Lincolnshire Wire Autumn 2015

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

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

autumn 2015

In the spotlight Interview with ULHT’s new CEO, Jan Sobieraj

Beyond Good

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Contents

5

Optimising orthopaedic services at Louth

7

90 newly qualified nurses on board!

11

Coping with stress

Message from Kevin Turner Welcome to the latest issue of the Kevin Turner, acting Lincolnshire Wire, CEO and the first issue for me as acting chief executive.

Firstly, I am delighted to announce that we have confirmed the appointment of Jan Sobieraj as our new CEO. Jan has many years’ experience leading in large NHS trusts and in national roles and is currently managing director at NHS Leadership Academy.

You can read more about Jan’s background and what experience he plans to bring to the Trust in an Jan Sobieraj, exclusive interview with him on pages new CEO 8-9. I hope you will all give him a very warm welcome to ULHT once he starts with the Trust in December.

We are also making some progress on delivering our finance recovery plan and have started to see improvements in some areas, such as better management of agency usage, but we still need to do more across the Trust and all staff are asked to get involved to help identify where savings can be made in your areas.

We are also making progress with our recruitment drive and have recently welcomed 90 newly qualified nurses to our hospitals. The students have joined us from the University of Lincoln, with others from neighbouring cities and the Open University. Turn to page six to find out more about their training and our ongoing plans for recruitment.

As part of our plans to go Beyond Good, the Trust has partnered with a number of other NHS trusts across the country to further improve staff engagement the ULH Way. This partnership will build on the successful foundations created by Listening into Action (LiA) but will give staff more support and tools to make improvements.

More about this new way of working can be found on this page.

I had the privilege of attending a recent staff engagement celebration event and was blown away by the achievements of our last wave of LiA teams who have looked at improving recruitment, services and communication on the wards. More about their fantastic successes can be found on page 12.

Kevin Turner Acting Chief Executive 2

autumn 2015

The ULH Way – the next steps around staff engagement To further improve the way we engage with our staff we have joined with a number of other NHS trusts across the country to build on the successes of Listening into Action (LiA).

Our plan is to move forward with staff engagement the ULH Way by integrating it into everything we do in the organisation, so that staff feel supported and empowered to have their say and make changes to improve patient care, services and their working environment.

We will be providing staff with new ways to make improvements to patient care and services, as well as training for teams in staff engagement and improvement techniques. We’ll also continue with teams looking at making improvements on their wards, in their departments and across the organisation.

We also launched a new pulse check survey in September, which gives staff an opportunity to share how they feel about working for our trust.

What about Listening into Action?

For the last two years we have been running LiA, which has been a powerful way to engage our staff.

To date we have listened to over 2,000 staff, leading to 60 teams working on priorities to improve our services for patients and staff. Teams have improved quality and safety at no extra cost, often saving money in the process.

The latest LiA Pulse Check survey

from May 2015 has shown a rise in staff engagement, with an increase in the number of positive results for each of the 15 questions in the survey.

However ULHT is still in the bottom 20% of NHS Trusts for the national staff survey results and there are still many staff who have not been involved in LiA. We have built firm foundations over the last two years and are now in a much better position to give staff and managers the support to do staff engagement themselves.

What do staff need to do?

Let your team know the change that is happening. It’s important to emphasise this is about building on the success of LiA and developing staff engagement to provide staff with the right tools to make improvements.

Where do I get more information from?

Contact David Furley, Assistant Director Clinical Improvement (david.furley@ulh.nhs.uk) or your local LiA lead.

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Beyond Good

Raising awareness of domestic violence Safeguarding our patients is a big priority for the Trust. It is one of the 14 projects in our Beyond Good quality improvement plan.

Everyone deserves our support and compassion. We all have a responsibility to be aware of any safeguarding issues and know what to do and where to go to raise our concerns.

Improve patient care: save money today!

We are making some progress on delivering our financial recovery plan, however we are struggling to meet our projected year end deficit and need every member of staff and visitor to the Trust to pull together to help make savings. This may include being more energyefficient such as turning off lights and closing doors where heating is on, or thinking twice about the cost of resources that are being used.

Clinical areas are starting to use a traffic light sticker system that highlights which products are expensive (marked in red) and that alternatives are available (orange or green for the cheapest). The scheme is a joint campaign between NHS Supplies and the RCN called ‘small changes, big difference’.

Daniel Overton, staff nurse in ophthalmology, is one of the first members of staff to implement the system.

“It’s been a very straightforward process to introduce. I am responsible for ordering clinical supplies in our department and I saw the traffic light system on NHS supplies and ordered

a free pack of stickers. I rearranged the cupboards to put similar products near each other and made up some sheets to put on the cupboard doors, indicating which products were cheap and which expensive.

“In the beginning staff saw this as ‘just another change’ and didn’t see why we had to focus on using cheaper products as the costs of individual products were often very small, but after a while they could understand the bigger savings that could be made.

“The hardest thing to break was habit, as people liked to use what they had always used. Often it was because they used the item that was closest to them or most convenient to find, so I moved those expensive items away to ensure they were only used when needed.

“People say to me they never realised the cost of items, and they’ve been shocked at the prices. For example, a cannula kit costs £4.50 and these are often opened just in case they are needed, but if they are not needed are thrown in the bin. If we just stop to think about only using things when we need them then we could make big savings.”

All wards and departments are currently introducing the traffic light system in their areas. If you have not seen them in yours please log onto the NHS Supply website to order your free pack.

For further information and support on how to make savings in your areas please contact Dagma Neal, clinical procurement specialist on 01522 421534.

Savings achieved: x-ray gauze at 43p per pack was used all the time when plain gauze at 3p per pack could be used instead. Although these are very small savings, it means you can buy another 15 packs for the same price so the savings do mount up.

Safeguarding involves protecting a child’s or an adult’s right to live in safety free from abuse, neglect or exploitation.

It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the patient’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.

Some of our most vulnerable patients are those who suffer domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse or violence is defined as “any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass, but is not limited to, the following types of abuse – psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional.”

“Domestic violence is an enormous problem with farreaching consequences. It is an abuse of human rights, causes physical and mental ill health and frequently death.

Because of its close link with physical and mental health disorders, and with children’s safety and well-being, it is an issue of vital importance for care professionals.”

It’s not always easy to spot the symptoms of abuse.

Someone being abused may make excuses for why they are bruised, they don’t want to go out or talk to people, or they’re short of money. It’s important to know the signs of abuse and where they are identified, gently share your concerns with the person being abused. If you wait, hoping the person will tell you what’s been happening to them, you could delay matters and allow the abuse to continue.

Start by talking to the person in private if you feel able to do so. Mention some of the things that concern you.

Let them talk as much as they want to, but be mindful that if they’ve been abused, they may be reluctant to talk about it for fear of making the situation worse. They might also be worried about causing trouble or they might be experiencing coercion by someone or being threatened in some way.

Staff responding to domestic abuse • Establish if there is any immediate risk to safety for the person or any children. If so, consider contacting the local police. Initiate child or adult protection procedures where relevant.

• Make an initial risk assessment, using the CAADA Risk Identification Checklist. The DASH form is available on the staff intranet.

• Advise the person suffering domestic violence about the services available depending on the risk level.

• Refer high risk cases to the local multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) co-ordinator.

If you need support managing a domestic abuse case, seek support from the safeguarding team. autumn 2015

3

Our hospitals highlights

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Transforming ward communications A small group of staff at Lincoln have set out to transform communications at a ward level.

As part of an LiA Original team, charge nurse Ian Holdich and junior sister Donna Gibbins, supported by managers Lucy Ettridge, Ryan Kelleher and Jade Feavyour, created a template to support ward leaders with improving communications on what’s happening on their wards and departments and also across the hospital and Trust. It was based on the concept of comms cells used in other industries and piloted in a few other trusts.

The team created the ‘Time2Talk’ template to be used as a Trustwide communication and engagement tool.

The results have been impressive. Staff were surveyed before and after and were asked how informed, valued and listened to they felt.

Results improved across the board, highlights include: • 50% increase in how informed staff feel about what’s happening in the Trust • 95% of staff feel valued by their ward • It helped improve quality too, falls reduced on one of the wards by 37% Further work around communications is needed so it will be relevant and accessible to the broader range of departments using the tool. Watch this space for Time2Talk coming to a ward near you soon.

Pilgrim cancer patients benefit from £22,000 equipment donation Cancer patients at Pilgrim will now benefit from a £22,000 donation from a local charity.

The charity, DOCATEF (Detection of Cancer and Treatment Equipment Fund), has provided the urology department with two video flexible urethroscopes for the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

The equipment is a special telescope to pass through the urethra into the bladder and into the ureter (pipe to the bladder) to view areas of interest.

This procedure is usually performed under general anaesthesia. This is a minimally invasive procedure that makes use of natural channels in the body; there are no cuts to the skin. It can be used in in detection of cancer of the kidney to take a biopsy to help with diagnosis.

The charity also donated £7,500 to the oncology ward for the purchase of pumps and accessories for the delivery of chemotherapy to patients.

Nazeer Dahar, consultant urologist said: “DOCATEF has been a long term supporter of the urology service at Pilgrim. Their support and equipment donations are high cost and high tech and have benefitted thousands of patients, particularly with early diagnosis and treatment of urological cancer disease.”

DOCATEF regularly support cancer services at Pilgrim and has previously donated to the endoscopy suite, wards, oncology department, haematology department, intensive care unit, radiology, urology and theatres.

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autumn 2015

Our hospitals highlights

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Optimising orthopaedic services at Louth An innovative team has sought to improve orthopaedic services for patients and reduce delays across Lincolnshire’s hospitals.

Louth hospital can do both day case and major orthopaedic cases within a set anaesthetic criteria. The Trust performs 10,000 major operations per year but 1,000 operations each year are cancelled on the day.

Over the past 20 weeks, staff at Louth have been looking at ways to improve the use of the hospital for elective orthopaedics operations to support the teams at Lincoln and Pilgrim to reduce delayed or cancelled operations.

Theatre staff, surgeons, medical secretaries, waiting list staff, pre-assessment staff and business managers for orthopaedics across the Trust attended listening sessions to have their say on what would make the service work better.

• Review of the process of pre-assessment between Boston, Lincoln and Louth to ensure suitable patients are sent for Louth for operations • All day lists at Louth have been running since the beginning of September and are carried out by the same surgeon to increase the number of operations taking place • Lincoln consultants operating at Louth now share patients to maximise the use of theatre lists at the hospital • A new consultant orthopaedic post has been introduced at Boston, delivering more clinical sessions per month • Improvements in pre-assessment and increased availability of hip and knee classes to build a pool of pre-assessed patients that can be added to lists in the event of a cancellation

To increase the use of Louth for elective operations, the team has implemented the following initiatives:

The team is forecasting an increase in major operations at Louth from 200 to over 350 cases in 2015-2016.

• Increased the monthly average orthopaedic activity for Louth from 52 day cases and 14 elective patients to 60 day cases and 25 electives within three months to support Pilgrim and Lincoln

The team is now looking to secure funding for administrative support in the Louth pre-assessment clinics as well as increasing staffing on the ward to carry out more hip and knee classes at the hospital.

• Created and implemented a local 6-4-2 system at Louth to plan and confirm list availability at six weeks, four weeks and two weeks to ensure effective planning

They will be monitoring the use of the service at Louth over next six months to evaluate what the increase in activity has been at the site.

New children’s hub for Grantham hospital The two-year development of a children’s hub at Grantham hospital, to bring a number of children’s services under one roof, is close to being finalised with plans for a grand unveiling later this year.

The hub is part of the Shaping Health for Mid-Kesteven initiative which looked at primary care, community services and services in Grantham to help best meet the needs of the people living in the area.

A new extension provides: • A dedicated entrance for both parents and children so they don’t need to access the ward through the main hospital • Additional parking spaces including dedicated disabled spaces • Further clinic rooms • A treatment suite • New play areas • A waiting area for adolescents • A quiet waiting area for children with complex needs Hospital and community paediatricians are already holding clinics for young people with neuro-disabilities, ADHD and autism at the site.

Further plans are to bring in other services and professions for young people with complex disabilities so that they can access a number of services all in one place, move some of the children’s surgical clinics out of the general outpatients department to a dedicated children’s environment and increase the amount of clinics offered with visiting consultants from Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield. autumn 2015

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Recruitment

Be Proud. Make a Difference

90 newly qualified nurses on board!

We have achieved fantastic success with our ongoing recruitment campaign as we welcome 90 newly qualified nurses to our hospitals.

The majority of the nurses have come from the University of Lincoln, with others from neighbouring universities and the Open University. They joined the Trust in September and after successfully completing their preceptorship (introduction to the Trust and professional development) have now taken up posts across our hospitals.

23 nurses have been appointed to Pilgrim, 65 have joined Lincoln and two have already started at Grantham, with two more expected at a later date.

Jake Bontoft on Ashby ward at Lincoln says: “I’m really looking forward to making a difference on the ward and the training I’ve received so far has really built up my confidence. Over the last three years as part of my placement I’ve seen significant

improvements made at ULHT and have been really supported during my placements.”

Mel Kerr, working in A&E at Pilgrim, said: “I can’t wait to start working for the Trust. I love a challenge and I wanted to work in the emergency department because you never know who is going to come through the doors. The training I have received so far has really prepared me for what to expect. The staff have been fantastic and I know I’ll be supported in the department.”

Pauleen Pratt, Acting Chief Nurse, says: “We are so pleased to be welcoming the new nurses to our hospitals. It’s a great accolade that they have chosen our Trust, particularly as this is often based on the experience they received during their work placements, so for them to come back shows we are a great place to work. We hope everyone can help to support them and offer a warm welcome as they settle in to their roles.”

Next steps…..international recruitment kicks off in Eastern Europe Although we are seeing great success with our recruitment campaign, we are not at all complacent, and our dedicated recruitment team is continuing to drive ideas forward.

As many trusts across the country have experienced, there is a national shortage of nurses and so we are also using international recruitment to complement the work we are doing locally and regionally in the UK. At the end of September, a small team of staff from our Trust visited Romania and Hungary to recruit the first group of international registered nurses. This was followed by Poland in October. We recruited 19 nurses, some of whom are expected to start in mid-November.

Learning from retention issues of international nurses last time, we have introduced contract clauses for both the recruitment agency and staff, so if anyone leaves within a year the nurses will have to pay back a proportion of their costs and the agency will have to recruit someone else.

We are taking a phased approach to international recruitment to ensure we can fully support individuals as they join our wards, and we have identified those countries where there are already established communities in our areas to help ensure the new nurses can feel at home, both at work and in their private lives.

5 minutes with…

I was a teenager at a time and found his lyrics very inspiring.

What makes you proud to work at ULHT? Working around people who are passionate about caring for others.

Joanna Okrasa, Engagement Assistant What do you like best about your job?

Meeting, talking to and engaging with people from all walks of life.

What was the first record you ever bought?

It was Bob Marley’s greatest hits.

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autumn 2015

Who or what inspires you?

People who are not afraid to speak their mind and stand by their moral beliefs, open minded and with no prejudice.

Name one thing you couldn’t live without?

Coffee and music, that’s two but equally important.

How would your friends and colleagues describe you?

Open, honest, fun loving with positive outlook on life.

Who had the greatest influence on your career?

It would have to be myself.

What’s your favourite sport?

Swimming.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

I’d love to be a fairy and do magic.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

A stranger on the way to work who smiled at me.

What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I could sing.

Who’s your favourite band?

Hard to choose one but I’ll say Kings of Leon.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

My parents’ garden on a sunny day.

What’s your favourite book?

Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho If you could change one thing about where you work what would it be?

I’d like to meet everyone I communicate with in person at some point.

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

Bottle of rum (to use as steriliser, fire starter and to cheer me up), sun powered radio and a pen and paper.

How would you like to be remembered?

I would like to be remembered as a good person.

Changing our NHS

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Recognising excellence in Lincolnshire’s hospitals Patients and the public are being encouraged to put forward NHS staff for an accolade as part of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Staff Awards.

Improving planned surgery for Lincolnshire people The development of ULHT’s clinical strategy is progressing well. We are finalising the women and children’s and emergency care options and working with our LHAC partners to ensure we make credible proposals for the longer-term.

Our next step is to review planned surgery as part of our clinical strategy.

There are currently three clinical project teams looking at planned care: • Breast services • Orthopaedics • Surgical services The breast services team, chaired by Dr Gurdip Samra, consultant in intensive care medicine and anaesthesia, recently completed an options appraisal for a long list of options for the future of breast care. The emerging option is a one-site model for the symptomatic breast diagnostic service, and potentially a single site model for breast surgery. The options for the surgical treatment pathway are still being discussed.

The idea is that radiotherapy will continue to be delivered at Lincoln hospital, and chemotherapy delivered across Lincolnshire.

During October, the clinical project team will engaged with the wider breast service teams at each hospital to develop their options and to consider locations for the breast service. They will then make recommendations to the Clinical Strategy Implementation Group (CSIG).

Mr Mohit Gupta, consultant ophthalmic surgeon, chairs the orthopaedics team. The team recently completed an options appraisal on a long list of options for the future of orthopaedic services. They have reduced this to a shorter list of options and are examining the feasibility of two hospitals taking emergency trauma, and four hospitals providing orthopaedic planned care.

Over the next few weeks, the clinical project team will engage with the wider orthopaedic service teams at each hospital to develop their options before presenting it to CSIG. The surgical services group, which is chaired by medical director Dr Suneil Kapadia, was established to start looking at emergency and

planned surgical services.

One of the problems the planned care surgical service is trying to solve is the high number of cancelled planned operations at ULHT due to insufficient bed capacity. When a high proportion of medical emergencies use the beds, we often have to cancel planned procedures. This ensures we prioritise patients with the greatest health needs, but is frustrating and worrying for the patients involved. This also affects our income and our ability to meet national performance targets.

This team is looking at how planned care beds can be protected without detrimentally affecting emergency patients. Various options are being considered, one of which is emergency surgery predominantly going through one hospital.

It is early days for this group. This work will involve more extensive engagement with the public and surgical teams; however, we hope they will make a recommendation to CSIG in November 2015.

How does this work fit with LHAC? As we go to print, the LHAC team and CCGs are currently in discussion with NHS England about the timetable for the LHAC programme and that has led to a slight delay in the process. Full public consultation is now expected to be in 2016.

The LHAC programme has identified that there is an opportunity to transfer some planned care activity from the acute hospitals, into the community. ULHT is working closely with commissioners to identify appropriate services that could be transferred in this way.

Thank you to everyone who has already put forward a nomination, nearly 130 submissions have already been made that reflect the great work staff and teams are doing in Lincolnshire’s hospitals.

This time around, the Great Patient Experience category of the awards is open to public nominations only and the winner will be decided with the help of patients themselves.

The winner of the great patient experience award for 2015 was Linda Hart, a healthcare support worker in Neustadt/Welton Ward at Lincoln County Hospital.

Linda was nominated and won because ‘she treats all patients with care, compassion and dignity.”

She said: “I was so touched and surprised to be nominated for the award, because like everyone here I’m just doing my job.

“I have always done my job in my mum’s memory and believe it’s really important that there is someone there to do those little things to make the patient feel better and to help the relatives when they visit.

“Being nominated was wonderful, and going to the awards ceremony and actually winning was amazing. It was a night to remember. I’d encourage people to nominate hose they think deserve the award, because it’s such a lovely way of saying thank you.”

Nominations are also being encouraged in the quality and safety category, which recognises the teams/individuals that have demonstrably improved or championed the quality and safety of patient care.

Or perhaps you know someone who deserves to win the improvement award?

This award celebrates individuals or teams who have demonstrated sustained dedication and commitment to improvement and has achieved excellence in their work.

We know there are many team and individuals doing exceptional work - so nominate someone now using the form on our website at www.ulh.nhs.uk or the staff intranet.

The work of the planned care project teams will link in with the work completed by the women’s and children’s and emergency care project teams to help inform possible options for what services each hospital will provide.

ULHT is working closely with LHAC to make services clinically and financially viable and ensure we deliver the best care for our patients. autumn 2015

7

In the spotlight

Be Proud. Make a Difference

“I can’t fail to be impressed by the distance people go for patients.”

Interview with Jan Sobieraj, CEO 1. Why do you want to work at ULHT? Obviously, there are real challenges but there’s a great opportunity too. I think the Trust is undervalued and it can go a lot further and get better recognition for the work that it is doing.

The focus on clinical standards, regulation and quality and safety is absolutely right but we also need a different approach across the system. In my mind, I don’t distinguish between the work of the Trust and that of GPs or a community pharmacy, for example. For me we need a systemwide approach and we need to look at how we work together across health and social care so we have a better package of care for patients.

As I have experienced Lincolnshire before, I am clear about some of the geographical challenges and expectations of our public; I think that I can play a part in giving them what they deserve.

2. What is your background / how did you get to where you are?

I’m quite unusual for a trust CEO as I have worked in every part of the system. This includes acute hospitals, community and mental health; I have been a commissioner so I’ve worked closely with GPs and worked at national levels at the Department of Health.

This means I can see healthcare from all angles and I think Lincolnshire needs this. Patients don’t care where care comes from as long as it’s really good care, appropriate and timely.

How did I get here? I started in the NHS in 1991 on a scheme designed to bring people in from outside the NHS. Before that, I had had a long career working in social housing.

I worked in Leicester as an Executive Director for five years, and then I took my first CEO job in Lincolnshire. I have had three CEO jobs since then as well as a Department of Health Director General and effectively the CEO of the NHS Leadership Academy. I’ve been working at senior level in the NHS for 18 years now.

More recently, I have been interested in the role every one of us has as leaders. What I mean by this is not just people at a board level but leaders of wards and departments and at every part of a service. I have seen the impact fantastic leaders have had on patients and their colleagues by doing what lots of people do, and that’s focus on patient care.

These people are leaders and we will have thousands of leaders at ULHT and throughout Lincolnshire, including patients.

3. What are your priorities over your first few months?

I am hoping to spend time at ULHT seeing services before I start formally in the job.

When I was CEO in Barnsley I often went back to the floor, and I hope to do this when I start at ULHT. It’s where I will see first hand the impact of Board decisions.

Having been a CEO a few times in my career, I know the first few months will be a delicate balance and not about upsetting what’s working well. I will support continuity and the direction of travel and give people the confidence that they are doing the right thing.

My role as a CEO will be to develop a longer term strategy that is understood by everyone.

Obviously LHAC and our clinical strategy give us a great opportunity to do this. First, I will need to get my head around all the balancing factors. Part of that is long-term clinical and financial sustainability as that’s what matters to the people of Lincolnshire – great clinical care.

4. What do you think you can bring to the role?

Apart from my system knowledge, people tell me I am incredibly enthusiastic. I have bags of energy and I will bring an absolute commitment to improve things.

I am sure Jane and Kevin have done this, but I will be open and honest with people. That’s crucial with staff, stakeholders and our public.

5. What drives you?

Ultimately, the things that drive me are seeing great patient care. I can’t fail to be impressed by the distance people go for patients. I suspect there are many untold fantastic stories that never come out because people are ‘just doing their job.’ It gives me a buzz. On those hard days when I previously worked as a CEO, I went to talk to staff and patients and it gave me the energy to try harder.

6. What are you most looking forward to about working at ULHT? Getting to know Lincolnshire again. It’s a great county. I’m looking forward to meeting staff.

I would love to know what people are really proud about. Some staff have already tweeted me.

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I’m a great believer in promoting how good we are as I think most staff are too modest.

7. What is the best thing about working for the NHS? The best thing is when I can personally connect what I have done to patient care. I am motivated by changing people’s lives.

Running an NHS organisation is one of the most complicated and intellectually challenging jobs around. Grasping what I call wicked problems is hard. These are problems which are complex, ethical or technical for example. But when you get it right, it’s exciting.

8. What is your message to staff at ULHT? Thank you for all your hard work. Every single day, there will be thousands of successes which won’t be recognised. I know they happen and patients know they happen.

I know work can be tough but don’t give up.

Stick with it, I think we have an exciting future and our patients want us to get better and they will help us get there.

The public can’t do without us, so we are here for the long-term. We have the opportunity to get the long term and the short term stuff right.

If you have ideas, please share them. Don’t tell someone your idea just once, keep telling people. There are often reasons why we can’t be as responsive as you’d like.

I am a great believer in empowering staff, and as long as it’s within broad rules, don’t ask for permission and just do what’s right for patients. We need to encourage that.

9. What would you like to say to our patients and people of Lincolnshire?

Tell us when we are getting it right as well as what we are getting wrong. We will take action when we get it wrong. We want to feed the positives back to staff.

When there are opportunities to engage on the big issues, like our clinical strategy, we will engage patients and the public. We want to hear your views and we will listen.

We know we aren’t perfect, we have a long way to go but bear with us. Help us shape ULHT’s future.

Thanks for your support and choosing to come here.

How do you pronounce your name?

My name is Polish and you say it like ‘So-beair-eye’ although call me Jan (as in Yan).

News round-up

Be Proud. Make a Difference

ULHT in the news Featured on the Lincolnite - Lincoln nurses in line for national honours after improving patient care.

Three nurses at Lincoln County Hospital have been shortlisted for a prestigious award following their work to improve patient care on the emergency admissions unit.

On the spot…

Favourite food.

Curry. I like chicken bhuna.

First record.

My first record was Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Water LP – which I nicked off my sister.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m a big music fan. My favourite current band is RavenEye, who no one has heard of. They are a blues rock band. A great guitarist called Oli Brown fronts them. I love a Sheffield based band called Reverend and the Makers as a live band. I’m listening to Muse in my car.

If you we’re having a dinner party which three people would you invite and why?

Desmond Tutu. I think he’s an amazing character and I think he would have me in stiches.

I would like to meet my grandfather who I only vaguely remember. I understand he had a big history in the second world war. Now I am older I would like to sit down and talk to him about his experiences.

Finally, Sebastian Coe. I watched him as a runner in the 80s and I think he’s turned into a fantastic global figure. I think he would have fantastic stores about his career, the Olympics – which I went to – and his new role.

Who inspires you?

There’s no one individual. People who provide care inspire me, not only national leaders. These people give me a buzz and sometimes make me weep too. These are people who go the extra mile for their service. Normally they are incredibly modest.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

I love St Ives in Cornwall.

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

A Leatherman, a handy gadget, a wind up gramophone with lots of LPs, and something to read like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is long, to keep me going.

What do you like to do with your spare time?

When I get some, I spend time with my family. I’m also quite sporty. I like running, cycling and playing squash.

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

Organised. I have a good memory, keep lots of lists and am very motivated. And I can’t drink as much as I used to!

Respiratory nurse specialists Laura Fowler, Katie Sleight and Kathryn Cope, along with consultant Zara Pogson, have been nominated for The Nursing Times Awards.

The four had their work published in the British Journal of Nursing following the setting up of an ‘in-reach’ service.

Featured on the Lincolnite, the Lincolnshire Echo and on BBC Radio Lincolnshire - Lincoln County hospital treats first patients with state-of-theart radiotherapy.

Cancer patients in Lincolnshire are now being treated using new state-of-the-art radiotherapy machines in the county’s hospitals.

A £6.7 million investment by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has seen a new linear accelerator (LINAC) installed at Lincoln County

Hospital, which works by delivering high energy x-rays to a cancer patient’s tumour.

The radiotherapy machine is the first of three such which will be brought to Lincoln hospital by 2017.

The LINAC uses modern technology to provide radiotherapy treatment to tumours on any part or organ in the body.

Featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, the Lincolnite, Lincolnshire Echo, BBC Look North and on the Nursing Times - Trust welcomes former nurses returning to nursing.

Former nurses who left the profession are taking part in a new scheme encouraging them to resume their nursing careers in Lincolnshire.

The Return to Practice programme, which began on July 20, has seen 11 former nurses train towards regaining their nursing registration.

The course runs for 24 weeks at which point the nurses will have completed degree level academic work and a minimum of 150 hours in practice.

They will then have become fully registered nurses either in Lincolnshire’s hospitals or out in the community.

Top tweets Suneil Kapadia @suneilkapadia ULHT gets excellent report for its performance in Emergo mass casualty evacuation practice across all 3 sites @ULHTNews. Well done to all.

Jonny Moses @JonnyMoses Big thanks to all nurses & staff on @2Grantham @Ward6GDH + ward 1 for your hard work + support this wkend @ULHTNews. Grateful jnr dr.

Ben Hueso @ben_hueso @ULHTNews taken aback by the kindness, compassion and professionalism of the Staff on SEAU! Waiting for a relative and have witnessed what can only be described as the delivery of fantastic healthcare #NHSHeroes #Impressed Jan Sobieraj @JanSobieraj Many thanks @ianho78 for showing me impressive MDT, great work on safety and time2talk to improve comms. Fab work all round - congrats! marmitesmooch @marmitesmooch Less than 48hrs after my appointment and I have my next ones through. Thank you for the speedy service @ULHTNews autumn 2015

9

About our members

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Me and

you Pat, a member of the Trust and Rebecca, patient safety lead, talk about their shared experiences of working together.

Pat Davies, Trust member Over the last few months, I’ve done a number of the Trust’s pathway reviews in my position as a patient representative.

These are visits to wards and departments, arranged by Rebecca, where a team including a patient representative inspects the area and gives feedback on what they find.

We go out as part of a team, but everyone has a job to do.

Rebecca supports us as patient representatives, and is responsible for giving us guidance on what we need to do. My role in the visits is to speak to patients and their relatives about their experience of the ward area, using set questions.

I started doing this because I worked in the health service all my life and am now retired, so I do it as a way to keep in touch with what’s going on and also to give something back.

The pathway reviews are an interesting thing to be part of because you feel like you can make a difference.

We interview patients and sometimes they are reluctant to talk to us, but others are very keen to share their experiences. I think they are much happier talking to patient representatives than they would be with staff. I think they feel they can be more honest and open with us, which means that we can get more useful feedback from them.

Rebecca Vickers, patient safety lead at ULHT Our public members like Pat are vital to the success of our pathway review visits, because they provide a public perspective on our services and are that fresh set of eyes observing during our visits.

Many of our members have a professional background in the NHS like Pat does, and Pat’s level of expertise and interest make her ideal to carry out these reviews.

We do the visits to improve the quality and safety of services and to understand the patient’s experience and how that links into everything else.

The interviewing of patients can only be done by patient representatives, as patients are far more confident and open than if they were interviewed by a member of staff who is caring for them.

Some of the feedback that we’ve had through our patient representatives has led to immediate improvements. Members of staff also sometimes find it easier to speak to the patient representatives if they have issues and we can make improvements for staff as well as patients off the back of these visits.

It’s not all about gathering negative feedback either, and I’d say the majority of conversations we have are praising the staff and the care people receive.

Other issues raised are fed into a report that is produced from every visit, which is then fed back to the area and to a multidisciplinary team which can plan actions that need to be taken, when and how.

If patients do have a criticism, we can take it to Rebecca and the team as part of our feedback on the visit. She is very good at assuring us that our input is valued and used to make a difference.

We’re also working with Pat and other members to re-design some of the questions they ask, as they could be better and help us to get more valuable information back. It’s a constantly changing process of improvement.

Sign up to become a member of the Trust Would you like to help us use patient feedback to improve our services?

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 10

autumn 2015

members have taken part in recently include pathway reviews of our wards and departments, attendance at our AGM and patient safety conference and giving feedback on the development of patient letters. and committees or give independent perspectives on our services through visits and inspections.

Examples of exciting opportunities our

To find out more contact us at: 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

Coping with stress

3 large carrots, quartered lengthways ½ a cauliflower, cut into florets

It is widely accepted that we all lead busy lives and with that can come stress, which can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint and control.

1 garlic clove ½ tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp olive oil

Staff health and wellbeing is a high priority for our Trust as we are well aware that an engaged, supported, healthy workforce results in better outcomes for patients.

We also have a chaplaincy service which provides pastoral, spiritual and religious care to all patients, relatives, carers as well as staff.

Jeremy Pemberton, deputy senior chaplain and deputy bereavement and voluntary services manager said: “Chaplains’ offices

Try this tasty recipe today!

Roasted carrot, cauliflower and feta salad (for 2 servings)

National stress awareness day takes place on Wednesday 4 November and in the lead up to Christmas, many of us may be feeling the pressure.

Did you know that all staff at ULHT can self-refer to our physiotherapy service and we have an occupational health department who carry out work-based assessments as a preventative measure? We also have a counselling service which staff can self-refer to if they feel they need support with stress and anxiety. We also run workshops on resilience for managers and staff and provide ad-hoc support where requested.

Recipe

100g crispy salad leaves 75g feta cheese, crumbled 1. Preheat the oven to 190°c (fan 170°c).

In a roasting tin, put the olive oil and cumin seeds. Add in the carrots, cauliflower and garlic and toss until coated.

2. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until tender. are a safe space. Short of potentially criminal activity or matters that have a safeguarding dimension we keep everything that is told to us confidential. So that means that you can come and have a rant at us, or cry a lot or come and try to think something through with someone who will be a sympathetic sounding board. Doing that can help reduce stress significantly.

“There is something about being listened to with compassion that somehow helps people feel less alone with what they are facing. Chaplains are not wonder-workers, but we know that compassionate presence can create a sense of human connection that helps.”

For more information on stress awareness days, please visit http://www.isma.org.uk/aboutnational-stress-awareness-day-nsad/ These tips may also help you to relax: Ways to help you relax: • Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables • Keep active – go for walks and get some fresh air • Talk to friends and family about anything that may be worrying you • Read a good book • Have a long bath • Light scented candles • Listen to soothing music If you feel like you may need some extra help, contact occupational health http://ulhintranet/ occupational-health-contact-numbers or your GP who will be able to advise you.

3. Serve in bowls on top of salad leaves and sprinkle with the crumbled feta cheese.

Getting your flu jab It’s that time of year again when you will hear increasing numbers of people sneezing and coughing and scrambling around to find that last tissue in the bottom of their bag.

Getting your flu vaccine not only helps to protect you, but it also protects friends, family, colleagues and patients. For some people flu can be a deadly illness.

Typically, the elderly, the very young and people with underlying medical conditions are at a greater risk of suffering severe illness. However, even previously healthy people and the young can develop severe complications from flu. In 2009/10 and 2010/11, up to one third of deaths from flu were in people considered healthy.

Washing your hands regularly and thoroughly can help reduce the spread of flu and if you have flu, avoid passing it on to other more vulnerable people by using and throwing away tissues and avoiding visiting people in hospitals until your symptoms have cleared up.

Get your free flu jab from your doctor or pharmacist or speak to your occupational health department today!

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust offers the flu vaccine free to all of our employees so please consider having the flu vaccine this year protect your patients, protect your family and protect yourself. autumn 2015

11

Beyond Good

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Listening into Action: Celebrating the successes of staff at the LiA Pass It On event Staff involved with Listening into Action (LiA) celebrated their successes at a recent Pass It On event in September.

Presentations on the day came from staff looking at improving patient care and services, which included:

The LiA teams have been working to improve services for patients and staff.

The event was an opportunity to celebrate the improvements that all the teams have made and how LiA has helped to lead change within the organisation. There also was an opportunity to find out more about moving forward with staff engagement the ULH Way.

• Communications cell team which has looked at improving communications with a pilot on two wards at Lincoln.

LiA original teams • Junior doctor workforce planning team • Lincoln outpatients reception team • Clinical orientation team • Capture the fracture • Communication cell (see page 4) • Customer care • Louth orthopaedics LiA Local teams • Acute Medical Unit, Pilgrim • The portering team, Grantham • Stroke unit, Pilgrim • Burton ward, Lincoln 12

autumn 2015

• Orthopaedics team which has optimised the use of Louth hospital for elective orthopaedics operations to improve patient outcomes and achieve a ‘gold standard’ preassessment service at the hospital.

• The portering team at Grantham which has improved communication to utilise portering time more efficiently and effectively to enhance the patient journey.

• Clinical orientation team has set up an NHS orientation programme to attract UK doctors working overseas to join the team at Pilgrim hospital.

During the event, two public Trust members voted for the best team strapline. The winner was the portering team at Grantham with ‘helping us to help you’.

Attendees also voted for the best stand displayed by the teams about their projects and the winner was the capture the fracture team.

Could you be part of our next wave of teams?

Do you have an innovative idea of how to improve care or services for our patients and staff?

Do you want to implement changes in your ward and department to make a real difference?

Do you have an idea for a big change within the organisation to improve the way we do things?

Then we want to hear from you!

We are looking for eager staff to get involved in 10 teams to start on new initiatives in November. If you’re interested in getting involved then contact ext. 707482 or email staffengagement@ulh.nhs.uk.

News round-up

Be Proud. Make a Difference

Coming soon: New user friendly website launched for ULHT We will soon be launching a brand new website for the Trust which provides many new features for users.

Our aim is to provide a website that is easy to use and visually engaging, provides concise and accurate information and to improve the search function, so that users are able to find the information easily.

We have also looked to improve visibility of ULHT online – creating a strong brand for the Trust to help tie services together, but also distinguish us from other NHS

organisations in the county.

The new website has a series of new functions to make it easier to search for content that is important and useful to our patients, their relatives and our staff. These include: Our hospitals There is now a specific area for each of our hospitals that can be accessed from the new homepage. Each area contains information on how to get to the hospital, the wards and units at each site and the different shops and cafes and their opening times.

the name of a consultant you can find these under this new section.

Patients and visitors If you want advice about what to do in an emergency, how to rearrange or cancel an outpatients appointment or what to bring with you if you’re coming into hospital you can find this information here.

We would love to hear what you think of the new website. If you have any comments or suggestions about the new site, please contact communications@ulh.nhs.uk.

A-Z menus Various different menus from the old website have been replaced by a simple A-Z list. If you are looking for a particular service or

5 minutes with… out of special measures.

Kevin Turner, Acting Chief Executive What do you like best about your job?

Working with people and making a difference for people we care for. Since I’ve taken on the Acting role I’ve not been able to get out and about as much as I would like.

What makes you proud to work at ULHT? The sheer determination and commitment of those I work with to get better at what we do as evidenced in emerging

How would your friends and colleagues describe you?

The executive team had to do one of those exercises a few months ago (which incidentally I dislike intensely) where we had to describe each other’s attributes. They described me as a calm, experienced, balanced and supportive person who loves humour. I was also described as a team player who sometimes is the ‘gel’ in the team and it was this feedback that pleased me the most. Outside of work I am described as laid back.

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

Bill Shankly, former manager of Liverpool FC somebody who inspired and led others to greatness. I would love to better understand his leadership techniques; Danny Baker because of his wit, knowledge and being raconteur of entertaining and interesting stories; and Eric Morecambe

because of his absolute comic genius. I’m sad that I’ve had to leave Audrey Hepburn out of the guest list …..

What’s your favourite sport?

Kabaddi, although it is not a sport that I’ve seen for many years as it is no longer played in UK. In terms of mainstream sport it would have to be football.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

To pause time to give us the time to do all that we need to do in the NHS, or even better to travel back in time to better apply learning from hindsight much earlier.

What is your greatest achievement?

Playing two of the three kings in the nativity play at junior school at the same time, which at one point required me to have a short dialogue with myself! I had to cover at short notice when one of the kings was poorly at the last moment Where is your favourite place in the world?

My home.

What’s your favourite book?

Spike Milligans ‘Hitler, my part in his downfall’.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

The thought of going to see Madness live at Headingley with my family.

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

My luxury items would be salt and vinegar crisps, an endless supply of cold Birra Moretti and a lamp with a genie in it.

What talent do you wish you had?

The ability to dance, beyond my current dad dancing skill level.

How would you like to be remembered?

I’d be happy just to be remembered. autumn 2015

13

5 minutes with…

Be Proud. Make a Difference What was the last thing that made you smile?

Rapping Vanilla Ice to Kelly from clinical coding.

on a daily basis.

Who or what inspires you?

Charlie Fairhead!

Name one thing you couldn’t live without?

Music How would your friends and colleagues describe you?

I’m not sure maybe introverted…you’ll have to ask them.

Ian Holdich, Charge Nurse, Carlton Coleby ward What do you like best about your job?

I have always liked the interaction with people. Being able to help someone in their time of need is a privilege, whether that be a patient or another member of staff.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby (I can still rap all the words to this day).

What makes you proud to work at ULHT? Having worked in Lincoln County Hospital for 20 years, the past four or five years have made me the proudest. Having come through special measures, and seeing things improve

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

Noel Gallagher – Just because he’d make me laugh Taylor Swift – Just because!

Jeremy Corbyn – I’d like to meet him and talk about politics.

Who had the greatest influence on your career?

I have had many influences, so it’d be wrong to single people out. There are a lot of great people in ULHT. What’s your favourite sport?

Football If you could have any superpower what would it be?

The ability to fly. It’d be great after a hard shift to be able to fly to Barbados.

What talent do you wish you had?

To be able to sing, and be the front man of an indie band.

Who’s your favourite band?

Oasis.

What is your greatest achievement?

Winning the ULHT Great Leadership award.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Greece – A little place called Kolymbia.

What’s your favourite book?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

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

Have air-conditioning (I’m sitting here writing this in 30 degree heat).

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

Matches, iPhone, clean boxers How would you like to be remembered?

I’d like to be remembered as someone who maybe had made a small change in people lives.

The Limes is situated in the pretty village of Scopwick,12 miles from Lincoln.

We offer day care, and are currently offering three days, day care for the price of two.

We are dementia registered and our aim is to foster an atmosphere of care and support which both enables and encourages our residents to live as full, interesting and independent a lifestyle as possible. We encourage independence, rights and choice We also offer the following • Chiropody • Hairdresser • Dentist • Optician district nurse G.P visits We also pride ourselves in our extensive activity programme, we provide activities three times a day some of activities include • Happy hour in our bar • Karaoke • Music workshops • Painting • Reminiscence sessions • Regular entertainment

Scopwick, Lincoln LN4 3NW

Tel: 01526 321748 Fax: 01526 321516 Email: limes@ablegrange.co.uk 14

autumn 2015

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Working in partnership with the NHS Britannic Chambers, 8A Carlton Road, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 1PH 01909 478822 | www.octagon.org.uk info@octagon.org.uk

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust endorse any of the products or services.

Every possible care has been taken to ensure that the information given in this publication is accurate. Whilst the publisher would be grateful to learn of any errors, they cannot accept any liability over and above the cost of the advertisement for loss there by caused. No reproduction by any method whatsoever of any part of this publication is permitted without written consent of the copyright owners.

Octagon Marketing Company Ltd. ©2015 Hawks Nest Cottage, Great North Road, Bawtry, Doncaster DN10 6AB. Tel: 01302 714528

Providing accessible and affordable transport for our local community Using fully vetted volunteer drivers, driving our minibuses or their own vehicles we have transported disabled and older people who struggle to use public transport in the county for nearly 30 years.

Our fleet of accessible minibuses are available to anyone who lives within 6 miles of Lincoln and outside this zone we can still help with our team of volunteer car drivers.

We can transport our clients anywhere in mainland UK and for any reason, including medical appointments, shopping, visiting friends and family, or holidays.

Our aim is to keep vulnerable people connected with their local community by providing transport when and where they need it.

Our service is expanding rapidly throughout Lincolnshire in 2015. For more info about using our service or becoming a volunteer driver please contact us today.

Telephone: 01522 544983 Email info.lincolndar@yahoo.co.uk Website: www.lincolndialaride.co.uk

Registered Charity Number 1159525

autumn 2015

15

ULH News is designed and published by: Octagon Marketing Company Ltd, Hawks Nest Cottage, Great North Road, Bawtry DN10 6AB. Tel: 01302 714528.