INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1
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INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1
INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 10/09/2010 17:37 Page 1 Inside Story Positive response for blood dispenser – page 2 AND A new dawn for integrated medicine – pages 4 & 5 PLUS Secret lives: ‘I swam The Channel!’ – page Inside Story is the UCLH staff magazine INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:30 Page 2 news Blood on tap Quicker, safer, cleaner and greener – a new system launched at The Heart Hospital brings supplies of donor blood closer to the patients that need it. Rather than keeping all supplies of Karine Pearson, anaesthetic coordinator, getting blood from the Hemosafe blood off site, The Heart Hospital now has an automatic system called a Hemosafe where blood is dispensed vending machine-style. Jenny Berryman, blood transfusion laboratory manager, said: “This will completely transform the way we access and use blood. The Hemosafe will be stocked with all blood types and because it is there on site, staff will be able to take what they need without worrying that they are requesting too much or too little – this should mean less wastage. “As soon as the group and screen sample testing is completed by the laboratory and as long as the patient has no antibodies, blood can be dispensed by the fridge as needed.” Only trained staff will be able to use it and because the system is fully automated there will be an audit trail enabling the laboratory to see who has taken it, when it was used and how much was used. This will mean an end to filling in paperwork and will free up more time for staff to deliver patient care. Dr Daniel Farrar, consultant anaesthetist and chair of the hospital transfusion committee, said: “With the Hemosafe there is no chance of picking up the wrong bag of blood – this helps us comply with regulatory requirements and makes the transfusion process safer for patients.” The Hemosafe will also quarantine any bags of blood that are returned to the machine so that ‘old’ blood, or blood kept out of the fridge greater than 30 minutes, cannot be used. The Hemosafe is undergoing a pilot trial at The Heart Hospital and if it is successful it is planned to install the remote issue blood fridges at all sites across the Trust by next summer. Stop the clots Clinical staff are being asked to help improve the safety of patients by assessing the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and ensuring appropriate measures are taken for those at higher risk of developing clots. VTE is preventable but kills at least 25,000 patients across England every year. Reducing the risk of VTE is top of the NHS safety priorities for 2010/11. All patients should undergo a VTE risk-assessment on admission to hospital, and this should be recorded on the relevant section of the patient’s drug chart. Patients at increased risk of developing VTE are given blood-thinning injections of heparin and where appropriate, a pair of compression stockings to help blood flow through the veins. As the risk of clots can change during the hospital stay, patients should have the assessment repeated after 24 hours and regularly during the hospital stay. Contact Us The Trust VTE risk assessment tool is available on Insight, copies have been placed in all end-of-bed folders and it is now available in a credit card style for all clinical staff. Dr Hannah Cohen, consultant haematologist and chair of the Trust haemostasis and thrombosis committee, said: “Correct risk assessment and VTE prophylaxis could save thousands of lives across the UK.” Dr Robert Urquhart, divisional clinical director clinical support, is chairing a Trust VTE strategy group. Robert said: “Our monthly audits of VTE risk assessments demonstrate that we are making progress. However, there is still a lot of work to do to deliver on this important patient safety target. It is the responsibility of all clinical staff to ensure that we implement all the steps to minimise the avoidable harm that VTE can cause to our patients.” Dr Hannah Cohen and Dr Robert Urquhart display the tools available in preventing VTE If you have any information you would like included in Inside Story, or on the Trust intranet site Insight, contact: Communications Unit, 2nd Floor Central, 250 Euston Road, London NW1 2PG. Email: [email protected], Tel: ext 9897, Fax: ext 9401. 2 Front cover: Karine Pearson, anaesthetic coordinator at The Heart Hospital INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:31 Page 3 news Preserving a moment in time Photographs, patient stories, historical documents and details of the latest research and treatments available on the NHS were preserved for centuries in a time capsule buried in the depths of the UCLH Cancer Centre in a special ceremony last month. The box was buried within the structure of what will be an operating theatre on the lower ground floor of the new development, which is on schedule to open in April 2012. The cancer centre exhibition has been updated to reflect the progress of both the construction of the centre, and efforts to improve the patient experience through new ways of working. To arrange a viewing, please contact Olivia Mulholland via email. Charity partners including Macmillan Cancer Support represented by their development manager Helen Liles (centre, flanked by chief executive Sir Robert Naylor and Frank Dobson MP) buried a little bit of history about their organisations which will be preserved for generations to come. Dates for your diary Chief executive roadshows: The Annual Public Meeting is being held on 30 September in the Education Centre at 6pm. The chief executive roadshows are taking place in October. All roadshows take place between 12 midday and 2pm. Check Insight for further details. 14 October 18 October 21 October 26 October 28 October The Heart Hospital NHNN and RLHIM UCH, EGA, HTD and 250 Euston Road UCH, EGA, HTD and 250 Euston Road The Eastman Dental Hospital Turbo booster aids recovery Patients at UCH are the first in the country to benefit from the latest laser technology which unclogs leg arteries in a matter of minutes. Short bursts of laser energy blast the obstructing tissue into microscopic particles that are absorbed into the bloodstream – restoring natural blood flow and bringing rapid relief from pain, without the need for complex bypass surgery. The ultraviolet light is transmitted through flexible glass fibres which are guided into place by a catheter which is advanced through the blockage. Excimer laser technology with Turbo Elite® is highly effective for patients who have developed total blockage of Members of the multi-disciplinary endovascular team (MET) (l-r): Dr Joe Brookes, clinical director for imaging and vascular services, Sean Fowler, senior radiographer, Babrah Mohammed, senior radiographer, Alfred Tan, senior staff nurse, and Dr Julian Hague, imaging and consultant radiologist. arteries following previous angioplasty or stent placement (a minimally invasive technique to widen narrowed arteries). Dr Joe Brookes, vascular radiologist and divisional clinical director for imaging and vascular services, said: “If patients develop a scarring reaction following angioplasty or stent placement, unwanted tissue can begin to build up on the artery wall which constricts them again. Obviously this puts the patient at further risk. “This latest procedure is a very simple and effective way of vaporising the tissue in a controlled way to get the blood flowing freely again. UCH is the only hospital in the country to offer this procedure and several of our patients have already benefited.” Previously, the options available to treat blockages in the pelvis and legs were limited to further attempts at angioplasty or stenting with disappointing long-term results, ultimately leading to bypass surgery. 3 INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:31 Page 4 RLHIM focus A new dawn for integrated medicine This month marks a landmark in the history of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital with the announcement that its name has changed to better reflect the range of services it provides. The hospital will now be known as the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM). The change was recommended by senior staff at the hospital and approved by the UCLH board of directors. For more than ten years the hospital has explicitly focused on integrated medicine and has long been the UK’s leading centre for this approach. It is the largest public sector centre for integrated medicine in Europe. For many years after its foundation in 1849 it was a general hospital including, for instance operating theatres and surgical wards, and a specialist homeopathic department. From the 1980s the surgical and other conventional specialities were replaced by a wide range of complementary medicine services including the NHS’s first complementary cancer care, acupuncture, musculoskeletal medicine and herbal medicine services. Work around the name change has been supported by UCLH Charity. Dr Peter Fisher, the hospital’s clinical director, explains more. 1. What was the driving factor behind the name change? “Interest in our services is growing all the time and our name change reflects the integration of complementary and conventional disciplines. “For several years, fewer than a quarter of patients attending the hospital have received homeopathy only. “The name change reflects the hospital’s role in bringing together safe, effective, high quality complementary and conventional medicine, emphasising the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and seeing patients as active participants, making choices about their healthcare and lifestyle.” 4 Some members of the senior team at the RLHIM 2. Will you still continue to offer homeopathy? “We will continue to provide it as long as patients choose it and it is commissioned. Homeopathy is an integral part of integrated medicine. At present there is strong patient demand for homeopathy and in an era of patient choice we are providing a service that meets that demand.” 3. What is integrated medicine? “It means putting together the best of complementary medicine and conventional medicine to deliver the best outcomes for patients. “We work very closely with clinical partners across UCLH to improve the patient experience and clinical outcomes. “We have developed unique integrated clinical services including: an integrated pain service in collaboration with the Eastman Dental Hospital and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, providing acupuncture, hypnotherapy, homeopathy, and autogenic training to complement conventional pharmacological treatments. “Among many examples of innovation, the hospital introduced acupuncture into the NHS as long ago as 1977. Acupuncture is now recommended by NICE for the treatment of low back pain.” 4. What next for the RLHIM? “We’re really excited about what the future holds for our newly-named hospital. We will continue to lead the way in innovation for integrated medicine and provide safe and effective treatments for common, problematic conditions. Among our recent innovations are weight loss and insomnia clinics. “We have established group acupuncture clinics, a cost-effective way of providing acupuncture and set up the NHS’s first musculo-skeletal medicine service. The hospital has among the highest positive patient feedback scores in the NHS and we are determined to build on this success.” INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:31 Page 5 RLHIM focus Cancer care – an integrated approach An integrated approach to caring for those with cancer appears to have speeded up the recovery process for patients such as Martyn Goldsmith. "The results have been absolutely unbelievable – it has worked beautifully," he said. As well as conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy to treat cancer of the left tonsil and lymph nodes, Mr Goldsmith benefited from homeopathic medicine and acupuncture at the RLHIM which Martyn receiving acupuncture from Dr Santosh Patil, dental dramatically reduced the unpleasant sideacupuncturist effects he experienced, such as reduced saliva and difficulty in swallowing. rehabilitate from the side effects. We often utilise complementary medicine alongside He said: "I had about 20 fine hair-thin needles conventional therapy to facilitate this." placed on the edge of my ear, in my cheek and index finger. I had an open mind about it – I just Martyn was referred to Dr Sosie Kassab, wanted to get better as fast as possible. director of the Complementary Cancer Service which offers homeopathy, Iscador (mistletoe "Following just a few acupuncture sessions preparation), acupuncture, autogenic training, there was a marked improvement. After a few relaxation and visualisation, hypnotherapy, weeks I was eating solids without difficulty!" cognitive behavioural therapy, therapeutic Western medical acupuncture is believed to massage and aromatherapy, reflexology, reiki, directly stimulate local nerves around the art therapy and dietary advice. salivary glands which improve the function of Sosie said: "We aim to use complementary the damaged tissue. treatments safely and appropriately alongside Consultant oncologist Dr Dawn Carnell, who conventional management and guide patients oversaw his chemoradiation treatment, said: "Patients need great physical and psychological to sources of high quality information about effectiveness and safety." reserves to complete the treatment and then Autogenic training – ‘it worked for me!’ Katherine with her daughter Thea After previously suffering a series of miscarriages, Katherine Small felt the joy of being pregnant again was completely overshadowed by mounting anxiety. She said: “I felt tearful and exhausted and I was starting to suffer from panic attacks and sleeplessness.” Mrs Small was referred by her GP to the Autogenic Training clinic at the RLHIM and within just a few weeks her symptoms were back under control. She said: “I was amazed at how quickly it worked. It helped me literally switch off my anxiety – and the physical symptoms receded immediately. Autogenic Training enabled me to regain the trust that my body knew how to be healthy and to bond with my unborn baby.” Autogenic Training is a structured, research-based meditative practice: a sequence of simple mental exercises which bring about profound mental and physical relaxation. The service is lead by Dr Ann Bowden, a physician with a strong interest in complementary medicine. Update your templates To coincide with the name change, the Trust’s Use of Logos policy has been revised. New templates for use across the Trust and within individual hospitals can be downloaded from the front page of Insight. All the templates have been developed to include an updated ‘footer’ which must be used at the bottom of all Trust correspondence. The logo policy describes the wording that should appear on our stationery, including letterheads, faxes, memos or general Trust publications. 5 INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:31 Page 6 our trust Meet the new staff governors Darielle Proctor speaks to UCLH’s new staff representatives “Now is a good time in my career to give something back to the Trust and the people who work for it” says Malcolm Barnicoat, the new staff governor for healthcare assistants, support, scientific, therapeutic and technical. Having worked for the Trust for 37 years Malcolm feels well placed to represent the views of his constituency. He joined the microbiology department at UCH in 1973 and since then has worked at several UCLH sites including a decade at the NHNN. During his time at UCLH Malcolm has met a great number of people but he says that he is ‘looking forward to getting to know those that he hasn’t yet rubbed shoulders with’. Outside of work Malcolm has an active social life and enjoys travelling, the arts, food and wildlife. Tom Hughes is passionate about improving services for patients and this he feels is very closely linked with improved conditions for staff. Working in partnership with Maureen Holas, HR manager, Tom is the new staff governor for the admin and clerical, estates and ancillary constituency. Tom said: “I hope that working as a team with Maureen we will be able to make a difference.” Tom has worked at the Trust for 21 years, across many sites and divisions, and feels that he has a good oversight of the organisation and its workforce and can understand the issues faced by staff. Fion Bremner, a consultant in Ophthalmology, is the new staff governor for medical and dental practitioners. He has worked at the Trust for ten years and thinks it is important that clinicians are represented on the governing body. Fion works across the Trust with clinics at Queen Square, UCH and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and has a good oversight of the organisation and its staff. Fion said: “I am keen to be involved with how the Trust develops at a more strategic level, especially given the tough times ahead for the NHS.” Fion trained in London and has spent his professional career delivering ‘cosmopolitan London medicine’ working at almost every teaching hospital in the capital. QEP champions Improvement leads are being recruited to help transform our services as part of the quality, efficiency and productivity (QEP) programme. They will be part of a Trust wide network which will give staff support and training in lean and project management skills. Up to 50 staff from departments across the organisation will undergo training sessions and attend master classes led by inspirational national speakers. Attendees will be expected to bring a project idea with them to work through over the course of the programme, with ongoing support. Lisa Hollins, deputy director of service transformation, and Donna ElliottRotgans, project manager, are leading the initiative. Donna, a former cardiac physiologist at The Heart Hospital, said: “Frontline staff 6 health and part of the Improvement are in an excellent position to see how Network Steering Group, said the Lean their working environments could be skill set would ‘prove invaluable’ for the improved but may not know how to improvement leads. bring their ideas to fruition, or understand how to relate this back to If you would like to join them please savings. This project aims to address contact Laura Alexander on ext 3269. that.” Clinical staff and those from corporate James Anderson, head of operations for teams are particularly welcome. specialist hospitals clinical board, said the QEP challenge is to create sustainable change for the Simon Hack, quality manager for the stem future. He added: ”Supporting cell transplant programme, and nominee for staff to lead improvement in the Improvement Network welcomed the their own departments is the opportunity. He said: “It’s a good idea – most successful way of making much better to have people with local changes that benefit patients knowledge about their department or service and services”. rather than having to adopt changes from Kara Gelb, someone at arm’s length. I think the QEP divisional champions will come up with plenty of manager for ideas.” women’s’ INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:31 Page 7 our trust A flexible approach to improving working lives Many staff benefit from flexible working at UCLH – and it’s not just about going part-time or job sharing. Often the arrangements are more informal ones to help someone balance work commitments with personal pressures. For example, your manager might agree to you coming into work later one morning to give you time to settle your child into school on their first day. Or perhaps you need to leave work a little earlier or swap a shift for a special occasion. A flight delay and a last-minute request for an extra day’s holiday is another example of the flexible approach. Your manager will consider each request on an individual basis – but providing a high quality to patients remains paramount. Husband-and-wife team Caroline and Peter Thould both superintendent therapy radiographers at UCH are among those staff who are benefiting from a more formal arrangement to flexible working. With two pre-school children (and another baby on the way), splitting childcare and work responsibilities has worked wonders. Caroline works Mondays and Tuesdays planning treatments for patients. Peter delivers the treatments on the following three days. “It works brilliantly for both of us,” said Caroline. “The arrangement means we don’t have to rely on childcare. They seem to thrive on the fact that one of us is always at home with them. “We benefit in other ways too: we can keep in the loop at work with advances in technology, changing techniques and equipment and stay in close touch with all our colleagues.” Peter agreed it offered ‘the best of both worlds.’ Infection control focus on intravenous lines results appear promising. Dr Kaur said: “This has the potential to have a huge impact on rates of infection and the health of our patients. In medicine there has been a general consensus that central lines are a low risk intervention. It is becoming clear, that this is not always the case. “We are taking it incredibly seriously. The ultimate aim is to reduce the number of patients contracting bloodborne infections such as MRSA. It’s all about education and training.” The project, driven by the anaesthesia department, begins with some fundamental questions. Is a central intravenous line really necessary – or is a smaller, temporary cannula more appropriate? Have the strict protocols been followed to ensure safe and sterile insertion? Can the lines be removed sooner, rather than later? Are there Project team members Graham Fitzgerald, Annie Poland and Dr Navkiran Kaur signs of infection? The anaesthesia department is challenging the long-established view about central intravenous lines as part of the Trust’s drive to reduce infection rates. Dr Navkiran Kaur, locum consultant in anaesthesia, Annie Poland, physician’s assistant in anaesthesia, and Dr David Walker, consultant anaesthetist, have developed a new evidence-based protocol, to encourage nursing and anaesthetic staff to question procedures at every stage. Early Around ten patients a week have already benefited since it was piloted a few months ago: the number of lines inserted has been reduced by 25% with an increased uptake in alternative lower risk interventions. It is hoped this will reduce infection and improve patient health. A central intravenous line is most commonly inserted via the neck veins and guided to a position close to the heart. It is often used for patients requiring long term antibiotics or nutrition. The anaesthetic team is crucial in IV line management and nurses play a key role in the project’s success. Annette Jeanes, director of infection prevention and control said: “If we have the processes in place and adhere to them scrupulously we can prevent infection. It is not just for patients, but also has financial implications. “We have to change the culture: the behaviours, beliefs and attitude to the way we all work.” 7 INSIDE STORY SEP10:Layout 1 13/09/2010 12:31 Page 8 the back page Secret lives If Dr Chrissie Thirlwell is having a tricky day at work, drowning in paperwork and clinic appointments, there is one thought that steers her into calmer waters: “I think ‘well at least I haven’t been swimming in the cold sea for 19 hours’. That puts it all into perspective.” After all, if you’ve overcome buffeting waves, strong swells, seasickness and 28 miles of water stretching ahead, then life as a specialist oncology registrar is relatively straightforward. Chrissie conquered the English Channel with a black and pink onepiece, swim cap (complete with small light bulbs), goggles, fierce determination... and a tub of grease. “I set off from Dover at 4.30am on a beautiful September morning. It was a poignant moment signalling to the support crew that I was ready to start. I thought: if I’m ever going to do it, today is the day.” For the next 19 hours and 18 minutes, Chrissie swam through the sunshine, into the fading light and eventual darkness. Her food was thrown to her on a rope (‘I felt like a seal’), which she ate whilst treading water. “I thought of my grandparents and how I wanted to make them feel proud of me, and I thought of the cancer patients I was raising money for.” There was a slightly troubling moment when a German submarine popped up through the waves behind her… but Chrissie carried on swimming with barely a backward glance. She landed ashore in France at 1.30am: the 270th woman to have ever completed the challenge. Her efforts raised £7,000 for charity – including Cancer Research UK. Chrissie is a clinical lecturer in medical oncology at the UCL Institute of Cancer and a specialist registrar at UCH. The EDH Penfold postbox Unbeknown to many staff is the fact that the Eastman Dental Hospital houses an iconic and rare postbox in its courtyard area. Denis Flower, a member of the 8 Letter Box Study Group, has an interest in Victorian postboxes and was thrilled to discover that there was a hexagonal Penfold postbox at the EDH. Whilst in London for the day he popped in to take a photo. Designed by architect John Wornham Penfold the sixsided postbox was produced between 1866 and 1878. In 1986 it was proposed to install replica Penfolds in heritage sites where a modern design might look out of place. The Post Office gave its authority to the idea and in 1988 a fully operational prototype replica was produced. The boxes began appearing in 1989 and one was placed at the EDH. There are now about 175 Penfolds, both original and replica in the UK. Denis assures us that even he finds it hard to tell the difference between an original and a replica without close examination! Archives The London Homoeopathic Hospital was founded on 10th October 1849, becoming ‘Royal’ by consent of HM King George VI in 1947. It joined the NHS at its inception in 1948 and has been part of UCLH (see pages 4 & 5).
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