Cascade Summer/Autumn 2012 - Plymouth Hospitals

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cascade_summer_2012_1.5:Cascade_Winter_2011 23/10/2012 13:48 Page 16 16 The PHNT Plymouth Half-Marathon Challenge This year’s Half-marathon Challenge was a closely fought contest between teams from Derriford Combined Labs, Physiotherapy, Paediatrics, The Eden Unit and Cardiology. Congratulations to the Paediatric Team who were triumphant with an average running time of 2:02:06. The teamwere Alan Cade, Ben Marsh, Mary Jefferies, Emma Harsum, Victoria Halfhide, Becky Trew and Dee Doherty! This year’s fastest girl was Immunology Consultant Claire Bethune, the fastest boy was Nick Thomas of the Cardiology Team. Entries for next year’s challenge will open on 25th February 2013 so keep an eye on Daily Email, Vital Signs and Team Brief for further details. The team are pictured being presented with the Challenge Cup Trophy by Joe Teape, and a voucher for a celebratory meal in The Lounge, courtesy of Derriford Health and Leisure Centre. Awards and achievements National Patients Safety Award Shortlisting A team from Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust were runners up at this year’s prestigious Patient Safety Awards. The awards, in their third year, are organised by national publications the Health Service Journal and the Nursing Times and recognise the best examples of work undertaken across the NHS to improve patient safety. Shortlisted amongst eight others, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust was announced as being Highly Commended in the Changing Culture category for its entry Putting safety into practice – crossing the reality gap. The entry reflects a great deal of hard work on the part of teams within operating theatres who have made significant improvements in patient safety over the past year. This work was led by Assistant Medical Director Paul McArdle, Patient Safety Lead, Amelia Brooks and Senior Theatre Matron, Cindy McConnachie. When it was announced that the team had been shortlisted, Paul McArdle, Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon and Assistant Medical Director, said: “We were delighted to find out that we have been shortlisted for this prestigious award. We provide very high standards of clinical care at our hospital and sites. When it was identified that there was a problem and that some of our theatres were not fully compliant with the checklist we set to work to put this right straight away. We are very proud to say the initiative has resulted in improved patient safety with no never events in our theatres within the last year. The quality of checklist delivery sits between 98% and 99% compliance and sustainable change has been achieved with the formation of a theatre safety group who review significant safety related events. “We are delighted that we were able to share our learning with other organisations and are pleased that our approach has been widely adopted across the region as a result.”
cascade_summer_2012_1.5:Cascade_Winter_2011 23/10/2012 13:48 Page 17 17Awards and achievements Histopathology Receive Prestigious Innovation Award A team from Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust were announced as one of the winners of the NHS Innovations Challenge Prizes. Dr Dean Harmse, Consultant Histopathologist, Miss Madeleine Stephens and Mrs Carole Stoddard, Biomedical Scientists and a team from the Histopathology Laboratory were announced as winners at a ceremony hosted by the Department of Health and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement in London. They have been awarded £50,000 for their project, which significantly improved the turnaround times for cancer diagnosis in the histopathology laboratory at Derriford Hospital. The NHS Innovations Challenge Prizes are run by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and are different from conventional award schemes in that prizes are awarded for achievement of specific challenges, set out in advance. The challenges range from significant improvements in delivery to major clinical breakthroughs. The awards are substantial, with prize money amounts that reflect the nature of the challenge and the added value of the innovation to the NHS and its patients. Dr Harmse explains: “The histopathology laboratory examines tissues in order to identify disease process. Making a diagnosis in the laboratory is essential for clinicians to plan the right type of treatment for an individual patient, especially in cancer cases. We had recognised in the laboratory that, similar to other histopathology laboratories around the country, we were experiencing backlogs of work at various stages of processing samples. “We designed a process that ensures flow through the laboratory by dividing the work up into different streams (‘Green Stream’, ‘Yellow Stream’ and ‘Red Stream’). This is based on the complexity of the specimen and the technical work required to process the specimen. We then manage the flow of each of these streams of work at every stage of the process through the laboratory on a daily basis.” Dr Harmse continues: “Our innovation completely cleared our backlog and led us to achieve turnaround times well above national standards. This innovative way of working has now been in place for more than a year so it shows that it is sustainable. Biopsy results are now available to clinicians to allow them to make clinical decisions in a timely fashion. “This innovation is based on LEAN principles, but it would not have been possible without the engagement of the whole team in the Cellular Pathology Department. My sincere thanks goes to each and every member of the team. Without their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication this would not have been possible.”
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Cascade Summer/Autumn 2012 - Plymouth Hospitals

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