The Magazine for Members
Membership that’s open to all
In this issue
16
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3 Snore No More 4 New X-Ray Vision for Leigh Infirmary 5 RadioIsotope Scanning in Leigh 6 About Our People 9 Emergency Use Only 10 Relocation for a Better Future 11 Age Concern Wigan Borough 12 Shaping our Services 13 Membership Events 14 Governor News 15 Useful Contacts
Contents
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What’s new
03 Snore no more How this could make a big difference to peoples’ quality of life.
Our Services
04 New X-Ray Vision We look at the new Fluoroscopy Unit installed in Leigh. 05 Radio-Isotope Scanning Now available at RAEI.
Our People
06 Team Players Introducing our new line up of Gastroenterology consultants. 07 Staff news The latest key staff changes
In The Know
09 Emergency Use Only During winter there is more pressure on A&E. We find out why. 10 Relocation for a Better Future We track Christopher Home and Hawthorns relocation plans. 11 Age Concern Working with our Partner Agency Representatives.
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12 Shaping Our Services Our Members are the people to whom our Trust is accountable. 13 Membership Events A round up of some recent events enjoyed by our members.
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14 The Voice Governors are the voice of our members and local community. We meet some of the people who have taken this responsibility.
Stay in Touch
15 Useful Contacts All the details you need to get in touch with the Governors and NHS Services in your local area.
in this issue
14
Governor News
Issue One 2010 The Magazine for Members 2 -------Issue One 2010
What’s New
Snore no more! Around a quarter of the population are regular snorers, although at least half the population in the UK snore from time to time.
Snoring can cause a great deal of stress, more often to the partners and families of the sufferer, who are regularly kept awake by the noise. Alleviating snoring could make a big difference to the quality of life for many people.
Professor Kumar Monday am at Thomas Lincare Centre Tuesday pm at Leigh Infirmary
Whilst there are lifestyle choices and short term remedies which can ease snoring, in many cases surgery is the only reliable and lasting solution.
Patients will be assessed initially to find the cause of snoring and the most appropriate treatment for them. This is usually in the form of a first appointment. Patients may There are different kinds of require an overnight assesssurgery but the procedure ment (which is done by the used at WWL is Coblation patient in their own home) and Platoplasty. This uses radioa follow up appointment where frequency energy to remove the results will be discussed. tissue which is blocking the If surgery is the most airway. The tissue disintegrates appropriate route then patients layer by layer which gives the will be treated as a day case surgeon greater control and and a follow up appointment protects the surrounding tissue. to check progress will be given A thin needle is pushed into three months after surgery. the soft palate (or soft nose tissue) and the radiofrequency Further details can be found energy heats and removes the on our website inner tissue, which stiffens the www.wwl.nhs.uk or by palate and enlarges the airways. contacting the Clinic on 01942 822546 and The procedure, which is 01942 773546. performed under general anaesthetic, usually takes approximately 15 minutes: it then takes a few days for the patient to recover. Most patients will experience a reduction in their snoring within six weeks. However, some people may require several surgical procedures to stop or significantly reduce their snoring.
Mr Izzat Monday pm at Leigh Infirmary Tuesday am at Thomas Linacre Centre
WWL is currently able to offer immediate access to this service!
Issue One 2010 ------- 3
Our Services
The new equipment is the latest technology, which brings with it a whole host of benefits.
New X-Ray Vision for Leigh Infirmary In September 2009 a new Fluoroscopy Unit was installed in Leigh Infirmary. This is the latest technology which takes real time moving images of the internal structures of a patient. This complements the suite of four X-Ray machines and two ultra sound scanners already on the Leigh site. Patients can usually expect to be seen within three weeks for this service. The most common uses of fluoroscopy are investigations in the stomach, bowel, bone surgery, urological surgery and heart surgery. The new equipment brings with it a whole host of benefits: it is easier to use and the images are digital which means they can be transferred directly into hospital systems. This is quicker than traditional methods and provides clinicians with better quality images, which translates to shorter waiting times and more accurate and timely results for patients.
This latest technology takes real time moving images of the internal structures of a patient.
4 -------Issue One 2010
Our Services
Since September 2009, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust has been offering radio-isotope scanning a non invasive test for angina.
RadioIsotope Scanning of the Heart Now available at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends radio-isotope scanning of the heart, as it eliminates the need for unnecessary invasive tests on patients who are at low risk of having heart disease. The test is done over two days (a week apart). The patient is given an injection of radiopharmaceutical material and is then assessed at rest. A week later the patient undergoes a further test and is then “stressed” to assess the difference between the heart at rest and under stress. If a difference is apparent then this usually indicates angina. Once the results are back the patient will have a consultation with their Cardiologist to discuss the outcome and any further treatment required. The radio-isotope scanning equipment was purchased using funds from Dr Nayyar Naqvi’s ‘Heart Fund’ and includes computer hardware and software, a blood pressure and ECG machine and a defibrillator. Over £80k was spent on the service in total. The benefits for patients not only include being able to have the tests done locally, but there is a very low risk with this procedure, either of mortality or complications due to its non-invasive nature. Also there is currently no waiting list so patients are able to benefit from rapid access to the service.
Photos: Members of the Radiology team with the new RadioIsotope Scanner at Wigan Infirmary.
Issue One 2010 ------- 5
About Our People
We have a new Gastroenterology team. The team aim to see all patients within six weeks. In addition WWL is the only one of three trusts in Greater Manchester currently offering a 24 hour service for severe Gastro Intestinal (GI) conditions, in particular GI bleeding.
Dr Paul Smith
Dr Gurvinder Banait
Team Players Dr Yeng Ang
Welcome to our new Gastroenterology Team.
For more details on our consultants and Gastroenterology services please visit our website at www.wwl.nhs.uk.
6 -------Issue One 2010
Dr Yeng Ang has been a Consultant Gastroenterologist at WWL since 2002, providing a high quality, evidence based and patient centred service. His interest is Upper Gastrointestinal gastroenterology, including reflux disorders, Barrett's oesophagus and adenocarcinoma of the Upper Gastrointestinal tract.
Since joining the Trust, Dr Gurvinder Banait has become the HPB (Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic) lead and has started work to improve and streamline the management of painless jaundice. He will be developing a hepatitis C service and working with the haematologists to address the needs of our patients with haemochromatosis. One of his key aims is to streamline the patient journey from primary to secondary care and onto tertiary care if necessary, using managed care pathways that encourage clear medical thinking.
Dr Ghazanfar Ali Dr Ali has been with the Trust since February 2001. He took over as staff grade in gastroenterology in March 2002 and was regarded as associate specialist in gastroenterology in November 2005. He had been running open access colitis service until the appointment of an inflammatory bowel disease Nurse and has retained a keen interest in inflammatory bowel disease. He will be involved in the management of hepatitis B and C patients, liaising with Dr Banait. He also has a keen interest in the teaching and training of junior doctors and medical students.
Dr Paul Smith was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at WWL in August 2009. Paul is the lead physician for the clinical nutrition service at RAEI, and conducts a twice-weekly multidisciplinary nutrition ward round. Paul has further sub-specialist interests in inflammatory bowel disease and capsule endoscopy.
Dr Neeraj Prasad Dr Neeraj Prasad is the endoscopy lead and endoscopy training lead for the department. He has developed subspecialty interests in therapeutic endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease and the management of Clostridium Difficile infection.
Dr Alastair Cairns Dr Alastair Cairns, an Medical Assessment Unit consultant, joined the Trust in September 2009 in a new post. Dr Cairns has an interest in general gastroenterology and alcohol related liver disease. He currently spends half his time as an acute physician on the emergency floor and the other half in gastroenterology. Alastair is a keen teacher and dedicated to the medical education and training of junior doctors.
About Our People
Hello, Goodbye Farewell Chris...
Meet Pauline...
Pauline Jones, Deputy Director of Nursing and Patient Services Pauline, who joined the Trust in June 2009, trained as a nurse in 1981, at Wigan and Leigh School of Nursing. Following two years as a Sister on Ward Seven at Leigh Infirmary, which was then an acute medical ward, she moved to work in Manchester. Clinically, Pauline specialised in nursing the elderly and gained a specialist practice degree in this field.
We are sad to announce that Chris Chandler will be standing down as Medical Director in March, after six years in the role. Chris took up the post of Medical Director on 1st April 2004 following his position as Chairman of the Surgical Division and prior to that Clinical Director for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, roles covering more than 20 years of service to the Trust.
Welcome Dr Prabhu... Welcome and congratulations to Dr Umesh Prabhu, former Medical Director at Bury, who has been appointed here as Medical Director, after a very tough and competitive appointment process.
She has worked at a variety of Trusts in a senior nursing position including Manchester Royal Infirmary, Whiston and St Helens Hospitals, The Walton Centre for Neurology, Trafford General Hospital and latterly, successfully tried her hand at general management at Royal Bolton NHS Foundation Trust. Pauline says of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust “I was absolutely delighted to be successful in gaining this position. My heart lies firmly with nursing and doing what I can to improve the patients’ experience. Coming back to where I trained, now as a senior nurse leader, is really exciting. There are some great people here at WWL, with a real commitment to making a difference and I hope I can support the nursing workforce to deliver the best possible care to all our patients; they are our priority”
My heart lies firmly with nursing and doing what I can to improve the patients’ experience Issue One 2010 ------- 7
All hands have been on deck during this busy period
8 -------Issue One 2010
In the Know
A&E Emergency Use Only!
Over winter there is more pressure on A&E and more so this year due to the particularly severe conditions. In the week commencing 7th December, 27 people came through Wigan’s A&E with fractures. This increased by over four times with 110 patients being treated for fractures during the period 24th-29th December. Many of these breaks were due to people falling on the snow and ice. This has meant all hands have been on deck during this busy period to ensure that patients in need of urgent care are seen as soon as possible. If you have a minor injury or feel unwell and it is out of hours, it may seem like a sensible idea to come to A&E. However, our staff in A&E are trained in emergency medicine and many problems are not only better being treated by a GP but may cause a delay to someone who is in desperate need of care.
A GP will be able to advise if your symptoms are severe enough to attend A&E
A&E
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When to go + + + + + + + + + +
Unconsciousness Suspected Stroke Heavy blood loss Suspected broken bones A deep wound Suspected heart attack Difficulty breathing Severe burns Severe allergic reaction If it is safe to do so and the person is able go straight to A&E. + If you are unable to travel call 999.
A&E
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When not to go -
General aches and pains Coughs, Colds or Sore Throat Dental problems Repeat prescriptions Sick notes General X-rays
A&E
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What to do Call your GP Even if it is out of hours they will have details of who to contact Visit your Pharmacy There are local pharmacies that open late where you can go and seek advice. Check local press or www.alwpct.nhs.uk for details. Call NHS Direct 24 hours a day, seven days a week you can call 0845 4647 and speak to a trained medical professional who will be able to advise you. You can also visit www.nhs.uk
Issue One 2010 ------- 9
In the Know
The Trust transferred ophthalmic surgery from Wigan Infirmary to Leigh Infirmary in December 2009.
Phase V Developments Christopher Home and Hawthorns Relocation
This forms part of the Trust’s long term plans to redevelop and improve the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI) site, including the need to transfer services out of the Christopher Home and the Hawthorns Paediatric Outpatient’s clinic. It will enable WWL to demolish outdated and unsuitable buildings to make space for the next major phase of the development: this will include much more single room ward accommodation, a new pathology unit and the re-housing of many other departments, which are still in Victorian buildings. All patients have been informed of the service moves via a revised appointment letter together with making sure they are aware of the service transfer when they confirm their appointment.
Part of the Trust’s long term plans to redevelop and improve the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
10 -------Issue One 2010
Hospital Information and Support Service
This Service is based within Wigan Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI). The aim of this service is to provide free support and information to patients aged 50 and over during their stay at the Hospital. The service is also available to carers and family members of the patient.
Age Concern Wigan Borough Working with our Partner Agency Representatives on the Council of Governors The Service offers many means of support and information: ! Ward Visits
! Providing Information
Friendly visits on the wards to people who may be anxious about being in hospital.
This service aims to give practical help and emotional support to people admitted to hospital and on their discharge home. The service looks at immediate problems the patient may have or may experience on their discharge home. The Service liaises with many other Age Concern services as well as external agencies and work groups.
! Benefit Advice/Checks If a patient’s or carers’ circumstances have changed recently it is possible that their entitlements may have changed also. We can offer benefit advice at the patient’s request.
! Slipper Fitting If a patient arrives to Hospital with an old/ill fitting pair of footwear or, in some circumstances with no footwear at all, we can supply and fit a new pair of slippers whilst they are in hospital.
For more information on this service please contact 01942 778605 Monday to Friday 9.30am – 5.30pm
The patient’s family may need to know of various channels of support and information that can be provided to the patient to support them throughout their stay and on discharge home.
Wigan Borough
Issue One 2010 ------- 11
In the Know
Thanks to all our volunteers for the tremendous contribution you have made to our Trust
Shaping Our Services
We want you to continue to share your views and influence the way in which we provide healthcare services to our patients and respond to their expectations.
Our Members are the people to whom our Trust is accountable
Did you know?
rust
Since becoming a Foundation Trust • 219 information leaflets have been reviewed by our Lay Readers to ensure that the information we provide is of the right quality for our patients. We are delighted to have 412 lay readers but are happy for more people to be involved. • Surveys covering topics on choice of hospital, clinical audit, cancer services and the Trust’s new tag line have all been responded to by our Patient Panel helping us to improve the services we provide. We currently have 500 members on our Patient Panel and are always looking for more. • We also have 400 Volunteers in our Trust who provide support to our patients across all our hospital sites: Help Desks, Hospital Radio, Ward, Clinic and Chaplaincy support are just some of the many different roles of our volunteers. To find out more about becoming a volunteer, lay reader or patient panel member contact the Membership Office on 0800 073 1477.
For more information on how you could help shape our future contact: 0800 073 1477
12-------Issue One 2010
Events Round Up
Coming Up Next
Drop In Event in Leigh Following on from the success of the first two events, the next event is already organised. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to hear about the work of our hospitals and other agencies.
Membership Events Round Up The hard work of Governors paid off in November when the first two Membership Drop In events, held in Ashton and Wigan, were enjoyed by our members. We had two excellent and informative days and were delighted to receive the support of the Mayor of Wigan who came along to our Wigan event. There were presentations from our Specialist Nurses on Diabetes, Asthma, Stroke, Heart disease and Chronic breathing disorders (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD). The wide variety of information available from health, social care and community and voluntary sector organisations was given the thumbs up by those attending and the feedback we received was excellent.
Listen to our Specialist Nurses talking about their work in treating cardiac conditions and diabetes, developments taking place on our Leigh Hospital site, how Age Concern support our patients attending the Accident and Emergency Department, free health checks and the chance to ask any questions you may have. Come along to our event at the Turnpike Centre, Leigh Library on Thursday 18th March: you can drop in anytime from 10am to 3pm. There will be presentations at 11am, 12 noon, 1pm and 2pm. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and learn about the fantastic work taking place at WWL FT. There are public car parks close by and good public transport links. The venue is accessible for those with physical or sensory disabilities. We look forward to seeing you there. For more information ring the Membership Office on freephone 0800 073 1477.
If you are moving house don’t forget to let the membership office know.
Address & Dates Number for your Change! Diary Your address determines the constituency that you belong to. It is important during Public Governor elections that all our Public Members are registered under the correct constituency. If there is more than one Public Member in your household, let us know if you would prefer to receive more than one copy of our Newsletter. Also if your details have changed, please call the Membership Office on 0800 073 1477.
NHS Discounts We would like to remind Public Members that you too are entitled to NHS discounts.These can only be accessed via the Internet and there is a special website with details of discounts from high street brands. Visit www.nhsdiscounts.com and complete the simple registration form and you will have access to more than 100 companies offering discounts. Once you have set up a username, members of your family will also be able to benefit.
The Council of Governors hold their meetings in public and you are welcome to attend. Forthcoming dates of meetings are:
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14 14th April 4 Trust Board Room Royal Albert Edward Infirmary at 6pm
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11 11th May Long Drawing Room Wrightington Conference Centre at 6pm
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11 11th August Trust Board Room Royal Albert Edward Infirmary at 6pm
Please contact the Membership Office if you would like to attend a forthcoming meeting.
Issue One 2010 -------13
Governor News
Tom has considerable experience in the voluntary sector What’s new --New Lead Governor Appointed Governors In Action Listening to You Christine Swann Executive Assistant
A busy time for Governors
Governor News Lead Governor Appointed Tom Frost (Rest of England and Wales Constituency) has been appointed as the Lead Governor by the Council of Governors. Tom has considerable experience in the voluntary sector and as a management tutor and examiner. He is interested in improving and developing the best health facilities and services and is keen to support and contribute to the growth and improvement of WWL FT service provision. Tom will work alongside the Trust Chairman, Les Higgins in taking forward the work of the Council of Governors.
Christine Swann (all other staff constituency) has worked at the Trust for 23 years. Chris is currently the Executive Assistant to the Chairman and Chief Executive and has been a Unison Steward for seven years. She is particularly keen to ensure that the best interests of staff are fully represented in the Trust’s strategic agenda. In her role as a Staff Governor she has recently been involved in the interviews for the appointment of the Deputy Director of Operations who is due to take up post in the Spring. As well as attending the Council of Governor’s meetings and their meetings with the Trust Board, Chris also sits on the following groups: • Web Review Board, which has been formed to review the content of the Trust’s ‘public facing website’ and ‘staff facing intranet site’ and also to assist in steering the direction of the Trust website. • Audit Task and Finish Group, which is considering the appointment of the external auditors for the Trust. • Communications SubCommittee, which amongst other things has been involved in the compilation of this newsletter.
The first 12 months of Foundation Trust status has been a busy time; getting to know my fellow Governors Tom Frost Lead Governor
Stay in Touch
Chris commented "the first 12 months of Foundation Trust status has been a busy time; getting to know my fellow Governors, learning about what it means to be a Foundation Trust and the Governor’s role within in it. The Council of Governors have gelled well in recent months and is definitely getting to grips with understanding the breadth of the agenda facing the Trust in what is certain to be a difficult year ahead for the NHS both locally and nationally". "On a personal level, it has been different for me to receive agendas rather than being one of the administration team responsible for putting the papers and reports together, and very interesting to actually attend and participate in meetings with the people (Directors) to whom I normally provide support - but I don't think they have been too overawed by my presence!" She said with a grin.
Taking Responsibility Public Governors Two of our Governors have taken on special responsibilities. Maureen Hilton has been appointed as a Maternity Champion on our Labour Ward Forum and Anne Vernengo has been invited to sit on the Professional Advisory Board, ensuring our Governors will receive nursing governance information.
Useful Contacts Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Foundation Trust www.wwl.nhs.uk
Governors are the voice of our members and community.
Main Hospital Switchboard 01942 244000 Thomas Linacre Out Patients Centre, 01942 774743 Appointments Help Line 01942 773162
Listening toYou We want to hear from you about ways you think the hospital could change for the better and what you would like to see in the future. You can get in touch with the Governors by calling the Membership Office on freephone 0800 073 1477 or by emailing foundationtrust@wwl.nhs.uk. To find out more information about your Governors visit our website at www.wwl.nhs.uk
FT Membership Enquiries 01942 773140 Chaplaincy Office 01942 822324 Voluntary Services Office 01942 822509 Patient Relations Office, Hospital Services 01942 822376 Wrightington Conference Centre 01257 256444 Bereavement Office 01942 822524 Other Services NHS Direct 0845 4647 NHS Ashton Leigh & Wigan 01942 482711 Patient Relations Office, Primary Care 01942 482778 GP Out of Hours Service 01942 829911 Out of Hours Emergency Dental Service 0845 6038504 Leigh Walk In Centre 01942 264000 Stop Smoking Team 0500 7867 669 Lose Weight Feel Great Team 01942 496496 Family Planning Advice Line 01942 778615 Wigan Council 01942 244991 Age Concern 01942 241972 Wigan & Leigh Hospice 01942 525566
Maureen Hilton Maternity Champion
Marie Curie Cancer Care 020 7599 7777 MacMillan Cancer Support 01925 846759
Anne Vernengo Professional Advisory Board Issue One 2010 ------- 15
Do you need something in a different language or format? We want to provide information about our services to local people in ways that make the most sense to them. Wigan is becoming more multi-cultural with many residents speaking languages other than English.
Issue One 2010 The Magazine for Members Production by Marketing and Communications Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust Royal Albert Edward Infirmary Wigan Lane WN1 2NN Design by Design LSC
Therefore we can provide information in a range of formats including large print, Braille and audio and offer high quality language and interpretation services to help those people whose first language is not English and those who struggle with their reading so that everyone is included.
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