RD&E News Spring 2015

THE MAGAZINE FOR RD&E STAFF AND MEMBERS

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Our Extraordinary People Winner of Winners celebrated

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UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF THE HUMAN GENOME Family become first in the South West to donate DNA for ground-breaking research, page 7

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06 Improving liver care making every contact count

11 Nutrition and Hydration Week Dietitians

raise awareness of keeping hydrated

www.rdehospital.nhs.uk

NHS Foundation Trust

Follow @RDEhospital

RD&E news Spring 2015

Royal Devon and Exeter

04 Please to meet you again #hellomynameis national launch 05 Patient Safety find out about last year’s achievements 09 Schwartz Rounds RD&E staff benefit from innovative sessions 10 RD&E helped me patient feedback

Welcome S AND MEMBER FOR RD&E STAFF THE MAGAZI NE

RD&E

Welcome to your spring news edition of RD&E News; bringing you a roundup of all the latest news, activities and achievements at SecretS oF uNlockiNG tHe ome tHe HumaN GeN the RD&E. Late last year, NHS England selected the RD&E as one of 11 state-ofthe-art genomic medicine centres to jointly lead its 100,000 Genomes Project. The project will collect and decode 100,000 human genomes – complete sets of people’s genes – enabling scientists and doctors to understand more about specific conditions.

This April six-year-old Noah Puleston and his parents Sam and Andrew, pictured on this edition’s front cover, became the first family in the South West to take part in our ground-breaking DNA research project. You can find out more about their story on page 7.

This spring we were also celebrating some of our exceptional staff at our Extraordinary People – Winner of Winners Awards. The annual awards ceremony is our chance to recognise and say thank you to our dedicated, hardworking and passionate workforce who go the extra mile to ensure our patients receive the best possible care.

Read all about it on pages 12-13.

Spring 2015

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our extraordinary People Winner of d Winners celebrate

14 Governor Elections could you help shape the future of the RD&E? 17 Challenging perceptions through new photography exhibition 19 ELF Chevithorne Appeal launched in Haematology Centre 20 Tweet Tweet follow the RD&E on Twitter 23 Bowel Cancer Screening Team Know the Score

Family become first

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12-13 Winners of Winners more extraordinary staff recognised at annual awards

and Exeter Royal Devon Trust NHS Foundation

nhs.uk www.rdehospital.

Index

spital Follow @RDEho

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Your new look RD&E News turns one!

06 imProviNG liver care making every contact count

to donate DNA for in the South West page 7 ground-breaking research,

11 NutritioN aNdDietitians HydratioN Week hydrated raise awareness of keeping

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his spring our new look RD&E News is celebrating its first anniversary.

Last year, our Trust magazine underwent a bit of a makeover. Our staff and Member’s magazines were combined and we worked hard to develop a new look for our quarterly publication with a focus on interesting stories, great pictures and a modern eyecatching design.

Now, five editions in, we have come full circle, with an archive of seasonal magazines that we hope have been interesting and enjoyable to read. Take a look at our back catalogue of RD&E News covers below and see which one was your favourite?

We’ve also received some great feedback from staff and Members of stories you’d like included or changes you’d like to see, and we’ve tried our best to take these on board.

We are always looking at new ways to keep RD&E News fresh and interesting, so if you have any bright ideas then please let us know as we would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading! The Comms Team

Tell us your news!

We’d love to hear about your projects, achievements and successes. Get in touch if you have a story idea that you would like including in the next edition of RDE News, and don’t forget we love pictures too so send them in!

Copy deadline for the next issue is 22nd June 2015. The next RD&E News will be published in August.

Accessibility If you would like to receive a Microsoft Word version of RD&E News in large print please ask us on (01392) 403977 2

To get in touch, contact a member of the Communications Team: James Garnett, Communications Manager 01392 402833, jamesgarnett@nhs.net Gwen Powell, Communications Officer 01392 406941, gwenpowell@nhs.net Or email rde-tr.RDEComms@nhs.net

We can also arrange language translation if you do not speak English or arrange for British Sign Language interpretation.

Unsubscribe from RD&E News?

If you are a Member and would like us to remove you from our mailing list please contact the Engagement Team on 01392 403977 or email rde-tr.foundationtrust@nhs.net

Membership Enquires If you would like to know more about becoming a Member of the RD&E or have any questions please contact our Engagement Team on 01392 403977 or email rde-tr.foundationtrust@nhs.net

New scents unlock forgotten memories in the Devon Garden

(From L to R) Liz Toy, End of Life Clinical Lead; Claire Rowley, Matron Yeo Ward; Sue Bignall,End of Life Education Facilitator; Keith Mitchell, Senior Nurse Cancer services; Maria Leitch; and Karon Sturtivant Palliative Discharge Nurses

Yeo and Yarty receive Gold Standards Framework accreditation for end of life care T he RD&E has become one of only two acute hospitals in the UK to be recognised for the care we provide to patients who are nearing the end of their lives. Two wards at the RD&E, oncology ward Yeo and haematology ward Yarty, and one at Royal Lancashire Infirmary are the first to have been accredited by the National Gold Standards Framework Centre (GSF) for their end of life care.

The GSF is a tool used to co-ordinate and communicate care needs to patients who are within their last year of life. The two year programme, GSF Acute Hospitals Training, aims to enable the provision of integrated tailored care, by helping staff better “THE understand the needs and wishes of patients. right Neil Toghill, Matron care for on Yarty Ward said: “I am very proud the right of my whole team in being people in awarded this the right accreditation, I feel our place at care and the right hard work for those time”

patients in the end of life is second to none, and shows the multidisciplinary team are working together to ensure patient and family focused support and care.”

Representatives from the RD&E received their award from Professor Sir Mike Richards, Chief Inspector of Hospitals at the Care Quality Commission, at an award ceremony on 27th March at the at the Royal College of Nursing.

Professor Keri Thomas, GSF National Clinical Director, said: “Caring for patients nearing the end of life is one of the biggest challenges facing the acute hospital sector.

What these two hospitals have proved is that by implementing a structure of better coordinated care and improved communication with patients, and fellow professionals, it is possible to provide the right care for the right people in the right place at the right time.“ Em Wilkinson-Brice, RD&E Chief Nurse/ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “I’d like to congratulate the teams on their success. Achieving this accreditation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the staff and End of Life teams on Yeo and Yarty who daily provide safe, high quality and compassionate care for our patients.”

Local gardener and TV broadcaster, Toby Buckland, who designed the Devon Garden, was back at the RD&E this April to plant some new blooms. As previously reported in RD&E News, the Devon Garden was opened last year to help us care for patients with dementia.

The new flower called ‘Memories’, is an extra fragrant version of the old cottage garden favourite Dianthus ‘Miss Sinkins’ which has been developed by Devon firm Whetman’s Pinks to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society. The quintessentially English perfumed blooms were planted along the pathway in the hospital garden to help patients with dementia experience the strong emotions and warm memories associated with scents. Since the flower’s launch in 2012, Whetman Pinks’ have raised over £25k for the Alzheimer’s Society. Carolyn Bourne, Whetman Pinks Director, said: “We always try to get the fragrance back into the garden, as it really brings joy and we hope the patients at the hospital will feel the same.”

Toby Buckland added: “The courtyard location and surrounding brickwork creates shelter that traps the fragrance of aromatic herbs and blooms. It’s my hope that the garden will bring comfort to visitors and patients and also help unlock memories for those suffering with dementia of happy times.”

Gardener Toby Buckland planting the flowers with Whetman Pinks Director Carolyn Bourne

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Bon voyage to one of RD&E’s finest leaders

(From L to R) Angela Pedder, Chief Executive; Senior Nurses Julie Vale, Lisa Vogwill, Anita Urwin; and Chief Nurse/COO Em Wilkinson Brice sign up in Oasis

Pleased to meet you again!

RD&E joins over 100 NHS organisations for national launch of #hellomynameis A further 300 members of RD&E staff have pledged their support for the #hellomynameis campaign during the national launch in February. The mass launch, which saw over 100 NHS organisations support the campaign, was coordinated by founder Dr Kate Granger and engagement organisation Listening into Action.

The #hellomynameis campaign was created to improve patient experience by reminding staff of the importance of introducing themselves properly to patients.

The campaign’s message is one that our staff have already taken to their hearts.

During our own #hellomynameis launch last summer, many staff members signed up, and shared their #hellomynameis selfies and videos.

The extra members of staff who joined the campaign this February means that almost 1,000 members of RD&E staff have now pledged their support to the campaign. Deputy Chief Nurse/Midwife Tracey Reeves said: “#hellomynameis is a fundamental part of providing compassionate care for patients and it is a message that we will continue to promote to staff across the Trust.”

To find out more visit http://hellomynameis. org.uk/home or follow it on Twitter #hellomynameis

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In April scores of colleagues gathered to bid warm a farewell to retiring Medical Director Martin Cooper.

Martin has been with the RD&E for 27 years and has played a pivotal role in the growth of the Trust as an Upper GI consultant, Breast Surgeon and Medical Director.

Among his many achievements he set up the Breast Unit and helped Exeter become a Cancer Centre of Excellence. He was also Medical Director of the South West Cancer Network and of course became a crucial member of the Trust’s Executive Board.

Trust Chairman James Brent said Martin had shown “integrity and candour from day one” and that the hospital owed him a “huge debt of gratitude” for providing such safe and compassionate care over the years.

While Chief Executive Angela Pedder said Martin was always driven by patient values and raising clinical standards and praised his calm and poise under pressure.

Upon his retirement, Martin is to become patron of the Force Cancer

Charity and will carry out work for the Care Quality Commission.

Mr Adrian Harris, Consultant Emergency Physician, has now taken over the role of Medical Director.

Medical Director Martin Cooper at his retirement lunch

Staff give RD&E the thumbs up in 2014 Staff Survey The 2014 NHS staff survey results show the quality of care delivered to our patients and the working environment at the RD&E continue to be rated highly by our staff.

Overall the Trust has maintained its strong performance from last year across almost all the survey’s indicators, with significant improvements seen in the quality of work and patient care staff are able to deliver, staff communication and the appraisal process.

Tracey Cottam, Director of Transformation and Organisational Development, said: “Our staff deliver fantastic care every day and we are very committed to enabling them to do this through involving them in problem solving and continuous improvement, and providing training and professional development.

“We will use the survey’s insights to continue improving the ways we engage and motivate our staff to deliver safe, high quality and compassionate care.”

Honiton family becomes first in South West to take part in ground-breaking DNA research at the RD&E Page 7

Patient Safety Programme Reducing harm for patients Over the last year, our Patient Safety Programme has undertaken significant, targeted work to reduce harm to patients while they are staying in hospital. Lead Nurse Patient Safety and Risk Berni George gave us a snapshot of some of the year’s highlights…

• According to our National NHS Safety Thermometer measurements, more than 95% of our patients have received harm free care in eight of the last 12 months • We’ve seen a 40% reduction in grade 1-4 pressure ulcers thanks to our reduction work • We have a 56% compliance with all aspects of the Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) bundle

• Following a Nursing and Midwifery Nurse Establishment review we’ve invested £2.3 million in enhancing our ward staffing numbers for day and night duty cover in in-patient ward areas • 60% of Diabetes triple assessments are now completed within 24 hours of admission thanks to the Think Glucose campaign

• There has been a 37% reduction in cardiac arrest calls Trust-wide

• Over 1000 new clinical and non-clinical staff have received interactive Human Factors Training through the Trust’s Induction Programme. Bespoke training in the simulation suite has also been given to teams who respond to cardiac and medical emergency calls

• We have seen better than expected mortality levels in five out of the last 13 quarters

• Our Quality Improvement Academy (QIA) has seen 17 quality improvement projects suggested by

• 85% patients reliably receive rapid intervention through the Sepsis Six bundle in ED

junior doctors many of which have had a direct impact on improving patient safety • There’s been a reduction in serious incidents involving patient’s discharge following the introduction of a discharge checklist which was launched by the Good Outcomes on Discharge Project (GOOD) • Two wards have been part of a quality improvement initiative to improve in-patients falls with the NHS QUEST network. Matrons have been testing out new ideas to minimise the risk of falls and the ward teams have seen a reduction in the variation of night time and day time incidents.

Berni George said: “A lot has been achieved this year in terms of improving patient safety outcomes for patients and staff .The results outlined are a testament to all our staff’s hard work and dedication.

The safety programme for next year is being finalised and this is another great year to build on in our aspiration for harm free care.”

RD&E staff graduate from region’s first accelerated Patient Safety Officer Training A group of RD&E staff have become some of the first in the South West to graduate from Patient Safety Officer Training. The training will help the team kickstart patient safety improvement projects at the Trust.

Dr Jonathan Evans, Orthopaedic registrar; Paul Honey, Head of Facilities Management; Jess Browning, Matron; Chris Chalker, Senior Nurse; Dr Eleanor Rayner, junior doctor; and Belen Carballido Romero, Clinical Pharmacist all graduated alongside 80 other healthcare professionals.

They’ll now be working on choosing specific projects to improve patient safety in relation to theatre safety briefings, hospital at night, medical triage unit, medical device safety and medication safety.

The training was delivered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and was hosted by the South West Academic Health Science Network.

RD&E staff graduating from the Patient Safety Officer Training

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Improving liver care – making every contact count L

iver disease is becoming an increasing problem in the UK. It is the third most common cause of premature death in the country and the rate is increasing faster than anywhere else in Western Europe. Rising levels of alcohol related disorders, viral hepatitis and obesity, alongside other causes of liver disease, mean that every ward and department within our hospital will see increasing numbers of patients with or at risk of developing liver disease.

In the recent Lancet Commission on addressing the crisis of liver disease in the UK, ten key recommendations were made to help improve care for liver patients. One of these recommendations is to increase the level of educational opportunities for nurses and other healthcare professionals, which is something that Fiona Fry, RD&E Senior Hepatology Nurse and Chair of the British Association for the Study of the Liver Nurse Forum (BASLNF), is keen to promote.

“As highlighted in the recent Lancet Commission report nurses are crucial to improving care and outcomes for people with liver disease and the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) introduction of liver nursing competencies supports this.” Fiona explains.

“Education is a priority for BASL, and BASLNF is keen to engage with more ward and community nurses. Liver disease is seen across every GP surgery, every hospital ward every hospital department and community

Fiona Fry, Senior Hepatology Nurse

RD&E inpatients give RD&E a stamp of approval!

The RD&E has again performed highly in the 2014 National Inpatient Survey.

The Trust scored highly across a wide range of measures covering each stage of the adult inpatient’s journey, from waiting list through to care on a ward and then leaving the RD&E. Overall, 98% of inpatients said they felt they had, always or sometimes, been treated with dignity and respect whilst staying in the hospital. The scores show standards in care at the RD&E have remained consistently high since the last survey in 2013, with some areas improving still further.

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setting; therefore it is crucial to make every contact count.”

Education is vital to improve the quality of care we provide for the growing population of liver patients. We understand that face to face training is increasingly difficult to access for nurses and other healthcare professionals, however there are a number of educational resources available online: • BASL Nurse Toolkits - BASLNF have produced a series of handy e-learning toolkits. The web-based resources are free to use and available to both general and specialist nurses. You do not need to be a member to access them. To access the toolkits visit www.basl.org.uk and click on the Learning Zone.

• RCN Liver Nursing competencies includes any practitioner from level 1-8 and can be especially useful during performance reviews. To find out more about the competencies visit www.RCN.org.uk • BASLNF ward membership - this will enable all members of ward staff (including dieticians, F1 and F2 doctors) to have access to BASL. This will provide access to latest publications, including Gastrointestinal Nursing Journal - liver nursing supplement; nursing bursaries to attend national and international meetings and information on local educational opportunities.

If you would like any further information then please get in touch with Fiona Fry f.fry@ nhs.net

RD&E team narrowly miss out on PEN Award for compassion work The RD&E was shortlisted as a finalist for a Patient Experience Network (PEN) National Awards. We were nominated in the ‘Strengthening the Foundation’ category for our compassion work, including Senior Nurse Cathy

Allman’s focus groups with Members, our compassion cartoon, and the #hellomynameis campaign. Although we were unsuccessful, it was a great achievement to have been shortlisted in such a tough category.

RD&E HELPED ME Page 10

(From L to R) Prof Sian Ellard, programme director for the Genomic Medicine Centre; Dr Eleanor Thomas, Consultant Paediatrician; Andrew Puleston; Sam Puleston; and Dr Charles Shaw-Smith with Noah (centre)

Honiton family becomes first in South West to take part in ground-breaking DNA research at the RD&E

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SIX-year-old boy and his mum and dad have become the first family in the South West to take part in groundbreaking DNA research at the RD&E to help fight rare conditions.

Noah Puleston, from Honiton, has moderate to severe learning difficulties after showing signs of delayed development from an early age. The cause of his difficulties has so far remained a mystery but he and his family now have an opportunity to unlock the mystery and achieve a clearer diagnosis after the RD&E was chosen to lead one of 11 new state-of-the-art genomic medicine centres across England.

Noah, Sam and dad Andrew gave samples of their DNA in late April to a specialist team at the Research, Innovation, Learning & Development (RILD) Centre at the RD&E. The South West Peninsula NHS Genomic Medicine Centre, based at RILD, brings together clinicians and scientists from the RD&E, the University of Exeter Medical School and the South West Peninsula Academic Health Science Network.

The samples given will give the team the family’s ‘genomes’ – a complete set of their genes. By collecting and decoding this complete set, the genomic team will be

better able to identify any genetic differences between Noah and his mum and dad and pinpoint the cause of his learning difficulties for the first time. This may help clinicians and the family to tailor treatment and support for him now and in later life.

Sam said the family have long suspected that Noah’s condition is not classic autism, as his behaviours are not typical. She said: “This is really exciting , not only for us as a family to find out more about Noah and what our genetics might mean for ourselves and our other children. It’s also exciting for what this project could mean for other people, because of the potential to discover new treatments.”

Dr Charles Shaw-Smith, RD&E Consultant Clinical Geneticist, said: “This is a really exciting moment for Noah and his parents, but also for the parents of all children with undiagnosed genetic disorders. These parents have to go through a lot of distress in bringing up a child with special needs, and they often experience a deep amount of frustration. They can go from doctor to doctor and have test upon test to try to find a diagnosis for their child, and often the answer is ‘we don’t know’. This project is about trying to find the answers for those children.”

Prof Sian Ellard, programme director for the SW Peninsula NHS Genomic Medicine Centre, said: “Many parents wait years for a precise diagnosis or never know the cause of their child’s disease. Genome sequencing provides an opportunity to provide answers and in some cases will lead to better treatment.”

The family’s decision to donate their genomes comes after the RD&E was selected to play a key role in the ground-breaking 100,000 Genomes Project. The project aims to establish England as a world leader in the fight against life-threatening and debilitating rare diseases and disorders.

r Charles Shaw-Smith taking samples from D dad Andrew Puleston while Noah watches

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Coming soon – A new pharmacy for outpatients at RD&E Patients and staff will soon be benefiting from a new Boots Outpatients Dispensary at the RD&E. The new service will enhance patients’ experiences while visiting the hospital, help to reduce waiting times and free up RD&E Pharmacy staff to focus on in-patient care.

Boots has been selected to provide a dedicated outpatient pharmacy following a competitive tendering process because of their expertise in this specialist area, their partnership approach and their responsiveness to patient feedback.

Tracey Foss, RD&E Chief Pharmacist, said: “We are delighted to welcome Boots into the hospital as our partner, because they have an excellent track record running outpatient dispensaries at other NHS acute hospitals and we are confident they will help us deliver real improvements for our patients. We are working closely with Boots to ensure the project is delivered smoothly and with minimum disruption.”

Our 2014 group of Apprentices who placements on Yealm, Ashburn, WEEU, Torridge Surgical Outpatients and Theatres

Apprenticeship Week 2015 The positive impact of apprenticeships was celebrated at the RD&E during National Apprenticeship Week 2015 (9th – 13th March).

The hospital currently has a range of apprenticeships, from business and administration to customer care and clinical healthcare support. As a Trust we are feeling the benefits ourselves with more apprenticeships than ever available at the RD&E. Apprenticeships are available at Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas. Please contact Workforce Planning and Development if you’re interested in undertaking an apprenticeship or would like to have an apprentice in your department.

Clinical Healthcare Support Apprenticeships We presently have a group of 21 apprentices working across outpatient departments, wards and theatres. They are on a fixed term contract of 37 hours and

Will wins South West apprenticeship award RD&E Apprentice William Moyle has been awarded Advanced Apprentice of the Year (Level 3) at the South West Health Sector Apprenticeship Awards.

The awards are organised by Health Education South West, Skills for Health and the National Apprenticeship Service to celebrate the achievements and successes of apprentices in the region.

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Will Moyle collects his award

have a robust training package to support them achieve not only their Level 3 Diploma in Clinical Healthcare Support / Perioperative Support but also a Level 3 Employability Award and Maths and English. At the end of the apprenticeship they may stay in their workplace, go to another department in the Trust or go onto further education to complete higher training.

An apprenticeship is an excellent opportunity to get skills and knowledge that you wouldn’t get in college and valuable work experience of working within an acute setting.

Within the RD&E we need to build a flexible work force where our Band 2’s and 3’s have the skills and knowledge to deliver excellent care. Apprentices could be a young person (16-19) wanting to start their career in the NHS or someone with more life experience wanting to change their career path. Either way we run a robust training programme to support our apprentices to succeed in their goals.

Devon NHS staff benefiting from support of Schwartz Rounds Over 600 staff from the RD&E and Devon Partnership NHS Trust have benefited from the emotional support provided by jointly run Schwartz Rounds.

The Schwartz Rounds are ‘grand round’ style confidential sessions for NHS staff to discuss social and emotional difficulties created by their work and to explore the human side of medicine.

They were set up in response to the Sir Robert Francis’ Inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in 2013, and have since seen 104 NHS organisations sign up.

The RD&E and Devon Partnership Trust were some of the first health organisations to get on board with the Schwartz Rounds.

They joined forces in September 2013 to run the monthly sessions, and staff support for the events seems to be going from

strength to strength.

The Trusts have just run their 15th Schwartz Round, focussing on the transition of care from paediatric to adult services, and have seen approximately 675 members of staff attend their sessions to date. Those who have attended the rounds have said that the sessions left them feeling ‘revived’ and ‘inspired, and that they were ‘grateful for the time to discuss issues and share thoughts in a safe forum’.

Dr Sarah Jackson Schwartz Round Clinical Lead at the RD&E said: “Our Schwartz Rounds allow people to come together to discuss the emotional and social challenges associated with caring for patients. We have attracted a wide audience from porters to house keepers, cleaners to senior nursing, medical and non-medical management, and the feedback we have received from those staff has been excellent.”

Infection Control New Year’s Honours: in focus In February, the Infection Control Team presented a range of ‘New Year’s Honours’ for excellence and commitment in infection control practice. We brought you news of this in the last edition of RD&E News, and this time we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of our successful teams….

The Specialist Cleaning Team, a group of staff dedicated to providing the final clean of rooms or clinical areas after an infective case, won the ‘Hotel Services Team of the Year’.

Vital features of the team are their responsiveness at short notice to changing needs, exceptional attention to detail in cleaning and the safe use of specialist products, like Hydrogen Peroxide Vapour.

Unprecedented pressures in December 2014 saw 952 specialist cleans compared to 800 in the same period in 2013. Domestic Services Manager Danny Marks (pictured centre) expressed his pride in the team that was established in 2008.

(Left to right) Sarah Jackson, RDE Clinical lead for Schwartz rounds; Karen Fielder, Medical Secretary; Lauren Jones, Schwartz Administrator; Dr Rani Bora, DPT Clinical lead for Schwartz Rounds; Sarah Frazer, DPT Schwartz Facilitator; Annie Mitchell, Clinical Psychologist & Schwartz Facilitator; Simon Harrison, Schwartz steering group member and Hospital Chaplain

Angela Pedder named as one of HSJ’s top chief executives Angela Pedder has been ranked eleventh in the Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) Top 50 list of exceptional chief executives.

The HSJ judges described Angela as “always willing to embrace new ideas, always offering new CEOs valuable

advice, mentorship and coaching”. She was praised for her “patient-focused gravitas and passion for quality improvement, as well as her staying power.”

Okement Ward received several awards and was recognised for having consistently high hand hygiene compliance including that observed during a covert audit conducted by the Infection Control Team. Ward Matron Jo Churchill commended Mark Guyers (pictured with Judy Potter, Lead Nurse for Infection Control), who also won an award for commitment to the role of assistant link nurse, saying that his ‘enthusiasm inspires all members of the team to do well’.

Take a read of this year’s full list at www.hsj.co.uk

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Why I’ll visit the staff who looked after me in wonderful Wonford for the rest of my life “

It’s like any anniversary; you always want to remember them. And I will always remember what they did for me that day.”

For 68 year old Michael Belcher the 17th December 2010 is a day that he and his family will never forget. After being taken ill and collapsing at home, Michael was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) suffering from Group A Streptococcal pneumonia flu B pneumonitis and severe Sepsis.

After spending around three weeks in ICU, followed by a few weeks on a renal ward, Michael was on the long road to recovery and he attributes his success to the level of care he received from staff on ICU. “There is no doubt whatsoever that ICU saved my life. Without the fantastic care and

attention that I received at Wonford ICU I would not be here today.”

And it is for this reason that Michael has made it his mission to return to the ICU every year since he was discharged from hospital for what he calls his MOT. “It’s like one continuous thank you to all the staff there who looked after me. It’s the least that I can do to say thank you to ‘Wonderful Wonford’.”

For the last five years, Michael has made the trip back to Exeter from their home in Sidbury around the anniversary of his admission to catch up with the ICU staff who they formed such a connection with during the dark days of that December.

During his annual visit Michael gives staff an update on his progress and

lets them know what he’s been up to, and they tell him if he’s looking well.

“You don’t forget them. That’s why I will carry on my visits in the future.

I’ve already thanked all the staff individually, but the thank you goes to the whole unit as well and the Paramedics” added Michael.

Many of these staff members feature in a diary kept by Michael’s family while he was being treated in ICU, which has since been published to give hope and comfort to other families in a similar situation.

Carole Boulanger, RD&E Consultant Nurse, said: “We never expect to see Mike on his ‘ICU Anniversary’, and would understand if he didn’t, but it is a real pleasure to see how well have has recovered and how busy he is with all his new projects.”

Michael spent several weeks in ICU in 2010

Michelle, Barbara, Michael and then Perry on their recent visit to the RD&E with Consultant Nurse Carole Boulanger and ICU Consultant Dr Roland Black

RD&E

helped me…

Every day the RD&E treats hundreds of patients and many take the time to give us feedback. In this edition we share some of the recent thank-yous we have received via Twitter… “@RDEhospital thank you for the absolutely exceptional care we received from ED and Bramble ward last week #ilovemycity #NHS #amazingcare” “Thank you to triage nurse Clare and NP Helen for their care and expert help on Wednesday night @RDEhospital @LoveTheNhs #PatientExperience”

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If you would like to share your positive feedback with us please email rde-tr.Positivefeedback@nhs.net

“@RDEhospital thanks to all you lovely caring people sorting out my Dad overnight. #NHS” “Once again, I’m profoundly grateful to @ RDEhospital and the #NHS - husband has had excellent attention” “@RDEhospital thank you to your lovely ED staff for assessing my torn Achilles on Fri & getting me in plaster. #NHSROCKS”

“So had our first baby and just wanna say how AMAZING the staff @RDEhospital birth centre are! Love them for all they did for us #NHSROCKS” “Thanks @RDEhospital for looking after me.

You have great staff :)” • Find out about more RD&E Twitter accounts you can follow on page 20

Are you interested in becoming a Governor?

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RD&E Dietitians raise awareness of Nutrition and Hydration Week T

he RD&E’s Dietetic team have been raising awareness of the importance of hydration during national Nutrition and Hydration Week (16th-22nd March 2015).

Throughout the week, the Dietitians organised an information stand in Oasis, provided on the spot training to ward staff about the

Renal Dietitians Louise, Ruth and Angeline on Sid Ward

importance of drinking well, delivered education on important aspects of patient care such as completing a fluid chart correctly and ran a competition to ‘guess the volume’ of cups the hospital uses which was won by Torridge.

They also performed mini audit on the use of fluid charts at ward level before and after the week to audit compliance to the Trust’s Food and Nutrition Policy.

On Sid Ward, the Renal Dietitians were promoting a slightly different message.

Many renal patients are actually on fluid restriction - often because they have stopped passing urine so have

Our Dietitans visited Okement Ward

no way of getting rid of excess fluid – and Renal Dietitians normally recommend only one litre a day. This can be quite tricky as it’s not just the fluid in your drinks that are

included, it’s also fluid in a food or meals as well. It’s the job of our Renal Dietitians to help patients manage their fluid restriction through 1:1 counselling and education.

Medical Devices – Have you done the MEM check? the wards, reminds staff to make sure assessment of competencies on devices in Have you done the MEM Check? – just they are confident and competent using their ward, which will eventually be used to six simple words that have helped to a device, to confirm the device is in full inform a training database. revolutionise medical devices training working order, and to check the patient across the Trust since they were The matrix has proved really useful at understands what the device will be used implemented by Medical Devices and ward level as a visual tool to identify for. A rapid response approach is taken to Training Facilitator Beverley Williams those who need extra help, those who any concerns regarding medical devices last year. are competent, and those who have or safety. enough skill and confidence to train A medical device is an instrument, The innovative work undertaken others to use particular devices. apparatus or implant that is used to

by Bev means that the Trust is now diagnose, prevent, or treat disease. They Alongside the matrices, the ‘MEM Check’ leading medical devices training are an essential part of the care we provide brand, seen on posters and stickers on compliance levels in the south west. and it is critically important that staff are The key to their success has been trained to use them properly. their determination to involve Since taking up her post 12 and empower staff and the months ago, Beverly has importance they have placed worked hard to implement on staff and patient safety. a bespoke system which Beverly Williams said: can identify and “We’ve been successful record staff training because we’ve really competencies on cared about the staff medical devices. She engagement. Our work has created 62 training also places the patient at compliance matrix the centre of everything spreadsheets that Medical Devices and Training Facilitator Beverley Williams (pictured we do by incorporating document the levels of this key concept into all training in every single centre, with staff from Medical Equipment Management), who documentation, teaching, clinical area. The matrix recently won an Extraordinary People’s Award assessment and training.” is based on staff’s self-

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Winner of Winners Awards night – more of our Extraordinary staff celebrated S

ome of our most outstanding members of staff were celebrated at our second annual Extraordinary People – Winner of Winners Awards night in April.

All of the winners from the seasonal Extraordinary People Awards, along with their nominators, were invited to the prestigious ceremony in RILD to celebrate their achievements. The ceremony was also

Winter winners More exceptional members of staff were recognised at the winter Extraordinary People Awards in February. The winners were: Excellent Care – Bladder and Bowel Care team Exceed – Charlotte Davies, Health Care Assistant Exemplar – Beverley Williams, Medical Devices Trainer Extra Mile Individual – Sheila Guinchard, Patient Flow Manager Extra Mile Team – Cystic Fibrosis Team

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attended by the RD&E’s Executive team, Governors, and Non-Executive Directors, along with our very special guest host for the evening, TV journalist and patient champion, Angela Rippon.

The event marked the culmination of the 2014/15 awards season, where all previous winners were shortlisted in their categories again – Excellent Care, Exceed, Extra Mile Individual, Extra Mile Team, Exemplar, Volunteer and Exceptional Achievement – with one overall winner from each group being chosen by our judges to receive the Winner of Winners trophy.

During the ceremony, the winners in each category were announced and a special video was shown, explaining what it is that makes them so exceptional. A moment was also taken to remember Otter Matron Chris Tarr who had been nominated for an Extraordinary People’s Award in the winter seasonal nominations but who has sadly passed away. The final award of the night was the People’s Award, which was voted for by staff. This year the award, which was presented by Chief Executive Angela Pedder, went to a very special individual – Patient

Flow Manager Sheila Guinchard. You can find out more about Sheila and all of our winners opposite.

Following the awards ceremony, guests enjoyed canapés and elderflower fizz whilst being serenaded by a jazz band. And many were Tweeting live from the event – you can catch up with the Tweets on @RDEhospital #expeople15 James Brent, Chairman of the RD&E, said: “It really is an enormous privilege and an honour to be involved in this process and it is humbling to think that for every nomination we see and for every person awarded, there are hundreds of stories out there every day of staff who show a kindness, who go beyond the call of duty, who have that great idea that really make a big difference to our patients or to how we work together. That is why, all winners of these annual awards, should be seen as representative of an extraordinarily dedicated, hardworking and passionate workforce who, every day, do what they can to ensure that our patients receive the best care possible or who are keen through their own endeavours to make a real difference.”

Meet our winners Excellent Care – The Bladder and Bowel Care Team

Extra Mile Individual – Julian Marks and Iain Morris, Security Dept

Exemplar Award – Jon Whybrow, Clinical Measurements

The service was nominated by a patient who wrote: “From my first appointment, it was the first time I let myself believe that things could be different and it felt like someone lifting heavy stones from my shoulders.”

Julian and Iain were nominated by Alison Knowlton and Carole Boulanger after they helped with a distressed patient. Carole said: “They behaved professionally at all times showing empathy with the patient and ensuring all involved were as safe as possible”

Senior Clinical Scientist Jon Wybrow unexpectedly passed away in 2013 so his award was collected by his wife Catlin. In her nomination, Clinical Scientist Helena Wilding spoke of Jon’s passion, drive and commitment to his job.

Exceed Award – Louise Rattenbury, Matron NNU

Extra Mile Team – The Urology Team

Exceptional Achievement Award – Sheila Guinchard and the Site Management Team

Louise was nominated by Leanna Toms from SNUG: “Louise has worked collaboratively with myself and all the parents to drive positive change, keeping the family at the centre of everything.

She works tirelessly to engage families and ensure a smooth transition home.”

Every member of the team has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

The Admin staff have been relentless in their focus and ingenuity, while nursing, medical and managerial staff have supported each other through challenging times.

People’s Award - Sheila Guinchard Described by colleagues as passionate, caring and strong, Patient Flow Manager Sheila is someone who always puts the patient first and goes above and beyond to ensure we are providing safe and high quality care.

On the night Chief Nurse/COO Em Wilkinson Brice said: “It is an absolute pleasure to be able to acknowledge you in this way. I wrote to you recently and described you as an absolute treasure.

Your focus is always on patients and your ability to drive flow and keep this hospital going is second to none. From the bottom of my heart, a great big thank you!”

Sheila and the team were nominated by General Manager Diane Ody. Diane said: “They have worked tirelessly to maintain good patient flow, while ensuring that those patients are in the right place to receive the most appropriate care.”

Volunteer Award – Mary Boast, Jean Skelton and Pat Pope

The trio were nominated by staff on our Stroke Ward who said: “They deliver a high standard of courtesy and respect, talking to, and reassuring the patients.

We couldn’t do without them.”

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your Member and Governors section

Contact the Engagement Team on 01392 403977 or rde-tr.foundationtrust@nhs.net

Would you like to have a real influence over the future of the Trust? Are you interested in becoming a Governor?

W

e are looking for Members interested in putting their names forward for our Council of Governors.

The elections will be held during the summer and our 18,000 Members will be casting their votes for new Governors.

We have vacancies in all our constituencies, both staff and public. If you are interested in taking part in the important work of our Council of Governors, you are invited to come along to one of our ‘prospective Governor meetings’, where you can hear more about the role from current Governors and Trust staff.

We are looking for people who are committed to the NHS, who are keen to support us, and who have skills that will add real value to our Council. Our Governors have an important role: as well as collectively holding the Directors accountable for our performance, they also ensure that the interests of the Trust’s Members are taken into account. The new Health & Social Care Act gives Governors more powers so that Foundations Trusts, such as the RD&E,

Join us!

We are always looking to recruit more Members to help us shape our services. Our Members play a vital role in providing feedback and support on how local health care is provided.

Becoming a member is free. You can be as active and involved as you want.

As a Member you get to have a greater say in how our services are run and can attend events such as Members Say and Medicine for Members to gain a deeper insight into the care we provide. You will be able to vote for representatives on the Council of Governors or even put yourself forward for election. You will also receive regular updates from us in the form of our quarterly magazine RD&E News.

To become a Member send your name, address, and email address to Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, FREEPOST NAT 7092, Exeter, EX25BF, or email rde-tr.foundationtrust@nhs.net

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become ever more accountable to the local community we serve.

Our Governors have shown fantastic commitment in representing the views of local people and helping the RD&E to shape its plans for the future.

The prospective Governor meetings will be held on:

All our Members who have previously informed us of their interest in being a Governor will be contacted individually about the election process and our prospective Governors’ meetings.

You can also attend the Council of Governors meeting on 13th July 2015 in order to see the Council at work.

Monday 29th June 2015, 2.00-3.30 Wednesday 1st July 2015, 5.30-7.00 For details of the venue and to book your place, contact the Engagement Team on 01392 403977 or email: rde-tr. foundationtrust@nhs.net The meetings will give you information on the role of a Governor, on the commitment you will need to make and what is involved.

This will help you decide whether the role of a Governor is for you. If you are not able to attend, you can still put your name forward to join the Council of Governors, but we would encourage you to get in touch with us so that we can talk to you about the role and the commitment required.

Some of our new Governors - Kay Foster, Paul Bedford, James Bradley and Christopher Wilde

RD&E Board Meetings 2015 Our Board has 10 meetings in a calendar year (though it can meet in August and December if required) with each meeting having a public and confidential session.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the public sessions.

2015 Board meeting dates are: •W ednesday 27th May •W ednesday 24th June •W ednesday 29th July

•W ednesday 30th September •W ednesday 28th October •W ednesday 25th November Please note: from April 2015, the public Board meetings will start at 9.30am and will finish at 11.00am.

The meetings are held in the Boardroom, Noy Scott House, on the RD&E Wonford site, which is on the ground floor and accessible by wheelchair.

Council of Governors Meetings All Council meetings are 2-4pm Monday 13th July – Seminar Room 3, RILD Friday 16th October – Seminar Room 1, RILD Venue: Research, Innovation, Learning & Development building (RILD), RD&E, Wonford, Barrack Road, Exeter.

All Foundation Trust members are welcome to attend these meetings. There is no need to book but if you would like more details, please contact the Engagement Team on 01392 403977 or email rde-tr.foundationtrust@nhs.net.

Local schools bring ReadWell’s power of stories to Bramble Ward Page 15

Public engagement case studies feature in national publication

Kay Foster, Governor

RD&E Governors promote Membership in Exmouth

The RD&E has been featured in a national publication to help Governors of NHS foundations Trusts to better represent the interests of the public. The guide, ‘Representing the interests of members and the public’, has been produced jointly by Monitor, GovernWell, the former Foundation Trust Governors Association, the Care Quality Commission, the Department of Health and the Panel for Advising Governors. It is designed to help Governors to understand their

role in engaging with Members and the public within our Trust.

Two examples of how RD&E Governors have engaged with our Members have been included as case studies in the publication. Our annual Members’ Say event, which our Governors help to plan and run, and our Compassion Cartoon, which was created as a result of focus group feedback at a Members’ Say event and is now used to train staff.

To read the publication, please visit www.gov.uk and search for the title.

T

hree RD&E Governors recently took the opportunity to promote Trust Membership to a local group in Exmouth. Kay Foster, Alan Murdoch and Lynne Wright were invited to set up a stand at the Rolle Surgery Patient Support Group meeting. During the meeting, the group were due to hear a presentation on cardiac care from RD&E Consultant Cardiologist Dr Mathew Lovell, and the Governors used time in the coffee break to talk with the group.

“This was a real opportunity to get face to face with the public” said Governor Kay Foster. “There were glowing compliments from the majority, with some problems expressed with car parking and communication snags.

We as Governors were able to listen and talk through these issues with the audience.”

The three Governors also used the event as an opportunity to promote our Membership with the group.

Kay added: “We also had time to inform many of the audience who were not already Members of the Trust, the benefits of Membership and were able to recruit some new Members.”

“All three Governors thought the evening worthwhile, a rare opportunity to engage with the public and represent the RD&E Trust as elected Governors. Thanks to Susi from the Rolle Surgery Patient Support Group for giving us this opportunity, and a most interesting talk by Dr.M. Lovell Consultant Cardiologist.”

• If you would like to take the opportunity to promote RD&E Membership at a local event or support group then please get in touch with the Engagement Team on 01392 403977 or you email rde-tr.foundationtrust@ nhs.net who would be pleased to help.

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Niki gives the gift of time to bereaved parents

N

iki Cunningham, founder of the Harry Cunningham Trust, has donated a ‘Cuddle Cot’ to our Maternity Unit to enable bereaved parents to spend more time with their babies.

The Cuddle Cot is a cold pad that can be wrapped around a baby that has been stillborn or has been miscarried late in pregnancy. The Cuddle Cot keeps the baby cool, meaning parents can stay with their child for longer after it has passed away, giving them time to grieve and start to come to terms with their loss.

Niki and her husband Jamie founded the Harry Cunningham Trust in June 2012 for fundraise for the RD&E neonatal unit following the very sad death of their son

Harry Arthur Cunningham, aged just 26 hours.

Niki Cunnigham said: “It really is an honour to be able to donate the Cuddle Cot to the unit. I would have loved to have used it when Harry was born, but I didn’t get the chance. It feels like we’re giving the gift of time to parents, which is really lovely.”

Zita Martinez, Clinical Midwifery Manager added: “We are very fortunate that the Harry Cunningham Trust has donated this wonderful piece of equipment. It will make a huge difference for bereaved parents, who will be able to hold and cuddle their babies, prolonging those early moments and giving them memories to treasure.” www.harrycunninghamtrust.co.uk

(from left to right) Matron Lesley Bowerman, Vickie and Tim Hamilton with their children Joshua, Keira and Ben, with Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist Mr Ben Peyton-Jones

Tim and Vickie raise money to help bereaved parents make memories T

im and Vickie Hamilton have donated £2350 to the Maternity Unit to help other bereaved parents make memories with their babies.

Tim and Vickie sadly lost their third child, Cameron, when he was stillborn in September 2013.

Vickie spent time in ICU and on the Labour Ward in the hospital’s ‘Heartsease’ bereavement room, and it was their time spent there that inspired them to support other families.

Niki Cunningham, pictured centre, with (from L to R) Debbie Stevens, Matron; Zita Martinez, Clinical Midwifery Manager; and Mr Ben Peyton-Jones, Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist

The couple started their fundraising with a donation box at Cameron’s funeral, and continued their collection by moving the donation box to the bar of the NoBody Inn, in Doddiscombsleigh, where they were working. They also ran a monthly quiz night at the pub and held a party with a raffle.

Tim and Vickie, who are now emigrating back to Australia, handed over a cheque for £2350 to Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist Mr Ben PeytonJones and Matron Lesley Bowerman at their leaving party.

Tim said: “We would like the money to be used for the Heartsease bereavement room and to go towards helping other families to make memories of their children such as prints, moulds and memory boxes.”

Carol Axon, Head of Midwifery, said: “We are extremely grateful to Tim and Vickie for all their support for the unit. Their very kind donation will help us provide additional support and comfort for women and their families during this extremely difficult time”.

Connecting Care featured in new national quality improvement report The RD&E’s Connecting Care programme has been singled out as a case study in a major new report on quality improvement published by The Health Foundation.

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The report, Building the foundations for improvement, looks at how five UK trusts built quality improvement capability at scale in their organisations.

embarked upon its Connecting Care improvement programme, which has now been rolled out across almost all areas of the hospital.

It describes how and why the RD&E

Read the full report at www.health.org.uk

ELF launches Chevithorne Appeal Page 19

A

Challenging perceptions of growing older

photography exhibition in the corridors of RD&E challenges its viewers to think differently about ageing. The ‘Growing Old Competitively’ exhibition by Alex Rotas features a series of photos of athletes in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s who still compete in international sporting events.

The exhibition, organised by Exeter Health Care Arts, fits into a programme of arts work by the RD&E to support older patients and their families.

Alex’s photos of veteran sportsmen and women seek to challenge perceptions sometimes associated with ageing and

getting older, showing that vigour, passion and drive does not necessarily decline with age – instead the athletes are celebrated for their continuing competitiveness, physicality and strength.

Alex Rotas said: “I’m thrilled to be showing my work at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. I hope they’re a useful and joyful reminder of what’s possible even as we go into our tenth decade and that they encourage patients, visitors and staff alike to smile and to take heart.”

The ‘Growing Old Competitively’ exhibition can be seen between the Chaplaincy Centre and the Oasis restaurant on level 2 of Wonford hospital site.

A Paralympian’s perspective Paralympian Margaret Price MBE from North Devon went to see the photos whilst she was a patient at the RD&E. During her career Margaret won 22 international and Olympic gold medals for field and pool events whilst setting 12 world records in the process. She said: “I think the photos are quite impressive. I particularly like the one of the discus thrower – their face shows they’re putting their heart and soul into throwing it rather than smiling for the photographer.”

“We’ve all heard it – you shouldn’t be doing that at your age – but there’s got to be a happy medium. People should do sport for as long as they can still enjoy it.”

Our intranet is changing This year we plan to launch a brand new intranet for the RD&E. This new system will still have all the important resources staff need but with a range of new features and functions. We have received a lot of valuable feedback and insights from staff over the past few months and will be updating you regularly through the year. Any questions please contact: • James Garnett, Communications Manager, jamesgarnett@nhs.net Ext 2833

(from L to R) Eva Squires, Heidi Howarth, May Howard, Fred Alton-Hampson, Felix Proberts, and Daniel Howarth enjoying the new Readwell bookcase

Local schools bring ReadWell’s power of stories to Bramble Ward Owl Men, tame dragons and the Gruffalo are just some of the characters that young patients on Bramble are getting to know better thanks to a new scheme bringing the power of books and storytelling to seriously ill children.

The RD&E successfully applied to the charity ReadWell, which uses money raised by local school children to fund a regular supply of brand new books and professional storytellers into the hospital. Schools around Devon who have supported the charity by running sponsored Readathons include Wystream Primary and West Exe School.

ReadWell’s distinctive orange bookcase, custom-made to move right up to a child’s bedside and stocked with a mix of old favourites and future classics for children of all ages, arrived at RD&E on World Book Day. To celebrate its arrival, young patients on Bramble Ward were entertained at a launch event by local children’s authors and illustrators, Heidi and Daniel Howarth.

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SYMPTOMS WITHOUT A CAUSE? HOW THE FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS SERVICE HELP PATIENTS T he Clinical Psychology Team work across a range of areas in the hospital, using psychological therapies to help patients to cope with physical health problems. In this issue, Clinical Psychologist Claire Bazen-Peters explains how they help patients with neurological symptoms but no physical cause.

“The Functional Neurological Symptoms Service is part of the Community Neuropsychology Team. It consists of four Clinical Psychologists: Ann Turner, Claire Bazen-Peters, Rachael Carrick and Leo Russell. We are based in Exeter but also take referrals from East and Mid Devon We work closely with neurologists and other

health professionals.

“This new service is designed for people with neurological symptoms which have been investigated and for which no organic cause has been found, but who continue to experience significant disturbance of function. Examples include those who present with non-epileptic seizures, undiagnosed muscle weakness and speech difficulties. Such symptoms are distressing, poorly understood and difficult to manage.

While people may be relieved to know that they do not have a life-threatening condition, they are still left with symptoms which have a substantial impact on their daily lives.

“Those referred to the service are seen by

Ann and Claire for up to three sessions for initial assessment, provision of information and help in understanding the impact of factors such as stress, fatigue and life events on their well-being. Rachel and Leo are then able to provide longer term psychological therapy where appropriate. We aim for people to leave our service equipped with effective management strategies which they can continue to apply over the longer term.

We will be evaluating outcomes of our work to contribute to the growing evidence base in this area.”

For further information please contact Ann Turner (Service Lead) annc.turner@nhs.net Claire Bazen-Peters c.bazen-peters@nhs.net Debbie Clyburn (secretary), 01392 676376

Calling all knitters - Help us knit Twiddlemuffs for patients with Dementia S

taff and volunteers at are putting their knitting needles to good knitting Twiddlemuffs for patients with dementia.

And they are looking for more knitters to join them.

Twiddlemuffs are knitted woollen muffs with items such as ribbons, large buttons or textured fabrics attached that patients can twiddle in their hands whilst on the wards.

The idea for the project was ‘pinched with pride’ from Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and has been taken up by one of our staff member’s 90 year old mother, Beulah Hitchcock. Now RD&E Consultant Nurse for Older People Debbie Cheeseman is keen to get other knitters on board to help create more Twiddlemuffs to be used across the hospital.

Debbie said: “We are hoping that volunteers will come forward to put their knitting skills to good use and make more Twiddlemuffs. This project is part of a wide range of work we are

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doing to support our patients and we would love to have your help.”

If you would like to start knitting a Twiddlemuff, you will find the knitting pattern on our website http://ow.ly/LosFr Please send your completed Twiddlemuffs to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service:

Twiddlemuffs c/o Patient Advice and Liaison Service, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Barrack Road, Exeter, EX25DW

(Picture L to R) Governance Manager Gaynor Hitchcock (daughter of Beulah), Occupational Therapist Rachel Elliot and Consultant Nurse for Older People Debbie Cheeseman

More diabetes patients seen by specialists thanks to pioneering referral system

a mock-up of how the Family Suite will look

Exeter Leukaemia Fund launches The Chevithorne Appeal - to keep families together I

n March, Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF) launched its Chevithorne Appeal on Yarty Ward.

ELF wants to do more for critically ill and end of life patients. The Chevithorne Appeal will raise £420,000 to fund a suite of rooms for patients and their families so that they can be together while still receiving tailored medical care at the hospital. Family members can sleep within the suite in a separate bedroom and will have home comforts to make their stay as normal as possible all within the haematology ward.

“We know that, particularly at times of severe illness or difficult treatment, patients need not only excellent physical care but comfort, privacy, dignity, and the opportunity for loved ones to be able to stay with them” said RD&E Haematology Consultant Dr Anthony Todd. “This is especially, though not exclusively, true toward the end of life and for younger or more vulnerable patients. These patients

have the greatest need for the presence of those they are close to, access to private space distinct from the clinical environment of the ward. The aim of the Family Suite is to match these needs by providing not only an enhanced indoor environment but also a protected outside area for its users to have time out from quite often very difficult and stressful situations”.

The number of people with diabetes seen by specialists at the RD&E has more than doubled thanks to a pioneering assessment and referral system. The initiative at the MacLeod Diabetes & Endocrine Centre allows ward nurses to complete three referrals in three ‘clicks’ to three specialists. Referrals are made to the specialist diabetes team, dietician referral and podiatrist referral within the target of 24 hours. The Exeter Diabetes Ward Assessment Referral Data (EDWARD) has led to a rise in the number of people seen by the diabetes team, up from 19.2 per cent in 2010 to 56.7 in three years. The average for England in 2013 was 34.5 per cent.

The scheme works via a virtual whiteboard with an icon system displaying the whole population of inpatients, which every staff member has access to. Diabetes Specialist Inpatient Nurse Tracy Courtney, from the team which introduced the scheme, said: “Each morning myself or the healthcare assistant scroll down the list of patients that have an icon, to see which ones need a review - these are either amber or red. If they are still blue it means the ward has not completed the diabetes assessment. We then go to the ward and educate the nurses or help them to assess the patient.”

ELF was established in 1987 and aims to lighten the load of families affected by blood cancers and blood disorders.

It provides transport, accommodation and guidance services to families whose lives have been turned upside down following a diagnosis. ELF also funds roles within the haematology ward and research into treatment.

There are loads of ways to become involved in the Chevithorne Appeal, from Skydiving and cycling to organising a community event or buying a brick. To find out more, please visit www.elfcharity.org.uk.

Diabetes Specialist Inpatient Nurse Tracy Courtney was one of the team who introduced EDWARD

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The Exeter Health Library Team with their LQAF certificate

Top quality library services for the RD&E E xeter Health Library staff were thrilled to achieve 100% compliance within the NHS Library Quality Assurance Framework (LQAF) at the end of last year, for providing high quality library and information services to the RD&E and local NHS staff.

The library, situated in the PMS/RILD Building, is staffed Monday – Friday 08:30-17:30 and is available 24/7 to registered users. Anyone employed by the RD&E is eligible to join, as well as students on placement, local NHS staff and University of Exeter Medical School students and staff.

The library stocks a wide range of healthcare books and journals and many resources such as databases, electronic journals, electronic books and clinical resources. If you can’t find what you need in the library, the library team

also offer a document supply service.

If you’re too busy to search for evidence on current practice, or research topics, the library offer a literature search service.

Clinical librarian Mary will search for you, to your instructions.

“Mary and the team provide an excellent, efficient service to a higher quality to what we would be able to achieve ourselves and one which saves countless clinical hours” Dave Newman, the Library & Information Skills Trainer offers 1:1, team or bespoke training sessions on finding information, referencing, Microsoft Office tools and much more.

The library also offers quiet study spaces, and an NHS IT Suite for training with NHS networked PCs - a perfect place to do your e-learning! Printing and photocopying facilities are also available.

New Learning Disability Liaison Team at the RD&E We are pleased to introduce the new Learning Disability Liaison Team here at the RD&E. Liz Jennings has been working as a Learning Disability Liaison Nurse across the Trust for the last eight years, and she has now been joined by two new Learning Disability Nurses Lorraine Conibear and Jenna Hodgson.

Liz said: “We hope to have more of a presence across the Trust offering assistance to staff when supporting adults with a learning disability. We want to be involved from O/P through to discharge ensuring reasonable adjustments are made.”

The liaison team are based alongside the Trust Safeguarding nurses and therefore can also offer advice regarding the Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding. Please refer all adult patients with a learning disability to the Learning Disability Nurses Lorraine Conibear, team on x2237 or rde-tr.

Liz Jennings and Jenna Hodgson learningdisability@nhs.net

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“Computers are plentiful and provide a quiet environment to catch up with work”

And if you’re too busy to pop over, the library is trialling a ‘pop-up’ library in Oasis restaurants on Wednesday lunchtimes until the end of May. The library team appreciate how busy staff are, so many services can be accessed remotely, such as borrowing/renewing books, document supply, literature searching and access to quality online healthcare resources. If you need anything, please ask!

Exeter Health Library Tel: 01392 406800 E-mail: medlib@exeter.ac.uk Website: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/eml IaN: Key Shortcuts > Exeter Health Library Twitter: @ExeHealthLib

Did you know that you can follow us on Twitter?

You can find out lots more about the RD&E by following us on Twitter at @RDEhospital Or, if you’d like to hear more from some of our Executive Team, then why not follow our Chief Executive @AngelaPedderNHS or our Chief Nurse @BriceEm You can even follow some of our teams and departments for a more focussed view-point: @RDEResearch – Tweets from the research teams across the RD&E. @BowelEXMEND – Updates from our Bowel Cancer Screening team. @rde_tr – Information from our Learning Disability Liaison team. @IPCT_RDE – Tweets from our Infection Prevention and Control team. @ExeHealthLib – Updates from the NHS Exeter Health Library.

RD&E bakers raise £700 from Great Inter-Divisional Comic Relief Bake Off Staff have raised £703 for Comic Relief by holding a Great Inter-Divisional Bake Off. Competition was fierce as staff from each division– Specialist Services, Medicine and Surgery - put their culinary skills to the test for their divisional cake sales.

The teams were also asked to select their best looking and best tasting cakes for the tasting panel judges, and after much deliberation the winners were announced.

Sally Hackney, Operational Support Manager, took the ‘Best looking cake’ prize while Service Development Lead Radiology Jane Toms was awarded ‘Best tasting cake’.

Joint organisers Natalie Wickins and Jodie Blackwell, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the Bake Off and cake sales. Your support means we have raised a great total for such a worthwhile cause.”

Organiser Natalie Wickins (pictured centre with red nose macaroons) at the Specialist Services bake sale.

(From L to R:) Jodie Edworthy, Nurse; Karen Clare, Ward Clark; Tina Jones, Matron; Louise Stevenson, Sister.

Wynard Ward ‘Make time for Tea’ and raise over £400 for the Eve Appeal Staff on Wynard Ward have raised £423 for the Eve Appeal by holding a tea party and cake sale. Make Time for Tea is their flagship fundraising campaign for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in March, which encourages people to hold tea parties to raise awareness. The team created a fantastic array of cakes for the tea party and cake sale, which was held in the ward’s dining room. The tea party had an excellent response and all the cakes

Rhythm of Life Choir Any pastime that is genuinely fun, lets you make new friends and boosts your physical and mental health has got to be worth looking at.

The Rhythm of Life is a group of RD&E staff that loves singing.

Along with singing great songs

by Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder and Queen, we get the opportunity to de-stress with breathing exercises and laughter.

For the last six months the Choir has had a really enthusiastic new director, who encourages you to sing whatever your ability. Jax is young and vibrant but she also has a wealth of experience and is keen to encourage new members to join.

raising money for charity. We also sing around the hospital on request when we can.

We meet every Wednesday at 5.30pm in RILD, Wonford. Please feel free to pop along or contact us by email for further details: rde-tr.rockchoir@nhs.net We are open to all public sector workers and your first session is free, so come and give it a try and bring along family members if they sing too. Check us out on Facebook - The Rhythm of Life choir.

sold out within an hour.

Wynard Matron Tina Jones said: “In the UK over 6,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and as a gynaecology ward we have cared for many patients with this condition. We therefore were very keen to do our bit.

As Matron I would like to thank all those staff who made cakes, The café, Topsham who donated scones and all staff who worked together to, enabling us to raise a fantastic amount of money”.

Easter treats from British Ceramic Tile for children being supported by CLIC Sargent CLIC Sargent corporate supporters British Ceramic Tile have donated 82 Easter Eggs to the Bramble Ward. Hannah Radford, from House of British Ceramic Tile said: “Our staff wanted to do something in addition to the various fundraising activities we have organised, and this was a great way to give an extra treat to local children this Easter.”

Many of the choir members that enjoy singing in public have sung at various venues, e.g. Exeter Guildhall, Exmouth Christmas market, Chudfest, and The Ottery food & families festival,

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“Doctors who listen” An award-winning exhibit was on display at the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) regional meeting in March. The meeting was hosted by Dr Rachel Amherst and Dr Sophia Davies, who run The Centre in Sidwell Street. ‘doctor_patient:disconnect’ is the winner of the 2014 Artifact competition, which forges collaborations between artists and scientists from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in London. It was created by Dr Dave Pao, who is a locum doctor at The Centre and the RD&E as well as a part-time PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art. The installation explores the dissonance between the medical view of illness and how patients actually feel about their condition. Viewers are invited to listen to real-life testimonies from people living with HIV through a stethoscope, adapted to play sound.

Dave says: “As clinicians, we know how patients feel about their illness – any illness - can be very different to the way we view it. I wanted this piece to highlight the importance of listening to the patient perspective, because better clinician-patient conversations mean better health outcomes”.

Little Steps – new childcare facility for RD&E staff opened First Steps Nursery has just opened a new childcare facility for RD&E staff – Little Steps baby unit – on the Wonford site.

The new unit, based in William Budd House, is just around the corner from the main nursery and can cater for 24 babies per day.

Little Steps and First Steps will be run very much as one unit, and are connected by a garden link. The first babies took up their places in Little Steps at the beginning of April.

Kay Rosslee, RD&E Childcare Services Manager, said: “Childcare places are always in high demand at First Steps and so we are delighted to be able to offer increased capacity through the opening of our new baby unit.”

If you are interested in a place at First Steps Nursery, please visit their page on IaN to find out more or contact the team on rde-tr. firststepsnursery@nhs.net or 01392 405869.

Upper GI Nursing and Dietetic Teams support the Be Clear on Cancer campaign Staff from the Upper GI Nursing and Dietetic Teams supported Cancer Research UK’s ‘Be Clear on Cancer’campaign, by raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophago-gastric cancer this February.

They held information displays around the

hospital and were joined by patients and relatives from the local oesophageal patient support group. To find out more visit www. cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/ early-diagnosis-activities/beclear-on-cancer/ oesophago-gastric-cancers-campaign

(From left): Dr Rachel Amherst, Dr Sophia Davies and Dr Dave Pao

Want to know more about the University of Exeter Medical School?

The RD&E works closely with the University of Exeter Medical School to deliver world class research, medical education and training. If you’d like to catch up with the latest news and events from the Medical School then why not take a look at their monthly newsletter you can view it by visiting their website www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/news/medicalschool/index

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Louisa Taylor, Oncology Team Lead and Upper GI Oncology Dietitian, and Frances Robinson, Upper GI Clinical Nurse Specialist, with Chris Baker and Gloria Facey.

Renal team raise awareness of World Kidney Day Our Renal team were in Oasis on 12th March to mark the tenth anniversary of World Kidney Day. The event is celebrated worldwide, bringing together millions of people to increase kidney health awareness and promote ‘Kidney Health for All’.

RD&E Senior AKI Nurse Specialist Mel

Sully was also interviewed on Health Today Radio, an online radio channel found on the NHS Choices Website.

In her interview, Mel talks about her experiences as a renal nurse and gives an insight into what it’s like treating patients with kidney disease. www.nhs.uk/video/Pages/health-today-radioprogramme3-nhs-heroes-mel-sully.aspx

Kevin Churchill, AKI Nurse Specialist; Louise Sanders, Dietetic Assistant; Mel Sully, Senior AKI Nurse Specialist; Daryl from Kidney Research UK; and Ria Taylor, CKD Nurse Specialist

James cycles from London to Paris for BHF of their ride which starts on 21st May. This May Medical Technical Officer James Sanders, his brother Mark “We would like the money to be used to and two friends, will be cycling from prevent what we have gone through as a London to Paris in aid of the British family. There will never be a cure for such Heart Foundation. The group will be things but having extra time with Dad over undertaking the mammoth 285 mile the last 10 years would not have been trip over four days in memory of James possible if not for the operations and care and Mark’s father Brian, who died of he received.” heart failure in September 2013. www.justgiving.com/london2paris4brian James said: “My father was cared for and looked after by numerous staff at the RD&E for most of his life and even had several life changing operations here at the hospital. His care was second to none and that is something I am hugely grateful for.”

James and his fellow riders have set themselves James and his brother Mark getting some practice a fundraising target of £2000 for the British Heart in before their big ride with friends Dan Thompson Foundation and have been and Raul Ramirez busy raising money ahead

Bowel Cancer Screening Team Know the Score The Exeter, Mid, East and North Devon Bowel Cancer Screening team attended a charity football event at Exeter City Football Club on Bank Holiday Monday (6th April) to raise awareness of the importance of Bowel Cancer Screening and to support the ‘Know the Score’ campaign.

Over 4,500 fans were in attendance, so plenty of people to make aware of the signs of Bowel Cancer and the importance of taking part in the screening programme. Fans of all ages were invited to take part in a quiz, and it was great seeing teams of men and families working together, having open discussions over the myths of bowel cancer.

April was Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and football players, managers and personalities have been showing their support for the ‘Know the Score’ campaign, which aims to end the perception that bowel cancer is an old person’s illness – in fact it affects men and women of any age and the key to successful treatment is early diagnosis.

This year’s campaign also marks five years since the popular Exeter striker Adam Stansfield died from bowel cancer at the age of 31, and the Bowel Cancer Screening team also joined forces with the Adam Stansfield Foundation for the occasion.

The Bowel Cancer Screening team also launched their own Twitter account and you can follow them @BowelEMEND to help raise awareness of Bowel Cancer. You can also find out more about ‘Know the Score’ campaign by following them on Twitter @KnowTheScoreUK

(From L to R) Ceri Martin, Specialist Screening Practitioner; Louise Curtis, Lead Administrator; and Bridget Cann, Lead Nurse Bowel Cancer Screening

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Kim walks first 50 miles of aHUSUk’s Journey for Life and raises £5,000 R

enal patient Kim Balsdon, 21 from Patchacott, has just completed a 50 mile sponsored walk from Illand to the RD&E to raise awareness of a rare condition. Kim has atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS), which is a rare disease that causes blood clots to form in the kidneys.

On Rare Disease Day (28th Feb) Kim began the first leg of the ‘Journey for Life’, a national fundraising event organised by charity aHUSUK. On her arrival at the RD&E on March 2nd Kim was greeted

by Consultant Nephrologist Dr Coralie Bingham and members of the Exeter Kidney

Unit nursing team.

mammoth challenge.

Kim decided to undertake the challenge to help raise awareness of her condition and help fundraise for aHUSUK and Kidney Research UK.

Kim said: “It was hard work, but I had lots of support with 25 people joining me at various points along the way. Overall, we’ve raised about £5000! I am amazingly overwhelmed! I can’t thank everyone who donated and supported enough!”

“I was diagnosed in November 2013 during my third year of university” Kim said. “I wanted to do something to help others, so when aHUSUK announced their 2015 big FUNdraising campaign and were looking for volunteers I thought my family, friends and I could do the job!”

Kim then began planning her Journey for Life route and gaining support from local businesses in preparation for her

Dr Coralie Bingham, Consultant Nephrologist, from the Exeter Kidney Unit, added: “I have been involved with caring for patients with this disease in Devon for 20 years; it is very rewarding to see that now we have such effective treatment a patient can walk 50 miles over a weekend to help to raise money for further research.”

What is aHUS? • aHUS is a rare disease that causes blood clots in the filtering units of the kidneys kidneys, which can rapidly cause kidney failure.

• The largest family in the world with this condition live in Devon.

• In 2010 the RD&E was one of a small number of hospitals in the UK selected to take part in the clinical trials of the drug eculizumab, which established that this treatment is highly effective.

Kim passing over the baton to Dr Coralie Bingham, Consultant Nephrologist, on her arrival at the RD&E

Young visitors asked to vote on theme for new children’s X-ray room Having an X-ray can be quite a scary experience for young patients so our Medical Imaging staff are keen to create a clinical area that is more welcoming and friendly.

Children visiting our X-ray Department are being asked to vote on a design theme – underwater, jungle or space – for a new children’s X-ray room, by placing a token in the corresponding voting box in the waiting room.

Fundraising for the department’s appeal ‘Big Raise for Little Rays’ is already well underway, and staff have been busy holding cake sales, hamper raffles and a name the Easter bunny competition.

The team are hoping to raise enough funds to refurbish an existing X-ray room with a large wall mural and a ceiling projector that will convey the chosen theme.

Radiographer Charlotte Wood and Paediatric Lead Radiographer Katie Swann have led the campaign. They said: “We want to create a room where kids can feel safe and reassured with lots of interesting features to help take their minds off having an X-ray.”

If you would like to support the Big Raise for Little Rays campaign donations can be made by visiting the RD&E’s General Office, or by sending a cheque to Charitable Funds and quoting reference FR283.

(L to R) Charlotte Wood, Radiographer; Lauren Ellis, Radiographer; Katie Swann, Paediatric Lead Radiographer; Hannah Ferrington-Bolshaw, Radiographer with the voting boxes

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