutes
to leave these departments for the pathology lab. “The Transport team significantly increased the number of times they collected from the St James’s Hospital Pathology Lab to every 30 minutes for a run to the Old Medical School at Leeds General Infirmary (where all Covid-19 Swab samples are analysed). This means that the maximum wait time for a sample on the St James’s site has been reduced from over 90 minutes to a maximum of 30 minutes. “Samples taken in A&E at the LGI during the follow-up audit took an average of four minutes to turn around instead of over an hour and a half at the start of the improvement work. This is because a new system for a member of non-clinical staff to walk samples immediately to the pathology lab was introduced. “Overall, turnaround times are currently averaging at 24 hours - 98% and 18 hours - 93% from collection from the patient to results authorisation and release.
additional quality assurance provided by the new Panther machines, the positive results are released directly and therefore contribute further improvements to turnaround times. “By reducing the turnaround time for these samples, we have been able to improve patient flow around our hospitals by ensuring that we know at the earliest opportunity whether a patient is Covid positive or negative and needs to continue being isolated. “This impressive work shows how the Leeds Improvement Method is really making a difference in our hospitals and across the region, as the laboratory team work to support the region in its PHE capacity for Covid-19 testing. Even when faced with the challenges of a global pandemic, our teams are passionate about driving forward improvements for the benefit of patients and staff.”
“Now that the Panther PCR platform is fully operational the 12-hour turnaround times have also been improving and currently stand at around 75%. “The Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW) process identified delays in the release of positive results as these currently require medical authorisation prior to release. With the
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Feature
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Old Nurses Home mem The Trust’s plans for two new hospitals on the Leeds General Infirmary site will mean the demolition of the Old Nurses Home building - one of the first to go when work gets under way later this year. The building dates back to the late 1800s but was officially opened as a nurses home in October 1937 by the Princess Royal. It had room for 150 nurses - with thousands of trainees having passed through its corridors and used its facilities over the years. Starting their nurse training was for many young women their first venture away from their parental home and, for some, moving to Leeds was a daunting prospect. Qualifying and getting a prized Leeds nursing badge and certificate was a real achievement as the training at the city’s hospitals was – and still is - highlyregarded and opened doors to more opportunities in nursing. The past will be making way for the future with the new hospital buildings delivering state-of-the-art facilities in the centre of Leeds, but for many nurses their memories of the Old Nurses Home will never fade. Living in the Nurses Home most definitely had happy memories for Linda Dakin (nee Brown) - it’s where she met her husband John. Linda was just 18 when she left her home in Hull to start her nursing career – 50 years ago this year. She said they used to hold discos in the large TV room at the nurses home and at one of them she met John, her husband of 47 years. “He would meet me at the bottom of the stairs in the entrance hall and bring me back before 10:30pm. If we were late I had to sit in the casualty department and wait for the night warden to let me in.” Her eldest daughter Lucy followed her mother’s career by starting her nurse training when she was 18. She currently works at the LGI as a Cardiac Research Nurse. “It was both scary and exciting seeing Lucy choose a career in nursing as training had changed so much, but it was always wonderful to listen to her experiences and watch her grow in confidence,” said Linda. Edwina Gerry did her training from 1970-
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Feature
mories will never fade
Clockwise from top right: Edwina Gerry; Linda Dakin and daughter Lucy Leese; Pat Taylor; Judith Sugden; Sandy Dalby; Jeanne Cooper.
72 and she was recognised for achieving a high standard of practice by being awarded the Eva Moynihan Gold Medal. She recalls how the friendships blossomed from her first day in the Nurses Home and she’s still in touch with the nurse who was in the first room next to her. “Life felt safe and we were full of expectation for the future. I’m sure our parents were pleased that there was a certain level of care and support for us as we were straight from school and our parental homes into nursing,” she said. Ninety-year-old Jeanne Cooper started her training aged 17 in 1947 before the NHS came into being “You weren’t allowed any men in the home although there was later a “beau’s parlour” where you could take in your boyfriend – but you had to book them in and the sisters were very strict and didn’t allow you to overstay the welcome,” she said. Trainees then had to stay at the Nurses Home for two years. “If you wanted to live outside from your third year you had to get matron’s permission and she was like a stand-in “mother”,” she said.
Sandy Dalby (nee Hargreaves) did her training between 1962-64 and her abiding memory was deciding to sleep on the roof of the Nurses Home one hot summer’s evening with her friends. “It was extremely warm in the rooms and as the roof was only six steps up, we decided to take our mattress and sheets onto the roof where it was cooler,” she said.
“I remember having dances in the hall – and Christmas pantomimes staged and performed by the doctors and ward sisters with in-house jokes and innuendos!” “Only problem was the Town Hall clock striking on the hour – and when we got back indoors we realised the white sheets had black dots on. We hadn’t realised that the soot from the chimneys had dirtied them.”
Pat Taylor is president of the LGI Nurses League, a group of former nurses who keep in touch with eachother through the organisation. She says as nurses had to live in the nurses home for the first two years of training it was like being in a boarding school, but they made life-long friends – many they still see to this day. “I remember having dances in the hall – and Christmas pantomimes staged and performed by the doctors and ward sisters with in-house jokes and innuendos!” Judith Sugden was typical of many trainee nurses who came to Leeds from afar – in her case, from a farm in rural North Yorkshire to the big city. It was daunting, but she soon got used to its rules. “You had to be in bed by 10.30pm and the “Home Sister” would patrol the corridors and listen in to see if there was any talking in the rooms as we sometimes used to meet up in each other’s rooms for a chat. I’ve known some nurses to hide in wardrobes to escape attention. All men had to wait in the Nurses Home Entrance Hall they were not allowed beyond even if it was your father or brother.”
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Year of the Nurse and Midwife Portrait painting by a local artist During Covid-19 many portrait artists around the country joined in with #PortraitsForNHSHeroes which involved painting a free portrait of NHS Key Workers. As part of this, local artist Carol Lay offered to do the piece of art as she could see the huge task the NHS was facing with Covid-19 and wanted to be able to give a little something back. Carol wanted to capture a historical moment in unprecedented times for someone working on the frontline, but also, felt it was good for her to be able to give something back to someone who works at the LGI, after receiving some incredible care over the last few years herself. Carol wanted to say thank you to the NHS. You can see Carol’s other paintings on her Instagram page @bee_busy_art
Celebrating our Nurses and Midwives 2020 is Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year, designated by the World Health Organisation as the first ever global Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Nurses and midwives make up the largest numbers of the NHS workforce - highly-skilled professionals from a host of backgrounds that represent our diverse communities. 2020 is our time to reflect on these skills, the commitment and expert clinical care they bring, and the impact they make on the lives of so many. This year is also an opportunity to say thank you to the professions; to showcase their diverse talents and expertise; and to promote nursing and midwifery as careers with a great deal to offer. Lisa Grant, Chief Nurse, and Sue Gibson, Director of Midwifery, said: “As we celebrate 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of you for your hard work and dedication in providing the highest standards of care to our patients throughout the year.” We celebrated the International Day of the Midwife on 5 May and on 12 May we joined in the celebration of International Nurses Day. This was also the day that we recognised the incredible work of Florence Nightingale on her birthday 200 years ago. When the LGI moved to an impressive new site on Great George Street in 1869, this was designed on the advice of Florence Nightingale. You can see the original plans by visiting our popup Nightingale museum stand at the LGI
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Vicki Bentley, Senior Sister on Ward L16 sent in her picture wearing PPE and her profile as part of Year of the Nurse celebrations which is exactly what the artist Carol was looking for.
Love NHS! As part of the celebrations of International Day of the Nurse a Love NHS Sign was kindly donated by Christmas Decorators for a week for staff to have photo opportunities with it. Teams and individuals were snapped, and selfies taken across the site at St James’s hospital outside the Chapel. It also looked very striking at night all lit up! Pictured here is Lisa Grant, Chief Nurse and Julian Hartley, Chief Executive with some Heads of Nursing next to the sign.
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In the life of a Nurse and Midwife
Cat Balcombe
Hilary Gupte
Georgie Duncan
Esther Nyirangomituje
We asked some of our nurses and midwives a few questions about their job in nursing and midwifery. These are some of the quotes. 1. Why I love my job as a nurse or midwife Cat Balcombe – “It’s really satisfying when staff come to me with ideas for how they can improve patient experience.” Hilary Gupte – “I love being able to make that difference to the experience and care patients and families receive when they need it the most” Georgie Duncan – “Everything we do has a focus on ensuring we do the absolute best for our patients” Laura Jones – “I see ladies from the start of their journey, right through to the end. I feel we are able to make fantastic bonds with our patients” Esther Nyirangomituje – “I love how there is a similarity between teaching, motherhood and nursing”
2. What impact my job has or one thing that I am proud of achieving in my job?
Cat Balcombe – “I was a Nursing Officer in the Army Reserves and most proud to serve on two operational tours in Afghanistan. It was very rewarding watching the Invictus Games and seeing the veterans I had looked after”
Hilary Gupte – “Absolutely do it! It’s an amazing career to be in and I’ve loved each job, city, and hospital I have worked in. Georgie Duncan – “Transforming key nursing paper documents into electronic forms on PPM+. I squealed with excitement when I saw the first one used by a nursing colleague in oncology” Laura Jones – “Positive patient outcomes, having knowledge about your patient is invaluable” Esther Nyirangomituje “Receiving patients with poor health, providing them with care is the most rewarding thrill any health professional can feel. I experience such joyful moments”
3. What would you say to someone considering a career in nursing & midwifery? Cat Balcombe “Nursing careers can offer you flexibility when you need it for family life” Hilary Gupte – “Absolutely do it! It’s an amazing career to be in and I’ve loved each job, city, and hospital I have worked in. Georgie Duncan – There are so many opportunities in nursing and midwifery to transform the way we work” Laura Jones – “I genuinely adore my job, don’t get me wrong the hard days are the absolute worst, but the joyous times are priceless, and I encourage anybody to consider a career in midwifery” Esther Nyirangomituje – “If you have the caring attitude, nursing career is a fantastic professional area where the most significant pride anchors in the impact you make on others”
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Celebrating our nurses and midwives through the DAISY Foundation More members of LTHT staff have been chosen as the winners of an international nurse and midwife scheme. The Trust is proud to be partnered with the DAISY Foundation to honour the compassionate care of extraordinary nurses and midwives in Leeds. These are some of the comments from the winning nominations.
Karen Waterhouse
Hollie Bishop
Rachel Gallagher, a nurse on Cardiac ICU Ward L4, “Rachel made what was a really hard time for me a million times easier and has no idea how fabulous she is. I will never be able to thank her enough.” Karen Waterhouse in Surgical Preassessment at LGI ““I am grateful to have had such a strong and competent manager during this time and want her to be recognised for what she does and how she goes above and beyond for her team at all times.” Faye Johnson on Ward J09 “Faye is a great leader whose positive attitude is contagious to those around her. Faye is a true example of the Leeds Way and we feel that she should be recognised through DAISY for all her invaluable contributions to nursing and team building.” Hollie Bishop, a midwife at St James’s, “Hollie’s demeanour was so warm and welcoming, I was instantly at ease with her and a rapport was soon to follow. Faye Johnson
Hollie spoke to me in a manner that was relatable, supportive, and uplifting. Her manner alone empowered me to have the skills and mental outlook to continue. She is a credit to the Trust and a fantastic midwife!” Carla Smith, a nurse L3 (Intensive Care) at LGI, “It felt like she put her heart and soul in to caring for my cousin in his last hours in a very personal and professional Rachel Gallagher
way, we will remain forever touched by Carla’s kindness and care” Samantha Saunders, a nurse in Rheumatology at Chapel Allerton, “Her positive, caring, and supportive guidance made such a difference in my mental and psychological wellbeing in the first few months of diagnosis, she is an incredibly compassionate nurse, who has helped me, be me again.” Hannah Done, a nurse L03 in Critical Care at LGI, “A true credit to this trust and a real ambassador for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. People like this are the real heroes in life. Thank you, Hannah.” Gail Stones, a Sister J20, at St James’ Hospital, “Gail has gone above and beyond in helping to set up the COVID19 drive through to allow the public to be tested. She has been paramount in supporting people being swabbed to help ease their fears and set a shining example to her team” Anyone who would like to say ‘thank you’ by sharing a story of how a nurse or midwife in Leeds has made a difference that they will never forget can make a DAISY award nomination via: www. leedsth.nhs.uk/daisy or completing a nomination form from one of the hospital reception desks. Anyone can nominate – including colleagues!
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News
Daring Designers get creative on the design of the new Leeds Children’s Hospital What do pizza ovens, pirate ships and beds like cars have in common?
We’ve been seeking input on the design from patients, families and others with an interest in the new hospitals. If you would like to give your feedback on how we can ensure our new hospitals provide the best healthcare environment for our patients and staff please email futurehospitalsleeds@nhs.net.
They’re all fantastic ideas suggested by some of the children and young people who entered a creative competition – Daring Designers – to share their vision for the design of the new Leeds Children’s Hospital. From poems and pictures, to Lego models and Minecraft videos, we received more than 130 competition entries, each with fantastic ideas on what the new Leeds Children’s Hospital should include. Choosing the winners and runners-up was very difficult but we were delighted to award an Amazon voucher to our Daring Designers below: Under 8: winner Violet Grace and runners-up Isaac and Ruby. 8 – 12 years: winner Isla and runners-up Sam and Mia. 13 – 18 years: winner Isabelle and runners-up Danial and Ella and Isobel. The new children’s hospital, and a new adults’ hospital are part of a Under 8 Runner-up Isaac (aged 7).
development to be built at Leeds General Infirmary called Hospitals of the Future. They will provide patients from Leeds, West Yorkshire and further afield with state of the art facilities that support the most advanced treatment and care.
In the meantime, here is a selection of our Daring Designers fantastic creations.
The Trust is currently preparing a Design Brief for the new hospitals, which sets out everything from our technical requirements for the size and layout of the clinical spaces to our digital ambitions and how the hospital environment should look and feel. Later this year, we’ll be using the Design Brief in a design competition to help us select the architect and designers that will work on the Hospitals of the Future development. 8-12 runner-up, Mia (aged 12)
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Amplifying voices, Mending divides A new anthology of stories and reflections looks to address race inequalities in the NHS The LTHT BME Staff Network is collating a new anthology of stories that will epitomise the lived experience of BME staff and perspectives from non-BME colleagues across LTHT. The anthology comes at a pertinent time in the wake of COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd, two tragic events that have highlighted that all voices need to be heard and acted upon in order to successfully address current race disparities. Ester Jamera, Co-Chair of the BME Staff Network and Oncology Outpatients Sister, explains what the anthology sets out to achieve:
The idea for the anthology came about because there is a richness in people’s stories that I believe can help us to progress the race equality agenda across all levels of our organisation. “The UK’s population demographic is in sharp contrast with the composition of the NHS workforce, which reveals the reliance of the NHS on overseas and BME staff. Approximately 20% of the NHS workforce is BME. This is considerably higher than the UK’s 13% BME population according to the 2011 census. Management and senior leadership in the NHS is overwhelmingly non-BME.
Ester Jamera, Co-Chair of the BME Staff Network
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Unfortunately, this means the disproportionate experience of BME staff is not well understood by those in positions of power. “I have been honoured to hear the inequalities and struggles our BME colleagues are coping with on a daily basis. I have also had life-changing conversations with my non-BME colleagues. The idea for the anthology came about because there is a richness in people’s stories that I believe can help us to progress the race equality agenda across all levels of our organisation. This new anthology will aim to bring BME and non-BME staff to a mutual understanding and stir all of us to action to build genuine supportive relationships with each other to make LTHT the best place to work for all staff and for all our patients to receive care. “The Network recently posted a call-out for contributors for the book from both BME and non-BME colleagues to reflect the broad impact and array of experiences of race and racism that COVID-19 and George Floyd’s death has brought to light. The finished collection will act both as a snapshot of a historical moment and a valuable resource for colleagues now and for future generations. I hope you will join me in looking forward to reading and engaging with the wealth of perspectives this new anthology will showcase.”
An excerpt from the anthology: “Talking of cultural differences, we tend to have high respect for our seniors and elders. In the workplace this hinders us from raising issues of discontent against our colleagues and managers. We are generally not reporters. We even blame ourselves or accept less hoping someone in power would soon realise from our hard work and quiet disposition and think differently about us. Instead we are assumed to be stupid, to have no voice, no brains and no feelings. At the same time, we continue to hope that good will eventually prevail. Again, unfortunately, it does not. It seems there is no compassion for BME staff. By the time the situation becomes unbearable for us, and we let it out, the injustices would have accumulated so much. We are in turn blamed for not reporting the matter early enough. It is a no-win situation with our culture”. BME Allied Health Professional
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Psychological support during Covid-19 LTHT has always recognised that its staff work in a stressful environment and will need mental health and wellbeing support – even more so during the Covid-19 outbreak.
For those who couldn’t make faceto-face meetings the Trust provided support staff for direct telephone and online engagement.
Dr Catherine Derbyshire
The Trust acted quickly very early on in the outbreak by setting up drop-in hubs for staff to talk to a professional about any health and wellbeing issues with which they needed support. They have included anything from sessions on how to cope with the stress of delivering care to very sick patients, or the emotional impact of the multiple changes staff were encountering within the workplace.
The Psychology team have been sending out a daily bulletin message which has included providing advice on coping mechanisms and how to maintain their mental wellbeing during stressful times. ‘Pressing the Pause Button’ allowed staff to take five minutes out of their day to check in with the emotional wellbeing, watch videos and read tips on breathing exercises, methods to manage anxiety, and ways to sleep better. Dr Catherine Derbyshire, Head of Neuropsychology at LTHT, said one of the successes was in making a psychologist available to each of the clinical units across its hospitals. “It
has allowed staff more direct access to health and wellbeing support but also enabled them to work in teams and talk about and problem-solve issues,” she said. “There’s no doubt from the feedback we have been receiving that people have found the services we provided during this unprecedented health emergency very helpful. We will be looking at many of the things we have been doing to help staff during the Covid-19 outbreak and considering what can be carried forward.”
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News
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Leeds Cares Fundraising Heroes Here are some of the amazing fundraisers who have gone above and beyond to raise funds for our charity, Leeds Cares during the coronavirus pandemic! Penny’s pedal power! Five-year-old Penny rode her bike 100 miles throughout May to raise funds for Leeds Cares to support patients at Leeds Children’s Hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. Remarkably, Penny only learned to ride her bike just five days before starting her challenge! After passing her initial £100 target in her first day, Penny has raised a fantastic £1,471!
80 miles for 80-year-old Grace “Amazing Grace” Burns celebrated her 80th birthday in style during lockdown, by completing an epic 80-mile running challenge to support cancer patients like herself. Grace raised an incredible £2,339 in aid of Leeds Cares for her chosen cause, Breast Cancer Action – a community group that works to support research into breast cancer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals!
Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara raise over £10,000 for Leeds Cares The Bradford based religious group generously donated £10,000 to Leeds Cares ‘Support Your NHS Hospitals’ Appeal to help support staff, patients, and families at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust during COVID-19.
Donations support COVID-19 research Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, with the University of Leeds, launched a COVID-19 research study in June, supported by Leeds Cares. Studies in patients with systemic sclerosis and lupus have shown how the body’s immune response affects how these diseases progress. Leeds Cares has funded a £10,000 BioBank to store blood samples from patients with these conditions who have tested positive for COVID-19.
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Director of Operations, LTHT Research and Innovation, Dr Christopher Herbert said: “This research is key to understanding why some people are affected more badly by COVID-19 than others. This would not have happened without the support of Leeds Cares and we would like to thank supporters for donating to the charity.” The funding was assisted through two generous corporate donations; £3,200 from technology firm Big Change and £3,200 from property company Town Centre Securities.
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News
Families make use of new bedside furniture at Leeds Children’s Hospital New mum Laura Marsden spent over eight weeks on ward L42, Leeds Children’s Hospital, with five-monthold Reggie. Reggie was diagnosed with Necrotising Enterocolitis, a condition that can cause parts of the bowel to die. To save his small intestine, Reggie had 70% of it removed over four operations. New child friendly furniture was purchased thanks to funds raised by readers of Leeds United fanzine The Square Ball over Christmas. The Signed Centenary Shirt Raffle raised an incredible £30,000 in support of Leeds Children’s Hospital.
Leeds Cares fundraisers taking care of our NHS heroes
“CoaguChek devices have been a lifeline to those patients shielding”
Thanks to generous donations during this unprecedented time, Leeds Cares have been able to support the well-being of staff throughout.
Thanks to donations, patients at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust shielding due to COVID-19 have been able to continue monitoring and testing their bloods safely within their homes.
Unused visitor rooms have been transformed into well-being rooms, for staff to take a few moments out of their busy days to switch off from the outside world.
Leeds Cares funded over £3,000 for CoaguChek home testing devices which are designed for patients who have been diagnosed with reoccurring Thrombosis or clotting.
Assistance has been provided at the heart of the COVID-19 wards, with toiletry packs distributed for staff to freshen up after long shifts in Critical Care Pods. Staff in Leeds and Harrogate were also provided with fresh fruit and vegetables, as part of a national campaign to provide high quality produce to frontline workers. Leeds Cares is proud to have supported this initiative with a donation of £10,000.
Jude braves the shave 10-year-old Jude Ashton knew he wanted to do something to help the NHS frontline staff in their fight against Coronavirus. The brave Yorkshire lad decided to shave his head and raised a fantastic £300 for Leeds Cares! His mum Ellen has Lupus, a long-term auto immune disease and is high risk during the pandemic so the whole family had to isolate.
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News
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Volunteering during the pandemic Sarah Rogers, Volunteer Service Manager, highlights the role of LTHT volunteers in supporting services during the pandemic. “We took the decision to stand down our volunteers six days before the Government announced lockdown measures. It wasn’t easy, but we knew we had to act fast and decisively to protect the safety of our patients, staff, and volunteers. “Within a month, we brought some volunteers back as we realised that we needed their support for vulnerable patients who were heavily affected by social isolation. With visiting suspended, our volunteers stepped in by delivering letters from patients’ loved ones, distributing ipads and ipods to the wards so patients could have video calls with their friends and family, and setting up a drive though property collection service for bereaved families. They also helped Leeds Cares to distribute donated items to staff to help boost their health and wellbeing. “We set up Volunteering Hubs at two of our hospitals to help us check in with volunteers frequently so they could share concerns and feedback. The hubs also helped us to centrally coordinate activities for volunteers, and they could come back after finishing a task and take a break. We kept our numbers low, maintaining a low footfall around the hospitals and avoiding clinical areas. We took advice from our Infection
Prevention Team and ensured PPE was available. Volunteers were encouraged to access the staff psychological support service if they needed it, and they also had access to Covid-19 testing thankfully they all remained healthy whilst volunteering. “There is one activity that I hope will continue - volunteers writing cards for bereaved families who have lost a loved one since March. Inside the card, volunteers share their condolences with family members, invite them to contact our specialist bereavement nurse, and provide details of where they can get support and counselling if needed. We’ve received lots of positive feedback for this initiative and families felt grateful that someone had written to show them kindness at this difficult time in their life. “In total, over four months, our 38 volunteers gave 1590 hours which has made a real difference to patients, staff and visitors. We’ve also fast tracked our recruitment process by doing ID and DBS checks online. Before the pandemic, on average it would take 108 days for volunteers to start, whereas now, it only takes 17 days. That’s a huge difference! “1,900 letters have been delivered by volunteers and more than 700 cards have been sent to deceased patients’ families. It’s great to be able to demonstrate the impact of volunteer led initiatives and design and organise
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projects successfully and sustainably. “Before the pandemic, I felt I was very distant to our volunteers as the location of our office meant I was physically removed and had little connection with them. The pandemic has allowed me to see just how important volunteering is and the big part it plays in volunteers’ lives. It also offers an important way for volunteers to show their commitment to the local community. “It would be wrong to say that the experience has been easy. From the beginning, not only I, but the whole volunteering team felt very anxious and for a while we were in limbo. The months ahead won’t be rosy with the addition of winter pressures, but I’m confident that with all the hard work that we are doing, we will be able to weather the storm. More than ever I am enjoying my job and the new challenges, and I feel satisfied that I have done my best and feel very lucky to support our volunteers.”
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News
Staying connected How LTHT teams have been helping patients and families keep in touch despite the pandemic.
Letters to Loved Ones The Letters to Loved Ones initiative from our Patient Experience team has gone down incredibly well with our patients and their families as a way of keeping in touch during suspended visiting. Letters to Loved Ones was as simple as sending a message to a dedicated email address - a team of staff and volunteers would then print, seal and hand-deliver the message to an inpatient staying on one of the wards at LTHT. Since the initiative launched, the Patient Experience team and volunteers have hand-delivered almost 2,000 letters to
patients from their friends and relatives. Volunteers at LTHT as well as from Leeds Libraries have also been writing generic letters to patients who may not have family, or who hadn’t received letters.
as well as arranging video calls via a communication app on an iPod given to every ward.
Since then, the ‘To Loved Ones’ initiative has expanded to include transferring patient belongings from home to ward,
Mortuary Hearts Specialist Nurse Sam Oakes and the Mortuary team have been providing pairs of knitted hearts to bring some comfort to bereaved families. One heart is given to the patient by the Mortuary team and the funeral director gives the other heart to their family or loved one. The note from the Mortuary team that accompanies the heart reads “This heart is part of a pair; just a little token to show we care. We have given the other to your loved one. We hope this brings you some comfort at this difficult time.” The team have received feedback from
relatives which includes: “It is lovely. We couldn’t dress her in her own clothes, but this is something that we will cherish and save.”, “A very big thank you for the thoughtful note and hearts you sent me with my mother. It is very
much appreciated,” and “Thank you, this means the world.” These comments really show what a difference this is making to families at this difficult time when they cannot visit our Chapels of Rest.
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My Job
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Dr Michael Ewens What else have you done in your career so far? I was a Clinical Leadership Fellow for the academic year 2019/20. This enabled me to see how a large health organisation is structured. This has improved my understanding on how my future role as a Consultant can impact the Trust I work in. I enjoyed being a Peer Mentor for an interim FY1 Doctor last year, and I’m currently looking at how I can share what I have learned from my leadership experience with other trainees.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Chief Registrar and ST5 Registrar in Sexual Health & HIV Medicine, has worked for the Trust for 6 years Summarise the main aspects of your role?
Every day is different. Sometimes just having a chat with a patient and taking the time to listen can make the biggest difference.
What is the one thing you would change at LTHT to help you do your job better?
Sexual Health offers me the chance to help some of the most vulnerable in society: teenagers, the elderly, people who inject drugs, and the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities. Health promotion is at the heart of my job, as well as treating sexually transmitted infections and the medical comorbidities that can result.
Tricky one! Engaging trainees to feel a part of LTHT would help disseminate information easier (as Chief Reg), and hopefully encourage them to want to stay as Consultants, Associate Specialists, or GPs in the region.
I am privileged to be able to actively recruit into trials, and teach an array of health professionals about STIs. I have a keen interest in improving the quality of care we give to patients.
What’s your best advice to a new starter at the Trust?
As Chief Registrar, my main role is to listen to the concerns of Junior Doctors and act as an advocate for all non-Consultant grade doctors. My main aim is to increase the visibility of the role, and help disseminate opportunities to trainees through the Junior Doctor Body, including management, research, and quality improvement.
Enjoy your time here. It is truly amazing. Once you are settled into your area of work there are so many opportunities for you to be involved with the wider Trust, including the BAME and LGBTQ+ Networks, the Junior Doctor Body, Leeds Improvement Method, and more!
Employee Support Fund helps staff through financial hardship The Employee Support Fund was set up to support staff who may be experiencing financial hardship. It has always been available for staff across the Trust to access, but has recently been supported by an additional £25,000 grant from Leeds Cares, given by NHS Charities Together. Leeds Cares has since provided an additional £10,000 top-up donation, allowing the fund to support even more people. Between June and August, 57 applications
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to the fund had been approved by the review panel and support grants have been provided that totalled nearly £26,000. One beneficiary said: “The fact that you were there, without judging me, has lifted a tremendous weight off my shoulders. I cannot thank you enough.” If any LTHT member of staff has faced a change in financial circumstances recently - perhaps as a result of COVID-19 or otherwise - the Employee Support Fund
exists to help that colleague through it. Anyone can apply, including bank and locum staff, as long as they currently work at one of the LTHT hospital sites. Applications for the fund can be made by emailing leedsth-tr.humanresources@nhs. net or there is an application form on the Health and Wellbeing area of the Intranet. Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and will always remain entirely confidential.
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News
StaffConnect – Let’s stay connected StaffConnect is the new communications app for LTHT, available to all colleagues. All staff will have already received an email with instructions on how to download the app and log in.
Why an app?
Hepatitis C outreach team help Leeds homeless during lockdown Through collaboration between teams from Bevan Healthcare, The Hepatitis C Trust, and LTHT, support was provided for vulnerable people with Hepatitis C in Leeds during the pandemic.
to a unique set of circumstances which enabled the Leeds Viral Hepatitis team to take their outreach service directly to vulnerable and homeless people in Leeds.
Together, this outreach team has been testing groups of vulnerable and homeless people who had been housed in temporary accommodation around the city due to lockdown.
“During the pandemic this group have been housed in temporary accommodation meaning that the team could find patients who previously had not engaged with testing or treatment for Hepatitis C. This has only been possible through multiagency collaboration between LTHT, The Hepatitis C Trust and the Bevan HealthCare Street outreach team.”
Using a mobile clinic, the teams travelled to different hotels and hostels around the city to carry out Hepatitis C tests. On these days around 20 to 30 people met with the team to be tested and some individuals were soon later able to start their Hepatitis C treatment to cure them of the virus. Clinical Nurse Specialists Tracey Stirrup and Elizabeth Nother from LTHT have both been a key part of this collaborative outreach work which has seen a major step forward to eliminate the virus in vulnerable communities in Leeds. The initiative was supported by charity Leeds Cares, with individuals who were tested on the day also receiving a care package donated by the charity. Tracey Stirrup Clinical Nurse Specialist said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has led
It is estimated that 143,000 people in the UK are living with Hepatitis C, a bloodborne virus which can cause serious and even fatal damage to the liver if left untreated, among other health impacts. Despite this, around two-thirds of those with hepatitis C are living with an undiagnosed infection. The most common route of transmission is through sharing equipment for injecting drugs.
When we have talked to colleagues about what could be improved in LTHT internal communications, people have always highlighted not being able to read emails or access a PC and getting too much information that is not relevant. StaffConnect allows internal communications to be much more accessible and makes more targeted, personalised content.
What can I do on StaffConnect? With the launch of StaffConnect, staff will be able to use their Trust or personal smart phone or their desktop to access to all the latest Trust news usually received via email, including Intouch and Start the Week. Staff will also be able to access more personalised information from their CSU or corporate team in the My Community feed, once this is up and running. Staff will be able to ask a question, comment on a story or tag a colleague to get the conversation going.
Why don’t you give it a try? There are other functionalities to explore within StaffConnect, including a section for events, a dedicated survey area and an area to store frequently accessed documents that can be shared within a team. Feedback is invited through commenting on one of the posts or by answering some of the questions in the survey section of the app.
Since 2015, Hepatitis C treatments with short durations, limited side-effects and cure rates upwards of 95% have been widely available. The UK is committed to eliminate Hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030 at the latest.
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Farewell
| www.leedsth.nhs.uk
Gill Howard
Deborah Mercer Deborah started her nurse training at the Trust in 1981, living in the Old Nurses’ Home at Saint James’s, present day Trust HQ. She spent her whole 39 year career at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. making a huge contribution to innovative nursing practice within the Emergency Department and the development of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner training.
Happy retirement to Gill Howard who was a Specialist Pharmacy Technician managing the ward stock distribution service at the LGI. Gill had worked within MMPS for 34 years and enjoyed a small gathering with her fantastic team at MRDU. Gill planned to retire in March this year and moved her plans back to continue to support the Pharmacy team eventually retiring in July. Gill will be greatly missed by all her friends and colleagues who wish her all the best in her retirement. The team would like to say thank you to the MRDU team for making her send-off so special. Gill received many lovely gifts including a garden seat on which she now can spend many relaxing days drinking her pink gin!
Deborah’s knowledge and expertise was second to none within the Trust. Following the birth of her children she returned to a role within the Clinical Site Management team and becoming Team Leader for a number of years, before retiring and returning part time to the role of CSM. She will always be known as the ‘Winter Planning Queen’ through her meticulous attention to detail. Her planning was remarkable and she often worked well into the night to meet deadlines and ensure challenges were met. This year in 2020, Deborah finally made the decision to retire fully from the Trust due to ill health and to enjoy her time with her family and friends, and to take the time to do all the things retired ladies need to do. The respect the CSM team have for Deborah as a person is immense. There are many people over the years who she has developed and shaped into leaders of the future. Her colleagues wish her happiness in her retirement and are planning lots of lunch dates to catch up when she’s not out enjoying the countryside in her camper van with the family.
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Helen Inns Helen Inns Advanced (Senior) Biomedical Scientist retired from Microbiology in June after 38 years of service to the NHS. Her career started in Haematology at LGI in 1982. She changed discipline to Microbiology in 1987 taking up a post St Luke’s Hospital Bradford. In 1991 she moved to Microbiology at LTHT to her senior role, working at St James’s and LGI. During this time Helen has helped develop the service and made a significant contribution in the development of our current BMS staff. Helen’s dedication, work ethic and breadth of knowledge will be missed as will her ever supportive nature.
Graham Hartley Graham commenced in the Data Quality department in 2008, a very different change in direction from his former career. When Graham left university he became a research development engineer and was a school teacher for design and technology for 20 years in Goole Humberside. In 2008 he decided to take a very different change in his career when he retired from teaching and joined the Data Quality Department at LTHT. Graham’s teaching skills were an asset not only to the complex investigative work the DQ team carry out but also assisting with the training of staff. Graham was a valued member of the team and will be missed, but the time is right for him and his colleagues all wish him the very best in his retirement as now he will have more time to enjoy his passion outside of work which is taking part in historical re-enactments - the English Civil War which Graham takes an active part in and travels all around the UK to take part. There was one occasion at work when Graham asked to use the telephone - he was ringing the police regarding a gun. As you can imagine all ears pricked up. The explanation Graham gave was that he was in charge of transporting the cannon and required police interaction – phew!
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Farewell
A fond farewell to our long-serving staff Jo Caldicott
John Toolan
Jo Caldicott retired in June after joining MMPS as Head of Nursing in 2003 following a varied nursing career. There was a socially distant MS Teams leaving presentation. Jo left with the following parting words: “I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the kind words and generous gifts that I have received for my retirement this week. It has been an absolute pleasure (well most of the time) working within MMPS. I love the diversity of the people that I work with and have built wonderful friendships over the many years. You all inspired me to make LTHT a safer place for staff and patients. I still firmly believe we do this every day! It is now time for new adventures, as I am beginning to look and think like a pharmacist! I wish you all future happiness and many great adventures.” MMPS wishes Jo a long and happy retirement.
John Toolan has worked as Senior Nurse in the Clinical Immunology and Allergy Department, Beckett Wing, St James’s, since 1995, having previously worked as staff nurse in liver transplantation, intensive care, neuro-medicine and neonatal nursing in Leeds since qualifying at St James’s when part of Leeds Eastern Area Health Authority.
Kevin Stainsby The Estates and Facilities team would like to take the opportunity to thank Kevin Stainsby, CCTV Controller, for his 33 years of service and contribution to the Facilities Hub and the Trust. Kevin retired in August and his team would like to wish him a very long, happy and healthy retirement: “All the very best for the future and stay safe.” Kevin is pictured on the right with his Team Co-ordinator, Helen Connolly.
Yvette Oade Dr Yvette Oade, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, retired from her role at LTHT in April. Yvette began her career in medicine as a trainee in 1984, taking on various posts in Wakefield, Leeds, Salford, Blackburn and Manchester. She became Consultant Paediatrician, with a special interest in Paediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology in 1993. Her career over the next 20 years saw Yvette go on to become Associate Medical Director of Children’s and Women’s Services and then Executive Medical Director at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. Yvette first took up the role of Chief Medical Officer at Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust in 2011, before joining LTHT in that same role in 2013. During her time at LTHT, Yvette’s leadership and influence has been outstanding. Her contribution to developing and embedding positive culture has been hugely significant and she has acted as a role model for staff across the organisation. In particular her development of Clinical Leaders in CSUs has been influential in transforming clinical engagement across the Trust.
John was a founding member of and instrumental in formalising the national Immunology Nurses Group in 1997, acting as president and treasurer. He has been active on the international nurse’s network, spending time as treasurer and event organiser. John has spoken at conferences both nationally and internationally in relation to immunology and allergy. He was involved locally with the development of guidelines and protocols which supported Leeds becoming an accredited Immunology and Allergy Centre. Since working in Clinical Immunology and Allergy, John has studied for a BA in Humanities and Social Studies, an MA in Social and Cultural History and qualified as a non-medical prescriber. John has taken the service forward, including planning patient days for a variety of conditions. He will be very much missed by the many patients he has cared for and supported within the service over the years and also by his friends and colleagues, not only within Immunology but the wider LTHT community also. His colleagues wish him a long and happy retirement.
Yvette’s focus on high quality teaching has transformed the reputation of LTHT as a Teaching Hospital, leading to major improvements in the quality of the medical educational programmes. Research has also flourished under Yvette’s stewardship thanks to strong relationships fostered with university partners. A socially-distant retirement presentation with colleagues from across the Trust prompted many heartfelt comments that spoke highly of Yvette’s many credentials, including her faultless work ethic, impressive organisation, and courage in making difficult decisions and upholding the highest standards of personal conduct and behaviour among colleagues. Her colleagues wish her the very best for the future.
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Farewell
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Julie Crouch Julie Crouch started her nurse training in 1984 and following this worked in various wards including cardiology. She then started her midwifery training in 1991. A fantastic midwife, she has worked on delivery suite, postnatal and antenatal wards before her long stint on maternity assessment at St James’s.
Judi Hooley Judi Hooley retired in February after a 40 year career as a specialist radiographer in radionuclide therapy (nuclear medicine). Remarkably, all of those years were spent working at LTHT, from her start as a trainee up to heading the RNT team first at Cookridge and then at St James’s. Judi has treated many patients with thyroid cancer in that time and remembers most names still! Judi’s small team had such a wonderful working relationship and friendship under her wing and they will miss her greatly. Judi is now volunteering for a gardening charity and enjoying time with her sons.
Kevin Reed Kevin has retired from the Facilities portering team after 33 years working for the Trust. Kevin was a wellknown figure within the portering team and has seen many changes over the years, as well as within his own management team. Kevin enjoyed his role within the portering team and more recently was working closely with the night teams. Kevin is wished lots of luck in his retirement from the portering and management team as well as many other members of staff who have known Kevin over the years: “Good luck Kevin and enjoy your retirement.”
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Julie’s retirement gift request was that we all collect pants and bras for a charity called ‘Smalls for all’ which provides underwear for women and young girls in Africa, the grand total being 369 pants and 90 bras. Julie was amazed with this and was very grateful to all who contributed. Her team also spoilt her with a gift voucher, fruit trees and a nice send-off. She now has time to be with her family Darrell, Alex and George as well as attend her allotment plant trees and admire her chickens, as well as time for keeping up with her many friends. Julie’s team said: “Thank you Julie for your years of giving amazing care to women and their babies and being an amazing friend and work colleague.”
Kathleen Flunt In August 2020 MMPS said goodbye to Kathleen Flunt, Business Manager. Kathleen started work at St James’s in 1991 as a Quality Assurance Manager in sterile services and then moving on to Production Manager for St James’s and Seacroft Hospital. In August 2002 Kathleen successfully applied to become a project manager for Medicines Management Strategy where she led on a medicines management project for four days a week and on the remaining day she acted as professional secretary to the Decontamination Action Group and in 2003 became the new business manager in Pharmacy, probably the longest serving business manager in the Trust! For the past 17 years Kath has worked tirelessly in MMPS and her work ethic was exemplary. Kath quite simply is a “gem” - people who don’t know her think she is quiet but her close colleagues knew her wicked sense of humour. Out of work Kath plays the violin to a high standard (grade 5), she loves travelling - particularly cruises – needlework, and she is also a budding thespian and enjoys acting at her local Theatre company. Retirement will give Kathleen lots more time to enjoy these.
www.leedsth.nhs.uk |
Farewell
A fond farewell to our long-serving staff Majorie Allen
Linda Bailey
Liz Kay
Majorie is a dedicated and loyal Registered Nurse at LTHT where she has cared for patients spanning a 40 year career period. Majorie has worked tirelessly, starting out as an Enrolled Nurse on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit where she cared for very poorly adults and children. In the late 90s she graduated as a Registered General Nurse and became a Staff Nurse on the same unit. It was caring for children on the unit that inspired Majorie to train as a Registered Sick Children’s Nurse, gaining this qualification at the turn of the millennium.
Our dear colleague Linda Bailey retired at the start of the pandemic and uncertainty on 1 April 2020 a day before her birthday. Linda started with the Trust as a Domestic Assistant in 1988 before moving to Therapies in 2002 and since then has been a major part of Adult Therapies Reception team at Chapel Allerton. Linda’s colleagues miss her kindness, humour, radiant smile, tales of long country walks, family updates, and her time given to both her admin and clinical colleagues. Linda cared a great deal for the patients attending their appointments and made sure they were well looked after. Her colleagues can’t wait to celebrate with Linda when they can do so safely!
In April MMPS wished Professor Liz Kay a happy retirement through a virtual presentation. Liz was a registered pharmacist who had worked in a number of roles across Leeds before taking on the position of Chief Pharmacist / Clinical Director when the Trust merged in 1999.
The early 00s saw Majorie return to caring for adults, as an acting F Grade on the Haematology Day Unit. It was from here that Majorie first turned to research as a possible future career, and one that she has never left. She became a Haematology Research Sister in 2003, and a couple of years later she returned to her love of caring for children as a Research Sister in Paediatric Oncology. Not one to stand still for long, Majorie joined a brand new Children’s Research Team in 2010, caring for research participants who were not oncology patients. In the last 5 years, Majorie has been back at University and studied hard to gain her PG Cert in Clinical Research Methods, and has also led on a long term follow up study as a secondment at the University of Leeds. Majorie knows lots of people at LTHT; it is not uncommon for her to pass someone that she knows as soon as she steps her foot out of the office. She is an inspiration to her team and a loyal staff member at LTHT.
Nina Tate Nina Tate, Staff Side council administrator, retired on 31 March. Her team had planned to give her a huge send-off but as she is over 70, she was advised to work her remaining days from home and sadly had to cancel her leaving lunch. Nina started as an administrator for Staff Side council over 20 years ago. Nina has been a real asset ensuring the smooth running of Staff Side council during those years. Nina has been a much-valued member of staff supporting both Staff Side and the HR team for a vast number of years. Her organisational skills are exceptional and she is unflappable in any given situation and always helpful when anything is asked of her.
During Liz’s 22 years as Clinical Director, she has led the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Pharmacy Services to become one of the leading pharmacy services in the world. Since retiring Liz has been busy leading the pharmacy service at the Nightingale Hospital Harrogate. Her MMPS team we would like to say thanks to Liz, for her hard work and commitment to patient care and service improvement, which has made a lasting and beneficial impact to LTHT patients and staff alike. Her colleagues wish her all the best in her retirement and future endeavours.
Mary O’Kane Consultant Dietitian Mary O’Kane retired in June after 39 years’ NHS service, 37 of which have been at LTHT. She has had a very successful career regionally, nationally and internationally which in 2016 led to Mary being awarded Fellowship of the British Dietetic Association, at the time one of less than 100 Dietitians in the BDA’s entire history. Head of Dietetics Tracy Clephan comments that “Mary has been a credit to Dietetics and the Trust and as an honorary contact holder we know that we will not lose Mary’s expertise completely as she mentors and supports other professions within the field of obesity. We wish Mary a very happy and healthy future. She has definitely earned it!”
Nina always remains calm and professional and is very highly thought of by both Trade Union reps and senior management team. always does everything with a smile and nothing is ever too much trouble. Her colleagues will miss her tremendously and would like to thank her for all her hard work and support and hope that she enjoys a well-deserved retirement and look forward to a celebration in the future.
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ADVERTORIAL
Attention Key Workers! Gateways School are offering Sixth Form Foundation Scholarships for children of Key Workers As a thank you to Key Workers, Gateways School are offering a limited number of Sixth Form scholarships for daughters of Key Workers wanting to study A Levels from September 2020. The scholarships are means-tested and will last for the duration of the A Level course (2 years). Gateway’s 6th Form is a single-sex girls only environment, known for its small class sizes and personalised education. With the average A Level class size of around just 4, every pupil receives individual attention throughout the duration of their course. The pupils also benefit from many leadership opportunities as the role models of the school and they have the opportunity to be involved in organizing whole school events and taking part in a range of extracurricular activities. Visit our website gatewaysschool.co.uk/news for more information or call Admissions on 0113 288 6345. Please note: This offer is only open to girls; we cannot accept applications from boys as our 6th form is a single sex, girls only environment. There are limited scholarships available so please register your interest asap! Visit our website for Ts and Cs.
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Leeds Homeshare – live well at home Would you or a family member benefit from support with everyday tasks such as cleaning, cooking or gardening? If you have a spare room, Leeds Homeshare could help find a Caring Sharer to stay with you in your home. Sharers provide up to 10 hours support a week, plus peace of mind from having someone at home overnight. Our careful matching process includes references, DBS checks and ongoing support. Leeds Homeshare is part of Leeds City Council. The service is free to the householder, and sharers pay a monthly fee of up to £200.
Please ring 0113 3785410 Or Email Homeshare@Leeds.gov.uk Internet search: “Leeds Homeshare” 29
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