InTouch magazine December 2022 - January 2023

December 2022 - January 2023

InTouch

This is Me @ PAHT

Make movement count

Staff Survey: Feedback to action

Maternity service success

Staff Survey: Feedback to action

Welcome to InTouch magazine – your insight into the latest news and updates from across PAHT.

It has been a very busy month, with an extremely high demand on the services of our emergency department (ED) and across the hospital. Thank you to you, our amazing #PAHTPeople, for your continued hard work and dedication.

In this edition, we introduce This is Me @ PAHT, our new approach to accessing the knowledge, skills and support that we need to excel in our roles, contribute to our teams, and be part of PAHT’s success – you can read more on p.3.

We raise awareness about the importance of making movement count for our patients – from getting up, dressed and moving, to referring in to the new Virtual Hospital, with more information from p.4-5.

We also kick-start our Staff Survey: Feedback to action programme, with opportunities for colleagues across PAHT to be involved in using the survey results to drive positive changes (p.6).

Congratulations to our maternity team on the range of service improvements that have been recognised in a national survey carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – you can read more from p.7-8.

We also cover the new voice recognition system (p.8), actions when patients view their health records online (p.9), and our latest clinical column on how to reduce your alcohol intake to improve your health (p.10).

In addition, you can read the latest updates from our charity (p.11-12), a divisional update from surgery and critical care (p.13), wellbeing tips (p.15), and much more.

This magazine is for and about you, our #PAHTPeople –please contact the communications team if you would like to see your team featured, at paht.communications@ nhs.net

Best wishes

Lance McCarthy Chief executive

Introducing This is Me @ PAHT

This is Me @ PAHT is our new approach to accessing the knowledge, skills and support that we need to excel in our roles, contribute to our teams, and be part of PAHT’s success.

This is Me @ PAHT comprises of my learning and my performance which will be brought to life via our learning and performance hub – the This is Me System (TiMS)

My learning – your learning journey at PAHT

This month (February), we will begin with:

y Ready to manage – a programme with a series of modules, for existing and new managers, designed to build knowledge, skills, and capabilities in line with our new PAHT management competencies.

y Ready to learn – a variety of in-person and online courses open to all of our people on a wide range of topics, delivered internally and externally.

My performance – your performance and growth at PAHT

In April, we will begin with new and improved online forms and templates for:

y Appraisals

y Probationary reviews (for new starters)

y Thrive conversations (new for all of our people)

y 360-degree feedback (for managers)

Look out for more information coming soon from the

learning and organisational development team, including how to sign up for upcoming courses.

in the table below.

This

is Me System (TiMS) – your learning and performance hub

In April, TiMS brings together the two elements of This is Me @ PAHT in one easy to use platform. TiMS is a modern leading-edge system that will capture all learning and performance conversations (instead of accessing/recording this via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This bespoke, responsive software will provide a user-friendly, simple, and connected approach with key functionalities highlighted

My learning

View and track all learning, such as:

y Statutory and mandatory training courses

y Ready to learn courses

y Programmes e.g., Ready to manage

Self-book onto courses

Access other training such as guides, videos, and articles

Oversee the learning activities of individuals/teams (for managers)

Receive helpful notifications/reminders about courses due for completion

TiMS will also provide a wide range of reports to support managers in understanding the performance and learning of their teams. We are confident that this new approach and system will benefit all of our #PAHTPeople.

We are keen to hear from you to be a part of the design and/ or testing of TiMS. If this is of interest to you, please contact paht.learning-od@nhs.net Look out for more updates soon.

My performance

View, track and record:

y Annual appraisal conversations

y Quarterly thrive conversations

y Ongoing 1:1 conversations

y Ongoing day-to-day feedback/praise

y Probationary reviews

y Receive helpful notifications/reminders about upcoming performance conversations

Make movement count...

Help get our patients up, dressed and moving…

Staying in hospital can lead to patients becoming less active, which can impact their length of stay. Reduced physical movement caused by sitting in bed for prolonged periods of time can very quickly decrease their muscle tone and result in reduced mobility.

Reduced movement can also increase the chances of other risk factors such as falls, fractures and pressure ulcers. This can lead to a delay in patients being ready for discharge.

We need your support to make movement count to get patients home.

Take a look at the steps below that we can take to make a big difference.

Discharge patients to the Virtual Hospital

It is important that patients are discharged to the new Virtual Hospital as soon as they are able to.

The Virtual Hospital is a service across west Essex that provides face-to-face nursing care, therapy and remote monitoring services for a range of conditions that would otherwise require an acute hospital bed. To make a referral into the Virtual Hospital or to

discuss any case you feel may be suitable to be managed in this service, please call 07581 013636 from 8am until 8pm This is a dedicated professional hotline number. The key considerations when referring into the Virtual Hospital are:

y They are an adult registered with a GP in west Essex

y They have a NEWS2 score of 4 or less

y They (or their nominated advocate) consent to being cared for at home

y You can read more here >

y Establish a daily culture on our wards to make movement count as a priority

y If a patient is fit to sitencourage them to sit in a chair or walk around the ward area (where possible)

y Discharge patients to the Virtual Ward as soon as they are ready

y Also...

y Ensure patients have a change of clothes and suitable footwear

Simple

steps

that

we can take to make a big difference

y Support patients to get up, get dressed and get moving

y Ensure they get out of bed and into a chair for mealtimes

y Ensure they maintain a good diet and drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration

y Encourage patients to keep their minds active

y Complete bedside assessments, encourage basic movements and do not wait for therapists before getting patients moving

y Remind visitors that they can help by encouraging patients to sit in a chair when they are visiting, to get dressed, go for a short walk in the ward area or outside (where possible) and maintain routines

y Remind visitors to bring spare changes of clothes

and suitable footwear for their loved one

y You can read more about the campaign on AlexNet >

y You can watch a recording of the InTouch briefing on 12 January here >

y Pictured right: Sarah Webb, deputy chief nurse, part of the project team for the Make movement count campaign.

Pledges from our #PAHTPeople...

Thank you to our #PAHTPeople for making a variety of pledges to support the #MakeMovementCount campaign, from ensuring patients keep moving safely, to encouraging patients to sit out of bed in chairs, checking patients' emotional wellbeing and more.

Staff Survey: Feedback to action programme

Last month, we asked you to keep a lookout for more information coming about opportunities to get involved in working with the annual Staff Survey results – we’re excited to now share this with you.

This month, we are kickstarting our Staff Survey: Feedback to action programme, which will run within each of the divisions and be supported by the organisational development team. The programme provides opportunities for colleagues across all roles and levels to be involved in using the survey results to drive positive changes.

Follow the link here to read more information about the programme >

How to get involved

There are three key roles for people to take on within each division to take this programme forward – we hope that many of you will be interested in taking part.

1. Feedback to action divisional sponsor – a senior member from your division will be selected for this. They will be accountable for the implementation of the programme within their division.

2. Feedback to action facilitator – several facilitators will be selected within each division. They will receive training and be responsible for

facilitating a series of sessions, with group activities aimed at understanding what the results are telling us, and developing action plans.

Thank you to everyone who expressed an interest. Divisional sponsors, supported by the organisational development (OD) team, are reviewing all forms received and selecting facilitators.

3. Feedback to action group members – a number of feedback to action groups will be set up within each division. These groups will include representation from all departments. Group members will work together to use the

survey results to propose and implement positive changes. How to express your interest: Let your department manager know by no later than today (7 February)

If you’re not able to take on a core role in the programme this year, you can still expect to hear updates from your group member representative on how the survey feedback is being used.

We are confident that this approach will strengthen connections between our departments and each other, provide opportunities for a wide range of people to support improvements to how we work, and overall ensure that we are maximising learning from the survey results. If you have any queries about the programme or would like to discuss how to get involved in more detail, please contact paht.odpartners@ nhs.net.

Maternity service improvements recognised in national survey

A range of maternity service improvements have been recognised in a national survey carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC Maternity Survey 2022 highlights improvements across multiple areas of care compared to 2021. The survey included women and pregnant people who had used our maternity services between 1 and 28 February 2022

A group of 150 women and pregnant people who met the eligibility criteria completed the survey, answering questions about the care and treatment they received at antenatal check-ups, during labour and postnatal care.

Antenatal check-ups:

During antenatal check-ups, women and pregnant people feeling that they had been given enough time to ask questions scored 9.4 compared to 8.6 in 2021; and when asked if they felt their midwives had listened to them, the rating had increased from 9.0 to 9.5. In relation to mental health and support during pregnancy, the score rose to 9.3 in the 2022 survey results, up from 8.2 in 2021.

Other areas of improvement included women and pregnant people feeling involved in decisions about their care, which rose to 9.1 from 8.8.

There were also new questions that included the confidence and level of trust in staff caring for them during antenatal care which scored 8.8; and being treated with dignity and respect which scored 9.6.

During labour:

Of the 42 respondents that were induced, the score for feeling they had been given enough information beforehand had risen to 8.6 from 6.3 in 2021, a score which places PAHT in the “much better” category compared to other hospitals in England; with the score for feeling involved in that decision rated as 9.1 compared to 8.1 the previous year.

Overall scores for experiences

during labour all saw improvements. Most notably that of 93 women and pregnant people that had raised a concern during labour, the score for feeling they had been taken seriously was 8.3 - this had scored 7 in 2021. And the rating for being treated with dignity and respect also increased to 9.3 compared to 8.6 in 2021.

When the new parents were asked if they felt their partner, or someone else close to them, had been involved in their care during labour and birth, this was rated as 8.9 compared to 7.6 in 2021; and the score for feeling they were spoken to in a way they could understand rose to 9.4 from 8.6 the previous year.

Postnatal care:

How new parents feed their newborn babies, and ensuring they are involved in that decision, is an area that the maternity teams at PAHT place great focus on. This is clearly demonstrated in the latest survey results where the score for feeling that midwives and other health professionals gave active support and encouragement about feeding their baby rose to 8.3 from 7.6; and feeling that the decisions about how they wanted to feed their baby were respected by midwives increased to 8.7 from 8.4 the previous year. The cleanliness of the wards and rooms also rated well, up to 9.1 compared to 8.6 in 2021.

Overall summary:

Out of 45 questions asked in 2021, 93% rated the same or scored higher. There were only three questions that were lower, but these were marginal with the score against reasons for delayed discharge scoring 6 (previously 6.1); the rating for being given help if needed

to contact the midwifery team after going home scoring 8.3 (previously 8.4) and being given information about physical recovery after birth rating 7.1 from 7.5 in 2021.

All scores against direct care received during pregnancy, in labour and after birth scored higher than 2021. Of six new questions posed, five had an average score of 8.4. The sixth, which was in relation to partners or someone else close being able to stay as long as they wanted to, scored 1.8, in the context of PAHT, like other maternity units around the country, having updated visiting guidance in response to the Covid-19 pandemic during the survey period.

Reflecting on the results of the CQC survey, Giuseppe Labriola, director of midwifery, gynaecology and assistant chief nurse, said: "Our teams continually strive to improve our maternity service for the women and pregnant people in our care and I am pleased

New voice recognition system

to see their efforts reflected in these survey results.

“We will continue to focus on developing our service for the future in line with the feedback we have received.”

Sharon McNally, chief nurse and deputy chief executive, said: “We take great pride in the maternity services we deliver and we continually seek to improve our standards, for the women and pregnant people using our maternity services, and their partners and families too.

"The results of this survey will help us to build on our successes and help us identify areas for improvement so that we can continue to deliver increasingly high standards across our maternity care services.”

The full results of the CQC survey for PAHT can be viewed online here >

On 10 January, we introduced a voice recognition system for our patients and visitors when they call the main hospital number. The new system will help to answer calls in a timely manner and improve patient and visitor experience.

Callers will automatically be redirected to the new system and will need to state which ward area, department or unit that they would like to be put through to and the system will call the number listed for that department. If the caller needs to speak to the operator, they can state the word ‘agent’ and they will be redirected to one of the switchboard team to assist with their query. Thank you to all involved.

Actions: patients viewing their health record online

Patients with online NHS accounts are now able to view new entries, including test results, medications, allergies, immunisations and illnesses, in their health record via the NHS App.

The change supports the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to provide patients with digital access to their health records and to help people to better understand and manage their health.

As you know, online health records are written by our professional medical teams, which means that patients may not understand everything that they read.

As a short-term solution, we are encouraging patients to wait until their follow-up appointment to discuss their results in detail and ask any questions that they may have. Please reflect this guidance in your initial conversations with your patients.

It is important that our clinical teams use reader-friendly language and plain English (where possible) when writing online health records, so that this does not cause added fear or anxiety for patients, in what is possibly a worrying time for them already.

Please provide reassurance to your patients that there are also several benefits of accessing their health records online, including:

y Easily accessible via a phone, tablet or computer

y Reduces the need to print paper copies

y The information is up-to-date and secure

y Patients with long-term health problems have found that looking at their test results online can help them to stay healthy

y Patients can look at their online record after an appointment to ensure that they understood the information

y Sometimes patients are given a lot of information and might not be able to remember it all – they can refer to their record as a reminder

y Checking that their vaccinations are up to date

y Reviewing their information to ensure that it is correct

Our clinical column: How to reduce your alcohol intake to improve your health

Last month marked Dry January, a campaign from Alcohol Change UK to encourage people to have 31 alcohol-free days.

The aim is to improve both your physical and mental health by taking a break from drinking alcohol. Benefits can include:

Short-term benefits:

y Increased energy

y Better mental health and concentration

y Brighter skin

y A sense of achievement

y Saving money

Long-term benefits:

y Lower blood pressure

y Lower risk of stroke, hypertension, cancer and liver disease

y Lower cholesterol levels

y Better mood, memory and quality of sleep

y Help with weight management

Any reduction in the amount you drink every week will be beneficial – you do not necessarily need to go teetotal to feel the benefits of drinking less.

There are some simple ways you can make a difference to your health:

y Setting some drink-free days each week – try the Drinkaware or Drink Free Days App, available on the App Store or Google Play

y Switch to lower strength drinks

y Change your routine –arrange social plans other than going out for drinks, don’t feel you need to participate in drinking alcohol when there are rounds of drinks, and wait for your drink with dinner to help you to drink less

y Set a budget for alcohol and don’t spend over this

y Try new pastimes – if you drink alcohol to occupy your time, try a new hobby, exercise or simple activities like cleaning or DIY

It is recommended to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across three days or more. That is around six medium (175ml) glasses of wine, or six pints of 4% beer.

There is no completely safe level of drinking, but staying within these guidelines lowers your risk of harming your health.

Please be aware that you should not suddenly stop drinking if you are drinking a significant amount. Please seek advice from your GP if you wish to stop drinking alcohol completely and discuss options including the possibility of an assessment of your liver health.

Taking up this challenge is a fantastic way to improve your health, now and through the year.

You can read more at www. nhs.uk here >

Best wishes

Dr Deb Ghosh Consultant hepatologist

Useful resources

y Alcohol Change UKsupport >

y Alcohol Change UK - blog >

y YouTube channel - @ alchoholchangeuk595

y NHS Better HealthYouTube >

Mum takes on festive charity challenge to raise funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

A generous fundraiser took on a festive charity challenge to raise money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in thanks for the care of her newborn baby.

The fundraiser, who prefers not to be named, completed the ‘Santa in the city’ 4km run festive fundraiser in London on 7 December and has raised a fantastic £1018.60 for the NICU, which provides high dependency and specialist care for newborn babies.

She said: “My husband and I will always feel indebted to all the teams working on the NICU for the amazing care and dedication shown.

“We will never be able to repay them for the care they gave us as a family, but I am so pleased

to be able to give something back by fundraising to help support the important work of this unit. A very big thank you also to those who supported me to complete the run and for all of the generous donations too.”

Gary Taylor, head of charity at The Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Charity, said: “Well done and thank you for this

generous donation, which will be used to help support the NICU and the premature babies and families in their care.

“We are always so appreciative of the kind support of our community.”

Husnara Begum, matron on the NICU, said: “Our sincere thanks for this outstanding fundraising effort – it means a great deal to the team.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous donation, which will be used to revamp the parents’/visitors’ room.”

You can find out more about the work of The Princess Alexandra Hospital Charity here >

Father Christmas and his helpers deliver special gifts to children's ward

Young patients on the children’s ward (Dolphin Ward) at The Princess Alexandra Hospital had a very special visit on 20 December when Father Christmas, his elf, and canine helper delivered

presents on behalf of Pets as Therapy and Cards for Bravery.

Katie Callaghan from Bishop’s Stortford (pictured centre, overleaf) has been a patient on the

children’s ward herself over the years and founded Cards for Bravery eight years ago to help brighten the days of children in hospital by delivering uplifting handmade cards. She was

delighted to be able to visit in person to deliver early Christmas presents.

Representing Pets as Therapy were Steve Kaser and Vince Larkin who brought Sammy the Samoyed along (wearing his reindeer ears) to deliver the gifts to the children.

Steven said: “We started visiting PAHT earlier in 2022 and now visit every fortnight. We visit many of the wards, but to visit the children’s ward with Sammy and help deliver gifts to young people on Dolphin Ward was very special indeed.”

Phillipa Haselhurst, voluntary services manager, said: “Our sincere thanks to Katie from Cards for Bravery and to Steve, Vince and Sammy the Samoyed from Pets as Therapy for visiting us. It certainly lifted the spirits of the young people staying on Dolphin Ward and the team looking after them.”

Sharon McNally, chief nurse and deputy chief executive, said: “Staying in hospital at Christmas time can be very challenging for our patients and their families.

"This visit was a boost for the young people in our care and I am extremely grateful to Pets as Therapy and Cards for Bravery, not only for their generous gifts, but for taking the time to visit and deliver them.”

Pictured (left to right): Michelle Dunn, compassionate care volunteer for PAHT; Vince Larkin from Pets as Therapy; Katie Callaghan from Cards for Bravery, Steve Kaser from Pets as Therapy and Sammy the Samoyed.

Divisional update: surgery and critical care

"Emergency pressures have resulted in a number of changes to our ward configurations, due to the need to create additional capacity for medical outliers. We have been without an ultraclean ward environment for our orthopaedic joint procedures for a number of weeks, which has unfortunately resulted in a number of cancellations of our long waiting inpatients. As of 1620 January, we now have a ring-fenced ultra-clean unit for orthopaedic joint procedures as per national guidance, currently comprising of two bays each with five bed spaces and one side room.

"On completion of minor works, there will be an additional side room providing a total of 11 beds. This will support us to deliver the national target of having no patients waiting over 78 weeks for treatment by the end of March 2023. We continue to work with integrated care system (ICS) colleagues to focus on improving the way we utilise and run our theatres to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible. Our critical care unit remains extremely busy and we thank all of our critical care colleagues for their continued dedicated and hard work to provide the best care possible for our patients."

Best wishes

The surgery and critical care divisional management team

Our patients said...

"When it was my turn to be seen at A&E, the service and attention from everyone was superb. They could not have been more helpful and attentive. I have no hesitation in complimenting them."

"You were kind and understanding, anything was no trouble. Everything was calmly explained, even the more unpleasant bits. I felt in good, safe hands."

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for looking after our mum.

"We will never forget you all."

"I finally seem to have gained some energy and renewed confidence - a sincere thank you for looking after me during those days. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists at the Older Person's Assessment and Liaison (OPAL) Unit were wonderful and I am full of admiration for how well it was organised."

Wise about wellbeing...

While you are caring for our patients, or supporting those who provide care, it is extremely important to remember to focus on your wellbeing and to check in with your colleagues too. There are a wide variety of resources available to you to support your health and wellbeing.

Each month, we share practical information and tips as part of our wise about wellbeing feature. This month, we are focusing on the new Schwartz Rounds.

Many of our people deal with highly emotive situations on a regular basis. A new series of Schwartz Rounds are being facilitated at PAHT across 2023 to bring our people together to:

• Reflect on challenges faced

• Process emotions experienced

• Talk openly with others that truly understand

The first Schwartz Round, focusing on 'An act of kindness I will never forget' was held at the Learning and Education Centre on 31 January. Thank you to everyone involved.

If you need further information, or are perhaps interested in joining the panel for one of the next rounds, please contact the Schwartz Round team at schwartzround@nhs.net.

You can also find out more on AlexNet >

#PAHTPeople - making a difference

The third edition of Our Journal – take a look…

We are pleased to share the third edition of Our Journal – a publication written by our clinical people, for our clinical people, at PAHT.

This edition features articles on topics ranging from the new Virtual Hospital, to the endoscopy team trialling a new test to diagnose early oesophageal cancer, and a nurse specialist publishing a clinical practice review of glove use.

We also feature the latest

medical eduction events, information on a new journal club in the

Welcome to our new #PAHTPeople

In the last month, 50 new #PAHTPeople have joined us:

Felix Adiele

Francesca Aillud

Joy Alamu

Kelechi Anyaogu

Joshua Arthur

Shah Aziz

Eloise Fe Mignon Balasbas

Sarah Beer

Tanya Boakes

Russell Browning

Toni Buchan

Vernadine Buduroi

Poppy Cann

Payalkumari Chaudhari

Lisa Collins

Caroline Crafer

Courtnie Crew

Julia Eaglestone

Mohamed Elgafy

Hannah Evans

Ifeoma Eze

Lynne Foster

Priscilla Huntley Williamson

Pamela Kande

Olawumi Kehinde

Ibrahim Lala

Elita Mazzocchi

Camelia Melody

Hesham Metwally

Samina Muslimuddin

Chiamaka Okafor

Ofejiro Okposio

Linda Opiah

Jade Pattison-Blane

maternity team, a fantastic research and training opportunities event, and much more.

You can read the winter 2022/2023 edition via this link >

Thank you to the teams who have contributed to this edition. Please contact us at: paht.communications@ nhs.net to feature in the next editionpublishing April 2023.

Mark Potton

Padman Prince

Billy Roberts

Lucy Sears

Vernon Sivarajah

Kelly Spires

Shadae Staines

Claire Steele

Margaret Thomas

Donna-Marie Walker

Jean Weadick

Samantha Whiteman

Megan Wickens

Stephanie Wright

Alice Wright

Jayne Youens

In this time, 62 people have left PAHT - thank you for supporting our patients and our people.