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

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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. 6 intouch
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. intouch 7
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Page 5: ‘Milk Kitchen’ Opens in Materni

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