Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
Our year in review 2016/17
Review of the Year
Welcome to our review of 2016/17 where we present some of our most memorable events and developments. For more details about our performance and financial information, you’ll find our Annual Report and Accounts on our website http://www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk. You can also keep up to date with NGH news by:
following us on Twitter @NGHNHStrust and liking our Northampton General Hospital Facebook page.
NGH on the telly! During the year we were approached by Two Four, an award-winning production company commissioned by Channel 4 to produce a documentary series explaining and celebrating the work of junior doctors. The four-part series, Confessions of a Junior Doctor, was filmed between August and December and followed ten of our doctors from those straight out of medical school right through to those on the cusp of becoming consultants. When the series was broadcast, we were overwhelmed with messages of support from our local community, including letters, emails and social media comments. It was also very well received by the medical community in the UK who hailed the series as an honest and accurate portrayal of life as a doctor in the NHS. One of the reasons we agreed to take part in Confessions of a Junior Doctor was our pride in the support we give our junior doctors, academically, professionally and pastorally. We recognise that in responding to the sustained pressures across our services, all our staff go above and beyond the call of duty every day. Although the series was looking at the challenges and rewards of being a doctor, it was great to see the warmth and compassion shown by all our staff shine through.
02 â?˜ Our year in review 2016/17
Holly and Fahim are two of our doctors filmed for the series, giving an unprecedented insight into the world of NHS doctors
Our volunteers On World Book Day we launched our Bedside Book Club, a mobile library for our adult in-patients. It followed a town-wide campaign where we asked people living and working in Northampton to donate a copy of their favourite book. Thanks to the support of many Northampton businesses and employers, as well as individual donations, we collected an amazing 5,000 books. We asked for books that reflected Northampton’s favourite reading material: our donations incorporated a rich variety of genres including contemporary fiction, horror, romance, biography, science and nature, short stories and poetry. The library has been extremely well received on the wards taking part and we plan to roll it out to all adult wards before the end of the year.
Volunteer uniform During the year, we introduced a new volunteer uniform to demonstrate that we value our volunteers as well as making it easier for colleagues, patients and visitors to recognise them.
Our volunteers with our new book trolley full of books donated by the public of Northampton. Our single most popular book was Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train.
Our volunteers sit with patients and talk about the books they like to read so they can recommend something from our library.
• Following a number of recruitment events and promotions, we recruited an additional 160 volunteers, an increase of 75 per cent on the previous year. • We ended the year with a volunteer presence in 23 wards and support services. • 237 volunteers received mandatory training and various other bespoke training packages were created.
We launched our patient library on World Book Day at a tea party attended by representatives of all the organisations who supported the book donation campaign: rugby players, police officers, councillors – and of course our volunteers!
Interested in volunteering with us? We have a wide range of volunteering opportunities and you don’t need previous experience in a health setting to volunteer for us. We understand that while some volunteers love working with our patients, others would prefer a different sort of role. Whatever your previous experience, we’d love to hear from you so we can find the perfect role to suit you. Visit our website at www.volunteeratNGH.uk
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Caring for our patients Our employees and volunteers achieved a great deal during the year for the benefit of our patients. Our Chit Chat group was set up as a way of tailoring antenatal education, parenting advice and peer support to pregnant women with additional needs including learning disabilities or anxiety. The safeguarding midwives who set up the group won a host of national awards relating to patient experience and dignity. During the year, we strengthened our support for patients at risk of domestic abuse with the creation of a new role of Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA). Claire, pictured opposite, is employed by Northamptonshire Sunflower Centre and based with us to offer advice and guidance to adults who have experienced domestic abuse and are at risk of injury, harm or homicide.
Helping to make meal times better for patients with dementia
04 â?˜ Our year in review 2016/17
We launched Do It For Dementia as our primary fundraising campaign to help create dementia-friendly spaces and to buy equipment and resources that will help to
reduce confusion, anxiety and distress for patients who have dementia. As part of the Do It For Dementia campaign, a 19-metre reminiscence mural of Abington Park was installed in the corridor to our elderly care wards. The spectacular image also triggers memories using the sense of smell and sound. Noises from the park are played through the corridor and the smell of cut grass can be pumped to transport patients away from the reality of the hospital environment to their memories of the park. During the year, nutrition, catering and nursing staff worked together to create a finger food menu for any patient who has difficulty eating a more conventional hot meal and has particular benefits for patients with dementia. The food boxes, providing a selection of finger foods, meet a calorie count of 400 across the required food groups. The food isn’t wrapped, so it’s easier for patients to pick the food up, and to eat when
they want, not when we say it’s time to eat. It gives them independence to make their own choices around when to eat. It’s also good for our nurses because they can be confident that our patients are getting the right nutrition. We further strengthened the support we give to patients with dementia and their loved ones with to the introduction of John’s Campaign on our adult wards. The aim of John’s Campaign is to give relatives of patients with dementia more involvement in their care when they’re admitted to hospital and this includes acknowledging the need for more flexible visiting times on wards. Carers know all the little things about a patient that can make a big difference to the quality of their care. They know the patient best, they know their routines, what they like and dislike. When we involve carers, the patients are more likely to engage better with their treatment so it can reduce the length of stay. That’s really good news for our patients because it means they can be back at home sooner.
Our award-winning safeguarding midwives supporting women with additional needs
In autumn, we were inundated with donations when we called on local knitters and knitting groups to knit and donate twiddlemuffs to help reduce agitation and restlessness in patients with dementia. A twiddlemuff is a knitted handmuff with bits and bobs like zips and buttons added and incorporating different textures. Dementia can result in restless hands and agitation and twiddlemuffs can provide visual, tactile and sensory stimulation for people with dementia - as well as keeping hands cosy and warm.
In her specialist role, Claire supports patients at risk of harm or abuse
We scooped a prestigious baby-friendly award from children’s rights organisation Unicef. The Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme to improve health care for all mothers and babies.
Our 19-metre mural funded by charity donations
In Northampton, nearly 80 per cent of mothers choose to breastfeed their babies. We know that breastfeeding helps protect babies from a range of illnesses like gastroenteritis, chest infections, and ear infections. The award means we have best practice standards in place to strengthen mother-baby relationships and to support mothers who chose to breastfeed.
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Patient feedback When patients, families and carers give their feedback, we’re able to understand more about what matters to them. A significant amount of the feedback we get from patients is not directly related to the medical or nursing treatment they received, it’s about how we made them feel. We always welcome feedback because it helps us to understand what our patients’ experience was like and how it could be better
This year, we saw sustained improvement and achieved our highest ever score in the national Friends and Family Test (FFT). That’s a survey recording the percentage of patients who would recommend to friends and family the hospital in which they had received treatment. A development for 2016 was our inaugural patient listening event in which we posed the question to a group of former patients and their families: “If you had a magic wand, what changes would you make to improve the experiences of care for other patients and families?” A random selection of 26 patients who were inpatients in May were invited to attend the event with their families.
Our first patient listening event took place during the year
06 ❘ Our year in review 2016/17
The listening event is just one way we used patient feedback to drive
improvements. We started real-time patient surveys on our wards in a bid to ensure that feedback to our wards is timely and meaningful. Using seven pilot wards, we survey patients while they are with us. Once a number of surveys have been completed, a report is created within 24 hours and sent to the ward team. This rapid turnaround from feedback to results means the wards are able to make quick changes, often while patients are still with them! Examples include: • Sleep Well Packs are given to patients on arrival to the ward to promote a good night’s sleep • lamps ordered for side rooms so that patients can read during the night During the year, we became one of only six NHS organisations taking part in a national research project to develop a national toolkit for using patient experience data to improve care. The collaborative research project will examine how frontline hospital staff use patient experience data to improve care. The twoyear project will result in a practical toolkit for the NHS on strategies for making patient experience data more convincing, credible and useful.
Our employees In April 2016, we set a target that at least 10 per cent of our staff should have taken up some of the health and wellbeing initiatives on offer. By the end of the year, 27 per cent of staff had participated in a health and wellbeing initiative approximately 1,355 employees. As part of our health and wellbeing strategy, we identified that one of the key areas of employee support that we needed to focus on was mental wellbeing. This year, alongside our physical activity agenda, we will be doing more to tackle stigma and discrimination associated with mental health. To this end, we have been working with Time to Change, a national campaign run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. In February, we joined the 473 other organisations which have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge, demonstrating our commitment to addressing stigma and discrimination in the workplace. Our pledge is to create a culture where our staff feel they can openly discuss and manage their mental wellbeing. We will raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellbeing at work and provide the resources and tools our staff need to help them lead healthy lives, cope with the daily pressures, have positive relationships and achieve their full potential. During the year we became the first NHS hospital in the UK to sign up to an internationally-recognised programme for nursing and midwifery standards. The Pathway to Excellence programme
recognises hospitals for the quality of patient care and professional satisfaction of the nurses and midwives who work in them. Achieving Pathway to Excellence accreditation mirrors what we’re working to achieve here in Northampton, a culture where our nurses and midwives feel inspired and valued and where we aim to deliver the best possible care for our patients. It opens up exciting new opportunities to learn from a global community of healthcare settings, all Chief executive Dr Sonia Swart signing our Time to Change employer pledge sharing a common aim of achieving excellent standards of care. During the year, we welcomed a group of history-making students who are leading the way in shaping the nursing workforce of the future. Thirty eight nursing associate students were recruited to a landmark pilot scheme, and the group began their studies at the University of Northampton in the Spring. The new nursing associate role is a key part of national plans to create a strong, sustainable Our nursing associates will help shape the future of nursing nursing care in the UK. workforce for employers in the country when it comes to mandatory the future. accreditation of overseas nurses and midwives. The nursing associates will Although the nurses we recruit from abroad are qualified work alongside in their home country, there is another layer of accreditation existing health they have to undertake before they can register to care support practice here, to demonstrate they have the workers and registered necessary clinical skills. We’re on track to nurses to deliver hands-on be the first NHS We are one of only three NHS employers care for patients. hospital in the UK nationally to boast a 100 per cent pass rate to achieve Pathway The strength of the support among its overseas nurses who sit the OSCE to Excellence we give our student nurses examination, a test of competence that must accreditation be passed before a nurse from outside the EEA means we were among (European Economic Area) can practice in the UK. the top-performing NHS
We’re fortunate to have an on-site leisure centre and swimming pool run by our health and wellbeing partner Trilogy Leisure.
During the year, we introduced these epaulettes to recognise our senior staff nurses who have demonstrated their commitment to excellence
Our year in review 2016/17 ❘ 07
Our finances
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM 2016/17 Where the money comes from - 2016/17
NHS (Patient Ca £260,576
Our ongoing challenge is to deliver the best possible care for all our patients within our available resources.
Non-NHS (Patie £2,373
Education, trai
The recurring theme of the year was pressure on the urgent care system and its impact across the hospital. The impact of our urgent care £10,824 pressures reverberated across the hospital, including our financial services. Thanks to the outstanding performance of our finance team, alongside our improving quality and efficiency (IQE) programme and a concerted drive across all departments, we finished the year well within Charitable Con expenditure/do the agreed financial targets. We achieved a year-end position £1.3million better than planned. Acquisitions £1,137
Sustainability & fund income £10,739
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM 2016/17
WHERE THE MONEY GOES Other
Where the money£12,620 goes - 2
Where the money comes from - 2016/17
NHS (Patient Care Activities)
NHS (Patient Care Activities) £260,576 Non-NHS (Patient Care Activities)
Non-NHS (Patient Care Activities) £2,373
MONEY COMES FROM 2016/17
WHERE THE MONEY GOES 2016/17
NHS (Patient Care Activities) £260,576
Non-NHS (Patient Care
Charitable Contributions to Charitable Contributions to expenditure/ expenditure/donations for Capital donations Acquisitions for Capital Acquisitions £1,137
Non-NHS (Patient Care Activities) £2,373
Sustainability & Transformation Fund income Sustainability & Transformation
Education, training and research £10,824
£10,739 Other
Charitable Contributions to expenditure/donations for Capital Acquisitions £1,137
fund income
£260,576K
WHERE THE MONEY GOES 2016/17 Other
Education,Where trainingthe andmoney research £10,824K goes - 2016/17 £12,620 Charitable Contributions to expenditure/ Activities) £260,576K donations for Capital Acquisitions
tivities)
Care Activities) £2,373K Fund income Sustainability & Transformation
search g and Other research
o butions to expenditure/ Capital ital Acquisitions
£10,824K
£1,137K
ransformation Fund income £10,739K ation £12,620K
Staff Costs
Staff Costs £203,764 £1,137K
Staff Costs
£1,137K£203,764
Clinical & Gener Drugs £10,739K £62,926
Establishment, T
including Busine £12,620K £15,320
Other £12,620
Sustainability & Transformation fund income Activities) £2,373K £10,739
es)
£2,373K
Education, training and research Education, training andmoney researchgoes - 2016/17 £10,824K Where the £10,824
the money comes from - 2016/17
NHS (Patient Care Activities)
£260,576K
Clinical Negligen £8,224
Staff Costs
Depreciation, Am Impairments (ne £11,435 Services from NH £4,161
Clinical & General Supplies, including Dr
Other Operating £3,773
Establishment, Transport & Premises, Public Dividend & Finance Costs including Business Rates £3,830
£203,764K * This includes a gain o Clinical Negligence & Other Insurance
Clinical & General Supplies, including Drugs Clinical & General Supplies, including Drugs £62,926K Depreciation, Amortisation & £10,739K £62,926 Establishment, Transport & Premises,Impairments Establishment, Transport & Premises, including Business Rates £12,620K £15,320 including Business Rates £15,320K Clinical Negligence & Other InsuranceServices from NHS & Non-NHS Providers £8,224
Clinical Negligence & Other Insurance £8,224K Depreciation, Amortisation & Other Operating Expenses Impairments (net)* £11,435 Depreciation, Amortisation & Public Services from NHS & Non-NHS Providers £4,161 Impairments Other Operating Expenses £3,773
Dividend Capital, Other Interest & Finance Costs (net)* £11,435K
* This includes a gain of £273k on disposal of assets Services from NHS & Non-NHS Providers £4,161K Public Dividend Capital, Other Interest & Finance Costs (net)* £3,830 Operating Expenses Other
Staff Costs Clinical & General Supplies, including Drugs Establishment, Transport & Premises, including Business Rates 08 ❘ Our year in review 2016/17 Clinical Negligence & Other Insurance
£203,764K * This includes a gain of £273k on disposal of assets Public Dividend Capital, Other Interest & Finance Costs (net)* £62,926K * This includes a gain of £273k on disposal of assets
£15,320K £8,224K
£3,773K
£3,830K