News from Issue 22 Winter 2012

YDH

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors who carried out an unannounced inspection of Yeovil District Hospital have said the Trust is meeting all the essential standards of quality and safety.

The inspection took place on 24-25 September when the CQC observed how patients were being cared for, talked to inpatients, outpatients, staff and checked records.

continued on page 8

page 5 page 4

page 6

page 2

Positive CQC report

Maternity Update

Caring

People Power

5

Improvements Great & Small

6

4

Foundation Trust Matters

7

Clinical Feedback

8

2-3

It’s hard to believe that Christmas has arrived again and another 12 months have passed;

we have had a busy and fruitful year with many changes at YDH. It is also reassuring to know that we have the continuing and steadfast support of so many members.

The year has seen the changes for the NHS come to the fore and we have entered a time of planning for the future of the Trust and visualising the new landscape for our organisation, which although challenging brings new and exciting opportunities to redesign and build health services for our community in a better way.

Our iCARE ethos has helped us win finance for a project in the Women’s Health and Maternity Unit to further improve the patient experience. The iCARE philosophy is also being used as the foundation for developing the Trust’s brand to equip us for new ways of working and providing the best and safest care for our patients. There is an incredible passion and loyalty from staff who are committed wholeheartedly to doing their best. Off-duty this has been expressed by the recent launch of a choir led by director Jeremy Martin.

We have recently celebrated a positive report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and have enjoyed watching our top fundraisers, Flo and Jim Essex, receive a Pride of Britain Award on national TV. Our Flying Colours Appeal is gaining momentum and is gathering more and more support from the local community. We also continue to have unwavering support from the Friends of Yeovil Hospital and we would like to thank them for this.

The Trust has again demonstrated a strong performance against service and financial targets. YDH is moving into the new landscape from a

much more positive position than many other organisations. Nevertheless, we must collaborate both to remain competitive and to adapt to the changes in our health service. This means that a more entrepreneurial spirit will be required to bring in additional revenue to support our services. We will need to be imaginative about how we work and look for partnerships with other healthcare providers as we have for pharmacy and pathology.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to express our profound appreciation to all our staff, our governors and volunteers who work so hard to make YDH a rewarding place to work. We do hope that you will have a relaxing time with your families and friends and enjoy the festive season.

Merry Christmas

Peter Wyman & Paul Mears: Christmas Message

Peter Wyman Paul Mears

Maternity Update

2

Early on in my pregnancy my

midwife contacted me and offered me a chance to join a group of eight other women

who were expecting their babies at the same time as me. I thought it was a great idea and we

had the opportunity to share all sorts of ideas from

maternity clothes to

birthing plans. I felt so much more confident

in my pregnancy knowing that

the others were experiencing similar issues. Juliet SturgeSS

“

”

Maternity Update

Hospital celebrates its first water babyMali Mia Lloyd is Yeovil District Hospital’s first water baby.

Mali was born on 23 August, weighing 7lb 5 oz. Her mum, 32-year-old Katie Barrett, enjoyed a drug-free birth after spending just over three hours in the pool.

Katie, who works in the Human Resources Department at Screwfix in Yeovil said: “The midwife at parentcraft classes told me about the pool and I was delighted to be able to use it. When I got in to the water it was so relaxing. I was very happy with the way it went. Mali was just so relaxed, it was a really stress-free birth and the midwife just scooped her out and handed her to me – she even fed while we were still in the pool.”

The birthing pool is the latest enhancement to Yeovil Women’s Health and Maternity Unit which is being refurbished thanks to the generosity of the local community supporting the Flying Colours Appeal. The Well Being of Yeovil Community Association contributed £2,000 towards the cost of the pool.

Innovative antenatal group is one of first in the country

A group of mums are celebrating the success of an innovative antenatal group which was set up by midwives at Yeovil District Hospital.

The pilot project, called ‘Pregnant Together’, was such a hit that midwives are now planning to offer it to more mums. Instead of having one-to-one antenatal check-ups with their midwife they were invited to attend two-hour long group sessions where they not only had their health checks but were involved with discussions and debates with other mums-to-be with the support of two midwives and a student midwife.

Midwifery clinical leader, Sara Stride said: “Midwife Nicki Crouch had heard about a similar scheme being run at King’s College Hospital in London and suggested we do the same in Yeovil. This sceme first originated in America. We visited the midwives in London, thought it was a great idea and decided to implement it at YDH as a pilot project. As it has been so successful we have been given the go-ahead to offer it to a new group of mums and, as far as I am aware, we are the only hospital outside London to be offering this.”

The Friends of Yeovil Hospital have raised £1,247 for the Special Care Baby Unit at Yeovil Women’s Health and Maternity Unit as part of the Flying Colours Appeal.

The money was raised at the Chris Parker Quiz, held at Yeovil College. The Friends’ Chairman, Anne Bennett, presented the Chris Parker cup to the new winners this year, the ‘Shaken not Stirred’ Hospital Team, (Consultant Gastroenterologist, Steve Gore and wife Lesley, and Julian and Helen Hart).

A YDH Governors’ team, ‘Holiday Makers’, (Gloria Clark and Sue McInnes accompanied by their husbands) came second, and third place went to ‘Holiday Boys’, a teachers’ team.

Neil Tomlin, Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery said: “I would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in the pub quiz. The money raised will help support the smallest and most vulnerable members of our community and I know that the parents along with our staff really appreciate everyone’s support in helping us to improve the facilities at our local hospital.”

Quiz raises record £1,247 for SCBU

Maternity Matron Kelly Kent, Katie Barrett and Mali, Gareth Lloyd

and midwife Kelli Cherrington.

FLYING COLOURSfor Yeovil Women’s Hospital

Maternity Update3

Maternity Update

The Matron for Women’s Health and Maternity Services at Yeovil District Hospital has been successful in obtaining a grant of just over £55k to develop the hospital’s patient feedback systems both across the trust and nationally.

Kelly Kent’s ‘iCARE if you’re smiling’ project was one of just nine successful initiatives chosen out of 147 national applications for a grant from the National Institute of Innovation and Improvement’s Patient Feedback Challenge funded by the Department of Health.

Kelly said: “They were looking for a scheme which improves the quality, quantity and real-time patient feedback, which, in turn, would be used to improve patient care. My business plan involved gaining funding to help YDH extend its already well-established iCARE ethos. This aims to ensure staff provide patients with good communication, attitude and respect in an appropriate environment. My project focuses on raising the expectations of iCARE with our patients, providing them and their families with a timely opportunity to feed back on the quality of their care enabling us to address any issues immediately.”

The £55k Kelly won will be used to purchase business cards, which will be given to all patients to advise them of the iCARE ethos and what they should be expecting from staff, together with iPADS which will enable staff to carry out a brief iCARE questionnaire with as many patients as possible across the hospital to get real-time feedback on their experiences. It will also pay for staff training and Kelly is hoping to introduce a simple scheme which will enable patients to indicate how they feel they are being treated in hospital on a daily basis. The project will also

launch ward drop-in sessions, where patients and families can visit and provide feedback direct to staff.

Kelly said: “I would like patients, and their families and carers to have smiley face counters which they can place in a collection station to indicate if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their care. This will enable ward sisters and matrons to get a sense of the level of care on the ward and if they are concerned they will perform a more in-depth patient feedback questionnaire to really drill down and discover the issues.

“We have piloted this on the maternity ward and it has been a great success. Issues have been really diverse, from a clock showing the wrong time to more serious complaints. It is all about gaining speedy feedback so that we can address any issues quickly during the patient stay.”

Interim Director of Nursing, Helen Ryan, said: “We are delighted that Yeovil District Hospital’s iCARE ethos was recognised as one which deserved an investment to expand and to share with hospitals across the country. We are very proud of Kelly for taking this initiative and winning this award.”

YDH wins £55k grant to develop patient feedback

Get festive with two forthcoming Flying Colours

events. Our Christmas

Extravaganza at Westlands

Leisure Complex will have over 50

stalls including local crafts and present ideas! There will also be a chance

for children to meet Father Christmas. Sunday 9 December, 11am-4pm.The annual Salvation

Army ‘Carols at Christmas’

Concert at the Octagon

Theatre will be raising funds for the appeal so go along on

Sunday 16 December at

3pm or 6.30pm.

Dear Member

As you may know, the Flying Colours Appeal is currently focused on raising the £500,000 needed for the new baby unit, having already funded a whole range of facilities elsewhere in the Women’s Hospital.

The new baby unit will be twice the size and the plans are based on what parents have told us they want. Families will have much more privacy as they will each be given their own dedicated space next to their baby. The unit will also include a counselling room and a more relaxed family room where parents can make a drink and get away from all of the medical equipment.

As many of you have expressed an interest in supporting the hospital in the past, we are hoping that this Christmas you will consider

making a contribution to the appeal to help us climb closer to our £500,000 target and be able to give local families a fantastic new unit.

If you feel able to help, simply send a cheque to ‘Fundraising, Yeovil District Hospital, Higher Kingston, Yeovil, BA21 4AT’, or go to www.justgiving.com/yeovilbaby to make a card donation online. Cheques should be made payable to the ‘Flying Colours Appeal’. You can also come in to the hospital to make a donation at any time or call us on 01935 383020. We know that times are hard for many of you at the moment so thank you so much to those of you who have already made a contribution. We are constantly staggered by people’s generosity.

Have a great Christmas Lorraine Slack Senior Neonatal Sister

The Flying Colours Appeal has received two large grants from London-based charitable trusts. The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust has pledged a generous £50,000 and the Hospital Saturday Fund has donated £7,500. This is excellent news and we are keen to make real progress over the next few months. We need your help and there is a special request from the Special Care Baby Unit below.

FLYING COLOURSfor Yeovil Women’s Hospital

Caring

Caring

4

Yeovil District Hospital has received an improved rating in the annual survey of its patient environment, its food and the privacy and dignity of the patient’s experience.

This year’s Patient Environment Action Team inspections resulted in ratings of ‘Good’ for food and the patient environment and ‘Excellent’ for privacy and dignity. The results show that the hospital maintained ‘Good’ scores for environment and food and improved its rating on privacy and dignity from ‘Good’ to ‘Excellent’.

Robert Steele, Director of Estates and Facilities, said: “The hospital is committed to constantly improving patient facilities and putting patient experience at the forefront of everything we do. These scores demonstrate the hard work that has been put into maintaining standards and bringing about improvements.

“We continue to make investments to improve the environment for patients. Recent changes include upgrading ward bathrooms, redecoration, replacement of equipment, new ward beverage trolleys and flooring upgrades.”

Interim Director of Nursing, Helen Ryan, said: “One of our recent initiatives was to introduce

a mealtime observation programme with the support of our Public and Patient Involvement Group. They observed mealtimes on the wards to see if the food was being served in a timely way, whether patients were ready for it, needed any help eating and to see what food was left over.

“Some concerns were sorted out immediately and other initiatives to improve the patient experience at mealtimes are now being planned.”

Inspections were carried out by patient representatives, hospital staff, non-executive directors and an external validator from Dorset Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

PEAT is a self-assessment process, in accordance with NPSA guidance, where teams consisting of nursing, facilities staff and patient representatives together with an external validator carry out the inspection.

PEAT looks at the condition and cleanliness of the environment, the quality, range and quantity of food provided and privacy and dignity from a patient’s perspective. The areas inspected included the wards and main departments, the corridors and areas outside the hospital.

Privacy and dignity rated as excellent in inspectionI was getting really fed up

relying on strip washes and

needed my hair washing. When I heard about the new bath I wanted to give it a go but the problem was that I have to keep my feet dry. The staff

were marvellous, they wrapped my feet up, sat me in a chair

and lowered me into this bath

keeping my feet out of the water. The music was

lovely, I splashed

around like a child and I felt like a queen.

Patient

“

”

Sister Andrea Chell is pictured with staff nurse, Simon Henderson admiring their new high-tech bath.

Talking bath soothes hospital patients

Patients in the care of Yeovil District Hospital are enjoying baths which are usually experienced in expensive spas.

Initially installed to help soothe dementia patients, the top-of-the-range, high-tech baths are now being used by patients from two of the hospital’s wards and are set to be installed across many more wards during the year.

The bath comes complete with light displays to illuminate the bath water and a USB point to plug in music, audio books or even recordings made by friends and family.

Associate Director of Nursing, Maddie Groves, said: “Yeovil District Hospital has been doing a lot of work to improve the experience of dementia patients in our care. Having a bath is now a whole new experience thanks to our new equipment. The bath provides an opportunity for a patient to take quality time out from the busy ward and relax with the help of the soothing lights and music. We are also encouraging families to bring in their own recordings to plug into the USB port which can reassure some of our more confused patients.”

Donations from grateful patients have helped to pay for the new baths.

People Power

5

People Power

Welcome to our new consultants

Katie Smith, a Consultant

Gastro- enterologist,

joined the Trust from the Royal Bournemouth

and Christchurch

Hospitals where she worked as a registrar. Katie specialises in

IBD and nutrition.

John Spearman is a

Consultant General Surgeon

who joined Yeovil from

Southampton where he was a registrar. He specialises in

Upper GI surgery,

laparoscopic surgery and paediatrics.

Felicity Edwards is a Locum Consultant

Dermatologist and joins Yeovil from University Hospitals Bristol.

Hospital celebrates achievements with awards from Yeovil CollegeYeovil District Hospital has been chosen as the winner of Large Employer of the Year award hosted at Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford.

The Trust is also celebrating the success of Leigh Spurle, a modern apprentice at Yeovil Hospital, who has received an award for Apprentice of the Year for an Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering at Yeovil College’s apprentice award ceremony.

Leigh has completed her Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Engineering after three years hard work achieving a NVQ Level 3 in servicing medical equipment and a BTEC National Certificate in Electrical/Electronic Engineering. She has just started the final year of her Higher National Certificate.

Leigh joined Medical Electronics as an apprentice in 2009 and has since become an integral and valued member of the Team.

Dave Whittlesay, Bio Mechanical Engineering Technician and Supervisor of Medical Electronics, said: “We are all very proud of Leigh’s achievements and are also very proud of her contributions to the Medical Electronics Department gaining ISO9001:2008 Certification and to improving patient care at Yeovil District Hospital.

“Leigh is currently in her third year of the Higher National Certificate in Electronic Engineering and we look forward to her becoming a fully-fledged Bio-Mechanical Engineering Technician.”

Flo and Jim Essex, 82 and 86, have won a Pride of Britain Award for fundraisers of the year, which was presented in London by Dawn French.

Over the last 20 years Flo and Jim have worked relentlessly to raise money for local and national charities including Yeovil District Hospital, St Margaret’s Hospice, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, the PDSA and a donkey sanctuary.

They have been a particular friend of Yeovil District Hospital, raising over £100,000 for the benefit of patients since they first began.

The couple have lain on a bed of nails (to celebrate 60 years of marriage), jumped through fiery hoops and abseiled down the hospital’s eight-storey tower.

Paul Mears, Chief Executive, said: “Yeovil District Hospital is very proud that the fundraising efforts of Flo and Jim Essex have been publicly recognised by the Pride of Britain Awards.

“They work tirelessly to raise money and their commitment to YDH is amazing. Their enthusiasm and energy knows no bounds and as a result of this our patients at Yeovil Hospital have benefited enormously.

“They are delightful people, full of life and fun and clearly enjoy every moment of their money-raising activities. Congratulations to an inspiring couple.”

Hospital fundraisers win Pride of Britain Award

Friends donate nearly £66,000 in just ten monthsSince last October a group of volunteers has dispersed £65,671 to Yeovil District Hospital to support patients and staff.

The cash distributed by the Friends of Yeovil Hospital will benefit a wide variety of departments and clinical areas across the hospital. It has enabled the Trust to buy new clinical equipment including pulse oxymeters for the sleep service, rehabilitation equipment for stroke patients and medical equipment for the diabetic department, theatres and intensive care.

The Friends are also supporting the Flying Colours Appeal for the Women’s Hospital. Mothers-to-be attending the maternity unit will benefit from several important pieces of equipment such as a waterproof foetal monitoring unit and birthing couch for the new birthing pool, a cerebral functioning monitoring unit for babies in the special care baby unit, together with a laptop giving staff portable access to the most up-to-date clinical information on maternity patients.

The money the Friends are distributing comes from both individual donations and legacies from local people and profit from the highly popular Friends of Yeovil Hospital shop and ward trolley service. Chairman of the Friends, Anne Bennett said: “We are very fortunate to have such a conscientious group of volunteers who work really hard to provide a good service for the hospital.”

If you would like to become a Friend or volunteer ring Anne Bennett on 01935 823271 or Mary Brunker 01458 241130.

Improvements Great & Small

Improvements Great & Small

6

Through the new Mobility

Service we will be working

with patients to help them reach their

potential, and by providing a source of aids right here on the hospital site. We will help them to

help themselves and become

more independent.

Caroline ManSon, Joint Head of

tHeraPy ServiCeS

”

Marking the anniversary of the discovery of x-rays Yeovil District Hospital’s Radiology Team raised awareness of their work on World Radiography Day on Thursday 8 November, the anniversary of the discovery of x-rays in 1895.

The team provides diagnostic imaging which is central to patient care at YDH. The longest-serving staff member, Radiographer’s Assistant Chrissie Bennett, has seen many changes since she first joined the department nearly 50 years ago! Chrissie said: “We were based in the old building which is now the hospital car park. There were just two radiographers, two technicians and a superintendent.”

Now the department has 69 staff including 37 radiographers and eight consultant radiologists and also provides services at South Petherton and Crewkerne hospitals where outpatients can request an appointment at these locations.

Chrissie added: “The technology is very different now – gone are the darkrooms where I had to dip the film in the tanks to develop x-rays – everything is digital.”

YDH invested in a brand new CT scanner this year which can produce 2D and 3D images of the body – it is capable of advanced imaging applications such as vascular and cardiac imaging. Radiologists can perform image-guided biopsies on the scanner which can avoid the need for more invasive procedures such as exploratory surgery.

The MRI scanner uses magnets and radio waves to create images of the body and is used extensively for neurological patients. MRIs can create detailed images of soft tissue and are used for the detection of many diseases.

Nuclear medicine is not as scary as it sounds – this is a specialty that uses safe and painless techniques to image the body and treat disease. The hospital also has a fluoroscopy suite which looks at internal organs using contrast media such as barium. This reveals what is going on in the alimentary canal. It is often used to aid in the diagnosis of swallowing, stomach and bowel complaints.

Ultrasound is a key part of the team’s work with services, where it is used to detect problems in the abdomen, pelvis and some soft-tissue areas, and in the Women’s Hospital where it can work out the age of the foetus and monitor its development. The latest technology includes Baby Bonding scans, available at a charge, which give a 4D image of the baby.

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to produce images of the anatomy.

Breast imaging (mammography) is also undertaken in Radiology. YDH offers a one-stop service for patients referred with certain breast condition and the hospital is currently buying a new state-of-the-art mammography machine and continues to expand this service

The general department is responsible for the majority of films taken right across the hospital. These include chest x-rays and trauma x-rays.

Team GB Paralympian opens mobility serviceIn October, Maxine Moore, a member of Team GB who competed at London 2012, launched a new retail service aimed at helping patients who struggle with movement.

Maxine, 19, was born at Yeovil Hospital and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one. Despite restricted mobility, she is British Women’s’ Champion at the Club Throw event and ranked fifth in the world. Maxine returned to Yeovil to perform the official opening of the Therapy Department’s new ‘Equipped for Life’ shop, which is being established in the hospital to dispense advice and provide an on-site source of mobility products at affordable prices.

Items on sale include shower chairs, bath aids and a variety of other products to assist people with limited mobility. “Our mission is to promote independence,” says Caroline Manson, Joint Head of Therapy Services.

Joining Maxine at the opening was Adrian Scott, who was treated at YDH after suffering a stroke in 2009. Adrian, a former radio presenter and TV journalist, belongs to the hospital’s ASPIRE group which supports those recovering from stroke.

Further information is available from Caroline Manson or Sarah Edwards, Joint Heads of Therapy Services, at Yeovil District Hospital.

“

Foundation Trust Matters

7

Foundation Trust Matters

Advanced notice of governor elections in 2013

In the spring we will be seeking governors in the constituencies of: Dorset (one position) and South Somerset

(South and West) (one position)

and will also be looking for nominations for one

staff governor.

While the current governors are eligible

to stand for re-election, there is an opportunity for a member living in

one of these constituencies to stand

for election.If you would like more

information of what being a governor

involves please get

in touch with Nicola Webber,

Membership Co-ordinator

via email: nicola.webber@ydh.

nhs.uk or via tel. 01935 384753. We will be

notifying you of these again in the New Year.

‘Improving Child Health Outcomes in Harsh Economic Times’ With Dr Michael Fernando, Consultant Paediatrician Wednesday 10 April 2013, at West Mendip Community Hospital, Old Wells Road, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 8JD

‘What is a Stroke and How Can We Prevent it?’ With Ian Evans, Consultant Nurse for Stroke Also short tours of the outpatients area will be given by Matron Heather Ancill Thursday 18 April 2013, at South Petherton Community Hospital, Bernard Way, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5EF

‘Dementia: Positive Progress and Lessons Learned’ With Jo Ryan, Associate Director of Nursing, Medical Division Tuesday 23 April 2013, at Lecture Theatre, Yeovil Academy, Level 4, Yeovil District Hospital

Each of these events begins at 6.30pm with refreshments and the talk starts at 7pm, 8pm close

To book, please contact Nicola Webber, Membership Co-ordinator Email: Nicola.webber@ydh.nhs.uk Tel: 01935 384753 Write to: Management Office, Level 1, Yeovil District Hospital, Higher Kingston, Yeovil BA21 4AT

Forthcoming members’ events available to book

New Interim Director of NursingA highly experienced nurse with nearly 20 years’ service at Yeovil District Hospital has been promoted into the role of Interim Director of Nursing.

Helen Ryan joined YDH as sister in charge of the intensive care unit in 1993 and became the Nurse Consultant responsible for Critical Care in 2001. Having trained at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, she moved to St Thomas’ Hospital in London before spending eight years in the Royal Air Force. During this time she was based in Cyprus doing aeromedical duties and in the renal intensive care unit at RAF Halton. Helen has also spent six years on Yeovil District Hospital’s Board of Governors as a Staff Governor.

She said: “I am very excited about my new role – it is a privilege to become an Executive member of

the Board at Yeovil District Hospital and I look forward to doing everything in my power to lead and support the staff at YDH to ensure we deliver care to the highest standard we can.”

Helen is covering for Director of Nursing, Sue Jones, who has been seconded to North Bristol NHS Trust for a year to lead some of the transition during a planned merger with another Bristol Trust and the opening of a brand-new hospital in Southmead.

Helen Ryan is Yeovil’s newly-appointed Interim Director of Nursing

New Director of Workforce and HRMark Power, Director of Workforce and Human Resources, joined the Trust in November 2012. Mark undertakes this role for both Dorset County Hospital, and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Mark was appointed to Dorset County Hospital in September 2010. Before that, he was Deputy Director and Head of Workforce Performance and Information at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust. Mark is an experienced HR professional whose record of achievement covers all aspects of HR and organisational development activities. This experience has been gained through a range of diverse roles within the NHS, the private sector and the Royal Navy. He holds a Masters in Human

Resource Management, is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a member of the Chartered Management Institute, a qualified Executive Coach, and an External Examiner for the University of Portsmouth Business School.

Mark Power, YDH’s new Director of Workforce and Human Resources.

Flying Colours Appeal8

The Trust is internationally recognised as

a high-performing research site. We are set up to carry out

quality research work offering new treatment opportunities to our patients and working to clear protocols so we can achieve the

highest standards of care possible. I am delighted that the NIHR

league table has highlighted our

efforts.dr Steve gore, reSearCH and

develoPMent direCtor

Comments from patients to inspectors were particularly positive. One said: “I’m very happy with my treatment.” Others added: “The care was absolutely excellent when I was in A&E and has been brilliant since I came onto this ward.”; “The staff have cared very well for me. We are very lucky here. The staff really get to know you”; and “They respected my privacy and dignity and provided wonderful care.”

The inspection focused on a number of standards: consent from patients before an examination, or any treatment; ensuring patients receive safe and appropriate care that meets their needs and supports their rights; protecting patients from abuse and protecting their human rights; having qualified staff who are able to do their job; having enough members of staff to ensure the patients’ health and welfare needs are met; having quality checking systems to manage risks and assure the health, welfare and safety of patients; and listening to patients’ complaints and ensuring that these are acted on thoroughly. All these standards were met.

Inspectors observed lunchtime on two wards. The report noted: “There was a good choice of meals and the food was generally very good.”

A previous report from the CQC in 2011 received by the Trust said there are some areas which could be improved. Some patients felt bored outside visiting hours and would like access to TV and radio. The CQC acknowledged that this has been addressed. “Patients were aware of the hospital radio station, shop and the chapel. TVs are being reintroduced and wireless internet was now available on wards so that patients could use their own mobile devices.”

Interim Director of Nursing, Helen Ryan, said: “We found the inspection very useful and are delighted by the comments made by our patients and staff and the inspectors. We acknowledge that there are always going to be areas we can improve. The Trust always seeks feedback on the care and standards in the hospital. I would like to thank both the patients and our staff who spoke to the inspectors and who contributed to this being such a positive report. It is really pleasing to see the hard work of our staff reflected in this independent assessment of the quality of services that we are providing to the local community.”

The inspection was carried out as part of the Care Quality Commission’s routine schedule of planned reviews. The report can be viewed on Yeovil District Hospital’s website or the Care Quality Commission’s website.

Positive CQC report continued from page 1

Design by Naomi Cudmore: www.lighthousecommunications.co.uk

Clinical Feedback

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“

December sees the culmination of events for National Pathology Year. At Yeovil we are proud to say that we have participated in each themed month. We have also raised money for the local Freewheelers. A quiz in April and a sponsored walk in August raised a total of £437.30.

This money was presented on 3 December at our final event which took place in the Yeovil Academy. This was a chance for members of the public to explore the diversity which is Pathology.

National Pathology Year

Yeovil District Hospital has been ranked as the second best small acute trust in the country when it comes to its research activities in a league table published by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The Trust has also recently achieved the second highest uptake in the world in a stroke trial and last year received over £1m of research funding.

Research and Development Manager, Barbara Williams-Yesson, said: “It is important to Yeovil District Hospital that we offer care of the highest quality and conduct research to the highest standards. We ensure that research is seen as a treatment option and this has led to many patients agreeing to be part of a study. Our patients appreciate the opportunity to participate in high-quality research because they know that they benefit from access to new treatments and medicines.”

An example of Yeovil’s research success is the ‘AVERT’ study, an international trial looking at early rehabilitation in patients admitted to the hospital following a very recent stroke. Yeovil has recruited 16 patients into this complex study and is the highest recruiting site in the UK and second in the world, only behind Australia.

YDH has also been awarded a series of research grants for colorectal surgery over the last decade. The Department of Health recently awarded the Trust a prestigious £250,000 research grant aimed at improving the quality of life for patients with rectal cancer. This research is led by Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Mr Nader Francis and involves 50 patients from Yeovil and five other hospitals aiming to identify the most beneficial time for patients to have surgery following chemo- radiotherapy for rectal cancer.

International recognition for research team