Countess Matters Summer 2015

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Countess

matters

Summer 2015

Celebrating International Nurses’ Day Find out more Page 8

03 New Text reminder service

07 Facebook gallery

10 Become a Governor

Afternoon treats

???

Welcome

FROM YOUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Contents

04 Patient 06 Countess’ new Safety shortlisted telly doc

W

here does the time go? We are almost into the summer [although A and E still feels like winter] and many of us will be thinking about or going off on our holidays. Holidays for me are all about waking up without the alarm, alfresco meals, unexpected afternoon naps and local food.

Day trips are part of the fun too; and growing up included Kendal Mint Cake, Grasmere Gingerbread and Blackpool Rock. This has got me thinking…

If we asked our award winning catering team to produce Countess Rock what would it say within it?

The answer I think is simple. It would be three words that describe what we are all about as an organisation and why we exist. These words are: Safe, Kind and Effective. In this latest edition of Countess Matters you’ll see lots of examples of where, how and why we are demonstrating these qualities and getting things right.

So when you are on your holidays or day trips this summer, eating the ice cream or choosing the stick of rock take a moment to think about The Countess Rock; Safe, Kind and Effective and enjoy.

09 Tea for 1,500

West Cheshire GPs to trail blaze changes in healthcare and hospital is ready to support them all the way…

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he West Cheshire health system and local patients are set to benefit from a radically new model of care that will be piloted locally.

GPs have come together to form an umbrella organisation called Primary Care Cheshire, and they are among only 29 vanguard sites selected nationally to trail blaze the development of a ‘Multi-Speciality Community Provider’ as set out in Five Year Forward View for NHS England.

A Multi-Speciality Community Provider permits groups of GPs to combine with nurses, other community health services, hospital specialists and mental health and social care to create integrated care in the most appropriate place or setting. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with West Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is backing the bid which has been recognised for its innovation.

The proposal for West Cheshire builds on work and learning to date within a cluster of GP practices that have switched their scheduling of home visits to frail elderly patients from late afternoon to early morning. This approach has enabled the GPs to send poorly patients to hospital sooner for investigations and a faster turnaround. It increases the likelihood of getting patients home safely by the end of the day with wrap-around care packages in place, instead of them needing to be admitted to hospital unnecessarily because of it being late at night.

As part of a competitive bidding process involving 269 applications, lead GP for Primary Care Cheshire Jonathan Gregson recounted the impact of the changes he was seeing for his patients to a panel of assessors in London. He talked from the heart about how he has seen a small multidisciplinary community team and strengthened links with hospital clinicians making a difference in supporting falls patient Deirdre staying well at home and helping

cancer patient Geoff die in the company of his wife at the end of his life.

Reflecting on the news that the West Cheshire GPs had been successful in their bid, Dr Jonathan Gregson said: “I believe that what we presented was authentic. Patient care usually falls down at interfaces or points at which the person is passed from hospital back to the GP or vice versa. This is an opportunity to focus our efforts on building personal relationships between small community teams that have easy links to hospital clinicians.

“I want us to take time to stop and think about each other more as individuals – not as faceless organisations that communicate only by letter or email. Within the last year we’ve already seen a step change in how GPs are working with community geriatricians at The Countess and the conversations we now have regularly have prompted much learning on both parts. We don’t yet know how our ‘vanguard’ vision will work in reality but the principles of healthcare professionals knowing each other, trusting each other and sharing the risk to apply common sense and do the right thing for our patients is straightforward.”

Clinical director for urgent care at The Countess of Chester Hospital Dr Frank Joseph said: “We know that people are living longer, many with multiple complex long term conditions – and the reality is that it is getting more and more difficult to manage the pressures this places on frontline hospital services as they are currently designed.

When we admit elderly and frail patients to hospital for lengthy periods of time, they risk losing their independence and are susceptible to infection. We cannot carry on delivering healthcare services in this way. The development of a Multispecialty Community Provider presents a real and exciting opportunity to do something different, and we will do everything we can to support Jonathan and other clinical colleagues in primary and community care to make this work.”

GOVERNOR HELEN ON “COMMUNICATIONS”…

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mproving communications with the membership is always a priority for governors and the hospital. This newsletter, Countess Matters, is one approach the Trust relies on, but as you will have read in this edition, more and more people are joining hospital conversations through social media (see page 7).

help to inform future developments and strategy.

Being a governor is described as being a ‘critical friend’: the Council of Governors meets 5 times a year and in between there are opportunities to join various committees, and groups according to the particular interest or skill of each individual governor. We are elected by the Trust members to represent the people who use and work at the hospitals – an interesting and worthwhile role.

Governor Helen Clifton is the new lead for the communications group that meets regularly to review what’s working well about how The Countess shares its news and receives feedback.

Supported by a team of governors, the group is also exploring what it will be doing differently in the future.

Election time is coming soon: might you be interested ….”

If you are interested in becoming a governor, or would like to get in contact with Helen about membership communications email claire.

Governor Helen Clifton raggett@nhs.net

Helen explained: “Governors have a responsibility to inform members and the public about what is happening at the Countess and at Ellesmere Port Hospital and to listen to and feedback their views and responses. In this way we can

Text Reminder Service introduced in bid to cut the cost of missed appointments

Over 10% of hospital outpatient appointments are currently missed which costs the Trust thousands of pounds each day. The reminder service aims to help reduce this.

Around 1,700 appointments a day are provided in the outpatient departments across both our Chester and Ellesmere Port hospitals. However, this means one in every ten patients does not attend.

Ian Harvey, Medical Director said: “Missed appointments cost the Trust almost £3million each year and increase the length of time other people have to wait to be

seen. Rates this high mean that as many as 170 people are not turning up for their outpatient appointment each day. This is unacceptable and unsustainable for the smooth running of our healthcare services and denies an appointment to another patient. We believe the introduction of a comprehensive reminder service will help to reduce the “Did Not Attend” (DNA) rate, save the Trust money and ultimately enable us to treat more people quicker.”

Patients will receive a text message five days before their appointment to remind them of the date and time.

Ian added: “If a patient has received a text and cannot subsequently, for whatever reason, attend I would urge them to contact our Appointments Hotline on 01244 366 663 to cancel or rearrange so that we can make the original

Medical Director Ian Harvey

appointment available to someone else.”

The service has been active since May and uses telephone and mobile numbers from details held for existing patients.

Patients do have the option to opt out of the service should they wish. The service is easy to use and is completely free to patients.

Appointments missed through DNA in 2013/14 Clinic

DNA Count

Ear, Nose and Throat

2,042

Gynaecology

1,037

Ophthalmology

2,982

Diabetic Medicine

1,005

Trauma & Orthopaedics

1,554

Paediatrics

1,970

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Patients coming to The Countess for outpatient appointments will now receive a reminder text in a new campaign to help reduce the number of people who fail to turn up for appointments.

SCHWARTZ RO

sees colleagues reflec

S Trust shortlisted for Patient Safety Award The Trust is delighted to be shortlisted for the ‘Trust of The Year’ award at this year’s Patient Safety Awards and Ruth Millward, Head of Risk and Patient Safety explains here why she believes the Trust has made the cut despite competition from over 100 NHS Trusts.

Ruth commented: “We focused on how we are learning and improving as a Trust, and I think it is that approach that has got us through to the finals. We don’t pretend to be the finished article and we certainly aren’t saying that we don’t make mistakes. But we have shown that we have adopted an open and honest approach to patient safety and a willingness to improve.

Everyone has a role to play.

Not just our clinical teams but our HR, Catering, Facilities and administrative staff can make a difference in keeping patients safe whilst they are with us.

“Our award submission also focused on our vision. It looked at where we want to be and the tools we are using to help us get there.

“We are working to acknowledge the impact of Human Factors in patient safety. Emphasising how if we can raise staff awareness of human error we can protect them from it. It is about education, not blame.

Our approach focuses on

supporting staff. Using risk management software DATIX to help us understand how patients are looked after when they are with us and linking all departments into the Risk and Patient Safety Team so that we can readily identify gaps and put robust systems in place through training and education programmes like CHAPS (Clinical Human Factors in Patient Safety).

“As a Trust, we are increasingly filming ‘patient stories’ and introducing initiatives such as Schwartz Rounds to encourage open and honest sharing of information. All of these things enable us to learn and improve. Hopefully this will be recognised when the winner is announced at the Patient Safety Awards ceremony at the ICC in Birmingham in early July.”

Good luck to Ruth and the team in July!

As a Trust, we are increasingly filming ‘patient stories’ and introducing initiatives such as Schwartz Rounds to encourage open and honest sharing of information.

chwartz Rounds are a practical tool that health and care providers are increasingly using to improve the culture of their organisation and support the emotional wellbeing of staff. Rounds were originally developed by the Schwartz Centre for Compassionate Healthcare in Boston USA. In the US, more than 320 organisations have implemented Rounds while The Countess is one of only 100 trusts and hospices contracted to now run the rounds in the UK. The session starts with a panel discussion on a pre-determined subject. A recent session saw medical, nursing and support staff from the Trust intensive care unit talking openly about the emotional attachment that develops with some patients and their families under their care, and how they take time to support one another when faced with a difficult death and sense of loss.

Schwartz Rounds aren’t intended to offer solutions or system fixes, but instead provide safe and expertly facilitated ‘airtime’ for reflection, empathy and peer support about how it feels providing care and working at both our Chester and Ellesmere Port Hospitals.

Yes, the discussions are confidential, but you cannot under estimate the value of the general observations and sense of shared purpose and contribution that can be gleaned from a single round. In just one session covering ‘Dealing with a Difficult Death’ those attending discussed the following points: • Despite training and thinking that you are prepared, the first difficult death a new starter comes across is likely to remain with that person throughout their career.

This prompts unanswered questions about whether

enough is done to prepare and support our junior doctors and recently qualified nursing, therapy and domestic staff.

• Staff working in the intensive care unit value that the families of patients bring in pictures for display of their loved ones in happier celebratory times – this might be a recent family party or holiday. This approach has been led by relatives and carers. It plays an important role in helping the intensive care staff feel a connection with the person and who they were before they became so critically ill. This feedback triggers thoughts about how photographs of patients might

OUNDS PILOT

ct on their emotions

Our new CT Scanner as photographed by Andrew Monro from Estates

will vary and sometimes a colleague will want to talk about it, and on other occasions they won’t.

This discussion helps with the realisation of how important it is for us to take care of each other and make time to check colleagues are okay.

• T here is a collective clinical and spiritual perspective that it is a huge privilege to support and care for a person as they die, and play a part in the lives of their grieving families. The room is reminded that death is part of the circle of life, of equal importance to birth. A simple yet profound statement of fact about the responsibilities our workforce faces each and every day.

Who would have thought that an hour of conversation about ‘Dealing with a difficult death’ could prompt such a wide range of insights and reflections? Staff are asked to submit detailed feedback to support the Trust in evaluating effectiveness of the new approach. With only a handful of sessions having taken place so far, reaction from Countess colleagues has been hugely supportive:

• Triggers for how a person reacts to a difficult death will be different for each and every one of us depending on any given point in time or moment in our lives. For a newly qualified doctor the impact of a young car crash victim that cannot be resuscitated in A&E is especially harrowing. For a nurse bringing up a young family, seeing two young children watch their mother pass away is highly emotional.

The time it takes to process the emotion and the grief

•“ It is humbling to hear personal experiences and the often forgotten ‘emotional’ aspect” •“ I didn’t quite expect for it to be such an emotional event but thought it was exceptional” •“ Really valuable and heartwarming to see colleagues and peers share experience and personal feelings.

Great to remember that we all have demanding jobs and have to make tough decisions.”

Patients at The Countess can be further assured of receiving the best care available with the addition of a new, £1million state-of-the-art CT Scanner in Radiology.

The Aquillion One CT Scanner from Toshiba is the most advanced scanner in existence and The Countess is one of only three hospitals in the country to operate one!

Consultant Radiologist and Divisional Medical Director, Amer Rehman said: “For a hospital our size to have such an advanced CT Scanner at our disposal is a major coup. The image quality is brilliant and the speed with which we can capture images of the body, in particular the heart, is stunning.

We are now able to take an image of the entire heart in

one rotation and the diagnostic quality is far superior to any other scanner in operation.

The process is also a lot more comfortable for the patient as we will only rarely need to use Beta Blockers to slow their heart rates and will therefore, be able to complete their scan quicker.

Amer added: “The Radiology team saw 31,000 patients last year and one of the benefits of the new scanner is the speed with which we can scan the patient. We now have some of the most advanced MRI and CT Scanners available to ensure we are always improving and providing the best standard of care to our patients.

Hopefully, this investment in the best equipment will further demonstrate what an attractive place The Countess is to work for radiologists.”

Amer Rehman and the radiology team with Toshiba reps

•“ I think these Rounds will allow staff to understand and better respect each other.”

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be used in other areas to support person centred care.

Countess unveils stateof-the-art CT Scanner

Countess Doc helps children in TV show Ravi filming for the Channel 4 series ‘Born Naughty’

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ou may have seen a bit more of Consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram recently as he joined the ranks of TV doctors on the small screen in a new Channel 4 show which explored children’s behavioural issues.

Ravi, who has worked at the Trust since 2004, teamed up with Embarrassing Bodies’ Dr Dawn Harper, for Born Naughty?

The pair shared their expertise with families who believed their child’s conduct had a clinical cause, such as ADHD or autism, and helped them find a diagnosis, be it a medical condition or more common behavioural issues.

Ravi explained that Born Naughty? tackles the perception that these children are just naughty. He said: “Rather than have a sensationalist look at these children, we wanted to give an idea of how unclear the knowledge can be sometimes.

“What I hoped to do is open people’s eyes to the fact that not every child you see having a tantrum in the supermarket is down to bad parenting.

“If the show managed to make one person a bit more sympathetic to that or to encourage a parent with

concerns to seek professional advice then that is great.”

Aside from a couple of appearances on game shows – such as The Weakest Link which he won in 2003 – Born Naughty? is the first TV show Ravi has been involved with in his professional capacity.

“I was on call on Thursday night when the first programme aired, running about the wards keeping busy. I took leave to do the filming. Colleagues and family have all been extremely supportive. It has been great to do something different.”

Ravi added: “Filming started in 2013 and finished in 2014. I was surprised at how long it takes to film footage that ends up being just a two minute clip when edited. It is an award winning production company and we’ve had good ratings and a good critical response so we may have a second series to look forward to.

A few things you may not know about Ravi included in a recent ‘Day in the Life’ feature for The Chester Chronicle: What is the favourite part of your job?

Getting to coo over babies, behave in an extremely silly way with younger children and trying to be cool (and usually failing) with teenagers. I couldn’t do this in any other field of medicine.

What is the least favourite part of your job?

The ever increasing piles of administrative work and emails that never seem to shrink and having to constantly be finding ways to save money.

What would be your dream job if you weren’t doing what you do now?

A Blue Peter presenter (although I’m way too old now) How do you relax when you are not working?

Long runs and triathlons (I did an Ironman last year), singing, the occasional pub quiz.

What is your favourite film?

Airplane

What is your favourite book?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory What is your favourite song?

Private Universe by Crowded House If a film was made of your life, who would you like to play you?

Woody Allen

Do you follow us on Facebook and Twitter?

A&E under pressure During Winter Pressures The Chester Chronicle reminded everyone what a difficult and challenging time it was for A&E staff. A pic of the staff holding the article drew a great response: DS: Thank goodness for some positive news from the local press. NHS staff must be sick to death for being used as political cannon fodder, from all sides. Although they’d be hard pressed to find anything negative to say about the Countess staff, even if they wanted to.

VS: I’ve had to visit the walk in centre in the A&E twice in the last couple of months. The service they provide is fantastic. From the Reception staff to all the nurses, doctors, porters, domestics and security. They all do a fab job. Thanks for looking after me x Baby by Caesarean Section We shared the unique experience of a baby’s birth by Caesarean Section on Facebook. This Mum & Dad kindly allowed us to share images from our Medical Photography

team capturing the birth of their baby boy.

These incredible images drew lots of coos and aahs in virtual form earlier this year, including this simple comment: LC: ‘I love this one’ Hello My Name Is… The Countess is fully signed up to this national campaign. This pic was seen by over 6,000 people and caused great debate in the comments section!

Joe O’Grady Joe O’Grady, our Equality and Diversity Manager was crowned NHS Leader of Inclusivity of the Year 2015 at the NHS Awards‬‬‬ and many of you were quick to congratulate him on Facebook.

LF: Well Done Joe, you deserve to be recognised for all you do and with such passion x

Women’s Surgical Unit

Ellesmere Port

Pics of our new dedicated Women’s Surgical Unit (Ward 40) were seen by over 5,000 people and gained 140 likes and positive comments such as:

Colleagues at Ellesmere Port hosted a ceremony in April to mark the official opening of its new Healthy Ageing Centre.

VM: I stayed here very first day it was opened. Nice new and spacious ward, created great atmosphere.

Maternity When our midwives scooped Team of the Year from the Royal College of Midwives we very nearly broke the internet! Over 30,000 people saw the post and over 1,000 people ‘liked’ it. Then when we officially opened the new birthing suites and took pics of our new Mums for Mother’s Day we did it again!

Afternoon Tea Afternoon Tea was served to celebrate Nutrition & Hydration Week and it proved that everyone loves a cake photo!

LR: The food is very good at the countess never had a bad meal in the staff canteen or as a patient so well done HR: well done cakes looked delicious what a nice treat for everyone

Wear Red Lipstick Day Deputy Director of Nursing Sian Williams, Memory Nurse Specialist Andy Tysoe and Lead Cancer Nurse Helen Thomas posed for a photo wearing their red lippy for Dementia Awareness. It drew some interesting comments!

DN: Great pouts !

MB Scary......

World Hand Hygiene Day Countess of Chester: And the winner of the team participation award (ie CAKE) for World Hand Hygiene Day goes to...

Jubilee Day Surgery Unit Ward! Thanks to everyone who took part and keep washing those hands! #safeHANDS NJ: You are not supposed to look that happy working in the NHS??

Are you??

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t The Trust we are increasingly using our Facebook and Twitter accounts to engage with patients and staff. There is so much going on at both our Chester and Ellesmere Port sites and being able to keep people up-to-date with the lighter news from around the Trust is important to us. We aim to do what it says on the tin and keep both channels ‘social’ by using photo galleries on Facebook in particular to highlight that special relationship between staff and patients. We hope you’ll ‘like’ ‘follow’ ‘Share’ or ‘Retweet’ if you find the stories and images interesting. Take a look at some of the features that have gained a great response on Facebook so far this year:

‘Special’ visitors help celebrate International Nurses’ Day

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asked theatre characters from ‘Vamos Nursing Lives’ surprised staff and patients as they took to the corridors of The Countess to celebrate International Nurses Day 2015.

the Vamos theatre production ‘Nursing Lives’. The Vamos creative team specially adapted their famous matron and student nurse characters, to support a comedy walkabout performance in the hospital, and remind senior nurses of important hand hygiene routines.

A range of events, promotions and activities were held at both the Chester and Ellesmere Port hospitals to mark the day, which is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

During the day visitors were able to view local history about the nursing profession after the University of Chester worked with nurses on a display of images and memorabilia.

The Trust, which will have its Care Quality Commission inspection later this year, welcomed a surprise visit from two of the well-loved masked characters from

In addition, thanks to a generous donation secured by Royal College of Nursing Union Rep Hayley Cooper the 1,400 nurses working at the hospital also had the

opportunity to enjoy a delivery of special cakes during their tea break.

Deputy Director of Nursing Sian Williams said: “Every year we make time to celebrate International Nurses Day at The Countess and reflect on the pride and passion that our nurses and nursing assistants bring to work every day.

“This year, we decided to make the occasion more dramatic by getting the Vamos theatre mask nursing characters in for a visit – I am so impressed with the way Vamos Theatre remind us of the importance of non-verbal communication with patients. They take me back to how matron used to be when I started out nursing 37 years ago.”

The masked characters from Vamos Theatre visiting patients on Nurses Day

Catering staff prepare afternoon tea for 1,500!

Countess takes tea as part of Worldwide Afternoon Tea Party the Worldwide Afternoon Tea Party. People might wonder why we are encouraging patients to eat cake but the reality is that 1 in 4 people admitted to hospital in the UK are at risk of malnutrition so encouraging them to eat small snacks regularly, such as a piece of cake, can go a long way to reducing this risk.

Vicki Lacey, Food First Dietitian said: “Our catering department worked incredibly hard to provide 1,500 cakes and scones for all the wards so that we could take part in

“People admitted to hospital are at an increased risk for many reasons including the illness, condition, or surgery that brought them into hospital. They may have difficulty swallowing, are confused or affected by the unfamiliar environment and need assistance. Unfortunately, this means that nationally 70% of patients discharged from hospital weigh less than on admission.

So this tea party has a serious message highlighting the importance of providing good nutrition in hospital and adhering to protected mealtimes.”

“Here at The Countess we work hard to meet the nutritional needs of our patients and as a Food First Dietitian it is my responsibility to help us build on what we do well and make it even better. I am working closely with catering, the wards and other colleagues including our dementia specialists to develop a meal service that provides a diet high in protein and calories to improve a patient’s nutritional intake during their admission. The tea party is a fun way of shining a light on an issue that often gets overshadowed by obesity.”

The size of the problem in the UK • It is estimated that malnutrition will cost the NHS double that of obesity and that malnutrition (or “undernutrition”) affects over 3 million people in the UK. • Of these about 1.3 million are over the age of 65.

• Most of those affected are living in the community (about 93% or 2.8 million people) How to increase your calories responsibly: “Little and often” is the best way to increase your calories • Have 3 small meals and 2-3 snacks per day.

• Nourishing drinks daily - full cream milk, milkshakes, milky coffee or tea.

• Some bread, pasta, cereal, rice, potatoes or chapatti at each meal.

• Meat, fish, cheese, eggs, yogurt, lentils or beans at least twice a day.

• Some fruit, vegetables or fruit juice at each meal time.

• Have a pudding daily.

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atients and staff at our Chester and Ellesmere Port Hospitals took part in a worldwide afternoon tea party earlier this year as the Hospital’s catering team provided 1,500 cakes and scones as an enjoyable way to raise awareness for Nutrition and Hydration Week.

Become a Governor!

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ould you like to get involved with your local hospital – you can make a difference.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Governor nomination process will open on 1st July 2015 and there are drop in sessions on the following dates, so why not come along and find out more about this exciting role: 3rd July 2015 at 12noon – 1pm in the Exec Suite 7th July 2015 at 11am – 12 noon in the Education and Training Centre If you are not able to make these dates, please call Claire Raggett on 01244 365816 to arrange an informal chat, at a

time to suit you.

Meeting Dates Board of Directors meeting held in public Tuesday, 7th July 2015 at 12.30pm in the Education Training Centre, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Tuesday 1st September 2015 at 12.30pm in the Education Training Centre, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Council of Governors meeting held in public Tuesday, 7th July 2015 at 3.30pm in the Education Training Centre, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Tuesday 1st September 2015 at 3.30pm in

the Education Training Centre, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Members Meeting Tuesday, 13th October 2015 at 5pm in the Education Training Centre, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Who Are Your Governors

How to contact your Governors

If you would like to contact a Governor, please email Claire Raggett – claire. raggett@nhs.net or call on 01244 365816.

Fundraising roundup During the past couple of months there has been a noticeable increase in the level of support for the hospital’s charity both from members of staff, and patients who say they want to ‘give something back’ for the amazing care they have received. Many of the 195 runners in “Team Babygrow” in the Half Marathon were Countess staff from various departments around the hospital and Kim Hodgson who works at Ellesmere Port Hospital ran her first ever half marathon with her dad Colin Shaw to raise fund for the Intensive Care Unit. Sponsorship is still coming in from the event and £25,000 has already been raised for the Babygrow Appeal, however the fundraising team expect this to top £40,000 which is amazing! A HUGE thank you is due to each and every runner who worked hard training in all weathers. Dad Liam Jeffs of Huntington wanted to take part because his son Jeff was born in March and became quite poorly soon after being born. His wife Fiona said “ The neonatal staff did an absolutely fantastic job and saved our little boy. Jack is doing so well now and we cannot thank the nurses who looked after him enough, they are amazing! This charity is therefore very close to our hearts and we hope to raise as much money as we can”.

Liam is pictured holding Jack next to one of the mile marker photo posters that the runners said kept them motivated around the 13 mile course.

Organisers of the event have confirmed that the Babygrow Appeal will be the nominated charity for Chester Marathon on 4th October and again for next year’s Half Marathon on 15th May. Registration for both events is open…so what are you waiting for ?!!

Want to do your bit to say “Thanks”?

Then join our first ever “Walk for Wards” which will take place on Sunday 11th October within the Countess Country Park.

It’s an easy route suitable for families, prams and wheelchair. The event is free to enter and you get a T shirt and a goody bag but we are asking participants to raise a minimum of £30 in sponsorship and you can choose which ward you want to support.

For further information on the event call Angie Lopez on 01244 366672

“Trolley Dolly” takes part in Ladies Driving Challenge 79 year old Mo Davies from Chester has taken part in her second sponsored driving event on June 7th and an ambulance, a tractor, a fire engine were just 3 of the many vehicles she got behind the wheel of. She said “I have been a volunteer at the Countess for about three years now.

I’ve been under the knife a few times so wanted to give something back. My body may be old but I’m not – I love volunteering, it keeps my mind active and I have always loved driving so this was the perfect challenge for me!” Mo takes newspapers and magazines around the wards for patients and took part in the event with her daughter Sandie Rowlands

Green fingered ex colleague raises almost £1000 Staff and visitors were delighted with the bedding plants and shrubs they bought at the plant sale held outside by the main entrance recently.

85 year old Dr Yadoullah Kamaly-Asl worked at

the Countess for 26 years as a clinical practitioner in the ENT Dept and as a GP in Hawarden and following his retirement has had more time to devote to his passion for gardening. He is currently receiving treatment in the Ophthalmology department and wanted to raise funds for the eye unit in recognition of the outstanding care he is receiving. He organised the sale with his wife Behnaz and raised £950 which is being used to purchase additional equipment. Another patient Mary Bainbridge of Wrexham has also supported the hospital’s charity. She said “The gift of sight is immeasurable. As a result of an eye condition called Fuch’s Dystrophy, I chose to undergo a series of complex eye operations at the Countess over a period of twelve months. “During that time I received the most wonderful treatment from a highly skilled surgeon and his team. I am simply hugely grateful for their expertise and support in restoring my sight.” Mary organised a coffee morning and a sponsored bike ride and has raised almost £2500.

3rd year for Duck Race Saturday 13th September is the date to put in your diaries if you don’t want to miss out on the popular annual Duck Race, sponsored

by Hickory’s in aid of the Babygrow Appeal. There are 2 races to watch – the Corporate Duck Race with around 100 ‘giant’ decorated ducks will be followed by 6000 small ducks being launched off the suspension bridge with the first 3 past the post winning shopping vouchers for Grosvenor Shopping Centre. For further information on how you can buy a small duck or if your company is interested in sponsoring a giant duck call Lesley on 01244 364505

Countess of Chester Hospital 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 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust endorse any of the products or services.

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Fundraising Team say “Thank you”!

Fundraising Manager takes trip to Number 10 Our Fundraising Manager Lesley Woodhead was invited to Downing Street for a peak behind the scenes and a walk through the corridors of power.

Lesley commented: “I have always wondered what is behind one of the most famous doors in the world and so was delighted to be invited for a tour of number 10 Downing Street.

“I joined a group of ten people who had been invited to mark their contribution to the Chester community and I was representing The Countess and the Babygrow appeal.

I sat at the Cabinet table in the PM’s seat and also at the G8 table. The house is much bigger than it looks from the outside and it was great to see the rooms set up to entertain dignitaries the next day.

We then went to see the House of Commons in action and the highlight was seeing where Emily Davies hid to ensure there was a woman in parliament!

I have a photograph as a little girl outside number 10 and am very proud that my work here at The Countess got me an invite inside.”

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Lesley Woodhead on the Number 10 steps

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Lookers Chester Vauxhall Did you know?

As members of UNITE, UNISON or the Royal College of Nursing you are automatically entitled to discounts on New Vauxhall Cars and Vans through the Vauxhall Partners Scheme.

For example the discount on a New Astra can be as much as nearly £6,000 and what’s more your immediate family are also included up to a maximum of six cars per year.

For full details of the Vauxhall Partners Scheme or to establish family eligibility please contact Lookers Chester Vauxhall 01244 394 300 or email us at chesterinternet@lookers.co.uk and see for yourself how affordable a new car could be.

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