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New Major Trauma Ward opens! Sepsis awareness, Perfect 365 flow
Awards, new Nursing & Midwifery Director and pushing the limits for charity
Innovative thinking by the Integrated Therapy team at Rookwood B know what to expect as they progress. They now length of stay in hospital. The team introduced An integrated team of Occupational Therapists link with past patients who visit the ward and group work so that they can see a number of and Physiotherapists on Rookwood B stroke discuss their experiences alongside community rehabilitation unit have been working closely with patients at one time, they have also managed services such as the stroke association and to get hold of some iPads and interactive the wider team to deliver therapy to patients. the community therapy teams. Our staff have computer technology to provide therapy and The integrated therapy team aims to support worked hard to increase the efficiency of our further build on the individualised patient care. the patient to achieve their goals; which may be service for the benefit of to return home, increase our client group and have mobility or even just be able incorporated IT systems. A to go to the toilet. Patients A recently discharged patient said: recently discharged patient have different levels of said “the team’s dedication dependency and may require “the team’s dedication is clear to see and I know that is clear to see and I know three staff members to move they are working to get me moving and home again.” that they are working to and handle them during get me moving and home therapy sessions. As staffing again.” Thanks team, this is often limited the team Patients are often now provided with selfis a great example of team working in action and sometimes struggle to achieve Royal College of directed “homework” which our staff support taking responsibility to think a bit differently and Physicians standards to see patients daily during them with. The team also delivers a patient and introduce new ways of working. the week on a large ward, so they have come up carer education group which covers a variety with some innovative ways of delivering therapy of topics, sharing information and letting them to a high standard, ultimately aimed at reducing
New breathing monitors for our Neonatal Unit MedEquip4Kids has kindly bought 10 new apnoea monitors for our Neonatal Unit. The monitors cost £755 each and monitor a baby’s breathing pattern. The monitors flash and alarm if a baby has a threatening respiratory pause or stops breathing for a period of time. MedEquip4Kids is a children’s charity raising money to provide paediatric medical equipment and facilities for hospitals and community health teams. The aim of the charity is to help ensure babies, children and teenagers receive the best possible care when sick or injured. Many thanks MedEquip4Kids for your donation and support.
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Sepsis awareness Name any two of the warning signs for sepsis :
The Critical Care Outreach and Oncology teams have been working hard to raise awareness of Sepsis and neutropenic sepsis. Sepsis September was a great success, several wards created information displays and there was a Facebook and Twitter chat where the team answered questions sent in by the public. Dr Tom Owens and Consultant Nurse Denise Brooks even visited Westminster for a Parliamentary discussion about sepsis. There was a quiz about sepsis and neurotropenic sepsis. The questions included: how many people die from sepsis in the UK each year, answer: 37,000
Lactate >2mmols/l (A blood test which explains the blood flow to tissues) Heart rate >130 b/min (A fast heart rate well above normal limits) Respiratory rate >25 b/min (Breathlessness or breathing too quickly) Oxygen saturations <91% (The level of oxygen being carried to the tissues in blood) VP or U on AVPU (The patient is not Alert (A), responding only to speech (V), Pain (P) or totally unresponsive (U) Purpuric rash (An unusual rash over the body in any area, red or purple discoloured spots on the skin that do not blanch on applying pressure) There were three winners for the sepsis quiz: Staff Nurse Jenny Abraham (Neurology) Clinical Nurse Specialist Hazel Wright (PECT Office) HCA Terry Schaklock (Ward 18) And three winners for the neurotropenic sepsis quiz. Prizes were kindly donated from Guys Thatched Hamlet and Rosemere.
1st Prize – Gill Hunter (Staff Nurse in ED), a £30 voucher for Guys Thatched Hamlet 2nd Prize – Chris Shuck (Community Midwife), a bottle of red wine 3rd Prize – Donna Hopkinson (Staff Nurse on Rawcliffe/Winstanley), a bottle of white wine For further information or if you have a patient with suspected neutropenic sepsis, please refer to the neutropenic policy on the intranet or contact the Acute Oncology Team on bleeps 3353 (RPH) or 3316 (CDH) Monday − Friday 08:30 – 16:30, at any other time, contact the oncology registrar on call via the switch board. There is lots you can do to help so if you require any information on sepsis or how to be involved for your ward please get in touch with one of the key leads: Denise Brooks (Consultant Nurse, Critical care outreach) Anita Hore (Matron, Medicine, RPH) Sarah Clayton (Matron, Medicine, CDH) Dr Tom Owen (Anaesthetics and Critical care) Dr Catherine Roberts (Emergency Dept) Dr Mitchell (Oncology)
Staff Nurse makes generous donation on his wedding day! Opening of our new Major Trauma Ward We have now opened the major trauma ward at Preston, which is an important element of the service we provide as the region’s major trauma centre. The recently refurbished ward contains ten beds and is at the bottom of ward 14. Michelle Durkin, Matron said: “It’s been a long process to get here because the hospitals have been really busy but we’re delighted to be up and running finally. The team is led by Sarah Storey, Ward Manager, and is already working really well together.“
Victoria Hawksworth, Major Trauma Nurse said, “Many major trauma patients are young people who were going about their daily lives when something happened to them. This dedicated ward and service will help them work through their experience and condition and we’ll do everything we can to support them to return to their pre injury life.”
Christopher Greaves-Thomas, Theatre Staff Nurse who recently married Ian, kindly decided to ask colleagues to donate to St Catherine’s Hospice, Rosemere and the Renal Unit, rather than buy the happy couple wedding gifts. Christopher’s colleagues donated £151and in total the couple gave £800. Christopher’s grandmother has been a patient on Ribblesdale Unit and his generous grandfather also donated £200! Thanks to Christopher and family, and the theatre staff for the welcome donation.
From now on new major trauma patients will be cared for on the ward, and any patients already in our hospital will be transferred there.
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
A day in the life of… a porter Porters are a vital part of our organisation and the job can vary massively from one day to the next. We have been looking at a typical day in the life of a Porter (if there is such a thing!) to find out exactly what the job involves.
The real benefit of being a Porter is the job satisfaction that you get from meeting patients and we have met some characters and lovely people over the years, as well as their families.
12pm - sit down with some of my porter colleagues and we all have lunch together. This is a great time of the day when we all have the chance to find out what has been going on and share stories about what we have been up to that morning; there are always some weird and wonderful tales to be told!
It’s amazing the medical knowledge I have 8am - called to Barton ward to take an elderly picked up while doing this job too. Patients patient down to theatre for an operation. We will often ask a Porter questions because they have a nice chat about the weather, her family don’t like troubling doctors or nurses. Questions 12:30 - We suddenly receive an emergency like “What is an X-Ray and will it be painful?” 2222 call (red alert) about a security alert in the and her dog, but then she says “my nephew is “When should I start taking my tablets?” “How Emergency Department so I rush down to the coming to visit tonight and I don’t like him” so incident to support the alarm bells begin to ring! It is our duty to Our porters are vital members of our team and they are often the first security team. As I arrive I am confronted by a consider why she may face that our patients see. They always have a smile on their faces and patient who is under the have said that, it could influence of alcohol, I be that the nephew is are always happy to help. Thank you for all your hard work” am targeted with verbal asking for money or Medical Director Mark Pugh abuse as he threatens causing trouble. It’s part me and my family, but of our job to investigate so we pass any concerns on to the ward Sister for long will the operation take?” I am no medical you have to let this go over your head and do what you can to calm the situation and help the her to be aware and take any necessary action. expert, but sometimes I surprise myself when I patient. You have to be aware that there could be actually know the answer! However I never give 9am - I receive a call to take a young boy down a chance of you being kicked, punched, bitten or medical advice, but I can tell them who to ask, to X-ray, he’s damaged his leg playing football. I spat at (all of these have happened to me in the or if they want I ask the question of the clinical ask him what team he supports (he’s a Man Utd past!) but you have to try and understand what colleague on their behalf. fan, booo!) so I can’t resist winding him up a bit the patient may be going through. (I’m Man City all the way!) I manage to make him 11am - I wheel the young boy back after his Not all security red alerts are aggressive laugh and briefly take his mind off the pain and X-ray (which revealed he has broken his ankle) situations and quite often patients just want worry, while putting a smile back on his mother’s for him to be plastered up before heading home some reassurance and encouragement. This face. to rest.
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can take up considerable time and resources but we always focus on our trust values and the wellbeing of the patient. We are also called to help with patients who are living with dementia. These patients can be violent and aggressive, even though they don’t mean to be and often they are not even aware that they are doing it. We need to be able to make contact with them, finding some common ground so we can connect with them. This could be a place that they used to work or pets they have had at home, anything that would gain their trust and help them feel relaxed. After ten long minutes of being shouted at by the man who is under the influence of alcohol, I am now able to leave as the situation has calmed down. So I then need to rush back up to X-ray to collect an elderly patient who has been waiting for quite some time and wants to get back to the ward for her lunch. She is quite upset and lets me know this! All I can do is apologise, explain what the hold-up was and get her back to the ward as quickly as possible, while she asks me “what’s for lunch?” and says “If my food has gone cold I will expect you to heat it back up for me” 2pm - I am summoned to the maternity ward to help them move some new equipment into the birth centres. Whilst I’m in there I see a man jump for joy as he announces that his first
hear the good news the joy on their faces makes me emotional. To be a small part of such an emotional moment like that is really special and is one of the many reasons why I love my job. Seeing so many people go through really tough times in our hospitals often makes me think about my own loved ones and I am reminded on a daily basis to appreciate what I’ve got. I know a lot of the porters say that the job really makes them reflect on their own life; there aren’t many jobs that do that. 4pm - I am called to a job for the mortuary to transport a deceased patient. We also arrange viewings for loved ones out of hours, as you can imagine this can be a very distressing time for the patient’s family. We witness and listen to so many sad stories from relatives which can be really upsetting but we have to provide support and a shoulder to cry on if needed. 5pm - last job of the day before I clock off is to check something out with security before I head home. I have spotted a camera crew filming on one of the wards so I report it to security. Luckily they already know about it, turns out the BBC are filming with our Communications team for a documentary. We are the eyes and ears of our hospitals and if something doesn’t seem quite right it is our responsibility to check it out, whatever it may be.
Every porter I speak to makes me feel proud that they have chosen to work in our hospitals. I am overwhelmed by how dedicated and positive they are and I am humbled by their passion and commitment in improving the experience of our patients. We are very lucky to have them all” Chief Executive Karen Partington grandchild has just been born. He grabbed me for a big hug and I congratulate him. He then apologises for hugging me but he explains that the labour happened very quickly and the rest of his family hadn’t managed to get to the hospital yet so he had nobody else to hug. Sometimes patients don’t have a loved one with them while they are in hospital, for a variety of reasons, so you are their support at that time. We have to appreciate that they may be extremely scared, worried or emotional, and they just need somebody to talk to. We often feel like counsellors as well as Porters! 3pm - a call to take a gentleman back to his ward after undergoing major surgery for a brain tumour. Obviously the man is extremely groggy and not really up for conversation but I can see him breathing a sigh of relief that the surgery is over. The nurses in Theatres say that the operation went well, and when I see his family waiting in anticipation for his return and they
Physiotherapist completes 12 challenges in 12 months for cancer research One of our Physiotherapists has completed a gruelling physical challenge each month of 2015, to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Adam Cook, who works at the Physiotherapy Outpatients department at Chorley has taken on 12 challenges in 12 months to fundraise for cancer research. Adam said: “Both of my parents have had cancer, with my dad being diagnosed for the second time 18 months ago. So I wanted to do something big to support friends and family who have been affected by cancer and support research into hopefully finding a cure one day.” The gruelling challenges that Adam completed: January Lancashire New Year half marathon. February 10mile Roman road fell race. March Oulton park half marathon. April Blackpool half marathon. May Yorkshire three Peaks challenge. June 42 mile bike ride, Chorley to Southport and back. July NHS sprint triathlon.
Porter stats: • We have about 90 Porters and only 1 of them is female! • 16 work night shifts • They do on average 610 tasks a day, including 253 patient moves, 1 cardiac arrest, 3 security incidents, 1 fire, 5 viewings of deceased patients, move 24 empty beds, 3 transfers of deceased patients. • The average length of service for porters is 12 years and only 4 porters have left in to last 2 years other than to retire.
August Leeds to Liverpool canal run/bike ride (completed in 4 days) September National three Peaks challenge. October Hell up North (UK's toughest half marathon) November 30 mile white rose ultra-marathon December 8 hour static bike ride in the reception area of the Physiotherapy Outpatients Department Adam’s initial goal was to raise £1000 but he has raised £1591 so far. An awe-inspiring achievement – well done Adam. You can donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/Adam-Cook12
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
Ask these questions every day for every patient Perfect 365 flow You will all recall how successful the Perfect 10 initiative was - well we are determined to implement the principles that improve patient flow, so that we can create capacity, deliver a better patient experience, and give you time and space to care, throughout the year. We’re having another very busy period in our hospitals, and everyone’s feeling stretched, so it’s more important than ever we do everything we can to make sure no patient spends a minute longer in hospital than they need to.
We all have a role to play in improving patient flow, remember to ask these questions, about every patient, every day. And book patient transport early! To prevent delays discharging patients you can book patient transport based on predicted day of discharge, you don’t need to wait for the discharge to be confirmed or until the patient is packed up and ready to leave the ward.
Boogie Boards The Preston and Chorley Laryngectomee club has kindly donated some Boogie Boards and an ipad to help people communicate following laryngectomy surgery. A laryngectomee is a person who has had their larynx, or voice box, removed, and they have to breathe through a hole in their neck.
Born survivors! A team from the neurosurgical department have completed the gruelling ‘Born Survivor’ challenge to raise money and awareness for Neurosurgical research. The group completed the 10k military obstacle race in Manchester within three hours. Professor Charles Davies, co-director of Neurosurgery research, said: “Brain cancer is an awful cancer, and the most rapidly growing. We are one of the largest brain cancer research facilities in the UK and every single penny raised on this event will be spent on research”. Dr Taha Lilo specialist research registrar of neurosurgery, said: “We chose this event to
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allow members of the department to develop and embrace the team spirit. We were covered from head to toe in mud and sweat and it was harder than we expected, however, it was a great experience and I am proud of the team for getting through it together, thanks to the magnificent public support we received.” The money raised will fund a large number of research projects to take place within neurosurgery in collaboration with pharmacy and biomedical sciences at UClan. Well done to everyone who took part.
There are almost 100 Laryngectomee clubs nationwide and they offer a range of support services to help laryngectomee patients, their families, and their carers. A Boogie Board works like a digital blackboard or a tablet. They cost £33 each and the Laryngectomee Club has donated six to our Speech and Language Therapy team. The Boogie Boards have been paid for via three awareness sessions, which were funded by Comensus, which is a Community Engagement Service User Support group based at The University of Central Lancashire. The ipad has been donated by Macmillan cancer support.
Patient’s family make generous donation to our breast unit The family of a woman who was treated by our breast care team has donated money to fund some new state of the art equipment. Over £30,000 was donated by the Janine Thompson Fund to the Boot Out Breast Cancer charity, which is a North West breast cancer charity which raises money to buy diagnostic equipment for local NHS hospitals.
The money was used to purchase specialised Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy Equipment which allows us to carry out a new procedure in the Central Lancashire Breast Unit. It is a more effective and efficient system as it provides a more reliable “first time” test in diagnosing breast cancer, which is a better experience for patients. Thank you to Janine’s family and the Boot Out Breast Cancer charity for the donation.
Janine was treated by our staff at Chorley hospital but sadly lost her battle. Her family and friends raised the funds and wanted to make a difference to the treatment of breast cancer locally, in her memory.
Little Ted’s Appeal We are happy to announce that the first two rooms of the Baby Beat Little Ted’s Appeal have been officially opened. The rooms which are situated on the Delivery Suite in the Sharoe Green Maternity Unit are now soundproofed so that families can have complete privacy and no disturbances. Baby Beat Manager Karen Entwistle said “The idea for soundproofing came from Spencer Davis, a paramedic at Preston and his partner Rachael, a nurse based at Chorley hospital. Spencer and Rachael lost their beloved son, Thomas Edward Davis (TED) in March last year. During and following their son’s delivery they could hear babies crying which was extremely difficult after they had lost their own child, and so they decided that they wanted to raise funds specifically to soundproof two of the rooms. To date they have raised a massive £27,000. The appointed contractors heard about Spencer and Rachael’s story and wanted to support the project. They offered the labour and materials required to carry out the work, completely free of charge, which enabled the first two rooms to take shape immediately. This means we can start work on the third and fourth rooms soon with the money already raised. There are 12 delivery rooms in total on the unit and Baby Beat aims to raise the remaining £53,000 to soundproof all of them.” Spencer said “On the 17th March 2015, my son, Thomas Edward Davis (TED) was born sleeping, at 38 weeks. My partner had to endure a normal delivery which was enormously stressful knowing the inevitable outcome.
Diane Taylor won Technician of the Year
During the labour and delivery, Rachael could hear the crying of newborn babies which added further heartbreak and it was following our tragedy that I came up with the idea. We wanted something positive to come from our tragedy and we are truly amazed at the support we have had from the many people who have got behind this project in memory of our son”. You can donate here www.justgiving.com/LittleTedsRoom A sincere thanks to Spencer and Rachael for their fundraising efforts, and to the contractors; FWP, Ameon, CRT flooring and D&G builders, for their kind donation of time and materials.
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
Awards round-up Gold award for our standards in healthcare education One of our Medical Illustrators has won a national award. Cat Lamoon, Senior Medical Photographer, was awarded the Norman K Harrison award at the annual Institute of Medical Illustrators (IMI) conference. IMI is the UK based professional body for Medical Photographers, Illustrators and Videographers. Cat has been a member for 15 years and in that time she has volunteered her time to be a member of the council, marketing committee, education team and been part of the conference teams. Cat receives multiple awards every year for her photography and video work, including the ‘Thank you’ video that she produced to recognise all the hard work of our staff. The Norman K Harrison award, is the Institute’s most prestigious award, presented at the discretion of the Chairman to a member considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the Institute or profession. Cat said, “It’s great to have a skill that all professions across the organisation can use, to help improve services for our patients. Video has shown to improve the knowledge of our patients understanding and is welcomed, especially because it makes patients more familiar with both the environment of the hospital and the technical aspects of the procedures."
We have been awarded the gold standard from Health Education North West (HENW), for our standards of placement provision and experience for all of our healthcare learners. In an annual assessment carried out by HENW we scored 98% for our learning environment, that’s the highest score in the region. The average score in the North West is 93%. The programme is led by four Practice Education Facilitators, who provide support to all learners, which includes medical students and staff undergoing training, as well as their mentors and supervisors.
Two of our clinical tutors named as most inspirational teachers in North West Two of our clinical tutors have been ranked in the top six most inspirational teachers in the North West, in an award voted for by medical students. Medical Students from Manchester Medical School were given the opportunity to nominate their inspirational teachers and outstanding support staff for a Manchester Medical School Teaching Award. Our Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Dr Shiva S Tripathi was awarded the ‘Best Consultant Teacher’ title and our Year three Curriculum Co-ordinator, Claire Weston won the ‘Best non teacher’ category.
Our Research Midwife wins national award Katrina Rigby, Senior Research Midwives has won a national research and innovation award! Katrina was named the winner of the ‘Clinical research individual of the year’ category at the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards 2015. Katrina leads a diverse team of clinical research nurses and midwives and has been instrumental in leading a culture change regarding clinical trials within women’s health. She has been fundamental in working to reduce the number of stillbirths and works tirelessly to raise awareness of our research trials. Gemma Whiteley, Head of Research and Innovation, said: “Katrina demonstrates her passion and commitment to clinical research on a daily basis. She leads a diverse team of clinical research nurses and midwives and encourages a positive, flexible approach in how she conducts herself both as a practitioner and as a manager. Katrina’s ability to engage the clinical service has resulted in a number of studies proving incredibly successful where other sites have struggled with recruitment at a national level.”
Long service awards 47 members of staff who have all worked for the NHS for 25 consecutive years, came along to the Long Service Awards presentation. Certificates and vouchers presented by Chairman Stuart Heys and Chief Executive Karen Partington. Karen said, “Thanks to each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication to the NHS, your experience and knowledge is invaluable in helping us deliver effective services and great care.”
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Accredited awards 115 members of staff were invited to attend the Accredited Awards evening in September. Awards were handed out for a range of accredited courses, including Basic Nursing Care Skills, Leadership and Management and Team Leading. Certificates were presented by Chairman Stuart Heys. Congratulations to you all!
Three of our nurses have won a Nightingale of the North award Three of our nurses have won a prestigious nursing award. Denise Brooks, Consultant Nurse for our Critical Care Outreach Service, Janine Vivers, Senior Dental Nurse, and Paula Portoles-Isla, Staff Nurse in Orthopaedics, have all been selected as ‘Nightingale of the North’ for their dedication to nursing. The Nightingale of the North awards recognises outstanding nurses in the region – and our nurses scooped three out of the four awards given out. Denise’s main role in our Critical Care Outreach team is to support clinical staff in managing acutely ill patients and preventing risk of deterioration. She was given the award for
commitment to improving the service we provide for patients and the support she gives to staff. Janine has worked in the dental and Maxillofacial department for the last five years. She was named a winner because she goes above and beyond for patients and works hard to boost team morale. Paula has been nominated for her total dedication to patients, often understanding what they need before the nurses handover to her. Paula was nominated by her colleague who describes how she “stands heads and shoulders above the rest. She reflects the values of the trust entirely and her dedication to patients is inspiring.”
Our Teenager and Young Adult service wins a Nursing Times award! Our Teenager and Young Adult service, in partnership with the Teenage Cancer Trust, has won a Nursing Times Award! The team, which offers support to young patients who are battling cancer, won the HRH Prince of Wales Award for the ‘Integrated Approaches to Care’ category. The team aim to keep patients active, encouraging them to socialise and stay connected with each other, help young people keep up with further education, and offer ongoing support to help them return to normal life and provide bereavement support to families.
Undergraduate Teaching Awards The Undergraduate Teaching Awards ceremony was opened by Hospital Dean, Professor Madhavi Paladugu, and our winners were presented by members of the Executive Team, Undergraduate leads and Undergraduate students. All tutor award winners were determined by student feedback given throughout the academic year, with the student achievement awards being determined by best overall performance in exams. A big well done to all the winners!
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
One of our Research Nurses chosen to speak at International clinical trial conference Kerry Ward, one of our Research Nurses has been selected to present at an International clinical trial conference in Berlin. Kerry was asked to deliver a presentation to more than 250 people from all across the world, at a meeting of researchers in Alzheimer’s Disease, looking at how home care nursing in the UK has been used in research to provide more opportunities for people to be involved. Kerry was chosen because our organisation was one of the first sites in the UK to use home nursing as part of the study. Kerry said: “It was an honour to be asked to represent Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and it was a good opportunity to explain who we are and what we do. Using home nursing has given more opportunities for more patients within the North West to be involved in research as they don’t have to travel. Some of our patients would not be able to be involved in research without a home care nursing option.”
Supporting national campaign to allow carers of dementia patients to stay in hospital with them two of our elderly care wards; improved our signs at both hospital sites; implemented an activity box programme to ensure there are a range of suitable activities for interaction, comfort and distraction including our The campaign was own activity blankets, founded by the family (made by our own linen of Dr John Gerrard room and volunteers). "carers are a really important part in delivering patient care." who was living with We have also designed Denise Morris, our Public Health Co-Coordinator Alzheimer’s and was a new patient garden admitted to hospital at Chorley hospital as a for infected leg ulcers. safe place for socialising During his five week and relaxation. have developed new ‘Carers Cards’ and have stay in hospital, visits from his family were Dementia Champions on all our adult wards, All the new facilities have been paid for using a severely restricted due to an infection outbreak £1million grant that was awarded to us from the who can offer support and advice.” and John’s condition declined. Department of Health. Denise Morris, our Public Health Co-Coordinator, As part of our on-going commitment to improve For further information contact Denise Morris the lives of people living with dementia, we said: “We are really pleased to be supporting on x2627 have an extensive dementia awareness training this campaign as carers are a really important programme for all staff; we have also refurbished partner in delivering care. We already work very We are supporting ‘John’s Campaign,’ a national campaign that welcomes the carers of those living with dementia to stay in hospital with them for as long as they wish.
closely with families to meet the care needs of their relative, but this campaign recognises that sometimes carers may wish to stay longer than visiting times – and that this is okay. We
New consultant app
Pennies from heaven Would you like to make a difference and donate your spare pennies to charity? You can choose to donate your spare pennies from your pay each month to our Rosemere and BabyBeat charities. For example, if you get paid £1,288.35p each month, that 35p will be automatically donated to charity. If you want to opt into this scheme please fill out the form via the Health and Wellbeing page on the intranet. Baby Beat Appeal Manager Karen Entwistle said “An enormous thank you to each and every colleague who has donated their pennies – this money helps us fund improvements for
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women and their bumps. It’s so simple to sign up and every penny really does count”. Sue Thompson, Chief Officer for the Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “Pennies from Heaven has allowed us to furnish two quiet rooms to create a relaxed and comfortable environment which makes such a difference when people are under considerable stress. We are very grateful to everyone who month donates their pennies in this way – thank you!”
We have recently launched a new app to help consultants manage their information. The QlikView Clinician Dashboard Application is now live and accessible to all surgical consultants via the Quadramed Consultant Desktop. It provides a one stop shop for personalised and tailored information about things like waiting lists, theatre and outpatient metrics and training and appraisal status. For now it is just available for surgical consultants, the next phase will be to introduce it to other areas. For more information about the app and how to access it have a look on the intranet. The Business Intelligence team wants your feedback on its relevance, accuracy and ease of use so please email zuber.ismail@lthtr.nhs.uk to ask any questions or share suggestions.
Staff take part in ‘Memory walk’ for Alzheimer’s society Two members of staff from the Nursing Directorate have completed a ‘memory walk’ to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society. “Memory walk” takes place each year across various locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to raise money to create a world without Dementia. Wendy Loughlin, from the Nursing Care and Development Team and Louise Parkinson, Trust Policy Administrator, took part in the 10k walk at Heaton Park in Manchester and they raised £468. Louise said “It was a fantastic day. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was vibrant. Heaton Park is a beautiful setting for this event and the sight of a slowly moving, endless “snake” of 5,000 fundraisers winding its way round the park
was an unforgettable one. It was a tribute to loved ones whose lives have been affected by this condition, and gives hope for the future for all of us.” Wendy Loughlin, who works closely with patients with Dementia, added “It was amazing how many people turned out in support of Dementia research. It was a fabulous day with friends and relatives remembering loved ones.” Wendy and Louise wish to thank all their sponsors for their kind donations, which far exceeded their expectations. They are hoping to take part again next year and would welcome any additions to the team so get in touch if you’re interested.
Trainee Clinical Scientist wins microbiology award World Antibiotic Awareness Week The Antibiotic Stewardship team has been taking part in World Antibiotic Awareness week which aims to promote prudent antimicrobial prescribing, increase awareness around the resistance problems locally, nationally and internationally, and educate staff on how they can help prevent the further spread of antimicrobial resistance. The Antibiotic Stewardship team Microbiology colleagues visited lots of wards to encourage staff to make pledges to help preserve antibiotics and reduce resistance. They provided information leaflets and checklists to help staff implement thier pledges, and encouraged staff to act as antibiotic guardians and work together as a team to use antibiotics effectively on their wards.
Debbie Fielding, Associate Director of Infection Control, said: “The awareness week was a great success but the lessons learned must now become normal practice to have a long term effect on the preservation of the precious antibiotics we still have available. It is important to spread the word about antibiotic resistance and how prudent antibiotic prescribing can help preserve the antibiotics we currently have. Correct prescribing ensures patients are not over or under treated, helps to reduce resistance rates and in addition helps to reduce antibiotic associated infection such as C.difficile.”
Leila White, Trainee Clinical Scientist in Pathology, has won the best microbiology research poster at the Institute of Biomedical Science congress. Leila carried out research as part of her Master’s degree and looked at the bacteria within the sewage of the hospital. She spent two months collecting samples from the pipework in the basement of the hospital and submitted her dissertation on this research, for which she was awarded a distinction – well done Leila! Leila has spent three years training on the Scientist Training Programme in Microbiology, which included a trip to Sierra Leone to help establish a new laboratory. This work overlapped with the Ebola outbreak and as a result Leila had to leave the project in order to return home safely.
Above- some of the pledges made by staff
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
A new scanner for the maternity unit A new portable ultrasound scanner has been delivered to the maternity unit, funded by the Baby Beat Appeal. The scanner will enable pregnant women to have a scan more quickly if they are experiencing a reduction in their baby’s movement, and early detection of small babies could help us reduce stillbirth rates. Baby Beat Appeal Manager Karen Entwistle said “There was only one portable scanner for the whole of the maternity unit and with over 4,600 births annually, women were having to wait around for prolonged periods of time for the machine to become available. A second scanner will reduce stress and time that it hopefully reduce the number of stillbirths ultimately”.
The Surgical Assessment Unit has moved As part of the plans to separate planned and unplanned care, we are working towards creating an acute zone at Preston. The Surgical Assessment Unit has now moved to the Emergency Decisions Unit which is based near to the front of Royal Preston Hospital. Organising care in this way will ensure patients with similar needs are looked after together by appropriate teams, and specialist staff from services throughout the hospital can come to see the urgent patients in one place, making the whole pathway and process smoother. Surgical
patients are admitted to the unit 24 hours a day, and medical patients between 8am and 6pm. The Clinical Business Manager for EDU is Tina Lawrenson, and the matron is Lynne Sime. The Clinical Business Manager for SAU is Alison Anton and the matron is Emma Fitton. Both assessment units are managed by Jayne Sargeant.
Cake Sale The Cardio Respiratory team at Preston held a Macmillan Cake sale and raised £120. Well done!!
Our Health Our Care
Newly qualified nurse is in the Nursing Standard Emily Dickinson, who is a newly qualified staff nurse on ward 25, has had a piece published in the Nursing Standard. Emily entered a competition as a student and submitted a piece of reflection about the importance of hands on clinical skills. Very well done Emily; it is fantastic to be published so early in your career.
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Over the past couple of months many of you have been involved in shortlisting potential options for how our hospitals could be configured in the future, as we assess the possibilities for how we could be organised to deliver services in a more effective and sustainable way in the future. This phase of the process is now complete, and now some detailed work is underway to cost and further assess the shortlisted options, before we consider the next steps. In the meantime work is continuing to develop the new model of care, which separates unplanned and planned care, and develops more transitional, out of hospital care, so that we’re able to progress the changes we need to implement to organise services more effectively and improve pathways. We now need to work alongside our commissioners and other local partner
organisations to build on the work we’ve already done - because delivering our new models of care and ensuring we’re sustainable for the future requires a much wider transformation of how health and social care works in central Lancashire than we can achieve by ourselves. The programme which is now being refered to as Our Health Our Care is intending to develop some options for how health and social care will work better together in the future, which will be produced later on this year. It may well be that this results in a wider consultation about services with our patients and may lead to a consultation with the public. Working groups are currently being established, when they are fully established and have set out their tasks we’ll provide further information about their goals and how you can get involved in this work.
Introducing our new Nursing and Midwifery Director As most of you will know, Sue Reed, Nursing Director, is retiring after 40 years working for the NHS. After a rigorous recruitment exercise we are delighted to announce that Gail Naylor has been appointed our new Nursing and Midwifery Director. Gail is currently the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, and had the same role at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust for five years before that. Gail has worked in a variety of clinical roles during her career, as well as leading and managing teams in a number of senior leadership positions in the NHS, so she will be a fantastic addition to our team.
Leading the way for clinical research studies Leadership journey Our research team has the highest number of research studies, and the highest number of people taking part in research studies, in Lancashire and Cumbria. A recent league table, published by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network, has revealed that we top the list for the highest number of clinical trials among NHS trusts in Lancashire and Cumbria and we are in the top three for the whole of the North West Coast. The figures for April 2014 to March 2015 show that our research team have been involved in 109 research studies, which is higher than any other NHS trust across Lancashire and Cumbria. The league table also reveals that we recruited 2155 people to take part in our research
studies, which is the highest number for any NHS trust across Lancashire and Cumbria. We lead and participate in a wide range of international, national and local clinical trials and research studies. Research is one of our key strategic aims because involvement can provide our patients with access to new drugs and treatment, and it’s critical in improving outcomes for patients in the future. Our research team can provide lots of support if you wish to get involved in research. And find out about research and trials in your area so you can tell your patients and help them take part. For more information about research contact Gemma Whiteley or your service’s research nurse.
Catherine Taurozzi, Associate General Manager for Emergency Medicine, has been chosen to be part of the first cohort to complete an NHS leadership course. The NHS Leadership Academy Elizabeth Garrett Anderson programme is a flagship learning and development opportunity for leaders looking to have a real impact on patient experiences and leading a culture of compassion at its heart. The course is self-funded or paid for with a bursary. Catherine passed the course with a distinction she said: “I was delighted when I was offered a place on the first cohort. Two years later, having travelled on an incredible, strenuous and inspirational journey, I can’t believe the transformation that’s taken place or the amount it has helped already.
New cardiac rehabilitation equipment The cardiac rehabilitation team at Chorley Hospital would like to say a huge thank-you to the Friends of Chorley Hospital, and the cardiac unit, for donating money to the service. The money allowed the team to buy three new static exercise bikes to replace the old ones which although functional, had seen better days. Charlotte McKay, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Heart Failure Specialist Nurse, said: “We have exercise classes at the hospital in the main physiotherapy gym and at a local community sport centre. Classes are provided for patients following
a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, heart surgery or stents. One of the fundamental aims of cardiac rehabilitation is to help patients regain confidence and return to being as active as possible. Supervised exercise sessions help achieve this and is a starting block to promoting a long term commitment to exercise.” Pictured left to right: Louise Withnell, Cardiac Rehabilitation Specialist Nurse, Samantha Fulton, Physiotherapy assistant and Kevin Sargeant Specialist Physiotherapist in Cardiac Rehabilitation
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
Acute pain study day Our Acute Pain Team has hosted the third regional Acute Pain study day. More than 50 anaesthetists and pain nurses from across the North West region came along to discuss a variety of topics, including; ‘enhanced recovery’, ‘trauma and acute pain’ and ‘managing pain in pregnancy’. The team received excellent feedback, with people saying that it was extremely “interesting, good value and well organised.” The next Acute Pain Study Day is planned for 26th of May 2016. Above - some of the speakers and organisers
Introducing the Acute Kidney Injury Service A new Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) service has been set up following new guidance issued by NICE. AKI is easy to treat but is often not recognised, so AKI alerts have been introduced into QuadraMed to highlight what stage of AKI a patient has. The new team reviews all patients with an AKI level 2 or 3 as they hope to reduce the numbers of hospital acquired AKIs by educating staff and ensuring guidelines are followed. The team also plan to try and raise awareness of AKI in the community as approximately 60% of AKIs originate there.
Wheelchair marathon Andrew Simms, Assistant Practitioner in main Xray at Preston has completed the Great North Run half marathon in his wheelchair! Andrew took on the challenge to raise money for the rehab unit.
Donation to the Neonatal Unit A big thank you to Leyland Round Table which has donated a cheque for £5,000 to our Neonatal Unit This donation is being used to buy a state of the art Early Signs Monitor for the unit. Brian King, Chairman of the Leyland Round Table, said: “We are proud to be supporting the Neonatal Unit at Royal Preston Hospital and all of the Leyland Round Table members thought this was a very worthwhile cause. Matron Joanne Smith took time out of her very busy schedule to give the members a tour of the Neonatal Unit and we were blown away by the amazing work carried out by all of the staff. It was heart-warming to see so much care, professionalism and dedication from all of the Neonatal team.” The money was raised during the annual Bonfire and Firework display held at Worden Park in Leyland.
Well done Andrew!
Follow the library team on social media The Library has launched a brand new Facebook page and Twitter page. It’s a great way of connecting with our staff and students. Follow the pages for up-to-date library news and events, training, new books, new research, and much more! You can also use the pages to ask questions about services and resources. Anyone who likes the Facebook page or follows the Twitter page will be entered into a Prize Draw to win Amazon vouchers. The prize draw closes on the 31st March 2016 and only applies to staff and students on placement. To find us on Facebook please search lancshosplib and Twitter @lancshosplib
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Award winning photography A photograph of our Senior Research Midwife, Katrina Rigby, measuring a baby’s head, has been voted one of the ten best entries in the 2015 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) photo competition. The photo, which was taken by our multiple award-winning Medical Illustration Photographer Cat Lamoon, was chosen to be in the top ten from more than 60 entries.
Hawaiian pub crawl A group of Clinical Coding staff along with friends and family have hit the streets of Preston to take park in an Hawaiian themed three-legged pub crawl to raise money and awareness for the charity Prostate Cancer UK. A huge well done to the team who raised a phenomenal £2,430.50!
Dyslexia Awareness Day
Breast Cancer patient raises money for us
The Dyslexia Support Group is running its annual ‘Dyslexia Awareness Day’ in May. People can come along to hear from guest speakers, get involved in a question and answer session and find out what support is available.
A patient who has been treated for breast cancer has organised a charity concert to raise money for our breast care unit at Chorley and Rosemere. Kathleen and Brian Longton hosted a charity concert at Chorley United Reformed Church, with performances by the Church Music Group and Euxton CE Primary School Choir, and raised over £1400. A sincere thank you for your efforts.
Barrie Morgan, Ambassador for Dyslexia says: “Everybody is welcome to come along to this event, perhaps you feel that you may have Dyslexia or maybe you manage staff who are Dyslexic, whatever your reason for attending, we will be able to offer you advice and support.” The event is taking place in May, but the exact date and venue is yet to be confirmed. Please check the intranet nearer the time for details.
New fence for rehab unit
For further information or to book onto the session please contact: Barrie Morgan on ext 4638 or email Barrie.Morgan@lthtr.nhs.uk
We have teamed up with a local charity called Integrate (pictured above) on a project aimed at providing more privacy and dignity to the patients in the Medical Rehabilitation Unit at Preston. The family of a former patient kindly donated funds for a fence to be erected along the back of the unit enclosing the patio and garden area, ensuring that passers-by are unable to look through the windows so that we can maintain the privacy and dignity of our patients.
Fundraising on Hazelwood ward Staff on Hazelwood Ward at Chorley held a special day to raise money for Macmillan Cencer Support. The team sold cakes and held a raffle, and raise £429.
Integrate is a local charity based in Preston who support adults and teenagers who have learning disabilities, and others in need, to participate in full and valued lives in the community. Jackie Higham, Widening Participation manager and Paul Collier, Senior Estates Manager joined forces with Peter Green, Project Director of Integrate and set to work on the project with fantastic results. In the beginning…… we had an open area where patients had to close blinds to gain more privacy. Following risk assessments and a health and safety induction, the work began! New skills were learned and developed along the way. And the fence was complete!
Incubator covers Thank you to the staff in the Sewing Room who are making the Neonatal Unit some fantastic incubator covers, funded by a donation from the Incubator appeal, which is now called The Patient Experience charity. All of the parents and staff on the Neonatal Unit really appreciate the covers and they are so beneficial to the babies on the ward, as they block out the potential negative effects of increased levels of light and noise.
And finally the fence was up.
Moustaches for charity! Staff from different departments across both hospitals vowed to grow a moustache as part of Movember, to raise money and awareness for men’s physical and mental health. The Movember Foundation is a global charity committed to men living happier, healthier, longer lives. Each year for the whole of November, men across the UK grow a moustache in order to raise money and awareness. Tom Overton, Staff Nurse at Chorley, said: “As a newly qualified nurse interested in health promotion and education it only seems right that I do my bit to raise money for this worthy cause. This was my fifth year doing Movember and it’s great that this year we have a team of people taking part.” The team have raised more than £200, if you would like to donate please follow this link: moteam.co/lancashire-teachinghospitals-mo-bros-mo-sistas
Connect Magazine Spring 2016
Cath Cottington retirement
Frank Burton retirement Frank Burton is retiring after working in the domestic services department for nine years. Frank worked on the evening shift and he has always been a reliable member of staff, his attendance has been impeccable.
Cath has retired from the MAU at Preston after 33 years’ service. Cath started with us as an Enrolled Nurse working within the medical directorate and then became a Sister on the MAU. Cath celebrated her retirement with her colleagues, friends and family at three separate events. She is now looking forward to spending more time with her family, but Cath will be returning after a short rest to work on the nurse bank (so normal cupcake deliveries will resume soon!) Cath would like to thank everyone for her wonderful gifts and cards and felt very spoilt and humbled. Wishing you a long and happy retirement Cath.
Frank has had a good relationship with all members of staff and his supervisors and has always been a great worker. He is looking forward to retirement and spending time more time with his wife. The department is sad to see Frank leave as he has always been a polite and friendly member of the team. All the best for the future Frank.
We would like to send our condolences to the family of Dr Tidswell who died in September following a long illness. He worked for us for more than 20years and was the Clinical Director for Neurosciences. MS Specialist Nurse Monica Arthur said: “We all have very fond memories of Dr Tidswell, he was a very supportive colleague who will be sadly missed. He was a very memorable character due to his flamboyant personality and dress sense! He was always very approachable and helpful with queries relating to patient care and would always go the extra mile if needed.” Dr Boothman, Consultant Neurologist, said: “He was an enthusiastic, extremely well read and clinically astute neurologist who is missed by the staff in the department.”
Judith Howard retirement Judith Howard has retired after working for us for the past six years. Judith has been a very popular member of the Hospital Sterile and Disinfection Unit at Chorley. She was a Sterile Services Technician first in Theatre Sterile Supplies Unit at Preston and then when it closed she moved to work at Chorley. Judith has always worked hard and has been a wonderful team member; she will be missed by all her colleagues. All the best for your retirement Judith.
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Connect Magazine is printed on sustainably resourced paper
Retirements from the Booking Services Department The Booking Services team would like to say Happy Retirement to Linda Minett, Sandra Davies, Tina White and Sue Marginson who have all recently retired. A big thank you to them for their continued service and we wish them all the best for the future.
Star Volunteer of the month Gillian Saunders is this month’s Star Volunteer. Gillian works on Barton ward and has been described as the most selfless, kind, compassionate individual.
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Christine Hughes is retiring after working for us for 27 years. Christine worked at Sharoe Green Hospital before moving up to Royal Preston Hospital where she successfully completed the Assistant Practitioner course in Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Bangor. Christine has been a loyal and reliable member of staff and very supportive of junior members and students. Last year a fellowship award was presented on behalf of the Lancashire Gujarat Health Users Forum to Christine for her continued commitment, hard work and dedication to the Health Mela event. The Imaging team all wish her well for the future and will miss her very much.
Dr Tidswell
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Christine Hughes retirement
She devotes any spare time she has for the ward and ensures our patients enjoy lovely hot cups of tea, offers hand massages and most importantly a good natter.
Gillian has a lot going on at home but this does not affect her at all, when she is pouring out that cuppa to the grateful patient, she is always smiling and upbeat. She also buys toiletries for those patients who have very little and supplies items for the monthly tea party. She is just fab! Thankyou so much Gillian for all you do for our patients and the staff on Barton ward.