On the pulse october - West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Lynn Hill and teamospitalL/R Award winners Lynn Hill,Elaine Donald, Barbara Leon-Hunt and Sue ChongCongratulations to Michele Starkey,Pharmacy Mount Vernon who won thestaff photographic competitionSTAFF CALENDERA spiral bound calander including the twelvefinalists from the photographic competitionwill be published and available for staff.7

...Trust search for starsROLL OF HONOURIMPROVING WORKING LIVES –Sponsored by BorrasBarbara Leon-Hunt – Childcare Coordinator,Watford General Hospital (winner)Joan Marioni – A&E Department, Watford General HospitalLouise Botha – Human Resources Department, Hemel HempsteadGeneral HospitalSue Deacon and Janice Lawes – Patient Affairs Department,Hemel Hempstead General HospitalMODERNISATION –Sponsored by MedirestSurgical Assessment Team – Surgical Division,Watford General Hospital (winner)Mary Richardson and Richard Shamtally – A&E Emergency ServicesCollaborativeBarbara Fitter – Housekeeper, De La Mere Ward, St Albans City HospitalJulie Larner – Modernisation Team, Watford General HospitalLEADERSHIP –Sponsored by CamelotElaine Donald – Lead Nurse, Clinical Support Division,St Albans City Hospital (winner)Jiovanna Foley-Preston – Lead Nurse Infection Control,Hemel Hempstead General HospitalGill Salisbury – Sister, A&E Department, Hemel Hempstead General HospitalJane Jackson – Nurse Specialist in Patient Assessment,St Albans City HospitalPATIENT INVOLVEMENT –Sponsored by IntersurgicalLynn Hill – Quality Manager (winner)Helen Donald Unit – Medical Division, Hemel Hempstead General HospitalAnn Fowler – Clinical Nurse Specialist, Mount Vernon HospitalPamela Fox – Anti Coagulation Nurse, Pathology Dept,St Albans City HospitalMichael Perkins – Department of Clinical Information,Hemel Hempstead General HospitalEMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR –Sponsored by RFLCSue Chong – Staff Nurse, Dawson Ward,Mount Vernon (winner)Wendy Ogle – Sister, Aldenham Ward, Watford General HospitalElaine Donald – Lead Nurse, Clinical Support Division,St Albans City HospitalBruce Kerr – Resuscitation Officer, Corporate Nursing,Hemel Hempstead General Hospital8CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S AWARD FOROUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONTO PATIENT CAREMary Richardson and Richard Shamtally – A&E,Emergency Services Collaborative.

On the PulseCelebrity cooking livens uphospital cuisineNHSSuccessful modernisationconferenceMedirest staff promoting the Better Hospital Food RoadshowPork, apple and sage crumble and speciality carrot cake are now makingregular appearances on patients’ menus at hospitals with West HertfordshireHospitals NHS Trust.Recently a series of Better Hospital Food roadshows was held across the Trust.These roadshows gave staff and patients the opportunity to see forthemselves the menu changes made by the Trust and Medirest in line withthe Government’s ‘Better Hospital Food’ initiative.Women’s and Neonatal ServicesDivision are the first to launchRisk Management Strategywithin the trustIn 1996 the Women’s and Neonatal Services Division piloted theincident reporting system for the Trust. This August the division wasthe first to launch its Risk Management Strategy.Risk management is no longer seen as involving only key senior staff;the strategy outlines how every member of the division has a key roleto play in its implementation. Risk management within the division hasmoved forward since the piloting days of incident reporting which waspivotal in highlighting training needs and influenced many practicechanges through the learning points of near-miss or adverseoutcomes. These were fed back to staff at clinical governancemeetings and ward meetings.As part of our proactive risk assessment all agency midwives areinvited to attend our in-house education programme with the agencyagreeing to pay their fees. The agency has also been issued with acompetency form, which has a list of key competencies that midwivesmust achieve prior to employment. Again, we have offered to assistwith this training should it be required.The risk strategy ensures that all staff have a responsibility to assessrisks as part of their daily passage through the division and inwhichever field they are employed. As the risk strategy steps forwardinto the limelight we in the Women’s and Neonatal Services Divisionbelieve that working together will make this strategy lead to a betterfuture for staff and patients alike.For further information on the Risk Management Strategy within theWomen’s and Neonatal Services Division contact Nora Lucey,Consultant Midwife on x7657.For more general information on the Trust’s Risk ManagementStrategy, contact Nicola Moore, Risk Manager on x7051.On Tuesday 16 September, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHSTrust held a conference to celebrate some of the great workgoing on in the Trust to modernise our services. The audienceof almost 200 heard from three speakers who work as part ofthe national modernisation programmes, and are from a varietyof clinical departments within the Trust. Twenty departmentsheld ‘market stalls’ to explain the work that they are currentlydoing to improve services to patients.The conference was very well received, and gave participantsthe opportunity to network and learn from best practice. Manyof the themes from the conference will be incorporated intothe work of the modernisation team over the coming months.For more details please contact the modernisation team on01923 217277 or email modernisation@whht.nhs.ukSymposium to celebrate tenyears of helping peopleaffected by cancerLocal dignitaries from different political parties came togetherto support and pay credit to the Lynda Jackson MacmillanCentre (LJMC) for Cancer Support and Information at MountVernon Hospital.The centre was celebrating its tenth anniversary on Friday 19September with a symposium entitled ‘A Decade ofDevelopment: From Unorthodox to Conventional?’Opened in 1993, the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre hasbeen a pioneer in the field of patient support, winning manyawards including a Nye Bevan Award (the NHS ‘Oscar’), BeaconAwards for three years and a personal commendation from thePrime Minister for its innovative ways of spreading bestpractice. Many of its information leaflets have also wonawards, including commendations from the British MedicalAssociation.In addition to its support and information services, the centreoffers complementary therapies including aromatherapy andreflexology. Once considered unorthodox, these are now widelyavailable in similar centres around the world, and tribute waspaid to the trailblazing work of the Lynda Jackson MacmillanCentre by the speakers at the symposium.Speakers included Mr Michael Fox (Chief Executive, Prince ofWales Foundation), Mr Peter Cardy (Chief Executive, MacmillanCancer Relief) and other professionals from the Mount VernonCancer Network and associated fields, as well as patients andcarers. Covering Supportive Care, Partnerships and PatientInformation, the speakers were able to give real examples ofthe way in which the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre hadled the way in putting patients at the heart of the developmentof services.ON THE PULSEThe next issue of On the Pulse will be published inDecember as a Christmas special. Copy for the next issue,marked On the Pulse, should be sent to theCommunications Department, alternatively telephoneEileen Whitehouse on 01923 217818 or emaileileen.whitehouse@whht.nhs.uk.Copy deadline Monday 19 January, 2004.11

Welcome to the new styleGPNovember 2003GPnewsNHSContents List:Freedom of Information Act - Front PageStaff Awards - pages 5-8Trust Update - page 10Risk Management - page 11Cancer Symposium - page 11CRONIC PAIN SERVICESince August 2003, the Chronic Pain Service has been running atelephone advice service for all health professionals and patients. Theservice is available every Monday between 9.00am and 12.30pm foradvice on the management of chronic pain problems and when torefer patients to the service. It is hoped that this may enable morepatients to be managed in primary care, preventing them having towait long periods for outpatient clinic appointments. The service is ledby Kelly Henry, Clinical Nurse Specialist Chronic Pain. The adviceservice number is 01727 897478.Alternatively, general queries can be emailed tochronicpain@whht.nhs.uk.We look forward to hearing from you.ELDERLY DAY HOSPITALThe Elderly Day Hospital team at Watford General Hospital, consistingof Dr Mr Consultant Physician, Dr Maha Abdalla, Staff Grade andSister Girda Plummeridge are currently promoting our Day HospitalServices to local GP surgeries and PCTs in the area.The aim is to highlight how best these GP surgeries can make use ofour Day Hospital and the range of services that are available. Duringthese visits the team can on request provide short presentations onspecific topics, e.g. Diabetes in Older People, Lipid Management,Management of Osteoporosis and Falls etc.Should you require further information about the Day Hospitalwebsite or Day Hospital leaflets please contact Dr Mir’s office on01923 217748 or the Day Hospital direct line: 01923 217386.NEW APPOINTMENTSDr Mithilesh Kumar Shukla joined the Trust on 1 October 2003 as aConsultant Anaesthetist. Dr Shukla trained at Jabalpur Medical Collegein India and obtained his D.A. in London and FFARCS in Ireland. DrShukla also spent time working at North West Deanery, HammersmithHospital, Charing Cross Hospital and the Chelsea and WestminsterHospital. His special interests include critical care, chronic/acute painand eye anaesthesia.Dr Shukla is married to a doctor and has four children. In his sparetime he enjoys cricket, swimming and walking in the country.WAITING LIST FORELECTIVE SURGERYHave your patients attended St. Albans CityHospital or Watford General hospital and beenplaced on the waiting list for elective surgery?If so, you will need to know that we haveintroduced an Initial Patient HealthQuestionnaire.As you will realise, it is important that yourpatient is at optimum health prior to theiranaesthetic and surgery. To this end, we haveasked patients being placed on the waiting listfor elective surgery to complete a basic patienthealth questionnaire – the aim being toidentify any potential health concerns thatmight prevent them from either undergoingsurgery at all or from undergoing surgery atthe St Albans City Hospital (non-acute site).We would like to ensure that each patient isplaced onto the correct waiting list at theoutset. At St Albans City Hospital we are ableto undertake elective surgery provided that thepatient does not require acute services such ascardiology or intensive care. HemelHempstead General Hospital and WatfordGeneral Hospital are both acute sites, havingfull medical support.If we have any concerns as to your patient’sfitness for admission, we will send the patient’sGP a copy of the form and request that thepatient has any and all medical conditionsstable and in good control prior to the surgery.This will reduce the risk of deferral at PreoperativeAssessment, carried out one to sixweeks prior to the expected operation date.It is important that you advise the assessmentclinic if your patient is not currently fit toproceed with their anaesthetic and surgery.Telephone numbers are given on the InitialPatient Health Questionnaire.For further information please contact JaneJackson on 01727 897140 or emailjane.Jackson@whht.nhs.ukNEW APPOINTMENTSDr Paul Nathan has been appointedConsultant in Medical Oncology at theCancer Centre, Mount Vernon.Dr Coker has been appointed Consultant inObstetrics/Gynaecology and Dr Shuklajoined the Trust on 1 October 2003 as aConsultant Anaesthetist.GP news ● The next issue of GP News will be published in December as a Christmas special. Copy forthe next issue, marked GP News, should be sent to the Communications Department, alternatively telephoneEileen Whitehouse on 01923 217818 or email eileen.whitehouse@whht.nhs.uk.Copy deadline Monday 19 January, 2004.