Kicking
the habit
Nuneaton and Bedworth’s
first citizen quits smoking
Also in this edition...
...Mortality review: Action plan put in place...
...Pressure ulcer success: Big reductions reported...
...Aiming high: Cardiac Physiologist heads out on charity trek.
Spring 2012
Chairman’s
welcome
Welcome to the latest edition of
Bleep. This is an ‘unscheduled’
edition of the Trust’s magazine,
produced because we felt there were
a couple of very important pieces of
information we needed to share with
our members.
Firstly, the review of the Trust’s
mortality rates, which we told you
about in the last issue, is now
complete (see page 4 & 5). This
review, conducted by an external
company, looked at why the Trust
was recently highlighted as having a
significantly high mortality rate. An
action plan has now been put in place
to address these issues.
Secondly, the Trust would like to
know your views on the future of the
hospital and its services. On the back
page of this magazine is a ‘tear off’
questionnaire, which we would like
you to complete and return.
Of course, there is plenty more going
on to tell you about, so please read
on to find out about it.
Stuart Annan
Chairman
News in brief...
Members’ event: Members are
invited to a special orthopaedic
awareness evening hosted by Trust
specialists (pictured below). The
event will examine topics such as
osteoporosis, joint replacements and
fractures. The event takes place in
the hospital’s GETEC building on
Tuesday 3 April starting at 6.30pm.
Refreshments will be served from
6pm and parking is free. To book a
place at the event or for more
information,
please contact
Jean Whittaker
(tel. 02476
865400).
The Warwickshire Special Care
Dental Service, run by the
Trust, provides an anxiety
management service for patients
who suffer from severe anxiety that
prevents them from visiting their
dentist. The sessions teach patients
techniques that will help them deal
with their anxiety when they visit the
dentist. Over several sessions,
patients will learn methods to control
their anxiety such as breathing
techniques and progressive muscular
relaxation.
Patients wishing to access the
service will need to be referred by
their family dentist or GP. For more
information on the service and how
to access it, please contact 01926
888630.
The launch of a new service
aims to cut the number of local
people having strokes. The Atrial
Fibrillation (AF) service aims to
increase early identification of
patients with this irregular and often
abnormally fast heart rate, which can
lead to a stroke if not treated.
AF is a common condition where the
upper chambers of the heart, called
the atria, contract randomly and
sometimes so fast that the heart
muscle cannot relax properly between
contractions. This reduces the heart’s
efficiency and performance. This may
lead to a number of problems
including dizziness, shortness of
breath, a fast and irregular heartbeat
(palpitations) and tiredness.
Anyone suspecting they are suffering
from the symptoms of AF should in
the first instance visit their GP.
The Trust will be holding its next
special event for volunteers on
Friday 15 June from 12noon-2pm in
Raveloe’s conference room. This
follows on from the successful event
before Christmas (pictured below)
where hospital volunteers were
invited for a mince pie and cup of tea
with the chairman.
All volunteers will
receive a written
invite in the run up
to the event.
Two of the Trust’s top doctors
have written a book that is
helping medical students around the
world improve patient safety skills.
Practical and Professional Clinical
Skills, has been written by Diabetes
and Medical Education experts, Dr
Vinod Patel and Dr John Morrissey
(pictured below) and will be available
in 20 countries worldwide.
Both Dr Patel and Dr Morrissey teach
at Warwick Medical School and wrote
the book as a way
to address areas
of professional
skills that they felt
were missing at
undergraduate
level training.
The Trust has opened its new
Cancer Information Centre in
partnership with Macmillan Cancer
Support. The centre will be run by
newly appointed centre manager
Julie Smith (pictured below) and will
offer advice and information for
hospital patients, their families and
visitors affected by cancer.
Over 30 volunteers are currently
going through a
recruitment
process to help
run the centre
which is now
open. An official
grand opening is
planned for April.
Mortality
review
The Trust has launched a major
strategy to combat its historically
high mortality rates in response to
the completion of an external,
independent review of its mortality
ratings. This review was
commissioned by the Trust after
the Department of Health’s new
mortality indicator, launched in
October 2011, ranked the Trust
with the highest mortality rate in
England and follows years of
‘higher than expected’ mortality
rates identified by the ‘Dr Foster
Good Hospital Guide’.
Chief Executive Kevin McGee
explained the decision to undertake
the review: “As a local hospital, it is
essential that we have a very clear
picture of the quality of care we
provide to local people. Our
consistently high mortality rating
undermines the confidence local
people have in our services and
affects our reputation. Our decision to
conduct a professional, independent
review into our mortality rate and
quality of care has been a
fundamental step in understanding
exactly what is causing our high
rating and is a key step to restoring
confidence in the care we provide.
The review has made four key
recommendations.”
4
areas for
improvement
Continuity of care: Particularly
in relation to the way some
inpatients experience too many
moves between wards and
change of responsible
consultant, leading to potential
risks from inconsistencies in
“What
care.is clear from our
review is that there is not a single,
isolated
issue
causing
Patient
flow:
There GEH’s
need tohigh
be
mortality
rate, but rather
a
better pathways
for patients
to
combination
of many smaller factors.
and from primary/community
Some
these
areThis
within our
careofand
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power
to change,
and some,ofsuch as
requires
the involvement
thepartner
health organisations
issues of the local
to work
population
with the and
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to lack
cut of alternative
end-of-life
care need
to be addressed
unnecessary
admissions
to
andhospital
taken forwards
with timely
our
and improve
healthcare
partners and
discharge.
commissioners, including the primary
care
trust and colleagues
working in
Information
management:
public
Thehealth.”
Trust must improve
information systems to support
clinical and managerial decisionmaking and improve the way it
records information, which can
impact the way mortality rates
are calculated.
Impact of external factors on
GEH mortality figures: Better
support is needed for end-of-life
care in the community with other
health and care providers, along
with more work with partners to
provide seamless access to
services and improve healthy
living, health outcomes and
reduce health inequalities.
Kevin continued: “What is clear from
our review is that there is not a single,
isolated issue causing GEH’s high
mortality rate, but rather a
combination of many smaller factors.
Some of these factors are within our
power to change, and some, such as
the health issues of the local
population and the lack of alternative
end-of-life care need to be addressed
and taken forward with our healthcare
partners and commissioners,
including the primary care trust and
colleagues working in public health.”
On the basis of the report, a wideranging strategy has been put in
place to address the issues raised.
This plan, which has been developed
in collaboration with the Arden PCT
Cluster, has already addressed some
of the more immediate concerns such
as increasing the level of consultant
cover on the wards over weekends.
The Trust is also in the process of
introducing new processes to ensure
fewer movements of patients between
different wards.
Martin Lee, Acute Services Medical
Director at the Arden Cluster, said:
“When a hospital’s mortality rate is
higher than expected, a detailed
search for underlying causes is
essential. We welcome this review
and support them in their action plan.
In addition to important measures
being taken in the hospital there are
health economy-wide issues
highlighted by the report which our
public health colleagues are working
hard with the NHS, local government
and local communities to address
through programmes such as
smoking cessation and NHS health
checks.”
A local woman has praised the
care she received as a patient of
the breast care unit at George Eliot
Hospital.
“We are also aware of the need to
improve end-of-life care in the
community and are taking forward
work across Coventry and
Warwickshire to improve care for frail
older people. By working in
partnership on these areas and by
supporting George Eliot in addressing
their own systems and processes, we
expect to see a reduction in mortality
rates at the hospital.”
Mr McGee concluded by offering
reassurance to local people that they
can have confidence in the standard
and safety of care provided by the
hospital: “Both this review and
previous routine inspections by
regulatory bodies have not identified
any areas of serious concern in
relation to the safety of care provided
by the hospital. Over the last couple
of years, many aspects of our care
have been highly praised by external
reviews and inspections.
“The bottom line is that our poor
mortality rates are the product of a
range of issues and working practices
both within the hospital and the wider
health community. Addressing these
will require a significant shift in the
way we work as an organisation as
well as supportive changes made by
our healthcare partners. Every
member of staff has a role to play in
ensuring we improve our mortality
rates and that local people can
continue to have confidence in the
care provided by George Eliot
Hospital. I have every confidence that
by working together we can
successfully address this issue.”
Joan Baber (pictured below with
Specialist Nurses Jane Randle (left)
and Annette Tracey) was diagnosed
with breast cancer in August 2011
and was operated on at the George
Eliot Hospital later that month.
Following her operation, she began a
six-month programme of
chemotherapy, all of the time under
the treatment of consultants
and Nurses from the
hospital’s breast care unit.
Joan said: “Like for most
women, being told you have
breast cancer is your
greatest fear. Fortunately, I
was diagnosed and treated
early.”
“I’ve almost finished my
chemotherapy treatment and can’t
praise the Oncology staff enough for
their care, professionalism and
attention.
“From the original diagnosis to the
point at which I’m at now, the
professionalism and unstinting care of
everyone concerned has been
second to none.”
Cancer care
“From the day we first walked through
the door of the breast cancer unit, my
husband and I have been treated with
utmost respect and dignity by all
concerned. I was given all the support
and information required at such a
difficult time and this not only helped
me but it was useful for my family too.
praised
Two local people have been
reaping the benefits of a smoke
free life style thanks to help from
the Warwickshire Stop Smoking
Service run by GEH.
Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth,
Cllr Neil Phillips (pictured right with
Janet Kavanagh (left) from Mary Ann
Evans Hospice and Zoe Jennison
from the Stop Smoking Service),
joined thousands of people across the
country in making a New Year’s
resolution to quit smoking.
Cllr Phillips, who previously smoked
30 cigarettes a day, has used the
opportunity to raise money for Mary
Ann Evans Hospice, the beneficiary
of his mayor’s appeal.
Cllr Phillips, who uses nicotine
patches to reduce cravings, said: “I’ve
been aware for some time that my
smoking hasn’t been sending out a
very positive message to local people
so I decided it was time to take the
plunge. By raising money for the Mary
Ann Evans Hospice, I hope that local
people will be able to share in some
of the benefits I will be experiencing
as a result of quitting smoking.”
Calling it quits
Another local man to benefit from the
service as well as help from the
Manor Court GP surgery, is Jim Jarvis
(pictured left with Zoe and Angie
Prichard from Manor Court Surgery).
Jim, who was also smoking 30 a day,
has not had a cigarette since 1st May
2010 and has since taken up cycling.
He is now closing in on completing
1,000 miles on his bike.
Jim, who is a photographer for the
Nuneaton News, explained: “I needed
something to take my mind off
smoking, I’m not really sure why I
chose cycling, but I’m hooked now. I
suppose I’ve just changed one
addiction for another. It’s amazing, I
can just get on my bike and cycle 20
miles without even thinking about it, I
would never have been able to do
that when I was smoking, no way!”
Jim quit smoking at the third time of
trying and believes it was the best
thing he ever did: “I knew it was time
to do something when I tried to carry
some camera equipment less than a
mile and nearly collapsed through
exhaustion. It really scared me. But
since I’ve quit, I’ve been able to do
things I never thought I’d be able to,
it’s totally changed my life.”
For more information on the support
available from the Warwickshire Stop
Smoking Service, call 0800 085 2917,
text ‘LIFE’ to 80800 or visit
www.smokefreewarwickshire.org
Charity
milestones
The Trust recently celebrated two
charity milestones as donations
from local charity BASICS* passed
the £275k mark and Councillor Don
Navarro handed over a cheque for
£20k (pictured top), raised through
his mayor’s appeal.
Cllr Navarro, who is now a nonexecutive director at the Trust, chose
the hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit
to benefit from his Mayor’s Appeal,
which ran during his time in office.
During his year as mayor of Nuneaton
and Bedworth, he attended and
hosted numerous events to raise the
money, which will be used to buy two
new monitors and contribute towards
the purchasing of a new ventilator.
*The Bermuda and Stockingford
Intensive Care Support charity
(BASICS) was set up over 20 years
ago by Kath Turner (pictured bottom)
and husband Pete as a way of saying
thank you for the care she received
as a patient at the hospital’s Coronary
Care Unit (CCU).
Kath sadly passed away in 2010, but
her legacy lives on, with fundraising
for the CCU over the years now
surpassing the £275k mark.
The Trust is extremely grateful to
Don, Kath, Pete and everyone who
has contributed to the mayor’s appeal
and BASICS.
Cardiac Physiologist Darren Price
is setting his sights high as he
starts training for a trek to Everest
Base Camp.
Darren’s expedition does not start
until March 2013 but he has already
started training and raising funds for
Macmillan Cancer Support. He wants
to raise over £4000.
On his trek, 33-year-old Darren will
pass through the Sherpa Capital of
Namche Bazaar as well as valleys,
dense forests and across glacial
rivers before reaching the renowned
viewpoint of Kalapatar at an altitude
of 5545m, on the approach to Everest
Base Camp.
Aiming high
Darren said: “From reading the many
testimonials on the tireless help and
support that Macmillan give, it just
makes you think what you as an
individual can give back. Money
raised will help Macmillan to continue
the fantastic work they do improving
the lives of people living with cancer
and their families, by providing
specialist nurses and doctors,
buildings for cancer treatment and
care and financial grants for patients
in financial difficulties.”
To sponsor Darren please go to
www.justgiving.com/darren-price0.
Individual and corporate sponsorship
is being sought, for more information
please e-mail Darren at
[email protected]
Darren needs to raise a minimum of
£3750, 40% of which will go towards
funding the cost of the trip with the
other 60% benefiting Macmillan.
Anything over this amount will all go
to Macmillan. This is on top of the
£450 Darren has paid to go on the
trip.
Pressure sore
success
The hospital is celebrating success
in the fight to eliminate the most
serious types of pressure sores. It
has now been eight months since
the last reported incident of a
grade 4 pressure sore (the most
severe) and Director of Nursing
Dawn Wardell (pictured right)
believes the success is due to the
hard work of staff and their
vigilance in identifying pressure
sores at an early stage.
Pressure sores, sometimes known as
bedsores or pressure ulcers, are a
type of injury that affects areas of the
skin and underlying tissue. They are
caused when the affected area of skin
is placed under too much pressure.
Pressure sores can range in severity
from temporary patches of
discoloured skin to open wounds that
expose the underlying bone or
muscle. They can severely impact
upon a patient’s care and recovery.
In the last six months of 2011, the
Trust reported no grade 4 sores; this
compared to seven for the same
period in 2010 and two for the first six
months of 2011. Similar reductions
were seen in grade 3 sores, the
second most serious kind, with only
three recorded in the last six months
of 2011 compared to 15 in the same
period in 2010.
This success was despite recent
coverage in the national media which
criticised the Trust’s performance. As
part of a response to an enquiry, the
Trust provided numbers of every
grade of pressure sore (including
grade 1, the most common)
compared to many hospitals
which only reported the more
serious grades.
The Trust raised serious concerns
about the way the data was reported,
as there is no agreed national
reporting mechanism and felt the
newspaper could not provide an
accurate comparison between GEH
and other hospitals. Such high profile
coverage results in innaccurate
reflections of the care provided by
GEH, raising uneccessary alarm
amongst the local community.
The Trust has a policy of recording all
hospital acquired (post 48 hour from
admission) pressure sores,
regardless of whether they are
considered ‘avoidable’ or
‘unavoidable’ and regardless of
grade. Some organisations do not
record avoidable pressure sores or
‘grade one’ sores. The Trust has
chosen to record all pressure sores to
ensure patients receive appropriate
treatment as quickly as possible,
thereby preventing and reducing the
most serious sores. The Trust has
also worked hard to raise awareness
of pressure sores amongst staff which
will in turn have led to an increase in
the reporting of less severe cases
(grades 1 and 2).
Dawn said: “We have made some
excellent progress in reducing the
most severe cases of pressure sores
to improve the quality of patient care
we provide and we fully stand by our
stance in recording all pressure sores
as part of our strategy to reduce
them. It is extremely important that
we help local people to understand
the way some media reports can lead
to misunderstandings about the care
we provide. The vigilance of our staff
means that patients are promptly
receiving the appropriate care,
meaning they are less likely to
develop more serious sores and I am
extremely proud of the achievements
made so far.”
Two new mothers have praised the
care they received from the George
Eliot’s maternity unit.
Claire McCunnie and partner Alex
Platts (pictured below with staff from
the Special Care Baby Unit) took
home an extra special festive present
after Claire gave birth to twins, Caris
and Orlaith, on Christmas Day.
After a week being monitored in the
Trust’s Special Care Baby Unit, the
two new arrivals were allowed home
in the New Year with their parents,
who were full of praise for the care
they had received.
Alex said: “Clare was in labour for a
long time so Christmas passed us by
this year, but next year will be extra
special. These are our first children
and it hasn’t all sunk in yet, we just
feel really privileged that they are
both so healthy.”
Claire added: “The quality of care has
been amazing and all the staff here
have treated us with warmth and
kindness. We feel really lucky to have
been looked after here.”
Thumbs up for
maternity service
Kirsty explained: “I was really
impressed by the options available to
me and the enthusiasm of Sue and
the other midwives to help and
support me through the process of
having a natural birth. While I still
experienced a lot of pain during
labour, the hypnobirthing techniques
helped me to cope with it and I
always felt in control.”
Sue Mousley, a former Chair of the
The International Federation of
Aromatherapists, cared for Kirsty
during her pregnancy and has played
a key role in implementing
complementary natural birthing
techniques and treatments at the
George Eliot. Sue said: “Every labour
is different and it is difficult to prepare
a woman for exactly what to expect.
What we can do is introduce
techniques that will help them to cope
naturally with what is happening to
their body during the process.”
Parents Kirsty and Darren Stretton
also thanked maternity staff who
supported Kirsty through a natural
birthing process. After having her first
two children through caesarean
section, Kirsty Stretton was
determined to give birth to her third
naturally. When she became pregnant
with her third child, she came under
care of midwives at the George Eliot.
Kirsty saw midwife Sue Mousley who
introduced her to hypnobirthing, a
process that involves teaching
women simple self-hypnosis,
relaxation and breathing techniques
that help them remain in control and
relaxed during the labour process.
Photo courtesy of
the Nuneaton News
On 8th December, Kirsty gave birth to
baby Chester. Sue and husband
Darren were both delighted and
thanked maternity staff at the
hospital: “I was amazed at how
supportive the staff were. Despite the
issues I’d had with my first two births,
they never tried to talk me out of
having a natural birth, they said they
would support me all the way and do
everything they could to ensure I
could go through the process.
For more information on the natural
birth services available from the
George Eliot contact Sue Mousley on
07785541569 or 02476 865022.
Heart
of the matter
Last year, Nuneaton was awarded ‘Heart Town’ status by the British Heart
Foundation, meaning residents can benefit from a range of resources,
education programmes and support services provided by the charity. In this
issue’s healthy living section, Caroline Davies, sister on the Coronary Care
Unit offers some advice to help you take care of your heart.
The Nuneaton area suffers from high
prevalence of lifestyle behaviours that
can lead directly to heart conditions,
such as obesity and alcohol
consumption. But, it is estimated that
nationally, 42,000 deaths from
cardiovascular disease could be
prevented each year with a few
simple changes to lifestyle.
A good place to start is your diet;
around a third of the food you eat
should be fruit and vegetables.
Another third should be starchy foods
such as potatoes, rice, cereal and
bread (preferably wholegrain and
wholemeal). The
remaining third
should include
moderate amounts
of dairy food, meat,
fish or vegetarian
alternatives, and
small amounts of
food containing
fat and sugar.
Try to reduce your intake of
foods high in saturated and
trans fats such as butter,
hard cheese, fatty meat,
biscuits, cakes, cream and
lard. Replace foods high in
saturated fats with small
amounts of unsaturated fats such as
olive oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil,
nuts, seeds and some margarines
and spreads.
An active lifestyle can also improve
the health of your heart. Regular
exercise can lower blood pressure,
cholesterol levels and weight. Adults
should do 150 minutes of moderateintensity aerobic activity (enough to at
least make you feel warm and slightly
out of breath) each week.
If you’re a smoker, quitting is the
biggest step you can take to reduce
your risk of developing heart
disease. Smokers are almost
twice as likely to have a heart
attack as someone who has never
smoked. However, within a year of
quitting, the risk will have fallen to half
that of a normal smoker.
Simple changes to lifestyle will not
Facts and figures
only add years to your life but life
your years as you will benefit
Life expectancy in some parts of Nuneaton
from more energy and less
illness.
and Bedworth is up to 9 years shorter for
The Trust has health trainers
who can offer you advice on
making positive changes to
your lifestyle. For more
information on this service
call 02476 390008.
men and 7 years shorter for women than the
national average and up to 13 years shorter
than some other parts of Warwickshire
On average, 138 people in Nuneaton and
Bedworth die from heart disease each year
For more information on
maintaining a healthy heart go
to www.bhf.org.uk For more
information on the Heart
Town project contact
Donna Stokes ( tel. 0121
353 2087, e-mail
[email protected]).
Painting the
town red...
Hospital staff have been
joining with healthcare
colleagues across Nuneaton
and Bedworth to mark the
British Heart Foundations
National Wear it Red Day to
raise awareness of
cardiovascular disease.
Staff from the Trust’s cardiology unit
wore items of red clothing and
decorated their office red (pictured
bottom). They were joined by
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough
Council who went one step further by
illuminating the town hall red (pictured
top).
It is estimated that 29% of people in
Nuneaton and Bedworth are obese
86 people in every
100,000 in Nuneaton
and Bedworth die
prematurely. This
compares to 58 in
Warwick and
Stratford
Splash of
colour
Youngsters from the
Nuneaton based Baha’i faith
group have provided a splash
of colour to the hospital’s
plaster room waiting area.
The mural, which was designed by
the children and put on the wall with
the help of local sign writer John Dean
(pictured top) represents the
multicultural diversity of
Nuneaton.
Have your say on our future...
As you may be aware, the Trust is
searching for a partner to help it
secure a sustainable future for local
health services. As part of this
process, hospital members and
members of the public are being
encouraged to get involved in shaping
the future of the hospital by giving us
your thoughts and ideas.
Under Department of Health
regulations, all hospitals must reach
Foundation Trust status by April 2014
but, like many other smaller district
general hospitals, George Eliot
Hospital is unlikely to meet the
required criteria on its own.
The Trust can now confirm that the
following organisations have shown
an early interest in finding out more
about working with GEH. These are:
NHS organisations
Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust
Dudley Group NHS Foundation
Trust
South Warwickshire NHS
Foundation Trust
Non-NHS organisations:
Care UK
Circle
Serco
It must, however, be emphasised that
it is still very early days in the process
and does not mean these
organisations represent a shortlist of
preferred partners. It is simply an
expression of interest, enabling some
early, exploratory conversations to
take place to consider how they might
work with GEH to achieve our goals to
maintain local, sustainable, high
quality services.
The questionnaire on the following
page gives you the opportunity to
have your say on what’s important to
you when looking to the future of
services at GEH. Please return
completed questionnaires to the
following address (no stamp
required):
Freepost RRYK-XKUX-HCBR
Foundation Trust Membership Office
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Lewes House
College Street
Nuneaton
CV10 7DJ
Alternatively, you can complete the
survey via a link on the Trust’s web
page www.geh.nhs.uk
1. Are you aware that the George Eliot hospital is looking for another organisation
to work with in order to achieve foundation trust status and secure the future of
local health services?
2. If you have received information about the GEH’s search for a ‘partner’
organisation, do you have any comments, questions or concerns about the
process?
3. What matters to you most about the care and services that GEH provides?
4. As GEH looks for a new partner organisation to work with, what do you think is
the most important contribution for that partner to bring?
5. Do you have any other comments relating to GEH’s search for a partner
organisation?
6. How would you like us to keep you involved and informed going forwards?
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Your comments are appreciated.