Articulate 119 - Spring 2016 - Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
Transcription
Articulate 119 - Spring 2016 - Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
a 2 articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 3 Spring 2016 - Issue 119 Norman is a record breaker! Stanmore redevelopment update Radio Brockley take the Gold! RNOH Patient Guide goes live Up close with Dr Imad Sedki & Dr Andrew Lucas 2 A message from Rob Hurd 2016 – the year of the RNOH. There is a lot happening now and in the near future that is shaping the destiny of the RNOH for the better. A couple of weeks ago, there was a debate in the House of Lords that focused on the redevelopment at Stanmore. Peers from across the political divide joined forces to maintain the momentum towards our rebuild. It was heartening to hear them all support or case and apply their own modest pressure to the ‘decision makers’. In this issue of Articulate you’ll get an insight into the Redevelopment Programme Team, and what the timescales are going to be. With a fair wind, we should be demolishing the Patient Centre by May and building by the late summer/early Autumn. More news on the progress can be followed on the Redevelopment sections of the Grapevine, the RNOH website and at the next Open Forum on 26th April. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Radio Brockley – who picked up several awards at the HBA Awards including the top gong: a Gold Award for Station of the year. Congratulations to them from everyone at RNOH. 2016 also marked another milestone for former patient Norman Sharp. He was officially recognised by Guinness World Records as having the longest lasting hip replacements in the world, done here at the RNOH in 1948 by Philip Newman. I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting Norman recently and he’s a walking example of ‘getting it right first time’, the approach we are leading on by being a Vanguard Site delivering the NHS New Care Model. This year also marks the launch of the RNOH Patient Guide – www.rnohguide.com – an online information portal that gives patients all the information they need before coming into hospital. This is a major development in improving the experience of our patients, ensuring they receive not just the best clinical care but also the best information. 2016, lots to look back on but even more to look forward to. Rob Hurd, Chief Executive The latest Trust news from executive directors 12-1pm RNOH Open Forum The Open Forum gives you a chance to ask questions so please come along. Contents Editorial team @RNOHnhs 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12-13 Duke of Gloucester refurbishment Meet the consultant: Dr Imad Sedki RNOH Patient Guide Hip hooray for Norman Training & Career development Inside Job: Andrew Lucas, psychologist Delivering great care SCIC donation Schwartz it all about? RNOH rebuild update Tony Higgins Communications & Engagement Manager Extension 5349 Tuesday 26 April 2016 Charles Lack Theatre, Teaching Centre Lunch will be provided with tea/coffee/juice 14 15 16-17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Bronze for Broccles Nurse Revalidation / SaLT team RNOH Charity Radio Brockley IM&T Corner: Free WiFi Phantom Limb Pain Board reflections: Laurence Milstead Transition service Taking stock of new equipment Nilay’s got talent Elisa McGarry, Communications & Engagement Coordinator Extension 5569 www.facebook.com/thernohcharity Dipti Pisavadia Communications & Engagement Administrator Extension 5750 www.linkedin.com/rnoh articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly Before 3 Duke of Gloucester refurbishment After The Duke of Gloucester ward day rooms have recently had a fantastic makeover - creating a home away from home! Over the years money has been donated by patients who were very grateful for the treatment they had received on the ward. Specialising in the treatment of sarcomas, the ward cares for patients undergoing general and sometimes major surgery. Ensuring patients have a positive experience of their stay in hospital, despite sometimes having life changing diagnoses, is an integral part of their recovery. Mona Diamond, Ward Sister, said: Many of the patients have stated that they have never been in a day room like it before in any other hospital. This has made me so happy as I wanted it to be a place that felt like patients could be away from the ward environment. A lot of people have asked me to come and decorate their homes! I can't solely take that compliment - it was very much a team project. Deirdre Coll, who was at the time Acting Matron for Adult wards said: The aim of the project was to create a room where patients and their families could go to whilst in hospital. We wanted the room to reflect a nonclinical, relaxing and comfortable environment. I believe we achieved this and received many compliments from both patients and their families. Marina said: The RNOH Charity is so pleased to have been able to fund these fantastic improvements to the Duke of Gloucester Ward. The Charity exists to improve the experience of the RNOH’s patients – to Mona, alongside Deirdre Coll & Marina Martin from the RNOH Charity, enhance the quality of the care they came up with a plan to turn the tired old day rooms into a sanctuary for receive, and to make their time at the patients to escape from the clinical environment of the ward. hospital more comfortable. Stanmore Open Day 2016 RNOH flung open its doors in February as we hosted an open day to the public. It was an opportunity for anyone interested in our work to swing by, meet staff and hear all about the latest research and clinical work carried out at RNOH. The event was organised by the Research and Innovation Centre and guest speaker was Prof Noel Fitzpatrick, AKA ‘Super Vet’. Prof Fitzpatrick is well known for his work on animals, utilising and adapting many of the techniques and implant technology used in humans and, in some cases, pioneering animal treatments that are translated articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly into human treatment. The open day included tours of theatres and research labs as well as practical demonstrations of orthopaedic surgical techniques – but not on real patients! The feedback received from the visitors was very positive and there are already plans being mooted for another event next year. 4 Meet the Consultant Dr Imad Sedki, Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at the RNOH How did you get into rehabilitation medicine? I trained in Orthopaedics for nine years, and although I loved it I started struggling with the lifestyle and the many on-calls. I found myself working too hard and the pleasure of work gets affected when you’re not actually sleeping well or eating well. When I moved to rehabilitation medicine I naturally became interested in prosthetics due to my familiarity with limbs. It’s nice to see my patients awake for a change as opposed to anaesthetised! My special interest is amputee rehabilitation and I’ve been a consultant at the RNOH since 2009. What’s it like working in prosthetic rehabilitation? We’re mostly outpatient based, so we have clinics every morning and I see patients as part of an MD team with the prosthetists, physios and OTs. I also have regular joint clinics with my colleague Professor Hanspal, and other Orthopaedic or Pain Management consultants. One of the nicest consultations is where we assess an upper limb amputee and the patient brings their own ideas and designs – we often enhance them but sometimes we accept these ideas as they are. I recall a lady who was born without an arm who lived all her life without using a prosthesis until she reached her 70s and began to lose her vision. She asked us to attach a prosthetic limb to her white cane so she could use it and keep the other hand free to carry her bags. Patients are very creative in the things that they ask us for. With upper limb prostheses it’s not just about replacing a hand; you usually aim for a targeted function that the patient chooses. But while some users can’t even imagine a day in their life without a prosthetic arm, others might come to get an arm simply for a wedding or job interview. The NHS doesn’t do well when it comes to the appearance of prosthesis in general and it’s one of the most common complaints, but there’s a change in attitudes now. There’s a conceptual change; instead of trying to make it look like a human limb people are now looking at the bionic look. Many like to use patterns, designs or their own pictures on the prosthetic socket. A lot of my veteran amputees like to wear shorts and expose the metal work of the prosthesis – they don’t cover it at all and they’re proud of it like that. Society is changing and so people’s ideas are too. What sort of patients do you see? I look after amputees from all age groups after different types of disease or accidents, in addition to people born without limbs. You can look at leg amputees from different points of view; those where the amputation made their life better, so, for example, when someone has an orthopaedic problem; there’s a fracture which is infected that they’ve been struggling with for years – they’re having surgery after surgery and antibiotics, they can’t have a shower because the leg is always bandaged, they are in a wheelchair and have pain, then they have the amputation and suddenly life is better. This is a group where you improve their lifestyle straight away on the day of amputation. The other group is where people had to have the amputation because of a sudden problem and they are surprised by it, so yesterday they were walking and today they can’t. They come to us with physical problems, obviously, but sometimes also with psychological issues. It brings either the best or worst out of a person; some are inspired while others struggle psychologically and can become depressed needing lots of support. We have a psychologist and a counsellor as part of our team, but every member of the team provides some form of counselling for patients and their families, and that’s a big attraction to the specialty as you have lifelong treatment and lifelong relationships with them. I’m often closer to my patients than their GP. Patients come to me and ask me about things that aren’t related to my speciality; they say “Dr, my leg is fine but I have constipation – can you help with that?” It’s very refreshing because we’re probably one of the few areas in the NHS who are that close to their patients. Are there challenges in this specialty? Rehabilitation medicine is a small specialty; there are less than 150 consultants in the UK – amputee rehabilitation is even smaller. There’s a huge shortage of amputee rehab doctors in the UK, specifically in London. This is the only centre in London that has two consultants and that generates a lot of referrals from elsewhere. Although I think it’s the best job in the world, for some reason medical students are not encouraged to join the speciality. Amputee rehabilitation is a very well-kept secret but we have good trainees now and some of them are becoming interested so maybe we can change that. How do you unwind after a long week helping people? My main hobby is photography – I like abstract and macro shots; close-ups of insects and things like that. I really enjoy cycling as well. If you hadn’t trained in medicine, what profession would you choose? Something related to working with people long-term, being close with families and getting to know them; a psychologist maybe – that would be interesting. I wanted to do psychiatry when I was in medical school but then I became attracted to orthopaedics and the science of it! articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 5 RNOH goes live Patient Guide After 18 months development, a new website is transforming the way patients can learn about their visit and treatment in hospital. The RNOH has created the Patient Guide as part of its innovation programme to significantly improve patients’ experience of their care. The hospital has worked with patients, medical teams and award-winning film director Jan Letocha to produce an online portal that uses the latest web design, filming techniques and technology to deliver information across a range of orthopaedic conditions from spines, hips, and knees to ankles and feet. Continuing its national role as a centre of innovation, the RNOH Patient Guide is setting a new standard in delivering crucial patient information, such as “What is an MRI scan?” to “What will happen in my visit to hospital?”, giving reassurance and guidance when it is most needed. Using cutting edge filming techniques such as 360° gimbals and 4k resolution GoPro cameras usually used for extreme sports, the Patient Guide encompasses the style and feel more often associated with the world of high quality advertising, the area that film director Jan Letocha usually works in. Alongside professional videos, the Patient Guide also features animated graphics showing the key stages in the patient pathway, patient testimonials, videos explaining the various diagnostic services at RNOH, including X-ray, ultrasound, MRI and fluoroscopy, as well as information on therapies and rehabilitation and ‘how to get here’ films covering all aspects of public transport access to the hospital’s two sites in Stanmore and central London. RNOH Chief Executive, Rob Hurd, said: “The RNOH has been setting the national standard in orthopaedic medicine for many years and now, with the RNOH Patient Guide, we are raising the bar in how patients receive their information. This Guide makes it easier for patients to find out what they need to know. The RNOH believes in getting it right first time and putting patients first. The Patient Guide delivers that, ensuring we continue to provide quality services to patients.” Film director Jan Letocha said: This was a collaborative project between the hospital staff and patients. That’s what made it a successful, innovative and interesting project to work on. The involvement of the medical teams along with real patients means the RNOH Patient Guide covers all the essential information you need to know before coming into hospital. Video and online is increasingly the way we receive information and this Patient Guide points the way to the future. www.rnohguide.com articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 6 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Members of the London Implant Retrieval Centre, led by Prof Alister Hart, attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. This is the largest meeting of orthopaedic surgeons in the world, attended by 40,000 people every year. Podium talks were given by Harry Hothi and Anna Di Laura on retrieval findings of corrosion in total hip replacements; Anna was awarded a UCL student conference bursary to present her work (main picture). Medical student Stef Koutsouris (pictured right) presented his paper on joint registry validation, which he completed and published last year as part of his iBSc project with the LIRC. The team presented two Scientific Exhibits to help surgeons understand (1) why dual-taper hips fail and (2) lessons learnt in painful knee arthroplasty; the latter was awarded the prize for best scientific exhibit with collaborators from Basel, Switzerland (pictured left). We met with our key collaborators from around the world, including the team from Coxa Hospital in Finland, Young Min Kwon from Massachusetts General Hospital, Prof Phil Noble from Houston and Daniel Kendoff (pictured centre) from the Endo-Klinik in Hamburg. Additionally, we organized another research grant with one of our industry sponsors DePuy. The team are now preparing their abstracts for next years AAOS meeting in San Diego, California. Hip hooray for Norman! Back in Articulate issue 116, we introduced former RNOH patient Norman Sharp, who first came to the RNOH as a boy in April 1930. Norman came back to us again in November 1948 when he underwent a double hip replacement carried out by orthopaedic surgeon Philip Newman, under the direction of Sir Herbert Seddon. Those hips are now officially record breakers and have been recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest lasting hip replacements in the world. Norman, who lives in Trowbridge in Somerset, is typically modest about his achievement and reserves praise for the surgical team, led by Philip Newman and Sir Herbert Seddon, and the nursing staff of the RNOH. We took a trip to Norman’s home in Trowbridge, Somerset, and presented him with an example of the vitallium cup that was implanted in him 67 years ago. A former engineer, Norman was fascinated with the cup and was thrilled to hold and feel it. It was the first time he’d Rob Hurd and Norman Sharp ever seen one despite carrying two around for all these years. “It’s not what I’ve achieved. It’s what Stanmore has achieved and, in particular, what Mr Newman achieved to give me these hips that have lasted all these years. It’s amazing now, as some of the modern hips only last 15-20 years. I was just lucky perhaps. I never did anything to deserve them. I rode motorbikes and went dancing – I made good use of them! That those little pieces of metal can relieve so much pain and give so many people a quality of life they would never get without it, I’m overwhelmed.” articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly TraiNiNG and Career DevelOPmeNT 7 L&D team - Nilay Vibhani and Joanna Starling Joanna Starling, Learning & Development Co-ordinator, and Nilay Vibhani, Learning & Development Administrator, make up the Learning & Development team. The last six months have been a busy time for us. We have been committed to raising compliance across the Trust and this currently stands at 82%, but with your help we can achieve 95%. To help reach this goal, we need you to complete your core skills training and ensure you attend courses once you’ve booked a place. There are many ways to complete core skills training, such as attending a classroom session, e-learning, and quizzes for topics including Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity and Load Handling. Self-Enrolment coming soon! We are introducing Self-Enrolment during 2016 so that staff can book themselves directly onto the course of their choice. We want to give staff more flexibility and instant access to booking courses. To help everyone with this process we have written a series of system guides (accessed from the Learning & Development page on Grapevine), so that you can check your compliance, book onto a course or start e-learning. Useful resources for you • With Nurse Revalidation looming we have also produced a guide to help staff access and print individual learning records – do have a look at these and please give us your feedback. The systems that we have for courses can be challenging to use but, like any system, the more you use it the easier it becomes, so please take a look. • If you need or have forgotten your User Name and Password there is a link in the ESR login so that you can ask for a reminder to be sent directly to your email address. • If you would like a member of the team to attend one of your departmental / section meetings to talk about the Self-Enrolment process then please let us know. • You can find details about all of the courses we run under Course Dates on our Grapevine page. There is also a copy of the Training Matrix which will show you the training you need to complete. • Don’t forget our usual Annual Refresher Days and Safeguarding Days to keep your core skills training up to date – these programmes are on the Grapevine. Apprenticeships Over the past year the Trust has offered 24 apprenticeships to members of staff ranging from Level 2 in Business & Administration to Level 4 in Business & Professional Administration, and of course the Level 3 in Health & Social Care. We are currently top of the league across London, reaching 80% of our target figure for apprentices! We want to maintain this position next year, so if you are interested in articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly completing an apprenticeship then please have a chat with your manager and contact the Learning & Development team who will be able to tell you more about the opportunities. Management Development Sessions One of the highlights for the coming year has been the sessions on management development across the Trust. We have arranged a series of day sessions covering management issues from: Develop the Team, Leading Change, the Emotionally Intelligent Manager, Building Resilience, Coach and Develop, Review and Manage Performance, plus Motivation and Engagement. Places are limited so please book as soon as possible. Appraisals We have a series of appraisal sessions running from now until June where you can review the new appraisal forms and go through the process. Appraisals are an important aspect of our working lives so it’s important to understand and be prepared for this discussion. “I see the excellent work that is carried out within the Trust from dedicated and committed individuals, but in order to continue this trend; I personally feel that appraisals are the one of the most important interventions that we should all participate in to ensure improved experience, performance and patient care.” Rob Hurd, Chief Executive Congratulations to all of the top performing departments – all with over 95% compliance in Core Skills training! • Blood Transfusion Service • Clinical Coding Team • PGME Courses Team • Redevelopment Project Team • IM&T Programme Office • ICT Team • Nutrition and Dietetics Service • Clinical Governance Department • Financial Services Team • Neurophysiology Service • Postgraduate Medical Education Team • Therapies Upper Limb Department As you can see the Learning & Development team are keeping busy! It is extremely important that we are providing core skills and Trust mandatory training as well as providing developmental sessions and career opportunities. 8 Inside job: Andrew Lucas, Consultant Psychologist Dr Andrew Lucas joined the RNOH in 1999 and became head of the Psychology department in 2008, taking over after the retirement of Dr Keren Fisher. Andrew kindly gave us some insights into the Psychology service and how it all started for him. I’ve had basically three careers; I was a trained chef but then I sustained a work-related injury which indirectly led me to becoming a psychologist. I was off work for a while and then found another job in government finance, but because of the same injury I was unable to sustain that job, so I was medically retired. I started to volunteer at Chase Farm Hospital. Because of my own back problem I was being treated there and I took an interest in pain; this would have been in the late 80s. A wonderful anaesthetist called Dr Senna Helwa, who was my treating consultant, said to me, ‘you should become a psychologist’ – I didn’t even know what a psychologist was! She said ‘you’re good with people; you’ve got an interest in pain’. So I took an introduction to psychology course at night school, one evening a week. I loved it, it was wonderful! The great joy of psychology is that every day you learn and every day you challenge your knowledge. I did my first degree as a mature student – I was lucky to get in because I haven’t got an A-Level to my name, I then went on to do another three degrees, including my doctorate. They have all been around pain management – that’s how I’ve got here. I also lecture on a regular basis. We have close academic and research links with City University so I teach and do a lot of presentations to students and GPs. In the last year, I’ve delivered talks to pharmacists, physios, rheumatologists and I’m doing one in May for GPs. Pain management isn’t just about surgery; it’s got to be about lifestyle, how someone runs their life, how they think, and health investment – so that’s what we do on our programmes; we help patients to make changes. Is there a typical day in the Psychology service? I’m a very early starter, I tend to be here for half five, quarter to six. My role has changed over the years because I now manage the department. As we’ve grown as a department, we’ve taken on more patients and have more roles within the hospital. I’m still getting to grips with reducing my clinical caseload and being more strategic and managerial. I still see more complex patients, I do pre-surgical screening and assessments, particularly for the spinal cord stimulation pathway, neuromodulation. Typically I’ll have clinics during the week, where I see patients for one-to-ones, I have lots of meetings with different staff in the Trust and I also provide supervision to my staff. And there are always projects that are developing. For example, we are currently looking at linking with University of Hertfordshire to provide training in statistics and data analysis. So I’m trying to set that up and taking a lead. We have a very close relationship between psychology, the medical consultants, physio, OT and nursing. Our programmes combine group work and one-to-one sessions; the OTs, physios and psychologists contribute to the group. Everyone sees the patients for one-to-ones. It is very much an integrated team which has its challenges, but also has its strengths as well. We have lots of MDTs, ward rounds and we review the patients as least twice a week as a team so there is a lot of MDT working – that’s a huge part of this department. What is the best thing about your job? Making a difference to someone’s life and seeing the change. With our patients here we get a huge range of change, some people change dramatically and they will say to us ‘you have changed my life’. That’s wonderful, it feeds our ego and makes us feel good; it's a real privilege trying to help someone improve their life. At the other end of the scale we achieve nothing, because for some people they just struggle to change; it could be family, it could be cultural, it could be their attitudes. But seeing someone improve is really rewarding. I am very proud of our service here – we are now the second longest running residential pain management programme in the UK. I enjoy patient contact, making a difference to people’s lives but also, being a part of this team – there is a high level of expertise, not just within the hospital, within the rehab team, the physios, OTs, the consultants, and the nurses. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly Delivering 9 Great Care The Delivering Great Care initiative is part of the new patient Welcome Pack that was launched across all inpatient wards in February, kindly funded by the RNOH Charity. “I Delivered Great Care” badges are awarded by RNOH patients to staff who they feel have really gone the extra mile in delivering great care to them during their stay. To receive a bronze badge staff must receive five blue badges; five bronze badges gains silver and five silver badges gains a gold award. The badges are a hit with staff across the Trust and feedback from patients has been very positive, with many wishing they had more than one badge to give out! Articulate caught up with just some of the people who have already gained badges. Dennis Hazel, Ward Manager of Short Stay Unit said: Lynn Piag HCA on Duke of Gloucester Ward Maya Benny Staff Nurse on Short Stay Unit 1 silver 2 blue It’s nice for patients to have the chance to give nurses something back when they see them going the extra mile. I was actually given a badge by a patient three years ago at the RNOH. She said ‘I have nothing else to give you but this’. I wear it always and will never forget that patient. It is very special to me. Lindiwe Sibanda Staff Nurse on Short Stay Unit 1 bronze 2 blue It makes us feel appreciated and shows that I am happy in my job. I have a good manager, good support and good training. It makes me very happy and because of that I have happy patients. Marcelle Gowers Staff Nurse on Short Stay Unit 1 silver It’s a good idea and it’s nice to have badges. It shows I am doing a good job. I wanted to be a nurse since I was a child and to make a difference, and I do. I’ve been at the RNOH for 16 years and will retire in April so I wanted to get silver before I left. I’m really pleased I got it! articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly I’m very proud of everyone as they always practice fantastic care. These badges are a great means of patients providing immediate feedback for who they feel has given that little bit extra during their stay and it is wonderful to see them spread out around the hospital on everyone from students to porters. 1 silver 1 bronze I think it’s very motivating. I have been a nurse for 21 years and this is the first real appreciation for nurses from a director and patients. It proves that we are continuing to deliver great care. Kelly Wilson Student Nurse on Short Stay Unit 1 bronze 1 blue The badges are a great idea, especially for student nurses. I was so nervous when I started so it’s nice to know you’re doing the right thing! Diana Dufie HCA on Short Stay Unit 1 bronze 4 blue We work hard and so it's good to be recognised for what we do. 10 Paul catches up with familiar faces on the ward: Kathy Coultry, Beena Joseph, Mary Reddington, Perry Dowsett, Paul Rose, Martin Chainani, Rosa Castro, Olivia Ianau and Rebekah Ahmed Coming Up Roses! In February, former LSCIC patient Paul Rose returned to the Unit along with his colleague Perry Dowcett to present the RNOH with a donation of £500. Here Paul shares an insight in to his journey over the past year. On 24th February 2015, I was commuting by motorcycle to work for a night shift; this 23mile trip was always a very busy one. I was less than one mile from work when the accident happened. It would change my life forever. My motorcycle hit the front driver’s side of a Range Rover which was pulling out of a side entrance. I was taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. This is where I had my surgery, a T4 (the fourth uppermost of the 12 thoracic vertebrae) front and rear fixing of my spine. I was at the Royal London for about three weeks. Although I owe them so much for the great work they did, it was only the very start of me living and coming to terms with being a paraplegic. After the surgery I felt lost and unsure of my future. I was lying in my bed at the Royal London when a lady called Sophie from the RNOH visited me. She was very interested in offering me a place at the Spinal Cord Injury Centre; the rehabilitation and reintegration would be what I needed to get my life back on track. Not long after that visit I was on my way to Stanmore to start the next part of my journey. From the moment I arrived at Stanmore I felt at ease, many people came to my bedside and introduced themselves. Once settled in I was put on a weekly timetable which gave me structure and goals to reach. I went from strength to strength, not only in my health but also emotionally in just 12 weeks of rehabilitation. The support I received was immense, from the nurses on the unit to the physiotherapists in the gym, and not forgetting the rehabilitation assistants who helped me learn how to cope with the outside world from a seated position. I didn't fully appreciate what these people had given me until I left the unit and had to face the world by myself. They were always there to help and I hadn't realised how much support they really had given me. Vopak, the company that I work for, like to donate to local areas or causes that employees have a personal involvement with, and so they chose the RNOH. We would like to see this donation used for medical equipment and improvements to patient activities within the Spinal Injury Unit or Physiotherapy departments. On behalf of the RNOH, a huge thank you to Paul and Vopak for their kind donation. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly ? Schwartz 11 it all about A Schwartz Round is a multidisciplinary team forum where staff discuss a real patient case which has posed challenges in terms of the emotional or social issues around it. Articulate caught up with Helen Spencer, Physiotherapist, and Jacqui Mckeown, Reintegration Practitioner in Community Liaison, about their experiences of being on the panel for RNOH’s inaugural Schwartz Round in January. I was invited to take part in the Schwartz Round for a patient I’d had a lot of involvement with. I didn’t know what to expect until I talked to Sara McNally and she guided me as to what kind of thing I’d be talking about. I thought, ‘I’m not sure if I want to do this!’ It was a daunting prospect. Talking about the way you felt and reflecting on what you did or what maybe Helen Spencer you could have done differently can be difficult any way, but to do so in public makes you quite vulnerable. The case really resonated with me. It was the youngest patient that I have worked with who was terminally ill. He was in his last year at university and talking about going on to do a Masters after rehab. He came in with prospects and ambitions and then those were slowly taken away from him and my role changed from a rehab role to a palliative one. It’s just extremely sad. I wanted to do the Round because I felt that the patient needed representation from different professional groups, because we each have a different type of input with this person and to have a rounded picture of how different parts of the MDT see things is really important. We had various MDT discussions which were more clinically led rather than emotionally. I had discussions within the physio and OT team; I’d come back from my sessions with the patient and discuss it with my supervisor and colleagues. We also had the opportunity to discuss with the psychologist and psychiatrist team but I didn’t feel like I needed to because I had enough open communication within the therapy team. Having the Rounds as a forum for discussion was really valuable from the point of view of sharing how looking after one patient affects the whole team; therapists, consultants, allied health professionals, assistants, cleaners. Anyone working with the patient can relate to them on some level and can have an emotional involvement with them. It was the response from the audience that surprised me most; the way they were listening to what was being said and the way in which they engaged with the panel after we’d all spoken. With other presentations there are always people at the back chatting, their mind is elsewhere or they’re writing something down but everybody was looking at the speakers – full focus, some with concern on their face! The immediate response from the audience was extremely supportive. I found one response from an audience member particularly powerful. She opened up about her experience as a family member of someone being cared for in hospital. It completely changed the way that she worked as a healthcare professional – she understood how people need the human element; someone to talk to, someone to understand them, they want normality. I will remember those conversations that were had within the Round. I understand even more how important it is to build a relationship with not only the patient but the patient’s family, especially in those situations when the patient is not progressing. It was a really valuable experience. Even though it’s challenging in lots of ways it’s a really worthwhile experience and I’d recommend that you do it. Everyone will come at it from a different point of view whether it’s more professionally or personally. I would do it again. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly I was a rehab assistant when I was involved in the patient’s care for the inaugural Schwartz Round in January. I hadn’t heard of Schwartz Rounds before I was asked if I wanted to take part so I Jacqui Mckeown didn’t have the foggiest what to expect! We had a couple of practice runs – we were prepared and supported through it, thankfully. The Round began with the consultant surgeon who gave an overview of what happened and then we heard from physiotherapist Helen, rehab consultant Mr Desai and then me. Mine was not quite such a clinically professional part – a bit more emotional. I was pleasantly surprised that there were so many people there as it was the first one. It was quite an emotional experience – I was surprised I kept it together as long as I did! I’m quite an emotional person at the best of times and because it was something I’d connected with quite strongly I’ve always found it quite difficult to have conversations about this particular patient. I was more worried about being emotional in front of that many people than I was about just doing it generally. I did benefit from the Round. Not so much from actually expressing my feelings, because I’ve been really well supported by Sara, Helen and Lewis on the ward, but the feedback from people in the audience as well; almost confirming that actually it was okay to feel how I felt. One of my main concerns throughout was crossing over that emotional-professional boundary – where is that line? It seems that there isn’t a line particularly – or it’s very movable. A couple of people from the audience shared their own version and how they felt – both from the same side as me as the professional and from the side of being the patient or the parent. It was interesting. I get the feeling that as times goes on we will begin to see more cases which are similar to this. Albeit we didn’t have the absolute expert input into this particular case and how to deal with it, I think all of us really learnt a lot about ourselves and about that whole situation and how well we actually did manage it. We did what we could do and hopefully the family were happy with the way we dealt with things and how we looked after the patient. 12 rNOH rebuild The RNOH is gaining momentum towards the long-awaited redevelopment of the Stanmore site. On 17 March there was a House of Lords debate, led by Labour peer, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, which highlighted our case and the innumerable delays over the years. She spoke with passion and insight and the RNOH welcomes her support in the run up to the submission of the Full Business Case (FBC) to the Trust Development Authority (TDA) in April. It is expected that the TDA will confirm the FBC in June, followed by the start of construction during the Summer. Completion of the project is planned for the first quarter of 2018. The HoL debate comes after a period of intense activity that has included the setting up of the Redevelopment Programme Management (RPM) Team, headed by Frank Hennessy, Director of Redevelopment, to lead the planning and delivery of the Redevelopment Programme. The Programme will comprise a number of projects over the next ten years or so that will see the complete rebuild of the RNOH Stanmore site. The RPM Team is made up of Trudy Johnson, Programme Manager; Richard Scott, Programme Project Manager; Brian Hunt, Programme Accountant and Kaz Abedi, PM Office Manager. Vital to the successful planning and delivery of the Programme is the close working relationships between the RPM team and other key colleagues who are responsible for the planning and delivery of supporting, enabling and complementary projects. This includes Mark Masters and Diane Alcock who are leading on the sale of the Western Development Zone to part fund the new inpatient ward block project, plus the enabling works to clear the site for the new inpatient building. They are also responsible for working with University College London for the construction of the Bio Engineering Hub building, expected to start construction in Autumn 2016. The new inpatient ward block will be a £40 million building, accommodating: • Children and Young People’s Ward: 27 beds with embedded therapy and education facilities and an external play area to replace the current Coxen/Adolescent Ward. • Adult Acute Wards: 32 beds each on two floors, with embedded therapies and other facilities to replace the current Ward 4, Duke of Gloucester and Margaret Harte wards. • A welcoming main entrance that will provide reception and waiting spaces plus a retail outlet and a coffee shop. There will also be a children’s activity centre within the foyer which will be funded from a charitable donation of £500,000 specifically for this purpose. For further information please contact the Redevelopment Team on 0208 909 5478 / 5574 articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly ),3#. ! . - .( 1+# 2 ! 0#/ 0'#+0 #+0.# 1+# .( .1/0 , ." --.,2 ) ,$ +#3 '+- 0'#+0 3 ."/ .!& %.## !,+0. !0 $,. +#3 '+- 0'#+0 3 ."/ 1)5 #3 '+- 0'#+0 3 ."/ --.,2#" 5 1+# ) ++'+% ,+/#+0 %. +0#" 1+# ) +" / )#/ /1 *'00#" 0, #!#* #. 1 *'0 ) ++'+% --)'! 0',+ .!& ) +" / )#/ --.,2#" 5 -.') ,( -' ,+0. !0,. "#*,)'/&#/ 0&# 0'#+0 #+0.# 1+# 1%1/0 ),/# . ' %"' ' / "') ," ', / * + *(# ,+ (*$+ #$1. 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(&& ' + 0 ,( -' ,**'//',+'+% ,$ +#3 +- 0'#+0 1')"'+% 5 ' / "') ," ', / * + *(', % . ,"(' "%%-+,* ,"(' ,( * ! . !0'! ) !,*-)#0',+ ,$ +#3 '+- 0'#+0 3 ."/ 1')"'+% -.') 14 Bronze for Broccles! The RNOH Catering team at Broccles Restaurant have received the Soil Association Food for Life Catering Mark Bronze award! This award recognises the team’s commitment to improving the food they serve; using fresh ingredients which are free from undesirable additives and trans fats, are better for animal welfare, and use more local ingredients. Providing nearly 1,000 hot meals a week to hospital visitors and staff, Broccles Restaurant is part of an exciting nationwide initiative by catering providers ISS Facilities Services Healthcare to improve food at hospital restaurants and cafes. The initiative involves changing menus, working with suppliers, sourcing fresh produce, preparing meals on site and training staff. For the team at the RNOH, the initiative grew out of a longstanding commitment to improve food in retail outlets and promote the benefits of healthy eating to all customers. Rich Watts from Soil Association Certification said: “The Catering Mark is the result of lots of dedicated effort by the team at ISS Healthcare and Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. Achieving this endorsement is an exceptional achievement in the healthcare sector and a demonstration of the hospital’s dedication to serving fresh, ethical, sustainable food that meets nutritional guidelines. Healthy places must be serving food that is good for the environment and good for us.” Anyone visiting the hospital restaurant will now be assured of being served sustainable food, produced on-site with fresh ingredients. Local people now know that all the meat achieves UK animal welfare standards, dishes contain only free-range eggs, no undesirable additives or trans-fats; and visitors can easily be told where their food comes from, with much of it being sourced locally from the region using NHS accredited suppliers. In addition, the hospital has greatly increased the number of meals being cooked from scratch, introducing new recipes as part of the award, with daily healthy options provided through their restaurant menus, mainly around the seasonal specials that are served on a daily basis. The changes at the hospital have been led by ISS Catering Manager Jonathan Evetts, who said: “I am thrilled with the award. It is a fantastic step forward and is just the tip of the iceberg of greater things to come this year. This has been achieved through tireless hard work by the entire Catering team in ensuring that we procure the right products as part of our seasonal menu offerings and I cannot thank anyone enough for the support they have provided. Not only does this benefit the customers that use our restaurant on a daily basis, but is supports Animal Welfare and Local British Farmers. This a great achievement for ISS, as well as for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust.” John Hawken: end of an era Security guard and all-round font of RNOH knowledge, John Hawken, retired after 44 years. In that time John has served many roles, starting with being a porter in the time the RNOH had an A&E department and a helicopter landing pad that used to receive patients. On occasion, John had to help unload patients from the helicopter and take them to the wards. Over the years, John has helped patients, visitors and staff and his inside information on the RNOH is worthy of a book – possibly an entire library! However, all good things must pass and John took his well-earned retirement, an event marked by a farewell party in the RNOH Social Club attended by many friends and colleagues to wish him well. Mark Masters, Director of Estates said: “John worked here for 44 years and was presented with a further long service awards at the 2015 staff awards. He predominately worked within Main Gate ensuring people got where they were supposed to go, supported switchboard by taking calls, supported the out of hours calls, processes and escalation procedures. He also used to (many moons ago) cut people’s hair in the Main Gate as well! John’s plans are to spend some quality time on the south coast visiting friends and family. He will also catch up and support his favourite sports (far too many to list!). John had a leaving do on the 19th February attended by members of the Trust and ISS. He was presented with Chelsea tickets, an M&S voucher and a bottle of Haig Club.” From everyone at RNOH, we wish John all the best and thank him for his tireless service for the RNOH. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly Nurse revalidation is changing The Francis Report (2013) identified the need for the Nursing and Midwifery Council to introduce a system of revalidation Mannion en Kar , similar to that of the nald cdo Ma e Jan and Mary Licup General Medical Council, as a means of reinforcing the status and competence of registered nurses, as well as providing additional protection y Licup ar to the public. M d an tricia Clare eegan, Pa D Revalidation will help el h ac R to encourage a culture of sharing, reflection and improvement amongst nurses and will be a continuous process that nurses and midwives will have to engage with throughout their career. It will allow nurses to demonstrate that they practice safely and effectively, strengthening public confidence in nursing. (NMC, 2015) Karen Mannion, Project Nurse/Lead for Implementation of Safe Staffing, organised two Nurse Revalidation drop-in fairs at the RNOH in January and March with support from nurse educators Amy Bishop, Jane MacDonald, Judith Durward, Julie Nichols and Mary Licup. Karen said, “Over 140 staff attended the fairs with ideas and support being shared among nurses from across the Trust; many identifying that it is ‘not as scary as they thought’. The feedback was very positive and we even got a Twitter mention from the Head of NMC Jackie Smith! Thanks to the nurse educators for their support with both fairs and RNOH volunteer Jaya Parmar, who supported the second fair.” Revalidation builds on the old PREP system and includes mandatory elements that require the nurse to reflect on their practice and link it to the NMC code. These changes will take effect in April 2016. Prof Paul Fish, Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience said, “Nurse Revalidation is a positive step forward for the profession which allows nurses to reflect on their professional development and practice over a three year period. As a trust we are committed to supporting Registered Nurses through the revalidation process and welcome any feedback about further support that nurses would find useful as they prepare.” If you have any feedback or suggestions, please email Karen.Mannion@rnoh.nhs.uk For further information or advice, visit: www.revalidation.nmc.org.uk or the Nursing Revalidation page on Grapevine. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 15 Jackie and Sarah at the Intensive Care Society State of the Art Meeting SalT team The Adult Speech and Language Therapy team at RNOH is made up of clinical staff, Sarah Morgan and Hannah Chalke, as well as research fellow Jackie McRae (currently on secondment for her NIHR research fellowship). The team specialise in swallowing, communication and / or airway problems of patients with spinal cord injury or after surgery. Sarah and Jackie attended the Intensive Care Society, State of Art Meeting at Excel, London in December last year. This three-day meeting is the UK’s largest gathering for intensive care professionals, and it was attended by over 1,000 delegates this year, largely medical staff and some allied health professionals. As only two of four speech and language therapists attending it was a great opportunity to promote the work at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in the form of a clinical practice poster presentation entitled: “Restoration of speech and swallowing in dysphagic spinal cord injured patients receiving mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy – a case series”. Jackie also had a poster about her research project entitled: “The DAISY project: identifying dysphagia in acute cervical spinal cord injury”. We were thrilled to win best clinical practice poster out of almost 100 submissions and have the opportunity to share our work with this complex client group. Jackie and Sarah also had three posters at the UK Swallow Research Group (UKSRG) Conference in London in February 2016. The UKSRG comprises clinicians and researchers from a wide range of professional disciplines including ENT, gastroenterology, oral Sarah at UKSRG 2016 health and speech and language therapy. The conference was attended by national and international delegates and was a great opportunity to network and share our practice in spinal cord injury. The clinical poster: “Successful ventilator weaning in dysphagic spinal cord injured patients – a 12 year retrospective study” also won a poster prize. Further details of the team’s work can be found here: www.researchgate.net/profile/Jackie_McRae/publ ications HO SPITAL THE ROY AL AL ORTHO PÆ ION D AT IC N 16 RNOH Charity We are delighted to announce that the Buttercup Walk will take place at the RNOH Stanmore on Sunday 26th June from 10:30 – 14:00. We’re looking for staff to run a stall on the day. This could be anything from cakes, sweets, tombola, bottles, jewellery, accessories and toy stalls, or if you’ve got a great idea for a stall you’d like to run, we’d love to hear it! Remember that all the money raised on your stall can go straight back into your own ward or department, so there’s every reason to get involved! With the money raised from last year’s Buttercup Walk, the RNOH was able to purchase a brand new ultrasound machine specifically for the use of babies and infants, which has meant that we can now offer a dedicated baby hips clinic. This year we hope to push our total even higher and we need your help to do it! Please contact Rebekah Ahmed on 0208 909 5362 for more details. Crowdfunding – A first for the NHS! The RNOH Charity is excited to announce that we will soon be launching the first ever NHS Crowdfunding platform! If you’ve got a great idea or plan for a project that could help enhance patient experience at the RNOH we’d love to hear from you. The platform will be an innovative new way of raising money for projects that are needed across the hospital and will be open to staff and patients – we want to hear from everyone. Look out for more information soon… articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 17 Ben’s epic Coast to Coast Challenge In June 2016, 19-year-old Ben Andrews and his dad will take on an immense coast to coast challenge. Spanning 192 miles, the walk will take 14 days to complete – all in aid of the RNOH. In his own words, here is Ben’s story: As well as being a personal challenge, my 14-day trek is a way of raising money for the RNOH, a place where, throughout my childhood, I have had much treatment and several operations to treat my scoliosis. I was born in 1997, 13 weeks premature with congenital scoliosis: a severe s-shaped curvature of the spine. The curves caused by the condition inevitably progressed as I grew, and at the age of three I was admitted to the RNOH Stanmore for a spinal fusion. When I started primary school that September I wore a plastic jacket to support my spine and had to have annual x-rays and check-ups for the next eight years. Although significantly curved, the scoliosis did not cause much discomfort and I was able to do almost everything I wanted. In December 2009, however, it was noticed that the curve in my upper spine was progressing and this meant more surgery was needed, and quick! To keep the spine straight whilst growing, internal ‘growth rods’ are used in older children and teenagers which are extended regularly as the patient grows. Mine was a new titanium rod design, still under collaborative development between my surgeon in the UK, Mr Noordeen, and biomedical engineers in the USA. It removed the need for invasive surgery every six months and instead used a magnet-driven motor so that the rod could be lengthened externally in seconds. After much consideration, my parents and I decided that I should be one of the first people in the world to undergo this ground-breaking procedure, and so, in February 2010, I underwent four hours of surgery. I had the first lengthening of the rod a few months later. A hand-held magnetic control was used to increase the length a millimetre at a time. Each lengthening took around 20 seconds and didn’t feel painful or uncomfortable, allowing me to go straight home again without a stay in hospital. Soon after it was discovered that the early rods had a design fault: a certain type of movement could unwind the rod, causing it to decrease in length. Because of this, I was forced to wear a very strong magnet against my back during the day to hold the rod in place. Wearing a magnet turns out to be quite inconvenient. I often found that the magnet would fly off and stick to nearby objects; car doors, chairs, buses, etc, or that metal objects could stick to me if they got within a few centimetres. This was not only awkward for me, but quite difficult to explain to the person whose keys had just stuck to my back! In September 2011, I felt a painful thump in my back as if someone had hit me from behind. I wasn’t sure what had happened but went to school as normal and the next day I was still in some discomfort. During a lesson, I felt a grinding in my back whenever I moved and I knew something had gone very wrong. After an X-ray, it was discovered that the rod had snapped, leaving the two halves still attached but incorrectly placed. Five days later I had the rod replaced with a newer, fault-free version, finally removing the need to wear the magnet. During the course of the next 3 ½ years, I had regular lengthening’s until I was 17; a bit disappointing for me as I am and always will be 5ft 4in due to my scoliosis! Reaching my full height meant the rod could come out. So, in July 2015, after completing my A-Level exams, it was removed. After a couple of months I was back to normal again and today I can do almost everything I want to. There is still some scoliosis left but it’s thought this will not progress any further and won’t cause many issues in day-to-day life. I am enormously grateful to my Mum, Dad, older brother Jack and twin Ollie, for always being right there for me, including by my bed day and night in hospital. I couldn’t ask for better people to go through it with. I would also like to thank the rest of my family and friends for being so supportive and helping so much when I really needed it. Also, to anyone else who has been involved and to Mr Noordeen and the rest of the team at the RNOH for their expertise and care. I wouldn’t be standing as straight as I am today without any of these people. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for donating. It means that more young people can continue to receive world-class orthopaedic treatment just like I did for many years to come. I hope that my 14-day trek will raise money towards the redevelopment of the RNOH Stanmore site, specifically the new Children and Young People’s Ward. If you’d like to help Ben reach his £2,000 fundraising target for the RNOH, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/coast-to-coast-rnoh articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly Radio Gold Team RB celebrate at the HBA Awards 2016 Radio Brockley has won the most prestigious award in hospital radio by winning Gold for “Station Of The Year” at the annual Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA) awards. It was one of several top awards for London’s longest-running hospital radio station, which later this year celebrates 50 years on the air. The station also won bronze award for Best Station Promotion and silver for Best Speech Package. Radio Brockley beat competition from over 200 HBA member hospital radio stations to win the top prize. Programmer Alan Joyce said: Keith said: I’m absolutely stunned to win the John Whitney Award. Hospital Radio has taught me so much, I’ve met many wonderful people and it’s a wonderful hobby. This is an incredible achievement by all the volunteers at Radio Brockley who have worked so hard alongside staff at the RNOH to bring a range of entertaining and informative programmes, including the traditional request shows. We’re very grateful to the hospital for all their support, and to have this recognition in our special 50th year is the icing on the cake. The station will be inviting back former members and special guests later in the year as they celebrate their golden milestone. One of the station’s longest-serving members, Keith Reeve, also won the prestigious John Whitney award for outstanding contribution to hospital radio. Radio Brockley's Keith Reeve and Paul Sylvester of Absolute Radio articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 19 IM&T Corner RNOH Free WiFi The IM&T Directorate are pleased to announce the launch of free WiFi. This service is available across the Stanmore site for patients, visitors and staff and will soon be available at Bolsover Street. This new service will replace the current StaffWi-Fi and WiFi-Spark services. The Wi-Fi is provided with the same technology used in shopping centres and restaurants to provide free Wi-Fi access: you self-register and it should work on all user devices with minimal issues. 2 1 3 This Wi-Fi service is provided free of charge and therefore comes with limited support. The IM&T service desk will provide support on a best endeavours basis to both patients and staff. If any issues are encountered please contact the IM&T Service Desk on ext. 5719. To use the service: 1 2 3 4 On your device connect to the RNOH-FREE-WIFI network 4 A logon page will appear. Click “Sign up for a Free Account” Enter your first name, surname and email address and click Register Click Sign On to gain access. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 20 A PILOT STUDY Phantom Limb Pain Rehabilitation Medicine is a relatively new speciality worldwide and started to be recognised in the UK in the 1980s. Because it’s a new science you can still make a huge difference even doing simple research – it’s an exciting time of fast developments in prosthetics and amputee rehabilitation. Middlesex University, in partnership with UCL and the RNOH, are undertaking a pilot research study of patients with upper limb amputation who experience phantom limb pain. Phantom limb pain occurs because the motor and sensory area in the brain that was connected to the hand is still there. The brain is sending signals down to the limb but there is no feedback going back up to the brain to show that it is still ‘normal’. Like when you catch your funny bone on the table; that nerve actually shuts down and you lose the signal going through it but the loss of signal is translated by the brain as pain. Amputees describe phantom limb pain similar to this; like electric shocks or pins and needles felt in the hand. The study is a new idea using robots and computer graphics. The theory is that if we can give amputees the impression that their arm is not amputated then the pain will get better. So, we show them that they have an arm by linking them to the robot through the amputation stump and when they move they see the movement in the virtual reality as if they have an arm. We hope that this project will help us to design the next generation of medical and rehabilitation devices. We’re currently seeking volunteers to take part who are aged 18+ years and who have undergone an upper limb amputation. Volunteers will be asked to perform simple tasks over a three-week period. For more information about the study, please contact: Dr Imad Sedki Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine Tel: 0208 909 5134 Email: Imad.Sedki@rnoh.nhs.uk OR Fiona Fitzgerald Research Nurse Tel: 0208 909 5288 Email: Fiona.fitzgerald@rnoh.nhs.uk articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly 17 Reflections from the Board Laurence Milsted, a non-executive director at the RNOH for the past eight years, left the Trust at the end of 2015. Here he looks back and shares his parting thoughts. In my eight years at RNOH, we have moved from being a loss-making business, struggling to meet NHS targets on access, with limited investment in academic research and a reputation for being inwardlooking, to an organisation which has delivered an annual surplus in recent years, met NHS targets on quality and access, achieved success with academic research and delivered leadership in the field of national orthopaedics. This has been marked by the Getting it Right First Time report by Professor Tim Briggs. We haven’t yet built a new hospital but we are getting there. Looking back at my time here, I hope I have helped bring commercial and financial insight, contributed to the decisions that have helped shaped the Trust’s progress; both challenged the Directors about our ambition and how to achieve it and also given support to them in the tough job they do. I will miss being involved in a business that touches the lives of ordinary people and changes their experience for the better. I will miss the professionalism and good humour of the people and the comradeship of other NEDs. I want RNOH to continue to be a name that is recognised throughout the health industry for the quality of its care and its innovations; to create breakthroughs in new treatments and how to deliver them. Oh, and have nice new buildings! My role at Stanmore has been pro bono and I have had to fit it around my day job as a financial director. This has sometimes proved to be more exciting than I would like and has no doubt contributed to me having less hair, more wrinkles and poorer digestion than might otherwise have been the case! It has been a lot of hours working through papers and a lot more hours being in meetings, but the things I will remember most are the conversations with the wonderful dedicated staff who work here and hearing direct from patients how good their care has been at the RNOH and how much it has meant to them. What is a non-executive director (NED)? Non-executive directors sit on the boards of public sector organisations and contribute their broad experience, specific knowledge and functional expertise. They work as members of the board team with the executive members such as the chief executive and finance director. Non-executive directors are usually expected to commit between one to four days per month depending on the sector and type of organisation. This time can comprise a range of different activities from board meetings, committee meetings, and discussions with the chief executive and other directors. It may also include, ambassadorial duties (e.g. fundraising events) and meetings with regulatory or performance bodies. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly The key responsibilities of a non-executive director are: • Contributing to the delivery of robust organisational governance • Ensuring the organisation is operating in the public interest in a transparent and ethical way to fulfil its objectives • Ensuring that the management team meets its key performance targets and holding it to account • Ensuring that the finances of the organisation are managed properly with accurate information • Helping the board to keep its stakeholders and customers properly informed • Serving on important board committees. 22 Transition: Child to Adult Treatment My name is Frances O’Sullivan. My journey started at RNOH on Angus Mackinnon Ward as a health care assistant in 1997. My mother Mary O’Sullivan worked in OAP for 22 years, working closely with the bone tumour team Steve Cannon and Prof Tim Briggs. She suggested I looked for a job at RNOH and that’s what got me in to becoming a children’s nurse. After qualifying as a paediatric nurse in 2001, I worked at the Royal Brompton and then went on to qualify as a health visitor in 2004. In 2006 I started at Northwick Park Hospital as a continuing care nurse in the community with 12 staff involved in various care packages. I left this to go back into health visiting in 2013 and became team lead in 2014. When I saw the advert for a transition nurse at RNOH I felt my background would encompass all my knowledge and skills and I started in July 2015. What is transition? It’s a gradual process of empowerment that equips young people with the skills and knowledge necessary to manage their own healthcare in paediatrics and adult services. Why is it necessary? Research by the World Health Organisation shows there is an increase in morbidity and mortality in young people who have not had any transition or who had an abrupt transition. Which programme is used? I chose the Ready Steady Go programme as it develops understanding of healthy lifestyles, sexual health, education, vocational and psychosocial issues, and is therefore holistic. What is the age of referrals? Young people aged 16 – 18 years with a long term medical condition who will continue to receive treatment and care at the RNOH in to adult services. How do I refer? Email your referral to Transition@rnoh.nhs.uk Please provide the hospital number and any up to date relevant information. You can also call: ext. 5333 or 07747 473 281. Sport relief Bake Off 2016! Marina, Marni, Monifan, Anastasia and Amy from the RNOH school baked cookies for Sport Relief 2016 in March. The recipes they made were: Strawberry Jam Cookies, Oat and Raisin Biscuits, Chocolate Fruit Cases with Red Noses and White Chocolate Butterscotch Blondies. These recipes were taken from ‘The Great Sport Relief Bake Off’ book. On Wednesday morning, the children did the baking around the table on Coxen Ward and on Thursday they baked in the school room. The children arranged the cakes and cookies on large silver trays on the table in Coxen ward for patients, parents and staff to buy. They also took some cookies up to the Spinal Gym and sold them all. They said the cookies were very tasty! At the end of the day we sold all the biscuits and cakes and made £86.00. Written by Marina (aged 12) articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly TAKING STOCK: Mike Giles and Muneeb Shamim with the new MRI Faraday cage New medical equipment will improve patient services RNOH’s Clinical Support Services are delighted to announce a significant delivery of new infusion pumps that will enable all Volumetric, Epidural, Syringe and the majority of Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCAs) pumps to be replaced over the coming months as training permits. These new pumps will enable clinical staff to provide better and more consistent patient care. This much needed upgrade has been made possible by the RNOH Charity – who are funding a large proportion of these devices as part of populating the new Medical Equipment Library, the Trust’s own budget and a private donor. Mike Giles, Operations Manager for Clinical Support Services explained, “We’re replacing, increasing the quantities of, and updating the vast majority of our aging infusion devices at the RNOH with the latest technology. The pumps we currently have are now old and have become unreliable and expensive to maintain as a result. It’s an exciting stage in the replacement programme on the back of a long journey working with an Evaluation Group to assess and evaluate what we needed to replace.” With support of Clinical Educators, Procurement, Anaesthetists and Clinical Engineering (TBS), the Evaluation Group reached the decision as to which suppliers and models would replace the existing infusion devices at the end of February. Mike said, “When we went out to tender, the prices came in surprisingly competitive compared to what we had expected and that enabled us to replace far more devices than we originally anticipated, in fact, the vast majority.” The new devices, which were delivered to the hospital in March, are currently being prepared by the Clinical Engineering team ready for distribution to all wards and units in conjunction with training plan implementation timelines. The training will begin during April and be rolled out over the summer – further information will be shared shortly. This project has also enabled the procurement of an MRI Faraday cage that will enable the safe use of infusion devices in the vicinity of the 3T MRI, which in turn will enable safer and consistent administration of any necessary fluids or drugs and the use of general anaesthetic for adults and paediatrics alike. More information on this and additional new devices to follow next month. Child’s PlaY As part of CQC requirements a new children’s waiting area was built in preadmissions in December 2015, Roz Veitch, Pre Assessment Sister said, Having a dedicated area for children to play in while they wait to be seen has made a real difference to patient experience. We wanted to create a space where children can play safely and take their minds off being in hospital while parents relax in the nearby adult waiting area. articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly Michelle Smith, Preadmission HCA Nilay’s Got Talent! How did the band get started? My brother got bought his first guitar when he was 15 years old. It was his pride and joy but he never touched it, so one day I picked it up and began playing – that’s when he started to be interested and it became quite competitive! Years later we wanted to do something together and perform so we created our two-piece band, LISIN. The name comes from a play on words with our nicknames, Nil and Nis. The band’s been going just over a year now. We try and practise for at least an hour and a half every day. My brother is also an artist, so he’s painting a lot and sometimes he’ll be doing that for four hours so I can’t interrupt that flow. But if I’m playing guitar upstairs, he’ll run up and be like, “let’s jam!” What kind of genre is LISIN? If I had to give it a label I’d say LISIN is experimental ambient rock music. We don’t really have a structure; there are no choruses or verses, we just flow with it. I grew up in the 90s rock era listening to Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, and Foo Fighters, which has got that weird, alternative metal new rock sound – I use that influence a lot. My brother listens to movie scores and piano pieces, so he brings that to the table; together we create what comes out of LISIN music. Our music is somewhat inspired by the Japanese band, Mono. What do you play? I play electric guitar and my brother plays electro-acoustic, which creates a deep bass sound. We have tonnes of effect pedals that we use to get nice echo-y delayed sounds. We add in artificial sounds that we’ve taken from movies or recordings – anything from a weird hum, or cars in the street; we look for something that sounds on beat. My most successful sound was from a mistake I made on guitar, almost like feedback. When I put it through a delay pedal the whole sound was echoing and starting to decay, it sounded beautiful. You’re always looking for that sound Do you h ave a hidden ta len interestin t or an g hobby? Email Com municatio ns for your c hance to feature in Articulate ! but it’s so nice when you create it spontaneously! A lot of the time we play in the living room where my younger sister has the TV on in the background. The other day there was a little piece of an advert that got picked up in the recording; it cut in with the guitar and sounded so good we incorporated it into the music. What are your aspirations for LISIN? If we could get our music on a movie, that would be it – I don’t even care if it’s not sold out! Hans Zimmer is the composer for the film Inception, and some of the sounds are so nice they just take you away. That’s what we would love to do. We want people to feel like they can be transported, and get swept away into their own world. At the moment we’re trying to figure out how to perform live with so many pedals and make it entertaining. For every sound effect we have a separate pedal and if you miss a second your audience is going to hear that it’s off-beat. It’s really hard to get those effects to work in a live setting because I can put it in a computer and edit the volume but if I go into a small room it sounds so different, then if I go on to a stage again you’re going to get so many different sounds. What is LISIN’s proudest moment so far? A musician from Austria named Tante Meli downloaded one of my favourite LISIN songs ‘Storm’, put vocals over it and sent it to us. She said “I heard your song and it made me think of some lyrics, so I wrote this.” It sounded amazing; she added a really nice touch to it. You don’t expect that sort of thing to happen. I’d love to collaborate with other artists and musicians. Even at the RNOH I’ve been asking people, “Do you play violin or cello?” A string instrument would be beautiful with what we’re making – it would give the sound real depth. We’re looking for a drummer too – they’re one of the hardest people to catch in the entire world! A DJ would be great; you could get some really nice sounds on vinyl… If anyone plays, let me know! You can check out LISIN music on: www.soundcloud.com/lisinmusic or Instagram @lisinmusic The RNOH cannot accept responsibility for any loss, injury or articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly inconvenience caused by reliance on material provided by third parties.
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