DECEMBER 2021
ED streaming Patient triage changes
Stroke consultation
Improving patient care
New clinical uniforms arrive
Contents
3 4 5 6 7 12 13 14
Patient changes attending A&E Investment for a new Electronic Patient Record Baby delivery for COVID-19 patient
Keeping you updated on the new Royal Stroke consultation to improve care
Gaining prestigious NIHR Research positions
Supporting endof-life patients Introducing eco-friendly theatre caps
Send us your stories We want our new staff magazine to reflect all the great achievements and inspirational stories from you and your colleagues. Within LUHFT Life we’ll be covering key Trust priorities but we also want to showcase the amazing people that make up our organisation and share what’s happening throughout our hospitals. Is there an award you’ve gained, an innovative way your team is working, an inspiring patient experience or a new patient treatment that deserves recognition? Send your stories to communications@liverpoolft.nhs.uk. 2 | LUHFT Life
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Your new clinical uniforms have arrived
A ward manager’s journey into nursing
Getting to know you… Lauren Evans
Front cover image: This month the LUHFT Life cover features Joshua Joseph, Radiographer, who was keen to showcase to colleagues our first batch of new clinical uniforms which will standardise uniforms across the Trust. Read more on page 8. If you know a colleague who is caring, fair and innovative and would like to feature on our cover, email: communications@ liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
* Some photos taken before COVID-19
Change to A&E attendance This winter, a new pilot is being launched in our Emergency Departments that will triage patients in a new way, ensuring they’re seen in the right place for their care needs. This new streaming programme, which has already been introduced at other hospitals in the region, will see a care navigator triage patients on arrival to the Emergency Department. They will advise patients of the most appropriate place of care for their needs - potentially enabling them to be treated faster and out of a hospital environment. The Emergency Department will always be available to patients who require emergency care and treatment. Those attending where their care is not an emergency, and where it is safe to do so, will be advised to attend an alternative service in the community, such as a specialist service at the Trust, a Walk-In Centre, GP, or local pharmacy. At the door streaming further builds on the national NHS 111 First campaign, which was launched in December 2020 and encourages those with non-urgent health needs to contact the service first before attending A&E, to ensure patients can be seen in the right healthcare setting most appropriate to them. Professor John Brennan, Interim Medical Director at LUHFT (pictured), said: “Our priority is to always provide safe and quality care to our patients who attend A&E. We’ve seen year-onyear increases of attendances at our Emergency Departments, and as we head into the winter period, these departments will become progressively busier. “One of the main benefits we expect to see from this approach is an improvement in patient experience. Those who do not require emergency care will be advised to attend a more appropriate healthcare setting if it is safe to do so. This should also help to reduce long waits in A&E for those in need of urgent care, and means our teams are able to focus on patients who attend with an emergency.” LUHFT Life | 3
Investment in Electronic Patient Record Our Trust has secured £250,000 national investment for a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system that will be critical in supporting our delivery of safe and effective patient care. We will be using the funding to implement a modern, integrated and intuitive EPR system, referred to as Care Record Liverpool (CaRL).
(DA+) programme. The Trust will implement a modern EPR solution, which is a great outcome for the citizens of Liverpool, Merseyside and beyond. This is a real game changer for us.
The secure digital solution will replace the legacy digital systems across all sites and is designed to better support patients and staff, with mobility and flexibility being significant outcomes. CaRL will also see an end to paper-based record keeping.
“A modern integrated electronic patient record will underpin how we deliver safe and effective care, enabling us to share our knowledge and experience with the patient and provider organisations.
The funding has been awarded from the EPR Accelerator Project within the NHSX’s Digital Aspirant Plus (DA+) programme. It sees NHSX partner with acute hospital trusts at an early stage of their digital transformation journey. Each member Trust will receive central support to assist with the procurement and implementation of a modern EPR to meet the rapidly changing needs of the healthcare sector.
“A fundamental objective of CaRL will be to provide a longitudinal patient record at the point of care, with slick workflows and decision support, underpinning the patient journey. It will consolidate and disseminate relevant patient information to and from our partner organisations within the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System, alongside supporting patient self-service and will become a shared record.
Dr Jason Bincalar, Chief Information Officer at LUHFT (pictured right), said: “We are thrilled that Liverpool University Hospitals has been selected to join NHSX’s Digital Aspirant Plus 4 | LUHFT Life
“A big thank you to our digital and clinical teams at the Trust for their hard work, and to colleagues at NHSX.”
Baby wish comes true for COVID-19 patient It’s not every day a baby is born here at Liverpool University Hospitals, but earlier this year our incredible staff helped to deliver a baby boy in the Royal’s Intensive Care Unit.
of her illness. She said: "I had to learn to walk again because I had been in bed for so long. And I had to learn to eat again after undergoing a tracheotomy. It's been hard and there is a long road ahead."
Sophie Byrne, 28, was fighting for her life after contracting COVID-19 while she was pregnant. Her baby boy, Joseph, had to be delivered by caesarean 11 weeks early when the mum-of-three was placed in a coma as her condition deteriorated.
Sophie now wants to raise awareness of the seriousness of contracting COVID-19 and the need to get vaccinated, she said: "COVID-19 nearly killed me and I had no underlying health conditions. I was not vaccinated because I was pregnant. People need to take this seriously. I did not doubt COVID-19 existed but did not fully appreciate how devastating it could be."
Working with a team from the Liverpool Women's Hospital, ICU staff helped to deliver Joseph on 26 August – who weighed just 3lb 2oz. After seven weeks in a coma, Sophie’s health began to improve, and she was brought out of sedation to find out the wonderful news that she had given birth to a healthy baby boy.
Thanking staff at the Royal, Sophie said: "Thank you for saving my life and delivering Joseph. Christmas this year will mean more to me than any other Christmas. At one point I didn’t think I would see it with how poorly I was.
Speaking to the Liverpool ECHO, Sophie said: "Staff at the Royal informed my family that I might not survive the delivery because I was so weak. Joseph's dad was able come in and see me but not my parents due to the risk of COVID-19. I got to hold Joseph for the first time on October 4. I only saw him for the first time in September through FaceTime. But I was heavily sedated and can't remember a thing about that day."
“But thanks to the amazing staff on ICU and HDU they made my wish come true. I have my amazing miracle baby Joseph to make it even more special for my family.”
Sophie is now continuing to recover from the virus at home, having contracted pneumonia as a complication
Visit the Christmas Appeal 2021 here: www.justgiving.com/ campaign/LUHC-ChristmasAppeal21
Sophie is now supporting the Liverpool University Hospital Charity's Christmas Appeal to raise money to purchase gifts for patients who will wake up in our hospitals on Christmas Day.
Thank you for saving my life and delivering Joseph. Christmas this year will mean more to me than any other Christmas. At one point I didn’t think I would see it with how poorly I was. “But thanks to the amazing staff on ICU and HDU they made my wish come true. I have my amazing miracle baby Joseph to make it even more special for my family.
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Keeping you updated on the new Royal
New name for Stoddart House facility
As the new Royal hospital continues to take shape, here are a few key updates: • Our build partner Laing O’Rourke is creating the foundations for the steel structure for the new podium entrance which will commence construction early next year and is expected to complete in summer 2022 • The build continues with an 800-strong construction team working 24/7 to ensure the programme is on schedule to be handed over next year • A quick fly-through of the exterior and interior is available on our website and will give you a flavour of how the final building will look • We have a dedicated Procurement Team working closely with the Divisions to ensure any new equipment required for the new hospital is ordered and on its way • Our operational readiness team is working with clinical teams to develop the move plan. Staff that are moving into the new Royal will have both team plans and individual move plans to support the transition. We are regularly updating our website with developments happening across the Trust including up-to-date progress on the new Royal University Hospital and wider estates.
Recognising carers A new Carer Passport has been developed to highlight the importance of carers and promote a culture at our Trust that recognises carers, their value, and their needs. The passport will make an enormous difference to our patients and carers, but also to our staff, as carers play a key role in providing reassurance, supporting mealtimes and treatment regimes, and their participation in discussions around discharge planning is essential. The Carer Passport should be issued for anyone who meets the carer definition, followed by the Ward Manager/Nurse in Charge speaking with the carer and completing the agreement form, which is part of the passport. For full details visit: www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/internal-news/carer-passport/
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After an extensive consultation involving patients, service users, staff and healthcare partners, the former mental health inpatient unit Stoddart House, which is based on our Aintree site, is now named Longmoor House. Stoddart House was opened earlier this year as an integrated service for people in North Mersey following a joint project between our Trust and Mersey Care. The service provides step down capacity from acute trusts for medically stable and optimised patients, whose care and assessment can be continued at home or in a non-acute setting or they are ready to go home. It will also be open to patients needing step up care from community settings that require reablement or convalescence where alternative out of hospital home care has been exhausted. The new name for the building was chosen because Longmoor Lane runs to the north of the current site and several other notable establishments in the area carry the name of the road, giving it a direct link to the local area and its historical connection to the site.
Improving stroke care for our patients
By working collaboratively with our local health partners, such as Southport and Ormskirk and the Walton Centre, together we plan to make a real difference to the care we provide to our stroke patients in the 72 hours after they have a stroke. We want to provide the best experience and outcomes for our patients. A public consultation has now been launched giving local people the opportunity to find out about the plans improving hospital stroke care and share their views on the proposals. The plans include a centralised model of acute stroke care, in which hyper-acute care is provided to all patients requiring stroke care across Merseyside. This will enable patients to get the care they need in a purpose built hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU). This will also mean that patients can access thrombolysis sooner from the Walton Centre. The proposals will also have a positive impact on patients who have a ‘mimic’, which has similar symptoms of a real stroke. These patients will benefit from being seen by a stroke specialist nurse to get the right care in the right place for their condition.
Tom Liversedge, Deputy Head of Ops, said: "The reconfiguration of stroke services across Merseyside forms a key part of our service transformation at Liverpool University Hospitals and aims to deliver world-class stroke services to the population of Merseyside. “Quality care is at heart of everything we do, and the prevalence of stroke is set to increase which will require specialist multidisciplinary care and rehabilitation.” To support this work, the Integration Team have been meeting staff within the service to find out what they think about the proposals, the benefits of the proposed changes to both patients and staff and to understand some of the practical things we need to consider to make these plans a reality.
Dr Claire Cullen, Stroke Consultant, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us to improve care for all stroke patients and build a sustainable service for the future. The plans will mean that more patients will have faster access to specialist treatment, such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy, and outcomes from stroke will be improved."
To find out more, or to take part in the public consultation visit: www.liverpoolccg.nhs.uk/stroke or email any questions to our Integration / New Hospital Team at integration.programme@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
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Your new unifor The first batch of new uniforms has now arrived on site and throughout January will be distributed to colleagues around the Trust.
Our aim is to provide a clear LUHFT identity by standardising our clinical and patient-facing admin uniforms, ensuring patients and staff can easily identify roles across all our hospital sites. This is particularly important as our integration programme develops and teams work across different wards and departments. We partnered with local uniform suppliers Meltemi and colleagues selected from a range of styles and colours, with the majority of feedback opting for smart scrub-style top and trousers. This new uniform project includes all nurses, (including eye and dental), nursing associates, HCAs, AHPs, physiologists/clinical scientists, pharmacists and phlebotomists. Patient-facing admin staff will also be standardised with navy shirts and navy, patterned blouses. Jacqui Stamper, Associate Chief Nurse, said: “This has been a long process with consultation involving thousands of staff to make sure we selected a uniform that was comfortable, light-weight and easy wash material that was also smart, to try and accommodate all opinions across all our hospital departments. Benefits to adopting a consistent uniform standard: “I feel once all clinical staff are in the same uniform on any site it will help our Trust move forward together to provide the best care for our patients and their families.” • Ensuring easier recognition of specific staff groups Uniforms will be continually rolled out to colleagues during the next couple of months. There is currently work being undertaken to standardise uniforms for NHS staff across the country. In planning for our new clinical uniform we have tried to align ourselves as closely as possible with the expected direction of the national programme in terms of styles and colour schemes which should enable a seamless transition to the national standard over a natural timescale.
for both colleagues and patients • A consistent uniform will promote cohesion of the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust identity – this will be particularly important as our service integration programme develops • Consistent uniform design across the organisation will simplify supply management and allow better planning and forecasting of future uniform demand.
For more information and full role colours visit: www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/internal-news/standardising-our-uniforms/
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rms have arrived
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Nursing is in my blood We caught up with Danielle Welsh, Ward Manager of the Day Case and Surgical Elective Admission Lounge (SEAL), who has worked at Broadgreen for 20 years – following her nan, mum and sister into nursing. “It’s a real honour to be able to look after someone at their most vulnerable time – in what other job can you get to do that? Many patients have a real impact on you and you never forget them. “I’ve honestly never thought about another career, it’s in my blood. My nan, mum and sister are all nurses. Nan worked as an auxiliary nurse as it was known back then at Aintree, and my mum worked at Newsham Park before moving to Broadgreen – where she still works part-time now. She’s a parttime nurse, and full-time nanna! “I knew from a very young age that I would go into nursing. Growing up I would come and visit the wards my mum worked on. It’s funny as some of my colleagues here have known me since I was born! I’ve learnt a lot from them all, they’ve helped me become who I am today and had a massive impact on my career. “Orthopaedics had always interested me and it’s where I’ve always worked. I’ve been at Broadgreen for 20 years now. It’s rewarding being part of a patient’s journey, getting to know them and understand what it is that’s led them to surgery. We meet patients who require orthopaedic surgery, limb reconstruction surgery and general surgery on our unit. “I was a patient at the Trust myself 12 years ago; it was so strange to see it from another perspective. The care I got was amazing, the staff in Intensive Care Unit at the Royal saved my life. I had just
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given birth to my twin daughters and developed Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome, a rare liver and blood clotting disorder, and needed emergency care. I didn’t get to meet my babies until two weeks later, when I had been moved to the High Dependency Unit. “Some of the anaesthetists I work with at Broadgreen were on call the night I was brought in, and it’s so lovely to see them again. They always ask about the twins too. “Because of my blood condition, during COVID-19 I couldn’t work on any of the COVID-19 wards, so I managed the temporary step-down unit (Agnes Jones) in the new Royal. I met loads of people here I would never have normally met in my career – everyone was brilliant. From community and dental nurses, to consultants who came out of retirement – it was a great team. However, I was glad to come back to my second home here on the Day Case at Broadgreen. “Through the Trust, I’ve recently gone part-time at Liverpool John Moores University to study Leadership and Management at Masters level. My sister and I didn’t know that we had both applied, and we’ve both been selected! We’re on different career paths, but at least we can share the books. It’s like being back at school again, except it’s both me and my kids doing the homework of an evening now!”
Still time to boost your immunity Research shows after 20 weeks the effectiveness of the second COVID-19 vaccine has reduced to 62.5% for Pfizer and 44.1% for AstraZeneca, so ensure you get your COVID-19 booster vaccine to top up your immunity. You can book your booster at our Aintree vaccine hub here: www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/staffvaccination-programme/how-to-getyour-vaccination/ The latest Government guidance states you can now book your jab from three months after your second COVID-19 dose. It is important that we do all we can to protect our patients and each other from the spread of COVID-19 infection.
Unvaccinated staff The Government has announced, from 1 April 2022, they will be extending legislation for all frontline healthcare staff to have COVID-19 vaccines. This means that staff in such roles will need to have had their first COVID-19 vaccine on or before 3 Feb 2022. We will be reaching out directly to any staff who have not yet received their first doses to discuss this in more detail and will provide updates as more guidance is issued. Some individuals can apply for medical exemption.
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LIVING OUR Our values are ‘the way we do things around here’. They are the very core of who we are, for every colleague, patient and individual who comes into contact with us. Our values enable us to work together more effectively and to deliver great patient care more consistently. We see examples of our values in practice on a daily basis, and each month we will celebrate individuals or teams who are clearly caring, fair and innovative.
Two surgeons gain NIHR Awards Mr Rob Jones and Mr Rajarshi Mukherjee, two LUHFT General Surgeons, have gained prestigious NIHR Research Awards. Mr Jones, Consultant Hepatobiliary Surgeon, has now been appointed as the NIHR North West Coast Lead for Surgical Research. This role involves developing and promoting recruitment into surgical studies and clinical trials for all surgical specialties in hospitals across the North West.
Additionally, following strong competition, Mr Rajarshi Mukherjee, Consultant General and Major Trauma Surgeon, has been awarded a prestigious NIHR Northwest Coast Research Scholar Award to pursue further clinical research for the benefit of Acute Surgical patients in the region.
“Research is a fundamental part of helping our patients. We need to continuously evolve and improve what we do to help improve outcomes that matter to patients. Through this role I aim to widen access to ensure all surgical patients are offered the opportunity to enrol in surgical research,” said Mr Jones.
As research lead for emergency general surgery, Mr. Mukherjee last year led establishment of the Liverpool EmerGenT Academy, a platform for acute general surgical research, service quality improvement and educational activity within the Trust.
Mr Jones is also the Bowel Cancer UK National Surgical Research Lead for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, and is actively engaged in clinical and translational research, running a number of clinical trials and supporting an active translational research programme. 12 | LUHFT Life
Based in General Surgery at Aintree and working in the Regional Major Trauma Unit, Mr Mukherjee said: “Emergency General Surgery is in desperate need of research and innovation. Through the NIHR award a vast number of surgical patients will benefit from current and future advances right from the hospital’s ‘front door’.”
VALUES
Outstanding Contribution to End-of-Life Care Award Congratulations to Debra Opolli and Jessica Johnson from Aintree's Ventilation Inpatient Centre (VIC), who both received the Outstanding Contribution to End-of-Life Care Award. Tina Willis, Palliative and End of Life Project Lead, said: “Both Debra and Jessica have shown outstanding contribution to our end-of-life care patients. They’ve provided patients and their families with compassion and kindness while showing dedication to their profession.”
Celebrating our unsung heroes Ann Marie Shaw, our Deputy Head of Procurement, has been highly commended in the Health Care Supply Association Awards. Ann Marie was nominated for the Unsung Hero Award by Sue Colbeck, Associate Director of Procurement, who said: “The nomination is to recognise Ann Marie for her consistent contribution to the Trust in spite of all the challenges we face, she is a ‘go-to’ person and never says no, and always exceeds expectations to deliver.”
Supporting end-of-life patients Ensure your end-of-life patients receive the best care possible by booking a trained volunteer to visit your ward to provide invaluable compassion and empathy. The volunteers: • Provide companionship to patients in the way of conversation, hand holding, reading or a calming presence • Stay with a patient to allow family members the opportunity to leave the bedside temporarily • Sit with the patient during their final hours if no family or carers are able to be present • Receive messages or make calls to relatives • Ensure that family or carers have access to refreshments and aware of the facilities available • Communicate any changes in a patient’s condition or any concerns to the nursing team. Staff can book a volunteer Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. Contact Aintree: 0151 529 2408 / 3996 or 07543 180514 and Royal and Broadgreen: 0151 706 3170 or 07543 184263.
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Credit: BBC/World of Wonder/Guy Levy
Drag Race stars team up with Axess Sexual Health To mark World AIDS Day, stars of the BBC’s Ru Paul’s Drag Race are supporting a campaign by Axess sexual health to tackle the stigma around HIV and to encourage testing, so people are aware of their HIV status.
including colleges and schools, refugee support services, social services and LGBTQ+ groups. Testing kits will also be distributed to partners working with high-risk groups to encourage a “get tested, get treated” mentality.
Joining the team from Axess sexual health are Drag Race stars Charlie Hides, Vanity Milan and Charity Kase.
For more information visit www.axess.clinic/ information/world-aids-day
Axess runs clinics which offer rapid HIV testing and treatment to people in Liverpool, Warrington, Knowsley, Halton and East Cheshire. Shirley Caddick, Clinical HIV Specialist Nurse at Axess, said: “This is a chance for people to unite in the fight against HIV and show support for people living with the virus. Effective treatment helps people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives. There is still a stigma attached to living with HIV and disclosing your status. It’s only through education and talking that this can be addressed, and I’d like to thank the drag stars who have helped make sure this message is heard far and wide. Anyone who feels they have put themselves at risk can contact their local Axess clinic for rapid testing, treatment and support.” Drag queen Charity Kase, who spoke about living with HIV when appearing on the latest series of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK, said: “It’s really important that every single one of us gets tested. We all have an HIV status. It is an opportunity to educate ourselves and those around us about HIV. If someone is living with HIV and is taking their medication regularly, they cannot pass the virus on.” The outreach team from Axess has developed HIV e-learning resources which will be shared with partner organisations 14 | LUHFT Life
Butterfly clinic relaunches The Butterfly sexual health clinic specifically for trans and non-binary people is now open. The service provides STI treatments, contraception as well as rapid 20-minute HIV testing and drug and alcohol support and advice. Patients can also access vaccinations and HIV prevention treatment (PEP and PrEP). The free sexual health clinic is open in both the Royal, with patients able to access services on Mondays, between 1.30pm – 6pm, and The Arch at Knowsley, every Tuesday, by appointment. Committed to delivering equity for the trans community, Axess has ensured that a comprehensive, confidential sexual health service for transgender people has been at the forefront of plans and, in the future, hopes to expand Butterfly across all of its regional services. Visit www.axess.clinic for full details or email: Butterfly@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
Getting to know you… We spoke to Lauren Evans, Head of Fundraising, who’s often humbled and inspired by our incredible donors, and after working here for eight years has taken on a touch of “scouse twang”. How long have you worked in our hospitals?
What’s your favourite film or song?
I started as Corporate Fundraising Manager in 2013, and stepped up as Head of Fundraising in 2017. I was originally based at the Royal but now I lead the fundraising across all sites.
Film has to be Gladiator. My favourite song is tricky, probably Stuck on You by Lionel Richie.
What did you want to be when growing up? I always wanted to be a primary school teacher but after leaving college to gain work experience and work-based learning qualifications, I found my niche was fundraising, working for third sector organisations. Briefly, what does your role involve?
You win the lottery, what’s your dream holiday? There are two places I would have to go… one being a South African Safari, and the other would be to Jamaica. You’re stranded on an island, what three items would you want with you? Family photo, a CD player (assuming there is no WIFI!) and loads of CDs with my favourite music!
My role is to lead the fundraising team and support divisions across the Trust to provide the best possible experience for our patients and families. We work with our colleagues, and the wider community to raise funds to deliver projects that will make a difference to our staff and patients. What’s your favourite thing about your job? It is so rewarding to see the positive impact that funds raised make here at the hospital. It is also humbling to work with our incredible donors and inspiring to hear some of the personal stories that they have, expressing their gratitude to our staff for the care that they have received at some stage. What are the standout highlights or experiences during your time at LUHFT? The highlight for me was working throughout COVID-19 and seeing the incredible spirit of our hospital staff who pulled together to work tirelessly during this time. It was also the year that we saw the community of Merseyside and beyond show an astonishing level of support, raising £1m to support our staff and patients during the pandemic. What are your hobbies outside of work? Running and looking after my two boys. What’s your favourite thing about Liverpool? As a Welsh girl born and bred, I’ve never worked anywhere quite like Liverpool. There is an infectious community spirit with a real want to help each other. I have actually been told that I have now developed a Scouse twang after working in the city for almost eight years.
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Season’s greetings and a happy New Year. Thank you to all colleagues for your dedicated and committed work throughout the year. With best wishes for a healthy 2022.
