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Pole position for Mark Webber at NUH

Better for you

Sara’s weight loss success

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Page 6

Page 13

Meet the learning disability teamPage 10

Better for youBetter for you

Sara’s weight loss success

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Page 6

Page 13

Meet the learning disability teamPage 10

NUHorizonsMarch/April 2010Issue 32March/April 2010Issue 32

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WelcomeNine months into the ‘Better for you’ whole hospitals change programme and we are driving forward change at the rate of knots. Projects are now up and running in the Emergency Department, Imaging, Theatres, the Nottingham Children’s Hospital and in Corporate Services. And there are more projects on the way.

Contacts

We’ve been really pleased by the response and enthusiasm so far. From the hospital-wide events and the individual project activities, around 8,000 of you have been involved in the ‘Better for you’ programme in one way or another. Some of you have expressed reservations, true, but most people who have been involved in the individual projects have seen a difference already.

You’ll read about some of those changes in this issue’s ‘Better for you’ pages but we’ve been seeing some great things happening around the hospital. They range from the very simple – such as making sure every single Nottingham Children’s Hospital nurse has their own thermometer and pen torch – to major change: ED trials have brought down ambulance hand-over times to under 10 minutes. And that’s the beauty of ‘Better for you’: it tackles the big blockages at the same time as making sure the every day irritations are sorted out.

We look forward to hearing more about the changes and improvements that are taking place but for now we want to extend a big thank you to everyone who has been involved in ‘Better for you’: whether you’re putting ideas forward, championing change or leading a project team. Every contribution matters. Together, we’ll make our hospitals safer, more caring and thoughtful places in which to be treated.

Jenny LeggottDeputy Chief Executive and Director of Nursing

NUHorizons, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s staff magazine, is published bi-monthly by the Communications Team. Comments and story ideas are welcomed.

Contact Elizabeth Champion, Internal Communications Manager on 0115 924 9924 ext 62133 or elizabeth.champion@nuh.nhs.uk

Extracts from NUHorizons should not be reproduced without prior permission from the Communications Team.

The opinions expressed in NUHorizons are not necessarily those of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

This publication is available in other languages and formats. For further information please contact 0115 924 9924 ext 62133. A plain text version is available.

Contents

Page 6

Page 12

Page 13

3 Staff survey resultswhat you told us

4 NUH News

5 F1 star Mark Webber visits NUH

6 ‘Better for you’ update

9 Birthday briefi ngsyour chance to fi nd out more

12 Meet the pharmacy apprentices

13 Sara’s weight loss success

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Staff Survey results OUT NOWThis year’s NHS Staff Survey results are publically available on the Care Quality Commission’s website.Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey – more than 4,000 of you responded.

The results show that we’ve made signifi cant improvements in the number of our staff who have appraisals so it’s a positive step in our aim to make sure all staff have a yearly appraisal. We’ve also improved in the number of staff who benefi t from fl exible working options which is a welcome improvement as we have been working with staff side colleagues to develop the Improving Working Lives initiative to make sure NUH is a positive place to work.

Other improvements were made in the availability of hand washing materials which highlights our commitment and progress in reducing infections and making our hospital safer for patients and staff.

NUH staff also felt that they are able to contribute towards improvements at work. With the launch of the ‘Better for you’ programme we are keen that this continues and staff feel able to make suggestions, get involved and feel that they are listened to.

The survey also highlighted areas where further work is needed such as work-related stress and injury and physical violence and bullying.

We have recently launched our ‘Dignity at Work’ campaign which aims to tackle bullying in the workplace and our ‘Not Part of the Job‘ campaign guide to reporting assaults and violent incidents at work. Please look out for updates on these campaigns.

The Care Quality Commission results only take into account the views of 310 members of staff. This was to give a more accurate comparison against other trusts.

NUH asked all members of staff to complete the survey. The results of the full survey have been provided and broken down by clinical directorate to enable each directorate to develop their own action plans based on their individual results. If you would like to get involved in the formulation of the action plans for your directorate please speak to your general manager or line manager.

Thank you again to everyone who took part in the survey – your views are very important and are being used to improve things for all staff at NUH.

If you would like to feedback on the survey or have any questions please email nuhcommunications@nuh.nhs.uk

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NUHNews...

NUH members play ‘operation’ at Clinical Skills CentreNearly 50 members of NUH got the opportunity to learn how doctors and nurses are trained during a visit to the Trent Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre at QMC.

The tour and talk was the second Medicine for Members’ event organised by NUH so far this year. The Trent Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre is a training and education facility that specialises in clinical skills and is the regional centre for advanced patient simulation.

Kelly Fletcher, NUH membership offi cer, says: “This event was an excellent opportunity to show our members some of the fi rst class training and education facilities we have at our hospitals. Many potential doctors, nurses and allied health professionals of the future undertake training at this high-tech facility.

We were pleased so many of our members were interested in fi nding out more about the training that happens here and what it involves. It was another successful and informative evening.”

Dignity at Work champions recruited As part of our commitment to tackling bullying and harassment in the workplace, we’ve recruited a team of Dignity at Work champions.

The team will be a point of contact for individuals who feel they are being bullied or harassed and who need guidance under the Trust’s new Dignity at Work Policy and implementation instructions. They will provide staff with an independent and confi dential service, to inform individuals who feel bullied or harassed of the options available to them, whether informal or formal and to direct individuals to the support mechanisms available.

This service is part of our campaign, that constitutes part of the Trust-wide ‘We are here for you‘ programme, which takes a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment with the aim of resolving issues wherever possible informally and effectively.

For more information please contact Emma-Jayne Perez-Chies on ext 67707 or Martin Benn on ext 68428 (QMC campus) or ext 57088 (City campus).

‘A’ rating for carbon footprintNUH has been awarded an ‘A’ rating for its carbon use, balancing recycling and other offsetting against its carbon output.

According to new government comparison rates, NUH is an ‘A’ in how big NHS teaching trusts deal with water, sewage, waste incineration, landfi ll and recycling. NUH recycles more than half its waste, which is three or four times more than its peers.

Alberto Rodriguez Jaume, NUH’s Environmental Services and Sustainable Development Manager, said: “We are committed to working as part of the local community to reduce our carbon footprint. This rating is very positive and underlines the hard work we put in to minimising CO2 emissions. It will help us continue the good work done so far in implementing new initiatives to be greener.”

Pain outpatients services moves to City HospitalPain outpatients services have moved from QMC to a single site based at the City Hospital campus. The pain clinics will be based in the Rheumatology outpatients department. The nearest entrance is via Gate 2, Hucknall Road.

The new contact telephone number for the Pain Department is 0115 8402652. Inpatient service provision will remain unchanged and the Pain Team should be contacted via the bleep system as normal.

BIGIMPACT

Little Changes

Right: The Dignity at Work champions

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Formula One star Mark Webber parked the race track in exchange for a day in an operating theatre at NUH’s Trent Cardiac Centre.The Australian-born driver spent a morning at the City Hospital to watch a heart operation and talk to doctors, surgeons, nurses and governance staff about risk management and the similarities between life as a F1 driver and that of a cardiac surgeon and theatre team.

Mr Raj Jutley, consultant cardiac surgeon at NUH, said: “We’re grateful Mark took time out of his incredibly busy schedule to come and visit the Trent Cardiac Centre to see the work we do. While being a surgeon and a racing driver are two very different professions, there are many similarities in the risk elements of each of the roles we do and this visit is an opportunity to share these with each other. Another similarity between working in theatre and in F1 is the importance of team work and working together to make things happen with precision to get positive outcomes.”

Mr Jutley works with racing drivers as part of the Porsche Human Performance lab as their medical consultant. A racing driver at World Rally Championship level, the Nottingham heart surgeon is also the author of best selling books ‘Fit for Motorsport’ and ‘Motorsport Fitness Manual.’

F1 star Mark Webber goes from Formula One to Formula NUH

Mark Webber and cardiac surgeon Raj Jutley

Mark Webber talks about life as a racing driver

5

a ebbe ta s about e as a ac g d e

‘Better for you’ UPDATE

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What’s happening in Theatres?We’ve had more than 600 ideas, comments and suggestions so far and we’ve completed lots of ‘Just do its’, with more underway. We are now in the process of pulling together everything you’ve told us already to produce trial projects for urology and gynaecology elective pathways. In the coming weeks there will be a lot of activity in the above areas. Come to the hubs to fi nd out more.

We are also looking at how we might roll out the work we are doing in gynaecology and urology to other specialties. Please contact Jim Murray, project director, on ext 53058 or by email if you have thoughts on how this should be done.

Thank you to all the champions who have been driving forward change. And a special thank you to Jane Davis, who is working on a shared drive ENT equipment setup list of all surgeons, Tracey Grainger who is ensuring extendable quivers are being obtained and A-Floor porters Aaron

Robinson and Glenn Knowell for moving mountains. Contact the hubs at City on 59956 or at QMC on 63151.

What’s happening in Nottingham Children’s Hospital?

Now in its third month, we’ve had a really positive start to the project. More than two hundred people came along to the open days,

we’ve come up with around 500 ideas for change and now we have 30 champions on board to take us to the next stage. Our

champions are currently looking at our patient pathways and we’re trying to get a measure of current patient experience.

We’ll be holding feedback sessions in May for those pathways. Come along to fi nd out more. And don’t forget, we have ideas walls on every ward and around the corridors. Use them to put forward your ideas and suggestions. We’re also fi nding out patient stories

to build up a real picture of patient experience in the Children’s Hospital. Contact Ann Fewtrell or Julie Beard at the

Hub on 63447 or email childrenshub@nuh.nhs.uk.

Dates for your di���esNottingham Children’s Hospital Pathway feedback sessions, Postgraduate Centre, QMC

Monday 17th May, 1pm to 5pmTuesday 18th May, 8am to 12pmTuesday 25th May, 8am to 12pmWednesday 26th May, 8am to 12pm

Email betterforyou.programmeoffi cediary@nuh.nhs.uk to book a place or ring ext 54288.

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NCH ‘Just do its’We discovered that nurses were losing lots of time in their shifts looking for basic equipment – from thermometers to sats monitors. These were simple problems to sort out – so we made it a priority to resolve them. We put in a bulk order for pen torches and thermometers, which will be available shortly on the wards. CAU and D33 will also have a sats monitor next to every bed-space, bolted to the wall to ensure they remain there. The improvements will instantly cut down on the time we spend looking for routine testing equipment, giving all of us more time to care for the patients. We’re also looking into making the junior doctors’ handover room a more effi cient working space and a more pleasant place to be.

What’s happening in the Emergency Department?Over the past few weeks, we have been running trials on Area 3 in a bid to fi nd processes and systems that will relieve pressure on us all by freeing up our time. Area 2 trials have advanced and we have completed our fi fth trial on our busiest day – Monday. We still have a way to go before we can put our Area 3 trials to the acid test. However, some of the systems we’ve implemented in our Area 3 trials have been an outstanding success.

Equipping our staff with Computers on Wheels (COWs), so EDAs can book patients in at their trolley side rather than relying on the ambulance staff to relay information, has cut down ambulance hand-over times to under ten minutes. This means we can send more ambulances out to where they are needed most – in the community attending to new emergencies.

In paediatrics, we have completed three trials for our new way of working for all our minor injury patients. We are confi dent with our newly-designed process and each team member’s new roles and responsibilities.

Our measures during each trial have shown a decrease in length of stay in our department and we have received very positive feedback from our patients and staff during each trial. We are currently writing our implementation schedule so everyone is aware how we are moving along our journey to implementing this new way of working which we all designed together.

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designed together.

7

Diane Hill and Allison Thirsk, ultrasound team at City Hospital at the Imaging hub warming day

Dates for your di���esImagingWednesday, 12 May

We’ll be coming back to you with the range of things we’ve identifi ed about the Imaging service and asking you to tell us what you consider to be the most important things to address.

We’ll share ideas, fi nd out what the patients said about us and from the session we’ll develop a plan of action for the next few months.

What’s happening in Imaging?More than 130 staff have engaged in the process through our launch events and meetings to share ideas on how to improve the service. We’ve had 316 ideas and comments so far, out of which we’ve identifi ed 217 ‘Just do its’. Most of you agree that we want to deliver an excellent and effi cient service. Eighteen staff have offered to champion some of these changes and we’re looking for more. So if you want to become a champion for change, come to the hubs and let us know.

We also ran a questionnaire as a way of fi nding out what areas we need to be working on. Sixty per cent of imaging staff and 500 patients completed the questionnaire, giving us valuable insight into how the service is seen and experienced by staff and patients. We have now fi nished mapping the process patients undergo in each of the nine modalities and we’re now looking into the issues and exploring ideas for improvement. Contact Imaging on 61649 or 53063.

Training & education projectWe are now in the early planning stages ofa project that will look at the quality of EDtraining and education. We want to makesure the continued training and educationin ED matches the high standard of care we always aspire to give.

This project will identify where we need to improve it and what we would like our future state for training and education to look like, and, of course, how we can achieve this.

For more information on any of the above projects, or to put forward any ideas, please visit Amber or Pete in the hub on ext 70121.

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What patients at NUH want…“I want to feel I am your fi rst priority. Everything you do puts me fi rst”

What staff at NUH want…“To work as part of a team that puts the patient fi rst, provides excellent care, works together and is innovative”

This is what our patients and staff have told us. In response to this we’ve developed a set of values and behaviours called ‘We are here for you‘, a title given to us by a patient.

‘We are here for you‘ is all about people; our patients, their families and carers, our staff and members of the local community. Over 1,000 staff and over 100 patients

have helped create a set of values that set out clearly how we treat each other here at NUH.

‘We are here for you‘ is all about patients feeling cared for, safe and confi dent in their treatment. For staff it means feeling appreciated, supported and encouraged at work. Patients and staff at NUH have told us that how people behave to each other matters. So linked to our new values are our behaviours - a set of clear standards that we can expect from each other.

Our aim is to make NUH a great place to work and a place where every patient experience is as good as it can be. Our patients and colleagues deserve this.

To achieve this we all need to work together to show every patient, every day, wherever they are treated that ‘We are here for you‘, ensuring patients can feel that they are cared for, safe and confi dent in their treatment.

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‘We are here forThanks to patients and staff we now have...New values • Caring and helpful• Safe and vigilant• Clinically excellent• Accountable and reliable• Best use of time and resources• Innovation for patients

A pledge to patientsThat all day, everyday we will all do our very best to ensure:• you are cared for • you are safe • you are confi dent in your treatment

A commitment to each other – from staff to their colleagues to do our best to ensure:• you are appreciated• you are supported• you are encouraged

Behavioural standards • Polite and respectful • Communicate and listen • Helpful and kind • Vigilant (safe) • One stage (feel safe) • Speak up (stay safe) • Informative • Timely • Compassionate

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99

r you’Inviting youto birthday briefi ngs Birthday briefi ngs have launched at NUH

All staff will be invited to a get together in their birthday month with two members of the Chief Executive’s Team. Staff will be able to share their thoughts and views with colleagues and feedback on subjects that are important to them. They will also get latest updates on NUH news and happenings. It’s a chance to meet other members of NUH staff from different teams and departments who share the same birthday month as you.

Staff will be given a choice of 10 different sessions a month – each at different times of the day, days of the week and on both campuses – to ensure as many people can attend as possible taking into account different shift patterns.

If you would like more information or have questions about the birthday briefi ngs please email the communications team at nuhcommunications@nuh.nhs.uk.

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Coming soon

to NUH

May 2010• From May we will be running the new ‘We are here for you‘ all staff

workshop. More information will be made available to you through team meetings, briefi ngs and the Intranet about how to sign up for the new workshop

• Birthday briefi ngs – you will be invited to attend a discussion session in the month of your birthday with two members of the Chief Executive’s Team

• A new behavioural standards handbook for all staff

• Launch of new managers standards and programme of management development

• Training in appraisals for managers commences

• New values and behaviours policy toolkit introduced

• Launch of dignity at work toolkit

June 2010• Launch of new staff handbook

• Revised attraction, recruitment and selection approach

• Enhanced corporate induction system

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A new learning disability liaison team has been launched at NUH, in partnership with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, to make sure patients with learning disabilities get equal access to healthcare in hospital.

The team includes learning disability specialist nurses George Badiali, Daniella Rubio-Mayer and Shelly Hancock, who have a wealth of experience working with patients with learning disabilities.

The new posts arise from a number of reports which identify that people with a learning disability do not get equal access to health services. Mencap’s 2007 report ‘Death by Indifference‘ told the story of six people with a learning disability who died because of poor healthcare in hospitals. Other reports followed, identifying that people with a learning disability have more health related problems than the general population but receive fewer health checks and treatment.

NUH’s learning disability liaison team has been set up to improve the healthcare received by people with a learning disability, and to support staff treating patients with learning disabilities.

NEW learning disability service

The team is designed to:

• Provide a liaison service by visiting any patient with a learning disability to assist them, their carers and hospital staff to achieve better outcomes from their time in hospital

• Strategically support NUH’s management on issues relating to learning disabilities

• Provide an education and training service to NUH staff

Senior Acute Liaison Learning Disability Nurse George Badiali said: “We are here to help bring down the barriers to improve access to healthcare and make sure our patients with learning disabilities get

the best care possible. This may include making reasonable adjustments including making appointments longer if the patients need help with communication and understanding their treatment options.

“We are also here to provide specialist help and support to all NUH staff who are working with people with learning disabilities. This will help improve the experience for patients and make sure staff are aware of the issues to consider when treating a patient with a learning disability.”

For more information or to make a referral, please contact George Badiali, Daniella Rubio-Mayer or Shelly Hancock on ext 62562.

NUH’s Learning Disability team: Daniella Rubio-Mayer, George Badiali and Shelly Hancock

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Statutory and mandatory training

Some statutory training needs to be done to make the Trust meet its legal obligations. Quite simply, if we did not do this training, we would be breaking the law.

Other mandatory training has been identifi ed by a variety of external organisations to ensure the safety of both patients and staff. Some of the training relates to all staff while other mandatory training is only required within certain roles. For example, the Resuscitation Council provides guidance on which staff should receive specifi c levels of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training.

It’s now really easy to identify what training you need to complete. It’s all defi ned by staff groups - medical staff, clinical staff and non-clinical staff. You will fi nd the list on the mandatory training pages on the intranet.

An automated booking system has been developed and is being rolled out across the Trust. During roll out, if you are unsure about how to access the training please speak to your manager. For a short while we are maintaining the drop-in facility for mandatory training with the exception of patient manual handling which must always be booked.

Your fi rst port of call is your line manager who should be able to guide and advise you. If your manager is unsure he/she can refer to the Statutory and Mandatory Policy, which is available on the intranet, or you can contact the appropriate topic lead for more specifi c details.

No. The Trust is quite clear that if you are required to undertake any training in order to do your job you must be given time to attend or to complete an e-learning package if one is available.

There is a full schedule for 2010 on the intranet. Some topic leads will arrange additional sessions and dates for these are also on the intranet. Role related subjects organised locally or within specialist departments will be publicised in your area.

It is a requirement of you working at NUH that you undertake training that is identifi ed. Statutory and mandatory training should be prioritised above other development activities. Starting from April, attendance is monitored by your manager and reported to the directorate management team on a monthly basis.

Why do I need to take part in statutory and mandatory training?

How do I know what courses I need to complete?

How do I book my training?

Who should I contact for more information?

Do I have to attend in my own time?

How do I know when the courses run?

Your questions answeredThis quick guide to

statutory and mandatory

training helps answer

your questions.

What happens if I miss the training or don’t keep up to date with my training?

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Four NUH apprentices are celebrating after being offered full-time positions with the Trust.

Bridgette Crabbe, Jaye Humpherson, Kate Roelich and Chloe Berresford have been offered positions at NUH after successfully completing a two-year advanced apprenticeship to qualify as pharmacy technicians.

It’s been a hectic couple of years as the students juggled working full-time at NUH with two college courses to qualify as technicians. Their hard work has now paid off and they qualify with a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) National Certifi cate and NVQ level three in pharmacy services.

Jayne Marsden, who is NUH’s lead for the training of pharmacy technicians, said: “They have all done very well and worked very hard – we are very proud of them. As apprentices they worked hard to demonstrate their ability in the workplace. We’re delighted to have them on board and wish them every success in their new jobs. I’m sure they will do very well.”

Chloe said: “I’ve really enjoyed the course. It’s been a great opportunity to learn a new skill on the job. There is so much more to it than you’d think – the course covers so much including looking at the different drugs, how they work, and how they are made. It’s hard work and there

are lots of assignments but it’s worth it. It’s great to be offered a job at NUH and we also have nationally recognised qualifi cations.”

Kate said:

“We’re all really pleased to be offered full-time positions at NUH. I’d recommend the apprenticeship scheme – you have to be committed to it but it’s a great opportunity”

Success for NUH pharmacy apprentices

Chloe Berresford and Kate Roelich

Jaye Humpherson in the City Hospital Pharmacy

The pharmacy technician modern apprenticeship • The NUH advanced apprenticeship

for pharmacy technicians was launched in 2002

• We have had 32 apprentices working at both QMC and City Hospital campuses since then

• We are currently recruiting for the 2010 intake of apprentices – for more information please contact Jayne Marsden on ext 54935 or 65780

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A visit to the Q-Active health-check stand at NUH’s Annual Public Meeting (APM) in September 2008 gave Infection Prevention and Control Matron Sara Keetley the wake up call she needed to tackle her unhealthy lifestyle. She was shocked to discover she weighed more than 14 stone and had a body fat percentage of 40 per cent.

In a bid to fi ght the fl ab Sara replaced junk food with healthy nutritious meals and started jogging. Only 18 months later and Sara has completely changed her

lifestyle. She has lost more than two stone in weight, 17 inches from her body, and stopped smoking. She’s also taken part in the Nottingham half marathon, and is training to be a WeightWatchers slimming consultant. She speaks to NUHorizons about her transformation.

“I knew I was overweight but when I attended the APM and found out my body fat was 40 per cent I was completely shocked. I was also quite scared – I knew the health risks caused by being overweight so I knew I needed to do something about it.

In the New Year I made the resolution that 2009 would be the year I lost weight, stopped smoking and got fi tter. And I did it. I stopped smoking straight away and in January I started jogging.

My colleagues in the infection prevention and control team were really supportive. Some of the team even joined me after work to go jogging in Wollaton Park. I’d never run before so it was very hard at fi rst. On my fi rst run I only got to the end of the road before I had to stop but it was strange how quickly it got easier. By the end of February I could do one and a half miles without stopping.

I also joined WeightWatchers and started eating healthily and in moderation. Slowly the pounds started to come off and I began to feel much better about myself.

By April I was feeling much healthier and fi tter so I decided to enter the Robin Hood half marathon to raise money for Heart Link, a charity that means a lot to me. I really enjoyed the training – it was fun to push myself.

I’m really pleased to say that I completed the race in two hours and 20 minutes – it was a huge achievement to say the year before I was two stones heavier and had never run a step. I defi nitely feel I have more energy because of exercise and healthy eating.

In September 2009 I decided to go back to the APM and have my weight and body fat taken. I suddenly felt so much better when Catherine Hughes, the Q-Active co-ordinator, told me my body fat was below 30. It gave me such a sense of achievement. I’ve only got seven pounds to lose before I reach target and I’m determined to maintain my new healthy ways. I’m training to be a slimming consultant so hopefully my experience will inspire other people to make a change for the better.”

Kilomathon a walk in the park for NUH matron Well done to NUH matron Esther Gaskill for completing the

Nottingham to Derby kilomathon race.

Esther, who we featured in the last issue of NUHorizons, completed the 26.2km (16 mile) race in 2hrs 49 minutes.

Esther only started running nine months ago and has so far completed 10km, half marathon and now kilomathon

race distances. Surely a marathon is next? Watch this space…

Sara’s weight loss success

Focus on health and fi tness

Online health check NHS (National Health Service) MidLifeCheck is a free service to help you fi nd out how you are doing.

All your answers are private and no-one else can see your results.

www.midlifecheck.co.uk

Sara and her boyfriend – before her transformation

A slim and healthy Sara

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StaffNews...End of an era for Janet Ward In her 23 years at NUH, domestic assistant Janet Ward has always had a sense of humour.

She is well-liked and has made many friends and worked with many colleagues. She fi nished her time here working with colleagues on F Floor.

All the team at QMC campus would like to thank Janet for her hard work and wish her all the best for the future. Janet, happy retirement from all your friends and colleagues.

Recovery room boost for breast cancer patients Patients recovering from breast cancer surgery have been given improved facilities thanks to a £25,000 fund-raising effort.

The money has been raised by Jill Pearson, founder of the Nottingham Oasis Breast Cancer Trust. Thanks to Jill for all her hard work – the improvements have made a big difference to our patients.

A tandem bike ride with a difference Two NUH fundraisers have raised more than £1,000 after taking on a tandem cycling challenge dressed as cartoon characters.

Steve Fletcher and Anthony Bennett cycled from Shirebrook to Skegness in fancy dress to raise money for NUH. Well done and thanks guys.

A fi tting tribute to Les Weeks The study centre library at Hayward House has been named in honour of Les Weeks, a nurse tutor who worked at Hayward House for many years until his untimely death last year.

An enthusiastic and inspirational teacher, colleagues wanted to recognise his contribution to palliative care.

His wife Heather, his two sons Alexander and Stuart and daughter-in-law Sam, attended an opening ceremony at Hayward House along with a number of his work colleagues.

A a Twaftas

StShN

Janet Ward and her colleagues celebrate her retirement

More than £25,000 raised by Jill Pearson

Fancy dress for fundraisers

Steve and Anthony

15

League of friend fund £5,000 pain relief pumps The League of Friends of City campus have funded fi ve Gemstar pumps at a cost of £5,500. The pumps are used as an alternative to an epidural for pain relief after major operations on the chest.

Present at the offi cial handover ceremony representing the League of Friends were the chairman Joan Doubleday, secretary Julia Distin, Christine Singleton, Lorraine Robinson-Unwin and Wylda Batterbury. Receiving the pumps were Mr James Catton (consultant Upper GI surgeon) Dr Jo Fitz-Henry (consultant anaesthetist) and specialist pain nurses Louise McGarry and Helen Daynes.

The offi cial handover

Recovery wave goodbye to Liz Liz Hinson has retired after a long career in the NHS starting in 1968.

Liz worked at City Hospital as a sister in the recovery team before taking time off to have her family. She returned as a staff nurse and has been a valuable member of the team for many years. She is always recognised for her clinical expertise and professionalism. Liz is now taking the time to enjoy her family.

The recovery team see Liz Hinson off in style

Praise for NUH managers’ conference More than 100 managers attended the NUH managers’ conference.

More than 100 managers attended the NUH managers’ conference. The managers took part in a range of workshops designed to improve their leadership and management skills. Guest speakers Sir John Brigstocke, the Chief Executive of the SHA who shared his views on leadership and Martin Davies took an alternative approach to helping managers deal with managing stress. One delegate said: “This was the best organised and positive event that I have attended at NUH and that’s in nine years – thank you.” The event included an awards ceremony for managers who have completed the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Building Essential Leadership Skills programme.

Lesley leaves the occupational therapy team Lesley Fowler, occupational therapist from City Hospital campus, retired in March.

Lesley has almost 25 years’ service – she started working at Hayward House as an occupational therapy assistant in November 1985. Lesley worked there until 1994 when she became a qualifi ed occupational therapist, having completed her training at Derby University. She

continued to work at City campus and has always maintained her interest in working with people receiving palliative care. During her career she worked

her way up to a senior occupational therapist post and in June 2007 her expertise was recognised when she became the team leader for the Cancer Services occupational therapy team. Her colleagues wish her well for her retirement.

o helping

Managers impressed with NUH conference

LeoLeH

Leatinw

continued

Lesley says goodbye the team

Fascinating facts about the NUH workforceDID YOU KNOW? • The average age of staff at

NUH is 41

• We have 52 ethnicities and 83 nationalities within our staff

• 77 per cent of staff are women

• Day in the year with most staff birthdays: 18 April

• 6 per cent of staff have been with us for more than 25 years

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The Nottingham Children’s Hospital has benefi ted from new, state-of-the-art equipment that helped save the life of a six-month-old baby within hours of being installed.The £15,000 for the Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor, or USCOM, was donated to the NUH Charity by Councillor Barrie Cooper, the former Mayor of Rushcliffe.

Councillor Cooper chose the NUH Charity’s Children’s Hospital fund as his ‘Charity of the Year’ during his year of offi ce in 2008-09.

The USCOM, which provides a non-invasive way of measuring the heart function of sick children, has been installed in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at QMC.

One of the fi rst patients to benefi t from the machine was six-month-old Abbie Sisson, who was rushed to hospital on the day the USCOM was installed. She was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia, the blood poisoning version of meningitis, and was given just a four per cent chance of survival.

The USCOM was used to help measure Abbie’s heart function and identify the best course of treatment.

Dr Patrick Davies, Consultant in Paediatrics, who treated Abbie, explained: “The USCOM works by measuring the speed, volume, and

force of blood fl ow coming out of the heart, which enables us to exactly defi ne how hard the heart is working, and which aspects of its work the heart is struggling with.

“Once we know this, we can give the patient drugs to help the heart to support the patient’s blood pressure. We have a range of drugs we can use, which all have different actions. Previously, we had to use guesswork to choose the right drug. Now we can be sure of what we use.

“Abbie was extremely unwell when she arrived with us with meningococcal septicaemia and was probably within minutes of a cardiac arrest. On admission, her percentage chance of death was calculated at 96 per cent. Use of the USCOM machine helped us defi ne the best treatment for her, and to make sure we had the right dose of the right drug at the right time.”

Abbie’s mum, Charlotte Pattison, said: “There are no words to describe how we felt. Abbie made it through the night and then in the morning the consultant said he was amazed she had made such a good recovery so quickly.

“You would never know now that she was so ill – she’s giggling and really happy and absolutely perfect. The staff on the ward were absolutely amazing. The consultant, Dr Patrick Davies, was so fantastic – he has done so much for our family.”

For more information about the NUH Charity and how it could help your ward or department, go to www.nuhcharity.org.uk.

New machine helps save baby’s life

Charlotte Pattison, Adam Sisson, their daughter Abbie Sisson, Jean Cooper and her husband

Councillor Barrie Cooper.