Newsletter for the staff of Barnsley Primary Care Trust No 35 February 2008

1

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has thanked all staff for their achievements and dedication in improving patient outcomes and outlined the Government’s commitment to driving forward the service into the 21st-century, in a special New Year letter to all NHS staff.

You can view the whole message on the PCT’s Connect site. Key priorities for 2008 are outlined as follows: • bringing down the numbers of healthcare associated infections • improving access to care • achieving the 18 week target by December • continuing the reforms that will ensure the NHS is evolving for future healthcare needs.

To achieve these outcomes the Prime Minister proposed a number of key steps: • describing the shared ambition of an NHS which is more personal and responsive to patient needs • talking to all NHS staff about the changes that need to be made, together, to create a service that focuses on prevention and healthy lifestyles • setting out how patients can be given greater control over their treatment and care • examining how these changes can be enshrined in a new NHS constitution.

Prime Minister’s NHS 60th anniversary message to all NHS staff

‘Let’s work together in this milestone year’

You can still get involved in the future review of the NHS by submitting your opinions to the ‘Our NHS Our Future’ website online questionnaire.

In his nation-wide speech in January, the Prime Minister focused his attention to the NHS and its importance in society today. A groundbreaking programme to screen people for conditions such as heart problems, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease was also unveiled.

In his New Year speech, Gordon Brown said the Health Service was ready to move to a “new age” with the introduction of diagnostic tests to improve the nation’s health. He said: “What people want is a Health Service that’s more personal to their needs and we’ve set aside money in our Health Service allocation for the next three years to gradually introduce this national screening that’ll enable people to make the choice.

“So we’re moving the Health Service in to a new age, it’s about preventing disease, it’s about a service personal to your needs...now we can move on to the next stage which is a healthier nation and giving people more opportunities that sometimes have only been available in private medicine before.”

Page 2: Send in your ideas for 60th celebrationsPage 3: Hotspots scheme launched at Town HallPage 4: Did you win the Green Travel Plan draw? Competition winners announced!Page 4: New IWL initiative for mothers returning to workPage 7: Local Counter Fraud Specialist updatePage 8: Mums in Mapplewell enjoy comfort club’s second wavePage 9: Infrastructure Project’s latest workPage 11: Meet some of our new peoplePage 12: staff news and events

In this issue:

This year we are...

2

Message from the Chief ExecutiveHappy New YearHappy New Year and welcome to the first issue of PCT News in 2008. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. This year is a big year for everyone who works in the NHS as we celebrate our 60th year as you’ll have noticed from the front page. We are planning a series of events and celebrations to mark this important milestone so look out for details in future issues of PCT. You will also notice that Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister has pledged his commitment to the NHS and has identified priority areas. A new identity for Barnsley PCTIt’s going to be a busy year, incorporating a lot of change for the PCT and its partner organisations. Separate identities will be launched in April for the PCT to define the separate role of Commissioning and Provider services.

Although the PCT will still exist as the same entire organisation for the time being, we are planning to launch a new identity for Commissioning side of the organisation in April using a new logo and the name ‘NHS Barnsley’ incorporating the NHS lozenge. This reflects the changes that are being made nationally to give the NHS a consistent and public-friendly title.

The other side of the PCT, providing services to Barnsley will be called ‘Care Services Direct’ (Part of Barnsley PCT) and this will also have a new corporate identity. Within Care Services Direct, a number of Business Units will form the structure of the organisation. This will strengthen each service we deliver in terms of defining roles, demonstrating our performance and output and marketing our services in the future.

The move to these new names is instrumental in moving forward with change and will take some getting used to by everyone. It will not be an overnight re-branding exercise. To minimise waste and encourage cost effectiveness we are asking all staff to use up stationery and resources and use the new identities when stocks are due for renewal.

We’ve got lots to look forward to!In addition to the 60th Anniversary, there’s lots to look forward to this year. We’ve got the new Oakwell Building opening in April at Kendray, LIFT Centres at Grimethorpe and Cudworth, Long Service Awards in May, and there’ll no doubt be lots more to celebrate, and it’ll all be recorded in PCT News so make sure you get in touch to share your news with everyone too.

Let’s work togetherThis year we’ll also be seeking your involvement on taking forward the work mentioned above so please join in and help us to be successful in our new venture. Don’t forget at any point you can make a suggestion on our online suggestion box.

NHS 60th Anniversary What would you do? This year is the 60th year of the NHS and we’re currently planning a number of events to help celebrate this. If you have any ideas or suggestions to mark this significant year please get in touch via the contact box on the back page. Thanks!

Public Health are on the moveA number of members of the PCT’s Public Health Team are moving offices to the Town Hall. Further updates on contact details will be made available once the move is complete. Some Public Health staff will remain based at Hillder House.

New! Guidance on the Annual Leave Entitlements for Bank Staff and Staff Employed with Zero Hour Contracts This new guidance has been updated in response to a change in legislation which increased the paid annual leave for the above staff to 24 days a year (pro rata). Line managers and supervisors involved in working out annual leave should be aware of these changes and the PCT’s full policy which can be found on Connect. Please contact a member of the Personnel Department if you require further information.

Smoke Free – a year laterIt’s been a year since the PCT went Smoke Free and we have had a few reported incidents where staff and service users have been found smoking on a PCT site or in work’s time. This is not acceptable and breaches the PCT’s Smoke Free Policy. The policy is available on Connect’s Policies and Procedures section.

Service movesThe Memory Team and Ward 4 at Kendray have moved from Mental Health services into Older People’s services. The Memory Team will be managed by Linda Barker and Ward 4 by Julie Bowser. Please address any future correspondence and queries regarding these services to the relevant manager.

Take care in car parksThe PCT is now keeping a record of all staff who are parking in disabled and unallocated spaces, so please park properly to help us maintain safe access around all PCT workplaces. Another member of staff has been in touch to ask that we all take care when parking, opening doors and respecting each others vehicles whilst in the car parks to avoid causing damage to other cars.

Online Ordering – new addressPlease note that the Logistics Online web address has now changed. Please amend your records / favourites lists accordingly. The new address is as follows: http://my.supplychain.nhs.uk/launch/default.aspx”

3

HotSpots Scheme Launched Barnsley’s Mayor launched the South Yorkshire ‘HotSpots’ project which aims to target vulnerable households to provide advice on accessing more services that could improve the health and personal safety of people in Barnsley.

The scheme is a multi agency partnership between South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Barnsley Council’s Strategic Housing department, Department of Work and Pensions, Benefits Service, South Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre and the PCT.

HotSpots involves a referral service using customer facing staff like our community nurses who will fill in a form with the client asking if they would like advice on energy and affordable warmth, grants and assistance, benefits health check, fire safety check and quitting smoking.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Barnsley Station Manager, Simon Dillon, said: “Throughout the year we do a lot of work to make people safer in their homes and communities, including carrying out home fire risk checks. But this initiative is a great opportunity for us to get into even more hard-to-reach areas, where people are more at risk. It will help to ensure that everyone in Barnsley has access to a range of services that can improve their safety and personal health.”

The aim of the scheme is to make services advice that can have a major impact on health and well-being more accessible to the people of Barnsley and South Yorkshire and will increase the number of homes receiving fire safety checks, benefit entitlement checks, energy efficiency advice and grant uptake, and support for stopping smoking.

Pictured (L-R) Cllr Jim Andrews, Deputy Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Chairman of South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service; Judy Gombocz, Local Service Delivery Manager, Pension Service; Mayoress Janet Henson; Kay Tordoff, Partner Liaison Manager, Pensions Service; Mayor of Barnsley Cllr Len Picken; Karen Taylor, Acting Director of Operations, Barnsley PCT; Paul Redgrave, Director of Public Health, Barnsley PCT; Simon Dillon, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Barnsley Station Manager

Discontinuing the Child Protection RegisterA requirement within the paper ‘Working Together 2006’ is to replace the Child Protection Register by 31 March 2008 at the latest. Local authorities have been give the above date to put the IT systems in place before discontinuing use of the Register.

The IT system should be capable of producing a list of all children in the area for whom there is a Child Protection Plan and ensure access by legitimate enquirers to that list. Barnsley Safeguarding Children Board took the decision to discontinue the use of the Child Protection Register at the end of 2007, allowing for the new technology to be used from 2008 onwards.

It is important that staff be aware of this, particularly staff who attend Child Protection Conferences, or submit conference reports. Register checks on children who you may have concerns about can still be undertaken but will be referred to as ‘checking the list of children who have a Child Protection Plan’. This will still be undertaken by the Safeguarding Children’s Unit at Burleigh Court during office hours (8.45am - 5pm weekdays) on 01226 772400.

Out of hours enquiries should be made to the emergency duty team on 0844 9841800. If you require clarification on this please contact a member of the PCT Safeguarding Children Department on 43 ext 3512.

The National Employment and Health Innovations Network, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions welcomed Barnsley’s Conditions Management Programme (CMP) to Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium to present their achievements and results of the South Yorkshire-wide project and answer questions about its work over the past two years.

“It was a really good opportunity to share good practice and innovation to a diverse group of people who are all extremely interested in the guiding principles of CMP and issues around worklessness,” said Darren Bickerstaffe, Project Manager for South Yorkshire. “CMP is a first-class example of promoting health and acknowledging long term conditions and how they can be accommodated in the modern workforce. Through employment, we aim to reduce health inequalities and target the stigma that has surrounded health and work in the past.

The way CMP works is as a voluntary programme, which is developed to help people manage their health condition and develop confidence and skills for employment. The scheme is delivered by NHS health practitioners in partnership with colleagues from Jobcentre Plus as part of the Pathways To Work initiative.

Customers attend an initial assessment at the Jobcentre, then join an eight week core programme in either a group or via individual modules, depending on the individual. The modules are delivered from community venues, in the customer’s local area and each participant receives a three-month leisure pass to their respective local leisure facilities to encourage participation in a range of healthy activities.

CMP is funded by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and is a partnership project between the NHS and Jobcentre plus. The CMP programmes began in August 2006 in Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster and in Sheffield since January 2007. To date, CMP have received over 3000 referrals to the programme with many participants moving back into work after participation in Pathways To Work.

Pictured: Presenters (l-r) Darren Bickerstaffe, Barnsley PCT; Moira Thomasson, Jobcentre Plus and Felix Davies, Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust.

CMP given national stage to present work

4

Breast feeding initiative for working mothers The Staff Communication and Action Group meet regularly to encourage good communications across the PCT and during this meeting, IWL bids are considered for funding. One of the latest initiatives to be approved by the PCT is for staff intending to return to work and continue breastfeeding. The free charibag comes with a breast pump kit and ongoing support from a breastfeeding link worker team.

The portable charibag contains the following:

• Manual breast pump• Cooler carrier with pack of three bottles• Purelan sample and bra pad sample• Breast milk freezer bags• Disposal bra pads• Information & contact details of breast feeding link worker

Travel Plan Survey winners picked!The PCT’s Travel Plan Survey winners were picked out in a traditional style from the 480 entries made at the Victoria Jubilee Museum in Cawthorne using an 1890 apprentice-made bicycle as the base for the prize draw (pictured).

Winners were: Jane Rand, a Health Visitor based at New Street wins the bike and accessories;Karen Sharp, another Health Visitor based at Lundwood and New Street wins the iPod. Congratulations!

For more news on the Travel Plan visit their web site on Connect where all the group’s minutes and links to useful sites can be found (in the projects and groups section on the navigation bar): http://nww.barnsleypct.nhs.uk/travelplan

“The next step is to collate and analyse the results of the survey, which we are working on in partnership with South Yorkshire Passenger Travel Executive (SYPTE).” said Don Jones, Locality Public Health Specialist. “This survey will provide us with an excellent baseline set of information with which we can work to help us build the PCT’s Travel Plan document.

Thanks to Mr and Mrs Herbert, the custodians at the museum for welcoming us to their museum – we can certainly recommend it for a visit! Look out for more updates from the Travel Plan group in the near future.

Pictured: l-r Catherine Bucktrout, Administration Assistant in the Public Health Department holds all the entries for the prize draw watched by Don Jones and drawn by Dr Paul Redgrave, Director of Public Health.

5

Training the workforce of the futureMental Health Assessor Updates and CMHT LEM meetings 2008

Learning Environment Managers are the person on a ward or team who takes responsibility for student/education issues. Angela Glover said: “I rely on 32 LEMs over the whole PCT clinical placements circuit to cascade information to the assessors or mentors who supervise the student nurses during their training. Similarly I rely on the LEMs to cascade information to me if a student is having problems on the placement or a mentor/assessor needs advice.” The dates for the updates in 2008 are:

Date Session Time Venue

Wed 27th Feb C.M.H.T. L.E.M. 1300 -1400 Unicorn Room Kendray Hospital meeting Assessor Update 1400-1600 As above

Thurs 8th May C.M.H.T. L.E.M. 1300-1400 Griffin Room Kendray meeting Assessor Update 1400-1600 As above

Tues 8th July C.M.H.T. L.E.M. 1300-1400 Pegasus Room Kendray Hospital meeting Assessor Update 1400-1600 As above

Fri 17th Oct C.M.H.T. L.E.M. 1300-1400 As above meeting Assessor Update 1400-1600 As above

Thurs 4th Dec C.M.H.T. L.E.M. 1300-1400 Unicorn Room Kendray Hospital meeting Assessor Update 1400-1600 As above

Please note, all assessors must be updated annually. Please send your study leave form to Angela Wilde Training Coordinator/Administration, Training and Development Dept Kendray Hospital. For more information contact Angela Glover, Learner Support Officer, tel: 01226 434152 or email Angela.Glover@barnsleypct.nhs.uk

Carers were invited to an event at Priory Campus recently that celebrated Carers’ Rights Day and also saw the launch of the Carers’ Emergency Respite Service.

At the event, Carers, BMBC and PCT Staff and service users were treated to presentations, a speech from the Mayor of Barnsley, information stands and a performance from the Lit-tleworth Grange Primary Learning Centre Singers.

The PCT’s Director of Strategy Martin Farran (also a joint Director for Adult Social Services) introduced the Carers’

Claim your training allowance!The PCT has £200 fund-ing allocated per person which is subject to avail-ability and issued on a first come basis.

This funding is specifi-cally for the development of Support Staff. If you are considering some Learning /Development, please contact Training Department to find out how you can access the funding and how we can support you.

Tel. 01226 434153 or ext. 4153

Emergency Respite Service and demonstrated its benefits to Barnsley.

Lillian Lettin from BMBC organised the event which was well attended by Carers in Barnsley and partner organisa-tions. She also made arrangements for Carers who work by holding a special evening session on the day.

Pictured: (l-r) Jeff Ennis, MP; David Bostwick, Councillor; Eric Illsley, MP; Lillian Lettin; the Mayor of Barnsley Len Picken and Martin Farran.

Barnsley Carers event get good review

6

Risk Assessment – A Legal RequirementThe Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places a duty on employers to undertake a written Risk Assessment to assess the risks that may arise to themselves, or others whilst conducting their work.

PCT Health and Safety Policies require all Senior Managers and Heads of Departments to undertake Risk Assessments routinely, to ensure compliance to both Health & Safety legislation and PCT policies and procedures.

All employees are accountable for their own working practices and are required to assist with the risk management process, including attending appropriate (mandatory/non-mandatory) training sessions, reporting incidents, near misses, and unsafe occurrences. The PCT Risk Assessment procedure is located in Volume 1 of the Health & Safety Policies and Risk Assessment Manuals (Blue Folders).

The policies outline responsibilities and give information, instruction and guidance on completing a Baseline Risk Assessment, amongst others. A Baseline Risk Assessment should precede all other risk assessments, and upon completion, becomes the local risk register, whereby, additional in-depth risk assessments are identified and prioritised. A pre-populated Baseline Risk Assessment is located as Appendix 2 (page 32) Volume 1 of the PCT’s Health & Safety Policies and Risk Assessment Manuals. Although not exhaustive, it identifies significant risks in a rational and manageable way. In addition to the above, Risk Assessment training sessions are held on a regular monthly basis and joining details are available from the Training Department at Kendray Hospital on 01226 434026.

For any further advice and guidance please visit the Health & Safety Connect Website http://nww.barnsleypct.nhs.uk/

Or alternatively contact the Health & Safety Department at the Keresforth Centre on 01226 435603 or extension 5603.

Misleading Security Advice – emailsSeveral emails are being forwarded around the PCT, BHNFT and other organisations in relation to police car incidents, petrol stations, lonely car parks and other scenarios. Whereas we are always happy to look into whether these stories are true or not, they often tend to be stories that have originated in the USA and been altered and changed as they are passed on.

This type of email crop up quite often and are usually false. It is best practice not to forward this type of email as the information is at best misleading and can lead to people putting themselves into compromising dangerous situations. For example, the Police try to follow cars until they are in safe areas until pulling them over especially in lone women situations.

In a real-life situation, a lot of these incidents can easily be dealt with by common sense. Always locking your car, keeping valuables out of sight, parking in well-lit areas and putting your own safety first are a few points of practical advice that should always be followed.

For further help or advice contact the Health and Safety Department on 435603 or ext 5603.

Ris

ky

Mat

ters

Staff Survey 62% responseThank you to everyone who filled in and returned a staff survey this year. The PCT’s final response rate was 62% which is excellent compared nationally to other NHS organisations. The PCT’s survey was handled by Quality Health, an external organisation who handle the distribution, collation and other elements of ensuring that the survey is completed efficiently and confidentially. The results will be available for all staff to view in a couple of months, and we’ll be promoting the results in a forthcoming issue of PCT News. The results are used to identify areas for improvement, and in comparison with results from previous years so we can see where we are doing well. Look out for more information on the staff survey results soon.

email: katy.jarvis@barnsleypct.nhs.uk with all your contributions for PCT News

7

Robert Purseglove, Barnsley Primary Care Trust’s Local Counter Fraud Specialist regularly updates the PCT on recent investigations and counter fraud work undertaken at the PCT and in the local NHS. It is his job to tackle fraud within the PCT and should be your first point of contact if you have any information or concerns about NHS fraud. Robert is also responsible for promoting fraud awareness amongst staff and regularly gives presentations and attends induction at the PCT. If your staff group would like me to visit and give a short talk on fraud awareness, then please contact Robert on 0114 2711462 or by e-mail at HYPERLINK “mailto:robert.purseglove@sheffield-ha.nhs.uk” \o “mailto:robert.purseglove@sheffield-ha.nhs.uk” robert.purseglove@sheffield-ha.nhs.uk How you can help? It is important that everyone who works in the PCT is aware of the risk fraud poses and the damage it can do to our resources. Fraud robs the NHS and the PCT of vital resources which are intended for better patient care. Fraud covers circumstances where someone intends to deceive and make a gain by any of the following:

Making a false declaration• Failing to disclose information• Abusing a position• Obtaining services dishonestly• Making, possessing, or supplying articles for use in fraud

You should be aware that the PCT has a Fraud Policy and Response Plan which provides full details on how you should deal with concerns about fraud. It is important that all suspicions of fraud at the PCT are reported.

If you suspect fraud, do not attempt to investigate it yourself. Genuine concerns should initially be reported via either Robert or Steve Hackett, the Director of Finance.

If this is not appropriate, there is a confidential NHS Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line on 0800 028 40 60. Calls are treated in confidence by trained staff and information given will be professionally assessed and evaluated.

Real life examples –Recent Cases at Local Organisations

Bank NursesA local Bank Nurse was due to appear in Court in October 2007 as a result of an investigation regarding falsified Nurse in Charge signatures on her Bank Nurse Claim Forms. The case is progressing through the criminal courts.

Petty CashA recent investigation has identified a member of staff who has been submitting receipts to a local Trust for purchases that range from inappropriate personal purchases to submitting receipts that they have already obtained money from the Trust for. Disciplinary action is ongoing and criminal prosecution is anticipated.

Falsely Reporting SickNumerous local investigations have again taken place into employees who have reported themselves as sick but continued to work elsewhere or taken up further employment whilst on sick leave. In these cases, staff have been dismissed or they have resigned whilst under investigation and I would like to remind staff that falsely reporting in sick is likely to be investigated as a fraud and may lead to criminal sanctions being taken.

Trust FundsA recent investigation at a local health body was begun following an allegation regarding the potential misuse of Trust Funds. The investigation resulted in a wider investigation being undertaken, from which the employee is facing prosecution and disciplinary action.

Falsification of TimesheetsAn allegation was made to a local organisation that a member of staff was amending their electronic timesheet. Investigations were undertaken and evidence was found that proved that the staff member concerned was submitting false timesheets. This investigation resulted in a disciplinary hearing where the member of staff was dismissed.

Say NO to fraud

This is a reminder to all staff and managers from training that course confirmation letters will be sent via email, and no longer by post.

Where staff do not have access to email but their manager does, their manager will be responsible for making sure that their staff receive the information in the email. Any other staff who are not on e-mail such as community staff will receive a hard copy.

Training letters are now electronic

8

In the NHS, good practice is encouraged through benchmarking work and using examples of lessons learnt to improve the way we deliver our services.

The review into the sad circumstances of a young person’s death in Barnsley identified that one member the family had difficulty in reading. The team dealing with the communications used a telephone in addition to writing letters, but that information was vital and needed to be passed on to other health staff that were working with the family. It is this kind of thing we need to be looking out for to aid successful communications between ourselves, the patients and their families. The safeguarding children department in the PCT have issued the following guidance for all staff to act upon.

Professionals should work alongside each other particularly when making referrals by providing insight into any communications issues they are aware of with their patient. “Anything that strikes you as different is worth

Mapplewell Mums recently celebrated their graduation from a course led by Health Visitors from the PCT. This is the second wave of parents to go through the six-week course covering a range of health and wellbeing subjects

The Comfort Club has been designed to give professional support, education and

Did you know that Safeguarding Children Training is a mandatory requirement for all NHS staff? The level of training is dependant upon your level of contact with children.

PCT courses are usually fairly well attended, however, they are not drop in courses and as such staff are expected to book on to the course.

In line with PCT policy, a Study Leave form is required so we know how many staff are attending. Staff substitution is permitted provided your Manager, Training Department and the Safeguarding training team are aware. We want to run full courses so that the Trust is compliant, but

It’s good to talk Safeguarding Children-Updateflagging up when making referrals and working together as professionals,” explained Amanda Sheffield Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children from the Safeguarding Children Department based at Lundwood Health Centre. “We’re not talking about crossing the lines of data protection here, it’s more about using a common sense approach to the way we work and making sure that these anomalies are recorded in patient records for the benefit of everyone.”

This approach needs to be adopted also when working across different agencies.

A further indicator of good practice, especially when working with adults who are parents, or are carers for children is to recognise situations that might be dangerous for the children. In the case above, the family had reported receiving death treats. Barnsley Safeguarding Children Board request that any member of staff who is informed of this type of situation should inform the Police and/or Social Care of the situation.

Safeguarding Children Training Single and Multi-Agencyit is often difficult to manage when we do not know who or how many to expect. In the case of Multi-agency training then it is a good idea to ring up to confirm your place on an allocated course a couple of days prior, particularly if you have been placed on a waiting list as it is possible that someone may have dropped out.

Where staff cannot attend an allocated course then please let the relevant training department know, as soon as possible, so that your place can be offered to someone on the list as above. Failing to do so, particularly multi-agency, will result in the manager being charged for none attendance.

Club gives comfort to mums in Mapplewell

9

Why infrastructure?

There are two main driving forces behind the Infrastructure project.

1. Over the coming years the use of electronic systems will increase throughout the Trust. The current McKesson PAS and TCS system will be replaced, with new releases of the iPM and TPP SystmOne systems available through Connecting for Health. The Infrastructure Project aims to modernise sites where PCT services are delivered from and move away from specific IT modernisation initiatives. Consequently the number of available computers needs to be increased. Additional computers also need additional network and power points in the rooms where they will be used.

2. As services evolve, the required flexibility increases and results in the need to support truly mobile working so the network and power infrastructure across the Trust needs major upgrades to cope with the potential increased demand. When completed the upgrades will ensure that the IT infrastructure can support future PCT business requirements.

What are we doing then?

Over the coming months, many service areas and sites will see additional power and data network points installed. This may be in storerooms which are being turned into offices (where deemed suitable by Health and Safety and Estates), treatment rooms being kitted out for a further computer installation. This may ease access for clinical staff who may have struggled for access to computers in their office whilst the treatment room stands empty for many hours a week.

encourages community befriending opportunities to new mums and babies and is bespoke to Mapplewell.

The group has been such a success, another group has been started by parents in the community to provide peer support. The comfort club two has been developed by parent Colette Smallman and is held at the Village Hall. Some of the mums are also looking into becoming community parents.

“It’s a wonderful way to learn new parenting skills and make new friends at the same time,” Said Marie Knott, the Assistant Director of Nursing at Barnsley PCT who attended the awards ceremony to hand out certificates to the mums. “The Health Visitor Cathrine Ward, who runs the group has given a lot of thought and energy to the Comfort Club process and has coordinated the course to ensure each session is informative and of value to the people who attend.”

Cathrine added: “It’s the parents that make the experience positive for each other by forming friendships that last beyond

With the additional infrastructure, two members of staff could potentially use the room as a base during hours when it isn’t in use as a treatment room.

What’s been achieved recently?

Between November 2006 and January 2007 83 sites and buildings across the PCT were visited with a view to determining the numbers and technical specifications of the computers at each individual site.

At the time of the surveys the PCT recommended specification for desktops and laptops available from Dell was taken as the basic minimum requirement for machines currently in use. This was a P4 processor with a speed of 2.8 GHz and 512 MB RAM memory for desktops and Pentium Mobile processor with a speed of 1.5 GHz and 512 MB RAM for laptops. Any computers with a lower specification processor were marked for replacement. Those with the required specification processor but below the minimum required memory were retained but marked for additional memory to bring them up to 512MB. All Elonex computers still in use were replaced.

A total of 889 computers were assessed of which 375 were replaced. Of the 514 remaining computers a further 154 were found to need additional memory. From February 2007 to April 2007 all new replacement computers were installed. Following these installations, memory upgrades commenced.

At the conclusion of the exercise some 529 computers (60%) of the Trusts computers will have been either replaced or upgraded which constitutes a significant improvement over the situation one year ago.

Infrastructure update

the course. The fact that the mums have now taken action to continue the club in their own time shows that the Comfort Club is a great success. We have been overwhelmed with positive feedback from parents who’ve been on the course and are looking forward to the next wave of new parents joining us for the next course which will start in the New Year.”

Each week a new topic is covered and mums are introduced to the other services available to them. At the beginning of the course, everyone takes an Edinburgh Score test to establish their mood and feelings and this is repeated at the end of the course to evaluate the effect the course has on our mums.

Other topics include tai chi, introduction to baby massage, Reiki healing, foot spa and beauty therapy with a certificate at the end of the course, and information about the local mother and toddler group.

10

Staff from the Diabetic Foot Clinic organised a Diabetic Foot Awareness week held recently in Beckett’s Restaurant. Sarah-May Poppleton and Natalie Bennett (Hospital / Community Diabetes Lead Podiatrists), were accompanied by Podiatry Technical Instructors Sandra Hall and Michelle Chambers in giving diabetic foot care advice to patients and guidance to staff on appropriate diabetic foot clinic referrals.

Ann Darbyshire and Gemma Nock (Health Care Assistants) carried out 147 random blood glucose tests on staff and visitors across the week with Mandy Philbin and Jayne Allen available for diabetes specialist nursing advice.

The aim of the week was to highlight the importance of prompt referrals to the foot clinic team and promote the use of The Diabetic foot Care Pathway for both Barnsley PCT and BHNFT. This pathway instructs clinicians on what conditions to refer, how to refer and where to send referrals.

The Diabetic foot clinic receives urgent referrals for foot ulcerations (non healing skin breaks), necrosis / gangrene (death of tissue) and suspected acute Charcot (unilateral unexplained red, hot, swollen insensate foot) risk level 6.

If anyone would like a laminated diabetic foot referral pathway or referral forms for their ward or department please contact Sarah or Natalie on extension 2049 / 2379. Wendy Greenwood (Diabetes Centre Coordinator) would like to thank all the staff involved in the awareness week.

We did it again! Three cheers for our three star staff and partners.

Congratulations to Barnsley Social Services and staff in PCT adult services who have retained three stars, the maximum possible rating, yet again awarded by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

This is the third year that we have achieved three stars, highlighting the fact that Barnsley are amongst the best in the country.

Councillor David Bostwick, Cabinet Spokesperson for Adult services and Health and Martin Farran, Interim Executive Director of Adult Social Services / Interim Director of Strategy (PCT) sent out a message thanking all staff on hearing the news. In the letter, they thanked their partners including the PCT, saying: “This result shows that to our coordinated efforts we provide high standards of Social Care and Wellbeing to the public, with effective use of the resources available.”

Ailsa Claire, Chief Executive said: “I’d like to echo that message of thanks to all our staff who work in the joint services between the PCT and BMBC and reiterate how proud we are to be working in such high-achieving services.”

Pathway Promotion for Foot Clinic

Pictured (Back): Sandra Hall, Podiatry Clinical Technician; Anne Derbyshire, HCA; Wendy Greenwood, Diabetes Centre Coordinator; Gemma Nock, HCA; Michelle Chambers, Podiatry Clinical Technician and (front) Sarah-May Poppleton, Diabetes Lead Podiatrist, Hospitals and Natalie Bennett, Diabetes Lead Podiatrist – Community.

RISK LEVEL 1 RISK LEVEL 2 RISK LEVEL 3 RISK LEVEL 4 RISK LEVEL 5

Barnsley PCT and BHNFT Diabetic Foot Podiatry Care Pathway

DOES THE PATIENT HAVE ?

FOOT ULCERATION &/ORNECROSIS / GANGRENE &/ORACTIVE CHARCOT FOOT

NO YES

RISK LEVEL 6Immediate referral to

Acute Assessment Clinic

Complete anAcute Assessment Referral & fax to the Diabetes Centre on:

01226 434406(Queries: 433173 or 432379)

Does the patient show evidence of neuropathy or peripheral arterial disease?

YES

Does the patient have additional risk factors?(e.g. callus, limited joint mobility, foot deformity)

NO

Does the patient have additional risk factors?(e.g. callus, limited joint mobility, foot deformity)

Has the patient had previous foot ulceration &/or non-traumatic amputation?

NO YES NO YES

NO YES

No podiatry referral needed. See Care Plan.

Patients assessed as being in Risk Levels 2 to 5 – complete podiatry referral and forward to the Podiatry Department, New Street, Barnsley, S70 1LP.PLEASE ENSURE THAT RISK LEVEL IS INDICATED ON THE COMPLETED REFERRAL FORM

11

Meet Mark – he’s the new Estates Manager

Mark Holloway began working in the Estates Department at the end of 2007 as Estates Manager, taking over from Dave Gill who has now retired (picture on page 12!). Mark is based at the Kendray Hospital site. He joins the PCT from his previous role as Estates Manager for Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust where he worked for four years. During his time there, he managed the estates of three large hospital sites in acute settings.

“I am really looking forward to meeting lots of the staff in Barnsley PCT and as Business Unit Manager for Estates, there’s plenty of development and service work to keep me busy,” said Mark, “If anyone would like to send me any suggestions or meet up to discuss ways we can improve our service I’d be interested to hear from them.”

Mark brings with him a wealth of experience in the field of estates management and the building services industry. Prior to working in the NHS, Mark worked as a Consultant Building Services Engineer in Sheffield, working primarily with Local Authorities and Health organisations.

Mark hails from Chesterfield and has a wife and two children. During his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, doing outdoor pursuits, playing his guitar and following Chesterfield FC.

Specialist Nurses Jayne Jukes and Mandy Houghton organised a special celebration for their heart failure support group in Worsbrough. Service users enjoyed a Christmas quiz, provided their own entertainment with poetry readings and a presentation of music and equipment bought in memorial of a special service user “Mick” Clarence Robinson. His daughter Sylvia (pictured) attended the celebration event at Worsborough and was thanked by Jayne and Mandy for her donation. The money was used to buy a music player and CDs which would be used by the group for activities in the future.

After the presentation and quiz, the group enjoyed a festive buffet lunch with their fellow group members.

“We use the group to invite people diagnosed with heart failure and their partners also attend,” explained Mandy. “They get the chance to meet other people with similar conditions and share their experiences.” Jayne continued: “The aim is to get the group to be patient-led eventually but we are able to use the sessions for education when they meet every other month.”

Pictured: Jane Jukes, Sylvia (daughter of Clarence “Mick” Robinson) and Mandy Houghton showing the group the donated equipment that will be enjoyed by the group in the future.

Welcome AdeleThe PCT has a new Project Manager in the Service Improvement Business Development directorate. Adele Brear joined the Service Improvement Business Development Team as a Project Manager on 10th December 2007.

In her role Adele will be responsible for providing business development support to provider services and for managing service improvement projects (or elements of complex programmes). This will entail working with a variety of colleagues across the PCT, data collection and analysis and facilitation and support of the use of service improvement techniques e.g. process mapping and lean thinking.

Adele joins us from the NHS graduate training scheme. Most recently she held a Project Manager post in the PbR team at the Department of Health in Leeds evaluating SUS PbR in the NHS. Adele’s first placement was with Bradford District Care Trust as a service improvement manager in adult mental health working for two CMHTs.

Alongside the placements undertaken as part of the NHS Graduate scheme, Adele also gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership and Management from the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham and Manchester Business School.

Adele has worked in the NHS since 2001 when she commenced work at BHNFT (BDGH at the time) as a student midwife. Upon qualifying Adele practiced for three years in all areas of midwifery and was also involved in clinical audit, policy and procedure development and risk management within her field of practice.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of new people in my new role,” said Adele, “I’m so pleased to be working here and starting work on a range of projects.”

Special event for Heart Failure Support Group

www.rabbitdesign.co.uk12

Bonza Break for Breastfeeding Coordinator A fond farewell goes out to Angie Sherridan, Community Breastfeeding Coordinator. An-gie is taking a two year career break to go and work in Australia. Colleagues in Public Health, the PCT, BMBC, VAB and the Com-munity wish Angie well in her new venture.

Prior to leaving, Angie establishd a ‘Com-pact’ agreement, which is an induction programme for Breastfeeding Peer Sup-port volunteers who work alongside the PCT/BHNFT in the hospital, community and Children’s Centres. This is a first, according to the NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) who maintain that Barnsley is the first in the world to do this!

In an email sent to Angie from Paul Barasi, Local Compact Voice Officer at NCVO, he said: “Well done Barnsley for having the world’s first Compact made at a practical and operational level. We can now look forward to a new healthy Compact genera-tion growing up to become the community partners of the future.”

Tickets available for Millionaire’s night The Acute Neurology team, based at Barnsley Hospital are holding their sec-ond Casino night at Brooklands Hotel on 16 May. “Based on last year’s success, we are hoping to make the event bigger and better than last year to raise money for specialist equipment within neuro-logical rehabilitation.” Explained Kirsty Lycett, Senior Physiotherapist. “Everyone is welcome to come to our event. The tickets are £16 and will include canapés on arrival, live entertainment, disco, raffle, auction and a chance for those who have won the most casino money to exchange it for prizes!”

For more information/ticket sales we are asking those interested to contact ‘The Therapy Fundraising Team’ on bleep 230 or ext 5307.

Happy retirement!Dave Gill, the Assistant Director of Estates and Facilities celebrated his final day in January, with a special leaving ceremony at Kendray. Dave has worked for the NHS in Barnsley since 1971 and he has been based at Kendray Hospital since 1999.Pictured: l-r Chairman Tom Sheard, Dave Gill, Nigel Myhill, Director of Estates and Facilities and Dave’s wife Pauline.

How to contribute to PCT NewsWe love hearing from you with your news and achievements! Call Katy Jarvis, Internal Communications Manager on

01226 43 ext 4298

to suggest an idea or send through contributions on email to

or if you’re passing the office (Kendray Personnel / Payroll building) pop in to say

hello!

Thank youThanks to this month’s contributors, please keep sending your content through to the details below.

Darren BickerstaffeHelen ClaughtonLee DaviesNicola FarnsworthSharon GalvinAngie GloverRose GoldsmithLes HayhurstDon JonesBob KendallRobert PursegloveBob SeniorAmanda SheffieldJanet HirstKirsty Waknell

...to Sue Bentley, Director of Performance and Quality, who achieved a distinction for MA in Healthcare Law. Sue was also awarded a prize for “student of the year” on the course which is fantastic news!

katy

.jar

vis@

bar

nsl

eyp

ct.n

hs.

uk

What’s on Connect?The PCT is continuing to develop its intranet site Connect. Have you been on recently? If not, please take a look, there’s lots of news, announcements, a staff directory and other useful information on there including an archive of previous issues of PCT News.

Well done...