The Pulse News from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Issue 133 Spring 2013
Healthcare in Hillingdon
Changing services
Maternity
improving the patient experience
THIS ISSUE
The Pulse Spring 2013 Issue 133
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Contents
Welcome from Shane DeGaris
Our Chief Executive welcomes you to The Pulse
A message from our governors
Their role in the future of our Trust
Board agrees plan for Emergency Care redevelopment A full business case has been agreed
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Healthcare in Hillingdon has changed
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Supporting a programme of change
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On a mission to improve inpatient care
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Committed to quality
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Improving the patient experience in Maternity
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Moving forward in Paediatric Diabetes
HCCG plans and the delivery of healthcare in the borough Change across the Trust Pilot scheme to improve elderly inpatient care Nursing initiatives showcased during National Nurses Week Two major improvement projects This unit is getting bigger
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CARES one year on
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Focus on leadership
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The Trust in the news
Improving the staff and patient experience with CARES PDR and Talent Management 2013 is launched Shockwave machine donated and the Trust on Twitter
Who’s who
The Pulse magazine is for our patients, local people, staff and members of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It can be picked up around the hospital and downloaded from our website www.thh.nhs.uk.
Produced by: The Communications department Email: neena.shah@thh.nhs.uk Print: streamlineyourprint.com
Follow us @HillingdonNHSFT
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WELCOME Chief Executive Shane DeGaris
Welcome
As a native Australian I have still to become fully acclimatised to English winters and this year’s certainly outstayed its welcome. For the NHS the winter months bring particular challenges. It is a time when illnesses such as norovirus and influenza affect thousands of people with many, particularly the elderly and those with long term conditions, requiring hospital treatment. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of our staff who ensured that we kept service disruption to a minimum during the prolonged winter months.
Performance targets As a result of the efforts of our staff, we were able to achieve all of Monitor’s performance targets for 2012/13 and remain fully compliant against the 16 standards for quality. Notably we managed to hit the four hour A&E access target for the year and also met the quality and regulatory targets for infection control including MRSA and C.difficile rates. Thankfully, we are starting to see signs of spring emerging and with it comes a new era for the NHS. From 1st April NHS Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) became the statutory body for designing and commissioning local health services in the Borough. This issue of The Pulse includes details of these changes and how they will affect patient care.
Francis Report
The Pulse
Another key issue facing the NHS is the Francis Report into the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust Board reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Francis Report at its February meeting and will receive regular updates on work that is being carried out to examine and strengthen the Trust’s systems and practices. As part of our response to Francis, staff meetings have been held to discuss ways in which we can ensure that patients continue to receive safe, quality care that reflects our Trust values. Our CARES values go to the heart of what we do and by embedding them throughout the Trust we can ensure that the needs of patients come first and that staff can work in a culture that encourages openness and transparency.
The Spring issue of The Pulse contains plenty of examples of how we are working hard to improve our services including a report on the new Acute Care of the Elderly programme. There is also an update on our plans for the redevelopment of the Emergency Department, the full business case for which was agreed by the Trust Board at its March meeting. I hope readers enjoy the new look of The Pulse, designed by our in-house Communications team, and invite views on what you would like to see covered in future issues to be sent via email to neena. shah@thh.nhs.uk.
Shane DeGaris
Chief Executive The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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GOVERNORS Our Trust governors talk about their role in the future of the Trust, financial pressures felt across the NHS and projects that focus on patient experience.
A message from our governors… You will often have heard that the Trust is faced with challenges. One could equally add: uncertainty, change and opportunity. It’s a bit like the reference to Chinese “interesting times”, or the varied items that fill newspapers. Certainly in the foreseeable future it’s unlikely to be dull! Improved emergency care At the risk of appearing complacent, there are a number of reassuring things to note. Firstly Hillingdon Hospital has been designated a ‘fixed point’ in the North West London hospitals reorganisation (Shaping a Healthier Future). That gives a vote of confidence for the Trust and its staff although it will herald major change for us all. Secondly, we are performing well on most operational performance measures and are rated green by Monitor our regulator. That means that we are doing a lot of things well. Thirdly
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the Trust has secured funding to enable it to build an improved Emergency Care Centre, which will offer Urgent Care and A&E facilities. As governors, these are very positive things for us. However there is an ongoing concern about the financial pressures facing the wider NHS, the Trust and our local commissioners. Shortage of funds reduces the opportunity to invest in many things which would make the Trust even better, including tackling the maintenance and refurbishment backlog as fast as we would like and investing sufficiently in IT and medical equipment. Our new clinical commissioning group (CCG) which now has the commissioning responsibilities for Hillingdon will have an increasing influence on the Trust. The financial challenges facing Hillingdon CCG will undoubtedly impact on us and we will be working closely with them over the next 12 months to
make best use of the resources in the Hillingdon Health community.
Patient experience Governors’ primary concern is patient experience, but if the funds, services and buildings are problematic the patient experience will be affected. Governors are currently involved in a number of working groups to address specific issues.
Governors are involved with: - The Patient Experience and Engagement Group, a major initiative to review and improve the way services are delivered. - The call management system for appointments booking – to test the new system which is being developed. - The car parking project, to examine one of the most complained about aspects at Hillingdon Hospital.
URGENT CARE
Board agrees plan for Emergency Care redevelopment
“We are focused on supporting, as well as challenging, the Board over the coming year. Equally we are determined to progress the tasks we are directly engaged upon.”
The full business case for the £12m re-development of Emergency Care services at Hillingdon Hospital was agreed by the Trust Board during its March meeting. The decision was reached ahead of final planning permission for the redevelopment which is expected to be approved by Hillingdon Council’s planning committee at its meeting in May. The guiding principle behind the project is for patients to be seen by the right health professional at the right time. Alongside this work, the Trust will also develop a new Urgent Care Centre for patients who do not require emergency treatment. Welcoming the Board’s decision Shane DeGaris, Trust Chief Executive, said: “This exciting project is great news for our local population and will see the biggest development on the Hillingdon site for over 40 years.
“The changes will not only improve our emergency care standards but also strengthen the Trust’s position as a ‘fixed point’ for acute care as identified by the ‘Shaping a healthier future’ programme.”
In 12 months’ time the three year terms of office for staff and public governors will come to an end. While some governors may stand again and be re-elected, it is highly likely that many governor changes will be made at that time. With your support and input we hope we will be able to hand over our responsibilities with the Trust operating in a more stable (less ‘interesting’) environment. Hillingdon Hospital
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Healthcare in Hillingdon h On Monday April 1st 2013 the Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group (HCCG) formally replaced the Primary Care Trust (PCT) as the statutory body responsible for the planning and delivery of health care services in the borough. As part of a nationwide reform under The Health and Social Care Bill, this means that your local GP is now responsible for most of the planning, designing and paying for the NHS services you use in Hillingdon. This includes planned and emergency hospital care, rehabilitation, most community services, and mental health and
DID YOU KNOW? Your local GP is now responsible for most of the planning, designing and paying for the NHS services you use in Hillingdon.
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learning disability services. Clinical Commissioning Groups are made up of the local Borough’s GP practices with responsibility to collectively commission a range of services on behalf of their local population. The Hillingdon CCG covers the same geographical area as the London Borough of Hillingdon and is made up of all 48 GP practices in the borough. The Hillingdon CCG followed a rigorous assessment process by the NHS National Commissioning Board which aimed to assure the HCCG was safe and effective and ready to take on commissioning responsibilities for the Borough. Dr Ian Goodman Local GP and HCCG Governing Body Chair says: “We are a newly formed organisation committed to providing our patients and carers with high quality healthcare that can be accessed closer to home.
“As GPs we know what our patients need, we also know that if we can provide our patients with easier and earlier access to care more people will stay healthy and potentially life threatening diseases can be picked up at an earlier stage – helping our patients and their carers avoid lengthy stays in hospital”. Working together in shadow form since 2011 HCCG were the first CCG to test and launch the new free NHS 111 healthcare service. Now when someone feels unwell in Hillingdon, they can call NHS 111 where they will be advised where to go in order to receive the best treatment for their condition.
Rapid response In May 2012, the CCG commissioned Central North West London (CNWL) to provide a Rapid Response service at A&E in Hillingdon Hospital. In addition to the team’s community
HEALTHCARE
“We are a newly formed organisation committed to providing our patients and carers with high quality healthcare that can be accessed closer to home.”
has changed based service, they have successfully treated patients outside of the hospital setting. This has helped patients to avoid unnecessary hospital stays as well as supporting people in their own homes who would have otherwise been admitted to the Observation Ward or Emergency Assessment Unit.
Simplifying access to care Ceri Jacob, the CCGs newly recruited Chief Operating Officer says: “This is an exciting time for Hillingdon. Our local GPs are now in the driving seat exploring ways to simplify access to care. This is a unique opportunity to work together with members of the public and carers to ensure
that we are commissioning the right services to the highest quality so that our patients and carers all have a positive experience and outcome when accessing healthcare in Hillingdon”. The CCG now host quarterly ‘Meet the CCG’ public events where members of the public can meet members of the Governing Body and ask questions related to the latest developments in the CCG. With patient, carer and public
involvement at the heart of the CCG the organisation also run various consultations and focus groups throughout the year aimed at influencing and improving service re-design.
Find out more Visit the HCCG website www. hillingdonccg.nhs.uk for details of meetings and events The Governing Body, made up of local GPs, a nurse, LAY members and accountable officers also meet in public each month and the agendas and papers can be found on www.hillingdonccg.nhs.uk. To receive regular updates on the CCG and their events, register your preferred contact details by emailing HILLCCG. HCCGCommunications@nhs.net or by phone on 01895 488 188.
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CHANGE
Supporting a programme of change As the NHS reaches its 65th birthday, trusts across England are facing a period of great change with Hillingdon proving no exception. While the recommendations of the North West London Shaping a Healthier Future programme have confirmed Hillingdon Hospital as a major acute site, they also place a strong emphasis on the integration of care across community and hospital boundaries. Put simply, with an ageing population and rising costs of healthcare, if the NHS is to remain viable for the next 65 years then it will need to ensure that fewer patients are admitted into hospital. To achieve this shift in care, more services will need to be provided in the community and closer to the homes of patients. Coupled with this change in the way in which care is provided, the NHS must also meet the £20bn `Nicholson Challenge` by 2014. The challenge to the NHS is how to
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achieve this level of saving while maintaining quality and safety. For the Trust, our Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) target for 2013/14 is £12m and programmes of work are already under way to meet this. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of staff, we have been effective at identifying and delivering efficiencies in the past but each year the challenge becomes more difficult. We now need to deliver large scale programmes that dramatically change the way in which we provide services and deliver care to patients. To support staff in delivering this work a Programme Management Office (PMO) was established by the Trust, working with the management consultancy Newton Europe, in January. The Trust recently assumed full responsibility for the PMO, led by Simal Patel, Associate Director of Programme Management. She says: “The PMO team provides project management skills combined with
NHS experience. We are responsible for monitoring the progress of projects and supporting clinical teams, identifying new ways of working and introducing service improvements. The PMO will build on the work that Newton has done responding to the needs of the organisation and effectively supporting project delivery.” Joe Smyth, Director of Operational Performance, added: “The PMO provides an experienced and expert resource that will help the divisions to deliver their QIPP programmes. We all understand the size and scale of this challenge and the PMO will help the Trust to deliver the transformation needed to ensure we remain a successful and viable organisation.”
“We all understand the size and scale of this challenge and the PMO will help the Trust to deliver the transformation needed”
CHANGE
On a mission to improve inpatient care
A new pilot service at Hillingdon Hospital has one clear aim - to improve the care provided to elderly inpatients. Under the scheme elderly patients in the Emergency Admissions Unit (EAU) are assessed by the consultant led, multi-disciplinary, Acute Care of the Elderly Team also known as the ACE Team. Consultant Geriatricians Dr Stella Barnes and Dr Lance D’Souza lead daily ward rounds on EAU where they are joined by occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The team works closely with the ward pharmacists and nutritionists to complete a comprehensive assessment of the needs of elderly patients. By gaining a full understanding of individual’s, often complex, health and social care needs, the team are able to help patients to return home sooner, supported by the ward based Community Rapid Response team. Where appropriate, some patients
may go to a rehabilitation setting, such as the Northwood & Pinner Community Unit avoiding multiple moves around wards. Shortening the length of stay for patients who, in the past, may have spent up to a week in a hospital also helps with bed capacity helping the Trust run a more efficient inpatient service. Dr Stella Barnes is clear that this new approach is about improving the quality of care provided to elderly patients, she says: “We know that acute hospitals are often not the best place to provide care to the elderly. The ACE team carries out a detailed assessment to see if patients have any underlying conditions such delirium, dementia, immobility and incontinence. We also review any medication they may be taking. By taking this approach we are able to
improve our care and help patients to return home as soon as it is safe for them to do so. “We also work alongside the EAU team to provide an enhanced service for those frail patients who require more time in hospital and a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). The evidence suggests that undertaking a CGA for such patients when they are in hospital, and supporting their care appropriately, results in reduced readmissions and an increased chance of their living at home for up to a year after admission. Many of these patients are confused, scared, and have been admitted to hospital as an emergency case. Through the work of the ACE team we can spend more time building up patient confidence as well as dealing with their physical needs.”
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NURSING
Committed to quality
Nurses around the world celebrated nursing during National Nurses Week. This year, the Trust raised the profile of nursing by showcasing nursing initiatives and education.
We have introduced a Nursing Quality Accreditation Framework (NQAF), based on our aim of ensuring that patients on our wards are always safe, comfortable, informed and involved. The NQAF sets out a number of indicators and other quality factors to measure and demonstrate sustained improvements in quality. It also describes the assessment process and potential rewards for achieving accreditation. Our ambition is for all our wards to achieve accreditation by March 2015. We are using a variety of methods to measure the quality of care.
Observations of Care Observations of Care is a qualitative approach using inside and outside observers and a structured tool; underpinned by observational prompts that are used by the Care Quality Commission during their unannounced visits. Observations of Care are scheduled monthly and enable the Trust’s most senior nurses to spend time on wards increasing the level of scrutiny and vigilance on the quality of nursing care. During the visit, the environment, attitudes and behaviours of staff, team working and specific aspects of safety are assessed. There is also a review of nursing records to ensure that they reflect clear, accurate and up-to-
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date information about patient care and treatment. Patients are also given the opportunity to discuss any concerns, whilst the observers check that the patient has a good understanding of their care. Executive and Non-Executive Directors are also invited to join in the observational visits. The first one took place in February 2013, when 18 wards were visited. Verbal feedback is given on the day, followed up by a written report highlighting areas of good practice and any recommendations for improvement. Observations of Care are a key component of the NQAF.
Essential standards for nurses and midwives In 2012, over 4,000 inpatients completed an inpatient survey and answered a question about confidence and trust in nursing; overall the end of year score for this was 96%. As part of our ongoing commitment to our ethos of always ‘safe, comfortable, informed and involved’, we want our patients to feel confident that their care is consistent and reliable every time. To support this we have developed a series of essential nursing and midwifery standards aligned with our Trust CARES values that underpin everyday nursing and midwifery practice. One of the ways that we are embedding these standards into practice is by ensuring that our approach to care is proactive - trying to anticipate the
fundamental needs of our patients and responding to them promptly. We will be using every scheduled contact with patients, for example when checking blood pressure and at regular intervals in between, to check on key aspects of care, known as the Ps and Qs. This contact should finish by asking them if anything else is needed at that time. Alongside the Ps and Qs, nurses will be observing the immediate care environment, eg checking that the call bell is within reach and the bedside is uncluttered.
Ps and Qs include: Pain: Does the patient have pain? Position: Is the patient comfortable and warm enough, do they need assistance repositioning? Possessions: Does the patient have a drink and all personal possessions such as tissues and spectacles within reach? Personal: Does the patient need assistance to visit the toilet? Questions: Does the patient have any questions about their care?
What our patients are saying:
“ ” The nurses were extremely kind and I was very comfortable “throughout my stay. ” The staff were fabulous they went way beyond their call of “ duties for which I would like to say a huge thank you. My their stay was extremely restful and I felt in very safe hands. ” The nurses are fantastic, not a thing they don’t do for you, “ nothing ever seems too much trouble. ” I have found all sisters, nurses and staff very dedicated and looked after us well.
Friends and Family Test (FFT) Nurses and midwives at Hillingdon Hospital have led the implementation of the FFT - a standardised question that all organisations providing funded services now have to use. When patients receive care or treatment as an inpatient or in an A&E department, they will be given the opportunity to state whether or not they would recommend the ward
or A&E to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment. Patients can respond from one of six options ranging from extremely likely to don’t know. They are also invited to provide comments relating to the score given, these help staff to gain an insight on what patients value and the factors that influence a poor experience of care.
The Safety Thermometer - it’s not just counting... it’s caring The NHS Safety Thermometer (ST) was rolled out across the Trust by nurses and midwives in 2012. The NHS ST instrument has been designed to be used by frontline healthcare professionals to take a snapshot measure of pressure ulcers, harm from falls, and urinary infection in patients with catheters and VTE (blood clots). One day, each month is designated as ST Survey day. On this day nurses and midwives survey all eligible patients in the hospital (usually about 360 patients), assessing the levels of harms. Analysis of the data helps us to see where there is a need for more focused attention or training. During 2013, our priorities will be reducing the harm caused by pressure ulcers and falls. Our proactive approach to care is a key intervention to support our drive for improvement in these harms.
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MATERNITY
Improving the patient experience in Our Maternity Unit has two major improvement projects underway this year, that will lead to an enhanced experience for all our women and a better working environment for staff.
Refurbishment and modernisation Our Capital Projects Team is overseeing the refurbishment and modernisation of ten delivery rooms on the Ground floor Delivery Suite. This exciting project will see significant improvement in the birthing environment for women and their families receiving care, and for our staff supporting them. Funded by the Department of Health as part of a national ÂŁ25m programme for the improvement of Maternity Units across England, the hospital has secured ÂŁ741,000 for the work; the second highest award made to Trusts in London. Planned works include en-suite facilities in
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each room, upgraded ventilation and new windows. Key design features include change from a functional clinical environment to a more welcoming and less medically focussed space; with soft lighting, new comfortable furnishings, music and media systems and improved personal storage for mothers. The refurbishment project will be undertaken in two stages over 30 weeks. Rooms 1-6, including our birthing pool, will be the first part of the project, taking approximately 12 weeks to complete. Rooms 7-10 will take slightly longer due to the architecture of that side of the building. There will be some unavoidable disruption and noise due to the building work, but we hope women and their families will be patient with us and understand the need for change. While the work is underway, we will run two smaller labour wards, one on the current Labour Ward and the second on our antenatal ward. This second Labour Ward will function as a midwifery-led unit
offering a low risk pathway of care, which we hope to continue in the newly designed Labour Ward. We look forward to offering women high quality care in a modern, attractive delivery environment. Community Midwifery Reconfiguration Our second exciting new project is the remodelling of our Community Midwifery Service. From July we will be providing our service in a different way. The Community Service will be primarily based in Children’s Centres across the borough where women will receive most of their antenatal and postnatal care. This enables us to provide women with a named Midwife allowing for better continuity of care. As part of these changes there will be a newly formed, dedicated Homebirth Team offering a homebirth service to women with uncomplicated pregnancies and medical history. We believe the changes in our community services will provide
DIABETES
Moving forward in Paediatric Diabetes
n Maternity
more choice, better engagement with other public services and play an important role in enhancing the experience for both women and midwives in Hillingdon.
Key changes to the service: • Booking and antenatal appointments will be undertaken in Children’s centres. • Improved working with Public Health and Health Visitors to provide access to services appropriate to patients needs. • A new homebirth team offering care to women with low risk pregnancies. • Postnatal care provided in children’s centre, except for the first visit undertaken in the woman’s home. This allows for continuity of care and allows women to have a more reliable appointment time instead of having to wait at home for the midwife to arrive.
Exciting things are happening in Paediatric Diabetes at Hillingdon Hospital. The Children and Young People with Diabetes (CYPD) service, led by Dr Jai Ganapathi, will soon grow in size with the addition of a further Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse and a second dietitian to the team from June. The CYPD team have worked to deliver the best quality care to all of our patients. Families will have noticed several changes to the way the service runs, including:
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New 30 minute appointments Increased clinic visits Access to a 24 hour emergency helpline
Another exciting development is a new transition pathway for our young people heading towards adulthood. Since February, patients aged between 16-19 years have been seen jointly with Dr Catherine Mitchell (adult Endocrinologist) and her team in Diabeticare. This is just the tip of the
One of our most innovative challenges is our integrated
school clinics project. Six local schools have been chosen in the Hillingdon borough for this project which involves the diabetes team running clinics from within the school! It is hoped the project will be ongoing and lead to an improvement in patient experience and diabetes control, whilst allowing our patients to maximise school time.
iceberg, we continue to run regular education sessions for families/ nursing staff and medical staff and our established insulin pump service has seen an increase in patients that now use insulin pump therapy.
There is more to come from the team so watch this space!
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STAFF
The CARES values detail the behaviours expected of our staff and are a set of standards to aspire to.
CARES
One year on...
The CARES values were launched on 8th May 2012 and are critical in how we plan to improve both staff and patient experience at the Trust. The Francis Report contains a clear message that the patient must be the first priority in all that the NHS does, providing effective services from caring, compassionate and committed staff, working within a common culture. Embedding our values will support the creation of this culture where all staff understand the behaviour and standards expected of them. Since the launch of our CARES values the Champions have raised awareness and role modelled the positive behaviours and attitudes that CARES supports. Our recent Staff Survey CARES Champions have: • Promoted CARES in team meetings, encouraging positive attitudes and problem solving; • Threaded CARES through training, ensuring staff make links to our values and recognise their personal responsibility for demonstrating them; • Encouraged open, responsible, no-blame team work. This highlights ‘A Pat on the Head’ for things that staff have done well, or ‘A Hands Up’ where things could have been better.
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identified that 84% of our staff understand what CARES is. We must build on this, communicating what improvements will be seen from embedding CARES values through the Trust Putting People First Programme. In 2012, staff Personal Development Reviews included the CARES behaviours to encourage discussions around performance against the expected attitude and behaviours. This has been extended into the PDR exercise this year. What’s next? The first year has been a learning experience; we have some way to go to bring around the culture change that will make Hillingdon an organisation of choice for both our patients and staff. However CARES remains a priority for the Trust, and especially for Shane Degaris, our CEO, who fully supports this exciting work to embed our CARES values. Customer Care Training The Trust has invested in a customer care training programme to support staff to embed the CARES values through their behaviour and interactions with each other, as well
as with patients. The first phase of training begins in June, targeted at patient-facing staff, and training will be made available to all staff over the coming months. CARES Ambassador role CARES Champions will still exist, but in the context of all staff being prepared to act as both ‘champions’ and role models for others. We are appointing CARES Ambassadors to spread the message about CARES and the work we are doing to embed these values. To support the ambassadors and give the role more structure, a bespoke development programme will be provided, consisting of some exercises in self awareness and reflection to help the ambassadors learn about themselves and how to increase their impact in the role.
Keen to be a staff ambassador? or for more information, please contact Tally Kandola (ext. 3105) or Fleur Flanagan (ext. 3150).
STAFF
Take me to your leader!
Focus on Leadership PDR and Talent Management 2013 is launched A key element of improving our focus on leadership is improving the Performance Development Review process. The PDR process for all staff has now been launched for 2013, and this time certain roles and bands will use a new-style PDR that has been combined with a Talent Management process. Staff in one of these roles or bands should have already received an individual letter or email with the details. There will be opportunities to hear more about what the process entails in the near future. In addition, this year’s PDR will include an assessment of staff behaviours in
comparison to the CARES standards, staff will have an opportunity to rate their behaviour and their manager will do the same. Discussion of the results will be used to inform your development plan where necessary. This type of development within the PDR is crucial to support staff in improving the experience for our patients.
Find out more Please contact workforce. information@thh.nhs.uk if you have queries regarding the integrated PDR and Talent Management process.
Do you think of leadership as something done by people who manage a team, people ‘in charge’ like a Ward Sister or Head of Department? Our approach is different. “At every level, effective leadership is vital and where there is change, good leadership is even more important” (Shane Degaris, October 2012). Everyone has a part to play in leading change, and being ‘Inspired to lead, Inspired to care’. You can be a powerful leader and make a real difference to the quality of care we provide our patients just by leading yourself. Not quite sure where to start? Here are some tips...
DO...
• Put patient safety at the heart of everything you do • Take action to report or sort out any shortfalls in patient safety • Work to CARES: think about the impact of behaviour on others • Be sensitive to other people’s feelings and needs • Handle disagreements as they occur, work to a positive solution • Support your colleagues and respect team decisions • Work with others to improve services • Share ideas for changes that will improve services • Take time to think about why changes are made • Look for chances to learn and put learning into practice.
DON’T…
• Lack confidence in your ability to make a difference to our patients • Be disorganised or make unrealistic plans • Withhold information, knowledge or expertise • Waste resources • Stick with traditional, out dated ways of doing things • Give up at the first hurdle • Blame others when things go wrong – think how you can help.
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Shockwave machine donated to Hillingdon
Hillingdon’s Outpatient Physiotherapy Department has been presented with a state-of-the-art Shockwave Machine worth £10,000 by the League of Friends. Shockwave therapy involves an acoustic wave that carries high energy to painful areas of the body. Trials have demonstrated that patients suffering from chronic tendinopathies (painful conditions occurring in and around tendons) have had good clinical outcomes following Shockwave treatment. Benefits include a fast and effective reduction in pain, restored mobility and a decrease in painful muscle tension.
Follow us HillingdonNHSFT
We’ve started tweeting!
The Trust has now started tweeting with our own Twitter account: @HillingdonNHSFT. We will use Twitter to publish news stories, press releases and general information on a variety of different health topics, details on Trust events and links to specific areas of the Trust website.
Follow us on Twitter and keep up to date with our latest news @HillingdonNHSFT.
Annual Members Meeting
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be holding its Annual Members Meeting on Wednesday 11th September, from 6pm. You are invited to come along to hear about what is happening in the Trust and about the work of our Governors, who represent you. For the first time, the meeting will also be voting on changes to the Trust’s constitution. Further details will be included in the next issue of Pulse.
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