Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 1
S FOUNDATION TRUST
NH
L
ITA
SP
HO
L
YA
RO
D
IEL
RF
TE
THE STAFF MAGAZINE OF CHES
Life@the
ONE YEAR
ON, THE
TRIPLE ‘A’
SCREENING
SERVICE -
Royal
2013 - ISSUE 1
PAGE 18
OUR THIRD
PHOTOGRAPHIC
AND ART
EXHIBITION
PAGE 3
WHAT HAVE OUR
SCHOOL HEALTH TEAM
IN SILLY SOCKS GOT
TO DO WITH EATING
DISORDERS?
PAGES 6 & 7
N THE SPOT'...
THE SECOND PART OF OUR 'OIV
GAVIN BOYLE
SPECIAL WITH CHIEF EXECUT E
PAGES 16 AND 17
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 2
Coyne
ncellor professor John
le with University vice cha
Chief executive Gavin Boy
Professor Coyne taking
a tour
of the education facilitie
s
PARTNERSHIP ENHANCES
COMMITMENT TO NURSING
EXCELLENCE IN CHESTERFIELD
The Trust has formalised its links
with the University of Derby.
A partnership agreement has
been signed at the University and
a plaque unveiled at the hospital
to cement the existing strong
relationship between both
organisations that will benefit the
local community through
education and applied research
initiatives.
From the hospital’s viewpoint it
will ensure that patients in the
region will continue to benefit
from care provided from a highly
skilled professional nursing
workforce whilst the University
benefits from the Trust’s
outstanding reputation as a
provider of quality healthcare.
More than 200 nurses are
currently studying on Nursing
programmes at the University’s
Chesterfield base at Chesterfield
Chambers, with many gaining
some of the practical experience
they need within the Royal.
The Royal’s Chief Executive, Gavin
Boyle, said: “High standards of
nurse education are absolutely
pivotal to the quality of care we
provide. We know that the nurses
the University of Derby deliver are
first class and we want to recruit
the people that it trains.
“This agreement, and our future
collaborative working, will give us
a wonderful opportunity to feed
our values into Derby’s training,
ensuring student nurses feel as
much part of our family as the
INTO THE
Meanwhile the undergraduate
nurses of The BSc Hons in Nursing
(Adult) underwent a series of
experiences culminating in them
devising a poster which they
showcased in the main reception
area on 1st March.
They focused on four different
service provision and health
needs, eventually narrowing them
down to one which was
developed into a ‘pitch’ for a
Dragon’s Den style bid for
£100,000 of public funding.
Service partners were impressed
by the standard of research and
2
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
University’s throughout their
studies.
“We are also looking forward to
working with the University to
design continuing professional
development training for our
nursing workforce and promoting
research opportunities, which will
ensure our nurses’ knowledge
and skills stay at the forefront of
health care.”
Head of the University’s School of
Health, Professor Lorraine Ellis,
added: “With an established base
in Chesterfield we already feel
part of the community but we
wanted to formalise our
relationship with the Royal, so
that we are both even better
placed to rise to the challenges
that we face in a climate of
unprecedented change, whether
in health or the higher education
sector.
“Both sectors share the same
agenda: quality patient care
delivered by a workforce that is
well educated and fit for practice.
The partnership agreement is a
testament to this and we’re
delighted at this development.
“As many of our students come
from the area this partnership will
give them further opportunities to
use their skills to serve the
community, and to maintain their
connection with us through
continuing professional
development throughout their
nursing careers.”
DRAGON’S DEN
development and completed a
live streamed recording to the
other students who at the time
were not bidding but were
undertaking peer review and
evaluation.
The winning bid was the 'Pass it
on' allotment project in Bolsover
which aimed to rent allotments
and involve the elderly whilst
giving back to the community by
generating income through
vegetable and fruit sales, jam and
a small cafe on site. Local
probation services would
undertake the initial dig and
planting and the students felt
they could encourage
unemployed individuals to
volunteer and expand their skills
whilst providing purpose, also
teaching
children about growing
vegetables and adopting a
healthy lifestyle.
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 3
Gavin
Society, chief executive
sterfield Photographic
Royal
the
of
tos
Brian Davis from the Che
pho
old
e
Pervaiz Iqbal with som
Boyle and organiser Dr
GET THE PICTURE?
Some of the Royal’s artistic
visionaries joined forces for
another highly successful
photographic and art exhibition.
some new additions which once
more shows how people here
have taken this exhibition to their
hearts.
It was the third annual exhibition
and once again featured a
number of different themes
including nature, different
cultures and there was even room
for self-reflection with some old
photos of the Royal that were
close to 100 years old.
“It was great to see so many
people come along to enjoy the
displays and find out more about
the stories behind the pictures by
asking questions. Once again the
pictures and artwork were very
uplifting with some choosing to
represent areas very close to
home alongside images from
places many of us will never see.
Dr Pervaiz Iqbal organised the
event once again, he said: “Last
year’s event was going to be
difficult to top but once again
some of the submissions we had
were remarkable in their quality
and diversity. Again we had a
mixture of work from people who
had submitted before alongside
A captivated audience
Some stunning scenery
“I’d like to thank everyone who
worked very hard behind the
scenes to get this exhibition up
and running and for all of those
who shared their work, some of it
very personal, for the rest of us to
enjoy.”
Biomedical Assistant Kat
y
Johnson next to her exh
ibits
Sheila Wetton, an adm
in assistant
in central services with
her exhibits
h
HCA Ronald Ramos wit
his children Annika and
rk
Aeron alongside his wo
'Colours of the Caribbean
' display
So much to see, anothe
r wonderful success
Talat Iqbal
Another lovely image from
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
3
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 4
OUR OUTSTANDING
GETTING IT RIGHT!
Shaun Shackleton is the latest
new recruit to come through the
ranks of the Bolsover District
Council Apprentice Programme to
become a valuable part of the
estates department.
Now 25 years old he finished his
PEO qualification early started his
BTEC Level 3 diploma in February
to mark the end of a year that
has seen him make a dramatic
turnaround.
Shaun said: “I left school to
become a welder but things went
downhill after a while when the
company I worked for went
bankrupt and I was made
redundant. I got various bits of
agency work but nothing too
serious and couldn’t find a fulltime job because I didn’t have the
experience.
“I even started a course in 2008
to get more experience and a
qualification but had to quit as
my benefits were stopped
because they said I wasn’t actively
seeking work. It was very tough
and I developed a bit of an
attitude and wasn’t taking things
very seriously which was when I
was told about the apprenticeship
and asked if I’d like to go for an
interview to become an
electrician.
“I thought it sounded great
but never thought I stood a
chance until I was told I’d
made the second interview so
I began to buck my ideas up.
I couldn’t believe it when I
was told I’d got it as it was
just what I wanted; I could
get the experience and
qualifications I needed with a
job afterwards.”
Shaun with his mentor Henry
Shaun has spent the year
being mentored by Chris
Hartley and Henry Kay who
“The
taught him new skills that
apprenticeship
included fault finding, fixing
scheme has
electrical devices and, mainly,
worked wonders
repairing air conditioning units.
for me and is a
“Chris and Henry have been
fantastic with me,” said Shaun,
“made me feel like part of the
team and turned my life around.
I’ve really enjoyed this last year
and my aim now is to get my
BTEC in electrical maintenance
before taking a course in
refrigeration. Henry’s the only one
who really has experience with
this so it’d benefit all of us for me
to take on some of that load.
Shaun at work
fantastic
opportunity for anybody to obtain
the experience needed to get
ahead. It’s so difficult to get by
without experience and
qualifications and I owe my
position here to the Bolsover
team and the hospital for giving
me the chance to show what I
can do.”
Head of Estates Chris Tann added:
“When I interviewed Shaun to
get on to the apprenticeship
programme, I could see that
although he faced some large
challenges he had great potential.
He has worked really hard and
grasped with both hands the
opportunities the apprenticeship
programme has given him. Shaun
has learned to trust and respect
his work colleagues and from this
has developed as a confident,
well liked and valued member of
our team.”
ROYAL CONSULTANT PUTS HIMSELF IN
One of our consultants is set to
become a leading national figure
on the subject of end of life care.
Dr David Brooks is the Royal’s
Macmillan consultant in palliative
medicine and has been unveiled
as the President of the
Association for Palliative Medicine
of Great Britain and Ireland
(APM).
The APM is an association for
doctors who work in hospices
and specialist palliative care units
in hospitals. Formed in 1986, it
now has approximately 1000
members from all over the UK
and includes doctors based
overseas. The APM exists to
promote the advancement and
development of palliative
medicine and represents
4
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
physicians at all grades who work
in palliative medicine and those
with an interest in the specialty. It
acts as an advisory body for the
Department of Health,
government ministers and the
Royal College and is the first port
of call for media enquiries. The
President is the spokesperson for
the APM and, with the recent
controversy over the Liverpool
Care Pathway, has become a high
profile position.
Dr Brooks said: “I’ve been VicePresident for the last year,
shadowing Dr Bee Wee who is
the outgoing President, after I
was nominated by the previous
President and elected by its
members. It’s a real honour and a
challenge that I feel I’m up to and
ready for.
“The Liverpool Care Pathway has
thrust end of life care into the
public consciousness and I think
one of the main issues
surrounding it is one of
understanding and
communication.
“Like ‘Do Not Attempt
Resuscitation’ orders, care
pathways are something that’s
easy to point to. They easily
become the focus for blame. But
poor communication is at the
bottom of why it becomes an
emotive issue between a family
and a hospital. If, as we have
heard from stories in the media, a
healthcare professional saying
"we are putting your father on
the LCP" or "we have signed a
DNAR on your mum" is the way a
family member finds out their
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 5
G INDIVIDUALS
MORE SUPPORT FOR
CANCER PATIENTS
Cancer patients at hospital are
now being looked after in more
than just a clinical sense.
The Trust has introduced a new
information prescription role with
Denise Sandy appointed as the
information and support
assistant. Her job is to answer
questions anyone affected by
cancer, their carer or relative may
have in relation to their personal
situation and direct them towards
the most appropriate resources
where information is “prescribed”
or recommended by the teams
managing the patient’s care. This
new approach means that
appropriate, up-to-date “bite
sized” chunks of relevant
information can be given to the
patient according to their clinical
and psychological needs.
As well as dealing with
information prescriptions, Denise
is also there to answer questions
about the availability of emotional
or financial support, insurance
and anything of a similar nature
in a bid to reduce stress and allow
people to focus on their care.
Denise said: “I usually see up to
ten patients a day, sometimes
more and as you might expect,
they have lots of questions. They
have questions about benefits,
health insurance, mortgages, as
well as about their condition and I
pride myself on being able to
obtain the right information for
their needs.
“Some queries are
straightforward, such as travel
directions to Weston Park, others
can be more complicated
surrounding travel insurance; they
might have a lot of different
questions so it’s a case of taking
the time to break them down into
individual problems to solve. I’m
there to give information, point
people towards useful support
such as citizen’s advice or patient
groups and just to talk to them.”
The post was set up in October
and Denise works very closely
with all eleven of the Royal’s
internal cancer teams. She’s also
done all of the necessary research
to be able to recommend the
right service for each question.
“It’s a difficult job because you’re
also dealing with emotions and I
may be faced with a query
I’ve not had before that
needs more looking into. I
may not be able to answer
a question straight away,
but I will always take
details and get back to
every patient in turn.
“I’m also available on the phone
or by e-mail and every patient
who is given a diagnosis will have
my details passed to them.”
Nicky James is the Royal’s
Macmillan Nurse Consultant in
Cancer Care, she said: “This kind
of information prescription is
aimed at raising standards
throughout the UK and some of
our own booklets and
information have been picked up
nationally, for example those on
prostate cancer.
“What Denise does is to give
appropriate information at
different stages of the cancer
trajectory according to the
patient’s needs, not just at the
point of diagnosis. She has such a
natural empathy with the patients
and the feedback we’ve had has
been incredibly positive.”
Denise can be contacted on
extension 6699 or on bleep 911.
Dr Brooks with the palliat
ive care team
F IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
parent is dying then it is easy to
understand why they are blamed
for anything that follows.
“Managing expectations, patient
prognosis and the extent of illness
all play a part in decisions over
end of life care and consistency,
transparency and communication
are key elements to getting it
right. And, as the Francis report
has reminded us, focusing on the
patient and the family and their
needs for care and
communication is just as
important as focusing on the
illness.”
Over the last twelve months the
previous President has conducted
interviews with Jeremy Paxman
on Newsnight and been invited to
the ministerial round table. With
funding for end of life care on the
agenda for the future it’ll be a
challenging tenure for Dr Brooks.
“I’ll certainly be seeking advice
from former Presidents,” he said,
“and I know a lot of what I do
will be reacting to whatever hits
the headlines but end of life care
is something I’m passionate about
and we need to take it forward.
“Hospitals are usually judged on
easy to see numbers such as
patients cured or treated but we
need to put just as much focus on
the patients that we can’t heal.
“Evidence suggests somewhere in
the region of 20% of in-patients
are in their last year of life. While
initiatives to
improve care and
support in the
community may
make some
reductions in this
figure, hospitals
will always be a
place where people are cared for
in their dying year and where
some inevitably die. We live with
an increasingly ageing population
and diversity of illness, we are
able to treat more illnesses more
effectively so people are living
longer with illness and dying after
a period of predictable decline
rather than having sudden
unexpected deaths.
“For this reason palliative care will
increasingly be something that we
do an awful lot of. Hospices
routinely achieve high levels of
satisfaction with end of life care.
An acute care setting brings its
own challenges when compared
to a hospice but we should be
aiming to afford the same quality
and consistency of care to these
patients and that’s the gauntlet I
would like to throw down to the
Royal and every hospital in the
country.”
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
5
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 6
derson
with matron Lorraine San
Emma on Hasland ward
Cathy at one her
presentations
HCA BACKS SUPPORT
FOR EATING DISORDERS
One of our healthcare assistants is
backing the opening of a support
service in Chesterfield for people
with eating disorders.
23 year old Emma Duffy is part of
our bank staff and has suffered
from various types of eating
disorders over the years, dating
back from when she was just 9
years old. For the last few years
she has received support from
First Steps Derbyshire, whose
main base is in Derby city centre.
The charity now offers additional
support groups in Chesterfield,
meeting on the third Tuesday of
every month from 7 – 9pm at the
fire station’s community room,
behind Toys R Us and the B&Q
store.
Eating disorders are responsible
for the highest death rate of all
psychological conditions with an
estimated 50,000 people across
Derbyshire affected*. Emma has
6
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
suffered from various types of
eating disorders including
anorexia, bulimia and ‘eating
disorders not otherwise specified’
(EDNOS) which is when the
diagnosis doesn’t fit neatly into
the categories anorexia or bulimia
Emma said: “My disordered
eating developed in primary
school when me and a friend
threw away our packed lunches.
Anorexia came first and in later
years it developed into bulimia,
switching between the different
disorders and never quite
managing a healthy relationship
with food.
“During the time I had bulimia
and EDNOS people thought I was
a recovered Anorexic because I
maintained a healthy BMI;
nobody realised I still had a
problem. At times I could eat up
to five days worth of calories in
one go and use compensatory
behaviours such as self induced
vomiting, excessive exercising and
taking large amounts of laxatives
and diet pills to try and keep my
weight down.”
At the age of 19 years and after a
short period of being in
‘recovery’, Emma volunteered to
go to Ghana where her problems
returned, but this time it was
much more serious.
“Another volunteer noticed the
symptoms of someone with an
eating disorder,” recalls Emma. “I
ended up in hospital; I was
vomiting blood after losing over a
third of my body weight in just
ten weeks. I was unable to move
from the neck down, a symptom
of low potassium levels and was
told that it could have led to a
heart attack.”
In January 2010 Emma started a
Paediatric nursing degree at
university and her health once
again deteriorated. That summer,
after a long period of not eating,
she was admitted into a
psychiatric hospital, unfortunately
resulting in her having to leave
her place at university.
Emma said “It was in 2011 after
spending my 21st birthday in
hospital that I realised I was
wasting my life, so two days after
being discharged I went to First
Steps and for the first time I
actively wanted to get better.”
Emma’s story is tough to read and
unfortunately it is not uncommon
which is where First Steps come
in. Set up in 2004 by Cathy
Cleary who had battled an eating
disorder herself, it has since
developed into a registered
charity with nine members of
staff and over 40 volunteers, the
majority of whom have personal
experience of eating disorders
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 7
An impressive selection
Family is everything: Em
ma with her dad
Alan Duffy, medical eng
ineering manager
themselves or through a family
member and use their personal
experience to support others in
similar circumstances.
First Steps aims to improve the
health and well being of individuals
affected by eating disorders,
providing support to families and
ensuring that health care
professionals are able to correctly
recognise the signs and symptoms.
Cathy said: “We also aim to
influence health and social care
policy and strategies to ensure
appropriate care pathways are
developed and also to raise
awareness of all eating disorders
within the community.
“We seek to achieve this in a
variety of ways including weekly,
structured self help support
groups incorporating skills and
strategies to overcome eating
difficulties and complimentary
therapy groups such as expressive
arts, drama, nutrition information
and relaxation.
“We’ve got online support in the
form of one-to-one befriending
as well as private and confidential
online Facebook groups and
support forums, a range of
volunteering opportunities and
work placements to allow our
group to engage at a level of their
choice and capacity.
“Elsewhere we deliver a
programme of eating disorder
workshops for GPs and healthcare
professionals to enable them to
correctly recognise the signs and
symptoms, alongside
presentations to community and
voluntary groups across
Derbyshire and Derby City. We
also work in close partnership
with schools across the region to
deliver a programme of body
image workshops and attend
community health promotion
days and mental health
awareness events.”
Emma said: “I believe in the
support groups and they’ve
helped me to get myself back on
track. I’ve now started
volunteering for First Steps and
will restart my nursing course
later this year. I feel I will always
have part of my eating disorder
with me, but I’m now learning
not to let it control me.
“To have a service like this
starting to develop in the
Chesterfield area is brilliant. There
is so little appropriate help around
and First Steps can provide CPD
training for health professionals
who want to learn more as well.”
“I would urge anybody who has a
similar problem or who is
concerned about a friend or
relative to get in touch with First
Steps Derbyshire.”
You can find out more by visiting
www.firststepsderby.co.uk, call
01332 367571 or email
[email protected].
* source NHS Derbyshire 2011
SOCKIT
TO EATING
DISORDERS
The School
Nursing
team
decided to
do their bit
for Eating
Disorders
Awareness
Week.
They joined in
with Beat’s
‘Sock it to
Eating
Disorders’ fundraising event that
involved coming to work in ‘silly
socks’ and paying for the
privilege.
The group had a meeting in the
Trust’s old lecture theatre where
they showed off their fancy
footwear and at a pound a pair
their efforts were well rewarded.
Jayne Duly is the lead professional
in school nursing and she said:
“We got some input from the
g off
Now you're just showin
health visitors at South
Normanton Health Centre as well
and we managed to raise just
over £50 which meant pretty
much everybody contributed.
“I know it’s an issue that’s close
to the hearts of many of our staff
and we got a lot of questions
about why we were wearing
some of these ridiculous socks so
not only did we raise the money
but hopefully awareness of the
issue and the charity as well.”
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
7
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:32
Page 8
SHARING KNOWLEDGE FOR
The team who went over to help, including Wale (third from left)
ms
One of the theatre roo
The hospital
An example of one of the
patients
not deemed to be a prio
rity
HEADING OUT TO TOGO
An ear, nose and throat surgeon
from the Royal has joined
colleagues from around the world
in taking his expertise to Togo.
Wale Olarinde was invited along
with the UK forum of the West
African College of Surgeons
(WACS) to the Togolese capital
Lome where he spent one week
at the Sylvanus Olympio Teaching
Hospital.
The team of nurses, surgeons and
anaesthetists spend a week in the
nation where the WACS holds its
annual conference providing
surgical outreach to the nation
that has no national health
service or even health insurance
and healthcare is ‘cash in hand’.
Mr Olarinde said: “What we are
able to offer when we’re there is,
essentially, free treatment. We did
mainly head and neck surgery as
there are patchy facilities for nasal
and ear surgery and we saw
people with some very terrible
ailments.
8
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
“What tends to happen is that,
because care is a question of how
much money a person has,
problems are left to develop,
often until it is too late and this
can lead to death. As a
consequence the mortality rate is
high, conditions are poor and
operations can lead to
complications that can’t be
followed through because the
patient has run out of money. The
situation is far from ideal.”
Accompanying Mr Olarinde were
surgeons and nurse practitioners
from as close as Sheffield to as far
afield as Canada. Their visit
resulted in around 250 operations
being performed on individuals
who otherwise may not have
been able to afford treatment,
with many others seen but not
treated.
“One thing this trip has
reinforced,” added Mr Olarinde,
“is that the best way to treat
some people is to not do
anything at all. Some patients
come very late in the
advancement of their disease and
it would cause more harm than
good to do anything. It’s tough to
make that decision but when
we’re only there for a limited
amount of time we had to
perform surgery on those to
whom it would make a real
difference.
“In one case there was a large
neck lump that had seen
significant growth and showed
signs of malignancy. The patient
was clinically well so we had to
prioritise treatment for one of the
many people for whom surgery
was, in the long term, vital.
“It’s also taught me to make the
most of the resources we have. In
Chesterfield we have plenty, at
least relatively, and it’s easy to
take that for granted until you
see what other people have to
work with and how far they’re
able to stretch those resources.
For example they don’t perform
needle tests on neck lumps over
there because there are only two
or three pathologists in the whole
country; there are perhaps the
same number of anaesthetists.
They use anaesthetic nurses who
are very competent, but if there
are complications they don’t have
the experience to be able to
improvise and adapt. They have
good scanning technology but
again, they don’t have the
expertise to use it to its full
potential.
“I’m now writing a report based
on my visit where I can make
some recommendations. Some
things can be relatively cheap and
easy to implement, others will be
more difficult and expensive. This
is the second such visit after
going to Liberia last year and I’m
determined to do the same next
year. It’s such an experience and
to be able to help in such a
hands-on way, even if it is for a
relatively small amount of time, is
incredibly fulfilling.”
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 9
OR THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS
ms
Fleur, one of the new mu
ound
with more in the backgr
initely
The infamous mops - def
in need of replacement!
Pauline with one of the
babies they helped deliver
Joan teaching the nursing
staff neonatal technique
s
MATERNITY
MATTERS IN
One of the bays
TANZANIA
Two of our maternity workers
ventured well out of their comfort
zone in January to lend their
support and learn new techniques
in Tanzania.
Birth centre co-ordinator Joan
Hopkinson and community
midwife Pauline Twigg spent a
fortnight at the Meru District
Hospital in Arusha to share good
practice and common
experiences.
Joan said: “A colleague of ours
had been before and said there
were issues over there that
needed addressing, particularly in
neonatal resus. We raised money
to go in our time to see if we
could help and it was an
incredible experience.
“They have just three midwives,
some nurses, cleaners and an
anaesthetist to run antenatal,
maternity, postnatal and drop-in
clinics for a hospital that delivers
3,000 babies a year which is
incredible. There are only ten
postnatal beds and it’s common
for new mums to share beds with
other new mums as well as their
babies.
“Some of the things they do well,
for example they have 100%
breastfeeding rates and they work
incredibly hard but some areas
need improving and we made
some recommendations.
“The main thing was in neonatal
and we showed them how we
resuscitate and they took it on
board immediately to great effect.
Infection control is also an issue
with beds wiped but not
thoroughly cleaned, there was no
soap to wash hands and mops are
not replaced for weeks whilst
being used in all areas. They’re
not immunised against diseases
like Hepatitis and think that if
they clean those areas they’re
exposing themselves without
realising that by keeping their
working environment in that
condition they actually increase
their risk of getting it. Some of it
is simply a matter of education
and changing the way they
think.”
Pauline added: “All of the
midwives and nurses were so
eager to learn and were like
sponges in the way they absorbed
information. The women who
give birth as well are astounding.
There’s not much in the way of
transport and some had walked
miles to the hospital whilst in
labour, carrying everything they
needed whilst in hospital.
“There are often two to three
women in a bed at once but it’s
what they’re used to. They will
have shared beds at home since
birth and take comfort in that,
they look after each other but
perhaps they need to.
“Their mortality rates are
amongst the worst in the world.
Women have a one in 23 chance
of dying during pregnancy or
childbirth and we unfortunately
saw five stillborns in just ten days.
A lot of women refuse pain relief
as well, because they don’t like
injections and aren’t given it orally
because they don’t eat for 24
hours after having a caesarean
section. We say that we give
Paracetemol of Ibuprofen within a
few hours and advised them to
do the same, it’s cheaper and will
help bring temperatures down.
Some things like this we can help
them with but some things will
never change because it’s cultural,
too expensive or they simply don’t
have the resources to
implement.”
Both Pauline and Joan intend to
go again next year and would like
to thank all of the fundraisers,
particularly Chris Twigg, Peak
Performance, Marks and
Spencers, Braun, the Book People
in the hospital’s main entrance,
Spire Insurance, Riverside Garden
Centre, Present Company and
their many friends, families and
colleagues who helped sponsor
and support them throughout.
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
9
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 10
Over the past year, and in partnership with some of our staff,
patients and governors, we've created a new set of 'Strategic
Statements' to make the hospital a great place to be a
patient; and a great place to work. These were unveiled at
the start of the new financial year and mark the beginning of
our bid to have a big conversation with all staff across the
hospital about all of our plans for the future...
OUR
JOURNEY
What sort of
hospital do we want
to be?
A first-class district general
hospital (DGH) – the model for
what a DGH can be in the service
of its community – delivering
sustainable high quality clinical
care, offering an exceptional
experience for our patients; and
creating a great place for our staff
to work.
3. Build on existing partnerships
and create new ones to deliver
better care.
For our hospital and our staff
we will:
4. Support and develop our staff;
5. Manage our money wisely,
foster innovation and become
more efficient to improve
quality of care
6. Provide an infrastructure to
support delivery.
How will we do
this?
What are our
challenges?
We have six objectives to achieve
our aim.
The NHS is changing rapidly and
we need to respond to the
challenges this presents,
including:
For our patients and our
community we will:
1. Provide high-quality, safe and
person-centred care;
• The new architecture for the
NHS with clinically-led
commissioning at its heart;
2. Deliver sustainable,
appropriate and highperforming services; and
• A challenging economic
environment with NHS
10 Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
providers required to make a
minimum of 4% savings
annually for the foreseeable
future;
• Rising public expectations and
a new system which
encourages greater choice for
patients and competition
between public and private
providers;
• Increasing demand for longterm care and treatment for
complex chronic conditions;
particularly amongst an
increasingly elderly
population;
How will we meet
these challenges?
• Our six objectives provide a
framework for the practical
steps we will take to meet
these challenges
and deliver our aims for the
hospital.
• Building on the success of our
past by transforming our
approach to service delivery
through partnership working
and staff engagement. Using
service and quality
improvement to drive
efficiency and meet the
financial challenge.
• We will ensure our hospital is
led by our clinicians; with
support from our managers –
to make sure that everything
we do has the needs of our
patients at heart. Front-line
staff will be encouraged to
have more freedom to decide
how they deliver their services,
to give our patients the best
possible care.
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 11
How do we show that we are Proud
to CARE?
At Chesterfield Royal our Proud to CARE ethos is at the heart of
how we run the hospital – looking after our patients and taking
care of our staff:
Compassion
• Compassionate care delivered with professionalism and a positive,
friendly attitude
• Care that preserves dignity and respects the person; putting patients
at the heart of all we do
• Respecting the unique and individual contribution that each of our
staff members make – fair, positive and inclusive, recognising diversity
and using it to enrich our organisation
Achievement
• Excellent care, safe services and a positive experience every time
• Exceeding expectations by delivering first-class performance, bettering
national standards through innovation and ingenuity
Relationships
What will success look like?
When we succeed we will have a hospital that is:
• An open and honest relationship with our patients, staff, partners and
our communities
• Providing a sustainable range of complementary, clinically appropriate
services;
• Working in partnership in the interests of our patients
• Accepted as a provider of high-quality care – in terms of clinical
outcomes, patient experience and safety;
• Acting in a socially responsible way and meeting our commitments to
the local community.
Environment
• Providing a hospital environment that is modern, clean and safe –
conducive to care and recovery; and a good place to work.
• Recognised as a valued and engaged partner, delivering integrated
and innovative services in collaboration with others;
• Seen as one of the best health employers around by its staff and by
others; and is
• Financially robust – with clear ambitions and confident of a secure
future.
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013 11
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 12
THERE'S A WAY TO DO IT BETTER…
AND YOU CAN HELP
FIND IT!
If you ask most people who invented the light bulb they’ll say: “Thomas Edison”. In fact he didn’t
‘invent’ it at all. What he did do was take an existing 50-year old idea – and transform it into a reliable,
long-lasting source of light. The American businessman, who at one stage held over one thousand
patents in his name, famously commented: “There’s a way to do it better – find it.” And he did. Without
Edison’s determination to improve on many other creations, we may not have had the domestic light
bulb, or the motion picture camera and recorded music.
You might be wondering what on earth this has to do with Chesterfield Royal? Well, we’re also trying
to find ways to ‘do things better’ – and whilst it’s not new for us, transforming what we already have
is definitely key to our future success. In fact, changing how we work, discovering new ideas and
developing different solutions is the only way we’ll meet the big issues we face. Medical Director,
Dr Ian Gell is supporting the Royal’s bid to re-invent itself. Life@theRoyal spoke to him to find out
more about what’s involved and how your hospital needs you to make the difference…
presentations
Stuart during one of his
the board
Some of the projects on
Alternative ways of
encouraging creative thin
king
12 Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
Life@theRoyal: We keep
hearing about ‘transformation’
– is it really more than just the
latest ‘buzz word’?
IG: It definitely is here at
Chesterfield Royal. Transformation
isn’t really new to us – we’ve
always been keen to improve on
what we do and how we do it.
It’s taken on a new dimension
though as over at least the next
ten years the difficult economic
position means we’ll see very little
(if any) investment in public
services, but costs will continue to
rise. The public also expects more
from the NHS; and demand is
growing. We can’t just keep
slicing away at our directorate
budgets as a way of saving money
without putting services and care
‘at risk’, so we need a different
approach. We need to look at
how we provide those services to
our patients – and how we could
do things differently, in ways that
drive-up standards and quality,
but give greater value for money
and help us to become more
efficient.
Life@theRoyal: Exactly what
sort of savings are we looking
at then over the next few
years? And will it mean job
losses? That’s what everyone
worries about isn’t it?
IG: In the coming financial year
we’ll be looking to save about six
percent of our budget – that’s just
short of £9 million. For the next
two years it’s likely to be about
four percent; adding up to around
£22 million in total over the next
three years, which is no small
task! Whilst other Trusts have
opted to cut budgets by reducing
staff (the easiest way to take cash
out of an organisation, as most of
the income goes towards the pay
bill) this inevitably affects service
quality and the ability to care for
patients appropriately. I can
understand why staff worry about
job losses when they’re
happening in lots of other places
in South Yorkshire and the East
Midlands. By going down a
transformational route though,
we are actually trying to provide
job security. We have been able to
use our stable financial position to
an advantage – looking at new
and innovative ways of working to
make the difference and release
the savings, instead of quickly
trying to cut costs.
Life@theRoyal: So why do you
need to let staff know – isn’t
this all the Board of Directors’
responsibility?
IG: No – it has to be bigger than
that. We all need to be involved
and the best ideas always come
from staff that do the job, see the
problems; and the potential
solutions! This is very much a
team effort or it won’t work. It’s
about creating the right culture in
the hospital – one that allows our
clinical staff to have responsibility
for leading change, but makes
sure that they have support from
ctor
Dr Ian Gell, medical dire
Board Directors to make things
happen. As long as we know the
right checks and balances are in
place (to assure ourselves that any
transformation project maintains
or improves service quality) any
one of us can make a choice to
participate in our programme of
transformational change. The
Innovation Board will however
have responsibility for overseeing
the work – pulling everything
together in one place and
checking any ideas that are given
the go-ahead move forward as
planned.
Life@theRoyal: What is the
Innovation Board? Is it a new
development?
IG: Yes, it’s only been in place a
few months. It’s actually a subcommittee of the Hospital
Leadership Team, chaired by me;
and with a range of staff involved
from across the hospital. It
harnesses and monitors all the
ideas, projects and schemes that
fall under the banner of
transformation. The Innovation
Board will look at three areas - the
directorate ideas that come
through the work already
underway through our successful
CHOICES programme;
suggestions for joint directorate
transformational proposals; and
anything that involves working
with other partner organisations.
These are ‘officially’ known as the
primary, secondary and tertiary
layers of the transformation
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 13
The CHOICES team of Stuart Ellis, Paula Hannan, Karen White and Anna Doyle
been done in
Good work has already
atory care
linen, theatres and ambul
programme. And before any of
these ideas can progress to the
next stage they are rated - to
make sure they do not
compromise clinical quality, that
they involve and engage with a
range of staff; and to check that
the financial efficiencies stack up
and can actually be realised and
delivered.
Barbara Stuttle,
interim chief nurse
of
Paul Briddock, director
finance and contracting
Life@theRoyal: So who rates
them? Surely that must have
Board of Director approval?
IG: Yes. That’s my remit, along
with my colleagues – Director of
Finance Paul Briddock and at
present Dr Barbara Stuttle, the
Interim Chief Nurse. It’s a vital
stage in the process and we have
to satisfy ourselves that proposed
transformation benefits won’t
adversely effect the reason we are
all here – our patients. Changes
that simply save money won’t
transform what we do.
Life@theRoyal: It’s quite
daunting for some staff to say
that they think their team
could improve what they do
and how they do it – if
someone has an idea will they
be listened to?
IG: You know it’s not a surprise
that staff feel this way; because
it’s a new way of working for
everyone, including me and my
executive director colleagues. This
isn’t just about transforming
services – it’s about completely
altering how we work; turning it
upside down, on its head. There’s
plenty of help out there for staff
who feel nervous about getting
their ideas heard. As part of the
CHOICES programme, there are
changes agents already working
in many of our directorates; but if
you don’t know who to go to
start with the
Choices/Transformational Support
Team. Call them on extension
2034 and get some advice about
what will work best for you.
Life@theRoyal: Do you think
everyone appreciates the
enormity of the situation? And
do you believe staff
understand that they really do
have an opportunity to
participate?
IG: I hope the message is starting
to spread, especially now that
many of our staff have seen new
ideas come to fruition through
CHOICES. The change agents
have been superb and their
enthusiasm is infectious! The
medical directorate for example is
already benefiting from reduced
lengths of stay, an increased use
of the discharge lounge; and
better patient experiences. These
are all direct results of their ideas
to improve patient flow; and all
attributable to staff working
together to see new ideas put in
to practice.
Life@theRoyal: Are we right in
thinking then that all ideas,
big or small have a part to
play?
IG: Yes – absolutely! The primary
ideas tend to come from the
CHOICES Ideas Banks that each
directorate already holds.
Transformation that crosses two
or more directorates (secondary)
currently includes the urgent care
pathway and looking at diagnostic
services. Tertiary programmes hint
at commercial opportunities; stepdown facilities and quality
initiative funding. From very
simple ideas to complicated
proposals that include a number
of services – all of them have a
place.
Life@theRoyal: Would it be a
good idea to celebrate what
staff are achieving so far?
IG: Yes – we’re planning a
Celebrate Success event later this
year, which will hopefully show
others what’s happening around
the Royal and inspire them to join
in! Keep an eye out for details
and of course, we’ll keep staff
updated with news like this.
Life@theRoyal comments: This
is probably the biggest change
in direction our hospital has
taken for several years. Staff
are already contributing
through CHOICES but it’s even
more important for all of us to
think about what we do and
how we can improve on it. It’s
not just about saving money,
but it is about all of us trying
to do things differently to
demonstrate that district
general hospitals are crucial to
their communities, providing
quality services in efficient and
effective ways; and working
with others to do so. Thomas
Edison also said: “We shall
have no better conditions in
the future if we are satisfied
with all those which we have
at present.” It’s definitely up to
us to think about the part we
can play in transforming what
we have now and how we can
make it even better for the
people who matter – our
colleagues and of course, most
of all, our patients. Let us
know what you’re planning…..
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013 13
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 14
KEEP INFECTION PREVENTIO
vention
Director of infection pre
chief
and control and interim
nurse Barbara Stuttle
A patient visit by Kimber
ley
The Infection Control Team
KEEPING OUR
WARDS SAFE…
With infection rates, hand
hygiene and Norovirus all making
recent national headlines the
infection control team has never
been more in the spotlight.
recently said that antibiotic
resistant bacteria represent a
comparable threat to global
warming and so the message is
clear – infections are killers.”
It’s a relatively simple brief, to
ensure clinical areas are free from
infection and minimise the risk of
cross infection, but it’s a constant
battle. We caught up with current
director of infection prevention
and control and interim chief
nurse Barbara Stuttle who gave
us her take on the infection
control team.
The infection control team, led by
senior matron Diane Simpson,
matron Lisa Bree and a number of
nurses, nurse practitioners and
admin staff, are regular visitors on
wards by request, audit and also
to deliver education, advice and
administer specialist care to
isolated patients.
“They’re absolutely fundamental
to everything we do at this
hospital,” she said. “It’s
embedded in all of our oaths and
promises that ‘we should do
patients no harm’ and this
includes protecting them from
harmful hospital acquired
infections.
“It’s vital because it’s a problem
for the foreseeable future and I
can’t see it going away. Chief
Medical Officer Sally Davies
14 Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
Barbara added: “I went on a
commode audit with them and
was astounded at the level of
knowledge and their enthusiasm;
they were brilliant. Their job is not
an easy one but we’re all here to
try and prevent infection
spreading.
“You just have to look at the
infection rates, they’ve never
been lower in terms of blood
born MRSA and C.diff which have
been reduced significantly over
the last few years.”
Good hand hygiene is the key to
infection control and Barbara
believes that part of the problem
and the struggle with getting
people to clean their hands is
partly a social one.
“You just have to go to the toilet
to see how many people leave
without washing their hands,
perhaps it’s bad husbandry as a
child. We live in an instant world
where we’re always in a hurry
and there’s a perception that
washing your hands takes time
but it’s easier in a hospital. You’re
never far away from a sink or
hand gel station; it takes seconds.
It’s funny that we always have
time to go on holiday or talk
about what we did last night but
not to clean our hands.
“But of course there’s more to it
than that for example we use
barrier nursing techniques, we’ve
got isolation rooms and processes
in place look after our patients
who are infected. We have more
disposable equipment and the
effective tracking of instruments
a key
Good hand hygiene is
tion
ven
pre
n
ctio
infe
of
t
par
through decontamination so it’s
more than simply telling people to
wash their hands…it’s a very
difficult job.”
Barbara also believes the team
can be viewed from the wrong
perspective and that they are not
there to police the wards or
blame anybody for causing a
problem.
Barbara added: “Diane is only as
good as the weakest part of the
chain and we need to be open
with each other at ward level. If
there’s a problem with infection
control then don’t hide it, work
with the team to sort it out, that’s
what they’re there for, use their
knowledge and experience and
follow through with their advice.
It’s not rocket science and it will
pay immediate dividends to work
with them.”
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 15
ON AND CONTROL IN MIND
SUMMER
BARBECUE
HOW SAFE IS YOURS?
90,000 cases of food poisoning are recorded each year in
England and many more go unreported.
Safety Tips
Ensure barbecue coals are
glowing red before cooking.
Defrost frozen meat in the fridge
first and ensure it is properly
thawed.
Do not store meat out of
refrigerator for longer than one
hour - never store in the sun.
Turn meat regularly during
cooking.
Ensure food is hot in the centre
with no pink areas and clear
juices.
Salmonella
Campylobacter
E-Coli
Found in eggs, meat (particularly
poultry) and unprocessed milk.
Symptoms are usually mild and
occur within 12 - 72 hours after
eating contaminated product.
Typical symptoms are diarrhoea
and stomach cramps , you may also
have some nausea and vomiting.
Found in improperly cooked
meats especially chicken.
Symptoms occur between two to
five days after eating
contaminated food. Nausea,
vomiting and diarrhoea are typical
systems. The diarrhoea can
sometimes be bloody.
Found in undercooked beef,
mince and burgers. Symptoms
include diarrhoea, vomiting,
abdominal pain and fever.
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE
Most symptoms of food
poisoning will develop between
one and three days and include:
Most cases of food poisoning do not require
medical attention but if you develop any of the
following contact your GP:
• Nausea/vomiting
• Vomiting lasting more than two days
• Diarrhoea
• Diarrhoea lasting more than three days
• Stomach cramps/
abdominal pains
• Not able to keep sips of water down for
more than a day
• Fever of 38C (104.4F)/chills
• Blood in your vomit or stools
• Muscle pains
• Unable to pass urine
• Seizures (fits)
• Changes in mental state (confusion)
Stop cross contamination
between cooked and uncooked
food - wash hands regularly, use
separate utensils for cooked and
uncooked food.
Treatment
• Drink plenty of fluids, sips at
first then increase amount.
• Rehydration solutions can be
purchased from a chemist.
• Do not drink fresh fruit juices
or fizzy drinks.
• Take mild pain killers such as
Paracetamol to ease
abdominal pain. DO NOT TAKE
Ibuprofen as this should only
be taken with or after food
and could irritate the lining of
the stomach.
• Remember to wash your hands
after every visit to the toilet or
episode of vomiting.
• Stay away from work until you
have been symptom free for
48 hours.
• Double vision/slurred speech
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013 15
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 16
E
H
T
ON
.
.
.
T
O
SP
E
L
Y
O
B
GAVIN ..
ed.
u
n
i
t
n
o
c
Following on from last year’s
closing issue, Life@theRoyal
brings you the conclusion to
‘On The Spot…’ featuring Chief
Executive Gavin Boyle. Here is
the second of our two part
interview with staff governors
Philip Cousins, Tina Shewring,
Janice Smith and Manu
Mathew asking the questions…
How much do you really
know about what happens
on a day to day basis –
both in relation to patient
care and the pressures on
staff?
One of the really important parts
of my role is to understand what’s
going on in this hospital. One of
the things that strikes me about
the Francis Inquiry is the disconnect
about what was actually
happening to patients and what
the board thought was happening
at the hospital. I want to make
sure that doesn’t happen, so I’m
very keen to be in touch with the
clinical staff and see for myself
what’s going on in the hospital.
I spent an evening with the staff in
ED and they’re particularly
pressured at the moment so it’s
good for me to see the sorts of
challenges they face. I also try to
see the less high profile areas, not
just clinical places but places like
the library or the estates areas. It’s
a crucial part of my role – to know!
16 Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
How important is the blog
for you?
I never really intended to carry it
on, I thought it would last for a
couple of weeks but it was so well
received. People seem to want to
read it and like to hear about their
colleagues so I carried on writing it
and I quite enjoy it.
I have to say that some of the
feedback I was getting was that it
was overly long. I’ve tried to
streamline it and have a particular
theme or focus, for example the
Francis Inquiry and the pressures
on emergency services.
I mention talk about my personal
life occasionally and add some
humour. This relates to the
question about ensuring that I
know what’s going on. I want to
be approachable so that if anybody
has any concerns, they feel they
could come and talk to me about
it. Being approachable is a
fundamental safety mechanism; if
you’re approachable then you’re
more likely to find out what’s
happening.
Your blog gives the
impression that you spend
a lot of time in meetings –
how do you balance this
with other requirements?
A large part of my job is about
communication and meeting
people is an important part of that.
I have a regular set of meetings
with key leaders across the
organisation, clinical leaders, to
keep me informed. It works both
ways because sometimes the
clinical teams are looking for
advice and direction.
Our future success will be based on
a strategy that is all about
networks, partnership working and
building on relationships with our
stakeholders so I spend a lot of
time meeting with our external
partners as well. I devote a lot of
my time to developing these
relationships because I think
they’re really important to us.
What do you do when
you’re in your office?
More communication such as
responding to emails, speaking to
people on the phone and thinking
through what direction we need to
travel as a hospital. You’ll have
seen a lot of strategic work being
done and part of my job is to make
sure those pieces of work are
completed. For example the
organisational development
strategy was produced to reflect
things that came out of the staff
survey and is all about supporting
and developing our staff.
You may have seen a document
called ‘Our Journey’ which is a
single page document that
summarises my vision of where I’d
like to take the hospital in the next
five to ten years. It’s called ‘Our
Journey’ for a reason because I’ve
developed those ideas from my
conversations and discussions with
people within the organisation and
externally. I would encourage
people to read it because on two
sides of A4 you can get a really
clear idea of where we’re heading
as a hospital.
With the focus on clinical
leadership, how do you
make sure that every
member of staff in the
organisation feels valued
and engaged?
My approach to this role really sets
a particular tone in that I’ve always
thought our staff are the most
important part of the organisation.
I’m a firm believer that we can’t
look after our patients unless we
look after our staff.
More practically things like the OD
strategy, or to give it its other
name ‘Making the Royal A Great
Place to Work’, there’s lots of really
practical stuff in there such as
developing your staff, developing
leadership capability in the
organisation and improving
appraisal processes. For example
your line manager should support
your personal development and
respect your contribution so there
are practical things we can do to
make that a reality on the shop
floor.
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 17
It's vital staff feel valued and engaged
Regular meetings and catch
ups are a vital part of the job
The future? A long term project for us all
Office time
offers the
chance to
catch up on
paperwork
An evening in a busy ED department
Non-clinical areas such as the education centre's
library are also on Gavin's visitation list
Your Staff
Governors...
But it’s a journey and one of the
things that struck me when I first
came here was the number of
concerns being expressed by our
staff. One of the things I’m
absolutely committed to is trying to
listen to what staff are saying and
respond to those concerns. In my
first week I commissioned a ward
based nurse staffing review that
resulted in a board decision to
invest £1.5million in additional
nursing posts. It’s taken a while to
recruit those additional 40 nurses
but we’ll soon begin to see those
nurses on our inpatient wards.
In terms of valuing every member
of staff, there’s something in there
about listening to what staff have
said to us, thinking about it,
thinking about what we need to do
in response and then doing it. I
think you demonstrate that you
value your staff in the actions you
take and we’re doing that.
There is a lot of talk about
local pay bargaining in
different areas of the
country – what are your
views?
We’re a national health service so I
think that fundamentally we need
to have national pay. I think the
recent changes that have been
made to the national terms and
conditions are sensible ones and
we’re working with staff side here
to see how we enact some of
those, particularly around
incremental progression.
I’m a supporter of national pay but
it has to be sensible and recognise
the pressures that we’re facing as
an economy. It was pleasing to see
that there were some sensible
outcomes to the national
negotiations.
How do you see your future
at the Trust?
It’s been an exciting year and I like
to think that we’ve moved the
hospital forwards. My focus was to
raise the profile of clinical quality
and the importance of valuing staff
but it’s still early days. What I hope
is that people bear with me as this
is a long term project for us and
working together we’ve made a
good start. I’m still really excited
about the job, it’s a great hospital,
there are some wonderful people
here who do some incredible work.
I’m really looking forward to
spending a good number of years
here and bringing my wife and kids
up here with me!
Janice Smith,
nursing and midwifery
constituency
ext. 2232
Tina Shewring,
allied health professionals,
pharmacists and
scientists
ext. 4621
Manu Mathew,
medical and dental
constituency
ext. 2149
Philip Cousins,
all other staff
constituency
ext. 2232
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013 17
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 18
Brendan and Helen at the Dronfield clinic
With years of experience
they know
exactly what they're loo
king for
AAA
Talking through the procedure with a patient
SCREENING PROGRAMME
Two general assistants in Imaging
have re-trained to lead a
screening programme that has
been introduced to detect
abdominal aortic aneurysms in
men.
Helen Hearnshaw and Brendan
Ledward have spearheaded the
Royal’s involvement in the
National Abdominal Aortic
Aneurysm Screening Programme,
in partnership with the Royal
Derby Hospital, since April last
year. Travelling around the whole
of North Derbyshire with a
portable ultrasound machine, the
pair hold clinics in various
hospitals and GP practices in the
community.
The purpose of the screening
programme is to scan the
abdominal aorta of all men in
their 65th year in order to
determine its diameter, if the
measurement is confirmed as 3cm
or more then it is considered to
be aneurysmal. Small aneurisms
of up to 4.4cm will result in the
patient being rescanned after a
year whilst an aneurism
measuring up from 4.5cm to
5.4cm sees the patient re-scanned
every three months. If a
measurement of more than
5.4cm is detected then the
patient will be referred to a
vascular consultant in order to be
considered for surgery.
18 Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013
Brendan said: “If an aneurysm is
allowed to go undetected and
then bursts, it is likely to be fatal,
it’s that simple. In the past,
aneurisms were responsible for
around 6,000 deaths a year
across England and Wales.
Research shows that four out of
every 100 men will have an
aneurism and that they are six
times more likely to be affected
than women, which is why we
are currently only inviting men to
be screened.”
The programme was designed to
cover the whole of the country by
April 2013 and Helen and
Brendan’s background in Imaging
gave them a head start when it
came to their training. As well as
their previous knowledge of
ultrasound, most of their training
was done in the department
where almost every member of
staff volunteered to be scanned in
order for the two of them to be
“signed off” in competency. Their
final accreditation was gained at
Salford University.
The national launch of the AAA
Screening Programme will be
accompanied by a major
advertising campaign. Awareness
of the screening and its
importance has been a bit of an
issue but Helen is keen to stress
that it is vital that people accept
their invitation to be screened.
“At the moment, roughly
a third of all those invited
do not attend which is
disappointing because the
scan is quick, painless and
non-invasive. Perhaps
understandably, some
people are apprehensive
and may be afraid of
finding out but I like to
think of AAA screening as
a “win win” situation. If
we scan a patient and tell
him that his aorta is fine
then that is a good result. If
we scan him and tell him he
has an aneurysm then that
is also a good result
because he has been made
aware of a possible life
threatening condition which
will then be closely
monitored, ultimately with a
view to having surgery at an
e and straightforward
The scan is non-invasiv
age and a time that is best
for that patient. By doing all
simple ten minute scan really can
of this we significantly reduce the
help save lives.”
risk of a spontaneous rupture of
the aorta and the tragic
Invitations are now being sent out
consequences of an almost
to men aged 65 across the
inevitable sudden death.
region. If you are 66 or over and
would like to be screened you can
“Around 7,000 men were invited
contact the Derbyshire AAA
to be screened across the whole
Screening Programme on 01332
of Derbyshire in 2012/13 but we
789859 to arrange an
would like to see attendances
appointment or you can visit the
improve and our hope is that
local web page. See link below.
when the advertising takes off,
www.derbyhospitals.nhs.uk/about
more people will realise that a
/depts/aaa/
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 19
THE ROYAL ROUNDUP
THANK YOU!!!
SODEXO PICKS UP
MAJOR AWARD
The Royal’s patient food
contractors have been named
Health and Safety Unit of the Year
at the company’s own awards
ceremony.
Our team was the only one to
receive a 100% green audit for all
areas of service, delivering what
the organisers described as
‘consistently the highest
standards in health and safety
and food hygiene’.
service across the UK in hospitals,
prisons, schools and similar
organisations.
Jethro Pickard is the head of
facilities, he said: “To get 100% is
sensational and shows
compliance around food hygiene
and all areas of health and safety.
I think this displays the strength
of our partnership working since
entering intro a new contract
with Sodexo.”
A big thank you to everyone who
helped to raise money for the
daughter of one of our staff
nurses.
paid for the travel insurance),
some porters raised £2,000
during a sponsored cycle and lots
more.
Melanie Baker works on Elizabeth
Ward and her ten year old
daughter, Molly, was diagnosed
with Wilm’s Tumour when she
was just eight prompting staff
from across the Trust to club
together to raise money for a trip
to Disneyworld.
Melanie said: “We went to
Disney World for Halloween and
had two amazing weeks of sun,
excitement and of course Mickey!
Molly also had the opportunity to
swim with dolphins, courtesy of
all this fundraising. She has now
been clear of cancer for fifteen
months and is getting stronger
every day and I’d like to thank
everybody for their help and
support; it’s been incredible.”
Amongst those efforts were a
series of raffles on Elizabeth and
Robinson ward, a sponsored run
by education centre staff (this
IN LOVING MEMORY…
Sodexo is a worldwide service
that provides different levels of
ROYAL LEADS THE WAY
IN STOPPING THE CLOTS
Our venous thromboembolism
(VTE) prevention team has been
highlighted for the innovative
way it deals with preventing
potentially deadly blood clots.
The husband of a woman whose
wish was to have her dying
moments on Markham ward has
presented them with a cheque for
£700.
It can affect people who are
immobile for long periods of time
with an estimated 25,000 deaths
from hospital acquired blood clots
in England each year, despite
being largely preventable, and the
Royal has been awarded a Special
Commendation Certificate by
Lifeblood: The Thrombosis
Charity.
Principal pharmacist and VTE
prevention lead Anna Braithwaite
said: “More people are becoming
aware of the dangers of blood
clots and how they can affect
patients and for us it’s about
what we can do to reduce that
risk.”
Jan Maly is secretariat of the All
Party Parliamentary Thrombosis
Group, she said: “The expert
panel of judges felt that the Trust
demonstrated an exceptional
level of leadership and innovation
and that the strategy’s wider
adoption throughout the NHS
could lead to significant
improvements in VTE prevention
nationwide.”
to be given to the ward at her
funeral.
Aileen Minskip was diagnosed
with Lymphoma in April 2012
and, despite chemotherapy
sessions on Cavendish Suite and
Radiotherapy in Sheffield, she lost
her battle on December 14th.
“I had no idea how kind,
considerate, courteous, caring
and professional these wonderful
people were until we needed
them. The way they all interacted
as a team was wonderful and
they made my wife’s dying
moments so peaceful and
dignified.
She had been married to Tom for
almost 45 years and in January he
came back to the ward with the
cheque from the money that had
been raised through donations
received at Aileen’s funeral and
wake.
“She wanted donations from her
funeral to go towards the ward
so that other patients could have
the same level of care that she
received; I can’t thank them
enough for giving her the care
she deserved.”
Tom said: “It was her wish to die
on Markham ward, she
considered the doctors, nurses
and everyone there to be her
friends. They were so kind and it
was her idea to ask for donations
Aileen’s funeral took place on
Christmas Eve at Chesterfield
Crematorium, several members of
the Markham ward team
attended.
Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013 19
Life@theRoyal 2013 issue1 20pp:Layout 2
1/5/13
15:33
Page 20
BEST IN
CLASS!
Another year and another group succeed in challenging themselves in the world of
adult education.
This year chief executive Gavin Boyle presented his first NVQ awards ceremony with
close to 100 people being given their certificates badges and awards for achieving
their chosen qualifications.
Awards included First Line Management, NVQs in health and social care and
business administration as well as AMSPAR and apprenticeship awards.
The awards took place in early February in the education centre.
20 Life@theRoyal Issue 1 - 2013