Lincolnshire Wire Summer 2015

For staff, patients, GPs, volunteers and all local people

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Thanks to Jane from all at ULHT

summer 2015

Beyond Good

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Contents

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New projects agreed for 2015/16 National recognition for LiA; ‘Improving the adult social care pathway’ Your chance to say thank you to hospital stars September, Urology Awareness Month

Message from Jane Lewington

Jane Lewington, Chief Executive

As I leave the Trust I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all the staff and our patients who have made my five years at ULHT such a memorable time.

Over the years I have witnessed many changes within the organisation however the one thing that has remained constant throughout is the dedication, passion and enthusiasm of our staff, who are always willing to go above and beyond what is expected of them to deliver high quality care for our patients.

Although I am sad to be leaving the organisation, I can take comfort that the good work that led to us coming out of special measures earlier this year will continue with the appointment of Kevin Turner, currently my deputy, as interim CEO and Dr Suneil Kapadia as interim deputy CEO. Their focus will be on our continued drive to move beyond good, deliver our challenging agenda and complete the development of our clinical strategy.

We know there is still a lot that we need to do. Moving forwards our priority as a Trust is to work on attracting and retaining more staff at the Trust, delivering our cost improvement plans to ensure we meet our forecast deficit for the year and working closely with the Lincolnshire Health and Care team on the sustainability of our services.

I am also excited to announce we have entered into a partnership with other NHS trusts to further improve how we engage with staff.

The Trust has joined a staff engagement collaborative to support our ambition to ‘create the conditions for our staff to achieve their best’. The collaborative will lead to positive changes in the way the Trust engages staff.

As part of our plans to go Beyond Good, we have sought to learn from other provider NHS Trusts where staff feel valued, supported and their voices heard.

Listening into Action has built a fabulous foundation and the work of LiA will continue as the Trust adopts the ULH way and listens to and acts on what staff say.

I am really proud of all that LiA has achieved. This isn’t the end of LiA but the start of an exciting new phase of staff engagement. Look out for more updates on this in the coming months.

Jane Lewington, Chief Executive

Why appraisals matter Our target is for 95% of staff to have an annual appraisal. This wasn’t a one off target last year, it is our target every year.

Appraisals aren’t a tick in a box exercise, they are vital for the safety and development of every member of staff. Managers must appraise their staff each and every year.

The Trust has made great strides in increasing the number of staff who are appraised each year, but some areas are still way below the average. Appraisal really matters because:

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As an appraisee make sure you: • Ask for an appraisal with your manager each year – contact HR if there are any problems.

• Use the appraisal checklist to prepare beforehand. You can find the checklist on the appraisals site on the intranet.

• Actively contribute to the appraisal discussion so you feel you have a proper say about your job.

As an appraiser make sure you:

• We all need feedback on how we are doing our jobs.

• Appraise everyone in your team each year.

• We need to be able to agree clear objectives for our work.

• Use the most up to date documentation.

• Appraisal gives us an opportunity to agree our training and development needs.

• Complete the forms as soon as possible after each appraisal.

• Research suggests that trusts with high appraisal rates deliver better quality patient care.

• Having an appraisal is your right

• Use the appraisal reporting link on the home page of the internet to report each appraisal completed.

For more information, go to http://ulhintranet/appraisals

Appraising my staff really helps improve patient care - “Happy staff stay” Julie Record, a sister on ward 2, a general surgery and orthopaedic ward, at Grantham shares how she and her patients benefit from her staff being appraised.

Julie’s appraisal rate is 98%. Every month, she’s put up a list of the appraisals due.

What are the benefits of appraisals?

“I find that my staff like having them. I spend time with my staff.

We get a cup of tea, talk about what’s important, what they have achieved, their objectives and what support they want from me. It’s their time, not mine.

Staff feel valued and happy. If staff are happy and they get everything they need, they’ll stay.”

What benefits are there to patients?

“For me, as well as staff being satisfied and content, I am assured that they are out there delivering good care to patients.

If happy staff deliver good care to

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so that you are treated equally and fairly.

patients, then patients and their families are also happy and I know I’ve done my job well. I need to see my patients are well looked after.

Staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction go together like pieces of a jigsaw.”

What would you say to managers to encourage them to appraise staff?

“I know managers often struggle to find the time to appraise all their staff.

It’s hard when you’re busy but it’s so important. Spend a little time away from work. It shows you care.

I have a happy content ward, and I think appraising all my staff each year really contributes to this.”

Beyond Good

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Listening into Action Improving Time To Care – what you told us Pauleen Pratt, Acting Chief Nurse, in partnership with Listening into Action has held a number of sessions on each site for nurses to come and have their say about how to improve the Improving Time To Care (ITTC) nurse rostering process.

The sessions covered three themes:

with the name of the ward coordinator.

This will mean that when any porter arrives on a ward they will know which member of staff they need to liaise with when moving patients.

A Listening into Action local team has been set up at Grantham to improve communication between the porters and ward staff to ensure that the porters time is used more efficiently and effectively to help enhance the patient journey.

• What currently works well • Frustrations of staff • Proposed changes staff would like implemented The top five priorities that staff raised were:

• Ensuring forms are completed properly – porters have now started to phone the ward to confirm patient requirements before going onto the ward.

The team identified the following issues that can lead to delays in the patient journey:

1. We want to be able to request days off and days on.

2. We want to be able to self-roster following set standards.

• Porters being called to ward when the patient or staff are not ready.

3. We want an agreement on the maximum number of hours we can work in excess of our weekly contract.

• Porters not always being acknowledged on the ward by staff.

4. We want short shifts to be changed to 7.5hrs.

5. We want the e-roster policy to be followed e.g. staff to have days off prior to annual leave.

All the feedback from the ITTC sessions was presented to the ITTC forum who are currently reviewing the issues raised and developing action plans around addressing issues where possible.

Two quick wins that have been identified by staff have already been agreed by the ITTC forum, these are around allowing staff to have days off before annual leave and staff being able to request the days off and days on shift.

Ian Warren, Director of HR, has already met with ward leaders at Lincoln to work together on addressing these issues and will be meeting with sisters at Pilgrim to gain their feedback. This will also feed into the quality improvement work around safe staffing and recruiting more nurses to the Trust to fill vacant posts.

Grantham porters working together to make the patient journey better

• Porters not being informed of patient requirements, such as oxygen, chair, bed.

• Forms not being completed properly to provide porters with the correct information before moving a patient.

The team undertook an audit of 100 patient journeys in April and May. From this they found that they move approximately 446 patients a week and there was on average a seven minute delay on patient-related moves. Based on these findings the team worked out that 3,112 minutes of porters time could be spent more effectively supporting the hospital and ward staff if these delays were avoided.

The team is hoping to improve these issues by: • Being better acknowledged on the ward. The team has asked ward staff to ensure that the ward information boards are updated on a daily basis

• The team is also looking at ways to improving communication to reduce unnecessary delays. The porters are now recording the name of the member of staff who books the job and the patient’s name to ensure they have all the information before going to the ward.

The team presented their findings at a ward leaders meeting in June. The feedback from the leaders was very positive and they asked the LiA team to hold a further event to share their findings with all ward staff at Grantham to ensure everyone is aware the steps the team is making to avoid delays.

Quick win One of the problems that was identified by the LiA team is that porters struggled to get through doors around the site with cages and wheelchairs.

The team contacted estates and facilities who have installed magnetic door hold devices on the doors to medical records to ensure that porters can safely and easily move equipment through the doors.

Beyond good – Triple focus for 2015/16 In July, Trust Board approved a single plan to improve quality, finance, performance, and recruitment and retention. This is our Beyond Good plan for 2015/16.

To realise the goal of becoming Beyond Good we need to make big improvements this year in all four areas. This combined approach is to ensure we don’t negatively affect one area by improving another.

A new improvement board called the Portfolio Improvement Board has been set up to oversee the four programmes of work. Following the

success of the approach to deliver the quality improvement plan last year, we are setting up the same programme approach. This board will also review progress on the Clinical Strategy and service delivery improvements

Recovery of our finances, delivering quality services and meeting important constitutional targets and a major focus on recruitment and retention are our big priorities for this year.

Our Beyond Good work will feed into a Lincolnshire recovery programme work, where all NHS organisations and Lincolnshire

County Council are working together to improve quality, finances, constitutional standards and leadership, OD and workforce.

By working together we can do more.

We are still continuing many of the quality improvement projects of last year. We have made good progress but more work needs to be carried out to further and embed improvements, and we need the same focus on finance and performance this year too.

No one person, one action or project will get us there. We all have to do our bit. summer 2015

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Our hospitals highlights

Be Proud. Make a Difference

National recognition for LiA: ‘Improving the adult social care pathway’ A novel electronic system developed

by ULHT to improve patient referrals has been showcased at an international forum on quality and safety. ‘eReferral’ is a web-based application which uses electronic forms to improve the referral process between healthcare professionals. The scheme was initially piloted on the cardiology unit at Pilgrim hospital by Dr Jonathan Man and ICT to enable quick and easy requests for cardiology reviews. It was then rolled out to all specialties across the Trust and now the first external system has been established by the Listening into Action (LiA) ‘reducing

bureaucracy’ team.

The LiA team worked with ICT, Greetwell ward at Lincoln and Lincolnshire adult social care to adapt ‘eReferral’ to provide an updated, modern referral system for patients ready to leave acute hospital but who need further social care.

The old paper form was converted to the electronic system with email notifications received by the social care team to instigate timely discharge plans.

1,968 electronic forms were submitted between February 2014 and April 2015. The time taken to complete the referral form

has reduced by 80%. The application is now being used by wards across the Trust. Dr Man presented the successes of the project at the British Medical Journal (BMJ) / Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in London in April.

Dr Man said: “This is the result of a successful multi-team collaboration within ULHT and externally with the Lincolnshire adult social care team. It’s an extrapolation from the eReferral inpatient system and has led to significant improvements in how we refer patients to social work.”

Our star recruitment team working hard to attract staff The Trust is working hard to recruit staff locally, regionally and nationally. Our recruitment and retention plan includes local and national recruitment fairs, and going big on advertising.

The Trust has a large number of registered

nurse and therapy vacancies, and this work is key in filling vacancies to maintain the safety of our services and keep the spend on agency staff low.

and also the Lincolnshire Show. Jenny Creasey and Rachelle Cryan have been leading the work, and potential staff have been finding it difficult to say no to them!

A driven and enthusiastic team from the Trust have been to Glasgow and Birmingham Royal College of Nursing fairs,

Birmingham went really well. There were 1,200 people – 300 on day one and 900 on day two, who attended and came to speak to staff at the stands. We expect a handful of people to apply straight away to posts and many more took away details. The team had quality conversations with people wanting to find out more about working for the Trust.

The team also plans to attend London and Manchester recruitment fairs in autumn.

Rachelle said: “We have attended other fairs recently and we have held successful open days at our hospitals which have resulted in appointments being made. We have achieved similar success at Birmingham and let people know what a great place Lincolnshire is to work and live.”

At Pilgrim Hospital, Boston in June we interviewed seven qualified nurses at an event and offered them posts on the day, subject to satisfactory references. Again, at Grantham on Saturday 27 June we appointed two qualified nurses and received completed applications from ten healthcare support workers. We have done the same for Lincoln County Hospital.

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Our hospitals highlights

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Clinician in the spotlight... …Dr David O’Brien What made you want to become a consultant cardiologist?

I have always liked working in an acute medical specialty, especially where I felt that an immediate intervention or treatment could make a massive difference to the patient very quickly. I find it very rewarding to see patients getting better, literally in front of my eyes. I enjoy being able to perform practical procedures, but never wanted to do surgery as such, so cardiology offered me a good mix of both acute medicine and technical procedures in one specialty.

It is both a very busy and sometimes highly stressful specialty, especially in the middle of the night performing a primary angioplasty, (where a balloon and stent are used to open a blocked artery) in a patient suffering an acute heart attack, or following a cardiac arrest! Looking back, would I have chosen something else? Never.

Since the opening of the Lincolnshire Heart Centre, a centralised service for the treatment of heart attack patients, the service has exceeded all national targets, including for access times and safety.

Mortality: 30 day mortality rate for 2014/15 is 5.7%, against a national average of 8.1% and 7.9% for other cardiac centres.

Before 2013 the mortality rate was 10% (13% for the east coast)

artery), which is a huge achievement for the centre given the very challenging rural geography and the limited road infrastructure in Lincolnshire.

Has this been recognised in the form of any awards?

The Lincolnshire Heart Centre was recognised for its achievement by winning the ‘Achieving Excellence’ award in the first ULHT staff awards in 2014. The centre also made the final shortlist in the National Patient Safety Awards in London out of a very competitive cardiology field.

My biggest professional achievement to date has been the opening of the Lincolnshire Heart Centre and launching our primary angioplasty service. This is a dedicated stateof-the-art facility to treat people who are having a heart attack, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, wherever they live in Lincolnshire. The centre also provides all invasive cardiac investigations, including currently providing the majority of permanent pacemaker implants for the county.

We aim to improve the standard of cardiac care across the whole county, and my next major challenge is to ensure equality of access to these invasive services for the population of Lincolnshire, wherever they live or whichever hospital site in the Trust they present. We have to continue to develop and expand our cardiac imaging facilities and expertise across the Trust to ensure we cope with future demand, and to streamline our outpatient cardiac services given the ever-increasing number of referrals we receive.

What impact has this had on patients?

We have also continued to outperform national metrics in terms of call to balloon times (the time taken from calling 999 to having a balloon inflated to unblock the

I have now taken on the clinical director post for the new Trustwide cardiology and cardiac physiology department. We are joining together the three separate services and Lincoln, Pilgrim and Grantham sites to become a Trustwide specialty. I am very excited to develop ‘ULHT cardiology’ as a service that is recognised for high quality care and best practice, and importantly a department where people want to come to work, and join our team of enthusiastic and highly motivated individuals. In the future we hope to build on our existing service by expanding the variety of procedures that we are able to perform locally for patients with cardiac disease.

We already offer complex interventional procedures such as coronary rotational atherectomy (often likened to a diamond tipped drill) to treat very heavily hardened or calcified vessels and intracoronary laser to enable us to treat very hardened narrowings in the heart arteries that cannot be stretched open with a balloon. We have just started a programme to tackle some of the most difficult and chronically blocked arteries to improve the quality of life for patients with these conditions.

What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

This new service has impacted significantly on people’s lives. All our data is recorded centrally in the Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project (MINAP). The Lincolnshire Heart Centre has seen some of the best door to balloon times (the time taken from arrival at our front door to having a balloon inflated to open a blocked artery responsible for a heart attack) in the East Midlands and indeed the country.

This is mainly due to its purpose built design which places the ambulance entrance just next to the catheter laboratory.

What are you hoping to do in the future?

Our innovative way of working has been presented at a number of national and international meetings, and has been featured in official publications including the MINAP report and also cited by NICE. A number of other centres and regions have also expressed an interest in replicating the service – The Welsh Assembly is planning to model their service for North Wales on our service.

This is great recognition for what the Trust does in Lincolnshire.

Hopefully our vision to develop a complex device service will also be realised in the near future. This will allow us to implant specialised pacemaker type devices to help patients with the most severe forms of heart failure, including internal defibrillators to treat patients with abnormal heart rhythms and prevent cardiac arrest.

Cardiology is a very evidence-based and rapidly expanding field of medicine, with frequent technological advances. This shows no signs of slowing down and there still remain many challenges for the future! summer 2015

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Celebrating our staff

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Your chance to say thank you to hospital stars Staff and teams who show excellence in quality of care, innovation and team working now have the chance to be recognised for everything they do.

The Trust’s staff awards 2016 nominations are now open, and for the first time nominations will be open all year round.

This means that staff and teams who go above and beyond at any time of year can

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be recognised for their excellence at the awards ceremony in early 2016.

Staff, patients and the public all have the chance to put in a nomination to reward those they believe are the best in their field, who have provided excellent care and support, who have shown great leadership or teamwork or demonstrated compassion and respect towards others.

Other categories open for nominations include the unsung hero award, the partnership working award, innovation award and volunteer of the year.

For the full list of categories and to nominate someone for an award, please fill in an application on our website, on the staff intranet or find a paper copy in our wards and departments.

Changing our NHS

Be Proud. Make a Difference

ULHT finalising the future options for our hospitals In September, ULHT will make recommendations to Lincolnshire commissioners through Lincolnshire Health and Care (LHAC) on our preferred options for the future of emergency and women’s and children’s services. This will also include our preferred hospital location for the specialist emergency centre (SEC).

The process is now developing at pace.

Our clinicians and managers have been working hard to evaluate all the options in the best interests of Lincolnshire people, as well as considering the financial impacts. We held a successful event with clinical staff and managers in Sleaford on 16 July to sense check the progress so far.

In August, recommendations made by the Clinical Strategy Implementation Group (CSIG), which is chaired by medical director, Dr Suneil Kapadia, will go to Clinical Executive Committee (CEC) and then to Trust Board for their consideration and approval in September.

The LHAC programme asked ULHT to lead on developing options for hospital services, but the decision on what to put forward to public consultation lies with the commissioners. LHAC will take the lead on a more extensive options appraisal involving a wider stakeholder group including service users.

Why do ULHT services need to change?

Our services are now safe. But they will become unsafe if we don’t change soon. We will not be able to keep safe in the future.

This is due to a number of reasons but mainly because we don’t have the right numbers of staff and mix of staff and estates to meet future clinical standards. These are standards set by royal colleges such as Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The NHS also doesn’t have enough money to meet current and future standards by delivering services in the way they are currently being delivered.

We want services to be clinically and financially viable for the future. We cannot have one without the other.

We want all hospitals and services in Lincolnshire to be safe and viable. This isn’t about making one hospital a super centre, but ensuring all our hospitals do more of what they do well, and stop what can be done better elsewhere. This

won’t be easy but will be done in the best interests of our patients.

This means that those who need specialised treatment will get safe, high quality care at the best hospital, but not always their nearest hospital.

These changes will lead to better health outcomes, quicker access, fewer cancellations, fewer deaths and better hospitals for the people of Lincolnshire. For our staff it means working in more effective teams, being better supported and having a nicer working environment.

Options being considered We are considering four options, with minimal change being discounted for the reasons above.

Option 0:

Minimal change

Option 1 • Specialist emergency centre at Pilgrim • Women’s and children’s services at Pilgrim only • Emergency centre (includes A&E) at Lincoln • Bespoke model at Grantham

Option 2 • Specialist emergency centre at Lincoln • Women’s and children’s services at Lincoln only • Emergency centre (includes A&E) at Pilgrim • Bespoke only model at Grantham

Option 3 • Specialist emergency centre at Pilgrim • Emergency centre (includes A&E) at Lincoln • Women’s and children’s services at both Pilgrim and Lincoln • Bespoke model at Grantham

Option 4 • Specialist emergency centre at Lincoln • Emergency centre (includes A&E) at Pilgrim • Women’s and children’s services at both Pilgrim and Lincoln • Bespoke model at Grantham Each specialist emergency centre and emergency centre would have an urgent care centre at the front door which would be see most patients with minor illness and injuries who walked in.

Timeline ULHT Board decision – 3 September LHAC publish strategic outline case (SOC) – 8 September SOC goes through NHS England gateway for government sign off by 30 September Public consultation to start by 1 December 2015 Frequently asked questions Has a decision already been made?

No decisions have been made. Final proposals will be made with the public being involved. At time of writing in July, ULHT was still developing options and engaging staff and public in shaping services and looking at locations.

Our recommendations will be considered by LHAC. Their options will then be consulted on in a county-wide campaign throughout winter.

What are the benefits of Lincolnshire having an SEC? SEC refers to the hospital and the range of services provided. A SEC hospital will have emergency care consultants on site 24/7, while other specialist consultants in a broad range of conditions will offer services seven days a week.

Lincolnshire having a SEC would mean fewer patients have to travel outside of the county for treatment. The status of a SEC will help us attract and retain more staff.

Who has been involved in CSIG work?

Members of CSIG include medical staff, senior nurses, executive team, finance, HR and corporate support. The strategy worksteam groups, led by Dr Neill Hepburn (emergency care) and Dr Shirine Boardman (women and children’s) have engaged a wider group of clinical and support staff.

We have also been engaging patients through the Trust’s membership, seeking their views to shape the options.

What will the consultation involve?

This is being led by LHAC. We expect the consultation will be widespread. A wide number of methods will be used to maximise opportunities for people to have their say. This will be via surveys, social media and public debates. We will be working with LHAC to promote the case for change and raise awareness of the consultation.

When will a final decision be made?

Following consultation, LHAC will need to consider public views when finalising options.

The final report is expected to be published in spring/ summer 2016. summer 2015

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In the spotlight

Be Proud. Make a Difference

“Getting out of special measures wasn’t just the best day at ULHT, it was the best day of my career!”

Before she retires from the Trust, we spoke to Chief Executive Jane Lewington about her time here and her plans for the future.

Jane has worked at the Trust since December 2010, first as the Director of Strategy and Performance before becoming chief executive in 2012. She joined the Trust from North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus, where she was Chief Executive for 10 years. Prior to this, Jane enjoyed a career spanning a broad range of health care services in Lincolnshire.

1. What does a chief executive do?

Can you describe a typical day?

It’s quite chaotic and can be unpredictable.

One of the things that you can differentiate working at board level is that I can spend quite a lot of time working externally with the commissioners, Health Education England, the local authority and our health partners.

Most of my time is spent focussing on the key objectives for the Trust and how we are going to achieve them.

Over the last two years, I have spent the majority of my time directly working on the quality improvements that the Trust is making.

2. Why did you choose to work at ULHT? I joined the Trust in December 2010 and at that point I had been out of hospital working for 10 years. So after 10 years in commissioning, I wanted to come back to health provision. I had always enjoyed working in acute hospitals. I knew there were some big challenges that the Trust faced but you always want to believe you can make a difference and I believed I could. It’s also my local acute trust so that was a factor in coming here.

3. What has been your best moment at ULHT? What are you most proud of?

Without a shadow of a doubt, getting out of special measures. Everybody was so focused, and put quality and safety at the heart of everything we do. To get the feedback that we did from the CQC was amazing. It wasn’t just the best day at ULHT, it was the best day of my career!

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4. What have been the biggest changes since then?

There’s been a big shift in what’s at the heart of the organisation. The safety and quality of care is our number one priority and I think that’s a journey we have been on together. Our mantra is quality and safety, you can’t keep saying it, you have to deliver on it. We have made a £6m investment in additional nursing and made major changes in how we deliver care with projects such as the Lincolnshire Heart Centre and stroke services.

The real change has been in frontline services.

We know that change is challenging but from the last Listening into Action Pulse Check, staff are feeling more engaged and happier about being at ULHT. Personally it is incredibly important how we support and engage staff and give them the tools to change the everyday things that get in the way. I hope that has come across as central to the ethos of everything I do. It’s not the people at the top who understand what is getting in the way. The people on the frontline have the answers.

5. Where do you think the organisation’s strengths lie?

In its staff, without a doubt. If you think back to when things have been the most challenging, we have seen lots of change.

The staff keep going and they work hard, delivering the best quality care that they can deliver.

6. What do you think the organisation’s biggest challenge is?

The shortage of key staff, and not just in nursing, remains the biggest challenge.

It is happening nationally. There aren’t enough people going through training and the challenge for the Trust is to be innovative about how we support our staff through sponsoring work placements and apprenticeships.

We have made a lot of progress but it remains a challenge.

7. What would you say to someone who was considering working for ULHT? Come and join us! What I like about ULHT is the amount of opportunity. People forget how big the organisation is. If you put together all the services we provide, there is a lot of opportunity to develop your career.

You’re joining an organisation committed to helping you develop.

Yes, we’ve got challenges, but we see our staff as key to changes.

8. What will you miss the most about ULHT? It’s always the people you miss. I will miss the complexity of challenges that face ULHT - there are many different challenges at the same time and there isn’t one answer. I think any leader would enjoy it and I would tell them to continue to change the culture of engaging staff. Don’t forget the people, put them at the centre.

9. What would you like to be remembered for at ULHT? As someone who was approachable, valued the work staff do and someone who wanted to make a difference.

10. What are your plans after you leave ULHT? Collapsing in a heap for about six weeks! I’ve loved the challenge but the sheer geography of Lincolnshire can be tiring.

I am not fully retiring. I will be spending more time with my husband whose health is not good, even though he won’t be able to stand having me at home all the time. I am hoping to do some part time work within the health care system.

11. What is your message to the staff at ULHT? Don’t be afraid to speak up! Do get involved in how we change delivering care. It’s the small changes you can make that make a difference. The big stuff has an impact but it’s the small improvements day in, day out, that make a difference moving forward.

In the spotlight

Be Proud. Make a Difference

On the spot…

Favourite food?

Chocolate. I gave up smoking eight years ago after 30 years and have replaced it with chocolate.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I like Tom Odell but the main person I listen to the most is Cat Stevens.

If you were having a dinner party which three people would you invite and why?

Ben Zander, author of The Art of Possibility, Tim Sanders, former Yahoo executive and Desmond Tutu. These people are all about, and are great believers in, the celebration of the human spirit.

Who inspires you?

My dad! Simply because he was one of the nicest people I ever met. I was very close to my dad. I always saw him as a role model.

He always told me to treat people how I would want to be treated.

If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you take?

Solar panel, set of power tools, and a compass. I presume there will be trees and I would use the solar panel to power the tools to build a boat and then use the compass to navigate my way out.

What do you like to do with your spare time?

Garden, garden and garden, particularly vegetables. I prefer to be outside, I hate house work!

What three things would your friends or colleagues say about you?

My family would say I am incredibly stubborn. I hope they would say I was supportive and approachable.

First record In 1964 – I bought Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas, Little Children. I got some money at Christmas and went with my mum to buy it.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Donegal, Ireland. My husband and I spent many happy holidays there. It’s right on the Atlantic sea and it has some of the best beaches with no-one on them.

ULHT in the news Featured on the Grantham Journal and Boston Standard websites.

Pilgrim consultant is awarded the MBE for child protection A consultant paediatrician at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital, Dr Margaret Crawford, has been awarded the MBE for her child protection role across Lincolnshire. Dr Crawford joined Pilgrim in 1983 and, as well as seeing young patients at the children’s ward in Boston, she runs clinics in Grantham and Skegness.

Featured on the Lincolnite and Lincolnshire Echo websites.

Nominations open for Lincolnshire hospital staff heroes Members of the public, patients and carers are being invited to nominate unsung heroes who have gone the extra mile in their work at Lincolnshire’s hospitals.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has opened nominations for its annual Staff Awards to celebrate the achievements of hospital staff who have shown commitment to providing high quality care in the county.

Featured on the Lincolnite.

Lincoln hospital clinic makeover completed in £500k revamp One of the busiest clinics at Lincoln County Hospital has undergone a major refurbishment as part of an overall £500,000 investment in the outpatients department.

Clinic 11, which can treat up to 180 patients a session with orthopaedic ailments, has seen a range of improvements including improved lighting and signage, as well as upgrades to all clinical rooms with new desks and couches.

Featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire and on the Lincolnite.

and Nicola join the team at Lincoln County Hospital Two new consultants at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust have joined the team at Lincoln County Hospital.

Husband and wife, consultant orthopaedic surgeon Tom Southorn and acute medicine consultant Nicola Hemmingway have both joined the Trust in the past few months lending their expertise to orthopaedics and the medical emergency admissions unit (MEAU) respectively.

Top tweets Ward3B-PHB @TeamWard3BULHT

Overwhelmed by our local community support in volunteering to make fiddle blankets for our patients. Thank you so much ☺ patientopinion @patientopinion “I had #cancer. Now I haven’t. Thank you.” Lincoln Hospital @ULHTpatients https://www.patientopinion.org.uk/ opinions/231109 ClaytonWardULHT @ TeamClaytonULHT @ULHTNews have #90kin90days campaign to engage staff with small measures to save money #wenurses

Children give Lincolnshire hospitals a high rating in first national survey Children who used Lincolnshire hospital services last year have rated the trust which runs them as higher than the national average.

Dagma Neal @DagmaNeal

Some 115 young people aged 8 to 15 who stayed at Lincoln County Hospital or Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, and were discharged during August 2014, responded to the first national survey carried out by the Care Quality Commission.

NHS United Lincs ‫@‏‬ULHTNews Deputy nurse @NegusJennie presented to health scrutiny on great progress we’ve made with handling complaints and our award nomination

Those who completed the survey rated their experiences overall at 86% compared to the national average of 84%.

Featured on the Lincolnshire Echo website and on BBC Look North and BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

Husband and wife consultants Tom

@EyesNurse @pmjp97 @sandralynn67 @ULHTNews it’s amazing what simple changes can do, save money + maintains quality of patient care

Emma @Emsus1979 Three drs treated my ill little girl today with great care & me with understanding. Thanks @ULHTpatients.

And it was all free. ❤ the #NHS.

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About our members

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Me and

you Michael, a member of the Trust and Ian, facilities manager at Grantham hospital, talk about their shared experience of working together.

Michael Cassidy, Trust member

I have recently taken part in the patient-led assessment of the care environment (PLACE) programme for the Trust for the third year in a row.

PLACE is a programme of visits that patient representatives make to wards and departments across the hospitals. We are required to give an outsider’s opinion on the standards of cleanliness and tidiness, privacy and dignity, the state of equipment and the serving of food among other things.

I was given a form to fill in, which is quite prescriptive because PLACE is a national programme. It requires us to note our first impressions of each area we visit, as well as looking in depth at levels of cleanliness and every other aspect of how the care environment looks, feels and operates.

We make up a team to carry out the inspections, with a couple of patient representatives and some staff members. This year I joined Ian on an inspection of Ward 1 at Grantham hospital.

The inspection is carried out by us patient representatives, we fill out the forms and it’s our observations that make up the assessment, but the hospital staff are there to accompany and support us throughout the visit.

It means that if we see something we don’t understand, or which we think needs immediate action, we can tell Ian or the other staff team members and they can either inform us about work that is already planned or can take action to rectify any problems.

I enjoyed taking part in the programme because I got to visit different areas of our hospitals and help to identify areas where things are being done well, as well as pick up where improvements can be made. It enables me to make a difference as a patient representative.

Ian Hayden, facilities manager at Grantham hospital

The PLACE programme is really important for our Trust, as it is a national programme that enables us to get a different view of our wards and departments.

Without the support of our members, this series of visits would not happen. We are so grateful that people like Michael are willing to give up their time to help us assess our care environment on an annual basis.

I arrange the visits at Grantham hospital, and each time I meet all of the patient representatives and brief them on where they will be going and what they will be doing before we head out into the hospital in our teams.

Once we’re in the ward area, Michael and the other patient representatives will carry out the assessment on their own, to be honest I mostly act as scribe to note down their observations so that they can really focus on the task in hand.

He gives me his impressions and tells us what he sees, and I note it down. My role is to input to the visit and give the patient representatives information, but not influence them. It is a good experience for us because although we go out around the hospital all the time, being with Michael and other members enables us to look differently and more judgementally, and take action to improve things as a result of what we see.

Sign up to become a member of the Trust Do you want to learn more about what we do, have your say and have a direct influence on the decisions we take? Then sign up to become a member of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust today!

We currently have over 1,150 members, many of whom act as patient representatives on our boards and committees or give independent 10

summer 2015

newsletters and taking part in consultations around services you are interested in, or attending quarterly members meetings around issues that might affect you.

To find out more contact us at: perspectives on our services through visits and inspections.

For those with less time on their hands, signing up can mean receiving regular

Membership Office, Robey House , Lincoln County Hospital , Lincoln, LN2 5QY, 01522 572301 members@ULH.nhs.uk www.ulh.nhs.uk/foundation_trust/ .

Living well

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Urology health: signs and symptoms to look out for September is Urology Awareness Month, and with an ageing population and the effects of today’s lifestyles, urological conditions are becoming more and more common.

Raising awareness of conditions such as prostate cancer, kidney damage and incontinence and their symptoms is the aim of the month and urges men and women to check themselves regularly for any potential signs.

Other diseases include bladder cancer, testicular cancer, kidney stones and urinary tract infections.

ULHT has an experienced urology team.

There are a number of ways both men and women can help keep urological conditions at bay: • Make sure you drink enough water to keep you hydrated • Avoid eating too much salt and drinking too much caffeine • Take care of your personal hygiene.

Remember, if you are concerned about any symptoms you may have, make an appointment to see your GP.

Recipe Try this recipe as part of a balanced diet.

1½ tablespoons sesame oil

5. Add the soy sauce and cook through.

Asian lamb stir fry

1 lime, halved.

For 2 people

2 nests of rice noodles

250g lamb steak (or beef if you prefer)

(optional: pak choi or tender stem broccoli)

4 spring onions, sliced

1. Put a saucepan of water on to boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the noodles. Place a lid on top and leave.

6. In a separate frying pan, add ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and add the rest of the spring onions and chilli. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and place onto kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.

1 red chilli, finely chopped. Remove the seeds if you don’t like heat.

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped.

2. Put 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok or frying pan and heat.

2cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped.

3. Add the ginger, garlic, half the chilli and half of the spring onions and fry for a minute or until softened.

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4. Add the meat and fry until browned.

7. Drain the noodles and put in a bowl.

8. Add the meat and juices to the bowl.

9. Top with the crispy chilli and spring onions and squeeze over the juice of half a lime.

summer 2015

11

5 minutes with...

Be Proud. Make a Difference

5 minutes with…Gill Ponder, non-executive director What do you like best about your job?

As a new non-executive director, I am really enjoying meeting as many people as possible as part of my induction. This enables me to learn about the Trust quickly and start to use my knowledge and experience to help the Trust build upon the many improvements already made.

What was the first record you ever bought?

I think it was “Terry” by Twinkle, a one-hit wonder pop singer in the 1960s. I was three or four, so I probably didn’t actually buy it myself!

What makes you proud to work at ULHT? The real determination by everyone I have met so far to put patients’ safety above everything and to continuously improve the patient experience despite the challenges the Trust faces.

Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party and why?

I am a tennis fan and I used to play a lot in my younger days. So I would invite John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi to a dinner party as they are all players I admired for different reasons and it would be fun to observe how they got on with each other away from the competitive arena.

What’s your favourite sport?

I love tennis, but only watch it now. My son has a tennis and academic scholarship at an American University and I really enjoy watching him play when he is home.

What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I could play the piano. I have always wanted to learn, but somehow never found the time to do it. Maybe one day…..

Who’s your favourite band?

This is a really difficult question, as I like lots of bands. My all time favourite is probably Queen.

If you could change one thing about where you work what would it be?

It would be to get rid of acronyms, as it is like learning a new language when you are new!

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

1. My iPod

5 minutes with… Deborah Birch, lead nurse for frail older adults.

What do you like best about your job?

I have the best job in the world, I love it. It feels like we are now being able to make changes for the better in the way that we care for frail older adults.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Not sure I should admit it but it was Brotherhood of Man, “Save Your Kisses for Me”. I was only six in my defence and I might add I could do the dance like a pro!

What makes you proud to work at ULHT? I love the resilience of our staff, despite the pressures everyone always comes through the other side.

Who or what inspires you?

If you are talking about career it would be my grandma. She was my inspiration both 24 years ago when I started nursing and every day that I come to work since even though she is no longer around.

How would your friends and colleagues describe you?

Determined.

Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party and why?

1. The Dalai Lama …. He makes me smile 2. My grandma, I would love any chance to spend one moment longer with her 3. Billy Connolly …he would have me in stitches Who had the greatest influence on your career?

Yet again my grandma would win this award hands down. Although I have worked with too many amazing people to name just one, they are all fab.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

To be able to slow down time.

Who’s your favourite band?

Elbow.

What is your greatest achievement?

Personally – My gorgeous 15 year old daughter and the fact that we still really like each other!

Professionally – Getting one of 24 places nationally as an older people’s nursing fellow at Kings College London.

2. A solar charging device to charge the iPod

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Am I allowed two? Rome and my garden.

3. A survival guide book, so I could build a shelter and know what was safe to eat.

What’s your favourite book?

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson… I never wanted it to end.

5 minutes with… Vicky Rawlinson, clinical management team PA What do you like best about your job?

The diversity of the role - every day is different.

What makes you proud to work at ULHT? Seeing how people pull together in times of hardship. Everywhere feels the pressure and yet most people are still willing, happy and upbeat.

We are united and I feel proud to be a very small part of this.

How would your friends and colleagues describe you?

Caring, loyal, forgetful, honest.

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summer 2015

Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party and why?

My grandparents as we have so much to catch up on, Brad Pitt (as he was in World War Z) just to drool over and Peter Kay for the belly laughs.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

Mystiques powers from X-Men. The ability to turn into whoever you want whenever you want.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Watching my little boy wave me off this morning, whilst blowing kisses.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Seaview, Isle of Wight on a summer’s day.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Chilled sparkling Voss water, music, Roman Abramovich’s £1.5bn luxury yacht.

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summer 2015

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