Military Cross Award for Naval Medical Assistant Kate Nesbitt

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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
Page 1 and 2: Military Cross Award for Naval Medi
Page 3 and 4: Kate Nesbitt THE BIG INTERVIEW Kate
Page 5 and 6: SPECIALITIES AROUND THE TRUST End o
Page 7 and 8: H H CHARITY H H H H WORK H H H & FU
Page 9 and 10: SHARING EXPERTISE Inaugural Global
Page 11 and 12: DID YOU KNOW? What do you know abou
Page 13 and 14: Immunology Patient Forum More than
Page 15: You Talked, We Listened We know - b
Page 19 and 20: John Yarnold John Yarnold, the Depu

Military Cross Award for Naval Medical Assistant Kate Nesbitt

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?