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Inside Story BABS IS A SENSE...ATION Soap star opens sensory room I’m dreaming of a ... Staff reveal their Christmas wishes Injury time medicine Why we’re in the premier league WIN! £100 to spend at Habitat Inside Story is the UCLH staff magazine

Inside Story<br />

BABS IS A SENSE...ATION<br />

Soap star opens sensory room<br />

I’m dreaming of a ...<br />

Staff reveal their Christmas wishes<br />

Injury time medicine<br />

Why we’re in the premier league<br />

WIN!<br />

£100 to spend at Habitat<br />

Inside Story is the UCLH staff magazine


Give us the<br />

Inside Story<br />

…on what’s happening in your<br />

area, ward or department. Inside<br />

Story is YOUR magazine – so share<br />

your stories, events and photos<br />

with Anne Burns, Inside Story’s<br />

new editor. Anne is covering Sam<br />

Coombs’ maternity leave, and is<br />

waiting to hear from you.<br />

Contact her at the communications<br />

unit, second floor central, 250 Euston<br />

Road, London NW1 2PG, x 9897 or<br />

e-mail: anne.burns@uclh.nhs.uk<br />

T15 opens for<br />

business<br />

'Harley Street on 15’ is the new name<br />

for floor 15 at UCH which is now<br />

home to the new private specialist<br />

centre for treating blood and bone<br />

cancers. Independent healthcare<br />

company HCA are running the centre<br />

making use of spare capacity within<br />

UCLH. “It’s a win-win situation”<br />

explains Neil Griffiths, director of<br />

strategic development. “HCA’s centre<br />

combines the benefits of their<br />

expertise in running a private patient<br />

unit with our clinical expertise and<br />

state-of-the-art facilities. The contract<br />

will generate additional income for the<br />

Trust which we can use to support<br />

services for our NHS patients”. This<br />

approach, the first of its kind in the<br />

NHS, may provide opportunities to<br />

develop private practice within UCLH<br />

in obstetrics and cardiac, and to<br />

expand the existing provision of<br />

private services in neurosciences.<br />

The Trust is seeking expressions of<br />

interest from appropriate companies<br />

to work with us on this. For further<br />

information email Neil Griffiths.<br />

Did you see?<br />

The eagle-eyed amongst you may<br />

have noticed the Assisted Conception<br />

Unit at the Eastman Dental Hospital<br />

featured on the BBC1 documentary A<br />

Child Against All Odds.<br />

The programme, presented by<br />

Professor Robert Winston, went out in<br />

November and included a couple with<br />

a disabled daughter who were using<br />

preimplantation genetic diagnosis<br />

(PGD) in an effort to avoid passing on<br />

an unbalanced chromosome rearrangement<br />

to future children. The<br />

UCL department of obstetrics and<br />

gynaecology was also featured.<br />

NEW faces @UCLH<br />

“A baptism of fire” is how Stacey Hardy sums up her first<br />

weeks as the web manager in the communications unit. “My first<br />

weekend as press officer on call was spent dealing with a major<br />

story about a high profile patient. It really proved the need for a<br />

first class website to match the first class services we provide –<br />

the web needed constantly updating and the BBC used us as a<br />

featured link for the story”. Stacey also wants to make Insight<br />

more user-friendly. “Staff need an intranet that really works for them” she says.<br />

Stacey’s best-ever Christmas present? "It'll be this year, as I'm going back to Oz<br />

to spend Xmas with all the family, and be there for the Ashes!!!"<br />

Having spent the last seven years working in intensive care<br />

units (ICU), Claire Miller joins the NHNN as a team leader in the<br />

neurosurgical ICU. Previously at the Western General in<br />

Edinburgh, Claire made the move because she wanted to get<br />

more specialised experience and the NHNN has a great<br />

reputation. Asked about her affection for ICU, Claire says; “I<br />

like the one-to-one ratio because you can give better quality<br />

care and time to patients”. Claire’s best-ever Christmas<br />

present? A twin pram when she was seven years old!<br />

Previously at the Whittington Hospital and now at the<br />

EGA/UCH, Anupama Shahid is half way through a five year<br />

rotation as a specialist registrar in obstetrics and<br />

gynaecology. Anupama says; “I’m particularly keen on obs<br />

and gynae because it blends a medical side with surgery. It’s<br />

also great to have a hand in helping women conceive”.<br />

Anupama’s best-ever Christmas present? Starting her first<br />

job in the UK on Christmas Eve.<br />

Andrew Vallance-Owen, deputy chairman,<br />

BUPA foundation, presents certificate<br />

to Dr Stephanie Baldeweg and Susan Olive<br />

Photo credit Terry Beazley<br />

Diabetes care for mumsto-be<br />

scoops award...<br />

The maternity diabetes and endocrine team at<br />

UCLH and EGA has been highly commended<br />

in the BUPA Foundation Clinical Excellence<br />

Award <strong>2006</strong>.<br />

The team, led by consultant physician<br />

in diabetes and endocrinology Dr<br />

Stephanie Baldeweg, was runner-up in<br />

the award to celebrate work which<br />

demonstrates an improved clinical<br />

outcome for patients.<br />

The team impressed judges with how<br />

it had improved diabetes and obstetric care for pregnant women. Dr Baldeweg was<br />

supported by former general manager for women’s health Jackie Sullivan and<br />

diabetes specialist nurse Susan Olive.<br />

The team has improved preconception care, and now sees women much earlier<br />

in pregnancy, improving diabetes control throughout pregnancy. These measures<br />

have been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes with fewer complications for<br />

mothers and babies. Women with diabetes are nearly five times as likely to have a<br />

stillborn baby and three times as likely to see their baby die in the first months of<br />

life, so the care provided by the team is crucial.<br />

Front cover star: Barbara Windsor opens the sensory room


BABS visits UCH and<br />

hails the cabbies<br />

Soap legend Barbara Windsor has officially opened the new<br />

sensory room at UCH. As reported in November’s Inside<br />

Story, the room was donated by the London Taxi Drivers’ Fund<br />

for Underprivileged Children and will give our younger patients<br />

a space in which to relax from the hustle and bustle of hospital<br />

life.<br />

Taking time to chat with children and patients on the ward,<br />

Barbara described the facility as ‘fantastic’.<br />

All I want for Christmas!<br />

David<br />

Amos, director<br />

of workforce, "I<br />

discover that I have<br />

Icelandic ancestry<br />

and have inherited a<br />

place on the board<br />

of West Ham<br />

United FC."<br />

We asked UCLH staff what was at the<br />

top of their Christmas list...<br />

Alison Johns, transitional care sister<br />

in the neo-natal unit. “Elastic hours –<br />

there are never enough hours in the<br />

day.” How will she spend Christmas?<br />

”I’m on duty – so I’ll be at work. My<br />

second Christmas will be the following<br />

weekend spent with my children. We eat exactly what<br />

they like – prawn cocktail, chicken – not turkey - no<br />

brussel sprouts, fresh fruit salad.”<br />

Craig Wood, modern matron<br />

A&E. “I would like to book out a hotel for the<br />

weekend – somewhere nice like the<br />

Dorchester – and have a two day party<br />

with family and friends from all over<br />

the world.” How will he spend<br />

Christmas? “I’m going home to<br />

Australia to spend Christmas<br />

with my mum. She’s not feeling<br />

well at the moment.”<br />

Alison Cahn, director of<br />

communications. Her wish? “To<br />

have the body and health of a 24<br />

year old and the knowledge of a<br />

49 year old!” How is she<br />

spending Christmas? “At home<br />

with my ex husband, my step son<br />

and his mother, my rather bizarre<br />

extended family and my two<br />

gorgeous sons – oh yes and my<br />

overweight cat!”<br />

Janet Clarke, clinic<br />

manager, members’ council member for<br />

admin, clerical, estates and ancillary<br />

staff. “Top of my Christmas list is a<br />

date with George Clooney - and a<br />

peaceful new year for<br />

everybody at UCLH.”<br />

Judy<br />

Walker, play<br />

services manager. “My wish list? 12<br />

hours’ uninterrupted sleep, two days of<br />

snow before new year (like last year),<br />

new leather boots and a speaker<br />

system for my MP3 player.”<br />

Lydia Pierre, executive assistant,<br />

trust HQ – “My wish for Christmas is<br />

that Janet Clarke doesn't get her mitts<br />

on George Clooney. He's in my<br />

Christmas box and I'm keeping him!”<br />

Anything that can<br />

make the hospital<br />

stay better for these<br />

children has to be a<br />

good thing. It means<br />

it is not so frightening<br />

for them<br />

Annie<br />

Lindsay, Trust<br />

archivist has just<br />

one wish for<br />

Christmas: “It’s a<br />

difficult question –<br />

but the answer<br />

must be ‘world<br />

peace”.<br />

Karin<br />

Roberts, corporate<br />

development and<br />

projects manager.<br />

Her wish? “A nice,<br />

peaceful, relaxing day.”<br />

The reality? “Driving to<br />

Bristol to have<br />

Christmas day lunch<br />

with my<br />

mum.”<br />

Barbara Windsor with patient Ronnie-Lee Hart<br />

Christmas<br />

message from chief<br />

executive Robert<br />

Naylor<br />

“Looking back, <strong>2006</strong> has been one of<br />

the most challenging years in our history.<br />

Our financial situation has dominated<br />

much of the year, but as it draws to a<br />

close, I’m delighted to say that we’re on<br />

target to reduce our deficit as planned.<br />

We’ve achieved this by changing the way<br />

we work, not by the compulsory<br />

redundancies that have made headline<br />

news elsewhere in the NHS. I’m pleased<br />

to say our bank balance, as well as our<br />

patients, have seen real benefits. For<br />

instance, waiting times for inpatients<br />

requiring MRI scans is down from five<br />

days to less than 24 hours, the average<br />

length of stay has been reduced from five<br />

to four days and we’re seeing more<br />

patients faster in fewer clinics. These and<br />

other achievements this year - such as<br />

our performance in the Good Hospital<br />

Guide and the recent Healthcare<br />

Commission ratings, research<br />

breakthroughs and innovations in patient<br />

care - are due to your hard work and<br />

commitment. I’ve no doubt that you will<br />

rise to the challenge of making even more<br />

improvements in the next year.<br />

The holiday season is a time for much<br />

deserved rest and relaxation but not all<br />

our staff have this luxury. For those<br />

taking time out, and for those on duty over<br />

the Christmas and New Year period, I<br />

would like to wish you all a very happy<br />

holiday and very best wishes for 2007.”<br />

Kind regards<br />

Robert Naylor<br />

The communications unit wishes you all a happy holiday


CHOOSE and BOOK<br />

goes direct<br />

Patient choice means that if a patient requires<br />

treatment in a hospital, they can choose where and<br />

when to have that treatment.<br />

Since May <strong>2006</strong>, extended choice has been available.<br />

This means that whether you live in Cornwall or Camden<br />

you can choose to be treated at any Foundation Trust – so<br />

you can be referred to UCLH from any GP in England (as<br />

long as we provide the service!)<br />

‘Choose and Book’ is a national initiative which combines<br />

electronic booking and a choice of place, date and time for<br />

first outpatient appointments. Until recently UCLH services<br />

have only been available “indirectly”, in other words, the<br />

patient has had to call in to fix the time and date of their<br />

appointment – but all that is about to change as our<br />

services become bookable directly online.<br />

The first service to offer electronic direct booking<br />

launches this month. Patients needing referral to trauma<br />

and orthopaedics can now choose UCLH and book an<br />

appointment there and then in the GP’s surgery.<br />

The new system will be monitored for any glitches and<br />

the rest of the Trust’s Choose and Book services will be<br />

rolled out early next year.<br />

“This brings huge benefits for patients, giving them<br />

flexibility and control over the booking of their appointment”<br />

said Sarah Johnston director of service development &<br />

marketing. “It’s also a great opportunity for the Trust to<br />

make our services easily available to patients throughout<br />

England”.<br />

For more information on the new direct booking<br />

system email chooseandbook@uclh.nhs.uk or visit the<br />

Choose and Book pages on Insight.<br />

Annual memorial<br />

lecture ends on a high<br />

The Janet Hull Memorial Lecture bowed out on a high last<br />

month as NHS chief nursing officer Chris Beasley gave a<br />

talk to UCLH nurses on the challenges presented by<br />

modern day nursing. This is the last lecture to be funded<br />

by the Janet Hull Memorial Fund, set up in 1979 in memory<br />

of staff nurse Janet Hull who died tragically in a road<br />

accident. From now on, the fund will be used to finance<br />

travelling scholarships for nurses who wish to travel and<br />

study to improve their education and/or qualifications.<br />

Members of the Nurses’ Leagues (nurses who trained at<br />

UCLH), as well as current Trust nurses can apply for a<br />

scholarship of up to £1500. Submit your proposal to the<br />

Nurses’ League via Sylvia Jemmott (PA at chief nurse’s<br />

office), by 31 March 2007.<br />

Left to right: NHS chief nurse Chris Beasley (second left)<br />

flanked by UCLH nursing staff Rachel Halliday acting senior nurse,<br />

personal development (left), chief nurse Louise Boden (third right)<br />

and Alison Brooks, acting acute services head of nursing (far right)<br />

The bug<br />

stops<br />

Here!<br />

A giant fluffy bug<br />

greeted visitors to UCH<br />

during infection control<br />

week last month to<br />

The fluffy bug with infection control staff<br />

Annette Jeanes and Duncan Burton<br />

Award winner “An inspiration”<br />

Congratulations to Dr Usha Menon named Woman of the<br />

Year at the Asian Achievers Awards. Colleagues at the<br />

Institute for Women’s Health describe her as “an inspiration<br />

to everyone”. The accolade recognises her key contribution<br />

to medical research into ovarian cancer screening. She was<br />

a key member of the team that carried out the UK<br />

Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer, involving 202,000<br />

women, the largest UK randomised clinical trial ever<br />

performed.<br />

remind patients and staff of the importance of good<br />

infection control. The MRSA bug roamed around the atrium<br />

of the hospital handing out alcohol handrub to visitors.<br />

Although we have an excellent record on MRSA, we can’t be<br />

complacent, as infection control consultant nurse Annette<br />

Jeanes said. ‘We are highlighting the need to clean your<br />

hands and how that applies to everybody – including visitors<br />

‘But we are trying to make it fun – hence the MRSA bug<br />

lurking in the foyer. People have been very amused and it’s<br />

really made them ask questions about what<br />

they can do to help and that’s exactly what we<br />

wanted.<br />

Dr Menon an honorary UCLH<br />

consultant and UCL director and<br />

senior lecturer at the<br />

Gynaecological Cancer Research<br />

Unit, was also praised for her<br />

innovation in trial management,<br />

hard work and attention to detail.<br />

Usha Menon, Woman of the Year<br />

Got a story? Contact anne.burns@uclh.nhs.uk or call x 9897


Equality for disabled people a priority<br />

A disability equality scheme has put the needs of<br />

disabled people at the fore of trust priorities. It aims to<br />

ensure they are taken into account in everything we do.<br />

“We want to put into practice a vision to achieve equality<br />

and break down barriers” said David Amos, director of<br />

workforce. “It’s about fostering a culture of positive attitudes<br />

where the views and needs of disabled people are heard and<br />

met. It’s also about practical things like making sure<br />

disabled people can get in and out and around our buildings<br />

with easy access.”<br />

The scheme is part of an on-going drive to integrate<br />

equality issues into decision-making and the running of the<br />

trust. From 4 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2006</strong>, hospitals and all other public<br />

bodies have a legal duty to promote equality under the<br />

Disability Discrimination Act.<br />

The Trust’s equality scheme is on Insight and if you’d<br />

like to be part of a disability network or have any<br />

comments please contact Eyong Besong x 8760 or email<br />

disability@uclh.nhs.uk<br />

Key facts<br />

In the UK there are:<br />

11 million disabled people and 770,000 disabled children<br />

1 in 5 of the working population are disabled – that’s 6.8<br />

million people<br />

1 million disabled people without a job want to work<br />

Six core areas have been identified for Trustwide<br />

action:<br />

to improve access to buildings<br />

to encourage disabled people’s involvement in<br />

decision-making and service development<br />

to recruit disabled people<br />

to increase awareness of disability equality through<br />

staff training<br />

to ensure good communications for disabled people<br />

to take account of the needs of disabled people in<br />

service delivery and gather feedback<br />

UCLH LAUNCHES<br />

FIRST NHS<br />

DENTAL<br />

SMOKING<br />

CESSATION<br />

SERVICE<br />

Chief dental officer Barry<br />

Cockcroft cuts a cake with patient<br />

Mary Hartley to mark the launch<br />

of the Eastman Dental Hospital<br />

smoking cessation service<br />

What it’s really like views from a<br />

member of staff and a patient<br />

Veronica Beechey<br />

Veronica’s story<br />

“Parking and portering can be tricky at<br />

some trust hospitals”, says patient<br />

Veronica Beechey, who uses a<br />

wheelchair.<br />

“The clinical care is sympathetic and<br />

cutting edge, but getting back and forth<br />

can be problematic for<br />

dropping off and picking up.<br />

And it’s not always easy to<br />

find a porter. These are things that something can be done<br />

about with the will and resources.”<br />

Stanley Eyanagho<br />

Stanley’s story<br />

The world of staff nurse Stanley<br />

Eyanagho changed forever six years ago<br />

when he became paralysed. He left the<br />

wards he loved at the National Hospital<br />

for Neurology and Neurosurgery.<br />

“It was a great shock and big transition<br />

from being able to do<br />

everything to being in a<br />

wheelchair.” He now has a<br />

desk job as a clinical coding liaison officer.<br />

“I was told to take early retirement but I had a young<br />

family, I was in my early forties and I had a lot more to give.<br />

I felt very alone initially. I had to push and cajole for this job.<br />

Better communications between managers and personnel<br />

would be very helpful. This scheme is a great development<br />

and. I’ll do anything to help.”<br />

“My colleagues have been positive, sympathetic and<br />

understanding. I couldn’t do this job without them.”<br />

Useful links<br />

Find out more about the new legislation and how it affects<br />

you at: www.dwp.gov.uk and www.drc.org.uk<br />

The first dental stop smoking service in England was<br />

launched at the Eastman Dental Hospital at the end of<br />

October, with the backing of the chief dental officer and the<br />

British Dental Association. Specialist smoking cessation<br />

clinics with a stop smoking nurse will now be available for<br />

patients at the Eastman. Launching the service, chief dental<br />

officer Barry Cockcroft described it as ‘fantastically<br />

impressive’ and a factor in tackling an increase in oral cancer<br />

which was on the increase among young people.<br />

Eastman Dental Hospital clinical director Richard Welfare<br />

said the clinics were about helping patients live healthier<br />

lives as well as giving their treatment the best chance to<br />

succeed. “Smoking is key to the oral health of patients and it<br />

is also a fact that their treatment does not work so well if they<br />

are smokers.”<br />

Send details of your upcoming events to weekly.email.bulletin@uclh.nhs.uk


New book is<br />

child’s play<br />

UCLH play services manager Judy Walker’s book ‘Play for<br />

Health: Delivering and Auditing Quality in Hospital Play<br />

Services’ was published last month by the National<br />

Association of Hospital Play Staff. The first of its kind for 16<br />

years, the book is designed to guide the management and<br />

delivery of hospital play services and describes the standards<br />

children and families using play services should receive in<br />

different hospital settings. "The book draws on my experience<br />

at UCLH where play services have improved and extended<br />

into new areas. Writing a book is a great personal<br />

achievement, but it will only have significance if it’s used to<br />

ensure children and their families across the UK receive the<br />

play services they need."<br />

Applauded by the Department of Health’s<br />

National Service Framework for Children,<br />

Young People and Maternity Services, the<br />

work of the 1200 NHS play specialists is<br />

seen as hugely beneficial to babies,<br />

children and young people in hospital.<br />

Other hospital staff also appreciate the<br />

support play specialists provide,<br />

particularly during medical<br />

procedures where<br />

anxiety can be<br />

reduced and<br />

co-operation<br />

increased.<br />

Play services manager/author Judy Walker<br />

Premier␣league␣medicine<br />

Mr Haddad’s team have put the Trust in pole position to do<br />

this, with a multi disciplinary approach, developing specialist<br />

clinics and surgery, as well as state of the art physiotherapy<br />

and rehabilitation services, getting people back to work, back<br />

to sport and back to a healthy lifestyle.<br />

Patient<br />

Raymond St Hill<br />

examined by<br />

Bruce Paton,<br />

extended scope<br />

physiotherapist.<br />

Fares Haddad in scrubs flanked by colleagues<br />

Sunday soccer dads and weekend sports enthusiasts<br />

are in the premier league when it comes to injury time<br />

here at UCLH - they get the same top team treatment as<br />

England soccer stars and Olympic athletes.<br />

The specialist sports injury team, led by consultant<br />

orthopaedic surgeon, player manager Fares Haddad, is fastgaining<br />

a leading reputation in the expanding field of sports<br />

medicine. Mr Haddad already treats top sports professionals<br />

worldwide – he’s put England soccer star Aaron Lennon back<br />

on his feet, as well as Olympic athletes, top rugby players and<br />

cricketers. “I want to give the same quality of care to people<br />

who love their sport - all those weekend sports warriors who<br />

want to get back to it just as much as Lennon” he says.<br />

With interest in the Olympics and the government’s push to<br />

encourage a fit and healthy nation, patient numbers are<br />

expected to increase. “Our work dovetails with health<br />

priorities which aim to get the nation taking up more sport and<br />

exercise to keep healthy” says Mr Haddad. “A healthy lifestyle<br />

will help combat obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer<br />

but as people take up more sport we can expect more injuries.<br />

We want to be the premiere provider in the NHS, not just in<br />

surgery but in rehabilitation, getting people back on track to<br />

healthy living”.<br />

Raymond St Hill was well impressed when he heard he<br />

was in the hands of premiere league sports clinicians. “If it’s<br />

good enough for Aaron Lennon, it’s good enough for me”, he<br />

says. A keen runner, kick boxer and circuit trainer, the strain<br />

was too much for his knee. Bruce Paton, extended scope<br />

physiotherapist and key team member says Raymond was<br />

typical of the patients he sees. “The most common complaints<br />

include ligament damage, soft tissue, metatarsal damage,<br />

hamstring strains, ankle breaks and sprains and back and<br />

Achilles heel injuries. Facilities at the new hospital helps us<br />

give first-class support to all patients.”<br />

Sports␣injuries␣-␣did␣you␣know?<br />

There are 29 million new or recurrent sports<br />

injuries every year<br />

10 million result in people being off work<br />

It costs the NHS £590m a year to treat these<br />

injuries<br />

For each hospital admission the patient has been<br />

11 times to emergency departments and 12 times<br />

to the GP<br />

Check out the 52 club’s fantastic sports and leisure facilities


Secret lives<br />

In her working<br />

life, Alison<br />

Johns is a<br />

transitional care<br />

sister at the<br />

EGA, helping to<br />

look after tiny,<br />

sick babies.<br />

But when she<br />

clocks off she<br />

takes on a very<br />

different<br />

persona – and<br />

becomes a<br />

Brown Owl.<br />

To girls growing<br />

up in Friern<br />

Barnet, she’s the<br />

jolly lady with<br />

oodles of energy<br />

who bakes<br />

cookies, plays rounders, leads campfire sing-alongs – and<br />

helps them stick to the rules and earn their Brownie badges.<br />

“They are full of enthusiasm – and so am I. It gives them<br />

the chance to flourish away from their parents, to develop, to<br />

think for themselves in an environment away from school<br />

and home.”<br />

It’s a role she was destined for. Her dad<br />

was in the RAF and travelled around the<br />

world – so Alison became a Brownie in<br />

Malaya, a Girl Guide in England and a<br />

Ranger in Australia. Years later, her<br />

daughter Emma joined the movement.<br />

When her Brownie leader retired – and<br />

the group was threatened with closure –<br />

Alison stepped in to help. She is now also<br />

the county leadership coordinator for<br />

Middlesex East.<br />

“The Brownies have adapted over the<br />

years but essentially it remains the same.<br />

There’s still the Brownie promise, the rules<br />

and the sense of belonging. There’s not<br />

bob-a-job any more though because of<br />

child protection.”<br />

Every year she takes 15-18 girls to the<br />

Guide camp at Colney Heath. Earlier this<br />

year they even went to Euro Disney.<br />

“Children need an interest outside school,<br />

a set of rules, a sense of enjoyment and<br />

achievement. It’s got to be better than<br />

just hanging around street corners. I feel<br />

rather sad for those children.”<br />

Brownie badges<br />

A day in the life...<br />

volunteer Anita Yeomans<br />

If you spot Anita Yeomans around a ward she’s likely to be lulling a<br />

patient into a trance – not exactly what you expect in hospital!<br />

Anita, who is qualified in combined hypnotherapy and psychotherapy,volunteers<br />

her services once a week to help our patients on the road to recovery. She<br />

smiles at the image most people have of hypnosis. “Patients sometimes think<br />

I’m going to swing a watch in front of their drooping eyes and have them hopping<br />

down the ward on one foot with a canula hanging out” she laughs.<br />

The therapy has proved to have very real benefits for many patients. Some<br />

have had problems sleeping in hospital, some can’t eat very well after an<br />

operation or because drugs have made them nauseous, some are at a very low<br />

ebb, worried or struggling with pain. And some just want to give up smoking to<br />

help them get better.<br />

“It can help with so many different things, said Anita. “In hospital people are<br />

often vulnerable, it’s all very stressful.“ I might talk through and work on any<br />

anxieties and fears the patient may have and sometimes use hypnosis to help<br />

them relax, increase well-being and physical comfort.<br />

“The therapy is a very natural and gentle way of getting people to help themselves be positive, to build confidence and<br />

optimism, and become less stressed.<br />

“I love helping patients here – the hospital is very open minded to complementary medicine and I get great satisfaction<br />

from seeing patients benefit”.<br />

If there are patients on your ward who you think might benefit from this kind of therapy please contact Anita via<br />

the voluntary services department on x 73004.<br />

Did you know? Up to 250 people volunteer at UCLH


Big thanks to Ki Health<br />

For the past year, non-profit charity Ki Health International has been recharging<br />

the batteries of UCLH staff by offering 15 minute acupressure sessions as part of<br />

their ‘Supporting Our Services’ (S.O.S.) project. Designed to give something back<br />

to the London emergency services, the S.O.S. project is part of a wider campaign<br />

to combat stress and fatigue in the workplace. More sessions are being arranged<br />

with our occupational health department – all staff are welcome, check Insight for<br />

details.<br />

Meanwhile Ki Health came to<br />

the rescue recently when the<br />

communications unit was let<br />

down by a company offering a<br />

competition prize. “With three<br />

winners and no prize, we were<br />

about to dig deep when Ki<br />

Health kindly stepped in and<br />

offered treatments for our<br />

winners worth £100 each.<br />

“They certainly reduced our<br />

stress levels and gave our<br />

winners a real treat” explains<br />

Rosa Wotton, communications<br />

assistant. Find out more at<br />

www.kihealth.org, email<br />

info@soslondon.org or call 020<br />

7636 3500 x 8634.<br />

Feedback from UCLH Ki<br />

Ki Master at work<br />

Health sessions:<br />

Excellent 10 minutes; best ever<br />

spent at work. Refreshed, relaxed.<br />

Joanne, lead nurse<br />

Less back pain – almost pain free. Very relaxed and energised, thank you.<br />

Luke, speech therapist<br />

Surprisingly relaxed - at first I wasn’t too sure but you have converted me!<br />

Martin, nurse<br />

Competition<br />

Kit out your pad in style with a little help<br />

from Habitat on Tottenham Court Road.<br />

One lucky Inside Story reader has the<br />

chance to win a £100 voucher to spend<br />

in store. Many thanks to Habitat for this<br />

generous prize.<br />

To enter, just answer this simple<br />

question:<br />

“How many play specialists are there<br />

currently working in the NHS?”<br />

Email entries to<br />

competition@uclh.nhs.uk, or send to<br />

the communications unit, second floor<br />

central, 250 Euston Road via internal<br />

email. Closing date is Friday 12<br />

January 2007.<br />

The Brain Hospital<br />

If you’ve felt touched by the stories<br />

featured in the three-part BBC 1 series,<br />

The Brain Hospital, and wish to support<br />

the National Hospital Development<br />

Foundation in raising the the final<br />

£750,000 needed to ensure that the<br />

neurocritical care service at the<br />

National Hospital continues to lead the<br />

field, visit the charities page on Insight.<br />

The Brain Hospital team<br />

Ki Treatment uses special breathing techniques to create a sound<br />

vibration that carries energy naturally into the body, softening deep-set tension<br />

and blockages. This is combined with acupressure to stimulate energy points<br />

around the body. Acupressure regulates the circulation of blood and energy<br />

which carries oxygen and nutrition to all organs and cells.<br />

Eastman socks it to ‘em<br />

Uniform policy dictates that staff in the orthodontic<br />

department at the Eastman Dental Hospital wear only<br />

black or navy socks. But on ‘Children in Need’ day<br />

last month,<br />

dental nurses,<br />

technicians,<br />

consultants,<br />

receptionists<br />

and<br />

postgraduates<br />

donned<br />

brightly<br />

Dental nurses show off their socks<br />

coloured socks<br />

to do collections around the hospital, as well as<br />

donating £2 each, to raise over £200 for the annual<br />

BBC fundraiser.<br />

52 Club news<br />

The 52 Club wishes you a very merry Christmas and a happy<br />

new year.<br />

•Treat yourself or a friend to the Christmas gift with a<br />

difference - some personal training sessions. The 52 Club has<br />

three personal trainers to help develop your health and well<br />

being with nutritional advice and exercise programs. Trainers<br />

encourage regular attendance and moral support when you<br />

feel the self discipline slipping. Pay before Christmas and get<br />

six classes free. Also, buy four sessions and get one free –<br />

sessions are just £25 an hour.<br />

•Don’t forget the end of month discos to pick you up after a<br />

hard month’s work - last Friday of every month and it’s FREE!<br />

•The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is<br />

organising a charity swim in aid of Swim for Malaria in the 52<br />

Club pool on 22 February, from 8am – 8pm. Swimmers are<br />

hoping to top the £16,000 raised last year.<br />

Congrats to October’s competition winner: Ivona Hofmanova

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