Insight Northampton Summer 2014

Insight

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R N O R T H A M P T O N G E N E R A L H O S P I TA L PAT I E N T S A N D V I S I T O R S

Summer 2014 Issue 51

FaRgaEziE ne m

Less paper, more care Mobile technology comes to NGH wards

WIN

Free tickets to

Regeneration – SEE BACK PAGE

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

2 ❘ INSIGHT

Insight Summer 2014

32

The Chief Inspector of Hospital’s report on services at our hospital, which was published in March, judged us to be a hospital in need of improvement. It is a judgement I cannot argue with, and the report highlighted issues we knew we faced and were already working to address.

All of the urgent recommendations we addressed immediately.

Some of the issues highlighted fall under the categories of governance and leadership, but urgent care performance is the most significant.

We seem to have a bigger problem with rising admissions than our surrounding hospitals, and a bigger problem with delayed discharges.

These affect our ability to consistently control the ‘flow’ of patients through the hospital which is essential for optimum efficiency.

5 14 26

We’re working hard to change

But I am proud to say the inspectors also found our staff to be caring, that the hospital was clean and that infection control was good. They also recognised the commitment of our staff, as well as the open and transparent way in which NGH operates. Where there are problems we have recognised them, and we know we have the capability to turn this round. I still believe this is fundamentally a good hospital and is doing well to cope with the pressures that we have.

17

6

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S COLUMN ◗

20

Editor: Peter Kennell 01604 523871 (peter.kennell@ngh.nhs.uk) Photos: Medical Illustration 01604 545251 Advertising: Octagon Design & Marketing 01909 478822 Insight is a free magazine, and we encourage our patients and visitors to take one home with our compliments. Please pass it on to a friend or relative when you have read it.

Printing and design of the magazine are provided free of charge in return for the revenue from advertisers. No NHS or charitable donations are used to fund its production.

We have been working hard to change the way we do things. We know that reducing bed occupancy, getting patients directly to the right ward and reducing delays would lead to better quality of care for our patients.

We know that many of our elective services would be able to function much more efficiently and provide higher quality care if we were not under such pressure from emergency care.

We also know that we need our social care and community colleagues to help us swiftly move patients out of hospital when they no longer require acute care.

It is still early days, but there are positive signs that our work to ‘break the cycle’ is having a positive impact.

On most days we have again been able to meet our target to treat and discharge A&E patients in four hours, and there are more often times when beds are available for patients to come in to.

Photograph courtesy of Chronicle & Echo

Our staff have put in a tremendous effort to help move things forward, and we have also seen a huge response from social care, intermediate care and the commissioners. This is only the start and there is still much more to do, but we hope to be able to show that, with support from the system, we can and will make a difference to the quality of urgent care that can be provided.

We are also investing to transform key services, including improving urgent care generally, improving A&E and particularly the children’s facilities there, increasing the support for critically ill patients, recruiting more nursing staff and increasing our capacity for imaging. This investment alone will give us a significant financial challenge, and we will need to make all our services more efficient at the same time as improving quality.

Finally, our Best Possible Care Awards celebrations in April recognised many of the hospital staff who go above and beyond their call of duty. It is always nice to reward staff and say thank you for a job well done, and the evening went very well. It was not easy to make the final decisions on who should receive an award, but all the finalists who attended should be justly proud.

You can see photographs of all of them in this copy of Insight.

Dr Sonia Swart Chief executive

INSIGHT ❘ 3

Northampton General Hospital

◗ NEWS

NHS Trust

What we do Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust provides general acute services for a population of 380,000 and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living throughout the whole of Northamptonshire, a population of 684,000.

The Trust is also an accredited cancer centre and provides cancer services to a wider population of 880,000 who live in Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

Our Strictly stars strut their stuff

In addition to the main hospital site, which is located close to Northampton town centre, the trust also provides day surgery and outpatient services at Danetre Hospital in Daventry.

Northampton General Hospital’s movers and shakers are being asked to put their dancing shoes on in aid of a good cause.

Eighteen contestants from around the hospital will be battling it out this month for the honour of lifting the glitterball trophy in our very own version of the hit BBC Strictly dance show.

We provide the full range of outpatients, diagnostics, inpatient and day case elective and emergency care and also a growing range of specialist treatments that distinguishes our services from many district general hospitals.

All staff taking part, who have been coached by the Step by Step dance school, will be raising money for the hospital’s chemotherapy refurbishment appeal and charitable fund.

Our vision and values

Strictly NGH takes place at the Deco Theatre, Northampton on Saturday 14th June at 7.30pm. Tickets are £15 and available from the Deco – visit their website at http://www.thedeco.co.uk and select the ‘booking’ tab.

Our vision is to provide the best possible care for all of our patients. This requires NGH to be recognised as a hospital that delivers safe, clinically effective acute services focused entirely on the needs of the patient, their relatives and carers.

These services may be delivered from our acute or community hospital sites or by our staff in the community.

Our prime focus is to provide the best possible care for all of our patients, regardless of the setting where this is undertaken.

Our values are: ◗ We put patient safety above all else

Safety education initiative shortlisted for national award NGH has been shortlisted for the finals of the Patient Safety and Care Awards 2014, after producing a training course designed to help doctors of tomorrow become more safety aware.

◗ We aspire to excellence

NGH consultant anaesthetist, intensivist and patient safety lead Dr Jonny Wilkinson (left) said: “Junior doctors are right at the front-line in terms of caring for patients, and we wanted to help them understand their vital role in being

◗ We reflect, we learn, we improve ◗ We respect and support each other

Who we are Chairman Paul Farenden | Chief executive Dr Sonia Swart | Chief operating officer Deborah Needham | Interim medical director Dr Mike Wilkinson| Interim director of nursing, midwifery and patient services Jane Bradley | Director of finance Simon Lazarus | Director of facilities and capital development Charles Abolins | Director of strategy and partnerships Chris Pallot | Director of workforce and transformation Janine Brennan | Non-executive directors Graham Kershaw, David Noble, Nick Robertson, Liz Searle, Phil Zeidler.

Contact us NGH all departments: 01604 634700 Website: www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk

4 ❘ INSIGHT

able to drive changes to improve patient safety.”

The programme, known as ‘Aspiring to Excellence’, guides final year medical students through a stimulating, interactive, consultant-led programme, focusing on many of the patient safety issues faced at the hospital. It has proved both popular and successful, being over-subscribed each year. Many safety improvements have been introduced as a result of the students’ involvement.

The NGH team have been invited to the awards ceremony in London on 15 July, when the winners will be announced.

Whether or not they win, the team are confident that the course can be developed as a teaching package for other trusts and medical schools, bringing it to a wider population of our doctors of tomorrow.

For the record We apologise for an error that crept in to our article about endoscopy in the Spring issue of Insight. A reference to difficulty in swallowing was referred to as dysphasia, when the correct term should be dysphagia. We are grateful to Mr Jehovian Wormleighton of Overstone Lodge for pointing out the mistake.

NEWS ◗

What a lovely man!

Alfred Staden’s huge donations caused outpouring of social media thanks and praise Join us in saying a massive thank you to Mr Alfred Staden, a former patient and local businessman, who has made one of the largest ever donations to our hospital. Aged 91, he has very generously paid for new equipment and funded a muchneeded extension to our urology centre, which now bears his name.

Mr Staden says he ‘owes an extra 13 years of life’ to the skill of NGH staff who successfully treated him for bladder cancer.

Mr Staden, an inventor who has designed shoe manufacturing equipment which is used by companies such as Nike and Reebok, paid for the development of three new treatment rooms, a reception area and new equipment for the department. His considerable donations add up to one of the largest ever amounts received by the hospital.

Mr Staden chose to help the department after undergoing a successful operation for bladder cancer. He said: “I have been given an extra 13 years of life as a result of the skill of Mr Kunkler and the staff here. I was planning to leave the department some money in my will but as I get older I decided I wanted to give it now to ensure I would be able to see what was done.

“On behalf of my wife Hope and myself I would like to say that the pleasure is entirely ours, and being able to do this is something of which I’m particularly proud.

Because my company made most

Hope and Alfred Staden with urology nurse Sally Mora and one of the new pieces of equipment purchased by Mr Staden

of its money from the shoe trade it seemed only right that I should do something to benefit the people of Northamptonshire. I’m glad I have lived long enough to see this opened. I am delighted such a small thing on my part has made such a dramatic difference.”

Mr Staden founded his company Process Equipment Developments in 1973, designing heating products for the local shoe industry, with just £700. PED became a multi-million pound company achieving sales in over 40 countries, and in 1993 won the Queen’s Award for Exports.

At the official opening of the Alfred Staden urology centre consultant urologist Roger Kunkler thanked Mr Staden on behalf of the hospital and all the local people who would come to use it. Mr Kunkler said: “We were able to refurbish the centre and construct a new reception area and treatment room in 2012, and then extend with two further treatment rooms and equipment last year thanks to Mr Staden’s continued generosity. It will make a huge difference to patients for many years to come.”

Facebook hero When we posted this photograph and story on the NGH Facebook page, it rapidly became our most viewed post ever, reaching over 19,000 people in just a couple of days.

It also received 890 likes, 60 shares and 50 comments from people praising Mr Staden for his generosity – just a few are shown below. ◗ Stories like this make you realise that the world isn’t really that bad and it is only a very small minority of people that make us think that way ◗ What a lovely man! So nice he’s done something to change other people’s lives for the better! Xx ◗ I have nothing but praise for NGH and a hearty thanks to Alfred for his generous donation. He looks good for 91! ◗ So generous and a legendary gesture x ◗ What a generous and thoughtful gentleman. How kind xx

Mr Staden officially opens the new centre

◗ He will help to cure many others who suffer from this scourge of young and old, well done Mr Staden!

INSIGHT ❘ 5

◗ BEST POSSIBLE CARE AWARDS

Belinda’s outstanding contribution to children’s care Belinda Holloway, lead nurse for the children’s community nursing team, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution Award at our annual awards ceremony in April.

Belinda set up and manages a small team of nurses who visit families across South Northants to support children with long term health problems, many of which are lifelimiting. She has worked at NGH for almost 30 of her 37 years in the health service, and was recognised for doing ‘far more than delivering the best possible care’ to these children and families. Parents really appreciate the work of the team and say they are ‘beyond satisfaction’ with the care they receive.

After receiving the award Belinda said: “I really do not enjoy being in the limelight so getting up on stage was a moment of terror for me, but it was really nice and I was very touched. The fact that someone had taken time out of their day

to nominate me would have been enough, and I wasn’t expecting more, but it was a nice surprise when I won. I work with a really good team.

Originally from Welwyn Garden City, Belinda completed her nurse training at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage in 1980, and after qualifying worked at Favell House in Northampton.

During her time there her nephew was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition from which he later died. Belinda got to know a lot of the staff during his time on the ward and decided to apply for a staff nurse post on the children’s wards, where she worked for nine years.

Funding then became available which enabled NGH to set up a service for children with a wide range of life limiting conditions, often genetic, that were not cancers.

Belinda was appointed as a specialist nurse to provide the service. She says: “I had always enjoyed looking after these children – it was an

area that I felt quite comfortable in talking to parents about. But I wasn’t on a quest. It was simply an area I found rewarding, and it really appealed to me. Even as a student nurse I never minded sitting with people when they were dying, and I found it very satisfying to provide that basic nursing care when it really mattered. It brought my skills to the fore, and also I think I had just really got my head around the fact that, sadly, children die.”

Belinda says that some children’s conditions may be neurodegenerative, where both parents carry a recessive gene and there is usually a one in four chance of a child being affected. There are also some children who do not have a diagnosis although they are known to be deteriorating. “Generally though, parents are looking after their children as they gradually deteriorate for a prolonged period of time, but families have an amazing capacity to take care of themselves.

People can face the most terrible things in their lives, and losing a child is just about the worst >>

Belinda Holloway CV 1958 Born, Welwyn Garden City 1977 Nurse training, Lister Hospital Stevenage 1980 Qualified and worked as a staff nurse at Favell House, Northampton

It was simply an area I found rewarding, and it really appealed to me.

1985 Joined NGH as children’s nurse.

1991 Six-month secondment to Great Ormond Street Hospital, qualified as registered sick children’s nurse 1994 Specialist community nurse for children with life limiting conditions Belinda receives her award from chairman Paul Farenden and chief executive Dr Sonia Swart

6 ❘ INSIGHT

2008 Lead nurse for generic children’s community nursing team

Belinda discussing the day’s appointments with Amanda

• quality pre school education • 3 months to 5 years open 8am - 6pm all year • mature qualified and caring staff • small group sizes • home cooked meals

day nursery school

• education grant and vouchers processed

tel: 01604 633 109

54 Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5DB • Family run business • Free design & quotation • Fully fitted or supply only • All budgets catered for Telephone:

01604 493 114

www.laserhairremoval-northampton.co.uk

Northampton’s Original Laser Clinic Established 1998

Tiny Horizons Day Nursery The little nursery with a BIG heart A big smile always awaits your little VIP, ahead of a day full of fun, love, adventures and learning!

Trust the Experts - All Treatments

by Qualified Nurses and Therapists • Laser Hair Removal • Facial Rejuvenation and Anti-Ageing Treatments including Pigmentation Marks • Thread Vein Treatment

The Clinic Beauty Room • Dermalogica Treatments and products • Microdermabrasion • Electrolysis • OPI Gel Nail Polish

STUDENT AND NHS STAFF

10% Discount on Treatments and Dermalogica Products

We are an OFSTED registered day nursery set within a detached spacious bungalow with a beautiful and enclosed garden.

We feel that our warm friendships with children and great relationships with parents is the key to our success. After all happy children achieve so much more.

Benefits include: • Pre-school • Flexible • Holiday club sessions • Babies from • No minimum 2 months sessions

• Healthy homemade food cooked fresh everyday

For more information, please contact Leanne or Emma on www.laserhairremoval-northampton.co.uk

38 Billing Road, Northampton, NN1 5DQ Tel: 01604 634999 Email: info@laserhairclinic.co.uk www.laserhairremoval-northampton.co.uk (free client parking) 8 ❘ INSIGHT

01604 642 705

3 Park View, Moulton, Northampton NN3 7TP

www.tiny-horizons.co.uk

No registration fee, childcare vouchers accepted

BEST POSSIBLE CARE AWARDS ◗ thing that a family can experience.

“I’ve learned from families over 20 years that they don’t need another person feeling sorry for them. In fact I feel really strongly that we cannot know what it’s like to walk in their shoes – how could we? You could never imagine how awful it is when it hasn’t happened to you.

Of course we empathise. But what families need is for our team to bring along our own experiences, and all the experiences of families we’ve looked after, to focus on their child’s quality of life. Because children need to be loved, to be warm, to not be hungry - and to have fun. For some of our children that is really limited, but even if all they can do is watch or listen or feel a beat of music, they are still able to have fun and that’s what being a child is about.

“Children aren’t worried how long they’re going to live for. But they want to know that at this moment they’re comfortable and they’re doing something nice. That’s where we step in. We can bring our skills with symptom management and basic nursing care – and then enable parents to manage their life, often with their other children, because normal family life has still got to go on. I’ve worked with some wonderful families and it’s a real privilege to be able to do that.”

I’ve worked with some wonderful families and it’s a real privilege to be able to do that.

In 2008 Belinda was asked to set up a team of children’s nurses that would not only continue to look after these children, but also extend the service to children with a wider range of conditions, so instead of working on her own she now heads up a team of four others. “Essentially we now also look after children with long term conditions that aren’t diabetes, cystic fibrosis, HIV, epilepsy or cancer – as these have their own specialist nurses.

“It is difficult to define the children by diagnosis as their diagnoses are so varied. Generally speaking they may be premature babies requiring oxygen therapy, children with arthritis whose parents need training to give injections, babies or children with cardiac abnormalities who need monitoring, children with tracheostomies and a large number of children with disabilities whose

“I’ve won?” Belinda couldn’t quite believe it!

nursing needs are often multiple and complex. We also look after all children who are enterally fed – that is, by a tube into the tummy – and we teach parents how they can do this safely.”

The team’s caseload has risen from 64 to 120 in six years, and Belinda has had to learn to make the best use of the skills and time of the team. This has proved the most challenging area of work as they are constantly having to change ways of working which we know are effective, but take too much of their time. So they rethink and see how they can ‘spread themselves even more thinly’ - while still providing as high a quality of care as possible. Most visits are preplanned, though each morning the team respond to messages and review the need for extra visits. A trip to the other side of Brackley can use up a lot of precious time in travelling, so it is essential that appointments are scheduled as efficiently as possible.

She says: “The award has come at a good time for the team because Tracey, Amanda and I are working very hard and covering for two vacancies, as staff have been promoted elsewhere. We are all team players and we all help each other.

Being recognised has given the whole team a bit of a lift, although of course we don’t do it for that reason.

“The work can be stressful and all-consuming, leaving little time for outside interests other than gardening, sewing and socialising. I have no plans to stop working, but when the time comes for me to leave I have a retirement dream of getting a dog, a camper van and travelling around the UK. I’ve been to lots of places around the world on holiday but there is so much I want to see in this country.”

We would like to thank Jack Haddon Flowers, St James Leather Goods, and Video Inn Productions for their help in making our awards evening such a success.

On the next three pages, see the winners and shortlisted nominees in all eight of our award categories.

>>

INSIGHT ❘ 9

◗ BEST POSSIBLE CARE AWARDS

NGH celebrates its ‘stars’ at Best Possible Care Awards NGH celebrated some of its ‘stars’ - staff who go the extra mile to look after patients - at its annual awards ceremony in April. Here are the winners and runners-up in each of the eight award categories.

Outstanding Contribution Award

When my husband was receiving regular treatment nothing was too much trouble.

R NE IN W

Belinda Holloway, Lead Nurse, Children’s community nursing team

She has done far more than deliver the best possible care to these children and their families.

10 ❘ INSIGHT

Belinda’s legacy will be the children’s community nursing team, which did not exist until she came into post and gradually expanded the service to what it is today. She is a visible support to her team in their growth and development. With almost 35 years within the local health service, she is still quietly fighting for the children with complex and life limiting needs.

She has done far more than deliver the best possible care to these children and their families.

Runner-Up - Rose McKee, Women and Children’s Service Manager Through hard work, dedication, commitment and sheer determination, Rose has improved quality and safety in the organisation, and ultimately has improved the patient experience.

She has shown excellent leadership and management skills along with her communication skills and her experience. Every day, her dedication enables her to exceed all expectations of her job.

Runner-Up - Dr Udi Shmueli, Clinical Director for Medicine and Emergency Care As Clinical Director Udi has been instrumental in implementing numerous changes within the directorate, including a new medical rota that has led to better continuity of care for newly admitted patients and increased consultant presence on site in the evenings and at weekends.

This has improved the quality of care for non-elective patients, improved patient safety and experience with quicker consultant review and has also had an impact on reducing length of stay.

His legacy as Clinical Director will be a robust, flexible, medical model that is fit for purpose in the evolving NHS especially in the establishment of a 7 day working culture. All of this is carried out with a sense of humour, much appreciated by managers and clinicians alike.

Runner-Up Haematology Unit Team The staff work together to make patients and their relatives/carers feel as positive as possible and ensure outpatient appointments run smoothly. As one patient said ‘When my husband was receiving regular treatment nothing was too much trouble.’

Runner-Up - The staff of Becket Ward led by Cindy Sawford Cindy and her team were nominated by a patient’s daughter, who said: “At this very difficult time, when many aspects of our lives were the most horrible we could have imagined, being part of this ward’s life made this in many ways a positive experience.”

Unsung Hero – Non-Clinical

R NE IN W

Rajiv (or Jeeves) has stepped up beyond the role expected of a FY1 doctor, offering his time on countless occasions to help discharge patients on medical wards on top of his surgical ward commitments.

Unsung Hero Clinical

R NE IN W

R NE IN W

Dr Rajiv Wijesuriya FY1 doctor

Patient Safety Award

R NE IN W

Patient Experience Award

Dr Suchitra Krishnamurthy

Lee Woodhouse, Assistant Practitioner

Caroline Stafford, Ward Receptionist, Paddington Ward

Suchi is the consultant lead for VTE risk assessment and hospitalacquired thrombosis.

Her dedication and commitment have led to NGH having the lowest number of avoidable HATs within the East Midlands, with the highest compliance for VTE risk assessment.

RunnerUp Celia Warlow As programme manager for the patient safety academy Celia has been instrumental in developing the role of our safety champions.

She supports the work-stream leads to make sure their projects maintain momentum, always putting patient safety above all else.

RunnerUp Lyndsey Brawn One of five clinical leads for the safety academy, Lyndsey always placed patient safety above all else.

Her commitment to improve the quality and safety of care is apparent in all she does.

Lee works as a ward clerk, arranges patient transport, orders supplies; he is a ward host or a porter, a phlebotomist or assists clinicians to carry out complicated procedures, often deferring lunch or breaks so patient care isn’t interrupted.

RunnerUp Emma Matthews Specialist MS Nurse Specialist When dealing with MS nothing is simple or straightforward and the smallest things often seem overwhelming. Emma will go out of her way to help people even when it is not in her job role.

RunnerUp - Rose Eichmann, Trauma Audit Coordinator Rose has developed her role to help trauma and orthopaedics improve patient outcomes. She started as an HCA and is an excellent role model. Rose will always put patient care and the needs of the service first.

Caroline is always calm, works quietly, never flustered and always able to help. She goes out of her way to make sure children are admitted and discharged without delay.

Runner-Up - Sue Cross, Compliance Manager Sue has worked tirelessly, including working at home to ensure timescales are met, to develop and support our QuEST inspections. She is a quiet and modest person, who does not get the recognition she deserves.

RunnerUp Adedayo Peter, Hostess, Abington Ward Patients say Adedayo sings all the time, she is always smiling and helps patients with whatever they need. She is someone with infectious enthusiasm who brings joy to wherever she works.

INSIGHT ❘ 11

◗ BEST POSSIBLE CARE AWARDS

Clinical Team of the Year

By adapting the way they work, this team has made a real difference in the care of a very complex and vulnerable patient group, many of whom have complex communication and behavioural challenges.

RS NE IN W

RS NE IN W

Main Theatres Admission Unit (MTAU)

Non-Clinical Team of the Year

Elderly Medicine Secretarial Team The team goes the extra mile to help consultants, patients and relatives, dealing with urgent requests and providing cross-cover for the unit. They prioritise to keep patient safety as a first priority.

Volunteers of the Year

WINNERS

Northampton Volunteer car scheme drivers The drivers are volunteers who each give up 4-5 hours a week to take elderly and vulnerable patients who have no other means of transport to their medical appointments.

Last year they transported 3847 patients to NGH. Although the car scheme operates in Northampton on occasions patients will be referred elsewhere for treatment as far away as Birmingham or Oxford.

The drivers don’t only provide transport – they give moral support in times of need and a friendly ear to listen.

Runner-Up Northampton Cancer Partnership

Runner-Up - Children and Young People’s Diabetes Multi-Disciplinary Team This is a team that goes out of their way to provide children, young people and their families with care support both in and out of hours. They share a common vision to provide the best possible diabetes care in the country.

Runner-Up - Joint Research & Development and ITU Research Team The two groups came together to lead the ‘FREE Study’, evaluating families’ satisfaction with adult critical care services. Their findings will inform future service improvements.

The NCP is a group of cancer patients who work alongside healthcare professionals to develop, implement and evaluate cancer services. They act as the patient’s voice to ensure our services meet the needs of our patients and their families. They are volunteers who, despite being poorly or caring for a loved one during their illness are always ready and willing to champion the needs of the cancer patient.

The NCP was instrumental in the trust gaining support from Macmillan Cancer Support to develop the Macmillan Haematology Unit. They undertook a survey of patients’ views of their experience of attending the ‘old’ haematology clinic for appointments and the subsequent report was submitted as part of the bid. Members of NCP then sat on the working group to ensure that the views of the patients translated into action.

Runner-Up - Marianne Oakes, Volunteer, Cedar Ward

Runner-Up - Specialist Palliative Care Team

Runner-Up - Trauma and Orthopaedics Housekeeping Team

The specialist palliative care team supports patients, families, carers and staff to deliver the highest standards of care to patients at the most challenging and emotionally difficult time in their lives.

Our domestic and host staff make a huge difference to our patients. The team are always happy to go beyond expectations and our patients really value the fact all our team members are approachable.

12 ❘ INSIGHT

Marianne goes over and above what she should do on the ward. She is a bed maker, but goes to the shops to buy newspapers for patients and is always willing to stop and talk. She is always respectful of staff and patients and now trains other volunteers who help on the wards.

The ward sister said; ‘I would give her more responsibility if I could. She helps feed patients that just need a bit of encouragement, she will tell us if a patient has eaten and is always willing to help out when she can. She has a lovely smile is very approachable and we are very lucky to have her.’

INSIGHT ❘ 13

◗ CQC INSPECTION

Inspected!

Professor Sir Mike Richards

The CQC inspection recognised caring staff and some good work at NGH, but as we expected there is much to do

England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, published his first report on the quality of care provided by Northampton General Hospital at the end of March, giving the trust an overall rating of requiring improvement.

We are pleased that the inspectors found our staff were caring and compassionate in each of the areas visited and our patients spoke very highly of the caring nature of staff. Inspectors also found the hospital was very clean throughout and performed well in relation to infection prevention and control.

They found that the safety and effectiveness of our services has largely been maintained, despite the over-riding urgent care pressures we have experienced.

However, there are a number of areas that require improvement, particularly in relation to urgent care performance, governance and leadership:

Five questions the CQC ask about every service they inspect:

The CQC’s report highlights issues we knew we faced and were already working to address.

14 ❘ INSIGHT

◗ Is it safe? ◗ Is it effective? ◗ Is it caring? ◗ Is it responsive to people’s needs? ◗ Is it well-led?

Sir Mike said: “While some services were delivered effectively at the trust, the issues at the A&E department, poor management, staff training, and equipment maintenance must be improved.

The trust appeared to have hard working staff but there were concerns surrounding the lack of

mandatory training being completed which could affect the way care is delivered. It is essential that staff are being adequately supported and developed in their roles. Despite this shortfall, we observed caring and compassionate staff in each of the service areas. Patients and their relatives spoke very highly of the caring nature of the staff.”

We are committed to improving the safety and quality of the services we provide.

NGH chief executive Dr Sonia Swart said: “The CQC’s report highlights issues we knew we faced and were already working to address.

Where there are problems we have recognised them. We know we have the capability to turn this round – I still think this is fundamentally a good hospital and is doing well to cope with the pressures that we have. We are committed to improving the safety and quality of the services we provide. I am pleased the inspectors recognised the commitment of our staff and their caring approach, as well as the open and transparent way in which NGH operates.”

All the actions from the CQC report have now been brought together into a comprehensive improvement plan for the hospital and the trust’s progress will be monitored by the executive team, trust board, the Trust Development Authority and our commissioners.

Our action plan includes work towards: ◗ Improving the emergency care pathway and bed capacity management ◗ Ensuring patients are admitted to and treated in the right place, first time, without having to wait longer than four hours for treatment ◗ Improving the robustness of our governance processes ◗ Ensuring we identify and mitigate risks to patients, and learn from experience ◗ Improving leadership from Board to ward, to ensure that staff are confident that the organisation is well led and that the leaders are driving improvements in care ◗ Making changes to ‘Do not attempt cardio pulmonary resuscitation’ paperwork so it is clearer ◗ Ensuring that all equipment is maintained and available in clinical areas where required ◗ Ensure that medication is dispensed to patients before they have left hospital, and ceasing the practice of discharging patients home without their prescribed medication ◗ Improving arrangements for children’s care in the A&E department, including ensuring that children are appropriately prioritised in A&E ◗ Increasing compliance with mandatory and essential to role training and appraisal

Innovative scheme to tackle hospital pressures Doctors, nurses and managers at NGH are taking a radical new approach to tackle the delays in the emergency pathway as they introduce ‘breaking the cycle’.

“We know that if we can improve the way that patients flow through the hospital – from admission, onto wards and then through to discharge – we will free up staff and beds across the hospital,” said Deborah Needham, our new chief operating officer.

There will be an intense focus on improving patient flow and patient safety.

“The pressures we face in our emergency department, which are caused by peaks in numbers attending far above those previously experienced, coupled with bed availability, have led to our performance on the four-hour A&E target dropping to 90% per cent or below in recent months. We want to turn this round and ensure that all our patients receive the best possible care.

For those attending our emergency department this means being seen, treated and admitted or discharged within four hours.”

Breaking the cycle is an ambitious programme that has been used by hospitals in Birmingham and Bath to make radical improvements in

their performance and ‘break the cycle’ of delays.

“Breaking the cycle will help us understand the root causes of the issues with the emergency pathway and align our staff and our partners in the wider healthcare community to improve the way we work together to address them,” said Deborah. “There will be an intense focus on improving patient flow and patient safety. We want to ensure our nurses and doctors make the right decisions about which pathways our patients follow, free up staff and beds across the hospital and improve the flow through our emergency department. Staff will be able to identify and fast-track those patients who would be better cared for at home or in the community. This will happen across all our wards, and the skills and knowledge we get from breaking the cycle will help us sustain these improvements on a permanent basis.”

INSIGHT ❘ 15

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust endorse any of the products or services.

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 written consent of the copyright owners.

Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd. ©2014.

Britannic Chambers, 8a Carlton Road, Worksop, Notts. S80 1PH. Tel: 01909 478822 Advertorial

COULD 2014 BE THE YEAR YOU PURSUE THE CHALLENGE OF A CAREER IN THE RAF MEDICAL RESERVES? Royal Air Force Medical Reserves provide a wide range of opportunities for clinical professionals ranging from Emergency Care, Casualty Evacuation and Primary Care in our deployed Medical Treatment Facilities and throughout the Aeromedical Evacuation chain. We routinely support the Regular RAF in the UK and on Military Operations throughout the world. We offer an unrivalled opportunity to develop your existing clinical skills in conditions of both personal and professional challenge.

As a Medical Reservist you’ll learn how to deliver quality healthcare in field conditions and in the air. You’ll also learn leadership, management, communication and organisational skills directly transferable to your day job – they may even count towards your Continuous Professional Development. You’ll be paid at the same rate as members of the Regular RAF and can join us at any age up to 50, or 56 if you’ve previously served in the Armed Forces. Most importantly – you’ll have a huge amount of fun and sense of achievement as a member of the UKs Reserve Forces.

4626 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron have recently moved to brand new, purpose built, state of the art training facilities at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

We continue to support Operations in Afghanistan where our Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics deliver an outstanding level of care to those that need it most. We have received high praise and justifiable recognition for our individual and collective efforts over many years, and we will continue to progress and build on our success.

If you are a Doctor, Nurse, Paramedic, Physiotherapist, Dentist, Dental Nurse, Healthcare or Emergency Care Assistant interested in finding out more about what you can offer, and what you can gain, now is the ideal time to arrange a visit to us.

Forthcoming Information Days are 11 & 21 June, 2 & 26 July, 6 & 27 August – to book your place simply call the recruiting team on 01993 842551 ext 4260 or 4261.

RAF Medical Reserves – providing high quality professionals to support Defence operational capability

16 ❘ INSIGHT

PETS AS THERAPY ◗

Pets brighten up the days for NGH patients Man’s best friend has been living up to its name at Northampton General Hospital, as three Pets as Therapy dogs help to brighten up the days of some of our long-term patients, including those recovering from a stroke.

Golden retriever Millie and black Labrador Jessie pay two-weekly visits to wards at the hospital, bringing smiles to patients’ faces and often bringing back happy memories for former pet owners.

Eighty-nine-year-old Dorothy Johnson from Northampton was happy to see the two dogs when they came to Holcot stroke unit. She said: “I love dogs. I would have liked another after my husband passed away but I couldn’t have coped with training and walking it. It’s lovely to see them, and it’s been a nice surprise.”

Holcot ward patient Dorothy Johnson was delighted to meet Millie

PAT volunteers Rosemary Wooler with black Labrador Jessie, and Jan Andrews with golden retriever Millie

We are delighted to welcome the Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs to Northampton General Hospital.

Junior sister Debbie Reed said: “It is an absolute delight to watch patients that are normally quite withdrawn becoming interested and involved with the dogs. From my point of view the benefits the patients receive are mentally, emotionally, and psychologically beneficial to them and we would welcome the lovely ladies and dogs back anytime.”

Research has shown the many benefits that interaction with animals can achieve in promoting health and well-being, and addressing the physical, emotional and social aspects of a person’s recovery.

A third dog, a Newfoundland called ‘Mr D’, visits patients on Creaton ward with his owner Austin Diamond

Deputy director of nursing Fiona Barnes said: “We are delighted to welcome the Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs to Northampton General Hospital. Following their appearance at the NGH Festival last year, the PAT dogs are visiting patients on our

wards every other Tuesday and have proved a great success.”

Pets As Therapy is a national charity and has over 5,000 PAT dogs and PAT cats throughout the UK. Before the animals and volunteers are accepted as Pets As Therapy they undergo an assessment to establish that the animal has the correct temperament to become a visiting animal. All of the animals are fully vaccinated. The charity is becoming increasingly involved in structured animal assisted therapy (AAT) sessions with occupational therapists working with patients in stroke rehabilitation.

Rosemary Wooler is the Pets as Therapy volunteer area coordinator.

If any other departments would be interested in having a dog visit their patients they can contact Rosemary on 01604 227903.

INSIGHT ❘ 17

◗ PATIENT PRAISE

Forever grateful for such special care In April last year, Northampton grandmother Isabel McDonnell suffered a sudden onset of pneumonia and septic shock, leading to 14 weeks in hospital and making her family fear the worst. Happily she made a full recovery, and has written to us to praise and thank staff for the ‘awesome’ care they gave her. Here’s her letter.

Hi to all in the intensive care, and high dependency units A year ago I was admitted to ITU suffering from a sudden onset of pneumonia and septic shock. I was extremely ill with all my organs closing down, I was intubated and machines were taking care of everything else. The doctors told my family that it was going to be extremely difficult for me to come back from this and told them to expect the worst.

But I received great care from the

doctors, nurses, physiotherapy staff, and even the care givers that brought me my first cup of tea and made me comfortable each day. In fact the care from each and everyone that we came into contact with over the next few weeks was nothing short of awesome. Although I knew that I was very ill, they made not only me feel safe but also looked after my very worried family. The staff in ITU and HDU are all hand picked angels.

When I woke up after about a week nothing was too much trouble. There was always someone on hand to reassure me and comfort me, they

I am as grateful now as I was twelve months ago and will remain so for the rest of my days.

Isabel McDonnell (centre) with husband John and daughter Julie

18 ❘ INSIGHT

explained everything that they were doing, and this helped me to understand and not to be scared.

They were kindness itself.

So apart from the small matter of saving my life, they also cared how I felt, every step of the way. No words can express how I feel about them all. Thank you just does not go far enough.

Some people may say, well that was over a year ago now so that’s all done and gone. But no, it will never be done and gone. I am as grateful now as I was twelve months ago and will

PATIENT PRAISE ◗

Patient praise Many of our patients and their relatives are kind enough to take the time to compliment hospital staff and volunteers on the standards of service and care they provide.

You can download the intensive care booklet – and a guide to sepsis – from www.icusteps.org remain so for the rest of my days.

I know that you do this work tirelessly day in and day out and save many many lives. I just need you all to know that this life will be for ever indebted to all of you.

When I was at last on the up and up and ready to go home I thought well we just have to get on with things the best that we can now. But the aftercare at this hospital and in this department was ongoing and very special. They gave my daughter a couple of booklets to help us all understand what to expect in the coming weeks. This was absolutely invaluable because there were so many things that happened to me that were a bit worrying until my daughter got out the ‘bible’ as she came to call it and all was explained. We found that most of what I was experiencing was normal and to be expected, and that put our minds at rest right away. Bit by little bit we gradually got back to some sort of normality.

The twelve months of aftercare visits from Emma Harvey, a staff nurse in the ITU, were very reassuring. We felt that I hadn’t just been discharged and left to fend for myself but it was, once again another back-up that made us feel safe and able to cope. Emma was there to talk about anything and everything, any questions that had been bothering me were answered and it felt as though she had all the time in the world. There was no rush. She just made sure that I went at my own pace and had time to discuss any little thing, no matter how large or small, that was on my mind.

My daughter is still having a very hard time, even now coming to terms with almost losing her mum. Emma has offered to help her as well, and as my daughter can’t bring herself to come back into ITU, Emma has offered to meet her elsewhere if that would help.

So you can see the level of care from all the staff is so, so special and we must all be thankful that there are still, in this day and age, people that go above and beyond their duty for others in their day to day work.

I know that we hear all the grumbles about the NHS but I also know from experience that, when the chips are really down and you really need their help, the staff in our hospital at Northampton are totally, totally amazing So thank you one and all for all that you did for me and mine during our very traumatic weeks and months after my illness. Please make sure that everyone that was involved in my care gets to know just how much they did for me and my family in what was a very dark time in our lives.

Yours forever grateful Isabel McDonnell and family

We really appreciate all your comments and publish many of them on our website.

Here are some brief extracts from others we have received recently.

◗ So quick and simple!

I would just like to say a huge thank you to the three staff who were in the room at the children’s outpatients department today. When I brought my two-year-old Harry in for a bloodtest he was seen on time, and he didn’t even flinch. The play worker lady was fantastic, reading him a story as the nurses took the bloods.

I myself have a phobia of needles and am so very grateful for the way the appointment was managed. As far as my son is concerned he played with some toys and got a sticker, and really had no idea about anything else.

Thank you so much for making something which filled me with dread and a sicky feeling all morning, so quick and simple!

Clare Knox

◗ Very impressed with every department I have just come through a period of contact with a number of NGH departments and wanted to write to you to say how impressed I was with the service I received from all of them.

At a time when it is fashionable to “knock” public services I would be very grateful if you could pass my thanks to the following departments: Integrated surgery, waiting list administration, pre-operative assessment, McMillan haematology, oncology emergency assessment centre, Talbot Butler ward, Mr Libertiny’s surgical team and all in main theatre admissions, ward and recovery.

Without exception, staff in all of these areas treated me as an individual with respect, dignity and care. They explained what would happen and made sure I had the chance to ask for any information I needed. When they promised to do something, they did it. They communicated effectively with each other and demonstrated to me that they understood the circumstances of my case.

Thank you. To see such consistency of behaviour across the hospital was incredible and deserves that people take the trouble to tell you.

I should also mention that my brother, who had an equally good experience

when he was treated in A&E a bit over a year ago, wished to add his thanks to this message.

Yours sincerely, Tim Dolan

Some of our Facebook fans...

Robert Alan Wilson I would just like to thank everybody from porters, nurses and doctors who looked after me while I was there last week after a massive asthma attack. When they checked me out I had a lung infection, as I have COPD, which does not help. A nurse came to see me the next day, to check me over. Thank you all at NGH - without you I would not be here now, many thanks and god bless you all.

Theresa Meen Northampton hospital staff are all brill. I’ve been to so many different areas in the last couple of weeks and all the staff I met were amazing.

Leeann Mcmillan I would like to thank staff on Spencer for the great support for the last year. Without the care and support and the early diagnosis I would have been fighting cervical cancer at the age of 26! Thanks - the gynaecology is great.

Abbie Atkins I wanted to say a big thank you to Gosset ward who were all amazing when my first daughter was born 7 weeks early (June 2011), their knowledge and compassion was overwhelming and that’s why we raised money for the ward in donations instead of wedding gifts in 2012. Secondly, the care of the two midwives in March this year at the birth centre was second to none. They made my experience having my second daughter with a water birth just brilliant and the new unit is just amazing. Not that I actually cared about the colour of the lights or music at the time, but my husband was in his element though! Just brilliant service from the NHS again!

Teresa Hurn All the staff are winners at NGH. I’ve been in for three big ops and I was treated with so much care by everyone x See more at www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk If you would like to share your positive comments, please get in touch with us - email pals@ngh.nhs.uk

INSIGHT ❘ 19

◗ NEW TECHNOLOGY

New technology means

EAU staff nurses Shannon O’Herlihy and Joana Queirez, and matron Jason King with the devices. Joana said: “We have been using the system here for about three weeks now and it does seem quicker. Instead of having to go to each bed to check each patient’s notes, we have all the information in one hand. It’s a great idea.”

Mobile monitoring on the wards The staff are excited about using the new technology.

20 ❘ INSIGHT

A NEW clinical monitoring system using hand-held mobile technology has been introduced at Northampton General Hospital.

“The staff are excited about using the new technology. We will be able to observe patients’ vital signs more quickly than we do at the moment.”

The system, called VitalPac, monitors and analyses patients’ vital signs and enables staff to automatically summon timely and appropriate help if a patient deteriorates, and removes the need for paper-based monitoring charts.

VitalPac enables nurses to record seven routine observations, such as temperature, pulse and blood pressure, and removes the requirement for a paper chart. The system’s software analyses the patient’s readings using a set of algorithms, and doctors and other senior staff receive an urgent alert if they dip below a safe level.

Fiona Barnes, NGH deputy director of nursing, said: “Implementing this system will improve patient safety and patient outcomes as we will become better at recognising deteriorating patients.

The new system will be used from the patient’s admission to hospital and throughout their stay, replacing

the traditional paper chart at the end of each bed. Currently nurses write down patient observations, including blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and breathing rate; allocating a point score for each before calculating an overall total.

VitalPac virtually eliminates the possibility of human error in both calculating scores and making a judgement call about a patient’s condition. Studies have shown that the error rate in calculations is reduced three-fold.

All readings are automatically sent to a central hospital server via a wireless network. Clinicians

NEW TECHNOLOGY ◗

s less paper, more care The new system is currently being used on two wards and will be rolled out to all NGH wards over the next three months.

can review VitalPac data from anywhere in the hospital on tablet PCs, PDAs or any PC connected to the hospital intranet. NGH has also integrated VitalPac with its pathology and radiology systems and intends to link it to its ‘ward workspace’ system. This shows all patient activity within a pictorial layout of the ward, enabling staff to click through to each patient’s charts, and quickly check on deteriorating early warning scores.

Mrs Barnes said: “Releasing our nursing staff from time-consuming administrative tasks will enable them to focus on their most important role of providing high quality patient care. Other trusts have found that the system has helped to reduce length of stay and also increase efficiency.”

The hospital’s IT department managed to secure almost £370k in additional funding for the project from NHS England’s ‘Safer Hospitals, Safer Wards’ technology fund. Deputy director of IT Christine Malcolmson said: “There were a very high number of applications for the money, and our staff pulled out all the stops to deliver the first go-live on time in order to be able to draw down the funding.”

She added: “The new system is currently being used on six wards, and will be rolled out to 21 further wards over the next three months. We are also purchasing additional software modules that will help further to improve patient care. These include screening for dementia and the risk of blood clots, and alerting doctors electronically to attend deteriorating patients.”

We’re investing in the future of radiology

ePrescribing promises more speed and safety NGH has also been awarded funding to introduce electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePrescribing) throughout the hospital.

It is a system that has already brought benefits to a number of other hospitals, including faster discharge turnaround and increased safety, as well as better control of drug budgets.

The system, which provides direct communication of prescribing information from the ward to pharmacy, promises to improve reliability and safety by reducing errors, and removing the problem of missing or illegible drug charts. Medicines can be supplied to wards more quickly, and the direct production of discharge prescriptions will help to speed up the discharge process for patients.

Moving from the current processes to electronic recording and communication brings with it significant changes in working practices for all those who deal with medicines.

The system, developed by Ascribe, will be piloted at NGH in one clinical area during the Autumn before being rolled out across other areas of the hospital. Staff are already being involved over its introduction. Interim medical director Dr Mike Wilkinson said: “Moving from the current, predominantly paper-based processes to electronic recording and communication brings with it significant changes in working practices for all those who deal with medicines – including doctors, nurses, and pharmacy staff. With such a wide impact, it is important future users are aware of the likely changes and have the opportunity to be involved in the way we introduce and use the system.”

NGH staff are involved in an exciting new development that will transform the way radiology images and reports are used, helping to improve patient care.

We are really excited to be investing in the future of radiology.

The hospital is part of a consortium of seven NHS trusts across the East Midlands who are working together to purchase a new radiology system.

The proposed system will be able to store and transmit images and reports around the region, enabling clinicians in different locations to access the same images and information at the same time.

Christina Malcolmson, deputy director of ICT, said: “We are really excited to be investing in the future of radiology.

Through the consortium, we are using our buying power, as well as our clinical, technical and management know-how to get the best possible system for our patients.”

Staff at all seven trusts have had a chance to see shortlisted companies demonstrate their systems and, based on their views and other assessments, a preferred supplier is expected to be confirmed soon.

Staff have had an opportunity to see demonstrations by the two shortlisted suppliers

INSIGHT ❘ 21

◗ MATERNITY SERVICES

Home birth team celebrate four successful years

Our award-winning team of home birth midwives have been celebrating four years of providing a service described as “secondto-none”, ‘fantastic” and “best choice ever” by local couples.

Fifty mums, partners and children were

invited to a party, held at Chappell House in Moulton, where three-time home birth mum Lisa Grayson cut the cake, watched by latest addition Willow, husband Gareth with Olivia and George (right) and more satisfied customers of the home birth team.

Our award-winning team of eleven home birth midwives brave the cold and rain! Northampton has one of the highest rates of home birth in the country.

Home birth mums Emma-Jane Cunningham (left, with Benjamin) and Annalie Lockhart share a special home birth connection. Annalie said: “My other half and I bought the house where EmmaJane and her husband had her two boys, and then I had my little girl in the house.

Between us we’ve had three children in the same living room!”

Lead midwife Sally O’Connell told BBC Northampton’s Anna Bartlett: “We’re very proud of our team, and feedback from the ladies is very very positive. They spread the word they tell their friends, talk about their experiences and we get lots of self-referrals that way. We provide ante-natal care, look after them in labour and post-natally as well, so we get to see the whole picture and build a very special bond with these families.”

Congratulations … to our maternity and neonatal staff, who have passed stage two of the prestigious Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accreditation, which works to ensure a high standard of care for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and babies.

22 ❘ INSIGHT

Assessors spent two days testing knowledge of more than 40 staff about infant feeding best practice standards, asking detailed questions on topics such as the health impact of breastfeeding, how a mother would know that feeding was going well, and how

we support women with more challenging situations, such as a preterm baby. They were impressed! As a result, the BFI team have reassured us that we are well placed to continue to full accreditation (stage three) by next year.

NEWS ◗

Ann Bennett We were very sad to hear of the death of Ann Bennett, co-founder of the Dunstone Bennett Complementary Therapies Suite. The Pandora column in the Chronicle & Echo paid a lovely tribute to her, and we reprint part of it here.

How often in your life do you have the privilege to meet someone extremely special?

Annie Bennett was one such person. She was a 4ft 11in pocket dynamo. I first met her some years ago when she and Carol Dunstone, both sufferers of mouth cancer, decided to write a book called Trilogy to help other victims cope with this awful illness.

The book was amazing. It gave hope and advice to the hundreds of people who suffer from mouth cancer. Not only did they write the book, they also raised thousands of pounds to open the Dunstone Bennett Complementary Centre at NGH, later relocated to Billing Road.

This is a place where all cancer sufferers can go for complementary therapy including reiki healing and hypnotism and also have various beauty treatments to help cheer themselves up. Everything they do is voluntary.

Nicki and Abi (seated) present a cheque for £3035.12 to staff nurse Liz Willias and sister Nettie Steele

Abi and Nicki’s £3k thank you Two young cancer survivors have raised more than £3,000 to benefit other patients at the Macmillan Haematology unit here at NGH.

About six months ago, Annie and Carol decided to write a sequel, called No Time for Cancer. Both had had a few scares and were determined to tell other sufferers what to do and how to cope.

Annie was determined to finish this book in March. She worked tirelessly to push the publishers to print in time.

Tragically, this beautiful, always exquisitely dressed dynamo passed away two weeks ago. The cathedral in Barrack Road was packed for her funeral service by friends and family who had all been touched by Annie’s magic.

Throughout her illness she never complained, always had a radiant smile on her face and a determination to publish this book to bring hope to anyone suffering from mouth cancer.

It was a privilege to have known such a wonderful, gentle, kind person.

It’s up to us to keep Annie’s memory alive by making hers and Carol’s book as successful as possible. It costs £8.99 and you can buy it direct from Matador’s online bookstore at http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=2380

Abigail Cooper was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of just 19 while she was studying at Warwick University to become a veterinary nurse. After eight cycles of chemotherapy she went into remission and, now aged 21, Abi is getting her life back on track.

She gained a full time job as a student dental nurse, and recently was successful in being accepted as a nurse at NGH where she will care for cancer patients on Talbot Butler ward.

We are both so grateful for the great care and support we received from the nursing staff and consultants at NGH.

In December, Abi and her friend Nicola Collett, a nurse on the heart centre at NGH, organised a ‘black tie ball’ at Bugbrooke community centre to raise money for the haematology suite. Nicola was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2001 at the age of 22 but, following chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she has been in remission for 11 years and is happy to say that she is now married with two children.

Abi said: “We are both so grateful for the great care and support we received from the nursing staff and consultants at NGH. There have been many changes in cancer care over the years, and the new haematology suite is providing great benefits for patients. It also gives people the opportunity to meet others in similar situations.”

INSIGHT ❘ 23

1

2 6

8

7

NGH people 1 W

Congratulations to Deborah Needham who has been appointed chief operating officer for the trust. Originally from Lancashire she trained as a registered general nurse holding positions in both respiratory and emergency medicine units before moving to London as a ward manager.

Deborah, who joined NGH in 2004 as a directorate manager, is married and has two step children, both girls age 10 and 12.

2 W

We have said farewell to Pat Hawkins (pictured with Dr

24 ❘ INSIGHT

Andrew Jeffrey), who has stepped down from her role as medical education manager at Cripps Postgraduate Centre after 25 years working at NGH. She said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working at NGH, especially in this role. Despite all the challenges and the stress that goes with the job, I still think it’s one of the best places to work, and I’m really sad to go.”

3 W

Medical records worker Liam Baxter is taking part in a tenweek expedition in India this summer, helping to improve living standards

with the sustainable development charity Raleigh International. To help him raise his £800 costs, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/LiamBaxter2 to make a donation.

4 W

Our best wishes to Adrian Fairbrother who has retired from his post as principal pharmacist technical services after almost 35 years at NGH. At his presentation Adrian was described as ‘a great advocate and ambassador for pharmacy’.

5 W

NGH midwife Sam Tennyson and three of her colleagues

5

3

10

4

9

gave up two weeks’ holiday to take equipment, baby clothes and expertise to the hospital where she was born in Zimbabwe. Sam, along with Denise Flemming (pictured with a mum and baby), Gill AlbanyWard and Surayya Jaber took baby clothes and £1,400 worth of medical equipment to Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo, where they helped to care for mothers in labour.

11

Stock who ran the London Marathon in April in a very respectable time of 4:12:37 raising an incredible £6,000 for the NGH diabetes centre and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

8 W

6 W

A big well done to healthcare assistant and student nurse Lucy Bazeley who ran her first London Marathon in an excellent time of 4:05:50, raising money for both the StandUp anti-bullying charity and the British Heart Foundation.

7 W

Sharon Wright and Emma Eccles, long-term friends, keen hill-walkers and fellow dental professionals are undertaking their greatest challenge this summer – climbing Mount Kilimanjaro! These amazing ladies are taking annual leave and totally self-funding their expedition so that every penny they raise goes to benefit the Dunstone Bennett complementary centre

We welcome Simon Lazarus who has joined us from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust as our new director of finance. Simon, who has a special interest in improving hospital finances, financial planning and major capital projects, is a chartered accountant and has a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University. He is married with two teenage children.

Many congratulations to orthopaedic surgeon David

9 W

which provides support for cancer patients.

10 W

Congratulations to Alison Ormerod, advanced practitioner for HDR brachytherapy, who has achieved an MSc with Merit in Advanced Practice in Oncology and Radiotherapy.

11 W

Congratulations to Jane Bradley on her appointment as interim director of nursing, replacing Suzie Loader who has taken up a position with Health Education England on the Shape of Caring review.

INSIGHT ❘ 25

◗ VOLUNTEERS

Making a difference Friends of NGH volunteers mark their 25th birthday For 25 years the Friends of NGH have been helping patients and visitors navigate the maze of corridors at NGH – but that is not all they do.

The Friends began in 1989 when a team of volunteers raised money to buy a CAT scanner for the hospital.

They were so successful they continued as the Friends charity and now lend a hand throughout the hospital as well as continue to raise funds.

With a guide station at four locations, most people who enter NGH during working hours will be met by the smiling face of a Friends guide. The Friends have 200 volunteers, and around one third of them are guides.

Sheila Baker, volunteer services manager, says the volunteer’s roles are more than just practical. She said: “Patients are often anxious when they come into hospital and to

The volunteers are fantastic.

I love my role.

Kay Stevens working in the Friends’ shop

26 ❘ INSIGHT

have a welcomer support them and show them where to go is calming. It makes a difference to be greeted with a smile.”

In 2003 the Friends bought a passenger buggy to help patients and visitors with mobility issues.

Last year the buggy took over 12,000 passengers around the hospital, and now the Friends have a second buggy so there is always a spare on standby.

Sheila said: “In the course of one visit to hospital a patient may have to move between two departments or more, and by helping them get around we help to take some of the pressure off the porters. We particularly cover the busy times, in the morning when there are lots of clinics on, and during visiting hours.”

The Friends also have a team of volunteers who help nursing staff on the wards, lending a hand at meal times and spending time with

Sheila Baker

patients who do not have visitors.

“A lot of elderly patients don’t have relatives in Northampton or a lot of their friends have passed away, so befriending is very important. They are highly appreciated >>

Valerie Dixon transporting patients on the Friends’ buggy

INSIGHT ❘ 27

◗ VOLUNTEERS members of the ward teams and they also help with little things like going to the shop to get patients sweets and papers,” said Sheila.

I like meeting people and you get to know those that come in.

Meet two of the Friends’ many volunteers at NGH standing there and letting her cry on me.”

Away from the hospital Ken is involved with the Doddridge memorial church and centre in St James, and keeps active walking the dog every day. He’s 82 now but intends to keep volunteering at NGH for as long as he can, and he enjoys his time here. Summing up why he volunteers Ken said: “The main thing is I’m putting something back into this hospital which saved my life.”

Many patients, visitors and NGH staff know the Friends from their shop in Hospital Street, which is run by volunteers and relies on donations of bric-a-brac and knitted clothes. Last year the shop raised £23,000 to go back to the charity and the hospital.

Joyce Tebbutt, from Kingsthorpe, is the Friends’ longest serving volunteer and has worked in the shop for 22 years since she retired. “I like meeting people and you get to know those that come in. Some patients have no visitors and will come in and talk to us, and some staff that used to work in the hospital will come back in and give me a hug when they see I’m still here,” she said. “I like to feel that I’m doing something and paying back a bit.”

The shop is not the only fundraising the Friends do, as they also have a team of volunteers committed to putting on events to raise money for the hospital to spend on equipment.

Last year they raised £12,000, £4,000 of which came from car boot sales alone. They also put on quiz nights and fashion shows, and once raised £12,000 from one afternoon tea.

To celebrate their 25th birthday the Friends are going to present the hospital with £25,000. Two departments, which have yet to be chosen, will each receive a cheque for £12,500 to enable them to buy vital equipment.

Sheila said the charity could not function without the commitment of their volunteers: “The volunteers are fantastic. I love my role. They give a lot and they get a lot back in thanks from the hospital. “We get a lot of praise and thanks for what we do, and we feel like we’re giving something back.”

To become a volunteer with the Friends please contact the office on 01604 545802 28 ❘ INSIGHT

Having originally trained to be an accountant, Verity Smith decided she wanted a complete career change. Since January she has been a Tuesday afternoon volunteer on Brampton ward, distributing meals to elderly patients and helping them to eat their dinner.

Ken Cheshire has volunteered for the Friends for over 21 years and is their longest serving guide, working at the south entrance every Monday morning. He said: “In 1989 I had a very bad heart attack - with complications – but, because of the excellent care I got in this hospital I survived.”

When Ken reached retirement age he looked into voluntary work, and thought about the hospital. His wife was already a member of the WRVS so he contacted them and they put him in touch with the Friends - which at that time was in its early days. He was taken on as a guide and has been here ever since – during which time the hospital has changed quite a lot. Ken says it’s a big challenge trying to keep up with all the moves.

“What I really get out of it is just knowing that you’re helping people.

The best thing about it is seeing people’s faces light up when they know where they’re going, and hearing someone say thank you and sounding as if they meant it. One of the earliest incidents I remember is a woman in a wheelchair who came in with her daughter, and asked the way to the mortuary. Having said that she just put her head on my pullover and cried and cried. It turned out she had injured her legs in a car crash in which her husband had died. I was probably helping her just by

Verity said: “I decided I wanted to do something like nursing or midwifery that was helping and caring for people. I thought it would be valuable to get some experience in a hospital, to see what it was like before I started applying for jobs.

“I really enjoy it and look forward to it every week.

I clean all the tables down, prepare everyone for protected mealtimes, help hand out the meals and assist patients who can’t easily feed themselves, then clear away afterwards. It’s so important that people get the nutritional value they need while they’re not well.

“I was nervous at first because I hadn’t done anything like this before and I didn’t know how patients would feel about a young person coming in to feed and talk to them.

It feels quite a sensitive issue because the patients are essentially handing you their dignity, and so I’m very aware of that. But I feel really comfortable with it now and what better approach is there than getting hands-on and learning on the job?

“I’m planning to increase my hours so that I can work another day, perhaps on a different ward to get a different kind of experience. I’ve applied to do general nursing at Northampton uni so this will all be great experience for me. I know what I do doesn’t even touch on what the nurses and healthcare assistants do, but volunteering has made me want to carry on and pursue caring as a career.”

WAYFINDING ◗

Find your way around the hospital Follow the signs to the area letter, then look for local signs to the ward or department you need DEPARTMENTS D Accident & Emergency L Antenatal Assessment Unit K Antenatal Outpatients K Audiology W Billing House H Biochemistry K Blood Taking Unit R Centre for Elderly Medicine E Chapel D Chest Clinic L Child Development Centre K Children’s Hearing Clinic K Children’s Outpatients U Chiropody J Cripps Centre K Day Surgery Unit K Dermatology J Diabetes Centre E Discharge Lounge C Echocardiography K ENT L Eye Unit B Forrest Centre D Fracture Clinic R Genitourinary Medicine K Gynaecology Outpatients G Haematology D Hand Therapy C Heart Centre Q Human Resources B Integrated Surgery W Limb Centre F Main Theatres Admissions Unit A Manfield day case L Maternity day unit R Maxillofacial Unit K Medical Outpatients H Mortuary and Chapel of Rest J Neurophysiology E Nuclear Medicine N Oncology Centre S Pain Relief Clinic R PALS and Bereavement Service G Pathology K Pre-operative Assessment D Radiology (X-ray) D Rapid Access Chest Pain J Research and Development F Respiratory Laboratory F RESTART C Rheumatology W Sunnyside Q Training & Development

WARDS E Abington (Orthopaedic) 545982, 544945 C Allebone (Gen medicine & dermatology) 545536, 545336 S Althorp (Elderly rehab) 544410, 544413 L Balmoral (Maternity) † 545434, 544826 D Becket (Medical short stay) 545981, 544972 C Benham (General medicine) 545537, 545337 R Brampton (Elderly medicine) 544460, 544462 A Cedar (Trauma) 545553, 545353 A Collingtree (Orthopaedic) 543944, 543966 S Compton (General medicine) 545332, 545532 C Creaton (General medicine) 545539, 545339 M Disney (Children’s) † 545518, 545318 C Dryden (Cardiology) 545540, 545340 C Eleanor (General medicine) 545804, 544808 D Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) † 545613, 545304 D Finedon (Renal) 523530, 523560 M Gosset (Neonatal) † 545520, 545320 A Hawthorn (Surgical) 545551, 545351 S Head & neck 523961, 545509 C High Dependency Unit (HDU) † 545544, 545344 R Holcot Stroke Unit † 544430, 544432, 544433 C Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) † 545542, 545342 M Paddington (Children’s) † 545319, 545519 M Paddington HDU (Children’s) † 545836 L Robert Watson (Maternity) † 544928, 544819 A Rowan (23-hour surgical) 545549, 545349 L Singlehurst (Eyes) 545483, 545083 S Spencer (Gynaecology) 545525 M Sturtridge (Labour ward) † 545058, 545426, 545898 M Sturtridge HDU † 545055 G Talbot Butler (Oncology & Haematology) 545534, 545334 S Victoria (Elderly Medicine) 545326 A Willow (Surgical) 545548, 545348 Visiting 2.00pm – 4.30pm; 6.00pm – 8.00pm unless marked with † (please check with these wards)

INFORMATION Northampton General Hospital, Cliftonville, Northampton NN1 5BD Tel: 01604 634700 www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk D Reception Cliftonville. Open Mon-Fri 9.00am – 6.00pm.

Dial 0 from any corridor phone and ask for “operator” when prompted.

E Restaurant Hospital Street, open Mon-Fri 7.15am – 7.00pm; Sat-Sun 7.15am – 6.00pm.

D Café Royale Main reception, Cliftonville, open Mon-Thurs 9.00am – 3.30pm; Fri 9.00am – 3.00pm.

WRVS shops E South entrance, open Mon-Fri 7.00am – 8.00pm; Sat, Sun, bank holidays 10.00am – 4.00pm.

T Billing Road entrance, open Mon-Fri 9.00am – 4.00pm.

Buggy service Guiding and transport service provided by Friends of NGH volunteers Mon–Fri 8.30am – 4.00pm.

Dial 88 then 4501 then enter your extension number to request the buggy.

D Travel office For car parking permits, and travel info. Open MonThurs 9.00am – 4.30pm; Fri 9.00am – 4.00pm.

01604 545966 or 544600.

E Bank Cash dispensers in lift lobby near south entrance and near Billing Road entrance E Chapel Open to all. For details of services or to contact the chaplains, call 01604 545773.

INSIGHT ❘ 29

◗ CHARITABLE FUND

All donations to the hospital are managed, separately from NHS finances, by the trustees of the Northamptonshire Health Charitable Fund, a registered charity. If you would like to make a donation, or be involved in raising money for NGH, please contact our fundraising office on 01604 545857.

Street family’s cricket fun day to say thank you The Street family wanted to say a big thank you to Paddington ward as their son Curtly was cared for so well on the ward over 10 years ago.

Curtly contracted chicken pox internally at the age of five, which led to him having a stroke. In response to the fantastic treatment he received the Street family held a family fun cricket day which raised £1,335.

The funds have been donated to Paddington ward, together with a brand new Wii console

for the patients. Dr. Hewertson, the paediatric consultant who looked after Curtly, accepted the cheque and Wii on behalf of the ward. He said: “This is such a fantastic achievement that will benefit unwell children from around Northamptonshire.” The ward have yet to make a decision on which piece of equipment they will spend the funds on but we will keep the family informed on how the ward’s young patients will benefit from their fundraising.

Please visit our website for more fundraising stories and details of how you can get involved www.nghgreenheart.co.uk

David’s quiz legacy The family and friends of Duston man David Masters, who died from cancer last year, have raised more than £4,000 in his memory for Talbot Butler Ward. A keen quizzer for many years, David took part in local and national events alongside Eggheads and Millionaire contestants.

To celebrate David’s life, his family and friends organised a quiz, raffle and charity auction evening, which raised more than £2,000 - bringing their fundraising total so far to more than £4,300 for the ward. The money raised is helping to create a new relatives’ room for longstay cancer patients.

30 ❘ INSIGHT

Back row l-r: Emma Street, senior staff nurse Jess Markland, John Street, Curtly Street, Dr Hewertson. Front l-r: Brodie and Jenna Street

O’Neill’s Bar fundraise for children’s wards O’Neill’s bar organised a week of fun events to kick off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in March. Events included live bands, Irish dancing on a large

scale, a quiz and raffle. The bar’s regulars embraced the activities and helped raise more than £3,000 for the children’s wards. As a result the wards

were able to purchase two much needed ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes, including trolleys with wheels, that can be plugged in to charge. Alison Waples, lead nurse for paediatric HDU said: “We are really grateful to O’Neill’s for their donation. The equipment is easily accessible and portable and will make a real difference to both the patients and staff on Disney and Paddington ward.”

We are delighted that O’Neill’s bar has chosen to continue supporting the children’s wards, with all funds raised this year helping to purchase more recliner chairs for the parents of children staying on Paddington ward.

CHARITABLE FUND ◗

Photo society’s framed donations

The framed photos are fantastic.

They will be great at brightening up the walls here.

Each year, camera clubs in Northamptonshire have the opportunity to enter the Terry Chapman Memorial Print Competition and in doing so they raise money in aid of the oncology department of NGH. Last year, the thirteenth year of the competition, saw 11 photographic clubs of Northamptonshire participate and raise over £450 in aid of our chemotherapy suite refurbishment.

Each club paid to enter eight prints to be considered as best print, with Northampton Camera Club winning this year. You can see some of the great images on the club’s website (http://www.rdps.co.uk/tccomp.htm) John Roberts from the Rushden and District Photography Society very generously organised the donation of six framed images from the competition, and donated them to be displayed in oncology and in the newly refurbished

L-r: Dr Shahriar Reza, Emily Petter, John Roberts, Adele Williams and Alison McCulloch

chemo suite. Chemotherapy manager Adele Williams said: “We are very grateful for the donation as it helps get us closer to the target for the suite’s refurbishment. The framed photos are fantastic too as they are not something we would be able to go out and purchase. They will be great at brightening up the walls here.”

Second dinner dance boosts incubator fund Stephen Murray, this year’s President of the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), very kindly chose to support Gosset ward for the second year in a row. The EUA arranged a dinner dance in

February and invited many of its members to enjoy an evening with a comedian and band.

The guests were asked to participate in a charity raffle on the night which raised £3,275.

Members of EUA, Keith Brooks, Stephen Murray, Alison McCulloch, and Jackie Murray

Gosset Ward was chosen as Stephen and his wife Jackie were very grateful for the support and care they received from the team over 20 years ago. Together with £3,695 they raised last year, their efforts will be a big help towards reaching the total of £48,000 needed to purchase a new transport incubator for Gosset ward.

INSIGHT ❘ 31

◗ PARTNERSHIPS

Anne’s Afghan challenge Operating department practitioner (ODP) Anne Muir has recently returned to the UK after completing a three and a half months tour of duty as an RAF reservist, working at the hospital based within Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.

She says that her duties in Afghanistan were not dissimilar to her NGH role in Manfield theatres, where she assists anaesthetists and scrubs for patients undergoing surgery, but they were conducted at a very different level and pace.

so well supported by the folks at home and it was greatly appreciated by all of us. I owe a big thank you - particularly to the staff of Sainsbury’s in Merry Hill who kept me in fortnightly welfare parcels and letters for the whole tour.”

One of over 2,000 NHS staff who are trained and registered reservists, Anne was praised very highly by her commanding officer who said ‘Senior Aircraftwoman Muir was highly valued by her chain of command and by her peers’. The report on her deployment recognised that she worked very well with minimal supervision and, despite having a junior rank, she held more clinical experience than most of the other ODPs – a fact that she handled diplomatically and sensitively while mentoring and guiding other members of the team.

“The equipment is vastly different, and your casualties are so seriously injured there’s a degree of complexity that you don’t see here very often, where most of our operations are elective ones,” she says. “Over there it is unexpected and can happen at any time of the day or night. It just rocks up and you have to deal with it.

As international security forces prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year, the opportunities for deployment in an active role will be reduced, so Anne is not sure what other tours of duty will come her way. Anne says: “I’ll have to wait and see what turns up. In the meantime it’s time to stay at home and enjoy watching my four grandchildren grow up.

Anne, who joined NGH five years ago from a background in the merchant navy and electronics, was accepted as a reservist just two weeks before her fiftieth birthday.

Now 53, she has spent the last three years training hard for her deployment, including an intense three months pre-deployment training period where military and medical skills are honed, ready to face the challenges ahead.

I would certainly encourage anyone to have a go at being a reservist.

32 ❘ INSIGHT

“Psychologically I coped surprisingly well,” she says. “I was wary about how I would deal with exposure to dreadful injuries, explosions, gunfire and the continual noise of helicopters.

I’m not the bravest person in the world but you just get your head down and get on with it.”

The hours were also very different to Anne’s job here at NGH, and involved working a 24 hour shift - then 24 hours on standby, when she could be called in at any time to support other teams. However this didn’t mean that there was no time for fun - as the picture from “Santa’s Grotty”, constructed by theatre staff on their down time, testifies.

“Christmas was wonderful, we were

“I would certainly encourage anyone to have a go at being a reservist. I had thought about it for a long time and I had reached the stage where I found myself wondering what more there was to life. I desperately needed a challenge and I’ve had some amazing training and learned lots of things that help my work here. It really broadens your life. Physically it is very, very hard and you have to put the hours in to stay fit enough to do the job, but the rewards are more than worth it.”

For information about becoming a reservist with the RAF, visit http:// www.raf.mod.uk/rafreserves/

Anne Muir, in her ‘day job’ at Manfield theatres and, left, in a different uniform for Afghanistan

INSIGHT ❘ 33

From the Archive

Merry Comrades Circle refurbish a room to be used for training and seminars which was named the Merry Comrades Suite.

Radio and television facilities The Merry Comrades were responsible for the installation of radio systems and head-phones in all the hospitals in the county. They also provided television sets on many of the wards in the various Hospitals and Homes.

The upkeep of the radios and head-phones were all maintained by the charity. One example was in 1958 when the entire system at NGH was upgraded and 200 children attended the ceremony, presided over by Earl Spencer.

Pools and Cots

Bernice Power

What is the connection between NGH and the Merry Comrades? It all started in 1919 when Bernice Power ran a column in the Northampton Mercury for children, with stories and competitions, who then became members of the Merry Comrades Circle. She was known as “Auntie Dick” as the previous columnist was “Uncle Dick” who ran his column until the outbreak of WW1. In 1932 when the two Northampton newspapers combined and became the Mercury and Herald she proposed that the children raise money to benefit the patients in the county hospitals. This charity ran until 1988 and at its peak had 10,000 children as members, located in Northampton and 60 villages in the county.

The Merry Comrades also raised funds for larger projects and as early as 1937 they raised £500 to fund the running costs of a cot at Manfield Orthopaedic Hospital. This was followed by another £600 fundraising for a cot at NGH. Hydrotherapy pools were provided for Manfield Hospital and John Greenwood Shipman Home, costing £600 and £1,800 respectively.

The opening of one of the hydrotherapy pools

How the Merry Comrades raised funds ◗ Annual bazaars/ Bring and Buy sales ◗ May Day celebrations ◗ Concert parties/ Whist Drives ◗ Collecting/selling silver paper ◗ Whist Drives ◗ Selling scented cards ◗ Recycling and selling Christmas cards

Second World War The Merry Comrades provided comforts for the fighting men and prisoners of war. This included blankets, food parcels, cigarettes, books and clothes to the men of the Northamptonshire Regiment. These were sent via the Red Cross.

After the war the Circle bought a present for every regiment member who returned home.

The only rules for joining were to be under 16 years of age and to be kind to birds, animals and one another. After marrying Edward Field in 1924 Bernice gave up journalism and continued running the Circle from home.

When the charity was disbanded in 1988 it had raised over £130,500. Residue funds amounting to £9,000 were presented to Northampton General Hospital to

The Merry Comrades taking part in the town carnival

Learn more about the history of the hospitals in Northamptonshire by visiting the Historical Archive at NGH. Open on Wednesday mornings 8am to 1pm Telephone: 01604 544868 Email: sue.longworth@ngh.nhs.uk

34 ❘ INSIGHT

NOTICEBOARD ◗

DO SOMETHING AMAZING…

FOR HIRE MARQUEE The Friends of Northampton General Hospital have a Marquee for hire. The Marquee comes in two sections each measuring 20ft x 10ft with sides. The cost of hire is £20 for each section.

For further information telephone Sheila Baker on tel 01604 545802 or email friendsofngh@ngh.nhs.uk

96% of us rely on the other 4% to give blood.

Please don’t leave it to someone else.

Who can give blood?

To advertise in Insight, please contact us on

01909 478822 SUDOKU Fill the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 block contains the numbers 1 to 9.

Most people can give blood. If you are generally in good health, age 17 to 65 (if it’s your first time) and weigh at least 7st 12Ib you can donate.

You can give blood every 16 weeks, that’s approximately every four months.

For more information please visit www.blood.co.uk The next donor sessions at St Giles Church Rooms, St Giles Terrace, Northampton NN1 2BN are: Friday 13 June 10.30am to 12.30pm; 2.00pm to 5.00pm Monday 23 June 1.30pm to 3.30pm; 4.30pm to 7.30pm Friday 18 July 1.30pm to 3.30pm; 4.30pm to 7.30pm Monday 04 August 10.30am to 12.30pm; 2.00pm to 5.00pm Monday 11 August 1.30pm to 3.30pm; 4.30pm to 7.30pm Monday 01 September 1.30pm to 3.30pm; 4.30pm to 7.30pm To book an appointment call 0300 123 23 23.

BACK ISSUES of Insight are available online at www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk - go to About Us > Documents and Publications

ANNOUNCEMENTS RETIRED (or soon to be?) NHS Retirement Fellowship (Northampton Branch) meets on first Wednesday of each month at 2.15pm at Northampton East Salvation Army, Northampton, NN3 8EZ. Range of speakers and activities.

Open to ex NHS staff, together with spouse or partner. Please contact the chairman Mrs Pat Oliver on 01604 839085.

ARE YOU WIDOWED and in your 50s or 60s?

Looking for friendships and to re-build a social life? If so, we would like to invite you to join WayOn (Widowed and Young of Northamptonshire).

We are an informal, friendly group of widowed people who are all at various stages of dealing with this emotional issue of our lives.

The group enables new friendships to be made and to re-establish a social life with support from members who know exactly how it feels to be widowed. We do not offer counselling but many of our group feel that being part of Way-On is therapeutic in itself.

We meet on the first and third Tuesdays of the month in the Northampton area. If you are interested in joining, or would just like further information, please contact Sue on 07814 905274 or email her at ronsuecook@hotmail. co.uk or Peter on 07792 317304, email allison4hl@btinternet.com or visit our website www.way-on.co.uk Come and give it a try – we would be delighted to meet you!

Come and join us By becoming a member of Northampton General Hospital you can have a say in the way your hospital develops, and you can be sure your voice is heard. You may want to simply sign up for our members’ newsletter, or you may want to attend meetings and local focus groups, or even stand for election to become a member of our Governors’ Council. The choice is yours.

All you need to do is fill in the form and return it to the Freepost address below; or you can call us on 01604 523894, or email us at members@ngh.nhs.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please return your form to this Freepost address – there is no need for a stamp: Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Membership Office, Freepost RRBA-RGGA-TEEL, Cliftonville, Northampton NN1 5BD. Title and name .....................................................................................................................................

Address ................................................................................................................................................. ....................................................................................................Postcode ............................................

Telephone . ............................................................................................................................................

Email address ......................................................................................................................................

Please write clearly in BLOCK CAPITALS, thank you

Regeneration is a compellingly compassionate look at a nihilistic war and the devastating effect it had on a generation of young men.

Win free theatre tickets Regeneration The world premiere of the first ever stage adaptation of Pat Barker’s First World War novel Regeneration, by Nicholas Wright, takes to the stage at Royal & Derngate from Friday 29 August to Saturday 20 September. Part of the theatre’s Made in Northampton season, this co-production with Touring Consortium Theatre Company will embark on nationwide tour after opening in Northampton.

As Britain commemorates the centenary of the start of the First World War, Pat Barker’s haunting Booker-nominated novel Regeneration is adapted by Olivier Award-winning playwright Nicholas Wright (Vincent In Brixton, His Dark Materials, National Theatre).

Set at Craiglockhart War Hospital, Scotland, in 1917, the play follows poet and soldier Siegfried Sassoon who has been institutionalised in an attempt to undermine his public disapproval of the war. His Army Psychiatrist, Dr William Rivers, is tasked with returning shell-shocked officers to the trenches, yet has become tormented by the morality of what is being done in the name of medicine.

with evening performances at 7.45pm and matinees most Thursdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm.

Tickets priced from £29 to £10*

can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk * A per transaction fee of £2.50 applies to telephone and website bookings only. Does not apply in person, or to groups and Friends.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the evening performance of Regeneration on Monday 1 September, answer the five questions below.

Send your entry to arrive by Wednesday 30 July 2014 to peter.kennell@ngh.nhs.uk – or by post to Insight Editor, NGH, Cliftonville, Northampton NN1 5BD. Please include a daytime telephone number with your entry.

1 Who is the owner of Mr D?

Reminding us that some of the most intimate of friendships are borne from the most brutal of conflicts, Regeneration is a compellingly compassionate look at a nihilistic war and the devastating effect it had on a generation of young men.

2 What was Auntie Dick’s real name?

Regeneration can be seen at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate from Friday 29 August to Saturday 20 September,

5 Which poet is portrayed in the novel and play Regeneration?

3 Where has Anne Muir been based as an RAF reservist?

4 When were the Friends of NGH first formed?

◗T he winner of ‘Let It Be’ tickets in our last competition was Christopher Morgan of Boughton Green, Northampton.

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