Peninsula Allergy Conference - Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Spring 2010
Peninsula Allergy
Conference
RSM meets at Dartington: see page 4
Also in this issue ...
Wayfinder The new hospital signage system: page 9
Research Nurses The roles that Research Nurses play: page 14
The Big Interview Dr Tony Falconer, Consultant Gynaecologist: page 18
Cascade

IN THIS ISSUE
Message from the Editor
Cover photo: Jane
Gwilliam, Associate Clinical
Nurse Specialist, Dr
Rashni Jain, Immunology
Specialist Registrar,
Christine Symons,
Immunology Nurse
Specialist, Dr Edward
Kaminski, Consultant
Immunologist, Dr Claire
Bethune, Immunology
Welcome to the Spring edition of Cascade.
It has been quite an eventful few months. As you can see from the front page, the Trust has been
involved in organising the region’s first Peninsula Allergy Conference. You can learn more about this
in the ‘Sharing Expertise’ section on pages 4–8. The Trust has also recently been delighted to find
out that Dr Anthony Falconer has been elected as the President of the Royal College of Obstetricians
and Gynaecologists. Tony discusses his current role and what the new appointment will mean for
him and the Trust in the Big Interview on page 18.
As always, I am delighted to be able to acknowledge so many of you for your sterling work and
achievements and to highlight the awards you have received for your efforts. Check out pages 12 and 13.
Also in this edition, you can find out interesting news from around the Trust, including the great work
of different teams working in a variety of specialities and applaud different teams and members of
staff for their fundraising efforts.
I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Cascade and are perhaps thinking of ways in which you can
appear in a future magazine. I would love to hear from you, so let me know what you are doing,
what you have achieved or how you are raising money and I will do my very best to accommodate
your stories. Get in touch soon though, as the next magazine is already filling up fast.
Laura Young, Communications Officer, Editor
Contents
If you would like
to request this
document in a larger
or alternative format
please contact:
Laura Young
Communications
Officer
T: 0845 1558207
Ext: 52783
E: Laura.Young@phnt.
swest.nhs.uk
6
3 News from Around the Trust
Meldon Ward’s temporary winter operation
4–8 Sharing Expertise
Peninsula Allergy Conference; Breastfeeding
Peer Supporters; HCA Presentation day;
Mattress Training; Advances in Acute Medicine
Conference 2010
9 Wayfinder
The new, clearer hospital signage system
10–11 Charity Work and Fundraising
Your achievements in aid of others
12 Awards and Achievements
Plymouth Hospital Radio scoops two top awards
13 Masanga – Creating Life
Supporting a hospital in Sierra Leone
The next issue is already a
work in progress. If you have
any ideas, stories and letters
that you would like included,
then please let us know in
good time. We also welcome
any suggestions on how
you think Cascade could be
improved.
DEADLINE FOR
NEXT EDITION:
Friday 9th July 2010
Design and print by
Newton Print, Newton Abbot,
Devon. Tel: 01626 368986
www.newtonprint.co.uk
10
17
14 Research Nurses
A valuable service explained
15 Guardian Angel
A special thank you
15 Still Going Strong
The 90-year-old member of the Pastoral Team
16 Retirements & Farewells
17 Derriford Cricket Match
18 The Big Interview
Dr Tony Falconer, Consultant Gynaecologist
19 WHO Checklist
Surgical safety for operating theatres
20 Staff Lottery
Recent lucky winners and successful bids
2 Spring 2010 Cascade

NEWS FROM AROUND THE TRUST
Meldon Ward – A Winter Break?!?
Meldon Ward re-opened in October 2009 as
a medical escalation ward to help with the
winter pressure on admissions and in a role
for which it had been used in the previous
year, and was finally closed in April of this
year. This time there was a difference. Rather
than being managed and run solely by
NHS Professional Staff (NHSP), registered
nurses and Healthcare Assistants (HCAs)
from a variety of wards within the Trust, who
volunteered and were released to work as
part of a new and special temporary team on Meldon.
Davina Finch from Moorgate Ward became Ward Manager,
supported by two acting junior sisters, Jen White also from
Moorgate and Lucy Friggens from Honeyford Ward, bringing
a variety of experience as well as providing an opportunity for
great professional development. Registered Nurses, Donna,
Carlos, Lincy and Claire, and Healthcare Assistants, Kath, Rosa,
Avril, Ben, Lizzie, Janice and ward clerk Sarah all came from
different specialities and brought to the team a wide range of
knowledge, skills and expertise. For most of the team this meant
stepping out of their comfort zones to gain new experiences!
Regular NHSP nurses and Healthcare Assistants, Jac, Caroline,
Susan, Tanya, Arthur and Teresa (to name a few) joined the
team contributing to the high standard and good continuity of
care.
The ward opened as a 24-bedded unit caring for general
medical patients and incorporating the Discharge Lounge. As
the pressures began to rise on medical beds the ward increased
to 34 beds and included specialist endocrinology. Meldon
Student Debate
Two teams of medical students from the Peninsula Medical School (PMS)
took part in the Second Annual Student Debate held by the Plymouth
Medical Society at Derriford Postgraduate Medical Centre on Wednesday
21 April.
Presided over, and kept in order by His Honour Judge William Taylor, the motion
was that “This house believes that the shorter working week has more to do
with social engineering than the delivery of quality medical care”, proposed by
Caoimhe Geehan supported by Fisayumi Shobayo, and opposed by Charlotte
Clifford supported by Henry Murphy.
The opposition won convincingly, and were presented with the Richard Dunning
Cup by its donor, Mr William Gall FRCS. A trophy cabinet is being prepared for its
display in the John Bull building on the Plymouth Campus.
The PMS website gives details of each seasons’ meetings, at
www.plymouthmedicalsociety1794.org.
The Meldon Ward team
Ward had its own medical team of doctors under the care of
Dr Chong, Diabetics Consultant, then Dr Flanagan, Consultant
Physician; a regular Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist,
Pharmacist and Discharge Co-ordinator. Credit should go to all
those involved for creating and sustaining a whole new multidisciplinary
team and enabled the care to be delivered at a high
standard meaning that the patients’ experiences were extremely
positive, staff added to their own experience and the ward as a
whole became a great success!
Davina, Ward Manager said: “We would like to thank everyone
who was involved in the achievement of Meldon Ward at every
level, from the management to the nursing staff, the doctors to
the multi-disciplinary team members.
“It is to everyone’s credit that such a large number of staff can
come from every corner of the hospital and re-group in order
to create a new and successful professional team. As well as
working well together, everyone enjoyed their time on Meldon
Ward, gained new experiences and actually was quite sad to
see the ward come to an end this April. Thanks to everyone and
well done Team!”
Senior Medical
Staff Mentoring
Programme
One of the tasks on the
‘wish list’ of the Hospital
Medical Staff Committee
(HMSC) Chairman, Dr
Peter Rowe, was to
reinstate a structured
welcome to all new Trust
Senior Medical Staff.
Dr Ruth Ayling
The Chief Executive, Mr
Paul Roberts, has added his support and
resurrected the new Senior Medical Staff “Tea
Party”, the first being on Monday 10 May at
4.00pm until 5.30pm in the Post Graduate
Medical Centre.
And after considerable thoughtful planning, Dr
Ruth Ayling, Consultant Chemical Pathologist,
with the help of the Deanery’s consultant Lisa
Baxter, is launching the New Senior Medical
Staff Mentoring Programme. This will be
specifically targeted to welcome all new senior
medical staff from the 1st July 2010 but is
already available to all existing senior medical
staff. Any questions? Contact Gillian Pugh,
HMSC Office on 39491.
Cascade
Spring 2010
3

SHARING EXPERTISE
Peninsula Allergy Conference
On Friday 23 April, a conference took place in Dartington
Hall under the auspices of the Royal Society of Medicine
(RSM) entitled ‘Peninsula Allergy Conference’. This was
the first regional meeting of the ‘Immunology and Allergy’
section of the RSM in its history.
The scientific content of the meeting was put together by
the Department of Clinical Immunology & Allergy of Plymouth
Hospitals NHS Trust and approximately 125 delegates attended
the meeting, predominately from Devon and Cornwall, but
also from as far afield as Somerset, Gloucestershire, Bristol
and Wales. These included general practitioners, hospital
consultants, trainee doctors, and specialist nurses.
The speakers included internationally and nationally renowned
experts in the field of allergy: Dr Ignacio Ansotegui, Bilbao,
Prof Gideon Lack, London, Prof Stephen Durham, London,
Dr Alexandra Croom, Leicester, and Dr Richard Pumphrey,
Manchester, together with two Consultants from Derriford Hospital:
Dr Claire Bethune, Immunology and Dr Edward Kaminski,
Consultant Immunologist. The subjects covered in the talks
included mechanisms and aetiology of allergy, paediatric allergy,
asthma, desensitisation, urticaria, angioedema and anaphylaxis.
The meeting was deemed a success by delegates and speakers
and this was no doubt helped by the glorious weather and
setting of Dartington Hall. This meeting is the third annual event
organised by the Department of Clinical Immunology & Allergy
L-R: Jane Gwilliam, Associate Clinical Nurse Specialist,
Dr Rashni Jain, Immunology Specialist Registrar,
Christine Symons, Immunology Nurse Specialist, Dr
Edward Kaminski, Consultant Immunologist, Dr Claire
Bethune, Immunology
of Derriford Hospital designed to raise the level of knowledge of
allergy in primary care in the peninsula in accordance with the
strategy of the Strategic Health Authority and PCTs.
HCA Presentation Day
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust works in partnership with
various agencies that support sustainable employment
opportunities for the long term unemployed, such as the
Shekinah Mission, Working Links and Future Jobs Fund.
Those without relevant or recent experience and/or qualifications
who express an interest in gaining a substantive role as a
Healthcare Assistant (HCA) are shortlisted by the agency.
Following an interview by NHS Professionals and the Trust,
successful applicants are supported in pre-employment activity
by the agency. They are offered sessions on confidence building,
work etiquette and teamwork, as well as an introduction to the
Trust values.
Following a pre-employment check, applicants then undertake
the level 1 HCA training course and, following a short period
of work in a clinical placement, their competency is assessed.
Those who have reached an appropriate standard are invited to
join NHS Professionals. Following at least six months of recent
relevant acute hospital experience applicants are eligible to
apply for substantive appointments within Plymouth Hospitals.
Natasha Everson was unfortunately made redundant from her
position in customer service. After two years of unemployment
she approached Working Links, who supported her through
the HCA recruitment process. During her time with NHS
Professionals Natasha worked in various areas within the Trust,
but she developed a good working relationship with the staff
and patients on Birch Ward, so much so that they would often
ask for her when requesting agency staff. Earlier this year a
substantive position on Birch Ward became available; Natasha
applied and was appointed on 9th February.
Following her appointment Natasha has expressed her desire
to undertake level 2 HCA training and has even been inspired
to consider studying for a nursing qualification. She has also
offered her support to those who are just beginning the process.
The new intake are currently awaiting their pre-employment
checks and Natasha attended a special session to highlight her
experiences and what can be expected as an HCA. The hope is
that offering applicants the opportunity to ask questions should
reduce the risk that they might come through the process with the
Trust’s support only to find the role was not as they expected.
Natasha’s story has attracted the attention of the national press
who visited the Trust to interview her. The story was featured
in The Sun newspaper late in April. However she says that
her biggest fan is her 11-year-old son who encouraged her
throughout the recruitment process and is incredibly proud of
her achievements.
4
Spring 2010 Cascade

Breastfeeding Peer Supporters
SHARING EXPERTISE
The latest group of volunteer mums who have completed
the Breastfeeding Peer Support Training received their
certificates on 30 March.
They are a group of 11 mums who have all breastfed their own
babies (some are still breastfeeding) who wanted to support
others mums to breastfeed. Staff from the Trust have been
running a training course for Plymouth mums to enable them
to provide breastfeeding support to other new mums in the
city. The training course has been running for four years, lasting
for around nine weeks and to date around 40 women have
been trained. The course is run by Clare Perkins, Infant Feeding
Co-ordinator with support from Mandy Chapman, Breastfeeding
Peer Supporter along with other health staff.
All of the mums who take part in the training are motivated
by wanting to help other women to enjoy breastfeeding their
babies. Their support is ultimately offered at either at a ‘Latch
On’ breastfeeding group, or at Derriford Hospital’s Maternity
Unit. Latch On groups meet to provide an opportunity for
breastfeeding mums and other mums who want to find out
more to get together with their babies to meet fellow mums and
have a chat.
Clare Perkins said: “We train peer supporters to not only run the
Latch On groups around the city, but to come into the hospital
to offer support when mothers and their babies are initiating
breastfeeding. They are all skilled at listening and bring their own
unique experience to help mothers to breastfeed their baby for
as long as they wish.
“Women certainly don’t need to have a breastfeeding problem
to go along to a group. It’s great when women come along
before their babies are born to find out more about the groups
and find out more about how to feed their baby when it arrives.”
Breast milk is the ideal food for babies and provides all the
nutrients a baby needs for the first six months of life, as well as
offering protection from infection and illness. When other foods
are introduced,
from about six
months, breast
milk continues
to provide
nourishment
and protection
for as long as a
mother chooses to
breastfeed.”
Clare continued:
“Traditionally, it
was the mothers’
extended family
who taught
new mothers to
breastfeed and
The group receive their certificates
from Clare Perkins, Infant Feeding
Co-ordinator
gave valuable support. However, families are so geographically
spread now, that for some this support has disappeared. That,
coupled with our culture where bottle feeding is very much seen
as the norm, means that women can struggle to feel supported
with breastfeeding.
“Peer Supporters are at the core of the care and support we
can offer to mums who are breastfeeding. They are brilliant,
they are all volunteers and they put a lot of effort into their
training and their subsequent work with new mothers and
families. It is a real pleasure to be involved with this training.’’
Breastfeeding is the first choice for lots of mums, but is not
always easy, particularly in the first few days and weeks. For
women who find that they are having some problems with
breastfeeding, the groups can offer vital help and support. The
groups all have linked health care staff – health visitors and
family health workers – as well as trained Peer Supporters.
Breastfeeding Peer Supporters are able to offer that unique
mother to mother help which lots of women really value.
Mattress Training
Carole Dunnett, Mattress Co-ordinator for Derriford Hospital
has recently started a new training programme for staff
using pressure relieving air mattresses. Here she talks
about her role and the new programme:
“I’ve been doing this job for five years, firstly as part of Tissue
Viability but now as part of the Medical Equipment Library which
is a section of the Medical Equipment Management Service.
It is my role to go around the hospital locating all the pressure
relieving air mattresses and checking that they are all in good
working order for the patients who are using them. I have a
busy life here!
“My role involves covering everywhere you can think of from
Level 12 to Level 3, from Theatres to Maternity. Basically I’m
there for anyone who needs a pressure relieving mattress, and
believe me, my bleep never stops!
“I’m not actually clinical when it comes to patient needs, but I
do know everything about mattresses and air cushions and can
give the very best advice on what is required to help ensure our
patients all get the best care, whether a mattress needs to be
hired for special circumstances, or delivered up to the wards
from the Equipment Library.
“I work with Tony Quayle, my Team Leader in MEMS, and
Jonathan Applebee the Head of Clinical Technology, in
association with Pia Prince the Matron of Tissue Viability and
Jacqui Connell the Education & Development Practitioner. I’ve
always stressed the need to start some simple training sessions
to help all nursing staff better understand just what an air
mattress or air cushion is for, how it works and what to do if it
fails. Now, with the backing of my colleagues, I am pleased to
announce that these sessions are starting up!
“You will find a poster on all the local area noticeboards around
the hospital by the lifts, and these will tell you all about it. Please
take one of the tear-off strips with my contact details on, get
in touch and we can arrange a session of training to suit your
needs, in your environment, according to both your staffing and
nursing requirements.”
Tony Quale, Advanced Practitioner Clinical Technology, says: “As
Carole’s Team Leader I can honestly say that I am really proud
of her and her efforts to fully take ownership of her role. Carole
is an enthusiastic and energetic member of my team and has
endless energy. When it comes to meeting patient and staff
needs around the hospital, she really is a good person to get to
know.
“Carole has been getting very positive feedback for her new
role carrying out mattress training. Not only are these training
sessions benefiting staff and patients, they are also benefiting
the technical team here in MEMS. The number of reported faults
coming to us is now greatly reduced.
“So…well done Carole. Thank you for all your hard work and
enthusiasm.”
Cascade Spring 2010
5

SHARING EXPERTISE
The Third Annual CBRN Conference
The rationale for running
Chemical, Biological and
Nuclear (CBRN) conferences
in Derriford may not figure
prominently in everyones’
thinking, yet the Plymouth
area has more than its fair
share of hazards and therefore has the potential for major
CBRN incidents.
The range includes the oil storage
depot in Cattedown (two-thirds
the size of Buncefield, a depot
that featured spectacularly in
national news recently) which
is strategically sited over the
ammunition dump and beside
the natural gas bottling plant,
the nuclear elements of the Naval dockyards, our air, sea,
rail and road networks and the former chemical weapons
research facility at Nancekuke! Devon even runs its own
home-grown terrorism cells, last year’s incident at the Giraffe
in Exeter being an example. Hazard awareness, risk analysis
and preparation are all fundamental to our requirements. The
Third Plymouth CBRN Conference was held on 27 November
2009 in the Plymouth Postgraduate Medical Centre, Derriford
Hospital. This is a conference that is subsidised by other major
incident courses to facilitate attendance both of a substantial
multidisciplinary and multiagency audience and to attract some
highly experienced and fascinating speakers. A successful
conference was hosted and organised by Mrs Jackie Close.
This year’s symposium focussed principally on biological
incidents, although attention was given to the other CBRN
components. Following an account from David Dance,
Consultant Microbiologist, regarding the role of the Health
Protection Agency, the opportunity was taken to consider, from
a multi-agency perspective, how the South West was prepared
to counter the threat of a biological incident. Glynn Laverack
presented the Public Health view, whilst Ali Hunt, Senior
A&E Sister, reflected on the part played by the Emergency
Department and community, and hospital preparedness was
discussed by Emergency Planning and Liaison Officer, Miriam
Smith; all three talks leaving an ominous level of concern.
Following coffee, the specific aspects of bacterial and viral
civilian and military threats were presented by the respective
experts Professor Rick Titball, CCDC for Emergency Planning
and Response, Tim Brooks, Head of the Novel and Dangerous
Pathogens Department at the Health Protection Agency
(HPA) Porton Down and David Brown, Director of the Virus
Reference Department at the HPA Colindale. Lunch was
fortunately unaffected by biohazard and light relief followed
with a presentation by Jamie Fulton, Consultant Physician,
on the influence that electromagnetic pulsation (EMP) might
have on our lives and our society as we know it, a doomsday
scenario that is sadly not that unachievable. Professor David
Baker then delivered an incredibly eloquent and entertaining
talk on chemical incidents, emphasising both the deliberate and
accidental risk posed whenever man can play with potentially
dangerous toys. This was localised further by Commander
Graeme Nicholson, Head of Submarine and Radiation Medicine,
who described the local and regional radiation risks, awareness
and preparedness, the latter two aspects being somewhat
under par. The conference was rounded off by Bob Spencer
from the HPA centre for Emergency Preparedness and
Response at Porton Down. His topic involved accidental and
deliberate spread of bio-agents, pulling together many of the
facets of the preceding talks and leaving a strong impression of
latent risk and both clinical and institutional unpreparedness.
This annual event is intended to emphasise the risk that all
hospital and community health organisations face: there is a
naïve belief that it will not be us, not here, not now, it always
happens to someone else. Risk assessment emphasises our
hazards and exposes our degree of resilience. A CBRN incident
is a real possibility and our response only has one chance of
being right. The responsibility for health service performance
rests with the Chief Executives and Medical Directors of the
health care organisations. Any such incident would affect
all of us to a substantial degree in all aspects of clinical and
operational management, without any expectation of political
laxity in target performance. Preparation, hazard-awareness and
development of a high degree of resilience will improve incident
performance and is expected to be effective in risk-reduction.
Staff Raise Awareness of Hand Hygiene and
Infection Control
Staff from
Hexworthy
Ward held
an Infection
Control
Awareness Day
on Tuesday
April 20th and
Wednesday
April 21st. The
event was
organised by
Staff members test out the equipment Kate Shanahan
and Jo
Donohoe, Staff Nurses on Hexworthy Ward.
Plymouth muscle-man Dave the Shed also flexed his muscles
on Hexworthy Ward as part of the day. Dave, famous for being
able to pull a 46-ton bulldozer, helped reinforce the Trust’s
message about the importance of hand hygiene in hospital
showing that even tough guys have to wash their hands!
Kate Shanahan said: “We were really pleased to be hold this
event and we hope that through it we have raised awareness
about hand hygiene and infection control. Good hand hygiene is
vitally important in hospitals and we want people to realise how
important it is that everyone does their bit.
Visitors to the Infection Control Awareness Day were able to win
prizes in a themed quiz and test their infection control skills on a
Nintendo Wii game. Chocolates and hand shaped biscuits were
also given out…but only to those who could prove that their
hands were clean with the glow box – a machine which makes
your hands glow where they haven’t been cleaned properly!
6 Spring 2010 Cascade

SHARING EXPERTISE
Net Patient Group
Roy Craft
Roy Craft, ICT Support Services
Manager was diagnosed with
Carcinoid Syndrome, a rare
cancer of the liver, in 1992
whilst still serving in the Royal
Navy. Since then Roy has
become a Trustee of the Net
(Neuroendocrine Tumours) Patient
Foundation. Here Roy tells
Cascade about his journey and
the work that the support the NET
Patient Foundation offers to those
in a similar situation:
It all started back in July 1990, when I was 31, fit and healthy,
married with a young son and had recently returned to the UK
having spent the last two and half years’ serving in Hong Kong
with the Royal Navy. It was at this point I noticed that I was
starting to get facial flushing, my face and neck area would
become bright red and it would last for a few minutes. The
flushing seemed to happen randomly and it looked like I was
permanently embarrassed.
Over the next few weeks the flushing seemed to get more
frequent and friends and family started to notice, so I decided
to seek some medical advice. The military medical staff
gave me a full medical and took various samples for testing;
unfortunately nothing was found to explain the facial flushing
that I was experiencing. Because I had no other symptoms
they felt that I could have an allergy to wheat or some other
allergy or it was being caused by overwork or stress.
During the next two years I just kept on flushing and they
seem to last longer and were getting more and more frequent,
I also discovered that some food or alcohol would also
instigate an episode of flushing. I made follow up appointments
with the medical staff but just seemed to get the same old
answers.
In December 1992, I had a medical to see if I was fit to go
back to sea, however, during the medical I had a full on facial
flush which was witnessed by the Doctor. Luckily for me
the doctor felt he knew what the problem was and made an
urgent referral to the local military hospital. After consultations
and various tests I was told that I had a condition called
Carcinoid Syndrome and that I had a number of tumours in
my liver. This news was devastating and I felt my life had just
been turned upside down and I was concerned about my wife
and young son and daughter and how we were going to cope.
Over the past 18 years I have undergone several procedures,
different treatments, and retired from the Navy!
So what has my life been like since leaving the Royal Navy
in 1999? I have held down a full time job, working as an ICT
Support Services Manager at the Trust in Plymouth, I am
getting older, my hair is going grey and I am looking forward to
retirement and taking life easy and of course winning the big
one on the lottery!
I am sure that I would not have reached this part of my life
without the best medical treatment being given by the NHS
and the dedication of my consultant and his team and other
clinical staff involved in looking after me over the years. But I
have also found comfort and support from the NETS Patient
Foundation, to which I have become a trustee. I also am
involved in speaking to new diagnosed patients and their
families.
The NET Patient Foundation continues to be the only charity
in the UK & Ireland that offers information and advice to those
affected by Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). We have been
working since 2006 to achieve the following aims:
To provide accurate and up-to-date information
for people living with, or affected by,
Neuroendocrine tumours.
We have produced a library of 13 booklets for patients so far
and have distributed around 9000. We are currently compiling
a further eight booklets, on metastatic disease, four aspects of
patient experience, a new Carcinoid booklet, lung Carcinoids
and a second edition of the nutrition in NETs focusing on
pancreatic NETs. At present we supply information to 10 NET
Centres and nine cancer support centres.
We have redesigned and updated our website and since the
launch of the new website in July 2009 we have received
around 3,000 visits per month: a total of nearly 20,000 visits.
Our forums now have more than 5,000 registered users,
and are extremely active. In November 2009 we produced
our first quarterly newsletter, with information on national
NET events, as well as updates on the Foundation’s
activities.
To provide support for patients and others affected
by Neuroendocrine tumours.
Our helpline, which is currently manned by Catherine Bouvier,
a Lead Nurse Neuroendocrine Specialist, continues to provide
an invaluable means of support for many patients. Between
July and October 2009, 288 calls were answered, the majority
of which were patients or their family members requiring
support or advice.
Email is proving an increasingly popular mode of
communication, with the number of emails asking for advice
up from a handful to 283 in a three month period last year.
Patient support meetings are a useful source of information
and encouragement. To date we have organised eight patient
education meetings, with a total of 600 patients attending.
To improve the quality of life for patients and their
families.
We do this by providing support and information about
treatments available, as well as by funding and publicising
research and existing medical initiatives.
To raise funds, help to support research and
diagnosis initiatives around the UK and Ireland.
So any donations would be most welcome!
Further details can be obtained from:
www.netpatientfoundation.com
Cascade
Spring 2010
7

SHARING EXPERTISE
Advances in Acute Medicine Conference 2010
The first Plymouth conference on
Advances in Acute Medicine was held
on the 11th–12th January 2010 in
the Plymouth Postgraduate Medical
Centre. Audience numbers were
substantial, ranging between 110-130,
numbers admittedly being enhanced
by this conference being made
mandatory for the regional registrars in general medicine,
for whom places were subsidised. The attendance
emphasised the demand for regional educational events,
the content and accessibility competing effectively with
events distant to
the South West.
The conference
opened with a
session focussing
primarily on
cardiology.
Cardiology
Consultant David
Sarkar provided
a masterful
Defibrillator
overview on the
interventional
management of acute coronary syndromes, with Paul Venables,
Specialist Registrar, then updating us all on the advances
in management of atrial fibrillation. Gareth Morgan-Hughes,
Consultant Cardiologist, and Oliver Gosling, Specialist Registrar,
were faced with the impossible task of compressing cardiac
imaging in to a 30-minute slot and did an admirable job with
some tremendous images. Respiratory followed with Consultant
Matt Masoli reviewing acute asthma management and Philip
Hughes, Consultant Chest Physician, explaining practical usage
of non-invasive ventilation. Renal Consultant Mark Denton was
persuaded to return briefly from Ireland to educate us on the
intricacies of treating acute kidney injury in the acute medical setting.
Consultant in Acute and General Internal Medicine and Elderly
Care, Tim Hall’s enthusiastic tackling of his allocated topic
‘off legs’ was truly memorable and emphasised what a loss
he will be to the medical and educational set-up in Derriford,
although fortunately he will be remaining in the South West.
Consultant Physician Paul Hancock approached assessment
of collapse from a practical and efficient perspective, his
talk also serving to remind of the back-up offered to such
patients from the Falls Service. The afternoon’s final session
concentrated on chemical hazards (Iain Grant, Consultant A&E),
major incident management (Mr Dave Farrance, Medical Office,
BASMU) including a plug for the locally run Major Incident
Medical Management and Support (MIMMS) and Hospital
MIMMS training courses and an update on the new strategies
in resuscitation (Jamie Fulton, Consultant Physician) with
changes in the Advanced Life Support guidance expected to be
launched in November 2010.
Despite the severe weather warnings and snow, the turnout
on day two also was remarkable. The first presentation was
delivered by Consultant Haematologist, Tim Nokes describing
the changing perception of the coagulation cascade and
the recent advances in the management of clotting and
bleeding – this set the scene for Consultant Physician Sean
Cochrane to deliver a clear and highly educational talk on upper
gastrointestinal bleeding, followed by Jon Mitchell, Consultant
Hepatologist, who managed miraculously to make comprehension
of acute liver disease understandable and logical, contributed to
by his humorous and engaging style of delivery.
Hospitals are dangerous places and Hospital Acquired
Infection remains a significant concern, despite the immense
and collective efforts of many and especially of the Infection
Prevention and Control Team. This was emphasised in Director
of Infection Prevention and Control Peter Jenks’ talk, followed
by Surgeon Commander Stuart Dickson considering the
potential for imported infections materialising at the health
service front door. At the extreme end of infection management,
Clinical Director of Critical Care Services, Pete MacNaughton
updated the conference on the management of severe sepsis
and septic shock, including reference to the Surviving Sepsis
Guidance. The third session was diverse with Consultant in
Acute and General Internal Medicine and Elderly Care, Anita
Thomas, providing a clinico-political resume of the National
Thromboprophylaxis
Strategy, Martin
James from the
renowned Exeter
Stroke service
emphasising the
need for rapidly
responsive and
co-ordinated stroke
care and Sam
Waddy, Consultant
in Acute Medicine,
gaining the virtual Acute medicine
prize for agreeing to
speak on the heart-sink topic of Medically Unexplained Conditions.
Professor Ben Benjamin, Acute Medicine Consultant considered
the complexities posed by drug overdose and provided a great
springboard for the keynote speaker, Professor Chris Imray, who
rounded off the meeting with a further truly inspirational talk – as
a member of the summit party on the Caudwell Xtreme Everest
Expedition he brought experience of extreme physiology to the
conference. Also, this presentation provided a window into the
immense scientific venture that constituted the expedition. Spookily,
the plummeting temperature in the auditorium corresponded to
altitude acquisition during this talk. The outside weather conditions
added further unexpected realism to his presentation.
The meeting drew substantial response with nearly 150
attendees which was gratifying for the organisers and has
triggered the intention of establishing this as an annual event.
Additionally, feedback has been rewarding and supportive. Next
year’s program for the 2nd Plymouth Conference on Advances
in Acute Medicine, planned for 17–18 January 2011, is almost
complete with most invited speakers already ‘signed up’, again
a response pattern that is immensely satisfying. Any suggestions
regarding program content or speakers (ideally with contact
details) should be sent to Jamie Fulton: Jamie.fulton@phnt.
swest.nhs.uk.
8 Spring 2010 Cascade

Wayfinder
Derriford Hospital can seem a very large and confusing place,
to help patients and visitors find their way around easier, a new
signage system have been installed across the hospital.
Staff, patients and other hospital users were all involved in developing
new scheme as well as the wider community including amongst
others, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth LINK, Plymouth Learning
Disability Partnership, Plymouth and District Racial Equality Council,
and Plymouth Hearing and Sight Centre.
For the new interior signage scheme the building has been divided into five
vertical zones, each centred on a different set of stairs and lifts.
The wayfinding zones are identified by colours and symbols.
The new signs look very different, brightly coloured with a simple
distinctive layout that makes them highly visible.
As well as new signs there are comprehensive Derriford A-Z
directories at hospital entrances, as well as new floor plans on each
level.
Hospital users are directed to the right zone where simple
clear signs at the entrance will guide everyone to their
destination, the lifts and stairs in each zone will directly
access all the locations in that zone.
The signage outside the hospital has also been updated;
the new signs, for the first time show pedestrian as well as
vehicle routes, in addition other improvements to the car
parks are taking place:
• all of the road markings are being repainted
• large scale site maps have been installed near to the
ticket machines in each car park this will help visitors
to more easily understand the layout of the hospital site
and locate the different entrances.
All of these improvements will make moving around the
hospital site whether inside or out, by car or foot simpler
and easier.
Cascade
Spring 2010
9

CHARITY WORK & FUNDRAISING H H
Battle of the Bands
On Friday 5 February, around 200 people packed into
the Derriford Health and Leisure Centre to see three acts
compete in the Trust’s first ever Battle of the Bands.
Host David Fitzgerald from BBC Radio Devon introduced
the evening, explaining that the event had been organised
to help raise funds and awareness for the Chestnut Appeal.
The Chestnut Appeal raises funds to help men with prostate
cancer and their families across Devon and Cornwall. He
also thanked Unison, who had kindly sponsored the event,
and the three judges; Natalie Cornah from BBC Spotlight,
Lesley Anne Simpson, Manager of the Chestnut Appeal, and
Troy Tate, formerly guitarist with 80’s pop band the Teardrop
Explodes; who had all kindly given up their time to judge the
acts and give their honest opinions. Before introducing the
first act, David explained that all three bands had strong links
with Derriford, which is why they had been asked to come and
battle it out.
First act up were the Kicks, who entertained with tracks
ranging from the Beatles to Kasabian. The Kicks drummer is
Jamie Lynde, who has worked in the Trust for several years, at
the Royal Eye Infirmary, the Radiology department and now in
the Marketing department. Despite a few broken strings, the
Kicks played a great set, and really warmed the audience up.
After some constructive criticism from the judges, the second
act on were Bloody Offal, whose front man Consultant
Hepatologist Jon Mitchell, with a refreshingly playful sense
of humour, really got the crowd going when he joined
them on the dance floor for a couple of numbers. He was
backed up on stage with some fancy fretwork from John
Zajicek, Consultant Neurologist, and Will Adams, Consultant
Neuro Radiologist and a confident rhythm section in Adrian
Marchbank, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Guy
Haywood, Consultant Cardiologist. Steve Toynton, Consultant
ENT Surgeon, even treated us to a soulful sax solo during
Brown Sugar! At the end of their set the judges commented
very positively on Bloody Offal, particularly their original songs
including Sea Shells.
Last but not least
were Shooting
Fish fronted
by Consultant
Urologist, Paul
Hunter Campbell,
who ramped up
the crowd with
his charismatic
presence on stage
and off, including
in front of the
judges as he climbed their tables and gyrated to a rocking
guitar solo. A lively set by Shooting Fish included tracks
from the Stereophonics and the Kings of Leon, and kept the
audience away from the bar and on the dance floor.
After Shooting Fish’ set, and the judges closing comments,
host David got the audience to vote with their feet in a
‘Runaround’ style. In a close contest Shooting Fish were
named victors and returned to the stage with their rendition of
the irresistible Killers hit “Mr Brightside”.
The line-up of the three hugely talented bands certainly
provided the audience with value for money and the Friday
night crowd enjoyed the evening raising a fantastic £850 for
the Chestnut Appeal for Prostate Cancer. Many thanks go
to the three bands, the three judges, Jamie Lynde for his
organisation and to UNISON for supporting the event. We
look forward to Battle of the Bands 2011!
BLISS
On Friday 11 February, the girls on Neonatal Unit and Transitional Care Ward
baked lots of cakes and sold them for BLISS, the premature baby charity.
£73 was raised by the team and they would like to thank everyone who bought a
cake.
10
Spring 2010 Cascade

H H CHARITY WORK & FUNDRAISING
HeartSWell Lodge
Mr Jonathan Unsworth-White and Dr Mark Bennett
accept a cheque
A successful afternoon took place in the Camelford Hall recently,
organised by the committee of the Camelford Branch of
HeartSWell to celebrate raising over £100,000 for the charity since
1992 and to say ‘thank you’ to their supporters.
Special guests included Dr Guy Haywood, President of HeartSWell
and Consultant Cardiologist, Mr Jonathan Unsworth-White,
Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, and Dr Mark Bennett, Consultant
Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist, and Mr A Nash, local G.P. Also attending
were Bob Ireland, Deputy Mayor of Camelford and Mrs Ireland, Clem
Spencer, Chairman of HeartSWell, Plymouth, Allen Caston and Rachel
Rainbird.
Committee members and friends served a cream tea to all those
attending. Chairman, Sid Goodman expressed sincere thanks to
everyone who continually support the events organised by the committee. A commemorative plaque was presented to the
chairman, by Clem Spencer, as an appreciation to the Camelford committee and supporters for raising such a magnificent total,
to be hung in the Camelford Hall.
Bush Park Pancake Race
Bush Park recently held a ‘Pancake Race’ to raise funds for
Sport Relief.
Teams of three competed in a relay race whilst tossing pancakes
with the creatively named Pantastics Team winning the race. The
teams also organised a raffle and cake sale raising over £80 for
Sport Relief.
The Bush Park team
Great Wall of China
Sandra Finnimore, Medical Secretary, recently climbed The
Great Wall of China to raise money for Heart FM’s Have a
Heart charity which raises money for local underprivileged
children. Here Sandra describes her experiences:
“I left Plymouth at 0700 on Friday 19
March not knowing what I had let myself
in for. I wound my way through the airport
and met up with my fellow trekkers at
the departure terminal for the very first
time. Everyone seemed really nice and
were looking forward to the trip with as
much trepidation as I was!
“After a two-hour delay in Munich, we
arrived in Beijing just after midday local
time on Saturday. Beijing was a little smoggy when we drove
through on the coach due to the huge sand storm that had
blown in from Mongolia the night before.
“After settling into the hotel, The Dong Fang, we spruced
ourselves up for the welcome dinner and got to know each
other a little better. On the Sunday morning we were up and off
to the first departure point on the Great Wall, which was about
three hours drive away from Beijing in Huangyaguan. This first
walk was only about three hours, just to break us in gently,
although on all of the days, walking the first hour usually
involved climbing up stairs or a steep pathway to get to the
first mountain peak.
“During the week’s trek we experienced so many different
things. You may think that one mountain is the same as
another, but each view seemed different and better than the
first. The second day was definately the toughest as there was
little wall, but a large amount of brush, rocks and a pathway
that was still solid ice from the snow they had had the week
before. That was a very tricky path to traverse but thanks to
our guides we all made it through safely. This was a tough day
for me, mentally as well as physically challenging due to my
fear of heights. One section, or mountain brow, was only a
few feet wide with a shear drop either side. That really tested
my resolve. We stayed in a mountain village that night and
the following day we walked just over five miles to the local
school – the children of the villages have to travel this distance
to school every day. It is a relatively poor area and the school
lacked many resources, the children however were wonderful
and seemed so happy, and disciplined.
“Many of the places we walked were nothing like the wall you
see on tourist programmes. It is very derelict in places, where
you have to walk beside it, rather than on it, in other parts it is
nothing but rubble and unstable underfoot, but nevertheless
the views are just incredible. It makes you feel like an
explorer. You walk for miles and see no-one but the trekkers in
your own group, or maybe the odd farmer on the hillside.
“Friday was our last day of walking – and was also my
birthday. I can say I have never had a birthday like it. To
have 41 people who started out a week before as complete
strangers, suddenly burst into song and sing happy birthday to
me as they presented me with a cup cake and three candles,
I can honestly say they ended the week as my friends, and
made it a very special day. They in fact made the whole
experience something to remember for the rest of my life. We
have already arranged a reunion, and I know I have made
some friends for life.
“If anyone would like to sponsor me in retrospect, or make a
donation to Have a Heart, for local underprivileged children,
then please contact me.”
Sandra Finnimore, Secretary to Dr Morgan-Hughes Ext 31844
Cascade
Spring 2010
11

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
Maureen Bowman
H H H H
Maureen Bowman, Medical Secretary at the Child Development Centre, has recently
been awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the
Open University.
Mo achieved an Upper Second after working hard over a number of years, having children
and maintaining a job here at the Trust. Mo said: “I wanted to do a degree in something I
enjoyed and to me maths is more like doing puzzles. I am really proud of my achievement
and more than a little relieved to be finished!”
Gill Hunt
Gill Hunt, Foundation Trust Board Secretary, has just achieved a Bachelor of Arts First
Class Honours Degree in History from the Open University.
Gill received her degree at a graduation ceremony at The Barbican, London and said: “I
am really proud of my achievement. It was certainly a struggle at times but I did have lots
of support from my husband. I would definitely recommend the Open University to anyone
who might be thinking about doing a degree whilst working. Getting my degree has made
me feel more confident and it also allows you to meet all sorts of different people who are in
the same situation… it’s not until you start mentioning to people that you are doing a degree
through the OU that you discover just how many others within the Trust have been through
the same process!”
Hospital Radio Plymouth Scoops Two Top
National Awards
Hospital Radio
Plymouth are
celebrating after
scooping two
top accolades
at March’s
National
Hospital Radio
Awards in
Renfrew, which
are hosted
annually by the Hospital Broadcasting Association. The
charity was awarded the Silver trophy in the Station Of The
Year category for the second year running, as well as the
Bronze award in Best Station Promotion for an on air trailer
which advertises the weekly children’s programme. The
station was also commended in the Best Speech Package
category for a documentary about congenital heart disease.
The event was attended by many of the Hospital Broadcasting
Association’s 229 member stations and launched National
Hospital Broadcasting Week, which aims to raise awareness
of Hospital Radio. The judging panel was comprised of media
professionals, including BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music Controller
Bob Shennan and SKY Radio News Editor Andy Ivy. Judges
commented that they were impressed with the variety of
Hospital Radio Plymouth’s output and found their presenters to
be warm and friendly.
Station Manager, Andrew Hill, said “This is a phenomenal
achievement for the station and firmly puts Plymouth on the
map as having one of the best Hospital Radio stations in
the UK. It’s also a deserved reflection of the enthusiasm and
dedication of our many volunteers, who give up numerous hours
each week to entertain hospital patients.”
Hospital Radio Plymouth, which can be heard in Derriford
Hospital and The Royal Eye Infirmary in Plymouth on 87.7fm and
via Patientline Channel One, is a self financing charity. Its next
fundraiser is a Grand Variety Show at the Devonport Playhouse
in Plymouth, on Saturday 29th May at 7pm. The evening will
include a wide range of acts including Gospel Choirs, Comedians
and Break Dancers. Tickets are £7.50 and group discounts are
available – for more information, call the studio on 01752 763441
or email fundraising@hospitalradioplymouth.org.uk
We welcome your submissions!
Contact the Editor: Please send in your ideas, stories and letters, for the next
edition, the sooner the better. And if you have any comments about this edition,
or suggestions on making Cascade even better, we would love to hear from you.
The deadline for submissions for the next edition is Friday 9th July 2010.
Laura Young, Communications Officer Tel: 0845 155 8207 Ext: 52783
E: Laura.Young@phnt.swest.nhs.uk

Masanga – Creating Life
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and the Peninsula Medical
School are pleased to be supporting the Masanga Hospital
Project. In the middle of the Sierra Leone jungle in the
Western part of Africa lays Masanga Hospital. In its past
this was a thriving and significant resource for the local
community but it was destroyed in every way during the
Civil War from 1991–2002. Not only were the buildings
damaged and despite local attempts to protect it, looted;
but the skills and staff associated with it were also lost.
In 2005 a Danish Doctor, Peter Bo Jorgensen launched an
association in Denmark to support the rehabilitation and future
running of the hospital. The Danish organisation is known as
Friends of Masanga. In the UK we are establishing a similar
support mechanism and we are in the process of registering
with the Charity’s Commission. The UK organisation is called
‘The Grace Turner Fund for the UK support of Masanga
Hospital’ or ‘Grace’s Fund’. The fund has seven Trustees who
have all committed to support the project in various ways.
Throughout the next decade the Hospital buildings and
infrastructure will need to be restored and new staff will require
training. The hospital is run under the auspices of the Sierra
Leanne Government and their priority’s are to look after children
and their mothers. The hospital was originally set up as a
Leprosy Hospital and there are many lepers still living in the
area, some requiring significant support.
Did you know that in Sierra Leone 5000 women die every
year during pregnancy or childbirth?
Sierra Leone only has around 130 Doctors to care for its 5.5
million citizens
25% of all Sierra Leonean children will die before they reach
the age of 5. They die from common treatable illness like
Malarial fever, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition.
The Vision for Masanga Hospital is to generate growth
and development.
This will happen by facilitating the growth of health care
services to the community. By providing the training, education
and resources needed to allow this project to become self
sustaining. By having associated businesses on the site to
create a sustainable financial future for the Hospital project.
The project will focus on three main areas. The aim is to
complete these over the next 5 -10 years and then leave the
hospital to be run by the local community.
The 3 main areas of work are:
HOSPITAL EDUCATION
Childrens ward Training for
Maternity ward Assistant Nurses
Surgical and Nursing School
medical ward Physiotherapist
Nutrition Centre Business and
Optical clinic Development
Dental Clinic programme
School Sponsor
programme
BUSINESS
Joiners workshop
Bicycle workshop
Tailors workshop
Farming and
Poultry farm
Soap production
Catering/Canteens
How can you help?
Help us to fund raise or set up a standing order for a few
pounds a month. If you would be interested in working on the
project please contact me.
Do you have skills in fund raising, marketing or publicity to help
us spread the word about Masanga?
For more information, including details of Fund’s bank account,
please contact: Deborah Southon, c/o Peninsula Radiology
Academy, Plymouth International Business Park, Plymouth
Teaching Primary Care Trust PL6 5WR
Email: Deborah.southon@nhs.net
Dr Austin Hunt, Consultant in Acute Medicine, recently visited Masanga and below is an excerpt of his experiences.
“I visited Masanga with Professor Ben Benjamin. We had been asked to see Daniel, a patient with burned out leprosy who was now
troubled by shortness of breath. I suggested anaemia due to hookworm was the likely problem whilst Ben wagered that cardiac failure
was his best guess. Daniel was not anaemic and a scan of his heart showed good cardiac function. As we scratched our heads an
authoritative voice in the corner informed us this was pulmonary fibrosis caused by his Dapsone (leprosy) medication. I had not even
introduced myself to the middle aged man in gold rimmed spectacles and I cringed at my own arrogance as we were in his examination
room. “Doctor Bassy” is not a doctor in the eyes of the Western World. He is however a great Leprologist and clinician who has
treated patients for thirty five years since his training in Addis Abbaba in the 1970s. Bassy proceeded to give us a masterclass in the
presentation and treatment of Leprosy illustrating his points with anecdotes on the patients we saw. Daniel he said was paying the price
of wearing fashionable shoes when he should have worn the cushioned slippers of a leper. He had declined Bassy’s offer of a below
knee amputation and so his feet were now rotten stumps and in Bassy’s words he “would always have flies at his back”.”
For the full account please see the News pages of the Trust’s website: www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk
Cascade Spring 2010
13

Research Nurses
Research Nurses provide a valuable service within the
Trust. Here Sally Read, Research Nurse explains the
different roles and activities of Research Nurses within
Plymouth Hospitals:
So, why do we need research nurses?
Research nurses are specialists in
the field of research. We facilitate
the clinical research process through
communication and management of
studies. The aim of a research nurse
is to provide support to implement
studies in all areas of health care. We
cannot achieve this without the help
and support of all members of staff.
People may not realise that there are
approximately 60 research nurses
within the Trust, currently working on
368 active clinical trials.
In addition to developing new therapies, research provides
income to the Trust which funds clinicians and nurses, as
well as paying for diagnostic tests for patients. As Plymouth
Hospitals is a Teaching Trust we are in the fortunate position
of being able to recruit and retain high quality, motivated, and
enthusiastic staff.
Research is being carried out across all disciplines, with the
Lind Research Centre on Level 5 being used for clinical trials,
training, clinics, screening, and administration of investigational
drug products amongst other things. This Research Centre
enables researchers to see patients in dedicated research clinics
staffed by specialist research nurses and lead consultants in
their respective fields.
The Research Centre consists of a six bay ward equipped
with beds and treatment chairs – as well as two consulting
rooms, one examination room, one interview room, fully
equipped kitchen – invaluable for patients that need to attend
appointments fasted – reception area, patient waiting area,
sluice, clean utility store, teaching room with examination couch
and WC.
So, what does a generic research nurse deal with in an average
day? Well, each day is very different, and varies considerably
depending on the type of study being undertaken. There are
many roles that Research Nurses are involved in:
Patient Contact
Talking to patients about participating in trials; ensuring that
the patient understands what has been said; taking consent;
recording vital signs, taking blood, ECG’s; completing
questionnaires; psychological assessments; patient education;
named nurse for research patients; coordinating outpatient,
clinic, and hospital appointments; providing high standards
of nursing care and ensuring patient safety at all times; being
an expert resource for patients, relatives and carers; visiting
patients in various settings i.e. on wards, at home, other
hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes.
Clinics
Preparing hospital notes for clinic; ensuring relevant paperwork
is available; obtain appropriate equipment for taking blood i.e.
dry ice, shipping documentation, packaging; preparing blood
samples prior to shipment i.e. centrifuging, aliquoting, freezing,
and packing according to study requirements; working to
protocols ensuring that interventions are carried out in a correct
and timely manner.
Administration
Assisting all health professionals with completion of paperwork
for potential and existing studies; liaising with R&D department
regarding all relevant legal and regulatory requirements and
budgeting; ensuring accurate data collection and recording,
both electronically and on paper; documentation of relevant
information in medical and nursing notes; recording and
reporting any adverse events or reactions; localizing documents
with Trust logo and contact information; telephone contact
with monitors, staff, laboratories, sponsoring companies,
coordinating centres, pharmacy, and Combined Labs.
Monitor Visits
These are visits made by the sponsoring company for
commercial trials, to audit notes and ensure accurate records
are entered on to Case Report Forms. The research nurse has
to be available for the duration of these visits to answer any
queries and facilitate a two-way feedback between the research
team and the monitors to ensure the continuing safety of
patients and high quality data to enhance future patient care.
Where can you find us?
The Portfolio and PenCLRN research office is on Level 5, in
Green Zone C and is extremely compact and bijou but is home
to ten members of staff! Space is limited but somehow we
manage to cope! We are always open to visitors (as long as you
provide your own chair and chocolate!)
Alternatively, visit us at The Lind Research Centre, also on Level
5, Green Zone C, in the Terence Lewis building.
Sally Read, Research Nurse (4)39841
Clare Meachin, Lead Research Nurse (4)39102
14 Spring 2010 Cascade

Guardian Angel
Several months ago, Frank Quick, retired Senior ATO, Blood
Bank, fell and seriously injured himself at a local recycling
centre. Here Frank, on behalf of himself and his wife Pauline
who also worked at the Trust until March this year, thanks
Chris Bent, Staff Nurse in the High Dependency Unit, who
happened to be at the same place and tended to him while
they waited for an ambulance.
“It has taken many months for me to recover from that awful
accident at our local recycling centre in which you helped me
tremendously. Fortunately you were there just seconds after
my accident and I don’t know where I’d be today without your
crucial help when it mattered the most.
“I cannot thank you enough. It’s hard to put into words thanks
which can adequately describe my gratitude. I’m so glad you
were there to help and take control. Your experience and speed
to get help, your actions to get the ambulance on the scene
and most importantly to me, contacting my family, you made
the difference. If you had not been there, the doctors at the
hospital may not have been able to put me back together again
so successfully. You are second to none. Although I still have
ongoing problems, I feel it could have been so much worse
without your calm, professionalism which helped me to recover
and to enjoy life again.
Pauline and Frank meet their ‘Guardian Angel’ Chris
“Pauline and I would also like to thank all those who helped
during my recovery, there are too many to mention but we are
incredibly grateful.
“Many thanks from all my family and most of all myself.”
Frank Quick
90 Year Old Member of Trust
Pastoral Team Still Going Strong
On Sunday 28 March 2010, Ann Ratliff, the oldest member
of the Pastoral Team in the Department of Pastoral and
Spiritual Care at Derriford Hospital, celebrated her 90th
birthday. At the close of worship on Sunday she shared a
cake with other volunteers and patients who had attended
the morning service, and on the following Wednesday
she shared champagne, cake and a meal in the Greenbank
Restaurant with fellow pastoral team members and chaplains.
Ann began her work on the pastoral team 11 years ago shortly
after her husband, Badge, died here in Derriford. He had been
invalided from the army during the Second World War and Ann
left her nursing career to care for him through the years. Shortly
before he died he had said to her, “You must make a new life
for yourself”. This prompted Ann to offer her services to the
chaplaincy team at the time. Anne said “I felt I had to care again
having cared for others all my life.”
Through those 11 years she has served on the pastoral team
visiting patients on the wards, as well as helping the team on
Sundays pushing patients in wheelchairs to worship in the
hospital chapel. She has also regularly served as Sacristan each
Wednesday and on some Sundays, which involves preparing the
altar and chapel for worship. She says of her work here: “This
place has kept me going, it really has, and it has kept me young! I
like people and being with them and caring for them, and the care
of the team here has helped me so much since Badge died.”
The team of volunteers that work in the Department of Pastoral
Anne Ratliff and the Chaplaincy Team
and Spiritual Care numbers around 250. Of these, 40 serve
as trained pastoral visitors and seven work in administration.
In addition, over 200 people, mainly from local churches of all
denominations including Church of England, Roman Catholic
and the Free Churches serve in 13 teams enabling patients to
attend the hospital chapel each Sunday morning and afternoon.
Alongside three fulltime and two part time chaplains as well as
several honorary chaplains, the team supports patients, staff
and visitors from all religious backgrounds and those with no
religious allegiance as they deal with the spiritual repercussions
of a stay in hospital or caring for patients in an acute situation.
Cascade
Spring 2010
15

RETIREMENTS & FAREWELLS
Jennie Wills
Jennie retired from Histopathology after 22 years, after starting in
Microbiology in 1988 and moving on to Histology after 18 months.
She is looking forward to spending more time with her two grandsons,
and family and friends, and also spending more time at the Devonshire
swimming and sunbathing.
Jennie said: “I have seen a lot of changes over the past years, some
good, and some not so good but I will be sorry to miss all my friends I
have made in the hospital over the years, and hopefully I will still keep in
touch with them.”
Pauline Quick
Pauline has retired from the Trust after 30 years.
Pauline and Jennie at their joint retirement party
Pauline started her career in the Special Care Baby Unit at Freedom Fields
on 1980 and then moved to the Casualty Department. Her final 26 years
have been spent in Derriford Hospital working in the Cellular and Anatomical Pathology Department. After Pauline’s husband Frank
had a very serious accident 12 months ago, Pauline felt that she wanted to enjoy life with Frank and do all the things they have always
wanted to do that could so easily have been denied them if not for their ‘Guardian Angel’ (see page 15) who, they feel has given them a
second chance. Pauline will be missed by the Cellular Pathology Department but she will be welcomed by all her family!
Volunteer Thank You
Joanne James, Play Assistant on Woodcock Ward takes time to
thank some of the team’s invaluable volunteers who retired earlier
this year:
“For all of those who know about our play centre, then you will know
that we would not be able to provide the play service that we do for
the children, without the support we receive from a wonderful group of
regular volunteers who give up their valuable time each week to help
us provide a play service to be proud of..
“Sadly this year we have had to say goodbye to several of our long
term volunteers and we would like to thank them all for all their hard
work and constant support.
“Audrey Hutchings started volunteering at Freedom Fields and
volunteered for a grand total of 35 years. Meryl Houghton began Some of the volunteers at their leaving lunch
volunteering in May 1996, and worked on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s
for 14 years. Lotte Hyde joined the playteam in May 1994. Lyra
Knight joined us in March 1994 and Shirley Watts joined us in February 1999. Carol Gynn began volunteering in July 2003.
“Elizabeth Pollard the voluntary services manager also gave thanks for all the hard work and commitment these women have shown
over the years. So these wonderful women have given a total of 99 years amazing service to us, and have helped thousands of
children benefit from a fun filled play service.
“Thank you, you will be hard to replace. Sending our best wishes for the future.”
Judy Beaumont
On Friday 12 March, Judy Beaumont, Consultant Neurosurgeon Lou Pobereskin’s secretary, retired
from the Trust after many years service. Here she thanks everyone for their kind words, presents
and leaving ‘do’.
“I would like to say a big thank you to everyone that I have come in contact with over the many, many
years I have worked at both Freedom Fields and Derriford Hospital. I can’t believe I have actually gone –
though there are those here that would have said I did that a long time ago. I don’t want to get maudlin,
but I have had the best of times here and met some wonderful people. Thank you everyone who made
my departure easy and to those who contributed to my gift – many thanks. I have wonderful colleagues in
Neurosurgery and I would say that who ever takes my place will be very lucky – and that includes working
for Lou!”
16 Spring 2010 Cascade

Derriford Cricket Match
At 6pm, on Wednesday 14 April, a 20-20 cricket match
was held at HMS Drake – Derriford Military vs Derriford
Civilians. Here Senior House Officer, Dr Annabel Fletcher
gives Cascade a run-down of the match:
“The civilians won the toss and opted to bat first. Ian
Stevenson, Provider Service Manager, put on an awesome
display and made 53 runs (11 boundaries) and retired. He
was brilliantly supported by Clinical Team Leader, Tom Fox –
22 (run out), Dinuka Kuruppu, Specialist Registrar – 28 (not
out) and Consultant Richard Sawyer – 9 (not out)- impressing
his son with his boundaries. Gideon’s bowling should be
mentioned as a force to be reckoned with… After 20 overs
we made 128, dropping just 2 wickets (Gideon and Ian
McCarthy, Leading Medical Assistant).
“The military then went into bat. (I have to admit that the
light was starting to fade at this time!). Swiss caused a bit of
excitement by getting 36 runs (all but 4 runs were from slogs
to the boundary) Ian McCarthy mentioned to Swiss about
retiring at fifty, next ball Dr Nimish Shah bowled and Swiss
was caught out. McCarthy then went on to get 25 (LBW
Stevenson) supported by Keating-19 (bowled Stevenson)…
The civilians seemed to thrive in the dark and played using
only ‘The Force’. In spite of the lack of light there was tight
fielding by Lesley Thomson, catches from Connor, Fletcher
and Kuruppu and an impressive keeping display by Tom
Fox. The bowling figures were respectable with wickets from
Connor, Kilbridge, Shah, Stevenson, Kuruppu and Krish
Kumar. The military were all bowled out for 116…
“So a victory for the civilians by 13 runs… but the military
could claim that Dinuka, choosing to bat first, was what
ultimately swung it for the victors… as we could see the ball
when we were batting!
“Regardless of the outcome we all had an interesting
evening. Many thanks to everyone involved in organising the
match I think that everyone will agree that it was a great day!!
Spurred on by our victory I believe we will be playing a lot
more cricket from now on. So people who want to play for us
or against us then please get in touch! Who knows we may
even do some net practise.
“Final note to the military team - good luck on your tour and
we look forward to a rematch upon your return.”
Inset pictures taken by Watermark Photography
www.watermark-photography.co.uk
Cascade
Spring 2010
17

THE BIG INTERVIEW
Dr Tony Falconer
Dr Tony Falconer, Consultant Gynaecologist, has just been elected as the
President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Here
Alasdair Gee talks to Tony about his role and what the appointment will mean
for him and the Trust.
How long have you worked for the Trust?
I started here in 1986. I originally graduated from Bristol
and after that did my postgraduate training in Edinburgh,
Nottingham and Cape Town. I also worked as a doctor in
Zambia for a year in the mid 1970’s where I ended up doing a
bit of everything…even dentistry!
What do you do at the moment?
At the Trust, I’ve worked in obstetrics and gynaecology with a
specific interest in cancer. In 2002 I stopped doing obstetrics to
concentrate on cancer services with Mr. Geoff Hughes, which
has involved significant service reconfiguration. I have also been
doing colposcopy.
My typical week involves a mix of colposcopy clinics and
operating on Monday through to Wednesday. I will also be
involved in some multi-disciplinary work. From Wednesday
to Friday I go to London to perform my duties as Senior Vice
President of the Royal College.
How do you feel about being appointed to the post?
It is unusual for a Royal College president to be elected from a
Trust that isn’t attached to a long-established medical school.
It is a reflection of the positive direction in which Plymouth
Hospitals NHS Trust is going in terms of becoming a major
clinical centre, not just for the region but for the UK as a whole.
This is also reflected by Trust Consultant Obstetrician and
Gynaecologist Mr. Jonathan Frappell’s recent election as the
President of the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy
and his appointment to Council of the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Professor Freeman,
Consultant Gynaecologist at the Trust who has just relinquished
his post as President of the British Society of Urogynaecology.
What will your new role be and what will it entail?
My new role as President will have all the responsibilities
attached to it that you would expect of an elected leader. I will
be responsible for maintaining and improving the standards
of training in obstetrics and gynaecology – there are currently
around 1,800 people in training jobs within the discipline in
the UK, so it is a big job. I will also be responsible for liaising
on behalf of the discipline with various agencies including the
Department of Health and the Royal College of Midwives,
amongst others. I will also have international responsibilities
since some 50% of the members of the Royal College are
based overseas.
What do you think will be the biggest challenges
that you will face as President?
It will be a challenge maintaining and improving the quality of
training in light of the new European working time directive. We
will be under more pressure than we have been used to, and
we will have to remain focused in the task of making sure that
our replace students with trainees are properly replace trained
with equipped to assume the responsibilities of independent
practice.
It will also be a challenge for us to continually improve service
delivery, both nationally and internationally. The biggest conflict
we are facing is a greater expectation in terms of delivering
better patient care set against a climate of significant financial
cutbacks. We will need to find better and more cost effective
ways of working. It is all a question of what the health service
will be able to afford.
What specific
effects do
you think
the cutbacks
will have on
the field of
obstetrics and
gynaecology?
The NHS is also
facing some
of the biggest
cutbacks it will
have seen for a
long time and
the biggest
effect will be
to force us to
rethink how we
provide care.
This will be a
challenge, but not necessarily a bad thing. It’ll force us to look
at different, more cost effective patterns of work which will
actually benefit both patients and staff.
Many things have improved over recent years in the field
of obstetrics and gynaecology. We will need to maintain
these improvements, but with less funding. I do believe that
the current financial situation in terms of spending is not
sustainable, and we must find new and innovative solutions
to our problems. It is here that we can perhaps take lessons
from what those in the medical profession overseas do and
how they approach issues. For example, in Mozambique
90% of caesarean sections are performed not by highly paid
Consultants but by technical specialists. It makes you think that
there might be ways we can adjust the skill mix we adopt here
to make care more beneficial to patients and also more cost
effective.
In terms of the wider context of your role, will you
have a part to play in terms of promoting and
informing on public health issues too?
Absolutely. Investing in prevention is very important. A
significant part of my role will be to encourage medical leaders
to stand up and be counted to guide those people in positions
of power to invest in areas where the biggest benefits can
be gained. Clinicians traditionally tend to focus on providing
care to individuals, but they tend not to think in terms of the
population as a whole.
In women’s services, we especially need to focus on smoking
and alcohol cessation, prevention of obesity through exercise,
appropriate pregnancy planning through good contraceptive
services and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Tell us something that we might not know about you…
I have played international hockey…not for my native Scotland,
but for Zambia! It was while I was working out there in 1975.
They needed players who could afford the air fare to go and
play in a tournament with a number of other African countries.
We played against Kenya, who had just won a bronze medal in
the Olympics. They were rather good and they beat us 6-0. We
went on to lose all of our games.
18 Spring 2010
Cascade

WHO Checklist
In 2009, the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced
a surgical safety checklist for use in any operating theatre
environment. The checklist is designed to increase
communication within theatre teams in order to improve
patient safety during surgery and postoperatively. After an
initial pilot phase in different theatre suites within Derriford
Hospital, the checklist was adapted and introduced to all
operating theatres in the Trust on 1 December 2009. Dr
Lorraine Alderson and Dr Tom Gale (Joint Clinical Leads for
WHO checklist implementation) are now committed to an
ongoing audit of compliance rates in each theatre and have
been extremely encouraged by the first results of this audit.
Theatre staff in this Trust have shown a huge commitment
to patient safety and team working by engaging with the
implementation of this checklist and using it for every patient
having a surgical procedure. During the initial audit this year,
the theatre team in Trauma Theatre (Theatre 16) achieved an
outstanding compliance rate of 99.3% of theatre lists where all
steps of the checklist were performed for every patient. Sister
Jenny Pitt has subsequently been awarded a £200 prize for her
team in recognition of this excellent result.
Dr Lorraine Alderson said: “We would like to congratulate the
team not only in Theatre 16 but all teams in operating theatres
around the Trust, for their impressive success in working
together to improve patient safety. Well done and keep up the
good work!”
‘Nice to Meet You’
Chief Executive Paul Roberts ‘Meets and Greets’ OPD
patients
Chief Executive Paul Roberts recently visited to Main
Outpatient Reception (OPD), Level 06 and other areas
within Central Admin. Here Vanessa Bennett, Patient
Administration talks about the visit:
“As part of his visit, Paul Roberts, Chief Executive, experienced
first hand the ‘Meet and Greet’ service which was being trialled
at the time to improve the patient experience when arriving
for their appointment. Paul wore the ‘Meet and Greet’ sash
and greeted patients as
they walked through the
reception entrance.
“We recognise that patients
are often quite nervous
when attending the
hospital for the first time
and the aim of the ‘Meet
and Greeter’ is to alleviate
any concerns patients
may have when they walk
through the door.
“The trialling of the ‘Meet
and Greet’ service over
several weeks did prove
a success as many
patients that came through
Paul presents Nicci Rollason,
Main OPD had their
Assistant Team Leader for the
appointments elsewhere in
Head and Neck POD with their
the hospital. The ‘Meet and
Pod of the Quarter Award
Greeter’ was able to direct
the patient to the correct department.
“As a result of this we will be moving forward with implementing
a Meet and Greeter in the reception area when we start our
second stage of improving processes to the area over the next
few months.
“Following Paul’s visit to Main OPD he was invited to present
Central Admin’s ‘Pod of the Quarter’ award to the Head and
Neck team within Central Admin. Congratulations goes to the
team for all their hard work.”
Cascade Spring 2010
19

Staff Lottery
Staff Lottery April 2010
Your Staff Lottery has been running for three years now
and continues to be a success – the prize fund each month
is currently over £1100 with a First Prize of over £550!!!
The draw takes place in a different area of the Trust each month
on payday and a member of staff draws the numbers using
‘Tumbling Tom’, the Lottery machine.
First prize in June 2010 is guaranteed at £1000, so join now for
your chance to win!!
Did you know you can now buy up to five ‘chances’ per month
– apply now to increase your chances!!
New this year ...
Look out for quarterly bonuses for Lottery members – theatre
vouchers, cinema vouchers and book vouchers are just some
suggestions so far.
Your new staff representative is Linda-Atkinson Lewis, who
joined the committee in March 2010.
The winners for January, February, March and April are:
January 2010
1st prize of £555
Ylva Saleem – Medical Secretary
2nd prize of £277
Jacqueline Wooding – Specialist Hernia Nurse
3rd prize of £277
Elizabeth Hudson – HR
February 2010
1st prize
Unable to contact winner at present
2nd prize
Rebecca Powell, Paediatrics
3rd prize
Jacqueline Wooding, Hernia Service
March 2010
1st prize £555
Jane Blatchford, Endoscopy
2nd prize £277
Alison Woods, Pathology
3rd prize £277
Suzanne Griffiths, Paediatric Community
April 2010
1st prize
Jemma Day, Freedom Unit
2nd prize
Michelle Snow, Audiology
3rd prize £277
A member of the Anaesthetics, Theatres and Pain Directorate
Successful Bids
Your Staff Lottery Charitable Fund currently
receives approximately £900 each month to be
allocated to items that will improve your work
environment. Any idea will be considered so long
as it is for the “development of staff facilities” and
is unlikely to be met from normal NHS funding bids.
The Lottery Committee members are representatives
of staff across the Trust and meet quarterly to discuss
your bids, in January, April, July and October.
If you want to join the Staff Lottery or submit a bid for
funding, you can find forms on the Staff Lottery page
on Healthnet.
For further information, please contact Carolyn Farrant
or Jane Gibbs on 01752 437617 (ext 37617) or 01752
437613 (ext 37613).
20 Spring 2010 Cascade