stepping up
The monthly newsletter for Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals - Issue 21 - February 2015
Hello, my name is ...
Inside:
Staff awards
2
Nutrition pledges
3
Managing black alert
Full story: see page 3
4-5
Working life
7
Chairman change
7
News in brief
8
Welcome
During my time here the number
of positive letters I receive from
patients and their relatives has
increased. It’s not an exact
science but I would like to think
this reflects an improvement in
the standard of care we deliver.
Praise for care and carpentry
An entire ward team and a craftsman received accolades for their
excellent work in the monthly staff awards.
One particular letter this month
struck a chord with me. It was
from the wife of a patient – John
Mitchell – who died here shortly
before Christmas.
Despite her grief she felt
compelled to type a letter to the
Basildon Echo, and copy me
in, only a few weeks after her
husband had passed away.
She wrote: “I was with John
for many hours each day and
was able to observe the first
class treatment the doctors and
nurses gave him. I could never
thank them enough for their care
and kindness.”
In her letter – which the Echo
published – Mrs Mitchell said
that the staff who looked after
her husband deserved a ‘huge
bouquet of red roses’ for their
dedication.
We know too well how tough
this winter is proving to be for
the NHS. But we can draw
inspiration from Ann Mitchell’s
experience and remember what
a huge difference we can make
he saddest of times.
even in the
Cl
P
ik
Clare
Panniker
Chief executive
L-R: Colin Barrow, Clare Panniker, Lilian Ngwu, Bella Hernandez and Tracey Nye
Doctors, nurses, healthcare
assistants, housekeeping and
catering staff on Osler ward were
highly praised in a letter from a
consultant rheumatologist, whose
father passed away on the ward.
The consultant wrote to Clare
Panniker, chief executive, to
say that Dr Dhanraj Aggarwal,
consultant, and his medical staff
were ‘exemplary’ and ‘sensitive,
caring and kind’. He also said
that all staff on the ward were
‘kind, supportive and thoroughly
professional’, and added: ‘They
have a right to be proud of their
service to the patients of the NHS’.
Bella Hernandez, senior sister,
Lilian Ngwu, sister, and Tracey
Nye, housekeeper, accepted the
team of the month award on behalf
of all their colleagues.
Bella said: “We remember this
patient well. He had himself been
a doctor, and many of his family
were also medics. He was very
appreciative and grateful for his
care, and so were his relatives.”
Clare Panniker said: “It is
particularly nice when patients or
2
relatives commend our staff, and I
think this gentleman’s family would
have had high standards.”
The winner of the individual staff
award was Colin Barrow, who
works as a carpenter and joiner
in the estates team. Colin was
nominated by Laura Ware, a ward
clerk in The Essex Cardiothoracic
Centre. Laura said: “Colin always
goes the extra mile, keeps all
promises to return and finish jobs,
and is friendly and always smiling.”
Clare said: “I always like to see
behind-the-scenes staff recognised
for their work. They do a really
good job quietly keeping the
hospital running smoothly.”
Colin said: “I see it as my job to
look after the people who look after
the patients. If something needs
fixing I try to get there as soon as
possible and go back the next day
to make sure everything is ok.”
He did admit that his wife might
see things a bit differently
however. He has been working on
a new kitchen at home for the last
12 years.
Call to action on patient nutrition
Trust staff have made commitments to improve nutrition and hydration in patients with individualised
written pledges.
The pledge campaign was launched by the nutrition
nurses to support the work of BAPEN (British
Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition).
In December a Christmas tree was set up and staff
were able to write their pledges on paper baubles.
Staff made 47 pledges, including:
patients with advanced liver disease who suffer
with malnourishment and muscle mass loss, as the
calories they consume go towards keeping their
organs going. Diet plays a huge role in keeping them
healthy and although we always refer patients to the
hospital and community dietetics services, we wanted
to reaffirm that action in a written pledge.”
z Encourage patients to eat independently.
z Always ensure patients are offered a drink every
time I see them.
Below L-R: Andrea Cartwright, Amy Ellis and Anita Beukes,
nurse specialists nutrition
z Make sure patients’ mealtimes are always on time
and not interrupted.
z Wash patients’ hands before and after eating.
Andrea Cartwright, consultant nurse, nutrition support,
said: “The success of our campaign will be measured
by the delivery of good nutritional care. We will do
that by observing protected mealtimes and other
ward activities and reviewing bedside documentation,
incidents and complaints.
“We will also talk to patients and ask those who put a
name on their pledge to provide an update in time for
Nutrition and Hydration Week 2015.
“Thank you to all that made a pledge. We were so
pleased with the support.”
Sarah Tarff and Liz Tripp (liver nurse specialists)
pledged to ensure that all patients with significant
muscle mass loss are referred to the hospital or
community dietetics service.
They explained: “Some patients need help to lose
weight which may prevent them from developing
complications within the liver. There are also
Be on first-name terms with a yellow badge
It can be daunting for some patients to come into
hospital, especially those with visual impairment,
diagnosed with dementia or learning disabilities.
will make patients feel more comfortable and secure
in hospital. It is part of the dementia project, but it
should benefit many other patients too.”
To make their experience less anxious, the Trust has
launched a yellow name badge scheme for all clinical
staff.
The badges display the member of staff’s first name
prominently on a yellow background.
The badges also support the Trust’s commitment to
the national #hellomynameis campaign, launched by
doctor and terminal cancer patient Kate Granger. She
noticed many staff did not introduce themselves to
patients so started the campaign to highlight the issue
and create more compassionate care.
Jane Gilby, dementia project lead nurse, said: “We
hope that connecting with staff on a first-name basis
All dementia champions will receive a yellow badge
with further roll-out in the coming months.
Front cover picture: Ross Cracknell, nurse assessor, complex case management team, and Jane Gilby
3
Back from black
Media coverage of the pressures facing hospitals, particularly A&E departments, has thrown the term
“black alert” into the spotlight. As a Trust we are dealing with black alerts better than ever, thanks to
effective protocols and the dedicated efforts of staff. We take a look at the hard-working teams who
get us back from black.
Incident control, above the emergency
department, is the engine room of the hospital
during a black alert. This is where senior
clinicians and managers meet several times a day
to identify pressure points, and how they can be
resolved. The teams share crucial information on
patients, beds and staffing levels.
More reports are received from partner organisations
that will affect the number of patients coming in and
out of the hospital – ongoing ambulance calls, the
situation for GPs, commissioners and other acute
trusts in our ‘patch’, the number of beds available
in the community and outbreaks of flu in local care
homes.
They receive updates from colleagues on other key
issues that may arise for infection control, pharmacy,
imaging, pathology, therapies, portering, facilities and
transport.
A precise checklist of actions is agreed, to be taken
by named individuals by a given time, and everyone
heads back to the frontline.
Indi Gupta, interim clinical
director for directorate of
general medicine, explains
how his team responds during
black alert.
He said: “There are more senior
clinicians and managers on the
shop floor. They support the
frontline workers and encourage
them to escalate any potential
issues promptly so that they can
4
“Doctors still carry out normal
duties but focus on direct clinical
care. Non-urgent meetings and
training are cancelled.
Doctors, nurses and therapists,
with support from pharmacy,
diagnostics and other non-clinical
staff meet the challenge by
working hard towards a common
goal.
“The challenge is the number of
very sick patients who we have
to diagnose and treat, and get
home, in a timely and safe way.
“If we declare a black alert, we
have the processes in place
to manage it better than ever
before.”
be resolved and do not delay
patient care and management.
Imaging, pharmacy and therapies
bear much of the brunt of a black
alert.
Claire Nolan, imaging manager,
explained how managing referrals
from emergency, inpatient, outpatient,
community and ambulatory pathways
can be a juggling act.
“We are pivotal to the diagnosis of
many conditions including cancer,
stroke, internal bleeding and so on.
During black alert we become even
more flexible to help free up capacity
within the hospital. If A&E is busy then
so are we. Critical patients are always
our priority.
“We have a nationally-set six-week
target to meet from referral to scan for
outpatient appointments, so we cannot
postpone scans during a black alert.
My team is reactive to the demands
of each day and will often put in
extra hours to make sure the work is
finished.
The complex case management team (CCMT) supports
wards and multi-disciplinary teams with patients who have
complex needs, including older people, those with long-term
conditions, learning disabilities or mental health needs.
The team’s key role is to ensure specialist support is in place for
these patients when they are ready to leave hospital. They work
with closely with social services and other agencies. Their work
intensifies when the Trust is on black alert, as safe and prompt
discharges are vital.
Team leader Karen Scott says: “The earlier we know about
a patient with complex needs, the quicker we can carry out
assessments, liaise with partners and put things in place to aid
their discharge.
“Early referrals and the correct paperwork, especially medically
fit forms, are crucial to our work. To avoid delays, we need
colleagues to tell us about the patients who need support.”
Contact CCMT on bleep 6465.
“When we are on black alert we
attend every bed meeting to learn
about possible problems early. If scan
requests are made early then we have
more time to do them and help get
patients home.
“It would really help if doctors could
question whether or not the patient
really needs to be scanned as an
inpatient. If patients are sent home
before scanning they will not have to
wait six weeks; we can get them back
the next day for an appointment.
“It’s exhausting for everyone being
on black alert, but I feel it’s important
that this Trust hospital recognises and
addresses it.”
The site team is responsible
for the complex
behind-the-scenes operation
that ensures patients are
allocated to the right wards
for care and treatment from
the moment they enter the
hospital to the time they
leave.
Kelly French, head of site
management, says:
“I describe site managers as
the glue that holds everything
together in the hospital. We
ensure that every patient is
placed on the right ward in
good time so they have a
positive and safe experience.
We also have to make sure
waiting time targets and quality
standards are met. This is all
particularly difficult when we’re
on black and everyone is under
extra pressure.
“Everyone on the site team is a
trained nurse so we understand
the pressures our colleagues
are under. Everyone’s priority is
the patients.
“The situation changes by the
hour. We constantly go round
all the wards talking to the
nurses in charge and we also
liaise with community, social
and ambulance services, and
our commissioners.”
5
Freedom fighter
If you have ever received a
query from Christi Blyth in the
communications team, there is
a chance you may have let out a
small sigh of exasperation. She
may be asking you to tell her how
much money the Trust has spent on
art this year, or how many people
attended A&E due to dog bites last
month, or what kind of hand-drying
systems we use, or how many
cases of bed bugs have occurred
in the Trust over the last five years
(the answer to that one is none).
But however time-consuming
or irritating you may think her
question, please be assured that
Christi is just trying to keep the
Trust on the right side of the law
p y g with the Freedom of
byy complying
Information Act.
It is ten years since the act was
passed, giving individuals the right
to request information from about
6
100,000 public bodies, including
government departments,
schools, and NHS trusts.
Since 2005 there has been a
huge increase in the number of
Freedom of Information (FOI)
requests made. During 2005/6,
the Trust dealt with 32 requests.
Last year, we received more than
20 times that number – 682.
As FOI officer for the Trust,
Christi is obliged to acknowledge
all requests within 24 hours, and
supply the information within 20
working days, or make a sound
case that it is exempt under the
act.
Failure to provide the requested
information can lead to an
enforcement notice from the
Information Commissioner’s
Office, and altering, blocking,
concealing or destroying
information is a criminal offence.
Christi says: “I am always very
aware that I am asking busy people
to give me information that may
take them a long time to gather,
and they may see it as a waste of
their time.
“Some of the information I am
asked to supply is very complex
and can take a long time to
compile, so I have to ask people
to start working on it as soon as
possible, and often need to chase
things up.
“It is especially difficult when I
know staff are under extra pressure
because the hospital is on a high
alert level, but answering FOI
requests is a legal requirement and
there are significant penalties for
p y g with the law.”
not complying
The most frequent FOI queries
relate to trust expenditure, including
agency and locum costs, serious
incidents and IT infrastructure.
working life
Karen Lee
Matron, outpatient services
Karen Lee is matron
for outpatient services
at Basildon and Orsett
hospitals. She has
worked at the Trust for 33
years, in areas including
surgery, orthopaedics,
dermatology, oncology
and neurology.
to their suggestions. We
also have a noticeboard
in the staff room called
the Listening Post, where
we write comments we
overhear from patients,
so we can discuss any
possible improvements.
them what they want to
ask.
An expert from a wellknown department
store came to talk to
us about customer
relations and that really
helped us improve the
patient experience. We
Even as a nurse,
don’t always get it right,
For many patients we
when I go for hospital
but when we don’t we
are the first port of
appointments I forget
want to learn and do
call so we want their
to ask the questions
better. When I go to other
experience to be the best I wanted to ask. Most
hospitals I am always
it can be, and to give
people do this, so we are
looking at how they do
them a good impression encouraging them to be
things.
of the Trust.
more prepared before
It’s my job to make
they see their
It’s really important
sure that everything
consultant.
I’ve
worked
to act on patient
we do is of a high
feedback – good ideas with the patient
standard, including our
for improvements may experience team to
practice, policies and
produce folders for
be very simple. I talk
patients, reminding them infection control.
to the patients and get
to A, ask questions;
their ideas, which I then
Most patients are
B,
be
prepared;
C,
share with staff. We
very reasonable
communicate concerns.
have ‘You said; we did’
about waiting for their
noticeboards so patients There is space for them
appointment if they are
can see how we respond to make notes to remind kept well informed. Staff
talk to patients and keep
them informed of waits at
every stage and we have
whiteboards with waiting
times that we regularly
update.
The best part of my job
is making things better
for patients. I love being
able to take something
that I don’t think is
particularly good and turn
it round. I like to see a
satisfied, well-informed
patients and a happy
workforce, because that
leads to happy patients.
My team works
relentlessly hard and
have the patients’ best
interests at heart. I
am very proud of the
department. We are very
caring and professional,
and we build up good
relationships with
patients.
Deputy chairman steps up
Bob Holmes, who has been deputy
chairman since 2012 and a nonexecutive director since 2006, has
become acting chairman of the Trust
following the departure of Ian Luder
last month.
his term and creating a platform
from which we can continue to make
progress. I am happy to be stepping
up into the role of chairman to ensure
we continue to deliver the very best
care to our patients.”
Bob said: “Ian can rightly be proud of
the role he has played in leading the
vast improvements at our Trust during
The process to find Ian’s permanent
successor is ongoing.
7
news in brief
Donation to CTC after successful 10-hour surgery
A man whose life was saved at The Essex
Cardiothoracic Centre has donated £5,000 raised
during his term as president of Leigh Rotary Club.
Peter Millard came into the CTC for a valve
replacement procedure three-and-a-half years ago.
But Samir Shah, divisional director for surgery,
discovered in the operating theatre that he also had a
severely enlarged aorta. He took the unusual decision
to postpone the operation and tackle both problems at
once, in a ten hour operation, two days later.
Mr Millard said: “I was very scary to be told in A&E
that I had heart failure. Luckily I ended up in the care
of Mr Shah, who is absolutely brilliant. The CTC
is a cause close to many of the Leigh Rotary Club
member’s hearts.”
Have you got a story?
If you want to read the latest coverage of our
hospitals then visit the media noticeboards.
The boards are in the stairwell of the tower block,
on level C, next to the main entrance of Basildon
Hospital and display all the month’s news.
The cuttings are removed at the end of each
month to compile the monthly media analysis.
Until now the round-up of media coverage the
Trust receives was displayed on level K,
outside the communications office. The team
wanted more people to have the chance to
read the cuttings and so relocated the boards.
Some of the cuttings are the result of our press
releases. We are always on the look out for news.
If you have a story to tell, call the communications
team on ext 2994.
Tell us your news
If you have a news story, or an idea for an article for a future issue of Stepping Up, please contact the
communications department on ext 2994, or email [email protected]