Within days of Alan Tobiasarriving in the chairman’s seaton December 1, the letter fromMonitor landed on his desk,advising that we were insignificant breach of ourauthorisation.

It was certainly a baptism by fire, butnot one by which he is daunted. Hequips: “These things seem to have ahabit of following me around. I hopeit’s not me.” Alan has had previousexperience of getting organisationsback on track, both in the NHS and as

chairman to theEssex ProbationBoard.

He says: “No, I don’t feeloverwhelmed by the task ahead. Nextyear was always going to be difficult,not least because of the tariffreduction and the general financialclimate. The Monitor situation doesput the challenge into a differentcontext. We are not just dealing with a‘little local difficulty’ - Monitor is anexternal regulator with the power toimpose very severe sanctions.”

Without being at all complacent, Alanis quietly confident that, by all workingtogether, we can rise to the challengeahead and help restore the Trust’sgood reputation. His confidence stemsfrom his experiences of his first fewweeks here. He has been mightilyimpressed, on his travels around thehospital, by the enthusiasm,commitment and knowledge of staff.

He tells us: “I honestly believe we cancome out of this situation much thestronger. Not only do we have theright talents in place to secure thefuture but we are also privileged tohave exceptionally loyal members,governors, volunteers and supporters.That combination gives us a powerfulplatform from which to go forward.”

“The Monitor intervention is targetedat governance and it’s my job to put inplace a proper governance structure. Itwill be a structure that will have thepatient very firmly in the forefront.

That is the principle thatmust run throughout theorganisation, from top tobottom. We mustcontinually remember ourcore business - namely totreat NHS patients.

“The excellence and quality ofthe clinical outcomes, the safety of ourpatient and the quality of the patientexperience, will be the measures ofthe success of our treatments. Ourreputation for getting those threethings right will ensure we remain thehospital of choice for the people weserve. “

Newsletter for Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust January 2012

Together,wecan do it I honestly believe

we can come out ofthis situation muchthe stronger.

2

Welcome to:Dr Olivia Chan,consultant clinicaloncologist with aspecial interest inurological, lung andupper GI cancers.Olivia, who trainedat Barts and the

London, is passionate about oncology,finding it a ’constantly evolvingspecialty with the opportunity todeliver different types of treatment’.

She believes Southend’s excellentreputation for cancer services stemsfrom our ability to offer all types ofcancer treatment, with supportive andmotivated staff to help patientsthrough difficult times.

Having worked here as a house officerand registrar, Olivia is pleased to beback amongst her ‘friendly and helpful’colleagues and is looking forward tohelping to improve our cancer servicesstill further.

Dr Farhad Huwez,consultant physicianin elderly medicine.Farhad, who did hispostgrtaduatetraining in Scotland,Wales and London,comes to us from

Basildon Hospital where he was leadphysician for stroke services.

He finds elderly medicine ‘verychallenging and interesting’ as it needsa holistic approach to the patient. Hesaid: “It is an expanding specialtycovering many areas such as hyper-acute stroke care, osteoporosis care,orthogeriatrics, cognitive decline andmany other areas.”

While at Basildon, he set up a strokeand TIA (minor stroke) clinic andintroduced a hyper-acute service with24/7 thrombolysis and seven day TIAclinics.

Farhad said: “I am looking forward toworking with my colleagues in theDME department to develop anoutreach team to help with themedical problems of elderly patientson the general surgical wards.

“My first impressions of Southend arethat ‘things are done’, with seniorpeople on the shop floor who dealcalmly with the hectic demands of theNHS in the cold season.”

Married with a son and daughter, hisinterests are classical music, watchingfootball, supporting charities andwriting – in fact, he has had fourbooks published (one on stroke care)as well as nearly 70 publications.

Farewell to:Sue Hudson, dataquality coordinator,who has been withthe Trust for 20years – starting outin the physiodepartment atRochford Hospital.

She undertook a variety of roles inrehab before becoming theirgovernance facilitator. Three yearsago, she was seconded to informationand patient services to work on theinformation governance toolkit andsoon afterwards obtained thepermanent post of data qualitycoordinator.

Sue says the last two years have taughther many new skills and, although ithas been ‘an excellent time’ and she issad to leave, she has plans!

“I recently acquired a lurcher puppythat I will be training in agility – andtraining out of stealing my chickens’eggs!”

She also plans courses to improve herhobby of watercolour painting and islooking forward to lots more holidays– in particular visiting the children andgrandchildren dotted around the eastof England.

Then she and her husband will berelocating to Norfolk to indulge theirpassion for the ‘good life’ – growingveg, keeping chickens and going forlong walks.

Sue adds: “Despite these excitingplans, I will miss the guys here and themany challenges governance workbrings. Working for Southend Hospitalhas always been something I havebeen proud of.”

Jeanette Hughes, who left theeducation centre at the end ofNovember after over 14 years workingwith the Anglia Ruskin tutors andeducation centre staff. Jeanettepreviously worked for the healthauthority for many years. Colleaguespast and present wished her well forher retirement.

Thank you to:Our Pets As Therapy (PAT) dogswho bring comfort and joy to ourpatients all year round.

Jasmine the delicate dove-grey poodleand Buddy the boisterous labradorhave one big thing in common… theyboth have beautiful bedside manners.

The hospital’s specially trained Pets AsTherapy dogs were given a specialthank-you gift by chief executiveJacqueline Totterdell – a ‘doggiestocking’ full of canine treats at aspecial gathering under our glitteringChristmas tree.

The dogs and their owners are regularvisitors to patients in wards in thehospital which accept the therapydogs.

“As well as to the dogs, my thanks goto the owners, whose skill andcommitment to the specialist traininginvolved makes the scheme possible.And while I’m at it I’d like to say thankyou to every single one of our 400 orso volunteers here at the hospital.Their support to the wellbeing of ourpatients and our staff isimmeasurable,” said Jacqueline.

There are more than 4,500 active PetsAs Therapy visiting dogs across the UK.Research has shown that even themost withdrawn of patients seem toopen up during a visit.

“It’s heart-warming to see patients’faces light up when the dogs come onthe ward,” says voluntary servicesmanager Chris Miller. “It’s a great wayof getting patients talking andsmiling.”

Personal notices

Left to right: Gemma Hurry andJasmine the poodle; Sylvia Wandand Buddy the labrador; chiefexecutive Jacqueline Totterdell;Sarah Monilaws and Daphne theboxer; Tom and Liz Ireland withHoney the golden retriever;Helen Crowfoot and Zeke theTibetan spaniel.

Getting patients through their surgerysuccessfully is a major exercise in logistics.Not only do the planners have to ensure the theatre is free,the surgeon and anaesthetist available on the day and a fullback-up team in situ, they also have to double check thepatient is well enough for surgery, has had all the necessarypre-op checks and, of course, arrives at the theatre on time.That is before you factor in last-minute staff absences,cancellations or over-running operations on the day. Finally, ofcourse, the whole process has to be completed so thepatient’s op falls within the hallowed 18 weeks from referral.

It is an intricate juggling act we feel we could be doing better.So a valiant team, with representation from every stage of thecomplex process, has taken up the challenge to chart thepatient’s journey from the minute that surgery is agreed to theday they are discharged following their operation.

Jane Mulreany, head of operational programme management,who is heading the project, hopes to see the end of thebooking/cancellation, booking/cancellation cycle which hasblighted theatre efficiency for so long.

She said: “We need to plan properly from the beginning andensure each area is allocated sufficient theatre space for itsneeds. The existing timetable has been in place for so long,but times have changed and it no longer reflects the workloadof the different specialties.

“For example, we are doing many more specialisedprocedures in urology than ever before so need to allocatemore time and space there.”

As a result, the initial focus is on urology with a target date fora revised patient pathway by the end of this month.Consultant urologist, Prof Tony Young, is even testing out a12-hour day, with operations scheduled from 8.30am to8.30pm once every fortnight.

The worst problem, says Jane, are last-minute cancellations asthey require an inordinate amount of time and effort toreschedule and still meet the 18-week target.

She acknowledged: “Some things cannot be planned forwhen we are dealing with sick people. For instance, somepatients take much longer than others to anaesthetise. Butwith proper planning to match demand to capacity and otherimprovements, we feel we can make a big difference to howefficiently our theatres operate.”

3

Theatreprogramme

centreCLINICAL

Young patients on Neptuneward enjoyed a ‘pantalising’ visitfrom local bestselling children’sauthor Claire Freedman.Children and their families weretreated to a reading from Aliens LovePanta Claus – a jolly Christmasadventure from Claire’s Aliens LoveUnderpants series.

Claire was joined by the alien fromthe series and together they handedout Christmas-themed goodie bagsand books to the children.

The visit was arranged by StarlightStorytellers, a national venture thatsees authors, illustrators and

storytellers visiting hospitals andhospices around the UK to bringbooks to life for sick children.

Play specialist Jackie Keeble said: “Itwas such a treat for us to have Claireand the alien on the ward - theyreally did bring a huge dose of festivefun. Children can become verydistressed when they are unwell andentertainment like Claire’s visit canreally help to take their minds offtheir illness and provide a bit of fun.”

Claire added: “I love to create worldsfor young children to enjoy andescape into and Starlight Storytellersseemed like a brilliant way for me to

use my talent and love of books tobring some fun and distraction topoorly children. I hope that a readingfrom Aliens Love Panta Claus and avisit from our very own alien helpedbring a little festive sparkle to kidsundergoing treatment in my localarea.”

Alien visit thrills young visitors

Christmas bakeoff competitionCompliments to the chef! Helen Proud madethe best mince pies, Maria Camilleri-Stevensmade the best dressed cake and Jacqueline

Roome made up the best festive platter. Eachwinner won a ‘Great British Bake Off’ bookand a Marks and Spencer voucher. The prizefor the best effort went to Lara Basnett who

won an apron.

Best dressedtree

Eleanor Hobbs ward asked theirstaff, patients and visitors to

write their wishes for Christmasonto cards which were hung on

the tree which won the bestdressed tree competition.

Jacqueline Totterdell awardedthem the prize of a chocolate

hamper.

4

And so that was Christmas...

Christmas bazaarKim Dunmore (left), secretary in the governance team and datafacilitator Trish Baynton, couldn’t resist the sparkling baubles,bangles and beads on sale at the Christmas bazaar, organised aspart of the festive extravaganza, which attracted almost 200visitors.

VegetablecompetitionZoe Gregori made Brusselssprouts more appealing withher Christmas tree which wonthe ‘best dressed vegetable’competition.

Craft competitionJudges Anne James, (right), and GinaQuantrill found themselves in a bit of aquandary faced with so much craftytalent. They finally awarded first prizeto Lesley Cranfield for her intricatesampler and second to Amanda Burtonfor her cosy hat and scarf set. They bothwin vouchers for the crafters’ paradise,Hobbycraft.

‘Christmasreflections’photographycompetitionLocal photographer Lynn Tate didn’t make anysnappy decisions when awarding prizes for thebest photographs. After carefully consideringeach photograph, Nikke Ellis won first prize,Mandy Taylor won second prize andhaematology (Kevin Oakley) and Emily Taylorwon highly commended, with the patient'schoice going to Julie Lander. Each winner won aprize donated byLynn Tate.

Where’s robin?Week 1Cathy Halliday (left), practice development nurse.

Week 2Sue Dutton (left), HRproject administrator,won a box ofchocolates.

Week 3Karen Morgan,library and knowledgemanager.

25

so much talent...

Our most dangerously-ill patients have abetter than expected chance of survival, astudy has revealed.

The first-floor 10-bedded critical care unit cares for patientsneeding mechanical support to breathe and advancedsupport to keep other organs, such as the heart andkidneys, functioning.

The study collected data over a five-year period as part ofthe Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre’s(ICNARC) case mix programmeto compare similar centresaround the country.

Our unit was found tohave experienced far fewerdeaths than predicted,despite patients beingadmitted with more severeconditions. During the five-year period, a total of 2483patients were admitted tothe unit, of whom 155 more survived than expected.

Dave Higgins, consultant anaesthetist and critical caredirector, said: “The study looks at a wide range ofphysiological data for the individual patient to calculate therisk of death despite satisfactory clinical care. We foundthat, although our patients were more severely ill than theaverage of other hospitals scrutinised, we had a far greatersurvival rate.

“ICNARC calculated we would have had 904 deaths in thattime frame when, in fact, we had just 749.”

Dave attributed the high success rate to a number offactors:

• There are always one or two specialist critical careconsultants covering the unit during the day, and oneon-call at night;

• The support of a team of senior anaesthetic specialistregistrars and other hospital specialists, skilled inprocedures such as intubation, airway management andadvanced support of other organs;

• A highly-experienced, dedicated and well-establishedcritical care nursing team;

• An outreach team to visit recovering patients after theyhave been discharged to a ward to provide ongoingcritical care expertise and to detect any problems at anearly stage. The team is also available to help managepatients elsewhere in the hospital whose conditionsuddenly gives rise to concern and, where necessary, totransfer them to the critical care unit;

• Twice-daily ward rounds with an average of three criticalcare consultants and a consultant renal physician;

• Sophisticated equipment, not available in all critical careunits, such as an intra-aortic balloon pump to providemechanical support to a failing heart and a high-frequency oscillator to facilitate oxygenation when othermethods of mechanical respiratory support have notbeen successful.

Medical director, Dr Grahame Tosh, said: “Patients cominginto critical care are the sickest in the hospital so we aredelighted to know that Dave and his team have been ableto save more of them than would have been expected.

“We are very fortunate to have such a highly skilled andtotally committed department. Their expertise anddedication has helped us achieve some very impressiveresults.”

6

centreCLINICAL

We are veryfortunate to

have such a highlyskilled and totallycommitteddepartment.

Critical care’simpressive results

7

Wednesday, January 18Staff benefits day12 noon to 4pm in the educationcentre exhibition area

Come and see just some of thebenefits on offer for working here atthe hospital. As well as some of thebig companies which offer discountsto staff, there will be some irresistibletasters from the kitchens ofrestaurants which support our scheme.

And, if that is not enough, there’ll bea free raffle with prizes ranging froma sumptuous M&S hamper, restaurantvouchers, one month’s free gymmembership and family bowlingvoucher.

More details are available onSTAFFnet – just click on staff benefitsunder the favourites listed on thehome page.

Mini masterclasses7.15pm to 8.15pm in the groundfloor seminar room, educationcentre:

Tuesday, January 24What is NICE about a guidelinefor hypertension?Speaker: Dr Philip Kelly, consultantphysician, diabetes andendocrinology.

Tuesday, February 21Knee examination – when torefer, how to investigate inprimary care – is knee X-Raynecessary?Speaker Mr Tony Greer, consultantorthopaedic surgeon.

Friday, February 17TB today – is it stillrelevant?10am to 4pm at Rayleigh firestation, Rayleigh Weir, SS7 3TR

Morning session (10am to 1pm)TB awareness

Afternoon session (2pm to 4pm)BCG/Mantoux training

(option to attend one or bothsessions)

To book, contact Janet Bradley on01268 366815, emailjanet.bradley@sept.nhs.uk

Patient Safety Awards 2012

DiaryDates

This year there are nine categories for entrants. Full details are available onwww.patientsafetyawards.com – where you can also register and uploadentries.

The deadline for submission is March 23, 2012.

Lunchtimes:Thursday, January 26, 12noon to 1pmThursday, February 23, 12.45pm to 1.45pm

Evenings:Monday, January 9, 5pm to 6pmMonday, February 6, 5pm to 6pm

Need to recover from some serious over-indulgence? New Year resolution to get moreexercise?

Well, come and join the hospital 5-a-side football squadwhich is restarting on Tuesday 17 January atPlayfootball outdoor pitches, Prittlewell Chase, rightnext to Chase High School, kick-off 7pm. We play everyTuesday – rain, snow or shine but are looking for somenew talent. All players, of any ability, welcome. If youhave any queries, please contact Dr David King (pictured) –david.king@southend.nhs.uk – or just turn up on Tuesday evenings at 7pm!

Footballerswanted!

Washington Ali & Mrs MaraChrystie of the SouthendZimbabwe Network came toNeptune ward with Stevefrom 'Make your own teddy'who made teddies for thechildren including young Lili.

Bearnecessities

1st prize £1,000Mr Leslie Travell(who kindly donated £500 back to our Southend Hospital charity)

2nd prize Olympus digital cameraMrs Dartnell

3rd prize Family ticket to Legally BlondeMs S Courtier

4th prize Luxury Christmas hamperMrs P George

5th prize Digital photo frame N M Powell

Grand prize Christmas draw winners:

Staff weight reduction programmeFeeling post-festivitiesplump?Lunchtime and evening sessions:mix and match to suit, or comealong to all for more frequentweigh-ins and support. Theyare held in the seminar room,education centre.

The work of the pharmacy isnot just ‘sticking labels onboxes’ – as one personadmitted to thinking beforebeing taken on a tour of thedepartment last month.

The pharmacy open day attractedplenty of visitors, all eager to learnmore about the famous robot,tracking system, sterile productionunit and quality assurance procedures.

Work in the busy unit went on aroundthe fascinated groups: on average,every day staff there dispense 50 TTAs(packs of medicines for dischargedpatients to take home) as well asdealing with every ward’s dailyrequirements and the hundreds ofoutpatients’ prescriptions.

Claire Gray, pharmacy assistant, who led some of the day’s tours, said: “It wasclear from the last staff survey that many members of staff were interested inwhat we do. So, following on the success of the pathology department’s openday, we thought we would hold our own.”

Our pharmacy spreads over two sites – as well as the hub behind the counter inthe main corridor, they also occupy much of the Carlingford centre, wherechemotherapy drugs are made up, drugs and medical gases validated for purityand quality, unlicensed drugs packed, parenteral nutrition feed bags (meals inbags for patients unable to eat) made and checked, as well as antibiotic andintrathecal (spinal) pain relief injections.

Richard Skidmore, quality assurance lab manager (pictured), is passionate abouthis work. He said: “The open day was a marvellous opportunity to show staffthroughout the hospital how we work to ensure that the drugs our patientsreceive are appropriate, effective and safe.”

The vision of a paper-free officeis getting ever closer.Mandy Taylor, secretary in maxillo-facial and oral surgery, recentlyearned the distinction of generatingour millionth letter on CED (clinicalelectronic documentation) and AnneJames, director of partnerships and astaunch champion of electroniccommunication, marked the milestoneby presenting Mandy with a certificate.

The system went live in the hospital in2008 and although Mandy admittedto some initial resistance, nowconcedes: “I cannot imagine not usingit now. CED has really made my life alot easier.”

Anne added: “Multiple clinical teamscan access the information at thesame time, which can only benefit thepatient. In the past, the medicalrecords had to be physically takenaround the hospital.

“We are continually developing thesystem - discharge letters went onto itearlier this year. There is a growinglist of departments which want theirdocuments scanned onto CED.”

One in a million

As part of the Trust’sequality and diversitypolicy, the communicationsdepartment is committedto ensuring this publicationmeets the needs of all ourstaff. If anyone would find ithelpful to receive The Lookin an alternative format, eglarge print or audio pleaseemail the communicationsdepartment.If you have an item that you wouldlike to see published in The Look,contact Pat Stone on ext: 5048 or byemail. Deadline for February –Friday, January 13.

Potions, lotions,balsams and pills

Senior operating departmentpractitioner Elaine Green is in raptureas she sinks her teeth into one of thedozens of home-made cakes on salein the operating department lastmonth.

The superb spread, organised by ODP KarenHewitt and staff nurses Teresa Hyde andTracy Alden-Smith, raised around £600 forthe British Heart Foundation in memory ofspecialist doctor in anaesthetics, Dr SaumshiNagaraj, who died last September.

Home-made heaven