Trust Today June 2012 - Bradford Teaching Hospitals

YOU’RE HIRED:
WARD HOSPITALITY
ASSISTANT ESTABLISHED
One of the key elements of the Non-Clinical Support Services (NCSS)
directorate’s catering strategy is the introduction of ward hospitality
assistants to all wards within Bradford Royal Infi rmary and St Luke’s
Hospital by summer 2012.
In this article, NCSS assistant general manager, Charlotte Keasey,
explains how this new role aims to support the corporate strategy
objectives of improving patient care and enhancing patient
satisfaction. Key to its success will be the emphasis placed on quality
and the patient experience.
Currently a number of people are
involved in the provision of food and
beverages to patients during any one
day, including catering assistants, domestics
and nursing staff, so patients are not always
clear who to speak to about their specifi c
food and drink requirements.
Investment in cleaning services has seen
improved standards of cleaning but evidence
has found that, at critical times, too much
of a cleaner’s time is spent breaking off to
fi ll water jugs and providing a drink service
rather than specifi c cleaning.
While nursing teams have overall
responsibility for the patient, including
their nutrition and hydration, the newlycreated
ward hospitality assistants
will have overall responsibility for the
provision of food and drink to the
patients. The overall aim being that
there is an easily recognisable member
of staff who a patient can talk to about
their food and beverage requirements.
The majority of wards will have a ward
hospitality assistant working from 7am until
7pm, to take patient orders, provide water
jugs, serve meals, and ensure that snacks
prescribed by dieticians are distributed to
patients.
Successful trials which took place recently
on wards 26, 29 and 30 proved that these
new assistants have a good understanding
of an individual patient’s needs, including
any specifi c dietary requirements or preferred
portion sizes.
Being based on the ward also enables
the assistants to be more reactive to the
changing needs of patients so that meal
adjustments can be made to co-ordinate
with admissions and discharges, which
not only improves quality, but helps to
manage food waste.
The full roll-out has started and by this
summer all remaining wards will have a ward
hospitality assistant.
READY FOR ANY EMERGENCY
Simon Kirk (left) is pictured with A&E
sister, Louise Croxall, in a powered
respirator protective suit and Stuart Fuller,
Professional Protection Systems
8 Trust Today June 2012
A new decontamination unit for use
in the event of chemical incidents
has arrived at the BRI.
The tent and its equipment will
be used to receive patients who
may have been contaminated in
incidents where chemical, biological,
radiological or nuclear agents have
been involved.
The tent’s purchase follows a
recent major disaster training dress
rehearsal which took place in Leeds as
part of a national series of exercises
ensuring that cities are prepared.
Resilience manager, Simon Kirk,
said: “The Foundation Trust is
dedicated to ensuring that in the
event of an incident, patients will
receive a high level of care that is
both effective and promotes dignity
and respect, therefore we have
invested in what we believe is the best
equipment currently available.”
Training will be rolled out for all
A&E clinicians and nursing staff over
the next year under the Department
of Health training programme
on the establishment of the new
decontamination unit, use of powered
respirator protective suits and care
of patients involved in hazardous
material incidents.