Issue 11 April 2013.pdf - Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

news
For staff, visitors and patients of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Issue 11 April 2013
Adult inpatient survey
Our results
Page 2
Listening into Action
Quick wins
Page 3
Chair Zumba
....fitness with a difference
Page 4
Maternity Makeover
£300,000 refurbishment
The £300,000
refurbishment of the
Maternity Unit at
Croydon University
Hospital is almost
complete.
Focusing on providing a
more comfortable and
welcoming environment
for women and their
partners, the work
includes:
An additional birthing
pool to be situated on
the labour ward.
“They have done a
brilliant job on the
refurbishment. The
toilets and showers are
very nice.” Nagasandhya
Vadlamudi, new mother
on Mary Ward.
Improved facilities
for partners in both
Mary Ward (post-natal)
and Hope Ward
(antenatal).
Improvements to
theatres used for
caesareans.
Developing a “first
stage of labour” room
where mothers in the
early stages can stay
mobile and supported.
More equipment for
women to use in labour
such as reclining chairs,
birthing balls, mats.
Cordless phone for
access to language line
for mothers in labour.
“It is great to have
facilities for partners
to use. The shower
room is very nice.”
Ryan Rozario, new
father on Mary Ward
Ann Morling, Director
of Midwifery says, “The
Trust has already spent
£100 thousand
refurbishing some of
the unit but the
additional £300
thousand of
government cash meant
we could do much more
than we originally
planned. When the
work is complete this
summer it will provide
much greater privacy
and dignity for new
mums, their babies and
families.
“Compared to when
our first child was born
here almost five years
ago, there is much
more of a homely
atmosphere.” New
parent on Mary Ward
A very big “thank you”
is due to the Maternity
Services Liaison
Committee, which made
sure the views of local
women were well
represented when we
put in the bid.”
“The refurbished
bathroom has
definitely helped to
make my stay more
comfortable.” Neringa
Lekacinskate, new
mother on Hope Ward
Staff celebrated at Crystal
Palace Football Club last
month as we had a special
guest on hand to present
the annual staff awards -
Croydon-born superstar JB,
from award-winning pop
group JLS - before they
announced their split!
But the biggest stars on
the night were our staff.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr Susanna Hart,
Paediatrics
Consultant
The Barnabas Patient/
Customer Care Award
Mark
Chapman,
Catering
Assistant
Staff Awards
Excellence in Leadership Award
Karina Malhotra,
General Manager,
Patient
Transaction
Sally Quinn, Deputy
Director of HR and
Workforce Development,
said: “The dedication that
all our staff have to our
patients and our
organisation is remarkable,
and it was genuinely
humbling to hear the
stories of the achievements
of our award winners”.
Team of the Year The ACE
(Acute Care of the Elderly)
project
group
Long service awards for 40
years’ service at the Trust
were awarded to Anna Nallia
and Peter Bird.
Apprentice of the Year
Kimoi
Tate
30 years’ service awards were awarded to Dawn Boyd,
Bridgid Conroy, Nelly Coombes, Ophelia de Lima, Antonia
Stevenson, Julia McNicholas, Gail Frampton, Angela
Gentles, Ann Gocher, Paul Wright, June McCarron, Trudy
Williams, Sylvia Wiseman, Linda Branson, Mary Collison,
Mary Fosbrook and Tessa Fraser.
Congratulations to all winners and thank you for
everything that you have done and continue to do for
our patients, their families and carers.

CHS news 2
Adult inpatient survey
On April 16 the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
released the results for the national adult inpatients
survey 2012 for NHS Trusts across the country.
This survey provides a “snapshot” of around 400
patients who gave their views of their stay in
Croydon University Hospital last summer.
The survey questionnaire is structured into 10
sections which cover:
• waiting
• care and treatment
• doctors
• nurses
• overall impression of experience.
The results show for each question whether we are
better, worse or the same as other Trusts.
Of the 10 sections Croydon Health Services was
rated “worse‟ on seven sections and “same‟ for
three sections. There were no sections on which
the Trust was rated “better‟ than other Trusts.
Chief Executive John Goulston said: “The survey
covers a number of issues; overall patients’ rating
of our services, including if they felt they were
treated with respect and dignity, was the same as
other Trusts in the country.
“This shows that, while many inpatients do have a
good experience at our hospital, this is not as
consistent as it should be and this is disappointing.
“Since the survey was carried out we have been
making significant changes, recruiting more staff
and improving our Emergency Care pathways. We
are increasing the presence of senior clinicians and
decision makers seven days a week.
Finally we are pioneering Listening into Action (LiA),
a programme that puts staff and the patients they
care for at the very centre of making changes to
improve the experience of everyone who uses our
services – both in hospital and in the community.
“These actions are long term improvements which
will take some time to have a full effect but we hope
patients and visitors can already begin to see the
changes for themselves.”
Director of Nursing, Zoe Packman, added:
“These results are obviously cause for concern,
however as many of the changes were not fully in
place by the time the survey was carried out last
summer we weren’t expecting to see a big
difference in this year’s results.
“We are putting in place a range of improvements
including ensuring we have the right staff in the
right place at the right time with the right focus on
caring.
Listening to our staff is an important part of this,
which is why the LiA programme is important to
help us continue to improve the experience of all
our patients.”
CHief operating
offiCer appointed
Karen Breen
has been
appointed as
the new
Chief
Operating
Officer and
will take up
her duties at the end of
April.
The role is key in overseeing
the day to day delivery of
both community and
hospital based services.
Chief Executive John
Goulston said: “Karen will
be an asset to the
organisation, and I am
looking forward to working
with her.”
Ms Breen commented: “I’m
really looking forward to
working for a Trust that
delivers both hospital and
community services. My role
is to support the provision of
excellent care to Croydon
people when and where
they need it.”
Karen will also take the role
of Deputy Chief Executive.
Would you recommend us to Friends and Family?
You now have the opportunity to provide feedback on the care and treatment you receive and to improve services by completing the NHS
Friends and Family test.
The Friends and Family Test is an easy-to-understand, comparable question that will be asked of patients about the care and treatment
they have received. It will be used to drive cultural change and continuous improvements in the quality of the care received by NHS
patients. You will be asked whether you would recommend hospital wards and A&E departments to your friends and family if they needed
similar care or treatment. This means every patient in these wards and departments will be able to give feedback on the quality of the care
they receive.
The government wants NHS organisations to obtain regular and timely feedback from patients about their care. Using a simple question
makes this process, quick, easy and relevant.
You will be asked to answer the following question when you are discharged, or within the 48 hours of discharge:
'How likely are you to recommend our ward/A&E department to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?'
You will be invited to respond to the question by choosing one of six options, ranging from 'extremely likely' to 'extremely unlikely'.
It is important that you are given the opportunity to explain why you have given your answer, so please answer any follow-up questions.
You may be asked to answer the question before going home, or you may be invited to do so by returning a postcard, by phone or on a
website.
It is not mandatory to complete the questionnaire but if you do it will help us improve our services.
If you feel that you should have been given the opportunity to respond but did not receive the question, please contact the Patient Advice
and Liaison (PALS) team on 020 8401 3210.
We will then gather the results and analyse them to see if any action is required.
You can continue to use our website feedback form to complain, show concern or give compliments about our services/staff.
For more information on the Friends and Family Test please visit NHS Choices website.

CHS news 3
liStening into ACtion ‘QUiCk WinS’
Steam cleaning of the
yellow hospital link bridge
and the blue canopy over
the main entrance of
London Road
The 'Portering Matters'
Early Adopter Team
have decided that
because the portering
team receive so many
requests from the front
entrance it would be a
good idea to trial
stationing a Porter there
during reception
opening hours.
The Radiology
Videofluoroscopy chair, for
patients with poor sitting
balance was old and in
need of replacement. The
new chair can be laid flat to
enable patients to be
transferred lying down.
Main London
Road entrance
refurbishment
Coulsdon Ward
refurbishment, preoperative
patient area
Why did the MCAtS teAM Apply to be
eArly AdopterS of the liA WAy of
Working?
Beverley Jerome, Orthopaedic Practitioner, said “MCATS was
formed four years ago after winning a bid to provide the
service. Initially I was the only practitioner but there are now 5
orthopaedic practitioners and 1 physiotherapy consultant,
working both in the hospital and at bases in the community.
MCATS is Musculoskeletal Clinical Assessment and Triage
Service. The triage part of MCATS means that we are a
single point of referral for all the routine musculoskeletal
referrals from Croydon GPs. We are a two-part service, to
triage all the referrals and then the second part is our clinic
function. We assess people with joint, muscle and nerve
problems who may have already gone through physiotherapy
and need a specialist opinion. We organise any investigations
needed and can list for surgery if needed, once discussed with
our consultants.
The idea is that it is one smooth pathway. What we are trying to
prevent is patients being bounced backwards and forwards
between services and to provide a smooth transition for
management of their condition.
As we have expanded the service, our systems and processes
haven’t necessarily evolved with us and even though we think
we provide a really good service some of the processes let us
down. If we can use LIA to improve then that makes our service
easier to use for GPs in Croydon and their patients.
WhAt iS
MCAtS?
There are many skills that the Orthopaedic
Practitioners are developing which we hope will
move our service towards a ‘one stop shop’.
Although we have a difficult title, MCATS will be a
recognisable service and not have confusing strands to it. We
can bring it all together.
Our long-term hope for the future for MCATS is that it can
continue to be a quality service that the Trust provides to the
people of Croydon.

CHS news 4
C h a i r
Z u m b a
.....fitness with a difference
Zumba! The dance fitness craze
has been popular since the 90s and brings
huge health benefits to many – but what
if you are not so steady on your feet and
don’t feel like donning leggings and
lycra?
The
answer
is Chair
Zumba!
Croydon Health Services physiotherapist,
Rebecca Hargreaves, works with the
elderly care team on Wandle 2 ward and
thought that some people could use a bit
of a lift in their routine.
“I wanted to provide the patients with
more variety to their day, something to
look forward to. The name ‘chair zumba’
is fitting as the class involves chair-based
exercises with the extra fun of games and
lots of wiggling!”
Set to classic songs from artists ranging
from Glenn Miller to Little Richard, Chair
Zumba improves patients’ range of
movement, muscle strength and hand to
eye coordination through gentle
repetitive movement and games such as
quoits.
It isn’t just
about the
physical
elements
though;
Rebecca
adds “It
provides
patients
with an
hour of relaxed social interaction as well
as beneficial exercise”.
Foundation Trust Update
At recent member’s events
we have tried to change
our tone and approach to
the membership. We have
recognised that you can be
a valuable resource for the
Trust both in terms of a
role as a ‘critical friend’ to
test and comment on the
work that we do; and as a
key part of the dialogue
that should exist between
a public service and those it
provides for, in our case
the people of Croydon.
This latter role is taking on
an increased profile and
importance following the
publication of the Francis
report into the failings of
care at Mid Staffordshire
NHS Foundation Trust. It is
clear that trusts must
reflect on the patient and
public voice as part of a
critical self-assessment of
the services we provide.
In other parts of this
newsletter we cover how
we are using the adult inpatient
survey (patient
voice) and our Listening
into Action programme
(staff engagement) to help
Dates for your diary
Members Information evenings
19 June: 7pm to 8.30pm
Simulation Centre,
Join us in the Simulation Centre 2nd floor Woodcroft wing
Places are limited for this evening. Book early to avoid disappointment
See where the doctors are trained. Learn new skills including basic life support
10 October: 7pm to 8pm
Biochemistry
This meeting will be in the Postgraduate Medical Centre (PGMC)
on the 1st floor Woodcroft wing
To attend a Members evening please book by emailing
ft@croydonhealth.nhs.uk or telephone 020 8401 3209
Trust Board
3 June: 10am to 12 noon
with part of that service
self-assessment. We want
to use you, the Foundation
Trust membership as part
of that process.
Much work has to be done
but as a letter to our Chief
Executive from a patient
recently treated here
indicated, ‘The care could
not have been much
better. Nothing was too
much trouble for the
nursing staff’, our
aspiration must be for
every patient to experience
the same quality of care.
(You do not need to book a place to attend a Trust Board meeting)
Please note the new location for Trust Board Meetings: Austen Seminar Room,
Shirley House, Croydon University Hospital,
Croydon, CR7 7YE
And what do the patients think? Kathleen
Alice (102) says: “It’s good fun, and the
nurses join in too. One of them is such a
good mover, I call her Twinkletoes!”
Got a story to tell?
We are always looking for good news
stories for our newsletters, website,
intranet and the media. Send your ideas
to the communications team, details are
at the bottom of this page.
If you would like this magazine in large print please
call 020 8401 3209 or email ft@croydonhealth.nhs.uk
www.croydonhealthservices.nhs.uk
2011 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Email: comms@croydonhealth.nhs.uk Tel: 020 8401 3627
Produced by the communications department and an editorial staff board. Designed by the communications department.