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membership
matters
2013 - Issue 1
KEEPING COMMUNITY AND STAFF MEMBERS INFORMED
DEALING
WITH
DEMENTIA
SEE PAGE 3
HOSPITAL ALCOHOL
AND DRUG
LIAISON TEAM SEE PAGE 7
N
O
I
T
C
E
L
E
E
TH
…
N
I
E
R
A
S
T
L
RESU
The latest Council of Governors
election results came in shortly
before Christmas following a three
month process that began in early
September.
I think this serves to show the
commitment that our Governors
have and that they make an
effective contribution to how the
hospital is run.
Aileen Dawson-Pilling begins her
third and final term in Chesterfield
and is joined by Ruth Grice who
returns for a second, nonconsecutive term and first-time
Governor Alan Craw. These three
seats were uncontested. They
replace Kate Caulfield who
stepped down in July 2012 and
Mererid Edwards who had already
served her third and final term.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for
anybody who has an interest in
representing the community in a
way that will benefit everyone. The
Council of Governors exists to hold
the Board of Directors to account
and represent the views of our
membership and the patients we
care for.
Meanwhile Brenda Slavin was reelected to the Derbyshire Dales and
North Amber Valley seat to begin
her second term whilst Bernard
Everett begins his third and final
term in North East Derbyshire
alongside new Governor Derek
Millington.
This is a big year for elections with
seven public governor seats to
contest across the constituencies of
Bolsover, Chesterfield, North East
Derbyshire, High Peak and
Derbyshire Dales. They’ll take place
at the end of this year.
Nicola Smith is the Royal’s governor
and membership officer, she said:
“It’s a big year because some of
our Governors will be reaching the
end of their third term so we are
looking to our membership to take
over the reins from some very
experienced Governors.
“A number of them have been
with us for eight, nearly nine years.
“Anybody who would like to find
out more can meet our Governors
at one of their drop in sessions that
take place on the first Thursday of
every month in the main entrance.
They’ll be happy to answer any of
your questions about becoming a
Governor. Inside this issue of
Membership Matters you’ll find a
pull out year plan that contains all
of these days, as well as some of
the key dates of when the election
process starts and ends.
“We’ve also got a short piece from
Denise Weremczuk who has been
Public Governor for Bolsover for
one year about her experiences so
far. We’ll also be having another
‘Meet Your Governors’ event in
early October just ahead of the
start of the election process and
we’ll announce details of that in
the next few issues.”
d Everett,
Sheila Smith and Bernar
ors
two of our public govern
Brenda Slavin re-elected
for a second
term in the Derbyshire
Dales
For more information on governors
and membership, go to
www.chesterfieldroyal.nhs.uk and
click on the ‘Get Involved’ section.
ures
Aileen Dawson-Pilling sec
d
fiel
ster
Che
for
a third term
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Page 2
L
E
W
O
B
Y
R
O
T
INFLAMMA
S
I
G
N
I
N
E
V
DISEASE E
!
S
S
E
C
C
U
S
E
G
HU
cation centre
A full house in the edu
hick
Consultant Dr David Elp
waits
Graeme Cooper (centre)
IBD Nurse Specialist Kat
h
Phillis during her presen
tation
stage
for his turn to take to the
ns from the floor
ons it's time for questio
Following the presentati
One of our most successful
membership evenings took place in
October 2012 as more than 120
people came to hear more about
Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
IBD is an umbrella term for Crohn’s
Disease and Colitis, chronic
diseases that affect more than
150,000 people in the UK. It’s
symptoms can be unpleasant and
include abdominal pain, a change
in bowel habits, weight loss and
extreme tiredness.
Kath Phillis is the IBD clinic nurse
specialist and started proceedings
by giving a run down of the service
that she helped to set up.
2
Consultant gastroenterologist Dr
David Elphick then took over and
talked in depth about research that
is being conducted in the causes
and treatment, whether there are
genetic or environmental factors
and some of the current trials.
Then one of Kathryn’s patients,
Graeme Cooper, spoke very
candidly about his experiences with
IBD and how it has affected him
since he was diagnosed in 2001
during his final year at Rugby
University.
She said: “We deal with around
1,000 patients with IBD and one of
my jobs is to support patients on
wards and make sure they’re on
the correct treatment. In fact
educating the nursing staff is an
important part of that treatment.
He said: “It’s been a
very difficult eleven
years and I’ve been in
and out of hospital,
had several surgical
procedures and taken
a number of different
drugs. Some of my
treatments were
successful for a while,
others not.
“I set up an advice line that takes
more than 100 calls a month, run
two clinics a week, arranged a new
telephone consultation service and
organised self-management plans.
This disease can have a serious
impact on your life and we’re also
here to give advice to employers,
schools and universities.”
“I’ve been lucky
enough to have a very
supportive employer
who understands the
complex nature of IBD.
I’ve also had incredible
support from friends,
family and my fiancée
but the team here at
the Royal has been fantastic and
Kath in particular has gone way
above and beyond what I would
have expected.”
There will be another membership
evening held on Wednesday 27th
March on the incredibly complex
and emotive subject of dementia
(see opposite for an article on our
new dementia assessment nurses
and your invite to the evening).
Please ring 01246 513217 or
513875 to book your place.
tman gives her views
Public Governor Janet Por
Graeme, David and Kat
h!
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Page 3
atients
assessing the day's inp
Melody (right) and Marcia
Carrying out a dement
ia assessment on an inp
atient
DEALING WITH
DEMENTIA
The Royal has introduced two new
roles to help deal with the
increasing number of patients who
are suffering from Dementia.
With life expectancy rising,
ultimately resulting in an ageing
population, the Trust has invested
in two dementia assessment
nurses. Their role is to assess every
emergency admission over the age
of 75, completed within 72 hours,
to see if they have signs of
dementia. If this triggers an
undiagnosed case then a referral is
made to the most appropriate
service such as older peoples’
mental health team, the patients
own GP or a geriatrician with an
interest in dementia.
Melody Spencer is one of the
nurses, she said: “Research has
shown that four in ten patients
have an undiagnosed dementia so
our role ensures these patients
don’t slip through the system and
provides them timely access to a
specialist assessment.
“The earlier a person is diagnosed
then the sooner a supportive care
plan can be implemented which is
beneficial for the patient. This
allows the individual, their families
and carers to have more input into
their care and is a big step towards
empowering the patient.”
There are currently 800,000
people with dementia in the UK,
including more than 17,000
younger people, with 60,000
deaths directly attributable to
dementia per year. Only 43% of
people with dementia in the UK
receive a diagnosis.
An assessment is made under the
FAIR system – Find, Assess,
Investigate and Refer. This helps to
eliminate an incorrect referral, for
example the patient could be
delirious or be suffering from an
infection that can produce
confusion and disorientation
which can mirror characteristics of
a dementia.
Marcia Young is the other
dementia assessment nurse, she
said: “We assess whether or not
somebody has been more
forgetful over the past twelve
months, by asking to what extent
it has significantly affected their
daily life, as specified by the
Department of Health. It is normal
for people to enter a room and for
a split second not recall why they
went in there however, with a
dementia, people can lose the
ability to function effectively, for
example they may go into the
kitchen to make a cup of tea and
not be able to remember how to
carry out the task.
“We currently see all patients
admitted within the previous 24
hours on a one to one basis and
carry out the Find part of the FAIR
assessment. This identifies anyone
who is requiring further
assessment and investigation. We
then make the request for the
patient’s team of doctors to carry
this out. We continue to follow up
Looking for the approp
riate treatment with staf
f nurse Josh
Draper who fills in for Me
lody and Marcia in their
absence
the patient and ensure that this is
completed before they are
discharged thus ensuring an
appropriate referral is made if
required."
Melody added: “We’d like to see
every patient with a known
diagnosis put on a specific
pathway to be cared for quickly,
effectively and discharged in a
timely manner. A hospital is not
necessarily the right environment
for a person with a dementia as it
can increase confusion and
disorientation. It is estimated that
a patient with dementia could be
in hospital for up to three times
longer than a patient without
dementia suffering from the same
condition.”
Melody and Marcia will be
speaking about their role at the
upcoming Membership Evening
taking place in the Education
Centre on Wednesday 27th
March.
T
N
E
V
E
P
I
H
S
MEMBER
A
I
T
N
E
M
E
D
Wednesday 27 March 2013 from
6.00pm at the Education Centre
With an ageing population and
increasing knowledge about the
signs and symptoms, hospital care
for patients with dementia is
coming under the spotlight.
The condition can be incredibly
distressing for sufferers, their
families and carers and the way
they are treated and cared for in
hospital requires a different
approach. The Trust is working
hard to do all that it can to
provide sufferers with the most
appropriate care, this includes the
introduction of dementia care
champions in each ward and two
dementia assessment nurses.
To explain more about how we’re
approaching the care of patients
with dementia a membership
evening has been organised. Basil
ward matron Glyn Wildman will
be joined by the dementia
assessment nurses on Wednesday
27th March 2013 from 6pm in
the education centre at the rear
of the hospital, opposite the
visitors’ entrance.
Your car parking will be
reimbursed, please use car park
5a (head to the left of the trust,
towards the education centre,
and it’s on the left hand side
opposite The Den) or car park 6 (a
few yards further down from car
park 5a on the right hand side).
There will be tea, coffee and
biscuits upon arrival.
217 or 513875
PLACES ARE LIMITED – TO BOOK YOUR PLACE CALL 01246 513
E-Mail: [email protected]
confirmation purposes only,
Deadline for booking your place (please note that booking is for
no tickets will be sent out) is Friday 22 March.
3
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Page 6
E
K
A
T
S
E
C
I
V
R
E
S
COMMUNITY
E
G
A
T
S
E
R
T
CEN
The community teams'
s
stalls were a big succes
.
..
M
G
A
S
’
R
A
E
Y
T
AT LAS
Very few empty seats for
the AGM speeches
Our Women’s and Children’s
directorate, specifically the work
done outside of the hospital walls,
were the focus of this year’s AGM.
le delivers
Chief Executive Gavin Boy
the Royal
his first AGM speech at
Public Governor Janet Portman talks
about her role on the project boar
d for
the development of Trinity ward and
the Women's Health Unit (See page
8)
m
The Child Audiology Tea
Smith
Public Governor Sheila
arks
rem
ing
clos
the
s
deliver
Plenty of interactive elem
ents to enjoy
150 community midwives,
therapists, psychologists and nurses
see close to 150,000 patients in
their homes, schools and
community centres each year.
Debbie Eardley, general manager
of Women’s and Children’s at the
time of the AGM but now general
manager of medicine, said: “It was
a great opportunity for us to show
that the care we offer does not
begin and end within the walls of
the hospital. A lot of our younger
patients benefit from being seen
within a familiar environment.
“We involve other people in the
patient’s care in the community, for
example we contact schools,
leisure centres and go out to
people’s homes to fully involve
family members and provide
training to families and care teams.
“It’s a different type of care and by
no means suitable for everyone or
for every condition, but it can
make a tremendous difference to
how the patient responds and
reacts to treatment and recovery.”
rett
Whittleston, Bernard Eve
Public Governors Barry
ilable
ava
lves
mse
the
ke
ma
and Pauline Fisher
6
Chairman Richard Gregor
y and Public Governor
Sheila Smith address me
mbership concerns
The first half of the AGM saw
twelve different stalls devoted to
community services alongside
details on the Women’s Health Unit
and Trinity ward developments (see
page 8) and the upgrade plans for
Buxton Health Centre.
Around 120 people then heard
about the trust’s activities over the
past year as well as the challenges
ahead. Chairman Richard Gregory,
chief executive Gavin Boyle and
Debbie Eardley spoke about the
trust’s activities before public
governor Janet Portman talked
about the Trinity and Women’s
Health Unit scheme. Debbie then
introduced a video to explain more
about the Women’s and Children’s
directorate’s community presence.
Chief executive Gavin Boyle said:
“This was my first AGM with the
Royal and I was bowled over by the
level of interest and the
commitment of staff to making it a
success. I was very impressed with
how our community teams
presented themselves with such
enthusiasm and passion for the
job.
“It’s going to be an interesting and
challenging year as we grapple
with the economic challenges and
move ever closer to the
implementation of the new NHS
system including GP
commissioning. However, none of
us must lose sight of the fact that
the patient and the care of our
patients must be at the heart of all
we do. We will work together as a
board and with the support of our
Council of Governors and, indeed,
all our staff to ensure that this is
the case.”
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Page 7
Richard taking a session
with student nurses
ness
One of the public aware
ing
dur
d
hel
m
tea
sessions the
ek in
Alcohol Awareness We
late November
Clay (right)
Nurse practitioner Jayne
the literature
talking ward staff through
D
N
A
L
O
H
O
C
L
A
L
HOSPITA
M
A
E
T
N
O
S
I
A
I
L
DRUG
It’s been nine months since the
Hospital Alcohol and Drug Liaison
Team was introduced as a new
service to the trust.
In that short time, significant
progress has already been made,
particularly in terms of integration
within the Trust, collaborative
working with community-based
services and the delivery of
extended brief interventions and
brief treatment to inpatients. The
service has received positive
feedback from staff and patients
alike.
Q&A
The team provides a source of
motivational support to patients
during their hospital stay with the
intention of promoting positive
lifestyle change. This is crucial as
the hospital setting is widely
recognised as providing a great
opportunity to offer interventions
which, in turn, are frequently
effective. The team also plays a
vital role to help staff deal with
issues relating to, and consistent
with, substance misuse to ensure
that the highest standards of care
are delivered.
Richard Gratton is the HADLT nurse
specialist and service lead, he said:
“With the support of staff, we’ve
made some great strides already
across the Trust. In our emergency
department, their new information
system now requires all patients to
be asked about their alcohol use.
Normally you’d expect to see
around 20-40% screened at best
but if we can manage up to 100%,
as is the intention from the system,
then that will be impressive and
certainly beneficial for patients.
“The point is to not only get
people to think about their alcohol
usage and the impact it may be
having on their lives, but also to
prompt staff to offer advice
appropriately, possibly including
the offer of support from our team
or community-based services. This
ensures that those drinking alcohol
at the highest risk levels should
receive more consistent care. ED is
a great place to offer this type of
intervention.
“Pre-operative care as well, where
universal screening is due to
commence in the near future,
provides a great opportunity to
offer patients support during the
period leading up to their
operation. This has the potential
for significant benefits in reducing
the risks associated with having an
operation, as well as having
positive impacts in other areas of
people’s lives.”
Richard recently gave a
presentation to the Council of
Governors to explain more about
the background, its role within the
hospital and wider implications to
society.
Public governor Denise Weremczuk
worked with Richard at a previous
NHS Trust and said: “It’s an
excellent service, not just for
emergency patients but particularly
for wards as it contributes to
reducing length of stay and quality
of care for patients.
“The HADLT plays a vital role in the
education of the multi-professional
team as this particular patient
group provide many challenges
both to themselves and other
patients. Therefore it is imperative
that patients are managed on the
most appropriate pathway as soon
as possible. Having a service with
specialist knowledge to hand is
invaluable.”
WITH DENISE WEREMCZUK
What made you want to
become a Governor?
How have you found
your first year?
After retiring from the NHS I felt
that I still had to contribute in
some way to the provision of high
quality heath care to the local
population. Living in the Bolsover
constituency enabled me to apply
for a governor’s position at
Chesterfield Royal Hospital a place
I have an affinity for, as it was
where I started my nursing career.
It has been a learning process
understanding the governor’s role
within the hospital’s procedures
and management style. I have
undertaken ward visits to elicit
patients views on treatment and
general care during hospitalisation
which I have found to be both
constructive and informative. As a
new Governor I have been made
to feel very welcome and part of
the team.
What’s your background?
My entire working life has
revolved around nursing.
Specialising in areas such as
midwifery, coronary care and
nurse ecucation. Latterly as
Divisional Nurse Director
responsible for clinical governance
within the medical directorate
ensuring quality care by both
management and nursing staff.
What have you enjoyed
the most?
I’ve spent a lot of the year settling
in and finding out more about the
various sub-committees so have
just generally enjoyed being part
of a team that makes a difference.
Do you think the
governors are able
to hold the Board of
Directors to
account?
The relationship between
the Council of Governors,
Trust Chairman and
Executive Board appears to
be one of partnership. We
have had good feed back by
the Executive Directors on
topics raised by the
Governors, working together
to resolve any issues raised.
What would be your
advice to anyone
thinking of becoming
a Governor?
If you want to influence the future
of local healthcare then go for it!
I’ve got a healthcare background
but it’s not essential. The Council
of Governors has members from
all different backgrounds, which
provides a greater perspective on
Health Care provision.
7
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Page 8
le,
Chief Executive Gavin Boy
n
ctio
Infe
for
tron
Senior Ma
and Chief
Control Diane Simpson
ano
Nurse Alfonzo Tramont
gn)
pai
cam
the
nch
lau
hygiene
One of the many hand
stations across the Trust
the
Plenty of interest during
first round of interviews
BE
SEEN
TO
S
E
S
R
MORE NU
ON THE ROYAL’S BE CLEAN
WARDS
Efforts to increase the number of
qualified nurses are underway with
28 joining us as part of the first
round of a recruitment campaign.
The Board of Directors, with the
backing of the Council of
Governors approved an investment
of almost £1.5 million to bring in
40 fully qualified nurses. The move
is a direct response to concerns
staff raised through the 2011 staff
survey and follows a review of
every adult in-patient ward in the
hospital to assess staffing levels
against a host of national
standards and best practice.
A second round of recruitment that
will include nurses who, following
the turn of the year, are now fully
qualified will have taken place by
the time you read this.
Chief nurse Alfonzo Tramontano
headed-up the ward review and
said: “We’ve launched a new care
strategy, which aims to improve
the basic care patients receive on
the wards. Combined with
improved staffing, this is a real
opportunity to make massive
improvements to the care we give;
- we can, and will make a
difference.”
We all have a responsibility to be
visible about hand hygiene and to
make sure we not only clean our
own hands but make sure that
others do as well.
To get all of us playing our part,
the trust launched a new hand
hygiene campaign late in 2012
called Be Seen to Be Clean. It’s
designed to get staff, patients and
visitors on-board and supporting
the Trust’s commitment to reducing
infections as well as preventing the
spread of ‘community’ infections
including influenza and Norovirus.
The intention is to ensure that staff
are seen to be washing and gelling
their hands and therefore
encourage patients and
visitors to do the same.
Hand hygiene stations
throughout the hospital
have been given a
makeover – and are now
bright red with lights and
sensor activated messages
in some areas.
As a must, every member
of staff should clean their
hands when entering and
leaving clinical areas; if you
see anyone not doing so,
do not be afraid to ask them to
make sure we all do our bit to Be
Seen to Be Clean.
Shop@theRoyal
The shop in the main front entrance is offering patients and visitors the
chance to shave 50p off a single spend of £5 or more.
Just cut out the advert below and bring it with you to take advantage of the
offer (please note it is single transactions only, and only valid once per
customer).
You can also buy your 14 visit car park pass from the shop as well, costing
£11.40. These passes can be used for each individual visit to the trust and
can be used at any time for any duration.
Bobby,
Vicky Camm and Baby
ity
Trin
on
ts
ien
pat
the first
A NEW LOOK
FOR WOMEN’S
SERVICES
The Women’s Health Unit (WHU)
and Trinity ward have been given a
new lease of life following a major
investment and public governor
involvement.
The £1.2million development
opened to patients on Friday 9th
November following a six month
development that has completely
transformed the interiors of both
areas.
The build was overseen by a
project board that included public
governor Janet Portman with a
great deal of input from healthcare
professionals that work there and
suggestions from former patients.
8
Linda Gustard is the head of
midwifery and senior matron for
gynaecology, she said: “We’re
delighted with the way the two
areas look and, in particular, how it
will improve the privacy and dignity
of the WHU patients by bringing all
gynaecology out-patient clinics into
one place. The WHU has three
clinic rooms where we can now see
patients who would previously
have come to out-patient suite
one, as well as ten beds for inpatients in two bays of five.
“We also have a completely
separate area and waiting room for
the women visiting our early
pregnancy assessment unit along
with other separate areas for outpatient procedures and day case
Public Governor Janet Por
tman was an
important member of the
project board
surgery and completely private
areas for changing.”
Both areas also have sensor
controlled energy saving lighting in
toilet and kitchen areas, plenty of
natural light, completely secure,
access controlled drug preparation
areas alongside spacious rooms
and waiting areas.
Linda added: “We’ve incorporated
the same styles, furnishings and
relaxing artwork that you will have
seen in our birth centre. It will
allow for a much smoother
transition from the birth centre to
the maternity ward, and additional
features there include a milk
preparation room and parent’s rest
room.”