NUH News Summer edition

FeatureStory
Facts
15
Over 650
nominations were received
for this year's NUHonours Awards
Helena added: “One of the aims of my
project is to make it easier for colleagues
to accommodate patients’ relatives and
carers, who can be a huge help in assisting
us to care for patients with dementia.”
Another nurse who has joined the
programme is Ted Randall. Ted’s new role
gives him more freedom to develop the
ideas he believes will benefit the Trust and,
ultimately, his patients’ care.
His area of focus is how staff can maintain
patient safety when demand for beds is
exceptionally high.
She said: “I want to improve the
experience of patients moving from
children’s to adult healthcare services.
Patients and their families who are less
prepared for the change typically have
a worse experience and poorer health
outcomes following their move to adult
services. The transfer period is a crucial
time in the health of young people who
Ted Randall Kimberley Chambers may potentially fall into a ‘care gap’. Rose Exley
The great aspect of this
role is still remaining 80%
clinical on the front line,
which is why I came into
nursing in the first place.
Sharon Leighton, who cares for cancer
patients, is looking at the way we treat
patients receiving chemo.
Sharon said: “When a patient receives
chemo their immune system is weakened
and people can quickly develop a form of
blood poisoning called neutropenic sepsis.
When this happens it’s vital that patients
receive antibiotics within a short window
of time to prevent infection spreading.
I want to find new ways to provide this
treatment even faster.”
My aim is to produce a
simple go-to-guide that
anyone who works in
theatres can pick up and
use – whether they are
students and new starters
or experienced staff.
Kimberley Chambers, who works as an
Operating Department Practitioner at
QMC, is focussing on preventing the
spread of hospital-acquired infection.
After joining the theatres team from
a microbiology role Kimberley aims to
develop specific guidance about infection
control for people who work in operating
theatres. She said: “I signed up for the
programme to gain a wider understanding
of how our hospitals work. It’s a great
opportunity to dedicate more time to a
project and make influential changes to
patient care."
Frankie Wells is a Staff Nurse who works
on the children’s dialysis unit at QMC.
“There’s a lot we can do to help prepare
long-term patients between the age of 11
and 18 for their move to adult services.
I plan to undertake a research project
working alongside our existing youth
service to explore and further develop
existing local transition services.”
Rose Exley is a Staff Nurse on Ward E14
at QMC, which is a colorectal surgical
ward caring for people after major bowel
surgery.“I am looking at the Enhanced
Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathway
in colorectal care. Selected patients are
put on the ERAS pathway and each day
there are set goals and milestones that
they should achieve throughout their
recovery. These goals improve recovery
and complication rates after surgery. I am
exploring the issues we are currently facing
around implementing the ERAS pathway
and finding out the patient experience of
being on the ERAS pathway. From this I
will then develop an action plan of what
the service needs to implement to improve
patient outcomes and experiences.”
This was the perfect
opportunity for me to
make improvements and
enhance patient care and
staff satisfaction in the
process.
NUHonours judging
process set to start
Nominations recently closed for
our 2016 NUHonours Awards.
Held annually, the awards are all about
celebrating our exceptional staff. This
year has seen over 650 nominations
across a range of different categories
– from the ‘Team of the year’ award to
the ‘Outstanding contribution to patient
care’ award.
So what happens now?
Well first of all, judging panels will sit to
create a shortlist of three nominees for
each category. There will be a dedicated
judging panel for each of the different
categories, and we include patients in
them.
The shortlisting process will be completed
by the end of September. We will then
write to all shortlisted nominees and
invite each of them to attend a special
celebration night on Friday 25 November –
where the winners will be announced.
A big thank you to all of you who made
nominations – keep an eye on our website
and social media channels on and after 25
November to find out about the winners!
A special Nottingham Post supplement will
also be published late November.