Issue 5 - Kettering General Hospital

Transcription

Issue 5
Andrew Morgan and his mum Sally
Fellows say thanks to KGH. 17-year-old
Andrew has just become the second
person in the world to be fitted with a
new form of pacemaker – see page 5
Always there for you...
Personal
KGH to be county cardiac centre
Mark Newbold
Chief Executive
Contents
Chief Executive’s Reflections and
Looking ahead
2
KGH is county cardiac centre
3
Our £30m plans move forward
4
Andrew Morgan gets 2nd MRI safe
pacemaker in the world
5
KGH registered without conditions
with CQC
6
Our plans to improve patient safety
7
Falls Week and safer slippers
8
We introduce baby bar coding to
improve safety
9
Focus on car parking
10
Focus on A&E
11
National Nurses Day celebrated
12-13
Sun Awareness Week messages
14
Direct Access to midwives for mums
15
Lorenzo computer move update
16
Organ donation update
17
New Human Resources Strategy and
Well Being event
18
Our play team go red
19
We help local students to get
work experience
20
Meet our Staff Members
21
Our Council of Members is
holding elections
22-23
Become a Member of KGH
find out how
24
As KGH Together goes to press I have
just received the results of the 2009
national inpatients survey.
This year’s survey has shown a mixed picture
for our hospital. Our excellent food continued
to be rated highly by our patients, and this year
we were highly commended for our cleaning
too.
I am so pleased the fantastic work done
by our catering and cleaning staff has been
recognised in this way by our patients, and I
congratulate them for this. Other areas where
our patients rated us better than most other
hospitals were in hand washing by nurses, and
in our waiting times for treatment.
Whilst most of our scores were average, or
well above average, there were some areas
where we score in the lowest 20% of hospitals,
and we need to work on these this year.
I know our staff will be disappointed with
these, but we need to accept the findings, and
work to improve on them for next year. Since
these patients were surveyed (in July-October
2009), we have done an enormous amount
of work through our Improving Healthcare
Together programme and I hope and believe
this will lead to better ratings across the board
next year.
Areas we need to concentrate on are mainly
centred on talking directly with patients – they
are asking for more privacy when discussing
their condition, and for more information about
their condition, treatment or operation. And
Looking ahead
In this issue we detail our plans to improve
patient safety over the coming year (see
pages 6-7). Patient Safety is the number one
concern amongst our patients, and we will
be putting a strong focus on this over the
coming months. The ‘Global Trigger Tool’ is
a system of audit of patient case notes that
is used worldwide to spot potential ‘harm
events’ during a patients care process. It
will give us a continuous rating of these
each month, so that we can monitor our
they are asking too for more explanation from
doctors, and for doctors to talk more directly
to them to build that trust and confidence
that is so important.
KGH is a friendly hospital, and our staff are
committed, professional and hard-working.
When we launched our Improving Healthcare
Together programme, we set ourselves the
ambition of being amongst the best hospitals
in the country for patient experience. Our
own survey data, carried out right across
the hospital on a daily basis, as opposed
to a once yearly survey of a few hundred
people, does show some really significant
improvements in how our patients rate our
services, and our staff. I know too that some
really innovative new measures to further
improve the experience of our patients and
their relatives have been put in place in many
areas across the hospital.
We have a good understanding of
our strengths and weaknesses, from our
own patient surveys, and we have lots of
good initiatives in place that we know are
working well, and these should produce an
improvement in our ratings next year. We will
address those very few areas where we score
less well, because they are clearly important
to our patients. I hope that next year, we will
be able to say that our Improving Healthcare
Together programme has genuinely put us
amongst the best hospitals in the country as
far as our patients are concerned!
safety and take action where we see potential
problems. We will back this up with a ‘Safety
Walk Around’ by senior managers where
we meet with staff and discuss safety issues
directly. And finally, we will specifically
be focussing on pressure ulceration, falls,
medication errors, venous thromboembolism,
and mortality rates. These are crucial matters,
and ones we will be rightly judged on, so
our Patient Safety programme is a timely one
indeed.
Contact KGH Together editor/Communications Manager David Tomney by email
david.tomney@kgh.nhs.uk; by phone on 01536-493509; or by letter at Kettering General Hospital, Rothwell Road, Kettering, NN16 8UZ.
2 Issue 5 kghtogether
KGH will become the county’s
specialist centre for cardiac services
and Northampton General will lead
on stroke services.
That’s NHS Northamptonshire’s plans
for the county following region wide
discussions and consultations on how best
to provide specialist services in the East
Midlands.
NHS Northamptonshire is the primary
care trust which commissions (buys)
health services for local people from
organisations like KGH and NGH and the
mental health and learning disabilities Trust
Northamptonshire Healthcare.
A specialist centre for heart
attack treatment and care
will be based at Kettering
Cardiac Centre Clinical Lead Dr Naeem Shaukat and Sister Trudy Hull in the
General Hospital. It will
cardiac catheter laboratory
What this will mean is that
offer a treatment called
Primary Percutaneous
we can extend our existing
Coronary Intervention (PPCI)
best types of cardiac
Centres in Northamptonshire as part of a
emergency PPCI services
24 hours a day, in addition
interventions at any
wider East Midlands configuration of these
around the clock...”
to providing high quality
time of the day or night
acute services.
cardiac care for everyone.
for anyone who this
“This proposal has been shaped with
Thrombolysis – clot busting
treatment is suitable for.
the input of hundreds of Northamptonshire
drugs - is currently used to treat most heart
“We will be working in partnership with
residents. Part of our vision for the residents of
attacks but PPCI, which is appropriate in
Northampton General Hospital’s cardiology
Northamptonshire is ‘to add years to life’ and
most cases, is recognised as being the most
team to provide this service 24 hours a day
‘to add life to years’. The kind of heart attack
effective treatment. The procedure involves
365 days a year. This will be a major extension
and stroke treatments that can be offered by
using a balloon to open up blocked arteries.
to cardiac services within Northamptonshire.”
these enhanced services will achieve exactly
PPCI has been shown to:
A Primary Stroke Centre will be based
those outcomes in many cases.”
• Save more lives
at Northampton General Hospital and will
• Reduce the risk of further heart attacks
provide acute care 24 hours a day in addition
and
to its foundation of stroke care. Evidence
• Help people go home from hospital
shows that people who are treated in stroke
sooner.
centres instead of a general hospital ward are:
Kettering General Hospital’s clinical lead for
• More likely to survive their stroke and
cardiac services, Dr Naeem Shaukat, said:
• Less likely to be dependent on others for
“KGH has already established excellent
long-term care.
local cardiac services in its purpose-built
Patients will continue to receive care for heart
Cardiac Centre.
attack and stroke at both hospitals but the
“What this will mean is that we can
more severe cases will be seen at the specialist
Barry Dickson chats with Sister Trudy Hull
extend our existing emergency PPCI
centres.
services around the clock for all patients in
David Spence, NHS Northamptonshire’s
Northamptonshire.
Deputy Director of Public Health, said: “We
“That means we will be in a position,
are very fortunate to be given the go ahead to
KGH porter Barry Dickson had been
by the end of the year, to provide the
commission these enhanced PPCI and Stroke
feeling unwell for four of five days
when his chest pain suddenly became
worse.
He had an echogram at KGH and within an
hour was referred to the Cardiac Centre for
an angiogram.
He said: “I am glad to hear that they are
expanding the cardiac services. I think it’s a
brilliant idea to offer these sorts of treatment
around the clock. It’s the sort of treatment
which can be lifesaving. “
Cardiac centre patient Paul Ziolkowski chats with consultant cardiologist Kai Hogrefe before his angiogram.
“
Barry’s experience
He is fully conscious during his procedure (right)
Issue 5 kghtogether 3
Our £30m ward block plan takes
another step forward
THESE pictures show what our new
£30m ward block will look like – both
inside and out.
When it opens in 2012 the ward block will
provide a much improved environment for
the care of children, an expanded intensive
care unit and a state-of-the-art replacement
for Althorp ward.
The capital plans – called internally Project
55 – took another step forward on May 28
when KGH’s Trust Board signed off the full
business case for the new development.
That means we should be in a position
to start work in the autumn – but we are
currently awaiting the result of the new
Government’s review of capital spending in
the NHS. We are optimistic our scheme will
get the go ahead.
In June 2009 the hospital announced that
it was drawing up detailed plans for a major
new three-storey development at the front of
the hospital on the current site of the 20-bed
Althorp medical ward.
The planned development would contain:
• Ground floor: A paediatric outpatients
department with six consulting rooms,
and an acute 28-bed medical ward (as a
permanent replacement of Althorp ward)
• First floor: Intensive Care Unit, 16 beds,
including 2 isolation rooms with direct
access to hospital main theatres;
• Second floor: Integrated Paediatric
Unit with a total of 32 beds, including
Surgical and Medical Wards, a Paediatric
Assessment Unit and High Dependency
facilities. Adolescent patients will have a
KGH is first hospital in UK – and second
in world – to implant new pacemaker
17-year-old Andrew Morgan, from Corby,
has become the second person in the
world to have a revolutionary new form
of pacemaker which allows him to have
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
without fear that the implant will be
affected.
Cardiologists at Kettering General Hospital
implanted the new device – the first of its kind
in Britain - after Andrew became increasingly
ill with problems created by having a slow
heartbeat.
The device is called an Advisa
DR MRI SureScan and has been
produced by world leading
US-based medical devices
The device has been
company Medtronic.
produced by world leading
It is revolutionary because
US-based medical devices
previously all of the 250,000
Andrew with some of the cardiac team who fitted his pacemaker.
people in the UK who have
company Medtronic.”
be safe for full body MRI
“This happened a few times and I went to my
pacemakers have not been
scans.
GP and then to Kettering General Hospital where
able to have an MRI scan for
Andrew had the pioneering
I was referred to a heart specialist. That’s when I
fear that the powerful electromagnetic
operation on March 17 at KGH and since then
found out I had a intermittent episodes of heart
current the scanners create could scramble
he has felt much better.
block - which means the electrical impulses that
the pacemakers’ electronic programme or
Andrew, who is currently working for his
make my heart beat regularly weren’t working
physically pull on its metal parts causing tissue
uncle’s building firm, said: “I had been perfectly properly.
damage to the patient.
healthy and fine and then all of a sudden last
“I had the operation, under local anaesthetic,
The new MRI scan conditional pacemaker
September I began feeling dizzy and light
on March 17 which took about one-and-a-half
has been made with fewer magnetic parts
headed, and I passed out.
hours and now I feel a lot better. “
and has been rigorously tested and proven to
“
Artist’s impressions of what the new development would look like – inside and out.
dedicated area within the unit.
• Ward administration offices, support
accommodation and staff facilities will be
available on each floor.
The Trust obtained full planning permission
for the development from Kettering Borough
Council on March 1, 2010.
It has also now applied to Kettering Borough
Council to build a ‘Treatment Centre Pod’ – a
temporary 24-bed ward to be based at the side
of the hospital’s existing Treatment Centre, this
application is likely to be heard in June.
This Pod will provide bed space to offset the
20-beds of Althorp Ward which will be lost
during the two year building process.
Kettering General Hospital’s Director of
Strategy and Partnerships, Mike Smeeton, said:
“Planning a major development like this is very
complex. One thing we have to think about is
what will be the impact of two years of building
work on the day-to-day running of the hospital.
“We already know that the pressures on
Kettering General – particularly during the
winter – can be very great and that most of this
pressure is on medical beds.
“Therefore losing 20 beds during the building
process is something we wanted to avoid and
as part of our £30m plans we allowed for the
cost of a temporary ward building.
“The plan is to put this into place by the
autumn of 2010 so that we can start building
work on the front of the hospital as soon as
it is in place without reducing our overall bed
capacity.”
Why new pacemaker is so amazing
ANDREW is a patient of KGH cardiologist
Dr Salman Nishtar who has been his
specialist since he was first referred to
hospital in December 2009.
Dr Nishtar said: “Because of Andrew’s
concerning symptoms he was assessed by
us and underwent some further tests which
confirmed an abnormality of the electrical
system of his heart which regulates the heart
beat and contraction.
“This required treatment with a cardiac
pacemaker a small sophisticated device
delivering appropriate and timely impulses to
the various chambers of his heart to enable it
to function efficiently and get him safely back
to enjoying his normal good quality of life and
functions.
“We found out about the new development
in pacemakers from Medtronic and we spoke
to them about providing the new device for
Andrew.”
The operation was carried out by Dr Nishtar’s
colleague, KGH cardiologist Dr Mohsin Farooq.
Dr Farooq said: “The new device offers
several major
advantages. We
know that 50%75%of patients with
a pacemaker would
benefit from having
an MRI scan at
some stage of their
life – and this would
probably be higher for younger patients.
“This new device also has other advantages
which include managing certain types of a very
fast heart beat as well as slow heart rates.
“The device can also be monitored remotely
– which is another revolutionary new function.
That means Andrew will be able to sit at home
with a monitoring box attached a phone line
which can allow us to regularly monitor how
he is doing without him needing to come to
hospital every time.”
Mum Sally Fellows, who is a staff nurse at
KGH, said: “Andrew has felt much better since
the operation and is not suffering from the
nausea and dizziness that he had before.
“While he has to be careful initially he
can return to his normal level of activity after
about six weeks once the device has been fully
embedded in his tissues so that it won’t move.
“I know he is looking forward to playing
football again and we are also planning to go
ahead with a parachute jump for the Lakelands
Hospice charity in Corby in September. Andrew,
myself, my other son, Matthew, (21) and my
niece, Ellie Baker, are all going to do the jump.”
The first Medtronics fully MRI safe
pacemaker in the world was fitted in Italy
on March 15 - the second was at Kettering
General Hospital on March 17.
Dr Nisthar, Andrew, Sally and Dr Farooq.
KGH gets clean bill of health from new
national regulator
KGH has been successfully registered
with the new health and social care
regulator the Care Quality Commission
(CGC) without any conditions.
This means that the CQC has carefully
studied a vast amount of evidence from KGH
which proves that the hospital is working
across all areas to improve the patient
experience.
Areas studied by the CQC, as part
of the standard registration process,
include looking at how the Trust
We are spending millions
deals with complaints, maintains
of pounds refurbishing our
safety standards, maintains a high
You can do your bit to help improve infection control in hospital by
standard of cleanliness, obtains
wards and departments
remembering to wash your hands
patient consent, provides good
to make them ... fit for the
nutrition and good care throughout
and now have lower
social care providers who were registered by
future..”
the patient journey.
than
average
rates
the CQC on April 1.
KGH Chief Executive Dr Mark
for
both
C
difficile
From April 2010, all health and adult social
Newbold said: “The registration process
and
MRSA
and
an
excellent
cleaning
service.
care
providers who provide regulated activities
was extremely demanding and gave KGH a
“Everything
we
do
is
now
designed
will
be
required by law to be registered with
thorough x-ray in every area of care provision.
around
and
for
the
patient.
We
want
the
KGH
the
CQC.
“The result has been that we have been
experience to be an excellent one at all times
To do so, providers must show they are
registered without any conditions – that
and
the
registration
process
is
one
more
step
meeting
new essential standards of quality
means that the CQC has no concerns about
along
this
path
for
us.”
and
safety
across all of the regulated activities
any areas of our care.
KGH
was
in
the
final
wave
of
Trusts
and
they
provide.
“We have already proven our commitment
to our patients in many different ways which
people may be aware of.
“We are spending millions of pounds
bacteraemia (blood stream infections) was six
refurbishing our wards and departments to
KGH has hits all its targets during the
cases against a target of no more than 10 (only
make them bright, clean, modern and fit for
NHS year March 2009-April 2010 and
two of the six cases were acquired at KGH). This
the future.
achieved a financial surplus of £4.2m.
is lower than the national average for Trusts.
“We have a patient experience
Chief Executive Dr Mark Newbold told
The target for C difficile was also easily
improvement programme called “Improving
the hospital’s April Trust Board he was
achieved. The target was to have no more than
Healthcare Together” which has already
pleased that – despite the many pressures
148 cases of C difficile. In fact the Trust only had
enabled us to make dozens of smaller
on KGH during the year - staff had achieved
70 cases. This is still slightly above the national
scale improvements suggested by patients
the overall goals set for hospitals by the
average for Trusts but a vast improvement on
themselves, and we aim to continue to do
Department of Health.
previous years’ (2005/6) performance and
more in this area.
These included the national 18-week
another great year-on-year reduction.
“We have paid great attention to improving
waiting time target (for routine operations)
The Board has thanked all staff involved in
our cleaning and infection control processes
which means that patients should wait no
achieving all of the Trust’s targets for their hard
more than 18 weeks from their first referral
to hospital by their GP to the moment when
work.
they have their operation or treatment. The
18 week target includes any waits for scans
or tests along the way.
The hospital also hit its target of seeing
98% of A&E patients within four hours. This
means that patients are seen and treated
and discharged - or admitted to a hospital
bed, within four hours.
KGH has also done particularly well in
continuing its long running successful trend
The A&E team have worked incredibly hard all year –
of reducing healthcare associated infections. and despite the tremendous pressures of a bad winter
The hard work of our housekeeping teams are just
The end of year position (April 1,
one of the reasons we have received a clean bill of
– have achieved the overall target of seeing 98% of
health from the CQC.
their patients within four hours.
2009-March 31, 2010) for MRSA
“
KGH hits all its targets and makes a surplus
Our big patient safety plans for 2010-2011
ONE of the major features of the year
ahead will be a new KGH drive to
improve patient safety.
This comes in addition to our commitment to
improving the patient experience and quality of
care which we launched through our Improving
Healthcare Together programme in 2008/9.
(see below)
The KGH Trust Board has now decided that
the emphasis for 2010-2011 will be to improve
patient safety and is developing a Patient
Safety Project with the help and
support of the Foundation Trust
regulation body, Monitor, and
private sector experts, the Boston
The KGH Trust Board has
Consulting Group.
“
now decided that the
As a result a ‘road map’ of how
emphasis for 2010-2011
to do this has been developed by
will be to improve patient
the Board which is to:
Healthcare assistant Angela Smith using disposable gloves and an apron
safety...”
• Develop a patient safety
strategy through consultation
across KGH
Ideas being looked at so
• Keep the Trust Board involved with the plan
far include;
throughout
• Developing a ‘global
• Develop robust ways of measuring safety
trigger tool’ which
• Develop and implement additional safety
measures safety and highlights
training for staff
any potential problem area as
• Identify the resources needed to make the
early as possible
plan a success
• Each clinical management team
We now hope to lead the way in patient safety
to have a patient safety coby developing practical ways of making all
ordinator
staff more aware of safety considerations and
• More staff training and
tackling all issues that arise in an open way
empowerment work so staff
that encourages further improvements rather
feel able to speak up if they see
The team from Fotheringhay Isolation Ward – a ward which
enables KGH to effectively prevent any infections from spreading.
than apportioning blame.
something that might be wrong.
The Improving Healthcare Together programme - update
In 2008-9 the Trust launched its Improving
We have been one of the first Trusts in the
Healthcare Together programme to improve country to lead on patient experience in this
patient and visitors’ experience of KGH.
way.
The programme has involved asking for
the views of patients on their experience via
questionnaires and then giving staff the power
to make changes at the ward and department
level.
There have been a very large number of
improvements made by individual wards
according to the needs of their patients.
They have included mobile telephones by
beds, special catch-up sessions with doctors
and nurses for relatives who want to find out
how their loved one is progressing, better signs,
more early morning cups of tea, and suggestion
Pictured is ward manager Joy Manning with just some
boards in the wards.
of the suggestions made by patients for her ward.
Staff have also had training in the IHT
KGH’s next big priority is patient safety.
programme so they can see why we are
doing it and the important part they play in
it on an individual basis.
Already the first year’s work has shown
impressive results including a 24% increase
in patients reporting they have been treated
well and with kindness and respect - now
93% of patients are reporting this on their
IHT questionnaires.
The IHT programme is still continuing
and it is expected there will be many more
ideas on how to further improve people’s
experience of KGH.
KGH aiming to reduce accidental falls
Baby bar-coding launched at KGH
STAFF at KGH are doing everything they
can to reduce the risk of falls in the
hospital, especially during National Falls
Week (June 21- June 25).
Every year about 40,000 patients are
admitted to KGH as an emergency or come
here for a routine operation.
Many, as a result of their injury or illnesses,
are weaker than normal and more at risk of
falling over.
This can be serious, particularly among older
people who can have more brittle bones, and
so the hospital has plans and policies in place
to try to stop this happening.
In National Falls Week (June 21 – June 25)
we will be reminding and updating our staff
about all the different things we can do to
prevent falls.
KGH has successfully introduced a new
write a form, along with blood taken for the
safety system for the care of babies
test, and send it to a regional laboratory.
which uses a bar-coded wrist band and
Again there can be problems if someone’s
bar-coded heel prick testing label.
writing is not easy to read. Now, with the
The system involves simultaneously
new bar code labels, these are simply added
printing a baby wristband and a sticky label
to the heel prick blood test and sent in
for heel prick blood spot cards within an
together. The lab scans the bar coded label
hour of a baby’s birth.
and gets all of the right information without
The heel prick labels are then added to the
the need to decipher someone’s handwriting.
Baby Brachen Ingham with her bar coded
back of the red baby record book - which
The National Patient Safety Agency has
wrist/ankle bracelet.
mums and dads take home with them – and
asked for standardised
then the wrist band is attached to the baby’s
wristbands to be used
wrist or ankles.
throughout the NHS and
Megan Humphreys with
The new method improves safety in two
the UK Newborn Screening
baby Dominic – one of
ways. Firstly it enables hospital staff to have
Programme has asked all
the first babies at KGH
a lot of information about the baby – its
maternity units to produce
to benefit from the new
bar coding wrist/ankle
name, NHS number, date of birth, sex and
bar-coded blood spot cards
band and bar coded
mother’s name– in a matter of seconds by
by April 1, 2010.
heel prick labels
reading the printed label on its wrist band.
The new system means
This will be useful for any health professional
that KGH has successfully
who, for example, carries out a test on the
introduced both of these
baby.
methods for its labour ward.
Previously a baby’s basic personal
information would have been
hand written on the baby’s wrist
band. This takes more time
and could be less reliable if a
person’s handwriting was hard
Previously a baby’s basic
to read.
personal information would
Secondly a baby has its
routine heel prick screening test have been hand written on
the baby’s wrist band.”
at about five days after birth.
Normally a midwife would hand
Examples of things we are doing at KGH to
reduce the risk of falls include:
• Moving patients deemed to be at high risk
of a fall to a ward area where they can be
closely observed by staff
• Establishing a training programme to
educate staff on the most effective way to
prevent falls and what to do if someone
has already fallen over
• Making sure that the patients who have
been deemed at high risk have the
supervision/assistance/equipment they
require when moving around their bed
space
Louise Tolley, Clinical Lead Occupational
Therapist for Medicine, said: “When people
first arrive in hospital we assess what the
likelihood of them falling over is by asking
them a number of questions regarding their
walking, balance and any history of Falls prior
to coming into hospital.
“They are assessed by a health care
professional who will record this as part of
their assessment and will be able to determine
whether somebody is at a low, medium or
high risk of falling. Following this, an action
plan will be discussed with the patient and
recorded into their record of care.
“We are doing this because we know the
“
In National Falls Week
we will be reminding and
updating our staff about
all the different things we
can do to prevent falls.”
Louise Tolley chats to Reg Norman from Corby about the falls safety initiatives.
human cost of falling involves distress,
injury, pain, anxiety and more often a loss
of independence and loss of confidence not
only affecting the patient but also affecting
the relatives, carers and hospital staff.”
The hospital is using this year’s Falls Week to
re-launch the KGH policy on falls prevention.
Members of staff who need more information
on falls prevention can contact Louise on
internal extension 1155.
Safer slippers introduced following staff
suggestions
A NEW and more hard-wearing form of
disposable slipper has been introduced on
Deene A as part of KGH’s patient quality
and safety drive.
Healthcare assistant Wendy Iversen came
up with suggestion of improving the slippers
because the older form the hospital was using
were slightly flimsy and needed to be replaced
quite often.
Wendy suggested that a more robust and
stretchy disposable slipper would be better for
both safety and reducing the need to renew
them quite so often.
She said: “As part of the Improving Healthcare
Together programme (see page 7) I saw that the
older disposable slippers didn’t last very long
and had a tendency to split.
“I brought it up with the ward manager and
now we have replaced the old slippers with a
new one which has a stretchy nylon mix. This is
easier to get on if a patient’s ankle is swollen
and lasts a lot longer.”
Patient Rosaleen Mulhool from Kettering has
used the new slippers. She said: “They are very
soft and comfortable but give you a good grip.
They are so soft it is easy to wear them in bed.”
“
Paula and Alison pioneer at KGH
Rosaleen Mulhool (left) holding the new slippers with
Deene A healthcare assistant Wendy Iversen holding
the old ones.
Ward manager Jo Milton said: “Wendy made
some comments as part of the IHT suggestions
and we had also had comments from
physiotherapists on getting better slippers. We
mentioned this when the Director of Nursing,
Liz Libiszewski, came to visit us as part of the
Senior Management Patient Safety Walkaround
Visits which they have started to do this year.
“The idea of the visits is that we mention
issues like this and get them sorted out straight
away. We found a new supplier, got the new
slippers, have done a trial and they have been
very successful and will be rolled out to other
wards.”
KGH chartered scientist,
Paula Lilburn, and Newborn
Screening Co-ordinator, Alison
Campbell, have been working
with bar code/laser printing
companies, FDI and LaserBand,
to develop the system.
KGH is thought to be one of the
first Trusts in the country to bring in
both bar coded wrist bands and heel
prick labels using a single system
that links both together.
Paula said: “The main reason
for the introduction of bar coded
wrist bands and bar coded heel
prick blood spot labels is to improve
safety in hospitals.
“Our new system produces both
the baby wrist band and the heel
prick label.
“The labels are used by
community midwives around day
five after birth to identify the heel
prick blood sample. They send off the
blood test and the label together to
a regional screening laboratory to be
tested for conditions like sickle cell
disease and cystic fibrosis.
“The previous alternative was for
the form to be handwritten – with the
consequent problem of deciphering
handwriting, which could lead to
repeat testing if something wasn’t
clear.”
Matt Hewitt from BBC Radio Northampton
chats to Alison Campbell and Megan about
the new system.
Bar codes get the thumbs up
from families
MEGAN Humphreys from Wellingborough was one of
the first parents to see the bar coding used on her baby
Dominic.
She said: “I like the idea of the barcodes. Anything that improves
safety has got to be good.”
Matthew Willmer, whose son Charlie was born on April 21, said:
“I think this is clearly an improvement. It saves time, makes life
easier and we all know how hard it can be to read some people’s
writing so this has got to be better.”
Julie Ingham, from Corby, whose baby Brachen was born on April
26, said: “I think it’s a good idea. It does make everything that bit
safer.”
The innovation means KGH is compliant with both the National
Patient Safety Agency and the UK Newborn Screening programme
standards.
In other places where bar coding has been introduced – eg
Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital – the time it takes to
enter a baby’s information into the screening system has been
reduced by 400%. It takes 15 seconds to scan a bar coded card
instead of three to four minutes to manually enter the information.
KGH has been developing the system for the three months and it
has been live in labour ward since the beginning of March 2010.
- car parking
- A&E
CAR parking at KGH can be tight
for patients, staff and visitors - but
fortunately help is at hand from the car
parking team!
KGH’s partners for car parking and
security are the major car parking
company APCOA.
Come rain or snow its fivestrong team of Customer Service
“The first and biggest
Advisors are available from 6amquestion at busy times is
10pm every day to sort out all of
‘where can I park’?”
your parking problems.
Customer Service Advisor Richard Weatherley helps Darren Billam
And when day becomes night
with his ticket
the company’s security staff take over
“If we didn’t do this, especially at busy
be a frustration but we are here to help and will
to help patrol our premises and help staff, or
times,
the
hospital
would
become
extremely
do everything we can to assist all KGH users
police, with any security issues that may arise
congested
–
and
you
have
to
consider
that
with their needs.
on site overnight.
we
have
to
try
to
keep
the
‘blue
light’
route
“Our staff help many patients and visitors
APCOA operations manager Frazer Horne
through
the
hospital
open
and
unrestricted
at
with
directions every day because they have an
said: “Our car parking staff are always there to
all
times
because
of
the
need
for
ambulances
extensive
knowledge of the hospital and where
help and every day we help dozens of people
to
get
through
quickly
in
an
emergency.”
everything
is.
with many different queries.
The
Trust’s
1,200
staff
spaces
quickly
fill
up
“They
get
involved in everything from pushing
“The first and biggest question at busy times
each
day
and
every
week
6,500
patients
and
and
digging
out
people’s cars (when they were
is ‘where can I park’?
visitors
use
the
main
car
parks
A
and
B
–
and
trapped
in
the
snow
this year) to escorting staff
“Our staff are best placed to answer this
the
pay
and
display
areas
around
the
diabetes
to
their
cars
on
dark
winter nights. We hope
and you can ask them through the call points
centre
and
treatment
centre.
this
feature
in
KGH
Together
helps everyone to
and help buttons by the ticket machines and
One
area
of
frustration
has
been
car
park
know
how
hard
we
work
to
keep
things running
the barriers.
F
which
is
often
closed
until
around
11am
–
smoothly
for
everyone’s
benefit.”
“They will have the best idea of where you
when the main staff car park by the railway
can park because, from the office in car park A,
line (car park E) is filling up. Staff want to
we can see CCTV footage of the site and know
know why they can’t use it when there are
from our electronic counting systems how
“We know that car parking can be a
clearly free spaces in it – the reason is these
many cars are in each car park.”
frustration but we are here to help….”
spaces are held back to help the many staff
While getting parked can be frustrating
who for work reasons start their shifts later in
at times if it wasn’t for the efforts of the car
Three things to remember for
the day.
parking teams things would be much worse.
car parking
Staff are often asked instead to use the
APCOA contract manager Robert Shaw said:
Trafalgar Road car park which is a short five
“We work very hard to make sure that traffic
1. Staff please remember to display your
flows smoothly around the site and that people minute walk away from KGH and is never full.
permits
Robert said: “We know that car parking can
park where they should.
2. Please park in your designated areas
3. Please take car parking staff’s advice –
they are there to help
“
Facts about car parking
Pictured here are some of the APCOA team from left to right Robert Shaw (Contract
Manager) Ben North, John Grant, Richard Weatherley, Carol Joyce, Susan Knight,
Matt Hastings, Chris Young, Nick McGowan, Frazer Horne (Operations Manager)
• Disabled badge holders get free parking in the pay and display
car parks – eg Diabetes Centre and Treatment Centre – and
parking for £1 in car park A and B on presentation of their badge
• Volunteers who help at the hospital can also get free parking –
enquire at the car park office to find out how
• Visitors who need to attend hospital regularly to see a friend or
relative can get a weekly concession of £8.30 for adult wards or
£6.20 for children’s wards – this can be done via slips issued by
the wards.
Use our A&E
department wisely
DO you know when – and when
not – to go to A&E?
With many other NHS facilities now
available in Northamptonshire the
answer to this question may not be
what you think it is.
A&E lead nurse Jane Groom said:
“I think people just need to be aware
of the alternatives available in the
community before going to A&E.
“A&E is designed to see the most
urgent medical cases - things like
people who could be having heart
problems, a stroke or an urgent surgical
problem like appendicitis.
“For more minor problems these
days there are more appropriate places
to go.
“For example if you have a minor
injury, or even suspect a broken bone,
you can now use the Corby Minor
Injuries Service at Willowbrook Health
Centre in Cottingham Road.
“This is open seven days a week
all year around (8am-6pm Monday to
Friday and 9am-6pm on weekends/Bank
Holidays) and is the perfect place to go
to be seen quickly by experienced KGH
A&E nurses.
“We are continuing to see minor
injuries at KGH but clearly if you live
in the Corby area it would make more
sense to use Corby Minor Injuries Unit.”
Other important alternatives to think
about would be going to your GP,
the out-of-hours GP service NeneDoc
(03336 664 664), or NHS Direct on
0845 4647. Your local pharmacist is also
able to help you with many other minor
ailments.
If you feel you could get the
appropriate advice or treatment using
these alternatives – you probably
shouldn’t be going to A&E.
A ‘day in the life’ of staff nurse Francesca Butcher
PICTURED are just some of the
things a busy A&E staff nurse might
deal with in a typical working day.
All of them require special training
and A&E nurses are always learning new
skills or become better at established
ones through experience.
Francesca said: “I love working on
A&E because of the diversity. I can
see medical, surgical and orthopaedic
patients all in the same day. You need
a lot of skills, it is very challenging and
never boring.”
A&E doctors, nurses, receptionists and
other support staff work in shifts so that
the department is open 24 hours a day
every day of the year.
Facts about A&E
• KGH’s A&E department sees some 66,800 patients
per year – that’s an average of 183 patients every
single day.
• Of the 183 patients an average of 51 people
per day have such a serious medical or surgical
condition that they need to be urgently admitted to
hospital.
• The remaining 132 go home after being seen by a
doctor or specialist nurse.
• In addition to this the Corby Minor Injuries Services
– which is staffed by KGH A&E nurses - sees
some 13,800 patients per year – that’s 38 people
per day.
Examples of inappropriate use of A&E
• Coughs and colds
• Old injuries or joint problems
• Queries about medication - these are best dealt
with by your GP
• Toothache
• Trying to use A&E to get a ‘second opinion’ rather
than using the GP service
Examples of appropriate use of A&E
• Cuts which won’t stop bleeding or may need
stitches to heal properly
• Burns which are large, or deep, and need dressings
• Limb injuries which are painful or swollen and
could be caused by a broken bone
• Serious medical problems such as chest pain,
collapse, or heavy blood loss.
Three things you can do to help A&E
1. Think carefully about NHS care options before
choosing A&E
2. Don’t go to A&E as an alternative to seeing
your GP
3. Be patient on arrival – remember the most
serious cases come in by ambulance so you
won’t see them from the waiting area
Triple celebration for Meet some of our nursing stars
National Nurses Day
THERE are four main types of nurses at
KGH – and here are four good examples
of them.
Wendy Iversen, Heide Humphries, Simon Lee
and Jo Milton reflect the main nursing roles
of healthcare assistant, staff nurse, specialist
nurse and senior nurse/ward manager.
All of them, and many more like them, help
to make people’s stay at KGH that much better.
Senior Sister/Ward Manager
Healthcare Assistant
Director of Nursing and Quality Liz Libiszewski (L) and WRVS head of service for the East Midlands,
Linda Jennings, (far R) helped deliver the baskets of fruits and cards to the wards.
KGH had a triple celebration for this
year’s National Nurses Day.
National Nurses Day celebrates the birthday
(May 12) of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
who raised the profile of nursing in 1854-56
by tending to the wounded during the Crimean
War.
Each year the day is celebrated at hospitals
across the country by nurses who use it as an
opportunity to recognise the achievements of
their profession.
This year’s celebrations included delivering
baskets of fruit and thank you cards to all
of KGH’s nurses, midwives and healthcare
assistants.
We also had a major Careers Day at Kettering
Conference Centre on Saturday, May 16.
Deputy Director of Nursing, Elaine Hayward,
organised this year’s celebrations with the help
of Learning Environment Lead, Wendy Goode,
and Nurse Bank Manager, Becky Mould.
Elaine said: “We like to do something
around this day each year to celebrate the
achievements of our profession and to say a big
thank you to our 1,400 hard-working nurses,
midwives and healthcare assistants.
“We delivered baskets of fruit and thank you
cards to every ward and department – the fruit
and cards were very kindly sponsored by the
WRVS.
“I would like to thank everyone at WRVS for
their continued support of the hospital and its
staff.”
“The Careers Day enabled people to learn
about how to become a nurse, midwife or
healthcare assistant and helped us to recruit to
current vacancies.
“On National Nurse Day itself we also
held a full day education and training event
aimed at advising our own nurse, midwives
and healthcare assistants about the training
and education they can undertake at the
Trust and via institutions like the University of
Northampton, De Montfort University and the
Open University.”
Wendy Iversen has been
a healthcare assistant
at Kettering General
Hospital for the last six
years after spending
17 years in the finance
sector as a head cashier.
Wendy, 41, from
Woodford, said: “I find
that the jobs that healthcare assistants do
today are the jobs that nurses used to do in the
past – and the sort of work l like the most.
“I get patients up in the morning, help them
to get washed and with their food, and do
routine monitoring of things like a person’s
fluid level.
“It is a very ‘hands-on’ role and less technical
than some of the things that staff nurses do.
“I actually found that I liked it more because
FACTS ABOUT NURSING
• Kettering General Hospital currently has 1,527 nursing and midwifery staff made up
of 432 healthcare assistants, 923 qualified nurses, 160 qualified midwives, and 12
maternity support workers
• Healthcare assistants need a good basic education before undergoing specialist
training for two weeks and then receiving ongoing and updated on the job training
throughout their career
• Nurses spend three years in nurse training at university mixed with placements in
hospital before becoming a registered general staff nurse
• Nurses move up a grading scale according to their qualifications and experience
ranging from 5 (eg staff nurse) 6, (eg ward sister or specialist nurse) and 7 (ward
manager or more senior specialist nurse)
• Specialist nurses cover a wide range of medical disciplines and include roles like
trauma nurse practitioner, A&E nurse practitioner, cardiac nurse specialist, urology nurse
specialists, cancer nurse specialists and infection control nurses. All of these specialist
roles involve extra training and academic work to gain the qualification
• Nurses work in shifts around the clock with early shifts often running starting from
7am-3pm, late shifts from 1pm-9pm, and nights from 9pm to 7am but different wards
and departments have different systems and hours.
I still have the chance to do regular ward visits.
“You are also involved in research and
shaping the future management of lung disease
in this area. Overall as a team we get some
very positive feedback from patients who really
like the way we work with them personally to
improve their quality of life.”
L-R Representatives of the four main types of nurses – healthcare assistant Wendy Iversen, staff
nurse Heide Humphries, nurse specialist Simon Lee and ward manager Jo Milton
it was such a people orientated role.
“I meet new people every day and learn all
sorts of new things by listening to people’s
stories. Some of the stories from our older
patients are absolutely incredible. No two days
are ever the same and you help people from all
walks of life so it is never boring.”
individual and no two days are ever the
same. I enjoy the challenges each day brings
and have recognised and acknowledged the
support shown to me from the ward.”
Staff nurse
Simon Lee is a clinical
nurse specialist
and manager of
the hospital’s fivestrong Rocket team
(Respiratory Outreach
COPD in Kettering).
His team do some
400 home visits per
month to patients with breathing disorders
such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD). They also regularly visit respiratory
patients in places like A&E, the medical
assessment unit and the wards.
Simon said: “I find being a clinical nurse
specialist very rewarding. You are able to focus
your attention into a smaller field of medicine
and become more expert in it.
“It allows you to really get to know your
patients closely over a long period and help
them to achieve their potential through proper
drug treatment, physiotherapy and long term
care.
“I get the chance to teach and educate
nurses both at KGH and in the community and
Heide Humphries is a
newly qualified staff
nurse at KGH and has
just completed a three
year adult nursing
course at Northampton
University.
Heide, 45, who
works on Barnwell B,
said: “I love everything about my job. As a staff
nurse it is my responsibility to enable patients
within my care to return to a quality of life that
is normal for them.
“This involves working within a large multidisciplinary team which includes doctors,
physiotherapists, occupational therapists,
healthcare assistants, and dieticians.
“You need to be an excellent communicator
not only within the team but also with the
patients and the families.
“It is important to recognise that each
patient within my care is treated as an
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Jo Milton is ward
manager of KGH’s
15-bed surgical ward,
Deene A, and the threebed Surgical Extended
Care Unit (SECU), a unit
designed for patients
requiring a higher level
of nursing care.
Jo, 35, is married to Robin and lives near
Kimbolton. She manages a team of 43 staff and
Deene A and SECU combined see 100 surgical
patients per month.
Jo said: “After finishing my A-levels I saw
a newspaper advert for ‘young enthusiastic
people who want make a difference’.
“I found out it was an advert for nursing
and decided that it seemed to fit my idea of
wanting a job where being a ‘people person’
was important.
“Fifteen years on I think the job has lived
up to that promise. I have always been a very
enthusiastic person and that enthusiasm has
helped me to make a difference to a lot of
patients’ lives.
“As a ward manager you are responsible for
everything about the ward and its environment
and it becomes an extended part of your own
life.
“When you improve things for patients it
gives you a lot of satisfaction. I really enjoy
working with patients, and relatives, and my
own staff to bring about improvements.
“For example on Deene A we are currently
setting up a separate room for treatments such
as surgical dressings and examinations which
patients have said to us they would prefer to
have in an environment outside of the ward.
“They made the suggestion and we have
made it happen. It’s great...”
“
I really enjoy working with
patients, and relatives, and
my own staff to bring about
improvements...”
Remember to slip, slap, slop!
Also remember that if you want to look
tanned there are many products available from
your local chemist that can help you to do this
without the over exposure of a sun bed or sun
bathing.
Ruth said: “The other thing to do is to keep
an eye on your skin and be aware of any
changes that may be something which needs
to be checked out by a doctor.
“This would be things like moles changing
size, shape, colour, or starts to itch or bleed or
any new suspicious lesion.”
Each year Kettering General Hospital also
has a skin cancer surveillance day held in the
Jubilee Wing at Kettering General Hospital.
This year’s event will be in September. Watch
your local press and listen to your local radio
for details nearer the time.
“
It is important to remember
that episodes of sun burn
can lead to skin cancer...”
TAKE care in the sun! That was the
message from county skin cancer nurse
specialist Ruth Fox during National Sun
Awareness Week (May 3-9).
Local people were urged to slip on some
clothing, slap on a hat and slop on some sun
cream as the weather improves and the risk of
sun burn and its potential side effect of skin
cancer increases.
Ruth said: “After a long cold winter it is
understandable that people want to get out in
the sunshine at the first opportunity.
“Unfortunately this can sometimes lead
to people getting burned because they have
forgotten how quickly this can happen or have
not taken enough precautions.
“It is important to remember that episodes
of sun burn can lead to skin cancer and
therefore we should do everything we can –
particularly with children – to make sure that
they don’t get burned.”
Each year in Northamptonshire there are
about 160 new cases of the most serious kind
of skin cancer – malignant melanoma and
also many hundreds more of less serious forms
of skin tumour, such basal cell carcinomas or
squamous cell carcinomas.
Ruth is Northamptonshire’s first skin cancer
nurse specialist and works at both Kettering
General Hospital and Northampton General
Hospital to offer support and information to
skin cancer patients and help raise awareness
of the health risks.
Ruth’s advice when going out in the
sun is to:
• Slip on a T-shirt or other clothing
that completely covers sensitive
areas and is not so translucent
that the sun’s rays can penetrate
through it and cause damage
• Slap on a broad brimmed hat
and stay in the shade during the
hottest parts of the day and limit
your time in the sun
• Slop on plenty of good quality
sun cream (at least factor 15 –
higher if you have pale skin), to
all exposed skin. Remember to
re-apply every 2-3 hours or after
swimming.
Making it quicker and easier for you to
see a midwife
KGH has introduced a new direct
access midwife service for newly
pregnant mothers.
The new service will mean that mothers
who would previously have gone to their
GP to receive a midwifery referral can
now do it themselves directly with KGH
by phone, email or by text message –
speeding up the referral process.
Community midwifery manager Audra
Muxlow, who is developing the scheme,
said: “The aim of the new service is to
make it easy for mothers-to-be to get rapid
access to midwifery care.
“We know that early access to a
midwife gives people increased choices
in what sort of care they can have during
their pregnancy – for example who they
can see and where they can see them.
“It also means people have early access
to information about screening tests, home
births, and water births and helps them
to plan their healthcare throughout the
period of their pregnancy.
“We know that the early weeks
of pregnancy are crucial in a baby’s
development so it is important that
mothers get the right advice and
information as soon as possible.”
At the moment most women find out
that they are pregnant by doing a home
pregnancy test and then informing their
GP.
Their GP then asks the mother to make
an appointment with the community
midwife who visits that particular GP
surgery. This can lead to delay of up to a
week or more which is avoided with the
direct access service. This will also enable
women who are not registered with a GP
Dermatology nurse specialist Kathy Italiano and skin cancer
nurse specialist Ruth Fox promote Sun Awareness Week via an
article in the ET
League of Friend events you can attend
THE LEAGUE of Friends of Kettering and District Hospitals supports KGH every
year by raising money and making donations to us.
It does this largely through a programme of events organised by its volunteers.
If you want to join the League, or attend an event, contact the relevant person listed
below.
September 30 – Bridge drive
Please contact Mr Derek Bryant on 01536-522219 for more details or to reserve a place.
One of the many babies born at KGH – Brachen
Ingham born on April 26
to access midwifery care easily.
The new service means that people can
now contact the Direct Access Midwifery
Team which will aim to respond to their
initial enquiry within 72 hours.
Audra said: “One of our main aims is to
make it as easy as possible to make that
initial contact with our midwifery service.
“As soon as a woman knows they
are pregnant they can telephone us on
01536-492889 with their contact details.
A midwife will call them back within 72
hours to discuss their needs and arrange
their appointment.”
“
We know that the early weeks
of pregnancy are crucial in a
baby’s development so it is
important that mothers get
the right advice and
information as soon as
possible.”
Community midwifery manager Audra Muxlow receives a
call from a newly pregnant mother
Pregnancy and baby road
show a success
A KGH PREGNANCY and baby
road show has helped hundreds of
parents-to-be to prepare for their big
day and subsequently care for their
baby.
The event, the 20th in 13 years, provided
a huge range of advice at more than 30
stalls set up in two rooms in the hospital’s
social club recreation hall on March 10.
Almost 300 people attended the event
which is led by the KGH’s community
midwives supported by Sure Start Children
Centre midwives, health visitors, breast
feeding midwives, aqua-natal midwives,
and the Supervisors of Midwives.
Show organiser Julie Beasley - who is
also a community midwife – said: “The
event was very successful again and
people enjoyed getting a wide range of
advice from a number of experienced
professionals in many different fields.
“The idea of the road show is that it
offers new and updated information, all
in one place, about every aspect of having
and caring for a baby and young child.”
Advice was available on water births,
aqua natal exercise classes, baby massage,
breast feeding, nursery equipment,
essential baby equipment, real nappies, the
library service, music therapy for babies,
swimming for mums and new babies,
alternative forms of pain relief in labour,
hypnobirth and yoga.
Other stands included midwifery as
a career, the Childminders Association
and Breast Feeding Supporters, Smoking
Cessation, Benefits and Fire Safety.
The next event is on Wednesday,
September 8, from 6pm-8pm in the
hospital Social Club’s recreation hall, and in
an adjoining room to allow more space for
people to browse around the exhibitions.
Replacing our computer system to
improve patient care
THE plan to replace KGH’s patient computer system is
moving forward.
Already - if you are a member of staff who
uses the current KGH computer system
(ICIS)- you will have heard that a training
programme is being developed for the new
system, which is called Lorenzo.
Many of you will already have received
some training and others will be invited to
take part as we move closer to a go live
date.
Q. Why do we need to replace
ICIS?
A. We need to have a computer system
that will be compatible with big new
changes that are being made across
the NHS to improve patient care. The
long term aim, which will be several
years away, is to enable the NHS to
have electronic patient records. This will
mean that if you suddenly need to go to
hospital in another part of the country
– perhaps after being injured on holiday
– an electronic summary of your medical
records will be available to doctors in
that hospital via a secure NHS system.
Lorenzo. We will also replace the links
between ICIS and some of our other
systems such as Results Reporting so
that they get some of their data from
Lorenzo instead of ICIS. Access to
Lorenzo will be via ‘chip and pin’ type
technology using smartcards.
Q. How will this affect ICIS users?
A. If you are currently a user of ICIS you
will be affected in the following ways:
• You will need a smartcard issued to
enable you to access the system if you
do not have one already. This will be
done by HR.
• You will need to attend training, the
length of which will be determined
by how you use the system currently.
Support will also be available from a
team of ‘floorwalkers’ at the time the new
system goes live.
• At the change between systems you will
have to use paper systems and processes
for a few days before the new system
is live. Watch out for more information
about Lorenzo and some demonstration
opportunities in the coming weeks.
Q. Is it all of ICIS that is being
replaced?
A. Yes. Once ICIS is turned off we will switch
over to Lorenzo.
• If you are a member of KGH staff and have
any particular questions please email them
to lorenzo@kgh.nhs.uk
KGH’s new Organ Donation Committee
has set its sights on encouraging more
local people than ever before to sign up
to the National Organ Donor Register.
The group met for the first time on April 19
and is composed of hospital staff and three
enthusiastic members of the public – Suzanne
Sharp, from Brigstock, Eryl Howard, from
Warmington, and Paul Davies, from Thrapston.
All three have a connection to organ
donation. Eryl’s son Andrew died of a cerebral
haemorrhage in August 2004 and his
donations have helped
nine other people.
Paul’s 14-yearold son Jordan is
It is important to remember
waiting for kidney
donation – which
that episodes of sun burn
Paul himself hopes
Pictured are Eryl Howard, Paul Davies, Dr Jan Szafranski, ICU charge nurse Joe Cummings,
can lead to skin cance...”
to donate to him
Suzanne Sharp and organ donation embedded coordinator, Angela Waterhouse.
later this year.
Suzanne, who is
only 27% actually bother to sign up to departments to communicate messages
committee chairman,
the
National
Organ Donor Register.
around the importance of organ donation.
has benefitted from two kidney transplants,
It
is
easy
to
sign
up
to
the
National
Organ
KGH has joined with Cambridge as its main
one from her mother and one through the
Donor
Register
in
a
few
minutes
by
going
online
transplant
centre as part of the UK Eastern
organ donation system. As a result she now
at
www.organdonation.nhs.uk
or
calling
0300
Team
working
with Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
has two children, Kristian, 13, and Zara, five.
123
23
23.
Currently
10,000
people in the UK need an
The Committee will be helping to promote
The
KGH
organ
donation
committee
will
meet
organ
transplant
to
save
their lives but last
the importance of organ donation locally and
four
times
a
year
and
work
with
both
the
local
year
only
3,500
operations
were carried out.
to help people understand why signing up
community
and
the
hospital’s
A&E
department,
Basically
three
people
a
day
die because of a
to the National Organ Donor Register is so
intensive
care
unit,
and
medicine
and
surgery
lack
of
transplants.
important.
KGH’s Clinical Lead for organ donation,
consultant anaesthetist Dr Jan Szafranski, said:
“We have had a fantastic response to our local
appeal for volunteers to help with our Organ
Donation Committee and have now had our
first meeting.
said: “We would like to thank Mrs Auty very
“The aim of the Committee is to find ways of
A DONATION has been made to the
encouraging as many local people as possible
Coronary Care Unit at KGH in memory of much indeed for her kind donation in memory
of her husband.
to sign on to the National Organ Donor
a patient who was treated there.
“We will use the money to improve facilities
Register.
Mrs Margaret Auty, the wife of Mr Robert
for future patients with heart problems.”
“Signing on to the Register means that
Auty, made the £500 donation, in memory of
you are saying that if you died suddenly you
her husband.
wouldn’t mind if your organs were used to
Mr Auty was a retired design engineer with
save someone else’s life.
British Steel Corby and lived in Kettering.
“Signing the Register makes your wish clear
Mrs Auty said: “My husband died of a
to both medical staff and to your own family
heart attack on August 25. He had had heart
but it is also very important to mention to your
problems for several years and had needed
family that this is your wish.
to use the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit on a
“Many people each year, both locally and
number of occasions.
nationally, have their lives transformed by
“He didn’t want flowers at the funeral, other
receiving an organ donation. This would be
than from close family, so we asked people to
much more difficult if we didn’t have an Organ
make a donation which we would pass on to
Donation system in the UK.”
the coronary care unit as a thank you for the
Research shows that 90% of people are in
care he received.”
Sister Karen Roberts receives the donation from Mrs
favour of the principle of organ donation but
Coronary Care Unit sister Karen Roberts
Margaret Auty and her son Dennis
“
Donation in memory of Robert
Q. Why do we need to change
now if this big change is still
years away?
A. In the short term NHS hospitals need
to prepare for this change by adopting
computer systems which will be
compatible across the NHS. One of these
building block systems is Lorenzo.
Q. Why is KGH doing this now?
A. An opportunity arose some months ago
for KGH to become an early adopter of
Lorenzo. This will mean we get extra
help installing and testing the system.
Q. What exactly is being replaced?
A. Both the existing PAS and A&E parts
of the system will be replaced with
One of the many staff briefing sessions on Lorenzo
“
An opportunity arose
some months ago for
KGH to become an early
adopter of Lorenzo...”
New Organ Donation Committee is up
and running
Health, Well Being and Benefits Event
A HEALTH, Well Being and Benefits Event
for staff has been held as part of KGH’s
new Human Resources Strategy.
Staff who attended the all day event – held
in the Social Club on Tuesday, May 11 – were
able to find out about lots of different ways
both KGH and local groups can help improve
their lives.
Associate Director of Human Resources,
Charles Marson, said: “Part of our new Human
Resources Strategy is to help support our staff
in improving their working lives and also the
quality of their life generally.
“We hope this is the first of many events
which will help our staff to gain greater
benefits from working at KGH.
“The event has showcased the services we
have in place for staff to help them develop
their skills and career and also ideas for
developing a better social side to KGH through
NHS Discounts account manager Daniel Richards
promoted the many benefits available
Disney store
helps us to
bring happiness
to children
Eight-year-old Phillip Radasevic from Corby with
play assistant Claire Kura.
Catering assistants Liza Gazeley and Kerry Ramasamy
offer up some health eating tips
new clubs, events like fetes and family fun days
and trips away.”
Stands included benefits advice from
Kettering Borough Council, the Smoking
cessation services, Occupational Health and
Counselling, payroll advice, recruitment
services, staff development and Skills for Life
and NHS Discounts.
If you have a leisure activity you would like
to share with your colleagues why not set up
a club? Let us have the details – contact Gail
Meacham, Human Resources Administrative
Assistant on internal extension 3508.
Staff development lead Charlotte Ellis and medical
HR adviser Lucy Barry at the Skills for Life stand
Kirsty Simmons, team leader, and Storm Phillips,
at the Recruitment Services stand
New strategy to help KGH staff to make a difference
KGH has launched a new human
resources strategy to help us develop
our 3,400 strong work force to the
highest level.
The new five year strategy will be called
Improving KGH Together and will look at how
we can meet the challenges the future will
bring for KGH and our staff.
The key things the strategy will aim to do
include;
• Maintain a sustainable organisation –
developing our staff in essential skills and
drawing up succession plans for key roles
• Recognising and valuing staff excellence
• Improving the working lives of staff
• Talent management - identifying talent at
all levels and offering appropriate training
and development
• Maintaining a healthy workplace by
promoting health and wellbeing initiatives
• Embracing equality & diversity. By raising
awareness of the benefits of a multi cultural
workforce and training all our staff…
KGH Play Team has gone red!
HR Director Geoffrey Etule said: “The Human
Resources function (HR) is essentially focused
on ensuring that KGH has an appropriate
number of skilled, motivated and competent
staff working to a high standard to deliver an
excellent service to patients.
“As a department we make a difference
to the performance of the organisation by
providing a framework of policies, procedures
and guidance covering all aspects of people
management from recruitment through to
retirement.
“To support the strategic objectives of the
Trust the HR function plays a major part in
developing our workforce.”
The HR strategy is designed to create a
workforce which is
Flexible – Able to respond quickly to the
changing needs of the Trust
Adaptable – Willing and able to assume
new roles
Skilled –Appropriate skills to provide clinical
excellence
Motivated – Seeks to achieve goals of the
Trust
Productive – Efficient and results driven
Patient focused – Committed to enhancing
the patient experience
The HR department consists of six main
departments - workforce planning, occupational
health, training & development, recruitment,
library services and medical staffing.
KGH’s team of play specialists and
assistants have gone red!
The team has just changed the colour of its
uniform from a shade of purple to red to make
them more distinctive to children, and parents
and relatives, who visit our children’s ward.
The previous colour, a shade of purple, is
similar to the new uniform worn by KGH’s
housekeeping teams so the change was made
to prevent any confusion between the two
groups.
KGH’s play team is led by play co-ordinator
Trish Brigden and it has grown in size steadily
since its formation in August 1991.
Now the hospital has four play specialists
Caroline Freeman, Lynda Diver, Lisa Soper,
and Louise McKerral, who work in the ward
areas of Dolphin, Timpson and the Paediatric
Assessment Unit.
Barbara Frost and Helen Palmer work as
Play Specialists in Paediatric Outpatients and
the two most recent additions to the team are
Claire Kura and Jodie Wiles who work as Play
Assistants.
Trish said: “Coming into hospital can be a
frightening and stressful time for children and
their families and that is where the Play Team
comes in.
KGH play team (L-R) Jodie Wiles, Claire Kura, Trish
Brigden, Barbara Frost and Caroline Freeman
“
The team ensures that the
ward and surrounding areas
looks child friendly ...”
“The team ensures that the ward and
surrounding areas looks child friendly and the
many displays of children’s work that can be
seen around the hospital are all part of this.
“It is also part of the Play Team’s role to
ensure that all children are aware what is
happening and why.
“Preparing children
in this way is vital in
ensuring that they
understand each step of
any procedure.
“We need to
use language that
is relevant and
understandable to each
A picture made by
individual so that the
the children which
demonstrates the play child feels empowered
team’s new colours and in control of a given
situation.
“Distraction throughout a procedure allows
the child to focus on the Play Specialist and
the specially chosen activity, allowing for the
procedure to proceed swiftly and with as little
discomfort as possible.
“The Play Assistants also play a key role in
providing activities both in the playroom and
at the bedside allowing the child and their
families to participate in many normalising,
daily routines.
“We changed the colour to red because
it is important that Play Team members are
instantly recognisable.
“Children like to be able to know who
you are from your uniform. It gives them the
confidence that they have gone to the right
member of staff to answer their query or
concern.”
FOR the second year in a row The
Disney Store in Lutterworth has
donated a pile of goodies to KGH’s
children’s wards. The 17th of March saw a lorry pull up
outside the wards and unload a pallet
filled with toys, games, books and DVD’s. The donation, part of a hospital-giving
programme organised by the Disney Store
provides products from Disney that can be
used by the receiving hospital for many
things. The Play Team use the toys to help
distract children from medical procedures
on the wards, as giveaways, birthday and
Christmas presents, and also for raffle
prizes to raise much needed play funds. The Play Team is completely unfunded
so anything that is provided for the
children must be either donated or
purchased with donated funds. The
Disney Store’s generosity means that
money does not have to be spent at
Christmas for presents and that the Play
Team are able to provide toys and games
throughout the hospital.
KGH helps local people
back into employment
LOCAL people who have been out of
work for six months or longer have
gained valuable skills and interview
experience thanks to a joint scheme
run in partnership with KGH.
Tresham College of Further and Higher
Education, JobCentre Plus and KGH have
worked together to develop a two week ‘skills
for life’ course.
Twelve people started the course in
October 2009 and developed skills which
will help them to maximise their employment
opportunities, particularly where there are
vacancies in health care.
Over the two week course people gained
additional skills in numeracy and literacy,
completed a number of personal development
tasks including CV writing skills and self
appraisal and took part in sessions on manual
handling and emergency first aid. The final
element enabled those taking part to learn
a range of interview skills which proved very
useful to the group.
After completing the two week course
ten individuals were interviewed for Health
Care Assistant vacancies at Kettering General
Hospital with two people being offered
employment at the hospital.
“
Twelve people started the
course in October 2009
and developed skills which
will help them to maximise
their employment
opportunities, particularly
where there are vacancies
in health care.”
The course was very successful and
enabled a small group of people to gain
valuable experience and confidence
to encourage them to apply for other
positions that will become available
either at the hospital or in other care
organisations.
To celebrate the first group’s
achievements a certificate presentation
was held at KGH on January 19.
Staff
development
prospectus is
now on KGH
intranet
THE Staff Development 2010 – 2011
Course Prospectus is now available for
all KGH staff.
This is directory of some of the many
different types of training course KGH
provides.
Staff are reminded they can view the
prospectus through KGH’s staff-only intranet.
Also with the Prospectus is the Trust
Training Matrix listing what statutory and
mandatory training is required per staff
group.
For enquiries and to book onto any of the
courses please contact Staff Development on
internal extension 2553/2558 or 2156.
NVQ Centre
News
OVER the last few months many
students undertaking their NVQs at
KGH have achieved a variety of units of
competence.
We would specifically like to congratulate
the following who have completed their NVQ
in February and March:
Emma Hunter from Pharmacy who has
achieved her Pharmacy Support Award
Anna Jelly from Endoscopy who has
achieved her Business and Admin Award
Joanna Jop from Pharmacy who has
Gai McKenzie from AM Lee who has
achieved her Health Award
Anne Pearman from Pharmacy who has
Clair Woolley from Care Management
who has achieved her Business and Admin
Award
The NVQ Centre and their candidates would
like to pass on their thanks to the Assessors
that have supported the candidates in
achieving their awards.
We continue to support a wide variety of
vocational qualifications, if you are interested
please contact us on 01604 545467.
Meet the staff who sit on our Council
of Members
MEET the men and women who represent
KGH staff on our Foundation Trust Council
of Members.
As a Foundation Trust KGH must have a
Council of Members that represents all of the
local population (see page 22-23 for more
details).
Because KGH staff form almost half of our
overall Foundation Trust Membership the role of
Staff Members is very important.
There are six Staff Council Member posts on
the 40-strong KGH Council of Members.
They are divided into three groups:
• Medical Practitioners and Dental
Practitioners – Andy Steel (Consultant
Physician and Director of Medical Education)
• Nursing, midwifery and other clinical
– Carolyn Ginns (Head of Nursing Education
Services); Jonathan West (Lorenzo Clinical
Safety Lead and Ward Manager Coronary
Care Unit)
• Non Clinical Staff – Paul Fantini
(Foundation Trust development accountant);
Geoff Sergison (linen room supervisor).
One of the posts (in nursing, midwifery and
other clinical) is currently vacant and later this
autumn there will be an election to fill this post.
Your staff representatives on the Council of Members are
(L-R) Jonathan West, Andy Steel, Geoff Sergison, Paul
Fantini and Carolyn Ginns.
At the same election two other posts will
become available (a non clinical post and a
second nursing, midwifery and other clinical
post) and staff interested in standing for
election to them should contact Trust Board
Secretary Sharan Madeley via internal email.
What do Staff Council Members do?
STAFF Council Members represent
KGH staff opinions on the Council of
Members.
Their job is to champion the views of staff on
Trust wide issues which the Council of Members
may be making a decision about.
They are not union representatives so do not
represent people on personal issues.
The current Staff Council Members were
all elected to their posts and started work
on November 1, 2008, when KGH became a
Foundation Trust.
The first group of Staff Council Members
were elected for two or three year periods of
office but in future the length of the term is to
be set at three years.
Staff Council Members attend meetings of
the full Council of Members five times a year
and Joint Board and Council meetings three
times a year.
They also sit on various sub committees and
topic groups including audit and finance sub
committee, appointments and remuneration
sub committee, patient and public involvement
topic group, strategy and marketing topic
group and training & development topic group.
You may also see them visiting various wards
and departments, accompanied by other Public
Members (see page 22-23), to investigate
particular issues highlighted by the Council of
Members.
A recent example was a group which looked
at signage around the Trust and visited the
main entry points of the hospital.
As a result there are plans to introduce a
system of volunteers who will meet people and
welcome them to the Trust and advise them on
things like how to get to their destination.
Staff Council Members have also
championed staff views on issues like car
parking and cleaning.
They have regular meetings with the Chief
Executive, Chairman and Senior Independent
Director so are able to take your issues to the
very top level.
They are also involved in the Committees
that set the pay of the Non-Executive Directors
and Chairman.
“
There are six Staff Council
Member posts on the 40-strong
KGH Council of Members.”
Make your views
known to Staff Council
Members
ALL of the Staff Council Members
are keen to champion issues raised
by KGH staff.
You can contact them on their
individual internal email addresses or via
Trust Board Secretary Sharan Madeley.
Any information you give to Staff
Council Members will be confidential
unless you make it clear that you don’t
mind people knowing you raised the
issue.
This is an ideal opportunity for you to
make your views known on Trust-wide
issues that affect a lot of staff.
So make your views known and contact
your Staff Council Members.
There will also be a chance to meet the
Staff Council Members face-to-face at an
event in the staff restaurant in the near
future. Watch internal email for details.
Your chance to sit on our Council of Members
MOST of the people reading this
edition of KGH Together will be a
Member of Kettering General Hospital
Foundation Trust.
That means you have, at some stage,
taken up the offer of Membership at the
Trust (see page 24 for more details) and are
one of our 3,600 Public Members or 3,000
Staff Members.
Being a Member of KGH means you have
the chance to take part in health seminars
(see page 24), are eligible for various NHS
discounts on local goods and services, and
get a copy of this magazine to keep you up
to date with our plans.
But do you want to take a more active
part in shaping the future of KGH?
If so you may soon get that chance! This
Autumn we are having Elections to fill some
vacancies on our Council of Members.
So why not stand for Election and get
involved with KGH at a deeper level?
The Council of Members help KGH to
make some of our most important decisions
about our overall direction.
Non Clinical
Nursing & Midwifery &
Other Clinical
Medical Practitioners &
Dental Practitioners
We will be writing to all our eligible Members
to ask if they would like to stand as a Council
Member.
Becoming a Council
Member
For our staff members, there will be the
following vacancies:
Nursing & Midwifery
& Other
- 2 vacancies
Non Clinical
- 1 vacancy
Please look out for the next edition of
the newsletter where we will have more
information on standing for election to the
Council of Members.
YOU can be a Council Member if you are
a Member of KGH (see page 24) and are
at least 16 years old.
You can stand for the Council of Members
whenever the Trust holds Elections.
The next Election is going to be held this
autumn – so now is the chance to express your
interest.
2
6
3
1
4
Corby
4
Staff
Northamptonshire
PCT
Wellingborough
Public Elected
Members
1
1
1
Local Involvement
Network
Kettering
Borough Council
East
Northamptonshire
& Bedford
5
1
1
1
Stakeholders
1
Corby Borough
Council
East Northants
Council
1
1
1
Chair
1
1
The public vacancies we will have on the
Council in the Autumn will be:
Kettering - 3 vacancies
Corby
- 2 vacancies
East Northants
- 2 vacancies
Wellingborough - 2 vacancies
Daventry & Northampton
- 1 vacancy
Why do we want you?
ONE of the main reasons for the setting
up of NHS Foundation Trust was to ensure
we involve the public, patients, carers
and staff through a Membership that
represents the people the hospital serves.
Kettering
1
Voluntary Sector
Northamptonshire
County Council
The Council is made up of publicly
elected members from Kettering, Corby, East
Northants, Wellingborough, Harborough and
Daventry & Northampton, as well as some
local organisations and our staff. (see the
diagram below)
The Council has five formal meetings a year
and all Council of Members are invited to join
Sub Committees and Topic Groups. All new
Members on the Council will receive training,
help and support in their new role.
Market
Harborough
Daventry &
Northampton
North Northants
Development
Company
University of
Northampton
Harborough District
Council
Wellingborough
Borough Council
By becoming a Council Member you will help us
to better:
• Understand and respond to the views of our
patients, carers, staff and Members of the
public
• Shape how the Trust develops to meet future
local needs
• Recruit more members to make sure our
Membership is representative of the people
we serve
What’s in it for me?
COUNCIL Members get a lot of
satisfaction from personally helping to
shape the future of their local hospital.
By becoming a Council Member you will get a
chance to:
• Have your say on how we develop as a
hospital
• Represent your community
• Learn new skills
• Make new friends
What have
Council
Members done
so far?
Council members have been
involved with:
• Re-appointing the NonExecutive Directors to the
Board of Directors
• Undertaking the appraisal of
the Chairman of the Trust
• Reviewing and approving the
salaries of the Chairman and
Non-Executive Directors
• Asking for the views of
Members on the Trust’s
objectives
• Assisted with shaping
developments within the
hospital, for example the
Outpatient facility in East
Northants.
• Viewing and discussing
plans for the new building
improvements (Project 55) (see
page 4)
• Reviewed the Annual Business
Plan of the Trust and helped
shaped the objectives
Sub groups of the Council have
also looked at:
• How we involve people in their
care
• Reviewing our complaints
process
• Helping us to understand how
visitors view the hospital
• Reviewing the appointments
system and making
recommendations to the
hospital
• Developing new ways in which
people can leave comments
about their experiences at the
hospital.
Our current Public Council Members are...
Representing Kettering
Frank Adams
Elizabeth Cairney
Priscilla White
Representing Corby
Kenneth Elms
James McKechnie
David Moody
Glenda Weston
Representing Market Harborough
Gordon Reynolds
Peter Radcliffe
Representing Wellingborough
Paul Bell
Dr Martin Adams
Jenny Dixon
Bryan Thomas
Marian Hollomon
Sylvia Hobbs
Representing East Northants & Bedford
Jim Morrison
Sheila White
Eunice Jones
If you would like to find out more, please either see our website at www.kgh.nhs.uk or contact our Trust Board
Secretary on 01536 491362 or email sharan.madeley@kgh.nhs.uk
If you would like to contact a member of the Council, please email councilofmembers@kgh.nhs.uk or via
telephone through the Trust Board Secretary.
Sign up friends and family and help
KGH to represent your needs!
At KGH we have set ourselves the challenge of getting our public Membership up
to 5,000 Members this year.
We currently have over 3,600 public members and
3,000 staff members so if each of these members
signed up just one family member, or a friend, we
would have doubled our target!
As a Foundation Trust it is important for us to
have as many Members as possible. That way we
will better reflect the needs of local people, our
patients and staff.
One of the main features of a Foundation Trust
Why join KGH’s
Foundation Trust
Membership?
AS a Member you will be invited to
attend various Health Awareness
Seminars over the year.
At these event Members have the
opportunity to meet with specialists in a
specific area –see the chart opposite.
More than 300 Members attended last
year’s events.
As well as the chance to attend our
Health Awareness Seminars there is also
the opportunity to join the various focus
groups around the Trust.
is its Membership.
Membership of KGH enables people
to get involved in determining what KGH
does, how and when it does it.
Membership costs nothing and you can
be involved as much or as little as you
want. It is possible to be a Member of more
than one Foundation Trust in your local
area – you don’t have to choose just one.
To become a member
you must:
Be 16 or over.
Live in one of the areas
we serve (for clarification
please call
Donna Hunnings on
01536 492169)
l
l
Members can also:
Receive a bi-monthly newsletter featuring hospital news and Members’ information
l Stand for election and become part of the Council of Members.
So don’t delay, have your say and join up today!
l
Members’ Health Programme for 2010
Health Topic
Presenter
Date
Urology Mr Khan
March 10, 2010
Diabetes Dr K Patel, Lynsey Burgess April 20, 2010
Audiology Mr R Lee, Helen Barton
May 18, 2010
Respiratory Diseases
Dr Hussain June 17, 2010
Anticoagulant –preventing blood clots
Lillian Webb
July 13, 2010
Gynaecology & Maternity Mr M Newman, Dr Rukhsana Iqbal, September 15, 2010
If you wish to attend any of the above events please call 01536 492169
Join us and support YOUR local hospital. Simply fill in the application form below and post it back to us. For
more information visit www.kgh.nhs.uk/for-members/
KGH Membership Form
Support your local hospital by becoming a KGH Member by simply filling in this form & posting it to us (for free)
Title:
Ethnicity:
Full Name:
Gender:
Address:
Do you consider yourself disabled?
Telephone:
Yes
No
I declare that I am over 16 years old & would like to become a member
of Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Email:
Date of Birth:
Male
I would prefer that my name was kept off the Members’
Public Register
Postcode:
Preferred Method of Communication? Post
Female
Email
Signature:
Date:
Please post to: FREEPOST Plus RRHA-UHCL-YJJG Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Rothwell Road, Kettering, Northants, NN16 8UZ.

Issue 5 - Kettering General Hospital

Transcription

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