PULSE Spring 2014

the

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Spring 2014 | issue 1

Volunteer of the page 3 Bringing members, staff and PATIENTS the latest Trust news

Exciting times ahead for radiotherapy department

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Message from our

Chief Executive Dr Peter Reading

Good planning is the key to cracking the pressures the winter months can sometimes bring to bear on hospital services.

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very year we prepare ourselves for a rise in winter illnesses which can see a marked increase in the number of patients using the City Hospital in an emergency.

This winter has been no exception. As part of that planning our staff have supported our flu campaign by ensuring they ‘arm’ themselves against this often debilitating illness. A pleasing 78% of our staff at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals were vaccinated in a major campaign which began in September.

This is the highest take-up rate the Trust has ever achieved and is among the highest in the country. See page 9 for more information on how this makes a difference to the running of our services.

Throughout the winter we have also been working with colleagues from MediHome, which has been a great support to the Trust – particularly during busy periods.

MediHome provides one-toone healthcare for patients in their own home following a stay in hospital. Not all patients require this service, but those who do are typically patients whose recovery needs monitoring by a physician.

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The team from MediHome – made up of trained nurses, physiotherapists, rehabilitation assistants and occupational therapists – work closely with hospital doctors, consultants, surgeons, GPs, community matrons and other clinicians to ensure our patients are safe and continue a good recovery at home through regular visits. We know many patients recover faster in the comfort and familiarity of the own homes and this also brings the added benefit of creating more available beds within our hospitals. Since the MediHome service began in October 2013 we have received positive reports from patients, which is reassuring news for us. We welcome the enthusiasm and abundance of skills that the MediHome team brings.

Finally, you may have noticed your Pulse magazine looks a little different. We have added some pages to bring you more news from your hospitals. Let us know what you think to the new look by emailing: communications@pbh-tr.nhs.uk.

You can also use this email address to tell us what you would like to see covered in future editions of our quarterly magazine.

Stamford redevelopment update

Stamford Minor Injuries Unit

Alison Jack, Infection Control Specialist Nurse

Hospital staff sample life from patients’ perspective

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Volunteer of the

15 Steps in our patients’ shoes The 15 Steps Challenge was undertaken across both Peterborough City Hospital and Stamford Hospital, with around 50 members of staff taking part.

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hey were supported by patient representatives and colleagues from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group

(CCG), Lincolnshire CCG and Healthwatch Peterborough.

The challenge came about when a parent explained at a conference that she could tell what kind of care her daughter

was going to get within 15 steps of walking on to a ward.

Those who took part on the day were split into teams and visited ward areas for no longer than 15 minutes. In that time they assessed the atmosphere, sights, smells, sounds and what sort of welcome they received. They also took note of signage and available tools for translation. They highlighted what they had noticed that built their confidence and trust, and what didn’t.

The exercise will help the Trust identify the key components of high -quality care that are important to patients, visitors and carers from their first contact with our hospitals.

Trust celebrates UNICEF baby friendly award Maternity staff at Peterborough City Hospital celebrated the Trust receiving full accreditation from the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative, with a special event in December.

The Baby Friendly Initiative is a worldwide programme of the World Health Organisation and UNICEF. It was established in 1992 to encourage maternity hospitals to implement the ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’ and to practise in accordance with the International Code of Marketing

of Breastmilk Substitutes.

Roberta Roulstone, Infant Feeding Coordinator said: “Implementing Baby Friendly standards is a proven way of increasing breastfeeding rates. We have worked extremely hard to ensure we give mothers the support, information and encouragement they need. The hospital has achieved level three status alongside our local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

So we are thrilled that both the hospital and the community can now provide such a high level of support for breastfeeding which

Penny Brett, Head of Midwifery with Birte Harlev-Lam, Head

Congratulations to Francis Swann, known as Cec, a hospital volunteer who was awarded the Volunteer of the Year certificate from the Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service. He was one of only 10 people awarded the prestigious award in a ceremony held at Peterborough Town Hall in January.

will hopefully result in higher success rates across the city.”

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative provides a framework for the implementation of best practice by NHS Trusts, other health care facilities and higher education institutions, with the aim of ensuring that all parents make informed decisions about feeding their babies and are supported in their chosen feeding method. Facilities and institutions that meet the required standards can be assessed and accredited as Baby Friendly.

Francis Swann with Bo Turner, Voluntary Services Coordinator

Cec began volunteering at the trust in 1990, after his wife passed away. He has worked in various departments throughout the hospital including Outpatients and being a ‘way finder’ for patients.

At the moment, Cec volunteers with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) every Wednesday afternoon, and with the Access department every Thursday morning. He thoroughly enjoys his work and thanks the patients and staff for creating an enjoyable and comfortable environment to work in.

Cec said: “I was surprised to receive the award but I really enjoy volunteering and appreciate working alongside everyone at the Trust. It makes the day go so quickly.”

of Maternity, Children & Young People at NHS England, who unveiled the plaque at a special event in December

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Exciting times ahe for radiotherapy department

Throughout 2013 the Radiotherapy department has seen some huge achievements and they are continuing to build on the high–quality care that they provide, through state-of-the-art equipment.

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ast year the service was granted £5.4m funding from the Department of Health to further develop the radiotherapy department by building two new bunkers at the City Hospital.

Currently two linear accelerators, provide radiotherapy treatment to patients suffering from cancer, and with the additional funding, two more bunkers are being built, as well as installing a third linac machine. The department treats the majority of cancers and hope to double the volume of treatments for patients, with this expansion.

Further to this the department

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were delighted to receive a donation of £100,000 from the Peterborough Cancer Trust Appeal (PCTA) for the state-ofthe-art linac gating equipment.

This new equipment synchronises

energy x-rays to treat cancer by focussing them on the tumour cells. Tumours that are in or near the chest present a particular challenge because they move as the patient breathes, so we

Radiotherapy uses high-energy x-rays to treat cancer by focussing them on the tumour cells. the delivery of the x-ray beam with the patient’s breathing and means that we can be sure of giving the correct dose to the tumour and minimise the irradiating of healthy tissue.

Andrew Poynter, Head of Radiotherapy said: “Radiotherapy uses high-

have to treat a larger volume of healthy tissue to ensure that the treatment hits the tumour.”

The new gating equipment will make a real difference to those patients who are undergoing treatment for chest tumours.

Dr Peter Reading, Interim Chief Executive said: “We are

so grateful to the PCTA for setting up the appeal and to the people of Peterborough who have supported it so passionately. The PCTA have been supporters of the Trust for over 20 years and have played a huge part in ensuring that our patients can receive excellent care here rather than having to travel further afield to Cambridge or Leicester.”

Patients with certain cancers will now receive radiotherapy that uses a computer aided technique which improves the accuracy of the treatment.

Currently just two other Trusts in the country have this level of technology on site, which will mean that patients in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and surrounding areas will have top-of-the-range facilities within reach.

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Letters from patients The Trust would like to hear about your experiences of our hospitals. We welcome your comments, compliments or complaints to ensure we can make improvements to patient care. To feedback to us please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), write to our Chief Executive, Peter Reading, or find us on: Website: www.peterboroughandstamford.nhs.uk Twitter: @psh_nhstrust Facebook: peterboroughandstamfordhospitals

Emergency Short Stay

City Hospital reduces cancer treatment times with specialised radiotherapy Radiotherapy treatment at Peterborough City Hospital has improved even further as patients with certain cancers are now offered Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR).

patient we treated with SABR has responded extremely well so far. Their tumour has reduced considerably, without experiencing any side effects. The patient’s condition will be regularly reviewed over the next few months.”

Dr Abigail Hollingdale, Consultant Oncologist said: “SABR makes use of the latest image-guidance capabilities to deliver a small number of very high doses of radiation, to the area encompassing the patient’s tumour. It is given over a much shorter period of time and this means that long and short-term side effects are reduced significantly.

There is also increasing evidence to suggest that providing SABR gives patients a better chance of cure for these types of cancer, compared to standard radiotherapy.”

Anyone wanting to know more about the treatment and whether it is suitable for their condition can find out more by visiting the on-site Macmillan Cancer Information Centre.

The main use of SABR at the moment is in the treatment of patients with early lung cancers who are unsuitable for surgery.

Dr Hollingdale said: “The aim is to shrink the tumour and the first

Andrew Poynter, Head of Radiotherapy said: “We are extremely proud of the achievements that have been made within the department so far and we are looking forward to implementing the plans that we have ahead this year. The service will be doubling in capacity and implementing high functioning technology and all of this will provide our patients with excellent care and support at a time when they need it the most.”

I just want to put into writing my heartfelt gratitude to all of the nurses and doctors that have treated and cared for my dad since he was admitted to your ward on Sunday evening.

Since his arrival he has received the highest level of care and support. Each doctor and nurse have been honest when discussing his condition and treatment with me but at the same time showing me the support and compassion needed in these kind of situations.

Each of you I have had the privilege and pleasure to thank personally tell me you are just doing your job so I would like you all to know you do your job extremely well! I have also witnessed how much more each of you give too.

You are all such a credit to the hospital, ward and the NHS. Thank you again on behalf of my dad and his family for everything you have done and continue to do for him whilst he is in hospital.

Emergency Department My husband was admitted to the hospital as an emergency yesterday afternoon and I know hospitals do seem to receive a number of complaints these days I felt it was even more important to take time to thank staff for the treatment he received. We actually live in Nottingham but because my husband drives for a living and was in the area he was taken to Peterborough and this can be even more anxious for patients when they are away from their home. However, this was not the case due to staff not only providing excellent treatment but because he also felt that they really cared about him which I am sure you will agree is the core of patient care. Please pass our thanks to the staff in A&E for all the excellent work they do in sometimes challenging situations.

Breast Unit I should like to commend to you the excellent experience I had attending as an outpatient at the Breast Unit this morning.

My appointment was scheduled at 9:15 with Mr. S. Goh. I was seen by Mr. Goh before 9:15am and in less than one hour had a mammogram, sonogram and a final appointment with the consultant. I was impressed with the courteous and efficient treatment I received throughout that hour from the receptionist, nursing staff, radiologist, sonogram specialist and Mr. Goh.

Stamford Hospital After eight years the team are still looking after me well, fun and friendly, sometimes in difficult situations, thank you.

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Stamford

Sample the delights redevelopment update of our Following the publishing of the Options Report, the Trust was given the go ahead to redevelop restaurant Stamford Hospital.

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ork has already begun on the project however much of this is taking place behind the scenes. This includes mapping the usage of the rooms across the entire site, clearing out unused buildings ready for decommissioning and moving

some offices from these areas into the main part of the hospital.

Susan Brooks, Matron and Site Manager for Stamford said, “From our patients’ perspective they will not see many changes at this stage.

However we will be keeping them up-to-date with the progress of this three-year project via a display board in the hospital.”

If you are visiting Peterborough City Hospital, you might like to sample the freshly-cooked fare on offer in our Spice of Life restaurant on level 1.

The vast restaurant, run by Medirest, has plenty of seating and on hot summer days visitors can enjoy their food and drink on the rooftop patio as well.

Trust staff make full use of the restaurant for its extensive range of hot food as well as sandwiches, wraps, soups and the salad bar. However not all patients and visitors realise that they are just as entitled to drop in and use it, too.

Restaurant manager Karen Gascoigne said: “Whether they simply want a coffee and a cake, or a home-cooked hot meal, patients and visitors are most welcome to pay us a visit.

We are open from 7am until 8.30pm every day including weekends. We offer good food at competitive prices and pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients while offering healthy options as well as the odd treat.”

Recruitment Open Days Several recruitment days have been arranged throughout 2014 to offer potential employees the opportunity to work for one of the country’s newest and most modern healthcare facilities.

Qualified nurses will be given guided tours, shown information stands and presentations from representatives from different departments to give them a glimpse of what it is like to work at the Trust.

Last year 130 people attended two events which proved to be a huge

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success. As a result these additional open days have been organised on 24th April and 17th May. Joanna Cousins, Deputy Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development said, “We are looking to recruit clinical staff to build on the excellent care that is already provided for our patients. This is a good opportunity for us to show potential employees what we have to offer, to help them build their career and work in a friendly and rewarding environment.”

Patients help shape hospital care for others People who suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are invited to join others on our patient panel to help develop care further.

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he panel, which has been running for 18 months, is made up of patients who suffer with conditions such as Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis, along with the Trust’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease nurses, plus doctors and specialists. Their aim is to give patients a voice in the development of the IBD service.

The partnership is to enable patients and professionals to work together to bring

about improvements that are important to patients.

Since the panel was formed it has created a newsletter for patients to ensure they are aware of the facilities available to them within the hospital, and is developing a patient health record ‘passport’ that will contain vital information on a patient’s condition in the event of an emergency hospital admission.

In addition, the panel is working with other hospitals to share best practice and is currently looking at potential improvements to the Trust’s

patient booking system.

To ensure it continues to meet the needs of patients with IBD, the panel wants more people to join and share their experiences. Panel chairman, John Humphries, said: “This panel is a partnership of patients and professionals working together to bring about improvements. We would welcome new patients to join us and help us gain a wider understanding of patients’ needs.”

Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr Sunny Nair said: “Through the group we can view our service from the patient’s perspective and hopefully make improvements that will reap great benefits. We are pleased to be able to work with our patients to address their needs and develop our service in ways that are important to them.”

Anyone interested in joining the panel can email chairman John Humphries on pch.ibd.patientpanel@gnet.com

Stamford MIU

Stamford Hospital has officially launched its Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) led service after a successful trial within its Minor Injuries Unit was made permanent.

not all patients and visitors realise that they are just as entitled to drop in and use the restaurant too

The pilot scheme, which was launched last year, began after the national picture indicated that ENP led services are a recognised model for similar sized minor injuries units.

PCH already has an established ENP service seeing minor injury cases autonomously, which means that the team has experience of working in an emergency department together and could provide a robust and consistent service for patients.

Initially a six month pilot scheme

began with two emergency nurse practitioners supported by a trained nurse or healthcare assistant, which was then extended for a further sixmonth period.

Following the success of the pilot, links have improved between the PCH and Stamford units, so that patients attending either hospital would have a similar journey and the same high level of care.

Julie Orr, Sister and Emergency Nurse Practitioner, said, “By working across both sites we can ensure that patients receive the same high level of care and have been able to establish strong links within the team.”

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seconds with…

Alison Jack, Infection Prevention and Control Specialist Nurse No two days are ever the same for infection control nurse, Alison Jack.

Having started work at the Trust straight after qualifying in 1990, she has almost 24 years’ experience under her belt.

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hilst studying for my A levels I worked part-time in a nursing home which I really enjoyed. This inspired me to do my nurse training, along with a desire to do something worthwhile and interesting.”

Alison’s first job was on the Isolation and Dermatology Ward in the Fenland Wing, on the old District Hospital site. It is here that her interest grew for infectious diseases.

“I have vivid memories of the first case of MRSA being transferred to us from Addenbrooke’s – the ambulance men wore space suits and it was all quite scary. I also clearly remember the start

An average day for Alison: 8:30am – Arrive at work and sit straight down to check emails. After answering a couple of urgent queries I go to a medical ward where there have been a few cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.

8:50am – Brief handover in the team to catch up with developments across the Trust and decide on a plan for the day.

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of the C. Difficile problem in the mid-nineties.”

enjoys her job, it of course, comes with some challenges.

The infection control team work hard to educate staff, patients and visitors on the importance of their role, and to teach them what they can do to help prevent the spread of infection. Whilst it may put some people off dealing with the less glamorous side of medicine, Alison’s interest and commitment to her job still flourishes today. Alison said: “New, emerging, and rapidly changing viruses are totally fascinating and I don’t think I’ll ever know all there is to know about infections. I still learn something new most days.”

“I think it’s one of the most interesting and varied jobs in the hospital. When I trained as a nurse, things were very different to what we see today.

I think that patients have seen a vast improvement in the way we engage with them.

Technology has also advanced hugely which means that we can now carry out more indepth investigations, as well as obtain results much quicker, which again, improves patient experience and allows us to give a higher quality of care. On the flip-side, the patients we see now are often more elderly and more unwell than years ago.

This has placed a lot of pressure

Despite it being clear that Alison

9am – Head to maternity unit to take part in an unannounced hygiene visit.

11am – Check new results which are authorised by microbiologist by about 11am every week day.

11:40am – A quick

daily isolation room check on ESS, Women’s Health and Amazon Ward.

12:10pm – Respond to correspondence regarding my new role as East of England Infection Prevention Society secretary in an attempt to

on bed capacity and patients can no longer stay in hospital for long periods of time. I spend much more time than I would like on paperwork nowadays which I’m sure a lot of people can empathise with.”

Outside of work Alison winds down with her husband, and two children aged 21 and 17 years old. “I like to keep fit and have two dogs who keep me busy. My most recent exercise regime involves daily torture with a weighted hula-hoop! I also enjoy travelling and skiing – although with increasing age, I’m not the skier I used to be. I’d much rather wind down with a hot bubble bath and a cuddle on the sofa with my dogs.”

organise the forthcoming branch meeting.

and allows me to use my new skills as a non-medical prescriber.

12:30pm – Check and record all results for patients in readiness for the Isolation ward round which is held twice a week.

3pm – Back to the office to write up one of the reports from an unannounced visit which took place yesterday.

1pm – Attend

meeting to discuss the possibility of changing some of our equipment. A complicated project!

1:30pm – Ward round with microbiologist and antimicrobial pharmacist. Always a superb learning opportunity

3:30pm – C. Difficile teaching session on one of the wards.

4:30pm – One final hour in the office to work on an action plan and start writing a report.

5:40pm – Time to go home!

Hospital staff sample life from

patients’ perspective Clinical staff are now able to ‘walk in patients’ shoes’ thanks to a donation by the Friends of Peterborough Hospitals.

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he charity has paid for a specialist suit which is used to train staff in how to care for obese patients. Wearing the suit enables staff to experience situations from patients’ perspective and will help them to adapt different techniques to suit the needs of the patient.

By using this suit, staff encounter real life situations that could be

present when caring for a patient who is over 180kg.

The education received will help to reduce injuries to both patients and staff by highlighting the limitations.

Chris Wilkinson, Director of Care Quality and Chief Nurse said: “We are very pleased that this generous donation has allowed us to enhance our patient experience. We have already received positive feedback commenting on the quality of care received following this training.”

We are very pleased that this generous donation has allowed us to enhance our patient experience.

Staff roll their sleeves up for flu jab The Trust flu campaign kicked off last year and staff embraced the vaccinations to ensure that we reduced the risk of giving flu to our patients; reduced staff sickness; and reduced the risk of giving flu to our families.

After three months 78% of staff had their vaccination and 75.3% were frontline staff, which is the highest ever to have been achieved at the Trust and is one of the highest percentages in the country.

Staff were given a survey

towards the end of the campaign to find out how the vaccine can be even more accessible to frontline staff and the feedback will provide the Occupation Health Team with invaluable information in preparation for the 2014 flu campaign this Winter.

Support for NHS Change Day Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is supporting the national NHS Change Day, 3 March 2014.

The day is a frontline led movement, across the country, with a shared purpose of improving health and care. The aim is to inspire and mobilise people everywhere, staff, patients and the public to do something better together to improve care for people.

Ivan Graham, Matron, Jayne Thompson,

This year, the Trust has pledged: “To ensure rapid detection, response and escalation for all patients who are acutely unwell to prevent deterioration.”

Occupational Health and Celia Kendrick, Lead Nurse for the Emergency Department

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Headstrong Father’s kayaking The HeadStrong service based at Peterborough City Hospital is looking for volunteers. The service which is run by leading support charity, Breast Cancer Care, is available to anyone undergoing cancer treatment which may result in hair loss. They teach scarf-tying techniques as well as give people the chance to try on hairpieces and hats to offer an alternative to wearing wigs. Patients can also gain advice on how to look after their hair and scalp before, during and after treatment. The trained volunteers are there if patients need support and to talk through any concerns.

The service is completely free and runs from the Women’s Health Ward at Peterborough City Hospital. They offer three private appointments on alternate Wednesdays at 10am, 11.30am and 1pm.

Appointments must be booked in advance by calling the Women’s Health Ward on 01733 673056.

Rita, a HeadStrong volunteer, said: “Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity to help people facing hair loss as a result of cancer treatment. I’m so glad I can make a difference to their lives and see them leave a session smiling and feeling more confident that they have found something that works for them.”

challenge helps poorly babies

Staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Peterborough City Hospital would like to say a huge thank you to the father of a former young patient who completed a charity challenge to raise £1,500 for the department.

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an Redhead’s daughter, Georgia, was a patient on NICU when she was born five and a half weeks early in December 2012. Ian travelled 58 miles in his kayak from Northampton Boat Club to Peterborough Yacht Club over the course of three days, to raise the money for the unit.

Full volunteer training and support will be provided

by Breast Cancer Care so no prior experience or skills are needed. Volunteers just need to attend training at Breast Cancer Care’s office in Southwark, London and should be available to volunteer two Wednesdays each month to run sessions.

Applications for volunteers are welcome from those with or without a personal diagnosis of cancer.

To find out more about becoming a volunteer at Peterborough HeadStrong, or to get an application form please contact Carole Spillett at Breast Cancer Care on Carole.Spillett@breastcancercare.org.uk or call 0207 960 3417.

Sarah Carey, Deputy Sister and Kirsty, Ian and baby Georgia

Raising money for Lifebox Recently the Theatres, Anaesthetic and Critical Care directorate held a Great Anaesthesia Bake, which was successfully held both locally and nationally, to help raise money for Lifebox. Lifebox is a charity that is trying to make surgery a safer process for those around the world, where there is very little equipment.

for friends and colleagues and relished the challenge.

Mo Taylor, an Operating Department Practitioner at the Trust was approached to make a cake as a replica of the Lifebox pulse oximeter as she has been making cakes for many years

Following this event, Mo attended the first day of an annual anaesthetics conference, alongside consultant anaesthetist Richard Griffiths, and was asked to reproduce her Lifebox cake.

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Mo worked hard to create the madeira cake and individually coloured the pieces of icing needed.

The Great Anaesthesia Bake events in the Trust raised approximately £1000 and Mo’s cake was sold by auction for £100!

One year on from their stay in hospital, Ian, his wife Kirsty and their daughter Georgia (now one) returned to present a cheque to the staff who cared for them.

Ian said: “The decision to raise money from the unit was to show how much I appreciated the support and care both my wife and daughter received when Georgia was born prematurely. I cannot put into words how grateful we are to the staff who looked after Georgia. They were fantastic, so professional and caring. When I left them in the evenings I knew they were in the best possible hands.”

Sarah Carey, Deputy Sister on NICU, said: “The department is so grateful for this generous donation.

The money raised will enable us to purchase specialist equipment to help with the treatment of neonatal jaundice.”

The cake raised £110 by silent auction.

During the event, Mo was able to attend lectures and met staff from Lifebox. She also met several anaesthetists who, as part of their training, had come through Peterborough Hospitals. Mo said: “It was lovely to be involved in a worthy fund raising event, which is obviously close to my heart, as my role is to assist the anaesthetist. The Lifebox charity, I feel, is a very worthy cause. The theatre sale raised moral within the team as well. As a busy department, we enjoy the prospect of lovely cakes to have on our break and it is something to look forward to.”

Special commendation for Imaging deaprtment In February the Imaging department at the City Hospital were commended by The Imaging Services Accreditation Scheme (ISAS), for their hard work and high quality of care.

Admission avoidance team established Our Members said that they wanted to find out more about developments in our emergency department to help reduce capacity pressures.

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new admission avoidance team has been established in the Emergency Centre. The aim of the service is to prevent admission to acute beds from the emergency department.

The team consists of registered nurses, physiotherapists, an occupational therapist and a social worker.

They will see patients from all geographical areas presenting with a variety of illnesses or injuries that do not always require a hospital

stay and who are medically fit to be discharged. They work closely with the Lincolnshire Admission Avoidance Nurses team.

They also liaise with community services including intermediate care, reablement, and social services regarding care packages.

The team are able to provide equipment to facilitate a timely discharge and refer onto community or outpatient services where necessary.

Gill Hicks, Diagnostic Imaging Professional Lead said, “Attaining the accreditation involved us meeting a set of strict standards which we were measured against via a web-based tool and two onsite assessment days. We decided it was important to participate in the scheme as ISAS promotes best practice, clinical effectiveness and it makes you think about how other staff and patients, experience our service. ”

We are immensely proud to have accomplished our objectives and we hope that patients can see how devoted we are Following the visit, the accreditors were extremely complementary and noted that the imaging department has a welcoming atmosphere and that it is evident that staff take great pride in their work. “Every single member of the team worked on this accreditation,” said Gill.

“We are immensely proud to have accomplished our objectives and we hope that patients can see how devoted we are to continually evolving and providing excellent clinical care.”

Anita Altham, Julie Pettit, Alan Smith & Teresa Fountain, Surgery Performance Coordinator

Staff hold memorial dinner Teresa Fountain, Surgery Performance Co-ordinator and her sister, Anita Altham, Trainee Rheumatology Nurse Practitioner, held a charity dinner dance along with their other sister Julie Pettit.

ISAS is a patient focused accreditation scheme which is available to UK imaging services.

Working towards this achievement is entirely voluntary for all hospital Trusts, and we are one of only 15 in the country who have been awarded full accreditation.

The event took place at Barnsdale Lodge in Rutland to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. The charity was chosen after the trio sadly lost their mother, Jan Smith in 2011 to the illness. Teresa

said, “Mum was “truly an inspirational and brave lady during her illness”.

The family has previously held fundraising events in 2012, altogether raising a huge £9,000.

A special commendation was given to the radiographer and sonographer led services.

Professor Sir Mike Richards CBE Chief Inspector of Hospitals said, “Accreditation and peer review play an important role in quality improvement and I strongly believe that such schemes have a key role to play in the future of hospital inspection.”

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Hospital volunteer goes the extra mile for equality

NHS Retirement Fellowship The NHS Retirement Fellowship was formed nearly 40 years ago to provide a national organisation where NHS retirees, and their partners, can find mutual support and companionship, whilst meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

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he Peterborough and District branch which started in 1965 with 40 members now has 169 members aged between 50 and 90. The fellowship meets at the St Andrew’s Church Hall in Netherton on the last Wednesday afternoon of each month. At

Matt Howard with carer, Angela Cork

Twenty-nine year old Matt Howard has been kindly volunteering his time as a hospital volunteer for over six years now. Along with his carer Angela Cork, he has been a ‘wayfinder’ for new patients needing to find their way at both the old Edith Cavell and now at the City Hospital, with many knowing him by name now.

Matt is also involved in another important role as a director at Inclusion East, a group set up by families who share common values and views about the quality of life and the kinds of support that should be available for people with learning disabilities and their families.

“I find the role extremely rewarding. I love meeting new people and I relish the opportunity to offer my input and make a real difference to people through Inclusion East,” said Matt.

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a recent committee meeting there was an impressive 330 years of NHS experience in the room.

Jean Close, Secretary, said: “The fellowship is a great opportunity to meet new friends. We have a number of annual events, long weekends and social meetings for members to attend and get involved in. Our events often

include an interesting and varied programme of speakers.”

The NHS Retirement Fellowship is open to: •A ll past employees of the NHS •V oluntary workers in the NHS • T hose previously providing employed by companies providing a service to the NHS i.e. cleaning or catering contractors • P artners of all the above If you would like more information on the NHS retirement fellowship please email Jean Close at jeanclose123@hotmail.com.

Events for Upcoming events The Trust held a Members’ Meeting last December, which was an opportunity to see some of the services and achievements of the last year. Attendees were able to hear more about the Trust’s plans for tackling winter pressures, our new bariatric training for staff and an update on what has happened following the CPT report earlier this year.

If you would like to become a member of the Trust, please email membership@pbh-tr.nhs. uk or call 01733 677851.

We hope that more of our Members will be able to come to our next planned event on Tuesday 6 May, 6pm at Stamford Hospital.

The Annual Public Members Meeting is due to be held in the summer. Keep an eye out for more details.

10 April

29 April

The next Council of Governors Meeting will be on the 10 April, at 3pm-5pm, Board Room at the City Hospital.

You are welcome to attend our next public board meeting on 29 April, at 1.30pm in the Board Room at the City Hospital.

Don’t forget to let us know on communications@pbh-tr.nhs.uk, if any of your details have changed. Or if you would like to receive updates and our magazine via email.

Help us save money – receive Pulse by email instead Our members can help us reduce the amount of Pulse magazines we print and post out by opting to receive the quarterly publication electronically instead. By providing us with an email address, you can receive

an email from the Trust with The Pulse attached via a link. If you would prefer this cost-effective and more environmentallyfriendly option please email membership@pbh-tr.nhs.uk or call membership officer

Rebecca Dickinson on 01733 677851.

Moving house?

Getting married?

Please also get in touch, using the contact details above, to let us know if you have moved house, or if any other personal details have changed.

OCTAGON DE S IG N & M A R K E T I N G LT D

Every possible care has been taken to ensure that the information given in this publication is accurate. Whilst the publisher would be grateful to learn of any errors, it cannot accept any liability over and above the cost of the advertisement for loss there by caused. No reproduction by any method whatsoever of any part of this publication is permitted without prior written consent of the copyright owners. Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd. ©2014. Britannic Chambers, 8a Carlton Road, Worksop, Notts. S80 1PH Tel: 01909 478822

OCTAGON DE S IG N & M A R K E T I N G LT D

Working in partnership with the NHS

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust endorse any of the products or services.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals

Stamford Roofing Office no 01780 754498 W. www.stamfordroofing.co.uk E. info@stamfordroofing.co.uk

DESIGN PRINT SUPPORT

NHS Foundation Trust

• FT members’ magazines and literature • Mailing service and socio economic profiling • Annual reports, quality reports and summaries • Advertising funded social care directories and information • Advertising funded staff magazines • Promotional items e.g. lanyards, pens, balloons, mugs etc • Ebooks Britannic Chambers, 8A Carlton Road, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 1PH 01909 478822 | www.octagon.org.uk | info@octagon.org.uk

Commercial / Domestic / Difficult Access Flat Roofs / Glass Roofs / Slating & Tiling / Maintenance Contracts

• Kitchens • Extensions • Renovations • • Design & Planning •

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Designed & Published by Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd, Britannic Chambers, 8a Carlton Road, Worksop, Notts. S80 1PH Tel: 01909 478822