thegazette

June/July 2013issue 33

Promoting visible leadership

2

Trust news

Front cover shows: (l-r) Laura Bland, junior sister, Breege Skeffington, ward leader, coronary care unit and Almira Pagco, senior staff nurse in the new uniforms

With thanks to Yusuf Ozkizil and Emma Durnford for their photography services.

the gazette is written and published by the communications team. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust. If you have a story for the gazette, please email: communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk

the gazette

3 A word from... Miles Scott, chief executive

3 Trust news 6 Membership matters Foundation Trust next steps:

choosing our Council of Governors

8 Patient perspective Liam Spring

9 Spotlight on Listening into Action

10 Past and present Living our values awards Nominate a member of staff today!

11 Patient safety Patient feedback 12 Charity news

CONTENTS

St George’s marked International Nurses’ Day on Friday 10th May with the trust’s annual nursing awards.

Awards were presented for Nurse of the Year, Midwife of the Year, Healthcare Assistant of the Year and Mentor of the Year. All award nominees were put forward by fellow colleagues for their outstanding contribution to nursing practice over the last 12 months.

This year’s special guest was Caroline Alexander, chief nurse for NHS England (London region) who made a presentation on compassion in practice. This was followed by a presentation from Yvonne Connolly, head of patient safety, and Kristina Hager, infection control nurse, on their experiences on a trip to a hospital in Ghana, featured in the last edition of the gazette.

Also presented at the event was the ‘Auntie Lucy’ award, a nursing education award of up to £1,000. The award is named in memory of former trust employee Lucy Kpobie, and presented to

individuals or teams who wish to develop an area of practice or develop a new initiative for the benefit of patients.

A special award was also given to staff nurses Bronwyn Dunstan and Laura Bland this year, in recognition of their bravery in leading patients to safety from a fire at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton in February.

The list of 2013 award winners is as follows:

• Nurse of the Year winner: Jennifer Kwamin. Runner-up: Lorraine Paruma

• Midwife of the Year winner: Margaret Flynn. Runner-up: Kate Sutherland

• Healthcare Assistant of the Year winner: Aruk (Vicky) Vingineswaran. Runner-up: Mary Godfrey

• Mentor of the Year winner: Maria Lizza G. Maya. Runner-up: Mercilyn Braithwaite

• ‘Auntie Lucy’ award: Presented to Clare Tattersall, a senior healthcare assistant, and the general intensive care unit (GICU) team.

International Nurses’ Day celebrated at St George’s with awards event

This year’s winners and runners-up

of the St George’s 2013 nursing

awards

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Trust news

At last it seems warmer weather has finally arrived at St George’s, moving away from what was a cold and busy winter period for the trust. The return of warmer temperatures is always welcome after the winter months, as are the range of colours of the new flowers planted for the season.

With this in mind, I was fortunate enough to visit the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year to see the First Touch garden, created in tribute to the work of the neonatal charity of the same name at St George’s Hospital. I was delighted to hear the garden received one of the show’s prestigious gold medals, and you can see the sheer beauty of the garden in the fundraising section.

In this issue of the gazette you will find information on a number of big developments at the trust. Our public consultation on becoming a Foundation Trust (FT) ended in April, and we have been digesting the responses we received from patients, staff and stakeholders. Our membership section will guide you through the next steps we plan to take to move forward in our pursuit of FT status.

Our spotlight section takes a closer look at the Listening into Action programme. This is an initiative which aims to achieve a fundamental shift in the way we work and lead, putting clinicians and staff at the centre of change for the benefit of our patients, staff and the trust as a whole. From our conversations with staff, we have identified priorities for change that will make us proud to do the very best for our patients and their families.

You may have recently read about a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection which took place at St George’s Hospital earlier this year. This inspection found a high standard of care in most cases and the majority of patients reported having a good experience, praising the work of our staff.

However, there were also a number of observations where the care provided or the environment for patients fell short of expectation. The report identified six areas where action was required, and there were no issues which were judged to have a major impact on patient care.

We have submitted an action plan to the CQC which outlines the measures we have already taken to address the concerns raised by the inspectors. We will work hard to make improvements where they are needed, and inspectors from the CQC will visit St George’s again in the near future to check we have made these improvements.

Preparations for this continue to ensure we meet all the standards we are measured against, and to make certain that our patients have access to the high standards of care they have a right to expect.

Having this level of scrutiny is important, and I know our staff have worked hard to make improvements in patient care. Indeed, in a recent national survey also commissioned by the CQC, St George’s was shown to have maintained and built on the improvements we have made for inpatients. You can read more about these survey results on page 4.

I hope you enjoy reading the gazette and would welcome feedback you have via email to communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk

Miles Scott Chief executive

A word from...

MILES SCOTTchief executive

St George’s consultant wins prestigious award for osteoarthritis researchDr Nidhi Sofat, consultant rheumatologist, has won a national award for her work leading research into osteoarthritis, the world’s most common form of arthritis.

Dr Sofat was awarded the Michael Mason Prize in Rheumatology, which is awarded by the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) to recognise innovative work in rheumatology research. Winners of the Prize receive the Michael Mason medal, a prize of £1,000 and the opportunity to present their work at the annual BSR conference.

Dr Sofat said: “I am delighted to have been awarded the Michael Mason Prize. It means the work I have been doing in understanding osteoarthritis pathophysiology over the last 10 years has received national recognition, and highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms underlying this most common arthritic disease. We now plan to build on the success of this award by conducting future studies and clinical trials at St George’s to help improve care for patients. I am grateful to all our patients and collaborators, past and present, who are contributing to our work on a daily basis.”

St George’s therapy consultant joins national expert databaseLouise Briggs, allied health professional therapy consultant for acute rehabilitation, has been selected to join a database of expert health professionals who will help develop national policies for services involving older people. The expertise that she and other healthcare professionals provide will help to develop policies and commissioning pathways for older patients nationally.

Louise said: “Joining this database is a great opportunity to raise the profile of rehabilitation for older people and to be able to influence best practice at a national level. I hope that by taking a role in helping to develop clear guidelines we can improve the standard of healthcare for these patients across the country.”

Gazette survey – thanks for your feedback!Thank you to those who have completed our survey on the gazette. The feedback has been really useful and we will be making a few exciting changes in the next edition of the gazette so watch this space!

You can still give us your feedback by completing the form online at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/VQZNWNJ

Dr Sofat with her award outside the Sir Joseph Hotung Centre at St George’s Hospital. The centre is home to research into musculoskeletal disorders, special interest clinics and national and international meetings

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Patients at St George’s Hospital are finding it easier to tell who’s in charge on their ward thanks to the Towards Visible Leadership initiative, launched in April.

The initiative was started following feedback from patients that it was not always clear which nurses were responsible for what on the wards, who to talk to about specific issues and who they could raise any concerns with. To help make things clearer, the trust has adopted new uniforms across all wards which is helping to remove any confusion.

• Bright red uniforms with white piping are now worn by senior sisters and senior charge nurses, making them much easier to identify for patients, staff and visitors to the hospital

• Junior sisters and junior charge nurses now wear a grey uniform with red piping

• Grey uniforms with white piping are now worn by senior staff nurses

Nurses who are in charge of the shift also wear a red name badge. All other nursing staff continue to wear blue uniforms, and healthcare assistants wear lilac uniforms.

Uniforms in other areas across the trust will be reviewed in the coming months to determine what is appropriate for different and more specialist settings.

As well as helping patients, the new uniforms are also a hit with staff. Breege Skeffington, ward leader on the coronary care unit, welcomed the new uniforms: “Being a ward leader brings on far more responsibility – we all work as a team, but all good teams need a leader.

“These uniforms definitely stand out, which is important because the public need to be aware of who to go to for information, advice and direction when on the ward.”

Alison Robertson, chief nurse and director of operations, said: “Each ward has always had a dedicated leader responsible for managing the ward, but feedback told us that patients were unsure of who was in charge.

“By giving senior staff a distinct identity they will be more visible to colleagues as well as to our patients and visitors.”

Trust news

Inpatient care at St George’s continues to improve

The 2012 Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey of adult inpatients has shown that St George’s has maintained and built on its improvements to inpatient care.

The national inpatient survey is an important indicator of how all NHS trusts in the country are performing, and the 2012 survey

looked at the experiences of patients who were admitted to hospital for at least one night.

This year’s survey rates St George’s as ‘about the same’ as most other trusts in the country for all 70 questions. Specifically there were six areas where the trust has improved significantly from their results last year:

• More patients felt their room or ward was clean

• More patients were encouraged to give their views on the quality of care they received

• More patients felt they received clear answers from the questions they asked nursing staff

• A choice of food was given to more patients

• More patients thought staff were clear in the advice they gave and did not contradict each other

• Fewer patients reported nurses talked in front of them as if they were not there

Alison Robertson, chief nurse and director of operations, said: “The results of this year’s survey show we have successfully maintained,

and in some cases built upon the improvements we have made in inpatient care. This would not have been possible without the continued hard work and dedication of our staff, which reflects the huge progress we have made in three years.

“While we are pleased with these results, we should also use the opportunity to focus on additional areas which will improve the patient experience. Feedback from our patients is fundamental in helping us to identify where we need to do better.”

All babies born at St George’s Hospital were given a special gift - a ‘That’s Not My Dragon’ book, kindly donated by Usborne Publishing. Receiving a copy of the book is new mum Asia Naeem with baby Yahya.

The Friends of St George’s sold red roses in celebration of the day and raised £680 in the process!

Mayor of Wandsworth Cllr Adrian Knowles cuts the St George’s Day cake with Catherine Pursey, a public member of St George’s who was also celebrating her birthday!

St George’s Day celebrations

On 23rd April, St George’s Day was celebrated with

a number of activities around the trust.

Promoting visible leadership

Senior sisters and senior charge nurses

Junior sisters and junior charge nurses

Senior staff nurses

The uniforms have received positive feedback on Twitter with one user commenting:

@MrsWandle – Fantastic idea! Purposeful and eyecatching. A practical initiative. I am sure they will wear their rank with pride.

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Trust news

School therapy teams win praise in Ofsted reportsThe trust’s community children’s therapists’ team have been recognised for their hard work in two recent Ofsted school reports. In their latest inspections the schools, Greenmead and Paddock, were rated ‘outstanding’, the highest possible.

Therapists were specifically mentioned by the inspectors, who commented on therapy staff working collaboratively with health and education staff to support children with complex needs at the schools. Inspectors also mentioned the way in which therapists have taken the lead on developing and implementing integrated health and education plans for pupils.

The report for Greenmead School stated: “Teachers work extremely well with therapists and specialist staff to provide excellent intensive all-round support for pupils who have more complex medical, physical and sensory difficulties.

The close-knit teamwork of all the staff means that these interventions are carried out seamlessly without withdrawing pupils from their learning activities, so that no precious learning time is lost.”

The report for Paddock School was also glowing, and called the partnership between nursing staff, therapists and the school as “exceptionally effective”.

The teams work within the special school therapies team, which

consists of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and therapy assistant staff. They work across eight special schools, catering for pupils with a range of needs and conditions including autism, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment and learning difficulties.

The special schools therapies team are part of a larger children’s therapies department. The therapists are based in a range of

sites including St John’s Therapy Centre and Queen Mary’s Hospital. Robert Young, clinical team leader for special schools therapies said: “This is fantastic news - the teams at Greenmead and Paddock Schools have clearly excelled, especially in working as part of the school team and in providing such a dedicated service. It is great to have the hard work of special school therapy staff recognised in the Ofsted reports.”

A robotic surgical technique which allows the accurate removal of cancerous tumours from the kidney has been performed for the first time in the UK at St George’s Hospital.

Using ‘Firefly’ technology in the da Vinci surgical robot, the technique is known as immunofluorescence assisted partial nephrectomy. This is a form of minimally invasive surgery which uses green dye to determine the blood supply to a kidney tumour. This allows surgeons to facilitate excision (removal) of the tumour.

Knowing the exact pattern of blood supply to the tumour enables surgeons to spare as much kidney function as possible whilst removing the tumour.

Dye injected into the patient shows up under the da Vinci robot’s specialised camera as

UK’s first ‘Firefly’ kidney surgery performed at St George’s

bright green light, which gives the technology its ‘FireFly’ name. The procedure was performed by Professor Alex Mottrie, a worldwide expert on robotic partial nephrectomy surgery from Belgium.

Chris Anderson, consultant urologist, said: “Partial nephrectomy is a complex operation and requires excision of the tumour and reconstruction of the remaining healthy kidney. Using this latest technology we are able to achieve this better than has been possible in the past.

“It is an excellent innovation and we are fortunate to have been part of the pioneering process of this technique in the UK.”

Dye injected into the patient shows up under the da Vinci robot’s specialised camera as bright green light, giving the technology its ‘Firefly’ name

Chris Anderson (right), consultant urologist, and Professor Alex Mottrie, a worldwide expert on partial nephrectomy who performed the procedure

Greenmead team (left to right): Francesca Annesley, physiotherapist, Shelley Soni, speech and language therapist, Louise Ray, occupational therapist, Harri Creighton-Griffitths, physiotherapist, Kate Greaves, occupational therapist

© (2013) Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

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St George’s members will shortly have the opportunity to vote for the trust’s first Council of Governors. Establishing a Council is an important part of the trust’s application for Foundation Trust status and Governors have a key role in monitoring the way that the trust operates.

The Council of Governors provide an important link between members and those who run the trust. Governors do not have any operational responsibilities but work with members of the Board to decide how health services should be developed to serve the needs of the communities the trust serves.

There will be a total of 28 Governors when St George’s becomes a Foundation Trust. 15 Governors will be elected by the trust’s public members, five by staff members and there will be eight appointed seats for key stakeholders including local commissioners, academic partners, patient representative groups and local authorities.

Over the next few months we will be holding a series of Governor Awareness sessions at which members can find out more about what being a Governor involves and how the election process works.

Six sessions have been confirmed so far:

Tuesday 16th July11.00 – 13.00hrs: Staff members’ session 19.00 – 21.00hrs: Public members’ session

Tuesday 23rd July11.00 – 13.00hrs: Public members’ session 19.00 – 21.00hrs: Staff members’ session

Saturday 20th July11.00 – 13.00hrs Public members’ session

Each session will include information about the progress of the trust’s Foundation Trust application, the way in which the trust works and the services that it delivers. There will be a detailed look at the role and responsibilities of Governors and a chance to hear about the experiences of Governors in other Foundation Trusts. Members who want to stand for election are asked to write a short election statement and provide a photograph. To make this process easier there will be a section about writing effective election statements and an opportunity for photographs.

Peter Jenkinson, director of corporate affairs explained: “We want to make sure that everyone who is interested in standing for election as a member of the

trust’s first Council of Governors has all the information and support they need. We will explain the election timetable, give some examples of how to write an eye catching election statement and we will have a photographer on hand so that candidates can have their photo taken. There will also be time to answer any questions about the trust, the elections and what happens after the results have been announced. The sessions will be quite informal and I would encourage any public or staff member who is curious about being a Governor to come along.”

The election is a vital part of the process which should see St George’s authorised as a Foundation Trust by the independent regulator Monitor

Membership matters

Foundation Trust next steps: choosing our Council of Governors

If you would like to attend a session please register by calling the membership office on

020 8266 6132 or by email members@stgeorges.nhs.uk

Venues TBC on booking.

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The Governors also have to approve the appointment of the chief executive. Governors are accountable to the members who elect them and form a vital link to the communities that the trust serves.”

The elections, which are scheduled to take place in Autumn 2013, will be conducted by independent administrator UK-Engage.

Membership matters

during 2014. Governors have a vital role in the life of a Foundation Trust. Peter added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in the future of local health services. The Council of Governors is consulted on plans for changes to the way local health services are delivered and is responsible for appointing the trust chair and non-executive directors.

Correction: April’s edition of the gazette published the article ‘all you need to know about norovirus’ and while the advice in the article was correct, the information was not provided by medical microbiology consultant Matt Laundy. We apologise for the error.

St George’s Community Open Day will take place on Saturday 12th October 2013 from 10.00 – 15.00hrs.

Co-hosted by St George’s Healthcare and St George’s, University of London, the event is an opportunity for visitors to speak to staff about the wide range of services offered by the trust and go on behind-the-scenes tours of some of the departments, as well as the research and study that staff and students are involved in.

Physiological Birth:Promoting Normality conference The Physiological Birth: Promoting Normality conference is taking place on 7th October 2013 and is open to prospective parents and those working in maternity services.The conference aims to raise the profile and social importance of normal birth and breastfeeding. The keynote speakers include Professor Denis Walsh, associate Professor of Midwifery University of Nottingham, Dr Amali Lokugamage, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and author, Whittington NHS Hospital and Linda J Smith, international breastfeeding expert and founder of BFLRC (Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre).

The conference is taking place in the Monckton Lecture Theatre, ground floor, Grosvenor Wing, St George’s Hospital, Blackshaw Road, SW17 0QT. The cost of the conference is £40 and a light lunch will be served.

To register, or for further information, please email normalbirth.conference@stgeorges.nhs.uk.

Foundation Trust proposals finalised!We would like to thank everyone who took part in our Foundation Trust public consultation between February and April 2013.

We received over 500 formal responses from people throughout our local community, including patients and staff, who gave us valuable feedback on our membership and governance proposals.

The response to our plans was overwhelmingly positive but we did decide to make two significant changes as a result of the feedback:

• We have reduced the number of public Governors from our regional constituency from six to four and increased the number of public Governors from the Wandsworth constituency from four to six

• We have increased the number of staff Governors from four to five, adding a Governor to specifically represent the views of our community services staff

The formal consultation report is now available to read on our website www.stgeorges.nhs.uk. The report explores the responses we received and explains how we made our final decisions in more detail. If you would like a hard copy of the report, please call the membership office on 020 8266 6132 or email members@stgeorges.nhs.uk.

We are still on track to become a NHS Foundation Trust in 2014. The next step in our application will be to make a submission to Monitor, the organisation responsible for authorising and regulating Foundation Trusts, which we aim to complete this summer.

Save the date!

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Two-year-old Liam Spring was a patient at St George’s in early 2013 for surgery to remove a cancerous kidney tumour, known as a Wilms tumour.

Liam lives with his parents in Bexley, and in February 2013 he had a minor operation at the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London. In the days after his operation, his mum Melissa noticed that something wasn’t right with Liam, and took him to their local urgent care centre.

“The doctors weren’t sure what was wrong with Liam. I thought it might be to do with his operation, but this was ruled out. At first they thought he had a virus or tonsillitis.

“I knew something definitely wasn’t right - there were times at home when he would just sit on the sofa and stare, which isn’t normal behaviour for a toddler, and certainly not usual for Liam.”

The doctors pressed on his abdomen and found his stomach was swollen, and Liam was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital on 18th March, the day after his second birthday.

Melissa remembers the news they were told by the consultant at the hospital very clearly.

“My partner Steven and I were taken into a side room and the consultant went through the possibilities of what could be wrong with Liam; one possibility was a cancerous tumour.

“Much like any parents would, we asked what the chances were the tumour would be benign (non-cancerous), and were told that this was very low. Life pretty much stopped for us at that point.”

An ultrasound later that morning confirmed what

doctors had suspected – that Liam had a cancerous tumour.

Melissa says: “We were told it was either a neuroblastoma or a Wilms tumour, and that a biopsy would have to be taken to find out exactly what it was. We were also advised not to research either of these on the internet so that we didn’t worry ourselves unnecessarily.”

The next day Liam was transferred to St George’s, with a biopsy of the tumour taken the day after.

The results of the biopsy revealed Liam had a Wilms tumour, a type of kidney cancer. It is not known what causes a Wilms tumour to develop.

“The same day the doctors started chemotherapy treatment. I was amazed at the speed at which we had got to that stage; only a week before we were unsure of what was wrong with Liam, and now he was on chemotherapy.”

Liam was put on a drip and Melissa and Steven stayed at St George’s with Liam for the next eight weeks.

“We practically lived at St George’s during this time. We were really helped by the staff on Pinckney Ward, who prepared us for getting used to the ‘new normal’, as they called it. We were able to adjust to the surroundings better this way.”

Melissa also found warm words for the staff on the wards.

“The nurses and student nurses on the ward were absolutely brilliant. Liam used to hate having his blood pressure taken, but he built up such a trusting relationship with the nurses that he became relaxed around them – he even began to look forward to seeing them every day on the ward!

“The play specialists were also great. Liam was unable to go to

the play room on the ward due to his treatment, but Doreen, the play specialist on the ward, always came over to him and made sure he had something to do, really keeping him in high spirits.”

After a few days on the ward, Liam then underwent a long and complex operation aimed at removing the tumour, which lasted almost nine hours. Led by Mr Bruce Okoye, consultant paediatric surgeon, the operation was high-risk.

Melissa said: “The operation successfully removed the tumour, but Mr Okoye told us that it was one of the most complex surgeries he had performed. The tumour had attached itself to Liam’s liver and diaphragm, and was stuck to the major blood vessels in his abdomen called the aorta and inferior vena cava.

“We were on the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for three days after the operation and again, the staff were excellent. We then moved back up to Pinckney Ward, which Liam was very excited about as he could see all his favourite nurses again!”

Slowly but surely, Liam is getting back to a degree of normality. Despite all the treatment and gruelling chemotherapy, Melissa is full of praise for the way he has handled everything that has been thrown at him.

“Liam is a strong, resilient lad – he has truly amazed us with everything he has had to put up with. He accepts everything he needs to do and is incredible.”

Looking to the future, Liam must now complete his 27-week course of chemotherapy, as well as scheduled radiotherapy. His mum is hopeful.

“The fact the surgery went well and that 70 per cent of the tumour had died due to chemotherapy before his operation gives us real confidence that Liam can come through this.”

Melissa also said: “I cannot speak highly enough of the staff involved in Liam’s care. Liam always felt comfortable and secure in his time at St George’s. As parents and for Liam too it had been an extremely hard time, but the positive outlook and warmth we had from the staff has really prepared us for the fight ahead.”

Patient perspective

Liam Spring,PATIENT, CHILDREN’S SERVICES

Liam with his parents Steven and Melissa

Liam in August 2012

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Spotlight on...

Listening into Action was introduced at St George’s in April 2013. Its aim is to bring about a fundamental shift in the way we work and lead, putting clinicians and staff at the centre of change for the benefit of our patients, our staff and the trust as a whole.

How does it work? Listening into Action has met with great success in other NHS organisations. It involves:

• Connecting and bringing people together across boundaries

• Empowering clinicians and staff to get on and make the changes we all want to see

• Collaborating to come up with good ideas and then quickly turning them into action

• Celebrating our successes and using our stories to inspire others

• Sharing ownership and responsibility for improving care for our patients and working lives for ourselves

When we began the programme we established a small sponsor group – a group of passionate and influential people from all areas of the trust, including doctors, nurses and managers – to oversee the project and help facilitate the adoption of Listening into Action throughout our departments.

What have we done?Survey: We’ve conducted a staff survey, known as a pulse check, to gauge how our staff are feeling. More than 1,400 staff members took part and told us that around 65 per cent feel happy and proud to work in their particular area, team or department. Around 78 per cent of staff who responded, though, are frustrated that too many day-to-day issues get in the way. Staff also told us that there is room for improvement in all aspects of communication within the organisation – up, down, across

and between teams. At the end of the programme we will carry out the same survey and the results will tell us whether the actions we take through Listening into Action have improved the way staff feel.

Big Conversations:Listening and responding to staff is fundamental to the programme, so in April and May we held six Big Conversations which were attended by over 350 staff from across the organisation. These events, hosted by chief executive Miles Scott, created a forum for people to discuss what gets in the way of delivering the very best experience for patients, and what specific and practical changes could be made to have the biggest impact on patients and staff.

All the feedback from these events has been carefully considered by the sponsor group and several clear themes have emerged. These themes will determine what changes we prioritise across the trust over the next few months.

Acting quickly

Our Big Conversations have made one thing very clear – there are areas where we can act quickly and make a big difference:

• IT – frustrations around IT were aired at every event and it is something that clearly impacts on staff in their daily

work. We plan to undertake a major corporate IT project to make sure our systems are reliable, responsive and ready when needed.

• Values – our values came up at every Big Conversation; there is a great strength of support from staff about the values – excellent, kind, responsible, respectful. We are re-launching the values awards and will publicise these and the values themselves (see page 10). We have also committed to provide practical guidance to staff to challenge behaviours that breach our values.

• Capacity and operations – there were lots of comments around how we work together to get the right patient in the right place at the right time and we have established plans including increasing our bed capacity and improving patient transport to help with this.

Longer term plansSome of the areas identified for improvement require more detailed planning, such as staffing levels, improving the physical environment and

corporate and back office processes. The sponsor group is looking at how these things can be improved in the long term but we know that by tackling each of these carefully we can really make a difference to staff and patients.

What’s next?We’ve asked teams to put themselves forward to use the principles of Listening into Action to make changes or improvements in their area. We’re going to support 10 teams to be the first to try it out and are in the process of working our way through a list of 75 applications.

There will be more information about the progress of Listening into Action later in the year, but for more details on the programme please contact Liz Woods, Listening into Action programme lead, on 020 8266 6475. Staff can visit the Listening into Action intranet pages for more information.

Please get in touch with any of the sponsor group if you would like to know more about Listening into Action.

Here are some of the sponsor group photographed after the Big Conversation at Queen Mary’s on 13 May 2013

SEATED – Alison Ludlam, divisional director of nursing and governance, Vicky Morrison, senior sister, Sam Prigmore, nurse consultant, Su Ryan, clinical team leader. STANDING – Liz Woods, LiA lead,

Paul Silke, matron, Jenni Doman, general manager, facilities, Miles Scott, chief executive, Peter Jenkinson, director of corporate affairs, Wendy Brewer, director of human resources, Chris Flatt, dietetics manager, Jane Pilgrim, staff side secretaryNot present: Yvonne Connolly, head of patient safety, Julia Crawshaw, general manager for women’s services and Sarah Hammond, consultant, anaesthetics

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The living our values awards are back, and all staff, patients and public are invited to nominate an individual member of staff or team who they feel demonstrates our values.

When filling out your nomination, please indicate on the form which value you are nominating your choice for.

Nominating is easy: Simply fill out the short nomination form which you can download from our website www.stgeorges.nhs.uk, or pick up at the main reception desks at St George’s Hospital, Queen Mary’s Hospital and our health centres. Fill out the form and return it to reception staff or email it to awards@stgeorges.nhs.uk. Staff can also pop their completed forms in internal mail to the awards office, Grosvenor Wing, St George’s Hospital.

The winners will be publicised on our website and in the gazette.

Past and PresentChampneys WardChampneys Ward is named after Sir Francis Champneys, a well-known obstetrician and widely renowned as a campaigner for the regulation of the midwifery profession.

Born in 1848, Francis Henry Champneys attended Brasenose College, Oxford before entering St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1872 as a medical student. He later qualified as a Bachelor of Medicine and Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1875.

Champneys had an early interest in obstetrics and in 1880 was appointed an assistant obstetric physician at St George’s Hospital under Robert Barnes. He eventually became the lead obstetric physician after Barnes’ retirement five years later.

Further success followed as he proceeded to become a Doctor of Medicine in 1888, remaining at St George’s until 1891.

In 1872, he was elected Chairman of the Board responsible for obstetric diploma exams which were introduced for midwives. This was a major step towards compulsory training and qualification for midwives which he supported. Champneys’ belief was that “The question is not whether midwives shall exist, but whether they shall be as good or as bad as possible.”

He led a campaign which resulted in the 1902 Midwives Act being passed by Parliament. The Central Midwives Board was created by this Act, and Champneys held the post of Chairman for the next 27 years until his death in 1930.

Champneys’ achievements were felt outside the wards too.

He co-founded the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and twice became its Chairman in 1907 and again in 1921.

He became President of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1912 for a two-year period and at the age of 81 was one of the founders of the British College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, holding the posts of vice-patron and councillor at the time of his death.

A baronetcy was also conferred upon him by King George V in recognition for his services to obstetrics and midwifery.

Today, Champneys Ward at St George’s Hospital is a ward for gynaecology patients.

LIVING OUR VALUES AWARDS:

NOMINATE A MEMBER OF STAFF TODAY!

• Look after our patients as we would like to be looked after ourselves

• Set ourselves high standards and be open to new ideas

• Be professional in our approach and in our appearance

• Promote and share best practice

• Anticipate and respond to patients’ and carers’ concerns and worries

• Support each other under pressure and consider the impact of our actions on others

• Help people find their way if they look unsure or lost

• Smile, listen and be friendly

• Have patient safety as our prime consideration

• Be responsible for ensuring good patient experience

• Use resources wisely

• Challenge poor behaviour in others

• Learn from experience including our mistakes

• Say sorry when things go wrong

• Keep patients, families and carers involved and informed.

• Protect patients’ dignity and confidentiality

• Wear our name badges, introduce ourselves and address people in a professional manner

• Respect colleagues’ roles in patient care and experience

• Value and understand the diversity of those around us

Our values:

© Wellcome Library, London

the gazette

11

Patient safety...

Personal stories are a powerful way of thinking about our systems and whether they are the best that they can be. Often patients are aware of things that healthcare professionals may not have noticed or been aware of and that may have made a difference to their experience.

As part of our programme of patient safety, we have made a series of DVDs that are based on individual patient or staff stories. They are used in training and at team events to help staff to think about how our systems could be improved to further support patient safety and experience.

You may have a story about an experience in which you felt particularly safe or one where you felt we could have done more. In either case, your experience would be of interest to us. If you would prefer not to talk on a DVD then there are other options such as developing

some written case studies.

For more information please contact Yvonne Connolly, head of patient safety, on 020 8725 4078 or via email: yvonne.connolly2@stgeorges.nhs.uk.

Patient feedback...Every year the trust cares for more than a million patients and many of those patients take the time to write and express their thanks. In every edition of the gazette we publish a selection of those letters.

FAO Dragon CentreI am writing to compliment two of your staff who treated my son this afternoon. Too often we have had a service which frankly made us feel uninvolved and unimportant.

Today we were seen by doctors who were attentive, informative and interested in treating our son as an individual. They talked to him and us with respect.

Please give the doctors a big thank you from worried parents of a child with a lifelong condition. They laid it on the line clearly, confidently and professionally. We left with a clear plan of how to help our son and what can be done in the future. We are profoundly grateful for their advice.

FAO Richmond Ward and viewing suiteI would like to pass on my heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Richmond Ward for the outstanding care of my mother. She was diagnosed with brain cancer just before Christmas and given just six to eight weeks to live.

In particular, the level of support she and the rest

of our family received in the last week of her life is something for which I would like to express my thanks to you all. We paid our last respects at the viewing area yesterday and again experienced an exceptional level of sympathy from your staff.

Thank you again for the truly amazing work that you do at St George’s every day.

FAO PALSMany thanks for the support PALS offered – it really helped that they were able to contact the podiatry clinic to discover why I had not been offered an appointment, despite an earlier referral from my GP.

I really appreciate that they called me back to check whether the clinic had subsequently contacted me. Thank you once again for this service – it is extremely valuable to me as a patient.

FAO emergency departmentI would like to thank St George’s emergency department for the excellent care I received. I worked in A&E at St George’s last year as a junior doctor so I was recognised by many of the staff on arrival but even so I was incredibly impressed.

I was taken on arrival straight through to urgent care, where I was looked after by nurse practitioner Becky who did a fantastic

job looking after me. She treated me very well, looking after my leg wound and making sure I wasn’t in pain.

Dr Fitch was very good, reviewing my wound and organising a referral to orthopaedics. Dr Hempling and Sister Wendy also came over and were very friendly.

Overall, it was brilliant and I am very grateful. Thank you to everyone.

FAO intensive care, Brodie and McKissock WardsI was admitted in September 2012 under the care of Professor Bell and Andrew Laban for the removal of a meningioma. The surgery was a great success and the care received in intensive care was phenomenal, where I had a dedicated nurse with me 24/7.

I was moved to Brodie Ward, where I was also looked after with such caring dedication from all the nursing staff. Unfortunately I was a statistically rare patient and developed an infection three months later. I visited McKissock Ward to show my symptoms and was treated immediately with further surgery to remove the infected bone flap the same day. I was fortunate to have the same surgical team and same level of care, which was reassuring.

Following surgery I was taken to recovery and then

back to Brodie Ward where again, all the familiar faces of the nursing staff made me feel so much better with their kind and caring dedication. I feel very fortunate to have had the best care at a terrifying time for me and my family – thank you to all who have cared for me. My family and I really appreciate each and every one of you.

FAO Dianna Fairman-Campbell and the Rainbow TeamI had a home birth in February. Dianna Fairman-Campbell was my allocated midwife. She visited me throughout my pregnancy at home and then attended the birth, even though she was officially on holiday at the time.

I’d just like to say what an excellent service I received from Dianna and her colleagues in the Rainbow Team. Dianna’s huge depth of experience, dedication and knowledge have me the confidence to have a really peaceful and exhilarating birth.

I just felt in such good and safe hands. She gave me the space to get into the zone with my boyfriend, but was there exactly when I needed her. At a time when the NHS is getting such a bashing, I think it’s worth saying that my brush with it has been absolutely top drawer. I couldn’t have paid for a better service – thank you!

Do you have a patient safety story to tell?

12

Fundraising

St George’s Hospital Charity would like to thank all of their amazing London and Brighton Marathon runners who raised over £23,000 in April!

Swimming support for Wandsworth Community Neuro Team

In February, Claire Benson and a group of friends braved the icy sea off the Battery Rocks in Penzance for a sponsored sea swim. Claire, who lives in Cornwall, wanted to acknowledge the support her family received from Wandsworth Community Neuro Team in the final months of her brother’s life.

Claire said: “I would very much like to express mine and my family’s gratitude toward the care of my brother Stephen Benson, who sadly passed away from Motor Neurone Disease on 6th January 2013. I feel that his time under the care of Wandsworth Community Neuro Team was imperative to his comfort and that he was able to spend time at home over Christmas with his partner and children.

“The swim was absolutely freezing and exhilarating. We felt so alive and I just about managed to get everyone together to tell them about how brilliant St George’s is. The swim was held on my mum’s birthday (who had passed away only 3 months before Stephen) so was also a celebration of her life.”

Claire and the rest of the hardy swimmers raised a magnificent £300 for the team, which will go towards an iPad and software to assist patients with communication problems following a neurological event or illness.

A garden created to recognise the work of First Touch has been awarded a gold medal at the 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Designed by landscape architect Patrick Collins, the First Touch Garden was one of six recipients of the

gold medal in the ‘Best Fresh Garden’ category.

The concept of the garden is inspired by cells, the building blocks of life; a reminder that all life starts from extremely small beginnings. The planting and other elements reflect the underlying theme of growth and transition, with similar forms expressed in a range of sizes. Water also plays a significant part in the garden, and takes the form of circular, reflective pools.

The design of the garden and labour to construct it was given free of charge, and the plants, hard landscaping and

decoration were donated or loaned. All materials will be recycled or reused after the show.

Patrick’s own daughter, Isabel, was born prematurely and was cared for at St George’s in 2001. Patrick’s wife, Sarah, now works for First Touch as the charity’s director.

Sarah said: “It has been truly amazing to have our garden awarded a gold medal at such a prestigious event. The garden also had a royal visit from Her Majesty The Queen, so it really has topped off a wonderful week.

“The garden was inspired by the hard work and dedication of the doctors, nurses and all other staff on the neonatal unit. It has also allowed us to highlight the important work of First Touch, which raises money for vital equipment, specialist nurse development and support for families whilst they are on the neonatal unit.”

Claire ready for her swim

(l-r) Garden designer Patrick Collins with Sarah Collins, First Touch director, and Nicholas Owen, newsreader

Celebrity patrons of First Touch also visited the garden: (l-r) Ashling McCloy, writer and style expert, Ortis Deley, presenter, Sophie Raworth, BBC newsreader and Chris Jarvis, children’s TV presenter

The design of the garden and the labour to construct it was given free of charge, and the plants, hard landscaping and decoration were donated or loaned

The gold medal certificate, awarded to the First Touch garden in the ‘Fresh Garden’ category

First Touch garden wins gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show

Water plays a significant part in

the garden and takes the form of circular,

reflective pools

The concept of the garden is inspired by cells,

the building blocks of life