PULSE Summer 2015

Summer 2015 | issue 6

the

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Pilot scheme will help protect frail patients page 7 Bringing members, staff and PATIENTS the latest Trust news

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Women’s Health Team

Message from our

Chief Executive

Stephen Graves

acknowledged

with BMJ Award

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Welcome to the Summer edition of The Pulse magazine.

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n this issue there are lots of articles featuring improvements we are making to the care our patients receive.

Whether it’s developing patient support groups, trying new, more efficient, ways of working, or installing new technology to aid care, it’s fair to say we are in a period of change that will involve many areas of hospital care over the coming months. One new system, is our electronic document management system called Evolve, which will see patients’ medical notes become available electronically, rather than in paper form, resulting in a faster and more efficient service. See page 9 for more details. Additionally, we have made some changes to the way emergency patients are cared for. We launched our Medical Assessment Unit in early May, which is led by our consultant physicians, supported by nurses and allied health professionals, and focusses upon earlier and regular assessments of patients who arrive in our Emergency Department. We have been pleased with the positive impact this had on our patients’ care in the first few weeks of operation and hope this continues.

An inspection team from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the Trust on 18 and 19 May as a follow up to their full-scale inspection conducted back in March 2014. The team visited areas across the Trust, but their main focus was our emergency and medical departments, which, in their last inspection, were rated as Requires

Improvement. We hope that the work undertaken since the 2014 inspection will be evident and will have a positive impact upon the rating we receive once the CQC publishes its report in the coming months.

The Trust board of directors has recently agreed five main objectives that will underpin the work carried out in our hospitals in the next year. The objectives are: 1. To deliver our quality of care standards; 2. To recruit, develop and retain our workforce; 3. To develop our capacity and infrastructure; 4. To deliver our financial plan;

Celebrating nursing teams around the world

5. To deliver on our organisational strategy.

Finally, our Medical Director John Randall will leave the Trust in July to take up a national clinical role. John has been our medical director for the past 10 years and has served the Trust for the past 21 years. He will be greatly missed by myself and the board and we wish him well in the next stage in his career. We hope to introduce readers to our new Medical Director in our next issue of The Pulse out in September.

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There are focussed plans in place to support the delivery of these objectives from the ward to the board. We will keep you posted on our progress against these objectives in future issues of The Pulse magazine.

The Pulse magazine is compiled by Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Communications Team. If you have any comments, or would like to make a suggestion about a subject you would like to read about in our magazine, please call the Communications Team on 01733 678025 or email: Communications@pbh-tr.nhs.uk

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60 Seconds with…

Lymphoedema Support Group p12

Patient Letter: Thank you Amazon Ward

supporting our patients

Critical Care support group helps patients overcome trauma Alan Pope, Critical Care Research Nurse helps patients with PTSD

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he Critical Care team is helping former patients combat the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by staging monthly follow-up clinics.

Patients who have spent time in Critical Care can sometimes feel confused

and disorientated. They can also struggle with poor memory, poor concentration and experience flashbacks or nightmares.

Many patients say they have benefitted from the service; it gives them the opportunity to talk with Critical Care Consultants and senior nursing staff to review their admission and stay in the unit. This helps identify any issues and the team can then help set a patient on their way to rehabilitation.

Alan Pope, Critical Care Charge Nurse, said: “Often patients who have been in Critical Care cannot remember their stay. They have strange dreams, memories of sights and sounds that they cannot place, and on occasions experience altered senses of smell and taste. By going over their notes and memories we can gradually help them to piece together the missing parts of their lives, which aid them in their recovery.”

Advanced Nurse Practitioner speeds up the process for young patients Children coming into the Emergency Department and Children’s Unit at Peterborough City Hospital will now benefit from a higher level of nursing skills and experience after a nurse qualified as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

In May, the Trust launched a Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) to help us provide a better service to patients attending our Emergency Department.

The 49-bed MAU is based on a ward area adjacent to the Emergency Department (previously known as the Emergency Short Stay ward). The unit is led by a team of acute consultant physicians who aim to provide early and regular assessments of patients to ensure they receive a timely diagnosis followed by treatment, admission to a specialist medical ward bed, or discharged from hospital care.

This avoids any longer-thannecessary stays in hospital and ensures our patients receive the right care, first time.

Dr Deyo Okubadejo, Consultant, said: “The consultant-led care provides rapid decision-making whilst maintaining high standards of care for our patients. We work closely with the specialty teams across our hospitals to ensure we can transfer any patients from the unit to specific wards appropriate for their care.

Denise Rich, Ward Sister on Jungle Children and Young People Assessment Unit has been working hard for the past 3 years to achieve her Masters of Science with Children’s Advanced Nurse Practitioner accreditation at London South Bank University.

Now her hard work is paying off and she is able to ensure that younger patients are assessed in a timely fashion and directed to the appropriate area for their care.

Denise is able to combine the traditional nursing and medical roles and enhance the care given to children and their families. She can also carry out and assess investigations, interpret results, write treatment plans and prescribe medication for young patients.

New unit helps treat patients in medical emergencies

Denise Rich - Advanced

“We have strong links with community services to ensure any patients who require help at home once they leave hospital have appropriate support in place in readiness for their discharge without having to wait too long for this to be set up.”

Nurse Practitioner

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awarding staff excellence

Women’s Health Team acknowledged with BMJ Award

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ongratulations to the Women’s Health Team at Peterborough City Hospital who were shortlisted for a prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) Award.

The winners were announced on 6 May and the team were ‘runners up’ in this category for their work on reducing post-partum

Women’s Health Team awarded at the BMJ event

haemorrhage (PPH) rates in women who have just given birth.

occurrences, but we still wanted to focus our attention on this area to reduce them.”

Dr Manjula Samyraju, Consultant Obstetrician, said: “In 2012 the maternity team noticed a high number of PPH occurrences and this obviously highlighted an area of concern for us. We conducted a review and this illustrated we were in fact below the national average of PPH

This work has seen a remarkable transformation and in 2014 the Trust reported that the maternity department had reduced blood transfusions post-birth, by 30-40 percent. This has improved clinical performance greatly and already 70% of staff have received the training.

Consultant receives award in Clinical Excellence Last years award winners

Your chance to nominate your health hero Has a member of Trust staff gone above and beyond the call of duty whilst caring for you? We want to hear from you about individuals and teams of staff who you think deserve extra recognition, so that we can honour them in our annual Outstanding Achievement Awards this October.

Jo Bennis, Chief Nurse, said: “We know that our staff work extremely hard and are dedicated to provide excellent patient care. This is your opportunity to appreciate those healthcare workers who you think have excelled in their dedication, provided outstanding care, or made a real difference to the lives of their patients.”

The Trust has teamed up with The Peterborough Telegraph and Stamford Mercury

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to honour a member of staff or a team from each of its hospitals in Peterborough and Stamford for their hard work in caring for patients. The Public Recognition Award is presented every year as part of the Trust’s Outstanding Achievement Awards, which highlights the excellent work of staff.

Three teams and/or individuals from each hospital will be short-listed from the public recognition nominations and the winners will be announced at the Trust’s Awards ceremony to be held in October.

The deadline to nominate is Tuesday 1 September – please send details of why you’d like to nominate the staff member, along with their full name and department if known, to communications@pbh-tr.nhs.uk or call 01733 677851.

Dr Richard Griffiths, Consultant Anaesthetist, has been awarded a silver award in Clinical Excellence. The award is in recognition of his ‘sustained and dedicated contribution to the NHS.’ He has worked primarily on patient safety and improving patient experience when having surgery under anaesthesia. In particular, his focus has been on anaesthesia and older persons in relation to hip fractures. He started the NHS Hip Fracture Perioperative Network and chaired the working party on surgery in the elderly.

Dr Griffiths said: “I am honoured to receive the silver award. It is great for the Theatres, Anaesthesia and Critical Care directorate to receive national recognition and I would like to thank my colleagues and the Trust for their support.”

Goodbye to long serving nurse

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his year, the Trust said farewell to Staff Nurse, Fran Dennis who retired at the age of 72! Fran has experienced a range of jobs in healthcare since registering as an Enrolled Nurse in 1967 at Lincoln County Hospital.

With two young children at home, Fran worked as an agency nurse and covered all specialities but spent most of her time based in palliative care. Years later, Fran joined the Exeter Ward at

Stamford Hospital.

where she loved working.

Fran said: “As this was a male ward, I took to reading the sports page in newspapers every morning so that I could strike up conversation with my patients.

Fran has been working in General Outpatients for the last six years. She is looking forward to her retirement and her move to Oxford, where she will be closer to her children. Fran said: “I will miss the wonderful team here; I have really enjoyed working alongside them and have such admiration for all of my colleagues who work hard and go out of their way to help everyone.”

“Everyone has a tale to tell and it’s amazing what you find out when you take the time to get to know your patients.”

Remaining at Stamford Hospital, Fran worked in all areas including outpatients, A&E and the female Ancaster ward,

Welcoming our new nursing recruits

The Trust launched its recruitment campaign in 2013, which looked at increasing the numbers of substantive nurses working at our hospitals.

Several initiatives were implemented including recruiting locally, nationally and internationally.

Two of our international nurses Daniel Rodriquez Redondo and Veronica Ramos Espino have been working at the Trust for nearly a year, after joining the Medical Assessment Unit and Ward B12.

Both Daniel and Veronica lived in Gran Canaria before deciding to move to the UK and started working in a nursing home in November 2013, before finding out about the recruitment drive at Peterborough City Hospital.

The couple applied to join the second cohort of nursing recruits, along with 13 other nurses from Spain, Italy and Portugal and have become good

friends with them all.

Daniel said: “It is daunting to start a new job in another country, where you don’t speak your first language, so having the opportunity to join several other nurses in the same position gives you that additional support that you need.

“The Practice Development Team were a great support and helped us to get settled in with advice on accommodation and information about the local area.”

Veronica, continues: “There are some fantastic opportunities to grow and develop your career at the hospital and having worked here for a year now we are feeling much more settled.”

Fran Dennis

Medical Director takes up national role Medical Director John Randall is due to leave the Trust in July after 10 years in the role.

He will take up a clinical role with the National Clinical Assessment Service, which helps resolve concerns about the professional practice of doctors, dentists and pharmacists and provides expert advice, support and clinical training to the NHS. John has worked for the Trust since 1994 and was appointed Medical Director in 2005.

He said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working in Peterborough and Stamford and I am very proud of the improvements to patient services and care that I have overseen. I will, however, continue with the Trust part-time to fulfil my clinical commitments within the reproductive medicine clinic. I am pleased to be able to continue working with the Trust, which has been close to my heart for the past 20 years.

Stephen Graves, Chief Executive, said: “John will be greatly missed, not least for his wealth of experience and passion for our patients. We have begun the process to recruit his successor and hope to be able to announce the outcome shortly.”

New nurse recruits Veronica Ramos Espino and Daniel Redondo Redriquez

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60 Seconds with…

Faye Sims, Specialist Biomedical Scientist, Faye works in the Pathology Department at Peterborough City Hospital.

Faye said: “I specialise in Immunology, which focuses on the role of the immune system in certain medical conditions. I love looking at results.

It is like looking at a puzzle that eventually fits together as a result of certain tests that help to screen, diagnose, monitor or predict prognosis of varying diseases and conditions.”

Faye has always had a keen interest in science and took A Level biology, chemistry and physics before moving on to complete her undergraduate degree in biomedical science.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do once I had finished and a teacher suggested I looked into biomedical science. My undergraduate was a four year course that involved components of biology (understanding different diseases or conditions and how they affect patients) and elements of chemistry (testing patient samples using analysers or point of care instruments).

Medical Physicist chosen for national training scheme

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Medical Physicist has been awarded a place on a prestigious national training programme after being one of just 40 nationally to be accepted.

Nicole Jessop, Medical Physicist at the Trust, was awarded a place on the Higher Specialist Training programme (HSST), which will train the next generation of Consultant Clinical Scientists and professional leaders in the NHS.

improve the service that we offer to our patients.”

Once she has completed the five year course, Nicole will be awarded a DClinSci doctorate and become a Consultant Clinical Scientist and medical physics expert.

Nicole said: “Currently my role involves creating and checking radiotherapy patient treatment plans, quality control on the machines, and having overall responsibility for techniques from a physics perspective such as the deep inspiration breathhold and gated radiotherapy treatments, amongst other things.”

“With this qualification I am looking forward to building upon my knowledge and experience, so that I can put what I have learnt to good use in the department and

Nicole Jessop, Medical Physicist

National Apprenticeship Week In March, the Trust celebrated the work of its apprentices by supporting National Apprenticeship Week. The national campaign aimed to increase the awareness of apprenticeships and celebrate the positive impact they have on individuals and the economy.

Faye Sims at work in the Pathology labatory

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As part of the campaign, the Trust ran a ‘back to floor’ exercise where Chief Nurse, Jo Bennis shadowed two of our young apprentices in the fracture clinic and plaster room.

Jo observed the apprentice orthopaedic technicians, Jodie

Abraham and Danielle Perkins, to find out more about what they do during a typical day. The girls demonstrated their skills by applying an arm cast onto a willing volunteer.

Jo said: “I was very impressed with the knowledge and skills they have acquired in such a short space of time. They will both make excellent healthcare practitioners.”

Exciting new opportunities for young apprentice fixed term positions in the Trust will be advertised shortly on http://www. apprenticeships.gov.uk/

Pilot scheme will help protect frail patients

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he Falls Prevention Team have launched a new pilot scheme, which will help staff to identify patients who are frail and prone to falling.

The scheme will help patients who are particularly vulnerable and have a history of falls and will identify them with a lime green wristband.

The lime green wristbands, which were designed and introduced by Gemma Springate, Team Leader Physiotherapist and Therapy Falls Lead, have the words ‘Please help me stay safe. I have fallen before,’ printed on them and will be given to patients to ensure that all staff can quickly identify them and assist them when needed.

Staff in the Falls Prevention Team work hard to try to reduce the number of patients that fall in the hospital, which can result in additional injuries such as fractures and bruising.

Teresa Stratton, Falls Prevention Nurse Specialist and Gemma Springate with a patient and the new falls wristbands

Event for Crohn’s and Colitis patients Do you suffer with Crohn’s or Colitis? A help, advice and awareness event for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is being staged at Peterborough City Hospital on Saturday 21 November 2015.

Trust’s specialist team.

The event will begin at 9.30am in the Learning Centre and will run until lunchtime.

The event is designed to showcase what treatment, support and advice is available to sufferers and their families.

It will be hosted by a variety of clinicians, including the hospital’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nurses, Consultant Gastroenterologists and Dieticians.

The event is organised by members of the hospital’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease patient panel, which is made up of patients who use the hospital IBD service, plus the

Anyone wanting to book a free place on the event should call the Trust communications team on 01733 678024 or email: communications@pbh-tr.nhs.uk

New prostate cancer service to improve support and care Men being treated for hormone refractory prostate cancer are now being offered a new service at Peterborough City Hospital as part of a Prostate Cancer UK-funded project.

The 18-month project will fund a dedicated community prostate cancer clinical nurse who will run clinics that provide support and ensure follow ups in nurse-led clinics for patients.

The project aims to ensure that men receive ongoing support and encouragement through improved care, as well as offering them the opportunity to take part in the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative and ensuring they lead as healthy and active life as possible.

The service will operate Monday to Thursday from 8am 6pm and patients will be referred to the service by their Oncology Consultant.

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

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news from Stamford Hospital

Stamford nurse awarded St John Ambulance medal A staff nurse at Stamford Hospital has been awarded a prestigious medal following the work that she has done for St John Ambulance.

Pat Butcher has been working for Stamford Hospital for 15 years and joined her local St John Ambulance, in Stamford, with her children in 1991.

and themselves quickly in a medical situation before they arrive at hospital. Any training that provides people with these vital tools is definitely a worthwhile thing to do.”

Since then she has had various roles within the organisation, including a child protection officer, but now she works as a standards officer to look after trainers as part of a team.

Pat said: “I really enjoy working for St John Ambulance and it is an honour to receive this award. I feel that I have been able to give something back to the community and ensure that the public are trained to help each other

Cis Woodruff and Gary Marshall say farewell at retirement party

Stamford Hospital bids farewell to two long-serving staff members Staff at Stamford Hospital have said goodbye to two long serving members of the Estates and Facilities team who have collectively racked up over 60 years of service.

Pat Butcher with her St John Ambulance medal

Cis Woodruff, Estates Supervisor, and Gary Marshall, Building Craftsman, celebrated their retirement at a joint leaving party on Friday 10 April. Staff gathered to say their goodbyes and presented them with a selection of gifts

and a special personalised cake each, which was designed and created by fellow colleague Su Mansell.

Cis started working at Stamford Hospital in 1987 and has been a valued member of the Estates and Facilities team for the last 28 years.

Gary began working for the Trust in 1982, following in his father Tom’s footsteps, who also worked in the Facilities department at Peterborough District Hospital.

Stamford Hospital busier than ever Staff at Stamford Hospital are busier than ever after caring for 2,000 more patients compared to this time last year.

The outpatients department has seen the biggest increase and have managed to ensure that the increasing numbers of patients are seen quickly.

In total 107,096 patients came through the Hospital’s doors between January and December 2014, compared to 105,233 patients during the same period in 2013.

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Outpatients, the Minor Injuries Unit and X ray have all seen the biggest rise in the number of patients, and staff have continued to maintain a short waiting time to ensure that patients are not impacted by the increase in numbers.

Susan Brooks, Matron and Site Manager at Stamford Hospital, said: “Each year we have seen a steady rise in the number of patients who walk through our door, which is a picture that is illustrated nationally within the NHS.

The Trust Board has also recently approved the Stamford Hospital redevelopment business case, which will see even more patients treated on site. These plans include additional outpatient clinic rooms, two procedure rooms and an MRI scanner.

“Our staff have managed to accommodate this increase, without it impacting on patient waiting times, which shows just how well our staff are managing to ensure that each patient journey is quick, seamless and as stress-free as possible.”

Investing in the future

Celebrating nursing teams around the world

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ursing staff at the Trust celebrated the role of nurses across all specialities and the reasons behind their chosen careers in support of International Nurses Day on Tuesday 12 May.

The Trust has successfully implemented phase 1 of the new K2 IT system which will provide a complete electronic maternity record of labour and delivery.

The annual event is an international celebration of nursing, which takes place on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

The system went live at 10am on Tuesday 14 April with the first baby being delivered on K2 in the early hours the following morning.

At Stamford Hospital, there was a nearly new sale containing items donated by staff and volunteers.

The £271.27 raised will support nursing colleagues at Kisiizi Hospital in Uganda.

Deborah Caffull, Acting Head of Midwifery, said: “We are very excited about the launch of the first phase of our maternity IT system K2. The maternity staff have embraced the new technology which currently captures the labour and birth episodes of care.”

Mr Jonathan Jones, Orthopaedic Consultant, recently returned from two weeks at Kisiizi Hospital, where he carried out charitable healthcare.

Jonathan said: “I enjoyed my time in Uganda, I was particularly impressed by the professionalism shown by the nurses on the paediatric surgical ward. My focus was to develop Orthopaedics by supporting the Orthopaedic Officer and collaborate with the General Surgeons on Orthopaedic Procedures.

“This is a great opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work that nursing teams around the world undertake every day to ensure that the patient care is of the highest quality, given by nurses who are compassionate and caring.”

We have successfully launched our new Maternity IT System – K2

The K2 project is being implemented in three stages; with the next two stages (antenatal/community and postnatal) following in the coming months.

Once completed K2 will electronically record the full patient journey, from antenatal booking to postnatal care.

Mr Jones inserting a femoral nail on a patient in Uganda

Electronic Document Management system to launch on 29 June Electronic Document Management (EDM) is the first phase of moving towards electronic patient records. The project is preparing for notes to be digitally scanned in readiness for go live which commences on 29 June. This change will mean that staff will quickly be able to access patient information at the click of a button, reducing the amount of paperwork in circulation and enabling access to the right

information at the right time.

Staff at the Trust are now booking into training sessions to ensure they can use the system in time for go-live and rollout across the Trust.

The system will be available to all staff who need access to patient notes via a number of electronic devices including desktop PC’s, computers on wheels and tablet devices.

This will enable staff to access the required information in a number of settings.

Baby Jasmine was the first baby to be born using K2 system

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Focus on cancer care

Young patient designs new décor for oncology room A young patient at Peterborough City Hospital has designed the new décor for one of the rooms in the Oncology and Haematology ward.

Ben Clifton, 18, an art student at the Voyager Academy in Peterborough, has worked closely with the CLIC Sargent team to create a more welcoming environment for younger patients and, with the support of the cancer unit, has designed artwork for one of the side rooms on the ward.

The designs that Ben has created have since been turned into vinyl wall art, which runs throughout one of the rooms in the oncology and haematology ward.

Ben said: “I discussed various Samantha Dobbins from CLIC ideas with other Sargent with patient Ben Clifton patients, the CLIC Sargent team and the staff on the unit and they all really liked my sketches of the film reel and musical instruments and the idea of the northern lights as the main image.

It has been a great project to be involved in and something that has really focused my attention whilst receiving treatment.”

Mandy Gray, Ward Manager for Oncology and Haematology ward, said: “We are really lucky to have our CLIC Sargent colleagues on site to help provide that additional support for our younger Mandy Gray and Samantha patients. Ben has Dobbins in the Oncology room done an amazing job in creating designed by patient Ben Clifton a tranquil scene for patients and I know that this will help in making the environment less intimidating and more welcoming in the unit.”

Sue Barham and volunteers launching new service

Free skincare and make-up workshops to support women with cancer are launched Women undergoing treatment for cancer are being given the opportunity to attend a free ‘Look Good Feel Better’ workshop at the Robert Horrell Centre.

The workshops are designed to improve the wellbeing and confidence of patients undergoing treatment. All the women will receive a gift bag full of donated beauty products and trained volunteer beauticians will take them through a 12-step skincare and make-up regime, created specifically to help women combat the visible

side effects of their treatment.

Sue Barham, Lead Cancer Nurse said: “We would like to thank Look Good Feel Better for allowing us to host the workshops. It offers women the opportunity to take some time out to focus upon themselves and meet others in similar situations.

The workshops are held on the third Thursday of every month between 10.30am and 12.30pm. If you would like to attend, please contact the Macmillan Information Centre at Peterborough City Hospital on 01733 673118 and leave a message.

Lymphoedema Support Group Members of staff from the Robert Horrell Macmillan Centre have recently launched a lymphoedema support group.

Lymphoedema is a long-term condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms or legs.

chance to meet our nurses, ask any questions and find out what facilities are available at the centre.”

For more information, contact the Robert Horrell Macmillan Centre on 01733 678562.

Rosie Collcott, Lymphoedema Sister said: “I am very proud to be a part of this initiative. The group is a great resource for patients to network and meet others who also have the condition.

“Also it gives patients the

Rosie Collcott, Laura-May Altham and Hazel Batstone launch Lymphoedema support group

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Research team receive gold star after recruiting 2nd highest number of patients in the country

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eterborough City Hospital’s Oncology Research Team has been praised for its hard work and dedication after being named as one of the top recruiters of patients to trials in the country.

The Persephone study, which is run by the University of Warwick and is sponsored by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been particularly successful, with 77 patients recruited since it started in February 2008.

The team has been named as the 2nd highest recruiter to this particular trial, which looks at treating patients with the early stages of breast cancer and the benefits of taking the drug Herceptin over a 6 month period, compared to a 12 month period.

Patients on each research trial receive detailed information explaining the study and how their treatment plan will work. They can also speak to the research nurses to discuss any symptoms or concerns and are monitored to ensure that the treatment plan is going as expected.

Oncology Research Team Sara Parker, Dr Karen McAdam and Karen Scholes

Ophthalmology service group Following a patient experience event held at Peterborough City Hospital, the Ophthalmology Service Users Group has been established.

The group consists of patients with long term ophthalmic conditions, members from the Peterborough Association for the Blind and the Macular Society. Sue Somers, Matron and Michele Physick, Head and Neck Sister facilitate

the group.

The group meet four times a year to discuss patient experience and work together on actions that could be taken to improve the processes within the department.

One patient who attends the meetings said: “The group does a marvellous job and it’s clear that the service is making headway and improvements which will benefit all patients.”

WI groups help recovery of breast surgery patients Women who have undergone breast surgery at Peterborough City Hospital will now benefit from mastectomy pillows donated by the Bretton Belles Women’s Institute Group and other local WIs in Peterborough and Huntingdon.

The local WI branches have donated over 100 hand-crafted mastectomy pillows to the Trust’s Breast Unit. The pillows are designed in the shape of a

heart which allows women to fit the pillow under their armpit, between the arm and the chest, to provide comfort and protect any tender or damaged areas.

Vanessa Hewick, Breast Care Nurse, said: “We would like to thank the members of the WI for making these cushions over the past year. Women who have had surgery in this area use them to relieve pressure and find them of great comfort.”

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Could you be one of our Trust governors?

The Trust’s election process for governors will be held in the summer and we are looking for members of the public to put themselves forward to join our Council of Governors.

This role gives you the chance to represent your community and make a valuable contribution to shaping the Trust’s future success.

Duties involve taking a full part in formal governor meetings, serving on one or two committees and attending external events. This is a voluntary role between two and three days a month with travel expenses paid.

Please contact Jane Pigg, Company Secretary on jane. pigg@pbh-tr.nhs.uk or Paul Denton, Deputy Company Secretary on paul.denton@pbh-tr. nhs.uk for more information.

Both can be contacted via 01733 677953.

Patient Letter: Thank you Amazon Ward

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y grandson (Frankie Webb) has just been discharged from Amazon ward after 8 days as an in-patient.

Just before bedtime Frankie was trying to kick a balloon and got it wrong. The result being that he broke his femur (the large bone at the top of his left leg).

He was put on traction for 7 days and 7 nights and all the time, he was chatting away and watching television. His Mum and Dad took turns to stay the night in a bed near his in the ward.

On the Monday, 8 days later, he went to have a cast known as a spica fitted which restricts movement of both legs for 5 weeks.

All of the staff were absolutely Frankie Webb recovering at home wonderful and thought the world of him, even to the point that a Well done. play member gave him a leaving present.

I hope this letter will raise confidence in We felt that the staff were so future patients. dedicated to their vocation that if the NHS said to them “No wages this week” everything would carry on as normal.

Annual Public Meeting The next Annual Public Meeting will be held on Thursday 23 July at 5:45pm in the Lecture Theatre at Peterborough City Hospital.

Members of the public will be given an opportunity to hear about the Trust’s achievements over the course of the year.

There will also be a presentation focusing on a particular aspect of the hospital and further details will be given nearer the time.

Attendees will also be able to pick up a copy of the latest Annual Report and Accounts.

If you are interested in becoming a member or would like to update your details, please email membership@pbh-tr.nhs.uk or call 01733 678023, alternatively you can apply on our Trust website.

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Thankyou, from the bottom of our hearts, Brian Smith

Dates for the diary Upcoming Public Board Meetings The dates for our upcoming Public Board meetings are: Tuesday 30 June Tuesday 28 July Tuesday 25 August The meetings will be held at 1.30pm in the Board Room at Peterborough City Hospital.

Upcoming Council of Governors Meetings Tuesday 14 July The meeting is held at 3pm in the Board Room at Peterborough City Hospital.

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Phone: 01733 328000 Fax: 01733 320800 www.marlowgardner.co.uk 13

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Axiom Crossroads Care is the fastest growing care company in Cambridgeshire Axiom Crossroads Care focuses its services mainly in and around Axioms sheltered and extra care housing schemes in Peterborough. This enables our staff to work together as part of a team based at the scheme. This also helps us maximise the time we are able to spend with our service users. ‘’We are a high quality care and housing provider; the results of Commissioners visits and inspections are very positive and our reputation is well established.’’

If you want independent living without the worry of maintaining your home or if you need care support wherever you live then contact Axiom for more information:

 0845 260 1097 www.axiomcrossroadscare.org.uk

“We stand out from the crowd” Registered Office: Axiom House, Cottesmore Close, Netherton, Peterborough PE3 9TP.

Designed & Published by Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd, Hawks Nest Cottage, Great North Road, Bawtry, Doncaster, DN10 6AB Tel: 01302 714528