JUNE 2022
Building Our Future Together
Latest LUHFT developments
Surgeon gets artificial pancreas Life transformed by trial
Welcoming our new Chief Executive
Contents 3 4 5 6 7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14 15 16
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Meet our new Chief Executive, James Sumner Investing in our Great People - Celebrating diversity at Pride
Building Our Future Together Research boost to improve care of terminally ill Doctor’s life transformed by artificial pancreas Improving patient journey through acts of kindness Living our values: - Showcasing specialist rehabilitation care - Celebrating our employees
Leading research trials to success
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New trailers improve breast screening Getting to know you ...Danny Campbell Celebrating our nurses
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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
Building Our Future Together
Improving patient journey through acts of kindness
New trailers improve breast screening
Front cover image: Each month our cover will feature a member of staff who is living our values. James Sumner, our new Chief Executive, is committed to working with our partners to tackle health inequalities in our communities, ensuring we can work together to deliver outstanding healthcare. 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 Team LUHFT, James!
Last month we welcomed James Sumner as the new Chief Executive of Liverpool University Hospitals. James joins our Trust as an established Chief Executive with significant experience within the health and care sector. Across his 20 years in the NHS, his previous roles include Chief Executive at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Chief Officer of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, as well as a background in primary care and quality improvement. As he begins his new post here at LUHFT, James is not only bringing with him vast experience from these roles, but also looking to understand and further develop the Trust as we continue on our journey of improving the quality of care and effectiveness of our organisation. James said: “I’d like to thank everyone who has given me such a friendly and warm welcome. Already from my first few weeks of visiting teams across all of our sites, I can tell that within the organisation there is great passion, community spirit and teamwork. “There’s definitely a culture here that’s unique to LUHFT, and I am excited to get started on developing this as we take the Trust forward into its next chapter and achieve our ambitions. I understand there have been a lot of changes over the last two years, and want to make it clear that I am making a long-term commitment to you and the organisation. “Through meeting with many of you I know we have plenty of committed and forward-thinking colleagues who want
to better shape and influence the future of healthcare for the people of our city. We have a real opportunity to make a difference whilst on our improvement journey and I want to build real momentum so that every colleague feels they can contribute to the positive change we can achieve. “Not only can we work to address the significant health inequalities that face our communities, but I want to ensure that you all feel valued and proud to work here. Liverpool is a city with a proud history and ambitious plans for the future, and LUHFT is an important part of that. “In the very near future we have a lot to look forward to, with continued service integration and preparations for the opening of the New Royal, alongside estate developments at Aintree and Broadgreen."
I’m incredibly proud to be joining the Trust at such an exciting time in its journey, and look forward to working together with you all to build on the brilliant work that is already happening across each of our sites. Together we can fulfil our ambitions of delivering outstanding healthcare for our patients, our families, and our friends.
LUHFT Life | 3
Building Our Future Together We’ve got an exciting few months ahead of us at LUHFT as changes take place around all our hospitals to ensure our patients are being seen in the right place at the right time. These changes include site developments and investment, department moves and integration of services. We now have a new Building Our Future Together website, www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/ building-our-future-together/ where colleagues can get the latest information, as work can be changing rapidly. Building Our Future Together roadshows will also be taking place to help colleagues familiarise themselves with the changes taking place. The roadshows will include updates from senior leaders about site moves, integration and the future of our organisation.
What’s happening now? New Royal • We’re finalising the New Royal floorplan, including desk allocations for non-clinical staff in the main building and the Edwards Building • Outpatient rooms are being allocated and floorplans finalised and we’re also looking at Theatre plans and bed allocation • Site visits for leaders of departments to view their new location will be starting. Team managers can email Janet Paul to arrange a site visit – we are expecting more access to the New Royal from July, so that teams can be familiarised with their new workspace • We have a 24-day move plan and are talking to individual teams to form a detailed plan for each department’s move • Induction booklets have been created to support transfers, appropriate training and help teams familiarise themselves with the new hospital. They will be shared in July.
Aintree reconfiguration We are investing £53 million at Aintree to reconfigure the ‘front door’ of the hospital to support the timely flow of patients and ensure they have access to appropriate care in the right place at the right time. • Service and department moves at Aintree will be starting soon • We are aiming to get all of the services in place at Aintree in line with the move into the new Royal • Some of teams moving at Aintree include orthopaedics, general surgery in-patient beds, Stroke Assessment Unit, AEC, Acute Medical Assessment, frailty, Emergency General Surgery Unit and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit • This reconfiguration will allow easier medical assessment of and transfer of patients to different areas and out of the Emergency Department more efficiently.
Have your say about where care and treatment happens We are proposing some changes to our Breast, General Surgery, Nephrology, Urology and Vascular services. Between 7 June and 2 August 2022, the NHS in Knowsley, Liverpool, South Sefton, and Southport and Formby is holding a public consultation about these proposals. These are the main local areas that use our services, however as patients also come from other areas, everyone is invited to take part in the consultation. We understand many members of staff might also be our patients, and that you or your family could be affected by these proposals, 4 | LUHFT Life
so ensure you have your say in this public consultation. There will also be a staff consultation taking place for those of you that may be affected in your work. For more information or to share your views by completing the questionnaire online visit www. futureLUHFT.nhs.uk.
Investing in our Great People We’re making a significant investment in recruitment to grow our workforce so that we can continue to deliver high standards of care for our patients and ease pressure on our colleagues. This will include new nursing roles at all levels, to support our ambition of offering enhanced staffing ratios. We will be launching our biggest ever advertising campaign to promote or recruitment opportunities, featuring colleagues from across the Trust sharing their stories. The adverts will be running on social media and be complemented by outdoor advertising around the city, so keep an eye out for some familiar faces! Help us spread the word and find future members of Team LUHFT by following @LUHFTCareers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and sharing the campaign with your friends and family, or for more information visit the intranet.
Celebrating Diversity at Pride June is Pride month, dedicated to celebrating all LGBTQ+ people and communities around the world, as well as an opportunity to raise political awareness of current issues facing LGBTQ+ people. Significant progress has been made towards LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion, however, research demonstrates that LGBTQ+ people still face barriers and experience discrimination, bullying and harassment and greater inequalities when accessing healthcare. 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. Tracey Lowry, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, said:
The network works to provide support to colleagues from LGBTQ+ backgrounds. One of its aims is to work to support colleagues to understand LGBTQ+ identities and terminology to work to overcome any barriers and promote an inclusive environment. "In addition to this, the network is currently involved in drafting a new Supporting our Transgender Workforce Policy. The Trust will be flying the Progress Pride flags on all sites throughout June and look out for a number of events throughout Pride month including Inclusive Language and Gender Awareness webinars." After a two year in-person hiatus due to COVID, Pride in Liverpool and the annual March with Pride will be returning to Liverpool City Centre on Saturday 30 July. Tracey added: "LUHFT will proudly be taking part in the March with Pride for the first time as a merged organisation.' For details email tracey.lowry@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
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Personal end of life care Within our hospitals we are committed to providing a person-centred approach to delivering integrated, responsive end of life and bereavement services and have launched our Vision and Strategy for End of Life and Bereavement Care 2022-25. Our Trust strongly believes that end of life care is everybody’s business and that this strategy, including its six work streams and the introduction of the SWAN model of care, will drive the delivery of excellent and integrated services. As healthcare professionals we can play an important role in supporting patients and families to feel comfortable taking about dying and to make sure their wishes are known. We will strive to ensure patients and those close to them receive the practical, emotional and spiritual support they require, and to provide high-quality facilities, information and resources to support them at the end of their life. End of life care is a key priority in our hospitals, and we have one opportunity to get it right. The Specialist Palliative Care team can offer support for staff in addressing death and bereavement. Contact them on: 0151 706 2274 (5pm to 9am). Out of hours number 0845 223 2900 for Royal and Broadgreen or 0151 529 2839/2098 or out of hours via switchboard for Aintree. Our Bereavement Service can also support staff and relatives by providing comprehensive information, guidance and support following the death of a patient at our hospitals. Contact: Aintree on 0151 529 2855 or Royal and Broadgreen on 0151 706 3805. 6 | LUHFT Life
Research boost to improve care of terminally ill A new regional research partnership is enabling LUHFT to improve care for palliative and end of life patients. They will work with colleagues from across the region to develop improved approaches to palliative care, which is the management of pain and other symptoms that patients receive when they have an illness that cannot be cured.
partnership, as it not only means we can undertake more research into palliative and end of life care, but it’s also a real opportunity to improve what our patients and their loved ones experience whilst in our care.”
The Palliative Care Research Partnership North West Coast (PalCaRe NWC) is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
PalCaRe NWC comprises of Lancaster University, University of Liverpool, University of Chester, UCLan, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust and the Clinical Research Network North West Coast.
Professor John Ellershaw, Consultant in Palliative Care, said: “It is essential that we enable patients who are receiving palliative care to live and die with dignity, as well as supporting their families throughout this time. We are delighted to be part of this
The partnership has launched a survey to understand more about local barriers. The survey is aimed at anyone working in palliative care, including people in hospitals and community settings. Share your views here: https://bit.ly/3C9IqRH
Doctor’s life transformed by artificial pancreas After taking part in a pilot scheme at LUHFT, Trainee Surgeon, Hollie Clements says her life has been transformed after being given an ‘artificial pancreas’ to help manage her Type 1 diabetes. Hollie, who works at the Royal, is one of 875 adults and children with Type 1 diabetes who have taken part in the first nationwide study of its kind. Our Trust is one of 35 NHS diabetes centres across the country piloting the revolutionary hybrid closed loop (HCL) system – also known as an ‘artificial pancreas’. When someone has Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can’t make and release insulin like it should. This innovative technology enables a fitted insulin pump to ‘talk’ to a small sensor which monitors a person’s blood glucose and automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given through the pump - making blood sugar levels more stable. Hollie has been living with Type 1 diabetes for 25 years, after being diagnosed aged three. She joined the trial in October 2021 and says it has reduced the challenges that were taking over her life in the operating theatre. She said: “I can’t honestly describe how life-changing it has been for me. Life as a surgeon is extremely busy, and you can
be scrubbed in theatre for up to 12 hours at a time. When operating I can’t just stop and control my blood sugar levels. Even though I previously had a flash glucose monitor and pump, I would need to check my blood sugars by scanning the monitor and then manually adjust the insulin on the pump. I’d let my sugars run high so I wouldn’t have a hypo at work. However, doing this put me at risk of long-term damage to my eyes and kidneys. “Now I feel like a different person. Every five minutes, my blood sugar levels display on an app in my phone, and an algorithm calculates what it will be in 30 minutes time to adjust the insulin. It makes me feel safe, knowing that things are under control when I am unable to control them. At any point when operating I can just ask Siri what my glucose is, and it tells me – I don’t have to de-scrub. I really haven’t had an issue with my blood sugar control since I went on the trial. I couldn’t imagine going back to life how it was before, and I am so grateful to the NHS and the whole team at LUHFT who have been involved in this trial.” Data collected from the pilot, which concludes in November, will be considered by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to see if the device could be available more widely on the NHS.
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Improving patient journey through acts of kindness
8 | LUHFT Life
As June highlights National Volunteer Week, we’re keen to shout about the great care our 250 volunteers provide within our hospitals to support patients and staff.
“We are also looking for volunteers to support staff on our wards by providing general companionship for patients, patient activities, assisting at mealtimes and supporting patients with feeding.
“Our volunteers are an essential part of our hospitals they can provide comfort to patients, a friendly face to talk to or help them get a cup of tea or find their way to an appointment. These might only seem like small things, but it really helps improve a patient’s journey within our hospitals, plus it supports staff too,” said Emily Naylor, LUHFT’s Voluntary Services Manager, who works alongside five team members.
“Volunteers can support in A&E, wards, outpatients and we work with department leads to develop volunteer roles to enhance patient experience, support staff and engage with our local community. These opportunities allow our volunteers to develop new skills and gain valuable and rewarding experiences.”
The volunteer service in our hospitals has been established for over 20 years. Emily added: “Our team is responsible for the recruitment, co-ordination, support, and promotion of the volunteer service across the Trust.
Do you know someone who wants to volunteer?
“The next big project is recruiting more volunteers for the launch of the new Royal. We will need volunteers to support with wayfinding on the new site, which involves meet and greet, giving directions, assisting with self-check-in and escorting patients and visitors around the site. This will be essential in a new building where colleagues will also be learning the layout.
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Volunteers must be 16 years of age (18 to volunteer on the wards)
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Can they commit to a minimum of three hours per week for six months?
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Contact: volunteer.enquiries@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Sozy Ahmed
John Mooney
With ambitions to work in medicine and help people, 16-year-old Sozy Ahmed recently began volunteering within the Royal.
When Walton Hospital closed in 2010 and clinical services moved to Aintree’s new Elective Care Centre, volunteer John Mooney came along too!
“I thought this would be the ideal way to start getting experience of a hospital environment and supporting patients because I’m hoping to have a career in medicine,” said Sozy, who is currently in sixth form. “I’ve found volunteering really enjoyable. I work in the main entrance, helping patients to find their way to the clinic or ward they need to attend, I’ve discovered there is so much diversity in the range of services the hospital provides. It can be daunting for patients finding their way around a big hospital, especially if they’re anxious, I can help them relax before an appointment. “It’s rewarding helping patients, guiding and reassuring patients that it’s going to be okay and making them feel happy and at ease.” New starters are given plenty of training and advice, such as how to interact with patients, any safeguarding issues. Sozy added: “It’s all really informative and they made it easy to begin volunteering in the hospital. “I’m looking forward to being able to provide more one-on-one support and comfort to patients when I turn 18 and can help on the wards in the New Royal hospital.”
“What I like about volunteering is feeling useful and being part of a team, we’re all working together for the patients,” said 80-yearold John. “I’d taken early retirement from the Civil Service and began staying home, and eventually a friend convinced me I needed to get out and about again. So, it was in 2005 that I started volunteering in Walton Hospital. “I welcome patients and visitors at Aintree’s Elective Care Centre (ECC) reception, meeting and greeting people and helping them find their way to their appointment. Often patients are waiting for transport to take them home, and can feel a bit lonely, so I’ll wait with them providing some company and a cup of tea, so they know there is someone there supporting them. Staff are also all really appreciative of the additional help and support that volunteers can provide.” John couldn’t come in during the pandemic but was keen to return to volunteering once it was safe to do so. He said: “When I returned, I was helping out in Ophthalmology, assisting patients with hand gel, masks and ensuring people were socially distanced while in the waiting areas. “It surprises me how long I’ve been volunteering at the hospital because it just feels like coming to meet friends and having a chat. It’s enjoyable for me, it keeps me active and my brain ticking over. I also remember meeting the Duke of Westminster in 2011 when he opened the ECC and he commented on how essential volunteers are to our hospitals.” LUHFT Life | 9
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.
Showcasing specialist rehabilitation care Congratulations to the Phoenix Rehab Unit Therapy Team who presented at the recent Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network quality and improvement event. The event highlights the specialist rehabilitation care across a coordinated pathway recognising staff from all areas of the network. Megan Kerr, Band 7 OT and Janice McHarg were nominated for the Working Together Award for their relentless compassion, resilience and problem solving to provide a great service. Rachel Taylor, Band 7 Dietician was nominated for the Quality of Care Award, which is for showing a high-quality of care, dedication, diligence and passion for their role. Mike Jones, Physiotherapist and Emma Reilly, Team Lead Physiotherapist picked up third place for their presentation on Rehabilitation outcomes following COVID-19.
Anti-knife crime work impresses MPs Mr Nikhil Misra, Consultant Trauma Surgeon, went to Westminster to promote the work of the KnifeSavers charity, which has distributed more than 1,500 bleeding control kits to schools, nightlife and sporting venues around the North West. While meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction in London, Kristian Tattam, Junior Anaesthetist at LUHFT, demonstrated the kits to MPs so they could understand how the packs – which include gauze and coagulant to form a clot to minimise blood loss – can be vital in saving lives from a single stab wound. Mr Misra said: “It was a privilege to represent KnifeSavers, LUHFT and the City of Liverpool in Westminster and showcase the ongoing work and talk about the vision of the KnifeSavers campaign. We discussed the need for a national strategy for bleeding control education and greater access to bleeding control kits, using the strategy and results of the KnifeSavers campaign as a model that could potentially be rolled out nationally.”
VALUES
Patient praises outstanding performance St Paul’s Outpatients Department recently collected their Team of the Month award from LUHFT Chair Sue Musson. The team was nominated by a patient who said: “I would like to commend the outstanding performance of two of your staff that undertook my pre-operative assessment in Clinic M - namely, Suzanne, HCA, and Susamma, Staff Nurse. “Their attention to detail and patient interaction were impeccable. After the assessment I was sent to optometry for further tests however, due to my medical condition, I collapsed outside the Optician Department. “The St Paul’s Eye Unit outpatient staff proceeded to administer emergency aid and they were faultless in the treatment of my condition at that time. I recovered fairly quickly and felt in extremely safe hands. One particular nurse, Juliann, was immediately familiar with my condition (Antiphospholipid syndrome) which impressed me greatly.”
Awarded for dedication to patients Nominated by a patient for her care and reassurance, Charlene Bellis received our Employee of the Month award. The patient who nominated Charlene said: “I am disabled and travelled alone from the Isle of Man. This was the first time I have had to fly alone and use a patient transfer service. All my fears and concerns were lifted when I was warmly greeted by Charlene. She is such a caring and dedicated person who makes it her job to put you at your ease. “Her warmth and kindness helped me more than words could say. She made sure I was alright, and that staff knew I was there having travelled a long way. Whilst waiting to be seen, I was watching Charlene with other patients arriving and she was just the same, helping and reassuring them. She took time with every single person.”
Leading research trials to success To mark International Clinical Trials Day 2022, we spoke to Dr Emily Clarke, Deputy Clinical Lead for Research, 12 | LUHFT Life
“I have an interest in women’s sexual health. As a consultant in Axess, the Trust’s sexual health service, it’s lovely that a lot of our patients are curable. It gives us the opportunity to improve their future health and that of their sexual partners. “I specialise in HIV and lead the HIV in pregnancy and menopause clinics for Axess. People tend to think my speciality is small but it’s really interesting to see such a broad spectrum of people walk through the door. I’m also lucky that my speciality provides amazing opportunities - I’ve been appointed as Chair of the Clinical Standards Unit for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, which is the national body that sets the standards for the care we provide. “We’re currently running a clinical trial called SOLAR, which is an injectable HIV medication that has only just become available on the NHS. We were the highest recruiter in the UK for the trial and it’s brought an innovative treatment to our patients that they wouldn’t have been able to access elsewhere. “Sometimes medical research and clinical trials can seem like quite an abstract thing but this essentially sums up what we’re trying to do for our patients at LUHFT - develop new treatments that address their health needs and, in the process, give as many of our patients as possible the opportunity to get involved in research, which means they’re able to access these treatments earlier than would otherwise be the case. “My career started from a degree in Medicine at Southampton University. After I graduated in 2006 I worked in a number of roles down south before I realised I wanted to specialise in sexual health. When I finished my registrar training at Solent NHS Trust, I really wanted a career in a teaching hospital so that I could continue to combine my patient-facing role with the research and teaching I was doing as well.
Pharmacists awarded national internships Megan Fawkes, Specialist Pharmacist and Rebecca Fern, Advanced Clinical Pharmacist and Teacher Practitioner for Pharmacy, were presented with Education England and NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme internship awards, granting both the opportunity to dip their toes into clinical academic research. Megan explains: “My research project will investigate different opinions on the new GPhC changes to the initial education and training for pharmacists, which now includes pharmacists being independent prescribers at the point of registration. The research will therefore be used to improve the training of thousands of prospective and newly qualified pharmacists which will have a national impact.” Rebecca will be working with Dr Peter Penson at Liverpool John Moores University, looking at the optimal management of lipids and lipoproteins in the secondary prevention of ischaemic stroke. This aligns well with her work in elderly medicine and stroke. If you are a nurse or AHP and would like to be added to the mailing list to receive research funding and research training opportunities, contact Gillian.Naylor@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
“A great opportunity arose in Liverpool, so in 2017 I made the decision to move nearby to the Wirral with my husband and two young children to take up my consultant role. I could tell that medical care was really advancing at that time in Liverpool and felt that I could fill a gap in the research team at LUHFT. It was a big move but I’m lucky that my husband is a full-time dad and that my mum also decided to make the move with us and lives around the corner! Two years ago, I started karate classes with my son. I spend most of the time trying not to fall over but have managed to achieve a green belt! “Most of my clinical work is providing sexual health care, which might be looking after people with sexually transmitted infections or contraceptive needs. Once a week I also run a genital dermatology clinic and HIV clinic.
A few years ago, we participated in a trial called PrEP Impact, which focussed on preventative treatment for people with HIV. It makes me really proud that as a result of the trial, preventative treatment for HIV is now available for patients on the NHS and is changing lives of hundreds of thousands of people with HIV across England, as well as reducing the further spread of the disease. “One of the most rewarding moments of my career was when I was asked to sit on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines Committee which developed guidelines aimed at reducing sexually transmitted infections across England. From a research point of view, I’m also really proud of the first time I was approached to be a Principal Investigator at LUHFT."
Megan Fawkes
Rebecca Fern LUHFT Life | 13
New trailers improve breast screening have a lump, but back then I didn’t know any of the other symptoms to look out for.” Early detection of breast cancer means patients are far more likely to survive and less likely to require invasive treatment. For Marina, it was just a few weeks later she had a double mastectomy at Aintree University Hospital. The new trailers now feature wi-fi availability, which means there is the option for the instant transfer of images for radiographers to look at, if a prompt review is needed. It means that assistant practitioners can carry out mammograms without radiographers needing to be present - potentially increasing the number of patients that can be seen. Staff can also now check a patients’ earlier scan on the trailer, alerting them to any previous issues. Nearly two decades after being diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram in Southport, Marina Dalglish showed her support and officially opened a breast screening trailer on the same site. The Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley breast screening service (LSKBSS), provided by LUHFT, has replaced mobile trailers in Houghton Street, Southport, and at St Chad’s Centre, Kirkby, with new state-of-the-art facilities designed to help increase uptake of mammograms in the region. Marina, who has raised millions of pounds over the years to support cancer patients in Merseyside through the Marina Dalglish Appeal, said that attending her breast screening appointment saved her life. Marina said: “I remember receiving the letter in the post and joking with my friends saying ‘the cheek of it’ - I wasn’t long past turning 49! I went for my mammogram but then received another letter saying I needed further tests and a biopsy. I still thought no, it can’t be anything to worry about as I didn’t 14 | LUHFT Life
Together with colleagues, Ms Anu Shrotri, Director of Breast Screening and Consultant Breast Surgeon, and Wendy Thompson, Screening Programme Manager, have been leading on getting the new scanners in place and it is hoped that by making screening more convenient it will increase uptake, which in Liverpool is lower than the national average. Ms Shrotri said: “The uptake of breast screening in Liverpool is low for a combination of reasons; factors include economic deprivation, with some women having difficulty travelling to the screening sites, and language and cultural barriers in ethnic minority populations preventing women from understanding the importance of screening. “To encourage more women to attend their screening appointments, together with the Liverpool Primary Care Network (PCN) we have been training community volunteers to take these messages into minority communities. We’re hoping to run more workshops so that women can take these vital messages into their local communities and raise awareness of the importance of breast screening.”
Getting to know you… Danny Campbell, Learning Disability and Autism Acute Liaison Nurse, had childhood ambitions of becoming a footballer, but his public recognition came thanks to his vital role in patient care. How long have you worked in our hospitals?
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
I have worked in the Trust for about three years. I started as a student nurse with the team, and then became an assistant practitioner for a short spell whilst awaiting my nursing pin and now as a nurse.
One thing I love about my job is seeing how small reasonable adjustments can make a big difference to a patient or their family’s experience. It’s also great to build up some good therapeutic relationships with our patients.
I’m based at Aintree mainly, but our team cover all the three hospitals so I can pop up in any of them depending on staffing and workloads. Did you always want to work in healthcare? No, as a kid from this city and growing up in Cantril Farm, I wanted to be a footballer! Once I realised that wasn’t going to happen then I would have liked to be a PE teacher. My mum has been a nurse for 40 years, so I decided to follow in her footsteps! Briefly, what does your role involve? I support patients with a diagnosis of learning disabilities and/or autism to have access to the healthcare they need. This also includes supporting their families and carers while they’re being treated within our hospitals.
What are the standout highlights during your time at LUHFT? During COVID-19 a family member of one of our patients wrote a letter to the local paper highlighting the vital role I played in his care, which led to an article in the paper. This was lovely to see and made me feel proud of the care he’d received. What are your hobbies outside of work? I still enjoy playing football. My main hobby now would have to be supporting Everton all over the country. What’s your favourite thing about Liverpool? My favourite thing about the city is the people; kind and always up for a laugh. What’s your favourite restaurant or café? I love steak, so it would have to be the Marcello meat house in Childwall. What’s your favourite film or song? Favourite film would be “Stand by me” and favourite song would be “Mardy Bum” by the Arctic Monkeys.
You win the lottery, what’s your dream holiday? First stop would probably be to go back to Vegas. You’re stranded on an island, what three items would you want with you? Some cold beers, a football, and a phone.
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Celebrating our nurses
Nurses Day 2022
Last month we celebrated International Nurses Day with a host of activities and nursing awards. During a special event presented by Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, seven colleagues collected Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) awards.
Colin Hont, our Deputy Chief Nurse, picked up a Gold CNO award for his positive effect on the leadership culture of the organisation during the merger of our Trusts. Colin’s award recognised his role in providing an essential degree of stability and continuity required across the nursing workforce. He also ensures that every decision focuses on providing the best care for our patients.
Maria Guerin, Mesothelioma Specialist Nurse and Quality Matron, received a Gold CNO award for her dedicated work since becoming the first Lung Cancer Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in the North West in 1997. She has been involved in many service developments demonstrating the CNS influence in improving patient and carer experience across the thoracic oncology pathway. Maria is now focusing on the end of life and bereavement SWAN model of care.
The Silver CNO award winners, included Edna Panambo, Emergency Department Matron, who joined the Trust 15 years ago and has continued to support the recruitment of overseas nurses. Supporting her team and their wellbeing across an extremely busy department and always providing a truly seamless patient experience.
David Foulkes, Skin cancer CNS, collected his Silver award thanks to his passionate approach to delivering outstanding care for patients diagnosed with malignant melanoma. His compassion and drive to improve outcomes for patients with skin cancer has led to the development of nurse-led clinics that provide rapid assessment and treatment.
Louise Jones, Hepatobiliary/ Liver Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist, is widely recognised as an ambassador for cancer nursing across LUHFT and an advocate for improving patient outcomes and experience though evidenced-based practice and new initiatives. Louise has also been instrumental in recognising the skills and competencies required to develop nurses into efficient, kind and compassionate cancer CNS’s.
Diane Haddock, Associate Director of People (Occupational Health and Wellbeing), has been central to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign for the Trust and across the city. Diane also led the Trust flu campaign which achieved an 86.7% uptake and her team continued to provide COVID vaccines throughout this period.
Mercy Mbyonga, Lead Nurse Gastroenterology Cancer Services, provides strong leadership of her team of specialist nurses and covers high level regional work around bowel cancer screening programmes. Mercy also remains engaged in Trust-wide initiatives and has been an active member of the BAME Staff Network.
