News from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

THe PulseIssue 153 Summer 2018

Staff Awards 2018

www.thh.nhs.uk The Pulse

The Pulse

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THIS ISSUE

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Trust plans to expand A&e

Patients to view own health records

Improved car parking

end of life Care

staff Awards 2018

Work for us

Asthma Champions

NHs at 70

spotlight: Phlebotomy

Jacqueline Walker: Director of Nursing

Governors’ voice

Your feedback

Contents

WELCOME

Shane DeGarisChief executive

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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Summer 2018Issue 153 Focus on mental health

Produced by:The Communications Departmentthh-tr.communications@nhs.netPrint: Streamline Your Print

The Pulse magazine is for our patients, local people, staff and members of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Copies can be picked up from the Trust and downloaded from our website www.thh.nhs.uk.

www.thh.nhs.uk

Cover: Cheryll Alfaro, ITU Sister, winner of the Outstanding Demonstration of CARES Values Award, 2018 Staff Awards

A word from the Chief Executive

Shane DeGaris, Chief Executive

May 14-20 is National Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year, the emphasis is on stress: what it is, why it happens and how to cope with it.

The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) tells us that far from being a reaction to modern life, stress is as old as, well, humans themselves. It evolved as a survival mechanism, a reaction to danger and the triggering of the ‘fight-or-flight’ response.

Fast forward a few thousand years and now, while we may not need to avoid being eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger, the part of the brain that controls the response – the amygdala – is still doing its thing, flooding our system with a cocktail of stress-inducing chemicals when the need arises. Modern-life triggers could be anything from a late-running Tube to debt worries, job pressures or marriage problems.

And now, instead of saving our lives, says the MHF, stress makes us sick. It could even kill us.

But is this leaves you feeling helpless, hopeless and – yes – a bit stressed, don’t despair: the MHF has plenty of information including ways you can get involved and learn how to protect and improve your mental wellbeing. Go to www.mentalhealth.org.uk to find out more.

Trust plans to expand A&EThe Trust is awaiting the

outcome of a planning application to expand Hillingdon’s A&E Department to increase patient capacity. The proposal will:

• Add a new building extension on to the front of the main hospital building on Pield Heath Road

• Relocate the current Urgent Care Centre (UCC)

• Reconfigure the current Fracture Clinic space

• Relocate some of the outpatient clinics.

Under the plans, the new UCC will remain close to the main A&E to enable us to continue to provide integrated care for patients.

The improvement works will cost more than £2 million. The bulk of the money (£1.5 million) was secured following a successful bid to the Department of Health last year. The department recognises that our current A&E footprint is too small for the volume of patients we see, making it extremely difficult to meet targets and manage patients effectively.

The expansion is sorely needed and once complete will help the Trust to increase its ability to better manage patient numbers. The combined A&E and UCC were commissioned in 2013 to accommodate up to 350 patients per day. The department now sees an average of 450 per day and numbers can peak at over 500.

This can mean that A&E is over-crowded and uncomfortable and results in patients having to wait extended periods for treatment.

The Trust is currently re-organising some services within the existing outpatients area and fracture clinic space. Patients will be advised if their appointment is taking place somewhere else.

I recently had the great pleasure of, once again,

hosting our annual staff awards ceremony (see page 8). Our staff work extremely hard to ensure patients have the best possible experience when they are in our care so it always heart-warming to be able to celebrate their efforts.

As reported widely in the media, this year has been the toughest yet for the NHS. It really has taken the steely grit and determination of our frontline (and back office) staff to weather the storm and cope with the relentless demands on our services. They deserve far more than a pat on the back and our awards aim to recognise the fantastic job that they do day in, day out, providing a caring and compassionate service to local people. We know that our staff are highly valued by Hillingdon residents, because you regularly tell us. And not just once a year – I have a steady stream of letters and emails all year round from patients and carers telling me how they were moved by the level of care and compassion that they experienced from Trust staff. It is extremely rewarding to know that despite all the challenges, our staff always put their patients first. I’d like to thank each and every one of them for doing such an amazing job.

The Trust also played host to an Inspection Team from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently. More than 40 inspectors spent time visiting key parts of the Hillingdon Hospital site, talking to staff and patients and looking at how some of our key services work

on a day-to-day basis. They also examined our performance figures in depth. By cross-referencing all this information, the inspectors will decide on a rating for each service they inspected, as well as an overall rating for the Trust. We expect to have their report in early summer.

Regular readers (and Trust visitors) will be familiar with me saying that key parts of our hospital are in real need of an upgrade. While we are still working hard to identify the funding to completely rebuild Hillingdon Hospital we have in the meantime secured around £1.2 million from the Department of Health and Care to put towards expanding our A&E department (see opposite). This is sorely needed as it is currently one of the smallest in London for the number of patients we see. We have recently submitted a planning application and will keep you posted on developments.

I hope you have an enjoyable summer.

Challenge yourselfSetting yourself goals and

challenges such as learning a new language or a new sport, helps to build confidence. This will help you deal with stress.

Help other peopleevidence shows that people who

help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, become more resilient. If you don’t have time to volunteer, try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone to cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues.

Work smarter, not harderPrioritise your work and

concentrate on the tasks that will make a real difference.

Try to be positiveLook for the positives in life, and

things for which you’re grateful.Try writing down three things that went well, or for which you’re grateful, at the end of every day.

Accept the things you can’t change. Changing a difficult situation isn’t always possible, so try to concentrate on the things you do have control over.

Four ways to ‘stress bust’

Mental health has been in the media spotlight of late, with everything from children’s mental wellbeing to

pressures on NHS mental health services being reported, and stars such as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and singer Sam Smith joining the ranks of those happy to open up about their mental health battles.

www.thh.nhs.uk The Pulse 4 5

PAgE TITLENEWS NEWS

We’ve improved our parking Car parks and parking systems at both hospitals have changed.

Gwen’s latest milestoneVolunteer Gwen Dyer has

marked 55 years with the League of Friends. She has been a volunteer for so long her tenure pre-dates the building of the main hospital at Hillingdon.

Trust Chair, Richard Sumray, presented Gwen, 88, with a basket of yellow roses and a certificate of recognition of her service.

Gwen actually joined the League in October 1962, later becoming Treasurer then Chair, and now works a few hours per week serving in the Baby Boutique in the Maternity Department.

As well as extensive surface repairs, there are new ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) ‘pay on foot’ systems in the Maternity and main public car parks at Hillingdon and in the Treatment Centre public car park at Mount Vernon. ‘Pay on foot’ enables parkers to pay for the actual time they’ve parked rather than wasting money on unused parking time.

The Trust’s three public car parks have new barriers, cameras and payment machines, enabling payment by cash, debit/credit card and contactless card. Pay-by-phone is planned for the future. Some older solar machines have been kept and moved to other locations, to increase coverage closer to parking spaces.

Steve Wedgwood, Assistant Director of Facilities said: “The introduction of these new modern parking management systems

in our main public car parks will improve the experience of patients and visitors parking at our hospital sites, making it easier to pay, and only for the time they have parked.

“This investment is allied to work taking place to re-surface the roads and car park areas at the sites to deal with potholes

and access. Because of the great demand on our hospital car parks we are also actively working, as part of our Green Travel Plan, to encourage more people to cycle to our sites. Working with Brunel University London and Hillingdon Council, a Santander bicycle docking station will be installed at Hillingdon Hospital this summer.”

Soothing sensory blankets help dementia patients

Finger food a hitThe Facilities Catering Team,

working with the Dietetics Team and speech and language therapists, plan to introduce a range of ‘finger food’ plated meals – which are ideal for patients with dementia who can find knife-and-fork dining confusing, and may already prefer to eat small food items using their hands.

The servings are all nutritionally balanced and meet all other Trust requirements. They were tested at a taster session on the Trust’s dementia-friendly Beaconsfield east Ward recently.

Patients to view own health records

The happy couple

Hillingdon is currently piloting a new system called the Care Information exchange (CIe) which will allow patients to access their own health records from the comfort of their own homes.

The Care Information exchange is a new online health document system that securely holds a range of patient information, which could include hospital appointments, care plans and test results. It can be viewed by all the healthcare professionals involved in a person’s care as well as the patient themselves. Patients can also allow family members or carers to view the information.

In addition, patients have the

Trust helps love blossom

Donation for scannerMidwives and mums-to-be have

the generosity of local Rotarians to thank for a vital new piece of equipment.

The Rotary Club of Greenford bought a £7,500 portable ultrasound scanner with money from a bequest by the family of the late Claude Osborn, a Consultant at the former Perivale Maternity Hospital.

Anita Hutchins, Head of Midwifery and Women’s Care said: “The scanner is a potential lifesaver, allowing clinicians to rapidly scan a woman showing potential problems with her pregnancy.”

Older adult patients, especially those with dementia, frequently display restless behaviour including fidgeting, pacing and general agitation. They can often benefit from a ‘fidget blanket’, which could be a blanket, muff or cushion.

Made with tactile materials, such as buttons, zips and ribbons they provide patients with something to occupy their hands. As a multisensory comforter, these blankets can help to soothe patients, decrease agitation and anxiety, reduce restlessness and relieve stress, providing an alternative to tearing up tissues or picking at skin.

They can also serve as a valuable talking point, encouraging interaction and triggering memories. At the same time

the bright, attractive colours in the blanket provide some visual stimulation for the patient. They can also help to keep knees snug and warm.

Assistant Audiologist, Alison Clark, alongside her mother and sister, have been working tirelessly creating therapeutic blankets for the Trust’s older patients.

They have donated around 50 blankets already this year, that have all been given out to patients.

Vesna Lee, Occupational Therapy Assistant, said:

“Thank you to Alison for providing regular donations of handmade fidget blankets for our patients on the Older Adult Wards. We are so grateful that she makes these sensory blankets, and in her own time.”

For information and tips on dementia care please visit Alzheimer’s Society’s website: www.alzheimers.org.uk.

Vesna Lee and Alison Clark with patient Cynthia Jennings who has just

received her blanket

Steve Wedgwood, Assistant Director of Facilities, with one of the new ANPR car park barriers

A woman born at Hillingdon Hospital in 1958 recently returned for another life milestone – a proposal of marriage in front of the Maternity building.

Kathleen Wells and her partner, Frank Deij, were on a trip to London from Holland, where she has lived since 1966.

The proposal was a surprise, engineered by Frank with help from the Trust’s Communications Team. Luckily, she said ‘yes’, and after commemorative photographs, the happy couple headed off for a glass of bubbly.

Charity funds new HoverMattsPatient manual handling has

been giving a real lift from some kit bought by the Trust charity.

The Health and Safety teams are now the proud owners of three ‘HoverMatts’ and two ‘HoverJacks’ - inflatable mattresses designed to make moving and lifting larger patients much easier.

The mattresses can be inflated quickly using an electric pump. HoverJacks can elevate a patient from floor to bed level, and with a lifting power of up to 80kg,

they can handle even the biggest people.

HoverMatts are used to move a patient effortlessly on the same level, such as from bed to trolley.

They come at a price, however, and Health and Safety needed to apply to the Charity, who gladly stumped up the £14,000 needed.

HoverMatts have been placed in theatres at Hillingdon, on Grange Ward to serve the Tower Block and in the Stroke Unit. The HoverJacks are on Grange Ward and in A&E.

option to keep their own notes about their health in the same place: The system allows patients to upload other health-related information such as data from fitness trackers or heart rate monitors.

GPs in three of Hillingdon’s surgeries are currently offering the service to patients who are over 65 and have multiple health conditions, and over time the aim is to make it available to everyone.

The system is funded by the Imperial Health Charity. It was developed by Patients Know Best, a social enterprise organisation, in partnership with the NHS in North West London.

www.thh.nhs.uk The Pulse

FEATURE

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NEWS

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Hospital care is most focused on helping

people to recover from an illness or better manage living with a specific health condition.

However, if there is one certainty in life it is that all of us will die one day. And when that time comes, the Trust aims to do the very best it can to support patients and their families. Dying will never be an easy thing to discuss, but being clear about what you want and talking about it in advance with loved ones and care professionals can make all the difference.

Working togetherThe Trust’s well-established

Palliative Care Team work not only with clinical teams throughout the hospital but alongside all the key care providers in Hillingdon to ensure adult patients get the best possible support in their final days from the whole of the healthcare system.

Some patients may be known to the team because they have been a patient with a long-term condition. Some may have recently

received a terminal diagnosis or have been referred by a Trust doctor, local GP or community health worker.

The team’s aim is to support the specific needs and wishes of each individual patient. That could be anything from help with symptoms on admission to hospital, to sourcing home care for patients who want to return home, as well as providing specific personalised support for people who are in their last days or hours of life.

Advance care planningClaire Sheppard, the Trust’s

Managerial Lead for end of Life Care says: “We want every Trust patient who is expected to have less than six months to live to have an advance care plan.”

Liz Bunker, the Trust’s Macmillan Lead Nurse for Palliative and end of Life Care adds: “The plan is created by care professionals together with the patient and family. It helps everyone involved

Providing the best care at the end of life “Our main aim is to ensure that people who are in their final days or hours of life get the right care, in the right place and at the right time,” says Jean Potter, Hillingdon’s Clinical Lead for End of Life Care.

to fully understand what it is that a person wants when their time comes. This includes treatment plans and where they would prefer to be cared for when they die. We will do everything we can to see those wishes fulfilled.”

extending support servicesJean, Liz, Claire and their

colleagues are working hard to ensure that the support provided is the best it can possibly be. It is clear to the Trust that end of Life Care (EOLC) is everyone’s business. Macmillan and the Trust have agreed joint funding for a new eOLC Facilitator – a specialist nurse who will work across the Trust to train colleagues so they are familiar with the advance care planning process and all the support and services that are available for patients.

Further, work with Hillingdon’s Care Commissioning Group has recently secured funding to establish a new 24-hour single point of access. This service

Senior End of Life Care Team: Jean Potter, Liz Bunker and Claire Sheppard

aims to ensure that all palliative patients approaching end of life, and their carers, have a single point of contact for accessing care via an experienced healthcare professional or dedicated phone line to a multidisciplinary team. This is expected to be available later this year.

Thanks to funding from Hillingdon Hospitals Charity the team have also been able to provide a new quiet room on Hayes Ward at Hillingdon Hospital, where patients and families can discuss care plans in private.

What is palliative care?Palliative care is given when there’s an advanced progressive illness and a person cannot be cured. ‘Palliative’ means alleviating a problem and relieving pain, rather than curing the underlying cause. It can also be for complex illnesses that aren’t necessarily advanced, or for conditions that haven’t received a final diagnosis. The support specifically addresses health, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

Trust’s vision for end of life Care“Patients at the end of their lives receive the best quality, patient-centred, individualised care, with their loved ones involved and supported, all provided by staff who are prepared, able and confident to care.”

New 20-bed hospice unit proposed

This will provide critically-needed hospice beds in the borough, which currently has access to fewer than 20 specialised hospice, and advanced-care beds, for local people who are sadly facing their last days.

Harlington Hospice currently provides dedicated hospice support to people in their own homes. However this is not suitable for all patients meaning some people are inevitably admitted to hospital.

Once complete, the new unit will boast all en-suite bedrooms set in a supportive, calm and peaceful environment. All of the rooms will look out onto green open space and some will have a small private patio area enabling patients to enjoy being outside during good weather.

It will cost about £3.5 million to build and will take up to 12 months to complete. Some of the money will come from grants and funding bids. A large-scale public fundraising campaign is also being launched. The charity will initially borrow the money to get the project underway but wants to repay any loans as quickly as possible to ensure more of its funds are spent on patient care.

Steve Curry, Chief executive of Harlington Hospice said: “There is an urgent need for end-of-life

hospice beds in Hillingdon. The limited availability of hospice beds is shocking given the growing need for this kind of care. It’s also why we see more people dying in a hospital bed in this borough than in many other places.

“We are keen to get the building work underway as soon as possible so that we are able to provide local people with the best possible care, in the right setting, in their final days.”

Hillingdon Council is expected to consider the planning application in mid-May.

Harlington Hospice was established more than 30 years ago. It currently does not provide residential beds. However, it provides a hospice end-of-life care service to people in their own homes, as well as day care, counselling, children’s bereavement support, dementia support, wellbeing services, services for carers and lymphoedema clinics.

Hospice care aims to improve the lives of people who have an incurable illness.

Hospices provide care for people from the point at which their illness is diagnosed as terminal, to the end of their life, however long that may be.

The new quiet room on Hayes Ward

Harlington Hospice has submitted a planning application to build a brand-new 20-bed end-of-life care unit at its

headquarters in Harlington.

To make a donation to Harlington Hospice visit: www.harlingtonhospice.org/singleregular-donations

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YEAR REVIEW NEWS

Staff Awards 2018: Celebrating our wonderful staffThe Trust recently hosted its celebratory awards ceremony to pay tribute to the achievements of staff over the last year.

Around 200 guests attended the event

at the Park Inn hotel at Heathrow to hear who had won the coveted trophies. The winners are a closely guarded secret and are only announced at the awards ceremony.

The event also celebrated the commitment of staff who have reached a long service milestone with the Trust ranging from 15 to 30+ years’ service. This year 127 staff qualified for a long-service award, clocking up an impressive

2,250 years between them.The public are also invited

to nominate staff in the Compassionate Care category.

Speaking at the event, Trust Chief executive Shane DeGaris said: “The last year has been the busiest in the Trust’s entire history. It makes it even more heartening to hear that our staff have shown nothing but a total dedication and commitment to deliver the best possible service to our patients and their families. I am incredibly proud of them all.”

Congratulations to the winners and all those nominated!

Outstanding Teamwork Award:Bevan Ward

Chairman’s Innovation Award:ICT Systems Development Team

Chief executive’s Team Award:Maternity Team

Chief executive’s Award:Liz Bunker, Lead Palliative Care Nurse

Compassionate Care Award:Dr Richa Ajitsaria,

Paediatric Haematology

Quality Award:Miss Victoria Cook collects the award

on behalf of Sarah Dean, Obs & Gynae Medical Secretary

Outstanding Demonstration of CARes Values Award: Cheryll Alfaro, ITU Sister

The awards were supported by Hillingdon Hospitals Charity and sponsored by:Thank you to our sponsors:

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FEATURE

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NEWS

This is where the Paediatric Asthma Team at Hillingdon Hospital come into their own. They are delivering a new range of initiatives to ensure children in the borough and surrounding areas receive the best, most up-to-date and effective care tailored to them.

Asthma is the most common long-term condition in children and young people and can severely impact a child’s everyday life. At

staff training and adherence to guidelines, before the schools can be awarded Asthma Friendly School status.

Improved school resultsSince the launch of the

programme in September 2017, St Helen’s School in Hillingdon has been awarded Asthma Friendly School status, with many more working towards this.

The schools programme helps identify children with poorly controlled asthma, reduces absence from school, and improves results - as better asthma control helps children to sleep well and enables them to take part in more activities. It also helps reduce the stigma associated with asthma.

The valuable work of the team doesn’t stop there. As part of reducing the numbers of children coming into hospital for asthma related care, the team are also helping to improve knowledge of asthma care in the community.

As part of this they have created an animation video for use in Primary Care for both clinical staff and patients. This looks at asthma reviews, pinpoints triggers, and highlights treatment and control measures. The animation will be rolled out in the community with an aim to cascade this nationally.

Alison Summerfield, Senior Paediatric Respiratory & Allergy Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “The animation has been created to support our Primary Care colleagues to carry out a structured asthma review as part of their asthma service. It is hoped that Hillingdon’s Childrens’ Asthma Project will enhance the care that all children with asthma receive, whether that be in school, the community or hospital. Children with sub-optimally controlled asthma are being identified early through our structured schools programme.

“Our childrens’ asthma pathway alongside the close links with our

Paediatric care is never a straightforward task. Looking after children who are unwell requires a

whole different level of care, understanding and skill to engage this patient group effectively.

A still from the Hillingdon Asthma Champions animation

Asthma Care Team reach out to schoolsHillingdon Hospital, 765 children were admitted with asthma and preschool wheeze last year.

Taking time out of school to attend hospital appointments can be disruptive and affect school work. To address this the team at Hillingdon have taken their care out into the community with the launch of a Schools Asthma Programme. They ensure schools meet the London Asthma Standards, with rigorous

School Nursing Service and Primary Care colleagues is supporting children and their families to better understand and manage the condition.”

The animation video can be seen at https://youtu.be/z7V8oB4zhks.

Work for us and join a team that CARES

If you are thinking of making a move in your career – come and join us at Hillingdon. Our CAReS values guide our decisions, our teamwork, how we support our people and how we deliver our patient care. If you share our values, you’ll love working for us.

Work life balance – Our staff scored us in the lowest 20% of trusts for working extra hours, and among the lowest for feeling unwell due to stress levels.

location – We benefit from a range of good schools and colleges, affordable housing, a subsidised nursery, over 200 green spaces, great shopping and easy access to London, the M25 and Heathrow.

Training and development –We are in the top 20% of trusts for appraisal and training; and we offer a great preceptorship programme for new staff to build a positive foundation for your healthcare career.

Quality patient care – We are in the top 20% of trusts for staff satisfaction with care quality offered to patients.

Friendly, supportive staff – The main reason staff and patients recommend us is because we are the friendliest place to work. Our positive and helpful attitude means less stress and pressure.

Diversity – Hillingdon borough is one of the most diverse communities, and our workforce mirrors that diversity.

Future developments – Our forward-thinking Accountable Care Partnership, together with other local healthcare partners, is creating the future of care right now. And we offer greater opportunities with our Academic Centre for Health Sciences in partnership with Brunel University, London, which is right on our doorstep.

Asthma-friendly schoolsThere are a set of standards that schools should meet to be asthma friendly. These include:

• Schools having an asthma policy

• All children with asthma should have a care plan

• All school staff must be trained in the care of children with asthma

• All schools should hold an emergency inhaler, in addition to children’s own inhalers

• Schools should be able to easily identify students with asthma by maintaining a register.

A still from the Hillingdon Asthma Champions animation

L-R: Consultant Stephen Goldring; Paediatric Respiratory & Allergy Nurse Specialist, SJ Stock; Senior Paediatric Respiratory & Allergy Clinical Nurse Specialist, Alison Summerfield;

Medical Director, Abbas Khakoo; and Paediatric Respiratory Clinical Nurse Specialist, Stevie Strutton

www.thh.nhs.uk The Pulse

It was in 1942 that Sir William Beveridge published his now famous report which formed the basis for the post-war reforms known as the Welfare State. These included the expansion of National Insurance and the creation of the National Health Service. In fact, a National Health Service was only part of the vision that set

out to banish the ‘five evils’ of squalor, ignorance, want,

idleness, and disease. Of course Britain was at war in the dark days of 1942 and that had to be over before such a radical set of measures could be properly considered.

With peace came progress toward legislation, and in November 1946,

the National Health Service Act went on to the

statute books. Hostilities immediately

broke out between the government and the

British Medical Association –

the doctors’ representative body was not initially a fan of the Act, and it took two years to win it over.

But by the summer of 1948

the new

FEATURE FEATURE

12 13

Yes, the NHs, our cradle-to-grave, free at the

point of delivery health service, provided solely in terms of need and without reference to ability to pay, is 70 years old this year. There is plenty to celebrate and the NHs plans to do just that.

It is a venerable institution and a much-admired – even loved – part of British life. Those who can recall a time without it are thin on the ground and long in the tooth, but those who owe their longevity to it are legion.

This is the Blood Tests team, aka the Phlebotomy Department. The team of 32 regularly see upwards of 450 people a day at both Hillingdon and Mount Vernon hospitals. And blood was taken from more than 192,000 patients last year, carefully documented and sent to the lab for analysis.

Blood tests are an important way to diagnose and monitor conditions, from the tiredness experienced by a student to the effectiveness of cancer treatment, so the department often plays a pivotal role in patients’ treatment. Team members are split across the two hospital sites and also work at local GP surgeries. The department at Hillingdon is a walk-in service, with no appointments that opens every weekday at 7am.

Senior Phlebotomist and Manager, Irene Moriarty, says the queue is often all the way down the corridor by the time the doors open. “It is a convenient time for people to come”, she says. “People who are on their way to work, people who are fasting ready for their blood test - it’s a good time for them.”

every morning at Hillingdon a team of eight phlebotomists tour hospital wards taking blood from

Team that is busy taking bloodAn often overlooked hospital service plays one of the most

important roles in deciding what treatment patients receive.

patients. The result of these tests often determine whether a patient can go home. “Some wards are prioritised so that patients can be discharged that day,” Irene explains.

Outpatients can typically wait three to five days for their test results, but digital communication systems have helped reduce the amount of time this takes. Technology has also enabled recent improvements within the department. A digital waiting system, which was built by the Trust’s IT Team, allows patients to see their current waiting time, and the

phlebotomists are able to track in real time how

many people have been seen and how many are waiting.

It takes three months to train a phlebotomist, and new staff are

trained on the job. each phlebotomist

is identified by a tracking number

and

everything that is sent to the lab is marked to show who took the blood.

Irene says every day is incredibly busy and pressure is high to make sure everyone is seen before they close at 4.30pm, but it is the “variety, supportive colleagues and meeting so many interesting members of the public that make the job a pleasure.”

Phlebotomist, Ather Mohammed, takes blood from Palwinder Kaur at the walk-in clinic

Some of the Hillingdon Phlebotomy Team

Mount Vernon Phlebotomists

Happy 70th birthday to the NHs

system was in place and ready to start serving the people of Britain. Monday 5 July was ‘day one’, and it is this day that is celebrated every year as NHS Day. It was formally launched when Health Secretary, Aneurin Bevan opened Park Hospital in Manchester.

In this 70th anniversary year, 5 July will be a special day among months of celebrations and events.

Both the BBC and ITV plan a series of special programmes to celebrate not just the NHS as a body but the people who work within it. Parliament will be recognising ‘NHS heroes’, where MPs find and honour NHS staff in their own constituencies, and ‘Big7Tea’ tea parties and competitions for children are also in the pipeline.

You can help us celebrate by telling us your own local NHS stories by emailing: thh-tr.communciations@nhs.net.

The NHs in numbers• Planned expenditure on

the NHS in 2018-19 is £126.27bn

• The NHS is made up of 135 acute (urgent care) non-specialist trusts (including 84 foundation trusts such as Hillingdon)

• There are 7,454 GP practices (46 in Hillingdon)

• The NHS employs about 106,000 doctors; 285,000 nurses and health visitors; 21,000 midwives and 20,000 ambulance staff.

meeting interesting members of the public makes the job a pleasure

The result of these tests often determine whether a patient can

go home

” “

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PROFILEgOVERNORS’

VOICE

Jacqueline is a familiar face at the Trust, having joined in 2008 as Deputy Director of Patient experience and Nursing.

she has led on a broad range of work including the most recent (and current) Care Quality Commission inspections. she has also had responsibility for improving the patient experience, safeguarding children and adults and developing the nursing workforce. she is enthusiastic about developing our services and ensuring the highest standard of care.

within the constraints we face.And we want all of our patients

to have a positive experience in our care.

How do you aim to address the challenges?

I am working alongside my colleagues to consider new opportunities and innovative solutions to address staffing vacancies. We are keen to ‘grow our own’ nurses through the Nursing Apprenticeship Scheme and other initiatives; this is alongside more effective recruitment nationally and internationally.

Our staff need to be at the forefront of change and improvement. And I really do believe that our staff have the answers to ensuring we continue to deliver the highest quality of care to our patients but also that we do this in the most effective and efficient way.

You’ve been at Hillingdon a long time now, what’s the attraction?

It has been an absolute pleasure working at the Trust for the past ten years; the time has flown

by and I really do believe that it has been the people that have kept me here. The staff here are so responsive and dedicated and they truly make a difference to not only patients and their families but to their colleagues and the wider healthcare team. I have also had the opportunity to broaden my skills which has maintained my interest in my work and the Trust.

What’s the best thing about working here?

The ‘can do’ approach of our staff and their welcoming and friendly attitude. Also I think the challenge of working in such a difficult environment and how staff support each other through the pressures really inspires me and makes me feel proud to be

‘one of the Hillingdon

team’.

Jacqueline Walker:Director of NursingThe Trust’s recently appointed Director of Patient Experience and Nursing sets out her aims to improve the patient experience.

14 The Pulse

What is your overall vision for improving the patient experience?

Firstly that we have an empowered and capable nursing, midwifery and AHP workforce that has a strong voice in championing the Trust’s values and the highest standards of professional practice.

Secondly we need to work as effectively as possible with our partner organisations to always consider the patient’s best interests and ensure their care needs are met at each and every opportunity.

Finally, we need to listen to what our patients say about their experience of the care we provide. And most importantly of all we need to act on it. I want to help create more opportunities to give a voice to patients so that we can take their views on board when developing services.

What do you see as the main challenges?

ensuring we have a full complement of staff who are motivated to provide the highest standards of care. Addressing staffing gaps is a challenge for the whole of the NHS but we are working hard to recruit more high- quality staff.

We also need to ensure we put patient safety at the heart of everything we do and uphold our vision to deliver high quality care

People in Partnership meetingsCome along to our next PeopIe in Partnership (PiP) meeting to find out the latest Trust news.

Wednesday 18 July

6.30pm for 7pm

education Centre, Hillingdon Hospital

everyone is welcome. To become a member of the Trust, please contact the Foundation Trust

Office on 0800 8766953 or via thh-tr.foundation@nhs.net

Staff Governor Sheila Bacon helps ensure staff have a voice

I have been a staff governor now for four

years. Initially it felt like a daunting role and I

was somewhat reticent to get involved. However, after one of the executive Team explained the importance of staff representation to voice the concerns of other Trust employees, I was persuaded to embrace the challenge.

My clinical role entails a lot of cross-departmental working so I get to see and hear from a wide variety of staff. This, however, does not mean that I will see and meet everybody, so it is important that staff are able to raise concerns through local staff governors. Our patients and visitors are equally significant and their issues are also part of our remit to report back to the Board if necessary through our Non-executive members.

There are six staff governors in total all working in different departments.

We are there to listen to any concerns staff have about how their department or the Trust as a whole is being managed. We are very eager to hear if people believe there are issues not being addressed that impact on the safety and quality of patient care or staff wellbeing. It is important to ensure first line initiatives and procedures are explored to resolve matters in the first instance, but if these fail staff governors should be informed.

As governors we can only assist in the best possible governance of our hospital within the limitations of available resources, so I believe it is important that we use our resources as smartly and efficiently as possible and we are always happy to hear ideas on how we can improve things. The staff governor group work together

as one body which means we are more able to share widespread hospital issues.

If you have any concerns you would like to raise with a governor please contact 0800 8766953 or thh-tr.foundation@nhs.net.

Sheila BaconStaff Governor

Other dates for your diary

PiP meeting

Tuesday 4 December 6.30pm for 7pm

education Centre, Hillingdon Hospital

2018 AGM17 September 2018

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CHRISTMAS

The Pulse

gOVERNORS’ VOICE

gOVERNORS’ VOICE

Top Tweets

Throughout my treatments here, care has been excellent, both from doctors & nurses, reception staff etc. All very nice & helpful. I feel that I have been very fortunate to be under the care of Dr Watson & his team.

Treatment by one particular surgeon and staffI was referred to Breast Clinic in March 2018 under care of one particular surgeon. I was pleased with the efficiency of the service. I would also like to thank the Clinical Nurse Specialist Breast Care who was so supportive and caring. My care in the Day Unit was excellent. My husband and family are heartily grateful to this particular surgeon for his expert care and attention. I would definitely recommend Hillingdon Hospital’s Breast Clinic to anybody requiring breast treatment.

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