TALKINGPOINT October

2015

... page 5

Barry takes to the skiesfor Friarage MRI scanner

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Octagon Marketing Company Ltd specialise in gaining advertising support for magazines so Talking Point is now produced, packaged, distributed and delivered at a minimal cost to the trust.

Talking Point is your magazine and it is only as good as you make it.It is produced quarterly in January, April, July and October each year.

Ideas and stories or suggestions to make Talking Point even better are always welcome.

Please send your ideas to: The editor - Lesley Connor Public relations South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust The James Cook University Hospital The Murray Building Marton Road MIDDLESBROUGH TS4 3BW

Extension: 55900 Email: lesley.connor@stees.nhs.uk

You can also contact the public relations team on 01642 854343, extension 54343, James Cook or email public.relations@stees.nhs.uk.

Talking Point is written and illustrated by the public relations team and designed by Octagon Marketing Company Ltd.

Mailing list – still need a hard copy of Talking Point?We are reviewing our mailing list as

Talking Point is now available on the

trust’s website and on social media.

It is distributed around the hospital

departments, sent to staff as an e-book

and available on the trust’s intranet.

If you don’t need an individual hard

copy any more can you please email

public relations and we will remove

you from the mailing list.

PATIENTS are being urged not to miss hospital appointments after 67,500 were wasted last year at South Tees.The trust had a “did not attend” (DNA) rate of 8% in the last financial year.

In total almost 67,500 patients did not turn up to outpatient and pre-assessment appointments costing the trust more than £1.6million in wasted staff time – the equivalent of paying for 74 registered nurses – and approximately £5m in lost income. And this does not take into account those cancelled at short notice which subsequently could not be filled.

A range of measures is already in place to try to reduce DNAs as part of the trust’s transformation programme which aims to ensure services run more efficiently. This includes a reminder service for patients, displaying the number of DNAs in waiting areas and not arranging appointments too far in advance.

Now members of the public are being urged to do their bit by making sure they:

• turn up to appointments on time

• let hospital staff know as soon as possible if they are not going to be able to attend

• ensure their GP surgery has their correct address and contact details.

Richard Whitehouse, business manager for tertiary services said: “We are

continually striving to give patients the best experience possible and

one of the areas we always keep a close eye on is our “did not attend” rate.

“At the moment around 40% of patients who do not attend appointments cancel on the day which really

limits our chances of being able to give their slot

to someone else.

“We are urging patients to make sure they attend appointments or to provide us with as much notice as possible if they can’t make it to help reduce waiting times for other patients and waste within the NHS.”

Appointments can be cancelled by calling individual departments or online at southtees.nhs.uk

Patients urged not to miss appointments

“We are urging patients to make sure they attend appointments.”

Keeping it sterile SPECIAL sterile instrument trays - which need no wrapping and have a sterility indicator on the outside – have been introduced at Friarage theatres. This has helped avoid problems with the outer sterile wraps of medical equipment developing holes. Jeff Foster, senior operating department practitioner worked with Sarah Baker, theatre manager to implement this change - a huge task - as some of the orthopaedic operations requires in excess of 15 trays per case.

Friarage theatres team on a missionTHE FRIARAGE theatres team - part of the trust’s trauma and theatres centre – have been working hard to deliver significant improvements in safety, efficiency and improving the quality of patient experience. They tell Talking Point all about it:

THE TRUST has been recognised as one of the top 120 NHS employers by the Health Service Journal and the Nursing Times, who in partnership with NHS Employers, has revealed a list of the best places to work in the NHS in 2015.The list is a celebration of NHS organisations that have worked hard at staff engagement and fostering an environment that staff enjoy working in. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS employers, said: “A long standing commitment to healthy workplaces characterises many of those featured on this list.”

The trust’s chief executive Tricia Hart said: “I’m very proud to work for this organisation and at a time when we’re going through major change, transformation and having to make some difficult decisions, it is still so positive to be collectively recognised in this way.”

The overall list of 120 organisations was broken down into different categories of organisations. These included 20 CCGs, 42 acute trusts, 16 specialist trusts, 11 community trusts and 31 mental health trusts. The organisations were assessed on seven core areas- leadership and planning, corporate culture and communication, role satisfaction, work environment, relationship with supervisor, training, development and resources, employee engagement and satisfaction.

Trust one of top 120 NHS employers

“A long standing commitment to

healthy workplaces characterises many of those featured

on this list.”

Jeff with the special trays

State of the art monitorsTHEATRE recovery area has new high-tech Infinity monitors which connect to the anaesthetic machine and also click directly onto the recovery monitors keeping the clinical data for the patient. Introduced at the Friarage in April 2015, benefits include a more efficient turnaround in theatre and clearer more accurate clinical data for patients in the recovery area.

Jonathan Wightman, charge nurse and Julie Clark, senior operating department practitioner with the Infinity monitor

Waiting area transformedTHE HOLDING bay or reception area, where patients wait on trolleys to be called into theatre, was rather drab. Thanks to the hard work of healthcare assistants - Carol Ross and Lucy Wakefield – the area has been transformed and patients now have a comfortable seating area with magazines and a television to help keep anxiety at a minimum while they wait for their operation. The area has also been brightened by lovely scenic pictures taken and donated by healthcare assistant Steven Cross.

Carol and Lucy in the new holding bay

Theatre manager, Sarah Baker, said: “We are continually looking for ways to develop and enhance the service we provide for our patients at Friarage theatres. The staff have worked really effectively together towards our shared goal of providing the best quality of care for our patients and the improvements are a tribute to their hard work.”

Teamwork: Some of the staff who work in the Friarage theatres team

by Tom Hall

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PAUL WATKINS, head of fundraising tells Taking Point about his thoughts and feelings in the final three months of the scanner appeal.

“I always describe the last phase of any public appeal as the ‘hard yards’. At present the total stands at £1.23 million a phenomenal achievement by any standards. The goal remains £2m by the end of 2015. A challenge, but we are determined to get there.

“We were absolutely distraught by the recent break in to the collection box. This one selfish act flew in the face of the goodwill and generosity of a community working together to bring the brand new service to the entire population of North Yorkshire.

“We were however heartened by the response. Karen Bentham a local resident replaced the money that had been taken. Can I take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Karen, and to all the well-wishers who reacted to the news. It was an act of great generosity and helped keep

our faith that the appeal will succeed because of the sheer force of will already displayed by all those that have supported us to date.

“Clearly we still have some way to go, but we are determined that the MRI unit, which has been long talked about, becomes a reality as soon as we hit our target.

“At a time when there are so many causes needing funds, we have been staggered at the generosity of individuals, community groups and companies in the area. From skydives to bake sales and from every pound to the largest of our donations we are profoundly touched and grateful.

In the next edition of Talking Point we will be sharing with you the name of the winner of the Peugeot 208 we are raffling on the 18 December 2015. It could be you. Please buy a ticket and support the appeal and I look forward to handing you the keys in a few months time!”

Contact the appeal office on 01609 764936 or email judith.masterman@stees.nhs.uk

to get your tickets.

If you would like to help the appeal reach its target you can donate online at: justgiving.com/FriarageMRIscannerappeal. Contact the appeal office on 01609 764936 email judith.masterman@stees.nhs.uk. Visit our website www.friaragescannerappeal.org.uk or check out Twitter @STeesCharity.

Scanner – the final push

Paul Watkins and members of South Tees Hospitals charity’s team

Karen Bentham

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Fabulous four

Showing true colours for scannerNINE staff - Veena McGregor, Michelle Cook, Ashley Brocklehurst, Sarah Holland, Sarah Ingledew, Sophie French, Lindsay Steckles, Lesley Puleston and Samantha Marshall - from the Friarage’s Romanby ward completed the Colour Obstacle Rush 5K at Sedgefield raising £250 and counting as a scanner will greatly benefit their patients.

Barry takes to the skiesDARE devil fundraiser Barry Parker went to great heights skydiving for the first time to help the scanner appeal and raising over £4,500. The intrepid 80 year old, who took on this massive challenge to give something back and help make a difference, said: “A parachute jump at my age could be regarded as foolish and unnecessary, what makes it necessary is the need to swell funds for the scanner, urgently required at our much-respected Friarage Hospital. It was a fantastic experience and I enjoyed it, but the highlight of the jump was getting my feet back on the ground.”

Trio take a hike INTREPID trio - Judith Masterman from the appeals team, Glen Rock, Friarage hospital PA and husband Chris - really stepped up to the mark completing the gruelling Lyke Wake Walk in an impressive 21 hours braving testing conditions and showing incredible spirit and raising almost £1000.

Coffee swells scanners coffersKIND hearted Ethel Langford and her friends of Applegarth Court in Northalleton’s coffee morning raised a fantastic £740. Ethel has a long history with the hospital after working at the Friarage for 42 years and the caring group wanted do something to support the appeal as it is important for the people of Northallerton.

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NEW ways of working have been rolled out across the trust to improve patient flow, minimise delays and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

The emergency care pathway (ECP) project has been led by the trust’s transformation team and have already had a huge impact on vital targets such as accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times.

A number of changes are now in place across the trust many of which were suggested by staff across all levels and departments. Together they aim to make the patient’s journey much smoother and reduce the length of time the patient has to spend in hospital where possible.

ECP lead for the transformation team Jon Broughton said: “As a trust we had a higher length of stay compared with other similar organisations and A&E targets were not being met. We couldn’t move patients through the system in a timely manner. This

resulted in poor patient experience, lots of stress on staff and financial penalties for the organisation.

“But after speaking to clinical staff at all levels we found that there were some systems and processes which could

be put in place to help the whole thing run more smoothly.”

Improving the patient journey - The Emergency Care Pathway

The new pathways impact on every step of a patient’s journey including their discharge from the wards. Patients now receive a “ticket home” which informs them of their care plan and discharge date and any possible delays are escalated at daily team meetings.

Wards now have to complete 35% of patient discharges before 12 noon and 70% of prescriptions to take home should be prepared the day before to minimise delays.

Any patients who spend more than 10 days in hospital will automatically be reviewed by a senior team.

Several changes have taken place to ease pressures on A&E.

Staffing levels have been increased to support the management of patients who require resuscitation, without the workload impacting upon the main department.

In addition an electronic patient administration system is being introduced to improve accuracy and efficiency. The introduction of the new standard operation procedures for A&E has supported improvements in patient flow. They also standardise response from speciality teams and reduce delays in patient care.

Patients are no longer diverted to A&E unless they are critically unstable. This means that patients are in the right place at the right time, rather than experiencing long delays or waiting in an ambulance queue.

A&E directorate manager Julie Suckling said: “A&E is the front door for most unplanned admissions and

what we are trying to achieve is better patient experience for both adults and children.

“The new emergency care pathway has helped improve patient flow, reduce waiting times and enabled us to monitor statistics at a glance and we would like to thank everyone in the organisation who has helped us achieve this.

“Members of the public can do their bit by only coming to A&E for emergencies and GPs can help by educating patients about the other services available such as local walk-in centres and the minor injury unit at Redcar. If people don’t know where to go they can call NHS 111 which is available 24 hours a day.”

In May 2015 the trust hit the national A&E waiting time target for the first time since September 2014, which states that 95% of patients should be seen and discharged within four hours of arrival.

Accident and emergency Ward processes and complex discharges

“The success of this project has been due to the hard work of staff at all levels of

the organisation.”

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Acute assessment units (AAU) and short stay unitTo improve patient flow through the acute assessment units (AAUs) and the short stay unit, which provide emergency assessment and treatment to patients requiring urgent medical or surgical care, there is now a maximum length of stay of 24 hours in AAUs and 72 hours in short stay.

GPs will have an opportunity to speak with consultant colleagues before admitting patients so the consultants signpost patients straight to the correct destination.

Standard operating procedures are in place for speciality referrals to be seen within two hours of referral and in addition to these colleagues in gastroenterology, renal and oncology have agreed guidelines for specific patient groups to have direct transfers to the specialities.

Community matrons are receiving training to deliver IV antibiotics to bronchiectasis patients instead of the patients having a two week stay in hospital.

The opening of the rapid access frailty unit at James Cook in October and the community assessment hub at Redcar Primary

Care Hospital in November will help with the reduction in admissions, readmissions and getting the patients in the right bed at the right time.

“The success of this project has been due to the hard work of staff at all levels of

the organisation.”

EVERYONE at the trust is being urged to fight against flu this winter.The flu campaign started in October with flu vaccination stations available for staff to access the vaccine. The emphasis is on the first two weeks so we get off to a good start.

Occupational health nurses will be vaccinating frontline healthcare workers and their support staff in central areas of the trust and the vaccinations will also be given by flu champions in their wards and departments including community settings.

Frontline healthcare workers will be given priority, but everyone at the trust – including volunteers and students – will be encouraged to have the flu vaccine to ensure they are protected before the winter season as it takes 10 to 14 days to develop your body’s immunity to flu.

Last year the trust achieved the national 75% uptake target with 75.7% of staff being vaccinated. We won the NHS Employers best flu fighter award and are hoping to continue to protect our patients by maintaining a high uptake of staff being vaccinated this winter.

Chief executive, Professor Tricia Hart said: “As an organisation we do have a duty to ensure all of our staff and volunteers who have direct contact with patients are offered this vaccination.”

Pam McCourt, occupational health manager added: “By having the flu jab our staff are not only protecting patients in their care, but their families and the NHS services they provide. They are also exercising their duty of care and setting a model of good practice for their patients.”

Fighting flu this winterKey facts - patient care• The elderly, the very young, and

people with underlying medical conditions are at a greater risk of suffering severe illness – and even healthy people can still develop severe complications from influenza

• Scientific evidence has shown that healthcare workers are more likely to be exposed to the influenza virus than the general population. It has been estimated that up to one in four healthcare workers may become infected with influenza, even in a mild flu season

• Looking back at last year, the number of flu-related admissions into intensive care or high dependency units in the UK increased compared to the previous year

• Despite a mild flu season in 2013/2014, NHS hospitals treated over 1,187 patients in intensive care settings. Tragically, 8.4% of them died

Public Health, England state:

“Flu is unpredictable. It is not possible to fully predict the strains that

will circulate each year, and there is always a risk of change in the virus as was seen in the recent season. However, this does not

happen very often.

• During the last ten years, the vaccine has generally been a good match for the

circulating strains

• The vaccine still provides the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus that can

cause severe illness.”

Bed managementA dedicated operations centre has been created to improve patient flow and clear lines of escalation have been identified to prevent bed blockages. The trust is also moving to live data to ensure all information is up to date and available at a glance.

Jon added: “It’s about more efficient use of resources and improving the patient journey by getting the right patient into the right hospital bed and treated by the right staff at the earliest opportunity. This is great for patients, helps staff do their job and makes sense for the organisation as a whole. The success of this project has been due to the hard work of staff at all levels of the organisation; now we need to continue to work together in order to maintain the progress that has been made in the emergency care pathway.”

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WHEN great grandmother Rosemary Stobart was run over by a delivery van doctors feared the worst and was warned that she could lose her leg.

The only chance of saving it was a major operation which the plastic surgery team at James Cook had never performed on someone of Rosemary’s age.

But Rosemary, then aged 89, was extremely fit for her age – she even attended her local gym on a weekly basis and had her own personal trainer! – and she is now back on her feet following a five-hour operation and months of physiotherapy.

Rosemary had been shopping in her home town of Thirsk and was on her way back to her car when the delivery van reversed over her leg in December 2014.

“I did not break anything which was a miracle,” she said. “The ambulance team were very kind and said they would have to fly me to James Cook in a helicopter. All I remember is that it was very noisy!

“When I first saw my leg I took one look at it and closed my eyes. It was just a nasty mess.”

As Rosemary was remarkably fit for her age, consultant plastic surgeons Chris Dunkin and Alex Jones decided she was fit enough to go ahead with reconstructive surgery.

Rosemary had sustained a degloving injury to her leg and thigh (a degloving injury is when the skin and deeper layers of fat etc are scraped

off the bone leaving the bone exposed) but remarkably she had not broken any bones. Rosemary’s thigh could be skin grafted but she needed a much more complex operation to save her leg.

The surgeons decided that the best way to rebuild Rosemary’s leg was to take a healthy muscle from her back (latissimus dorsi or ‘lat’ muscle) and transplant this down onto her leg to cover her exposed shin bone (tibia). Using an operating microscope they joined tiny blood vessels in her leg to blood vessels in her ‘lat’ muscle to

keep the muscle alive and help save her leg.

Chris Dunkin said: “We do this type of operation (free flap reconstruction) regularly at James Cook to help rebuild people after operations for cancer and trauma. However

Rosemary is the oldest person in the region

to have this type of operation.

We spoke carefully to Rosemary and her

family beforehand and she could have chosen to have an amputation but

she is a strong lady who wanted us to save

her leg if it was possible.”

Five weeks later, after celebrating her 90th birthday in hospital, she was discharged to the Lambert Memorial Community Hospital and then she spent four months at Nunthorpe Hall nursing home where her physiotherapy team slowly got her walking again.

In June, Rosemary, who has seven grandchildren and a great-grand daughter, finally moved back home and while she can happily walk short

distances she has had to give up driving and

trade her car in for a mobility

scooter.

Mr Jones said: “We felt that Rosemary not only had the

physiological capacity to

cope with this complex

operation, but also that she had the right

mind-set, motivation and family support to achieve a successful outcome. We are delighted that this has been borne out by her excellent recovery and return to normal function.”

Rosemary said she was really lucky: “The surgeons were marvellous - you can see that by how well the skin has sewn back together!”

Daughter Emma Bradford, a retired nurse who once worked in theatres at the Friarage, added: “James Cook was marvellous. I visited every day and all the staff were just so kind and so generous. They pushed the boat out at every opportunity.”

Ninety-year-old Rosemary back on her feet thanks to five hours of plastic surgery

“The surgeons were marvellous - you can see that by how well the

skin has sewn back together!”

Mark and physicist Dr Adam Baker

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A NEW type of radiation therapy, which has been hailed as an “important step forward” in treating prostate cancer patients, has been made available for the first time at James Cook.

Radioactive radium 223 is used to treat prostate cancer which has spread to the bones and specifically targets tumours with less pain and fewer side effects.

It is given by injections into the vein and travels in the blood system to the bones, killing the cancer cells which, because they are more active than normal bone cells, are more likely to be targeted by the radium.

The injection, which is given in an outpatient setting, is normally repeated every four weeks up to six times and patients can go home immediately afterwards.

Between 30 and 40 patients a year will benefit from this new service, which began in July when the first two patients received their treatment.

Head of nuclear medicine Mark Richardson said: “The body handles radium in the same way as calcium. Like calcium it is taken up by active bone cells so this is a very good way of targeting bone cancer cells.

The drug is injected through a cannula by the nuclear medicine practitioner and, because cancer cells are more active than normal bone cells, they

take it up.

This also means that the side effects are minimal,

because healthy cells aren’t damaged.”

Consultant clinical oncologist Clive Peedell added: “This treatment specifically targets prostate cancers that have

spread to the bone, and the fact that it

causes minimal damage to healthy tissue makes this

an important step forward.

“The drug was approved for use in the UK by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) at the end of last year. Until now, similar treatments have been limited to symptom control rather than improving survival but this drug enables men to live longer and experience less pain and fewer side-effects, giving them a better quality of life.”

First patients undergo new type of radiotherapy treatment – radium 223

CHIEF executive Professor Tricia Hart was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham University in recognition for her long and continued service for the NHS.

Tricia was awarded a degree of Doctor of Science, adding to her honorary professorship to the School of Health and Social Care at Teesside University and honorary professorship of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham University.

Tricia said: “It was a fabulous day for me and for my family and somewhat of a pinnacle of a career to end with an honorary graduation in science.”

Also receiving honorary degrees at the summer ceremony was the senior judge Sir Nigel Hamilton Sweeney, broadcaster Edward Childs OBE and the writer and poet Roger McGough CBE.

“This treatment specifically targets

prostate cancers that have spread

to the bone.”

Professor Tricia Hart receiving her honorary degree from vice chancellor Professor Sir David Greenaway

Chief executive awarded honorary degreeby Tom Hall

A 14-BED ward at Lambert Memorial Hospital has temporarily closed to address patient safety concerns due to staffing pressures.

The ward provides general rehabilitation, assessment of patients’ present and future care needs, diagnostics, drug initiation and administration, pain control and palliative care.

However the service was under enormous strain due to a number of issues including difficulty in filling vacant nursing posts, long-term sickness/absence leave and getting sufficient temporary nursing cover through NHS Professionals.

Despite a number of actions being taken in recent months to try and address the staffing problem, it was becoming impossible to continue to run a safe, high quality service so the decision was taken to temporarily close the ward in September.

No other services at the hospital in

Thirsk are affected and additional beds have been opened at the Friarage Hospital to accommodate patients.

Chief executive Professor Tricia Hart said: “This decision has not been taken lightly and is entirely based on the safety and welfare of patients and also the wellbeing of our staff.

“In recent months we’ve done a number of things to try

and mitigate the risks on the service, including

nursing staff from other hospitals providing cover, but this is now unsustainable and a key patient safety concern for us.

“We know this will be disappointing

for the residents of Thirsk and surrounding

area but must stress this is only a temporary measure.

Our first priority has to be patient safety and the service will be reviewed again in January 2016.”

The temporary arrangements have been discussed with the trust’s service commissioners, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG, local GPs and North Yorkshire County Council’s scrutiny of health committee.

Temporary closure of ward at Lambert Memorial Hospital

SIMON Stevens, chief executive of NHS England spoke about the future of cancer services during a recent visit to Middlesbrough.

Mr Stevens was a guest speaker at the trust’s annual cancer conference which was held at the Riverside Stadium.

He said: “It was great to get together to speak about the future of cancer services at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s annual cancer conference.

“Cancer survival rates in England are at an all-time high, but too many patients are still being diagnosed late so we’re upping the national focus on cancer, with more emphasis on prevention and earlier diagnosis.

“We’re also going to need new treatments and joined up ways of working and to look at improved cancer survivorship support including end of life care.”

The event welcomed a number of guests including Professor David Brettle, head of radiological physics from Leeds NHS Teaching Hospitals, Dr Tony Branson, medical director, Northern England Strategic Clinical Network (Cancer), Mr Chris Carrigan, director of the National Cancer Intelligence Network, Public Health England and patients who had benefitted from the support of the Trinity Holistic Centre.

Upping the national focus on cancer

“This decision has not been taken lightly

and is entirely based on the safety and welfare

of patients and also the wellbeing of

our staff.”

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(left to right) sister Grace Madzinga, research sister, professor Sam Eldabe, sister Morag Brookes, Dr Ashish Gulve, consultant in pain management and Karoline Middleton, research administrator

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THE PAIN research team were delighted to present the results of the world’s first publicly funded randomised controlled clinical trial of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) at the prestigious 12th world congress of the International Neuromodulation Society.

The refractory angina spinal cord stimulation and usual care (RASCAL) study funded by the National Institute for Health Research compared the management of refractory angina using SCS and usual care alone.

Patients experience severe pain on even mild exertion when their nerve endings become hyper sensitised due to restricted blood flow (ischemia) leading to frequent hospitalisation and poor health-related quality of life. NICE recommended SCS for ischemic conditions in 2008, but on a research-only basis.

In the study, 29 patients at four centres

were randomly assigned to either receive SCS and usual care or usual care alone. Patients were assessed at three and six months and all outcome measures showed an improvement in the SCS group.

Professor Sam Eldabe, consultant anaesthetist/pain specialist and the trial’s senior author, said: “Based on our findings we have advised NICE a fully powered nationwide study is feasible to clarify the role of SCS in the treatment range for chronic angina which may not respond sufficiently to medication and which revascularisation

procedures may not be feasible or the risk unjustified.”

Morag Brookes, pain research team leader, was honoured to represent the trust at the congress with a presentation of the findings, and said: “The results of

the trial could have significant benefits

for future patients. There were trends across

a number of the outcomes, including exercise capacity and

health-related quality of life of larger improvements in the SCS compared to usual care group.”

Innovative spinal cord stimulator trial is a world first

THE IMPRESSIVE new athletics track at Middlesbrough Sports Village hosted the largest athletics competition the town has seen in the last 40 years.

The North of England Athletic Association chose the venue as the host for its under 17, under 15 and under 13 track and field championships. The first time Middlesbrough has been chosen to host the Northern championships since 1984.

The event was sponsored by the trust, Active Middlesbrough and Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation. On behalf of the trust medals were proudly presented by chief executive Professor Tricia Hart and medical director Richard Wright.

Local athletes were in medal winning form on both days of the competition. Five gold, one silver and one bronze medal were won over the weekend.

Meeting organiser and trust transport officer, Rick Betts, said: “The meeting was a great success, with support from our organisation and the fantastic weather things could not have gone any better.”

The competition was lauded a resounding success by officials, competitors and spectators alike, and the 2016 championships were awarded to the sports village at the end of the meeting.

Middlesbrough Sports Village hosts youth athletics championship

“The results of the trial could

have significant benefits for future

patients.”

Our shining starsTHE trust’s star awards is always a humbling event – and this year was no different!

We could really fill Talking Point with the inspirational stories we heard about staff, fundraisers and volunteers and the amazing work they’re doing to support our services and patients.

Congratulations to all our winners, runners-up and nominees who joined us at The Middlesbrough Hotel for a great evening and thanks also to our sponsors who helped to make the evening such as success.

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Clinical team of the year – Community diabetes teamRunner-up – haematology day unit

Innovation – Robotic surgical teamRunner-up Pat McCabe and Margaret McLean (therapy radiographers)

Behind the scenes – Laundry and sewing roomRunner-up Natalie Snaith – ward clerk on the renal day unit

Margaret Toase unsung hero award – Dawn Coulthard (accident and emergency, Friarage)

Runner-up – Kopparam Nagendar (associate specialist spinal injuries/orthopaedics)

Partnership working – The VitalPAC teamRunner-up – Jane Matthews (maternity assessment unit – James Cook)

Chairman’s award – IMProVE project team

Extra Life award – Ray WheatleyRunner-up Claire Appleton (school nurse at Priory Woods School)

Lifetime achievement award – Professor Tricia Hart

Transformation – Medical engineering teamRunner-up Jacqui Jones (sepsis nurse)

Our shining starsCongratulations to all our winners, runners-up and nominees who joined us at The Middlesbrough Hotel for a great evening and thanks also to our sponsors who helped to make the evening such as success.

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Partnership working – The VitalPAC teamRunner-up – Jane Matthews (maternity assessment unit – James Cook)

Extra Life award – Ray WheatleyRunner-up Claire Appleton (school nurse at Priory Woods School)

Lifetime achievement award – Professor Tricia Hart

Chartered Quantity Surveyors

ndeavourSCH PLC

Volunteer of the year – Claire Hood (collected by Cathy Brammer, clinical matron of paediatrics and neonates)Runners-up – Yvonne and Terry Bytheway and Carole Hughes

Fundraiser of the year – Tracy and Richard Clarke (Abbie’s Love)Runner-up Fat lads on bikes and PHAT lasses in trainers

Special thank you awards

Susan Benson

Paediatric team

Stephen Bell

1414

South Tees leading the way in stroke neuropsychology supportA SPECIALIST team providing neuropsychological support to stroke patients and their families is sharing their expertise at a national level.

The close links forged between South Tees’ stroke neuropsychology service and the Stroke Association prompted the team to be asked to provide a two-day pilot training workshop at James Cook for the charity’s national leads and area managers.

This, in turn, can be adapted by the Stroke Association to train their own staff as they develop and enhance their services.

Dr Jason Price, consultant clinical neuropsychologist and strategic lead, said: “We’ve built up a great working relationship with the Stroke Association – both at a local and national level – and this latest training was really well received with delegates from across the UK.

“One of our team, Dr Naomi Hynd, was also nominated by the South Tees Stroke Association branches for a Professional Excellence Award, which she recently collected.”

The team is Dr Naomi Hynd, highly specialist clinical psychologist,

Dr Geoff Hill, clinical psychologist and Jason

with administrative support provided Lorraine Sidgwick.

The service was commissioned in January 2011 to provide dedicated and specialist

neuropsychological support to stroke

patients and their families/carers. At least

one third of stroke patients experience post-stroke depression

and anxiety, with up to seventy five per cent of patients experiencing significant cognitive difficulties.

Now based at Redcar Primary Care Hospital, it works into ward 28 (acute stroke unit at James Cook), Zetland stroke rehabilitation ward (Redcar) and with the early supported discharge team. Referrals are also accepted from

GPs and other professionals providing services to stroke patients including the Stroke Association.

Dr Price added: “The success of the service is easily measured in terms of the number of referrals we now receive. Originally we were commissioned to provide a service for 55 stroke patients a year and in 2014/2015 we received 124 referrals.

“We’ve also adapted to changing demand over time, to work more efficiently and effectively with innovations including implementing a psychological screening protocol and a ward based relaxation group, as well as developing an acceptance and commitment therapy group for stroke patients as part of a research initiative with colleagues at Edinburgh University.”

Dr Price was also part of the core team of North east stroke psychologists who developed and produced the Psychological Adjustment After Stroke Training (PAAST) package, which is available to view on-line at www.paast.co.uk

For further details please call Dr Price on 01642 854123 or email him at Jason.price@stees.nhs.uk

All gathered for the two-day workshop (left) and Dr Naomi Hynd receives her Stroke Association recognition

“The success of the service is easily measured in terms

of the number of referrals we now receive.”

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NEW mums and maternity staff at James Cook have been urging smokers to rethink their habits.

The group from family and birth (FAB) forum have been campaigning to highlight the impact that smoking at the women and children’s entrances has on staff and patients.

Campaigners have used a variety of ways to engage smokers with leaflets and professional advice for those wanting to quit. Even children patients were voicing their opinions with a series of eye catching posters.

While smoking is prohibited throughout the hospital, the trust has an on-going problem with smoker’s compliance, with complaints coming from both patients and staff. Many new mums have said that it is unpleasant that the first experience of the outside world for their babies is a group of smokers at the entrance.

Staff emphasise that their message is one of support rather than pressure. Clinical matron Lynne Young said: “This is part of our action plan on reducing smoking. This is not harassment, it is an open door to those pregnant women who are looking to quit.”

Smokers urged to stay clear of hospital entrances

Bridie Coombes with stop smoking poster

(left to right) Dawn McCabe, Lynne Young, Kay Branch, Afshan Ali, Bridie Coombes and Racheal Johnson

SADLY, after an illness borne with great dignity, Dr Hannah Garget, specialty trainee in obstetrics and gynaecology, passed away at home, surrounded by her family, on 11 July 2015.

Hannah joined the obstetrics and gynaecology department in August 2014 and quickly became an asset to the team. She was diagnosed with cancer in October that year and her prognosis was not good. She returned to work in May 2015 after completing her course of treatment. Unfortunately, she became ill quite suddenly at the beginning of July and slipped away from us shortly thereafter.

Hannah had a great spirit and was quite the adventurer,

having spent time working

in hospital in Uganda, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, abseiling down the

Tyne bridge and in the last

year learning to ride a motor bike.

She undoubtedly had a huge career in front of her and in the short time we were lucky enough to know and work with her, she touched us all in some way.

Hannah will be sadly missed by all her friends and colleagues at the trust, especially the women and children’s centre. We remember her with fondness and our thoughts are with her parents, June and Steve, sister Rebecca and boyfriend Tom at this sad time.

Tribute in memory of Dr Hannah Garget

Hannah had a great spirit and was quite the adventurer.

by Tom Hall

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Rapid response therapists ease hospital pressures

Community occupational therapist Emma York, community physiotherapist Hannah Gibson and occupational therapist Sue Molnar (left to right)

A RAPID response therapy team is helping to ease hospital pressures by taking specialist care directly into patients’ homes.

The team at South Tees saw 118 referrals in the last five months (April - August) of which only three had to be admitted to hospital.

Of the remaining patients, six were admitted to care homes for emergency respite and two into intermediate care while the remaining 87% were treated safely at home thanks to the instant intervention of the rapid response team.

Community occupational therapists, physiotherapists and therapy assistants provide a rapid response service across Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.

Each staff member does up to six shifts a month alongside their routine work and when they are on rapid response they have to be ready to respond to urgent calls at any time.

When an alert comes in the team has

20 minutes to call a central hub for details and must see the patient within two hours where possible.

Sue Molnar, an occupational therapist based at East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital, said there is no typical day as referrals come in from GPs, accident and emergency (A&E), urgent care centres and hospital wards and the team never knows what the next phone call will bring.

One recent day’s work saw Sue take calls regarding an elderly man who had fallen and needed a mobility assessment, a lady who needed urgent chest physiotherapy for COPD and a man who needed equipment providing before he could safely be sent home from A&E. All were able to remain safely at home, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.

“Often you are going into a crisis situation and you need to calm it down and make the patient safe,” said Sue.

“It about creating a safe situation, it may not always be an ideal situation, but our main priority is to make sure the patient is safe at home.”

Community physiotherapist Hannah Gibson said: “It’s about problem solving, it’s about knowing who’s out there and how to contact them.”

Community occupational therapist Emma York added: “Rapid response lets you see people when they need to be seen and prevents unnecessary hospital admissions.

“We see a wide range of patients whether it’s a 99-year-old who has fallen or a young adult with cerebral palsy.”

Rapid response therapists and nurses form a vital part of the South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group’s IMProVE programme (Integrated Management and Proactive Care for the Vulnerable and Elderly) which aims to provide more care closer to home for patients in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland.

Dr Janet Walker, chair of South Tees CCG added: “The service supports patients to manage through the most difficult days of their acute illness at home. Patient feedback has been extremely positive and patients and carers clearly value the care provided.”

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CLINICIANS at James Cook are still looking to recruit patients to a new study investigating the benefits of rehabilitation in brain injury-associated memory loss.

The Middlesbrough site is one of nine in the country looking to test the effectiveness of a new memory-specific rehabilitation programme for patients affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI).

TBI occurs when a person sustains a trauma to the head, commonly due to road traffic accidents, assaults and falls, although a large number affected are serving military personnel.

Around half (between 40 per cent and 60 per cent) of people with the condition have memory problems which are not only persistent but are debilitating and can have a severe impact on the quality of their life.

The ReMemBrin - Rehabilitation of Memory following Brain Injuries – trial hopes to recruit around 400 patients

with TBI, giving them an opportunity to attend a weekly group, for ten weeks, focussing on rehabilitation specifically aimed at reducing memory loss, or have their usual care. To date almost 280 patients have been recruited.

Dr Jenna Moffitt, clinical psychologist and clinical supervisor at James Cook, said: “Currently people who have had a brain injury do not always receive any further therapy after they leave hospital to help with their memory problems – there are very limited community services available.

“We’re looking for people who have had a head injury and who now find they have problems with their memory. The study aims to compare a group-based memory rehabilitation programme with usual clinical care and hopefully

improve treatment for these individuals in the future.”

Research is being co-ordinated by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which has received a £1million grant from the National Institute for Health Research Technology Assessment programme.

The South Tees team includes Dr Moffitt and Dr Stephen Evans, who are the principal investigators at this site, Dr Don Brechin (head of

psychology) and Natasha Anderson (assistant psychologist).

People who have experienced a brain

injury and are having memory problems can self-refer to the study by contacting Natasha on 07421 819091 and the study is currently open to anyone

living in the TS, DH or DL postcodes.

Trust looking for patients to take part in ‘memory’ trial

ReMemBrin team: The team at James Cook

“Currently people who have had a brain injury do not always receive any further therapy after they

leave hospital to help with their memory

problems.”

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NEED a piece of equipment to make life easier for your staff or your patients? Nothing suitable on the market? Ever wish you could modify existing kit?

If you answered yes to any of the above then why not pay a visit to the medical physics workshop?

Based next to the north reception at James Cook the workshop houses a team of clinical technologists happy to hear your ideas and help design and develop solutions to your needs.

Among them is Tony Alton who has been challenged to design everything from custom-sized soap holders to highly technical devices for accurately checking radiotherapy doses.

Over the years he has transformed the lives of a number of patients by creating gadgets and wheelchair modifications enabling them to live more independently.

Many of his creations also help with cost saving or even become a potential source of income for the trust if they can be put on the market. And his works have been shortlisted for a number of innovation awards.

“People usually come to me with a problem and a rough idea of what they

want and then I try to make it possible!” said Tony.

One of his most recent projects has seen him design a plastic detector case to protect expensive x-ray equipment from being damaged when it is slid on and off A&E trolleys at James Cook.

The detectors - digital plates from the x-ray machine that capture the images.

- are moved about a lot so are subject to daily wear and tear but at a

cost of more than £70,000 each, the x-ray team

wanted something to protect them.

So they approached Tony and he designed a special plastic case made from materials

costing just £10. These are now being

used in three x-ray rooms at the hospital.

Rachel Withers, x-ray services manager said: “It will save the trust

money in the long-term as the detector plates will last longer if they are not getting scratched all the time.”

When the physiotherapy team at Redcar Primary Care Hospital needed a new set of therapy steps they wanted some that would hold the weight of more than one person at a time but they could not find a strong enough replacement anywhere in the UK so they decided to design their own.

They teamed up with Tony who designed a set of steps made out of steel covered with plywood that would hold up to 350kg compared to existing wooden models that hold only around 140kg.

Making life easier!

Clinical technologist Tony Alton works on designs with (left to right) therapy assistant Lynne Flett, clinical lead physiotherapist Mhairi Kotch, clinical specialist physiotherapist Nicola Hill and innovation scout Stuart Marsden

Joanne McCallister radiographer with Tony Alton and Rachel Withers and the x-ray detector cover

“People usually come to me with a problem and a

rough idea of what they want and

then I try to make it possible!”

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THE CLEVELAND unit child development centre, based at James Cook hospital, has been rated ‘outstanding’ by the education watchdog Ofsted following an inspection in July. The unit supports the children up to the age of five who have special educational needs and disabilities, to learn and develop through play at challenging and appropriate levels.

The unit also provides parent/carer support, therapy sessions and support for children in mainstream schools.

The Ofsted report states that: “Staff are positive role models, which supports children in learning the boundaries and expectations from

an early age. This prepares them very well for their next stage in learning.”

Jennie Kitchen, the Cleveland unit manager, said: “We’re all very proud of this achievement, and I’m enormously grateful to all the staff, therapists, parents and carers who work together to help us to provide such a rich and varied experience for all the children.”

James Cook based Cleveland unit rated ‘outstanding’

Jennie with some of the children who benefit from the unit’s support

The physiotherapy team specified that the platform needed to be longer, wider and stronger to enable them to stand on the steps to support the patient if required and suggested railings instead of solid wooden sides to allow easier access.

Tony said: “We could not find any in this country that would not be overloaded. Then I thought if I’m going to design something they might as well have it exactly as they want it so it has been designed by physiotherapists for physiotherapists.”

Mhairi Kotch, clinical lead physiotherapist added: “Medical physics came back with drawings and a specification which met all of our requirements. The whole process was very easy and we will get bespoke stairs that give us more space to work with patients.”

The final design has been approved and is now awaiting production.

If you have any more bright ideas, email ideas@stees.nhs.uk to get in touch with the innovation scouts!

Other examples of Tony’s work

1. Implementing wheelchair modifications that enabled a paraplegic child from the paediatric intensive care unit to have her ventilator and emergency bag mounted on her wheelchair to give her the freedom to move around the hospital.

2. Working with a spinal injury patient to develop a range of devices to make his life easier including tracheostomy tube holders to improve comfort; a mouth stick holder so the patient could use an iPad and a simple drink bottle holder with flexible spout which was positioned near the mouth so he could drink independently.

3. Developing hand grips used to reassure patients with dementia who are undergoing complex cardiac examinations. This won a coveted award at this year’s Bright Ideas in Health Awards!

4. Design and manufacturing of a nebuliser handle which allows a child to self-administer nebulised medication for the treatment of cystic fibrosis with reduced supervision.

5. Designing a quality assurance tool for radiotherapy that enables the radiation being delivered to patients to be precisely measured. A similar off-the-shelf solution would cost in the order of £20,000 but Tony has designed one that is more fit for purpose and can be made from materials costing just £400.

20

CONSULTANT urological surgeon David Chadwick, sonographer Vanessa Chadwick, retired anaesthetist Nigel Puttick and his wife Sally together with friends Duncan Harris and Janet Goswell have undertaken the gruelling 315 mile London to Paris cycle challenge raising over £2,600 for the trust’s cutting edge fund.

The fund was set up with the aim of bringing robotic surgery equipment to James Cook. As a result of this technology, patients with prostate cancer and urological conditions now benefit from minimally invasive surgery which has resulted in excellent outcomes and faster patient recovery.

On your bike

Fab four

Trevor’s triathlon challenge from the heartTREVOR Smith from Castleton completed a triathlon in the grounds of Castle Howard raising a fantastic £5,403.34 to thank the caring surgeon, nursing staff and hospital team on cardiology wards 30 and 31 at James Cook who looked after him after major heart surgery and helped him on the road to recovery. Trevor - who has always lived a healthy and active lifestyle said: “I received outstanding care and could not have asked for anything better. Every single member of staff had a smile on their face, a pleasant, caring, positive and helpful attitude towards all of their patients including myself.”

Grateful thanksGRATEFUL Robert Marriott has generously donated £1,000 for the relative’s room at the Friarage intensive care unit in memory of his wife,

Fidelma. He wanted to thank the dedicated

staff who looked after her for the care she received at the Friarage which was second to none.

For Jacob - too precious to forgetTHE CARE, compassion and sensitivity shown to Helen and Michael Largan when their much loved son, Jacob, sadly died at 31 weeks inspired them to raise funds and do something positive in his memory for two causes very close to their hearts. They wanted to thank the caring staff from James Cook’s delivery suite and the bereavement suite that helped them through a terribly sad time. Their fantastic fundraising has raised £5,500 so far for James Cook’s bereavement suite and Sands, stillbirth and neonatal death charity.

John says thanksJOHN Davison from Yarm really went that extra mile to raise money for the hospital teams who treated him when he developed a blood clot in his arm. His sponsored cycle ride around Teesside and North Yorkshire raised a fantastic £1,254.40 for the intensive care unit, ward 6 and the radiology department. John wanted to thank the staff for looking after him, and said: “I am pleased to be able to support a great team at James Cook whose skills and care were outstanding.”

We feature below a small selection of the fantastic fundraisers who have helped us recently. If anyone is interested in fundraising contact the charity team on 01642 854160 or visit their website at www.southtees.nhs.uk/charity.You can also keep up to date with the latest on South Tees charity on twitter @STeesCharity

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