ULHnews for staff, patients, GPs, volunteers and all local people
Summer 2014
Mobile Chemotherapy
Launch of
Unit
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contents Welcome
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Spotlight On: Dementia care in Lincolnshire Listening into Action – one year on Training and award success for our staff Fundraising
Message from Chief Executive Jane Lewington Our recent CQC inspection allowed us to showcase the significant progress we have made at ULHT. The NHS Trust Development Agency (TDA) has announced we will be in special measures for another six months, based on a recommendation made by the CQC chief inspector, Sir Mike Richards.
Jane Lewington, Chief Executive
Like you, I am really disappointed we have not come out of special measures. I would like to thank our staff for their hard work and commitment, which has seen big improvements to the quality and safety of our care and seen our mortality rates fall to their lowest for five years - now below the national average. As part of the next phase of our quality improvement journey we know improvements need to be made to our outpatient services at Lincoln but we also need to address some of the cultural issues in the report – Ensuring we share best practice and learning across all sites and improving the way we involve clinicians in the decisions we make as a Trust. We will also be looking at the standardisation of our hospital at night and critical care outreach services and moving towards 7 day working across a range of services. There are some really difficult challenges facing the NHS in Lincolnshire and ULHT, which we are looking to address with our clinical strategy and the work with the Lincolnshire Health and Care (LHAC) Review. We need to meet the needs of a growing and ageing population, further improve patient experience and deliver this within the contract income we receive. As part of our cost improvement programme we have £25 million of savings to deliver if we are to end the year £25 million in deficit. We have already identified saving schemes to achieve this target. Finally I want to celebrate the end of our first year of Listening into Action (LiA). We have engaged over 1,500 in LiA and many of the ideas from staff have been truly inspiring. We will build on this in Year 2 and I want even more of you to get involved to help make changes to benefit our patients and staff.
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to the Summer 2014 edition of ULH News. We hope you enjoy reading this and find the information useful. If you have a story that you would like to share or have any feedback about the newsletter then please email ulh.communications@ulh.nhs.uk or telephone 01522 573986. Please note ULH News is free to produce as costs are covered by advertising.
John Prizeman - President Mark Benevolent Fund, Lord MacLaurin – Chairman Hope for Tomorrow, Paul Whitworth – Local Supporter, Sue Whitworth – Local Supporter, Phil Williams – Trustee Hope for Tomorrow
New mobile chemotherapy unit brings services closer to Lincolnshire patients The Trust has been allocated a mobile chemotherapy unit and two support vehicles with help from cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow.
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he mobile chemotherapy unit, which officially launched in May 2014, allows some cancer patients to receive their treatments closer to home, rather than having to travel to hospital. The unit is suitable for the delivery of low risk chemotherapy and gives patients the choice to have their treatment on the mobile unit or to travel to their main hospital site. The unit works out of Pilgrim Hospital, Boston with treatment locations in Grantham, Spalding, Louth and coastal areas. The Trust has committed additional funding for nursing staff and the running of the unit. Hope for Tomorrow work exclusively on the provision of mobile
chemotherapy units and were keen to support a unit in Lincolnshire. Dr Kandeepan Saravanamuttu, Clinical Director for Oncology and Haematology at ULHT, said: “Securing a mobile chemotherapy unit is great news for cancer patients in Lincolnshire. “It will allow us to extend our chemotherapy service across the county and significantly reduce the amount of travel time for some patients who currently have to attend either Lincoln or Pilgrim hospital for their treatment. “We are grateful to Hope for Tomorrow for their support and look forward to rolling the service out across the region.”
Trust updates
New project to support patients’ discharge from Lincoln County Hospital A new way of supporting patients when they are discharged from hospital is being trialled at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Relatives/residential home – do relatives need to be informed when the patient is discharged and is there any information that needs to be relayed to carers?
The A&E department at Lincoln County Hospital is implementing the safe discharge guide to make sure the transition from hospital back into the community is carried out effectively.
Attire – is the patient wearing suitable clothing or can their relatives or friends bring warm outdoor clothing to the department?
To ensure that the A&E staff are following correct procedures and a safe approach when discharging patients the department has come up with the following acronym - T.R.A.C.K.S. Tracks stands for: Transport – how will the patient get home from hospital and what level of support do they require?
Cannula/clinic - Does the patient have a cannula which needs to be removed? Do we need to make a clinic or follow up appointments for the patient? Does the patient need to be advised to see the GP or practice nurse? Keys – Does the patient have their house keys? Safety – Have we done all we can to ensure the patient is safe to be discharged?
Do they require any medications or the return of their own medications? Has discharge advice been explained to the patient? Karen Hansord, Senior A&E Sister at Lincoln County Hospital said: “We appreciate that no one wants to be in hospital for longer than they have to be and we want to make sure we can get them back home as soon as they are well enough. “We came up with the acronym as an easy way for staff to remember the processes that need to be in place when a patient is discharged from the department. “As a team we are working to ensure we discharge patients back home when they are well enough in an effort to reduce delays for those patients waiting to be admitted.”
Raising awareness of healthcare in Lincolnshire Teams from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust offered a host of activities, information and advice to visitors at this year’s Lincolnshire Show. The communication and engagement team along with members of staff from patient experience had a stand at the event with other healthcare colleagues from the region. Visitors to the stall were able to find out more about recent successes and developments across the organisation, as well sign up to become members of the Trust. There was also an opportunity for members of the public to have their say about whether ULHT staff should wear ‘Hello my name is’ name badges to encourage them to
introduce themselves to patients as part of a national hello my name is campaign. The campaign was launched by Dr Kate Granger, medicine registrar from Yorkshire, who after being diagnosed with terminal cancer became frustrated with the number of staff who failed to introduce themselves to her when she was an inpatient. The diabetic eye screening programme team were also at the event, offering help and advice around regular retina screening and making the public aware of what the team are achieving nationally in terms of overall reduction in sight loss due to diabetes as part of the national screening programme.
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Spotlight on: Dementia care
Improving care for people with dementia in Lincolnshire United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has launched an innovative new project to support health and social care staff when caring for people with dementia.
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ll About Me is a detailed document containing key information about a person’s routine, interests and preferences, so that care can be centred on the needs of the individual. This includes: ■ any medication the person is taking or they are allergic to ■ any support they may need with eating and drinking ■ any mobility aids they require or issues that may affect their movement ■ their normal sleeping routine ■ a nything that might make them nervous, angry or sad or things that calm them down ■ any interests, hobbies or things that are important to that person. The launch of the document coincided with the Lincolnshire Dementia Workshop which took place at the Bentley Hotel in Lincoln on Thursday 22 May. The Trust has been successful in securing £28,000 from the Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) to help develop the project.
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Jennie Negus, Deputy Chief Nurse, said: “We know that hospitals can be particularly distressing for people with dementia and they often need extra care and support. Being able to provide high quality dementia care is very important to our staff as they strive to give the best possible care to their patients. “We have worked closely with patients, carers and our healthcare partners in the local community to develop this document to provide further support to people with dementia, as well as their carers and families when they come into a healthcare environment. “We have already developed many of our staff specifically in this area, to ensure we meet the needs of our patients as individuals. The All About Me project is a further step in our organisation’s overall dementia strategy.” Pauleen Pratt, Interim Director of Nursing, said: “As the elderly population across Lincolnshire continues to grow and the recognition and management of dementia also increases, it is really important that our staff and our partners in the community respond to changing needs and demands
on the provision of acute care for people with dementia. This project will allow staff across healthcare organisations in Lincolnshire to improve communication with patients so that we can continue to make improvements in care whilst aiming to meet individual needs.” Pauline Mountain MBE, Chair Lincolnshire Carers & Young Carers Partnership said: “Carers have been telling us this is what is needed, to know the person behind the condition.” The All About Me document will be made available in hospital wards and departments, local health centres, GP surgeries, libraries and health shops across Lincolnshire. An online version can also be completed by visiting the dedicated website at www.allaboutme-lincolnshire.org.uk which will go live at the beginning of June 2014 and has a feature to allow relatives to support and update the document. It will also be made available on the Lincolnshire County Council My Choice, My Care website mychoicemycare.org.uk. It is estimated that there are 10,502 people in Lincolnshire living with dementia, 62% of which have not been formally diagnosed. The number is expected to reach 15,047 by 2021.
Trust updates
LiA – what a difference a year makes United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is coming to the end of its first year of adopting and embedding Listening into Action (LiA) within the organisation.
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he Trust has faced numerous challenges in the last year, not least being put into special measures in July 2013 following inspections carried out by Sir Bruce Keogh and his team. However the introduction of LiA, led by Chief Executive Jane Lewington, has started to have a major impact, with staff working together to lead change within the organisation. Staff are feeling more energised and there is now a growing sense of pride within the Trust. LiA is a powerful way to engage our workforce and so far we have listened to over 1500 staff, leading to 45 teams working on the priorities to improve our services for patients and staff. Over the last 12 months we have managed to engage staff through a number of different ways: ■ 800 staff have taken part in an LiA conversation ■ 200 senior staff have taken an LiA master class ■ 140 staff have attended a pass it on event ■ 100 junior doctors attended an LiA conversation ■ Over 300 staff attended local conversations ■ 65 staff attended the first compass check of the second wave with 97% giving feedback of 4/5 or 5/5 A number of staff conversations have been
held which identified key focus areas. The first LiA teams were formed and they have achieved some very impressive results these which have included; ■ Case notes improvements – the printing of blood test results has stopped, resulting in massive paper savings (400 sheets per day just at Grantham hospital) and 7 – 10 hours of clinical time has been saved for patient care every day ■ Hip fracture management – Lincoln County Hospital has worked hard and have achieved a 20% improvement in hitting the 36 hour target from admission to theatre, this target now stands at 96% ■ Therapists 7 day working & Acute Care Practitioners (ACPs) in A&E - 10 ACPs have been implemented in A&E, improving quality and safety. In addition, 7 day working has been introduced for therapists in A&E and CDU, improving the patient experience ■ The recruitment process – time to recruit new staff has been reduced from 10 weeks to six In March 2014 we ran our second staff pulse check to gauge how staff feel in our organisation. This was first carried out at the start of our LiA journey in July 2013. Over 1,700 staff completed the survey which showed some impressive improvements over the last year, especially in the questions that
cover the work being done by LiA. The recent end of year one celebration which took place in July was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the improvements that the teams have made and how LiA has helped to lead change within the organisation. Over 160 people including staff and stakeholders attend the event. Teams who presented on the day have worked on issues including: ■ Improving the way staff communicate with patients ■ Introducing a new programme to speed up the recovery of hip and knee patients following surgery ■ Supporting the role of the ward sister so they can prioritise their workload better and continue to provide high quality patient care ■ Embedding the Trust’s Quality Strategy across the organisation Moving forward, staff across the Trust will continue to work on sustaining the improvements and the work of a further 30 LiA teams is currently ongoing. Year two will very much focus on ‘what matters to patients’. There have been phenomenal results so far, recognised by the Trust Development Authority (TDA) as the single biggest factor in creating a better climate for patient care. We look forward continuing to embed the LiA way, which will impact across the Trust on how we will deliver great care and create a sustainable organisation. spring 2014 | 5
Site based news
New heart device fitted for the first time in Lincolnshire A new device to help monitor a patient’s heart has been used for the first time in Lincolnshire.
has many advantages including less pain and discomfort for the patient, smaller scars and a shorter hospital stay.
Patient Joan Smith became the first patient in Lincolnshire to have the new heart device fitted at Lincoln County Hospital.
Alun Roebuck said, “These new devices allow us to monitor patients’ hearts remotely via the mobile phone network. This is a major advantage in a rural county like Lincolnshire. It will mean fewer trips to hospital, earlier identification of serious heart rhythm abnormalities. It will also reduce carbon emissions so is also better for the environment.”
Currently, devices require surgical implantation in a procedure that can take up to 45-minutes. Patients then have to attend hospital for their device to be monitored. However, the team at the Lincolnshire Heart Centre (LHC) have just implanted the first of a new type of device that is ‘injected’ into the chest wall under local anaesthetic in a procedure that now takes approximately 15-minutes. For the past five years the LHC has been implanting a small computer into patient’s chest that allows their heart to be monitored continuously. The technology known an ‘Implantable Loop Recorder or ILR’ is supported by the clinical watchdog NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence) and is used to monitor patients who have had a stroke, unexplained loss of consciousness or palpitations. The new technique performed by Alun Roebuck, Consultant Nurse for Cardiology
The infection prevention and control teams at the Trust have educated people about why hand hygiene is important in the fight against healthcare acquired infections. Staff, patients and visitors were given the chance to find out how good they are at cleaning their hands at a series of events using special glow boxes to show areas that are regularly missed when washing.
Image shows: Sheila Bampton, Senior Clinical Physiologist, Jo Denman, Lead Cardiology Acute Care Practitioner, patient Joan Smith and Alun Roebuck, Consultant Nurse for Cardiology.
Pilgrim Hospital’s A&E launches new service to improve patient experience A new team of acute care practitioners (ACPs) are leading an initiative to provide improved experience and care for patients at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston.
Mark Hall, trainee acute care practitioner, said: “This is a dynamic new service to provide faster and better care for patients attending A&E with minor injuries.”
The introduction of 10 new ACPs in the hospital’s A&E department signals a new way of working to enable faster assessment and treatment to patients who attend the department with minor complaints and injuries.
Janine Rennie-Lovley, acute care practitioner, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant difference to the patient’s experience within the emergency department. By promptly assessing our patient’s needs we can initiate essential therapy and request investigations in a timely fashion. This will minimise any stress and discomfort experienced by our patients, in
The service includes a specialist team of ACPs, from a variety of healthcare backgrounds, who have been specially trained in the assessment of minor injuries and illness.
Raising awareness of hand hygiene
Margaret Fairless-Clarkson, Nurse Manager for Infection Prevention and Control at ULHT said: “Hand hygiene is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent the spread of infection. We need to regularly remind people about the importance of hand hygiene to ensure that we keep the number of infections in hospitals to the absolute minimum.”
addition to reducing their overall waiting time in the department.” The ACPs will also work in collaboration with staff in the Ambulatory Emergency Care (AEC) unit, which was established last year to provide urgent same day treatment for patients so that they don’t have to be admitted to hospital if there is no requirement for this. Helen Callaghan, nurse consultant in emergency care, said: “We hope this new initiative will help support to the existing AEC service, which will ultimately provide a comprehensive gold standard of emergency care for the people of Boston and the surrounding areas.”
The ACPs will be on hand seven days a week during the department’s busiest times. They will be able to provide a dedicated service to patients who attend the department with complaints such as sprains, fractures, soft tissue injuries and eye problems. In addition to this, they will also be able to treat patients who are admitted with minor illnesses, freeing up doctors in the department to deal with patients with more life-threatening conditions. 6 | spring 2014
Acute Care Practitioners (ACPs) and members of staff from the emergency care team at Pilgrim.
Training and Awards
Award success for Lincoln pharmacy technician Daniel Paton, a pharmacy technician from Lincoln County Hospital, has finished within the top six technicians in the country in the Best of Clinical Pharmacy Awards 2014. The awards look to celebrate and acknowledge successful individuals within the pharmacy profession. They recognise all sectors of clinical pharmacy and are open to any qualified pharmacy professional irrespective of career level. The awards were presented to the winners by David Branford, the chair of the English Pharmacy Board, in a ceremony at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress in London on 25 April.
Daniel Paton
Sarah recognised for training support
Degree success for Nick Nick Fox, lead critical care outreach nurse practitioner at Boston, has recently completed an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice. As part of his degree Nick studied anatomy and physiology and then incorporated this knowledge to specific clinical examinations. During this course he covered clinical examinations of the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, gastro-intestinal system, nervous system and musculoskeletal system. In the second year Nick undertook a non-medical prescribing course at and a work-based learning module where he was able to developed skills and knowledge to support his day to day working. Speaking of his achievements, Nick said: “The degree has helped me to develop advanced skills and knowledge in patient assessment, specifically undertaking a patient history and a range of clinical examinations. “I am grateful for the support of my ITU nursing and medical colleagues who have supported me during this journey, in particular my mentor Dr Plesnikova.
Sarah Ellis being presented with her badge by Sister Rachelle Cryan.
Sarah Ellis, Clinical Educator on 6th floor at Boston has been recognised for her help in training staff to collect blood products on the site. Sarah volunteered to support staff in getting them trained or re-trained on the Bloodhound blood tracking system ahead of the CQC visit. Sarah was presented with her Bloodhound badge by Rachelle Cryan Sister on ward 6A. Ant Jackson, Transfusion Practitioner at Pilgrim hospital said: “Sarah worked tirelessly to
make sure staff were trained up on the blood tracking system, not just on her ward but across other departments on the Pilgrim site. This was our opportunity to say thank you to her for the hard work she put in ahead of the visit by the CQC.
“I must also acknowledge the huge support offered to me by my family. I would often finish work and be studying at home often until 11pm. “I think they are proud that I have completed the degree, they are also very pleased that they will see more of me now.” Nick Fox
“We are looking into the possibility of setting this up as an annual award so we can reward the staff who support with training of the blood tracking system across the Trust.” spring 2014 | 7
Fundraising
Grateful relative raises money for Waddington unit Sister Suzanne Viola, Staff nurse Simon Horniblow, George Moore, and ESW Chris Banister.
Fundraising for local charity at Pilgrim A&E A local charity has benefited from fundraising efforts of staff at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston. Staff from the hospital’s Accident and Emergency department held a fundraising event in main entrance of the hospital to raise money for the Ryan Smith Foundation. The Foundation was set up after 17 year old Ryan Smith from Chapel St Leonards suffered severe brain injuries in July 2013 as a result of a cycling accident where he was not wearing a cycling helmet. A number of stalls were set up in the main entrance of the hospital, selling raffle tickets, cakes and books. Staff nurse, Simon Horniblow said, “For the last two years we have had a fundraiser in the main entrance of the hospital to show although we are a busy department we care for our staff and patients and want to show this by raising funds for the community. “We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone for their generous donations and to local businesses for donating over 70 prizes for the raffle. We’d also like to give special thanks to Halfords who also supplied four bike helmets for the raffle and loaned two bikes and stands so we could hold a static bike race in the main entrance to raise awareness of cycle helmet safety.” A spokesperson from the Ryan Smith Foundation said: “We would like to give a huge thank you to Pilgrim hospital’s A&E department for their generous donation, following their charity day in. It is hoped that the money will go towards buying a hydro pool to provide rehabilitation to children who have suffered injuries similar to Ryan.” 8 | spring 2014
A grateful grandson raised £200 for Waddington unit. Jordan Taylor ran the Lincoln 10K in April and chose to donate the money he raised to Waddington because his grandad is recovering from bowel cancer on the unit.
Sister Ann Spencer; Tracey Collishaw, HCSW; Anita Pacey, Staff Nurse; Heather Sorenson, Staff Nurse; Rebecca Bee, Staff Nurse; Jade Turney, HCSW
Coast to Coast Challenge On the Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June, two members of staff from Lincoln and Grantham hospitals were part of a team that cycled 180 miles from coast to coast in aid of St Barnabas Hospice in Lincoln. Paul Kirby, Pathology Transport Team Leader and Richard Gallagher, Blood Bank Manager started at St Bees Head, on the west coast in Cumbria and finished their cycle ride at on the east coast at Robin Hoods Bay in the North York Moors.
therapy for additional support and comfort. It is becoming the growing wish of patients to be cared at home at the end of their lives. This is made possible by providing a team of specialist nurses who will offer support and advice to patients in the community. The team have already raised nearly £300. Anyone wishing to support this cause can pledge money online at www.justgiving.com/washyimps
Over the two days they also climbed a total of 14,881ft, including Hard Knot Pass, one of the most gruelling climbs in the UK. St Barnabas is Lincolnshire’s leading specialist palliative care provider. They care for 5,600 people each year, and all their services are free to the patient. They support adults with life limiting illnesses, which have complex symptoms and pain which needs managing. They have an 11 bed specialist in-patient unit, which is centred on the individual needs of the patients and carers as well as day
Funding to improve staff facilities at Grantham The staff room in the outpatients department at Grantham Hospital has benefited from a complete refurbishment thanks to funding from the Improving Working Lives scheme. Ruth Martinelli, clinic sister said: “The changes have made a huge improvement to the facilities for staff within the department. All the staff would like to say a big thank you for the funding which has made the area where they eat so much more pleasant.”
Fundraising
D-Day remembrance at Lincoln Footprints DVD In commemoration of the D-Day landings on the 6 June 1944, staff from the ICU at Lincoln decorated their coffee room with union jack banners and flags. Staff brought in themed cakes and biscuits. Thanks to all staff who were involved.
Shona Mclean student nurse, Leonie Parkinson HCSW, Tracy Benton HCSW, Steve Parry, Cintia Moyano-Lozano.
Funds have been raised for the Lincoln Stroke Unit after a friend of a wedding videographer received treatment in the unit. Steve Parry Wedding Films wishes to say thank you to all the people who bought “Footprints, the Concert” DVD which was filmed last year and raised £430 for the Lincoln Stroke Unit.
Lincoln County theatres bake off A small bake off competition was held in Lincoln main theatres during audit on the afternoon of Tuesday 11 March 2014. The theme was based on the staff’s job role with all donations going towards Sport Relief of which we raised £41. Matron Claire Stubbs judged with the results as below:
The winning entry was a group of baby fairy cakes baked by Lisa Ardern, Team Leader Obstetrics. The runner up was a foot in plaster baked by Nichola Ward, Theatre Staff Nurse. The event was great success and another event is planned for the July audit.
Making every contact count - swimarathon 12 Lincoln County Hospital staff took to the water for the Lincoln Rotary Club Swimarathon in April to raising money for Lincolnshire Guide Dogs for the Blind The Lincoln Rotary Club hosts an annual Swimarathon at Yarborough Leisure Centre to raise money for local charities. Helen Fieldson, Macmillan Occupational Therapist set up three teams, The Macmillan Mackerels, The Haematology Haddocks and the Pharmacy Flounders to participate in this year’s event. “We had a great time, swam 435 lengths between us and raised £292”. All NHS health care professionals are encouraged to Make Every Contact Count with patients which means using opportunities to discuss the benefits of exercise, healthy diet, smoking cessation or reduction in alcohol intake to improve physical and mental health and well-being. Illness or side effects of treatment often brings difficulties performing day to day activities for example work, caring for family, hobbies or personal and domestic activities. This can have a significant impact on individuals’ mental and
physical sense of well-being which in turn can affect treatment outcomes and future health and social care outcomes. Support to remain as active as possible is essential in helping individuals make positive changes in their lives. Research suggests being active can help reduce the risk of certain cancers, manage fatigue and depression, improve sleep patterns and help individuals maintain a healthy weight. Alison Barnes who was one of the swimmers has given up smoking because of the event. Alison Barnes, Macmillan Team Secretary said, “It made me more aware of my health in general and as a result I have given up smoking. I really enjoyed the event and would encourage people to take part next year.”
The DVD was produced in association with the Rauceby Banks renovation project and performed the concert at the Little Theatre Sleaford as part of the 2013 Sleaford Live event. This brings the total raised by the Footprints Concert to over £1,000 which has been split between the Lincoln Stroke Unit and Cancer Research. “Footprints the Concert” is a fascinating journey back through time telling tales of everyday life around the Westbanks area of Sleaford and was inspired by the diaries of Sleaford historian and writer David Wilson Smith born 1858. The Rauceby Banks project would like to thank everyone who took part in the events.
Halloween Ball A popular Halloween Ball is taking place again this year in memory of a patient who suffered from an aggressive form of nonHodgkin Lymphoma. Last year’s event in memory of Michael Overton was organised by his family and friends and raised more than £3000 for the Boston Cancer Leukaemia Fund (BCLF) which they hope to replicate this year. The ball will take place on Friday 31 October at The Poachers Country Hotel, Kirton Holme (near Boston). This year’s proceeds will be split between the BCLF and the Boston Breast Cancer Unit. Tickets are £37.50 each with an initial deposit of £17.50 (non-refundable). For more information contact Rachel Overton on 01522 876222 or roverton@lincolncollege.ac.uk spring 2014 | 9
Spotlight on: Monica Foxon
Monica Foxon, housekeeper on Fotherby Ward at County Hospital, Louth explains her role within the organisation.
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have worked as a housekeeper on Fotherby Ward for 40 years. It is my role to ensure that the ward is kept clean, tidy and hygienic for patients. In my time at Louth I have seen numerous changes in housekeeping practice over the years, but have always kept the standards up and ensured that the ward has continually been one of the best performers in the hospital - with very impressive cleanliness scores and low infection rates. I see my role as much more than ‘just’ cleaning. I help to put patients at ease when they enter the ward, develop relationships with many of them, help to serve meals and give feeding support to patients who need help whilst I am there. My daily routine involves welcoming patients to the ward, vacuuming, dusting
Monica promoting hand hygiene awareness with her colleagues 10 | spring 2014
and mopping the ward, putting curtains up, helping out with mealtime service and assisting patients with eating and drinking. I also have regular contact with patients and their families as part of the wider ward team, helping to provide support where possible. Annetta Fisher, Ward Sister on Fotherby Ward describes Monica as “a very driven and dedicated member of staff, who will do anything for the benefit of the ward team and patients, even if the jobs are not part of the traditional housekeeper role. “Monica is the reason that everyone is so proud of their ward, and that she never needs to be asked to do anything extra or differently because she always keeps up the high cleanliness standard without question. “She has contributed to the outstanding performance of the ward in the Friends and
Family Test, Audtrac results, infection control audits low infection rates and the Trust’s Safety Quality Dashboard. “The patients arrive on the ward prepared and ready for surgery and the first thing they see is a clean and tidy environment provided by our housekeepers.” Monica was part of the team on Fotherby Ward that was recently recognised at the first ever United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s Staff Awards. The Fotherby Ward team was nominated for a Quality Award and were judged to be the winners of their category. Monica was chosen as one of the members of staff to attend the awards ceremony, as the Sister Fisher felt she made such a considerable contribution to the positive points outlined in the award nomination.
Site based news
Official opening of resuscitation room at Lincoln A&E A newly refurbished resuscitation room has been officially opened in the A&E of Lincoln County Hospital.
East Midlands. Clinicians in the network are also able to share best practice and promote best quality care.
The unit was officially opened by Rosie Brennan, the longest serving staff member of the department, as part of a £500,000 A&E improvement project by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
So far the network has had excellent results including an increase in the survival rate for seriously injured patients in the region.
The new four-bedded resuscitation room will enable Lincoln County Hospital to become part of the new East Midlands Regional Trauma Network. The network ensures that all critically ill patients have equal access to the highest standard of care and treatment regardless of which critical care unit they are admitted to across the
The layout of the resuscitation room was designed in collaboration with the University of Lincoln to maximise efficiency when treating seriously injured patients. The University is also developing a training suite with the same layout as the bays of the resuscitation room. This will provide an ideal training environment for teaching medical and nursing staff to manage seriously sick and injured patients more efficiently.
Sean Morton, Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Lincoln, demonstrated one of the simulators, which will be used to help train the A&E staff to use the new environment. Consultant in A&E Ben Loryman said, “This is a significant development for the hospital which we hope will help us to provide excellent emergency care for our patients for many years to come.” Also as part of the A&E improvements, there is a newly refurbished bay area to assess patients brought into A&E. The waiting room area of the department has also been improved to include new seating areas.
Rosie Brennan, Healthcare Support Worker opening the resus room with Accident and Emergency staff joined by Ian Warren, Director of Human
One of the simulators used
Resources and Pen Andersen, Deputy Director of Finance.
to help train A&E staff.
Annual Clinical Governance Competition On Monday 28 April a major teaching event took place at Lincoln County Hospital. The event invited leads to identify from their speciality an audit or critical incident which was presented at their Clinical Governance/ Audit Meeting. The lead provided details of the audit or incident and shared learning. The competition attracted 10 audit entries which the judges sifted through and then selected the final three who presented on behalf of their specialties in the Postgraduate Medical Education Centre, drawing an audience of 67 colleagues. The three finalists were: Anaesthetics, Grantham: “Adherence to pre-op fasting guidelines in fracture neck of femur patients” presented by Dr Anil Tore, Consultant Anaesthetist. Anaesthetics, Lincoln: “Patients delays in Emergency Surgery) Project” presented by Dr Kris Inkpin, Anaesthetist. Urology, Lincoln: “Catheterisation documentation audit, Are we doing it right?” presented by Milica Zina Bojin, Urology Clinical Nurse. The winner was Dr Tore who won £500 for his specialty with the other two audits being
joint runners up. The money will be used to make improvements to the anaesthetics department at Grantham hospital. The judges were Dr Suneil Kapadia, Medical Director, Stephen Cross, Head of Quality Governance and Dr Rajagopalan Sriraman, Consultant Physician with Dr John Harvey, Consultant Histopathologist chairing the event. spring 2014 | 11
Spotlight on: Our staff
Children from Lincoln Minster Preparatory School along with Sister Carol Gannon, Ward Manager Paediatrics and Dr Dougie Thomas, Consultant Paediatrician.
Local art displayed on the walls of Lincoln County Hospital Corridors at Lincoln County Hospital have been brightened up with artwork donations from across the region.
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nited Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has taken delivery of over 250 pieces of artwork and photos created by a number of local art and photography groups. In addition Lincoln Minster Preparatory School ran an art competition for the creation of children’s art to brighten up the area around the children’s ward and donated over 60 pictures to the project. The project was initiated by Dr Dougie
Thomas, Paediatric Consultant and Carol Gannon, Paediatric Ward sister. The idea was to improve the hospital environment by working with the local community. Dr Thomas aims to place local artwork in all corridors and ward areas around the hospital. He hopes that patients and staff enjoy looking at them. Dr Thomas said, “Artwork creates a
welcoming and stimulating environment, which can help to improve wellbeing and promotes a positive image of healthcare. There is evidence that access to artworks can dramatically improve clinical outcomes and mental and physical health. “This is supported by clinical studies which have concluded that placing original artworks within the healthcare environments can help reduce levels of anxiety, stress, depression and length of stay. Artwork is also known to improve communication between patients and healthcare professionals.”
Retirement news Dr Rob Scott, Consultant Anaesthetist at Lincoln retired from the Trust in June 2014.
Dr Scott began working in Lincoln and Louth in 1988 as a consultant anaesthetist and led the in-hospital training of ambulance paramedics for over 10 years. He was responsible for establishing resuscitation training at Louth hospital in the ninties and went on to become a life support instructor and course director for the Resuscitation Council, running many local and overseas courses.
He also helped to set up and run the original adult day care unit in Lincoln and introduced the concept of nurse run preadmission clinics to the Trust.
He developed an interest in infection control in anaesthesia and was a member of the infection control committee and the decontamination of medical devices committee for many years. As an honorary senior lecturer at Birmingham University, oversaw the training of four Physicians
Dr Jean Breckenridge, Consultant Anaesthetist retires from the Trust in August 2014.
2013. She also served as the Foundation Programme Director from 2005 until 2013.
She was appointed to the post of Consultant Anaesthetist with special interest in intensive care at Grantham Hospital in December 1982.
During her career at Grantham she has contributed significantly in developing the anaesthesia and critical care services at Grantham. In her role as a Clinical Tutor she built up a healthy post-graduate department at Grantham, establishing strong links with the
She took up the role of Clinical Tutor for Grantham Hospital in 2001 and continued until August 12 | spring 2014
Assistants in Anaesthesia for ULHT and worked nationally as an examiner for PAA training. In recent years Dr Scott developed new skills in performing local anaesthetic blocks using ultrasound imaging and set up a service at Louth hospital to allow hand surgery to be performed under local anaesthesia for patients who were unfit for, or wished to avoid general anaesthesia. We would like to wish Dr Scott all the best for his retirement.
Dr Rob Scott
Trent & East-Midlands Deanery. Her good communication and social skills meant that she had a very good rapport with her medical colleagues, theatre and CCU staff. Jean enjoys playing golf in her spare time and spending time with her grandson. We wish her a very fulfilling and fun filled retirement.
Dr Jean Breckenridge
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www.straffordfabrications.co.uk 14 | spring 2014
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Be the difference… …Help me help myself Lincolnshire County Council is looking to recruit Remand Foster Carers. Are you committed and passionate to provide young people with a period of stability in a family environment to help them find the right direction? Do you enjoy helping young people, have an ability to listen, negotiate and compromise? Can you be flexible and available at short notice? Do you enjoy working as part of a team with other professionals, have a willingness to learn and develop your skills? To be a Remand Foster Carer you will need: • Experience of working alongside young people. • One carer will need to be home based (if applying as a couple). • A spare bedroom. What you will receive: • Training and on-going support. • An enhanced financial allowance.
For more information call 0800 093 3099 or log on to www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/fostering
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