Wardlines newsletter - Autumn 2012 - University College London ...

Red Cell Group
The Red Cell group is a pro-active group which meets to
improve the ‘Red Cell Experience’ within in haematology
Unit at UCH.
The group has a long history and since 1989 has been
instrumental in supporting the red cell patients through the
huge expansion of Day Care in the Rosenheim Building and
now in the new Cancer Centre. Services for red cell patients
have continued to improve, in which the group is proud to
have played a constant role.
Red Cell patients are those with Thalassaemia, Sickle Cell
Disease and hereditary Haemochromatosis. The Red Cell
Group meets every three to four months. For information
about meetings please contact 020 3447 7372.
The Cotton Rooms
by Clare Evans, Ambulatory Care Sister
The new patient hotel named The Cotton
Rooms is now open for business and has
already been proved to be a success from
recent feedback by patients who have
resided there. The hotel has been built
to a 4* specification and is owned by
UCLH Charity, it is available for use by all
patients that require hotel accommodation, such as those receiving
treatment in Ambulatory Care.
Patients in Ambulatory Care are currently the prime users of the
hotel and have expressed their views which have been very positive.
Already the hotel has made a great impact on the service as it has
been designed with patients in mind and because we have a good
working relationship with their staff, allowing patients views to be
shared. The hotel manager and staff have been incredibly open to
such views and have already taken many on board, altering the
service where possible to better the experience. One example being
they bought hooks that specially fit to the shower rail so patients
can hang their chemotherapy backpacks to them, rather than having
to place them on the floor as they did when using the preceding
hotels.
Having a hotel close to the Cancer Centre also has its benefits as it
allows patients to pop back in between their treatments throughout
the day, rather than wait around which is often unnecessary and
boring for them! It has a dining room, a lounge area and a laundry
room in addition to their individual bedrooms. Also installed are
panic alarms which alert the hotel reception, this provides
reassurance to patients should they feel suddenly unwell and don’t
have someone staying with them. They know how to use this system
and the reception staff can call Ambulatory care for advice or an
ambulance where necessary, meaning that assistance is never far
away.
UCLH Charity said “We took lots of advice from the clinical staff -
people like Paula Statham - so that we could build in as many
useful features as possible to help patients. But it’s great to hear
that our hotel staff are still listening to patients to make things
even better.”
The hotel has proven to be a great success and can only benefit the
overall experience for our patients here at UCLH.
In-patient Physiotherapy in
haematology
By Stuart Spear, Physiotherapist
As physiotherapists working on the haematology wards at UCLH,
our role is to ensure that our patients have access to appropriate
levels of rehabilitation and support during their in-patient stay.
Patients can often become debilitated and deconditioned, not only
due to their illness but also the side effects of treatment that they
are receiving. This not only has an effect on their physical condition
but also their psychological wellbeing, both of which exercise is
proven to benefit.
Physiotherapy takes a holistic approach in enabling patients to
maintain or regain strength, movement, endurance and functional
independence. We aim to provide simple tailored exercise
programmes to appropriate patients during their stay. These
programmes may include exercises such as: mini squats, heel
raises and balance exercises and the use of mini cycles, steps,
ankle weights and dumbbells enable us to provide a much more
varied and motivating programme. Many of our patients find stairs
a challenge after their inpatient admission, so the provision of a
small gym step in their rooms can be used to imitate this activity.
We are aware that patients often go through a tough time here in
hospital and appreciate that rest is an important element of the
recovery pathway. Fatigue is one of the more prominent issues
patients report and can be a huge barrier to daily function. Trying
to get a balance between rest and progressive activity is essential
in the management of fatigue. This is why empowering patients
by letting them direct their own management is central to our
treatment approach and because of this we hope that patients feel
more in control of their recovery.
Working in this specialist area is both challenging and immensely
rewarding, and our aim is to provide the best possible quality of
care to our patients. Thanks to those who have donated funds to
expand our physiotherapy equipment.
Stuart Spear, Carlton Thomas, Jenny Appleby, Katherine Elliot
Holloway Road Waitrose
We are one of the three charities of the month in October in the
Holloway Road branch of Waitrose. Shoppers are given green
chips to slot in one of three charity boxes. Waitrose donates
£1000 per month to charities, which is split according to the
amount of chips in each box. Anyone visiting this branch, slot
a green chip into our fund please?
4 • Autumn 2012 • Wardlines