Wellbeing

Celebrating 50 years in Nursing

This month one of Spire Southampton’s experts is celebrating 50 years as a registered nurse.

Lin started Nursing in 1971 at Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital in Alton. Now closed The Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital in Chawton Park Road, Alton, was threatened with closure in the 1970s, but survived to serve the community until 1994. Recently interviewed for a “Care Heroes” segment Spire Southampton’s Surgical Sister has been at the forefront of patient care at Southampton since 2004. “When I put on my uniform and was introduced to the ward I would work on I realised that Nursing was the career for me and it has never ceased to provide me with new experiences every day. When I first started, nursing student nurses were seen but not heard and even as a junior Registered Nurse, the Ward Sister was approached only through a senior nurse. Matrons were very much in attendance and would wander the wards trying to catch staff out by questioning them about their patients.” A year ago, Spire Southampton committed to support to the NHS in tackling the pandemic and put its colleagues, facilities, services and equipment at the disposal of the University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust. Since then, it has provided urgent care for cancer and critically ill patients. Supporting the Chemotherapy and Haematology Service as well utilising Spire Southampton’s critical care facility for critically ill cancer, cardiac and thoracic patients. Most of these patients visit received care on the surgical ward under Lin’s leadership. “When the COVID lockdown was announced, we were very fortunate to be offered the chance to continue major cancer surgery as we are closely linked with the Southampton University Hospital Trust. We had many admissions during the last lockdown and this lockdown, we have all gained experience, and I have felt very honoured to provide care to Hampshire and parts of Dorset. As a team, we have welcomed the challenge to be able to provide this type of care and I am sure Spire Healthcare are proud of the whole team at Spire Southampton for stepping up to the challenge.” “We were able to reduce the length of stay for major urinary surgeries; we have received positive feedback from the Trust. All our staff are aiming to motivate our patients from operation day to help them recover safely which enables us to reduce the patient’s length of stay. We have also had to provide other holistic support to our patients as no visitors were allowed. The staff have almost become surrogate families to the patient in for long spells and that was special to see.” Spire Southampton is now fully open again to private patients, who are either self-paying or insured. It will also continue to provide care for NHS patients and help reduce waiting times and the size of the overall waiting list. Thankfully, Lin will remain a big part of Southampton’s future “I have no plans for retirement yet but who knows what the future may hold. I now have a wonderful team of Nurses who support me as much as I support them. My Consultants have developed a mutual trust with the team and me; this helps us provide a level of care that helps the patients recover in a comfortable environment. It takes time to create but it is a rewarding place to be.” Spire Healthcare is a leading independent hospital group in the United Kingdom, with 39 private hospitals and eight clinics across England, Wales and Scotland. Working in partnership with around 7,500 experienced consultants, Spire Healthcare delivered tailored, personalised care to almost 750,000 in-patients, outpatients and daycase patients in 2020, and is the leading private provider, by volume, of knee and hip operations in the United Kingdom. The Group’s well located and scalable hospitals have delivered successful and award-winning clinical outcomes, positioning the Group well with patients, consultants, the NHS, GPs and Private Medical Insurance (“PMI”) providers. 90% of Spire Healthcare’s hospitals are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC (or the equivalent in Scotland and Wales). In recent months, the Group has placed its facilities at the disposal of the NHS to support efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more, visit www.spiresouthampton.com For further information contact 023 8077 5544

What if I told you I know the ultimate form of pain relief (and it’s not drugs or surgery)?

Would you be hammering on my door or viewing me with scepticism?

Persistent pain is on the rise, yet so too is the availability and advances of physical therapies, pain relief, exercise programs, investigations and surgery. If these approaches are advancing, why are 1.6 billion people globally still suffering with chronic pain? Perhaps it’s our beliefs and expectations around pain that we need to examine. The current thinking around chronic back pain is that it’s an anatomical dysfunction that will only respond to a medical model of treatment. A treatment course would traditionally involve minimising pain exposure, time-contingent exercises and perhaps injection therapy or surgery. However, what we are now beginning to understand is that once the body is past the initial acute phase of pain, the pain response becomes more of a sensitisation issue, and the key to recovery is working with pain, not suppressing it. Fear and anxiety around pain act as suppressors to our natural pain relief modalities and fear also stops us from moving confidently. We lose trust in our bodies and feel helpless. It is possible to teach the brain that you can work through and with pain without worsening symptoms. This process begins the positive upward spiral of reducing anxiety and stress, and increasing natural opioid production and body confidence. But how do you teach your brain this magical skill? First of all, it is worth looking at beliefs around pain. What were your early experiences of pain? How were you brought up to manage pain? What were your parent’s response to coping with pain, theirs and yours? As an adult, what are the events surrounding your experiences of pain: a fall, a car accident, childbirth, physical abuse, or animal attack? What has the support after such events been like? What model of care was used by your healthcare providers? Did you feel in control during your time of recovery? Secondly, we need to consider the environment, nutrition, stress levels, sleep, and support structure, as these too influence the experience of pain. Thirdly, we need to look at the persons pain levels and reactions during movement through the lens of the sensitisation model.

Examples like these and many more will influence how you are experiencing pain now. If we know therefore that thoughts and emotions around our past and future can affect the level of pain we feel now, then we can see the potential that working with the brain and central nervous system could have in the role of pain management. For pain relief for acute injuries we might try RICE: Rest, Ice Compression and Elevation. However, this approach may not be as effective as we once believed. Complete rest is rarely indicated and ice is becoming controversial. Perhaps we need to move more towards PEACE: Protect, Elevate, Avoid anti-inflammatories, Compress and Educate. Or maybe better still, LOVE: Load the area, Optimism, Vascularisation and Exercise For pain relief for chronic conditions, activity has been shown time and time again to be the single most effective form of pain relief and recovery. So the LOVE acronym also is very relevant here, but what AIM stands for is now the gold standard for chronic pain relief and recovery: A Activity: individualised and progressive I Internal Locus of control: self-motivated and in control of recovery plan M Mentoring: empowering support and education With this in mind, our role as healthcare providers must start to evolve from a prescriptive, authoritarian approach where the patient is a passive recipient to treatment, to one of facilitator and catalyst where the patient plays an active role in their recovery. Perhaps the first step is to move away from the label of ‘patient’? Osteopaths are in the best position to provide this model of care. We have the time, expertise and whole-body, whole-lifestyle approach to support you through your recovery journey, ensuring that not only your pain improves, but you actually feel stronger than before your injury, more motivated and have a greater understanding of your body. Get in touch, we love to chat! Stockbridge Osteopathic Practice - www.the-sop.com

Winchester Go LD - Garden and Craft Fair

The Winchester GoLD Garden and Craft Fair will take place on Wednesday 23rd June 2021 10am to 4pm at Upper Farm, Down Farm Lane, Headbourne Worthy SO23 7LA. Entrance to the Fair will be £5 and there will be parking available on site. Hillier’s, Bob McQueen, horticulturalist and tree expert (30+ RHS Chelsea Flower Shows), will be giving short talks at 10.30, 11.30, 13.30 and 14.30 with questions and answers. Creative Flora expert florist Louise Bradshaw will be offering two seasonal flower workshop demonstrations at 11am and 2pm. Workshop tickets are £20 and will be available in advance, numbers are limited. Tickets include one workshop, entrance and lunch in the Go LD Café Marquee. If you are interested please contact Ros Francis on 07868 132250 or ros.francis@hotmail.co.uk Stalls for 2021 include plants, garden products, local crafts, homeware, produce and gifts.

Dramatic reduction in light pollution in Hampshire during lockdown, nationwide Star Count reveals

Dramatic reduction in light pollution in Hampshire during lockdown, nationwide Star Count reveals • Light pollution levels were much lower at the start of 2021 compared to previous year, finds CPRE, the countryside charity • Launched to mark International Dark Skies Week, CPRE’s annual Star Count shows a 14% drop in severe light pollution in

Hampshire compared to 2020 (nationally, the figure is 10%), and the largest percentage of truly dark skies since 2013 • In Hampshire, 374 star counts were made – a big increase of 280 on last year A nationwide Star Count conducted in February has revealed a significant drop in light pollution levels across Hampshire and the UK. The annual citizen science project asks people to count the number of stars they see in the Orion constellation. Nearly 8,000 counts were submitted between 6 and 14 February 2021 (5% of which were in Hampshire), with 51% of people noting ten or fewer stars, indicating severe light pollution. In Hampshire, 47% of star gazers counted ten or less stars. This compares to 61% in Hampshire and nationally during the same period last year. 30 or more stars indicates truly dark skies and were seen by 5% of participants - the highest figure since 2013. In Hampshire, 4% of those taking part enjoyed the sight of truly dark skies – up from 2% last year. Lockdown is the most likely reason for this change, with reduced human activity resulting in quieter than usual urban areas. Similar patterns have been found with air pollution, which has also dropped across the country. CPRE’s interactive map shows the full set of results of the nation’s star counts. The results have been launched to mark International Dark Skies Week, run by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDSA), which raises awareness on the impacts of light pollution. Light pollution can negatively affect human health and wildlife by disturbing animals’ natural cycles and behaviours. Badly designed, wasteful light also contributes to climate change and obscures our connection to the universe. Therefore, CPRE and IDSA want to combat light pollution through strong local and national policies, while also protecting and enhancing existing dark skies. This involves putting the right light in the right places, such as LED lights that only illuminate where we walk and turning off lights in places like office buildings when they’re unoccupied. CPRE and IDSA hope this fall in people experiencing the most severe light pollution - an unintended but positive consequence of lockdown - continues long after coronavirus restrictions are lifted so more people can experience the wonder of a truly dark sky. For more information visit: www.cpre.org.uk

Winchester Poetry Festival

Winchester Poetry Festival has just launched a brand-new Crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to establish an inspiring and creative community heritage poet-in-residence: Poet on the High Street. The residency will run for 6 months, starting in June.

This innovative and engaging programme aims to work with Winchester’s people, businesses, and communities, through a journey of expression, imagination and creativity. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will help to reawaken our sense of place, express feelings, memories, and hopes, through people’s own poetry, and that of our poet-in-residence. Using the power and playfulness of words, be they written, digital or spoken, this programme will help to stimulate community recovery and growth post-Covid 19. It will build community connections, linking people with the heritage that surrounds them, reigniting community optimism, and growing resilience for the future.

Stephen Boyce, former chair of Winchester Poetry Festival says: “We need your help! We want to use poetry to rejuvenate the city centre and to spread joy, understanding, and a shared love of our city. While we have secured in-principle funding from a range of partners, Winchester Poetry Festival now needs everyone’s help to raise the final sum to enable us to draw down the funding available to us.”

Jane Bryant, incoming chair, says: “Poetry is accessible to everyone. It ignites a creative spark in us all and also helps us with our sense of well-being. We want to excite community and business engagement - poetry by the people for the people. The community heritage poet-in-residence - our Poet on the High Street - will work with schools, young people, and the community at large to inspire creativity, to lift our spirits, and to animate the city centre with poetry throughout the summer. But we need your help to make it happen.”

Full details about Winchester Poetry Festival’s Crowdfunding Campaign which runs until 15th May are available on: https:// www.crowdfunder.co.uk/poetry-on-the-high-street

Test Valley Crematorium’s fundraising tribute to Captain Tom

101st birthday on 30 April. Staff at Test Valley Crematorium are honouring pandemic hero Captain Sir Tom Moore by raising money in his memory on what would have been his

Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, including Test Valley Crematorium, is challenging staff at its 35 sites nationwide, to come up with creative ways of supporting the Captain Tom Foundation. The group has also set up a Just Giving page and is inviting anyone from the communities served by them to pay their own tribute to Sir Tom by donating, perhaps in memory of their own loved ones.

Test Valley Crematorium site manager Rob Metcalf is going to run 100 laps around the site’s car park to raise money. Rob, 35, who has worked for Westerleigh Group for six years, hopes the challenge will take around two-and-a-half hours, and will see him cover around 16 miles. He usually runs between three and five miles most evenings, and Sunday runs of around 13 miles. He said: “The biggest challenge will be the monotony of running

Romsey Show – Saturday 11th September 2021

The Show will Go On ! Following the Government’s recent update, The Romsey Show have announced that they are planning to hold their event on Saturday 11th September 2021 providing all dates are met as per the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown. The health and safety of everyone attending the Show is of paramount importance to the organisers.

Plans are still being put in place on what the Show will look like but, due to the cancellation of other agricultural shows, Romsey is unable to host cattle and sheep competitions this year and horse competitions will be significantly reduced. However, The Romsey Show is committed to ensuring livestock will be represented in some form at the Show. Also, because the date for lifting final restrictions is only 12 weeks to the Show, sufficient time will not be available to organise large entertainments in the main ring and so the organisers have come to the difficult decision to have no main ring this year. What can be announced is that the Show is moving sites, within Broadlands Park, nearer to Romsey Rapids and the town centre and will offer an exciting, fun and enjoyable day out at a reduced price.

More details will be released over the forthcoming months, to keep up to date with the developments, visit www.romseyshow. co.uk.

around a relatively small car park 100 times, so I think it will be quite tough mentally.” His team will be cheering him on, and he’ll be handed a wristband at the end of each lap so everyone will be able to keep count and ensure he completes the full 100. He also said he’ll be doing it come rain or shine. “I’m doing the run on Monday 26 April and it’s a fixed date, regardless of the weather. Sir Tom would still be out there, so I won’t stop until all 100 laps have been completed, even if I have to crawl the last few. “I’m honoured to be able to do something to support the Foundation. I remember seeing Sir Tom on television and it blew me away. He’s a national hero and highly inspirational.” Captain Tom captured the hearts of the nation during the Coronavirus pandemic when he raised an amazing £38.9m for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday. He also had a number one hit UK single, with a new version of You’ll Never Walk Alone, which he recorded with Michael Ball. His efforts also earned him two Guinness World Records, for raising the most amount of money in an individual charity walk and being the oldest person to top the UK singles charts. On 17 July 2020 he was knighted by the Queen at Windsor Castle. He died on 2 February 2021 at Bedford Hospital after being treated for pneumonia and then testing positive for Covid-19.

The Captain Tom Foundation was launched in May 2020 to ensure his inspiring message of hope, and that “tomorrow will be a good day”, becomes a lasting legacy. The Foundation is running the Captain Tom 100 campaign to coincide with what would have been his 101st birthday, challenging people to undertake fundraising challenges around the word 100. The money will be donated by the Foundation to charities and organisations which were close to Captain’ Tom’s heart, including several which support people, and their families, with life limiting illnesses and who are facing or coping with bereavement. Rob said: “This resonates with our work, which is why Westerleigh Group and Test Valley Crematorium were keen to support the Foundation and honour Captain Tom’s 101st birthday. “Anyone in the community who has used our crematorium can support our fundraising effort, by making a donation to our new Just Giving page. I am hoping this could turn into an annual event, with many more participants in the future, when we won’t have lockdown restrictions. But in the meantime, I’d be very grateful to anyone who makes a donation in support of such a good cause. “The senior leadership team at Westerleigh has got our fundraising started with a £500 donation. Through the efforts of our colleagues and the support of our communities, Westerleigh Group wants to be able to make a meaningful donation to the Captain Tom Foundation to mark what would have been in his 101st birthday.” Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so through Westerleigh Group’s Just Giving page, mentioning Test Valley Crematorium in their donation message. The page can be found at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ westerleigh-group