NEAS Pulse July 2010

JULY ‘10 ISSUE 44

‘GO LIVE’ FOR 111

Letter from the PM, see page 5

Refuelling advice from Fleet, see page 9

LSMS appointed, see page 10

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JULY 2010

Busiest year yet for ambulance service

Issue 44

CONTENTS HART team visit Boulmer A letter from David Cameron Information Governance update PTS update Equality & Diversity update Refueling procedures CFR updare Clinical Focus Healthy Living event Green Bag scheme rolled out Starters & Leavers Successful resuscitations Your Shout Events Cover Puzzles Discounts NEAS Sport

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THE PULSE TEAM MARK COTTON Head of Communications and PPI

SUSAN COLDRON Foundation Trust Membership Officer

TINA BALBACH Communications Officer

RACHEL BEARRYMAN Communications Officer

SAHDIA HASSEN Public Relations Officer

KERRI JAMES Public Relations and Communications Assistant

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The North East Ambulance Service answered nearly 432,000 emergency calls in 2009/10; 27,000 more than in the previous year, a new report from The NHS Information Centre shows.

We also completed 279,000 emergency patient journeys in 2009/10; just over 10,000 more than in the previous year, according to the report: Ambulance Services: England, 2009-10.

The report also includes for the first time figures on the number of non-emergency resolved with telephone advice only. In 2009/10 the figure was 15,700 or 9 per cent of all non-emergency calls in the North East.

Ambulance responses are split by category; A (immediately life threatening) B (serious but not immediately life threatening) or C (not immediately serious or life threatening). For category A incidents, the service has a target of an emergency response arriving at the scene within eight minutes in 75 per cent of cases, and a fully equipped ambulance, if required, to attend within 19 minutes within 95 per cent of cases.

In 2009/10 the percentage of category A incidents resulting in an emergency response arriving at the scene within eight minutes was 75.4 per cent, compared to the previous year of 75.7 per cent, while the percentage resulting in a fully equipped ambulance arriving in 19 minutes was 98.8 per cent.

Of the 12 NHS organisations providing ambulance services in England, seven met or exceeded the 75 per cent standard for eight minute response times, the same number as the previous year.

The report also shows that of the 261,000 emergency calls received in the North East, ambulance crews were able to

treat 40,000 patients without taking them into hospital.

Paul Liversidge, Director of Operations at NEAS, said: “All those involved in ambulance response, from the control and contact centres to the hospital door, had a very busy year. More calls were received than last year.

“Ambulance response time targets are the toughest in the world and this year has been made even tougher in the context of the coldest winter in thirty years.

“Targets have played a key role in improving standards in the ambulance service, but we know that the next stage is to measure performance against patient outcomes. Working with the NHS more widely we must also concentrate on prevention so problems can be seen to earlier before an emergency response is required.”

Mr Liversidge added: “I am really proud of all our staff who have worked very hard over the past year to respond to the calls from patients in need across the North East even quicker. Our staff on the front line in A&E and PTS services and our contact centres and our partners in the voluntary ambulance services and community first responders all do a tremendous job, but their success is part of a team effort which also involves our support staff working hard to keep front line services running all the time.”

The full report is at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/ambserv0910

‘GO LIVE’ for 111 The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is the first of three Pathfinder project sites in the country to launch access to urgent care, through a ‘free to call’ three digit number (111), for patients across County Durham and Darlington.

From mid July, the three digit number (111) will replace the current single point of access number (0300 111 0 111) which has been in place since October last year.

All calls to 111 will be dealt with by experienced NEAS call handlers who will effectively assess callers’ needs to ensure they receive the right service, first time.

By calling this number patients will be directed to a locally available health service or they will be provided with appropriate advice and information.

When a patient calls 111, their clinical needs will be determined using an effective clinical algorithm. These clinical needs will be matched to the most appropriate available local health service and if necessary their call will be immediately passed to our 999 service and an emergency vehicle will be dispatched.

For minor illnesses and injuries, the 111 service will be able to provide immediate advice and direction to the caller’s nearest local service. Should the caller need to see a GP during normal surgery opening hours, they will be referred to their GP practice.

Julie Avis has been a single point of access call handler since October 2009; she believes that patients will receive the best care for their symptoms. She said: “If a patient can’t get an appointment with their GP and feel they would like to see someone about a concern they have they can call us and we can take them through a detailed assessment in NHS Pathways and from there we explain to them what their best option is. It may be that they need an appointment at their local urgent care centre or we can arrange for a nurse or a GP to call them back and give advice over the telephone.

She added: “I believe that patients who access this single point of access urgent care number will receive the best care for their symptoms. Patients also have the added benefit that if their

symptoms are life threatening or serious, we can immediately arrange for an ambulance. They will not have to make another phone call and go through the process of giving all their details again. It is an all encompassing system and patients will be directed to the right healthcare professional and the right place at the right time.”

Julie Horner, Urgent Care Manager said: “I believe that the 111 system is the best possible structure because the patient has a “single point of access” to all relevant medical services.

“By ringing 111 the patient will never have to ring another number - everything is done for them by our dedicated team.

“Whether in need of a nurse, doctor, optician, dentist, ambulance or even just advice the triage service will ensure that they are directed to the service most appropriate to their needs.

“This fantastic service will even arrange and provide transport for GP appointments and home visits where necessary.

“I am proud to be part of the team responsible for implementing this service for the benefit of the public and our partners in the wider community”.

George Marley, 111 Implementation Manager: “The 111 service will establish a consistent, accessible quality-driven pathway for patients with urgent care requirements across County Durham and Darlington.

“We are determined to provide our callers with an effective solution to their needs and again we are at the forefront of providing such services. I’m confident that this will be a success and this ‘Pathfinder Project’ will provide the platform for expanding the service across the rest of the North East”.

We will be launching the new 111 service for patients across County Durham and Darlington later this year, which will be supported by a comprehensive publicity campaign.

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HART team visit RAF Boulmer On 17th May 2010, Durham team, from the HART unit, spent the afternoon with the search and rescue aircrew at RAF Boulmer. The aim of the visit was to discuss each other’s roles and capabilities and to consider how they might be able to assist each other at the scene of an incident.

Donna Hay, HART team leader said: “The afternoon began with a tour of their station, helicopter and medical equipment. We then discussed their medical training, which reaches paramedic

level for some winchmen, and their expertise in other areas such as navigation. We also chatted about the sort of incidents which the Search and Rescue crew would be mobilised to, the area that they cover and safety aspects of working with the helicopter. The roles were then reversed and the aircrew were show around our equipment and talked through our new roles and remit.

“The visit was extremely successfully for both parties and we all left with a better understanding of each other’s abilities which can only be of benefit if we work together at a scene in the future.

Thanks must go to the RAF staff for hosting us and to Flt Lt Andy Johnston for helping to organise the trip.”

Health Secretary sets out ambition for a culture of patient safety in the NHS In his first speech since taking up the post, the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, said he would put his heart and soul into the improvement of health outcomes by making patients the driving force of improvements to the NHS. Not just as beneficiaries of care but as participants, with shared decision-making.

As part of his broader plans to align payments with the quality of patient care, the Health Secretary said that hospitals should be responsible for reducing the number of emergency readmissions following treatment, and support treatment at home, as part of a single payment. Making hospitals responsible for a patient’s ongoing care after discharge will create more joined-up working between hospitals and community services. This will improve quality and performance and shift the focus to the outcome for the patient, rather than the volume of activity paid to the hospital.

Speaking to an audience of patients, carers and staff at an event at the Bromley by Bow Centre in London on June 8th 2010, hosted by the Patients Association and National Voices, the Health Secretary challenged the NHS to: •

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Make a cultural shift. From a culture responsive mainly to orders from the top-down, to one responsive to patients, in which patient safety is put first.

Devolve power through the unleashing of meaningful information to patients. Comparative data about standards and patient experience will drive up standards, as the data will influence patient choice. A transparent NHS is a safer NHS. Engage people in their care so that, “no decision is made about me, without me”, and give patients the opportunity to provide feedback in real time, reflecting the experience of their care.

Embrace leadership by setting NHS professionals free from a target-centred and bureaucratic system that compromises patient care, to one focussed on the quality, innovation, productivity and safety required to improve patient outcomes.

Adopt a holistic approach by looking at the entire patient pathway from preventative health and well-being measures, through to hospital and community care.

Align payments in the NHS to drive up the quality of care that patients receive. In the first instance, through introducing payments which encapsulate a more integrated

care pathway by giving hospitals responsibility for a patient’s care for 30 days after they are discharged.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “My ambition is for health outcomes and health services to be as good as any in the world. The previous government’s bureaucratic approach of perpetual interference, coupled with the imposition of top-down process targets, has failed patients. It has left us lagging behind our European counterparts on outcomes that matter to patients, such as how long they will survive after a cancer diagnosis.

“We need a cultural shift in the NHS. From a culture responsive mainly to orders from the top-down, to one responsive to patients, in which patient safety is put first. This can only be achieved if patients are put in the driving seat and are informed and engaged in the delivery of their care. That way the NHS will be focussed on what matters to patients – safe, reliable, effective care for each patient, and the best outcomes for all patients.”

A letter from Prime Minister David Cameron A major public engagement exercise has been announced to help shape the forthcoming Spending Review. NHS staff are hugely involved in this process and the Prime Minister, David Cameron, has written to all employees asking for them to share their ideas on how we can rethink public services to deliver more for less.

An engagement programme is being run to collect ideas on how the Government can deliver services more efficiently while maintaining and improving quality. A website has been specifically set up to gather up these ideas, with every serious idea being considered by government departments, the Treasury and by teams at No 10 and the Cabinet Office.

The Prime Minister David Cameron writes: Dear Colleague, First of all we want to thank you. Whether your job is nursing in a hospital, working in a government department, teaching our children or one of the other key roles in the public sector, you keep our country running. People who work in the public sector don’t get enough credit for what they do, so thank you.

As well as our thanks, we want to give you more trust and more responsibility. For years you’ve been undermined by targets and rules set from on high. Bit by bit we’re going to end that culture.

We’ll set you free to use your professionalism, commitment and good ideas to make life better for everyone.

But let us be clear. The biggest challenge our country faces is dealing with our huge debts – and that means we have to reduce public spending. You will have heard in the Budget that we have had to take difficult decisions on public sector salaries for the next two years, while taking steps to protect those on lower salaries.

Like many private sector organisations, we have chosen to control salaries rather than see higher job losses. The more we can find savings, the more flexibility we will have to avoid job losses and wage cuts.

We want you to help us find those savings, so we can cut public spending in a way that is fair and responsible. You work on the

frontline of public services. You know where things are working well, where the waste is, and where we can re-think things so that we get better services for less money.

So this is why we’re writing to you. We’re asking you to go to this website – www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spendingchallenge – and tell us your ideas about getting more for less. Don’t hold back. Be innovative, be radical, challenge the way things are done. Every serious idea will be considered: by government departments, by the Treasury, by our teams in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office – and passed to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to make sure we don’t miss anything.

So please, play your part. Let us know your ideas. We’re all in this together – and we’ll get through this together to better days ahead.

Yours sincerely, Rt Hon David Cameron MP Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP

NEAS HAS IDENTIFIED £3.8 MILLION WHICH NEED TO BE SAVED THROUGH COST IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES IN 2010-11 These efficiency savings are required to contribute to the overall NHS cost improvement programme which needs to save £15-20 billion up to 2014.

NEAS has established a number of project boards to oversee the development and implementation of efficiency schemes and service improvement plans aimed at increasing quality, using innovation and reducing waste.

Each of these project boards – covering A&E, PTS, control and contact centre, estates, procurement, stores, sickness absence, HR and training – reports every month to a recently established improvement steering group, which has representation from senior managers, Unison and GMB. Simon Featherstone said: “Everyone working in the NHS is aware of the

financial challenges which lie ahead, and all parts of the system, including support services, will have to make their fair share of savings.”

NEAS staff can also submit ideasfor reducing waste and making improvements to: bigidea@neas.nhs.uk

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INFORMATION GOVERNANCE UPDATE The Trust’s Information Governance Working Group (IGWG) aim to increase service awareness of Information Governance in its broad sense and to ensure that all aspects are monitored in an appropriate manner such that the Trust is protected to ensure best practice in relation to: • Confidentiality • Data Protection • Freedom of Information • Records Management • I.G. Maintenance • Information Quality Assurance • Information Security • National Programme for I.T

The group will be responsible for drafting policies, strategies, procedures and protocols relating to information governance and they will be ratified by the Trust Assurance Committee.

A key piece of work for the group at the moment is a review of the Computer User Access Control Procedure which indentifies how access levels are controlled for all employees that either have NEAS PC user credentials or require them. This will affect all employees that are leaving, starting or moving position within the service. This forms part of a larger project to review the current P Drive which forms part of the Trust’s Records Management Strategy.

For advice regarding any information governance issues, please contact rahima.hoque@neas.nhs.uk or call 0191 430 2158.

PROMIS upgrade to GRS The current resource scheduling software, PROMIS, has been further developed and upgraded to GRS, Global Rostering System. GRS web is a self service web portal through which staff, regardless of their physical location, can access their information as defined in the main GRS application.

GRS comprises of several optional modules covering management of rostering, annual leave, overtime, personnel records, budgeting, sickness records and time and attendance.

GRS will go live for Head Quarter Staff on Monday 5th July 2010 and on Monday 19thy July 2010 for Fleet staff. The department will be busy during this time so your patience is appreciated and we would ask you to only contact the department for urgent matters.

All Personal Assistants in each department and administrative support staff in Fleet have received training on the new Resource Scheduling system to ensure all sickness information is captured in GRS. Thank you once again for your patience during this transition.

For more information on GRS visit the website: www.globalrosters.com

HPA advises simple steps can avoid food poisoning This is a particularly important at this time of year when reports of food-borne infections such as salmonella and campylobacter increase. Last year, nearly 4,000 cases of food poisoning were reported in the region. Over 3,000 of these cases were due to campylobacter which peaked at 425 cases in July compared to 127 in January.

Dr Deb Wilson, gastro-intestinal illness lead for the HPA in the North East, said: “Whenever we have a prolonged spell of warmer weather in this country we see an increase in gastro-intestinal illness which could be avoided. This may be due partly to more people having barbecues and other outdoor meals when the sun is out. Some people forget the rules of safer food storage, preparation and cooking are especially important during the summer months when the warm temperatures and eating outdoors make it easier for bugs to be inadvertently spread and multiply.

“We want to ensure that people know the simple things that they can do to keep themselves and their families safe. Just storing, handling and cooking food properly will minimise the risk of these unpleasant and sometimes serious infections. Food poisoning is a miserable experience and so easily avoided.”

The Agency’s simple steps for safer food preparation are: • Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling food. If at the beach or in the countryside, use hand wipes.

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Light the barbecue long before you plan to use it and ensure that the grill is hot when you need it.

Ensure that meat and poultry are thoroughly defrosted before cooking.

Keep raw meats and poultry well away from food that does not require cooking, such as bread, salads and cooked meats to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.

Ensure that poultry, pork burgers and sausages are cooked until there is no pink meat or juices left and they are hot all the way through.

Do not attempt to cook roasts or larger joints of meat or poultry on the barbecue. It is much better to prepare these larger products indoors in an oven because they are very difficult to cook thoroughly on a barbecue.

Store food properly, keeping cooked and uncooked products separate with raw meats covered at the bottom of the fridge well away from ready-to-eat foods.

Always use separate knives, utensils and chopping boards for raw and cooked foods.

Do not butter bread, prepare salads or handle other readyto-eat foods after you have handled raw meat unless you have thoroughly washed your hands.

Keeping food at the right temperature is important to stop bugs growing. Food that should be chilled can be taken on a picnic but keep them in the fridge until you are ready to leave the house and then put them in a cool bag until you are ready to eat.

PTS UPDATE New Contracts for PTS: Riverside Contract In 2009, NEAS PTS in partnership with Gateshead Hospitals and South of Tyne (SOT) Commissioners agreed to pilot a dedicated PTS crew/vehicle to the Riverside Unit located near the MetroCentre. This vehicle would provide a dedicated PTS service to this NHS unit as well as operating as a discharge service to Gateshead Hospitals in its downtime. In late June, due to the success of this vehicle, South of Tyne NHS agreed to commission this vehicle as a permanent arrangement.

Barry Dews, Assistant Operations Manager; PTS Contracts explains; “This is a welcomed decision from our Commissioners which will assist NEAS PTS in providing an improved delivery of service to PTS patients who attend the Riverside site and surrounding health care establishments.”

days, it is anticipated that this project will considerably reduce the amount of time PTS crews spend in hospital.

The project will be initially deployed at North Tyneside District General NHS Trust for a six month trial period and dependant on its success has potential to be rolled out in other NHS Hospital Trust sites.

Phil Kyle, Programme Support Officer for the project spent some time recently speaking to PTS crews.

He explained; “the crews seemed extremely positive about the project, and after talking to the volunteers as well they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying working on this project which has shown huge benefits to the patient as well as the trust.”

“I’d also like to thank Chris Black who is delivering the project on the ground. The porter service has run smoothly and efficiently with all partner organizations already thrilled with the outcome.”

PTS Discharge vehicle in South of Tyne

Auto Planning Update

As part of the 2009/10 PTS winter planning arrangements, NHS South of Tyne approached NEAS PTS to provide an additional ambulance stretcher vehicle in order to facilitate speedy discharge of patients from hospital and ease pressures within the hospital system.

This PTS discharge vehicle would service City Hospitals Sunderland, Queen Elizabeth and South Tyneside Hospitals with NEAS control ensuring the vehicle would be properly utilised across all three PCT areas.

The uptake of this vehicle was well received by all hospitals and in late June, South of Tyne Commissioners agreed to fund this arrangement on a permanent basis thereby securing new business for NEAS PTS. Colin Smith (SOT Commissioner) quoted in a recent report “Prior to the commissioning of this additional resource, these patients were likely to have been retained in hospital for a further night and discharged the following day when stretcher vehicles would be available. Consequently this more responsive discharge of patients will have eased pressure in the system and is likely to have reduced costs to the PCT, particularly in respect of those patients incurring excess bed day costs.”

Barry Dews went on to say, “ this new business to the NEAS not only improves PTS ability to respond more effectively to the hospitals on same day discharges and transfers but also cements our position with our South of Tyne commissioners especially in the light of increasing competition from private transport providers.”

A later version of the Auto Planning is now available and we are working with our software supplier to develop this further.

This development is being dealt with in a test environment, and linked to some information from our live working system. It has highlighted a number of issues surrounding throughput times of clinics and banding times, which will need to be addressed and will form the basis of a new project which will require commissioner engagement. Further work is continuing to determine the optimum use of the Auto Planning for the whole trust. It is also planned to utilise the new system for our Teesside area, as they have been utilising the current version to some effect. It is hoped this change will assist us in developing our other areas.

As patients travel all over the region, it continues to be recognised that the system will not automatically Plan all of the journeys, but provide a substantial and sound base for the Planning Staff to be able to facilitate the remaining unallocated journeys determined by quality issues.

Volunteer Porter Service NEAS, Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and North Tyneside District General Hospital NHS Trust (NTDG) have been planning the Volunteer Porter Service project for the last three months.

A team of 20 volunteers are working together and after carrying out a multi agency training course and receiving a CRB check the team started work at North Tyneside District General Hospital NHS Trust on the June 7th.

The volunteers’ role will be to greet patients at hospital entrances to ultimately reduce the time spent by PTS crews in hospitals. The volunteer will be there to escort the patient to and from wards and outpatients departments throughout the hospital.

All partners including NEAS, Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and North Tyneside District General Hospital Staff are very excited about the project and have had very positive feedback from volunteers who have only just begun this new role. Although early

PTS Modelling Update You will be aware from previous communications that over the past few months the Trust has been working with PriceWaterhouseCooper LLP to model PTS activity and look at how we can improve the service we provide to patients, hospitals and commissioners. The draft report is to be shared with PTS Management and staff side representatives in late July. A wider engagement programme will then be undertaken to make sure that all staff, but in particular PTS staff are aware of the recommendations and the way forward.

Steph Edusei-Basra, Assistant Director of Operations said “This is a really exciting time for PTS and a real opportunity for us to decide how we want to deliver an improved service to our patients. We need to get PTS staff involved in helping us move the service forward but previous engagement events have been poorly attended. I’d really welcome ideas from staff on how we can make sure that everyone has a chance to have their say”.

All PTS staff will shortly be receiving a letter at home updating them on the progress that PTS Transformation has made but if you have any questions or suggestion please email: ptstransformation@neas.nhs.uk or speak to your line manager.

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EQUALITY & DIVERSITY UPDATE SINGLE EQUALITY SCHEME ANNUAL REPORT The Single Equality Scheme (SES) is a strategy and action plan for the period May 2008-2011, and is a public commitment of how the Trust meets the specific duties placed upon us by equality legislation, in addition to the diverse needs of our staff and the communities that we serve. We have recently published our annual report for the Scheme, which summarises the progress made in the second successful year of the Scheme.

The SES was developed in partnership with other NHS organisations across the region, and these organisations share the key objectives and actions detailed in the SES, progress against which is then reported to the North East SHA, through annual completion of the SES Performance Framework. Local actions specific to the Trust are also included in our action plan.

Progress so far is described under the eight key objective areas of the scheme and the Action Plan as follows: • Leadership, Corporate Commitment and Governance • Equality Impact Assessments • Partnership Working, Consultation and Involvement • Accessibility and Communications • Workforce and Training • Commissioning and Procurement • Monitoring Data, Reporting and Publishing • Complaints An action plan for the third year of the Scheme has recently been developed on a region wide basis, to further build on the work achieved so far, and the Scheme will be updated to reflect this.

We welcome feedback from staff on the Scheme and the Annual Report, and both are available to view on the intranet at HR & Training / Equality and Diversity / Single Equality Scheme.

NEWCASTLE MELA, EXHIBITION PARK The Newcastle Mela 2010, the Asian Arts and Music Festival will take place this year on Saturday 31st July and Sunday 1st August. NEAS will be supporting this event, which is one of the biggest and most spectacular multi-cultural celebrations in the North East, with an information stall and vehicles present. Newcastle Mela attracts around 30,000 people every year and is based around Punjabi, Pakistani, 8

Bengali, Hindi and other South Asian cultures. This free event is open to anyone who wants to learn more, be entertained and meet new people, as well as enjoy different music, art and food in the heart of Newcastle. With a line up including the hottest contemporary Asian acts as well as traditional displays of music and dance it’s an event likely to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. Taking place in Exhibition Park, the Mela promises to be a weekend full of fun with music, games, stalls and exhibitions to help everyone have a great weekend! With a stage playing host to musicians and dancers, hundreds of stalls selling arts and crafts, food and drink, and a children’s programme; there’s plenty to do whatever your tastes.

Further information on this event is available at: www.newcastlemela2010 For more information on any of these items please get in touch with the Equality and Diversity team:

Jane Miller, on (0191) 4302181 or jane.miller@neas.nhs.uk Karen White, on (0191) 4302180 or karen.white@neas.nhs.uk

SERVICE IMPROVEMENT UPDATE RPIW FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH The aim of Service Improvement is to support the NEAS mission and vision by using the Virginia Mason Production System to bring about change to the organisation.

A Rapid Process Improvement Workshop focuses on the Reduction of costs by identifying waste and then eliminating it. The workshop is usually a rigorous five day event (but can be less days depending upon the work involved) that focuses on eliminating waste and improving flow through the redesign of ineffective processes. The idea is to make sure staff who do the work design the work. It will also encourage ‘thinking differently’, simulating ideas and demonstrating what can be accomplished.

The structure of the workshop consists of a 6-week lead up and a 30/60/90 day follow up.

On 28 April 2010 a one day rapid process improvement workshop was carried out for the Occupational Health department to look at the processes and encourage lean thinking.

The key issue that the team faced on a regular basis was there were not enough resources, especially staff to do the work needed as effectively as the team wanted to do. With Rosie Hind the new apprentice starting work within the team it was identified that it took too much time to explain processes and working practices which the team didn’t have.

It was then realised that having procedures documented made it easier to highlight and demonstrate exactly what the Occupational Health team do. Some other suggestions that came from the Rapid Process Improvement Workshop included; - Colour coding notes - Creating a databases for staff/ patient records - Devising a new phone system - Creating set days for appointments.

Lesley Ellison, Occupational Health Manager said; “The workshop was fantastic. It was really helpful to have staff who weren’t directly involved in the team to objectively look at our working processes and methods and offer solutions that we can bring to the team.”

“What’s also good is that some of the suggestions could be implemented immediately and the team have already seen amazing improvements and efficiencies taking place during their working day.”

Carol Mitchell, Service Improvement Manager said; “The Occupational Health Team wanted to improve the services they offer to all departments and with this in mind they looked at all of the work they were undertaking and reorganised by using Lean Thinking. By breaking down the barriers they have embraced change and have been able to become more efficient and effective in their approach.

They have created capacity in their systems and are now able to see more NEAS staff than ever before by working Smarter not Harder.

Leslie and her staff had recognised that they needed to change the way they worked and should be commended for their commitment and contribution to improving the Service they provide. Congratulations to the whole team. They know that this is only the start of the Journey and are currently working on further improvements.”

If anyone has any ideas for improvement or would like to discuss any potential projects further they should contact either Carol Mitchell or David Newman via the intranet under the Big Picture tab through Service Improvement link.

Refueling Procedures Every year The North East Ambulance Service spends £3.5 million on fuel for our vehicles.

Recently there has been some isolated incidents where by the fleet department would like to reiterate some key parts of the Refueling policy.

Firstly we would like to ask Crews and staff who re- fuel any trust vehicle at any time to make sure they check on the fuel pump both the quantity in litres and the cost of the fuel before they authorise the purchase. There have been some instances that due to we believe, genuine error, and quite possibly that of the fuel station, that staff may have paid for the wrong fuel from a different pump.

Miss-fuelling has also become another issue for the Fleet department where some vehicles have been fuelled with petrol rather than diesel. Putting the wrong fuel into your car is something easily done and can be a costly error.

Geoff Craik, Operational Support Manager said: “A number of devices that attempts to prevent miss-fuelling are on the market and an early type was fitted to all operational vehicles. However, over time a number of these are missing or have broken, please report this in the defect book and we will get this replaced as soon as possible.”

The advice offered by the fleet department is if you do missfuel the vehicle, do not start the engine and contact Control

immediately. A lot less damage will occur to the vehicle before the engine is started than if you try to drive the vehicle and it is a lot less costly to repair.

George Price; Assistant Operational Support Manager is currently working to commission the AA through their “AA Fuel Assist” scheme to carry out the procedure of removing the wrong fuel from vehicles at the point of sale, rather than having to recover the vehicle to Fleet to be repaired. The AA can carry out this procedure at the location so vehicle downtime is minimised and returns the vehicle to operational use as soon as possible.

An update to staff will be released as soon as the contract has been finalised.

In summary staff must; • Establish the need to refuel and make sure the fuel level is no less than half a full tank • Prepare to refuel by taking the vehicle to a filling station that will accept NEAS fuel cards (BP) • Fill the tank with the correct fuel for that vehicle.

• Pay for the fuel and obtain a receipt, making sure you use your fuel card, give accurately the current mileage and vehicle registration.

• Have consideration for the next vehicle user and leave the vehicle with adequate fuel (ideally no less than half a tank)

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Staff Assaults Worrying the Trust Board Trust Board directors have expressed concern at the number of staff who have been assaulted by patients or the public.

A report to the Board in June showed that eight people were physically assaulted during May. Three of them, all women, were injured and the others were not hurt.

Chairman Tony Dell said: “This is a worrying statistic and we are really concerned that eight people have reported an assault in just one month. The Trust Board takes a zero tolerance approach to assaults against staff and I want to assure everyone that we will support them pursuing an action against their attacker.”

One explanation for the higher number of assaults reported was due to the introduction of a new, and easier, system for staff to notify the trust of any incident.

Non-executive directors were told that NEAS will support staff who pursue a criminal action against violent patients or members of the public, but many choose not to do this and the service cannot take this sort of action on its own without staff consent.

Roger French, Director of Finance, said letters are written to people who have harmed or attempted to harm ambulance crews – or abuse contact centre staff – and the service receives letters of apologies in reply.

However, Mr Dell added: “Writing a letter to someone who has attempted to harm our staff should not be all that we do. The Trust Board will continue to monitor the reports of assaults and we want to see action taken to reduce these numbers.”

Local Security Management Specialist (LSMS) Appointment The Trust has recently appointed, David Edwards (Risk & Claims Department) as their LSMS. David was required to attend a 5 week LSMS course at the NHS Security Management Service’s (SMS) Training Centre in Coventry to become accredited. Every NHS Trust is expected to have access to or appoint a LSMS. In conjunction with Alan Gallagher (Head of Risk & Claims), David will deliver the NHS SMS work at a local level, including tackling violence and aggression against NEAS staff and protecting NEAS property and assets encompassing the following areas; 1. Raising security awareness/promoting a pro security culture, i.e. the distribution of security alerts, bulletins, press coverage, security awareness events 2. Deterring security incidents and breaches, i.e. use of increased publicity, improved security awareness trust wide, use of available CCTV and access control 3. Identify ways to prevent security incidents, i.e. improving physical security, working with local partners to reduce crime and disorder 4. Ensuring security incidents are detected and reported, i.e. the Trust’s have improved their method of reporting, the introduction of CCTV on new A&E ambulances, access control monitoring 5. Initiate / assist with post incident reviews and criminal investigations 10

6. Provide evidence to support sanctions i.e., liaising with the Police and NEAS Customer Care Team to support fines, ASBOs, sentences etc 7. Support staff and the Trust to seek redress, i.e. where possible attend court with staff, pursue recovery of damages Some excellent work in developing working partnerships has already been done, with information sharing arrangements agreed in principle with both Durham and Cleveland Police. David advises that he is currently liaising with Northumbria Police’s Legal Services team on the same issue.

As a result of David’s accreditation, opportunities to network and share experiences are now available via quarterly meetings of the NHS SMS North East LSMSs and National Ambulance Network Security sub-group.

Meantime staff have reacted positively to the Trust’s new incident reporting procedure (QSSD 822) with the number of reports (NEAS07s) received increasing. All security related incidents are reviewed by David with staff receiving feedback on what action, if any, can be taken. David advises that the feedback has been very well received.

Furthermore it is pleasing to see that the number of sanctions taken against offenders has increased from 3 (2008/9) to 13 (2009/10). It is hoped the increased trend of sanctions will continue with staff encouraged not to accept violence and aggression as part of their role.

Although the main related criminal offences our staff will come up against include assault, harassment, theft and criminal damage, David Edwards explained; “it is imperative that staff report any security related incident, observation or concern”. In doing so it can assist the Trust in efforts to reduce staff assaults, increase sanctions for violence and improve staff and property protection.

It also helps NEAS understand the scale of security incidents, enables NEAS to share intelligence, national research & policy development” There is a significant amount of support available to staff who may unfortunately be involved in a security related incident, including; • Your Line Manager • LSMS, Head of Risk & Claims • Occupational Health – 0191 430 2062 • Counselling Service – 0191 230 3332 and 07903 239983 • Trade Union For more information please contact David Edwards, Risk Officer/ Local Security Management Specialist on 0191 430 2145 or email david.edwards@neas.nhs.uk Brian Dodds, NEAS Unison branch chair said; “From a unison staff side perspective we fully support the work that the risk and claims department are carrying out in trying to reduce attacks on our hard working members.

“The department are actively working with the police and encouraging them to deal with the assailants through the legal process and will help staff in any way possible including attending court with them and advising on how to pursue damages.

“Staff need to be aware of the importance of reporting all assaults including verbal and physical assaults which will allow the risk department to challenge these assailants and ensure they do not abuse staff again.” (Continued ↗)

CFR UPDATE THE HEARTSTART EMERGENCY LIFE SUPPORT TRAINING COURSE, A BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION INITIATIVE

Working with the Customer Care team In recent months the Customer Care Team has been working closely with the the Head of Risk & Claims and the Trust’s LSMS to help strengthen the ongoing work to reduce the amount of persistent and regular callers to NEAS. Following a successful partnership meeting in April, links have now been created with Cleveland, Northumbria and Durham Police and a designated Force point of contact has been established to refer persistent callers to.

One of the main concerns raised by crews is the amount of time it takes for cases to be resolved and unfortunately this can take up to a year due to the complexity of each case.

It has also been agreed with Co Durham and Darlington Commissioners that the Customer Care Team will act as the first point of contact to callers to SPA and Out of Hours and will take on responsibility for co-coordinating case conferences.

All AE Team Leaders, Duty Managers and Clinical Nurse Supervisors should now have access to Persistent Caller fact files in order to access care plans and ensure any relevant court sanctions are adhered to.

It would be helpful if staff could continue to report concerns with potential persistent callers through the NEAS07 reporting procedure (QSSD 822) and although it does take time for cases to be resolved we will endeavour to keep staff updated of an outcome.

If anybody would like further information, copies of the joint Police presentation or to discuss further please contact Gayle White – gayle.white@neas. nhs.uk, 07973 966436.

Do you know what to do in a lifethreatening emergency? Learning emergency life support skills (ELS) can help keep someone alive until professional help arrives.

Heartstart is a British Heart Foundation initiative which aims to teach members of the public what to do in a life-threatening emergency.

The British Heart Foundation together with the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NEAS) can help organisations teach these skills through the Heartstart initiative.

Tracy Lamb, Teaching Assistant at Hudson Road Primary School, Sunderland sums it up “Heartstart provides great life skills for both staff and pupils. The training enables staff to deliver a programme to children developing a range of skills and knowledge not normally available to them.”

NEAS can provide BHF Heartstart instructor training to schemes for free, subject to scheme affiliation. There are over two hundred Heartstart schemes in the NEAS area. Interested people can contact the BHF to find out their local scheme or they can set up their own scheme.

Once affiliated and trained the schemes have access to quality materials and training resources which can be used by the new instructors to deliver ELS skills to others. For example, NEAS have recently trained a number of teachers and teacher’s assistants at schools who are now planning to pass this training on to their pupils as a project in the run up to the end of the year. Heartstart schemes are not restricted to school aged children. There are for example, schemes set up through hospitals, prisons and community centres.

Eleanor Blackburn, teacher at Gosforth Central Middle School, Newcastle Upon Tyne said “Heartstart is now a key part of our Personal Social Health & Economic education programme in Year 6 which staff look forward to delivering. Our pupils and young people really enjoy practising the skills. The resources are excellent and help to engage everyone taking part.

The BHF helped us put together a wellstructured programme. Success in the Heartstart programme makes every pupil feel important and builds their confidence.

The staff training was excellent and very worthwhile continuing professional development for any adult in a school setting.”

Angus McGarry and Lynsey McCabe in the NEAS First Responder Management Team are supported by the BHF for their work in Community Resuscitation.

The British Heart Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (225971) and in Scotland (SC039426). One of their fundraising initiatives is the setting up of a number of Furniture and Electrical Stores. They can raise between £15 and £100 for good quality small electrical items such as DVD players, hairdryers, kettles or even air conditioners. Please do visit www. bhf.org.uk/shops for more info.

For further details about the Heartstart scheme please do check out www.bhf. org.uk/get_involved/other_ways_to_get_ involved/heartstart_uk_training.aspx For more information about BHF Heartstart and other Community Resuscitation initiatives please contact the First Responder Management Team on firstresponder@neas.nhs.uk, or call 0191 430 2041, 0191 430 2042, 0191 430 2043 or visit www.neambulance.nhs.uk and click on Community.

Driving licence expires Unwitting motorists face £1,000 fines as thousands of photo card driving licenses expire!

Thousands of motorists are at risk of being fined up to £1,000 because they are unwittingly driving without a valid licence.

They risk prosecution after failing to spot the extremely small print on their photo card licence which says it automatically expires after 10 years and has to be renewed - even though drivers are licensed

to drive until the age of 70.

Official DVLA figures reveal that while 16,136 expired this summer, so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding.

With another 300,000 photo card licences due to expire over the coming year, experts fear the number of invalid licences will soar, putting thousands more drivers in breach of the law and at risk of a fine.

Motorists who fail to renew their licences

in time are allowed to continue driving.

But the DVLA says they could be charged with ‘failing to surrender their licence’, an offence carrying a £1,000 fine.

Today the DVLA said the date of expiry was carried on the new-style licences and it was issuing postal reminders to drivers whose photograph was due to expire, to get the renewal message across.

The DVLA said no one had so far been charged with failing to surrender a licence.

11

CLINICAL FOCUS CHILD DEATH REVIEW PROCESS Following the publication ‘Every Child Matters’ in 2003 and the response to the enquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié, one of the key provisions made by the Children Act 2004, was that Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) should be set up, one per local authority. Each LSCB has a sub-committee know as Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP). This panel reviews all child deaths both expected and unexpected from neo-nates up to children aged of 18 years 364 days. This process is carried out as the government believe that if we can understand better, why children die, we may be able to prevent similar deaths occurring in the future. The Ambulance Service has a representative on LSCB’s within our area and therefore also attends the CDOP’s.

Before the CDOP meeting a Local Case Discussion (LCD) takes place between key professionals who were involved in the care of the child, both before and immediately after the death. The Ambulance Service frequently plays a key role within these meetings as we are often the first point of contact following the death of a child and therefore on scene before any other professionals. During the LCD information is shared between the group about the child, this information may come from A&E staff, coronors’ officers, police, GP, health visitor, school nurse, community nurse, midwife, paediatricians, voluntary agencies, pathologists, YOT’s, schools, social workers and any others who may have found themselves with a contribution to make (fire fighters or faith leaders). The main purpose of the case discussion is to share information to identify the cause of death and /or those factors that may have contributed to the death, and then to plan future care for the family. Potential lessons learnt may also be identified. Discussion will also take place into the possibility of abuse or neglect either causing or contributing to the death.

How crews can help in this process Attending an incident where a child has died or is in cardiac arrest or as a result of serious injury or illness can be very traumatic for the staff involved, NEAS does offer a peer support service for any staff who feel they would like to talk about what happened and require support after the event. Please contact Occupational Health.

When an ambulance is called to an incident where a child dies or is in cardiac arrest JRCALC protocol should be followed.

Active resuscitation should be carried out unless it is clearly inappropriate. The child should always be taken to an Accident and Emergency department even if it has been decided that resuscitation is not appropriate alerting the A&E department of the circumstances where resuscitation attempts are active or ceased, unless the circumstances of the death require the body to remain at the scene (for forensic examination)and police are on scene. The reason for this is that a skeletal survey and other investigations need to be carried out as soon as possible after a child’s death and if they are left at home or taken to the mortuary these investigations do not happen.

Documenting as much information as possible on the Patient Report Form is invaluable when it comes to providing a report to the LCD by the Safeguarding Lead. It is realised that there is often commotion at the scene with distressed relatives or bystanders and staff have a lot to deal with, observations documented at the end of the handover play a vital role in the process. If staff 12

are able to document information about the premises that the incident has taken place in, for example, the state of the premises in general, the room in which the child was found, how the parents/guardians of the child were behaving, who was present in the property, anything in the property that looked unusual or out of place this would enhance the information required to establish certain facts as often situations change especially if there are persons left at the scene. This information can be documented on the PRF when the crew have time, for example, after verbal but before PRF completion at hospital.

Crew members who have attended incidents where a child has died are welcome to attend the LCD with the Safeguard Lead.

Unfortunately this would have to be done in their own time however you may find attending beneficial, even if it is to clarify why the child died and the circumstances surrounding the death.

CDOP – Child Death Overview Panel PRF – Patient Report Form LCD – Local case discussion LSCB – Local Safeguarding Board

‘Every Child Matters’ in 2003 Great Britain Department for Children Schools and Family (2010) Working Together to Safeguard Children. [online]. Available at http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk Accessed 15/06/2010

ELECTRONIC PATIENT REPORT FORM (ePRF) A business case was recently approved by the Trust board to implement a trial of the above in one division for Go Live in October 2010 This will mean an Electronic Patient Report Form will be accessible via a tough book laptop on all vehicles within the designated pilot area.

The benefits to patients are: • The Receiving unit has details of the condition and treatment before arrival • Less time is spent filling in forms • Treatment and care plans can be guided by current best practice and agreed local care pathways improving patient care • Accurate patient data drives better research • Viewing of ECG’s prior to patients arrival at receiving location • Ability to share patient information with patients own GP by NHS Mail • Ability to take account of patients sensitive data requirements • Enhanced tablet to tablet transfer meaning continuity of patient’s record, without re-keying of information The benefits to NEAS are: • Fit for purpose configuration equipped to deal with UK Emergency Care environment • Wireless Communication and ePRF transfer • Single touch data entry, improving efficiency • CAD data directly downloaded • Paper ePRF form production no longer required

The Trust has set up a Project Board to manage this implementation and more information will be published in the next Pulse

RESEARCH CORNER

INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL BARE BELOW THE ELBOWS – CLIP WATCHES The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ccompliance criteria 9: “Have and adhere to policies, designed for the individual’s care and provider organisations, that will help to prevent and control infections.”

Specifically Standard (universal) infection control precautions, the policy should be based on evidence based guidelines, including those on hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment. This incorporates the Department of Health’s Safe Clean Care Strategy which states that organisations will implement a Bare Below the Elbow (BBE) policy.

In order to comply with this staff must remove wrist watches.

Ambulance Guideline: reducing infection through effective practice in the pre-hospital environment. (Department of Health, 2008) “Healthcare staff are being encouraged to adopt a bare below the elbows clothing policy for all staff. This aims to prevent the spread of infection from contaminated sleeves and to aid effective hand hygiene procedures. This includes ambulance staff and prehospital staff, who are often at risk of contamination from the duties they carry out.” “remove watches and roll back/remove long sleeved coats to wash hands effectively.”

Wrist watches can easily become contaminated with blood and/ or body fluids due to the nature of the episode of patient care in the pre-hospital environment.

In January 2010 a business case was prepared and presented to the Executive Team and was approved. The watches where ordered and have now been disseminated to Operational Managers to ensure that all NEAS employed staff who deliver patient care will receive one, this will assist in adopting the bare below the elbow initiative and will ensure that NEAS complies with Government Legislation.

The watches will only be supplied once and staff employed by NEAS up until April 2010, new recruits will have to purchase their own. Current staff – if the watch is: • Lost – staff will have to replace • Broken – within first year the manufacturer warranty will cover, after the year then staff will have to replace • Battery needs replacing – staff will have to replace

‘PILFAST’ TRAINING Thanks to all paramedics who took part in the DASH training in April and May 2010, It was an extremely successful event.

The clinical trial they will be taking part in is called ‘PILFAST’ (Paramedic Initiated Lisinopril for Acute Stroke Treatment) PILFAST is one of the studies within the DASH program.

The training days which took place at Hexham General Hospital covered ‘An introduction to Research including Good Clinical Practice’, delivered by Dr Sally Mclure, NEAS R&D Manager. This gave an insight into the guidelines that must be adhered to when taking part in a clinical trial, why we need these guidelines and some previous research scandals. Dr Lisa Shaw gave ‘An introduction to PILFAST’, this gave a background into the trial, the study aim and objectives. It also looked into the study exclusion criteria, how to obtain consent, the trial pack and how to administer the study medication. Followed by Dr Chris Price who provided a run through of ‘Trial practicalities & example scenarios’.

This gave a more hands on approach that gave everyone the chance to practice preparing the medication, and running through the example scenarios.

We look forward to starting the clinical trial in September 2010.

The watch can be wiped using the Clinell sanitising wipe.

Christine McManus, IPC Manager.

13

Healthy Living Event

On Thursday 17th June staff from North East Ambulance Service, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Middlesbrough came together to offer advice on health and wellbeing in Captain Cook Square in Middlesbrough.

Members of the public were invited along to pick up information and promotional goodies as well as general health advice from healthcare professionals, including blood pressure awareness, being safe in the sun and access to psychological therapies and dementia awareness.

Gail Bevan and Judith Bell from our Occupational Health Department were on hand all day to give general advice to the public about healthy living and between them they took over 100 blood pressures. Normally the nurses from Occupational Health only deal with staff health issues, but they were keen to get involved with the day to show the public the kind of service they provide for staff.

Susan Coldron, membership officer for NEAS, also used as an opportunity to tell the public about our plans to become a foundation trust and to recruit public members. Joanne Coyne from Customer Care and Non- Executive Director Helen Tucker also lent a hand answering questions about how to access the services provided by North East Ambulance.

Changes in Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has announced changes in the leadership of the Trust Board at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The Appointments Commission has appointed Ms Della Cannings as the new Chairman of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

She succeeds Dr Nick Varey who, after four years as Chairman at Yorkshire Ambulance Service and a total of 22 years serving on a number of NHS boards, has decided to retire.

Della Cannings served for 32 years as a police officer in the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Cleveland Police and North Yorkshire Police and was Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police between 2002 and 2007. She holds the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM). Della is currently Deputy Chair of the National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care and Chairman of Independent Advisory Panel of the Army Foundation College (Harrogate).

Retiring Chairman Dr Nick Varey said: “I have enjoyed being part of such an ambitious organisation where we have worked hard to drive forward many improvements in emergency care for 14

the people of Yorkshire. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Della and know that her experience and understanding of the emergency services will be valuable in helping to lead the Trust.”

Speaking of her appointment, Ms Della Cannings QPM said: “I am pleased to be appointed Chairman of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and look forward to working with the staff to continue to develop and deliver a first class service of patient care. I pay tribute to Dr Nick Varey in bringing the service to its current structure and improved levels of performance.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service Chief Executive Martyn Pritchard also left the Trust in June 2010 to lead a programme of work to reform the urgent and emergency care system across Yorkshire and the Humber.

The recruitment process to appoint Martyn’s successor is underway by NHS Yorkshire and the Humber.

Green bag scheme rolled out A scheme to reduce the waste of medicines and improve safety when patients are in hospital is being launched across the region.

Already piloted in some areas including Gateshead, the ‘green bag’ scheme will make it easier for all NHS staff to find out which medicines a patient is taking. This is whether they are admitted in an emergency or for a planned operation or procedure.

Any drugs being taken by the patient are placed in a green, easy to identify, and reusable bag with the right dosage information.

The scheme aims to benefit patients and NHS staff by helping to ensure that the right medicines are given without delay. The relevant drugs would all be in the same place with up to date details on what the patient should take and when.

All PTS and A&E ambulance vehicles are to carry the bags as are hospitals in various locations, including outpatients, A&E, critical care, medical admissions units and hospital pharmacy departments.

Hospital pharmacies are encouraging the bags to be given out at pre-admission clinics and in the longer term it is hoped that the

green bags will be included with the patients’ admission letters.

The bags will be promoted via posters and leaflets in GP surgeries, community pharmacies and hospital outpatient departments across the region.

Janette Stephenson from NHS North East said: “The purpose of the green bags is to help manage medicines effectively when patients come into hospital, by keeping all of their current drugs and treatments together in one place.

“This scheme allows for transport with the patient and easy storage. The main benefits are no interruptions to drug treatment on admission to hospital and an overall reduction in waste.

“The patient’s medication should be placed in the green bag before they leave the house. Medication can be reviewed and changed while people are in hospital but should be kept with the bag.”

NICE recommends action to reduce alcohol-related harm Up to a third of all emergency attendances and ambulance costs are alcohol-related, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Alcohol needs to be less affordable and less easy to buy if we are to save thousands of lives each year, says new guidance from NICE. Around 1 in 4 men and women are currently drinking dangerous amounts of alcohol that are causing, or have the potential to cause, physical and mental damage.

To help create an environment that supports lower-risk drinking, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance outlining the most effective measures that can be taken to lower the risks of alcohol-related harm.

Professor Mike Kelly, Public Health Director at NICE said: “Alcohol misuse is a major public health concern which kills thousands of people every year and causes a multitude of physical, behavioural and mental health problems. What’s more, it costs the NHS over £2 billion annually to treat the chronic and acute affects of alcohol – this is money that could be spent elsewhere to treat

conditions that are not so easily preventable.”

Jo Webber, deputy director of policy and director of the Ambulance Service Network at the NHS Confederation, said: “Given the facts it is hard to ignore the call made by NICE for a national minimum unit price for alcohol.

“Treatment available on the NHS will remain only part of the response in tackling misuse of alcohol. Proper consideration must be given to society’s drinking habits as a whole.”

Professor Anne Ludbrook, Guidance Developer and a Health Economist said: “Although many of us are able to enjoy alcohol responsibly, we are all affected by the small proportion of those that do not or cannot; for example by the level of disorder you see in our town centres on Friday and Saturday nights, or the associated costs to the NHS and other public services, as well as those who may be quietly drinking themselves into health harms at home. It is a national problem which we all need to face up to.”

Southchurch PTS crew make world class save Robert John Hodgson and Ian Hunter, from Southchurch PTS made a world class save after helping a lady to deliver her baby en route to the maternity ward at Bishop Auckland General Hospital.

After seeing the lady in difficulty, Robert and Ian helped her into a wheelchair and started to take the lift to the maternity ward.

However, baby had different ideas and arrived into the world on the way to the second floor. The bouncing baby boy was caught

by Ian who would have made the England cricket team proud.

Chris Dobson, Team Leader South Division PTS said: “Well done to both crew members we’re very proud. Bother mother and baby boy both are doing well, despite the sight of those two being his first view of the world! Congratulations.”

15

Starters and Leavers

Obituaries & Tributes

STARTERS Kirsten Anderson

Adam Armstrong Benjamin Barnes Helen Cook Michael Grice Iain Heslop Paul Hudson James Johnston Rajinder Kaur

Alan Kennedy

Michael Laybourn Peter Murphy Graeme Murray Herdwick Takazvida Mushawa Fiona O’Roarty Marissa Samson Mohammed Izhar Tahir Karl Walker

Toni Wilkinson Fiona Wilson Darryn Cumpson Catherine Allen Rebecca Jones Peter Lamb John Fraser Christopher Wilkins Tanya Bell Emma Bradley Rachel Charlton Rebecca Henderson Laura Pollard Carly Ramsey Claire Webster

111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Clinical Nurse Adviser Ambulance HQ 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters 111 Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters Ambulance Paramedic Chester Le Street Station Commercial Training Officer Ambulance HQ HR Advisor Ambulance Headquarters Senior Information Analyst Ambulance HQ Information Analyst Ambulance Headquarters Information Analyst Ambulance Headquarters Customer Care Officer Ambulance Headquarters SPA Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters SPA Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters SPA Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters SPA Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters SPA Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters SPA Call Operator Ambulance Headquarters

Eric Henderson Sadly last month, Eric Henderson, who used to work at Ashington Station passed away after a short illness. Eric’s funeral was held at Church point in Newbiggin on the 25th June.

George Dewen George Dewen first came to Durham County Ambulance Service as Chief Officer, from Nottingham where he held a similar post. George was the Chief Officer of Durham County Ambulance Service from 1963 until 1987. He lived in Newton Aycliffe and then Newton Hall during his time with the service.

Those who worked with him said he liked everything done the right way and was a gentleman to work with.

After retiring George moved with his wife Beryl to Denia in Spain and sadly fell ill and died aged 84 years old in March while on a cruise in Columbia. He was cremated while there and his ashes were scattered into the sea.

George is survived by Beryl and son Paul who lives in Denver, USA and a daughter Elizabeth and two grandchildren who live in London.

Congratulations Congratulations to Eve Teasdale from Southchurch PTS who celebrates 20 years working PTS this week.

LEAVERS William Hall Sheila McGrath Dean McMann James Alsop Janine Munroe Stuart Thompson Simon Collins Katrina Watt

ACA B2 ACA B2 Emergency Care Support Worker Advanced Technician Advanced Technician Ambulance Paramedic SPA Call Operator Ambulance Paramedic

11 y 1 m 0 y 11 m 0y8m 18 y 7 m 5y0m 9y4m 2y1m 9y7m

SUCCESSFUL RESUSCITATIONS

16

25th May

Berwick’s Paramedic Team Leader Dave Redmond and Advanced Technician Gareth Collins

21st June

Paramedic Phil Barlow and Student Paramedic Mark Lennox

2nd July

Paramedic Colleen Smith based at Russell House, and Year 1 Student Paramedic, Rachel Hewitt based at Gateshead Station (They would also like to thank PC Heron and colleagues from Gateshead Police Station for their excellent CPR which was much appreciated.)

July

Jacqui Nicholls, Morton Park PTS helped in successful resuscitation at Darlington Memorial Hospital

Well done from everyone at Southchurch PTS and here at the Pulse!

13th JULY is the

DEADLINE

for submissions to next months Pulse

YOUR SHOUT WRITE

FAX

EMAIL

PR DEPARTMENT, BERNICIA HOUSE NEWBURN RIVERSIDE NEWCASTLE UPON-TYNE NE15 8NY

0191 430 2074

LETTERS@NEAS.NHS.UK

All letters are welcome. Please include station/department and contact telephone number in letters and emails. If you do not wish for your name and address to be displayed please state this. The Pulse reserves the right to edit letters for publication.

Dear Pulse,

Dear Pulse,

I am writing concerning the article which was published in the last Pulse magazine regarding reflection and publishing details of a case which a member of staff had attended. He attempted to describe this under the heading of reflection. As a department we have had a number of concerns regarding the article’s assertion that it is a reflective piece and also question its validity in terms of consent, anonymity and ethics.

We were quite disappointed that this did not follow the reflective process which was described in some detail in May’s Pulse. This set out the the real benefits for personal and professional development of reflection and improving the quality of patient care. This article clearly did none of those things.

We would like to emphasise that it was not a reflective piece or followed any of the guidance for reflection set out by our academic partner, Teesside University, or from the large body of knowledge which has been written about and published from a number of professions.

I would encourage all clinical staff who may have questions or would like to know more about this to book themselves on our internal CPD session ‘Introduction to Reflective Practice’. The course is available throughout the year and can be booked via the Education and Training Website.

I would like to thank all of you who have so often attended my dad who lives in Peterlee. Dad had a fall on Saturday 24th April while he was visiting us at home and was admitted to North Tees Hospital with a broken arm (Terry Short Peterlee RRV, Seaham’s Jill Clark and Steve Stansfield). Unfortunately he deteriorated over the next three weeks due to his long term condition of heart failure and passed away on Thursday 17th May. So many of you helped my dad over the years and knew him due to your repeat visits. He was always relieved to see you as not only did you deal with his condition but you also put him at ease during these stressful times.

The Paramedic service has been exceptional and was always praised by both my dad and ourselves as a dedicated, professional and empathetic team.

Yours faithfully Peterlee Resident and Family

Dear Pulse, Thanks to all the drivers for your superb service and support during my course of treatment at the Freeman Hospital.

Durham Resident

Mark Nevins Education Lead - North /South Tyne, Year 1 Programme Leader

Dear Pulse, To Morpeth’s Stephen Eke and James Tosney , 999 call taker Andrea Feeley, charge nurse Stuart. I write to thank all of you for the excellent service and attention given to my husband. You tried so hard but he was a very sick man and very tired and he himself would appreciate to excellent attention given to him and myself afterwards. You were all great and worthy of credit.

WEDDINGS

Your Sincerely, Choppington Resident

Rachel gets married

Dear Pulse, I took advantage of the offer of free entry to Alnwick Gardens that was recently circulated via the intranet. I went on the day and really enjoyed it, thanks to the communications department very much for highlighting this offer.

Kind Regards Philip Liscombe Team Leader, Chester-le-Street

Kate Lambton Kate Lambton who works on PTS control married Gavin Lambton in the Lake District on Sunday 20th June. Kate and Gavin then flew off to New York for their honeymoon.

On Friday 4th June Rachel Powell from PTS Control married Craig Oliver at the South Causey Inn. Rachel looked stunning as she walked up the aisle with her Dad, Ken Powell who works out of Hebburn station. The day was made extra special as Ken and his wife celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary.

17

Events cover Sun 04/07/10 Sat 10/07/10 Sat 10/07/10 Sun 11/07/10

Sun 11/07/10 Fri 23/07/10 Fri 23/07/10 Fri 23/07/10 Sat 24/07/10 Sat 24/07/10 Sat 24/07/10 Sat 24/07/10 Sun 25/07/10 Sun 25/07/10 Sat 31/07/10

TO COVER ANY OF THE EVENTS PLEASE DO SO THROUGH PROMIS OR CONTACT RESOURCE SCHEDULING.

Race for Life - ‘On-Site’ 08:30 Aykley Heads Sports Centre Mouth of Tyne Festival, South Shields - ‘On-Site’ 08:00 International Athletics - Gateshead ‘On-Site’ 14:00 Finish TBC Race for Life - ‘On-Site’ 08:30 Exhibition Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Triathlon Event, Derwent Reservoir - ‘On-Site’ 08:30 Pet Shop Boys, Metro Radio Arena - ‘On-Site’ 17:30 Burgham Horse Trials, Burgham, Northumberland ‘On-Site- 07:00’ Sunderland Air Show - ‘On-Site’ 18:00 Burgham Horse Trials, Burgham,Northumberland ‘On-Site- 07:00’ Sunderland Air Show - ‘On-Site’ 09:00 Newcastle Races - ‘On-Site’ 12:40 Hartlepool United v Leeds United - ‘On-Site’ 14:00 Burgham Horse Trials, Burgham,Northumberland ‘On-Site- 07:00’ Sunderland Air Show - ‘On-Site’ 09:00 NUFC v PSV Eindhoven - ‘On-Site’ 13:30

1 x Ambulance Durham 1 x Ambulance South Shields 2 x Ambulances Gateshead 1 x Ambulance TBC (2 x Races - 1 at 10:00 and next at 14:30) 1 x Ambulance Hexham 1 x Ambulance Blucher 1 x Ambulance Ashington TBC 1 x Ambulance Pallion 1 x Ambulance Ashington TBC 2 x Ambulances Pallion 3 x Ambulances Ashington 1 x Ambulance Peterlee 1 x Ambulance Ashington TBC 2 x Ambulances Pallion 4 x Ambulances + ISU Blucher

The events highlighted in ‘BLUE’ - Resource Scheduling find a crew.

The events in ‘BLACK’ - sourced by either Divisional Officers or Event Officers for the Football or Stations for the Racing and Rugby.

The Metro Radio Arena Events in Red are still to be confirmed.

PUZZLE PAGE Crossword

Down 1. Military chaplain (5) 2. Compunction (7) 3. Survival (9) 4. Fifth sign of the zodiac (3) 5. Emblem (5) 8. Tried (9) 11. Physician (7) 13. Frighten (5) 15. Tempest (5) 17. Drinking vessel (3) 18

Across 1. Eternal (9) 6. Water barrier (3) 7. Precious gem (7) 9. Mistake (5) 10. One of the senses (5) 12. Expert (3) 13. Beer mug (5) 14. Score (5) 16. Very old (7) 18. Self (3) 19. Stage name (9)

Suduku

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NEAS SPORT If you have any sporting activities that you are involved in, within NEAS or privately please feel free to forward on any information and photographs to the communications team at: publicrelations@neas.nhs.uk where we will be happy to report on it.

Help for Heroes: Hadrian Wall Walk

On June 4th 2010 nine staff from the Teesside Division took part in a Hadrian Wall Walk starting at Wallsend and finishing on Wednesday June 9th 2010 in Boweness on Solway. This six day and 84 mile walk was carried out by; Colin Gibson, Ivan Doherty, Geoff Rosser, Peter Marshall, Jamie Marshall, Ritchie Morgan, John Cousins, Ian Gibson and Jayne Cousins all A&E staff from Middlesbrough, Redcar, Control and the HART team.

Help for Heroes was founded in October 2007 out of a desire to help the wounded Servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The message of the charity is simple: They are strictly non political and non critical; they simply want to help.

They believe that anyone who volunteers to serve in time of war, knowing that they may risk all, is a hero.

Help for Heroes raises money to support members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded in the service of their country.

Over a million people have responded to date and millions of pounds have been raised to buy much needed services that will aid their recovery.

The NEAS staff started doing the Hadrian Wall Walk annually three years ago after Ivan Doherty spent some time during 2007 in Afghanistan as a medic with the TA. Ivan explained that “after my time working with the TA as a medic in Afghanistan I wanted to do something when I returned to highlight the effort of British troop out in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting for our country.”

After months of training in the Cleveland Hills the team of NEAS staff began their walk. Already they have raised over £3500 but if any NEAS staff would like to offer a donation please contact: Colin Gibson on 0777 904 6449 or Ivan Doherty on 07904 066 715

NEAT move to get more people active across the region People across the North East are being urged to travel more ‘actively’ with the launch of a new initiative. The aim is not only to improve health but also to reduce congestion on our busy roads and to help strengthen our communities.

Public Health North East is leading efforts to bring the transport 20

and health sectors together to create more opportunities for safe active travel across the region.

A group has been set up in partnership with Government Office for the North East, One North East, the Association of North East Councils, Nexus and the Living Streets charity.

North East Active Travel (NEAT) will help health and transport agencies deliver active travel solutions over the next few years.

Professor Stephen Singleton, regional director of public health, said: “Building physical activity into your daily life is an easy way to reap the benefits of increased exercise.

“It’s free and doesn’t disrupt your routine to any great degree – and has the added bonus that you are helping the community and the environment.

“Schemes such as this will help us make our 25-year regional Better Health Fairer Health strategy a reality.”

Transport charity Sustrans are coordinating the work and have stated their commitment to increasing levels of physically active travel.

For more information on how to travel actively where you live email info@neatmoves.co.uk or contact Sustrans at www.sustrans.org.uk

Great North Bike Ride

On Sunday 29th August 2010 the Great North Bike Ride will start from Seahouses at approximately 9:00am. Cyclists will cycle along the beautiful North Northumberland coastline. A designated area of outstanding natural beauty, Seahouses is the ideal starting point to explore this magnificent part of Northumberland. After cycling an estimated 56 miles along the scenic coastline you will arrive at Tynemouth Priory and Castle. Entry Fee is £10 to include Nike T-Shirt, medal and refreshments.

Transport can also be booked up to Seahouses on the morning but places are limited so book early if required. The cost is £15 per person including cycles.

This is a sponsored Charity Bike Ride for The Chris Lucas Trust.

Your entry fee only covers the cost of running the event so please ask family and friends to sponsor you generously to make a real difference to the lives of children and young adults suffering from Cancer.

You can register on-line www.greatnorthbikeride.com or call 0191 2632884 More information on our website: www.greatnorthbikeride.com www.chrislucastrust.com