Worcestershire Royal Hospital – News - Worcester Royal Infirmary ...

Worcestershire Royal Hospital – News
New Respiratory Care Team
Some 30% of the population of England and Wales will suffer some kind of respiratory
problem this year. This ranges from "minor" conditions like Hay Fever, to serious conditions
like Lung Cancer. But also includes Asthma, Diet and Smoking related diseases.
The Team
Consultants - Professor Richard Lewis and Doctor Steve O'Hickey lead the team, working
with specialist Nurses.
Kay Weaver - who is the Trusts - Sleep Support Nurse, assessing and helping people with
sleep apnoea, which can sometimes increase the risk of heart disease. Kay arranges
screening and monitoring of patients.
Chris Jordan - specialist Nurse in Lung Cancer, she provides support and care from prediagnosis
to treatment and follow-up; practical as well as emotional. She coordinates the out
patients clinics and organises a support group for Lung Cancer Patients.
Sarah Austin - is the Respiratory Nurse Specialist caring for people with allergy and airway
disease. She helps with advice and desensitisation programmes, to encourage patients to
manage their own Asthma or Oxygen therapy. She also provides in-patient and out-patient
support, to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Pam Carlyle - is ward based and helps educate staff in caring for patients with respiratory
complaints.
This service is linked to University College Worcester in research into asthma and Pollen
levels, in addition to developments in flexible bronchoscopy.
Artist - Nick Upton who painted the picture of the Jenny Lind Chapel, has been wielding his
paint brushes again. Nick, who is a plaster-room technician in the Trauma Clinic, was asked
by Oona and Mike Painter to paint a mural in memory of their daughter - Holly, as a way of
thanking the staff who cared for her during her illness. The colourful mural is a lovely riverside
view, which reflects the location of the Children's clinic on "Riverbank".
WRVS - Volunteer Way-Finder Service
The service offers a 'meet & greet' service in the reception atrium at the Hospital.
Thousands of patients and visitors a year use the service, to guide them to wards, clinics and
departments, making the experience of finding their way, to an appointment or relative, less
daunting and stressful.
• 97% - of people say the service enabled them to get to their appointment clinic or
ward - quicker.
• 70% - said they felt less stressed.
• 88% - felt that without the service they would have got lost, or been late for their
appointment.
• 20% - felt they would have panicked or become confused without the advice or
guidance of the service.
The WRVS volunteers, including some of the way-finders, also help around the hospital in
other ways, acting as patient visitors, manning the Library Trolley, helping in the Coffee Shop
and working within clinics and wards.
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Rachael Allen - one of the Hospital's Infection Control Nurses, has obtained a 1st class
degree in Infection Control, from Hertfordshire University this year, together with the
University -Year Prize - for exceptionally high marks.
Not content with that, Rachael has also won a prize in this years prestigious Nursing Times
Awards - for her research work in a Commode cleaning regime, which reduced clostridium
difficils rates in the Trust.
This work has generated a lot of interest and Rachael has been asked to present her work at
a National Study Day - in the spring.
Orthoptics Service
This includes Opthalmologists, Nurses, Optometrists and support staff, which is situated in
the Aconbury West Building (the old Newtown Hospital).
Patients of all ages come to the clinic, including babies with strabismus. Patients with
diplopia, or on-going conditions like diabetes or thyroid problems or sudden onset symptoms
as a result of a stroke or trauma to the head or eyes.
The Orthoptists job is not only to diagnose these patients but to manage their treatment plan.
At Worcestershire Royal they are also accredited to undertake education and training of
under-graduate Orthoptic students from Liverpool & Sheffield Universities, as well as
Optometrists, Health visitors and School Nurses. Also undertaken are Visual Field Testing of
patients with glaucoma or neurological defects.
They are very much part of the Opthalmic Team in the 'one-stop' cataract clinics. This is the
Orthoptists role to do the measurements of the patients eyes (Biometry) and plot the patients
astigmatism, if applicable (corneal topography) - prior to their cataract operation.
The service covers many other areas including - special schools, child development service
etc., and serve the whole County of Worcestershire.
The Blood Transfusion Practitioner –
Nurse HILARY MORGAN - has been appointed to ensure that all patients have a safe
"pathway" for receiving blood and blood components. Hilary has always had an interest in
Haematology. She explains, "I work closely with all three Blood Banks and the Consultant
Haematologists responsible for blood transfusions, Doctor Frank Booth and Doctor Robert
Stockley".
She visits Redditch and Kidderminster and holds teaching sessions, Hilary sorts out any
problems and her role has strong clinical governance responsibilities, to ensure guidelines on
blood transfusions are strictly adhered to.
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