Bulletin Autumn 2018

staff magazine | Autumn 2018

Happy 100th birthday Ethel! p3

Staff campaign to #endpjparalysis p4

Stormtrooper’s special intergalactic visit p5

Contents

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Staff wear nightwear to work

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Leeds’ bravest Stormtrooper

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Yorkshire’s organ donation heroes

7 Leeds teams triumph at British Transplant Games 8

Organ donation week

9 Transplant immunology: from myth to science 10

Listening Ears introduced to A&E

11 Colorectal patients go back to school 12-13 Staff shine at Trust’s annual awards 14 LCH Rocks sparks treasure hunt for NHS70 5

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Stormtrooper’s intergalactic visit

Staff campaign to #endpjparalysis

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BBC Breakfast live from LTHT

16-17 NHS70 - How you celebrated!

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Nursing Conference 2018

19 National success for research in Leeds 20

My Job - Martin Thawe

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Wharfedale goes Digital

22-23 Farewell 24 Donations

7 Children’s and adult transplant teams shine at British Games

12 Staff shine at annual awards

25 A Leeds Cares story The Twinchetts 26

60 Seconds - Jo Corrado

Bulletin is produced quarterly by the Communications Department.

Photography by Medical Illustration Design by Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd Send your feedback, ideas and suggestions for the next edition to communications.lth@nhs.net or call exts. 64303/66494/66244.

Copy deadline is 11 December 2018 For more news on a daily basis from LTHT please follow us on social media: 16

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NHS70 - How you celebrated!

Wharfedale Hospital goes Digital

search for ‘Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’

@LeedsHospitals

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Welcome

Happy 100th Birthday Ethel!

In the week that the NHS turned 70, one of our oldest patients, Ethel, became a centenarian.

Mum-of-two Ethel was born in Devon but later moved to York before relocating to Leeds. She has six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Despite being in hospital, the ward team on J27 made her birthday very special with cake, cards, presents and balloons!

Posing proudly with her card from the Queen, Ethel had a great day and we’re really proud of our team for going the extra mile!

Welcome to this new issue of Bulletin – our staff magazine.

Some of our best achievements come about through collaboration and mutual goodwill, which are very much at the heart of the Leeds Way. You’d be hard-pushed to find a clearer example of this than organ transplantation - from the generosity of the organ donor, to the tight planning of our transplant coordinators, through to the expertise of our surgeons and clinical staff. The result is a second chance at life for someone who could easily be any of us.

This collaboration between a long line of different people – patients, family, staff, and generous strangers – is a true wonder that combines the accomplishments of modern medicine and the timeless goodwill of the human spirit.

This is a theme common throughout many of the stories in this edition of Bulletin – from familiar characters making a young patient’s end of treatment celebration extra special, to the incredible work of fundraisers helping make the patient and family experience of hospital more comfortable – this issue is full of great examples of collaboration where generosity of spirit has led the way.

I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I have.

Kind regards Julian

Photos: Yorkshire Evening Post

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News

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Hospital staff wear nightwear to work to #endpjparalysis Wednesday 25 July saw large numbers of nursing staff effortlessly model their nightwear whilst at work in order to promote our ‘Sit Up, Get Dressed, Keep Moving’ campaign. The campaign encourages patients to get out of bed, wear their own clothes and stay mobile during their time in hospital. This simple idea can support a faster recovery and enable patients to go home sooner.

The day represented a fun and interactive way to emphasise the shared responsibility of all staff and families to encourage and assist patients to sit out

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of bed, get dressed and get moving as much as is appropriate.

recovery, healthier outlook and faster returns home.

Alison Raycraft, lead nurse for older people at LTHT, said: “It was great to see so many get involved with the movement and it provided the ideal opportunity to promote the idea of a collaborative effort between ward staff, patients and families. The more everyone is aware of the negative impact of deconditioning and likewise the tremendously positive effect of getting up, dressed, and moving, the more likely we will see improved

“Some patients have told us that they thought they could only wear pyjamas or nightwear while they’re in hospital, and that’s not true. We’d love to see more patients up and about in their day clothes! Little things like this can have a huge impact on someone’s independence and confidence, but also their mental health and wellbeing too.

Our patients who get themselves dressed and up and about tell us that they feel much better.”

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Leeds’ bravest Stormtrooper gets a special intergalactic visit Four year-old Matthew was in for a surprise that was out of this world when some special guests from a galaxy far, far away arrived to help celebrate the end of his radiotherapy treatment.

Leeds Cancer Centre patients who have finished a planned treatment of radiotherapy ring a special bell situated in the department that is a symbolic gesture of completion. Provided by the charity End of Treatment Bells, the act is often powerful and emotionally resonant as the patient signals the end of what can be weeks of treatment.

In August it was the turn of Matthew. For children and their family, ongoing treatment can be especially hard.

A huge Star Wars fan, Matthew

was overwhelmed when he was greeted by R2D2 and a pilot from the Rebel Alliance following his last course of radiotherapy.

The plucky astromech droid and rebel hero escorted Matthew to the end of treatment bell where, in an unusual cessation of hostilities, Matthew was greeted by Darth Vader, Sith Lord, and a Stormtrooper honour guard. Matthew, who had earlier donned his own Stormtrooper armour, received a special certificate to mark his end of radiotherapy and anointing him in the ways of the Sith.

Characterful interactions like these can make a world of difference to the hospital experience of a young patient – and it’s a lot of fun for staff too!

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Feature

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Yorkshire Donation Heroes help cut transplant waiting times Every year hundreds of patients receive life-saving organ transplants at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. In 2017/18, 361 people - both adults and children - received kidney or liver transplants which changed their lives and the lives of their families and friends immeasurably.

and Yorkshire. Our team has worked incredibly hard getting out and about speaking to the general public about donation and encouraging them to consider signing the Organ Donor Register.

Of course, transplants cannot happen without the incredible generosity of organ donors.

And, over the same time period, 39 individuals donated organs after their death in our hospitals, donating 120 organs between them.

We have a fantastic team here at LTHT who make these complex operations happen almost like clockwork. This all starts with the specialist nurses for organ donation (SNODs) and critical care teams who are specially trained to speak with families about the option of donation after a loved one dies.

From a suitable organ becoming available, the team - including scientists, porters, theatres,

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administrative support, surgeons, nurses and many more - must be in place and ready to act fast. From the beginning, it’s a huge operation to coordinate getting the patient into hospital, ordering tests and getting the results, managing theatre lists, ensuring there’s a bed

available and much more.

Our team alone have done this over 300 times this year, not to mention the many times this happens in other hospitals across the country.

We launched our very own organ donation campaign ‘Be A Hero’ in 2015 to raise awareness of organ donation and transplants across Leeds

Since the launch of the ‘Be A Hero’ campaign, the number of people in Yorkshire waiting for a transplant has almost halved from 800 to 483. This is fantastic but there is still a need for more people to sign the register and, perhaps more importantly, to have the ‘organ donation conversation’ with their family and friends about their wishes. Then, if they are ever in the situation where they need to consent to their loved one becoming a donor, they know exactly what they would want.

Be A Hero. Sign the Organ Donor Register - www. organdonation.nhs.uk - and have the ‘organ donation conversation’.

Find out more about the Be A Hero campaign at www.leedsth.nhs.uk/beahero

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Transplant teams triumph at British Games This year over 70 transplant recipients headed to the Westfield Health British Transplant Games in Birmingham to represent Team Leeds. Adults and children from LTHT competed in a range of disciplines, from cycling to swimming and snooker to bean bag throwing. All participants had received life-saving organ transplants here in Leeds and their ages spanned from 3 to 82 years old.

Cheered on by an army of supporters the participants formed two teams - an adult team and a team representing Leeds Children’s Hospital. Our adults team took home 30 medals including

12 gold, and our children and young people left with an impressive haul.

Anokh Goodman, Young Persons Key Worker and manager of the Leeds Adult Transplant Games team, said: “The interest in Transplant Sport has grown hugely over the last few years, and we’re really proud to have been at the games again this year. LTHT is a specialist centre for transplant so we have members of our team from all over the country who have chosen to compete for us as the hospital that cared for them during this time.”

Lisa Beaumont, Therapeutic and Specialised Play Manager and manager

of the Leeds Children’s Transplant Games team, added “The British Transplant Games is such a fantastic event for children who have had transplants to get involved with.

Spirits are high and many of the children make friends at the Games - it’s great to see how they support each other and how these friendships develop over the years.

For us it’s not about winning medals but taking part and celebrating life to the full.

The children are such wonderful examples of the power of organ donation.”

Both teams have been supported by charities Leeds Cares and Kidney Care UK with the Children’s team receiving a new kit.

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Feature

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Live body art highlights donation conversation There was a real buzz across our hospitals for Organ Donation Week in September, with many staff replacing their uniforms with NHS Blood and Transplant pink t-shirts!

To launch the week, we were joined at the LGI by colleagues from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust for live body painting showing five of the body’s organs that can be donated.

The transplant and donation teams hosted various information events, as

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well as attending the ‘Organ Donation Games’ in Manchester and staging a parkrun ‘takeover’ in Roundhay Park.

Our annual ‘Be A Hero’ day at the LGI was joined by families who have consented to donation on behalf of their loved ones, live donors and transplant recipients, as well as a giant version of the game ‘Operation’.

The team and volunteers spent time speaking to patients, visitors and staff about organ donation and answering some of their questions.

Some of the most common queries include: “I am too old to donate” or “I have a medical condition”.

Most people are able to become organ donors in some form.

“Can my family override my decision”.

Families do still have the final say in donation so the key message of this week has been to share your wishes with your loved ones, whatever they are.

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Feature

Transplant Immunology – from myth to science

By Victoria Wood and Brendan Clark The concept and possibilities of transplantation hold a fascination that has existed throughout history. The first recorded case is attributed to St Cosmas and St Damien who performed a limb transplant, the socalled ‘miracle of the black leg’ (see illustration) in the 3rd century AD. Although the facts of this account are somewhat dubious the story reflects the hope of restoration to health afforded by a successful transplant.

The modern era of transplantation begins in the mid-twentieth century.

Enabled by surgical advances, improved anti-rejection therapies and growing awareness of the immunological rules underpinning successful outcomes, early pioneering attempts often performed in isolation rapidly grew into large programmes with increasingly successful outcomes.

In the modern NHS, transplantation

has become an everyday miracle with more than 4000 procedures performed annually in the UK. Medical and particularly surgical involvements in these programmes are well represented even in popular media, with TV medical dramas often featuring transplant storylines involving heroic surgical action! As is more generally the case, these storylines neglect some of the detail necessary to provide a better informed picture of the situation.

The involvement of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (H&I, aka Transplant Immunology) in transplantation has three main aspects. Most people are familiar with the first which is to enable ‘matching’ through ‘tissue-typing’ of donor and recipient, and understand that better matches deliver better clinical outcomes. Matching is based on characterisation of tissue markers called Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) molecules that serve as a sort of selfidentification barcode.

Patient exposure to ‘foreign’ tissue barcodes can occur in transfusion, transplantation and pregnancy. When a difference is spotted, the immune system reacts by producing a type of molecule called an antibody. In the context of transplantation these antibodies are graft damaging. Efforts are made to avoid donors against whom the intended recipient has pre-formed antibodies.

Many patients awaiting transplantation have these antibodies and are termed ‘sensitised’. The more antibodies they have, the greater their level of sensitisation. This lowers their chance of transplantation as potential donors are denied to them.

By Victoria Wood, Trainee Clinical Scientist and Brendan Clark, Consultant Clinical Scientist

The first transplant?

Patron saints of medicine Cosmas and Damien were born around 270AD in a small town between modern-day Turkey and Syria. The most famous of their supposed medical exploits is ‘the miracle of the black leg’. The story goes that hundreds of years following the martyrdom of Cosmas and Damien a devout man fell ill with a cancerous leg.

The saints appeared to the man in a dream and amputated the diseased leg to ease his suffering. A donor leg was then found from a recently deceased man and they grafted it to their patient in replacement of his amputated leg.

The man awoke to find himself free of his diseased leg and in possession of a healthy one, albeit not of the same colour as the donor had been of Black North African origin and the recipient was white.

H&I expends significant time and energy carefully defining the antibody profile of transplant recipients and in assessing the risk of donor offers with conflicting HLA types.

Once a donor offer is received the final role of the lab is in checking compatibility. A test called a crossmatch is performed by reacting donor cells with recipient serum. The decision on whether to go ahead with the transplant then rests on the results of this test.

Photo by Dr Adrienne Seitz

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News

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Introducing A&E Listening Ears ‘A&E Listening Ears’ is a peer to peer, face to face, telephone or email resource and listening volunteer support service for all our A&E staff, whether at home or at work, 24/7 365 days a year.

Trained volunteers, who all work in our Emergency Departments, have put themselves forward as ‘listening ears’, offering a supportive shoulder to colleagues in the department who would like to talk through work events or stressful situations.

Volunteers can be identified by their special lapel badges or contacted via the LTHT switchboard who keep a rota of colleagues who are available to support and connect directly.

This means the service is available to staff 24/7 365, whilst at home or at work, and acts as an extension of the fantastic support the team already show each other.

Dr Jonathan Thornley, Consultant in Emergency Medicine said: “A massive amount of thanks must go to our Listening Ears volunteers for completing the training package and making

themselves available to help other colleagues. Thanks must also go to the Psychology Department, the Executive Team and A&E Management Team for unreservedly supporting this initiative.

The Listening Ears volunteers should also feel very proud, not just for the amazing support they offer our colleagues, but for their Time to Shine award which highlights this outstanding work.”

Inaugural Medical Conference looks to visions of the future The Trust’s inaugural Medical Conference was held in Leeds during September. The theme was ‘Leading Together - Shaping our Future’ and 120 colleagues from across the Trust heard a number of inspirational presentations.

Professor David Jayne gave a fascinating talk about whether the future of healthcare lay in frugal or high tech innovation. On the digital front, Geoff Hall led attendees through a future shaped by artificial intelligence, whilst Darren Treanor described how advances in digital pathology have put Leeds on the map. Junior doctor leaders also discussed the ground-breaking work underway across the Trust to improve morale and engagement amongst trainees.

The day concluded with a presentation from the inspirational ‘Yorkshire Rows’ who set a new world record for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. Thank you to Leeds Cares for sponsoring the event.

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Patients go back to school to prepare for surgery The colorectal team has started a new Surgery School aimed at patients due to undergo colorectal surgery.

The school is based at St James’s and is held for one hour every Thursday morning. Having successfully run since March, the Surgery School has seen an excellent level of attendance from patients so far.

The Surgery School is the first of its kind for the colorectal department in Leeds.

Building on an already established methodology of Enhanced Recovery introduced eight years ago, the school focuses on pre-operative care for patients with bowel cancer or patients listed for benign (non-cancerous) bowel surgery.

Ann Marjoram, Colorectal Nurse, said: “We’ve done a lot of work around enhanced recovery in colorectal surgery and identified a need for focusing on what’s known as ‘prehabilitation’ getting patients in a state for recovery before their operation. The idea is to help patients become as fit as possible

before their surgery and give tips on what the patient can do for themselves to help their bodies recover. We’ve been working very closely with patient feedback to ensure the Surgery School is tailored to what patients feel will benefit them most.”

The weekly sessions are multi-disciplinary in approach and include presentations from members of the colorectal nursing team, physiotherapy, dieticians, and the pain team. There is then an opportunity for patients to ask questions and take tea and coffee.

Patients find out how getting fit before their surgery will drastically improve their recovery time, as well as learning breathing exercises using a spirometer to improve deep breathing and reduce postoperative chest infections. Patients also learn about the impact of nutrition on wound healing and the effects of alcohol and smoking. They are also talked through expectations around recovery time, pain relief, and the process of surgery on the day.

Case study - Margaret Laking Margaret Laking, 51 and from Leeds, recently underwent bowel surgery on J44. Margaret attended the surgery school shortly before her operation.

Margaret is diabetic and suffered from a complicated bowel condition, which she found extremely lifelimiting until her operation.

“I felt more confident about my surgery after attending the Surgery School. My daughter came along as well and found it really interesting - as soon as we’d finished she was putting together a fitness regime so I’d be ready!”

“I learned about nutrition, aftercare, breathing techniques, and being active before you go in. It opened my eyes - you just don’t realise what you can do to help yourself. It’s not just about leaving it all to the surgeons, you can make a big difference to your own recovery, and you can start long before the operation date.”

“The Surgery School has made a world of difference to my recovery - I knew what I needed before, and what I needed afterwards to enhance my recovery. I’d really recommend it. I’m 51 but I feel more like 40 at the moment.”

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News

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Staff stars shine a ‘Time To Shine’ is an opportunity to recognise the amazing work our teams across the Trust do every single day. This year was our biggest yet with more nominations than ever and over 500 people attended our special awards event at New Dock Hall in July, the same week as NHS70 so there was cause for some extra celebrations!

There were a number of formal categories awarding teams and

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at annual awards projects that are making a real difference to our services. Our ‘Hero series’ is designed to recognise those in our Trust who go the extra mile for colleagues, patients and their families.

Thank you to our sponsors, FDP Group, Altodigital and Leeds Cares for their support, and keep an eye out for the launch of Time To Shine 2019 in the New Year.

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News

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LCH Rocks triggers treasure hunt across Leeds for NHS70 To celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS on 5 July some of the young patients at Leeds Children’s Hospital were busy decorating rocks ready for them to be hidden in parks and green spaces across the city.

Led by the Trust’s Play Team, and taking inspiration from similar local and national rocks campaigns, the children have had lots of fun experimenting with paint and colouring pens and have come up with

some fantastic designs including a bee, a turtle, and a ladybird, to name but a few.

Once the special NHS 70 rocks had been hidden in places around Leeds, a callout for hunters went out across the city, identifiable by the hashtag #LCHRocks written on the back or on the side.

Lisa Beaumont, Therapeutic and Specialised Play Manager at Leeds Children’s Hospital said: “The rocks have been a fantastic project for our patients

to get involved in. They are really excited to see them popping up around the city and will have been following their journey on social media.”

The rocks are still out there, so if you find one, Leeds Children’s Hospital is asking you to post a photo on social media using the hashtag #LCHRocks. In the post please include where you found it and give a clue as to where you’ve hidden it for the next person to find!

Gary Walker nominated for van driver excellence award Congratulations to one of our drivers, Gary Walker, who has been announced as a runner up in the ‘Van Excellence Drivers of the Year 2018’ award.

The contest recognises and celebrates the very best drivers in Britain and Gary was one of 18 candidates to be put through their paces during an intensive final assessment day. He faced a series of rigorous tests covering all areas of his role including legislation, driving skills, risk assessment, and vehicle defection.

Well done Gary (pictured far right) for being shortlisted!

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BBC Breakfast broadcasts live from LTHT The NHS celebrated its 70th anniversary on 5 July and LTHT played host to BBC Breakfast – broadcasting live to the nation – in what proved to be a memorable start to the anniversary celebrations.

The day began at a bleary-eyed 4:00 am, with camera and stage crew descending on the Bexley Wing’s atrium where the iconic red sofa had been set up the night before. From here, hosts Steph and Naga greeted the waking world – over 1 million viewers – as cameras went live at 6:00 am.

A tea party put on by Leeds Cares allowed Trust volunteers the chance to be in the spotlight, whilst the atrium’s fantastic acoustics treated viewers to the sounds of Medical Director Dr Phil Wood on the piano and the talents of the Bee Positive choir.

Elsewhere at St James’s, weather presenter Carol Kirkwood was making the most of the morning’s sunshine and hopping from location to location, speaking to grounds manager Ben Williams and the Chaplaincy team. Meanwhile, over at the Children’s Hospital, Jane McGovern spoke to our brilliant Play Specialists who were having a tea party of their own.

Over on the helipad at the LGI, a camera team was speaking to paramedics from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and consultant Brian White, and managed to capture the landing of an air ambulance that had taken off from Thirsk earlier that morning!

Meanwhile, back in the atrium, Chief Medical Officer Dr Yvette Oade and Chris Pointon – husband of the late Dr Kate

Granger – spoke to the anchors about the news of the day, the importance of clinical research, and the ‘Hello my name is’ campaign.

By 9:30 am, just as most people were starting their working day, it was all a wrap. The morning was a fantastic way to kickstart the celebrations of NHS70, and put the great work of Leeds hospitals in front of the eyes of thousands of viewers from across the country.

Of course, none of this could have happened without a huge amount of planning, co-ordination, patience, generosity, and last-minute adjustments from the people and teams working hard behind the scenes.

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Feature

| www.leedsth.nhs.uk

Happy Birthday, NHS! On 5 July, 1948, the National Health Service was formed. Here’s how you celebrated 70 years…

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News

| www.leedsth.nhs.uk

Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Conference inspires with stories from former patients The Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Health Professionals Conference was held at Cloth Hall Court in Leeds in June. Over 300 of our hardworking staff enjoyed thought-provoking and inspirational speakers, including patients cared for at the Trust who kindly returned to share their experiences.

Under the theme of Leading for the Future, teams presented their work to their colleagues and many created posters which everyone could enjoy reading through the breaks. The conference also saw the winners announced for several award categories, including the launch of the first ever Chief Nurse Award.

Congratulations to Beveley Brown, Julie Thackray, and Kate Humphries for winning the Hilda Knowles award; Claudia Poynton and Jessica Veillette for winning the Janet Whittaker award; J11 and J43 for winning the Hamish Machdonald Significant

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Improvement and Sustained Excellence awards, respectively; Helen Rowbotham for winning the Chief Nurse award; and everyone else who received awards and commendations during the conference.

This was also a chance to premiere the new #proudtobe video that promotes all the exciting roles for nurses and midwives available at the Trust. Thank you to Leeds Cares for once again sponsoring the conference.

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Research success for Leeds Teaching Hospitals The Trust has placed top nationally for increase in recruitment in all research studies, with 19,179 patients participating in clinical trials in 2017/18 compared to 12,431 in 2016/17.

The Trust is also in the top 10 nationally for the number of research studies we have supported during the year, coming fourth in the country.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, Director for Research and Innovation, said: “We are delighted that Leeds Teaching Hospitals has been able to contribute so significantly to NIHR recruitment to studies this year.

“We are looking forward to even closer partnership working with NIHR in 18/19 when our new £4million 18-bed Clinical Research Facility (CRF) opens in Spring 2019.

“We thank all our research-active staff who have embraced new ways of working, to deliver a greater volume of research to ensure our patients have access to the very latest developments

in research and innovation.”

Seven of our non-medical professionals have also received HEE/ NIHR Pre-Masters Research Internships and Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship awards.

These awards form part of the HEE/ NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme for non-medical healthcare professionals which we support in conjunction with the University of Leeds, and which offers a range of funding opportunities to help develop research skills and pursue a research topic that improves patient care.

The HEE/NIHR Pre-Doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowships awards are for Pharmacist Nicola Shaw, Physiotherapist Maddy Kenny, Pharmacist Stephen Morris, Dental Technician Jenny Owen, and Physiotherapist Adam Galloway. The HEE research internship awards went to Operating Department Practitioner Jordan McKenna, and Radiographer Anna Holland.

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My Job

| www.leedsth.nhs.uk

Martin Thawe What else have you done in your career so far?

I am passionate about technology and have been studying part-time. I am in the final year of a Computer Science degree.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is that each day is different and that I interact with a lot of different people.

What is the one thing you would change at LTHT to help you do your job better?

Martin, has been a Clerical Officer at the Trust for 20 months Summarise the main aspects of your role?

My job involves booking in patients to be seen in the Emergency Department. We welcome walk-in patients and those arriving by ambulance. We also deal with various types of enquiries from families and medical staff within the hospital. We arrange patient’s follow-up appointments and manage the electronic filing system.

Parking! We work on duel sites on a variety of shifts. It is not always possible to park on the site I am working at which makes it difficult to get to/ from work.

What’s your best advice to a new starter at the Trust?

I would recommend people volunteer for a few days before they start, this would give them an insight on what it feels like to be part of the team. I would also encourage starters to ask as many questions as possible on any areas they are not sure about as this will improve their understanding of their work areas.

New post-graduate Critical Care Nursing course launches The Trust has launched its first Critical Care course at St James’s, in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University. This is the first in the country to be delivered outside of a university setting.

The programme supports nurses working in Intensive Care and High Dependency units in Leeds and across West Yorkshire and the first cohort of students started their 12 month course in September. The aim is to develop their specialist skills through a mix of academic and practical modules.

Simon Riley-Fuller, Head of Nursing for Adult Critical Care, said: “The hard work, knowledge and sheer enthusiasm of our team over the last 18 months has made this project a success. We are incredibly proud that we are able to provide this course here at Leeds. Not only will it ensure that we continue to have the highest skilled nurses possible to care for our patients, but we’re also helping to improve critical care across the region.”

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Wharfedale Hospital rebooting for Digital transformation Wharfedale Hospital has been chosen as the exemplar site to support the Trust’s overall vision to be a fully digital organisation. The vision for Wharfedale is: “To improve patient care and experience at Wharfedale Hospital by enabling staff to make the best use of all available digital technologies.”

Wharfedale Hospital covers several different specialties which includes departments such as Outpatients, two rehabilitation wards and a day surgery unit, with over 60 consultants holding clinics there.

The Digital and Informatics Team has been working closely with Ward 1 and the rehabilitation wards who have successfully adopted electronic observations (eObs). For patients on the Heather and Bilberry, this information can be viewed by their GP through Leeds Care Record, enabling them to remotely monitor their patient’s condition and prepare for the care the patient will need when they are discharged.

The administrative, nursing and consultant teams who work across outpatient clinics at Wharfedale have

been working with the Digital Team to share learning on the processes that take place. This includes the patient’s journey but also what the team do to prepare for the clinic and the wider patient pathway, which can involve other clinical specialties. The extensive review of mapping the processes and actions for the outpatient department has, so far, generated 61 requirements, ranging from integrations with the Electronic Health Record PPM+ to generating an electronic form to replace/enhance a current paper version.

The Digital Team are now introducing the use of iPads and will be developing a scanning strategy to reduce the use of paper in the department.

Richard Corbridge, Chief Digital and Information Officer, said: “The enthusiasm and engagement from teams at Wharfedale Hospital has been fantastic. By contributing to the change process and adopting digital tools to improve the ways in which we work is already having a positive impact on the patient journey.”

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Farewell

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A fond farewell to our long-serving staff Julia Roper Julia Roper has retired from her role as Quality Governance Manager.

Julia started work in the Trust as Board Secretary and Patient Relations Manager in 1995. She has been actively involved in clinical governance since 2002, working with CSUs and corporate teams to develop and implement a governance framework across the Trust. Julia played a leading role in introducing processes for clinical audit,

NICE guidance, mortality reviews and she has supported staff and the wider organisation through CQC inspections and external reviews. She has always had a personal interest in coaching, supporting staff in their development and she has been actively involved in helping staff when they raise concerns through the Freedom to Speak Up work. Julia’s colleagues wish her a happy retirement.

Ann Duffy Ann has worked as a health care assistant on cardiac intensive care since August 1978. She moved across to LGI when Killingbeck Hospital closed and the Yorkshire Heart Centre was formed. Across the years she has seen many changes but has remained a much-loved and integral member of the cardiac ICU team and her no-nonsense approach, compassion and knowledge will be sorely missed.

Ann is looking forward to her retirement where she can spend time with her pet rabbits, socialise and go on more holidays! Her colleagues at L04/L05 wish her a very happy retirement.

Cynthia Germaine Clinical Support Worker Cynthia Germaine retired on 31 July. Cynthia has worked in various care settings in the community prior to joining the Trust in April 2004. During her time at the Trust she has worked within Renal services in the CAPD unit, A&E at St James’s Hospital and on the acute stroke and stroke rehabilitation wards based on the LGI site.

Cynthia is a valued member of the nursing team who is always prepared to help any of her colleagues. She is always happy to ensure her patients get the best possible care. Cynthia will be missed by all the team on L12 and they wish her a well-deserved retirement.

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Farewell

Tracey Gibbons-Booth Tracey has worked within this Trust for 36 years as a nurse and midwife. She was initially a nurse on the neuro and medical wards and then did her midwifery training in 1988 (coincidentally the same year she got married). After qualifying as a midwife she rotated through the various maternity wards until she settled on Transitional Care in 2000. She is a much loved member of the team and will be greatly missed. She has provided much entertainment as well as hard work through the years. She has always embraced change - even if that change involved her arch nemesis technology!

Tracey is most known for the Christmases where she has dressed as a fairy and a baby. We are sad to see her go but hope she enjoys her retirement.

A fond farewell to our longserving staff

Carol Mitchell

Margaret Horne

Carol completed her nurse training in Leeds to become a staff nurse in November 1985. She secured a permanent post on a medical ward for 9 months before commencing as a staff nurse on the Cardiothoracic ward at Killingbeck Hospital in December 1986. Carol made cardiothoracic nursing her career and became a Sister in 1994. In 1997, Killingbeck Hospital closed and Cardiac ICU moved to LGI with the opening of Jubilee Wing and The Yorkshire Heart Centre.

Margaret qualified in Leeds in 1983, and worked as a staff nurse on the cardiac ward, staying at the LGI until 1986, by which time she had moved to Killingbeck Hospital. Whilst there she moved up the ranks, and was a popular, well-liked member of the team.

Carol has been a highly-skilled, well-liked, reliable member of the team throughout her career and her colleagues will miss her greatly. She took early retirement in order to spend more time at her new caravan in the Lakes where she enjoys walking and spending time with family and her beloved dogs. Everyone on L04 & L05 wish her all the very best for her retirement.

Margaret moved across the city when Killingbeck Hospital closed, and joined Cardiac ICU within the Yorkshire Heart Centre when it opened in 1997, and has worked there ever since as a senior staff nurse. Although recently retired, she has chosen to return to work part time. Margaret is an invaluable member of the team, with her years of cardiac experience and compassionate approach, she is thoroughly welcomed back by the team on L4/5.

Roy Waring After 45 years working in the Trust and its predecessor bodies in Leeds, Roy Waring retired from his role as Senior Payroll Officer on 31 August. Roy started his career at High Royds Hospital in 1973 and after a few months moved into the Payroll Department where he has continued ever since. Friends and colleagues gathered to bid Roy farewell and to wish him a very happy and much-deserved retirement after many years of dedicated service to the NHS across the city.

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News

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Donations Amy Bradley Skydive Amy Bradley, Pre-Assessment Clinical Support Worker, went on a 10,000ft tandem Skydive over the beautiful Yorkshire coast in July to raise vital funds for the Mental Health Team based at St James’s.

She said: “One in four of us will experience mental health issues in our lifetime, therefore meaning we all will know of someone affected by mental health right now. By doing this event, organised by The Leeds Charitable Foundation, I am showing my support to those people, especially to those close to my heart.” Amy raised a fantastic £1,100!

J89 family room transformation Thank you to the family of Richard Coote, who have fundraised to transform a store room on J89 into a family room in memory of a patient who was cared for by the team in 2017.

The ward was in need of a quiet, reflective space where families could come to terms with their loved one’s diagnosis and work set about lovingly transforming the disused store-room into a warm family room.

Senior Sister Hollie said: “It’s been so lovely to be able to make a change and create this lovely place for those who need a quiet space; it will make those difficult conversations and hard times a little bit easier for our patients and their families. We are extremely grateful.”

L52 donation A big thank you to Woodhouse Primary School in Brighouse, for raising funds for L52 at Leeds Children’s Hospital.

The money was raised by the mother of Kayleigh Hirst, Staff Nurse, who is a teacher at the primary school. They school held cake sales throughout the year, selling their buns for 20p each and raising a fantastic £650.00!

Sandra Garside wingwalking A big thank you to Wingwalking fundraiser Sandra Garside who visited Bexley Wing to present a cheque for £7,000 to staff at Leeds Cancer Centre.

Sandra marked a year since her breast cancer diagnosis by taking to the

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skies with a Wingwalk in June, saying: “When you’ve survived a cancer diagnosis nothing scares you! It was absolutely awesome!”

Sandra donated the money to Leeds Cares and it will be used to support the work of Leeds Cancer Centre.

www.leedsth.nhs.uk |

News

Staff Lottery – what’s on your wishlist?

Did you know that, as an LTHT staff member, you could be in with a chance to win up to £1000 every month? Did you know you can apply for funding to improve staff amenities in your workplace?

Join the Staff Lottery and you will be automatically entered into the monthly draw with the potential to be one of ten lucky winners.

Prizes range from £50 up to a jackpot of £1000!

Membership costs just £2 a month and comes from a salary deduction, so once signed up you don’t need to worry about a thing. And if you fancy your chances you can increase your likelihood of winning by paying for multiple entries – for example, paying £10 a month will give you five entries into the monthly draw, making you that more likely to be a winner! Look out for special bonus prize draws also held throughout the year.

The Staff Lottery bidding process is a simple concept – your money, your projects. Funds are drawn from staff membership and allow any member of staff to apply for funds for an improvement to amenities in their work environment. This could be

almost anything – from a new kettle or fridge, to outdoor picnic benches or rest rooms – the lottery team want to hear what’s on your wishlist.

For more information on how to sign up or on making a bid for funding, head over to the Staff Lottery Intranet page. Keep an eye out for news on staff winners and successful bids for funding in forthcoming issues of InTouch and right here in the Bulletin. Good luck!

NHS 70 jackpot draw This year the NHS turned seventy years old, and to celebrate, an extra special big money jackpot is up for grabs this Christmas! With a grand prize of £5000 and ten £1000 prizes also available you’d be mad not to take part!

To be in with a chance with winning, simply sign up to the Staff Lottery before 10 November via the application form on the Intranet.

A Leeds Cares story… The Twinchetts We would like to say an enormous thank you and congratulations to “The Twinchetts” whose year of fundraising concluded on Saturday 11th August with a Fun Day at Myrtle Tavern in Meanwood.

Hannah and Ian Twinchetts fundraising is in memory of their daughter Pippa, who, along with twin sister Penny, was born 10 weeks premature and cared for on the Neonatal Ward. Pippa sadly passed away aged just 4 months old.

Bravely, Hannah and Ian decided to share Pippa’s story to encourage donations to the Neonatal Ward and bring a positive impact for the unit in Pippa’s memory.

Having set an initial target to raise £10,000 for the neonatal ward through Leeds Cares, the team flew past that total, raising a brilliant £14,569.43. Events included completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks, enduring gales, rain,

hailstones, thunder and lightning!

A huge well done to everyone involved and from all the team at Leeds Cares, a genuine thank you for their incredible fundraising efforts.

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60 seconds

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60Joseconds Corrado

Registrar Joanna Corrado is a Clinical Research Fellow and Registrar in Neuro Rehab

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How do you wind down and relax after a long day at work?

Stop stressing, everything will be fine!

I have a slightly unusual hobby which is entering consumer competitions; if I see a competition in a magazine or on social media I will enter it and in the past year I’ve been lucky enough to win a new kitchen and a holiday to France!

What three words best describe you?

Who is your inspiration?

Guilty pleasure?

Sylvester Stallone is a real inspiration.

Not many people know that he’s actually highly intelligent and wrote the screenplay to Rocky himself and wouldn’t sell it to production companies unless they cast him in the lead role. The rest is history….

Eurovision Song Contest. I’m half Maltese and live in hope that one day Malta will win!

In terms of medical inspiration I think our Chief Medical Officer Dr Yvette is a fantastic role model for doctors who are passionate about medical leadership.

If you could go back in time what one piece of advice would you give your younger self?

Enthusiastic, fun and competitive!

What is your favourite movie?

Rocky!

Tell us something we don’t know about you...

This year I took part in a game show called Letterbox with my Dad who also worked in LTHT prior to retiring last year. It’s going to be aired on 31 October so you’ll have to watch to see how we got on!

How long have you worked at the Trust?

I’ve worked in the Trust for 5 years

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