January 2016
Minister’s visit
Members of the emergency department team welcomed Lord Prior, minister for NHS Productivity (above) to East Surrey Hospital earlier this month. Health minister, Lord Prior said: “I was delighted to visit the Trust and was struck by the high levels of motivation and engagement of staff and their clear commitment to delivering high quality patient care. We want to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world. The partnership between the Trust and Virginia Mason Hospital – recently named the USA’s ‘hospital of the decade’ – will help staff to offer the safest possible care and patients will see real benefits as a result.” Michael Wilson, chief executive, said: “I was delighted that Lord Prior was able to hear more about our achievements and the efficiency plans that we are putting in place as part of our partnership work with the Virginia Mason Institute. He was also able to meet with our specialist team of emergency doctors, nurses and therapists in ED and hear directly from them about their day to day experiences and the challenges they face.”
New cancer centre opens
During 2015 we saw our SASH health campus continue to grow with the building of the East Surrey Macmillan Cancer Support Centre which will provide care for people with cancer including access to complementary therapies and counselling. The centre was officially opened on 27 January by former patient Neil Maltby (below). Michael Wilson, chief executive, said: “This centre is the result of a fantastic partnership with Macmillan and with the support and expertise of The Olive Tree in Crawley. It allows us to enhance the quality care we give to people with cancer and their families and brings this care and support together in one place.” We have so much to look forward to in 2016 starting with a 21 bed Integrated Reablement Unit (IRU) -
Former patient Neil Maltby cutting the ribbon to mark the opening.
an exciting new joint venture with Surrey County Council and East Surrey CCG which opened its doors on 21 January to care for patients who no longer need to be in hospital as they get ready to return home. Improvements continue with the opening of the new Surrey and Sussex Heart Centre on 25 February. Work is also underway on a £4m on-site medical records facility which is due for completion in November and the refurbishment of the emergency department’s resuscitation unit and installation of a new CT scanner.
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A warm welcome
Thanking our volunteers Over 200 volunteers have been thanked for the amazing work they do at a special event celebrating the valuable contribution they make to patients, visitors and staff.
A warm welcome to our twenty new nurses who have joined us from the Philippines and Europe.
Michael Wilson, chief executive said: “I am sure you will all make our new nurses feel welcome. I would particularly like to thank nursing sisters, Tina Dela Cruz; Valerie Rada; Lorna Eje and Desree Corro and charge nurse, Marcial Landicho who have gone above and beyond to make the welcome a particularly warm one - including meeting the newly arrived nurses at the airport and making the bus journey with them on their first day at work. This is ‘one team’ at its best.”
Maris Codling, voluntary services manager said: “We are very lucky to work with such a supportive group of volunteers who dedicate so much of their own time in helping others. They are a fantastic bunch of people who are committed and extremely loyal and we are grateful to each and every one of them and this annual event is our way of saying thank you.” One particularly significant milestone was celebrated by 88 year old Gordon Thomson who has dedicated the past 25 years in volunteering his services to the hospital. Gordon who was delighted to receive the honorary award said: “I was very touched to receive this award. I came here for a two week trial back in 1990 and enjoyed it so much I’m still here 25 years later. It is satisfying and very rewarding to be able to help other people.”
You’re hired! SASH is celebrating home-grown talent and hired two of its apprentices Aaron Bailey and Chloe McHale who say they could not be happier to be part of the team.
Charity bike ride Swapping the wards for seven days in the saddle is phlebotomist Marie Miles who is heading off on a 300 kilometre charity cycle ride from Vietnam to Cambodia. Marie is doing the ride for Bloodwise, which carries out research into childhood lymphoma and leukaemia, in memory of her godson who died of leukaemia. To sponsor Marie go to: www.justgiving.com/Marie-Miles1.
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Aaron, 21, said: “The support from my team has made the experience wonderful. I’m looking forward to combining part-time work at the hospital with my plans to start university later this year.” Chloe, 17, who has recently started a full-time post with the patient waiting list team said: “Completing my apprenticeship has been brilliant and I have learnt so much including customer service skills which will prove very useful in my new role.” Janet Miller, deputy HR director said: “We are very proud of Aaron and Chloe who have shown real talent within their roles. Their success stories show the real value of apprenticeships. We are currently working on a programme to roll out trust-wide this year which will provide a range of opportunities.” Apprenticeship roles are also available for existing members of staff. Visit the Intranet/recruitment/apprenticeships to find out more.
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Clinical support nurses
Living the values
Our practice development team plays an important role in ensuring that nurses and nursing assistants are supported to maintain and develop quality care delivery whilst helping individuals to reach their potential. This can be in existing roles or by creating pathways for career progression. They can offer you help and advice on many issues including if you:
Sharing patient stories is a valuable way of creating understanding and helping us learn from their experiences. The following story focuses on the Trust core value of ‘one team’:
are a nursing assistant and want to find out more about the Care Certificate
need information or advice on the European and overseas nurse transition programme
are a preceptor or mentor who needs some advice
Contact clinical support nurses Amanda.trease@sash.nhs.uk or Teresa.dale@sash.nhs.uk (x 2678) for more information.
Star of the Month award
L-R: Ian Mackenzie, who presented the award, Bill Kilvington, Villaflor Domailanta, Nicola Berry and Tamer Al Mahdy.
Congratulations to Villaflor Domailanta, a housekeeper on Brockham ward who is our Star of the Month. Villaflor was nominated by Bill Kilvington, associate director women and child health, who said: "I am always impressed by her commitment, cheerfulness and the way she goes above and beyond her role to truly demonstrate the ‘one team’ ethos. She is often mentioned by patients making SenSASHional comments about the care they receive on the ward. She is a ray of sunshine and fully deserves recognition for her outstanding role as part of the care team on Brockham ward.”
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At the December public Board a former patient spoke about her experiences of an emergency admission. She had nothing but praise for the professionalism and team work of the staff that cared for her throughout her journey from ED to AMU and finally Tilgate ward. She went on to thank the hospital for the care she had received and the opportunity to share her story. However, one of the most powerful points to take from the story was her reflection on how simple terminology that we use in day to day management of patients can be confusing and a cause for concern. For example, our use of the word ‘majors’ in ED and phrases such as ‘transferring you to the acute medical unit’ - words that we use every day - caused her unnecessary anxiety, due to her perception of how serious this referral of care sounds to someone who is unfamiliar with clinical or medical terminology. Lesson learned: The language we use when talking to patients is important. We need to be mindful not to cause anxiety and set false expectations and try to talk to patients in a way that supports their understanding. Full details of this story are available in the December public Board minutes available on our website. By Colin Pink Head of corporate governance
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Welcome to... … Mark Preston, director of organisational development and people who joined SASH in January. Mark’s career in healthcare spans over 25 years, working in a variety of different healthcare settings including health authorities and London teaching hospitals. His previous role was associate director of HR at King’s College Hospital NHS FT. Prior to that Mark worked at University College London Hospitals and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Mark has responsibility for the workforce directorate, which includes a diverse range of areas including resourcing; staff and organisational development; HR business partnering; employee relations; medical HR; occupational health and well-being and the staff nursery. … Jane Griffiths, our new deputy chief operating officer, who brings a wealth of experience with her. Prior to joining SASH, Jane worked in operational management and improvement for NHS Blood and Transplant and has also worked as a nurse in ICU.
Healthcare tax rebate As a healthcare worker you may be entitled to tax relief on certain union and professional fees you pay every year. If you wear a uniform you can also claim tax relief on the cost of laundry and perhaps even for shoes. Thousands of healthcare workers miss out every year because they have failed to claim the tax relief they are entitled to within HMRC's deadline. Visit: www.healthcareworkertaxrebate.co.uk/
From January 2016 all staff meetings and senior leaders’ meetings are now combined as one monthly ‘TeamTalk’ briefing led by Michael Wilson, chief executive. The next meeting takes place on 12 February at 2-3pm in the lecture theatre, PGEC. There will be a presentation from the home team for the cardiology value stream about their Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW). This will be about the work they are doing around improving the patient experience and focusing on getting the right patient into the right bed. Come along and find out more about this and other Trust news and developments. Please can all managers and supervisors try and ensure that at least one member of staff from their area attends so that information can be fed back to the wider team.
Flu clinics Many of our patients are vulnerable and catching flu could be very serious for them. So help protect our patients, staff and your family this winter and get your free vaccination now. Evidence has shown that this year’s vaccination is closely aligned to the circulating virus for and is therefore highly effective. Clinics are being held in the occupational health department (above the east entrance at East Surrey Hospital) until the end of February on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 9-9.30am and 3-3.30pm. Clinics at Crawley Hospital are run on a Monday. For further details please contact x4006.
Dates for your diary 11 February
Executive drop-in session with Ian Mackenzie, director of information and facilities - Three Arches Restaurant, 2-2.15pm.
25 February
Public Board- open to staff. AD77 Trust HQ, 11-1.30pm.
29 February
SASH+ taster session. Atrium, PGEC, 2-4pm. Contact allana.hansell@sash.nhs.uk to book your place.
Trust Headquarters, East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, Surrey RH1 5RH Tel: 01737 768 511
www.surreyandsussex.nhs.uk