Issue 415 17 March 2015

Steps taken to help Infection Prevention We take Infection Prevention and control very seriously. Infection Prevention and control is fundamental to patient safety. This month we are re-launching the WHO (World Health Organisation) ‘My 5 moments of hand hygiene’ across our hospitals, introducing a range of posters aimed at staff with easy to follow instructions on how to follow the WHO ‘My 5 moments of hand hygiene’. We are also reminding staff about our ‘bare below the elbow’ rules.

Angela Richards, our Matron for Infection Prevention and Control said: “My priority is to ensure that all the principles of infection prevention and control are implemented and embedded across all our hospitals - if we get that right, we will see a natural reduction in avoidable healthcare associated infections (HCAI’s).

“To help facilitate effective hand hygiene all staff, within a clinical area, must be bare below the elbows. Hands and arms up to the elbows must be exposed and free from clothing / jewellery – with the exception of one smooth band ring. Nails must be clean, short and free from nail varnish. False or acrylic nails must not be worn. Any staff who do not wear a uniform must also be bare below the elbows when in a clinical area”.

Millom Hospital’s 40th Birthday

Community groups came together with healthcare organisations for a double celebration last week to mark the 40th birthday of Millom Hospital on 12 March 2015. As well as celebrating the birthday of Millom Hospital, the partners who make up the Millom Alliance celebrated their achievements over the last six months by working together.

The 40th birthday celebrations kicked off on Sunday 8 March by Millom Health Action Group who held a sponsored walk called ‘Walk of the Friends’. This was followed by an exhibition of photographs, memorabilia and displays from healthcare partners, including the trust last Thursday at the Tin Chapel on St Georges Road.

Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive said: “Over the last two years we've been working in partnership with Cumbria and Lancashire North Clinical Commissioning Groups and local health providers to review how patient services are delivered in the hospital and community. Together we have created a vision and strategic plan for the future - better care together.

“I’d like to congratulate all those involved and I’d like to wish Millom Hospital and all its staff a very happy 40th birthday.”

Issue 415 17 March 2015

Do you follow our vision and values? You may remember last year we pledged commitment to our pa-tients, workforce and the wider community with the launch of our new vision and values. The Trust Board approved the strapline “a great place to be cared for; a great place to work” with an emphasis on continuously improving the patient experience. Staff, governors and volunteers from across the hospitals led the process and your ideas have helped shape the direction for the Trust.

Our new vision and values provide a clear message that providing compassionate care and high levels of experience remain at the heart of everything we do. The aim was not for the vision and values to stand alone but to be part of what each member of staff does every single day. Through this process we listened to and involved our staff and partners because they are the people who make the difference for our patients. Below is a summary of our vision and values:

VISION We will constantly provide the highest possible standards of compassionate care and the very best patient and staff experience. We will listen to and involve our patients, staff and partners.

VALUES Patients: Our patients will be treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Their experience is our most im-portant measure of achievement. People: Our staff and volunteers are the ones who make a difference. They understand and share our values and this is reflected in their work. Partnerships: Our partnerships make us strong. By investing in them, we will deliver the best possible care to our communities. Performance: Our performance drives our organisation. Providing consistently safe high quality care is how we define ourselves and our success. Progress: Our progress will be improved through innovation, education, research and technology to meet the challenges of the future.

Rumour line

I recently had a questionnaire from Labour posted through my letterbox. The questionnaire said: ‘Together we can save our RLI’. Does RLI need to be saved? Are there any plans to close the hospital? I am extremely concerned by this as I understood that none of the

hospitals are closing?

No, none of our hospitals are closing. Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State, spoke in Parliament earlier this year to quash claims that any of our hospitals will close. Changes to each of our hospitals are proposed through the better care together but none of our hospitals will close. We are current-ly investing heavily in the redevelopment of Royal Lancaster Infirmary,

including the planned build of a multi-storey car park.

As we near the general election there are likely to be more rumours about the future of our hospitals and our Trust. Unfortunately, this is part of the political process. We ask that you please contact us if you have any concerns or worries as a result of a non-Trust communication you receive.

If you would like to learn more about better care together and how it will affect you, head to our webpage here or read our special better care together Weekly News edition here.

We are also holding briefing sessions for staff on better care together over the next couple of weeks. You can find out more about when and where they will be held in the better care together Weekly News edition.

Issue 415 17 March 2015

Born Survivor! Ready to Donate?

In our latest charitable challenge, the RLI Stroke unit have put a team together to partake in a military style obstacle course “Born Survivor.” This is a very exciting and potentially gruelling assignment where members of the RLI stroke Unit will be put through their paces and be tested to their absolute limits.

The aim of this challenge is to raise funds for the RLI stroke unit, who are doing a fantastic job at the moment helping those who have suffered with a stroke. The funds raised will be put towards helping people.

It is known that millions of people suffer from a stroke every year. With your help and kindness, through donations, we can continue to provide a service which would help save lives. Every donation makes a difference; you will be making a difference. To donate just go to www.justgiving.com/Rlistroketeam/ and click donate. It’s as easy as that.

Listening into Action update

Keep your Quick Win suggestions coming in! We have already achieved a great deal, and we were able to complete some of our more recent suggestions very quickly indeed. Work began last week to fix broken PODS and install new Lamson tubes (the pneumatic tube system used to quickly move small items around our buildings), and is due to be completed by 27 March, while we have made more Webex licenses available so that more people are able to host cross-site meetings from their desks, with more training available through the IT team.

Updates: We’ll be holding our second set of monthly “Dump the Junk” days on Thursday and Friday (19 and 20 March), so please contact the Patient Environment Team to collect any old equipment, furniture and other things cluttering up your wards, offices and departments.

Also, please keep your reports coming in to the eyesore.report@mbht.nhs.uk email address and let us know your top ‘eyesores’ around our sites that we need to fix.

Please keep your suggestions coming in for a potential new term for the word “Divisions”! Suggestions received so far include “faculties”, “segments”, “domains” and “branches” – can you think of any more? We’ll be putting your suggestions to a Trust vote at the end of next week.

Further work will be done to develop Manners Monday as part of the Big Conversations around the Values and Behaviours Pioneering Scheme. Big Conversations, involving both staff and members of the public, are taking place throughout the trust at the moment so make sure you take part in any you are invited to: they are your chance to help shape the projects that matter most to you!

Medical Director Informal Meetings

David Walker will be holding his first half hour drop in session in Seminar Room 3, Education Centre, RLI, today Tuesday 17 March 2015 from 17:30. This will be an opportunity to go along and meet David in an informal setting there will be no Agenda and whilst David may not be able to speak to individuals at length in the time available, it will be an opportunity to raise any issues and potentially arrange follow up meetings where necessary.

It is with regret that I also inform you that the first session scheduled for FGH on Tuesday 31 March has had to be cancelled.

The remaining dates are listed for your information.

David looks forward to meeting more of you over the coming months.

Tuesday 17 March Seminar Room 3, RLI 17:45 – 19:00

Tuesday 31 March Conference Room, FGH 17:30 – 19:00

Tuesday 14 April Seminar Room 3, RLI 17:45 – 19:00

Thursday 30 April Conference Room, FGH 17:30 – 19:00

Thursday 14 May Seminar Room 3, RLI 17:30 – 19:00

Thursday 28 May Conference Room, FGH 17:30 – 19:00

Issue 415 17 March 2015

RLI Catering Team visits the Children’s ward Head Chef Lee Till went onto the Children’s Ward at the RLI and took some Gingerbread men for the children to decorate for Mother’s Day, on Monday 16 they were having a Tea Party on the ward, and for Easter the team are taking Gingerbread Rabbits and Eggs on the ward to be decorated by the children. Well Done to all involved for helping make the children smile.

Bay Trust Radio plan The Money Mountain Bay Trust Radio will host their biggest fundraising event of the year in April in association with ASDA Kendal. The event, named The Money Mountain, will commence at 10am on Friday 17 April and will continue non-stop for 38 hours to celebrate 38 years of hospital radio.

The hospital radio station, based in WGH, is staffed entirely by volunteers and relies on the support of local peo-ple and businesses to continue broadcasting each year.

The registered charity broadcasts to patients, staff and visitors of WGH, RLI and streams online so that patients can continue to listen during their convalescence at home.

John Williamson, President and Station Manager said, “The service that we provide is unique to any other station available to patients. We keep them up to date and provide the vital lifeline to the outside world with local news and sport bulletins, outside broadcasts and providing programmes for every generation.”

“We hope that by doing the Money Mountain, the general public of the area can see how we operate for themselves and see the hard work put in by volunteers to make a difference.”

The broadcast will be made possible using sophisticated equipment to broadcast live and continuously for the 38 hours.

Nutrition and Hydration Week We are running a number of events across our hospitals to celebrate ‘Nutrition and Hydration Week’ which runs 16-22 March 2015.

The aim of the week is to raise awareness of the importance of good nutrition and hydration as an important part of quality care, experience and safety improvement in health and social care settings.

‘Nutrition and Hydration Week’ is a collaboration between all our Catering

Services teams, Hayley Reading, Matron for Acute Medicine at FGH, the Dietetics Team, Children’s Ward, Maternity and the Surgical team at FGH.

We have some great events lined up for this week including adding placemats to patient trays to inform them of the importance of good nutrition and hydration; a “smoothie day” and hydration stations at the main entrances of our hospitals.

More details to follow in the next issue of Weekly News.

Job of the week

Issue 415 17 March 2015

Dry January Awards To celebrate the champions of Dry January 2015, Alcohol Concern are launching their second annual awards!

Do you know someone who deserves to be recognised for their Dry January efforts? Nominate them here (http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/for-professionals/dry-january/dry-january-awards-2015/)

Happy retirement Tony Tony Rigby – Principal Pharmacist Clinical Services (FGH) is retiring at the end of

March after 39 years in the NHS, 30 of which have been at Furness General. Tony is a

familiar face on the wards at FGH, heading up the clinical pharmacy services and is

well liked and respected by staff and patients alike. He has also managed and

developed the Medicines Information Service and provided help and advice to

prescribers, pharmacists, nursing and AHP staff across the Bay.

"Thank you to all my colleagues, past and present, who have made working at

FGH so enjoyable despite the many stresses and pressures within the service.

Your co-operation, friendship and support has been very much appreciated and

valued. Significant changes are imminent and I wish you all well in developing

the service we all provide to patients".

Tony will be greatly missed by all of his colleagues and we wish him a long and happy retirement that is well

deserved. Any staff wanting to wish him farewell are welcome to call at the pharmacy department on Wednesday

25 March between 12.00 and 2.00pm.

Happy retirement to Rowan After twenty years, it is time for the renal dialysis unit staff and patients to say goodbye to

Rowan Worsman the unit manager. Rowan has been part of the unit since the beginning

and been instrumental in its development. She has seen it through a transformation from

the cupboard at the end of the management corridor to the bright and airy unit it is today.

The team are planning on saying goodbye to Rowan on her last day Monday 23 March at

2.30pm on the Dialysis unit. Please feel free to pop along and give your best wishes.

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join the Safeguarding Team to deliver a

quality frontline service which will respond to the needs of victims of domestic and sexual violence. There will be

an expectation that the individual appointed will provide the service across South Cumbria, however, there may

be a requirement that support is given to patients within the RLI.

You will hold a CAADA IDVA training certificate or accredited ISVA training certificate or a relevant degree e.g.

social work, or demonstrable equivalent experience. For further details / informal visits contact: Safeguarding

Team on 01524 512425 or email safeguarding@mbht.nhs.uk

Issue 415 17 March 2015