AUGUST 2022
Building Our Future Together
Aintree developments roadmap
Recognising our Armed Forces Shared skills from 208 Field Hospital
Date set for your New Royal move!
Contents 5 6 8 12 13 14
CNO for England visits Royal Building Our Future Together – investing in our hospitals Aintree Roadmap developments Building Our Future Together FAQs How will the New Royal change the way you work? Living our values: • Recognising our Armed Forces • LUHFT at Pride • Celebrating our colleagues
Send us your stories We want our 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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Minister explores our pioneering work
We’re moving in!
Nurse thanks Major Trauma Centre on its 10-year anniversary
Front cover image: Each month our cover will feature a member of staff who is living our values. Our Chair Sue Musson and Chief Executive James Sumner received the keys to the New Royal which will give the people of Liverpool the healthcare facilities they deserve. 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
Welcome to LUHFT LUHFT has been through a number of changes, and now the Board is committed to bringing stability to our leadership team so that we can get the fundamentals right for our patients and staff as we build our future together. We've now welcomed our new Chief Nurse and new Medical Director.
New Chief Nurse back in Liverpool Our new Chief Nurse, David Melia, has returned to his home city and joined #TeamLUHFT with a commitment to delivering outstanding patient-centred care, and supporting the Trust with the improvement of the wider local healthcare system. David joined us from Mid Yorkshire Hospitals where he was Director of Nursing and Quality, since 2015. Originally from Liverpool, David is both a Registered General Nurse and Registered Nurse for People with Learning Disabilities. His main clinical specialIty is neurology and neurosurgery and he has previously held Director of Nursing roles at The Walton Centre NHS FT and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. David said: “I’m really honoured to be working at LUHFT as Chief Nurse and to be working in Liverpool again. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks but I’ve had a chance to get out onto the wards and meet nursing colleagues who are passionate about delivering great patient care. “I want our patients and local communities to have confidence in the quality of care provided in their hospitals, and for our staff to have a real sense of pride when they come to work. “There is an amazing opportunity in coming together to create a single organisation, which will play a critical role in the development and improvement of the wider local healthcare system.”
Medical Director’s wealth of experience In June, Dr Jim Gardner joined #TeamLUHFT as our new Medical Director, bringing a wealth and breadth of experience to the role. Previously the Medical Director of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals since 2020, in a career of over 30 years Jim has undertaken senior leadership roles across primary and secondary care in England and Australia, the private sector, charitable sector and 10 years as a GP Partner in Cumbria. Jim is committed to developing and supporting great medical leadership and practice across the Trust and supporting our future collaborative partnership working with system partners. “I’ve felt very at home since joining LUHFT and everyone has been very welcoming. That’s a great feeling to
have when joining a Trust and it is encouraging for us all to be working together for the benefit of our patients and the care we deliver. “Part of my role is to help the whole medical team to work together in delivering the very best care we can for our patients through constantly learning and encouraging innovation in our working practices. “I’ve been spending as much time as possible across our sites meeting with and listening to our clinical teams who have fantastic ideas for how we can improve and develop our services, equally to understand how we can address any issues and barriers they face. I am keen to hear from colleagues so if you have ideas that as Medical Director you think I should be aware of to help improve our organisation and our journey towards delivering great care, then please get in touch." LUHFT Life | 3
Minister explores our pioneering work LUHFT’s innovation and pioneering clinical practice was showcased on a recent visit in June by former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid. Our Theatres team kicked-off the visit by demonstrating the pioneering robotic surgery we use on patients with diseases such as prostate, kidney and bladder cancer. This technology has a life-changing impact for our patients. Consultant Mr Shakil Ahmed, who was part of leading a team on synchronised bowel and prostate cancer surgery, explained how the robot works and the benefits it brings to patients. Sajid Javid commented that: “This is ground-breaking work and really pioneering. There is a really good outcome for the patient, a quicker recovery, but also less risk from an infection. We’re very proud of what you’ve achieved, you’ve got our full support.” He also toured the new Liverpool Clinical Laboratories (LCL) facilities located in the Clinical Support Services Building. The LCL Team were proud to demonstrate the leading-edge laboratory systems and services they provide in their new laboratory space. This includes the ability to process patient samples and the automation of testing using the newly installed equipment.
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CNO for England visits Royal Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England, Dame Ruth May, made a special visit to Ward 8X and our Emergency Department at the Royal, while also personally presenting a CNO award. Jennie Makin and Anna Lavelle from the Colorectal Team on Ward 8X discussed with Ruth May about how they have been supported to develop in their roles and the benefits that brings to our patients. Colleagues also talked about the legacy Deborah James (Bowel babe) is leaving behind and how she has inspired other patients with her positivity throughout her five-year battle with
bowel cancer, raising money for charity and awareness via social media by giving a candid account of her treatment. A proud moment was when Dame Ruth May presented our Associate Director of Nursing Workforce and Education, Joselito Marinas, with a Chief Nurse Officer award for his dedication in supporting colleagues to improve patient care. She also met with the senior nursing team to discuss our £8 million investment in nursing staff recruitment, Liverpool Quality Accreditation (LQA), get updates on the New Royal and also the Fundamentals of Care Programme.
Growing initiative biggest in Merseyside We welcomed Deputy Lieutenant for Merseyside, John Roberts, to Aintree to see the amazing work of our Sustainability team and woodland volunteers who’ve planted 1,330 trees for The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. John, who is a representative of Her Majesty The Queen, was given a tour of the nearby woodland area by Les Ward, Lead Volunteer of the Bluebell Woods Group. Les who’s spent 12 years volunteering to give staff, patients and visitors access
to a thriving green space, was extremely proud to show John around knowing we were one of the biggest contributors to the initiative in Merseyside. Our Sustainability Team is working hard to ensure our communities live healthier, happier, fairer lives. This is just one example of their fantastic work, with LUHFT also being one of only three Trust’s in the country to introduce a Nature Recovery Ranger, whose role is to encourage participation in nature projects to aid patient and staff wellbeing.
LUHFT Life | 5
Building Our Future Together –
investing in our hospitals We are seeing activity increase across all our sites as key developments take place to ensure we can deliver the best health outcomes for our patients and staff can see benefits from a new way of working too. We’re moving into the New Royal this autumn, so currently wards and services are beginning to prepare for the move, which includes induction training for 7,500 staff and detailed move plans for each area to ensure patient safety is maintained. At our Aintree site we’re creating a new Hyper Acute Stroke Unit that brings together the stroke services from Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals as well as the Royal so that patients will receive expert specialist care in one place, including a therapy suite for rehabilitation. Aintree’s wards and services are being reconfigured and remodelled which includes expanding our Urgent Care and Trauma Centre to create new hybrid theatres that combine surgery and imaging, so when trauma patients arrive they can be assessed quickly, in one place by our specialist trauma team. You can view a full ‘roadmap’ on page 8 of all the moves taking place at Aintree! At Broadgreen we’re making plans to introduce more elective (planned) surgery and the Theatre Teams are successfully carrying out more day-case operations which allows patients 6 | LUHFT Life
to return home quickly, avoiding the need for long hospital stays and reducing the risk of infection. We’ll be opening a new surgical day-case unit which will ensure more patients can undergo their operations.
New Royal move update: •
We took partial possession of the New Royal on 11 July
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We trained 30 members of staff (pictured) to train 150 induction trainers who will then cascade training to 7,500 colleagues!
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The Level 10 restaurant is now fitted out with tables and chairs
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All the office furniture is now in place
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Retail space is being fitted and final tenders from retail companies awarded
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The link bridge - second lift is scheduled to take place in August
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Wayfinding app created for patients and staff.
We’re moving in! We’re delighted that we have now taken possession of the new Royal from our construction partners, Laing O’Rourke.
The detailed move plans have patient safety and staff preparation at their core. Many details will continue to be shared with all teams and individuals.
This marks the start of a busy phase for LUHFT as we fit out the new building, and it means we now have greater access to the building to accommodate visits for the teams who will be based there.
James Sumner, Chief Executive, said: “The new hospital marks the beginning of a new era of healthcare in the city, when the people of Liverpool will finally have the hospital and facilities that they deserve.”
Our move into the New Royal will begin on 28 September – this will be a phased move and is expected to take 24 days to complete.
Colleagues from Liverpool Clinical Laboratories have already begun the move to the Clinical Support Services Building (CSSB), where they’re now working with state-of-the-art lab facilities.
Sue Musson, Chair, said: “We appreciate this has been a longer journey into the new building than was ever expected. Thank you for your patience and continuing support. Taking possession is a significant milestone for us all. We want to thank all of the teams involved for the incredible effort and hard work which has got us to this point.”
of our patients and will enable us to achieve our strategic goals. Now, we can look forward with great excitement to opening the doors on a new hospital that the people and the city of Liverpool deserve.”
There is also major investment on our Aintree site of £52 million to support service moves, which are currently subject to public consultation. James added: “This is a time of great change for the organisation, and we recognise that it can be exciting and daunting in equal measure. Ultimately, these changes are in the best interest
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Building Our Future Together at Aintree
June 2022
This roadmap outlines how we are reconfig for improved patient flow throughout our h July 2022
Repurposing clinic space in the Surgical Block
Ward 35 work starts
AEC moves into Surgical Block Clinic
Aug 202 Ward 27 (EGSU) work starts
Ward 31 work starts for Orthopaedics
October 2022
Vascular moves from Royal to Ward 3 Aintree
Clinic E reconfiguration work starts for Vascular
Ward 12 works start
Orthopaedics move to Ward 4
Elective General Surgery transfers to New Royal
Emergency General Surgery beds move to Ward 16
20 Nephrology moves to New Royal
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Urology moves to the New Royal
FAU moves to Ward 28B
Work starts on AEC & AMU (UCAT)
e e
guring Aintree to allow hospitals.
gust 22
Creation of therapy suite and bathrooms Ward 16 (General Surgery) work starts
Sept 2022 Development of Hybrid Theatre in Main C starts
Ward 32 reconfiguration work starts for Stroke
Ward 4 move to Ward 16
Stroke services transfer from Southport & Ormskirk and the Royal to Ward 32 (Hyper Acute Stroke Unit)
Includes new bathroom facilities, ambulatory hub and therapy room Ward 28B work starts for FAU
Ward 4 reconfiguration and deep clean EGSU moves to completed Ward 27
023 AEC & AMU move to completed area in UCAT
Hybrid Theatre works complete in Main C
Ward 3 reconfiguration and deep clean
Still to come: • Work on: • Ward 12 • Ward 13 • Clinic A&B • Ward 28B • Transfer of Acute Surgery from New Royal to Aintree LUHFT Life | 9
Nurse thanks Major Trauma Centre on its 10-year anniversary Ruby Flanagan, who spent three months in Aintree, returned to the Major Trauma Centre to thank the staff who saved her life, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. In 2021, Ruby, a nurse at Arrowe Park Hospital, was walking with her six-month old son Leon, when she was crushed between two cars. Due to the severity of her injuries, Ruby was brought to the MTC for emergency surgery to amputate her right leg and have her pelvis and left leg reconstructed. Ruby had nine operations during her 13-week stay in hospital. She said: “It was horrible to be on the other side – I am so used to being the one providing care, so to be a patient was so difficult. "From the moment I was brought in, all of the staff in the Major Trauma Centre were amazing, going above and beyond for me. I really felt like I was part of a family, part of the team. “I’ve blocked a lot of the accident out. It was so traumatic – but by the end of my three months in hospital I felt ready to leave and continue my rehabilitation thanks to all the staff at Aintree.” The Major Trauma Centre, a partnership which includes The Walton Centre, is the regional centre for Cheshire, Merseyside and the Isle of Man. Since opening in June 2012, more than 11,160 patients admitted via the Emergency Department received a ‘Trauma Team Activation’, with many more patients 10 | LUHFT Life
also receiving expert care from the highly experienced and specialist staff at both Trusts. Ben Fischer, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon said: “When you have a life-changing injury that requires multiple operations, every second counts. At the Major Trauma Centre we are set up so that patients like Ruby can come straight here and receive the urgent care they need. Having an expert multidisciplinary team makes a real difference to our patients’ care. It’s this teamwork that gives patients their best chance of recovery and we’re incredibly proud of the exceptional lifesaving care we have and will continue to provide.” Across the decade, the MTC has grown considerably to meet the demands of the service it provides. Originally consisting of 12 beds, it is now a 21-bedded ward supported by a full multi-disciplinary team, ranging from Major Trauma nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, surgeons and clinical psychologists. In 2017 a helipad was built directly outside the MTC to ensure patients could be transferred into the hospital in a matter of minutes. Urgent and emergency care at Aintree is continuing to improve, as the Trust has invested to expand and reconfigure its emergency department to enable them to ensure that the region’s sickest emergency patients – just like Ruby - get the quickest access to the most effective care.
Supporting recovery of trauma patients As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Major Trauma Centre we spoke to Alex Spearritt, Deputy Director of Allied Health Professions, who has worked closely with the centre since it opened. “I have always had a keen interest in the trauma aspect of physiotherapy so when I heard the news about Aintree opening the Major Trauma Centre, I knew it was where I wanted to work. “My first NHS post was at the Royal after I qualified in 2002. I joined as a junior physiotherapist, which I did for two years before moving to Alder Hey. I was constantly looking for ways to develop my career and take on new challenges, so after four years I moved to London as a Burns Trauma Therapy Team Leader at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
From the moment I was brought in, all of the staff in the Major Trauma Centre were amazing, going above and beyond for me. I really felt like I was part of a family, part of the team.
“I was taken on at Aintree as Major Trauma Therapy Team Leader in 2012 and the day the Major Trauma Centre went live was my first day. The centre and helipad, which were officially opened by Prince William in 2017, were built to treat some of the most seriously injured patients across the region and I felt ready for the challenge. Fast forward 10 years and we have treated over 11,160 patients and there continues to be lots of exciting estate developments that will help to boost the care we provide to our patients.”
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Leading change through colleague engagement As we progress on our Building Our Future Together journey, we’ve spoken with those at #TeamLUHFT who are leading change in their areas – either preparing colleagues to move sites, or who are leading their staff through the integration process. Dan Ordidge, Head of Operations for Radiology, has been leading work with colleagues in Radiology around the new service and integration moves across the imaging care group. Not only will some of the team be moving into the New Royal, but there will be service changes across Aintree and the Royal, including vascular and the regional stroke centre. Dan said: “There will be a lot of changes impacting radiology staff. We’ve worked with the Organisational Development Team and specialist teams to develop engagement sessions, discussing how service moves will affect staff and the positive impact these changes will make – including better outcomes for our patients. Q&As enabled staff to voice any concerns about the changes and any queries they had about impact on their daily roles.” Following this, the team circulated the feedback to colleagues, so that those unable to make the sessions could also be involved. One-to-one sessions were also made available if colleagues wanted to discuss anything further. “The benefit we’ve seen is that staff feel listened to, and that they’ve had the opportunity to ask questions and put concerns across. Colleagues have been able to feed back their own ideas, so have been part of the decisionmaking processes. Engagement is really important when you’re looking to implement changes, so getting people onboard early on in the process to help map the service is vital.” Leading change videos are available on the Building Our Future Together intranet site.
Building Our Future Together FAQs James Sumner, Chief Executive, hosted a number of Building Our Future Together roadshows across all our sites to share our plans for the future, including the changes and challenges that we’ll face on our journey to deliver outstanding healthcare.
Here a few of the questions you submitted: How long will it take to move into the New Royal? There will be a 24-day phased move into the new hospital from 28 September 2022. Detailed move plans are being created with teams to ensure an efficient and safe move for staff and patients. How will patients be transferred to the new hospital? Patients will be transferred via the link tunnel from the current Royal to the new hospital. This will form part of the 24-day move plan and there will be a specific number of patients moved each day. Are there adequate staff rooms? There are staff rooms located on each floor, in addition to facilities located within clinical areas such as theatres, endoscopy etc. There are also lockers on each floor. Will I need a new ID badge? No, you will not need a new ID badge. Access to the new building is granted using your current ID badge on the day of your induction. What services are moving from Royal to Aintree? Subject to consultation: Stroke, Vascular and Emergency Surgery. What services are moving from Aintree to the Royal? Subject to consultation: Nephrology, Breast, Liver, Colorectal and Urology, plus Urology outpatients from Broadgreen. What services are moving to Broadgreen? Subject to consultation: the Medical Day-Case Unit.
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How will the New Royal change the way you work? We caught up with just some of the teams that will see positive changes when they move into the New Royal this autumn.
Here’s what they had to say:
One amazing team together At the moment in Critical Care we are three separate units, ITU, HDU and POCCU on three separate floors. Once we move into the New Royal, we’re going to be one Critical Care area so we will all be working together closely, which we’re all really excited about. This is a great thing for our patients. We aim to have the patient remain in the same room and if they improve or deteriorate then the nurses treating the patient will change depending on their level of skills, and the patient stays where they are. We are also going to try and up-skill our staff so they have both level 2 and level 3 skills, which benefits our patients and staff. Michelle, Ward Manager in Critical Care
Getting patients where they need to be quicker We’ve brought all of our Acute and Emergency Assessment Teams together on the ground floor to increase our patient flow and get our patients to where they need to be quicker and at the right time. We’ve got a larger waiting room and security based right here to help us, should we need them at any point. We’ve got all of our triage rooms around the waiting area, so there is increased visibility of all the patients waiting to be seen, meaning we can keep monitoring them. Lewis, Charge Nurse from A&E
Enhancing Theatre efficiency Currently we have 11 Theatres on the top floor and some isolated Theatres on the ground floor. In the new hospital we will have all of our Theatres on one floor so we can all come together as one team and support each other and our patients. Not only will this enhance the efficiency of our Theatres, it will enhance staff moral because we’ll be able to work more closely together. Tom, Senior OPD from Theatres
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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.
Recognising our Armed Forces At LUHFT we are exceptionally proud of those colleagues who not only serve the NHS but also serve our Armed Forces. Chief Executive, James Sumner met with a group of the Armed Forces community at LUHFT at our Aintree site. It was a great opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate colleagues on their service and to hear about the variety of roles our reservists and veterans work in across our hospitals.
“The skills I have developed in the military have supported me in the delivery of my NHS role, such as: leadership, communication, project management and building relationships. The ability to work well under pressure and in a challenging environment have been particularly useful in the planning and delivering of our successful COVID-19 mass vaccination programme across multiple sites.
To find out more about being a reservist we spoke to Dianne Haddock, Assistant Director of Workforce and Wellbeing (pictured fourth from left) who is also the Commanding Officer of 208 Field Hospital.
“The Trust recognises the skills and expertise reservists bring to the organisation and offers additional paid leave to facilitate military training. I am immensely proud to be working in an organisation that is committed to supporting the Armed Forces community.
“Having watched my mum be an active member of 208 Field Hospital in her capacity as a medic as well as raising seven children, I knew becoming a reservist would be something I would relish,” said Dianne. “208 Field Hospital is an Army Reserve Medical Unit with over 150 Reservists across four locations in the North West. Many of our reservists work in the NHS in a variety of roles such as surgeons, nurses, and physiotherapists. Within LUHFT we have over 30 reservists and armed forces veterans. I joined 208 in January 1997, along with my sister who is also a nurse, as a Private Soldier, and within six months of joining, I found myself being selected for commission into the Officer Cadre. 14 | LUHFT Life
LUHFT is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and the recipient of a Gold Award in the Ministry of Defence's Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.
“I never imagined that I would one day command the unit. My time in the reservists has been incredible and I continue to be involved in such amazing experiences with phenomenal people whose shared goal is to be trained and ready to deliver outstanding deployed healthcare anywhere in the world.”
VALUES LUHFT at Pride
LUHFT proudly took part in the Liverpool Pride march for the first time as a merged organisation to celebrate and support all LGBTQ+ people and communities. Staff members from across LUHFT are working together as part of the LGBTQ+ Network to ensure all staff and our patients who are part of the LGBTQ+ community are recognised, supported, and valued. Our Trust has also been flying the Progress Pride flags on all its sites to show support.
Team support breast cancer journey
Aintree Breast Care Team was awarded Team of the Month by LUHFT Chair Sue Musson following fantastic patient feedback. The patient said: “They have been a phenomenal support to me throughout my journey, from the point of referral, breast cancer diagnosis through to pre and post mastectomy treatment. “The strong team ethic is clear to see and reassuring to know when you are in their care. I was seen by all the team members, they all clearly communicated to each other about the concerns, risk and plan.
Additionally, Axess Sexual Health launched their ‘Are you PrEP-ared for Pride?’ campaign, which highlighted the availability of PrEP from the NHS for those that need it. PrEP (known in full as pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a pill you can take to protect you from HIV.
“I have always been treated as an individual, not felt like “just another patient” in what is clearly a very busy service. The humour, humility, honesty and kindness that has been given to me has kept me upbeat, given me faith that all will be ok when it may have been difficult for me to believe otherwise.
The Axess Pride Team attended events at colleges, universities as well as marching in the Liverpool Pride parade. Axess colleagues, along with our specialist trans clinic, Butterfly, provided event-goers with sexual health advice, handing out contraception, information leaflets and answering any sexual health questions.
“My journey with the team isn’t over and seeing the nurses as excited as me because of successful treatment really was heart-warming. The breast care nurses, support workers, administrators, Mrs Shotri, her surgical team, and Mr Martin are all shining examples of kind and compassionate care givers in the NHS.”
Celebrating our colleagues Congratulations to our latest Employee of the Month winners. Stephanie Phoenix, HCA on Ward 4B, received a patient nomination saying: “She is fantastic – a genuine, kind-hearted person. It can get lonely and isolating without visitors, but she would sit and talk to you and show genuine interest. I had to have a lumbar puncture and she was there holding my hand and calming me down, and I’m so glad she was. Full of empathy and with a genuine love for her job!”
Olivia Hill, Bank Staff from Ward 9, was complemented by a patient saying: “She carried out her job with care and consideration, professionalism, sense of humour, and kindness, even with all that was going on in the ward.” LUHFT Life | 15
Our Future Together Has a person or team made a real difference to your experience at Liverpool University Hospitals ?
Nominate them for a staff award Nominate at www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk
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