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Hunt: Guided by Science?

September saw Jeremy Hunt installed as the new health secretary, and he’s sure to have a busy time of it as the reality of NHS reform draws closer. He’s just announced that the changes will cost significantly more than anticipated (see page 7) and has gone on to preach tough new standards which set out what patients should expect from NHS hospital food (see page 61).

A known advocate of homeopathy, Hunt was asked by Radio 4 whether he believes it works. He said: “I believe that my decisions as health secretary should be based on science and should be evidence-based and driven by evidence. I will follow the scientific advice.” Indeed, politcal point scoring features heavily in his recent soundbites: “The NHS does not belong to Labour any more than victory in the Second World War belongs to the Conservatives.”

The news of his appointment was met with mixed emotions at The British Medical Council. BMA chair Dr Mark Porter said: “The appointment of a new health secretary provides a fresh opportunity for doctors and government to work together to improve patient care and deal with the many challenges facing the NHS.” Slightly less optimistically, its deputy chairman, Dr Kailash Chand, told the Telegraph: “Jeremy Hunt is new Health Secretary - disaster in the NHS carries on. I fear a more toxic right winger to follow the privatisation agenda.”

Hunt featured in a line-up with the Queen so Her Majesty could says thanks for the Olympics. The smiling minister was approached by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who in typical fashion, asked him “Who are you?” Hunt explained that while he was currently health secretary, he had been culture secretary at the time of the Jubilee and Olympics, to which the Duke replied: “Well they do move you people on a lot”.

How long the new health secretary will last is anyone’s guess. Our next issue will be available just before the Christmas break. Until then........

Danny Wright

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive all issues of Health Business magazine for £95 a year, please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Health Business website at:

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226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Danny Wright ASSISTANT EDITOR Angela Pisanu PRODUCTION EDITOR Karl O’Sullivan PRODUCTION CONTROL Jacqueline Lawford WEBSITE PRODUCTION Reiss Malone ADVERTISEMENT SALES Kylie Glover, Jeremy Cox, Lorena Ward, Grace Banks, AJ Baker, Josephine Martha ADMINISTRATION Victoria Leftwich, Lucy Carter PUBLISHER Karen Hopps GROUP PUBLISHER Barry Doyle REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

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Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

03

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If your traditional, hard wired, system has not kept up with your expansion and the change of use of rooms, the Little Green Button is ideal. The cost of adding one new button to fixed systems is usually many times the annual fee for the Little Green button. Indeed, many new builds have dispensed entirely with hard-wired systems and specified the Little Green Button as the panic alarm from day one. Other key features include : • It’s a server-less system, buttons communicate peer to peer.

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Contents

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CONTENTS 07 HB NEWS

29 DESIGN & BUILD

11 RECRUITMENT

33 INFECTION CONTROL - CLEANING

Revalidation plans come into force this December; NHS Confederation launches new Hospitals Forum.

49 HEALTHCARE IT

With huge potential to reduce costs, Telehealth is becoming an increasingly important option for clinicians, writes Loretta MacInnes of the Telecare Services Association

WardSpace from Portakabin hopes to address demand for beds over winter; £28m Finchley Memorial Hospital opens.

The way NHS Direct uses non-clinical agency staff on the frontline has changed significantly over the years and even more so in recent months, says Keith Gait, chief operating officer.

53 EHI LIVE 2013

The National Patient Safety Agency recommends the use of four key colours to cover the different hospital cleaning zones.

This has been underlined and clarified by the British Institute of Cleaning Science.

17 ENERGY

After upgrading its standby generators and installing smart metering at the Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust can now capitalise on a ‘demand response’ programme, where large operations switch to their on-site generators at peak times.

37 THE CLEANING SHOW

21 FIRE SAFETY

41 TRAINING

A look at EHI Live, which examine the role of the CCIO in detail with its first Leaders Network conference this November.

55 CONFERENCES & EVENTS What’s coming up on the healthcare events calendar including the Emergency Services Show and the Global Healthcare Summit.

With a full programme of attractions and the largest number of exhibitors yet, as well as a co-location with the popular IMHX materials handling and logistics event, The 2013 Cleaning Show is set to be the biggest and best ever.

Hospitals - what’s the risk of a fire?

Greater than you would think, suggests Robert Thilthorpe, technical manager at the Fire Industry Association.

57 DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

Anthony Pearlgood, chairman of the BSIA Information Destruction section, looks at the challenges faced by the health sector in securing sensitive information.

How to re-motivate - John Sylvester, executive director of P&MM Motivation, looks at how strict financial policies have impacted on employee motivation and engagement programmes.

33 FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

59 SIGNAGE

David Catanach, director at the British Sign and Graphics Association, takes an amusing look at wayfinding signage in hospitals.

45 BARCODING

The healthcare sector featured heavily among the winners of the British Institute of Facilities Management’s annual awards, which were revealed in October and presented by comedian and former barrister Clive Anderson.

Basic data standards can help NHS trusts to improve efficiency says Roger Lamb, healthcare sector manager at GS1 UK, which is responsible for the most widely used set of supply chain standards.

61 CATERING

Jeremy Hunt announces eight new principles for hospital food.

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NHS FINANCE

Poor financial planning blamed as 25 per cent of Foundation Trusts report first quarter deficit figures Regulator Monitor is urging NHS foundation trusts to start delivering hospital cost savings earlier in the year in order to reduce their exposure to financial risk.

The advice comes in the latest quarterly report on the health of the foundation trust sector, which now comprises two-thirds of all NHS secondary care providers running about 1,000 hospitals. Regular returns to Monitor from 144 foundation trusts in England indicate that 25 per cent were in deficit for the first three months of the financial year 2012-13, compared with only one in ten in the last quarter of the previous year, 2011-12.

The report suggests that the current aggregate deficit in the first three months of 2012-13 (£62m - £10m more than during the same period last year) reflects poor financial planning by some foundation trusts. If trusts do not plan early enough they run up an early deficit, only to clear it later in the year when savings plans begin to bite. Monitor is urging trust boards to take a closer look at the issue and make sure cost savings are delivered earlier in the year.

Monitor assesses the financial health of FTs on their performance in the medium term and does not require them to break even each year. They are therefore allowed to run a short term deficit, and from a business perspective

this can be an acceptable method of managing their finances. The report stated an increasing number of foundation trusts are likely to be placed in significant breach of their terms of authorisation for financial reasons over the next few years. It also highlights a number of small trusts with relatively large deficits. It indicates those at the greatest financial risk are among those based on the traditional district general hospital model; having to adapt to changing

HB News

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local health economy pressures; and struggling with unaffordable PFIs. Stephen Hay, Monitor’s chief operating officer, said: “The sector as a whole continues to demonstrate considerable resilience, but we cannot expect foundation trusts to be immune from the financial pressures facing all NHS organisations. Small acute trusts are particularly vulnerable.” tinyurl.com/8mngtlu

NHS REFORM Jeremy Hunt announces reform cost increase Freshly appointed health secretary Jeremy Hunt has revealed that the NHS reforms will cost £300m more than originally estimated. In a written ministerial statement, he said that the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act in England would cost ‘in the range of’ £1.5bn to £1.6bn. The Department of Health’s original impact assessment said the implementation costs would be in the region of £1.2bn to £1.3bn. Redundancy costs are expected to be around £630m - £360m lower than the highest estimate in the impact assessment and ‘some £180m lower than the most likely estimate’. In the statement, Hunt said that the long-term savings from the changes were estimated to be £1.5bn per year, from 2014/15 onwards. Gross savings over the transition period, which began in 2010/11 and is due to end next April, are estimated at £4.5bn. BMA chairman Dr Mark Porter said: ‘The huge costs of this largely unnecessary reorganisation are particularly galling given that patient services are being rationed.” tinyurl.com/9a44suw

BARIATRIC SURGERY

GP ASSESSMENTS

Report into bariatric Revalidation plans come operations raises concerns into force this December A report conducted by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) found that many patients undergo bariatric operations without a proper assessment of the risks the procedure poses to them.

The report Bariatric Surgery: Too Lean a Service? examined the care given to 381 patients who were treated both privately and by the NHS, and suggests that more attention should be paid to pre-surgery counselling. It says a third of patients had received

psychological counselling prior to referral for surgery, 24 per cent of consent forms did not contain appropriate information and 32 per cent of patients did not receive adequate follow-up after surgery. Nearly a fifth of patients had to be readmitted to hospital, with some needing further surgery. “Bariatric surgery is a radical procedure with considerable risks, as well as benefits,” said the report co-author and NCEPOD clinical co-ordinator in surgery Ian Martin. tinyurl.com/9y5jrss

From December all doctors will be given annual assessments and full five-yearly checks to ensure they are still fit to practice, newly appointed Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced.

The move follows discussions dating back to 2000, when the former General Medical Council president Sir Donald Irvine launched the revalidation proposals on the basis that the public assumed checks were made to ensure that doctors continue to be fit to practice but that this wasn’t the case. Plans were under way at the time of the Shipman inquiry in 2005, but Dame Janet Smith, who chaired it, was strongly critical, saying the proposals would not ensure that failing and bad doctors were picked up, so they had to be reworked. Hunt said: ‘We want to have the best survival rates in Europe for the major killer diseases. Doctors save lives every day and making sure they

are up to speed with the latest treatments and technologies will help them save even more.

This is why a proper system of revalidation is so important.’

The BBC reports that the plans for revalidation herald the biggest shake-up in medical regulation for more than 150 years. However, it will be April 2016 before the vast majority of the first round of checks have been done.

The new system has undergone testing and piloting involving more than 4,000 doctors. The decision regarding renewal of a doctor’s licence to practise will be made by the GMC. Professor Sir Peter Rubin, chair of the GMC, said: “We are confident that the introduction of revalidation will make a major contribution to the quality of care that patients receive and will give them valuable assurance that the doctors who treat them are regularly assessed against our professional standards.”

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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NHS CONFEDERATION

NEWS IN BRIEF Hospitals Forum aims to influence appoints former Government policy on big challenges DoH barrister for Savile probe The NHS Confederation has launched a Hospitals Forum to provide a voice on the issues facing hospitals and acute services in the immediate and long term. It will be chaired by Dr Mark Newbold, chief executive of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, and aims to strengthen the impact that acute provider trusts and foundation trusts (over 90 per cent of which are NHS Confederation members) have in informing the organisation’s work and influencing Government policy.

Dr Newbold said: “The hospital sector is facing some really big challenges in the years ahead, not least improving the quality of care for patients while trying to find unprecedented savings. There are many hospitals providing great care around the country. But the pressures on them are growing and we need to look at how we can change services to best respond to people’s needs.”

Mike Farrar, NHS Confederation chief executive, said: “Hospitals play a vital role in the NHS. But that role is changing as technology evolves, and the needs of patients and the way we care for them change. We need to make sure our members involved in the provision or commissioning of hospital based services are set up to respond to demand.”

“The NHS Confederation Hospitals Forum will bring together leaders from around the country, alongside all the other parts of the NHS, to discuss and debate our issues and challenges, and how we respond to them.”

The forum is free to existing NHS

Confederation member organisations, and those that provide bedded hospital care are automatically included as members. The work programme Dr Mark Newbold will be developed from the key priorities - through the forum’s steering group, over the next six months it will look at four initial areas: communicating and responding to the financial pressures on hospital service providers; helping to deliver major service change; exploring new models of acute service provision, and; maintaining high quality hospital care through the downturn.

The forum will work alongside the Commission on Dignity in Care, in partnership with Age UK and the Local Government Association, to help hospitals and care homes put recommendations for improving patient experience into practice. It will also maintain a strong focus on the issue of quality in the run up to and following on from the recommendations of the Francis Inquiry.

Dr Newbold added: “The Confederation needs to provide a space where people can come together to tackle the really big issues.”

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NHS prescribing high numbers of NICE-approved drugs

CQC support for ‘Speaking Up’

Uptake of NICE-approved medicines on the NHS to treat cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis is higher than expected, latest figures reveal.

The data, published within an experimental report by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), examines the use of NICE-appraised medicines in England and covers prescribing during 2010 and 2011.

The review looks at medicines used for 25 different treatment groups. Of these, it was able to compare observed or actual use with expected use for 13 treatment groups.

The drugs were: statins for adults with cardiovascular disease, insulin glargine and detemir for people with type 1 diabetes, varenicline to aid smoking cessation, temozolomide for newly diagnosed brain cancer in adults and carmustine implants for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. tinyurl.com/8dsylsz

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has joined with other regulators, professional bodies and trade unions to launch the ‘Speaking Up’ charter, a commitment to work together to support people who raise concerns in the public interest.

The Charter aim to provide for an environment where people feel able to raise concerns, be they staff, users of health and social care services, their relatives, or anyone else.

Alongside CQC, signatories to the charter include NHS Employers, the British Medical Association, the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, the British Dental Association, the Health and Care Professions Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, UNISON and Unite.

David Behan, CQC’s chief executive, said: “The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is committed to helping foster and create an open and transparent culture for those who ‘speak out’ in the health and social care sectors. We welcome wholeheartedly this charter.” tinyurl.com/9l3gnhs

PHARMACEUTICALS

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The Department of Health is to appoint former barrister Kate Lampard to oversee an investigation into Sir Jimmy Savile. A spokesperson said Lampard would “ensure rigour and consistency” in probes at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Broadmoor and inside the DoH. Police say Savile may have sexually abused 60 people over a period of six decades.

NHS 111 call data for August The DoH has released initial call statistics from ten sites providing the NHS 111 service. In August, there were 89,870 calls, with 88 per cent coming from people directly dialling 111. Scaled up, this would represent 10.2 million calls per year across England, according to the DoH. In the same period, 99 per cent of calls were answered within 60 seconds. Of all calls, 1 per cent were abandoned after waiting longer than 30 seconds.

Success on waiting times Figures released in October show that the number of people waiting longer than 26 and 52 weeks to start treatment is at its lowest level since records began. At the end of August 2012, over 100,000 fewer patients were waiting longer than 18 weeks to start treatment than the same time last year. The average wait to start inpatient treatment is stable at 8.3 weeks, similar to August 2011 and May 2010.

Low breastfeeding rate costs NHS millions, says UNICEF Low breastfeeding rates in the UK are costing the NHS millions of pounds, according to research commissioned by UNICEF UK. Moderate increases in breastfeeding could save around £40m a year for the NHS by reducing GP consultations and hospital admissions by tens of thousands, the study found.

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tinyurl.com/d6yus52

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

09

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RECRUITMENT

Recruitment

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Written by Keith Gait, chief operating officer, NHS Direct

A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH TO AGENCY WORKING Keith Gait, chief operating officer, NHS Direct, discusses its relationship with contact centre insourcing and outsourcing specialist Conduit, which uses the best practice elements of contact centre management whilst operating in the very different environment of the NHS. This has allowed NHS Direct to understand the different motivations of people who choose agency work over a substantive role.

The way NHS Direct uses non-clinical agency staff on the frontline has changed significantly over the years and even more so in recent months. Agency staff have always been a consistent presence in our operational model with our use of them being centered around the fulfillment of short term gaps, and to provide resilience to our operation. For NHS Direct, the motivation for using agency staff has never been financial. Instead it has been about how this approach can help us to increase our flexibility and ability to meet peaks in patient demand so that we can continue to deliver a safe and effective service to our patients at all times. This was most notable in the period of pandemic flu in 2009 and in severe winters, where demand for our service has been unprecedented. The flexibility created through the use of agency and temporary staff in these periods has been instrumental in helping us to remain highly resilient and focused at a time of extreme pressure.

BREAKING THE MOULD When NHS Direct launched 12 years ago it broke the mould in terms of the way healthcare is delivered. As a provider of remotely delivered healthcare advice and

information, it has changed the way patients interact with the NHS and showed the value of using the telephone and web to access urgent healthcare advice at a time when faceto-face delivery was the norm. The service has continued to develop over the years. Now more people access NHS Direct’s services online than they do over the phone (around 4.7 million calls a year and over 10 million online interactions). As the way we deliver our services has changed, so too have the operational requirements and methods used to meet these demands.

AGENCY STAFF APPROACH Although the use of agency staff has been an important operational tool in helping to ensure consistent access to the service, it has only been in the last 12-18 months that we have seen a significant change in our approach. In early 2011 we entered into an insourcing contract with one of the leading providers of contact centre outsourcing and insourcing, Conduit, which today provides us with a complement of health advisor staff - these are non-clinical staff who answer the initial calls coming into NHS Direct. There are significant benefits to this approach and Conduit provides E

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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RECRUITMENT

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Insourced staff are valued members of the team and we are committed to ensuring that they feel part of the NHS Direct family. Our agency staff have exactly the same training and ongoing support as our substantive staff.

E us with a fully-managed service, which means they manage every aspect of the relationship between the member of staff and NHS Direct, from recruitment and training to the day-to-day management responsibilities.

This partnership approach has helped us reap huge benefits, including increased productivity and better motivations from staff.

The adoption of this approach has been heavily influenced by the changing nature of the way patients access our services over the years, and in response to unprecedented organisational change. In June 2013, our nationally commissioned telephone service (0845 46 47) will cease to operate, and will be replaced by the new, locally commissioned, NHS 111 service which will be rolled out across England. We have delivered four NHS 111 pilots since November 2010 and over the last 12 months we have bid for local NHS 111 contracts and have been selected by commissioners covering over 32 per cent of England’s population. During this time we have also seen a shift in call patterns to the 0845 service, much more to the out-of-hours and weekend period. In order to prepare for this change we have already undergone a major organisational-wide review of our substantive staff rosters and have, as a result of this, changed the shift and roster patterns for all substantive front line staff. This has made a huge difference to our ability to deliver a safe and effective service and has been very positive in ensuring we are available when our patients need us.

RESILIENCE The resilience we have built up through our insourcing capability has helped us to make these changes as smoothly and with as little disruption to patients as possible. It has also influenced the way that we have built our future rosters by experiencing different and highly effective models of delivery. Because of the move to locally commissioned NHS 111 services which will see significant organisational change, a decision was made in April this year to pause our substantive frontline recruitment process. Having an effective insourcing partnership in place has meant that we could make these important business-critical decisions without the risk of putting pressure on our existing substantive staff and without having a detrimental effect on our performance, ensuring that we could continue to provide a high quality and safe service for our patients. It has also allowed us the time needed to make decisions about

the staffing levels we will need for the future without making any premature commitments to staff joining the organisation in this interim period.

COMPLEX NATURE Engaging with Conduit to understand the unique and complex nature of our organisaiton has been really important. You can easily draw comparisons between NHS Direct and a typical contact centre business (30 contact centres across England, operating 24 hours and day, seven days a week, efficient scheduling of frontline staff to meet forecasted call volumes). However, the fact that NHS Direct is an NHS Trust delivering clinical services means that we can never conform fully to the typical contact centre model. The challenge for us was to ensure that Conduit could use the best practice elements of contact centre management whilst operating in the very different environment NHS Direct presented, respectful of the unique skills required for telephone clinical assessment and triage. Key to the success was the development of a strong relationship with Conduit, and we have worked closely with them to ensure their approach is closely aligned with our organisational objectives, values and vision.

Conduit and the staff they appoint need to have a thorough understanding of NHS Direct, and equally important is for us to understand the different motivations of people who choose agency work over a substantive role.

We must be mindful that agency staff have actively chosen this type of work as part of a lifestyle choice for varied reasons and we have to be respectful of that. For us, it is about achieving a balance between the choices staff make to take on agency work and our requirements to meet the patient need. This is where having our insourced staff fully managed by the agency is really effective as it allows the agency to set the agenda with the focus completely on the interests of their specific staffing group.

PART OF THE TEAM Insourced staff are valued members of the team and we are committed to ensuring that they feel part of the NHS Direct family. Our agency staff have exactly the same training and ongoing support as our substantive staff. They are also offered the same incentives, learning and development opportunities that helps them to progress their knowledge and skills.

The feedback we receive from Conduit about the environment we create and the support we

About the author Keith Gait joined NHS Direct in August 2011 as deputy chief operating officer, taking up the role of chief operating officer shortly after in December. Keith has 18 years experience in the customer service and contact centre field.

Keith was customer service director at Sainsbury’s mobile and had a successful career with organisations such as Sitel and Barclaycard. He has completed performance improvement, strategic direction, outsourcing, and transformation programmes for a wide range of clients.

Keith is the author of 101 Ways to Improve Customer Service, The Attrition Waterfall, and The Causes of Churn in the Broadband Industry; Keith is also a judge for the CCF European Call Centre Awards and the Customer Service Training Awards. He recently presented his latest research on ‘The Unfaithful Customer’ at the Call Centre Expo in September 2010. Keith has recently completed his MBA from Henley Business School. provide is excellent. The relationship we have developed with Conduit has been crucial to our capability to manage the current service and our patients’ needs in these changing and often challenging times. There are lessons that other NHS organisations going through equally challenging times can take from our approach. Central to this is the benefits of a true partnership between organisation and agency. Creating a partnership that is transparent and supportive, and which takes into account the working environment, the people affected and the interdependencies between all parties, results in an approach that benefits staff and patients. L

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Working in Partnership “I wrote to you last year, when having listened to your feedback, we reduced our prices by up to 19% in a bid to help ease the burden of targeted savings.

I’m pleased to now introduce the first of our series that will share the experiences of some of our customers and our employees who help make Vernacare the UK’s number one choice for Medical Pulp.

Rather than tell you why you should purchase our high quality pulp products and gain from the value added service we provide, we wanted your peers to share their experience.

I am delighted to introduce you to Michael Doyle, Procurement & Commercial Services Manager for Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. A Vernacare customer for several years now, we look forward to continuing to support this Foundation Trust in achieving infection control targets.”

Karen Haslam Chief Executive

Vernacare Limited, Folds Road, Bolton, Lancashire BL1 2TX Telephone: 01204 555999 Fax: 01204 523595 Web: www.vernacare.co.uk Email: info@vernagroup.com

Value Added Service “Having worked in NHS Procurement for six years I have found Vernacare an excellent supplier to work with.

The benefits they bring are vast and we receive great support from Richard, our local Vernacare Territory Manager.

The quality of the pulp products means that nurses can have full confidence that the pulp never leaks and have no need to ‘double-up’ the pulp, which ends up costing more in the long run both in direct pulp and maceration costs.

The trust recently signed a commitment contract that has provided us with a fixed price guarantee which assists in budgetary planning whilst providing assurance that we are using a high quality product.

As a direct customer the service is good and supply is never an issue.

The relationship between the trust and Vernacare is easy to manage. They are a proactive organisation who support the Trust in achieving its infection control targets. We look forward to developing the relationship further during the contract period to deliver even greater value for the trust.”

Michael Doyle

Procurement & Commercial Services Manager Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Vernacare Limited, Folds Road, Bolton, Lancashire BL1 2TX Telephone: 01204 555999 Fax: 01204 523595 Web: www.vernacare.co.uk Email: info@vernagroup.com

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

HCS CONSULTING

Ian Hargreaves established HCS Consulting in 2000 after 18 years’ experience in Estates in the NHS, 13 of which included overall responsibility for Energy Management and Capital Projects. Since then, HCS has carried out Energy Consultancy services extensively within the NHS and the Public Sector, including Carbon Trust funded surveys, and currently provides tailored Energy Management services (particularly useful where the Trust no longer has a full-time Energy Manager), Air Conditioning Reports, Carbon Trust Standard accreditation and advice, and Display Energy Certificates.

HCS Consulting is a member of ESTA, and is listed on the new ESTA/Energy Institute Register of Independent Energy Consultants. Ian has recently qualified as a Certified Measurement and Verification Professional, which enables him to independently verify savings claimed for energy efficiency schemes (of any size) that repay the capital cost through annual savings – particularly important when increasing energy costs or changing practices obscure the savings!

HCS Consulting can also offer validation of your Trust’s carbon emission footprint to the WRI/WBCSD GHG emissions Protocol or for CRC, EU ETS or ERIC annual returns.

Ian Hargreaves, IEng, FIHEEM, MCMI, CMVP Managing Director, HCS Consulting, Grangeview House, Sevenacres, Delph, OLDHAM OL3 5HU

Tel: 01457 871211 Mobile: 07968 723254

OFTEC Consultancy Services Impartial and independent assessment of oil-fired heating and cooking installations: • On-site inspections of oil-fired installations to ensure compliance with Building Regulations and industry codes of practice • Evaluation service to help you make high quality, cost effective system upgrades • Flexible service tailored to your particular needs and requirements • Detailed, illustrated inspection reports with findings and recommendations • Delivered in partnership with LABC • All inspections carried out by OFTEC’s experienced in-house technical team • Managed and delivered by OFTEC – the authoritative and impartial voice of the oil heating and cooking industry.

As a not-for-profit organisation OFTEC offers the impartial and independent inspection service that our customers demand. Our technical team have all the knowledge and expertise you need to review and manage you oil-fired cooking and heating systems.

Contact OFTEC today to discuss your requirements: T: 0845 65 85 080 E: enquiries@oftec.org W: www.oftec.org

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

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ENERGY

Energy

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DEMAND RESPONSE: MAKING ENERGY PAY After upgrading its standby generators and installing smart metering at the Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust can now capitalise on demand response

From an environmental point of view, demand response means that the UK doesn’t have to use expensive part loaded coal fired power stations as often as it would otherwise. One organisation now benefiting from demand response is East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. The facilities managers at Lister Hospital, a large acute hospital in its local area, recently set about upgrading their high voltage electricity network. To ensure that the hospital would have a completely reliable standby power solution in the event of a power failure, they wanted to install new onsite generators and a duplicate electricity feed into the hospital’s ring main. The generators would also enable the hospital to take part in demand response programmes, which it understood would help it to save on utility bills and create a new revenue stream.

ENTER THE AGGREGATOR As the network upgrade project neared completion, an external consultant for the NHS Trust evaluated several ‘aggregators’ and selected KiWi Power to provide a solution at the hospital. To begin with, engineers

visited the site to meet with the facilities and operations staff and to assess existing systems. Following an initial kick-off meeting, they created a full project management plan, installation risk management and method statement for the installation phase.

Four new 2MVA, LV diesel generators were installed which provide full back-up for the new 5MVA, duplicate 11kV feed from UK power networks. The Trust also implemented a system for controlling these generators remotely from Kiwi Power’s control centre in London, and integrated this with the hospital’s SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and programmable logic controller systems. KiWi Power can now monitor the

status of all four generators at all times and inform the hospital’s facilities managers as soon as any problems arise.

Smart meters were integrated into the hospital’s existing control systems which tell the National Grid how much electricity the hospital uses every minute - a requirement for organisations taking part in demand response programmes. Past data collected by the meters can predict when the next periods of maximum demand for electricity will fall, and automatically switches the hospital to standby generator power at these times, exporting the electrical load onto the local UK power networks’ distribution system. In using less power during peak times, the hospital can E

Smart meters were integrated into the hospital’s existing control systems which tell the National Grid how much electricity the hospital uses every minute - a requirement for organisations taking part in demand response programmes.

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Reflexomat

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• Compressor and Pump driven units • Microprocessor controlled,separate or inbuild degassing function • Soft Control – volt free contacts – alarms – BMS suitable • Systems pressure control +/- 0.1 or 0.2 bar • Pressures from 1 bar > 40 bar • Suitable for standard or large volume and/ or high temperature systems Reflex Winklemann Gmbh Reflex UK Offices: Hampshire Tel No: 02392 240816 Mobile: 07590079260 Email: dan.testar@reflexuk.co.uk Wesite: reflex.de Contact: Mr Dan Testar: UK Sales Manager

a sense of security Red Alert staff attack systems have been protecting staff in the workplace from the threat of attack and abuse for more than 15 years.

The new Curo alarm transmitter gives staff the ‘sense of security’ that help can be quickly summoned, by the press of a button or the tug of a transmitter.

Response personnel are notified of a call for assistance by interfacing with radio paging equipment and indicator panels. With the technology being based on high-powered IR transmission, functionality, reliability and simplicity of use are key attributes of the Red Alert system.

call +44 (0)191 272 2222 email sales@sasuk.com visit www.sasuk.com Hinde House, George Street Industrial Est Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7LJ, UK

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

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ENERGY E achieve even greater savings on its utility bills. The generators will also create a revenue stream for the hospital as they will supply a surplus amount of electricity that the hospital can export back to the grid.

A NEW REVENUE STREAM By investing in its electrical systems upgrade, which also includes a new combined heat and power plant, Lister Hospital now has new and efficient electricity services. The site is expected to generate more than £100,000 a year in revenue from taking part in the demand response programme and avoiding peak tariffs. The hospital takes no financial risks in achieving this - it has incurred no upfront costs in taking part in the demand response programme, and will not have to pay any out of pocket penalties if it ever fails to switch to its generators at peak times.

Now that KiWi Power manages the process of resilience testing the generators, Lister Hospital can operate within the demand response programme and ensure that all the systems it uses are fully functional and fit for the scheme.

Lister Hospital’s export capacity is now 4.5MW, which it can deliver via four Perkins, 2MVA, LV diesel generators and via surplus power from the 1.4MVA combined heat and power plant.

Dean Goodrum, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust’s head of estates and facilities, said, “I have worked with KiWi Power over a three month period and during that time they have progressed well with both the work required and in accordance with the milestones agreed at the start of this project. I have been very impressed with their technical ability and attention to detail. All in all this has been a prime example of partnership working.”L FURTHER INFORMATION What is Demand Response? tinyurl.com/bsqsvg tinyurl.com/c5vza54

Energy

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Royal United Hospital Bath recognised for smart energy use at HSJ Efficiency Awards The Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust has won the Energy Efficiency category at the 2012 Health Service Journal Efficiency Awards. These identify organisations that have delivered tangible improvements in healthcare efficiency. One hundred and fourteen organisations and their partners were shortlisted, with the winners announced at a gala dinner held in London.

The Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust occupies a 52-acre site about 1.5 miles from Bath City Centre. The 565bed hospital provides a comprehensive range of acute services to the 500,000 population of Bath, North East Somerset, North and West Wiltshire.

In November 2011, RUH commissioned a new 2 Mega Watt Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP) which generates both electricity and heat.

All thermal power plants emit a certain amount of heat during electricity generation, and this can be released into the natural environment through cooling towers, flue gas, or by other means. By contrast, CHP systems capture this by-product heat for heating purposes, therefore maximising the overall efficiency of the system. The installation required a complete refurbishment of the boiler house. The old boilers were removed and replaced with the latest high efficiency models with advanced control systems. The CHP plant is saving £60K per month on utility costs against an investment of approximately £4.8M. This reduces

the Trust’s reliance on purchased electricity, plus surplus electricity that is generated is sold back to the National Grid.

Further fitting of LED lights in corridors and other areas of the RUH site have also contributed to carbon reduction. Health Service Journal stated: “The trust is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint, saving cash and improving the patient environment. A commitment was made in its corporate sustainability report of 2009-10 to reduce carbon emissions and a 25 per cent reduction in emissions has been achieved along with cash savings of at least £800,000 a year. The trust has built the first neonatal intensive care unit in the NHS rated excellent in BREEAM (BRE environmental assessment method) ratings – and has won both RIBA and Con- structing Excellence Awards.”

Judges’ comments included: “A whole system approach to sustainable healthcare, based around delivery of a comprehensive and wide ranging energy efficiency programme”

IMO Precision Controls - energy saving solutions with zero capital outlay Why do all energy saving initiatives seem to involve considerable upfront cost?

Well, today that is no longer the case as IMO Precision Controls can deliver energy savings without any capital outlay.

Traditional fans and pumps are hugely inefficient consumers of energy and the introduction of a Variable Speed Drive can deliver energy savings of up to 50 per cent in many cases.

Equipment such as air handling units, swimming pool pumps and extraction systems can all be controlled to deliver optimum performance,

but at a fraction of the cost.

In the past, this proven technology has required capital investment and pay-back periods of up to two years. Now with the new IMO Self Funding Energy Saving Scheme, you can pay for the capital equipment directly out of the energy savings.

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Backed by a five year guarantee, IMO underwrites your energy saving.

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Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Fire Alarms - Don’t Take a Risk!

At Nationwide we are proud to have been awarded the highest accreditations for Fire Alarms, Security Systems, CCTV and Access Control. We Hold BAFE SP203,and the BS Kite mark for Fire Alarm design and installation and SSAIB for security systems.

The Majority of our work is generated from existing customers and recommendations, with tailor made, state of the art systems at competitive prices.

We can offer a full design and/or installation service for fire alarms and security systems.

SP203 the BAFE standard which was introduced to give third party accreditation to companies that have demonstrated competency for design, installation, commissioning and verification for fire alarm systems , companies that meet their recognised standards can use the BAFE logo.

To protect your assets, your people and your business from fire always choose a Third Party certified company that meets the requirements of BAFE SP203 Please contact us on -0845 658 9102 or sales@nationwidecctv.co.uk Please See below for just a handful of our NHS Projects A new multi-million pound "one-stop"

Another New Surgery, In the heart

Surgery - In Kingstanding (Birmingham)

of Leicester - Belgrave.

New Mills Health Centre

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

FIRE SAFETY

Written by Robert Thilthorpe, technical manager, FIA

HOSPITAL FIRE SAFETY: HOW TO MANAGE RISK Hospitals - what’s the risk of a fire? Greater than you would think, suggests Robert Thilthorpe, technical manager of the Fire Industry Association

In January 2008, all patients and staff were evacuated after a fire broke out at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea. The fire was fought using 25 fire engines and around 125 firefighters. As a result of the fire the entire roof of the Chelsea Wing of the hospital was burned through and the top floor was also affected.

Five operating theatres and at least two wards were put out of action. Fortunately nobody was killed and there were no serious injuries.

Later that same year, six fire engines and about 30 firefighters fought a fire at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. In 2009 the NHS published a report on these and three other fires in London Hospitals in 2008-20091.

More recently, in December 2011, More than 50 people were evacuated from Winchester’s Royal Hampshire County Hospital after a large fire broke out. But it’s not only the fabric of the building that can catch fire, in March 2012 a patient undergoing surgery at a hospital in North Yorkshire was set on fire during the procedure when a solution used to clean the skin ignited. Also, believe it or not, hospitals are victims of arson with 28 such instances in 2008, and in September 2012 a person was charged with setting fires in two hospitals in Kent.

As you can see, fires in hospitals are not uncommon but, of course, we know this and the NHS Firecode provides guidance on how to design hospital buildings in a fire safe manner. It tells you how to provide fire compartmentation; how to install fire

protection measures such as fire detection and alarm systems and sprinklers; and developing fire plans and fire management processes.

Fire Safety

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the should comply with BS When Rescue 5266. d n Fire a e arrives Means of detection c i v o r and warning in case t e e S ther not of fire should be e r a y d the given a high priority, fire anthe e h t factoring the need t h e g t fi ua c a to warn those with v s e to hat’ t ; hearing or visual s t n patie ur job impairments; the use yo of visual alarm devices or

BENEFITS OF STAFF TRAINING The NHS report on the London fires noted the positive benefits of good staff training; where staff had received training on their role in evacuation plans, they occurred largely without incident. This was irrespective of whether the incident required a full or partial evacuation of the hospital.

Having established that staff are the key to a successful hospital fire plan, what actually can you do to enhance the fire safety in your hospital or healthcare facility? Well, firstly carryout a comprehensive fire risk assessment, ensure that it is part of your management strategy and emergency plan.

You need to consider all the factors that could lead to an incident and take appropriate steps to mitigate them, for example, as I mentioned arson earlier, make sure the all waste is stored in a secure area before it is taken away for disposal. Hospitals are busy places but all escape routes must be kept clear as should all final exits. Escape routes should be appropriately signed as per British Standard BS 5499 and all emergency lighting

vibrating pagers should be considered. What suppression is required should also be considered. The correctly selected and positioned portable fire extinguisher can be quickly used to extinguish a small fire before it grows. Do you need sprinklers? In large hospitals, consider fixed suppression for computer rooms. All these factors should be part of the risk assessment and emergency plan.

THIRD PARTY CERTIFIED FIRMS All your fire protection measures should be designed, installed and maintained by competent persons. The Fire Industry Association’s view is that using a Third Party Certified firm is the only real way of having some confidence that you are getting a competent person.

Once you’ve got all that in place, if the fire alarm goes off, what do you do? Evacuate?

While in a small premises the ‘all out’ plan E

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on et re el.n mo erj ad at Re w.w ww

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Focussing on the Oil, Gas, Chemical and Power Generation sectors has allowed Firemain to specialise and develop foam based solutions. We offer them to a market sector that relies on system and equipment integrity to provide protection to high value assets. On-going support is essential and we back up our installations with foam testing and system/ equipment maintenance.

Firemain understand the huge cost of fire to the high risk industries – cost effective loss control is our mission.

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Don’t gamble with your fire risk assessment!

If you are responsible for a business premises, the law requires that you have a fire risk assessment. To find competent providers, you need BAFE.

At present there are no adequate means to ensure the competence and reliability of a company commissioned to carry this out.

BAFE scheme SP205 has been developed Under the provisions of the Regulatory Reform specifically to address this situation, and will provide reassurance to the Responsible Person (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Duty Holder or that they are doing everything possible to Responsible Person for a building is required meet their obligations. to make a Fire Risk assessment to clarify the fire precautions necessary to ensure the safety So don’t leave everything to chance. of staff, customers and property.

Make sure that your suppliers are registered with BAFE.

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

www.bafe.org.uk T: 0844 3350897 E: info@bafe.org.uk Bridges 2, Fire Service College, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0RH

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

FIRE SAFETY

Fire Safety

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E is probably right but that won’t work for a complex site like a hospital where you have people of varying levels of mobility and some that can’t be moved at all.

That’s where the evacuation strategy comes into play, whether a horizontal, vertical or a ‘stay put’ strategy, you need to have this planned. Remember, when the Fire and Rescue Service (F&RS) arrives they are there to fight the fire and not to evacuate the patients; that’s your job. The NHS report referred to earlier showed that a well-planned and rehearsed plan helps everyone safely evacuate if there is a fire.

FIRE-LIKE PHENOMENA I said if there is a fire because fire detection systems are designed to detect ‘fire like phenomena’ which means that when the alarm is activated, it may not necessarily be a fire. Fire Services across the country are changing how they respond to automatic fire alarms and, in many cases, unless there is a confirmation of a ‘real’ fire, they will not attend. This needs to be factored into your plan, you need to know your local FRS’s policy for automatic fire alarms and if you operate multiple facilities, what the policy is for all the facilities; it may differ between Fire Services.

You will need to consider an investigation time before the signal is transmitted, look at what detection type you use and modify it to your situation or modify what you do. For example, the simplest way to reduce false alarms in hospitals is to make sure ward toasters are nowhere near a fire detector.

Advice on managing false alarms and the FRS response to automatic fire alarms can be found on the FIA’s Cut False Alarm Costs website – www.fia.uk.com/en/cut-false-alarm-cost.

If any maintenance or upgrade work is being carried out, there are simple things you can do to reduce the chance of a fire or an unwanted fire signal; make sure that hot work is managed on a permit system and, if necessary, isolate the fire alarm or cover the detectors in that area. This also applies if the work is liable to cause a large amount of dust. Of course, remember to uncover the detector heads once

The NHS report on the London fires noted the benefits of good staff training; where staff had received training on their role in evacuation plans, they occurred largely without incident. the work is done.

As mentioned earlier arson is a problem, so ensure that access to areas with large amounts of flammable/explosive liquids, gases or solid is strictly controlled - do not leave waste lying around - bag it and store it securely; you do it for biohazards, so do the same for fire hazards.

STAFF ARE THE KEY As you have seen, there are simple and logical ways of managing fire safety in complex buildings such as hospitals, and the NHS report on fires in London and its conclusions illustrate that your staff are the key to your fire plan. Staff should know who the hospital fire safety officer/team are and they should

be well trained in the emergency strategy and evacuation plan, with a clear understanding of their role in the event of a fire.

In addition, staff should keep an eye on fire safety in the same way as they do for health and safety to be able to notice a potential fire hazard and report it for appropriate action to be taken. The fire alarm is their friend, not the annoying noise that goes off at odd hours.

A portable fire extinguisher is not just a can that sits on the wall but a tool they can use to prevent a small fire spreading. L FURTHER INFORMATION To download a Best Practice Guide to fire safety for Responsible Persons and more advice on managing false alarms visit www.fia.uk.com

Who looks after the fire safety in your building?

Fire safety can be a daunting task. Fire Risk Assessments are an element of fire safety often overlooked or assigned to inappropriate team members. The lack of an FRA is an offence and can have serious consequences such as fires due to the unaddressed hazards resulting in injuries, criminal record, fines, or even prison sentences.

Often FRAs are carried out as ‘tick box exercises’ resulting in a completely inaccurate FRA. This leaves the company under an elusion of safety, but in reality may open them to a catalogue of errors, as the FRA is only the start of the process.

Targets set by inspecting authorities mean more businesses are now visited, and the failure of having a valid FRA is the most common offence identified.

Longbridge Fire Consultants recognise this situation and specialises in comprehensive fire safety facilitation based on client needs. This ranges from undertaking the FRAs, offering advice and staff training, supply of fire safety equipment, to full fire safety management of multi-site portfolios. Thus allowing the client to concentrate on their core business, which is more cost effective, and gives peace of mind that safety obligations are being met.

For help or information, contact David Skilleter, MD, Longbridge Fire Consultants.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01342-832824 Mobile: 07967-313012 www.longbridgefire.co.uk

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Continuous Geared Hinges A solution to door dropping and alignment issues Intastop Continuous Geared Pinless Hinges replace conventional hinges and eliminate weight and stress problems that overload the bottom hinge and pull away the top hinge, with resultant damage to floor and door frame components.

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FM: BIFM AWARDS

Facilities Management

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MODERN FM AT ITS BEST

The healthcare sector featured heavily among the winners of the British Institute of Facilities Management’s annual awards, which were revealed on October 8 at the Grosvenor House Hotel and presented by comedian and former barrister Clive Anderson According to the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the professional body for facilities management in the UK, FM is one of the fastest growing professions and is vital to the success of an organisation. It contributes to the delivery of strategic and operational objectives, and on a day-to-day level, it provides a safe and efficient working environment, enabling the organisation to achieve optimal performance. And this aim is especially relevant in the healthcare environment with its variety of types of facility, environments, challenges and risks.

In addition facilities professionals play a key role in delivering the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention programme which aims to improve the delivery of NHS care while reducing costs to make £20 billion efficiency savings by 2014/15.

RECOGNITION The great strides being made by facilities professionals in the healthcare sector were recognised at this year’s BIFM Awards, which champion best practice in the facilities management profession. Healthcare projects and initiatives triumphed in three of the 13 categories and were highly commended in one.

Taking home trophies were Managed Technology Services, in partnership with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals NHS Foundation trust and Freeway Medical; Birmingham Children’s Hospital with Ambinet and Sodexo; and G3 Systems and NATO Medical Treatment Facilities in Afghanistan.

Highly commended was G4S Integrated Services, in partnership with Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust; while Turner and Townsend’s work with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust made the final shortlist.

INNOVATION IN PRODUCTS Managed Technology Services, in partnership with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Freeway Medical, won the BIFM Innovation in Products award for its bespoke paediatric mobile work station.

The product was designed and manufactured

by Freeway Medical in conjunction with equipment procurement and advisory service MTS, and the trust to support the requirements of the clinical and non clinical teams working in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the Paediatric High Dependency Unit (HDU).

The workstation needed to provide storage facilities for a range of items configured in a specific way including gloves, aprons and gel, the draw dividers, adjustable side tray, and a pull out tray. It needed to have a multifunctional use for other areas in the hospital and above all it must look non-clinical and appeal to children and come in a choice of colours, A review of all options available on the market revealed no such product existed so MTS, Freeway Medical, and the trust’s PICU team, set about designing a new product.

An existing model was adapted by adding the required features and discussing in detail the manufacturing techniques to ensure colour types and product finish to ensure control of infection compliance. This process began in October 2011 and the new workstation was introduced in February 2012.

The success of the product is demonstrated by the saving in procuring other multiple items around the room, the increased space within the room for clinical and non- clinical staff to move around efficiently, flexibility to move these to other rooms and areas of the building saving further build costs for cabinetry. Initially designed for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit to be used at each bed space, the product is now being used across the Chelsea Children’s Hospital in other areas including the High Dependency Unit.

INNOVATION IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SYSTEMS A paper-based food ordering system at Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust used for serving 75,000 meals per annum was time-consuming and led to unnecessary food wastage. The hospital, together with its catering partner Sodexo, commissioned Ambinet to develop an electronic ordering system for patients to order their food when on the wards. The trust wanted to improve nutritional and clinical provision for patients which in turn could also lead to cost reduction in the service. In addition dieticians and nurses needed to be able to better monitor the diet of their patients. The new process needed to give time back to the clinical staff to provide clinical patient care.

MAPLE (Menu Acquisition Portal with Live Entry) is a touch-screen, automated food E

ies Facilit onals si profeskey role play a ering the v , in deli Innovation , y Qualit uctivity and Prod vention Pre mme progra

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about rmation More infore of the futu fficiency at m energy e h-efficiency.co www.hig

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

FM: BIFM AWARDS Judges’ chair Oliver Jones

E ordering system which uses high-quality images to make the system fun to use for patients. The software is used on a Panasonic Toughbook CF-H1 medical clinical assistant tablet which is durable, has inbuilt security, abides by infection control standards and is already used within the trust.

The new system offers a credible audit trail for meal charges to the trust; greater compliance with NHS and trust standards; offers a reduction in wasted patient meals; and allows dieticians to more closely monitor and contribute to improving standards.

From the ward staff’s perspective all food orders from patients reach the kitchen so there is reduced call-backs and non-ordered food; ward staff can spend more time with patients as they do not have to collate individual orders and complete the totals sheets twice daily as patient meal orders will be sent electronically to the kitchen; there is instant access to patient meal history; daily specials and special occasions can be catered for.

The system is interactive and visually interesting. Healthy eating is encouraged; and allergy information is clear. Testing started in early summer 2011 with various modifications made following stakeholder feedback. The official launch took place on 1 March 2012 and the benefits are already being felt. The saving in paper and power and the generation and disposal of waste is a major benefit and the electronic messaging will also track all queries, and become a quality improvement tool. For the hospital, the new system demonstrates that it is responsible and looking at waste reduction to support the NHS QIPP agenda in promoting Quality, Innovation, Productivity, and Prevention; that it is taking the productive ward one step further and releasing time to care; and is promoting good practice.

INNOVATION IN CUSTOMER SERVICES G4S Integrated Services, in partnership with Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust, was highly commended in the BIFM Innovation in Customer Services category for the innovative changes made to the foodservice at Liverpool

BIFM chair Ismena Clout

Facilities Management

Sponsored by

Overall these projects demonstrate the key role that the facilities management profession plays in the healthcare environment and the importance of strategic facilities management within healthcare.

Women’s Hospital; from the way food is cooked; to the development of seasonal menus, through to the way that patient food orders are taken and delivered.

In just one year, G4S FM working in partnership with the hospital, has developed a new foodservice at the 200-bed hospital in Liverpool City Centre providing appetising, freshly cooked food with high nutritional value to aid recovery; a greater menu choice and flexibility and a personalised ward hostess service that can respond to individual patients’ food and drink needs.

One of the most popular aspects of the new offer has been the ward hostess system. It is designed to provide a personal service that can respond to the individual requests of a patient in order to meet their nutritional needs and provide a personal service.

A total of 17 G4S ward hostesses work on two shifts and are present on wards throughout the day to cater for patient needs. Each ward hostess has direct contact with patients from taking them their first cup of tea or coffee of the day through to breakfast, lunch and evening meals. They also provide drinks and snacks to patients throughout the day.

CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR Consultancy Turner and Townsend was shortlisted in the Consultant of the Year category for its non-clinical waste management work with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The project involved reviewing current methods of waste segregation employed on the sites; identifying savings in the cost of waste management and disposal; identifying alternatives to sending

waste to landfill; and reducing the CO2 emissions associated with waste management at the trust. Overall revised operating procedures improved the segregation of waste by trust staff at source and by the contractor after the waste leaves site thereby gaining an increased return on the value of recycled material. As a direct result the amount of non clinical waste that was being mistakenly placed into the clinical waste stream has been significantly reduced (it costs approximately 20 time more to dispose of clinical waste).

The cost of waste management fell by 41 per cent as a result of increasing the volume of material sent for recycling and an associated increase in revenue from the sale of this material; removal of the Landfill Tax and the 18 per cent year on year escalation of these costs; reduced cost of moving waste from a system of payment by load to payment by weight of waste; and the rebate from the district heating scheme further reducing the price for collection from site. Additionally, the trust now has formalised monitoring and reporting with Key Performance Indicators and accurate records.

Overall these projects demonstrate the key role that the facilities management profession plays in the healthcare environment and the importance of strategic facilities management within healthcare. L FURTHER INFORMATION For a full list of winners, visit tinyurl.com/9vffwfw.

Entries for the 2013 BIFM Awards are set to open in January 2013. Details will be available on www.bifm.org.uk/awards

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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IDEAL FLOORING SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT Flooring has a vital role to play in creating a relaxed environment that is safe, clean and welcoming for patients, staff and visitors. Our product portfolio provides durable, easy to maintain and hygienic options for every corner of the facility, leading to Polyflor being specified in major hospital projects across the world.

Hospital cleanliness is increasingly under the spotlight, and results from independent testing certify that the majority of Polyflor ranges inhibit the growth of MRSA on the flooring.

www.polyflor.com/healthcare

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

DESIGN & BUILD

WardSpace from Portakabin hopes to address demand for beds over winter A new estates solution has been unveiled to help hospitals manage the increasing demand for beds over the peak winter period.

Modular building specialist Portakabin has launched WardSpace, a range of options for standardised hospital buildings that will enable trusts to rapidly expand facilities without investing in expensive new infrastructure. The ready-to-use, fullyequipped buildings can be erected quickly and can be used as interim facilities during redevelopment, as temporary overflow accommodation or as permanent units.

The pods feature a central core accommodating a nurses’ station, dirty and clean utilities, a reception, waiting area, toilets and showers and there is a choice of openplan single-sex wards, individual en-suite bedrooms, or a suite of consulting rooms or any combination. The units can also be configured with hand hygiene stations, heavyduty flooring, climate control, alarm systems and wall protection panels, as well as NHSstandard fitted bed heads.

Commenting on the launch, Robert Snook, director and general manager of Portakabin Hire, said: “Our aim with WardSpace is to make it even easier for healthcare providers to rapidly expand their facilities at peak times, for example when winter flu viruses cause a sudden increase in unplanned admissions, or to minimise disruption while a new permanent building is under construction, and we can provide buildings to the tightest deadlines, just days from receiving the order.”

He added: “Modular construction is a fast and cost-effective way to expand ward and consulting facilities, particularly on constrained hospital sites where it is critical to minimise disruption to patients. Complete, fully-fitted buildings can be delivered in a fraction of the time of a site-based construction solution.

Choosing a hire solution also means that a

building can be reconfigured or relocated as local needs and priorities change and, importantly, the approach can generate revenue for the hospital that will help to recover the cost of hiring the building – to the benefit of patient care.”

WATFORD GENERAL WardSpace has recently been used at Watford General Hospital where a lack of space was limiting the ability to reduce waiting times in line with the 18-week target. West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust decided to set up a ‘surge’ ward to cope with the demand for emergency beds and to act as a safety valve to ensure availability.

WardSpace is expected to be used for three years and was delivered within four months.

Kyle McClelland, associate director, Strategic Developments at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, says: “The timescale for getting this building on site was extremely challenging.

We evaluated a number of modular building suppliers and Portakabin was the only one able to promise delivery within the four months we had to complete the building, and to offer the high-quality buildings we required.”

Design & Build

Sponsored by

The hospital finalised the specification for a 340m2 18-bed ward building, with two separate wards to achieve samesex compliance and equipped to meet all relevant HTM guidelines. The Ultima modular building featured a central core area where all essential ward services were housed, including a kitchen, clean and dirty utilities, a reception area, kitchen, toilets and showers. Either side of this were two nine-bed wards.

The building was to be located on the car-park, with a link corridor to the main hospital. Being a modular building it required no intrusive groundworks, enabling the carpark to be left intact. Portakabin handled the entire building installation and fit out, including foul drain connections, all reception furniture, special NHS-standard bed-heads, alarm systems, heavy-duty flooring, data communications cabling and climate-control systems. Kyle adds: “The whole process was greatly simplified because Portakabin could handle every aspect of equipping and fitting out the building, which made it possible to complete the project so quickly. Portakabin had just four months to design, build and hand over the building – and they completed it on time.”

Healthcare Estates conference hears calls for standardised designs Architects and estates managers are calling for the partial standardisation of healthcare building design in an effort to drive down costs and improve the environment for patients, visitors and staff, according to buildingbetterhealthcare.co.uk They claim millions of pounds is wasted and build times are significantly increased as NHS trusts approach new build and refurbishment schemes from scratch without looking at existing examples of innovation and best practice. Speaking at the Healthcare Estates 2012 conference and exhibition in Manchester on October 8, which was organised by the Institute of Healthcare Engineering & Estate Management (IHEEM), Trevor Payne, director of estates and facilities at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There is a lot of innovation happening out there in terms of healthcare estates. The challenge is to make sure we share that and do

not keep reinventing the wheel,” Omar Jomeen, framework manager for ProCure21+ principal supply chain partner, Miller HPS, added: “The way we currently design our healthcare buildings is like buying a Saville Row suit rather than an off-the-peg design. How many times, for example, do we find ourselves designing dirty facilities for hospitals? Can we please stop doing it? We need to find a design that works, get the evidence to support why we designed it that way and not just start from the beginning every single time.”

Rory Coonan, former director of architecture, design and planning at independent provider Circle Healthcare, warned: “While there is no harm in having prescriptions for specific formations, what we do not want is for the Government to start telling architects how to put those buildings together.”

READ MORE - tinyurl.com/96w5r24

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Design & Build

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

DESIGN & BUILD

£28m Finchley Memorial Hospital open for patients

The Finchley Memorial Hospital, a £28million development in London, has opened its doors to patients. It offers a variety of services including rehabilitation, a walk-in centre, outpatients’ department and cardiology and musculoskeletal services.

Finchley Memorial was originally constructed at the start of the 20th Century. The hospital buildings had reached the end of their useful life and this project was to construct a new state of the art community hospital at a

cost of £28m using LIFT as the method of procurement. It is the largest building ever procured using LIFT. The new hospital was constructed on playing fields to the side of the existing buildings, with the existing buildings being demolished following the opening of the new facility, and the surplus land being returned to public open space in order to create a new public park at the site frontage. The sloping topography of the site and the drainage of it was a particular

5500m² Clinical facility completed on a fast track build programme for Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court.

Breaking ground to handover taking just 9 months.

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

challenge. The building was constructed on piled foundations using a flat slab concrete frame to provide thermal mass to assist in its cooling. A BREEAM Excellent rating was achieved. Its use of natural ventilation, underfloor heating and a green roof for insulation has earned the building an excellent rating according to the internationally recognised building research establishment environmental assessment method.

David Riddle, vice-chairman of NHS North Central London, said: “The hospital is a landmark building that will provide high-quality healthcare services for the community of Finchley and surrounding areas for many years to come.” Senior project manager, Jan Charman said she was overwhelmed to see the fiveyear project finally completed: “It is such an incredible difference to where the patients are now. I think the local community deserve this.”

Peter Packer, chairman of the Friends of Finchley Memorial Hospital, a charity that raises funds to provide extra equipment for patients praised the new building but added he was sorry to see the old hospital go. He said: “The building is brilliant. But the reputation of this hospital was built on the devotion and dedication of the staff. Whether they can transfer that across remains to be seen.”

ROLLALONG ENGINEERED QUALITY BUILDINGS www.rollalong.co.uk 13/09/2012 12:18

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

DESIGN & BUILD

NEW JUBILEE HEALTH CENTRE OPENS IN SUTTON

Design & Build

Sponsored by

The new Jubilee Health Centre in Wallington, Sutton officially opened this month. Two GP practices have already moved in and are up and running, seeing 200-300 patients a day.

The project

Photograph kindly supplied by Mansell

The Jubilee Health Centre opened in May 2012, with the completed project comprising a 3,000m2 new build development and the 1,800m2 refurbishment of Mint House. The new centre brings together the following services: • Two GP practices (Wallington Family Practice and Shotfield Medical Practice);

The new health centre was designed by CH Architects (planning architects) with calfordseaden appointed as commissioning architect for Mansell following planning consent. Located next to the Wallington Library in Shotfield, the centre also houses a number of local providers of community, mental health and hospital outpatient services, enabling them to work together to offer services to patients from the whole of Sutton and beyond.

Mansell, named as the preferred bidder in March 2010, constructed the health centre for Shotfield Business Development. The development creates a three-storey brick clad building, replacing an existing medical centre. The completed centre provides local people with an increased range of services, including minor procedures, outpatient clinics & diagnostic services, a new pharmacy, community mental health services and an expanded community dental clinic in addition to the two existing GP practices. calfordseaden have now completed a number of health centre projects, including Robin Hood Lane in Sutton, and have developed an expertise in managing the complex design and documentation process involved to produce a building which benefits the staff, users and the local community in equal measure.

MODERN LOCAL SERVICES The contract is part of NHS South West London’s Better Healthcare Closer to Home strategy to develop local, modern health services so that, wherever possible, people can be treated outside hospitals in more convenient community settings, closer to where they live. NHS South West London brings together five local Primary Care Trusts

(PCTs) in South West London – Croydon, Kingston, Richmond, Sutton & Merton and Wandsworth – to share one management team, resources, roles and other functions.

Better Healthcare Closer to Home is a programme aimed at reshaping health services in Sutton and Merton to provide 21st century healthcare designed around the needs of local people.

BHCH has six objectives: improving outcomes for patients; providing more care locally; tackling health inequalities; meeting changing demographics and healthcare needs; modernising estates, and; using resources more efficiently.

INVESTMENT BHCH proposes to meet its objectives through investment in two areas: development of local care centres (LCCs) at Wallington, St. Helier Hospital, the Nelson Hospital and the Wilson Hospital sites to provide a wide range of improved outpatient, minor procedure and diagnostic services in a local setting, and; The Phase 1 redevelopment of acute services at St Helier Hospital, along with the provision of a St Helier Urgent Care Centre.

Quoted in a media statement by NHS South West London, Dr Ian Wilson of Wallington Family Practice, said: “After much anticipation, we and our colleagues at Shotfield Medical Practice are delighted to have moved in to this 21st-century, state-of-the-art health facility as part of the Better Healthcare Closer to Home programme. We look forward to our colleagues from other local health services moving in over the coming days and weeks as we work together to transform the way our patients receive and access their care.”

Dr Dino Pardhanani, Clinical Lead, Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group, was also

• Sutton and Merton Community Services (e.g. heart failure, diabetes, family planning, dietician, podiatry, therapies, health visitors, continence, respiratory); • Some Epsom and St Helier services (blood tests, orthopaedics - hips and knees, antenatal visits, orthoptists); • Some South West London and St George’s mental health services (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)); • A community-based pharmacy; • More Sutton and Merton Community Services (including physiotherapy, musculoskeletal and diabetic retinal screening); • More South West London and St George’s mental health services for adults (Community Mental Health Team); • Diagnostics provided by Epsom and St Helier (including x-ray and ultrasound); • A range of Epsom and St Helier outpatient clinics. quoted by NHS South West London as saying: “The Jubilee Health Centre will offer patients a range of services in one place in the style of a ‘one-stop-shop’, making it easier for patients to get to the services they need and reducing the number of visits they need to make.” L FURTHER INFORMATION Christopher Rainsford, Partner crainsford@calfordseaden.co.uk www.calfordseaden.co.uk

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

PREVENTION IS THE BEST MEDICINE Ecolab is the world’s leading provider of cleaning, food safety and health protection products and services. Our customised programmes provide you with CLEAN, SAFE and EFFICIENT solutions which reduce the risk of hospital infections and increase operational efficiency. The combination of proven programmes, ergonomic equipment as well as on site training and service helps you to enjoy:

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thermoplastic hose and tube in the UK

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

INFECTION CONTROL

The National Patient Safety Agency recommends the use of four key colours to cover the different hospital cleaning zones.

This has been underlined and clarified by the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc).

According to a report published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) earlier this year, over 6 per cent of hospital patients, both NHS and private, acquire some form of infection during their stay at a hospital. The report from the HPA confirmed that although the successful infection-control measures rolled out throughout the UK, such as hand-washing and swab-testing had caused cases of MRSA and C. Difficile to fall by over 4 per cent since 2006. However, the report also highlighted that other infections with organisms such as E. Coli and Salmonella are increasing; in particular infections were most prevalent within intensive care units and surgical words.

So how can we continue to fight crossinfection within hospital environments to ensure the safety of patients, staff and the general public? The HPA provided recommendations surrounding hand washing, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and regular cleaning to prevent the build-up of organisms. However simply increasing the frequency of cleaning is not enough to prevent the spread of infections; it could in fact cause further issues and cross-infection if cleaning operatives are not properly trained to an accredited standard.

DIFFERENT AREAS Why would increased cleaning cause more infection you ask? Well let’s set the scene, as a cleaning operative within a hospital I may be responsible for a number of different areas, such as bathrooms, wards and isolation areas. If a cleaning operative works within all of these areas and uses the same materials and equipments within each area, they may spread an infection from an isolation ward to a bathroom which may be accessed by other patients, staff or the general public.

Alternatively, a hospital which employs both in-house and contracted staff may have received different training on which materials and equipment to use; in-house staff may have been trained to use red materials in bathrooms, while the contractors have been trained to use red in isolation areas. As you can imagine, confusion and cross-infection is likely to occur.

The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) first began to develop a universal colour code for the cleaning industry back in the late 1990s, and over the years have reviewed their recommendations to align with the recommendations from organisations such as the National Patient Safety Agency.

A national standard colour coding chart for the cleaning and hygiene industry prevents materials and equipment being used in multiple areas, thus reducing the risk of cross-infection. This includes all materials and equipment, including cloths, mops, buckets, aprons, and gloves. As a result, all materials within a janitorial/housekeeping cupboard within a hospital should be colour coded in accordance with the area in which they are used and following organisational policy, to avoid the spread of infection.

The National Patient Safety Agency recommends the use of four key colours to cover the different hospital cleaning zones; Red for general washrooms; Blue for general areas, including wards, departments, offices and basins in public areas; Green for catering departments and ward kitchen areas; and, yellow for clinical areas. The British Institute of Cleaning Science has broken these categories down further to ensure maximum protection from cross-infection across all sectors of the cleaning industry.

It is worth noting that the above colour coding standards (see chart) are only for the cleaning and hygiene industry and not for the catering and food production industry as the Food Standards Agency state that red is for the preparation of red meat. Additionally, the BICSc Colour Code identifies that it is necessary, especially within a hospital environment, to have a designated colour (white) for high risk facility specific areas; these materials are designated for one off cleaning, and are disposed off immediately after use. The British Institute of Cleaning Science also recommends that general basins within a public area pose a higher risk of cross-infection than general areas such as departments, therefore these should be cleaned with red materials and equipment rather than blue.

BICSc colour coding for cleaning zones

Red General washrooms, including bathrooms, showers, toilets, basins and bathroom floors

Red/White Any deviation of red and white for higher risk sanitary appliances and washroom floors.

Blue General low risk areas, including wards, departments, offices Green General food and bar use, excluding commercial food preparation areas.

Written by the British Institute of Cleaning Science

FIGHTING AGAINST CROSS-INFECTION WITH COLOURS

Infection Control

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Yellow Clinical areas White site specific/ specialist elements

MINIMISING CROSS INFECTION RISK Patient safety is the responsibility of everyone, therefore through the implementation of the recommended colour coding into the cleaning process, cleaning operatives and hospital staff alike will help to minimise cross-infection risks by using the correct materials and equipment within the correct designated areas, thus protecting the patient, staff, the general public and themselves! This is especially important within isolation areas where there may already be a higher risk of infection. We can minimise the risk of spreading infection by ensuring the cleaning materials and equipment used within an isolation area are not used elsewhere within the building. E

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Product Profiles

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

A practical, workable Revolutionising medicines solution to parking problems management in the UK Fast Park Group has been providing unique parking solutions to NHS, commercial and retail clients internationally for more than 20 years. The company provides a turnkey solution; from design through to planning approval, project management, installation and final certification.

Fast Park® is a modular parking system that can be demounted, altered in size and shape or left in-situ. With no traditional foundations, it can be completely relocated with no disruption to the current parking footprint or left as a permanent parking structure.

Fast Park® is supplied and installed within a few weeks from final design approval, causing minimal disruption to existing parking requirements.

As of July 2012, Fast Park Systems UK Branch is able to

offer its clients the option of leasing parking decks through its NHS approved financial service provider. This essentially means that we are able to solve parking problems within a short period of time, with minimal disruption or loss of capacity - and it can pay for itself from day one.

For more information on the Fast Park® system or projects undertaken on behalf of the NHS, please visit www.fastpark.com FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: (0)20 7631 2061 fastparkUK@fastpark.com www.fastpark.com

First Databank (FDB) has taken its unparalleled drug knowledge and clinical decision support capability, added additional functionality to create an exciting new solution – Medicines Optimisation.

This supports the effective management of medicines

by Clinical Commissioning Groups and GP practices.

Medicines Optimisation from FDB offers real time point of care prescribing guidance and near time prescribing analytics.

With it, CCGs can access timely medicines usage insight including adherence to existing national best practice guidelines, most effective medication by patient specific characteristics and best value prescribing options.

Medicines Optimisation provides the practical support Clinical Commissioning Groups need to monitor medicines spend and prescribing quality in a single solution covering quality, safety and value. Plus, Commissioning Support Services can harness

Medicines Optimisation’s near time patient data and medicines analytics to add value to their current service portfolio.

Sir David Nicholson’s letter to NHS staff indicated CCGs will be tasked with publishing information on compliance with NICE guidance. FDB’s Medicines Optimisation solution allows all patient prescriptions to be checked for compliance not only with NICE guidance, but other best practice indicators including the Pincer Report and the King’s Fund Prescribing Quality report.

FOR MORE INFORMATION sales@fdbhealth.com www.fdbhealth.co.uk

Crown Intelligence are a private investigation and counter surveillance company based in offices in the heart of London. Our team of experienced detectives and ex- Police officers provide a very wide range of discreet services to government departments, legal companies and corporate organisations.

We have detectives with more than 15 years experience in: J Tracing people (within the UK and worldwide) J Asset searches for litigation/debt recovery (UK and worldwide) J Wide range of investigation services J TSCM counter electronic surveillance Combined with many years of reliable connections supported by some of the latest and most advanced electronic equipment available worldwide.

We offer: J Tracing services include cross searches and confirmation offering a very high level of accuracy J All investigations and other work carried out are suitable for legal court admission J Ex-police officers J TSCM Counter surveillance teams supported by advanced search equipment J Very wide range of discreet investigations and surveillance (UK and worldwide) J Very discreet and confidential service

Please call us on 02071383118 - 24 hours. Talk directly with an Investigator www.crown-intelligence.com | enquiries@crown-intelligence.com

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

INFECTION CONTROL E Today we live in a more flexible society, where it is common practice for individuals to move between jobs and organisations; this is also true for cleaning operatives who can often be found to move between jobs or to be contracted to multiple organisations. Therefore to avoid confusion and inconsistency it would make senses that all organisations adhere to a national colour coding system.

It is also the responsibility of the employer to ensure all cleaning operatives are fully trained in their role, to an accredited level and that they are introduced to the colour code during their initial training. The British Institute of Cleaning Science recommends that all cleaning operatives should receive training to ensure they are competent in their role to ensure the safety of the operative and the users of the building. The Cleaning Professional Skills Suite (CPSS) has three mandatory units which ensure chemical competence, equipment safe use and care and the safe storage of equipment and material. Additionally, through the BICSc training, operatives are trained to clean ‘from clean to dirty’ to further minimise the risk of cross-infection. Upon completion of the CPSS mandatory units, operatives receive a BICSc Mandatory Unit card which is their License to Practice, which recognises the operative as competent by current and future employers.

Finally, through implementing the colour code into the cleaning process, employers can ensure the safety of their cleaning operatives.

As Stan Atkins, group ceo for The British Institute of Cleaning Science, explains: “It is undoubtable that patient safety is a priority within a hospital environment, however it is also the responsibility of the cleaning industry to ensure that cleaning operatives are protected from harm while working. Through the implementation of the colour code system, cleaning operatives are empowered to protect themselves while working in high risk areas.”

Through the provision of a safe working environment for cleaning operatives,

infection Control

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The British Institute of Cleaning Science recommends that all cleaning operatives should receive training to ensure they are competent in their role to ensure the safety of the operative and the users of the building. employers can positively impact job satisfaction, which in turn will improve retention levels. Ultimately, reducing the money and efforts spent on recruitment, which we cannot ignore while the economy is still struggling and budgets are being stretched further than ever before.

Therefore, through the colour coding system cleaning operatives can improve the safety of hospital and healthcare premises, and help

maintain a clean and comfortable environment for patients, staff and the general public. So next time that you place an order for new cleaning equipment or materials, take a moment to remember the colour code. L FURTHER INFORMATION To find out more information about colour coding or the training of cleaning operatives please visit www.bics.org.uk

A broad spectrum kill from Log 6 cold fogging infection control method Currently there are three main methods of killing bacteria and viruses via infection control. Hydrogen peroxide, a form of chlorine compounds, is usually fogged via machine into the air. This method typically has a room turn-around time of approximately four hours, low ward disruption, high possible ozone cracking/ damage to equipment, with no residual effectiveness. Another option is the use of dry steam that is similar to hydrogen peroxide in that it has no residual effectiveness.

At Log6, in our opinion, we use the most effective method. Log6 makes use of the winner of the 2010 St. Bart’s Hospital

London test trails (HCAI national programme run by TrusTECH N.W. England hub).

This is the cold fogging system, an antimicrobial with a broad spectrum kill.

The bacteria and viral kill is to Log6 - the maximum measurable level to sterilisation.

The formula has four biocides which form a polymer backbone. Should a specific bacteria develop a resistance, there are three more biocides to continue the fight. It is safe to humans and pets, killing at a nanoscopic level. This method is non-corrosive, and stable in sunlight and heat. This is the only method with a residual efficacy, which means the infection

control is ongoing for weeks after the decontamination process. Further, the application has a quicker turnaround time meaning less disruption to departments and more effective, lasting decontamination.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01229 465366 www.log6.co.uk

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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In

Ta i k te nau this in g ro g pe ur yea pla ra al r ce bi Na th lit ti e y on Su a m l m it

STONELEIGH PARK | COVENTRY | 21- 22 NOV 2012 Entry to the exhibition is FREE for all visitors.

Register online at www.emergencyuk.com/hbeo

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See the latest products at The Emergency Services Show 2012.

Visitors to the show can try, see, and touch the latest in communications, IT, PPE, search & rescue equipment, medical supplies, HazMat, vehicles & accessories, RTC equipment, first response products, and training.

Find out what other emergency responders are using and meet the manufacturers who can save you money.

This is simply the best UK show for all of the emergency services, and a must-visit for all operational staff.

Register for FREE entry at www.emergencyuk.com/hbeo Exhibition 3 indoor halls and outdoor exhibition areas giving visitors the chance to meet over 400 specialist product and service suppliers.

organised by CFOA in association with AACE and ACPO, will be held alongside The Emergency Services Show 2012. Details at www.emergencyuk.com/conference

Emergency Response Zone This area of the show features exhibition stands from Police, Fire & Rescue, Ambulance, Professional, Government and Voluntary organisations from around the UK. This zone demonstrates to visitors the capabilities of partnering agencies and the voluntary sector.

Live demonstrations A unique opportunity to see the latest equipment in action. The Road Haulage Association will stage a heavy rescue demonstration relevant to Fire & Rescue, Ambulance, Police, Highways Agency and Rescue recovery companies. More exciting demonstrations are being confirmed!

Conference Bringing senior professionals together to discuss the latest industry news, developments and strategic advances - details are currently being confirmed for this year's conferences, but we are pleased to announce the first National Interoperability Summit,

Show Features See the The World’s Largest Torch from Ledco lighting up the outdoor area, learn with the College of Paramedics & Jones & Bartlett who will be offering CPD demonstrations and take part in Physio Control's Medical Conference.

New exhibitors for this year include...

ABC MacIntosh | Andreas Stihl | ARCO | Ashwood Auto Matters | Babcock Emergency Services Training | Electrosonic | English Braids | E-Semble | Falck | Fischer Panda | Lewis Medical | Mammut | Mecmesin | Panasonic | React by Autoclenz | Step Access | TBI-LUG Europa | Tencate | Tiger Tools | Texport

SAVE THE DATE

Wed 21 – Thu 22 Nov 2012

www.emergenc yuk.com/hbeo ESS is organised by

ESS is supported by

THE CLEANING SHOW 2012

NEW FEATURES ON DISPLAY AT THE CLEANING SHOW

With a full programme of attractions and the largest number of exhibitors yet, as well as a co-location with the popular IMHX materials handling and logistics event, The Cleaning Show is set to be the biggest and best ever.

The organisers of The Cleaning Show have announced an impressive number of new features for the 2013 event, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 19-21 March 2013.

The Cleaning Show is organised every two years on behalf of the cleaning industry by BCCE Ltd, a company jointly owned by the British Cleaning Council and Quartz Business Media. Over 200 exhibitors specialising in a variety of different sectors will be present, with over 50 exhibiting for the first time.

Martin Scott, exhibition sales director, said: “We expect The Cleaning Show 2013 to attract a record breaking number of visitors and exhibitors and with The International Materials Handling Exhibition running alongside the show, a huge increase in visitor numbers from the warehouse sector is assured. Exhibitors have one opportunity every two years to get their products in front of a massive buying audience – and they are certainly grasping this opportunity with both hands.”

Paul Thrupp, director of cleaning at OCS Group UK, adds: “The Cleaning Show is a must for our 2013 calendar. Having visited the exhibition in previous years, it gives us the opportunity to see the huge number of

new and innovative products and services that are on offer. We would not miss the UK’s premier cleaning exhibition as it provides great value to our business.” Highlights of the new features and attractions include: INNOVATION ZONE AND AWARDS The Cleaning Show Innovation Awards have continued to grow in stature and, for the first time, finalists will be featured in a new Innovation Zone. Exhibitors will be able to upload innovations onto the show’s website and entrants can win either their sector or the overall award. There will be nine different sectors in all as well as a ‘Best New Idea Award.’

GREEN EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES PAVILION An exit survey at the last event highlighted ‘green’ products as a major area of interest for visitors which has led to the creation of the Green Zone at The Cleaning Show 2013. The Green Equipment and Services Pavilion will comprise a number of products and services from different companies, all developed to promote environmentally sensitive cleaning practises. The Green Zone plans to meet the requirements of modern product and equipment specifiers, purchasers and users.

LAUNDRY ZONE A brand new Laundry Zone has been added to the exhibition, specifically for laundry and dry cleaning companies as well as laundry trade associations.

The Cleaning Show

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Sponsored by

include a catwalk where ‘fashion shows’ will be staged throughout the three day event.

BUSINESS ZONE A Business Zone – featuring recruitment, IT, insurance, finance and marketing companies – will be featured for the first time.

A twitter account has also been set up for the show - @TheCleaningShow - which will be used to showcase the companies involved and keep followers up-to-date with the wide range of activities taking place at the event.

The show is a must see event if you work in any of the following areas: Contract cleaning; carpet & upholstery cleaning; education establishments; facilities management; hospitals & healthcare establishments; industrial & factory premises; janitorial supplies & wholesalers; hotels and leisure establishments; local & central government; office & commercial premises; retail outlets; and window cleaning.

“The Cleaning Show 2013 has the potential to be the biggest, most innovative and the best yet. There’s never been a better time to visit” said Martin Scott. L FURTHER INFORMATION Register now for a free priority pass and free parking at the NEC, giving you quick and easy entrance.

Visit www.cleaningshow.co.uk to register. Find the Cleaning Show on Twitter: @TheCleaningShow

WORK-WEAR/CORPORATE CLOTHING PAVILION AND CATWALK Also new to the show will be a Work-wear and Corporate Clothing Pavilion which will

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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S-equiP from Starkstrom – a Solution • Fully integrated equipment • Faultless communication between products Your operating room needs the S-equiP solution.

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Improving Knowledge

Has your current training provider lost their funding to deliver NVQ’s to your organisation and the workforce?

Developing Skills

Have you recently had a CQC visit that has highlighted the need for properly trained staff?

Would you like to enable your staff to acquire further skills and qualifications?

If you have answered YES to all the above questions, ATC will help you with your training & development requirements.

We are able to deliver a wide range of Fully Funded qualifications to your organisation including Health and Social Care, Team Leading, Hospitality, and many more.

Individuals between the ages of 16-24 and 25+ have ongoing and continued access to a wide variety of choices with ATC, despite changes to funding rules for persons aged 25+.

If you would like more information, please call Ash (our Learning and Development Consultant) who will help you to explore all the opportunities available to you.

ATC – Maximising Skills and Employment Opportunities

Tel: 020 8992 4144 Email: ash@atc-uk.com www.atc-uk.com ATC; 296-300 High Street; Acton; London; W3 9BJ. ATC is a trading name of Acton Training Centre Ltd

Changing Practise HIGHLY RATED TRAINING for all NHS staff teams and carer groups working with issues around DRUG AND ALCOHOL MISUSE WE OFFER COURSES AT ALL LEVELS INCLUDING :   

DRUG AND ALCOHOL AWARENESS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING

PARTICIPANTS SAY: “I would definitely recommend this training” GP “best training days for a long time” CPN “explained perfectly” Health Worker “I will use the knowledge gained in my practise” Nurse “can’t wait to go on the next course” MHO For “excellent course content” which is “extremely well presented” for your staff team call Allan Johnston on

07898 111 782.

See the full list of courses we offer at: www.advantagetrainingconsultancy.com Supporting staff and carers in their practise..

the place to learn the people to inspire

Management Development for Health Professionals Ashorne Hill has implemented successful development programmes for professional health sector managers, addressing core managerial disciplines including performance management, leadership, influencing, coaching and negotiating skills.

With direct experience of delivering training solutions under public sector contract, we can provide tailored learning that will meet the needs of managers who are tasked with delivering change in the NHS Foundation Trusts.

An important element of our training approach is to encourage participants to come out of their comfort zone to challenge their own management style. This includes practical activities that generate inner conflicts and encourage them to question their own perceptions. We include insights into participants’ individual preferences and ways of working to enable them to learn about personal development as well as the needs of the wider organisation and of their colleagues.

Management participants including from the health sector have reported a higher sense of personal drive and interest at work, realising what their potential really is and how they wish their career path to develop. They also report improved working and social interactions with their teams, resulting in greater productivity and an increased sense of achievement.

Managing People Self awareness and perception Dimensions of leadership Leadership styles – coercive to coaching Motivation and teamwork Time management Communication Influencing styles Managing change

Managing Resources Performance management Change and engagement of teams Transactional Analysis Problem solving and Planning Negotiation skills Transformational leadership Alternative decision processes Creativity and attitudes to change

Ashorne Hill, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV33 9QW Tel: 01926 488059 F: 01926 488005 E: enquiries@ashornehill.co.uk W: www.ashornehill.co.uk Health Business Mag Final September 2012 Ashorne Hill.indd 1

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EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT

When staff are under greater pressure with increased workloads while seeing the cost of living rise but not their salary, building and maintaining staff morale is more challenging than ever. Employee engagement and motivation must remain high on the business agenda to maintain momentum. This is a new scenario for most managers that needs closer examination if we are to understand how it has developed, what new issues have emerged and how they can be addressed.

Employee engagement has been the popular management concept that captures how many organisations have approached the issue of morale and motivation during the recession. From the incentive, motivation and sales industry media to the HR, PR and internal communications sectors, everyone has their angle on it and it is widely used when discussing issues on staff motivation, loyalty, retention, rewards and recognition.

Employee engagement’ was introduced to summarise encouraging employees to buy-in to the goals, ambitions and corporate ethos of an organisation in a way that will inspire them to want to drive the business forward proactively and generate success. It aims to emphasise to the individual that they are an integral part of the organisation and that their efforts will directly contribute towards achieving success.

The engaged employee will feel personally rewarded by the opportunities and successes that are created by their hard work as well as the recognition that they will receive from their employer for driving the business forward. An engaged employee is motivated and loyal, and a motivated and loyal employee can be a highly productive one.

RECESSIONARY MEASURE The concept really came to the fore as the recession hit. While workforces witnessed redundancies and salary-freezes, the challenge to keep staff motivated and engaged became far greater. This was often complicated further as the staff that were retained would often be required to take on extra responsibilities and work longer hours in order to cover

the deficit created by downsizing. With all of these additional strains on the working culture, organisations needed to find new ways of retaining their best performers to help see them through the difficult times and ‘employee engagement’ was coined as the allencompassing answer to this conundrum.

Firstly, to implement an employee engagement programme, the organisation’s overall strategic objectives must be communicated to the workforce at every level. On an individual basis, each employee must understand how they contribute to the bigger picture. Most staff will not take up the challenge of achieving these aims and objectives without being offered a positive reason that suits them personally. They need to be offered aspirational rewards as incentives that appeal to them with something to suit everyone in the workforce right across the age scale.

A ‘one-size fits all’ approach to employee engagement, therefore, simply isn’t an option.

The objectives, the criteria for earning the rewards, must be SMART (Specific Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound). The appeal of the rewards must be communicated effectively and regularly throughout the duration of the scheme to keep them top of mind. This is easily neglected, and important to the momentum of the scheme.

From the launch onwards, every online and offline medium should be used to convey the message, and this should continue regularly and frequently. Where possible, communications must be personalised not standardised, and must be fun, creative and engaging.

BOOSTING SPENDING POWER Within the choice of incentive rewards typically offered to staff, the emphasis has been on either specific prizes or vouchers and giftcards that allowed each staff member to treat themselves and buy something they want such as clothes or a weekend break,

EMPLOYEE RE-ENGAGEMENT Many organisations will have adopted an employee engagement programme, increased productivity and achieved their objectives. But this is where many managers have in recent years found themselves facing an unfamiliar issue. Many experienced managers have run motivation and engagement programmes for up to about two years in more buoyant periods where there were also pay rises and career opportunities for many individuals to add to the momentum and boost morale. As this down turn has, at best, flat lined for a much longer time, the new issue is the need to sustain engagement longer.

Some employees may have been engaged but then started to face new difficulties and frustrations that have since caused their drive and commitment to dwindle. Or perhaps others were never fully engaged in the first place. The long–term nature of the economic issues has created the need for ‘employee reengagement’ programmes.

Continual re-engagement is required in order to keep employees tuned into the changing company objectives. I believe that a re-engagement programme, tailored to individual needs, attitudes and status, offering new attractive incentives and more creative communications is vital to rekindle the fire and involvement among staff.

CIPD figures suggest that over a third of workers intend on seeking new employment as soon as the recession has subsided. If they are not continually re-engaged and their efforts rewarded with enviable incentives, staff will quickly lose their enthusiasm.

Re-engagement is important for both the individual and the employer. L

Written by John Sylvester, executive director, P&MM Motivation

John Sylvester, executive director of P&MM Motivation, looks at how strict financial policies have impacted on employee motivation and engagement programmes.

or a family trip to the cinema. These have continued to be effective incentives and rewards during this recession. However, pay restraint and rising prices have prompted employers to help their staff and boost morale and engagement by at least making their earnings go further. They have done this by offering flexible and voluntary benefits with cashback and discount schemes. A good example of cashback is the NHS Black Card which, for just £2.99, allows staff to save money on every day spending. By using the card after loading funds on to it, staff can earn up to five per cent rebate on purchases at various participating retailers that include many food superstores and high street names.

The success of these cashback and discount schemes has been an important feature of engagement programmes during the recession and is now so well–entrenched that, where they are in place, they are a powerful factor in staff retention.

Training

Sponsored by

ABOUT THE AUTHOR John Sylvester is executive director of P&MM Motivation and director of the Institute of Promotional Marketing responsible for motivation.

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Training

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Education services for the care sector with Charisma Teresa Killick of Charisma

Charisma services is a small company dedicated ensuring quality of services and education within the care sector. It offers a varied range of training programs that can be delivered in the work place or away from the work place. Charisma ensures companies that have staff working with people to create an independent life style or require a continuing care program are taught to understand needs from every perspective.

Core values focus upon safety, choice and rights, underpinned by privacy, dignity, independence and wellbeing.

With 20 years’ experience within the care sector, Charisma ensures that staff are able to gain knowledge from trainers, which are able to give a completely realistic view of how health care has changed and how it continually changes.

Charisma services cover all mandatory subjects with the care sector, and has a high pass rate for all subject areas, only allowing learners to

take exams for qualifications once the tutor and learner are confident in the subject.

Subjects covered are: health and safety; conflict management; SOVA dignity and diversity; food hygiene; physical intervention; fire safety; manual handling; moving people; dementia care and the mental capacity act, and; palliative and end of life care.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01400279119 charismaservicesuk@ gmail.com

Elgy Safety – a wealth of experience in risk management and safety Services provided include: A health and safety audits A workplace safety inspections, policy development and consultation with workforce.

A undertaking COSHH risk assessments, environmental security risk assessments, display screen risk assessments, lone working risk assessments A In house training in manual handling, personal safety and display screen risk assessments.

Alan Gardner Tel: 078 78 36 33 61 Fax: 01322 280778 alanelgy5@hotmail.co.uk

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

Aquarius - Autumn 2012 programmes launched for health & care sector Aquarius Training & Development Partners is a team of successful and effective training and learning providers for businesses of any size, from SMEs to large corporate organisations in both the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Offering CMI, ILM and bespoke training programmes, Aquarius has many years experience delivering programmes to the health and care sector across many levels, including: Senior Management (Level 7 Programmes in Strategic Management & Leadership); Middle Management (Levels 5 or 6 Programmes in Management & Leadership), and; Junior Management

(Levels 2 and 3 Programmes in Leadership/Team Leadership).

Programmes are available at Aquarius’s Deeside training centre or in client’s locations in a variety of flexible delivery formats. All staff are qualified to deliver the subject area they are engaged in, hold memberships of various professional institutions and have many years experience commensurate with their roles.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01244 530734 enquiries@aquariustd.co.uk www.aquariustd.co.uk

Mobile Team Challenge Ltd Unleash Unleash the the Potential Potential of of Your Your People People

www.mtceurope.co.uk

What IF... Disney ran your Hospital...?? n Seeing your Hospital through the Eyes of your Patients n “Moments of Truth” from your Patient’s Touch Points n Applying the 6 Keys of Disney’s Magic Kingdom n The FISH! Principles of Service Excellence n Developing Emotional Intelligence for Patient Care n Creating Inspirational and Compassionate Teams n Setting the Standards for Patient Experience Excellence “A Life Changing Experience” – BUPA “A Terrific Day - thoroughly enjoyable and informative session!” – NHS: S.Warks “Thank you for the inspiring 2 day’s training you did for us recently, we have noticed a difference already!”

– NHS: S.Region On-Site for ONLY £750 per Group

Office: 0844 745 2120 E-mail: barrybailey@mtceurope.co.uk Website: www.mtceurope.co.uk

Responsible for workplace safety and compliance?

When workplace accidents happen, training will be scrutinised. If employers fail to follow regulations, the responsible person could face fines and/or imprisonment.

Health and safety training eats into tight budgets and steals away staff members from important tasks.

Wise Global Training has a solution – eLearning, a cost effective way to train staff.

Flexible health and safety training programmes across a wide range of subjects are available to help ensure compliance with internal policy as well as satisfying legal requirements.

One company contacted Wise Global Training after having a series of workplace accidents.

The HSE was called in and hefty fines were issued. They identified a gap in health and safety training. After Wise Global

Training thoroughly trained key members of staff on the IOSH Managing Safely course, the HSE is now satisfied, and the company is in full compliance.

Wise Global Training specialises in IOSH Managing Safely and IOSH Working Safely courses.

Its comprehensive training courses have been designed to give provide the knowledge and skills required to run a safe working environment and ensure compliance with the latest health and safety regulations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01482 211989 info@wiseglobaltraining.com www.wiseglobaltraining.com

Vital and highly costeffective training across the UK from Gateway Gateway Training & Consultancy is recognised as one of the foremost providers in all aspects of Health Care training for companies, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other care centres, in both the private and NHS sectors located over a wide geographical area.

The company offers a wide range of bespoke and core courses all of which are presented by a member of its specialist training team. These run from half a day to three days and are based under the broad themes of: Health and Safety (including First Aid), Vulnerable Adults, Health and Childcare, Leadership and Management courses, Legal and Human resources, specialist training in Mental Health Law (including Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) Investigation Skills, Defensible Record Keeping and Risk Management training.

Courses are a combination

Training

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

of theoretical knowledge and practical sessions, designed to develop and enhance delegate skills. The content of each individual course has been researched and is evidence based, flexible in approach and relates to current standards of practice. Where relevant the content is tailored to suit the clients’ current policies and procedures, and also takes into account the service user group.

In addition to Gateway being training providers, the company also offers a comprehensive healthcare consultancy service.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Celia Reid: 0776 932 6467 admin@gateway-training.co.uk www.gateway-training.co.uk

A focused approach Practical work experience to leadership training from City Gate Training in 2006 programmes from Extensor Established City Gate Training Extensor specialises in delivering management, leadership and teamwork training programmes that are individually tailored to achieve the specific goals and objectives of each client.

Extensor differs from many training companies in that all of its facilitators are people who have worked at board-level in major organisations. They therefore bring gravitas and credibility to any programme as they are able to speak from personal experience of what works in practice.

Extensor takes great pride in its focused approach to delivering

a return on investment and offers a ‘satisfaction or your money back’ guarantee to back it up. The company was founded in 2003, since when it has worked with a wide variety of organisations in areas such as leadership, change, strategic planning and team effectiveness.

Clients include Jaguar Land Rover, Manchester University, Santander, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Wolseley.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01462 790444 enquiries@extensor.co.uk www.extensor.co.uk

Centre is continuing to grow and provide high quality training in health and social care for both private and commercial sectors.

With customised qualifications, such as BTEC Level 3 Advanced Award in Nursing Skills for Care Assistants and Care Support Workers, the company has managed to distinguish between those health care assistants who wish to work in nursing or residential homes, and those who require different skills and wish to work in hospital environment.

City Gate’s training programmes are designed in line with current minimum requirements. Starting as an introductory training and leading to nationally recognised qualifications.

Citygate believes that it has found that missing link in the current national health system.

The most popular training

programmes at City Gate Training Centre are: nursing skills for care assistant; maternity support worker; mental health care assistant; residential care assistant (also known as basic health care assistant), and; BTEC level 3 Advanced Award in Nursing Skills.

All training programmes contain practical work experience. Candidates of City Gate Training Center have to demonstrate not only the theoretical but also the practical knowledge of chosen course.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0203 130 0486 info@cgtraining.org.uk www.cgtraining.org.uk

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Emergency Documentation Provider CWC Services provide a range of innovative documentation systems, we’ve been developing evidentially sound documentation systems to address real needs for over twenty five years. Our systems are used worldwide by hundreds of organisations.

For example, we provide: Æ “Cruciform” Triage system, used throughout the UK and abroad Æ “Cruciform” Patient Evacuation System for hospitals Æ The “Green” Emergency Log Book and other log books We have recently provided log books for LOCOG at the Olympics.

We are continually developing products and systems to add to our product range. Visit our website to see the full range of products and a list of our clients.

Available Bespoke Solutions: * Emergency Resilience * Rapid Deploy Shelter Solutions * Specialists in Mobile Decontamination * Solutions for Casualty Clearing

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For further information and enquiries, or to arrange a demonstration of our product range, please contact: Carl Wallin on 01353 968982 or 07736 183471

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CWC services Bee Only

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Emergency Services Show 2012 Come and Visit Us: Stand OS16 0845 121 3780 info@nbcgroupinternational.com Regular Logo PMS116 CVC www.nbcgroupinternational.com

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Wasp Healthcare Solutions Improving efficiency and accuracy beyond patient care Accurately track and manage stock Reduce medication administration errors Improve patient safety with patient identification wristbands and specimen labeling www.waspbarcode.co.uk

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BARCODING

CODING FOR EFFICIENCY The NHS is an integral part of British society.

Many of us work in or directly with the service, pay taxes to fund it and will have experienced its services first hand. Therefore it’s a subject that most feel passionately about, particularly as many agree that the system is struggling.

Dealing with a staggering one million patients every 36 hours, this will come as no surprise.

Over the 64 years the service has been in existence, it’s been no secret that the NHS has had its fair share of challenges. Resources continue to be significantly stretched, resulting in long waiting hours in A&E and missing records.

Despite doing an impressive job with these limited resources, The National Patient Safety Agency in the UK reported that in 2007 alone there were over 80,000 NHS medication blunders; a high number of errors that could be avoided using simple and cost effective solutions. With further warnings that the NHS will be unable to cope with the demands of having to make efficiency savings of £15bn to £20bn between 2011 and 2014, it’s now imperative that the NHS investigates all possible avenues for making cost and efficiency savings without negatively impacting patient care and safety.

STANDARDS BASED PROCUREMENT Implementing basic data standards and automated identification systems, such as bar coded patient wristbands, equipment, medicine and even medical records, could have an extremely positive impact. This kind of basic technology can help NHS trusts to improve efficiency and at the same time save costs, precious time, staffing resources and most importantly - improve the quality of patient care. As the new government has pledged to ring fence resources to support the NHS, while all other public services are experiencing dramatic budget cuts, it’s even more important for money to be spent wisely.

The recent Department of Health publication ‘NHS Procurement: Raising our game’ calls for trusts to demand GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) from their suppliers as part of the procurement process. By doing so, NHS Trusts will be able to make considerable savings on admin and overheads without any knock-on effects on patients. By using a standards-based procurement and asset tracking system, NHS Trusts will also be able

Written by Roger Lamb, healthcare sector manager, GS1 UK

Basic data standards can help NHS trusts to improve efficiency says Roger Lamb, healthcare sector manager at GS1 UK, which is responsible for the most widely used set of supply chain standards in the world to see where any given item is at any time, cutting down the time staff spend searching for equipment and reducing wastage.

By focusing cost saving initiatives on administrative and logistical efficiency rather than services, it is possible to maintain levels of care and ensure that the NHS makes the most of the money it has.

Not only is efficiency a key requirement coming from the UK, European and US governments, protecting patients from misidentified products – where poor illegible manual labelling systems or simple human error can result in massive risks to patient safety – is now also a key priority.

BARCODE STANDARDS Bar code standards and Radio Frequency Identifier Data (RFID) technology have already been shown to reduce errors, track medication, improve the quality of patient care and prevent counterfeit medicines from entering the NHS supply chain. From an operational perspective, there are significant efficiency gains including less paperwork, reduced manual processes, automatic stock replenishment, cut time wasted by inaccurate data sharing, and access to centralised,

Data Management

Sponsored by

accurate and standardised data. This means that doctors and nurses can spend less time on administration, and more time with their patients.

We have seen many NHS trusts, hospitals, pharmaceuticals and medical device providers successfully implement simple technologies and GS1 standards to save money, improve efficiency and importantly, increase patient safety. So who is successfully using these technologies? E

Coding enables the supply chain to improve patient safety, drive efficiencies and combat counterfeiting through safety features on individual packs to guarantee their authenticity and enable pharmacists to check whether the outer packaging has been tampered with Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Data Management

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Print Anywhere from N3 approved Rivendale bridges the limitations of many barcode systems Since their introduction in the 1970s, linear barcodes have rapidly become an acceptable technology for identification and with the introduction of 2D barcodes the volume of data that can be encapsulated in a small space has dramatically increased. Although barcodes have been used in the healthcare industry for many years, hospitals have often been unable to capitalise on the true advantages of the technology because of the limitations of their software systems.

Print Anywhere is a GS1 accredited technology developed by Rivendale Systems to enable healthcare providers to comply with National Patient Safety Agency and Information Standards Board for Health notices concerning patient identity barcodes.

The product is a vendor neutral, Microsoft Windows based application that compliments existing Patient Administration Systems by outputting patient demographic and admission details onto wristband and other label sheets in the required format to produce high quality text and barcodes.

Graphics such as hospital logos and prescanned form designs are also supported and in addition to wristbands, the product lends itself to the customised output of documents such as specimen and chart labels, appointment letters and even the electronic completion of documents such

as insurance claim forms and invoices.

Print Anywhere affordably bridges the limitations many systems have, offering customers the choice of wristband and label vendor, size and content and enabling providers to cater for adult, paediatric and neonatal wrist sizes and content. Labels can be printed on standard network inkjet or laser printers and label-specific printers are not required. As well as providing pseudo network printer capability, Print Anywhere can also receive data via flat file or HL7 transmission.

As an NHS N3 connected vendor, Rivendale can support installations in any hospital in the UK or Ireland and already has the Print Anywhere solution deployed in Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trust and Galway University Hospitals.

Established in 1994, Rivendale Systems is a software developer, vendor and support organisation specialising in developing software that enables communication of data

content between platforms and applications and output to media for machine and human interpretation. Rivendale applications provide interface engine capability to translate or modify data as part of an intermediary role between systems and can capture data for look up, audit or analysis. Rivendale has also developed hospital alert systems that can communicate urgent radiological findings to clinicians via SMS, smart phone app or email.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01635 254464 info@rivendale.co.uk www.rivendale.co.uk

Rivendale

Print Anywhere • High quality barcodes with • Multiple document formats on • Standard networked printers Barcode printing - HL7 interfacing - Hospital alerts - Stock movement - A&E patient tracking

Rivendale Systems Limited The Old Bakery North End Newbury RG20 0AY Tel: 01635 254464 Fax: 01635 255359 info@rivendale.co.uk

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BARCODING E STOCK CONTROL One of the big issues facing many NHS Trusts.

Work carried out at Leeds Teaching Hospital has saved over half a million pounds in a single department alone by implementing a GS1 standards-based automated stock control system. Over the course of three years, Leeds Teaching Hospital reduced surplus stock levels by £570,000 while simultaneously improving service levels to 98 per cent. The implementation allowed frontline doctors and nurses to spend more time with patients and less time finding and ordering basic equipment or even manual taking stock measurements. With full visibility of all orders and stock coming in, the Trust’s supplies team can see what items have been delivered to which ward.

The hospital’s receipting invoice disputes have dropped from 20 per cent of all invoices to just 2 per cent, saving a huge amount of administrative resources. If the model demonstrated by Leeds Teaching Hospital is followed in all departments in all hospitals across the UK, hundreds of millions of pounds will be freed up to invest in better patient care. Leeds Teaching Hospitals has already managed to save over half a million pounds in one department by doing so.

FALSIFIED MEDICINES The use of GS1 standards on pharmaceutical products to enable unique identification and authentication of individual packs through the supply chain are recommended by the Department of Health for use in the healthcare system for manufactured products and coding systems. Coding enables the supply chain to improve patient safety, drive efficiencies and combat counterfeiting through safety features on individual packs to identify them, guarantee their authenticity and enable pharmacists to check whether the outer packaging has been tampered with.

Many markets, such as Turkey and France, have already begun to impose regulations requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to include 2D Data Matrix bar codes encoded with GS1 standard identifiers such as the GTIN and expiry date to combat counterfeiting and reimbursement fraud.

ELECTRONIC ASSET TRACKING Wythenshawe Hospital is using trusted and approved GS1 bar codes to track and trace surgical instrument trays, which has enabled staff to store historical information on individual items electronically. This information can be accessed easily in the event of a recall procedure. The tracking system also ensures that the right trays are returned to the correct hospital department. A similar system could be employed to track prescription medicines.

MEDICAL RECORD TRACKING/TRACING Lead site Royal Bolton Hospital identified the potential to reduce the time spent looking for misfiles by 80 per cent whilst significantly reducing lost revenue due to coding time-outs

by replacing the manual processing of returned records with an automated system that uses GS1 standards. Furthermore, by automating location tracking throughout the hospital it could save even larger amounts. Benefits like these will enable hospitals to meet their requirements of reducing costs and ultimately improve patient safety.”

PATIENT SAFETY Mölnlycke Health Care, leading providers of wound care and single-use surgical products and services to the healthcare sector, has developed a range of GS1compliant product labelling as part of their continuous improvement to offer safe and efficient products to its customers as well as supply chain efficiency.

As part of this initiative, Mölnlycke has updated policies and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance with new regulations and standards. In particular, using the GS1 Standards is enabling Mölnlycke Health Care to be ready for new NHS and global legislation for universal codes on medical products around traceability of products within the healthcare supply chain as well as efficiently managing product recalls.

By having a single, globally accepted system for positive identification of medical devices and standardised identification system, patient safety has been safeguarded.

SAVINGS WITHOUT COMPROMISE A global set of regulations will mean that hospitals and clinicians will have access to a reliable source of information about medical devices from their manufacturers, leading to fewer administrative errors affecting patient care and preventing counterfeit medication entering the supply chain. Through using joined up systems using GS1 identifiers for tracking and monitoring across a hospital, trusts can make huge savings without cuts to frontline services. Improved efficiency and increased savings in procurement and stock management will see more available money to invest in services and improved levels of care at the point of treatment. The examples given show how basic technology and trusted data can be used without compromising patient care or safety. In an era where the public sector is being asked to save money, combat counterfeiting, tackling drug and stock wastage issues, this could be a more costeffective way for the NHS to make big savings.

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Matching patients electronically to the right medication, the right bed, the right treatment to ensure patients have the right products available at the right time in the right place will stop many of the mismatches, which today cost patients’ lives.

GS1 codes are a tool for patient safety.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? The first step is to become a GS1 UK member, which is funded centrally for NHS trusts in England. GS1 data standards underpin all of the technologies that front line health staff are asking for, enabling the systems to operate at their best. The Department of Health fully recommends the use of GS1 standards throughout the healthcare system in the UK. It’s an important part of their ‘Coding for Success’ policy. Members of GS1 UK are inducted into the use of global and interoperable standards within their hospital, and gain free access to implementation guidelines, education modules and dedicated experts in their field. They also have the chance to define GS1 UK healthcare standards through working groups. With all of these resources to hand, there is no reason why health organisations can’t be cost effectively revitalised with improved patient care and greater efficiency. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.gs1uk.org

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TELECARE/TELEHEALTH

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TELECARE AND TELEHEALTH: WHY WOULDN’T YOU? Official population forecasts indicate that the over 65’s will increase by over 40 per cent to 11.6 million by 2025 – representing 1 in 5 of the population. If you take a straw poll in any street anywhere in the world, the vast majority of people will tell you that they would want to stay independent and in control of their own health for as long as is humanly possible. With these significant changes in demographics (occurring not only within the UK, but right across the globe), and the fact that modern medicine enables us to live for longer than ever before, the desire for independence brings its own set of challenges.

As we age, our needs change. We may require assistance to remain in our own home, or have no alternative but to move into residential care. Residential care may be the correct choice for some of us, but for others there are a growing number of alternatives that are not only more acceptable to an individual, but also much more cost effective. Another consequence of ageing is the increasing likelihood of developing one, or more, long term conditions. Current statistics from the Department of Health indicate that there are currently over 15 million people in England alone living with a long term condition. As we age this increased likelihood of developing multiple long term conditions can impact on how we live, our independence and the amount, and type, of care we require.

With an ageing population, the number of individuals living with multiple long term conditions will continue to grow.

LONG TERM CONDITIONS This growth in long term conditions will bring with it an increased need for care for the individual to enable them to stay as healthy as possible. Roll into this the increased likelihood of hospital admissions and the cost of healthcare rises significantly. All indications are that the current health and social care systems will not have the resources to cope with this increased demand. With this shift in demographics, the role of carers will continue to increase in importance. Figures from Carers UK indicate that an additional 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility every day, with over three million people currently juggling care with work and 1 in 5 being forced to give up work altogether due to the significant demands placed on them as a carer.

A mix of solutions will be required to address

these significant issues. 3millionlives, the partnership between government, health, social care, housing, industry and third sector stakeholders, is working towards a transformation of services to enable a step change in the way we deliver health and social care. Access to telecare and telehealth as part of mainstream health and social care is at the core of 3millionlives.

EFFICIENCY SAVINGS Telecare is already accessed by over 1.7 million people in the UK. Telehealth is becoming an increasingly important option for clinicians to provide the best possible healthcare for their patients.

The benefits are recognised from the individual person to government ministers who recognise the difference that adopting telecare and telehealth into mainstream

and telecare allows it to happen. Equally it gives peace of mind to family, friends and carers, knowing that when they are unable to watch over their loved ones, telecare will. As well as responding to an immediate need, telecare can work in a preventative mode, with services programmed to monitor an individual’s health or well-being. Often known as lifestyle monitoring, this can provide early warning of deterioration, prompting a response from family or professionals. The same technology can be used to provide safety and security through bogus caller

Written by Loretta MacInnes, Telecare Services Association

With huge potential to reduce costs, Telehealth is becoming an increasingly important option for clinicians, writes Loretta MacInnes of the Telecare Services Association

“Telecare and Telehealth can be transformational in terms of enabling independent living much longer than would otherwise be the case” Norman Lamb MP, Minister of State for Care & Support. delivery can make to the use of resources, and indeed efficiency savings across health and social care: “Telecare and Telehealth can be transformational in terms of enabling independent living much longer than would otherwise be the case”, Norman Lamb MP, Minister of State for Care & Support.

Telecare, as defined by the Telecare Services Association (TSA), the representative body for telecare and telehealth, is a technology assisted service that enables people to live independently in their own home. 90 per cent of people say that that is their wish -

and burglar alarms. Telecare services that are accredited to the TSA Telecare Code of Practice, are delivering to consistently high service standards, giving additional piece of mind to the individual in receipt of those services, and their family and carers. Further information about this standard can be found at www.telecare.org.uk/standards.

The benefits of telecare are many – it enables an individual to remain independent and secure in their own home for longer, and it provides peace of mind and security for not only the individual, but their family E

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Healthcare IT

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Aid Call - providing all the benefits of a hard wired system at a fraction of the cost NHS staff are under increasing time pressure, particularly in the light of recent efficiency and saving demands. In addition to this, the NHS is facing a huge rise in demand from an ageing population, increasing numbers of patients with long term conditions, and knock-on effects from the challenging economic climate.

With the NHS facing funding deficits and the fact that budgets are under pressure, hospitals are having to find ways to do more with less and advances in technology can help to make staff’s time more efficient and effective.

Aid Call is a leading supplier of wireless nurse call systems with over 30 years experience at the forefront of wireless nurse call technology. Aid Call has the ability to tailor each system to suit an individual’s requirements and needs, whilst offering solutions within constrained budgets.

Aid Call’s wireless nurse call system is safe, reliable and a fraction of the cost of a hard wired system, delivering cost effective solutions and better value for money. The Aid Call wireless system has a proven track record with over 3,000 installations nation wide. It is easy to install and simple to use providing maximum flexibility to meet the needs of patients and nursing staff.

Wireless systems like Aid Call’s Nurse Call

system provide all the functionality and reliability of a hard wired system, but with the added benefit of greater flexibility, with more powerful features and functionality.

The flexible system is modular and can be moved around and added to as required.

Wireless nurse call systems are quick and easy to install, the systems are infinitely changeable and expandable allowing for the constant ability to deal quickly with ever changing clinical demands.

The Aid Call wireless nurse call system uses the most advanced two-way radio technology including an automatic acceptance, ‘Listen before Talk’ anti-collision feature, whilst also meeting the highest Class European safety critical accreditation.

Aid Call also offers competitive lease / rental options which include maintenance and can

negate the need for capital expenditure. Aid Call’s cost effective solutions focus on delivering better value for money services to ensure that you get the most from your budget.

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TELECARE & TELEHEALTH E and carers. For providers, it enables them to where it is monitored against parameters set utilise technology to assist in the provision of by the individual’s clinician. Evidence that care services, maximizing their resources, and vital signs are outside of ‘normal’ parameters offering a full 24/7 service each and every triggers a response. The use of mobile day for the individuals who use their devices (often called mHealth) services. Telecare uses technology means that monitoring is no The al to assist the delivery of longer restricted to the tion services – and the emphasis home. a n r e t In nd a on service is important.

In the many teleheath e r a Telec Conference What telecare isn’t is pilots that have taken g in lth r a e e h the use of technology in place across the UK, t h a e l g Te argest elecare and isolation. telehealth has been l e h t t is s l f a o Another form of shown to reduce n e o i p s in Euroealth profes e on supporting the individual hospital admissions, in their own home and enable clinical teleh takes plac er in and Novemb is telehealth, which resources to be managed complements existing health more effectively.

12-14 rmingham Bi care regimes. Telehealth uses technology to provide services THE FUTURE that assist in the management of long So what does the future hold term health conditions, including Chronic for our ageing population? The future is Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), definitely bright - innovations continue, with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF), Diabetes and huge advances in technology, interoperable Epilepsy. Telehealth enables individuals to systems, telehealth pilots and the large scale take more control over their own health, with deployment of telecare across the UK. The information about their health condition being Government has shown real commitment, and monitored regularly to flag up issues before 3millionlives is making real progress. Access they become ‘care critical’ and becomes an to these services is becoming much easier and intrinsic part of the individuals care pathway. personal choice greater – we could eventually It works by monitoring vital signs, such as be able to buy into a service through our local blood pressure, and transmitting the data to supermarket, or via the red button on our a response centre or a clinician’s computer, televisions.

Healthcare IT

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The TSA is continuing its development of standards for service delivery across the industry, with the development of a quality standard for telehealth, which together with the existing code, will form an integrated quality standard for telecare and telehealth services. TSA also organises the International Telecare and Telehealth Conference which this year takes place on 12-14 November 2012. This is the largest gathering in Europe of telecare and telehealth professionals, and attendees will see the very latest innovations and developments across the sector, and hear from expert speakers. Further information can be found at www.telecare.org.uk/conference With 3millionlives and the continued commitment from TSA, government, clinicians, and the public and private sector, telecare and telehealth should become automatic choices for us all as our needs change. These solutions not only increase the control an individual has over their own condition, but can also be used to maintain a person’s wellbeing, prevent exacerbations of long term conditions, reduce the number of hospital admissions and help an individual stay well and independent for longer, at a cost that is effective for both the public and private sector. The question isn’t why would you use it, it is why wouldn’t you? L FURTHER INFORMATION www.telecare.org.uk

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It is generally accepted that telehealth has the potential to enable the cost savings needed by the NHS, to meet the QIPP agenda, help clinicians manage an increasing workload, give patients more control to manage their own health and deliver better clinical outcomes. However the evidence base is varied. This is why the outputs of telehealth services need to be quantified to demonstrate beyond doubt that telehealth works for the benefit of the health system and patients.

The sustainability of telehealth as a service can only come from demonstrating that the savings made are more than the cost of the service. Measurement points need to be built into all deployments of telehealth, to be effective from initial installation, so that tangible benefits can be identified as the service progresses.

This is the challenge Telehealth Solutions has undertaken with Portsdown Group Practice, partnering with Imperial College

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EHI LIVE 2012

EHI Live plans to examine the role of the CCIO in detail with first Leaders Network conference Now in its fifth year, EHI Live brings together suppliers, healthcare IT professionals and clinicians discuss and debate the issues facing those involved in healthcare IT and want to use it to improve the efficiency and quality of health service.

This year, EHI Live takes place on the 6th & 7th of November at the NEC, Birmingham.

Alongside a packed seminar programme and over 100 exhbitors, the event will feature the inaugural CCIO Leaders Network - a free conference which aims to focus on the needs of chief clinical information officers at all levels of the NHS, and will report back on the roadshows the network held this year.

WORKING WITH COLLEAGUES Sessions will look at the case for CCIOs, how they can work in different settings, including mental health and clinical commissioning, and at how they can work effectively with colleagues – including the IT director.

The opening session, entitled Clinicians needed! Recognising the importance of involving clinical staff in data management and the use of information will be presented

by Mike Farrar, chief executive, NHS Confederation and Jon Hoeksma, editor,

eHealth Insider. Also taking place on the Tuesday will be a session which gives the views of the US. Dr Sajjad Yacoob, director of medical informatics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will present: A US perspective on clinical leadership and the role of the CMIO. The afternoon will feature a panel Q&A entitled: How much of the leadership role of a CCIO is about enabling colleagues to use digital technologies to become better clinicians? This will be chaired by Dr Wai Keong Wong, specialist registrar in haemotology at Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust.

FIVE CONFERENCE STREAMS This year, the main conference has been split into five streams; with speakers looking at the big picture, major works, and health 2.0 on both days. Tuesday’s conference will focus on the best new IT in the pipeline and Wednesday’s conference will focus on research. Speakers include Dr Dan Poulter, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Health, Dame Fiona Caldicott, chair of the National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care, Mike Denis, director of information strategy, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Liam

Healthcare IT

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Maxwell, deputy government chief information officer, Cabinet Office and Dr Charles Gutteridge, National clinical director for informatics and medical director, Barts Health NHS Trust. John Clarke, chief information officer at University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust, will be talking about forging good relationships with informatics researchers, and Mike Denis, director of information strategy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, will be speaking about its new personal health record for patients, built on Microsoft HealthVault.

Linda Davidson, co-founder and director of e-Health insider, said: “We believe that the speakers at EHI Live 2012 will give delegates a real insight into the direction of travel, and into what it all means for the NHS IT and information agendas.”

This year the full conference programme, exhibitor list and show details can be accessed free via smartphone or tablet. Search EHI Live at the app store.

FURTHER INFORMATION To register, full conference programmes and to see video highlights from last years event, visit www.ehi.co.uk

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DIGITAL DICTATION PROVES ITS WORTH But do all suppliers offer the same benefits? A new customer audit has shown that Lexacom’s digital dictation software has reduced the average time it takes to process a GP referral letter by over 85 per cent. So why do some hospitals and GP practices persevere with an analogue system? And is there really any difference between the digital dictation providers? Dr Andrew Whiteley, practicing GP and managing director of leading digital dictation company Lexacom, explains.

Digital dictation is about enabling GPs, consultants and other specialists to record what action is needed for their patients as accurately, easily and efficiently as possible, and work with their support team to get that information to where it needs to be.

Dr Whiteley explains: “We originally developed digital dictation to overcome the significant problems with tapebased, analogue systems which, as a GP myself, I was all too familiar with.

“There is no doubt that dictation saves countless hours of valuable time, but it’s not just about speed. Tapes are unreliable and expensive to replace, they break, data can easily be recorded over and the information on them is not confidential. Sound quality is poor and it’s really time-consuming to find or retrieve old dictations, that is if they haven’t been recorded over!”

Dr Whiteley believes digital dictation benefits clinicians, secretaries and ultimately patients by speeding up document turnaround times and improving accuracy. Speeding up the

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workflow and transcription process means reports and diagnoses can be submitted more quickly, ensuring patients spend less time waiting. By making it easy for doctors to record dictations instantly, the risk of important information being missed is reduced, while the improved sound quality helps ensure the transcription is accurate. Fewer mistakes and delays speed up the referral process and, as a result, the overall standard of care improves.

INDEPENDENT AUDIT Lexacom recently took part in an audit run by Informatics Merseyside. The audit was carried out at the Moore Street Surgery in Bootle, Liverpool and compared the performance of a traditional tape-based dictation system against Lexacom’s digital dictation software.

The results suggest there is no contest between analogue and digital – the time taken to process a dictation from recording to typing improved by 85 per cent when switching from tapes to Lexacom. Overall,

using Lexacom digital dictation, the Moore Street Surgery was shown to be saving itself an average of 104 hours or 4.3 days per letter.

“Our clients are under increasing pressure to deliver high quality services more efficiently and we are pleased to be able to help them do just that.” stated Dr Whiteley.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SYSTEM There is a surprising number of organisations which still rely on tapes. Equally, all digital dictation services differ. “When choosing a digital dictation provider,” Dr Whiteley advises, “it’s important to ensure the software is right for the organisation. I would encourage potential buyers to ask questions about the software’s ease of use, flexibility to grow with an organisation, sound quality and support service.

It’s also worth asking about minimum contract terms as some companies insist on lengthy agreements which can prove problematic if the software doesn’t perform effectively.”

Naturally, some organisations are tempted to stick with the devil they know – whether that’s an unsatisfactory digital system or old fashioned analogue kit, but that’s why Lexacom provides a free 30 day trial.

“We prefer clients to get a feel for our software and make an informed decision – and, to be honest, we’re confident our software speaks for itself.” Dr Whiteley added.

Lexacom constantly evolves and updates its software so that clients in the NHS and private health sector can take advantage of new developments such as secure mobile dictation and integration with leading clinical systems. With clients becoming increasingly used to working on the move, Lexacom has developed its software so clients can dictate securely wherever and whenever they want to.

With the benefit of a mobile dictation app, GPs and consultants can record a dictation at a patient’s bedside or home and send it for typing before they’ve even finished their ward round or home visits, improving both efficiency and accuracy.

Lexacom’s mobile dictation service uses secure, encrypted cloud technology, which gives clinicians the confidence to take advantage of the mobile benefits, knowing their information will stay confidential.

However, hand in hand with technology improvements goes customer service. “We are proud of our customer service and the positive feedback we receive suggests it is highly valued by our clients. Our sales team works closely with clients to tailor our software to meet their needs while our support team provides technical help to ensure clients get the best out of the system,” Dr Whiteley concluded. L FURTHER INFORMATION For more information about how Lexacom could help your organisation, or to find out what Lexacom’s clients think of their service, visit www.lexacom. co.uk/medical or call 01295 738011.

HEALTHCARE CONFERENCES & EVENTS EHI Live 6-7 November 2012 NEC, Birmingham EHI Live is the essential two day conference and exhibition where the eHealth community meets.

Now in its fifth year, EHI Live attracts visitors and delegates from around the UK who are keen to listen to industry figures and investigate new technologies.

Suppliers, healthcare IT professionals and clinicians discuss and debate the issues facing those who are involved in healthcare IT and want to use it to improve the efficiency and quality of health service. www.ehi.co.uk/ehi-live The Emergency Services Show 2012 21-22 November 2012 Stoneleigh Park, Coventry This two-day event is the UK’s leading exhibition for emergency services personnel, business continuity professionals and emergency planners. It promotes multi agency collaboration by bringing together everyone involved in an emergency – from strategic planners and first responders, to suppliers of equipment and services for emergency professionals. The event will take place on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd November at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry. www.emergencyuk.com/hb

Global Healthcare Summit 29-30 November 2012 Park Plaza Victoria, London Join 250 senior healthcare decision-makers from across the globe for a chance to gain a global perspective on the issues facing healthcare. Anne McElvoy, public policy editor, The Economist will be chairing the summit, steering the debate and bringing the best out of speakers and panellists.

In addition to the live event, there will be a broadcast of the morning sessions both days live online. www.economistconferences.co.uk Healthcare Innovation Expo 2013 13-14 March 2013 ExCeL, London The third Healthcare Innovation Expo 2013 will support the delivery of the NHS Chief Executive’s report Innovation Health and Wealth – Accelerating Adoption and Diffusion in the NHS. Widespread adoption of innovation is a key priority for the NHS. Expo 2013 will play an important part in spreading new and existing ideas across the NHS, helping to deliver improvements in quality and value and drive economic growth. Over 250 UK and international organisations showcasing what is brightest and best about innovation in healthcare. www.healthcareinnovationexpo.com

The Cleaning Show 2013 19-21 March 2013 NEC Birmingham The 2013 event is set to be the biggest and best ever with a full programme of attractions, the largest number of exhibitors and a co-location with the popular IMHX 2013 event. The Cleaning Show is organised every two years on behalf of the cleaning industry by BCCE Ltd, a company jointly owned by the British Cleaning Council and Quartz Business Media. Over 200 exhibitors, specialising in a variety of different sectors, will be present at the 2013 show, with over 50 exhibiting for the first time. www.cleaningshow.co.uk

Conferences & Events

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Sponsored by

HC2013 16-17 April 2013 ICC Birmingham veryone working in the health and care services should want to know about the opportunities and challenges to realising the potential for information. This event will be accessible and free to attend to anyone and everyone who has an interest in creating, managing or using information, supported by technology, to improve healthcare. The themes and content streams for HC2013 will therefore be designed and structured to provide appeal and relevance to a wide range of people. www.hc2013.bcs.org

A breath of fresh air for conferences and training In the heart of the Hampshire countryside - yet just ten minutes from Winchester - lies The Wessex Conference Centre. A stunning suite of venues and facilities for conferences, meetings, training and team building events.

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DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT: SECURE DISPOSAL

SETTING DATA STANDARDS

Document Management

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Anthony Pearlgood, chairman of the BSIA Information Destruction section, looks at the challenges faced by the health sector in securing sensitive information and avoiding data breaches

CONFIDENTIAL DATA HANDLING Earlier in the year, a new framework to ensure consistency throughout all EU member states was unveiled by European Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding. The framework, which applies to all 27 European member states, requires organisations to report any breaches within 24 hours, to employ a Data Protection Officer for any organisation of 250 staff or more and also warns that businesses may be fined up to 2 per cent of turnover for a data breach. Critics of the framework have questioned some of its aspects, including the strict 24 hour cut-off time for data breach notifications. However, the reality is that these changes are asking companies to make an even bigger commitment to their confidential data handling processes, and take responsibility for any shortfalls in their security strategies.

Research undertaken last year by the BSIA uncovered serious gaps in how data disposal is handled by public and private sector organisations.

One worrying statistic is that a third of organisations questioned are still relying on standard municipal waste disposal to deal with even the most sensitive of their information destruction needs, with all the dangers which that entails. Significantly, the same piece of research showed that nearly 19 per cent of organisations had been a victim of serious data fraud. Where such data breaches occurred it was noted by the respondents that half of these involved paper, and the rest were related to computer hard-drives. This demonstrated that, even in a world where cyber threats are continuously increasing, paying attention to the way physical material such as paper, storage devices and branded goods, are destroyed is still a crucial aspect of security.

ADHERING TO THE STANDARD Given the potential for breaches and the essential task they perform, any company bidding for information destruction work should, as a prerequisite, be able to provide conclusive proof that they adhere to a strict code of ethics and satisfy the provisions laid out in the pivotal European Standard EN 15713. The standard provides information destruction companies with recommendations for the management and control of collection, transportation, destruction of confidential material and recycling to ensure such material is disposed of securely and safely.

This is particularly essential in a sector where the sensitive nature of the documents and materials dealt with - including patient records ranging from demographic data such as age, occupation and race to addresses and contact details, health condition and financial details - require the tightest of procedures in order to ensure maximum security for the information held.

As revealed by the same research carried out last year by the BSIA, only 50 per cent of facilities managers who have taken the step to outsource data disposal knew whether their provider actually complied with EN15713. This is concerning, as the BSIA believes it should be the first question asked of any secure waste disposal business by a prospective customer. L

FURTHER INFORMATION The BSIA’s Information Destruction section played an active part in the development of EN15713, and to help educate end-users on its importance, the Association launched earlier in the year a one-page easy-to-understand informational leaflet providing its key points of consideration. This be downloaded from the BSIA’s Information Destruction Guidance website. To find out more visit www.bsia.co.uk

Anthony Pearlgood, chairman, BSIA Information Destruction section

With identity fraud continuing to threaten our society, institutions of all sizes should take extra precaution when destroying information, regardless of the material. The careless disposal of data often enables criminals to steal identities or conduct fraudulent transactions without anyone noticing. In addition, data breaches carry with them hefty fines and result in significant reductions in consumer confidence. This can be extremely damaging for all kinds of organisations, in particular within the health sector, where patients’ trust is an absolute requisite.

The £70,000 fined to the NHS in April is just the latest in a string of moves that has highlighted a tougher attitude by regulators against companies ineffectively handling their data, or falling victim of breaches.

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In an ever more demanding world, Variable Message Signs Limited combines innovation, experience and technology in strategic, rail and urban driver information systems.

Our road traffic product range covers applications in the strategic , urban, and traffic management equipment sectors.

We offer a full range of services to suit individual client requirements’ from design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of LED driver information systems. These include fully UTMC compliant car park guidance systems, vehicle activated speed and warning signs and full matrix dual colour advance warning and information signs.

Our range of car park guidance and information signs advise drivers where the car parks are within a town or city centre, local hospital or school site, within a shopping centre or multi storey car park.

The signs will advise on the number of spaces left within each car park or area, providing information and choice for drivers entering the town or site, and via our TRAMS car park management software package, the operator has control over all the listed car parks, the number of displayed / available spaces as well as providing various management reports and helps reduce emissions by keeping traffic moving and avoiding queuing. By adding a two line of fifteen character display within the car park guidance sign, clients can enhance their system and have the capability of adding ‘free text’ information to visitors entering the site.

Our Safewatch range of vehicle activated speed and warning signs help provide road & pedestrian safety, by advising and reinforcing the speed limits and other hazards, such as pedestrian crossings, side roads, tight bends etc and other hazards such as, car park entrances and exits, The unique environment of roads adjacent to and within schools, universities and hospitals specifically, our Safewatch range can be programmed to suit varying local and site conditions, by advising permitted speed or alternatively they can display a pictogram i.e.: children crossing etc. Our Safewatch range of signs can also be fitted with four corner

conspicuity lanterns for added presence.

The Safewatch range is always evolving to suit client’s demands. Our latest evolution of ultra slim signs are lightweight and will fit unobtrusively into the most sensitive of areas. The light sensor adjusts to ambient light levels, reducing LED output at night to maintain contrast. This stops the sign dazzling oncoming vehicles. Dimming the sign also cuts unwanted light pollution.

With many of our Safety and Warning signs we can supply them with alternatives to conventional mains power where the level of usage is comparatively low or due to location the cost of installing mains power is prohibitive. Typically these alternatives are Wind and/or Solar power either singly or in combination.

Applying Technology in Transportation has always been at the forefront of everything Variable Message Signs Limited manufacture, from standard to bespoke LED signage products.

Pegasus our new range of urban dual colour full matrix signs are the latest product to be designed and built with this philosophy. The sign’s attractive and slim design is especially suited to today’s urban streetscape, where it will deliver driver and pedestrian information. The sign is offered in three sizes, with high resolution matrix areas suitable for the display of four lines of text with character heights of 160mm, 100mm, and 50mm. All variants are capable of displaying combined text and pictogram information and employ a dual-coloured, amber and red, matrix.

A special feature of the new sign system is the ability to mount it in a landscape or portrait format, with five mounting options for landscape fixing and three for portrait fixing, making it a very flexible range of signs for use around schools, universities and hospitals as well as in town and city centres etc.

Variable Message Signs Limited is an ISO9001 2000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Quality Company and are members of the British Parking Association (BPA). For a no-obligation quotation, site survey or a general discussion regarding your requirements, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Glynn J Hutton, Sales Manager on 07717 783134 / 0191 423 7070, ghutton@vmslimited.co.uk or visit our website www.vmslimited.co.uk for our range of products and services.

Variable Message Signs Limited Unit 1, Monkton Business Park North, Mill Lane, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear NE31 2JZ T 0191 423 7070 F 0191 423 7071 E ghutton@vmslimited.co.uk W www.vmslimited.co.uk

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

WAYFINDING

David Catanach, director at the British Sign and Graphics Association, who spent many years working in the international sign industry, takes a look at wayfinding signage in hospital buildings We’re routinely assaulted by things around us that occupy one of two extremes; they’re either over-designed or they’re not designed at all. Like everyone else on the planet, I find this especially irritating when the deficient subject is a wayfinding signage scheme, which should guide you effortlessly to your destination – but often doesn’t because it’s been badly designed or poorly located.

There’s nothing worse than wandering round a building looking for a particular location, only to miss it because the sign that tells you that you’ve arrived had been sited on a door and somebody has left the door wide open.

I’ve always thought of wayfinding as a real specialisation within the scope of signing overall. It’s a specialisation that’s really dangerous to dabble in whether you’re the manufacturer of the components comprising a way-finding system, or the practitioner who installs them. You have to be really into it, to do it at all well. There are so many factors the end product needs to satisfy and letting any one of them dominate, at the expense of another, leaves you with the ruin of a wayfinding scheme to deal with.

IDENTICAL REPLACEMENTS Signs that relate to generally static chunks of infrastructure, such as Aberdeen or Penzance, have a life span that’s largely a function of the materials they’re made from. When the weather has done its work, the sign will be replaced, in all likelihood with something pretty much

identical. That’s because, unless something really unusual happens, Aberdeen and Penzance will always be where they are now.

Most wayfinding schemes through usually point the way to something that is anything but static. People get promoted. Radiology gets a new machine and moves to a bigger room. A new MD in installed and he’s a sales driven animal so finance is consigned to a new home in a temporary building by the bins. A wayfinding scheme has to be ‘updatable’ to reflect these changes.

FORTY SHADES OF GREEN? I was given to believe that there are forty shades of green. Try telling that to whoever was responsible for the directory in a Nottingham department store I visited. Every little component in the system has been stove enamelled, or painted, in a shade of green close, but not close enough, to its neighbour. Every time a change was made, a new shade of green would find its way into the directory. Eventually, it lost its way completely. Cratered aesthetics!

How about the provincial theatre that signed up for wayfinding ‘in character’? No room here for the crisply rendered, get-it-at-a-glance quality of a sharply contrasting sans-serif face and unmistakeable din-standard arrows. Try brown lettering on gold anodised aluminium and, as if that’s not enough, make sure the letter is Olde English and forget that it has a lower case too. Cratered legibility! Old scheme NHS – acres of brown Darvic. Cratered

functionality!Thankfully, wayfinding done well is an absolute joy to behold and there’s quite a bit of it around. Airports, on the whole, get it right.

They spend a small fortune on signing because they’re in the business of herding people from one place to another and – their system would simply grind to an excruciating halt if they didn’t do it well.

The British road traffic signing scheme is just about the best in the world and, let’s face it, we get plenty of time to admire it at close quarters.

You can’t talk wayfinding and transport without mentioning the London Underground.

Its wayfinding scheme is an exemplar of best practice in signing and, in its way, a thing of beauty too. Wayfinding done well is a deep design specialisation. It draws upon knowledge of how type works and how things distilled to the barest essence actually function. The very fact that it’s not a discretionary involvement of the user with the sign, but something closer to necessity confers upon it a responsibility to do its job and to do it well.

No one goal in wayfinding is seconded to another. Whether the scheme sets out to counterpoint the architecture that is its host, or to work with it, it must do so in a manner that sits comfortably with its need to direct and inform. Give legibility its head though, and you may have won in the functional stakes, but you’ll also have blighted the venue with the aesthetics of a car crash.L

Written by David Catanach, director, British Sign and Graphics Association

WAYFINDING: ARE YOU LOST?

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Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

CATERING

RAISING HOSPITAL FOOD STANDARDS

Tough new standards setting out what patients should expect from NHS hospital food have been announced by new health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, but do they go far enough?

A set of basic principles covering the quality with these new principles and in particular of food, nutritional content and choice for the commitment to introduce patient-led patients will be published alongside guidance inspections, ensuring they actually make a real for all hospitals, which will be backed up by difference on hospital wards though is the key new inspections led by patients. test.” Dr Peter Carter, chief executive & general The Government has teamed up with secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: charities and professional bodies, including “Giving patients the ability to choose their Age UK, the Patients Association and food is a welcome move, which already works the Royal College of Nursing, to drive up well at many hospitals. These principles should standards. The quality of food received help hospitals to procure good food, cost while in hospital is an essential part of good effectively. We also recognise how important it care and ensuring patients are treated with is for patients to have ready access to drinks. dignity and respect. The culture of care across Aside from this, the experience of nurses the NHS, particularly for the most shows that there are other factors which can vulnerable such as the elderly, help patients with their nutrition – for is a top priority for the new instance, keeping wards quiet during of Health Secretary. ward rounds, and involving family s m a f Te o f l The new drive members where possible.” a h ors, , includes: Clear

The eight fundamental nspect re patients I directions for food principles, supported a d h e whic now start ross hospitals on

by Age UK, Patients have ections ac at reducing fat and Association, Hospital ng nsp i i salt, including Caterers Association, k t o o l o i l p y r t t a n more fruit and Royal College of Nursing, h u t o the c cts of food to vegetables on the Soil Association, British aspe important menu and making Association of Parenteral are s sure food is bought and Enteral Nutrition and the t n e i pat in an environmentally British Dietetic Association, set sustainable way; Eight clear out what patients can expect from principles the NHS must follow good hospital food (see panel opposite). for patient food, and; New patient-led hospital The full programme of inspections is expected inspections to make sure these principles are to start next April, after the pilot results have followed and standards actually improve. been examined. Hospitals will receive a rating Teams of inspectors, half of which must on each area at the end of their inspection, be patients themselves, have now started and the results will be published online. pilot inspections across the country looking The Hospital Caterers Association, welcomed at aspects of food that are important to the move. Janice Gillan, national chair, said: patients – including taste, quality, temperature “There is clear medical evidence showing that and the cleanliness of ward kitchens. good nutrition can help with the prevention or Financial incentives for hospitals who deliver reduction of certain hospital acquired health exceptional service are also being explored. conditions such as bed sores and a more Food is a key part of the new inspections but personalised approach to nutritional care can they will also cover cleanliness, privacy and improve patient wellbeing, aid recovery and dignity as well as the state of the hospital accelerate discharge as well as help meet environment in general. targets for reducing NHS costs. These should Katherine Murphy, chief executive of The be persuading factors alone for NHS Trust Patients Association, said: “Patients tell our chief executives to give support to hospital helpline that high quality nutrition is an food services. But now, with the Government essential ingredient in improving their care behind the call for improved standards as and outcomes. But it is equally important well as the requirement for all NHS hospitals that support from health professionals to follow the eight principles for patient food accompanies these changes so that vulnerable and nutritional care, then there will be even and elderly patients, such as those with greater encouragement for NHS Trusts to raise dementia, experience the full benefits. their priority for catering services and budgets “The Patients Association is delighted which can only be beneficial for hospital

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Eight fundamental food priciples Nutritious and appetising hospital food and drink is essential Patients get a choice from a varied menu – including meals suitable for religious needs All patients should have access to fresh drinking water at all times, unless it contradicts clinical advice Food and drink should be available at all times, not just planned mealtimes Hospitals should promote healthy diets to staff and visitors The Government Buying Standards for Food should be adopted as standard whenever possible Hospitals should regularly check with patients if their food is up to scratch and act on feedback The NHS as a whole should look for and reward excellence in hospital food

caterers endeavouring to provide a high standard of food for their patients”.

However, campaign groups have suggested the principles don’t go far enough. The lack of support across Whitehall for the food buying standards, for instance, has been wellpublicised. Alex Jackson, co-ordinator of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, explained: “In the last 10 years alone, the Government has spent more than £54m of taxpayers’ money on similar projects, all of which have proven to fail. It’s time for the Government to take real action to improve hospital food by requiring all hospitals to meet compulsory food standards.”

Some hospitals have already taken steps to improve the quality of food they provide.

Northumberland Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has begun using a colour picture menu following feedback that many older patients, sometimes with dementia, would order the last thing on the menu as they found it difficult to remember the other options. The Royal Cornwall Hospital, meanwhile, has increased the procurement of fresh and local ingredients. The Royal Brompton & Harefield Trust featured in national papers and on television in programmes such as the BBC’s Operation Hospital Food with James Martin.L FURTHER INFORMATION Hospital Caterers Association www.hospitalcaterers.org Campaign for Better Hospital Food www.sustainweb.org/hospitalfood

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Many practices are facing further NHS spending cuts and as such are looking for ways to work more efficiently. The task of streamlining operations often falls to practice managers and print is often one of the most inefficient tasks, particularly A3 colour printing, which can be very expensive for any organisation. The challenge is that most practice managers don’t have a clear understanding of their current print environment, let alone how to to work more cost effectively.

The trick is to work with a print specialist that professionally assess a practices current print environment and help guide managers with their print decisions. And, that’s exactly where OKI can help. A global business-to-business brand such as OKI, which is dedicated to creating cost effective, professional in-house printing solutions, can offer managers a range of strategies and products to meet all practice requirements.

One key solution, which can really make a difference to a health organisation’s print environment and help a practice manager control and monitor print spend, is managed print services (MPS). The service provided

by OKI will unify and manage all business print processes, ensuring that only the most efficient printing practices are used.

THE BIGGER PICTURE Before a practice manager even starts to look at new printers, they need to have full visibility across their current print environment to see how effectively or ineffectively they are working. In order to understand this landscape, OKI’s comprehensive MPS programme starts with a print assessment that uses advanced techniques to deliver a full analysis of an organisation’s print activity.

Following the initial analysis, OKI consults directly with the health organisation and conducts an audit of existing output volumes, types of printing and paper sizes used as often practices are required to print a range of materials from small prescription slips and letters to A3 colour marketing posters and colour information leaflets. The results from this assessment can then be used to select the best print solutions for the job and

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MANAGED PRINT SERVICES: BEST PRACTICE PRINTING WITH OKI

Rob Brown, managed print services manager, OKI Systems UK discusses how practice managers can easily keep control of printing costs and drive efficiency using managed print services.

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a designated implementation programme established. During the audit, OKI will also point out to practice managers any unseen overheads. For example, many practices overlook the need for printer storage space and the cost of man-hours spent supporting disparate systems – all factors which should be considered when turning to in-house printing in a bid to reduce costs and ultimately, save on outsourcing.

TIP-TOP TECHNOLOGY OKI devices can be set to print in mono as standard, allowing practices to reduce unnecessary colour printing, while enabling them to use colour when required, such as when they may want to print eyecatching information leaflets or A3 signage on demand. Using an all-in-one printer, such as OKI’s new B401 printer, practices can print on a range of paper sizes from A6 to A4 including custom size in a range of media.

As a result, practices only need to buy one printer to handle all its printing needs – far more cost effective. Yet, if a practice requires A3 colour printing, the OKI C800 series printer is not only the most compact A3 printer on the market but it is also extremely affordable – reducing storage space and overhead costs.

Deploying MPS, from an expert print provider, practice managers can be assured that they are only implementing the most advance devices to meet their needs as a result, practices can not only do more in-house but they can drive efficiencies and save money. For example, OKI saw that many health organisations were wasting money powering print equipment when not in use. To combat this issue, its latest products now use ‘Auto-Power Off’ technology. The setting automatically turns off the printer after extended periods of non-usage and this can save hundreds of watts of power over a products life.

And, if a practice is struggling to use one of its printers, OKI’s technical support is always on hand to maintain the device. This ensures that staff can continue to work on more activities, rather than wasting time trying to fix or resolve any printing issues.

Ultimately, an OKI managed print service keeps the printer fleet in peak fitness.

Taking control of the print environment with MPS, practice managers can ensure that their print services will be flexible managed in the most efficient manner. And, partnering with an expert print provider, it doesn’t have to be difficult to monitor, regulate and cut printing costs, while saving energy – all factors important to any health organisation, given the recent cuts. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.oki.co.uk

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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EQUIPMENT LEASING

A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO EQUIPMENT FUNDING

Equipment Solutions

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Leasing companies and supplier partners work with trusts to deliver solutions to out-dated NHS equipment. By Louise Hamilton, head of NHS sales and marketing, Singers Healthcare Finance Recent articles produced by Singers Healthcare Finance have all carried the same key message: Although leasing has been around as a financing option since 1996, the way it has been utilised by the NHS has not always resulted in the best possible outcomes.

Too often, it is only towards the end of the procurement process that the question of how the equipment will be funded is considered.

A more strategic approach is proposed, with pre-tender discussions involving clinicians, finance and procurement from the trust, the equipment supplier and their leasing partner taking place much earlier in the procurement process.

This article discusses equipment used in laparoscopic surgery, where the surgeons that operate with it have identified widespread variations in the age and quality of laparoscopic equipment used across the NHS. Currently less than half of all hospitals meet the gold standard for theatre equipment, as set out by the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ALSGBI).

A recent press release from the ALSGBI following their second annual audit of theatre equipment ran the headline “Financial constraints on the NHS could lead to doctors operating on patients with out-dated equipment”. The stark warning relates specifically to the expensive and high-tech equipment used for carrying out laparoscopic procedures, but could be applicable to other high tech equipment used throughout modern hospitals.

Laparoscopic procedures have now superseded the old style ‘open’ operations in many cases, with for example 90 per cent of all gall bladder removals and over 30 per cent of all bowel cancer operations performed laparoscopically.

“Laparoscopic technology is advancing rapidly. However there is a fear, borne out by the audit that theatres are lagging behind by not being equipped with the technology to enable more efficient operating standards. With the NHS under pressure to save £20bn by 2015, the ALSGBI is concerned that necessary investment in pioneering surgical techniques and technology is in danger of being overlooked.”

– ALSGBI press release 9 July 2012 So how can alternatives to capital funding be utilised to help address this common issue with leading edge technology within hospitals? Upgrading laparoscopic surgery

equipment is a good case study. The apparatus needed for laparoscopic surgery is some of the most complex and expensive available, with a high obsolescence rate.

It is here that leasing companies and medical equipment providers come in, working together in new ways. One such example is the partnership between Singers Healthcare Finance and Olympus Medical, a leading provider of laparoscopic equipment.

Singers work with Olympus, as their preferred finance partner, to provide a lease offering on their equipment solutions for trusts.

Louise Hamilton, head of NHS sales and marketing at Singers Healthcare Finance, says they are looking at a tripartite approach with supplier, NHS trust and lease funder, identifying the trust’s specific challenge and then producing a solution that will enable the trust to procure that equipment without the need for vast sums of capital.

“Rather than tendering for chunks of equipment here or there, we recommend that trusts talk to us with our supplier partners early on in the procurement process, detailing the overall solution they want to achieve. Then supplier partners like Olympus can bespoke the equipment solution to deliver efficiency from a clinical and technical perspective, and Singers structure a finance offering so trusts have the

equipment and pay for it over the working life of the equipment, rather than needing a significant outlay of capital,” she says.

A combination of entrenched historical behaviour coupled with 15 years of capital flowing into the NHS has meant that where trusts wanted to buy something, they often could, and owning assets has long been the favoured option for many trusts. However, there is a strong argument that, in this age of efficiency, trusts should consider hiring the assets needed to meet the service levels they are targeted to deliver, ensuring reliability and consistent uptime.

In essence the response to the fears voiced by the surgeons of the ALSGBI from the suppliers and the funders is clear. If the NHS is targeted to deliver a service dependent on equipment, they can structure future proofed equipment solutions based on leasing options that help trusts procure the highest quality, best performing technology.

This, in turn, ensures trusts achieve the best and most efficient clinical outcomes. At the heart of this remains the goal of delivering the best patient care possible, in the most efficient and affordable way available. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.singersaf.co.uk/healthcare-finance

Volume 12.7 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisers Index

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS – www.healthbusinessuk.net

Health & Safety Compliance from RPS: The Healthcare Sector’s Partner.

With Health & Safety legislation becoming increasingly more stringent, it is essential that organisations are fully compliant with their obligations. Working in partnership with RPS will ensure that these obligations are met and delivered with a clear understanding of the operational and financial constraints faced by the sector.

RPS is an international consultancy providing advice upon the Health & Safety of people and the properties they work in. With many years experience of working within Healthcare, supporting both the private and public sectors, we have the ability to deliver complex projects on time and within budget.

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Action Training Centre

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First Data Bank

Advantage Training

40

Gateway 43

Polyflor 28

Aidcall 50

Geneva 10

Reflex 18

Alphabet 6

Gerflor

Regents College Conference Centre

Aquarius 42

Hamilton Rentals

48

Rivendale 46

Ashorne Hill Management

HCS Consulting

16

Rollalong 30

IBC

Phoenix Private Ambulance

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55

Bafe 22

IMO 19

RPS Group

Burnbank 53

Infranor 64

Secure IT Recycling

Calfordseaden 31

Intastop 24

Singers

Charisma Services

42

Lexacom 54

Specialist Alarm Services

Citygate Training Centre

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Log 6

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Starkstrom

Colex International

32

Longbridge Fire

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Telehealth Solutions

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Terrafix 52

Crown Intelligence Services

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Messe Dusseldorf

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The Cleaning Show

CWC Services

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Mobile Team Challenge

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The Wessex Conference Centre

Muller Dairy

60

Variable Message Signs

Dale Power Solutions

66

42

34

8

Eco Cooling

52

Multitone IFC

Vernacare

Eco Lab

32

66 57 65, OBC 18 38, 39 51 10, 37 55 58 14, 15

Nationwide Fire & Security

20

Vinci Facilities

26

Elgysafety 42

NBC Group

44

Wasp Barcode Technologies

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Emergency Services Show

New Generation Parking

16

Waterjel 22

36

Extensor 43

OFTEC 16

Wiggly Amps

Fast Park

34

OKI

Wilo 26

Fibre Technologies

56

Owatrol UK

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Firemain 22

Pall Europe

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HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 12.7

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We believe that achieving the best patient care is helped by having the right equipment in place, to consistently deliver results.

Leasing is one way to obtain reliable, high performance equipment without the initial costly outlay.

Formed in 1996, we work with over 70% of NHS Trusts to bring out the many benefits of leasing.

Our offering includes: • •

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To discuss the benefits of leasing, please contact:

Louise Hamilton or Tina Sander Freephone: 0800 032 3638 Email: healthcare@singershf.co.uk Visit us online: www.singershf.co.uk

A range of finance options to suit your timetable and budget The flexibility to add to, or upgrade your equipment while still paying a fixed regular amount The support from a team dedicated solely to the healthcare sector