HOMERTON LIFE OCTOBER 2004 - Homerton University Hospital

The Homerton Oars
Last month five mad members of staff: Guy Young, Tracey Fletcher, Susan Acott, Richard
Gourlay and Jennie Negus met at Richmond Bridge armed with a picnic, cushions and
workmen’s gloves. They climbed aboard their rowing boat loaned to them by the
Docklands Scout Project and started to row!
They rowed and they rowed and they rowed! In total, 22 miles, passing by the famous
landmarks and beneath the historic bridges and finally crossing the finishing line at
Greenwich.
“There’s no denying it was hard work but it was also great fun”, said Jennie. “We kept
our rhythm quite well once Tracey took control - Sue and Richard were trying to get us
going at ramming speed!” The team agreed that although amid fantastic sights the
hardest stretch was from Westminster, as the wind picked up and there was quite a swell
in the water from the pleasure boats.
The Great River Race is an annual event, dubbed ‘the marathon on the Thames’ and is a
pageant of over 250 traditional boats, from simple rowing boats to Celtic, Viking and
dragon boats, all celebrating the diverse history of life on the river.
Our intrepid five raised over £300 for the scouts and Homerton, and despite
aching arms and blistered hands have vowed to enter again next year!
Watch this space...
GET IT WRITE
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Do you receive the fortnightly staff bulletin via email? If
not, contact Kim Hutchings and ask to be added to the staff
circulation email list. This way you can keep up-to-date with all
the latest news and offers for staff. If you don’t have access to
email, ask your line manager to print off a copy and display in
your staff area.
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only for important Trust wide messages to reach all staff. Please do not use
for other purposes.
Are you a
future leader?
Do you have an interest in HR, finance or
general management and feel that you
could make a difference to the NHS? If so, the
NHS Modernisation Agency’s management
training scheme could be for you.
There are three schemes (HR management,
financial management and general management)
available to anyone with a minimum 2.2 degree –
the aim of the scheme is to train, develop and
nurture future board directors and chief
executives.
Trainees are employed centrally by the NHS for
the duration of their scheme, but train in
hospitals, PCTs and other NHS organisations
throughout England. After the scheme trainees
will be able to apply for management jobs
throughout the NHS. The schemes are highly
regarded by NHS employers, so there should be
no shortage of opportunity or choice.
Kathryn Worswick is currently on the general
management scheme and joined Homerton in
September as business manager for the fertility
unit. She said of the scheme: “I have always
wanted to work in the public sector, particularly
the NHS so that I could help improve patient care.
The NHS offered the best scheme by far,
providing me with a Masters degree at the same
time. It is also really supportive with training, in
the 12 week orientation programme alone I get
to sample a whole range of jobs from receptionist
to porter, so that I get a good sense of the
hospital before I start work.”
For further information visit www.futureleaders.nhs.uk,
email mtsinfo@mts.nhs.uk
or call 0870 169 9731. Applications for the
next intake for trainees (September 2005)
will close on 13 December 2004.
A nurse’s view on nurse prescribing
By Jenny Anthony, Clinical Nurse Specialist Dermatology
As an Extended Formulary Nurse Prescriber (EFNP) I am able to prescribe from a limited formulary of prescription only medicines (POM) for a
number of conditions. Also available to me are all pharmacy only medicines and those on the general sales list.
Whilst the POM list and the list of conditions is quite limited, it does enable me to prescribe for skin diseases such as atopic eczema and acne when
mild or moderately severe, which comprises a large chunk of my workload. I am qualified to prescribe for any of the conditions mentioned in the
BNF, however I choose to restrict my prescribing to my specialist area only.
I have been prescribing for only a few weeks, but I’m already finding that my consultation times in clinic are reduced as I do not have to leave to
find a doctor to provide a prescription. Initiation of treatment is also much quicker, especially on the wards where I can ensure that the patients
get the right medication when they need it and the ward staff are not left waiting for a doctor. I have also found that treatments can be incorrectly
prescribed, due to lack of familiarity with the preparations and their use in skin disease. Being able to prescribe them myself ensures they are
prescribed correctly and I can ensure nursing staff are aware that new treatments need to be
ordered.
I believe this qualification is enabling me to provide a more holistic service for the patients I
see, ensuring they see the right person at the right time. It has also been a sharp reminder
of professional accountability and the wider responsibilities that come with taking on new
roles. It was a lot of hard work, which is not over yet.
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There will be more nurses trained
later this year. If you feel that nurse
prescribing may benefit your service,
contact Maddy Woods via email.
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