News@NLaGStaff and members newsletter December 2014

Winners announced inside!

Page 9 - Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant visits Goole

Page 14 - Meet the cardiac rehab team at Scunthorpe

Page 3 - Karen serves up patient meals on the wards

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to our staff and patients

2 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Facebook postsFrom Scunthorpe hospital: Just how adorable are twins Frankie and Darcy? Stephanie Bennett gave birth to these beautiful babies in September. They weighed less than 5lb each and needed to spend some time in our neonatal intensive care unit.

From Tony Foad: Grimsby hospital is a credit to the British NHS system and shows why we have one of the best health services in the world. I have just spent a week in B6 and I cannot praise the nurses and staff enough. Also of course the surgeons who carried out my operation in fact everyone involved.

Your tweetsFrom @MattOverton3: Was great to see a team effort from all areas of the hospital in response to today’s major incident at @ScunnyHospitalFrom@Mandy_MooMoos: Exceptional service @ GrimsbyHospital today. Appointment made on Friday, been examined, scanned and had results by 10am! (pink rose suite) #OutstandingFrom @GarretBusby: @GrimsbyHospital could I please say a huge thank you to all staff that helped my son yesterday in A&E they were amazing.#youareawesome

From@drneilpease: @NHSNLaG given 58% of frontline staff the flu vaccine. Fantastic effort by our fab occupational health team and all staff.

Contents

Get in touch...Don’t forget we are always on the lookout for great gossip, exciting events and touching tales – if you have something to shout about please let us know!The deadline for the February edition is January 5.Charlie Grinhaff - Tel: 01724 282282 extension 2743Email: charlotte.grinhaff@nhs.net

Lisa Webster - Tel: 01724 387739Email: lisa.webster1@nhs.net

Katie Blackburn - Tel: 01724 282282 extension 2528Email: katie.blackburn1@nhs.net facebook.com/NHSNLaG

facebook.com/ScunnyHospitalfacebook.com/GrimsbyHospital

@GooleHospital, @GrimsbyHospital, @ScunnyHospital, @NHS_NLaG

4 Get May 12 2015 in your diaries for our Best Practice Day

5 Check out our work to protect vulnerable people from fires

6 Are you prepared for winter?

7 Check out the details for this year’s £10k staff lottery draw

8 Bumper two-page look back on the year

10 New dedicated website for members

10 Meet your two newly elected public governors

11 Good news for people needing wheelchairs at our hospitals

12 Meet our new non-executive director

13 Look at medicine management

14 Meet the team ... Scunthorpe cardiac rehabilitation team

15 Picture round-up

Coping in a crisisWhen a burst water pipe sparked a major incident at Scunthorpe hospital staff stepped up to the mark to prove they are prepared for any eventuality. The incident, on a Saturday afternoon, meant there was no drinking water in the hospital, which also had implications for washing patients and toilets were unable to be flushed.Staff on shift and those who came in on their day off responded swiftly and efficiently to ensure minimal disruption for patients. An incident team was quickly assembled and staff contacted local supermarkets to source bottled water and arranged for patients who could be discharged to be sent home. Messages were put out on social media, the Trust’s website and via the local newspapers, TV and radio stations to ask people not to come to A&E if possible and for relatives to bring water in if they were visiting that evening. Fortunately the water supply was reconnected at about 9pm that evening.The Trust has robust plans in place for events like this, which are routinely tested by holding table-top and live exercises where staff from departments like

A&E, operational groups, facilities and emergency planning get together, are given a scenario to react to and have to demonstrate what action they would take in a real incident. Matt Overton, emergency planning co-ordinator, says its vital staff are prepared for such things: “Events like this, that occur unexpectedly and on a weekend, demonstrate just why we need to prepare for major incidents and have resilient and flexible processes in place. Our staff responded well to the situation and demonstrated our plans worked effectively when implemented.”Chief operating officer Karen Griffiths led the response to the incident on the day. She said: “We have major incident plans in place for such events and these were adopted quickly and carried out successfully to minimise any risks to patients. I want to thank all staff. Their efficient response and professionalism made sure patient care never faltered in a situation that was unexpected.”After the incident a de-brief was held to identify any learning points to take stock of for any future events and these will be acted on to further improve our response to major incidents.

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Together we care . . .

Chief exceutive Karen dons her pinny to serve up lunch

Apples are helping ensure patients receive vital malnutrition screening when they are admitted to hospitalThere isn’t a golden delicious, cox, or pink lady in sight though! Instead these are three colour-coded apples that appear on our interactive, electronic WebV boards on our wards across our hospitals.The green, amber and red electronic apples simply show staff at a glance the nutritional status of every patient on their ward, as well as when another Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) assessment is due.Quality matron Hazel Moore, (pictured)who leads on nutrition and hydration across the Trust, said we moved to the nationally validated MUST tool in April 2013 and the next move had been to integrate it with the organisation’s WebV system.This is a bespoke ‘virtual ward’ system which was designed in-house to improve the way patients are managed on hospital wards. It provides access to test results, staff can see which patients are on which ward,

under which consultant and whether they have any particular health needs, and it also flags when vital assessments need to be carried out. Hazel said: “Staff can at a glance look at the electronic boards and quite clearly see if a nutritional assessment has been carried out for a particular patient, what the score is and whether any intervention needs to be carried out.”Hazel said: “Staff no longer have to use a paper-based system and instead can input the data onto the system. It works out the score and presents it as a colour-coded apple. It is simple, efficient, quick to use, clearly identifies who is at risk and also reminds staff when another assessment needs to be done.”MUST is a five-step tool which identifies adults who are at risk of malnutrition.It looks at the patient’s body mass index (BMI), together with whether they have experienced unplanned weight loss recently and how acutely ill they are, an overall risk of malnutrition score is calculated.

Wards also use red trays which clearly identify those patients who require assistance at mealtimes or those patients where we need to monitor their nutritional intake.

Patients and staff on ward 16 at Scunthorpe hospital had a surprise visit from the Trust chief executive Karen Jackson.She donned a pink pinny and helped hospital support assistants (HSAs) Aurelija Lukoseviciene and Jackie Harrison serve up a selection of meals.The first job was to put the soups in cups with special sippers on for those patients who needed assistance.Then it was a case of making sure the right patient got the

right meal. For those patients who had been admitted to the ward that morning, Karen and the HSAs asked them individually what they would like for their lunch. These orders were then sent to the kitchen.Karen visited the ward as part of her programme of working on the frontline. Previously she has gone on patrol with the security team, worked as a domestic and been out on the road with our drivers.

Apples are helping nurses track patients’ nutrition

Do you know? The apples scores are: green, no risk of malnutrition; amber, at risk; and red, very high risk. These scores are used to identify the appropriate management plan which could include being referred to a dietitian, starting a food record chart and introducing fortified meals.

Busy delivering meals to patients on ward 16 are hospital support assistant Jackie Harrison and chief exceuitve Karen Jackson

4 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Together we respect . . .

Our community staff in North Lincolnshire are working with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) to help prevent fire tragedies.District nurses, community matrons, therapists and social care staff in the Scunthorpe South locality, pictured, have been learning about the dangers of air flow mattresses for patients who smoke and other fire hazards to look out for when they visit a patient at home.The fire service is working with different agencies who visit vulnerable members of the community in their own homes, including the police, NHS staff and housing officers.

Michelle Farrell, community safety advocate at HFRS, said: “We want staff to look out for any potential fire hazards and risks when they visit patients at home.“They are our eyes and ears out in the community. So can the patient self-evacuate in the event of a fire? Do they have smoke alarms fitted and are they tested regularly? If they have any concerns they can refer the patient for a home safety check.” The fire service will visit, carry out checks, make a note of anything that would help fire crews attending an incident and they can also offer preventative measures like fire retardant bedding, blankets and

smoke alarms to help keep people safe.

Patient lettersGrimsby“My father was a patient in the Amethyst oncology ward at Grimsby hospital until his death yesterday evening. Throughout his time on the ward, he and his family and visitors were treated by all staff with great care, compassion and professionalism. All members of staff, consultants, doctors, nurses and all levels of support staff consistently conducted themselves with skill and compassion and were a great credit to themselves, their profession, the ward, the hospital and the NHS. We know my father could not have had better treatment and at his, and our, most vulnerable time, every contact with each of the staff lightened our burden and helped us beyond measure. I would be pleased if you could pass this message to the ward and also to the management of the hospital.”From Carole Melville, via PALS.

Goole“Although my appointment was only for a day surgery appointment my experience with the staff at Goole is something that I would like to comment on. Firstly the professional manner with which the staff on the unit displayed put me at ease straight away. They gave me the correct level of information to help with my concerns. I would also like to comment on the level of empathy given to me, it was heart warming and reminded me of the traditional values of nursing. Keep up the good work!”From Tony Hodgkinson via NHS Choices website.

Scunthorpe“My father recently spent a week on ward 25 at scunthorpe hospital. Every member of staff, whatever their role, showed a level of care and compassion that was exemplary. The support they gave to both my father, as a patient, and my mother and I as relatives was exceptional. We cannot thank them enough for their care and attention.” From Susan Vinson via PALS.

Protecting vulnerable patients from fires

Calling all nurses, healthcare assistants, midwives and allied health professionals the countdown has begun to the Trust’s 2015 annual Best Practice Day.Now is the time to pop the date in your diary – Tuesday May 12 2015 - to make sure you don’t miss out on a day to remember.Deputy chief nurse Tara Filby said: “The event aims to celebrate best practice and enable health professionals to network and share best practice and ideas.“For me the event focuses on innovative practice and challenges delegates to think about their own practice and how they might improve it, taking back ideas from the event to their area of work.”Tara added: “It is a day of celebration but also a time to reflect on how you can improve what you do for your patients. Remember it is often the little things that count and helps improve our patients’ experience when they come through our doors.”As in previous years, nurses, healthcare assistants, midwives and allied health professionals are being invited to submit abstracts for either a powerpoint presentation or a poster.

Tara said: “I know there is lots of excellent work going on across the organisation. I want people to come forward with projects and developments they have been working on in the last 12 months that have made a positive difference to patient care.“This is your chance to share best practice, perhaps new ways of working, or what small changes have been made that have made a big difference to our patients. They don’t have to have an academic focus, it could be about how you have changed practice in your area, why and the benefits.”It could be about how practice has been changed after a patient harm, a near miss, a patient complaint, a PALS concern, a patient safety incident or it could be a new way of working that has improved patient care. Tara added: “Whatever you want to talk about it must have been implemented within the last 12 months and no longer. Remember it is often the small things that can make a big difference.”Watch out for further details in the weekly bulletin as the call for abstracts will go out on Friday January 30.

Call for abstracts for best practice day

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Together we deliver . . .

CQUINs are a patient’s best friend

Friends and family test is implemented across the Trust.

Approximately £414,658

CQUINs are a buzz word among hospital managers and the NHS but what are they? We are not talking Strictly Come Dancing’s flamboyant costumes, or the latest fashion craze.

Discharge summary information - audit the action plan and provide a progress report.Approximately £993,192

Reduce or maintain a rate of 5.99 per cent for pressure ulcers.

Approximately £397,277

Clostridium difficile - ensure audits of commodes and toilets are taking place. C Diff staff training is being undertaken.Approximately £744,894

The sepsis six core bundle is rolled out across the Trust.

Approximately £993,192

Pressure ulcers - develop a process to ensure all patients are tracked between community and hospital services.Approximately £744,894

95 per cent of staff to have had a vision and values appraisal by December 2014.Approximately £744,894

Patient experience - demonstrate the actions wards have taken after patient complaints/feedback or comment.Approximately £744,894

Find, assess, investigate and refer patients aged over 75 and train staff in dementia awareness.Approximately £422,107

Lisa Jamieson, Trust head of performance

which is approximately £6.2 million of the entire contract value and this is given to us if we can show we have delivered the CQUIN schemes.Trust head of performance Lisa Jamieson is responsible for monitoring our progress with each CQUIN scheme and highlighting any risk areas where performance is not on track.She said: “The main focus is about improving patient care, making sure people have a good experience and receive the best possible outcomes.“We are aspiring to make patients feel well cared for. To make sure we can demonstrate we are delivering safe, high quality services.”In order to do this staff from the frontline right up to Board directors need to be aware of the importance of CQUINs. Each scheme has an executive lead and an operational lead, and it is their job to ensure we deliver.Lisa said: “For example, there is £414,658 riding on fully

CQUIN stands for Commissioning for Quality and Innovation and is in basic terms a powerful way of improving patient care and driving forward quality.CQUIN schemes are projects, audits or a requirement for us to meet a specific goal which will, once we’ve achieved it, improve the quality of care we deliver to patients.The Trust has nine CQUINs. Three are set nationally by the Department of Health and the others are agreed by the Trust Board and local commissioners.The nine schemes are listed below.The value of each is provisional at this stage and has not been confirmed.Each quarter we have to report our progress with each CQUIN scheme to commissioners.If we have achieved our goals we get a chunk of funding, if we fail we get nothing.Many people think this is extra funding but this is not the case.Commissioners hold back 2.5 per cent

implementing our friends and family test across all three of our hospitals. “If we don’t achieve the rollout we don’t get the money.”Lisa added: “It isn’t all about money. It is about everyone working together to make sure we are continually improving our services for our patients.”

CQUINs projectsOne of the CQUINs scheme is the review of how we track patients with pressure ulcers between community teams and our hospitals.As with other Trusts, sometimes information isn’t shared as quickly as

it should. A multi-disciplinary mapping session was held which looked at how we are working currently and how we can change the pathways to ensure we are able to keep track of every patient.We have now developed an action plan to ensure both community and hospital staff have access to the electronic patient

records when they need it, as well as other actions we need to take to improve the tracking of patients. The new process should be rolled out by March 2015.Lisa said: “CQUINs are helping us to focus on key things we can do to make our patients’ experience a better one.”

6 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Now is the time to prepare for winterSenior nurses having their flu vaccinations thanks to the flu fighters

Be prepared for winter

Are you prepared for winter? People are being urged to ensure they know where to seek help if they are ill during the winter months. Action kicked off in October across the Trust with the launch of the annual flu fighter campaign.The occupational health and wellbeing service staff donned their yellow t-shirts and took the vaccines out and about to frontline staff.In total, (to date November 14) 61 per cent of frontline staff have had their jabs. Scientific and technical staff were out on top of the leaderboard with 74 per cent having had their jabs. Doctors were in second with 72 per cent, support staff 58 per cent and nurses 55 per cent.Scunthorpe operations centre manager and Trust resilience manager Graham Jaques, who leads emergency preparedness, resilience and response for the Trust’s three hospitals, said during the winter staff should keep an eye on the intranet and their NHS mail email accounts as if bad weather hits important messages will be sent out.Graham said: “Winter is here, so we need to be mindful of the problems cold weather and deep snow can bring.“If we get heavy snowfalls this can affect staff’s ability to travel to and from work and to provide essential community

services. It can also be hazardous for patients, visitors and emergency services.”The Trust has an adverse weather manual, which is available on the hub and provides guidance for staff on how to manage exceptional pressures which may disrupt services and staff availability.He said it was also essential that everyone took on board the Choose Well messages which promote self-care and the use of high street pharmacies for common complaints such as coughs,

colds, flu, stomach upsets and general aches and pains.He said it was also essential that staff and visitors who have symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting to stay away from the hospital to avoid spreading the virus. People need to have been symptoms free for 48 hours.

Consultant microbiologist Dr Peter Cowling said: “We realise that people want to visit friends

and relatives in hospital, but patients are particularly vulnerable. “If you have symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting, the best thing you can do to protect your loved one is delay any visits until you are fully recovered and have been symptom free for two days.”People should also be aware that our emergency centres (A&Es) are meant for the management of serious issues that pose a threat to life or limit not for people with colds and coughs. If people are poorly they can seek help from a range of places including:• Having a well-stocked first first

aid and medicine cabinet at home that delas with grazes, sore throats, runny noses and other minor ailments

• For people unsure who to turn to for help, they could contact NHS 111 which is available 24/7. Calls are free from all phones

• Local pharmacies offer expert advice on the management of common illness and complaints

• GPs are the first point of contact for an illness or injury that is getting worse or won’t go away, such as a persistent cough, ear pain of backache

• Minor injury units (Goole hospital), walk-in centres and urgent care centres are ideal for people with minor injuries like minor cuts, sprains, strains, minor burns and wounds.

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George ‘pumped-up’ after winHe already has three British records under his belt and now one of our IT apprentices is celebrating after qualifying for the British Powerlifting Championships next year.George Turner, 17 , won the under 18, under 20 and under 23 categories and came first overall in his weight group, including men, at the North Midlands powerlifting competition last month. He also broke a divisional record making him a real contender for the nationals.It’s a talent that runs in the family as George’s grandfather was also competing and last year George’s dad also took part making them the first family to have three generations compete in one competition. We wish George the best of luck in his attempts to break another British record.

Now is the time to prepare for winter

News in briefPatient photosPatients are being asked to have their photo taken as part of efforts to reduce patient misidentification incidents. WebV, the Trust’s bespoke ‘virtual ward’ system,alerts staff when observations are overdue, gives access to test results and allows staff to view wards or even an entire hospital virtually. Now staff will also be able to see a photo of the patient when they are looking at their details too.

Community teamAn enhanced children’s community nursing team in North Lincolnshire has been set up to care for young people with complex and chronic needs in their own homes and other community environments. Previously, access to the service would have been through an internal route. Now any child in North Lincolnshire, registered with a GP, will have access to the service.

Festive carol serviceStaff and members of the public are invited to a special Christmas carol service on Monday December 8 at 4.30pm at Scunthorpe’s St Lawrence’s Church.It will include an assortment of well-known carols and will be led by hospital lead chaplain the Revd Charles Thody and his colleague the Revd Harry Smart. Everyone is welcome to pop along and get in the Christmas spirit.

Cardio unit workWork on a £3.25million cardiology day case unit at Grimsby hospital has started. Once built it will bring all outpatient and day case cardiology services together in one place. There will be a dedicated cardiac catheterisation laboratory and it will enable the development of state-of-the-art heart failure services.Work is expected to be completed in summer 2015.

Senior nurses having their flu vaccinations thanks to the flu fighters

Who’s going to win £10k?The clock is ticking to the big annual £10,000 staff lottery draw.All eyes will be on the Hub on Tuesday December 23 at 12.30pm when the count down will begin to the big draw.As last year, there will be the usual monthly draw where the lucky winner will walk away with £2,000 and the second prize will get £1,000. There will also be the usual runners up who who each receive £100. Straight after this the draw for the £10,000 will begin.The first randomly drawn name will be in with a Christmas treat as they will receive a whopping £10,000.So, keep an eye on the Hub for the lucky winner of the special Christmas draw. • The November winner was

IT apprentice Mark Akers (pictured on front cover).

Linda Jackson has joined the Trust as our new non-executive director. She’s married, ‘mum’ to a working cocker spaniel puppy and is a local girl hailing from Cleethorpes.Linda studied hotel, catering and institutional management at Grimsby College before graduating from the University of Reading with a Diploma in Management Studies.She took a gamble at the age of 20 and moved to London with just £200 in her pocket. It turned out to be a good decision though as she’s spent the majority of her working life in the capital.Her career in facilities management began where she secured a position of trainee manager for ISS Facility Services. Linda quickly worked her way up the ranks to hold positions including regional director and became board director at the age of 38.In her last 10 years in the private sector she undertook a transformational change role, where she was responsible

for implementing new business and initiatives on a national level.She was then seconded to the defence division of the company to manage the national catering, retail and leisure contract for 21 RAF stations nationally, which was the largest ever contract of its kind in the military.Linda has now moved back to Grimsby and is looking forward to putting her knowledge to good use in her local NHS Trust. She said: “I believe my experiences and skills gained over the last 28 years will be put to good use in contributing to the continuing success of my local hospitals and I look forward to the challenges that lay ahead.”

Meet our new non-exec director

8 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Celebrating together as we take a look back over 2014 January February March

July August September

The SHINE quality network was launched. Over the year quality mentors have been introduced, staff have taken successful ideas into the Dragons Den Scheme and more.Elsewhere: The Trust revamped its website giving it a fresh new look. It was designed with the help of patient feedback.The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP took a tour of Goole hospital and watched a live knee operation.

Endoscopy staff at Grimsby hospital were praised for having an ‘exemplary service’ by Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (JAG). Elsewhere:Official opening of the home-from-home front room on ward 26, to provide a relaxing environment for pregnant women and their partner away from the main ward.A total of 34 wards across the Trust were recognised for achieving 365 days free of C. diff.

Mr Peter Moore retired after 29 years at Scunthorpe Hospital. He introduced keyhole surgery in Scunthorpe after raising more than £100,000 for equipment.Elsewhere:Digital pens purchased for midwives to use after receiving £36,550 from the Nursing Technology Fund.Staff began pledging their support to #hellomynameis campaign.

Staff celebrated the 10th anniversary since midwifery services in Grimsby moved into the purpose-built family services department.Elsewhere: Care Quality Commission recommends the Trust to come out of ‘special measures’ after a major inspection.Stroke services across the Trust were given a clean bill of health following a routine peer review visit.

Staff working face-face with patients are now wearing yellow name badges for clearer identity to patients and visitors.Elsewhere: Results from this year’s PLACE inspection show the standard of food across the Trust has improved.An announcement system was erected outside the main entrance of Grimsby hospital saying “smoking is not permitted on this hospital site.”

Staff completed a 16-week Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), an initiative to improve health and wellbeing by wearing a pedometer to measure daily steps.Elsewhere:Mr Henry Pearson, colorectal consultant, retired after 27 years at Grimsby hospital.A new text message service was launched to remind people of their outpatient appointments.

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Celebrating together as we take a look back over 2014 April May June

October November December

Grimsby hospital announced it is one of the first in the country to offer direct access to CT scans for outpatients. Elsewhere:Disney ward patients received a bumper load of goodies thanks to the annual Easter egg run by Scunny Bikers.Staff began to step forward as Care Makers.

Jug Johal was awarded ‘project manager of the year’ by Hospital Estates and Facilities Management Association (HEFMA).Elsewhere:The public came and witnessed a live knee replacement and a shoulder arthroscopy via video link at Goole and District Hospital.Staff attended a Best Practice Day in Scunthorpe. The aim of the event was to highlight the dedication and innovation of nursing staff.

Reverend Harry Smart has joined the Trust offering a listening ear to patients, staff and relatives.Elsewhere:Nurse staffing levels for wards across the Trust are now available to view online. Data will be published on the Trust website on a monthly basis.A special clinical skills facility at Grimsby hospital has opened where staff will hone skills and competencies allowing repeated practice of clinical tasks.

The annual Our Stars staff awards ceremony took place to mark the achievements of staff who go the extra mile to provide high quality patient care in a clinical or non-clinical setting.Elsewhere:Viv Duncanson, senior infection control nurse, won the practitioner of the year award at the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) awards in Glasgow.The WebV team picked up the ‘Medipex innovation award’ at the Yorkshire and Humber NHS innovation awards.

Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant took a tour around the Goole Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit at Goole Hospital. Close friends of Robert have a family member receiving treatment at the facility.Elsewhere:Patients will now be asked if their photo can be taken for the WebV system to help reduce the risk of misidentification incidents. The intensive care unit at Scunthorpe hospital was reopened after a £560k refurbishment.

Staff have once again taken steps to fight the flu by having their annual vaccination. Elsewhere:One lucky staff member will win £10,000 in the staff SuperDraw lottery.

We wish all our staff and patients a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

10 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Together we speak . . .

The results are in and we can reveal who have been elected as public governors.There were two seats up for grabs, one in North Lincolnshire and the other in North East Lincolnshire.The NE Lincs seats was uncontested, so Liz

Stones has retained her seat for a further three years.Liz said: “My previous nursing and managerial background gives me a valuable insight into understanding the

current issues within the Trust. My main

interest is to ensure the users of the three hospitals are offered a quality service with the optimum outcome. That they are treated with dignity, care and respect and have access to a service that allows them freedom of choice with their healthcare is key for me.”The new governor taking on the NL seat is

Beryl Allison. She replaces former govenor Kath Allen. Beryl is a former nurse at Scunthorpe hospital having worked as a staff nurse, ward manager and night sister.

New dedicated members’ portal launched online

Have your contact details changed?We want to keep in touch with all of our members. So, don’t forget to let us know if your contact details change, including your email address.

To update your details send us a quick email to nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net or ring us on (01724) 387946.

Information is now available at the touch of a button for Trust members thanks to the launch of a new dedicated website.The easy-to-use resource has been launched to help us keep in touch with our members easily.Split into sections, which are easy to navigate, it provides information on:• The Council of Governors

and who they are• Meeting information for

Trust and member events• How to contact the

membership office• The latest member and

staff newsletter• Governor elections, including

an electronic voting system• Member’s benefits.All members - public and staff - have to do is go to www.nlg-membersportal.co.uk where they will be asked to log on.The membership office will shortly be sending every member their own personal ID and password which they will need to enter to be able to access the website.

Membership manager Alison Hurley said: “We have a diverse membership with people of all ages across North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, East Riding, East and West Lindsey, so keeping in touch with our members can be a challenge.“This new website will allow our public and staff members to have easy access to the latest news and information from the Trust. It will include news on new appointments, the development of new services and meeting dates and events.”Trust chairman Dr Jim Whittingham said: “We are delighted with this new website and hope people use it to keep informed about the things happening across our Trust in Goole, Scunthorpe and Grimsby.”Alison said another exciting feature of the website was that it provides a link to the Health Service Discounts website.This is a great place to browse in order to find exclusive discounts, brilliant deals and money-saving offers. It is totally free and simple to join.All members need to do is register for free using the portal and then sit back and enjoy accessing a comprehensive range

of discounts, benefits and money off vouchers.Alison said: “It could be great savings on weekly shopping, major purchases such as TVs or computers or a holiday. You can also compare deals on such things as gas, electricity, broadband, bank accounts and much more.”Other discounts include days out at family attractions, the Apple store, well known stores, holidays clothes and much more.Alison added: “The benefits section is full of fantastic money off and discount offers, so why not log onto to the members’ website and bag a bargain in time for Christmas.”Members who have not received their personal ID or password should contact the membership office on (01724) 387946 or email: nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net

Trust chairman Dr Jim Whittingham

Meet your new public governors

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Together we speak . . . Members’ corner

Spotlight on Goole drop-insAn informal drop-in session for members is proving a hit with East Riding residents who are popping in for a chat with their local governors.People have the chance of having their say at the monthly session, which is held at Goole hospital on the second Tuesday of every month in the Coffee Bean café, located in the main entrance.Public governors Susan Diack, Roy Taylor and John Frost are on hand to sit and listen to people’s comments and concerns.Susan reports below on some of the things they have been able to help people with.The whole idea of the sessions is for people to pop along and have a chat if something is troubling them, or indeed if they want to praise a service or individual.Our aim is to listen, advise and if necessary take their concern or praise back to the relevant person within the Trust so it can be acted on.We always remind people that they should also go through the Trust’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) if they want to complain. It is

really important that people share their concerns with us so the Trust can listen and try to solve them.People come to the drop-in sessions with a multitude of varied issues from car parking to problems with appointments.One of the issues recently brought to us was around equipment and problems with appointments. The patient had been told he needed an ECG stress test using a treadmill and despite requesting an appointment at Goole hospital he was given one for Scunthorpe hospital.When the patient queried this he was informed Goole hospital was unable to do this test anymore but no reason was given as to why. The patient was concerned for two reasons, the first

because of the distance he would have to travel and the second because he thought his case had been referred as an emergency.We contacted the Trust chairman Dr Jim Whittingham and he passed the concern onto the relevant person in the Trust who dealt with it quickly. It came to light that the treadmill had broken and needed replacing. Thanks to our enquiry the equipment issue was resolved and the patient went on to have his test at Goole hospital. If that patient had not raised this with us it would have taken longer for the treadmill to be replaced and future patients needing this test may have had to go to Scunthorpe.Another patient came to us as he had been told that he needed an emergency angiogram but would have to wait a few weeks to have it done. We flagged this matter with the Trust which looked into the matter and resolved the patient’s concerns.I just want to urge people to keep popping along and speaking to us about any issue, good or bad, as it enables us to raise them with the relevant person within the Trust and where possible appropriate action is taken.

North Lincolnshire public governor Harold Edwards has secured a success over a lack of wheelchairs. He explains how below.I work closely with Healthwatch North Lincolnshire as there is a cooperation agreement between the three Healthwatch groups in the NLaG area.When I met up with Julia Pollock, chair of the North Lincolnshire group, one of the concerns she raised was the lack of wheelchairs at Scunthorpe hospital.I took this up with the executive team at the Trust and action was taken immediately to rectify this.Porters were asked to make a sweep of the hospital and return any wheelchairs to the main entrances.

Thirty eight of the 40 ‘missing’ wheelchairs were found immediately.Unbeknown to me, action was already underway and the Trust was looking at the feasibility of attaching some kind of tracking device to each chair.This work is currently continuing having eliminated transmitters with battery packs, as well as radio frequency indentification.In the meantime, replacement wheelchairs are on order, for both Scunthorpe and Grimsby hospitals.And, as there are more chairs at Goole hospital than needed, some of them have been ‘liberated’ and are on their to way to Scunthorpe and Grimsby.“You speak we listen.” Harold Edwards

Wheelie good outcome for patients visiting hospital

Susan Diack

12 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Can you think of an infection control caption for this picture?

Send your entries to viv.duncanson@nhs.net or in the internal post to Viv at Grimsby hospital, infection prevention and control. Entries must be received by no later than Wednesday December 31. The winner will receive a prize and the winning captions will be in the next magazine.Winner of October’s picture competition with his ‘bare below the elbow’ entry was Dr Mahar Kherbeck from ward 3 at Goole hospital. He is pictured with Susan Samways, Lynn King and Joanne Partlington.

Member events for April and May

Picture competition

tt

Members’ corner Member events for December and January

Trust Board of Directors, main boardroom, Scunthorpe hospital

2pm to 5pm, Trust Board of Directors meeting, main boardroom, Grimsby hospital

16

Council of Governors meeting, the lecture theatre, Grimsby hospital

29Tuesday December

Tuesday January

26 Thursday January

‘Twas the night before Christmas on the hospital wardIt was peaceful and quiet, nothing untoward.The night nurse had checked every patient with careAnd found them all sleeping and comfortable there.When out in the hall there arose such a clatterThe nurse went at once to see what was the matter.As she strode down the hall to locate the noiseShe met a fat man with a sack full of toys.He’d a bushy white beard, no doubt loaded with Staph.Was covered in soot and in need of a bath.He wore a grimy red suit and his boots were a messHow he’d slipped through security was anyone’s guess.He lowered his sack to the floor with a gruntThen chuckled and winked, quite pleased with his stunt.The night nurse was furious and glared as she hissed“You can’t come in here and disturb things like this!”“We have rules you know for infection prevention”But for washing his hands, he had no intention.He pulled out his pipe and lit up with a puffThe night nurse was outraged, she had had quite enough.“Can’t you read?” she cried out, “You ignorant clown!”“We’re a no-smoking Trust, you’ll burn

Christmas message from IPC

the place down!”He muttered some nonsense about a sled and some deerBut the nurse cut him short with “You’re not allowed here!”She said he must go, as she had to check drugsAnd could not have him here, just covered in bugs.As a hospital visitor, he did not fit the criteriaAnd was a terrible risk of spreading bacteria.His sled may have brought him a very long wayBut the risk was too high for MRSA.He had travelled the world in his advert for colaLet’s hope he had not been near any Ebola.His travels abroad, I am sure you agreeMake him also a risk of the dread CPE.So the moral of this, if you’re on Christmas EveAnd Santa comes calling, insist that he leave.It may seem quite mean, we know how you feelBut he may have a sack full of C. Difficile!Poem by Wendy Merret, infection and prevention specialist nurse. She retired from the Trust at the end of November.

13

NICE guidelines for medicine prescription

could be at home where he wanted to be” , “I could not have managed without them” and“You gave him a dignified death.”

Some of the team with an anniversary cake

The Macmillan health care team have been celebrating one year on from their expansion. In November 2013 the team tripled in size when they recruited an additional 18 health care assistants to support patients at the end of life.The team look after patients who are terminally ill and have chosen to spend their final days at home. They also offer vital support to families in their loved ones last days. Since expanding they’ve been able to offer night stays and support to more families.

Macmillan team celebrate one year on from staff expansion

As part of the Trust’s SHINE initiative, elements of the NICE guidelines relating to medicines prescription are being published. This aims to remind all staff who prescribe, dispense or review medicines about the key principles. The Trust wants to make it as likely as possible that colleagues adhere to these best practice guidelines.

Healthcare professionals should adapt their consultation style to

the needs of individual patients so that all patients have the opportunity to be involved in decisions about their medicines at the level they wish.

Establish the most effective way of communicating with

each patient and, if necessary, consider ways of making information accessible and understandable (for example, using pictures, symbols, large print, different languages, an interpreter or a patient advocate).

Offer all patients the opportunity to be involved in making

decisions about prescribed medicines. Establish what level of involvement in decision-making the patient would like

Be aware that increasing patient involvement may mean that the

patient decides not to take or to stop taking a medicine. If in the healthcare professional’s view this could have an adverse effect, then the information provided to the patient on risks and benefits and the patient’s decision should be recorded.

Accept that the patient has the right to decide not to take a

medicine, even if you do not agree with the decision, as long as the patient has the capacity to make an informed decision and has been provided with the information needed to make such a decision.

Be aware that patients’ concerns about medicines, and whether

they believe they need them, affect how and whether they take their prescribed medicines.

Offer patients information that is relevant to their condition,

possible treatments and personal circumstances, and that is easy to understand and free from jargon.

Recognise that non-adherence is common and that most

patients are non-adherent sometimes. Routinely assess adherence in a non-judgemental way whenever you prescribe, dispense and review medicines.

Be aware that although adherence can be improved,

no specific intervention can be recommended for all patients. Tailor any intervention to increase adherence to the specific difficulties with adherence the patient is experiencing.

Review patient knowledge, understanding and concerns

about medicines, and a patient’s view of their need for medicine at intervals agreed with the patient, because these may change over time. Offer repeat information and review to patients, especially when treating long-term conditions with multiple medicines.

Staff in the medicines management team, Mike Urwin, Tess Tasker and Karen Roe

Some of the team gathered for a celebration where Helen Mumby, team leader for specialist nurses, congratulated the team on the difference they make to people’s lives and the invidualised care they offer. She thanked the team for their patience, professionalism, empathy, support and for living up to the Macmillan name. She also read out comments from relatives in thank you letters which included: “She wanted to come home and you made that possible”, “You made his last week’s so special as he

14 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Who is referred to us• Patients diagnosed with a heart

attack, heart failure, or who have recently had angioplasty or who are awaiting cardiac surgery

• The cardiac rehabilitation team can be contacted on (01724) 282282 extension 2895.

Meet the team

How would you feel if you had just been told there is something wrong with your heart? Frightened, bewildered? The cardiac rehabilitation team is on hand to help. Did you know that thousands of people are diagnosed with a heart condition each year in the UK? Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of premature death in the country.A team of specialist nurses is on hand at Scunthorpe hospital for those people who find themselves requiring help, advice and treatment for a variety of cardiac conditions.The cardiac rehabilitation team - which consists of rehab nurses Jane Smith and Louise Gore - aims to improve patients understanding of their condition, help them through their recovery, help them to make lifestyle changes and reduce the risk of further events. They also work alongside heart failure nurses Jayne Kelley and Gill Bromby.Jane said: “We work closely with patients and their families through their recovery, and before or after their surgery, in order to help them return to a normal life after an acute cardiac event, or in some cases help them to come to terms with living with their heart condition.“We aim to make initial contact with patients within a few days of diagnosis where possible.”

They work on the inpatient wards across the hospital providing specialist nurse input for those who have had a heart attack, or who are waiting for/or had angioplasty or surgery such as valve replacement or coronary artery bypass graft. They also provide advice about managing risk factors, symptom management, returning to work, physical activity and increasing activity levels. The team also provide vital psychological support to patients and their families.Jane and Louise also get out and about in the community providing cardiac rehabilitation exercise programmes at Brigg, Barton and Epworth leisure centres in addition to a programme at Scunthorpe and Goole hospitals.Jane said: “We are also able to offer a chair-based exercise programme at the hospital for people who have poor mobility.”The team said that when someone experiences problems with their heart it can be a daunting and terrifying experience.Jane said: “Often people come to our exercise programmes and they are worried about pushing themselves too much in case they hurt themselves or they have another heart attack. It is about giving people the confidence to do things again, that it is ok to get out of breath doing exercise. “Patients often bring their spouse with

them to observe which is great, as it also shows them that their loved one doesn’t need wrapping in cotton wool and that it is ok for them to raise their pulse without them being in any danger.” The team work alongside exercise instructors from North Lincolnshire Council who provide a continued exercise programme for patients after discharge from the cardiac rehabilitation team.Mickie O Toole, chairwoman of Heart to Heart, a local patient support group, said:‘I feel passionately about this. The doctors can treat you medically but people don’t realise the psychological impact on your life of living with heart disease.“Therefore even though you are much better physically after treatment the cardiac rehabilitation nurses give you your life back. They give you permission to live your life as fully as possible.”Pictured: back row, from left Jayne Kelley, Jane Smith, Dawn Blakey: front row, Gill Bromby and Louise Gore. Not pictured is secretary Dawn Blakey.

Cardiac rehabilitation team, Scunthorpe hospital

15

Picture box

These lovely ladies in catering at Goole have been serving up meals for nearly 250 years between them. Pauline, Christine, Jayne, Sarah, Debbie, Lynn, Catherine, Mavis, Annemarie, Tracey, Janis and Natalie have all worked at Goole hospital for between five and 29 years - 247 in total. They put their longevtiy down to team spirit and getting on well. Their manager Sarah Cross said: “They are a

great team, they always take pride in their work and always go the extra mile for our patients.”

A chocolate treat was in store for Carol Rushby, a nurse on Grimsby’s

C1 Holles, when she became the one millionth person to use the Trust’s

WebV system since its launch. Christian Small from the WebV team

surprised her with a special certificate and a tin of goodies. Sonya

Walker, an HCA on ward 16 at Scunthorpe, also won a tin of chocs for

recording the most observations on the system - 6,500 in total.

Our school nursing teams are piloting the nasal flu vaccine in schools.

Gabrielle, pictured, was the first year 7 student at St Bedes to receive the vaccine. School nurse Antonia Morwood, also pictured,

Our school nursing teams are piloting the nasal flu vaccine in schools. Gabrielle, pictured, was the first year seven student at St Bedes to receive the vaccine. School nurse Antonia Morwood, also pictured, said: “The big

advantage of the nasal spray vaccine is that it is needle free. It is a quick and painless way of administrating the vaccine and less daunting for children. The pupils we’ve vaccinated so far have been very receptive. There are also

very few side effects, the main one being a runny nose.”

Around 50 members of staff gathered at Glanford Park for the Trust’s

first mentor day. It was organised by our practice learning facilitator’s

to make sure staff acting as mentors are skilled up to provide a a

quality service to their students. A number of workshops were held

to improve mentoring and learning styles. Medicines management,

compassion in practice and the emotional labour of nursing were all

topics covered on the day.

Get in touchAre you organising a cheque presentation on your ward/department? Then get in touch with the communications team on (01724) 387739 and let us know so we can pop along with our camera.

A hairdresser is a cut above the rest after rasing £5,000 for the Pink

Rose Suite at Grimsby hospital. Debby Whydell (front left) a former

breast cancer patient, held a charity ball and wants to thank all who

attended. Next to Debby is Jenny Smith, breast care consultant and

behind is Helen Lindley, advanced nurse practitioner.