News from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

THe PulseIssue 144 Spring 2016

The Pulse

The Pulse

2 The Pulse

Produced by:The Communications Departmentemail: communications@thh.nhs.ukPrint: Streamline Your Print

THIS ISSUE

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5

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8-910

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A word from the Chief executive

staff awards public nominations open

Joined-up care

New Health Connectors’ Team

Focus on dementia

The man with a record-breaking hip

Young volunteer supports Trust

Digital age transforming hospital care

Who’s who

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

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

ContentsSalt Awareness Week: 29 February

World salt Awareness Week begins on

Monday 29 February, with the goal of reducing salt intake in people’s diets. The campaign, run by the World Action on salt & Health organisation, will this year focus on the amount of hidden salt contained in the food we buy.

Although our bodies’ need some salt, we are consuming an average of 8.1g per day, which is much higher than the daily recommended amount of a maximum of 6g per day.

evidence shows that a high salt diet has an effect on blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Salt has also been linked to other conditions, including kidney disease and kidney stones, obesity, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, water retention and bloating. excess salt intake is also thought to worsen the symptoms of diabetes, Ménière’s disease, asthma and Alzheimer’s.

Most of the salt that we eat is hidden in processed and convenience foods (80%) and the rest comes from salt added during cooking and any salt added at the table.

Consuming fewer processed and convenience foods will lower your salt intake and there are several other simple ways to eat less salt.

When shopping, remember to check the labels for salt content, and you may find that retailers’ own brands are lower in salt than branded products. Also try to swap high salt foods for healthier alternatives and look for “lower salt” and “no added salt” versions of your usual foods.

When eating out, you can request that only a little or no salt to be added to your meal and be wary of “healthy options” - salads for example can often have salty additions such as croutons, olives, cheeses or dressings.

If you cut salt out of your diet suddenly and drastically you may find that your food tastes bland at first. However, flavour doesn’t just come from salt, and using fresh and dried herbs, spices, black pepper, chilli and lemon are all great ways to add flavour. Give yourself time to adjust and you will start to taste the really delicious flavour of your food.

For more information on how to cut down your salt intake, please go to the World Action on Salt & Health website: www.worldactiononsalt.com

7 surprisingly salty foods:

•Cheese and butter •sauces, eg soy sauce, fish

sauce, and even ketchup•salty spreads, eg margarine•Saltyflavourings, eg capers,

anchovies and olives•Bread•Potatoes, watch out for

jacket potatoes or pre-salted chips

•sweet surprises, look out for salt in biscuits and cakes.

Spring 2016Issue 144

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Cover: Courtney Bradshaw volunteers on Grange Ward

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WELCOME

shane DeGarisChief executive

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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A word from the Chief ExecutiveA year on from our Care

Quality Commission (CQC) review, I am pleased to report that the Trust continues to maintain the progress made across all the areas highlighted by inspectors.

It’s not easy being told that you need to improve, when it is clear that staff are working exceptionally hard to deliver great care within the resources available. However, we fully took the CQC’s concerns on board and moved swiftly to address them. The inspectors said they were impressed with the progress made on their return visit and we have kept them updated on our continued progress since.

We now have a more robust continuous monitoring system in place to ensure that high standards in clinical practice are maintained across the board.

The CQC acknowledged that key parts of our main buildings are of a poor quality and this hinders progress. The Trust simply does not have the many millions of pounds needed to replace these buildings, but we are working towards addressing this with our master planning process that is now underway. It is still early days but we will be consulting on it widely in the coming months and will be inviting your views.

The most crucial factor in providing high-quality care is the people involved in delivering it. I know our staff do a fantastic job so I am delighted that we are once again able to run our annual staff awards scheme to recognise their achievements. Nominations are actively encouraged from the public – I hope you take time out

to nominate someone.Alongside our amazing staff, the

Trust is extremely fortunate to have a loyal and dedicated group of volunteers who spend time on a regular basis supporting our work.

This band of 200+ local people provide a truly invaluable service to the Trust; raising additional funds for equipment, providing services in their own right and giving practical hands-on support on the wards. This can include everything from helping out with busy meal times to collecting items or spending precious time just talking to patients.

We are lucky enough to have two main volunteer groups; The League of Friends based at Hillingdon and Comforts Fund based at Mount Vernon. These are both well-established, long-standing organisations that raise significant funds to purchase much-needed equipment that we otherwise would not be able to afford.

Trust volunteers may come in all shapes and sizes and cross all age ranges as you will see from our feature on page 11, but they all have one thing in common – they selflessly give up their time to help support our work at both hospitals. We are extremely grateful to them.

Master planning underwayWork is underway to help shape the Trust’s master plan.

IBI Group, the designers appointed to develop the initial

options, have been meeting with senior managers at both hospitals since December to better understand the services currently delivered, how the master plan could help improve them and any plans for future development. The IBI Team and Project Manager,

Tom Downard, are also meeting with staff, leaseholders, key partners and other stakeholders to inform the development of options. A number of engagement events

will take place in the coming months to give local people an opportunity to have their say.

Details will be published in the next edition of The Pulse and on the Trust’s website once these have been arranged.

In the meantime if you have any comments email them to tom.downard@thh.nhs.uk.The Trust has to produce a master

plan for both of its sites before any significant developments will be considered by the local authority or other planning bodies.

Mount Vernon Hospital

Shane DeGaris, Chief Executive

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The temporary home is based on the ground floor of the main

hospital, close to outpatients. It provides a light, bright and

child-friendly waiting area (complete with toys and books) away from adults A&e, which can often be overwhelming for youngsters.

Katrina Warkcup, Paediatric Lead Nurse is enjoying being in the new surroundings and said: “We’ve been getting great feedback from our young patients

New children’s A&E a big hit

Lenny and Ruby Gonsalves playing in the new waiting area

The temporary Children’s A&e at Hillingdon Hospital is proving to be a big hit with children and their parents. The new A&e has been set up temporarily while the main Children’s A&e area is completely refurbished.

The children’s Peter Pan Ward is also expanding and will see four new beds open in a brand new purpose-built extension by the end of

summer. The preparatory groundworks to level the site were carried out last year. Jarvis have been appointed as the Trust’s contractors to design and build the new facility. They are currently working with the project team to develop and finalise the design. Once that is complete the building work will get underway.

More improvements to come

and their families. It’s definitely an improvement but will be even better when we move into our permanent new home.”The refurbished A&e is due to be

complete by June. It will be built to modern standards, with bigger bed bays providing better quality facilities for children and their families.

Katrina Warkcup, Paediatric Lead Nurse

Shaping a Healthier Future The recent developments in children’s and maternity

services at Hillingdon are a key part of the government’s Shaping a Healthier Future programme, which will see the reconfiguration of health services across north west London. The initiative aims to concentrate services in fewer places to enable the expansion of specific specialist services. These above developments are being implemented as a result of the planned closure of Paediatric Services at ealing Hospital this summer and the resulting increase in young patients coming to Hillingdon and other surrounding hospitals.

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Hillingdon Hospital

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Do you know a hospital worker or team doing an outstanding job? Here’s your opportunity to say ‘thank you’.

The Trust has launched its annual staff awards to pay tribute to the 3,000+ staff working at its two hospitals. Members of the public are

once again invited to vote in the Compassionate Care category. The award will be made to an individual or team that excels at delivering compassionate care. If you know a worthy applicant please show your appreciation by nominating them.

The closing date for entries is strictly 5pm on Friday 26 February 2016 and applications can be submitted in the following ways:

• Post: Staff Awards, the Furze, Hillingdon Hospital, Pield Health Road, Hillingdon, UB8 3NN

• email: staffawards@thh.nhs.uk (internal only)• Online: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/publicawards• In person: main reception of Hillingdon and Mount Vernon

Hospital. Application forms are available at reception desks.

Public nominations open for staff awards

Chief Executive, Shane DeGaris, posting a nomination form

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Donations boost children’s services

Donations totalling more than £20,000 have been used to buy three new pieces of equipment to benefit children’s services at Hillingdon Hospital.

The first donation of £17,000 was provided by hospital

voluntary group, the League of Friends, to the Paediatric Audiology Department. The money was used to buy a new machine that allows staff to perform more reliable diagnostic hearing assessments on babies. The new state-of-the-art eclipse

Auditory Brainstem Response machine means the tests can be carried out quicker thanks to its advanced technology.The Trust also received a

donation of £3,360 from the echo Trust, a registered charity created by Deltic Group Limited, with the purpose of helping sick children and young adults. This helped the Trust to purchase an oxygen saturation monitor, which is used to determine if children are having difficulty breathing or maintaining their body oxygen levels. A Patient Controlled Analgesia machine was also bought, allowing children to safely administer their own pain relief when they need it.

Donation from the Echo Trust

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The pilot scheme, which started in the north

of the borough has been running for almost 12 months.

It has seen Trust staff, social workers, community providers and the voluntary sector join forces to provide a seamless service to residents, aged over 65, with multiple or complex health needs.The benefits are obvious;

the quality of care provided is improved and removes the need for patients to navigate their way around many different organisations from the hospital,

to the council and community providers. It reduces anxiety and ultimately leads to better outcomes for patients as they get all their health needs addressed by a team of professionals working together. It also means that people only need to provide information once, as all of the health providers will be able to share information securely. Big changes like this do take time to develop and bed down, but there have already been improvements seen with far fewer of the target patients needing to be admitted to hospital unnecessarily.

Joined-up care is improving the health of Hillingdon’s elderlyHillingdon’s integrated care programme is changing the way elderly health care is provided for the better.

New partnership supports integrated careJo Manley has been appointed

as Programme Director for Hillingdon’s Accountable Care Partnership (ACP), the joint venture partnership body that will be commissioned to deliver integrated care across the borough once fully established.Jo has more than 30 years’ health

service experience in a variety of roles. She started out as an occupational therapist in mental health and more recently on managing services for older people. Her most recent position was

Director of Operations with Hounslow & Richmond Community Health Care NHS Trust. Jo’s first task will be to get

the ACP up and running. She is looking forward to getting stuck into the job and said: “Integrated care will greatly improve the way elderly health care is provided in Hillingdon. It will involve us all working together with patients and staff to review and redesign

our services for older people, looking for ways we can reduce duplication and keep people in their own homes wherever possible.”Hillingdon’s ACP comprises: the

Trust, Central and North West London Trust, Metro Health (consortium of local GPs) and H4All (consortium of voluntary and third sector).

Jo Manley

Healthy JanuaryStaff have been joining in the Trust’s Healthy January initiative, to stay well in the new year, with a range of activities held throughout the month.

Quorn handing out samples

Getting in the competitive spirit, teams took part

in a pedometer challenge to see which department could walk the most steps throughout the month.

In addition, a health awareness fair was held, providing a range of health information and services for staff, including smoothies, head and neck massages, healthy eating advice and a physio fitness stand.The Trust’s therapies teams also

led a series of lunchtime walks for staff in the surrounding area as a way to boost energy throughout the day and, of course, to increase those steps for the pedometer challenge.To join in the theme of Healthy

January, patients, visitors and staff were treated to a range of samples from healthy food suppliers whose ranges will now be stocked in the restaurants on both sites. These include 100 calorie mini

treats as well as a range of healthy recipes from Quorn.

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The uCC is situated next to Hillingdon’s A&e and

staffed by a team of GPs and nurses. Its main purpose is to treat minor medical injuries or urgent medical problems that are non-life threatening, allowing A&e staff to concentrate on emergency cases.The Health Connectors are

funded by Hillingdon’s Clinical Commissioning Group to support the UCC in three key areas: re-direction, re-education and to reduce the patient return rate. In place since the summer, the team work 9.30am to 8pm every day of the week. They assist in re-directing patients

to other health care options where appropriate, such as pharmacies. They also help patients register with a GP if they have not already done so and help them to make any follow-up GP appointments, reducing re-attendance rates.The team sees about 40 per

cent of the 1,500 patients who attend the UCC each week. In December alone, 193 unregistered patients visited

the UCC and 93 per cent of those were given registration advice and support by a Health Connector.The team also assists clinicians to

educate patients on the availability of other community health care options that may have better suited their needs, or that may be of benefit to them in the future.This could include the Minor

Ailments Service offered at a number of local pharmacies. This entitles people who are registered on the scheme to get the same advice, treatment and medicine from a participating pharmacy as from their GP, without having to wait for a GP appointment. Another example is the CCG

Behaviour Change Programme which includes Healthy Heart and First Aid workshops. Health Connectors are so far

proving to be a real success in connecting patients with other services and improving the overall patient experience. Health Connector, Rekha Desai

said: “Our role is to provide a connection between clinicians and patients. I like meeting patients, giving them advice and pointing them in the

right direction.”

A&E faces another busy winterIt continues to be a busy time

in Hillingdon Hospital’s A&e Department. Since the beginning of October we have seen more than 18,000 patients and around 20 per cent of those could have been treated quicker elsewhere.Hospital staff are working flat

out to see patients as quickly as possible but serious cases will always take priority and that could mean a long and unnecessary wait for those with a condition that is not an accident or emergency case.

People are urged to make sure they go to the most appropriate place for their care to ensure that precious resources are focused on those who need it most.

For advice about the right place to get treatment visit: www.rightcare4U.org.uk. Hillingdon residents near Northwood are advised to go to the Minor Injuries Unit at Mount Vernon Hospital for non-emergency ailments.

Health connectors - Getting the right care in the right placeHarleen Rai and Rekha Desai are part of a new team of Health Connectors based in Hillingdon Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre (UCC).

Comforts Fund donations top £100,000Thank you to the Comforts Fund

which generously donated over £100,000 worth of equipment in the past year to Mount Vernon Hospital. This includes hepatology equipment costing £19,500, exercise bikes worth £11,000, a microscope costing over £10,000, and equipment for the recently opened Daniels Ward, such as a bladder scanner, electric beds and a specialist commode, which cost a combined total of £16,825.

Well done to all the dedicated volunteers who worked in the shops and outlets to help raise this money.

Rekha Desai and Harleen Rai

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Medical staff benefit from trauma care course

Hillingdon Hospital has recently hosted a

three-day course, providing medical staff with valuable experience in caring for patients who have suffered serious or life-threatening injuries.The Advanced Trauma Life

Support (ATLS) course teaches a standardised approach to trauma care. All doctors and nurses receiving trauma patients are expected to have undertaken the course and it is also a requirement for A&e staff, orthopaedics and surgical doctors in training.

With support from the London Deanery, Dr Meng Aw-Yong developed Hillingdon’s own ATLS course in 2010 and it has proved extremely popular. The highly interactive course starts with being taught theory on day one, before practicing on mannequins. On the second day candidates practiced with specialist equipment and on the final day they were tested and assessed in simulation scenarios, with volunteers, posing as patients.

Leading the way in dementia careWith 850,000 people in the UK suffering from a form of dementia, it is no wonder that there is a national need for a better understanding of the condition.

lorna Kelly is one of the most familiar faces in

Hillingdon Hospital and has spent more than 25 years working with elderly patients.

She took on the challenge of becoming the Trust’s Dementia Care Nurse Specialist in 2014 and has been helping raise awareness of the condition among staff and the public ever since.

every new employee irrespective of being in a clinical or non-clinical role now undergoes mandatory dementia awareness training and the Trust automatically screens all over 75-year-olds who are emergency admissions.

Lorna said: “I would estimate we have around 45 patients in the hospital at any given time with dementia. Hospitals can be a very disorientating place for people with this condition, despite the fact that we now have a specialist team in Beaconsfield East, our dementia-friendly ward.”

Lorna is also one of the champions behind the introduction of ‘John’s Campaign’

Lorna Kelly, Dementia Care Specialist

which gives 24/7 access to carers to visit loved ones with dementia in Hillingdon Hospital.“I have personal experience of being a carer myself as well as losing someone to dementia and this is a step in the right direction. It’s a learning curve for everyone but giving carers greater access will actually help, not hinder nurses’ work.“

What is dementia?Dementia is a group of symptoms that may include memory loss, difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language, and sometimes changes in mood or behaviour. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become bad enough to affect daily life. There are many known causes of dementia - probably more than 100. The most common types are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Some people have a combination of these, known as mixed dementia.

ATLS training

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Leading the way in dementia careBack in 2014, the Trust

refurbished Beaconsfield East Ward to make it dementia-friendly. This was part of a £50 million government investment to create pioneering care environments designed for the needs of people with dementia.The ward now offers a greatly

enhanced experience for patients and their carers providing a quiet and stimulating environment inside and outside the ward.

Improvement works included an upgrade to ward décor including lighting, flooring and signage; the creation of a patient day-room with dining area; the creation of a specialist sensory room and an outdoor sensory garden. To aid wayfinding for patients

with dementia, each bed bay is decorated differently in a bold colour and has a distinctive, individual picture above the bed head. A modern flexible lighting system

was also installed to ensure the staff can easily adjust light levels to suit different types of medical condition.

• 40,000 younger people with dementia in the UK• 25,000 people with dementia from black and

minority ethnic groups in the UK• 1 million people with dementia in the UK by 2025• Two thirds of people with dementia are women• The proportion of people with dementia doubles

for every five-year age group• One in six people aged 80 and over have

dementia• 60,000 deaths a year are directly attributable to

dementia• Delaying the onset of dementia by five years

would reduce deaths directly attributable to dementia by 30,000 a year

Dementia fact file• The financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26

billion a year• 670,000 carers of people with dementia in the UK• Family carers of people with dementia save the

UK £11 billion a year• 80 per cent of people living in care homes have a

form of dementia or severe memory problems• Two thirds of people with dementia live in the

community while one third live in a care home• Only 44 per cent of people with dementia in

england, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a diagnosis.

Beaconsfield East Ward

Sensory Room

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Meet Norman Sharp, record holder and one of Hillingdon Hospital’s first ever patientsNorman Sharp’s remarkable story began in West Drayton in 1925, where he was born. At the age of five he went off to school for the first time, but after just three weeks, became ill and was taken to a newly-opened ward in Hillingdon’s workhouse, later known as Hillingdon Hospital.

On arrival, Norman was treated by the ward’s first doctor,

Dr Rutherford, who diagnosed him with septic arthritis, an inflammation of his hip joint.

His condition was very painful, to the extent that nurses were asked to walk on the other side of the ward to avoid any vibration near his bed. Visitors to the ward were only

usually allowed on a Sunday between 2pm and 3pm. However, as Norman’s health deteriorated, doctors felt there was nothing more they could do for him and placed him on an ‘open order,’ meaning he could be visited at any time and have anything he wanted. He may have only been five years old but Norman understood what this meant.

Despite the prognosis, a week

later, Dr Rutherford found that his condition had improved and took him off the open order. After a few weeks of further

improvement, Norman was transferred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore for hip fusion treatment. After this he slowly regained the ability to walk with the help of staff. He was discharged from RNOH in September 1931 and returned to Hillingdon Hospital as an outpatient.

Norman would then visit the hospital three times a week for the next two-and-a-half years to receive electric shock treatment. He was being treated by Mr Woodcock who Norman says was instrumental in getting his legs moving again. eighty-six years after being admitted to Hillingdon

Norman Sharp celebrates his 90th birthday in 2015

1930: Norman on his first day of school with older brother, John

as one of its first patients, Norman has just celebrated his 91st birthday and is now a Guinness World Record holder for having the longest serving hip replacement, which is still in working order today.Over these 86 years he says he

has seen many changes take place at Hillingdon Hospital. The old workhouse was on the opposite side of Pield Heath Road to the present day hospital and is now a housing estate.“I feel a strong connection with the hospital and the area generally, as I lived in West Drayton Green until 1954.“When I visited Hillingdon Hospital again in 2001, for me, it was like walking into a spaceship, compared to the old workhouse of the 1930s.”

I feel a strong connection with

the hospital

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Young volunteer provides invaluable serviceCourtney Bradshaw is like any other 17 year old, studying for her A-Levels at Stockley Academy. She works part-time and enjoys running, shopping and socialising with her friends. However, Courtney also provides Hillingdon Hospital with an invaluable service by volunteering on Grange Ward every week.

Courtney says that volunteering has

given her new skills and experience that have helped her to make an important career choice. Although she has a busy schedule,

she looks forward to coming to the hospital to volunteer. She performs a range of tasks, including providing general assistance, looking after patients during mealtimes and providing nurses with information for their daily records.

In a typical day, Courtney will meet and help 12 patients with many of them finding comfort in the company of having someone

“ I realised I could support my local hospital and gain some valuable experience

to talk to. She says: “I’ve seen that hospitals are very busy places and it’s difficult for staff to spend time sitting and chatting with patients so I really feel like I’m helping just by providing that support and some company to the patients.”Courtney feels

that working in the ward has helped her to decide on a career path. She says:

“Before I decided to volunteer I was unsure what course to study

at university. I was interested in several options, but my mind wasn’t made up. “Volunteering and having direct engagement with patients has helped me to decide that I want to study adult nursing, and then specialise in mental health services.”The Trust actively welcomes

volunteers, recognising the contribution that they make to the running of the hospitals and the wellbeing of patients. Anyone over the age of 17 can apply to become a volunteer, and Courtney believes that more young people should take the opportunity to come and meet new people and gain new skills.“A few years ago I wouldn’t have been interested in being a volunteer,” she said, “but I realised that I could support my local hospital and gain some valuable experience at the same time.“So if you’re in a position like I was, and are unsure what you want to do, even a small time spent volunteering can help you find your career path and open up more opportunities.”The Trust has 200 volunteers

working at both its hospitals. They range in age from 17 to 88

and provide support in lots of different ways from supporting the wards to running the hospital radio and helping out on the reception desks.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact

our PALS/Voluntary Services Team on

01895 279973 or visit www.thh.nhs.uk/jobs/voluntary.php

Courtney Bradshaw, volunteer in the Grange Ward

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SpOTLIgHT

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The Library and Information Service – supporting our staffTucked away in the Medical education Centre at Hillingdon Hospital is a valuable resource dedicated to helping Trust staff build on their clinical skills.

A year in numbers - 2014/2015:• Around 3,200 books and

journals issued• 339 new users registered

with the library• 4,107 logins to online

resources• 200 literature searches

were performed.

The library service plays an important role at the Trust,

providing all staff with extensive support for their professional development and research needs, particularly in supporting the education of junior doctors, placement students and other clinical and non-clinical staff.The library provides a

multidisciplinary and multi-professional service with access to a wide range of resources, including the Trust’s collection of around 3,800 books, journals and exam revision tools.

It also provides a quiet space for study and PCs, which are used by staff and students to prepare for their exams, maintain records of their educational portfolios and to complete e-learning.

Medical students from Imperial College London or nursing students from Buckinghamshire New University also frequently visit to make use of these facilities.

Library users can also access a wide range of reference material, for example, for audits, patient improvement projects, presentations and direct patient management.As well as providing access to

these resources, library staff also provide training sessions on how to search and retrieve research material, as well as carry out literature searches.

In addition, the library service also runs a current awareness

Sam Piker and James Riste from the library services team

portal, accessible via the intranet, to keep staff updated with current news and research in clinical practice and health and social care. The portal is updated with

relevant information taken from a wide range of sources. It displays news relating to the Trust, NHS, general medical and nursing, public health, health management, research and development and news relevant to clinical specialties.

James Riste, Library Services Manager said: “We aim to support staff with their service delivery, education, training and research needs with a comprehensive, proactive service library and knowledge service.”

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Medical staff now have more immediate access

to patient details, meaning that our patients receive the same effective and appropriate care even faster.

Digital care record

One of these new initiatives is the Hillingdon Care Record (HCR), a digital in-house care record system giving clinicians electronic access to patient records via iPad devices on the wards. The HCR provides an electronic view of patient records and allows clinicians to view clinical correspondence and diagnostics, meaning that patients can have care delivered to them right at their bedside, reducing the need to go back and forth to retrieve records and further information.

Mobile Devices

In addition to the HCR and to enhance care at the bedside even further, the Trust has also introduced 25 Workstation on Wheels (WoWs) to wards across both hospital sites. The Workstation on Wheels are

used by clinicians during ward rounds, to access data such as radiology reports, blood results and other investigations to allow them to enter and retrieve data in real-time. As well as providing an all-in-one care at the bedside package, this also speeds up the treatment process for patients.

Furthermore, it means that doctors are able to complete discharge summaries at the point of care, reducing unnecessary delays to patient discharges.

Clinical handover

The Trust will also implement an electronic multi-disciplinary clinical handover this year to support a safer and more effective handover and the safe and timely discharge of patients from the hospital. The investment will improve

clinical effectiveness, safety and patient experience by ensuring better continuity in the exchange of care information between different professionals at the point of care and during handover. This, in turn, will ensure that there is more time for nursing staff to spend on direct patient care.

Community midwives

It’s not only hospital-based staff who are joining the digital revolution. Thirty of our community midwives, who work from children’s centres in Hillingdon and parts of ealing, have now been issued with Wi-Fi and 3G enabled laptops to ensure they have real-time access to patient records.

Midwives working in our highly regarded Homebirth Team are also able to obtain NHS numbers for babies delivered at home.

Minal Patel, Senior Project Manager in the IT department says: “The Trust is very excited about giving our clinicians secure and immediate access to patient information at the point of care. “The Hillingdon Care Record, along with the introduction of mobile technology, delivers real-time information directly to clinicians on wards and clinics supporting better decision-making, improved patient outcomes and helps to speed things up.”

Digital innovation providing care at the bedsideAs we move towards an ever increasing digital age with information at our fingertips, the Trust is playing its part with the latest state-of-the-art IT equipment.

A nurse using the Workstation on Wheels

The HCR presented on a tablet

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prOfILE

Continuing our series of stories on staff

progression throughout the Trust, in this issue we talk to Vanessa saunders about how she has worked her way through various roles to reach her chosen profession.

“I’ve always admired the work of nurses in maintaining care standards across the NHS and I wanted to go into nursing from an early age. Patient care is my passion and I wanted a role in which I could focus on providing a quality experience for patients, both directly and indirectly.“Most of my nursing career has been spent with the Trust, although I started out as a student at the Winchester and Basingstoke School of Nursing and Development and my first role was nearby at Basingstoke District Hospital, where I trained and qualified.“In 1993, I started my career with the Trust when I joined Mount Vernon Hospital, firstly on a medical ward then in the Medical Assessment Centre. I then became a Respiratory Nurse Specialist in 1999 before I moved into management.“Having worked my way up through the Trust I can say that there is a friendly atmosphere throughout all levels of the organisation and this helps us to work together to achieve the best possible care for our patients.

“I moved into corporate nursing in 2012, before I took on my current role as Acting Deputy Director of Nursing. It is my role to essentially oversee the delivery of patient experience and nursing at the Trust. This means leading and coordinating a number of different departments and I’m also involved with nursing recruitment and staffing.

“I enjoy the variety of the job and I have found that going into management has provided new insights into multidisciplinary nursing and how a hospital is run. However, I’ve always wanted to

ensure that I am still very much in touch with everyday nursing and so I often go to the wards to help out. I am also a part of the operational management team, so will go and get involved in A&e, if support is needed.“My proudest moment so far at the Trust was winning a national award for our dementia and rehabilitation ward, Beaconsfield east in 2014. “I worked as part of a team that designed the ward, which won “Best Internal environment” at the annual Building a Better

Healthcare Awards. This was fantastic and reflected our commitment to meet the needs of elderly people and those with dementia. “I have also just gained my long

service award for 15 years with the Trust. In that time no two days have really been the same and in a way I feel there is always more to strive for. “Balancing different priorities is probably the most difficult aspect of my job, sometimes it feels like there isn’t enough time in the day!“My advice to people starting a career in nursing would be to take the opportunities that arise. “There will be plenty of opportunities as long as you don’t lose sight of the reason that you went into nursing - to provide great care to every patient. “I think that’s an important message and something that I’ve remembered throughout my career so far.”

Vanessa Saunders: Acting Deputy Director of Nursing

Vanessa Saunders still spends time on the ward

“ ” No two days have

been the same.

www.thh.nhs.uk

People in Partnership meetings 2016All meetings take place from 6.30pm to 9pm

Monday 25 April 2016education Centre, Hillingdon Hospital

Wednesday 20 July 2016Committee Room 5, Civic Centre

Tuesday 15 November 2016 education Centre, Hillingdon Hospital

All are welcome.

15

gOvErnOrS’ vOICE

Sheila Kehoe, Staff Governor

The Trust will be holding elections to the Council of

Governors of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHs Foundation Trust for one public governor in the south constituency.

A nomination form to stand for election to this position, which is for a term of three years, can be obtained from the Returning Officer in the following ways:

Telephone: 0208 889 9203

email: ftnominationenquiries@electoralreform.co.uk

Text: Text 2FT HH and your name and address to 88802

Post: electoral Reform Services LtdThe election Centre33 Clarendon RoadLondon. N8 0NW

For further information go to www.thh.nhs.uk.

Firstly, may I wish everyone a happy new

year on behalf of the Governors, and thank you all for your extreme hard work in this past year.

I have worked in the health service all my working life, joining straight from school in 1979. I started as a Health Care Assistant

at Hillingdon Hospital and began my nurse training the following year. I have worked at a number of other hospitals during my career, including St Vincents in Northwood, where I did an Orthopaedic course, St Charles in Ladbroke Grove and then did my conversion course to RN at St Marys, Paddington and returned to Hillingdon in 1990. I’m now a Matron for the surgical Division and was previously a Senior Sister on Kennedy Ward.

I have found this new role challenging but satisfying and have enjoyed working with new people, and it is good to have a change, to

get out of your comfort zone.I’ve been a staff governor for two years and have found it really interesting and worthwhile. I decided to become a governor for two reasons – to broaden my own horizons as well as to share my hands-on experience. I like to know what’s going on and being a governor has been a real eye opener. It’s expanded my knowledge of how the Trust works, the bigger issues that need to be taken into account, as well as how we compare to others. These are all things you just don’t have time to fully appreciate when you are on the wards busily getting on with the day-to-day work. I now have a much better appreciation of the big challenges that the Trust has to face such as staffing levels and financial pressures. I like to know how we compare to other Trusts and to be involved with the future of Hillingdon Hospital as it is also my local Hospital.

Being a governor has been a

two-way process, I have learnt a lot but I’ve also been able to bring my ’shop-floor’ experience to the table, so that can be considered when discussions take place. I hope that has been helpful to the other governors.

We all join the health service to make a difference. I’ve found all my roles rewarding and being a trust governor is no different. I’d encourage anyone to get involved if they have the opportunity.

Staff governor Sheila Kehoe on why she became a governor

Council of Governors elections

The Pulse 16

fEEdbaCk

I cannot give enough praise for all the members of staff in Bevan Ward. They treat all patients with dignity, and support the members of family and friends of the patient. Nothing is ever to much trouble, they go above and beyond the call of duty. A special thank you to Mark, ed, Marie, Harriet , Colin, Helene and Chandi.

The care was very good staff. Always asking if you are ok and smiling. If you want help no matter how small they would do it for you.

The care I received was efficient, competent whilst also being friendly, kind and at times jolly. I was kept well informed as my condition improved and left to rest and be peaceful when I was very poorly. My requests were met efficiently with kindness.

extremely professional nursing staff. Thanks to all.

The care was amazing. The staff could have not improved the care or treatment. The staff at Hillington Hospital do an excellent job 100% from the start of the treatment right up until the day your are let home.

spinal Diagnostics TeamI attended an appointment with the Spinal Diagnostics team on 3/12/15 and was treated very respectfully from start to finish. Everyone from the receptionists to the Doctor were so helpful. The Doctor was amazing. They spent a whole hour with me and thoroughly examined me and assessed my needs. They were polite, empathetic and allowed me to express my views. They saw that I was using an old walking stick that I bought 15 years ago and couldn’t afford to replace; they took me to the physiotherapy room and kitted me out with a new elbow crutch which much better suits my needs. I was extremely impressed and am confident about my future treatment with the orthopaedic team.

Tireless dedicationI can’t praise the medical staff enough. From the moment I was admitted to when I was allowed to leave, I had brilliant treatment and nothing was too much for the nurses. The doctor who got me admitted had quite a fight on the phone with, I assume, the person in charge of admissions. They argued forcibly on my behalf and was terribly apologetic that I had had to hear it all. They are my hero. The doctors were thorough, giving me tests and ultrasound. I would like to thank everyone who looked after me last Monday and Tuesday.

Top TweetsFollow @HillingdonNHsFT for news, updates, information, jobs and public involvement.

@barbaranorth1 @HillingdonNHSFT can’t praise the staff

in Peter Pan & Children’s A&e enough for the care they gave my grandson Alfie. Amazing, caring staff

@paul_corney Huge thank you to the hospital staff

from @HillingdonNHSFT who looked after me for past week. That said I’m sooo pleased to now be home!

@katygreenwood Just back from a third stay in hospital

with 1 year old. Great service from docs and nurses at Hillingdon hospital again. @NHS_Hillingdon

@emmaSTennant I’m always impressed by excellent care and

efficient friendly staff each time at @HillingdonNHSFT. Our @NHSengland is so worth it.

@RRusset @HillingdonNHSFT excellent maternity

facilities, amazing midwives and superb neonatal staff. Thanks for the care and support we received