Military Cross Award for Naval Medical Assistant Kate Nesbitt

Military Cross Award 

for Naval Medical 

Assistant Kate Nesbitt 

Read The Big Interview on page 3 

Autumn 2009 

New aquatic themed children’s unit 

The Children and Young People’s Theatre Suite gets a makeover: page 10 

HMSC – Who’s That Doctor? 

The new senior Trust medical staff picture board: page 20 

Cascade

IN THIS ISSUE 

Message from the 

Communications Team 

Cover photo: Naval Medical 

Assistant Kate Nesbitt and 

the Surgival Assessment Unit 

team – see page 3 

If you would 

like to request 

this document 

in a larger or 

alternative 

format please 

contact: 

Laura Young 

Communications 

Officer 

T: 0845 1558207 

Ext: 52783 

E: Laura.Young@ 

phnt.swest.nhs.uk 

The next issue is already a 

work in progress. If you have 

any ideas, stories and letters 

that you would like included, 

then please let us know in 

good time. We also welcome 

any suggestions on how 

you think Cascade could be 

improved. 

DEADLINE FOR 

NEXT EDITION: 

Friday 8th January 2010 

Design and print by 

Newton Print, Newton Abbot, 

Devon. Tel: 01626 368986 

www.newtonprint.co.uk 

Welcome to the Autumn edition of Cascade. 

As you can see from the front page, we have been privileged to be able to talk to Naval 

Medical Assistant, Kate Nesbitt about being awarded the Military Cross for her conduct 

whilst on tour in Afghanistan. Check out her interview on page 3. 

As always, we are delighted to be able to acknowledge so many of you for your sterling 

work and achievements and to highlight the awards you have received for your efforts. 

Check out pages 6 and 7. 

Also in this edition, we find out interesting news from around the Trust, and highlight the 

importance of getting vaccinated against both seasonal and swine flu this year on page 17. 

We hope you enjoy reading this edition of Cascade and are perhaps thinking of ways in 

which you can appear in a future magazine. We would love to hear from you, so let us 

know what you are doing, what you have achieved or how you are raising money and we 

will do our very best to accommodate your stories. Get in touch soon though, as the next 

magazine is already filling up fast. 

Laura Young, Communications Officer, Editor 

Contents 

6 

10 

13 

3 The Big Interview 

Kate Nesbitt on being awarded the Military Cross 

4 News from Around the Trust 

5 Specialities Around the Trust 

6 Awards and Achievements 

Celebrating personal and professional successes 

7 Charity Work and Fundraising 

8–9 Sharing Expertise 

Microbiology in the Community; Stereotactic 

Radiosurgery Workshop; Inaugural Global Spine 

Conference 

10 Children and Young People’s Theatre Suite 

A colourful aquatic makeover 

11 Did You Know? 

The Patients’ Discharge Lounge 

12–13 Events 

Highlighting recent and upcoming special events 

14 In Memory of... Marion Wheeler 

Car Leasing Scheme Update 

15 Listening into Action 

16 Fracture Clinic Makeover 

17 Flu Season 

Information on Seasonal and Swine Flu 

18 Retirements / 

Orthopaedic Mission to Kenya 

19 John Yarnold / Occupational Health 

20 HMSC – Who’s That Doctor? 

The new senior Trust staff picture board 

2 Autumn 2009 Cascade

Kate Nesbitt 

THE BIG INTERVIEW 

Kate Nesbitt, a Naval Medical Assistant currently working on the 

Trust’s Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU), has recently been awarded a 

Military Cross on the Operation Herrick 9 Honours and Awards list for 

her outstanding work whilst on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Kate was 

attached to C Company, First Battalion the Rifles and is only the second 

woman in British history to be awarded the Cross. 

Kate received the award after she ran over 70 metres under heavy 

gunfire from Taliban fighters to help a badly injured soldier, LCpl Jon 

List. She treated LCpl List, who was choking to death after a Taliban 

bullet shattered his jaw, for over 45 minutes, opening a second airway 

so the soldier could breathe. The citation for Kate’s award reads: 

“Nesbitt’s actions throughout a series of offensive operations were 

exemplary; under fire and under pressure her commitment and courage were inspirational and made the difference 

between life and death.” 

Here Cascade talks to Kate about her experiences, how she feels about being awarded the Military Cross and how she 

feels her experiences on duty help her in her every day job on the SAU. 

You are quite young (21), how long have you been 

in the Navy and what made you decide to join? 

I’ve been in the Navy since I was 17, although I applied when 

I turned 16, and it took a year to get through the selection 

process. Everyone in my family, apart from my mum, is in the 

forces. Both my dad and my brother are in the Marines and 

my auntie is in the navy so it felt really natural to follow in their 

footsteps. 

Why did you choose the role of Medical Assistant? 

When I was 12 we started to do different work experiences at 

school and I realised it was something I really wanted to do. My 

auntie is in the medical field in the navy as well so I was able to 

talk to lots of different people about what was involved. When I 

turned 16 I decided that the best way to pursue my career was 

by joining the Navy and it paid off! 

You have recently been told that you are being 

awarded the Military Cross, only the second woman 

to receive it, how did you feel when you were told? 

On the day I found out about the award, I had been on night 

shifts on the SAU. I was told to report to Commander Rick 

Stead (Commander Officer of the Ministry of Defence Hospital 

Unit) immediately after my shift ended. I was shocked when 

he told me I had been chosen to receive the Cross! It felt really 

Kate and her team on the Surgical Assesment Unit 

strange because the incident had happened over six months 

ago in the middle of an operation so I had expected it to have 

been forgotten about. I was just doing my job! I was so proud 

that the Army had thought me brave enough to be put forward 

for the award especially because all the lads I worked with out 

there worked just as hard to keep me and the other medics 

safe. It is a real honour. 

What do you remember about the day you saved 

LCpl List’s life? 

It was a week long operation and I was the only medic. The 

ambush came out of nowhere and when I realised someone 

had been hit I just kept thinking about doing my job and saving 

a man down. When you are out there you just tend to get on 

with it! 

I do have a huge amount of respect for the lads in C Company. 

They really looked after me and the other medics the whole 

time we were with them and I can’t thank them enough. They 

really took us under their wing and this was really important to 

me, especially as it was my first tour. 

Do you think your experiences out in the field help 

you with your everyday job on SAU? 

Definitely. Being able to do my job under the worst conditions, 

such as under fire or without the correct equipment, in the field 

has made me so much more confident in my own abilities. It 

has also taught me how to improvise and has made me aware 

of what I can do under all sorts of pressure and in different 

situations. This has reflected in my work on the SAU. It has also 

made me appreciate a lot of things that I took for granted in the 

past, like having all the equipment you need to hand! 

I bet you have been kept quite busy since you 

found out about the award? 

The first few weeks were definitely a bit hectic! I was asked to 

do a lot of interviews with journalists, but it has quietened down 

quite a bit now. 

What is coming up for you now? 

Well, I am being presented the award formally on Friday 27 

November by the Queen, which I am really excited about. I am 

taking my mum and dad along with me. I am also attending 

a lot of remembrance ceremonies over November, but apart 

from that I will carry on working with my team on the SAU at 

Derriford. 

Cascade 

Autumn 2009 

3

NEWS FROM AROUND THE TRUST 

Learning Disabilities Patients 

Recent reports by Mencap in 2007, ‘Death by Indifference’ 

and the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service 

Ombudsman report in March 2009, ‘Six lives: the provision 

of public services to people with earning disabilities’ has 

led to an increased awareness across the Trust about the 

care that we deliver to this group of vulnerable patients. 

Kevin Marsh, Deputy Director of Nursing, has been leading 

a multi-disciplinary group looking at the policy for patients 

within the Trust with learning disabilities. This group has 

included teams from the community, care providers and carers. 

The policy is now complete and has been cascaded to all 

departments ensuring that these patients are highlighted to 

Kevin on their admission, allowing appropriate support to be 

given to the patient, their carers and the clinical teams caring 

for them. This has led to an improved patient experience for 

this group of vulnerable adults. 

The exciting news is that as a result of this group being formed, 

funding has been received for a learning disability nurse 

specialist to be based in the Trust to focus on this vulnerable 

group of 

patients and 

the care they 

need both in 

hospital and 

the community. 

This post 

has been 

successfully 

filled and 

Kate Banforth 

started in post 

on November 

9th, joined by 

Lesley Smith 

who has been transferred from NHS Plymouth. Please contact 

Kevin Marsh or Linda Field (pictured) for further information if 

you are interested in finding out more. 

An event to officially launch this new service has been planned 

for December 2nd – so please put this in your diaries. 

Devon Child Health moves into the 21st Century 

Plymouth’s Child Health Information Department, based at 

the Central Records Library, Bush Park, provides one of 

the most fundamental and well appreciated NHS services. 

They are one of four such departments that work closely 

together across Devon. 

This is a busy department. Since 1979 they have managed the 

recording of all planned health contact, from birth to aged 19, 

including the recording, scheduling and progress monitoring of 

vaccinations and immunisations for nearly two million children 

across all the GP practices and schools in Plymouth and South 

West Devon. This service will have impacted on nearly every 

family in the area. 

About a year ago, all four of the departments were faced with 

the prospect of their current computer systems being unable 

to function. The ‘Swift’ System, purchased in 1980, used black 

and white screens and didn’t even work with a mouse! In 

response to this, PCTs in Devon were brought together to fund 

a much needed and anticipated upgrade of the database and 

system. This innovative approach combines data from across 

Devon’s four separate child health information departments into 

a single database for the first time, giving improved public health 

monitoring and planning for the whole county. 

Make no mistake, this first stage was no small project to 

plan, and work now continues to ensure the safe transfer, 

co-ordination and implementation across four acute trusts whilst 

all departments remain open throughout. 

Andy Vickers, the Devon Programme Manager, said: “As with 

Apollo 13, failure here wasn’t an option and everyone who has 

been involved in the Plymouth upgrade is to be congratulated 

for their commitment and hard work.” 

Catherine Murphy, Project Manager, has had her work cut out 

to plan and co ordinate the smooth switchover of the multiple 

sites. In mid September, Plymouth was the first site to go live 

and suppliers and users alike have written to thank the local 

team for their efforts in ensuring the upgrade (which took place 

across one weekend) went as smoothly as it did. This is an NHS 

IT project that is currently on budget and on time. 

4 

Work is already underway in the remaining three areas. Torbay will 

be the next to implement the new system in mid November, Exeter 

in January 2010 and last, but not least, Barnstaple will go live at the 

end of March. The Plymouth team will support their colleagues on 

the other sites, as they become “live” on the new system. 

Now that all the stress and tension of the switchover is over, 

Katharine Jacobs, Manager of the Plymouth service said: “This 

long awaited replacement system has been implemented with 

the minimum of fuss. This is due to the huge amount of planning 

and work carried out by the project implementation team, the 

staff here at Plymouth and the software suppliers, McKesson”. 

The Child Health team now have the chance to continue to provide 

their essential service and to use some of that new technology to 

develop services to benefit GP Practices, Public Health and the 

wider health community well into the coming decade. 

Autumn 2009 Cascade

SPECIALITIES AROUND THE TRUST 

End of Life Care in the Emergency Directorate 

Having worked in Emergency 

Medicine and Intensive Care for 

over five years staff nurse Hannah 

Heayn has covered many aspects 

of care of the dying patient, from 

the care of the expected and 

planned death to the traumatic and 

sudden deaths of both adults and 

children. 

The process of providing a dignified 

and symptom-free death remains 

the same in any environment and 

the Liverpool Care Pathway is a 

tool that assists with this. The challenges that the Emergency 

Department faces on a daily basis, means that the team has 

a vast experience in dealing with sensitive situations, involving 

patients and their relatives in the decision-making process that 

accompanies end of life care. 

Hannah has been working extensively with the Clinical Nurse 

Specialist for Palliative Care, The End of Life Committee, 

Paediatrics, Critical Care and Operational Support and her 

message is clear: 

Vulnerable Adults 

Ali Davey is the Emergency Directorate’s (ED) Clinical Nurse 

Specialist for Vulnerable Adults. Here she tells Cascade 

more about her role. 

My role entails scouring the directorate via databases and word 

of mouth for patients who have complex needs due to difficult 

social and health circumstances and also those who suffer 

from domestic violence. I particularly look out for patients with 

mental health problems, carers, isolated elderly and those that 

live within residential and nursing homes. I work in partnership 

with Devon & Cornwall Police and other strategic agencies 

with regard to domestic violence and I am currently working 

on Pathways to help identify and support victims of all violence 

whether it be domestic, alcohol or health-related. 

During my 16 months in post, one of my biggest achievements 

is the implementation of a Concern Pathway called ERIC (Early 

Recognition of Immediate Concern) which the ED staff complete 

to alert receiving wards that there is a health and wellbeing 

Alcohol Hospital Liaison 

The alcohol liaison post is funded by the PCT and came 

about after a needs assessment was undertaken around 

the Plymouth alcohol strategy and the close working 

relationship of the hepatology department. 

Louise Dunn, Alcohol Hospital Liaison Practitioner, is part of the 

hepatology specialist nursing team, within the gastroenterology 

directorate. Her role is to emphasise the dangers of drinking 

alcohol to patients drinking at hazardous levels, before the onset 

of alcohol-related harm, as well as the patients with significant 

liver disease. The Alcohol Hospital Liaison Practitioner role 

includes: 

l Highlighting to staff the patients who may require alcohol 

interventions 

l Giving advice on significant alcohol related health problems 

and those at risk of withdrawal symptoms 

l Alcohol screening 

l Giving assistance with medical management for withdrawal 

symptoms 

“I have become aware of how hard everyone is working across 

the Trust and in the community to initiate change and improve 

the quality of End of Life Care. 

“Our vision for the future in the Emergency Directorate and 

across the Trust is to bring about a change in access to high 

quality care for all approaching the end of life, irrespective of 

age, gender, ethnicity, religious belief, diagnosis or care setting, 

and which respects each individual’s needs and preferences. 

“We as a Trust must share our good practise and highlight 

where care and communication has been of a high standard. 

We also need to support one another in the care of these 

patients and relatives, to be able to pull together our resources 

and provide a seamless, safe and efficient environment. 

“We must ensure that while we care for one another we 

appreciate what a huge privilege it is to be part of someone’s last 

moments, to gently touch or hold a hand, to offer reassurance or 

allay fear, to speak softly or share silence. This is the greatest gift. 

“Thank you to all staff who make the care of the dying patient 

paramount, you have provided people with the very best and 

last care we can offer.” 

issue that needs addressing, prior to discharge. I then oversee 

the process of integrating these identified patients into the 

appropriate agency. This process has had a huge impact on 

the length of stays, returning patients and the support offered 

to those patients before they are discharged. I am privileged 

enough to stay clinically active, alongside my colleagues, in a 

supportive and hands on role and have built up some fantastic 

working relationships. Although I only work in the Emergency 

Directorate at the moment, I am always happy to offer Trustwide 

colleagues advice and support and am willing to visit any 

wards if needed. 

Alongside this I have also been teaching the SHOs and other 

nursing and medical staff domestic violence issues, vulnerable 

adult awareness and carer fatigue needs. This has been 

welcomed across the directorate and I would like to expand this 

in the future. 

l Assessment of severity of dependence 

l Delivery of brief interventions 

l Relapse prevention 

l Signposting patients to other community services. 

Louise’s role also includes working closely with other 

multidisciplinary team members such as, Vulnerable Adults, 

Safeguarding Adults, Care Planning, Safeguarding Children, 

Psychiatric liaison, the Discharge team and many communitybased 

alcohol services. 

When talking about her role, Louise said: “As a consequence 

of this role, I have developed a close working relationship with 

Harbour drugs and alcohol treatment teams. This enables a 

smooth transition between hospital and community and ensures 

effective continuity of care. 

“If you have a patient on your ward that has been identified as 

drinking at hazardous levels you can contact me on extn 39963, 

Bleep 89174 or via email on Louise.dunn@phnt.swest.nhs.uk” 

Cascade Autumn 2009 

5

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS 

Outstanding Foundation Award Winners 

The Outstanding Foundation Awards for the Trust’s F1 and 

F2 doctors took place on recently at the Plymouth Medical 

Centre. 

These awards are given to the trainees who have performed 

above and beyond the call of duty and are nominated by 

H H H H 

Outstanding F1 Winner Rachel Clancy, Adrian Dashfield 

– Director of Postgraduate Medical Education, Highly 

Commended F1 Robert Rigley 

Outstanding F2 Winner Eyston Vaughan-Huxley, Adrian 

Dashfield – Director of Postgraduate Medical Education, 

Highly Commended F2 Katie Williams 

their peers, being judged on their performance, abilities and 

portfolios. Congratulations to this year’s winners: 

Outstanding F1 – Rachel Clancy; Highly Commended – Robert Rigley 

Outstanding F2 – Eyston Vaughan-Huxley; Highly commended 

– Katie Williams 

Staff Achievement – Anne-Marie Hookway, Estates 

Anne-Marie Hookway from the Trust’s Estates Team, 

took part in an eight-week trip to help in an orphanage 

in Sri Lanka earlier this year. Here she writes about her 

extraordinary experiences: 

After a very long journey to reach the Orphanage at Sister’s 

Blessed Virgin in Gampola, Sri Lanka, I arrived late in the 

evening after driving through the most beautiful, luscious 

countryside. I was lucky to be able to spend my first week 

with Liz (a volunteer who had been there since January). She 

showed me around and gave me much valued information on 

how the place was run and what would be expected of me. 

With my own children being in their late teens I forgot how 

loud a lot of children can be. But they were all so lovely and 

greet you all the time by calling you aunty. The youngest girl at 

the orphanage was just four months and the oldest was 19. 

The older girls were so sweet and always so helpful, while the 

gorgeous little ones wanted lots of cuddles and attention. 

I will always remember being woken up on my first morning 

around 6 am to hear children singing so beautifully and my day 

usually started with breakfast at 7.30 followed by: 

l English with the older girls 

l An hour helping in one of the 6 Montessori Classes 

l English with the Novice Nuns 

l Computers with the older girls or sometimes play and feed 

the little ones 

l Lunch and rest/ own time 

l Afternoon tea with the Nuns 

l English with the 11–16 yr olds 

l Play with toddlers and put them to bed 

l 6.30 pm – Answer telephone while Nuns were in evening 

prayer 

l Supper 

l English 

with Sister 

Rose 

l Bed at 

9.30 

The Nuns 

and Novices 

at the 

orphanage 

were so 

lovely and 

jolly with 

nothing 

being too 

much for 

them. They 

Anne-Marie with some of the toddlers at 

the orphanage 

really show great dedication for their vocations with the love 

they give to all the children of Sri Lanka, each other and the 

support they showed to me. 

It was Easter Holidays halfway through my visit and most of 

the children went home for as long as they could. The Convent 

at the same time held a yearly retreat with a lot of Nuns 

coming from all over the Island for the week. During that week 

Sister Chandima and myself took seven children aged between 

6 – 9 to a smaller convent further up in the hills as a mini 

holiday with lots of walks. 

I will always value the opportunity of being able to take part 

in the Easter celebrations (I have never seen so many people 

celebrating mass over the four days). How well behaved the 

smaller children were sitting still and quiet for so long. 

The only regret I have is being a complete novice to 

volunteering and coming away feeling I could have done better. 

Having experienced it now I would love to go back and help 

more in the future. 


H H CHARITY H H H H WORK H H H & FUNDRAISING 

H H H H H H 

Post Office Workers Leap for Jeremiah’s Journey 

On the 12 September, Dave 

Boyes, Tony Tamblin and 

Neil McCloy, three of the 

Trust’s Post Office workers 

took to the skies in a charity 

sky dive to raise money 

for Jeremiah’s Journey, 

the Derriford based charity 

that offers support and 

information to children and 

their families when someone 

special dies. 

Tony said: “All three of us 

know someone who has been 

helped by Jeremiah’s Journey 

so we thought it would be a 

good way to raise money for 

the charity.” 

The dive took place at 

Dunkeswell Airfield and was a 

tandem skydive from 15,000 

feet. All three of the divers 

admitted to being scared 

before they went up especially 

Tony who had never been in 

a plane before! However, as Neil McCloy, Dave Boyes and Tony Tamblin 

Dave states: “Although it was 

scary at first, we were only freefalling for about one minute before the parachute was released. Then we had about five minutes to 

take in the scene before landing.” 

Neil added: “We were really lucky with the weather, it was completely clear blue skies and we were able to see both the English and 

Bristol Channels.” 

The team managed to raise over £500 for Jeremiah’s Journey and had over 30 pages of sponsorship from friends, family and staff 

around the Trust and would like to thank everyone who sponsored them. 

Sky divers take to the skies for the 

Chestnut Appeal for Prostate Cancer 

After a false start, two weeks prior, when the weather 

closed in on Perranporth Airfield – on Saturday 29th 

August the first of the Chestnut Appeal’s sponsored sky 

divers took to the skies. 

Barbara Hambly, PA to Mr Butcher, was first up, and down, 

freefalling from 10,000 feet before her tandem skydiver, 

Paul, opened the parachute for a thrilling six minute drop. 

Barbara was in safe hands as Paul has made over 6,000 

jumps! 

Alison Gregory, Human Resource Officer, Kerry Smith, 

Human Resource Officer, and Jayde Lawrence, Endoscopy 

Office Manager, all followed and all wanted to go straight 

back up again. 

Many thanks to all those who signed up for the skydive and 

to everyone for raising lots of money and helping the appeal 

spread awareness of prostate cancer across Devon and 

Cornwall. Barbara would especially like to thank the Torpoint 

and Rame Peninsula Lions for their very generous donation 

of £160. 

Barbara Hambly with Tandem skydiver Paul pictured on 

landing at Perranporth Airfield – home of the Cornish 

Parachute Club 

Cascade 

Autumn 2009 

7

SHARING EXPERTISE 

Microbiology in the Community 

Staff in the Microbiology department have been working 

closely with colleagues from the Health Protection Agency 

and Plymouth City Environmental Health Office to screen 

stool samples from children attending the ‘Going Places’ 

Nursery in Plymouth. 

The nursery was closed while the outbreak was investigated. 

Several children attending this nursery had become ill with the 

organism Escherichia coli type 0157, a bacterium which can 

cause diarrhoea. In a small minority of patients, especially the 

young, infection can lead to haemorrhagic colitis (Bloodstained 

stools and abdominal cramps) or Haemolytic uraemic syndrome 

(HUS), where haemolytic anaemia, acute renal failure and 

thrombocytopenia are features. 

Around 370 stool samples were tested, two for each contact, 

to ensure children and staff were clear before returning to the 

nursery. Samples were examined over a two week period, 

and Microbiology staff attended regular teleconferences with 

professional colleagues to ensure the management of the 

outbreak went smoothly, and the nursery could be reopened 

as soon as possible. Staff processing samples use a biological 

safety cabinet and extra safety precautions as this organism 

is a potential hazard to laboratory personnel. The nursery was 

commended for good hygiene levels, and cooperated fully with 

the investigation. 

The source of the outbreak remains unknown, although the 

Plymouth area has seen several sporadic cases of E.coli 0157 

infection over the last few months. 

This is a great example of how different departments within the 

Trust are of value to the wider community and in this case can 

help to contain and resolve serious issues. 

Stereotactic Radiosurgery 

Workshop 

Participants in the Workshop 

study hard 

The Trust, as 

one of only a few 

centres in the 

UK to provide 

Stereotactic 

Radiosurgery (SRS) 

and Radiotherapy 

(SRT), recently 

hosted a workshop 

where clinical staff 

were provided with 

a detailed insight 

into the clinical 

applications of 

these treatments. 

This specialist 

service, using the 

BrainLAB m3 micro- 

Multileaf Collimator, 

was first introduced 

to the Trust in 2005 

and to date more 

than 250 patients 

with intracranial tumours have been referred for Radiosurgery 

and treated locally in Plymouth. 

The workshop was an educational event where specialists from 

Plymouth as well as invited guest speakers from Singapore 

and Brussels shared their clinical experience and results in 

treatments of patients along with 30 participants from other 

centres across the country. 

Peter Whitfield, Consultant Neurosurgeon said: “Stereotactic 

Radiosurgery is a proven treatment for some intracranial tumours 

as an alternative to surgical methods and also in some cases 

where surgery is not technically feasible. While such a service is 

routinely available across Europe and the United States, we at 

the Trust are very privileged to be able to offer such treatments 

as only one of a handful of 

centres in the UK.” 

“We were delighted to be able 

to host this essential two-day 

workshop, and to be able 

to share in the experiences 

of practitioners from other 

countries and Trusts.” 

David James, Area Sales 

Manager for BrainLAB, added: 

“We have been very pleased 

with the development of the 

stereotactic radiosurgery 

service at Plymouth. For 

patients in Devon and 

Cornwall, access to the 

treatment is not only local but 

also usually within a shorter 

period of time than is the case 

nationally.” 


uses precision equipment 

which allows for a high degree 

of accuracy to enable the 

treatment to be applied in a 

single session. The Plymouth 


Programme has grown 

steadily since becoming 

clinically available in 2005 and 

for more than four years the 

Trust has treated patients with 

different brain tumours and 

malformations and is now a 

leading centre for SRS in the 

UK. 

James Palmer, Consultant 

Nuerosurgeon presents at 

the workshop 


SHARING EXPERTISE 

Inaugural Global Spine Conference 

Earlier this year, members of the Trust’s Neurological and 

spinal team were privileged enough to be invited to the 

Inaugural Global Spine Conference, in San Francisco. 

This conference was the first of its kind and included 

neurological and spinal specialists from all over the world. 

The Trust’s team have helped to produce three research 

papers of such excellent standard that they were invited to 

present them during the course of the conference. 

Clinical Outcome Measurements 

The first of these papers was a piece of research into clinical 

outcome measurements in spinal surgery. The team at Derriford 

worked closely with Dr Jeremy Hobart, Reader in Neurosciences 

and Consultant Neurologist, a world authority in clinical 

outcomes measurement, to determine which outcomes were 

the best for the patients concerned. For example whether it is 

the ability to walk, work, sit or sleep comfortably 

“There are more than 100 ways of measuring outcome, but 

these are based on what we think is important for patients, 

rather than what they say is important. What we have done 

is listened to what the patients said rather than what the text 

books said” said Tim Germon, Consultant Neurosurgeon based 

at Derriford Hospital. 

The results of this paper highlighted that by using the 

appropriate scales of outcome measurement, clinicians are able 

to treat patients in the best possible way. 

Chronic Back Pain 

The second paper presented by the team was concerning the 

causes and treatment of chronic back pain. As highlighted by 

Tim: “Over 70% of adults in the UK suffer from some form of 

back pain. This not only impacts on the patients themselves, 

but can have a huge impact on the NHS and the economy as a 

whole.” 

The Trust’s team, along with Mr Hobart, has conducted 

extensive research into possible causes of chronic back pain 

and its evidence suggested that pressure on nerves at the base 

of the spine is one of the main causes. The paper presented at 

the conference highlighted these findings and also introduced 

a new form of microsurgery done on the base of the patient’s 

spine. This new form of surgery is beneficial to the patient as 

it means that they only spend up to one night in hospital and 

therefore reduces the average length of stay of the patient. 

Interspineas Implants 

The third paper to be presented highlighted the results of a new 

technique that has been trialled at the Trust for interspineas 

implants. These are implants placed between the spineas frame 

that makes more room available for squashed nerves. 

The technique was developed for the treatment of the condition 

Formenal Stenosis, a relatively rare cause of sciatica. The results 

showed that the technique is relatively easy and had a low 

complication rate. The Trust, has 15 patients, 13 of which have 

been successfully treated, which Tim states: “Is better than any 

other treatment published for this condition before!” 

The team consisted of Dr Jeremy Hobart, Reader in 

Neurosciences and Consultant Neurologist, Timothy Germon, 

Consultant Neurosurgeon, Will Adams, and trainees Kevin 

Tsangs and Katie Jilkes who collated much of the data. Other 

consultants who were involved in the research papers were Mr 

Sudhakar, Neurosurgery Consultant and Nick Haden, Consultant 

Neurosurgeon. 

Tim Germon said: “Everyone worked closely as a team to 

produce these three papers and we were honoured to be 

chosen to present at such a prestigious event. It also reflects the 

level of research work that is being carried out by the Trust and 

it was great that we were recognised in this way. I would like to 

thank everyone who contributed for their hard work.” 

Consultant Neurosurgeon Tim Germon (left) and 

Neurologist Dr Jeremy Hobart 

We welcome your submissions! 

Contact the Editor: Please send in your ideas, stories and letters, for the next 

edition, the sooner the better. And if you have any comments about this edition, 

or suggestions on making Cascade even better, we would love to hear from you. 

The deadline for submissions for the next edition is Friday 8th January 2010. 

Laura Young, Communications Officer Tel: 0845 155 8207 Ext: 55011 

E: Laura.Young@phnt.swest.nhs.uk 

Cascade 

Autumn 2009 

9

Children take 

the plunge into 

new aquatic 

themed unit 

When children enter the Children and Young People’s 

Theatre Suite they could be forgiven for thinking they had 

walked into the National Marine Aquarium! The department, 

which was previously used to treat adults, has been given a 

fantastic new makeover to transform it into a child friendly 

area. 

Dull and plain walls have been brought back to life with 

underwater creatures and exciting murals based around an 

aquatic theme. New furniture and facilities have also helped 

create a vibrant and outstanding young persons unit. 

Dr Anna Johnson, Consultant Anaesthetist, explains: “It is very 

important that the environment is non-threatening and is as 

relaxing as possible for children during what can be a stressful 

time. Distraction is vital so that they are not worrying about the 

impending surgery. 

“Certainly, children do now appear more relaxed and less 

agitated when they arrive in the anaesthetic room. We also have 

iPods in the anaesthetic rooms filled with lots of video clips from 

Barbie to Dr Who, 

sport and children’s 

TV programmes, 

which work brilliantly 

at keeping the 

children’s’ minds 

occupied.” 

Even infection control 

has been made more 

child friendly and 

incorporated into 

the aquatic theme 

with a giant crab 

table housing the 

disinfectant hand gel 

at the entrance to the 

unit. 

10 

Artist Paul Farrington has worked closely with staff and children 

to create a brighter and more welcoming environment for all of 

the users of the unit. This has been achieved through stunning 

murals and artwork on both the exterior of the department as 

well as the waiting lounges and theatre walls. 

The Children’s Theatres treat patients of all ages ranging from 

newborn to teenagers and the new department’s design 

caters for the whole range of patients using the unit. There is a 

dedicated waiting room for younger patients with bright colours 

splashed all over the walls. Colourful new furniture as well as a 

huge array of toys will help to keep youngsters entertained whilst 

in the department. 

Older children can relax in a separate lounge with beanbags and 

a big screen television as well as table football to keep them 

entertained. There is a Nintendo Wii within the lounge to relieve 

boredom during waits. Another artist Tony Walker has continued 

the aquatic theme within this lounge with a cool surf style mural 

and trendy wall prints. 

Feedback from both staff and patients has been extremely 

positive and the unit’s makeover has resulted in an environment 

that keeps young people relaxed and entertained prior to surgery. 

Autumn 2009 Cascade

DID YOU KNOW? 

What do you know about the 

Discharge Lounge? 

The Patient’s Discharge Lounge 

recently changed location from 

Level 2, to Level 10 Meldon Ward. 

The Discharge Lounge is managed 

by Sister Hilary Adams, with the 

assistance of Staff Nurse Gillian 

Saunders, who ensure all the 

patients receive professional care in 

a friendly atmosphere. The rest of 

the Discharge Lounge team consists 

of health care assistants, general 

support assistants, clerical staff and a 

housekeeper. 

Patient discharges can become 

complicated, and it can take several 

hours sometimes to deal with these 

and provide the patient with a safe 

discharge. Therefore the lounge 

provides seating facilities for 15 

patients and a bed is available 

for stretcher patients to wait on, or for patients needing rest. 

The lounge seen by many patients as a safe and comfortable 

environment with television, armchairs and refreshments served 

throughout the day. 

South West Ambulance Service is our main transport provider 

and the team liaises closely with them to make sure patients 

arrive safely at their destination. Alternative transport can be 

booked through private ambulance services, with St. John’s 

Ambulance, Crusader Ambulance and Plymouth Central 

Ambulance services being used most frequently. The Trust 

is also able to contact other providers in the west country if 

transfers are required to areas outside the South West. This can 

prove quite challenging at times. 

A volunteer car service is also provided to the Trust through TAP 

Transport, organised by Age Concern, who are based in Truro. 

They provide the discharge team with car drivers at short notice, 

which is a vital service. 

To assist the wards with their discharges, the Discharge 

Lounge provides a “Pack and Transfer” service, which is free 

to all wards. 

HCA’s Debbie 

Ackland and 

Kay Braddon 

visits the wards 

daily and will 

help organise 

the patient’s 

property, notes, 

transfer letters 

etc. and liaise 

with the team, 

regarding 

suitability to come to the Discharge Lounge and any transport 

arrangements, prior to the transfer time. This service can be 

requested on the booking e-mail request form and can help 

save patients waiting unnecessarily within the lounge. 

Patients are transferred to the Discharge Lounge in wheelchairs, 

with their property, by the HCA’s and GSA’s, where they await 

their transport and TTA’s. All medications are checked and 

explained to the patients by the trained nurses, and given at the 

appropriate times, if still waiting for transport. 

Hilary Adams, Junior Sister in the Discharge Lounge said: 

“Patients enjoy the change of scenery from the ward, as they 

feel, that they are a step closer to going home. Relatives 

appreciate the ease of collection too.” 

The service is also complemented by three excellent and 

extremely helpful volunteers: Anne Ryan, David Strutt and 

Teresa Long, who assist the team with the TTA collection from 

pharmacy and other duties within the Discharge Lounge. 

Hilary added: “We would like to take this opportunity to offer 

our services to the wards and welcome all patients who wish to 

use the Discharge Lounge. Information leaflets are available for 

patients and relatives. We would also like to thank our volunteers 

for all their hard work.” 

The Discharge Lounge is available to receive bookings from 

8.00am and receive patients from 9.00am until 6.00pm, Monday 

to Friday. 

Cascade 

Autumn 2009 

11

EVENTS 

Innovations Showcase 

“Design Bugs Out” and 

“Smart Pods” are two 

outstanding innovation 

projects making a big 

impact in healthcare. The 

event “Research - Innovate 

- Design - Manufacture” 

will showcase how “joinedup 

action” makes a real 

difference for developing 

new healthcare equipment. 

It takes place on Monday, 

December 14th and will be 

delivered via the telematic 

lecture theatres at the John 

Bull Building at Derriford 

Hospital, between 2pm and 

4pm. 

Both of these national projects have sought extensive input from 

front-line staff – the people who use the kit day-in and day-out – 

to ensure that key issues are not compromised in new designs, 

and make sure people’s experience is incorporated. 

“Design Bugs Out” 

This is a “blank-sheet” re-design of hospital equipment to 

combat Healthcare Acquired Infection. The project was 

commissioned by the Department of Health, and the NHS 

Purchasing & Supply Authority (PASA). The Design Council 

brought together researchers, designers and manufacturers 

to work with healthcare staff and patients. The project was to 

design-out the root causes of HAIs in key hospital equipment. 

It has rapidly delivered a suite of excellent new products for 

the NHS – ranging from porters chairs and bedside furniture 

to medical equipment and ward fitments. These new products 

have “hit the mark” so much that they are going into production, 

and will be available to the NHS soon. 

“Smart Pods” 

This project is a radical re-think on the delivery of urgent 

healthcare in the community. 

The research project covered the issue of mobile deployment 

of urgent health resources into the community, ranging from 

advanced ambulance capabilities through to service re-design. 

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research 

Council (EPSRC), Smart Pods involve designers from the 

Royal College of Art as well as academics from Loughborough 

University and the Universities of the West of England, Bath and 

Plymouth. 

The project worked directly with healthcare professionals in the 

ambulance service, emergency medicine, community services, 

and connected with NHS procurement sections. This yielded 

solutions “fit for purpose”, which are influencing future provision 

of equipment, vehicles and services. 

To attend the presentations, contact Michelle Bowden on 01752 

764420 or email mbowden@sciencepark.org.uk 

For more information on either project log on to 

www.designbugsout.org.uk and www.smartpods.co.uk 

‘Your 5 moments for hand hygiene’ 

Football players from Plymouth 

Argyle, children from Happy Days 

Nursery and an astrologer Lorie 

Reid, who writes for the Express 

newspaper and OK magazine paid a visit to Derriford 

Hospital on Monday 19 October to give their support to this 

year’s Cleanyourhands campaign. 

The players and children will be joined staff from the Infection 

Prevention and Control Team, Chief Executive, Paul Roberts 

and Director of Nursing and Midwifery Julie Hendry, in the main 

concourse area to help raise awareness of the importance of 

good hand hygiene to patients, visitors and staff. 

The Infection Prevention and Control Team also highlighted the 

continuous efforts of staff at the Trust in promoting hand hygiene 

and working towards the prevention of hospital-acquired 

infections. And also held workshops throughout the week, 

offering teaching/instruction on the ‘5 Moments’ and providing 

materials for staff to display in their areas. 

Now in the fifth year, the Cleanyourhands campaign has had a 

significant impact on hand hygiene compliance amongst staff. 

Susan Hunt, Infection Control Sister, said: “Since the Trust 

joined the campaign in February 2005, the hand hygiene 

compliance rate within the Trust has risen from 47% to 98%. 

Traditionally, the average compliance rate for hospital staff is 

approximately 60%. 

“The rise in hand hygiene compliance is a good indicator of the 

commitment of staff throughout the Trust to reduce the spread 

of infections. The fact that staff are seeing, hearing and taking 

on board the messages about cleaning their hands regularly and 

always in between patients is having an impact on our MRSA 

rates which are continuing to fall. 

“This year’s theme is ‘Five Moments for Hand Hygiene’ and 

has been developed to stress the importance of the correct 

location and time for hand hygiene and to ensure the chain 

of transmission is broken by hand hygiene and thus prevent 

healthcare- associated infection. 

“We were delighted that the players from Plymouth Argyle, 

children from the nursery and astrologer, Lori Reid, are all able 

to join us and support this vital and effective effort to prevent 

hospital-acquired infections at the Trust.” 


Immunology Patient Forum 

More than 40 people from all over 

the South West peninsula recently 

attended the annual Immunology 

Patient Forum. The event was 

hosted by Derriford Hospital’s 

Immunology and Allergy Team and 

it was the team’s fourth and most 

successful forum to date. This 

year the event was sponsored by 

the Primary Immunodeficiency 

Association and was held at the 

Moorland Links Hotel, Dartmoor. 

The Immunology Patient Forum is 

held every year to help patients to 

learn more about their condition and 

meet others with similar disorders. 

Patients shared their experiences as 

part of the day and several debates 

were held, led by Nurse Specialists. 

There were also talks from Dr Edward 

EVENTS 

Kaminski, consultant immunologist at 

Derriford Hospital and Chris Hughan, 

Chief Executive of the Primary 

Immunodeficiency Association. A raffle 

was held which raised almost £240 to 

go towards opening a patient travel 

fund to help patients with the cost of 

travelling long distances for treatment. 

The event received very positive 

feedback from attendees. One said: 

“The content of what was covered 

on the day was just right. It cleared 

up some misunderstandings and 

concerns that I had before. The whole 

event was very informative and it was 

really helpful to talk to other people 

with similar conditions.” The date has 

already been set for the next Patient 

Forum which will be held on Saturday 

9th October 2010. 

World Osteoporosis Day 

Derriford Hospital’s Healthy Bones Service hosted an event 

at Derriford Health and Leisure Centre to promote World 

Osteoporosis Day on Tuesday 20th October 2009. The 

event was free to all and was attended by Ken and Wendy 

Foster, Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Plymouth. 

The theme for the evening was ‘Healthy Bones for Healthy 

Lives’ and featured a series of talks covering a range of subjects 

including the basics of diet and exercise, preventing falls, the 

menopause, weight bearing 

exercises and general bone 

health. 

There were a number 

of stands at the event 

representing organisations 

including the National 

Osteoporosis Society 

and the Plymouth Local 

Involvement Network. 

The Healthy Bones Service also arranged for their mobile Dual 

Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) van to be present which 

was used to measure the bone density of attendees potentially 

at risk from breaking a bone due to osteoporosis. 

Sam Cross, lead practitioner for the Healthy Bones Service said: 

‘This was an evening aimed at helping to keep older people 

safe, healthy and independent. Through this event we will be 

able to raise awareness, give advice and hopefully prevent 

fractures. We were also very grateful to the Lord and Lady 

Mayoress for their continuing support of our Healthy Bones 

Service.’ 

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

Staff from Derriford Hospital’s Primrose Breast Care Centre set up a stand to mark 

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

The stand was in the main concourse from Monday 12 – Friday 16 October 2009. It was 

manned on Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 4pm by Lorraine Wilkinson, Community 

Cancer Practitioner for NHS Plymouth who provided advice and answered questions. On 

the stand there was a wealth of information relating to breast cancer including general breast 

awareness and what to do if referred to a breast clinic. 

Jo Lobb, Breast Care Nurse at the Primrose Centre said: “The stand is about getting a positive 

message to people. It’s a great way of educating the general public about breast cancer and it 

also helps to raise the profile of the work we do at the Primrose Centre”. 


13

IN MEMORY OF ... 

Marion Wheeler 

The staff in Chest Clinic sadly inform their colleagues that Nurse Marion Wheeler recently lost her 

long battle against cancer. 

Marion had worked within the department for nearly ten years and was unfailingly cheerful, efficient and hardworking. 

Despite undergoing gruelling surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy Marion never complained and 

continued to come to work long after many others would have retired. She will be greatly missed. We extend 

our condolences and sympathy to her husband and children. 

Car Leasing Scheme Update 

In April this year, the Trust introduced a Car Lease Scheme 

which is available to all employees of Plymouth Hospitals 

NHS Trust. 

The scheme is designed to allow employees to access a car of 

their choice at a very attractive price. It also helps us to support 

staff in their role of providing a high standard of patient care by 

enabling them to access the benefits of working in a large NHS 

organisation. 

A further advantage of this Scheme is that the insurance applies 

to any nominated drivers - therefore staff with teenage children 

may find this very attractive!! 

Here is what some staff members who have joined the Scheme 

think: 

Sarah Brampton, Director of Financial Services 

What kind of car did 

you choose? 

VW Passat. 

What made you decide 

to take the Trust up on 

this offer? 

It is the most affordable 

way to buy a reliable 

family car,1 monthly 

payment covers all tax, 

insurance and servicing 

costs and the bonus is that I get to drive a shiny new car! 

Have you saved any money by using this scheme? 

Yes – if I had have taken out a loan to buy a car, I would not 

have been able to afford a new car. 

Did you encounter any problems throughout the process? 

None at all, the service was very efficient 

Did you need any more information before you made your 

final decision? 

I asked for five different quotes and was able to test drive two 

cars before making my final decision 

How easy was it to obtain the information you requested? 

I emailed the lease car team, asking for quotes and within the 

day they had emailed me back. 

How helpful was the company when it came to choosing 

your car? 

Extremely as they are experts in lease cars. 

How long did it take to deliver the car? 

About 6 weeks from start to finish 

Did the delivery date fit with your requirements? 

Yes – I received a call asking what delivery location and time 

would suit me best. 

Dr Richard Cunningham, Consultant Microbiologist 

What kind of car 

did you choose? 

VW Golf. 

What made you 

decide to take the 

Trust up on this 

offer? 

It seemed a very 

straightforward way to 

buy a new car. 

Have you saved any money by using this scheme? 

Having only recently joined, I’m not sure yet. 

Did you encounter any problems throughout the process? 

The first quote I received did not match the model I had chosen, 

however this was only a minor glitch and was rectified very 

quickly. 

Did you need any more information before you made your 

final decision? 

No. 

How easy was it to obtain the information you requested? 

Very easy, a combination of email and phone calls from the 

lease car team. 

How helpful was the company when it came to choosing 

your car? 

Very helpful, particularly when I needed the deal to go through 

quickly. 

How long did it take to deliver the car? 

I needed the car within three weeks and was very pleased they 

were able to do this. 

Did the delivery date fit with your requirements? 

Yes, they delivered it to my home on the promised date. 

Please contact the Lease Car Team on 08448118228 for 

further information. 


You Talked, We Listened 

We know – because you told us – that communications and 

the culture of the organisation aren’t right. You told us in 

Staff Surveys and in the feedback you gave at Vision and 

Values sessions that more needs to be done both in terms 

of communicating with you and ensuring you feel valued. 

But Staff Surveys simply give percentage responses, what they 

didn’t tell us was what you wanted to see changed and what 

your ideas were for practical improvements. 

So the HR and Communications teams worked together to 

dig deeper. We undertook a nine-month Listening into Action 

qualitative research project – a large scale conversation with 

representative groups of staff from across the organisation. We 

have listened to 169 of you from all staff groups and all sites in 

14 different sessions. 

How did we select staff? We randomly selected staff from all 

staff groups and sent out personal invites to sessions (with the 

lure of cream teas) as well as holding open sessions. 

We then triangulated what you told us in these sessions with the 

results from the Staff Survey and the Vision and Values feedback 

information. We are now personally feeding back to all of you 

who took part in the sessions. 

This is the quick-glance summary of what you told us: 

Listen to me 

l Staff want to be listened to and see either their input acted 

upon or to receive feedback as to why it can’t be. 

l Where this does happen and leaders are visible and 

accessible, staff were more evidently engaged in both their 

department and the Trust. 

Involve me 

l Staff want to be genuinely involved and listened to about 

changes that affect them. They want more local control. 

l In an example where staff did feel involved in changes 

to their department, they reported feelings of being 

empowered and “of all being in it together.” 

Value me 

l Staff would like genuine recognition and praise. They want 

to be treated like adults and involved and they want to be 

trusted. 

l In areas where staff did feel valued, basic processes like a 

good induction, knowing their role and responsibilities and 

who to go to if there was a problem had contributed to this. 

Staff in these areas described a feeling of contentment. 

In response we have drawn up a plan to change. This 

programme, based largely on the suggestions of those who 

gave feedback, is being called 

Care to Talk, Care to Listen, Care to Lead 

Listen to me 

l Introduce a formalised, mandatory Team Brief led by 

the Senior Team with feedback loop. Managers will be 

trained in running briefings with staff. Staff will be able to 

ask questions and receive a response via the Team Brief 

mechanism. 

l Overhaul Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust’s intranet, including 

user-involvement, in order to make it fit for purpose. 

Involve me 

l Overhaul the way we do change, policy and process. 

Introduce a Staff Involvement and Engagement policy with 

link to revised process for managing organisational change. 

Develop a toolkit of engagement techniques available to 

managers to assist in involving staff in change, working from 

the bottom-up. 

l Create a Staff Forum 

Value me 

l Define a leadership behaviours framework – What a 

Plymouth Hospitals Leader looks like which lays out how 

good people lead in our organisation. This will be supported 

by a tailored development programme. We will positively 

role-model our good leaders and take action to support 

those who need more help in becoming good leaders. 

l Create a Staff Charter 

The Trust Board has agreed this and you should see change 

which directly benefits you starting to happen now. If you would 

like to know more about any of this, please contact us. 

Team Brief 

September saw the launch 

of the new Trust-wide 

Team Brief at the Clinical 

and Operational Leaders 

Meeting. 

The Team Brief has 

been reinvigorated and 

re-launched in direct 

response to feedback from 

staff during the Listening into 

Action sessions when you 

told the Communications 

and Human Resources team 

that your most preferred 

method of communication 

was face-to-face meetings. 

Paul Roberts, Chief 

Executive delivered a Core 

Brief which was then cascaded to all nominated managers and 

supervisors to communicate with their teams and feedback any 

questions, issues or suggestions to the Communications Team. 

Leading up to the first Core Brief, three awareness-raising 

sessions were conducted with senior team leaders within which 

a basic overview of the structure and procedure was given in 

order to help them deliver their Team Brief to the best possible 

standard. Over 50 people attended these sessions and in turn, 

they disseminated the key messages to the other managers and 

supervisors in their teams. 

Following the first Team Brief a number of questions have been 

returned to the Communications Team on a variety of different 

topics and the answers are attached to November’s Team Brief 

document. It is hoped that this will ensure a two-way dialogue 

between all levels of staff within the Trust. 

If you have any feedback or questions regarding the Team 

Briefing process the Communications Team would like to know 

so please get in touch with the Team Brief inbox via internal 

email. 

Cascade 

Autumn 2009 

15

Refurbishment of the Fracture Clinic 

The Fracture Clinic on Level 6 has a very high profile within 

Derriford Hospital with its staff expecting to see and treat 

around 15,000 patients over the course of a year. It hosts a 

variety of different clinics, from those for patients who have 

been referred from Accident and Emergency to elective clinics 

run by Orthopaedic Outpatients. It also regularly receives 

patients for clinics led by nurses and physiotherapists. The 

Fracture Clinic has seen the number of patients coming 

through its doors increase steadily year by year, and as a result 

it is an incredibly busy area relative to the size of the space 

it occupies. The clinic was in serious need of a makeover 

to bring it up to date, and it recently underwent its first 

refurbishment in over fifteen years. 

Derriford Hospital’s in-house Planning and Estates department 

were responsible for the project and their brief was to adapt the 

existing space in the clinic to make it more welcoming and user 

friendly to patients, as well as to re-think the layout of the clinic 

and make changes to allow staff to operate more efficiently. This 

presented a huge challenge, and to make sure that the views of 

everyone were taken into consideration both patients and staff at all 

levels were consulted, meaning that everyone could be confident 

that the most effective and useful changes would be made. Di 

Brimacombe, project manager said: “Patients were consulted 

about what changes they would like to see through a survey that 

was conducted by the Trust’s marketing department. I also met 

with individual members of staff on a regular basis throughout the 

planning process to make sure their voices were heard and also to 

make sure that they were kept in the loop as to what was going on. 

We built up a rapport and as a result the teamwork between myself, 

the contractors and the Fracture Clinic staff was excellent.” 

The planning process started in June 2008 and the builders arrived 

at the clinic in May 2009. Work was carried out in June, July and 

August and the project was finished in early September. Business 

carried on as usual throughout, with clinic staff and builders working 

around each other to make sure that there wouldn’t be any disruption 

to the clinic’s services – not an easy task if you take into account the 

fact that staff at the Fracture Clinic can see up to 100 patients a day. 

However, there’s little doubt that the changes that were made were 

much-needed and well worth it. According to Karole Champion, 

Senior Sister at the Fracture Clinic: “one of the biggest advantages 

of the refurbishment was that it gave all members of staff the 

opportunity to think about where everything in the clinic was and 

where everything should go.” 

This meant that processes could be streamlined and made more 

efficient, making a better clinical environment for both staff and 

patients. For example, new shelving has been put up and a new 

space for linen has been created. Various pieces of equipment 

have also been rearranged to 

make them more logically and 

accessibly placed. The clinic’s 

computer has been moved 

to a better location, and old 

equipment that isn’t used 

anymore (for example the 

lightbox) was removed. 

Another big improvement has been the installation of a new 

sluice. The clinic didn’t have a sluice before, and this meant major 

headaches for members of staff who previously had to take waste 

to the main Orthopaedic Outpatients department (which is a fair 

walk from the Fracture Clinic) to be disposed of. The new sluice 

will mean an improved performance for the clinic in both cleanliness 

and infection control checks, in addition to making everyone’s 

life much easier. Movement sensors have also been installed to 

control the lights in the sluice room, ensuring that the lights will only 

be on when the room is being used. This makes the area more 

environmentally friendly and makes savings in lighting costs. 

One of the most visible improvements has been the refurbishment 

of the main reception area. The window has been lowered, 

which has made the reception desk more accessible to patients 

in wheelchairs who can now interact with reception staff at eyelevel. 

The old glass was also removed and replaced with a set of 

electronic roller shutters. This allows for open interaction between 

members of staff and patients who now no longer have to talk 

to each other through glass, which is much more welcoming for 

patients. Old furniture was also removed from behind the reception 

desk and new shelves were put up. This means there is now less 

clutter and more storage space which gives the area a much more 

open feel, making it safer for staff to move around. According to 

Junior Sister Lucy Mould, “for the patients one of the real stand-out 

improvements is the reception area. It’s the first thing that they see 

when they come to the clinic, and it was previously quite dingy and 

dark. Now it is bright, light and much more welcoming.” 

The waiting area also received attention from the refurbishment 

team. An infrequently used children’s play area has been removed 

and the seating has been rearranged to make it more functional and 

attractive. Television screens have also been installed to provide 

patients with up to date information about what’s going on at the 

clinic and across the Trust, as well as health advice and images sent 

in from Trust members of staff showing local areas of natural beauty. 

“It wasn’t all that easy at times” said Karole Champion. “There 

was a lot of planning to do with a lot of different people involved, 

and it was a real challenge 

keeping the clinic 

operating as usual with 

minimal disruption 

whilst the improvement 

works were going on.” 

However, “everyone 

came together to work 

brilliantly as a team, and 

we’re all really delighted 

with what has been 

achieved”. 

Inside the Clinic: 

Before (below) and 

after (left) 

Reception Desk: 

Before (above) and 

after (right) 

16 Cascade 

Autumn 2009

FLU SEASON 

Seasonal Flu Vaccine – 

Have you had yours yet? 

Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to get 

vaccinated. There has been an excellent start to the 

seasonal flu vaccination programme. More than 900 staff 

from Plymouth Hospitals were vaccinated in the first two 

weeks. 

As the vaccine may take up to three weeks to protect you from 

the virus, it is important to protect yourself sooner rather than 

later. If you haven’t already had your seasonal flu vaccination, 

please do so now. Now is the time to protect yourself, your 

family and our patients. Here are some good reasons why you 

should get your vaccination: 

l Vaccination will help protect you at work, help protect your 

family and your patients 

l Without the vaccination, you risk becoming infected and 

passing the virus on to your colleagues or those you are 

caring for, some of whom may be particularly vulnerable 

l It will help keep you well enough to work just when you are 

most needed – when services and your colleagues may be 

under considerable pressure 

l Vaccination is a vitally-important part of the NHS pandemic 

flu resilience strategy, and protection of frontline staff who 

are in contact with patients or at-risk groups is a critical part 

of this 

How do I get my seasonal flu vaccination? 

It’s simple – pop along to Postbridge 

From Monday 2nd November 2009, Postbridge Ward has been 

operating from 0700–1600, Monday to Friday, for both seasonal 

flu and swine flu vaccinations. If you have asthma, diabetes, 

heart kidney or immunosuppressive disease, please attend 

Postbridge to be assessed. 

If you have asthma, diabetes, heart, kidney or 

immunosuppressive disease, please attend your GP surgery for 

your seasonal flu vaccination. 

From Monday 2nd November 2009, Postbridge Ward will 

operate from 0700–1600, Monday to Friday, for both seasonal 

flu and swine flu vaccinations. 

Swine Flu – If you can’t catch 

it, you can’t pass it on 

As staff, you are at increased risk of infection and of 

transmitting that infection to susceptible patients. 

Protecting you will therefore help us as a healthcare 

organisation to remain resilient and able to treat sick 

patients. 

Swine flu vaccinations are now available and being offered to 

staff and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has provided 

guidance on priority staff groups and ‘frontline’ areas have been 

identified as those working with patients or in key areas and 

these can be found on the Healthnet under Pandemic Influenza. 

From the 2 November, staff have been able to access the H1N1 

swine flu vaccine and seasonal flu vaccines via Postbridge 

during the operational hours of Monday – Friday from 0700- 

1600 hours. No appointment necessary, just drop in! 

The key messages to remember are: 

l Getting yourself vaccinated is the single most important 

thing you can all do to protect you, your family and our 

patients. 

l Not getting vaccinated means you’re taking a risk with your 

own health, and potentially compromising the safety or your 

colleagues and patients too – as well as your families. 

l Health professionals are at particular risk of catching 

swine flu – even if you don’t normally get flu. Swine flu is 

predominantly affecting younger people where seasonal flu 

typically affects older people. 

Director of Infection Prevention and Control, Peter 

Jenks has been one of the first members of staff to get 

vaccinated... have you had yours? 

l Cases of swine flu are on the rise and there has been a 

marked increase since September. We continue to prepare 

for the possibility of a pandemic impacting over the next six 

months. 

Cascade 

Autumn 2009 

17

RETIREMENTS 

Annie Waymouth 

In November, Anne Waymouth is retiring from the NHS after 35 years of service. 

To put that into perspective, in 1974 Harold Wilson was elected Prime Minister, 

Glam Rock ruled the airwaves, the average cost of petrol was 49p A GALLON! 

and the detective series Life on Mars was regarded as a cutting edge documentary 

series. 

In the NHS itself consultants were very vocal in expressing their disquiet about 

recent changes to the service, a major reorganisation was just about to take 

place and there was controversy about private practice. But throughout the many 

changes of the NHS in the last 35 years, one thing has been a constant - the 

continued professionalism and diligence of Anne. While all around her has been 

changing, Anne has proved a loyal and versatile colleague whose vast well of 

experience has been drawn from by everyone around her. 

From November she will take her enthusiasm and energy and channel it into the 

next stage of her life. We wish her every success in her plans and know that, as 

an organisation, we will be worse off for not having her around. Now let’s just hope 

that once Anne has gone we can sit back and enjoy less turbulent 35 years. 

Orthopaedic Mission to Kenya 

An orthopaedic team with 

members from Derriford 

Hospital is embarking on 

the second ever Kenya 

Orthopaedic Project from the 

19th to the 28th of November 

2009. 

The first project was in January 

this year and was deemed to 

be a complete success by all 

involved. The team, roughly 

half of whom work at Derriford, 

consists of three surgeons, three 

anaesthetists, five nurses, a 

specialist physiotherapist and a 

radiologist. They will be based at Mombasa General Hospital on 

Kenya’s south east coast for the duration of the trip. There they 

will spend their time seeing and operating on patients as well 

as performing teaching sessions for local medical staff covering 

various subjects including advanced trauma life support, pain 

management and theatre safety. 

Lucy Obolensky, Orthopaedic Registrar at Derriford and 

organiser of the trip said: “The vast majority of these patients 

normally would never get to see a doctor. It means so much to 

them for us to offer them a free session with a specialist. Even 

just getting a diagnosis has a huge impact. We’re hoping to 

operate on the patients that we can make the biggest difference 

to in terms of remaining pain free after the procedure and being 

able to return to function with as little follow up treatment as 

possible.” 

There is exceptional demand at Mombasa General Hospital 

for orthopaedic surgery that will help to save patients from 

permanent disability. The population of Mombasa’s dependence 

on hard physical labour to make a living - often performed 

without safety equipment - means that the hospital sees high 

numbers of patients with severe Osteoarthritis. Without access 

to the kind of treatment that is available in the UK, the mobility 

and function of Osteoarthritis patients seen at Mombasa 

General Hospital quickly deteriorates, leaving patients immobile 

and in severe pain. 

The team will self-fund the cost of their flights, accommodation 

and most of their equipment, and has also taken the time for the 

trip out of their annual leave so it won’t affect their NHS work 

time. All of the money donated by the sponsors of the project 

will go directly towards operative equipment and the cost of 

patient care. A 40 square foot container has been donated by 

a local Plymouth company and shipped to Kenya filled with 

equipment for the trip. This includes two Image Intensifiers 

which allow medical staff to take X-Rays in theatre, something 

that is of vital importance when carrying out a number of 

Orthopaedic 

procedures. There 

is currently only 

one other publicly 

accessible Image 

Intensifier in the 

whole of Kenya 

which is located in 

Nairobi, 330 miles 

away. The team’s 

radiologist will train 

the local members 

of staff to use the Image Intensifiers which will be left behind 

and vastly increase the different types of procedure that it will 

possible to perform at Mombasa General Hospital. 

The local medical team and patients in Mombasa won’t be 

the only ones to benefit from the visit, however. According to 

Lucy Obolensky: “The team will be bringing a wealth of new 

experience back to Derriford. We’ll be seeing a lot of cases that 

would be quite rare in the UK so it’ll give us a chance to polish 

our skills in those areas. We’ll also have the opportunity to 

improve our team working and leadership skills through working 

with members of staff who come from a very different culture. 

Everyone is going to get so much out of it.” 


John Yarnold 

John Yarnold, the 

Deputy Chief Executive 

and Director of Finance 

has been appointed 

to the post of Director 

of Finance for NHS 

Gloucestershire 

(Gloucestershire PCT). 

Here Cascade talks to 

John about his time at 

the Trust. 

How long have you 

been with the Trust? 

Since the Trust came 

into existence in 1994! 

Before that I worked 

for the Plymouth Health 

Authority, starting as 

Deputy Director of 

Finance in 1986, being 

made Director of Finance in 1989, then Director of Finance for 

the Trust from 1994 -2001. Between 2001 and 2003 I led the 

development of the financial processes and computer systems 

for the National Shared Services Centres before returning to the 

Trust in June 2003 as Director of Performance and Governance. 

In May 2006 I took up my current role. 

What achievements are you particularly proud of? 

It is really difficult to pick one specific achievement! I am 

particularly proud of being part of the team that successfully 

built and presented the business case for cardiac surgery to 

be introduced to the Trust. Before the surgery was approved, 

patients in the South West had to travel to London for cardiac 

surgery, and the success of the business plan was a result of 

the whole team putting in long hours and lots of effort. I am 

also hugely proud of the different teams that I have helped to 

build up over the past few years. 

How are you feeling about the move? 

I’m really excited. I have always felt that the engine room of 

change within the NHS is in commissioning. In the current 

financial climate I think it will be a particularly interesting couple 

of years! However I am also really upset to be leaving all the 

people I have worked with over the years at the Trust. 

What will you miss the most? 

Definitely the people! Commissioning always tends to be one 

step removed from clinical and Trust staff, and I will really miss 

that daily interaction. 

Any final messages? 

I will miss everyone and keep at it! Plymouth Hospitals has the 

potential to be one of the best Trusts in the country if each and 

every one of you rises to the challenge. 

Occupational Health 

The Occupational Health Team has just welcomed Dr 

Adeodu as its new consultant in Occupational Health. Here 

Dr Adeodu explains a bit more about his role and vision for 

the Trust. 

I’d like to start by 

saying a big thank 

you to the Trust for 

giving me the chance 

to work with you 

as a consultant in 

occupational health 

(OH) I moved to the 

occupational health 

consultant post in this 

Trust from a private 

sector OH company, 

Capita Health Solutions. 

My main area of interest 

is work ability and 

rehabilitation. Going 

back some time, I was 

a paediatric registrar for 

two years in Derriford. 

I really enjoyed my time here, and so I was glad when the 

opportunity to return was offered to me. 

I believe I have joined the Trust at a very interesting time. I say 

‘interesting time’ because the government has commissioned 

the first ever independent review of the health and wellbeing of 

NHS staff. The review group has recently released its interim 

report. Over here in Kingstor House (home to the Trust’s OH 

department), we are eagerly putting finishing touches to a 

summary of this report and our recommendations to the Trust 

Board. If you want to find out more about the Boorman review 

just zip over to http://www.nhshealthandwellbeing.org/ 

Research findings tell us that good work is, in general, good 

for our health and wellbeing. If you haven’t already guessed 

it, my role (together with the rest of the OH team) is to help 

you stay happy, healthy, and productive in well designed and 

rewarding jobs. We can achieve this if we all work together: 

Trust employees, union representatives, human resources (HR), 

managers, health and safety officers, the Infection Prevention 

and Control team, Trust Board, and Occupational Health. If you 

feel your job is doing your mind and body a world of good then 

our success lies in keeping it that way. On the other hand, you 

may feel your job is not so good for your health and wellbeing; 

our success will then lie in helping find the best solution for you. 

So, what’s my vision? I am here to serve all staff and the Trust. 

Together with the OH team, I aim to support your health and 

wellbeing. My vision is that our staff health and wellbeing work 

will help you deliver high quality care for all patients of the 

Trust, something I believe means a lot to all of you. If you are 

happy and healthy at work, this can also have benefits for your 

life outside the Trust, your families and the local community in 

general. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my intro and I look forward 

to working with you all. 

Ade Adeodu, Consultant in Occupational Health 


19

HMSC – Who’s That Doctor? 

Who’s that Doctor? 

Ever walked in from the car park with a senior medical colleague 

and not known his name? Ever been stopped in the corridor by 

a consultant you recognised but didn’t know her name? Ever 

been introduced to an associate specialist and just couldn’t 

remember his name? Ever wanted to see just how many 

anaesthetists we really have (and what they look like)? The 

new picture board of all senior Trust medical staff, located in the 

Hospital Medical Staff Committee (HMSC) office, can help you 

do just that! 

Dr Rowe (Chairman of the HMSC), Dr Laurie Baxter (Vice 

Chairman), Dr Cath Gutteridge (Honorary Secretary), Dr Anthea 

Sherwood (Past HMSC Chair), Ms Annie Waymouth and Mrs 

Gill Pugh thanked Mr Viv Gale, Head of Trust Security, at a lunch 

reception for the tremendous efforts he has made to help put 

the board together. It will continue to be updated on a weekly 

basis so there is an accurate picture reference of all senior 

medical staff. The committee welcomes your help in making 

sure they have accounted for everyone; please drop by and let 

them know if there is anyone missing! If the Chairman isn’t in the 

office, please contact the secretary, Mrs. Gill Pugh, ext 39491, 

who is just down the management corridor across from the 

Communications Office. This is a resource available to anyone in 

the Trust. 

The picture board coincides with the new look HMSC: rotating 

meetings with shorter, more concise agendas, more senior 

medical staff input, a monthly newsletter before the meeting and 

a published summary of your Medical Executive Committee’s 

monthly meetings. 

What is the Hospital Medical Staff Committee 

(HMSC)? 

The HMSC is the independent forum for representation of all 

doctors within the Trust. The committee itself is made up of 

all Senior Medical Staff (Consultants, Associate Specialists, 

Staff Grades, Specialty Doctors, Clinical Assistants, (Senior 

Clinical Medical Officers); subcommittees contain Junior 

Doctor representation through the Junior Doctors Mess and its 

Dr Laurie Baxter (Vice Chairman), Dr Cath Gutteridge (Honorary 

Secretary), Dr Anthea Sherwood (Past HMSC Chair), Ms Annie 

Waymouth and Mrs Gill Pugh, Mr Viv Gale, Head of Trust Security 

Chairman Peter Rowe 

President. The committee meets monthly in the evening from 

17.30–18.30 in the PGMC. 

Chairman Dr Peter Rowe explains “The HMSC works 

independently from the clinical management structure, as a fair 

system for checks and balances much like the judiciary and 

government.” 

Dr Rowe’s HMSC responsibilities make up a 

huge portfolio that includes conflict resolution, 

independent advice on job plans, clinical disputes 

negotiation, investigation of serious clinical 

incidents, Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) 

time allocation, disciplinary issues, GP liaison, 

Clinical Excellence Awards, Trust strategy and 

policy development. As HMSC Chair, he also 

chairs the annual Medical and Surgical Equipment 

Budget Distribution allocated to senior medical staff 

following competitive bids to support developments 

in patient care. Dr Rowe enjoys a constructive 

congenial relationship with Alex Mayor, Medical 

Director, and works in close liaison with Paul 

Roberts, Chief Executive along with other senior 

managers. 

Did you realise that any member of medical staff 

with a problem may speak with Dr Rowe? “I hold 

open house on a Monday afternoon in the HMSC 

office. Doctors may ‘drop by’ or to assure my 

presence and confidentiality, make an appointment! 

Please contact Gill Pugh on 39491, or call me direct 

on ext. 52463, pager 89490 or mobile phone 07802 

270126.”

Military Cross Award for Naval Medical Assistant Kate Nesbitt

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