the Gazette May 2010

8/9/2019 the Gazette May 2010

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World first for St Georgesas keyhole op saves baby

the

May 2010issue 17


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Econtents

2 the gazette

the gazette is written and published

by the Communications Unit. The

opinions expressed do not necessarily

represent those of St Georges

Healthcare NHS Trust. The next edition

will be published during July 2010. If

you are a staff member with a story forthe gazette, please email:

[email protected]

2 Staff pull out the stops for iCLIP

3 A word from David

4 No smoking day

4 Transforming patient care

5 Keyhole op saves baby

6 All the ingredients for a great

restaurant

6 Patient takes gold at Winter

Games

7 New leaflet launches

8 Spotlight on Mickey Koh

9 View from the top

10 Focusing on patient safety

11 New Macmillan service

12 Hi-tech scanner trialled at

St Georges

12 Robot cuts waiting times

13 New approach to procurement

14 Nurses rise to the challenge

15 St Georges demonstrates cutting

edge technology

16 Fundraising news

State of the art theatre opensA new operating theatre has opened in the Atkinson Morley Wing asSt Georges takes its place at the heart of the trauma network coveringsouthwest London and Surrey.

The theatre has been built to cater for surgical specialties suchas bariatric, robotic surgery and renal transplantationprocedures.

Because trauma now has a dedicated theatre there is less riskof elective operations being rescheduled to make way foremergency cases.

The new facility will increase the trusts overall capacity forsurgery by around 15 to 20 per cent.

Clinical theatre manager, Alberto Castrillon, said: The theatrehas been built to the highest standard so that whatever sort of

work needs to be done, it can be done there. There is an airpurifying system which means that a greater range ofprocedures can be carried out.

We are also working to increase the number of staff working in theatres and areadvertising in most of the main journals.

The South West London and Surrey Trauma Network covers an area with a population

of 2.6million people.

Under the network, instead of being sent to local district general hospitals, patients

with very severe or multiple injures are being sent to St Georges, which has thecapacity and expertise to provide the best possible care.

Front page picture shows Isabel Dolby, theworlds youngest patient to have keyhole

surgery for acute appendicitis, with hermother Candice and paediatric consultantMr Zahid Mukhtar.

With thanks to Mark Evenden, MediaServices, St Georges University of London,for photographic services.

Clinical theatre managerAlberto Castrillon

Staff pull out the stopsfor iCLIP launch

management and outpatient system tothe trust. Subsequent phases will include

full theatre scheduling, diagnostic

ordering and resulting and a specialist

critical care module.

Trust chief executive David Astley was

onsite on the weekend of the launch. He

said: This is a huge project that has

required a great deal of commitment and

hard work from people across the trust.

The go live follows years of strategic

planning, and months of training to

help people get used to working withthe system.

Dedicated staff ensured iCLIP launch was a success

new Ingredients restaurant

opens in Lanesborough Wing

new Ingredients restaurant

opens in Lanesborough WingHnew Ingredients restaurant

opens in Lanesborough Wing

6

The iCLIP launch went ahead asplanned on Monday 29th March.

Chief operating officer Patrick Mitchell

said: Staff worked closely with

colleagues from BT and the London

Programme for IT to ensure a smooth

transition onto the new system. We are

pleased with how things have gone so

far. However, work is ongoing to

ensure the project remains on course

and is a success.

This initial phase has replaced the

patient administration system andprovides an integrated A&E, bed


3/16

the gazette 3

As the gazette goes to print weare at a pivotal time in the year we have just entered into a new

financial year and the general electiondate has been announced, the outcome

of which will see challenging times aheadfor the whole NHS.

But no matter what happens one thing

remains the same our dedication to

moving the Trust forward through

cutting-edge developments in equipment,

techniques and training.

This commitment to drive change resulted

in St Georges becoming a major trauma

centre earlier this month, putting the trust

at the heart of a major clinical network

which will radically improve access to

specialist care for the most seriously

injured patients across the capital.This is just one of the many success stories

giving us cause for celebration. Other

highlights include the opening of a state-

of-the-art theatre in the Atkinson Morley

Wing; and one of many firsts, St Georges

performing keyhole surgery for acute

appendicitis on the worlds youngest

patient.

A word from David

Staff on Benjamin Weir ward were

surprised and delighted when a

grateful former patient sent them a

huge summer fruit cake.

Elle Pitar, owner of the Moulin Rouge inKingston-upon-Thames, was given an

emergency bypass and admitted onto theward earlier this year.

He is now recovering and asked his chefsto create a giant cake that could be

shared amongst all the staff on the ward.

Senior staff nurse, Sophie Proctor, said:

We heard that a big cake was beingdelivered to our ward as a thank you, butwhen four men entered the ward carrying

a cake nearly as wide as the corridor wecould not believe it.

It was the talk of the whole unit, andthe cake was shared between every ward

from CTICU to Caroline, secretaries,doctors, domestics and nursing staff. Itfed literally hundreds of people.

Ward receptionist, Pearl Livingston said:

It was one of the tastiest and biggest

Sweet gesture from restaurateur

Left to right: Kimberley OHara, KateFincham, Josette Pitar, Hoda Pitar, Elle Pitar,Sophie Proctor, Venessa Sookhoo

Following

the theme ofcontinuingsuccess, we

have now

marked animportant

milestonein thetransformation of St Georges the

successful deployment of the trusts newclinical information systems.

This launch followed years of strategicplanning by the trust and months of stafftraining to ensure everyone was fully

prepared.

So far the deployment has gone

according to plan and Id like to thank

staff for their hard work andcommitment. A special thank you must

go to the iCLIP project team and ourcolleagues from BT and Cerner.

The iCLIP project demonstrates the valueof collaborative working and I was deeplyimpressed by their professionalism duringmy time in the project command centre at

the beginning of the month.

St Georges is also making positive

changes to the hospital environment,

such as the opening of the new

Ingredients restaurant in

Lanesborough Wing.

This now offers staff, patients andvisitors an impressive range of freshly

prepared, high-quality food, bright,

modern dcor and top-of-the-range

facilities. The restaurant has proved

extremely popular so far, and I would

encourage you to visit if you have not

already done so.

Once again, thanks to staff members

for their dedication, patience and team

work, which will keep the trust on

course to achieve its goals.

Continuing in this spirit will be essential

as we push on towards achievingFoundation Trust status, continuing the

improvement of services and building

projects and ensuring the iCLIPprogramme remains a success for the

trust. I am looking forward to another

successful and

progressive year.

surprises ever received from a patient to

the staff on Ben Weir. It was nice that wewere able to share it with other staff inthe cardiac unit.

Recovering at home, Mr Pitar said: I was

on the ward after being given a full graft

bypass, and everyone was telling me how

serious the procedure is. I was really

grateful to everyone at St Georges; it

means a lot to me.


4/16

kpatient care

Ziggy the ciggie fumesover No Smoking DayEfforts to stub out smoking were stepped up as St

Georges marked No Smoking Day in March.

Staff, patients and visitors interested in quitting were

encouraged to visit a drop-in stand in the hospitals main

entrance for advice and support.

Security staff stepped up efforts to stop people smoking on the

hospital grounds, and posters were displayed across the site

reminding patients and staff not to light up.

NHS Wandsworths smelly mascot, Ziggy the ciggie, was fuming

as he was shunned by hundreds of people passing through the

main entrance.

Mohamed Bhatti, NHS Wandsworths stop smoking service

manager, said: Last year we helped more than 1,200 people to

stop smoking. We understand that stopping is not easy, so our

advisors are trained to assess which is the best way for you.

Changes to managing patient

discharge are freeing up space on

wards and helping people go home

as soon as they are clinically ready.

A transformation project has been

looking at the way patients are

discharged, to identify where delays are

taking place and find solutions to them.

Pilot schemes are being run on somemedical and surgical wards to find ways

of discharging patients before 11am in

order to make beds available for

patients admitted that day.

Transformation Director, Alan Thorne,

said: We are looking at ways to ensure

that, when a patient is medically fit and

ready to go home, they can go.

Consideration of how and when a

patient is to be discharged from

hospital should begin as soon as they

are admitted.St Georges is also looking to reduce

the number of long-term patients who

are kept in hospital because of poor

health, but may be better off in a care

home, rehabilitation facility or at home.

GPs and community matrons were

invited to a ward round recently, to

discuss how care in the community

could be provided for such patients in

the future.

Alan added: This work is not just

about discharge, but about avoidingadmissions in the first place by reducing

the episodes and emergencies which

lead to hospital care being necessary.

4 the gazette

Better technology

to track bloodA high-tech barcode system is beingintroduced to keep track of the hundredsof litres of blood used every month atSt Georges.

When the Blood Track system goes live in

May, the Haematology department will

be able to see where every unit of blood

is in the hospital and manage the supply of stocks

accordingly.

Every month St Georges uses between 2,200 and

2,500 blood components, each containing between

240ml and 280ml and costing 139.

Under the existing system staff members write in a

register when blood is removed from the main

blood fridge. Under Blood Track, each blood

component will have a barcode, which can be

scanned when it is removed. Six satellite blood

fridges have been placed around the hospital,

which staff can access using their ID cards.

The system will ensure blood is not left out of the

fridges for prolonged periods. It will also bepossible to monitor how much is in stock and when

demand for blood is heavy, which will be more

important than ever with the trust becoming a

Major Trauma Centre.

Training will be rolled out across the trust prior to

the go live date with key staff being shown how to

use the system first, then cascading the knowledge

through their wards and departments.

Ziggy the ciggie seeks advice about quitting

Transforming patient care


5/16

It was every parents worst

nightmare four-week-old

Isabel Dolby was seriously ill

and in agonising pain, but

nobody knew why.

Isabel became the youngest child in the

world to have keyhole surgery for

acute appendicitis when paediatric

consultant Zahid Mukhtar used the latest

miniaturised technology, including a tiny

endoscopic camera, to operate on her.

Worldwide there have been just 100

recorded cases of appendicitis in babies

during the last 100 years. All were

treated using opensurgery, and sadly, a

third of these children

did not survive.

Isabels mother,

Candice, of Raynes

Park, said: I noticed

what looked like a

milk rash and wasnt

too concerned, at

first. However, a few

days later, I noticed

the rash had becomered and inflamed and

it had spread from her

face and neck all the

way down her torso.

The rash progressively

got worse as each day passed.

She took Isabel to the paediatric accident

and emergency department at St

Georges, but doctors were unable to

diagnose what was wrong with her.

Because Isabel was eating normally and

had no temperature they sent her home

again and told Mrs Dolby not to be too

concerned, as babies do sometimes get

rashes and it would probably disappear

on its own.

But over the next few days the rash kept

getting worse and Isabel was unable to

settle. Mrs Dolby said: One night, at

about 8.30pm, she started crying and

wouldnt stop. I picked her up and she

had a projectile vomit and let out an ear

piercing scream.

Her stomach was so swollen and hard.She was screaming, her body rigid in pain

for hours, and nothing would settle her.

We took her to our nearest A&E.

the gazette 5

First for St Georges as baby haskeyhole op for acute appendicitis

getting smaller and better.

He said: The Paediatric Surgery

department at St Georges is fast

becoming a leading centre in the

safe development of minimally invasive

surgery for young babies. Only last year we

reported a new laparoscopic assisted

technique to treat intestinal artesias in

newborns.

Minimally invasive techniques such as

keyhole surgery are far better for babies,because they recover more quickly. Isabel

made a remarkable recovery and the only

remaining signs that she had surgery are

twosmall marks on her stomach, a few

millimetres across.

He added: This was the first time this

operation had been performed on a baby.

It was only possible because of our units

experience in dealing with babies with

other surgical conditions through this

minimally invasive approach, including

hernias, intestinal atresias, Meckelsdiverticulum, which is a swelling in the

small intestine, diaphragmatic hernia and

bladder and kidney pathologies.

The paediatric surgery team made

history with an innovative keyhole

operation

Isabel Dolby, the worlds youngest

endoscope patient with her mother

Candice and paediatric consultant

Mr Zahid Mukhtar

Staff at Kingston Hospitals accident and

emergency department carried out blood

tests, a lumbar puncture and an x-ray of

her swollen stomach, but there was no

clear sign of what was wrong with her

apart from an indication that she had an

infection. Isabel was transferred to the

paediatric unit at St Georges where more

tests were carried out.

Mrs Dolby said: After five or six days Mr

Mukhtar scheduled Isabel for surgery. The

consent form was signed and we sat and

waited. We had no idea on how long the

surgery would last for as we still did not

know what was wrong with her.

Three hours later we were told that she

had acute appendicitis. I honestly think

her rash in the beginning was a sign of

infection from the appendicitis.Mr Mukhtar said that keyhole surgery

had only recently become possible for

babies, as the surgical equipment is


6/16

6 the gazette

St Georges patient Carl Downing won two medals in the Winter

World Transplant Games held in the French ski resort of Sainte Foy

in January.

Mr Downing, 36, of Southfields, has been a regular patient since akidney transplant in December 2004, to treat IgA nephropathy, alsoknown as Bergers disease, a condition that can lead to chronic renalfailure.

The games are open to transplant patients from around the world andcompetition is fierce. Carl took the gold medal in the parallel slalom, andbronze in the giant slalom.

He said: Ive always been a very active person and having a transplanthas not changed that. I feel stronger than ever and was very keen to getout on the slopes and give it my best shot.

Im planning to go back and compete again next year.

Mr Downing still visits St Georges regularly but has been healthy since

his father donated a spare kidney in 2004.He said: It was amazing. It took a few weeks to recover but nowI just have to come in for check ups. Im very grateful to the staff atSt Georges for everything theyve done.

Patient takes goldat Winter World Transplant Games

To be one of the best restaurants in Tooting.Thats the aim as the new Ingredients restaurantopens in Lanesborough Wing.

Judging by the reaction of staff, patients andvisitors it is destined to be a great success.

Restaurant is the toast of

With a menu featuring an

impressive range of freshly

prepared, high quality food, and a

bright, modern dcor that would

not look out of place in Canary

Wharf, this is a restaurant

everybody at St Georges can be

proud of.

On the first day of business,

Wednesday 31st March, staff

members clamoured to see the new

facility and were impressed with the

amount of effort that has gone into

making the restaurant a success.

Staff and student discounts are still

in place and the art gallery and


7/16

A new booklet explaining what patients can

expect when they come to St Georges is

being sent to thousands of first-time

patients.

Welcome to St Georges includes usefulinformation for both inpatients and outpatients,

and is being sent out with appointment letters.

Information is provided about public transport,

parking, catering facilities and what to expect as

an inpatient on the wards. The booklet also gives

information about what to bring to hospital,

questions that patients could ask clinicians and

how to raise concerns about the care provided.

Abi Changer, patient information manager, said:

Coming to hospital can be extremely stressful, so

the more information we can provide before people

arrive, the better.

The booklet is kindly supported by Marks and Spencer

and Whistlestop.

HowdoIgettoStGeorges?

WemayhavesentyoualeafletTravellingtoStGeorges.Ifyou

wouldlikeacopyanddidnotreceiveone,pleasetelephonethe

numberonyourletterandaskforone.Youcanalsodownloada

versionfromwww.stgeorges.nhs.uk/findstgeorges.asp

Ifyouneedassistanceonarrival,pleasetellthereceptionstaff.

Theycanarrangeforaportertohelpyou,thoughplease

understandyoumayhavetowaitforthis.

Non-emergencypatienttransportthisistheambulance

servicethattransportssomepatientstoandfromhospital.Itis

onlyprovidedforpatientswhohaveveryspecificneeds.A

patientsneedswillbereviewedeachtimetheycometohospital.

GeneralInformation

5

Howtogettothehospital

Generalinformationfor

patientsandvisitors

Welcome

toStGeorges

Aguideforpatie

ntsandvisitors

the gazette 7

New patient leafletavailable now

ootinginternet access points are still

available.

There is a dedicated childrens playarea, a branch of Costa Coffee and

a huge plasma screen television.

Special events and surprises are

being lined up for the months

ahead; keep checking the intranet

and the gazette for details.

Healthcare Assistant, Fatmata Sesay, said:

The play area is a brilliant ideaand I like the food.

Trust chair Naaz Coker said:

The new restaurant is avast improvement on whatwe had before, and reflects

wider improvements beingmade across St Georges.

Engineer, Trevor Reynolds, said:

Its really nice, the dcors great andits a hundred per cent better thanthe old restaurant.

Staff help trust chief executive David Astley and chief executive of MITIE Group Ruby McGregor-

Smith, officially open the new ingredients restaurant


8/16

kspotlight

Patients needing a bonemarrow transplant areamong the most

vulnerable at St George's.Consultant haematologistMickey Koh, who joined the Trustin September, is quick to praisestaff members in the many wardsand departments who help themto recover.

Mickey trained as a haematologist at

the Royal Free before working at Guys

and St Thomas and Colchester

hospitals. He then spent five years at a

hospital in his native Singapore.

There, he led a research project looking

at stem cell therapy, which involves

growing immune cells in the laboratory,

which can be put into patients receiving

a bone marrow transplant, boosting

recovery and reducing the risk of

infection. He is carrying on with this

work at St Georges and the Singapore

Health Sciences Authoritys Blood

Service Group.

The work, which he still oversees,

involves growing immune cells in the

laboratory, which can be put into

patients receiving a bone marrow

transplant, boosting immune recovery,

fighting cancer cells and reducing the

risk of infection.

Mickey said: I was keen to come to

St Georges because it is renowned as a

centre for treating bone marrow

failures. One of the main treatment

options for this is a bone marrow

transplant, or what is now more

commonly termed a stem cell

transplant.Over the years, the type of patient

receiving a stem cell transplant has

changed significantly.

He explained: In the past we could

only treat patients aged up to 35 years

due to the toxicity of the procedure,

but over the last ten years the age limit

has been raised to 70 years for healthy

patients, and new drugs mean the

procedures are not as toxic as they used

to be.

I think the scope of transplant will

continue to broaden, and the success

rate of transplants continues to rise,

due to improvements in supportive care

and novel ways of reducing the toxicity

of the procedure.

Every patient admitted goes through a

rigorous process. We have a dedicated

team of consultants, transplant

coordinators and nurses trained in

transplant. Many of the patients are

suffering from haematological

malignancies, such as leukaemia and

lymphomas, or from aplastic anaemia, a

type of bone marrow failure.

Patients who have undergone a stem

cell transplant are immunosuppressed

and at high risk of infection, so for a

transplant to work you need support

from ancillary departments across the

hospital. All patients are nursed in

special rooms which have unidirectional

air filtered through to preventinfections. We are careful about the

food they eat and have in place extra

precautions for visitors, like meticulous

hand cleaning and gowning up.

I feel lucky that we have such fantastic

support at St Georges, including the

gastroenterologists, respiratory team,

pharmacists, apheresis staff,

nutritionists, ITU, and staff at the

McEntee clinical infection ward. We

also have evolved a close link with the

Full Circle Foundation, which runs acomplementary therapy programme for

our transplant patients, including

aromatherapy and reflexology.

8 the gazette

Meet

MickeyKoh,Consultant haematologistand the clinical lead forbone marrow transplant

I think the scope of transplantwill continue to broaden, andthe success rate of transplantscontinues to rise, due toimprovements in supportivecare and novel ways ofreducing the toxicity of theprocedure.


9/16

view from the top

Can you explain your role as deputy

principal at St Georges University

of London (SGUL)?

Deputy principal is the senior academic

role in the principals management and

advisory team. Generally, I lead on

education, but there is a range of other

activities including NHS liaison, research,

enterprise, collaborations with other

universities in research and education,

and international links.

For example, I chair the board of

management at the South West

London Academic Network, which is a

collaboration between KingstonUniversity, Royal Holloway and St

Georges. I am also head of an

academic division. SGUL recently

restructured into three divisions not

unlike the trust and I am head of

population health sciences and

education.

How does this fit with your non-

executive role on the trust board?

It fits very well. The hospital and

university medical school have livedalongside each other for 250 years and

there are large areas of common

interest in education, research and

service development. Indeed it is

essential that we work closely together

in these.

We are separately governed; SGUL is

accountable through the higher

education system and the trust is

accountable via the NHS. This can cause

complications and sometimes tensions,

but we have a number of jointcommittees working on strategy and

operations, and I am involved with

many of these.

the gazette 9

Professor Sean Hilton,is deputy principal ofSt Georges university and

non-executive director onthe board. Sean talks to thegazette about his role atboth organisations andhow the trust can meet thechallenges facing the NHS.

What do you see as the major

challenge for both SGUL and the

Trust in 2010?

In common with all other universities

and hospitals we face the challenge to

improve what we do in the face of

reduction of resources in real terms,

and a rapidly changing external

environment.

The good news is that we both face

the same challenges, and that together

we have the opportunity to work with

the whole South West London sector

to address these. Clearly, for the trust

achieving foundation status as soon as

possible is the priority, alongside themajor work to merge with Community

Services Wandsworth and deliver the

stroke and trauma centre unit

requirements.

How is education and development

changing for clinicians?

Change is a continuous process, it is

happening across undergraduate,

postgraduate and continuing education

for all health professionals. Integration

of traditional subjects into case basedand problem based learning has been a

major shift in the last ten years, and

increased interprofessional education

and team based (and work based)

learning have become more prominent.

Structural changes to the ways in which

we work, such as the European

working time directive and the

modernising careers initiatives, have

encouraged the rapid development of

simulated learning and e-learning.

Technological advances mean that

many of these are highly sophisticated

and cutting edge, and we have a lot to

learn about how to employ them most

effectively.

You graduated from St Georges in

1974 and came back as a senior

lecturer in 1987. How has it

changed over the years?

I did my first house job at St Georges

Hyde Park corner, so there has been

some change! We spent around half

our time as students in the developing

St Georges Tooting, but it was still all

laid out as the Knightsbridge Wing

remains today.

Ingleby House and the student centre

(now the Robert Lowe sports centre)

were the first new buildings. Atkinson

Morley Wing is the most obviousestates development in the last ten

years, followed by the new foyer, but

the major change has been in the

volume, complexity and technology of

patient care.

Mostly there are huge improvements,

but I hope we will always remain as

caring and compassionate a hospital as

we have been historically.

What advice would you give to

students thinking about coming toSGUL?

Do come. You will gain a special

experience of integrated healthcare, on

an amazing campus, with a university,

hospital and community services co-

located in a vibrant and diverse sector

of a great city.

What do you do to relax?

My indulgences are frequent concerts

(Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre

are my favourite venues); football(Arsenal supporter since 1968, though

not always relaxing), cricket, and most

of all for relaxation, gardening.


10/16

vpatient safety

Patient safety is at the heart ofeverything we do at St Georges,and the trust is continuously lookingat ways of improving the care weprovide, based on audits andimplementing the latest research.

In 2002 the trust invested in amortality monitoring system, one ofthe first in the UK, which compares

death rates with the expected averageat St Georges.

A mortality monitoring group, made upof senior clinicians and members of theclinical effectiveness team, meetsregularly to examine the data and lookfor worrying patterns or trends.

The system now operates in 30 areas,providing a comprehensive and almostinstant snapshot of clinical outcomesacross the trust.

Steve Milan, head of the clinicaleffectiveness team, said the systemusually highlights two or three

unexpected rises in mortality data everyyear. Once an increase is spotted, thegroup launches an investigation lookingat why death rates have recentlychanged, and whether this indicates aproblem with care provided at the trust.

Patient notes are examined to see ifanything could have been donedifferently, and clinicians from therelevant department are asked for theirviews.

In an exciting new development for StGeorges, the same systems are nowbeing developed to create an earlywarning system that will show whenpatients are staying in hospital for longerthan necessary.

As with mortality monitoring, a groupwill meet regularly to discuss length ofstay in wards across the trust, and wherepatients are staying longer thannecessary, the reasons behind the trendwill be scrutinised and solutions sought.

Eventually the system may help free upspace on the wards, leading to shorter

waiting times for patients and a moreefficient hospital.

Steve said: St Georges is leading theway in implementing this system, and

we expect it to deliverreal benefits for patients,allowing them to accessservices more quicklyand to recover in thecomfort of their ownhomes as soon as they areclinically able to do so.

Clinical auditors play animportant role in patientsafety working with

clinical staff to assesswhether care isconsistent withrecommendations fromhigh quality research.

In one such case, a newprotocol was introducedfor patients coming to StGeorges for anangiography, a type ofX-ray that examines theinside of blood vessels,arteries, veins andchambers of the heart.

The test is carried out as a day case and

involves a contrast agent, or dye, being

injected into the jugular or femoral vein.

Patients need to rest after the test, but

following research carried out at St

Georges the amount of time they

spend resting has been reduced.

Clinical auditor, Mike Pollard, said:

Under the old guidelines patients

would rest for four hours. We carried

out a study in cardiology involving 499

patients, where we got them up andabout two hours after the test. Research

has shown that this is better for patient

comfort and helps to reduce any pain.

There were no safety issues and

complications rates were low, so the

two-hour guideline is now in force for

all angiography patients. Thats a good

example of where audit has changed

practice, and patients are benefiting as

a result. We wrote up the study and it

was published in the British Journal of

Cardiology.Clinical audit manager, Kate Hutt, said:

We are about to carry out another

audit looking at the situation,

background, assessment,

recommendation (SBAR) tool that was

brought in, to look at how well that is

being used.

Kate said the way audits are carried outhad changed for the better in recentyears. She said: Until 2003 there wasno central audit team and so there waswide variation in activity across the trust.Now there is an audit team coveringeach speciality or care group. Year-on-year there have been more audits

registered on the trust clinical auditdatabase, and I am confident the qualityof audits being carried out has improved.

The clinical effectiveness team alsoprovides training to staff acrossSt Georges, and the number of peopletaking part is increasing.

During 2008/09 clinical effectivenessand audit training was attended by 332participants, which is an increase of 27per cent over the previous year. A totalof 473 projects were registered on thetrust clinical audit database during the

year, 161 of them carried out withsupport of the clinical audit team, anincrease in activity by the team of over14 per cent.

10 the gazette

Improving

patient safety

Steve Milan, head of the clinical effectiveness team, talks tojunior sister Vennessa Sookhoo about the scheme in place toimprove patient safety issues


11/16

Doctors and clinicians of cardiacsurgery from St Georges took tophonours at the Society forCardiothoracic Surgery of GreatBritain and Irelands annual meeting.

The unit presented eight abstracts, the

highest number in UK.

Specialist registrar, Antonios Kourliros

was awarded the Best Presented Paper,

and Kalypso Karestergiou the Heart

Research UK award.

Specialist Registrar Justin Nowell was

awarded the 10,000 Travelling

Scholarship, which he plans to use

financing a stay at the Cleveland Clinic in

Ohio, USA, a well-known centre of

excellence for cardiac surgery in NorthAmerica. He said: I hope the experiencegained will be something that benefitsnot only me but also our patients back at

St Georges.

Consultant John Smith was appointedchairman of the intercollegiate board.

Professor of cardiac surgery, MarjanJahangiri, said: There were four awardsmade nationally and three were awardedto members of the team at St Georges.Were all very proud of the result.

This reflects the high quality of work bothin clinical and academic cardiac surgeryand success of new and noveldevelopments in the unit.

Sue said she is thinking about moving to

Scotland for her retirement, where shewill pursue her hobbies - walking andmaking quilts. Mostly Im just looking

forward to having a rest, she said.

Zoe Packman, who worked alongside

Sue as a deputy director of nursing, said:She always has the patient at the heart

of everything she does. Sue has doneexcellent work on patient pathways,reducing the length of stay for patients

with a fractured neck or femur, and shehas made a valuable contribution insupporting and developing nursing

practice.

Alison Roberton, director of nursing and

patient safety, said: Sue has also led onthe safeguarding adult agenda and herknowledge and expertise will be missed.

Her focus on what matters to patientsreally shines through.

the gazette 11

Macmillan Cancer Support launchedan innovative new service at StGeorges during February.

Patients and visitors visited the

Infozone, a booth offering informationon all issues relating to cancer. The

booth was located in Grosvenor Wing

for a week and then at the AtkinsonMorley Wing for a second week.

Around 15 people visited the service

every day, seeking advice on topicsranging from treatment options to theirrights at work and which benefits they

may be entitled to.

Beverley van der Molen, Macmillaninformation and education officer at StGeorges, said: St Georges was the

first hospital to be visited by the

Infozone, and it proved to be very

useful for patients and their carers. It

included a screened-off seating area

with an information advisor, internet

access and specialist booklets about

cancer which people could take away.

The hospital is very large and a lot of

departments deal with cancer in oneway or another, so it was great benefit

to have one point where people could

go to ask for help and advice.

The Infozone is just one part of

Macmillans mobile information service,

which also includes a travelling

exhibition which visits events across the

South East, and a team of three

specialists who provide talks for groups

and at community events.

Honours and a scholarship forSt Georges cardiothoracic team

The picture shows left to right, Martina McGill of Macmillan Cancer Research and Beverleyvan der Molen, St George's cancer information officer

New Macmillan service launched

Sue Cooper is going to relax after a long and

successful career

St Georgesborn and bredNurses raised a toast to Sue Cooper asshe retired from her long andsuccessful career at St Georges onWednesday, 31st March.

Sue, deputy director of nursing, was bornon the top floor of St Georges Hospitalat its old Hyde Park Corner site, but onlycame to work for the trust by accident.

She trained at the Royal Free hospital inHampstead and Angus College of Nursing

in Scotland, between 1968 and 1974,and then came back to London as anagency nurse.

She said: I started at Atkinson Morley by

accident. I didnt want to work there butagreed to do it temporarily as a favour,and I was placed in the intensive

treatment unit.In 1992 she joined St Georges at the

Tooting site, where she carried on buildingher career and improving standards andprocedures for nurses. She said: I have

always absolutely loved working atSt Georges, and Im really proud to havebeen part of the team. Ive had my ups

and downs, but Ive loved it and Ive beenoffered so many opportunities.


12/16

btechnology

12 the gazette

The latest technology is helping a St Georgeslaboratory to carry out faster and moreaccurate tests across a range of specialities.

The cytogenetics laboratory, part of the South

West Thames Regional Genetics Service, has

installed a 250,000 automated microscope

that has dramatically decreased the time it takes staff

to analyse and report cases for a raft of specialities.

Instead of taking months, results are now returned

within around three weeks, leading to an increase inthe number of consultants using the service. The lab

processes around 4,000 samples every year and

provides vital screening for specialities including fetal

medicine, paediatrics, obs and gynae and infertility

clinics both here at St Georges and other hospitals in

the region.

The laboratorys quality manager, Will King, said:

There are other laboratories across the UK that have

the same equipment, but we are the first to have

fully integrated it into our clinical and laboratory

management software using barcoding for patient

sample tracking.

Departments we serve have responded very

favourably and it has been a massive morale boost to

staff.

The equipment reduces the risk of errors occurring

during processing and has also freed up some time

for staff to investigate developing other new

technologies to further improve our services for

patients.

This work is also being presented at local training

sessions and national and international conferences

as an example of service improvement.

The 250,000 investment came from a variety ofsources, including the Department of Health, medical

equipment funds, charitable funds and a business

plan approved by the trust.

Doctor at seaClinical Fellow Dr Solne Aoutin has returned to St Georgesafter an inspirational year aboard the Africa Mercy, a formercargo ship converted into a floating hospital.

Solne volunteered for Mercy Ships, which sails the African Mercy

along the west coast of Africa, helping adults and children who

require surgical interventions.

The ship has a crew of more than 400 people, and boasts four

wards, an ICU, a recovery room and several operating rooms.

She said: I had heard of this organisation at medical school throughan ex-anatomy tutor of mine, retired general surgeon Lord Ian

McColl, and had always wanted to go to help out.

In May, 2009, Lord McColl invited Solne to be his assistant for his

time on the ship. She said: Before I knew it I was on the medical

rota looking after ward patients post-operatively and assisting with

the on-call rota for the 400 crew.

I also got involved in land projects where in the space of one week

our team saw more than 700 patients.

I love Africa because it has a magic about it that I have never found

anywhere else.

When you see patients trying to lead a normal life with their

incredibly disabling and often disfiguring medical conditions, whichmaybe have remained untreated for 20 or 40 years, it reminds me

how lucky we are here and that I must never take anything for

granted.

A hand-held ultrasound scanner that is only slightly

bigger than a mobile phone is being trialled at St Georges.

George Sutherland, Professor of cardiac imaging, has been

working with the Vscan device and says that when it is rolled

out across the NHS it will lead to significant improvements in the

triage and diagnosis of patients.

Traditional full-size ultrasound scanners would still be

performed when more a comprehensive diagnosis was

required.

Prof Sutherland said: In terms of clinical practice its a huge

step forward. Here we are giving people essentially an

electronic stethoscope in their pocket that images and looks atall parts of the body.

With adequate training this should mean we can diagnose

rapidly and treat accordingly. It should be an amazing

development.

BBC News visited St Georges recently to film Prof Sutherland

using the machine, the story featured on BBC One and Radio 4.

The Vscan, developed by GE Healthcare, has been approved for

use in Europe and North America and is expected to cost

around 5,000 per unit. It could eventually be used by GPs,

accident and emergency clinicians and paramedics.

Hi-tech scanner trialledat St Georges

Laboratory robot cutswaiting times


13/16

kstaff news

the gazette 13

Staff should always have the right

equipment at the right time and in

the right quantity thats the aim of

improvements being introduced to

the trusts approach to procurement.

St Georges has launched a

programme, Transforming

Procurement, to look at the

methods the trust uses to acquiresupplies. This includes sourcing,

contracting and how we distribute and

manage supplies.

The programme focuses on freeing

up time for matrons, sisters, consultants

and clinicians, so that they are able

to focus on providing excellent

patient care.

This will be achieved by increasing the

responsibilities, capacity and capability

of the procurement team.

Chief executive, David Astley, said: TheTransforming Procurement programme

forms a central part of reaching the

goal of transformation within St

Georges and supports the productive

theatre and product ward goals.

Moira Crabtree, programme manager,

said: This is a long-term programme

which will be hardwired into the

St Georges culture to ensure success

and increase efficiency within the

organisation. An additional benefit of

the programme is that it will deliversubstantial savings.

For example, we are launching a

scheme, the Theatre Case Cart System,

which will assist Theatre and medical

staff by providing the equipment they

need for surgery, allowing more cases

to start on time by addressing needs

prior to going into theatre.

Were aiming for a process where the

right supplies and quantities are

delivered at the right time. A further

trust-wide briefing will be circulatedsoon, covering the objectives, approach

and anticipated benefits of the

programme in more detail.

Thousands of you took part in the2009 Staff Survey, providing themost accurate picture to date ofwhat it is like to work at St Georges.

The results show the trust making goodprogress across the board, and that

improvement projects introduced as a

result of feedback provided during the

2008 Staff Survey are having a positiveeffect.

Questionnaires were sent to 5,903members of staff, and 2,730 (50 per

cent) responded by the deadline inDecember.

Sally Storey, interim director of humanresources, said: I would like to thank

everybody who took the time to respond

to the survey.

It is encouraging to see that working

conditions are improving. We listened to

the opinions, experiences and concernsthat were raised in the 2008 Staff Survey

and have worked hard to address those

concerns.

World kidney dayKidney donors attended an eventheld to recognise the generosity oftheir actions.

More than a dozen donors were atthe event on World Kidney Day,Thursday, March 11, where they heard

from clinicians how important their

donations had been, and of the needfor more organ donors.

There was also a stand at the main

entrance where staff carried out bloodpressure checks and gave advice ondiabetes.

David Astley, chief executive, talks to the team about the Transforming Procurement programme

New approach to procurement

Staff Survey shows progress


14/16

A team of nurses from St Georgestook first place at the 2010Nursing Times Challenge.

The event, staged in Coventry,involved teams from trusts across thecountry competing against each otherin a role playing event.

St Georges interim head of nursingfor patient experience and quality,Laura Dowd, was one of those whotook part.

Laura said: We played the role of astrategic health authority and wereput into a number of situationsincluding a major incident. We had toattend a fake press conference, which

included having microphones andcameras shoved at us, and we had tocollaborate with some of the teamswe were competing against.

It was a really useful exercise and

gave us a good appreciation of the

issues facing the wider NHS, and the

challenges that St Georges is likely to

be facing in the next few years.

The team took first place and wasshort listed in all but one of the othercategories.

Volunteerssought for anti-bullying hotlineA hotline is being launched forstaff members who are concernedabout bullying. The new initiative

is part of a joint project betweenthe trust and Staff Side.

Volunteers are being sought to runthe confidential service, whichwill be operated on Mondays and

Wednesdays from 4pm to 9pm.

The hotline is being provided as part ofthe One Team initiative, in response toconcerns raised in last years staffsurvey about harassment and bullying.

Callers will be able to discuss the mostappropriate ways of dealing with theirsituation by themselves, how to seek

other sources of support and whatformal processes exist if appropriate.

Volunteers operating the line will begiven comprehensive training in how tolisten to callers and provide the bestsupport, information and advice fortheir situation.

Sally Storey, interim director of humanresources, said: We are seekingvolunteers and plan to launch withinthe next two months.

Staff members are still experiencingproblems with bullying, so were

hoping to find volunteers with goodlistening skills who understand thecomplex issues surrounding bullyingand harassment, and are keen to learnnew skills.

Staff Side secretary, Jane Pilgrim, said:Many months of work andnegotiation have gone in to planningthis partnership project, which hasbeen carefully thought out for thebenefit of both the callers and thevolunteers, in order for it to have thebest chance of success."

Once they complete their training theadvisors will carry a mobile phone fortwo five-hour shifts every other monthin their own time.

Would you like to be part of a teamwhich believes in offering confidentialsupport, information and advice topeople who feel that they are beingharassed or bullied in the work place?

14 the gazette

Winning team: (L-R) Abbe Robertson, Jolita

Zarnani, Helen HcHugh, Dana Scott, Laura

Dowd and Dee Kapfunde

New team of nurses will ensurecontinuity of careA new team of nurses who will provide cover across the trust wheneverand wherever it is required will soon be launched.

The nursing response team will be made up of 12 nurses, working day andnight shifts, who will be trained to provide care in a number of areas, and toprovide escalation beds during busy times, without causing a knock-on effectin other wards.

Jenny Muir, head of nursing projects, said: Very often when there is a shortage,nurses are asked to move to a different ward or department to provide cover.

This can be disruptive for patients, who do not receive the same continuity ofcare, and can be annoying for staff who would prefer to stay on their own ward.

We hope this will lead to a reduction in the trusts reliance on agency andbank staff.

Because members of the nursing response team will be employed directly by

St Georges, they will understand the hospital better than an agency nursewould, and cost less to employ.

We are still recruiting at the moment but there are seven staff members alreadyin post, and we expect to be fully staffed by May.

Nurses rise to the challenge

If you are interested injoining the team as anadvisor and would likefurther information, pleasecontact Di Emmerson,executive assistant to theHR director, via email ortelephone extension 2204.

(


15/16

NHS Chief Executive Sir David Nicholson visitedSt Georges on Tuesday 2nd March. During his visitSir David met with clinical staff from St Georges stroke

unit and trauma centre teams and received a tour ofthe Trusts new advanced CT scanner.

Three of NHS Londons non-executive directors visited the Trust

on the same day to learn more about, stroke, trauma and

maternity care. The group also visited St Georges University

where they learnt more about the work that has been done to

widen student access to higher education.

New deputy chairCongratulations to EmmaGilthorpe, who has been boardappointed deputy chair afterfirst joining the trust as a non-executive director in August, 2008.

Trust chair Naaz Coker said: Id like to

thank Paul Murphy for his outstandingcontribution to St Georges over thetwo years he was deputy chair, and

wish Emma all the best as she takes onthe extra responsibility of thisdemanding role.

Emma, who will retain her current portfolio of interests, alsosits on the audit committee, finance committee and the

nominations and remuneration committee. Emma also chairsthe risk assurance and compliance committee and the equality

and human rights committee, and is a maternity champion.

the gazette 15

Cancer informationevening showcasesSt Georges careA cancer information evening

held to highlight the cancer

services available at St Georgeswas hailed a success by its

organisers.

The evening, entitled Evolving Cancer

Care: Working Together Beyond Care

Boundaries, was held in the Hunter

Wing in March, and was opened by

chief executive David Astley.

It covered three main areas of cancer

care at St Georges, including

diagnosing cancer, delivering high-quality cancer services

and supporting patients through their cancer pathway.

The aim was to highlight how St Georges works well withother organisations, such as the PCTs, local hospices and

cancer support groups, to offer patients a seamless care

experience.

June Allen, lead cancer nurse at St Georges said: We had

a fantastic response of about 80 people and it was a very

good mix of professionals and patients. It is important to

highlight how well St Georges works with other

organisations.

Patient user Valerie Emmons said: The event brought

together an interesting mix of people concerned with

current and future cancer care at St George's, including staff

doctors, nurses and managers, plus GPs, students, PCTrepresentatives and local user and support groups.

It was good to have the opportunity to meet new people

and talk over ideas. I think everyone took away with them

some new knowledge and a very positive feeling that St

George's is working hard to develop its already excellent

cancer care both in the hospital and the community.

Veronique Furse, patient user, said: It was re-assuring and

exciting to hear about the extent and variety of cancer

services at St Georges as well as the plans for the future.

Based on the success of this event, the organisers are now

planning another event for spring next year.

Kate Baskerville, A&E superintendent radiographer, demonstratesCT technology to Sir David Nicholson

St Georges demonstratescutting-edge technologyto VIP visitors


16/16

RBalham gig sells out!Even before the gig took place on Friday 12th March, rumours were rife theCrazeefass gig at The Bedford in Balham could be their last. A source closeto the band revealed this month Shola Adegoroye was moving to the NHSIntensive Support Team and key fundraiser Sarah Hart to Canada.To give Shola and Sarah a great send off Jonesys Jukebox collated someparticularly excellent tunes and the band practised hard, as anyone passingBence Jones offices in the evenings prior to the gig would have heard. AlanThorne learnt a fourthchord, Osian Powelldiscovered his voice,Richard Billington foundfaith and the band waspowered by a mysterydrummer.

All proceeds are going tothe St Georges Hospital

Charity, specified for therefurbishment of the familywaiting area in the fetalmedicine unit.

Nurses VoicesSt Georges Day, Friday 23rd April,was marked by the launch of avery special book: Nurses Voices -Celebrating 60 Years Of NursingAt St Georges Hospital London1930-1990.

Nurses Voices captures the oralhistory of St Georges from theperspective of its nurses. More

than 150 interviews and 1,000 hours ofrecordings have been generated,featuring nurses and midwives whotrained or worked at the trust fromaround 1930 to the present day.

Memories of historical events aredifferent for each person and byrecording personal experiences theproject boasts a richness that cannot be

gained from static records. How did itfeel to work in healthcare at theintroduction of the National HealthService? Which clinical practices wereundertaken that would cause uproartoday? What were the personalitiesinvolved like to work with?

Nurses Voices has its origins in aresearch project lead by Kath Start andmanaged by Carol McCubbin from theFaculty of Health and Social CareSciences at Kingston University andSt Georges University of London. The

publication of the book has beenfunded by St Georges Hospital Charity.

16 the gazette

R

RNews from St Georges

Hospital Charity

R Priced at just 25, or 20 for allthose who contributed to the oralhistory project, with all proceedsgoing to St Georges HospitalCharity, the book is available tobuy in the main entrance,Grosvenor Wing on Friday 23rd

April, St Georges Day, andWednesday 12th May, FlorenceNightingales birthday and

International Nurses Day.Copies are also available from thefundraising office, main entrance,Grosvenor Wing.

Schools engagementOur schools engagementprogramme is taking shape, withRokeby School in Kingston namingus as one of its chosen charities fortwo years after a couple of its pupilswere treated on Ocean ward. TheParents Circle raised a staggering1,000 from a cake sale, with greatplans for further fundraisingactivities over the next 18 months.

Sarah Papageorgiou, senior staffnurse, Ocean ward and LisaLewington, play specialist, attendeda school assembly: We are thrilledthe Rokeby Parents Circle haspicked us. The money will buy anew wheelchair to help bed-boundchildren get out in our garden forsome fresh air, and provideadditional equipment, toys anditems.

Walking the WandleFollowing the success last year ofour sponsored walk along the RiverWandle, part of the Wandle Valley

Festival, were supporting the eventagain this year. For moreinformation call Sheila in thefundraising office on ext 4917.

Third year runningWere delighted that the Balham and Tooting Community Association issupporting St Georges for the third year running. The community fun dayon Saturday 12th June is hosted by theSt Augustine Church and Gatton School,both on Broadwater Road, Tooting.

The now notorious and traditional GreatTooting Ambulance Pull will also takeplace that day, finishing the punishingroute through the streets of Tooting atthe fun day itself.

Rfundraising

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the Gazette May 2010

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