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VOLUME 13.5 www.healthbusinessuk.net

SECURITY

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EHI LIVE 2013

PROCUREMENT

BUYING BEST PRACTICE

How the Department of Health’s procurement strategy aims to improve buying

HEALTHCARE IT

CREATING A PAPERLESS NHS Just a vision or an achievable reality?

PLUS: MARKET RESEARCH • ENERGY • HEALTH & SAFETY • FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE ISSUE 13.5 VOLUME 13.5 www.healthbusinessuk.net

SECURITY

EHI LIVE 2013

PROCUREMENT

LATEST NEWS

BUYING BEST PRACTICE

and ekend hours for we g £50m GP openin ence’ g nd evenin y indepe tor ‘Statu for CQC ure fut NHS 111 in uncerta

How the Department of Health’s procurement strategy aims to improve buying

HEALTHCARE IT

CREATING A PAPERLESS NHS Just a vision or an achievable reality?

PLUS: MARKET RESEARCH • ENERGY • HEALTH & SAFETY • FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Comment

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

HUNT IN TWITTER TROUBLE? Along with Labour’s lawyers, Andy Burnham is investigating legal action over tweets by health secretary Jeremy Hunt that appear to suggest Burnham’s direct involvement in a cover up. Burnham is concerned that Hunt’s Twitter ‘accusation’, which refers to a report into Basildon Hospital drawn up by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a few months before the 2010 election, crossed the line.

Conservative MP Steve Barclay brought attention to a series of emails, obtained via a freedom of information request to the CQC, which he claims showed Burnham had put “pressure on the regulator to water down its concerns” about the trust when he was health secretary in the previous Labour government.

Hunt referred to these emails on Twitter: “@andyburnhammp’s attempts to cover up failing hospitals” and added: “We are legislating to make sure this never happens again”– a plug for the news that the CQC would be given statutory independence, announced at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester recently (see page 9).

Burnham’s blog reads: “I am conscious that rows like this turn people off politics and distract from the serious issues the NHS is facing. That is why I do not wish to prolong it for a moment longer than necessary. If Jeremy Hunt deletes the offending tweet and apologises, I will consider the matter closed.”

In a letter attempting to defuse the situation, Hunt does not apologise directly, but states: “My tweet referred to revelations about political pressure on the CQC over the publication process for reports of failures in hospital care, and was not a suggestion that you personally covered up evidence of poor care. Whatever our differences on health policy, I do not doubt your personal integrity”– read the full letter here: tinyurl.com/pc3z7nx

Danny Wright

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Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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CONTENTS

07 NEWS

33 HEALTH & SAFETY

11 PROCUREMENT

37 SECURITY

15 MARKET RESEARCH

43 FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Mark Hughes, vice chair of the IOSH Healthcare Group Committee examines how the NHS is improving occupational health and safety

Weekend and evening GP opening hours proposed; 30 Acute Trusts likely to be in deficit; ‘Statutory independence’ for the CQC

11

James Kelly, chief executive of the BSIA, discusses security in the wake of the Francis report

NHS Supply chain asks what the DH’s procurement strategy means for the future of NHS purchasing

How can research help us understand the impact of a changing society on the healthcare system? The Market Research Society investigates

33

19 HEALTHCARE IT

A look at two healthcare finalists of the BIFM Awards 2012

47 PARKING

Sponsored by

Can a paperless NHS by 2018 become an achievable reality or remain a vision? NHS Confederation’s Matt Tee gives his view

23 EHI LIVE 2013

Sponsored by

The conference at EHI Live will cover the big themes in healthcare IT including keynote speeches from policy makers, industry leaders and practitioners

37

Contents

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

29 ENERGY

Barts Health NHS Trust put the desire to improve the patient experience at the forefront of the agenda when devising its energy efficiency campaign

The British Parking Association addresses the challenge faced by parking managers at healthcare sites in the UK

49 FIRE SAFETY

The Fire Industry Association talks about the key points to consider with regard to fire safety

52 HOSPITAL DIRECTIONS A preview of the Hospital Directions conference on 27-28 November, at ExCeL London

54 PRODUCTS & SERVICES A round-up of the latest healthcare products and services

19 43

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BACKGROUND CHECKS

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RECRU

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Time managem tips to turn around your ent day

AMBULANCES

FLEET MANAGEMENT

AWAY STAYING SPITALHB NEWS: SIR DAVID NICHOLSON TO EXIT NEXT YEAR | CSC SECURES NEW LORENZO DEAL FROM HO Ofsted-style ratings planned

Keeping the blues and twos green

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FRANCIS ENQUIRY

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GP SERVICES

Government plans weekend and evening GP opening hours to relieve pressure on A&E department David Cameron has unveiled a £50 million scheme to encourage GPs to offer weekend and evening services in an effort to relieve pressure on stretched A&E departments.

The Prime Minister said he wanted surgeries to be open from 8am-8pm seven days a week to counter complaints that working people find it hard to get seen by a family doctor.

Almost one in five patients in a recent NHS survey said inconvenient appointments were a concern, with more than 70 per cent backing weekend and after office hours opening.

Under the scheme being unveiled at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, the extra funding is being offered to groups of GPs proposing the most effective ways to improve access. As well as extended surgery hours, ministers hope that the use of technology – such as carrying out consultations with patients via video calls, email and phone, will also assist. Up to half a million patients stand to benefit from the trials, according to the Government.

Cameron said: “Millions of people find it hard to get an appointment to see their GP at a time that fits in with their work and family life. We want to support GPs to modernise their services so they can see patients from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.”

The first pilot projects are due to be operating by April 2014 and the Government hopes they will be copied widely across the country. Officials said the 8am-8pm seven-day hours would not be a requirement for successful bids but made it clear that was the expectation.

Similar initiatives are already being tried in some parts of the country, including some parts of Manchester.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “We live in a 24/7 society, and we need GPs to find new ways of working so they can offer appointments at times that suit hard-working people.”

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the BMA’s GP

Committee, welcomed the proposal but said it would require significant extra resources to succeed: “Without extra GPs the existing workforce will have to be stretched over seven days, meaning potentially reduced services during the week. It will also require additional resources and investment in support and diagnostic staff such as district nurses and access to community care so GPs can meaningfully provide a full service across the week, and it remains to be seen if the money set aside will be enough to deliver this.”

Meanwhile, doctors should be encouraged to ‘take ownership’ of problems in their healthcare organisations, a joint BMA, GMC and RCP (Royal College of Physicians) fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference heard. A panel, including health minister Anna Soubry discussed the role of the doctor following failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust at the meeting in Manchester. RCP (London) registrar Patrick Cadigan told delegates that doctors’ professionalism needed to be reevaluated in the light of the Francis enquiry.

He said: “Doctors should be encouraged to take ownership of a problem. It was particularly distressing for us that these things were happening on medical wards.

There weren’t a lot of bad doctors and nurses – good people found themselves in a system that did not help them give good READ MORE: medical tinyurl.com/noro9nm care.”

CANCER CARE

New toolkit to improve cancer care A new toolkit from the Royal College of Physicians aims to improve the care of cancer patients admitted to hospital as an emergency with medical problems due to their cancer or their treatment.

Because of improvements in the treatments available for cancer, many more people are recovering or living longer than previously would have been the case. This had led to an increase in the number of people with cancer admitted to hospital as emergencies, due to urgent problems. In addition, one in five cancer-related emergencies are due to cancer

being suspected or confirmed for the first time. Patients admitted in an emergency may see doctors and nurses who do not specialise in cancer, which may lead to poorer care.

The toolkit stresses the importance of patients having access to cancer specialists as soon as possible, and suggests that NHS trusts set up acute oncology services, which can work with the team in the acute medical unit to help in the management of patients with acute oncology problems.

‘Acute oncology on the acute medical unit’ is the seventh Acute Care Toolkit from the RCP.

News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

NEWS IN BRIEF NHS 111 future uncertain NHS Direct, which is now in discussions with government about its future, is to be taken over by Ambulance trusts and GP out-of-hours providers by the end of November.

The provider announced in July that it was withdrawing from all of its 111 contracts as they were “financially unsustainable”.

NHS England has been working with local commissioners to find alternative providers for the urgent care telephone triage service.

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/qzm5n5l

Pioneering feeding tube reaches awards finals A novel feeding tube that signals when it has been correctly inserted into the stomach has reached the final stages of two innovation competitions.

It is hoped that the new device, devised and developed at the University of Hull, will help improve the safety and ease of tube feeding.

Barbara Elliott, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of Hull, felt certain that something could be done to improve the procedure. She explains: “When the tip comes into contact with stomach acid, a tiny current is generated which travels back up the tube and is detected on a handheld device. This device can then be removed, allowing food to be administered.”

The tube is the result of collaboration between the University of Hull, the Knowledge Exchange and clinical colleagues. The project has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme. The feeding tube has reached the final five for the Universal Biotech Innovation Prize, and has reached the final five in ‘Medical Devices’ category of the Medipex NHS Innovation Awards.

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/owtue5z

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FINANCE

FOUNDATION TRUSTS

NHS Trust Development Authority report reveals 30 Acute Trusts likely to be in deficit

No more Foundation trusts until CQC provides ‘robust assurances’

Thirty NHS hospital trusts in England expect to be in deficit by the end of this financial year, it has been revealed. A report by the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA), which oversees 62 trusts, has revelled that 30 NHS hospital trusts in England expect to be in deficit by the end of this financial year, compared with just five being in the red last year.

The TDA report, entitled “The Summer Report: How is your trust performing?’ said the figures reflected falling income for services and a reduction in bailouts from other parts of the NHS. The 30 hospitals trusts in question have not achieved Foundation Trust status and the increased financial freedom that comes with it.

David Flory, chief executive of the NHS TDA, said: ““The NHS Trust sector as a whole has performed very well in delivering the standards set out in the NHS Constitution over the last four months.

“On almost all measures, whether that is delivering on A&E or 18 week waiting times, the sector as a whole is performing well. Concerns remain about individual organisations’ ability to deliver some standards and that is why we are

Monitor has confirmed that it will not grant Foundation Trust status to any further NHS Trusts until it receives “robust assurance” from the CQC that applicants are providing a good quality of care for patients.

The CQC has already introduced its new approach for Acute Trusts and is developing methodology to pilot new inspections for other NHS Trusts in the new year. Applicant Trusts closest to entering the application process for FT status, or already in the process, will be prioritised for the updated inspections once they begin. As an interim measure Monitor will continue to work with Trusts currently in assessment to focus on areas where early identification of issues will be the most beneficial; if this is successful the applicant can move on to the second phase of assessment once the CQC inspection has been satisfactorily completed.

Miranda Carter, executive director of Assessment at Monitor, said: “We know that these changes to the assessment system are difficult, particularly for Trusts currently going through the process. But the public expects us to be sure that Trusts are ready for Foundation Trust status from a quality of care and financial perspective.

“We’ve worked closely with our partners at the CQC and the NHS TDA to try and limit any delay, and are continuing to work with READ MORE: aspirant tinyurl.com/qd6jxj5 Trusts.”

also publishing our oversight scores.

These set out how each trust is performing but also make clear what the consequence of failing to deliver is.

“It is clear that while the majority of trusts we oversee have a healthy financial position, there remain issues with a number of NHS Trusts that have seen their income reduce this year. We continue to work with NHS England and commissioners to identify how we might support organisations to address those issues so that they can continue to provide high quality services for their patients.”

John Appleby from the King’s Fund said the figures were not a surprise. “The ones in trouble are a minority who everybody has known about for years. Efforts to fix the problems have been going on for a long time.

They won’t be turned around tomorrow.”

The scores for every trust are given in the 103-page report, including where they are in the NHS TDA’s escalation process.

“The NHS TDA plans to publish similar statistics DOWNLOAD THE REPORT: three times tinyurl.com/opl7qxh a year.”

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION

Hunt: ‘Statutory independence’ for CQC The Care Quality Commission is to be given ‘statutory independence’ from ministers to avoid political interference in the watchdog, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

Hunt told the conference that the commission needed extra powers so it could ‘act fearlessly as the nation’s chief whistleblower on health’, after a number of care failings. Under the proposals, the health secretary will relinquish a range of powers to intervene in the operational decisions of the CQC. For example, the watchdog will no longer need to ask for ministerial approval to carry out an investigation into a hospital or care home. The ability for the secretary of state to direct CQC on the content of its annual report will also end.

In addition, Hunt told delegates that the newly-created chief inspector positions – covering hospitals, general practice and adult social care – would be enshrined in law.

This will place the positions on a permanent statutory footing, so inspectors can make reports without fear of political interference.

Professor Sir Mike Richards was appointed as chief inspector of hospitals in May, Andrea Sutcliffe named chief inspector of adult social care in July, and Dr Steve Field made chief inspector of general practice in August. They will now lead CQC’s inspections in each area.

News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

QUALITY STANDARDS

Jeremy Hunt: Care Quality Commission is to be given ‘statutory independence’

The government proposes to make amendments to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 that established CQC, using the current Care Bill. Provisions in the act that allow the secretary of state to dictate which organisations the CQC should inspect, how it should carry out inspections and how it writes up its findings will be removed.

Hunt said these changes would help ‘confront failure’ where it exists in the NHS. The duty of a health secretary is to look into problems, accept responsibility and do what it takes to stop them being repeated, he said.

“Richards’ ‘tough’ inspections mean everyone will know the answers to ‘some simple questions’ about their local hospital – how good is my local hospital? Is it safe? Does it have enough staff? Does it put patients first?”

NICE asks for views on new quality standards for public health NICE is to develop a library of public health quality standards in areas ranging from heatwave planning to sexual health, and is inviting stakeholders to comment on exactly which topics should be referred to NICE to develop.

NICE quality standards are derived either from NICE guidance or NICE accredited sources, and apply right across the NHS, social care and public health in England.

In April 2013 Lord Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality at the Department of Health, announced that NICE, working with experts from Public Health England, will develop new quality standards as part of a public health quality standard programme. Three topics have already been referred to NICE for development: reducing tobacco use in the community; preventing harmful alcohol use; and preventing obesity in READ MORE: adults and tinyurl.com/oter3vo children.

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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PROCUREMENT STRATEGY

Procurement

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Written by NHS Supply Chain

BUYING BEST PRACTICE: CHASING THE HOLY GRAIL

The NHS is tasked with a difficult challenge; improving care standards whilst at the same time, reducing the amount of money spent on healthcare procurement. The launch of the Department of Health’s procurement strategy in August is the government’s view on how this seemingly impossible challenge can be achieved. NHS Supply chain examines what the strategy means for the NHS Over the past few years, procurement has been a hot topic within the NHS. The global economic downturn and drive for austerity across the public sector marked a turning point for trust purchasing behaviour.

In 2011, the National Audit Office (NAO) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports highlighted deep inefficiencies in the way NHS trusts purchased the products they needed to meet the growing demands of patient care.

Things needed to change. But the NHS seemed to be faced with an impossible challenge; improving care standards on the one hand, whilst in effect reducing the amount of money spent on healthcare procurement on the other.

The launch of the Department of Health’s procurement strategy in August is the

government’s view on how this seemingly impossible challenge can be achieved. The strategy highlights the blockers to change that exist within the NHS: the lack of collaboration between NHS trusts when making purchasing decisions that don’t maximise the huge purchasing power of the NHS; vast price differentiations paid by trusts for identical products; poor management of supplier relationships; and inconsistent use of procurement intermediaries, such as NHS Supply Chain.

The ent Departmlth’s of Hea rement cu new pro highlights y strateg lockers to b the that changehin the it exist w HS N

MAKING IT RIGHT The strategies starting point for combatting these challenges is to push procurement to the top of the NHS agenda,

encouraging NHS trust boards to play an active role in developing procurement solutions that deliver both savings and improved patient care. The strategy also calls for greater transparency to drive improved behaviours across NHS procurement by enabling increased information sharing between trusts. And it places a degree of responsibility on suppliers to work with trusts to reduce costs and prices whilst encouraging innovation and growth.

The mainstay of the Procurement Strategy is the new Procurement Development Programme, with a focus on delivering procurement capability that is aligned to world-class standards. This includes the establishment of two new Boards: The NHS Procurement Development Oversight Board to support programme delivery and the NHS Procurement Development Delivery Board to drive forward change. Their joint focus will be to unite all organisations working towards a common strategy and draw on private sector expertise and best practice for the benefit of the NHS. !

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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PROCUREMENT STRATEGY " STEPPING STONE FOR THE FUTURE But what does this all mean to the future of the NHS? Nick Gerrard, Chief Executive Officer at NHS Supply Chain, is optimistic that the new strategy offers a real opportunity for trusts to excel. “At NHS Supply Chain, we are committed to working with trusts to achieve cost efficiencies that support the delivery of first-class patient care. We welcome the new procurement strategy and the opportunities it provides for procurement intermediaries such as ourselves to work alongside the NHS to drive efficiencies.

It’s by no means a simple task – but I believe that, through collaboration and the instillation of procurement best practice across the NHS, we can succeed.”

managed by NHS Supply Chain, initially provided £300 million for NHS trusts to use to purchase capital equipment and maximise the cost efficiencies achieved through bulk purchasing deals with suppliers. The capital fund currently covers 13 equipment categories, including anaesthesia, angiography, CT scanners, mammography and ultrasound.

So far, 186 NHS trusts have purchased £124 million of equipment through the capital fund, generating savings of £14.2 million. This represents an average incremental saving to the NHS or more than 11.5 per cent.

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was one of the first NHS organisations to benefit from the capital fund through the purchase of a new CT scanner.

The strategies starting point for combatting procurement challenges is to push it to the top of the NHS agenda, encouraging NHS trust boards to play an active role in developing procurement solutions that deliver savings and better care NHS Supply Chain’s commitment to developing effective procurement processes is evident in the organisation’s recent achievement of certification by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and Nick’s personal recognition as Procurement CEO of the Year at the CIPS Awards in September. “My aim has always been for NHS Supply Chain to become a world-class procurement partner for our customers across the NHS, and I’m delighted that we are one of the first NHS procurement organisations to achieve CIPS certification,” explains Nick. “I have an excellent team behind me and with their support, that goal is getting closer.”

However, what does the holy grail of ‘best practice procurement’ actually look like?

Remarkably straight forward, according to Nick. “Procurement within the NHS has never really been given the focus it deserves. When you’re working hard to deliver the highest possible standards of patient care on the frontline every day, driving efficiencies behind the scenes in areas such as procurement potentially take a back seat. A combination of aggregating demand and maximising the purchasing power of the NHS, reducing waste and bureaucracy, strengthening supplier relationships and utilising the expertise of procurement intermediaries are crucial steps that the new strategy highlights along the road to world class procurement.”

BEST PROCUREMENT IN PRACTICE – CAPITAL EQUIPMENT A recent example of the importance of procurement intermediaries has been the development of the Department of Health’s capital equipment fund. The fund,

The fund enables NHS Supply Chain to aggregate national demand for equipment and make a number of commercial bulk deals with suppliers. As a result, the trust was able to benefit from the savings available and purchase a CT scanner that met both budget and clinical choice.

Talking about the challenges currently facing NHS procurement, Neil McConville, Supplies Manager at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, says: “We simply cannot get the best prices if we’ve got a highly devolved environment in which individual trusts are doing their own thing and not sharing information.”

“NHS Supply Chain is able to draw from frameworks which are informed by a wide number of stakeholders so we’ve confidence that the resulting contracts are robust. It also gives our clinical staff access to a choice of equipment which they can duly evaluate in a fairly crisp process. It’s delivering value for money.”

A key element of the procurement strategy is the importance of ‘quick wins’ in terms of delivering immediate efficiency savings to the NHS. Increased usage of the capital fund by NHS trusts will continue to be a crucial weapon in this armoury.

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR With customer and clinical engagement at the heart of the procurement strategy, NHS Supply Chain’s Customer and Supplier Boards will be fundamental in endorsing best procurement behaviours and championing change across the NHS. The Customer Board, independently chaired and with representation from the chief

Procurement

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

executive, non-executive, senior finance, procurement and clinical communities, was established in 2011. Its focus is on developing a greater understanding of the needs of the NHS and optimising the use of NHS Supply Chain’s scale and expertise in driving value for money across NHS procurement.

Likewise, the Supplier Board is an opportunity for engagement with key suppliers, trade and industry bodies under the governance of the National Procurement Council. The Supplier Board shares vision, best practice and sets standards in terms of working processes to deliver greater value to the NHS. “The Customer Board is a route for NHS customers to influence the future strategy of NHS Supply Chain and ensure the service continues to meet the needs of the NHS” explains Gill McCann, Stakeholder Director at NHS Supply Chain. “It is a vital tool allowing NHS Supply Chain to listen to developments from the ground and ensure that we’re getting it right, as well as providing transparency of opportunities to NHS trusts and showcasing best practice procurement through the activities of the Customer Board members and their trusts. Similarly, the Supplier Board enables us to engage with suppliers to drive the delivery of sustainable value, accelerate savings for the NHS and support innovative products being accessible to the NHS. It all comes back to collaboration; the NHS, suppliers and procurement intermediaries need to work together to deliver on this challenge, and the Customer and Supplier Boards are two vital avenues to achieving this.”

THE FUTURE The launch of the Procurement Strategy is just the beginning. Over the coming months, the Alternative Product Opportunities programme will be developed to help trusts reduce cost without compromising on quality, and a review of procedure pack standardisation will be carried out across trusts and departments to increase value. The business will also be improving data transparency and stock visibility through enhanced technology and reporting mechanisms such as eDC Gold and the launch of a suite of trust specific savings reports and management tools allowing for improved evidence-based decisions to ensure best value purchasing.

“We’re proud to be a key part of the NHS and to have the opportunity to support them through this challenging, but also exciting programme of development,” concludes Nick Gerrard. “The wheels are all set.

It’s now time to get them moving and start delivering the changes that will help the NHS not only save money and deliver the best patient care, but also be a shining example of world-class procurement in practice.” # FURTHER INFORMATION www.supplychain.nhs.uk

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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MARKET RESEARCH

Market Research

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Written by the Market Research Society

THE VALUE OF INFORMATION

Research can be a vital tool to understanding the impact of a changing society on the NHS, writes the Market Research Society There can be little doubt that in recent years, the NHS has been the subject of increasing and more intensive scrutiny and concern. A wave of sometimes damaging reports has highlighted substantial problems in patient treatment and care, and exposed that the UK is woefully unprepared to cope with an ageing population.

There is an essential need to understand more fully the impact of a changing society on the NHS and the stress this is placing today, and will place in future, on an already overburdened system.

FUTURE CONCERNS Our healthcare system in the UK is as much maligned as it is treasured. Despite the commitments of successive governments, there are some politicians who argue that the NHS budget ring fence needs to be removed. There are also concerns about the

quality of care in some parts of the service. To compound these issues, UK society is rapidly changing. As a House of Lords committee on public service and demographic change reported earlier this year, “the gift of longer life” could lead to “a series of crises” in public service provision.

In order to meet the needs of a changing population adequately, the government and the NHS need to understand what is likely to change and the impact this will have on the service. Jane Frost CBE, Chief Executive of the Market Research Society (MRS), explains: “Research can drive more effective patient engagement and

secure value across the NHS. It can ensure the service is transformed for the better. Without such research, changes may potentially waste millions of pounds of public money at a time when efficiencies and savings are critical.

“The NHS has many examples of good market and social research that has both saved money and shown the way to better patient delivery. It’s important to find a way of keeping the knowledge it creates as a shared resource, not letting it get lost in inevitable reorganisations.”

UNDERSTANDING HOW PATIENTS THINK Research can be vital to help services gain a better understanding of the wider social and emotional context surrounding a long-term condition.

NHS Kidney Care commissioned the Ipsos Ethnography Centre of Excellence to conduct three ethnographic projects to understand the responsibilities patients, parents and carers have when managing a disease. Beverley Matthews, Director of NHS Kidney Care, explains: “Being a young adult is not easy. I expect most of us can remember the challenges we encountered !

h Researcital v can be better a to gain anding of understr social and e the widonal context emoti unding a surro term long- on conditi

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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MARKET RESEARCH " at that age, but for many of us it is difficult to imagine what it would be like with the added strain of a long term condition.”

Researchers closely followed a number of people living with kidney disease to address three key responsibility questions; ‘who takes responsibility?’; ‘what that responsibility involves?’ and ‘when that responsibility should be taken’. One aspect of the study illustrated the issues that parents of young adults with kidney disease face during the transition to independent self-management and care – the difficulties they face emotionally and socially during this time – and to assist in identifying parents’ unmet support and information needs. Each of the parents involved were invited to discuss their views on the findings, which enabled the researchers to identify key indicators and themes important to parents.

This insight was then used by the renal units to develop the support and information needed to help the parents of ‘transitioning’ young adults.

Films from these projects were presented at roundtable events where clinicians, support workers, charities, social workers, patients and their families discussed the key issues raised by the research. These discussions culminated in summary reports articulating key challenges and potential solutions to aid all parties with taking/handing over responsibility. Beverly Matthews adds: “These deeply personal films offer a powerful insight into the lives of young adults with long-term conditions.

They highlight the issues that we in the health service need to focus on to improve transition care and to transform the experiences and outcomes for all our young adult patients.”

Frequently, it is small changes to communication, developed from a patient’s rather than the expert’s internal perspective which generate significant improvements in patient understanding and emotional well being.

CREATING COMPELLING ENGAGEMENT NHS Dudley Public Health also used research to develop their cervical screening social marketing campaign. The trust found if women did not attend a screening when aged 25-29 they were less likely to in future – thereby putting their health at risk. Initial focus group research showed that women prioritised beauty treatments – such as getting a hair cut – over health appointments.

The trust therefore used beauty as a key motivator in their campaign. As a result, the awareness of the symptoms of cervical cancer increased, more women were aware of the need to be screened and there was an increase in the number of women who said they would attend a screening.

The campaign is now being expanded into new settings such as GPs surgeries.

HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH It’s important that any research that is conducted is reliable, robust and fit for purpose – from a methodological, legal and ethical point of view. This is even more important when the decisions will affect something as critical as the population’s health.

Jane Frost continues: “Research is very flexible and has the advantage of being agile and potentially inexpensive. You may have more information at your fingertips than you realise and you just need help to analyse it.

The key is using competent and qualified research professionals – they will know how to keep costs down while delivering research that meets your objectives.”

It is important that commissioners of research understand all of the options available to ensure that they choose the right supplier and the right research approach.

Qualitative research could involve research with small and potentially hard-to-reach groups who would not normally respond to

Market Research

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

About the MRS With members in more than 60 countries, MRS is the world’s largest research association serving all those with professional equity in provision or use of market, social and opinion research, and in business intelligence, market analysis, customer insight and consultancy.

For further information visit www.mrs.org.uk.

quantitative research methods such as surveys or telephone interviews when discussing sensitive issues such as health. On the other hand, quantitative research is typically used to gain understanding from a large number of people across broader issues, which involve less sensitive health-related questions.

Jane Frost adds: “Professional research is underpinned by proven methodologies and a strong ethical framework detailed in the MRS Code of Conduct. MRS members and Company Partners have to abide by the MRS Code which, together with relevant legislation such as the Data Protection Act, provides a step-bystep guide to providing effective, impartial and ethical research. The MRS Research Buyer’s Guide (www.theresearchbuyersguide.com) lists all organisations and individuals who are committed to adhering to the MRS Code of Conduct together with their contact details, location and areas of expertise. When these legal and ethical rules and guidelines are met, research can provide unparalleled insight into the thoughts and opinions of patients, enabling the NHS and individual trusts to make evidence-based decisions.

Ethics are particularly important when dealing with some very sensitive subjects and vulnerable members of the public.

As can be seen, research is a critical tool to help the NHS and its hospitals and doctors understand the changes taking place and the impact this will have on the service.

Jane Frost concludes: “Critically, research will help everyone to understand not only what patients need and want but also how they feel. Recognising and managing emotional impact can go a long way to improving patient outcomes. It can drive better care, increase patient engagement and help the NHS understand how patients respond to diseases and treatments. In defining what patients’ value, it can frequently help reduce costs as well as assist in prioritising increasingly scarce resource.

I have personally seen how research has been used to do both in the justice and tax systems.

I believe it has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the NHS is transformed for the better.” # FURTHER INFORMATION www.mrs.org.uk

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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DIGITAL DATA

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CAN THE NHS EMBRACE THE DIGITAL WORLD?

At the beginning of the year, health secretary Jeremy Hunt announced his vision to have a ‘paperless’ NHS by 2018. The aim behind the announcement is two-fold: to save money and improve services. Many believe the target may be overly ambitious given that huge swathes of the health service still rely on paperwork to record results and data and communicate with patients.

But looking at the way other industries have adopted technology to improve their services and the way they operate, we need to look at what the NHS can learn from these innovations and how it can do so in the timescale it has been set.

IMPROVING PATIENT SAFETY The goal for a paperless NHS has become all the more important in the

Written by Matt Tee, chief operating officer, NHS Confederation

Can a paperless NHS by 2018 become an achievable reality or remain a vision?

Matt Tee, chief operating officer at NHS Confederation investigates

Patients have to rely on a system of endless forms and unnecessary bureaucracy, when many are accustomed to managing their business with banks and supermarkets via a ‘paperless’ system wake of Robert Francis QC’s report on the failings of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and the need to improve quality in the health service.

Francis was clear about the central role information plays in allowing organisations and their boards to examine the performance of their staff and the care their organisations provide. He highlighted the pitfalls of not having access to real-time data, and the importance of the way

data is distributed across organisations and indeed within organisations.

NHS organisations could work far more efficiently and effectively if they had the right set up in place. The current reliance on paper-based systems often means many organisations cannot respond quickly and effectively to try to predict and prevent poor care. It means staff do not always have immediate access to useful information about their patients. It also means that !

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About the author Matt is chief operating officer of the NHS Confederation, overseeing membership engagement, commercial partnerships, conferences and events and communications.

Matt continues to be Managing Director of communication and strategy consultancy Reputate, which he founded after leaving the Civil Service. Matt’s last post there was as Permanent Secretary Government Communication, overseeing communications for the UK Government and directing the Central Office of Information (COI).

Matt has also been Chief Executive of NHS Direct, a Director General at the Department of Health and a Board Director at the Commission for Health Improvement, where he led on communications and ran the NHS ‘star ratings’. Matt has also been Director of Communication at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals and the Department for Trade and Industry, and Director of Business Development at health information specialists Dr Foster.

About the NHS Confederation The NHS Confederation is the membership body that brings together the full range of organisations that commission and provide NHS services.

It brings together the views of each and every part of the healthcare system to provide a strong voice for the whole of the NHS in a way that no other organisation can.

It works with its members and health and social care partners to help the NHS guarantee high standards of care for patients and the public. It does this by: influencing health policy by representing its members’ views to government, parliament, policymakers and the public. It achieves this by making sense of the whole health system with its publications and information services. It also does this by championing good practice at events, in workshops and forums, and through partnerships; and by supporting the health industry.

" patients have to rely on a system of endless forms and unnecessary bureaucracy, when many are accustomed to managing their business with banks, airlines or supermarkets via a ‘paperless’ system.

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE As part of the government’s response to Francis, work is underway to address this issue. Demand for transparency is growing,

to response challenges of patient care. The point is clear that in order for organisations and their staff to do the job well, we must be able to have access to timely data to provide the best and safest possible care to patients.

Having a paperless NHS is just one part of making this happen. For a truly responsive health service that is able to respond to pressures quickly, we need to be able to share information across the service. We need to

In order for organisations and staff to do their job well, we must be able to have access to timely data to provide the best and safest care to patients. Having a paperless NHS is just one part of making this happen and the NHS is rightly expected to improve standards of care and restore public confidence in services, while being fully open and accountable. Access to timely and accurate information is key to achieving all of this.

As part of this, the NHS Confederation has been working with NHS organisations and national bodies, including regulators, to examine how we can reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and use the information we have to its best use. The end goal of this work is to free up more staff time for care and to enable the NHS to be far more quick

be able to empower staff and managers to own and manage their data to improve where and how care is provided and improve their and the experience of working in the NHS. What is important to remember is that the NHS needs a smarter system of information use, not a bigger one. A ‘paperless’ NHS can go a long way to making this a reality, if we make it work in the right way. # FURTHER INFORMATION www.nhsconfed.org

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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EVENT PREVIEW

E-HEALTH: AN ITEM FOR EVERY MANAGER’S AGENDA

EHI Live 2013

Sponsored by

With the government committed to investing £1 billion in NHS information technology over the next three years, EHI Live 2013 will help your organisation take advantage of this and other opportunities

Are you on top of the drive towards paperless referrals? Confident that your IT is enhancing patient safety and not just introducing a whole new set of risks? Ready with a winning bid for the new Nursing Technology Fund?

If you are unsure about any of these questions, don’t despair, they are all on the agenda for healthcare managers. EHI Live 2013 running from 5-6 November at NEC Birmingham (www.ehilive.co.uk), will provide a few answers, some good discussions and plenty of food for thought on a wide range of themes, including ITsupported change, business intelligence, paperless working and information sharing.

THE POWER OF INFORMATION EHI Live is a meeting place for everyone who is interested in the application of information technology within healthcare.

It is an event for a like-minded community that meets every day online via the portal E-Health Insider (www.ehi.co.uk) and has grown exponentially in the past decade.

While the more traditional audience of health informatics professionals remains at the heart of EHI, there is a growing recognition that everyone from CEO

through to student nurse needs to harness the power of information in their work.

NOT JUST BOXES AND WIRES The days when the IT department confined itself purely to fixing boxes and wires are long gone. The use of information technology is integral to the delivery of 21st century healthcare and safe care is driven by reliable and actionable information.

This is reflected in EHI Live’s conference programme, which will include a stream for informatics leaders and is devised in association with NHS England.

ATTENDEES AND SPEAKERS Speakers at the event include Ade McCormack, who writes on digital leadership for the

Financial Times, and Dr Marc Farr, director of information at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, who heads a team producing the award-winning East Kent Beautiful Information service (beautifulinformation.org/the-team).

Tim Kelsey, NHS England’s national director for patients and information, will be the keynote speaker at EHI Live 2013. Kelsey leads a programme of top-name speakers at the two-day conference and exhibition.

EHI director Linda Davidson said: “We are delighted to announce such a strong programme of speakers for EHI Live 2013.

Tim Kelsey will be appearing alongside colleagues from NHS England, giving visitors an unprecedented opportunity to hear about the latest in national IT policy and programmes. !

While the traditional audience of health informatics professionals remains at the heart of EHI, there is a growing recognition that everyone from CEO to student nurse needs to harness the power of information in their work Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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EHI Live 2013

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Sponsored by

EVENT PREVIEW " “Safety experts, IT managers, clinicians and developers are also well-represented on the programme, giving visitors a chance to debate the hottest topics in technology and information, and to hear from organisations at the leading edge of the possible,” Linda Davidson continued. “We are truly excited about this year’s event and, with tickets free to all this year, we look forward to welcoming as many visitors as possible to EHI Live’s bigger home in hall one of the NEC.” PAPERLESS NHS This year, the main conference at EHI Live 2013 has been refocused around some of the big issues in healthcare IT. A ‘Big EPR Debate’ stream has been introduced to take forward The Big EPR Debate, which EHI launched in April in response to health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s call for a paperless NHS by 2018.

One of the speakers will be Carrie Armitage, the director of Cambridge’s eHospital programme, which is due to deploy the Epic

Who should attend

EPR in one of the biggest implementations that has ever been seen in the NHS. An ‘information sharing’ stream will explore Dame Fiona Caldicott’s second report on information governance in the NHS and how to make it work; a few weeks after the government is expected to issue its formal response.

OPEN SOURCE Speakers in this stream include Linda Mussell, the CP-IS programme manager at the HSCIC, who will be talking about its work to develop a new, child-safety system for England.

Other strands include a focus on health 2.0 technologies, what’s next for open source and the impact of big data, while ‘creating a zero harm NHS’ stream will look at how to use IT to improve safety in the NHS. This will be led

by Dr Maureen Baker, a GP and chair elect of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and will focus on practical examples.

Finally, Tim Kelsey’s colleague Beverly Bryant, NHS England’s director of strategic systems and technology, will explore whether the NHS can ever be paperless or if paper-lite is as far is it can go. Bryant will also be speaking at events co-located with EHI Live 2013, including

the National Mental Health Informatics Network annual conference, which is in its fourth year and at EHI Live for the first time.

At the same time, EHI Live 2013 exhibition will include more than 100 exhibitors and a further host of popular features, including the Pipeline insight into what is coming next from the healthcare IT industry.

CLINICAL LEADERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT Getting the clinical staff on board for any IT-led change is widely seen as a critical factor in the success of a project. EHI has led the way in heightening awareness of the importance of clinical engagement with a successful campaign and its thriving professional group, the EHI Chief Clinical Information Officers’ Leaders Network.

EHI hosts the Network’s annual meeting with speakers including Dr Mark Davies, director of clinical and public assurance, Health & Social Care Information Centre; Professor Jonathan Kay, clinical informatics director, NHS England; and Dr Robert Wah, Computer Sciences Corporation’s chief medical officer and president-elect of the American Medical Association. !

If you work in health informatics or have a close interest in the use of information in healthcare, EHI Live 2013 is a must-go event. EHI Live 2013 will have features and speakers for the following groups: Directors and heads of IM&T, IT and ICT Information security directors Heads of information governance Chief information officers Healthcare systems managers Healthcare IT project managers Chief clinical information officers GPs Healthcare managers Data centre managers Heads of commissioning NHS Trust chief executives Senior nurses Finance directors Medical directors Clinical directors Procurement directors Telecare project managers Independent healthcare sector Health policymakers Those with an interest in healthcare interoperability

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

“We are truly excited about this year’s event and, with tickets free to all this year, we look forward to welcoming as many visitors as possible to EHI Live’s bigger home in hall one of the NEC” Linda Davidson, EHI director

IS YOUR HOSPITAL’S COMMUNICATION SYSTEM STUCK IN THE PAST?

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS Visit us at EHI Live, stand B40 NEC Birmingham, 5th - 6th November

Ascom (UK) Ltd T: 0121 353 6151 E: sales@ascom.co.uk www.ascom.co.uk

EHI Live 2013

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Where digital dictation makes better sense

CCube: delivering paperless healthcare

BigHand for Healthcare is more than a digital dictation system, it’s about making your life as a healthcare professional easier.

BigHand is the industry leaders in digital dictation and speech recognition software. New technology will recognise and record exactly what is being said and allow the creation and approval of documents from anywhere – saving time and money while boosting efficiency.

BigHand dictation solutions utilise industry leading speech understanding software ensuring clinicians, secretaries and other healthcare professionals can use the technology with confidence – turning speech recognition into speech understanding.

Designed for NHS Trusts, private hospitals and GP practices looking to save money and streamline

Designed and built with NHS practitioners, CCube’s award-winning solutions deliver electronic health records to clinicians, secretaries and administrators in the format they require, when and where they are needed. CCube is already delivering measurable benefits to over 25 NHS Trusts, helping to deliver paperless healthcare within 18 months.

CCube’s suite of Electronic Document & Records Management (EDRM) products includes the following modules, which can be tailored to suit specific needs and expanded from departmental to Trust-wide solutions: EDRM – scans, stores and views patient notes; Forms Recognition – automatically recognises, classifies, indexes, and presents the digital health record; Connect – pulls in patient data from thirdparty systems; eForms – allows clinicians to enter structured data in real-time; Workflow – configured to support operational

the clinical correspondence process, BigHand digital dictation and speech recognition systems offers a single, high-quality technology platform, developed and supported in the UK and recognised by NHS Commercial Solutions as top for digital dictation and speech recognition.

This platform gives customers choice and flexibility on cutting-edge speech recognition engines, integrations, user hardware, smartphones and outsourcing providers.

BigHand incorporates over 150,000 users and 1,500 organisations.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0) 207 940 5900 healthcare@bighand.com www.bighand.com Twitter: @BigHandHealth

processes; Portal & Web API – allows integration with third party applications; and Mobile – access to patient data and data entry using mobile tablet devices.

Solutions are supplied at two levels: workgroup – departmental level for scanning, storage, management, and access of patient records; and enterprise – trust-wide paperless healthcare, typically in under two years.

With an open, client/server architecture, the CCube suite is customisable, fast to deploy, easy to integrate, scalable, standards-based, feature-rich and compliant with current legislation and data protection rules.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01908 677752 sales@ccubesolutions.com www.ccubesolutions.com

Improving patient flow: a key topic in hospitals

Come and visit us on stand E62 at EHI Live ‘Where Digital Dictation Makes Sense’ Follow us on Twitter @BigHandHealth Contact us on: +44 (0)20 7940 5900 or email healthcare@bighand.com for more information

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

With hospitals constantly competing against each other on efficiency, Ascom understands the impact reducing the length of stay can have on a hospital.

Ascom’s UK healthcare strategic manager, Lee Minall, explains: “There are only four issues in a hospital and if you distil each one down it falls into one of these categories: to improve the patient flow; improve the patient experience; increase patient safety; and further staff satisfaction and efficiency.

“To improve patient flow is about making sure that the right person has the right information at the right time.”

Lee Minall continued: “If we take a consultant, by having the right information provided to them throughout a patient’s

stay enables them to make informed decisions immediately.

This allows the patient to flow through the process, leave early, so making sure the bed is available for the next patient in a shorter period of time.”

Ascom is a specialist healthcare applications company that integrates with existing systems and departments, allowing the information to flow more efficiently, offering an end-to-end solution.

To learn about what can be done for you, visit Ascom at EHI Live on Stand B40 (NEC Birmingham, 5-6 November).

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0121 353 6151 sales@ascom.co.uk www.ascom.co.uk

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

EVENT PREVIEW

With trusts now empowered to make more decisions locally regarding IT and information management, EHI Live’s exhibition provides you with a timely opportunity to see what is on the market and the chance to talk to the suppliers " Specialist medical groups also use EHI Live 2013 as a meeting place. This year, the UK Imaging Informatics Group and the Royal College of Psychiatrists National Mental Health Informatics Network have co-located conferences where both sets of members will equally benefit from meeting peers as well as enjoying partaking in conversations with a wider network in eHealth.

to demonstrate new products and explain how their services can both deliver benefits and help managers who have any immediate and longer-term challenges.

With trusts now empowered to make more decisions locally on IT and information management, the exhibition provides you with a timely opportunity to see what is on the market and talk to the suppliers.

TECHNOLOGY ON SHOW At the heart of the main event is the exhibition, now in its fifth year and bigger than ever; EHI Live’s exhibitors will be ready

FUTUROLOGY: WHAT NEXT FOR HEALTHCARE? A visit to EHI Live is an opportunity to stand back from the fray and think about what comes

What is E-Health Insider (EHI)?

E-Health Insider is the leading source of news, comment and analysis on healthcare IT in the UK. It runs an industry-leading portal, publishes newsletters and special reports, brings the eHealth community together at EHI Live (5-6 November, Birmingham), and celebrates its successes at the EHI Awards, in association with CGI. EHI is completely independent and owned by its founders Linda Davidson and Jon Hoeksma. It was set up as a newsletter in 2001 and has grown, as a business, to include a research arm (EHI Intelligence) and the CCIO Leaders Network to promote clinical involvement in IT and information projects.

EHI has a wide audience of online readers, all of which has an interest in healthcare IT, including senior managers within trusts and commissioning organisations, NHS IT directors and their staff, people working for UK healthcare IT suppliers, hospital clinicians, GPs, academics and interested patients.

EHI Live 2013

Sponsored by

next. The Pipeline is a stream of presentations dedicated, as its name suggests, to insights on trends in healthcare and the ways in which technology can help achieve desired goals.

The theme of innovation and building for the future runs strongly through other areas of the show: the Best Practice Showcase features real case studies presented by people doing excellent work around the UK healthcare system, while finalists from the EHI Awards 2013 describe the impact it has had and the latest developments in their projects.

SHARING BENEFITS Open-source software is used increasingly in healthcare and the government has encouraged the NHS to take advantage of the opportunities open source presents for collaborating on developments and sharing benefits. At EHI Live, the Open Source Skunkworks provides a focus for this lively trend, as well as showcasing the best of NHS open-source development.

As all smartphone users know there’s an app for everything now. HANDI Health Apps is a new zone dedicated to health and care apps. It includes a workshop on how to build your first app, an app village featuring leading suppliers, and presentations on the opportunities for apps in health and care.

EHI Live is a big tent for everyone who is interested in using the power of information and technology to improve healthcare. Entry to most parts of the show is free. # FURTHER INFORMATION To get more details and register for your entry into EHI Live 2013, visit www.ehi.co.uk/eshots/Live2013/Registration

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Energy

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Renewable energy for business and industry

Bespoke spaces that respect the environment

Abel Energy provides innovative and bespoke renewable solutions to suit your energy demands. It specialises in solar PV, wind turbine installation and biomass boilers.

Abel Energy provides a turnkey package: from system design, planning process and installation.

With the ever-increasing cost of electricity, now is the time to invest in renewable technology.

The government’s Feed-In Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive make the capital investment worth the interest reward.

Case studies – Micropress: “In just six weeks, from initial survey to completion, we have a system that will significantly reduce our outgoings and enhance our green credentials – something we consider very important, especially in our industry” Ken Claburn, last year, generated £33,000 from Solar PV: “The 86.7kW

Leeds Environmental Design Associates (LEDA) is a multidisciplinary team of engineers, architects and energy consultants with over 15 years’ experience in creating sustainable buildings.

LEDA has specialist knowledge of using renewable energy systems in buildings, with particular experience in health centres, teaching and residential accommodation. The skills within the LEDA team means that as well as providing energy audits for buildings, the team can put their recommendations into practice with detailed designs and specifications for upgrade works.

LEDA’s building services engineers can provide low-energy designs in refurbishments and new-build projects.

installations have been a great success by providing a 15 per cent return on my investment. I have had five systems installed and have recommended Abel Energy to my family and work colleagues.”

Renewable technologies can provide a diverse range of industries with a low-cost form of energy as well as a return on their investment.

The input LEDA provides is more than standard building services design: its knowledge of design issues, such as daylighting, solar gains and natural ventilation, helps the team create buildings with a pleasant internal climate.

As well as an enthusiasm for designing sustainable low-energy developments, LEDA aims to provide buildings that are easy to maintain and simple to operate.

In contrast to the traditional “belt and braces” approach to services design, LEDA prefers to develop a “lean” strategy for efficient building services to create a high-comfort, low-impact, people-friendly environment.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0113 200 9380 www.leda.coop

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01953 884486 Neaton Business Park (North), Norwich Road, Watton, Norfolk IP25 6JB. www.abelenergy.co.uk

QIPP & emollients toolkit could save NHS £12m

Help save the planet and reduce your energy bills

NHS England spends £111m annually on emollients.1 A new QIPP & emollients toolkit has been developed by Medicines Management teams that contains everything needed to implement product changes at practice level, plus a cost savings calculator to calculate how much each CCG could save.

The QIPP toolkit has been designed to enable a smooth and easy implementation process that maximises cost savings without compromising on patient care.

The toolkit includes: practice support materials and adaptable templates for easy implementation; and details of potential cost savings by CCG – the Zeroderma range can offer up to 41 per cent savings against equivalent emollient brands A spokesperson from a Northern-based CCG who has implemented the changes, commentated: “The product

Solar PV will allow you to both save the planet and reduce your energy bills.

Installation of a PV system will allow you to generate electricity on-site, use it, get paid for it and reduce your carbon emissions (you may well be able to sell some of the electricity back to your supplier as well).

Ablaze GES can help you through every stage of the process to realise the above.

The company can assess the suitability of your site for a PV system and advise on the potential scale of the system, dependent on either context, budget or electricity yield/ carbon saving required.

Ablaze GES can liaise with the relevant DNO (the owners of the electricity grid that serves your site) to seek authority to connect your system if required, produce working drawings and schematics for the system, supply, install and commission the system,

switch was very well received

by GPs and patients, who are both highly positive about the change as it had no negative impact on care.”

Reference: 1 The annual total

emollient spend for NHS England during the 12 months ending Dec 2012 was £111m (NHS PCA Data 2012). Of this, 34 per cent could be substituted with the Zeroderma range of emollients, so NHS England could save over £12m with the Zeroderma range.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01484 842217 zeroderma@thorntonross.com www.qipp.trderma.co.uk

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

provide full documentation and assist you with the paperwork associated with establishing a contract with your electricity provider to receive the revenue that the system will generate.

Contact Ablaze GES for nationwide, professional, commercial PV design and installation (10kWp plus installations) and add to the megawatts that we have successfully installed to date.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01252 834000 Info@ablaze.co.uk

CARBON REDUCTION

Energy

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" As patient care is a uniting factor across NHS frontline staff, this approach should be replicable across the NHS. If you have the ambition to make an NHS Trust more energy efficient, what practical steps make up a patient care-focused engagement programme?

PROGRAMME DESIGN The programme had three stages. The first was scope; understanding the people in the organisation, the motivators and barriers to change and the actions they can take that will make a difference. The second step was action; making messages compelling, getting out there and talking to people, recruiting key influencers who share your ambition and listening to peoples’ reactions.

The third step was to evaluate; continually reviewing the success of interventions, measuring impact and celebrating successes.

In the scoping phase we first determined what frontline staff could do that would make a material difference to the Trust’s energy bill. In the new world-class Royal London Hospital, individual rooms are set at different temperatures and the air is exchanged up to 10 times per hour in each room. This made the action of closing doors important to help the heating, cooling and air exchange system work efficiently. Lighting could be controlled by staff as could much of the equipment. But how did these environmental actions help staff achieve great patient care? Firstly, discussions with clinicians highlighted that good quality sleep is very important for patient recovery.

Where patients may be disorientated through illness or recovering from operations, it is also much safer for patients to stay in their rooms.

When treating immunosuppressed patients or highly infectious illnesses, isolation is important.

Our three actions – turning off lights and unused equipment and closing doors – do help patient sleep, improve safety, care and privacy.

OPERATION TLC The best campaigns have a snappy identity.

We needed one that led with a message about patients, and highlighted the three actions that help improve patient care. Giving the building a dose of tender loving care means that it looks after your patients – so we came up with the name Operation TLC, which in our case also stood for the three actions – Turn off, Lights out and Close Doors. We knew from our scoping phase that some staff were already taking energy efficiency actions. We reinforced why their existing actions were great for patients, and helped colleagues follow their lead.

The ethic of teamwork is strong on the wards and staff like to be rewarded as teams.

We provided treats for teams where at least one team member was photographed doing a TLC action. With those photographs we produced small leaflets tailored to each ward. This intervention utilised a number of recognised social science and behaviour change techniques – social norming, self-efficacy and positive reinforcement.

The pilot programme ran in a quarter of Barts Health’s estate and achieved a one-year payback, saving £105,000 per annum and 800 tonnes CO2. If replicated throughout the NHS, similar programmes could deliver £35m in savings We asked volunteers, matrons and ward leads to champion the initiative, and then provided many reminders such as branded pens (nurses always have a pen on them), one-off events at the hospital entrances and screensavers on PCs. The screensavers featured senior members of staff, such as the medical director, or estates director, endorsing the campaign.

GETTING FEEDBACK Global Action Plan’s engagement experts made 100 visits throughout the four-month campaign, to hear people’s reactions first hand, to thank them, to answer questions and to spread good practice. For example, when some wards heard that other wards dimmed their lights each afternoon to help patients sleep, we helped them find the lighting controls in their new hospital. Finally, the evaluation stage measured the impact of the campaign through ward-walk audits, energy metering data, patient surveys and qualitative conversations with ward leads and champions. We used so many different measurement methods so that we could tell whether change had occurred, if it was down to staff changing their actions and whether patients gained benefit.

LESSONS LEARNT What is our main lesson from the pilot? If you understand what people in any workplace are trying to achieve, and your energy efficiency suggestions help them reach their aims, you’ll be a help, not a hindrance.

So where next? What’s beyond the hospital door? As well as Operation TLC continuing throughout the trust, Barts Health has seen the potential to combine environmental and health ambitions in its East London community. We’re supporting Barts Health on two further programmes that help prevent patients needing hospital treatment and lower environmental impacts.

In one project, we will enable clinicians to recommend free insulation and boiler replacement for vulnerable patients suffering in cold homes. Another project will utilise the reach of the Trust to address traffic problems and improve air pollution which causes 4,300 premature deaths across London each year. More on this wider community health and sustainability agenda will be published in Health Business in October. # FURTHER INFORMATION www.globalactionplan.org.uk

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HEALTH & SAFETY

STRIDING TOWARDS BETTER HEALTH AND SAFETY

The need to save money has driven the National Health Service (NHS) to realise that improving occupational health and safety has its benefits. This is reinforced externally by the public perception influenced by high profile reports, such as the Francis report.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is also on the perimeter. For example, the HSE occupational health section has carried out visits to Trusts and has recently reviewed dermatitis at work, as well as stress. These planned visits often result in either improvement notices being issued or a prosecution. Then there are the HSE’s unscheduled visits, often as a result of a serious accident – and, a times, concluding with a Trust being prosecuted through the courts.

If you have the time to look at the HSE’s prosecution database, you will find an array or prosecutions including: Trusts fined for insecure windows, needle-stick injuries, manual handling, and control of substances hazardous to health. The list goes on.

Written by Mark Hughes, IOSH vice chair of the Healthcare Group Committee

How is the NHS improving occupational health and safety? Mark Hughes, vice chair of the IOSH Healthcare Group Committee, examines the current situation

Health & Safety

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CORPORATE IMAGE With the move for patients to have access to NHS Choices to decide where and who they go and see, Trusts need to ensure they have a good reputation. Unsurprisingly, any improvement notice or prosecution can have an effect on image and finances.

Across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland there are different bodies that also have a say. In England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care. This includes the care provided by the NHS, local authorities and voluntary organisations in registered settings.

The CQC focuses on outcomes for people who use services and assesses these results using information from many sources.

Reports of incidents are included, as well as information from both people who use services and that which the CQC seeks directly.

The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers it can use if it finds care services are not meeting essential standards.

SCOTTISH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM In Scotland the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) was formed on 1 April 2011.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI), which was set up in April 2009, is now part of HIS. HIS’ focus is to reduce healthcare associated infection risk to !

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HEALTH & SAFETY About IOSH The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the chartered body for health and safety professionals.

With more than 42,000 members in 100 countries, we’re the world’s biggest professional health and safety organisation.

It sets standards, and supports, develops and connects its members with resources, guidance, events and training. It is the voice of the profession, and campaign on issues that affect millions of working people. IOSH was founded in 1945 and is a registered charity with international NGO status.

With the move for patients to have access to NHS Choices to decide where they go and who they see, Trusts need to ensure they have a good reputation " hospital patients, to improve the care of elderly patients, and to regulate independent healthcare services through an inspection framework. HIS inspectors do this by carrying out announced and unannounced inspections in acute NHS hospitals in Scotland.

This is done to check that the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland standards for older people in acute care and standards for prevention and control of healthcare associated infection are being met.

In April 2011 the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) was created to scrutinise social care, social work and child protection services. In September 2011, its everyday name became the “Care Inspectorate” although the formal name (SCSWIS), as set out in legislation, was not changed. As with HIS, the role of the Care Inspectorate is to inspect, regulate and support improvement of services and provide public assurance on service quality. !

introduce standards targeted around safety at different levels.

With each level achieved comes savings for the Trust. Level 1 is the base line standard (having the policies in place) with level 3 the highest level (demonstrating you are doing what you say you are doing). Dependant on the size of the Trust, there is the potential to make huge savings the higher the level you have.

Currently the NHSLA is reviewing its standards, which includes the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) (Maternity) standards.

The view here is that the current system has not improved outcomes and there will be a transition away from discount for Levels 1 to 3. In the future the payment from establishments will be made up from an organisation’s claims history and experience, known claims and from its risk profile (type, level, number of people and activity undertaken). The price paid will reflect risk, so organisations which are seen as safe will be recognised and rewarded.

Health & Safety

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

VIEWS FROM STAFF Staff satisfaction surveys are now another measure of how good or bad Trusts are doing, with questions like: what percentage of staff has received health and safety training? What percentage of staff has been involved in violent or aggressive incidents? All the statistics and results are freely available for the public to view.

The NHS is striving for continual improvement in health and safety.

The drivers for this are great – as are the benefits. Yes, the amount of different bodies and the continual changing of standards do not help the process, but who said working in the NHS would be easy?

The IOSH Healthcare Group brings with it a wealth of resources and information and now, with LinkedIn as a method of contacting health and safety professionals from across the country, it can only get better. # FURTHER INFORMATION www.iosh.co.uk

WELSH SET-UP In Wales, the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales’ (HIW) role is to review and inspect NHS and independent healthcare organisations. Services are reviewed against a range of published standards, policies, guidance and regulations. It also registers independent services and has powers to take enforcement action in these matters.

HIW is the Local Supervisory Authority (LSA) for the statutory supervision of midwives. It also has inspection and enforcement powers for the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations, which stem from the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

In Northern Ireland the Health & Safety Controls Assurance is completed by Health & Social Care (HSC) bodies to self-assess compliance with relevant standards. This process is also internally and externally audited and verified to ensure that there is substantive compliance and evidence of continual improvement.

COMPLIANCE WITH HEALTH & SAFETY The main enforcing body, for monitoring compliance with health and safety legislation, is HSENI. (Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland).

There is also the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) which is a not-for-profit part of the NHS. It manages negligence and other claims against the NHS in England. The NHSLA’s aim is to: resolve disputes fairly, share learning about risks and standards in the NHS and improve safety for patients and staff.

The NHSLA has tried and succeeded, to some extent, to

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

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HOSPITAL SECURITY

Security within the healthcare sector should always be a top priority, and since the publication of the Francis Report in February 2013, patient safety is now more important than ever. James Kelly, chief executive of the BSIA explores the vital role that security plays within a healthcare setting The Francis Report followed an extensive inquiry into reported failings at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and called for a whole service, patient centred focus, in response to the stories of appalling patient suffering. Robert Francis QC, Inquiry Chairman, also criticised the provider Trust Board for its failure “to tackle an insidious negative culture involving a tolerance of poor standards and a disengagement from managerial and leadership responsibilities.”

Responding to the report, Mike Farrar, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, commented that “this is an opportunity to make the NHS safer, more compassionate and fully accountable to the people it serves.”

One way of achieving this higher standard and commitment to a safer environment is through the implementation of efficient security measures. Whether it is public or private healthcare, having sufficient security procedures in place to offer peace of mind for patients – and their loved ones – along with staff, is of the utmost importance.

An l integra f o aspect ccess is a security s well as a .A control t population, transienvalue goods high chinery are and mat on-site kep

DATA SECURITY Efficient security extends far beyond the direct protection of patients and personnel, and applies to all data stored within a healthcare environment containing confidential information about patients and staff. This kind of data should be protected from the outset, and when it comes to being destroyed, it should be done so by a professional, reputable supplier. Failure to dispose of such confidential information safely – such as patient records or financial reports – can have detrimental effects on an establishment’s reputation, and if placed in the wrong hands, opportunists can find ways of using the information to their advantage.

The importance of using a professional information destruction supplier was reinforced this summer, as it was revealed

in July that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is to levy a £200,000 fine against the NHS after computers containing patient records were sold on eBay. The ICO reported that more than 3,000 patient records were found on a second hand computer purchased through the online auction site. The now dissolved NHS Surrey had moved away from an approved information destruction contractor and handed over their old computers to a new service provider.

In the process, they had failed to ensure that the thousands of patient records kept on

Written by James Kelly, chief executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA)

FRANCIS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE SECURITY

Security

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

the computers had been sufficiently deleted.

According to the ICO, the service provider in question had carried out the data destruction service for free, “with an agreement that they could sell any salvageable materials after the hard drives had been securely destroyed.”

Earlier this year, the BSIA commissioned its own research into information destruction within the healthcare sector and discovered that one in four healthcare professionals reported that their organisation had been the subject of some form of data breach. The survey questioned key !

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HOSPITAL SECURITY " workers in the healthcare sector including consultants, doctors, senior managers, facilities managers and IT manager, over half of which were from hospitals.

Worryingly, two-thirds of the 27 per cent that were aware of a significant data loss incident in their organisation said that the data breach was a direct result of incorrect disposal of information, whilst another third attributed the loss to the action of criminals, such as theft.

Adam Chandler, the new chairman of the BSIA’s Information Destruction Section, believes that these survey results, coupled with the NHS fine, should be a wake-up call to the healthcare sector at large about the

savings that they may make by choosing a less scrupulous supplier,” adds Adam.

ACCESS CONTROL Another integral aspect of security is that of access control. Most healthcare environments are made up of a large number of staff working varied shift patterns, along with the patients themselves and a high volume of visitors passing through the doors each day. As well as this transient population, many high value goods such as computers, laptops, projectors and medical machinery are kept on-site, not to mention the personal possessions of staff and patients. Furthermore, an abundance of confidential documents are stored on the

One in four healthcare professionals reported that their organisation had been the subject of some form of data breach in recent BSIA research importance of secure data destruction.

“The NHS Trust in question chose to move away from an accredited supplier and failed to set minimum standards for delivery of the contract, or carry out the necessary due diligence on their new supplier,” comments Adam. “This resulted in thousands of patient records effectively ending up in the public domain and serves to reinforce the important role played by professional information destruction companies in keeping our personal and private details safe.”

Research carried out in 2011 by the BSIA found that in many cases, when a company had taken the responsible step to outsource their data disposal, they were still unaware whether their provider complied with the essential European Standard EN15713, a basic requirement for any information destruction contract. The standard sets a minimum standard for the transportation, storage and destruction of sensitive information, guaranteeing a good quality service.

“Even if companies claim to deliver a service at a reduced cost, organisations must remember that the financial cost of data losses can more than outweigh any

premises, as well as a wide range of medication that could be extremely dangerous if in the wrong hands. If any of these secure areas are accessed by unauthorised persons, or if any of this vital equipment is stolen, there could be detrimental reputational damage to the healthcare establishment in question, not to mention a loss of patient faith in the security of the premises. Consequently, electronic access control systems are increasingly being used to enhance safety and security in hospitals in order to effectively manage access to restricted areas.

Mike Sussman, Chairman of the BSIA’s Access Control Section, comments: “Having access control technology in place will not only deter criminals, but can physically prevent them from entering the site, whilst offering a versatile and cost-effective way to regulate entry to the premises.”

Access control systems can be utilised to manage access to specific areas of a building, or if necessary, to the entire building, providing 24-hour protection. For example, a door to a medical stock room can be secured by either a magnetic or strike lock and linked with an identification device, such as a smart card and reader or a PIN pad, only allowing authorised personnel to enter the area.

Not disposing of IT equipment correctly can lead to data loss incidents

Security

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Access control software can also integrate beneficially with CCTV systems for an even more comprehensive security plan. One major benefit of this type of integration is pre and post-event video recordings initiated by the access control system. Video recordings can be linked with event information, which makes searching for a particular event on the recording much more efficient. For example, if an intruder has entered the building and attempted to breach an access controlled area by forcing a door, operators can search for ‘Door forced – laboratory 4’ allowing them to easily look at images of the intruder and react accordingly.

BSIA Access Control Section members have a wealth of experience when it comes to securing the healthcare sector. This has been demonstrated most recently by the release of the section’s latest guide, ‘A guide to access control in care homes’, in response to the growing use of private security measures within the care sector over the last year.

A recent survey of the BSIA’s Access Control Section members discovered that 60 per cent of respondents believed the use of private security measures had increased over the last twelve months, with a further 60 per cent anticipating that it would continue to increase over the course of the next year. The survey also found that patient safety and well-being has been, and will continue to be, a primary focus in the care home sector, with 100 per cent of survey respondents revealing that the awareness of duty of care among care home management has also increased over the last year. The guide can be downloaded free of charge from the BSIA’s website.

CHOOSING QUALITY When it comes to patient safety no corners should be cut in the healthcare sector, particularly in terms of choosing a quality supplier. It is absolutely crucial that your security provider meets with the essential British and European Standards for their product and service; members of the BSIA are all inspected to high quality standards and can offer a reputable service. # FURTHER INFORMATION www.bsia.co.uk

Choosing the right supplier To highlight the importance of choosing a responsible information destruction supplier that complies with EN15713, the Information Destruction Section recently released its own official video, which can be found on the BSIA’s YouTube channel: tinyurl.com/nhbonf7

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Public Sector Business Mobility is on the Move.

At Alphabet we’re always developing new, more efficient ways of moving public sector employees from A to B. It’s all part of our vision for the future of mobility.

Existing forms of fleet management underpin this vision. But there’s certainly more to come.

Take AlphaCity for example. As ingenious as it is simple, it’s a public sector car sharing scheme set to change the way you finance, manage and use company vehicles.

It’s yet another step forward in clever fleet thinking from Alphabet.

Find out more:

Tel: 0870 50 50 100 Email: alphabet@alphabet.co.uk www.alphabet.co.uk

FLEET MANAGEMENT

Clive Buhagiar, head of public sector at business mobility provider Alphabet, explains how to manage travel cost-effectively

Alphabet is a provider of business mobility and part of the BMW Group. Alphabet supports companies with their corporate mobility in an economical and sustainable way. Operating in 19 countries, the company manages a fleet of over 115,000 vehicles in the UK and more than 500,000 vehicles worldwide.

Alphabet has experience of delivering sophisticated company car and employee ownership solutions for some of the UK’s largest companies, such as: Amey, BBC, McDonald’s restaurants, Oracle, RSA, Hibu and Shell. The company offers a portfolio of fleet products, with a selection of funding solutions, along with maintenance, fleet management, fuel management, vehicle rental, accident management and risk management.

Written by Clive Buhagiar, head of public sector, Alphabet

THE ‘MOBILE’ PUBLIC SECTOR… AS EASY AS A, B, C

About Alphabet (GB)

Advertisement Feature

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of public sector organisations, with just over half of public sector fleet managers preferring their employees to use a pool car for business mileage, one-quarter favouring the fleet car approach and one-fifth preferring their employees to use their own car.

From NHS Trusts to housing associations, local authorities to charities, emergency services to social enterprises, the public sector is an expansive collection of organisations with wildly varying business mobility requirements.

What works for one part of the public sector may not be appropriate for another and this means it is important to work with suppliers who are able to understand the subtle differences which shape travel policy.

The Alphabet public sector team has more than two decades’ experience working as part of a variety of frameworks and consortia.

The Alphabet public sector fleet now features in excess of 20,000 vehicles operating throughout the entirety of the UK, while the permanent public sector support team has grown almost fourfold in the past few years.

PUBLIC SECTOR In essence, fleet management in the public sector tends to face the same challenges as the private sector, everyone is looking for the most cost-effective and sustainable way in which to get their people from A to B. However, there are a few fundamental differences even within the public sector and these are most evident when you compare the healthcare industry with local government.

From experience, many fleet managers in the healthcare sector have taken a pragmatic approach to keeping costs down, reducing CO2 emissions and maintaining an effective fleet.

This means that ideas such as car clubs, pool

cars and contributory schemes are far more likely to gain traction in the healthcare sector.

The local government arena can become mired in politics. In these situations, standard contract hire and lease vehicles may not be seen as the most acceptable way of spending public funds as, mistakenly, the general public may perceive high-value or prestige vehicles as less efficient than their smaller or older counterparts. As a result, some local government organisations have closed their

GREATER FLEXIBILITY Whatever the combination of vehicles, a substantial 83 per cent of public sector fleet managers are currently evaluating the total cost of ownership of their fleet in order to deliver the most effective and flexible travel mix.

As the fleet industry evolves, we are able to offer greater flexibility and capability to customers across the public and private sector.

From contributory schemes, in which an employee can top up their package to get a more suitable or desirable car, to corporate

Fleet management in the public sector tends to face the same challenges as the private sector; everyone is looking for the most cost-effective and sustainable way to get their people from A to B car schemes, putting the risk and costs of the grey fleet back on the agenda.

According to the recent Alphabet Fleet Management Report, understanding and controlling costs is the number one priority for those in charge of business mobility.

With rising fuel prices, recent changes to the rules around MOTs, increasing insurance premiums and a focus on profitability in the service and maintenance industry, the overall cost of motoring is only going in one direction, and that is upwards.

As a result, the traditional fleet car model is being updated to reflect the changing needs

car-sharing schemes, such as the recently launched AlphaCity, the important thing to remember is that every organisation is different – there is no “one size fits all” solution.

Instead, fleet managers should be working with their outsourced providers to audit the transport needs of their employees, calculating whole life costs and determining the most effective combination of travel options to suit the needs of the individual employee and the goals of the organisation. # FURTHER INFORMATION www.alphabet.co.uk

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

CATERING

HEALTHCARE FM PROJECTS TAKE HOME TOP AWARDS

Written by BIFM

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) looks at two healthcare finalists from its 2012 Awards, examining where they excelled and why they were recognised as pioneers

Facilities Management

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G4S Integrated Services developed a new food service for patients at the Liverpool Women’s Foundation hospital

The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) Awards are established as the Awards within the facilities management (FM) profession. Since 2001 the Awards have recognised the very best individuals, teams and projects across the FM industry.

They present a fantastic opportunity for winners and finalists to be recognised for everything they bring to the FM profession and the businesses they serve.

Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust and G4S Integrated Services were Highly Commended in the category ‘Innovation in Customer Service’. In just one year, G4S FM has developed a new food service offer at the 200-bed hospital in Liverpool City Centre to support the trust’s catering commitments to its patients – providing appetising, freshly cooked food with high nutritional value to aid recovery; a greater menu choice and flexibility and a personalised ward hostess service that can respond to individual patients’ food and drink needs.

IMPROVING THE DINING EXPERIENCE The work to improve the food service at Liverpool Women’s has the following objectives. It aims to: improve the overall patient dining experience at Liverpool Women’s and help to create a relaxed

The partnership between Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust and G4S Integrated Services has enhanced the patient experience and provides freshly-cooked on-site food with menu flexibility – allowing patients to order meals not on the menu and outside of scheduled meal times environment; provide good quality and nutritional food to help aid patient recovery; develop a high-quality foodservice that can be tailored to individual patient needs – supporting the personalisation care agenda; and provide patients with advice and knowledge about healthy eating and nutrition, so that they can make informed eating choices when they return home.

The partnership has enhanced the patient experience and provides freshly-cooked on-site food with menu flexibility – allowing patients to order meals not on the menu and outside of scheduled meal times. It provides new seasonal menus developed by G4S dieticians – delivering nutritional value and promoting food sustainability by ensuring the use of seasonal and local produce.

The partnership has also created a specialist team of G4S ward hostesses who respond to the individual requests of patients to meet their nutritional needs and to support recovery.

Healthy eating advice and menu planning for patients and visitors is also available through a series of initiatives with G4S chefs. There is also a new selection of high quality G4S-operated restaurant and café facilities for patients, visitors and staff.

One of the most popular aspects of the new offer has been the ward hostess system. It is designed to provide a personal service that can respond to the individual requests of a patient in order to meet their nutritional needs and provide a personal service. A total of 17 G4S ward hostesses work on two shifts and are present on wards throughout the !

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Facilities Management

CATERING

MAPLE means enables patients to order food electronically via a touch-screen automated ordering system

" day to cater for patient needs. Each ward hostess has direct contact with patients from taking them their first cup of tea or coffee of the day through to breakfast, lunch and evening meals. They also provide drinks and snacks to patients throughout the day. Ward hostesses discuss menus with patients and take their orders each day for their meals and they liaise with the nursing staff to ensure nutritional needs are met.

MEETING TARGETS G4S is delivering against all its key performance indicators. With regards to monitoring of food waste – G4S is required to deliver a foodservice that operates with no more than three per cent food wastage.

In every hospital this is always challenge as discharged patients may have already ordered food before they leave the hospital.

G4S is delivering nil wastage by ensuring that food that is no longer required by patients is sold in its on-site restaurant G4S is required to continually demonstrate that it can provide a flexible foodservice that can ensure patients can order outside of meal times. Its performance is measured using patient feedback.

Regarding food costs, G4S is meeting its target allocation of £4 per patient per day. This translates as a target budget of around £180,000 per annum.

The judges said: “This innovation provided a different delivery type – introduction of ward hostesses and curries on Saturday night. A fresh food offer to suit patient tastes – menu with choices that can be made two hours prior to service. They have re-trained chefs, who totally embraced the new requirements.

Additionally they developed and tested new menus based on client tastes and undertook close work with nutritionists and unions.

This is scalable across all of the NHS.” INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Ambinet and Sodexo, took home first price in the catergory Innovation in the use of Technology and Systems.

The hospital commissioned Ambinet to develop an electronic ordering system for patients to order their food when on the wards. The trust wanted to improve nutritional and clinical provision for patients which in turn could also lead to cost reduction in the service. The dieticians needed to be able to allocate specific menus to each patient and the nurses needed to be able to better monitor the diet of their patients. The new process needed to give time back to the clinical staff to provide clinical patient care.

MAPLE (Menu Acquisition Portal with Live Entry) is exciting for patients to use.

The touch-screen, automated food ordering system, uses high-quality images to make the system fun to use for patients who are familiar with similar technology. The software is used on a Panasonic Toughbook

CF-H1 medical clinical assistant tablet which is durable, has in-built security, abides by infection control standards, and works with the trust’s IT systems.

From the ward staff’s perspective all food orders from patients reach the kitchen so there are reduced call-backs and non-ordered food; ward staff can spend more time with patients as they do not have to collate individual orders and complete the totals sheets twice daily as patient meal orders are sent electronically to the kitchen; there is instant access to patient meal history; daily specials are automatically programmed; and special occasions can be catered for.

But most importantly the system provides an improved patient experience through higher quality service: the system is interactive and visually interesting; there is reduced human error; patients see and make a selection from the menus that they can eat from specifically for their dietary and nutritional requirements,

benefits are being felt. Within the Sodexo team there is improved timeliness and accuracy of orders coming through electronically from the wards, as opposed to wards being late bringing information to the kitchen or dealing with inaccurate menu collation; there are less kitchen interruptions by visiting staff and telephone calls. Over time Sodexo will be able to use the information for ordering purposes which should drive efficiencies. The saving in paper and power and the generation and disposal of waste is a major benefit and the electronic messaging will also track all queries, and become a quality improvement tool.

For the hospital, the new system demonstrates that it is responsible and looking at waste reduction to support the NHS QIPP agenda in promoting Quality, Innovation, Productivity, and Prevention; that it is taking the productive ward one step further and releasing time to care; and is promoting good practice.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital commissioned Ambinet to develop an electronic ordering system, for patients to order their food when on the wards. MAPLE (Menu Acquisition Portal with Live Entry) is exciting for patients to use therefore avoiding replacements/ call-backs which can be disappointing; healthy eating is encouraged; and allergy information is clear and transparent.

All stakeholders were involved in the development of the process. Workshops were held for all the different groups – ward clerks and nurses, the dietetics team, patients, and the contract catering provider Sodexo – to provide a vision for what was needed in the future.

LAUNCHING THE SERVICE The product started being tested in early summer 2011 with various modifications made following stakeholder feedback. The official launch took place on 1 March 2012 and the

The judges said: “The interactive and integrated nature of the system impressed the judges and the scalability of the system to other hospital uses, such as drug dispensing, patients notes, was thought to offer a huge opportunity for advancement. The system was the first of its type in the UK being used for menu ordering and the use of tablet technology coupled with software development to release nursing time, improve data collection and reporting was impressive.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.bifm.org.uk/awards2013 info@bifm.org.uk Tel: +44(0)1279 712 620

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Company Profiles

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Secure Parking commences The Cavendish review and operations at West Essex PCT its effect on your training Secure Parking has recently taken over the management of six NHS property sites where it was tasked with the: providing a customer service-focused enforcement service, providing a robust management and patrolling service, providing online services to facilitate the sales of permits – removing in-house management, supplying and maintaining signage in line with the BPA and AOS requirements and offering an easy-to-follow appeals process in line with POPLAR. This approach reflects the method in which Secure Parking views the enforcement side of parking. It feels that building a relationship with the client and treating visitors/ users fairly and with empathy considering the environment in which it is managing will

lead to a better overall service that benefits all three parties.

Having commenced operations on the 1 September 2013, Secure Parking is set to launch an online payment gateway, creating a hassle-free, efficient service that allows staff members to apply, and securely pay for their staff permits – taking away from the work done by the client under the previous operator.

Secure Parking is looking forward to growing this particular area of its business and is confident that the company’s smart, costeffective approach will appeal to many asset managers.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0203 178 5060 enquiries@secure-parking.co.uk

Vending is changing: transform it with AVA Whilst mainstream vending has traditionally focused on confectionary products, carbonated soft drinks and hot drinks, it is now changing.

Brands already engaged in vending are demonstrating a tangible commitment to producing healthier products; consumers are actively seeking healthier choices; and government and stakeholders are supporting the adoption of healthier lifestyles through a variety of initiatives, including the School Food Plan.

More and more “new” brands are recognising that vending can and should offer options that form part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

The Automatic Vending Association (AVA) represents all sectors of the vending

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industry in the UK and Ireland: operators, suppliers of commodities, machine manufacturers and distributors.

The AVA is committed to continually raising the quality of vending and the AVA logo is synonymous with the mark of quality.

The AVA is currently involved in developing an Allergen Awareness programme for all members supplying coffee machines to meet the new legislation coming in 2014.

Vending can provide a solution to all your requirements in hydration, snacking and healthy alternatives – just ask members of the AVA. FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01494 568960 enquiries@ava-vending.co.uk www.ava-vending.co.uk

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

Healthcare assistants (HCAs) make up one-third of the care workforce in the NHS and research suggests they spend more time at the bedside than nurses do.

The recent Cavendish review highlights the lack of consistent training for assistants despite them playing a vital role in the healthcare workforce.

The government study revealed assistants were performing tasks usually done by doctors and nurses, such as taking blood.

Inadequate training can lead to fatalities and Cavendish argues that better training helps workers feel more prepared whilst simultaneously improving care standards.

Kruger Associates is one of the first in the country to offer the Healthcare and Clinical Healthcare Support awards.

These courses are designed for support workers in all care settings, including GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals.

As part of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) they create a national qualification standard to suit everyone from the kitchen to the theatre.

These awards are the perfect stepping stone for professional qualifications, giving your staff a good foundation to move on to more senior roles.

Work with Kruger Associates to get your staff on the right qualification path, the company can even help fund the course, too. Contact Kruger Associates to find out more today.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 530 3888 john@krugerassociates.co.uk www.krugerassociates.co.uk

Benefit from geographic information to improve your patient care Geographic information is a key component to providing integrated, timely, and coordinated health services across the UK. Understanding key questions such as where your patients are based, what services are available nearby, are there any gaps in service, and what the transport network is like can all enable evidence-based care decisions to be made.

Combined with other statistical information, up-to-date geographic information is a powerful tool in supporting the delivery of improved healthcare services.

Snowflake Software’s GO Loader tool enables you to access all this information by loading geographical data into your Oracle, SQL Server or PostGIS database without any costly custom engineering.

With comprehensive support for PSMA and the One Scotland

Agreement data products, including OS MasterMap, OS Address Base, OS MasterMap ITN and OS VectorMap Local, GO Loader helps you model and store geographic data in a manner tailored to your needs.

GO Loader can have you loading and using geographic information in just hours rather than weeks or months, enabling you to benefit from your data investment even sooner.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 02380 238 232 info@snowflakesoftware.com www.snowflakesoftware. com/health

Parking

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

THE CHALLENGE THAT IS HOSPITAL PARKING

The British Parking Association (BPA)’s role is to raise standards in the industry, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the healthcare environment. Balancing the needs of hospital patients and visitors, staff and healthcare professionals to ensure that access to health care is fair, and cost-effective, requires courage and determination.

Parking managers at healthcare sites across the UK face these challenges every day.

Working alone they seek to resolve their problems locally, often challenged by local media and indeed, their own colleagues.

In support of this work, the BPA has initiated a Health Care Parking Special Interest Group, which brings together people

for the media to tell sensational stories about how the National Health Service can do no right. Healthcare and parking as individual issues are emotive and inflame passions with most people holding a strong opinion. Taken in combination they provide ample opportunity for populist headlines.

A FAIR SERVICE As we have seen in Scotland and Wales, free parking has consequences: it is now virtually impossible for visitors and patients to find somewhere to park. This is because commuters and non-hospital users take all the spaces very early in the day and remain all day.

The big difference between parking at

As we have seen in Scotland and Wales, free parking has consequences: it is now virtually impossible for visitors and patients to park in NHS facilities, with parking operators and service providers to share knowledge and experience and it is the BPA’s role to educate and inform people about the best practice that is already out there.

WORKING TOGETHER Working together through the BPA Health Care Parking Special Interest Group we can collectively share knowledge and best practice, as well as campaign for better recognition of the services provided and the need for them to be properly funded.

The health of the nation depends upon the NHS. The NHS depends upon the parking profession to help ensure that access to its facilities is fair and appropriate, properly managed and adequately funded.

If truth be told, many people who attend healthcare facilities, either as patients or visitors, expect car parking to be free. But given the sheer number of people who use these types of facilities, the costs involved and the demand for spaces, it is clear that there is a real need for car parking to be managed properly.

Often the most effective way to do this is by charging for parking. This recognises a number of factors, namely the value of a car parking space, the needs of other users of the facility, the environmental impact of driving and the need to maintain and improve car parks by reinvesting income.

Parking at hospitals and healthcare services is always going to be a soft target

hospitals and other healthcare facilities and parking for business and leisure is that often there is little choice. Few people choose to go to hospital and even fewer have a choice of which hospital. These are facilities used most when we are unwell or seeking medical advice or obtaining treatment for long-term conditions. At best we are visiting someone who is unwell.

The BPA strongly believes in raising standards in the parking sector and in delivering a more professional service to the public. Providing, managing and paying for parking at healthcare facilities needs to be seen in the context of delivering a better and fairer service to those who use such facilities.

Both those that manage healthcare facilities and car park operators recognise the importance of car parking policy, both in terms of the wider transport strategy and the need to manage traffic and parking in line with demand and environmental needs.

They also recognise the importance of professionalism in delivering their services and providing a high standard of customer care.

FREE PARKING: WHAT’S THE CATCH? Free parking at hospitals is the norm in Wales and Scotland as governments seemingly pander to the popular demand. Increasingly there is a demand for England to follow suit.

None of this is without consequences and it is only too apparent in Scotland and Wales that there is no such thing as a free parking

space. Someone is paying for it! The BPA do not feel that it is right that dwindling healthcare budgets should be used to provide parking facilities for those who choose to drive to hospital whilst there are those who arrive by public transport and continue to pay. We strongly believe that healthcare budgets be used to provide health care.

THE HEALTHCARE PARKING CHARTER In 2010, the British Parking Association first published its Healthcare Parking Charter, aiming to strike the right balance between being fair to patients and others, including staff, and making sure that facilities are managed effectively for the good of everyone. Now nearly three years on, the BPA has revisited the Charter and with the help of those working in both the parking and healthcare sectors, has republished its guidance.

Like so many other places the demand for parking spaces at hospitals exceeds the supply and therefore it needs to be rationed and managed. Parking charges can help to pay for maintenance and management services, and prevent these from becoming a drain on healthcare budgets. We therefore encourage healthcare facilities and those that manage parking at these facilities to sign up to our Charter and to abide by its letter and spirit. Over 65 organisations have now signed up to the Charter including both the NHS Confederation and Healthcare Facilities Consortium. Some 30 car park operators managing parking at healthcare facilities have also aged to abide by the terms of the Charter and are committed to providing excellence in parking management.

A full roll call of signatories along with a downloadable version of the Charter and details of how you can add your name to the list can be found on the BPA website at www.britishparking. co.uk/Charter-for-Healthcare-Parking.

The BPA has also developed a Charter for Higher and Further Education Facilities.

Already, a number of Trusts that are also teaching hospitals have added their names to the list including George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. #

Written by the British Parking Association

Balancing the needs of patients, visitors and staff, and making hospital parking fair and cost-effective is something that parking managers at healthcare sites across the UK face every day

FURTHER INFORMATION www.britishparking.co.uk

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

Primary objectives for estates staff is PATIENT SAFETY. MGS Ltd. have developed and produced our Medical Gas Isolation Kits to enable safe shutdowns of wards and departments and single terminal unit isolation.

PLEASE CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

HEALTH & SAFETY

HAVE YOU GOT FIRE COVERED?

UK fire safety legislation has slight regional variations which result in different terms used but the duties essentially remain the same. In England and Wales the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 refers to the ‘Responsible Person’; in Scotland the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 refers to the ‘duty holder’; and the Fire & Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (in combination with the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010) refers to the ‘Appropriate Person’.

Wherever you are located and whatever term is used in the regulations, if you are an employer or have control over the premises or activities that take place on your company’s premises you have responsibilities under fire safety legislation.

IS YOUR SUPPLIER CERTIFIED? As the person responsible for fire safety within a building, it is crucial to ensure that you are using competent subcontractors.

Most people outside the fire industry will not have had the appropriate training to

enable them to understand what competency and knowledge is required to complete this work. However, in the fire sector there are industry specific certification schemes that can give purchasers confidence in the ability of the companies and individuals that they are employing to do work on their behalf.

Whether employing people to carry out installation and servicing work on your fire equipment or to provide a fire risk assessment, there are appropriate certifications for the type of work. The schemes available are written and administered by different bodies (two key scheme providers in the fire industry are BAFE and LPCB) but they all effectively show that an independent audit has taken place to assess technical

FIRE RISK ASSESSMENTS Still on the subject of Certification, the International Fire Consultants Certification (IFCC) is expected to launch their fire risk assessment certification scheme very soon.

Like the existing BAFE SP205 scheme it will be UKAS accredited but this scheme classifies the assessor and the assessor’s company according to the nature of the premises they are able to assess.

Now two months old, PAS 7 is in effect a performance code for fire safety management and the fire safety industry is looking into making this a certification scheme. A premises owner/ operator whose fire safety management was certificated to PAS 7 would obviate the need for fire brigade inspections as a PAS 7 audit would go far deeper than a fire officer’s inspection.

The whole fire safety industry is watching these developments with interest. !

Should ate cu you eva unding so on the rm? Whilst a of an alay work in a that m remises, it retail p work for won’t like a a site tal hospi

Written by the Fire Industry Association

Patient safety is of upmost importance to any healthcare facility, but fire protection is sometimes overlooked. The FIA talks about the key points to consider with regard to fire safety

capability as well as the fire company’s quality management system. A subcontractor will be able to provide evidence of their certificate but it is important to also go to the scheme provider or certification body’s website to authenticate that certificate.

The FIA has a whitepaper on Third Party Certification, available to download from www.fia.uk.com, which explains this subject in an easy to understand way.

Fire Safety

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Fire Safety

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

HEALTH & SAFETY " WHAT’S YOUR EVACUATION STRATEGY? If you get an alarm sounding on your fire detection system what do you do?

Evacuate? Whilst in a small retail premises the plan of everyone out is probably right, that won’t work for a complex site like a hospital. Here you will have people of varying levels of mobility and some that can’t be moved at all. If you’re in the middle of surgery do you drop everything the moment the bell rings? Of course not.

That’s where the evacuation strategy comes into play. Horizontal, vertical or stay put, you need to have this planned. Remember, when the Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) arrive they are there to fight the fire and not to evacuate the patients; that’s your job. The NHS internal reports show that if you have a well-planned and well-rehearsed plan then everyone gets out alive if you do have a real fire.

REDUCE FALSE ALARM INCIDENCES Note the ‘if’. Fire detection systems are designed to detect ‘fire like phenomena’ so when the alarm goes it may not necessarily be a fire. FRS’ across the country are changing how they respond to automatic fire alarms and in many cases unless there is a confirmation of a ‘real’ fire they will not attend. Many FRS’ recognise that hospitals are the worst offenders in terms of unwanted fire signals so this needs to be factored into your plan. You need to know what the policy is for your FRS and, if you manage multiple-site facilities, what the policy for all the facilities is. It will differ from FRS to FRS! Consider an investigation time before the signal is transmitted; look at what detection type you use and modify it to your situation; or modify what you do, for example the simplest way to reduce false alarms in hospitals is to make sure ward toasters are nowhere near a fire detector. Advice on managing false alarms and the FRS response to automatic fire alarms can be found on the FIA website: www.fia.uk.com/en/cut-false-alarm-cost.

What else can you do to reduce the chance of a fire or an unwanted fire signal?

Well, if any maintenance or building work is carried out on the hospital make sure that any hot work is managed on a permit system and, if necessary, isolate the fire alarm or cover the detectors in that area (remembering to uncover the heads once the work is done). This also applies if the work is liable cause a large amount of dust.

Arson can also be a problem so ensure that access to areas with large amount of flammable/explosive liquids, gases or solid is strictly controlled. Don’t just leave waste lying around; bag it and store it securely.

MULTI-SITE FACILITIES For those of you that have multiple sites that overlap several Fire & Rescue Services then you might want to consider a Primary Authority Scheme. These are

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

Primary Authority Schemes for fire will be covered by the new Regulators’ Code which is due to come into effect next April and will replace the Compliance Code and Enforcement Concordat that came before

being extended to cover enforcement under the Fire Safety Order. Through such schemes businesses have access to reliable information from one source based on a detailed understanding of their operations.

Primary Authority Schemes for fire will be covered by the new Regulators’ Code which is due to come into effect next April and will replace the Compliance Code and Enforcement Concordat that came before. The revised code has been changed to improve regulation in areas such as the Focus on Enforcement review of appeals, the Accountability for

Regulator Impact measure and the planned Growth Duty for non-economic regulators.

In addition, the new code, based upon a beneficial relationship between regulators and the companies they work with, should reduce burdens and help to boost business growth.

For more information on managing your fire safety download a copy of the FIA’s Best Practice Guide to Fire Safety at the web address below. # FURTHER INFORMATION www.fia.uk.com

Toxicology

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Drink and Drugs and Work DON’T MIX Call Alere Toxicology on +44 (0)1235 861 483 toxeu.marketing@alere.com | www.aleretoxicology.co.uk © 2013 Alere. All rights reserved. The Alere Logo and Alere are trademarks of the Alere group of companies. AWP0046 Ed.1a

Hospital Directions

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

EVENT PREVIEW

A NEW VISION IN HOSPITAL CARE Keynote speakers: Mike Farrar, chief executive of NHS Confederation Lorraine Bewes, chair of NHS London Procurement Partnership and director of finance, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Helen Bevan, chief of service transformation at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement Greg Adams, group president of Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Mid-Atlantic States Alastair Mclellan, editor of Health Service Journal

Two days of inspiration, innovation and practical advice for senior hospital managers at the Hospital Directions conference, 27-28 November 2013, ExCeL London

training needs to NHS managers at no cost.

Listen to inspirational case studies at the conference from clinical leaders and start delivering excellence within your role to deliver excellence within your ward and hospital.

Senior hospital managers are being asked to do more with less and Hospital Directions conference is responding to these changes with a visionary programme of inspirational and educational advice.

The Hospital Directions show will deliver two days (27-28 November, ExCeL London) of high-quality expert training to senior hospital managers looking to shape the future of hospital care, through a dynamic conference programme that packs a punch on every issue affecting hospitals today.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME A seven stream, high-profile speaker programme, running across two days, will deliver practical seminars to hospital managers seeking a complete understanding of the current changes to the NHS and what it will mean to them in their roles and wards.

Create your own bespoke learning plan by choosing from a series of hands-on workshops running alongside the main conference programme, designed to support you in your role and develop you as an NHS leader.

EQUIP YOU AND YOUR TEAM Find out from the policymakers themselves what will affect you in the year ahead and gain the transferable skills you’ll need to equip you and your team to deliver a better future in hospital care. Providing hospital

leaders with inspirational case studies and countless training opportunities from the pioneers of healthcare in the UK and worldwide, London’s Hospital Directions is unique in offering a range of essential topics, including reconfiguration and service redesign, leadership, estates and facilities management, informatics and technology, workforce, finance and procurement and the future of the NHS – all for free.

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS Combining practical solutions through the expert speaker line-up, with a complete programme of hands-on, interactive workshops and ample opportunities to network with clinical leaders and NHS innovative suppliers, Hospital Directions is the only training conference to meet specific

Combining practical solutions with interactive workshops and opportunities to network with clinical leaders and NHS innovative suppliers, Hospital Directions is the only conference to meet specific training needs to NHS managers at no cost 52

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

WHO SHOULD ATTEND HOSPITAL DIRECTIONS? Hospital managers, leaders and NHS healthcare professionals responsible for delivering patient care throughout secondary care are all entitled to complimentary passes to attend the Hospital Directions show.

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND? The acute hospital is changing, senior hospital managers are increasingly being stretched and with a looming ‘NHS winter crisis’ reported recently in the press, the need for extra support and training is a necessity.

Hospital Directions Conference is reacting to these problems facing the NHS by providing

hospital leaders with a full support network of training and real-life solutions to the obstacles you’re facing right now.

Discover practical solutions via the seven stream seminar programme – completely transferable to day-to-day roles, whilst networking with key solutions providing suppliers and clinical leaders.

NEW FOR 2013 Hospital Directions promises to be more than your average conference: jam-packed with flexible and innovative learning opportunities designed to provide you with the tools you need to take on the year ahead.

Some of the job titles the show attracts…

Facilities managers Finance managers and directors Procurement managers and directors IT managers and directors HR managers and directors Business development specialists Clinical leads and medical directors Nursing directors

Hospital Directions

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Pulling together all the big thinkers and significant case studies, from human resource to IT to procurement to quality to patient services, Hospital Directions has established itself as the must-attend event for hospital leadership teams This year, the expert seminar programme will run alongside a programme of interactive workshops. These cut-to-the-chase bite-size sessions are aimed to instil the confidence and skills required on the ward on a day-to-day basis. By combining both seminars and workshops, you can create a bespoke programme specific to all your training needs.

ARE YOU AND YOUR HOSPITAL HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? Pulling together all the big thinkers exciting practice and significant case studies from human resource to IT to procurement to quality to patient services – and beyond. The Hospital Directions conference has established itself as the ground-breaking, must-attend event for hospital leadership teams. Take some time to reflect and discover exactly what you’ll need to tackle in the year ahead and learn the skills required to be equipped to do so.

Attend inspirational and informative talks at the Hospital Directions event, find out exactly what you need to know from the people in the

know and start shaping the future of hospital care as soon as you get back to the hospital. # FURTHER INFORMATION Claim your complimentary* conference pass via www.hospitaldirections.co.uk, or call the delegate team on 020 7348 4906.

*Healthcare professionals working within public sector healthcare providers.

Volume 13.5 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Products & Services

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

CONSULTANCY

ISO and OHSAS Standards are relevant to all PJ Associates specialises in the successful development and implementation of management systems: accredited management systems should be processed-based and reflect what happens within an organisation.

Having worked extensively with a number of UKAS-approved accreditation and certification bodies, PJ Associates’ services extend to the development and implementation of systems and processes, covering: quality management to ISO 9001; environmental management to ISO 14001; health & safety management to OHSAS 18001; risk assessments & safe working method statements; waste management analysis; compliance and duty of care

assessments; environmental aspect and impact assessments; systems review and auditing; and ongoing maintenance and support of management systems.

PJ Associates’ approach is based on the recognition that organisations will have existing management systems and operational processes in place.

The key is to establish the links within those processes and develop practical solutions that work and meet the requirements set out in the standards. The result is a bespoke solution directly relevant to client needs.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01625 610758 Tel: 07818 852818 pppoconnor@aol.com

Pool Maintenance: preferred suppliers to MOD

Welcome to Pool Maintenance, specialist swimming pool engineers and preferred suppliers to the Ministry of Defence.

The company has been in the water treatment industry for more than 35 years and, as such, it has accumulated a vast reserve of expertise and experience that enable it to guarantee the operational performance and upkeep of even the most demanding applications.

Not only does Pool Maintenance specialise in servicing and maintenance contracts to swimming pools worldwide, but it also offers the following disciplines: full cleaning and biofilm removal to all forms of confined space

SECURITY

PERIOPERATIVE PRACTICE

Acclaimed Security has been supplying security staff for manned guarding, mobile patrols and key-holding, and alarm response for over 20 years and its management has over 28 years’ experience in the security industry.

Many clients would like Superman to be their regular guard, but he is a mythical figure, so the company has developed systems that make its guards more like Superman.

When you have a lone worker on site, you have a duty of care to see that they are safe and regularly monitored to confirm this. Acclaimed Security has developed its own Check Call System to monitor the safety of the officer and therefore the site.

It has further developed a system called Guard Safe, this is deployed around midway between the Check Calls to verify the guard is where he is supposed to be and that he has concluded regular and random patrols to maximise security.

AfPP is the leading membership organisation dedicated to promoting safer surgery and best practice within the perioperative arena. AfPP’s support, training, advice and guidance is received by thousands of practitioners nationwide giving them all they need to excel in their career.

Its members have access to services including online education, advice, discussion forums, and bursaries and awards.

After almost 50 years, AfPP continues to lead the way in perioperative excellence and are well-known for setting the benchmark for standards of care.

The company also produces the renowned Journal of Perioperative Practice, which contains literature reviews, research-based articles, topical

A security guarding service with a difference

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WATER TREATMENT

Acclaimed Security Property Protection employs a mobile fleet of marked and unmarked vehicles staffed by specially trained officers utilising video recording equipment.

This service combines the benefits of both high-visibility deterrence and immediate response should an incident be detected on premises covered.

Acclaimed Security provides services to commercial, industrial, hospitals and councils predominantly throughout Yorkshire. With a turnover of £1.6m, the company is profitable and the majority of its clients have been there for many years – some right from the start of trading.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07711 693600 royunwin@acclaimedsecurity.com

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

tanks, such as balance tanks, wash water holding tanks and portable water tanks; new pool installations; full refurbishments; filter vessel design and manufacture; chemical installations and UV treatment.

Pool Maintenance’s client base includes: MOD, NHS, equine facilities, schools and local authorities.

With water, Pool Maintenance can: heat it, clean it, treat it, bend it and form it. The only thing the company cannot do is walk on it.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01457 765533/ 07748 908201 www.poolmaintenanceltd.com

Enhancing the quality of care in the NHS and the independent sector discussions, advice on clinical issues, current news items and product information.

Six times a year, the Journal is supplemented with a pull-out Procurement Guide with unbiased editorial comment around current topics and other issues within the medical device

industry. The procurement supplement also provides targeted opportunities for medical device companies to place editorial and advertising.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01423 881 300 www.afpp.org.uk

INFECTION CONTROL

HEALTHCARE IT

The Alupod is an innovative and adaptable dust-control unit.

The easy-to-assemble Alupod is more effective and easier to use than plastic sheeting and pole-type solutions.

The Alupod complies with dust and infection control legislation, and reduces the risks associated with the spread of dust in sterile areas such as hospitals, laboratories, clean rooms, nursing homes, and pharmaceutical companies, and can also be used in the food industry.

The Alupod is currently in use in York Teaching Hospital, Hereford County Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

The company is delighted to have been involved in London’s Infection Prevention Society event last month, where it had a full-size unit on display.

The Alupod is available to order and adjustable to practically all ceiling heights. It comes in two standard sizes but the

The iPad has been increasingly changing the way that healthcare organisations communicate and integrate with their patients and internal staff.

From increased patient interaction to substantial timesaving, the iPad has revolutionised the quality of information that is delivered to organisations’ patients and the way internal staff communicate.

Key benefits from adopting the iPad include: improved maintenance and access to patient records; increased mobility for staff, as they aren’t tied to a single workstation; and creation of transparency and awareness around your patients’ health and progress.

Amsys provides a number of dedicated iOS services for their clients, from developing in-house iPad apps that can pull-up X-ray records to show to patients to site-wide iPad deployment

A simple solution to a very big problem

company is very interested in any enquiry requiring a bespoke Alupod to any specified size.

Should you have any queries or require further details, please contact Gerry Bourke.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 00353 86 256 3807 Tel: 00353 69 85 999 g.bourke@alupod.ie www.alupod.ie

Transforming our healthcare organisations with iOS devices

INFECTION CONTROL

WORK SURFACES

Clinimax helps prevent and control infection within the healthcare environment.

DIFFICIL-S® products are powerful broad-spectrum disinfectant/cleaners developed to target and kill pathogens on surfaces within the healthcare environment.

An independent study by Speight et al (2011) to assess the efficacy of a range of commercial products, including DIFFICIL-S, against Clostridium difficile spores (NCTC 11209) following BS EN 13704:2002 of European standards proved the efficiency of the product, and showed that no other chemical disinfectant tested was more effective.

DIFFICIL-S exceeds BS EN standards for medical area disinfectant.

DIFFICIL-S has been independently tested by the Hospital Infection Research Laboratory, Birmingham, to give outstanding test results.

As the first UK installation for this forward-thinking integrated worksurface solution, the Orchard Medical Centre in Bristol now benefits from hand-washing stations made from ThermoLine worktops in Corian® supplied

by CD (UK). Positioned in four new consultation rooms in a busy primary care facility, these sleek, seamless units were installed quickly and cost-effectively by Freemont.

Ideal for healthcare environments, ThermoLine maximises the design, performance and hygienic advantages of Corian® while minimising the cost of fabrication.

As a robust one-piece worktop with a seamlessly coved upstand and a non-drip edge detail pre-applied, this solution reduces both labour and lead times, while the renowned qualities of Corian® remain uncompromised.

Charles Roland, director of Freemont, explains, “We

Clinimax manufactures Difficl-S – a powerful sporicidal disinfectant

The DIFFICIL-S range has received a Department of Health Rapid Review Panel Level 2 recommendation.

Use Difficil-S as your one-stop disinfectant/cleaner. The products are: non-corrosive on metal fittings; non-carcinogenic when used in combination with organic spills; the solution retains efficacy for 14 days; emits no harmful or unpleasant gas release yet still gives a powerful five-log reduction; and they can be used on most carpets and fabrics.

FURTHER INFORMATION info@clinimax.co.uk www.clinimax.co.uk

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solutions. If you are considering deploying the iPad into your current IT infrastructure, please contact Amsys to speak about the unique and class-leading solutions that other service providers wish they had.

As the leading Apple-authorised service provider, our clients can take advantage of our range of Apple services, including support, repair, training and recruitment.

For more information about how we can help with any Apple technical requirements, please get in touch with Amsys today.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 660 9999 support@amsys.co.uk www.amsys.co.uk

Orchard Medical Centre benefits from Corian® ThermoLine worktops

chose ThermoLine because it’s an excellent product that is already post-formed, with an integrated upstand and an anti-drip edge. This speeds up fabrication considerably and is very competitive in cost. The Orchard Medical Centre has told us they are really happy with it and are thinking of replacing the rest of their existing surgeries with the same product.”

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0113 201 2240 Fax: 0113 253 0717 info@cdukltd.co.uk www.cdukltd.co.uk/thermoline

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Products & Services

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

INFECTION CONTROL

INFECTION CONTROL

SteriZar is an alcohol-free halal antibacterial sanitising product, that has been tested and proven to be effective against a wide range of bacteria and viruses: containing no irritants, tested to be skin and food safe, and is perfectly safe for all ages to use.

One property of SteriZar that makes it so different is it has active barrier technology which allows the bacterial agent to continue to be effective on the skin for up to six hours and hard surfaces for up to 30 days.

All claims made regarding effectiveness of SteriZar have been substantiated by independently recognised testing laboratories in the UK and meet the criteria laid out for the appropriate British Standard, all of which are readily available.

Tests using the product have been successful against norovirus and the recently highlighted bacteria NDM-1,

improve hygiene standards across all areas of the washroom and workplace. Of all infectious diseases, 80 per cent are transmitted by touch so, when hygiene is paramount, an intelligent paper dispensing solution is essential.

Though not intended exclusively for the healthcare sector, Leonardo’s recent innovations are proving to be a success in the medical industry.

The Leonardo ranges of Classic and Compact dispensers boast easy-to-clean surfaces and economic single-sheet presentation while enclosing the product, ensuring that paper is hygienically dispensed.

Nearly 1.5 million patients a year contract an infection, with most being preventable. Whilst everyone knows the importance of hand washing, drying them with a good-quality paper towel improves hand hygiene standards.

Leonardo understands that hand hygiene is integral to patient safety,

Alcohol-free sanitiser from Leonardo Dispensing: the one-stop shop for solutions for washrooms Leonardo’s range of dispensers and its dispensing systems are in halal-approved products deliver cost-in-use savings and place in several hospital trusts.

to add to the already achieved excellent test results showing the effectiveness of the product against many harmful and potentially life-threatening micro-organisms that exist in today’s working environment.

SteriZar products have been certified as fully Halal compliant by the International Halal Federation (IHF). The full range of Halal-compliant SteriZar products are available through its distributor All Things Halal.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0330 660 0098 info@athalal.com www.athalal.com

INFECTION CONTROL

The hygiene features coupled with cost-in-use savings and recycled paper options, make Leonardo the perfect hospital package.

With no-touch dispensing and handles treated with Bio-Kleen™, the dispensers provide optimum hygiene, reducing cross contamination and the risk of HAI’S. Leonardo has been designed not only to fulfil high hygiene

standards, but with efficiency in mind. In a busy hospital surrounding, the easy-to-refill dispensers and clear ABS plastic covers help ensure paper monitoring is simple and products can be replenished quickly.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01286 880 969 www.leonardo-dispensing.co.uk

INFECTION CONTROL

Keeping water safe: A system to make sure Legionella risk assessments you manage legionella Managed Water Services (MWS) control of Legionella is understood and save money has helped GP surgeries, medical and managed correctly. centres, dental practices and care homes to comply with the CQC guidelines by the production of a Legionella risk assessment.

This is the first step to ensuring that water treatment is carried out effectively to minimise risk. Managed Water Services acknowledges that this is the first but also the most vital part of any water treatment and management system.

All risk assessments will be undertaken by trained, qualified staff. MWS will assess the level of knowledge of on-site staff and provide training and guidance where necessary. A responsibility and communication structure is identified to ensure that the

56

A detailed and accurate schematic of all water systems is produced, showing all elements of the systems including water storage, pipework runs, redundant sections and any dead ends.

MWS will assess the usage of all systems and provide details on the types and number of people who will be exposed. It provides detailed and prioritised information on any remedial actions required to achieve a fully compliant water system. These will be illustrated with photographic evidence, where possible.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01245 362366 www.legionellariskassessment.co

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

The Aquadron® system is widely used to eradicate legionella in the water systems in German hospitals, care homes, schools, swimming pools and even in food and beverage production.

Independent testing by the University of Birmingham has shown that the system kills 99.999 per cent of legionella, pseudomonas, E.coli and MRSA in water within five minutes of treatment. In fact, the system is so effective at killing pathogens that you don’t need to have your water at 60°C, you can reduce the water temperature, saving energy, saving money and reducing scald risk.

The system is low-maintenance and can be monitored remotely via the internet or connected to your building management system. It can be installed into the hot and cold water systems and operates 24/7, treating the water system continuously at a very low cost.

The system complies with relevant UK and European Standards and guidelines such as Approved Code of Practice L8. Why wait? This will reduce your legionella risk and save you money. Contact for more about the Auqadron and a free survey.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0121 285 8785 info@newenergy management.co.uk www.newenergy management.co.uk

ENERGY

ENERGY

Abbey Solar: specialists AE Energy Solutions put in renewable technologies energy and money-saving Abbey Solar can identify ways Abbey Solar has years of back in your hands in which you can drastically experience in installing renewable cut your energy bills through renewable technologies and energy management systems.

The company can also provide finance on projects which can make any investment self-funding and can even provide free biomass boilers and solar PV installations in certain circumstances.

Even just investing a few hundred pounds can help reduce energy consumption by up to 50 per cent.

Abbey Solar can help you claim government grants, Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) payments and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments, which can fund your investment.

technologies and reducing energy bills all over the UK and its team of energy consultants is able to give you free advice on how to achieve energy savings.

If you are off the main gas grid, you could cut your energy costs by more than 60 per cent.

To reduce your energy bills, contact Abbey Solar now for a no-obligation quote or for a consultant to demonstrate how much you can save and earn by installing and generating your own electricity.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01562 228177 info@abbey-solar.com

ENERGY

AE Energy Solutions is an installer of loft, cavity, and solid wall insulation, solar PV, heat extraction systems, ground heat source systems and all measures available under the government’s ‘green deal’ initiative.

AE Energy Solutions is able to offer a total package of energy and cost-saving home improvements, from the initial energy performance certificate to the installation. Along the way, the company’s fully trained team is able to offer energysaving advice and possible measures that fall within the green deal finance options.

As with numerous government-driven schemes, there is a large amount of paperwork and pre-qualifying work that needs to be undertaken in order to access the scheme.

Many companies within the industry have been resistant

Products & Services

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

to enter this market as they foresee many barriers, both in terms of procedure and cost.

At AE Energy Solutions, the green deal has been embraced as an opportunity to further develop and grow through a desire to become market leaders. The company is confident it will be at the forefront of the green deal and is well-positioned to offer customers expert advice and install.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 02920 362442 www.aeenergysolutions.com

ENERGY

Generate an income stream Exceptional facilities with Quantum Energy management in healthcare

Electricity prices are increasing.

The actions you take today to manage this will have a great impact on what you face in the coming years.

There is a window of opportunity to take advantage of a government initiative, the Feed-in Tariff (FIT), which will enable you to reduce your costs and generate an income stream.

Solar PV utilises your roof space to generate your own electricity. It’s quiet, requires virtually no maintenance and installation does not impact your vital 24/7 operation.

The benefits are that you reduce your electricity bill and, through the FIT, get paid for every kilowatt that is generated.

The FIT rate is decreasing and will probably not be available indefinitely. Organisations that want to maximise the payback period and income stream, should act now.

You have probably heard this before, but there is never enough time to look into it. Quantum Energy takes pride in providing a complete solution where your input is minimised. Quantum Energy provides the information, explains it and manages the entire process – and finance is available.

Call Quantum Energy today to see how you can benefit.

Norland is a facilities, energy and project management services company, operating from a network of offices throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe and the US. It works with NHS Foundation Trusts, acute hospitals, GPs, dentists, nursing and residential homes, mental health and rehabilitation centres.

Your patients, visitors and staff are central to all that Norland does and its working practices adhere to HTM and HBN guidance. Norland endorses the Seven Steps to Patient Safety process and participates in Patient Environment Action Teams.

A preferred supplier of NHS framework agreements, the company is well-suited to be the partner of choice for the NHS.

Norland’s healthcare capabilities cover: HVAC planned and preventative maintenance, mechanical and electrical maintenance, specialist theatre cleaning and general cleaning, theatre, emergency and general lighting, exhaust ventilation, and energy services and carbon reduction.

Plus, water compliance, sterilisation, decontamination and infection control, capital projects (such as CHP plant installation), helpdesk and front of house, soft services (including security, grounds and catering) and building fabric maintenance.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0844 324 8700 www.norlandmanaged services.co.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01738 707172 www.quantumenergy.co.uk

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Advertisers Index

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Abbey Solar Abel Energy Ablaze Green Acclaimed Security AE Insulation AFPP Alphabet Car Lease Alupod Amsys Asbestos Training Asckey Data Ascom UK ATH Automatic Vending Barker Ross Big Hand Bilfinger HSG Facility Britplas

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54 30 30 54 54 54 40, 41 55 55 34 20, 42 25, 26 57 46 58 26 28 36

HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 13.5

Ccube Solutions CD UK Clinimax Concateno Connect Hygiene Products Crowne Plaza Nottingham Findlay Irvine GRC Accountants Hagesud Bosse UK Hamilton Asset Infranor Kruger Associates Language Line Managed Water Services Medical Gas Services Multitone New Energy Management OKI Systems UK

22 55 55 51 57 16 35 48 6 BC 12 46 42 56 48 IFC 56 44

People Opportunities 48 PFU Imaging Solutions IBC PHSC 32 PJ Associates 56 Pool Maintenance 56 Precision Europe 4 Secure Parking 46 Skoda UK 10 Snowflake Software 46 Static Systems Group 20 Teknomek 14 Telehealth Solutions 38 Thornton & Ross 30 Ultima Business Solutions 36 Voice Connect 8 Wendy Fisher Consulting 18 Wilo UK 48

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