PLUS A LOT MORE - The Princess Alexandra Hospital | NHS Trust

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Issue 04 Winter 2008
New Milk Kitchen
P5
Inpatient Therapy
P6
New Stoma Care Nurse P7
PLUS A LOT MORE

CEO’s Column
As we come to the end of another
year, I want to take this opportunity to
earnestly thank staff for their hard work
and commitment on behalf of both the Board and more
importantly the patients.
We have seen over a hundred staff awarded this year for their
length of service and the loyalty they have shown the Trust.
Others have been recognised for dedication to their jobs and
frequently going over and above what is expected of them is
their desire to look after patients.
I know that there is much more of this going on behind-thescenes
too and I wish to acknowledge everybody here for their
invaluable efforts in helping us get to where we are today.
As a Trust, we have faced several challenges but we have also
seen some real highlights during the year.
We saw an improvement in our Healthcare Commission (HCC)
ratings, scoring ‘Good’ for both our Quality of Services and Use
of Resources.
Our position on healthcare associated infection is much
stronger and we have made great strides on both 18 weeks
and 98%. These have been fantastic achievements for us and
play a key role in our bid to become a Foundation Trust.
However, as ever, further work is required.
Our Cost Improvement Plan (CIP) is an area that needs
strengthening further and an plan of action is well underway
to address this and the Executive Team is working closely with
Business Units to look at ways of improving efficiency.
Our recent Hospital Standardised Mortality Rate (HSMR) was
not quite as we expected. Investigation into this has discovered
that the incorrect coding of some patients’ conditions led to
some misinterpretation of the statistics recorded. Measures
such as spot audits of clinical deaths are now being conducted
to improve our figures and have been successful to date.
Operational targets will continue to test us over the coming
year but I hope that as we have now started to see a steady
improvement in all key areas, we can go onwards and upwards
from here.
Finally, I would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a
Happy New year.
Chris Pocklington
Chief Executive
RECENT SUCCESS AND INNOVATIONS
AT THE TRUST
Our Pathology team is one of only
four trusts in the country to be chosen
to pilot new molecular techniques in
breast cancer surgery. The availability
of test results whilst the patient is in
theatre means the surgeons can be
more precise in the removal of tissue. Previously,
patients would have to return for more surgery if
further test results proved cancerous cells were still
present.
We are also one of only two trusts in
the East of England, to have become
a Rapid Improvement Site for the
High Volume Care Orthopaedics
Programme. Working with the
NHS Institute for Innovation and
Improvement, we have access to
dedicated support to help redesign the pathways in
the hip and knee replacement service.
In addition to this, Chris Cook, R&D Facilitator/IP
Scout, who led the recent Statement of Clinical Need
(SOCN) pilot project, has been selected to participate
in SOCN workshops and presentations and to be a
point of contact for other trusts getting involved in
the scheme.
Knowledge and Skills Framework Re-launch
Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) will be re-launched in
January 2009 with the full support of Alan Farmer, Director of
Workforce, and the Trust Board.
A new project team is now in place, managed in partnership
by Gemma Haynes, Training Advisor and Sylvia Hayes, Staff
Side Secretary.
Your department will be informed of how KSF will be fully
implemented in your area.
If you have a draft KSF outline yet to be finalised, please
ensure you have it available. If you do not have a KSF outline,
these are currently in the process of being developed.
If you have any queries throughout any part of the process,
the project team can be contacted via ksf@pah.nhs.uk or
please phone Gemma Haynes on extension 7613 or Sylvia
Hayes on extension 3275.
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Our Journey to Foundation Trust Status
The road towards Foundation Trust status has beeen a long and treacherous one
but it is now possible to steam ahead with our application.
It has been a long journey to this point but I am confident that the worst of it is
now behind us. We have secured our position operationally, albeit we need to
continue on our operational trajectories to be absolutely certain of this.
FT status holds some exciting opportunities for the future of local healthcare. This
view has been supported by evidence presented in a report recently published
by the Foundation Trust Network: ‘NHS Foundation Trusts: the story so far’. This
document highlights examples of new initiatives introduced by FTs across the
country as a result of the operational flexibility and financial independence that FT
status brought to them.
Our membership database is strong, but please keep encouraging your family and
friends to sign up if they have not already done so. You can join via our website:
www.pah.nhs.uk.
If you would like to know more about any aspect of our FT application, please do
not hesitate to contact me on extension 7019 or by email: james.day@pah.nhs.uk
James Day, Trust Secretary
Call for Staff Governors
It is hoped we will achieve FT status by July 2009. The Trust will then have a new
governance system including a Council of Governors. Six of these will be elected
members of staff, with one from each of the following groups: Medical & Dental,
Nursing & Midwifery, Allied Health Professionals, Support & Estates Services,
Administrative & Clerical and Volunteers.
As a staff governor, you could influence positive changes to the Trust’s services by
voicing your own opinions and the views of other members of staff; you will meet
like minded people who also want to make a difference and you will help shape the
future of local healthcare. It really is an excellent personal development opportunity.
Individuals will be required to commit to 25-30 hours per year, including attending four
Council of Governors meetings and working groups.
It is a voluntary role, but Governors will be entitled to reasonable expenses in
connection with their duties. Attendance at training, induction and development
sessions is expected.
You can nominate yourself for election to a three year term as a staff governor
provided you have worked in the Trust for at least one year. Election of Governors is
planned to take place by secret postal ballot early in the new year.
• For more information please contact James Day on extension 7019 or Deborah
Gunn-Roberts on extension 7295 for an informal and confidential briefing.
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The pathology team opened their
doors to the public with a series of
events during National Pathology
Week (November 3-9).
Over 200 local school students and
members of the public visited the
modern laboratories at the hospital
and enjoyed exciting demonstrations, talks and tours.
Harlow MP Bill Rammell joined the
fun by visiting the department to
formally open the new Michael
Morgan Laboratory, named
after the PAH’s long serving and
recently retired breast surgeon,
which will house state-of-the-art
equipment to undertake molecular
tests.
Students were then given the
opportunity to analyse samples and tissue, learn about
dissection and find out more about choosing pathology
as a career. They also toured the laboratories and visited
the Clinical Skills Bus where they got some real handson
experience in first-aid skills and blood pressure
monitoring.
Dr Jolanta McKenzie, Pathologist
and Clinical Director for Cancer
and Diagnostics, said: “We
were delighted to use National
Pathology Week as an opportunity
to showcase the department
and help promote the role of
pathology. Millions of pathology tests are performed every year in the UK -
an average of 14 for every man, woman and child! But some people may not
even realise that if they have ever had a blood test, cervical smear or biopsy, the result will have been
provided by a pathologist.”
Dr Suzy Lishman, Assistant Registrar at the Royal College of Pathologists and National Pathology
Week Lead, added: “I am really pleased that we have given these school students an
opportunity to see what pathologists really do.
“We are really keen to raise awareness among young people so that they are better informed
about their own health and who knows – some of them might even choose to take up pathology
as a career.”
Biology teacher, Sophia Spurgin, of Birchwood High School said: “We had a really good and interesting time and the
students were full of what they had seen and learnt. It was particularly useful for those interested in a medically related
career.”
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A New Service For Warfarin Patients
A new service to monitor and manage medication to
prevent blood clots is being introduced at the Hospital
from 1 December.
The anticoagulation clinic will be led
by nurses and supervised by
consultant haematologists at PAH
for patients who need a prescription
or adjustment to their warfarin
dosage, a blood thinning drug that
prevents clots forming.
Up to 60 patients a week can be referred to the clinic
from their GP or Hospital Consultant for counselling,
education, blood tests and monitoring of medication.
Sarah Ayton, DVT Nurse leading the clinic, said: “New,
vulnerable and complex patients will be eligible
to attend. Their appointment will allow them to
discuss their condition with a nurse and to have their
treatment monitored closely. The remainder of our
anticoagulation patients will continue to have their
bloods and anticoagulation levels checked via the
existing computerised system.”
The clinic has been jointly funded by the Hospital and
two local Primary Care Trusts. The investment has
created a few new full-time posts to support the
initiative.

‘Milk Kitchen’ Opens in Maternity
A new milk kitchen is being opened in the maternity unit at PAH to support
mothers who choose to bottle feed their babies.
The new facility, which will be opening in the first week of the New Year,
will allow midwives and nursery nurses to teach mothers and their partners
the correct way to make up formula milk for their babies.
Chris Argent, the unit’s Infant Feeding Adviser, said: “Although we encourage
mothers to breastfeed – and have already been recognised as a leading unit in
the country for doing so – some women still prefer to bottle feed their babies.
“The milk kitchen will enable us to give parents information about the right
way to do this. They are shown how to sterilise equipment and learn about
general hygiene practices. They also find out the best way to
store milk and how to safely prepare it. This is based upon
new advice from the Department of Health and the Food
Standards Agency.”
From January 2009, parents who prefer to bottle feed will
need to bring into hospital a couple of small bottles, teats
and formula milk. Parents will then make up feeds under supervision of
ward staff.
The milk kitchen comprises of a sink for hand washing, another sink for
washing equipment, fridges, kettles and sterilising equipment.
New Campaign Launched to Support Breast
Cancer Research
The Epping Breast Unit has launched a ‘sponsor day’
campaign to help hit the £250,000 target needed to
expand the research and development function.
Ashraf Patel, Clinician from Princess Alexandra Hospital is asking
individuals to donate £100 to register their name against a special
2009 calendar date, for example birthdays, anniversaries and other
important milestones. It is hoped the project will raise over £30,000.
Ashraf said: “It is important that we have the opportunity to persist
with clinical trials so we can enhance our understanding of breast
cancer and develop treatments to cure the disease. The community
has offered a great deal of support over recent years: in 2007 we
raised £150,000 and in 2008 over £250,000. I hope this idea generates
a similar amount of income.”
Currently, the unit is conducting trials involving the new drug
Lapatinib from GSK and Sutent from Pfizer, while the unit’s surgeons,
Mr Bradpiece, Miss Jenkins and Mr Patel, are in the process of starting
a new clinical trial involving fat transfer for breast re-construction.
News in Brief
The Trust’s brand new intranet -
full of helpful information and
news from the trust - will be
launching early in 2009. The
Communications team will
require a representative from
each area to be responsible for
uploading and updating the
content for their section. If you
are interesting in being involved
or finding out more, please
contact Gaynor Cross by emailing:
gaynor.cross@pah.nhs.uk
The Stress Steering Group has
piloted the use of the stress
indicator tool, recommended by
the Health & Safety Executive
(HSE), in three areas. It was
carried out as a survey and the
results have been analysed. The
Group is producing a report for
the Trust Board and a set of
actions will hopefully be agreed
for implementation in the Trust.
As part of a rolling programme,
the Group has also sent survey
forms to other areas in the Trust.
Cragrat attendees were recently
invited to ‘Have you Say’ events
to suggest ways in which the
Trust could improve working life
for its employees and empower
them to do their jobs more
effectively. The various ideas
will be submitted to the Trust
Board who will decide which
should be actioned.
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Get a Bite of the APPLE
APPLE – Achieving Peak Performance
through Leadership Excellence – is the
Trust’s new Leadership and Management
Development training programme. It is
aimed at staff who have, or could potentially
have, leadership, management or supervisory
responsibilities in their job roles.
It is a multi-level programme with a range of courses which
will be accredited by the Institute of Leadership and
Management (ILM), offering formal qualifications of Awards,
Certificates and Diplomas. The Trust’s training team will work
closely with external providers to ensure each course is tailored
to meet the specific needs of the Trust and individuals.
Having received external funding, two Level 2 APPLE courses
are now well underway. Staff will be working towards their
‘Certificate in Team Leading’ qualification, and is being
delivered in partnership with Harlow College. A Level 3
(‘Certificate in First Line Management’) course is due to
be rolled out in February 2009. Both courses have been
designed for either new or aspiring team leaders (Level 2) or
for practicing or aspiring first line managers (Level 3). The
courses will help PAH staff to develop the core skills needed
to perform well in their roles, provide a solid foundation in
their formal development, and meet the requirements of the
Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) outline for their jobs.
Having now successfully bid for over half a million pounds
of the SHA’s Strategic Workforce Investment Fund for
Tomorrow (SWIFT), the Trust’s training department will use
this to help get ILM Award, Certificate and Diploma courses
at Levels 5 and 7 off the ground. It is hoped that this will be
sometime during Spring 2009, and will be offered using a
‘blended learning’ approach.
Martin Smith, Head of Training & Development, said: “I am
delighted that we are now able to deliver this training and
support programme for our leaders, managers and
supervisors. Very little Leadership and Management
Development has taken place at PAH over the past 3/4 years.
Improved and effective leadership and management is
fundamental in supporting Foundation Trust status and the
Trust’s vision.”
Full details of the APPLE programme will be announced
soon. For more information, please contact Martin Smith,
Head of Training & Development, by emailing:
martin.smith@pah.nhs.uk
A Lot of Change for Acute Inpatient Therapy Services
After a period of relatively high staff turnover, the team has grown in size and has more permanent
members of staff than ever – which is great news for inpatients who require acute physiotherapy or
occupational therapy, as it means they are now more likely to have a named Therapist for the
duration of their care programme.
Agni Philippou, Service Manager, explained: “Recruiting permanent staff and then developing them inhouse
has led to improved rates of staff retention. Of course, having familiar faces within the team is also
better for patients and has meant more cohesive working between our service and the wards. We are getting
positive feedback from ward staff who seem happier with the role we play in the rehabilitation and discharge of patients.”
The service is split into Acute Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. The Physiotherapists treat patients with acute
respiratory conditions, mobility problems and post-orthopaedic surgery such as hip replacements. The Occupational
Therapists will treat patients who have had a reduction in their normal function and ability to look after themselves,
including patients following joint replacement surgery. They will assess, order equipment, minor adaptations for the home
and make referrals on to social services and the community, enabling each patient to be as independent as possible when
they are discharged home.
Therapy documentation is now within each patient’s Medical file and handovers are done
verbally on each ward enhancing communication and multidisciplinary team (MDT) working.
• The Occupational Therapy team were out and about in the local community for
National Occupational Therapy Week (3-7 November 2008), with stands in places
such as The Harvey Centre, Harlow, to promote the service.
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Tracey Offers Stoma Care
Tracey Hart has stepped up to take on
a key role offering treatment, support
and advice to a large number of patients
whose condition rarely gains national
attention.
Tracey is the newly appointed
Clinical Nurse Specialist for
Stoma Care, a role which
was carried out with
distinction for many years
by Roz Callum, who sadly
died recently.
Tracey
with
patient, Lilly
Ferrier
Tracey, who was formerly a nurse on
Penn Ward, has over 1,500 patients on
her books in the west Essex area and
sees about 20 patients a week.
Tracey said: “I am delighted to be taking
on this important role. Although many
people with stomas manage themselves,
people do have problems with infections
or fittings and I am available to offer
them help and advice. Although I
am based at PAH where I have an
outpatients clinic on Wednesday and
Friday afternoons, I often visit people at
their homes to show them how to use
the appliance, manage their condition
and educate them on diet and lifestyle.”
Trust Gets Ready for BedWeb
BedWeb V3 is due to be phased into the Trust from December 2008.
Currently the Trust’s beds are predominantly managed using a
paper based system, but this new version of BedWeb will allow us to
manage the trust’s beds in real-time and will detail how many beds,
and of what type, are available.
Additional functionality is being planned that will allow the Trust to
generate Electronic Discharge Summaries (EDS) which can be emailed
to GP Practices using NHS net. As well as improving clinical care and
outcomes for our patients, this will mean we can accurately charge
PCTs for any consultations and treatment that we carry out.
George Brown, BedWeb Project Manager , said: “Having systems like
BedWeb in place will mean huge benefits for the Trust; time spent by
staff tracking down patients will be significantly reduced, there will
be an improvement to revenue recognition for procedures undertaken
and improved discharge summaries – the latter has the potential to be
sent back to the GP electronically which helps speed up the process.
Accuracy should also improve, as the need for handwritten discharge
summaries will be virtually eliminated.”
Training on how to use the software is taking place for those wards
going live in the first phase and there will eventually be 40+ ‘Super
Users’ who will take on responsibility for providing cascade training
to other staff. These will include Matrons, Site Managers, Sisters and
Ward Clerks.
For more information about the project, you can contact George
Brown on extension 2584 or email george.brown@pah.nhs.uk.
Have you Thought about a Secondment Opportunity?
There are currently several secondment opportunities in the Elective Business Unit and 18 Weeks Project team, lasting
between six and twelve months.
As a secondee, you have the chance to learn more about another area of work; build your skill set and network - and
you could become invaluable to your employer!
Kathryn Dixon, Breast Services Manager, who was recently seconded to the post of Emergency Planning Officer,
commented: “I really enjoy working in Breast Services, but after three years in my role, I was ready for a change and a
new challenge. I have had a keen interest in major incident planning since my training with the Trust. When the role of
Emergency Planning Officer came up as a secondment opportunity, I jumped at the chance! It has allowed me to ‘dip my
toes in the water’ and help me decide if this is a career path I wish to pursue permanently. I have been able to apply the
skills learnt in my previous role to a new area and learn new skills that are transferable back into my permanent role.
Secondment is ideal for someone who would like to try a new role in an area of the Trust without losing the opportunity
to return to their previous role at the end of the secondment period.”
For more information, talk to your manager or contact the HR department directly.
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A Day in the Life of...
Rachael Holden, Communications
Assistant, recently spent time
with Judy Spearman, Pharmacy
Patient Services & Procurement
Manager, to gain a valuable
insight into the Pharmacy service.
Recounting her experience,
Rachael said: “First, I had a tour
of the lower Pharmacy area which
includes the store and ‘Goods Out’
area. It was full of neatly stacked
shelves and several large fridges
for products that need to be kept
cold until they are distributed.
I was then shown around the
Dispensary upstairs. Here,
staff were busily printing off
labels and sticking them to the
Pharmaceutical goods that had
been picked out by a robot! The
machine is amazing; while it is
waiting for stock requests, it tidies
away boxes and puts them into
their correct places.
I really enjoyed my time in
Pharmacy. I realised that there is a
lot that goes on behind the scenes
and I think I barely even touched
the surface!
Babies and children
at Rainbow Day
Nursery celebrated
Halloween in
style this year
when they dressed
up and had a day of
‘spooky’ activities to include games
and baking Halloween treats!
Ann Curnow,
Project Coordinator,
Extension 5493
Could HarlowSave Help You to Save?
HarlowSave Credit Union is a not-for-profit savings
& loans co-operative set up by and for local people.
They have just relaunched their payroll scheme
where hospital staff can choose to have their
savings deducted direct from their pay making it
easier to save. You would also be eligible to apply
for low cost loans if you need them.
For further information about your local credit union,
contact 01279 451234, email info@harlowsave.coop
or visit www.harlowsave.coop
Congratulations to Julie
Matthews, Acting Radiology
Service Manager, who has
recently graduated with a Masters Degree in Business Administration - well done!
Did you know the NHS has a Retirement Fellowship...? A new branch is about to open in
Harlow, with the support of Princess Alexandra Hospital and St. Margaret’s Hospital. An executive
committee has been appointed and the first general meeting will be on 21st January 2009 at 6.00pm
in the Lecture Theatre at Parndon Hall, PAH, with light refreshments at 5.30pm. Partners welcome.
The Fellowship is a thriving charity and enjoys the support of local trusts and the Department of
Health. It currently has around 16,000 members across the UK who come from all sections of the NHS. Each
branch organises its own activities for members which may include theatre trips, meetings and interest groups.
You are eligible to become a member of the Fellowship if you have worked at any time in your working life for
the NHS but are now retired, or just about to retire. Spouses/partners can also become members.
For more information about the NHS Retirement Fellowship contact your local regional representative, Audrey
Harris on 01268 282221 or visit our website: www.nhsrf.org.uk.
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