HOMERTON LIFE OCTOBER 2004 - Homerton University Hospital
HOMERTON LIFE OCTOBER 2004 - Homerton University Hospital
HOMERTON LIFE OCTOBER 2004 - Homerton University Hospital
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Catch up with all the latest news and events...<br />
<strong>Homerton</strong>Life<br />
Watch out, new uniforms unleashed - see page 4<br />
F or all staff… <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2004</strong><br />
<strong>Homerton</strong>’s frontline given a smart new image NVQ graduates step out<br />
NHS childcare wins award Buildings, buildings, buildings Do you have a good<br />
attitude? Fundraising at <strong>Homerton</strong> - new initiatives The <strong>Homerton</strong> Oars<br />
A nurse’s view on nurse prescribing Are you a future leader? Summer events
AfC asks<br />
QWhat will happen if I am assimilated to a pay point above the second gateway?<br />
AThe gateways will not be operational until October 2006. If you are assimilated at a<br />
point above the second gateway, it will be because of the level of experience that you<br />
already have. If you have passed this second gateway before October 2006, you will not have<br />
to demonstrate the evidence according to the KSF outline. Once you have passed through a<br />
gateway you do not have to pass through it again.<br />
QI’m concerned that staff not<br />
experienced at being appraised will<br />
be disadvantaged when the KSF is Are you up-todate<br />
with all<br />
introduced. How can you reassure me?<br />
AThe mandatory KSF training day will include the latest<br />
learning around appraising and being AfC news?<br />
appraised. It is important to remember that this<br />
is a two way process between post holder and<br />
manager. There are groups of staff who have had<br />
no experience of being appraised in the past and<br />
the KSF team will be offering them their full<br />
support. The process is fully evidence-based and<br />
no-one will be disadvantaged by their lack of<br />
experience or skills at being appraised. There will<br />
be a robust and transparent KSF policy designed<br />
to ensure that the system always remains fair. The<br />
principles of the KSF will ensure the professional<br />
development of all staff, this will include the skills<br />
of both appraiser and appraisee when participating<br />
in the process.<br />
QI work for ISS, how will this affect me?<br />
ASome aspects of Agenda for Change will be<br />
introduced for staff working for ISS. We will<br />
establish a working party that will include trade<br />
union members to determine exactly what the position is and negotiate changes in<br />
partnership that meet the national guidelines.<br />
QWhy are the statistics around pay protection from the Department of Health<br />
so much more positive than the information circulated from the early<br />
implementer sites?<br />
AThe review from the early implementer sites has estimated that 7.5% of staff across the<br />
whole NHS will require pay protection. This figure is much lower than some of the<br />
statistics that have been previously circulated. The main reason for this is simple; until you<br />
have the full data set, statistics can provide misleading information. The changes within the<br />
proposed agreement that relate to decoupling the unsocial hours and on-call aspects of AfC<br />
for further review, and the provision of an acceleration of incremental points to avoid the need<br />
of pay protection for staff that relate to changes in the<br />
way that London weighting is paid, has also made a<br />
significant difference.<br />
QI am nervous about all this talk of<br />
modernisation, is my job at risk?<br />
AThe modernisation aspect of Agenda for Change is<br />
about improving the quality and the effectiveness<br />
of service provision. Jobs are being evaluated for the<br />
sole purpose of assimilating posts into the new pay<br />
scale. No jobs within the Trust are at risk by AfC.<br />
•<br />
Do you have a question about<br />
Agenda for Change, if so email<br />
agendaforchange@homerton.nhs.uk<br />
If not …<br />
•<br />
look at the AfC<br />
section on the intranet<br />
•<br />
read the Q&A column in every<br />
edition of <strong>Homerton</strong> Life<br />
•<br />
look at the noticeboard outside<br />
Chatters for regular updates on AfC<br />
events<br />
•<br />
read the ‘essential guide’ available<br />
from the intranet or the AfC office.<br />
If you have a particular question …<br />
•<br />
call the AfC office on ext 5224/5223<br />
• email<br />
agendaforchange@homerton.nhs.uk<br />
Do you have a news story or article idea for<br />
a future issue of <strong>Homerton</strong> Life. If so get<br />
in touch - the deadline for submissions to this<br />
year are:<br />
Deadline for<br />
Publication date<br />
articles & ideas<br />
21 October 1 December<br />
29 December 1 February<br />
21 February 1 April<br />
Events<br />
diary<br />
October<br />
Lupus awareness month<br />
until 2005<br />
‘Stratum’ exhibition in the<br />
Education Centre<br />
10 October<br />
World mental health day<br />
13-18 October<br />
BackCare awareness week<br />
20 October<br />
Osteoporosis day<br />
25 Oct - 5 Nov<br />
Infection control awareness<br />
week<br />
7-13 November<br />
Mouth cancer awareness week<br />
10 November<br />
Quality day and long service<br />
awards<br />
15-19 November<br />
Indoor allergy week<br />
17 November<br />
World COPD day<br />
1 December<br />
World AIDS day<br />
3 December<br />
Xmas ball at West Ham football<br />
club<br />
17 December<br />
Beauty and the Beast<br />
pantomime, 6.30pm in Chatters.<br />
Contact Carol in Switchboard<br />
Publicise your events –<br />
contact Lee Jones on x5035<br />
or via email<br />
All ideas for articles should be sent to the editor Lee Jones (on ext<br />
5035 or via email) at least one week before the deadline date. Articles will<br />
be given space on a first come, first served basis and all articles are subject<br />
to editorial agreement.<br />
2
Under the mistletoe<br />
Remember the fun last year… the<br />
Christmas ball will be held at West<br />
Ham football ground on Friday 3<br />
December. Raffle prizes, three<br />
course dinner and dancing ‘til late.<br />
More information throughout<br />
October.<br />
Oh yes we are …<br />
holding a children’s pantomime.<br />
Beauty and the<br />
Beast comes to the hospital<br />
on Friday 17 December at<br />
6.30pm in Chatters. All<br />
tickets are £3.00. Contact<br />
Carole Allen on ext 7299<br />
for more details. Suitable<br />
for children 3 years and<br />
over.<br />
News in brief<br />
DON’T FORGET QUALITY DAY <strong>2004</strong><br />
The key note speaker for this year’s Quality Day on 10 November has<br />
been confirmed as Niall Dickson, former BBC health correspondent and<br />
current chief executive of the King’s Fund.<br />
Additional presentations will be made from the winners of last year’s<br />
and this year’s quality awards, showcasing quality improvements in<br />
clinical or service provision.<br />
The day will finish with the annual long service awards, congratulating<br />
staff who have worked in Hackney or <strong>Homerton</strong> hospitals for over 25<br />
years.<br />
•<br />
CHATSWORTH ROAD FESTIVAL<br />
Christmas may still seem a long way off, but a<br />
group of people living in and around Chatsworth<br />
Road have their eyes firmly fixed on Saturday 4<br />
December. Why? Because that’s the date of the<br />
third Chatsworth Road Market Festival, a<br />
revival of the oldest street market in<br />
Hackney.<br />
Previous years have involved local<br />
shops, businesses, artists, musicians,<br />
residents groups and schools, in<br />
addition to street entertainment<br />
and children’s activities, attended<br />
by hundreds of people from<br />
around Hackney. This year’s<br />
theme is communication and<br />
the festival hopes to host an<br />
exhibition of artwork by<br />
patients from the Regional<br />
Neurological Rehabilitation Unit (RNRU).<br />
For more information see<br />
www.chatsworthroade5.co.uk.<br />
Nominations for the long service awards close on<br />
18 October, call Ruby on ext 7034 for more details.<br />
Congratulations to Louise Olley<br />
who will start as senior nurse for<br />
medicine and rehabilitation in<br />
November, taking over from Jennie<br />
Negus who became deputy director<br />
of nursing in August. Louise, who<br />
joined the Trust in 2001, was<br />
previously a modern matron for the<br />
directorate.<br />
The Department of<br />
Health’s website is<br />
now speech enabled to<br />
make accessibility easier<br />
for those who are<br />
dyslexic, have learning<br />
disabilties, have mild<br />
visual impairment, or<br />
where English is not their<br />
first language.<br />
www.dh.gov.uk, now<br />
includes the package<br />
‘Browsealoud’, which<br />
when plugged in reads<br />
webpages aloud,<br />
highlighting text as it<br />
goes.<br />
Have your say...<br />
This month 850 randomly selected staff will receive a copy of<br />
the NHS National Staff Survey. This is your chance to feedback<br />
about what you think about working at <strong>Homerton</strong> - what you<br />
like, dislike and where you think the Trust needs to improve.<br />
If you receive the survey, please take some time to complete it. It is<br />
only by getting robust feedback from staff that the Trust can hope to make the<br />
improvements to everyone’s working life that we all want to see. All responses to<br />
the survey are completely anonymous and any feedback the Trust receives is nonidentifiable.<br />
Following last year’s survey and the feedback received from staff, the Trust has:<br />
•<br />
expanded the number of nursery places available to NHS staff<br />
improved induction especially around health and safety and risk<br />
achieved junior doctors hours targets<br />
worked to improve staff safety and security<br />
invested in front line staff.<br />
•<br />
If you have any queries about the survey please contact Iain Patterson,<br />
Associate HR Director on ext 7243.<br />
Neuro OTs and physios have been settling into<br />
their revamped premises, which now provide<br />
more of a joint working base for the two<br />
teams. Ward manager for Graham Stroke<br />
Unit Gertie Christie, senior neuro physiotherapist<br />
Kerry Walker and senior occupational<br />
therapist Simone Coetzee officially opened the<br />
new offices (still based next to the physio<br />
gym).<br />
3
Staff try out their ‘new look’.<br />
<strong>Homerton</strong>’s<br />
frontline given<br />
a smart new image<br />
The public face of <strong>Homerton</strong> is about to dramatically change, with<br />
the launch of new ‘designer’ corporate wear for staff.<br />
Those who hold administrative or clerical positions and liaise with<br />
patients or the public as part of their everyday job have been gearing<br />
towards the implementation of a smart new uniform. Provided by the<br />
Trust, at no charge for individual staff members, the uniform<br />
consists of a collection of tailored black skirt or trouser suits<br />
and a selection of lilac shirts, blouses, t-tops and ties.<br />
Many frontline A&C staff provide a service that puts them in<br />
constant contact with patients and the public, but unlike<br />
clinical staff they are not provided with an identifiable<br />
uniform. With the launch of a new corporate look, this<br />
problem will be rectified.<br />
Amerjit Halaith is a receptionist in radiology and has been<br />
given one of the new uniforms, she comments: “I think the<br />
uniforms for frontline A&C staff were a really good idea. It will save<br />
me money as I won’t need to buy clothes for work and it will also<br />
mean that I do not have to spend ages deciding what to wear every<br />
morning. Wearing a smart suit and seeing others do the same,<br />
provides me with a sense of pride in what I do.”<br />
Manager of outpatients Janice Kelly said of the new uniforms: “We<br />
have had a dress code in place in outpatients for some time now and<br />
it has really improved the public’s perception of the staff that work<br />
here. When people look “business like”, the perception of them is<br />
that they are being dealt with by a professional and this, in turn,<br />
results in them feeling content and happy with the service they<br />
receive. Since the dress code has been adopted here, the incidents of<br />
rudeness or derogatory behaviour towards staff have drastically<br />
reduced.”<br />
The uniforms were first launched at the IWL open day last month and<br />
by the end of October almost 180 members of frontline A&C staff will<br />
be wearing their new uniforms with pride. It is hoped that a second<br />
group of A&C staff will also be provided with uniforms next year.<br />
NEL offer best stop smoking<br />
services in the country<br />
North East London achieved the biggest increase in quitters in<br />
England during 2003/4, with almost 5,500 stopping smoking –<br />
between 400 and 600 more people than in any other sector.<br />
Free training on the referral process is still available for all<br />
healthcare staff, full details are available from the stop smoking<br />
service administrator Tycie West on 020 7683 4040.<br />
The CHTPCT stop smoking team can also provide information<br />
relating to the service at any upcoming event or meeting that is<br />
being held. For further enquiries, call Ian Quigley (Manager) on<br />
020 7683 4047 or Aisling Murphy (Community and Training) on<br />
0207 683 4036.<br />
You can refer yourself or any member of your family to the<br />
service at any time, for staff support please call the stop<br />
smoking team 0207 683 4040, for all others referrals call<br />
the free number 0800 169 1943.<br />
Babyloss<br />
awareness week<br />
People whose lives have been touched by the loss of a baby<br />
during pregnancy or just after birth, are uniting with others<br />
across the UK to show their support for Babyloss Awareness<br />
Week <strong>2004</strong>, which runs from October 9 to October 15.<br />
During the week information about miscarriage, stillbirth<br />
and neonatal death will be available in the Health Shop. A<br />
baby memorial service, remembering all babies who died<br />
before, during or shortly after birth, will also take place in the<br />
Sanctuary on Friday 15 October at 8pm<br />
For more information about the week<br />
contact bereavement support<br />
midwives Anne or Tracy on ext 7317 or<br />
air call via the switchboard. For<br />
information about the memorial<br />
service contact chaplaincy team leader<br />
Nadia Pfaff on ext 7773.<br />
Web<br />
update<br />
new<br />
this<br />
month<br />
Would you like to add a page to the intranet or web site?<br />
Both sites are growing daily. New to the intranet this<br />
month:<br />
the critical care outreach team<br />
acute pain service<br />
safe medicine action group.<br />
•<br />
The ‘staff handbook’ section has now changed to ‘your<br />
working life’ with lots of new information about life at<br />
<strong>Homerton</strong>; and don’t forget you can check the intranet for up<br />
to date information on EPR (quick links on the home page).<br />
Remember to add your telephone details to the directory on<br />
the intranet. Click on the phone book, press ‘add new’ and<br />
enter your details. Press the ‘insert button’. This will be<br />
updated by the administrator within 3-5 working days.<br />
For further information on this or if you would like a page,<br />
•<br />
contact Tonya Chalker on ext 5154 or via email.<br />
4
NVQ graduates step out<br />
By Vilma Sindac, HCA Trainer and NVQ coordinator<br />
Congratulations to the NVQ candidates on their recent<br />
achievements! Five nurse cadets and six healthcare assistants who<br />
started their NVQ training in September 2002, have successfully<br />
achieved NVQ Levels 2 and 3 and are on the way to becoming qualified<br />
nurses. They will now be seconded to City <strong>University</strong> for further training<br />
and will return to work here as qualified nurses.<br />
In addition, 22 newly qualified assessors who worked towards the<br />
Training and Development Lead Bodies competencies in D32/D33 and<br />
A1, have proven that they are competent to coach and assess<br />
candidates who are in turn working for a National Vocational<br />
Qualification (NVQ). They now hold appropriate assessor qualifications<br />
as approved and specified by the regulatory authorities.<br />
NVQ is a nationally recognised qualification, providing people with high<br />
quality training and a structured framework within which they can<br />
develop. The delivery of NVQ in Health and Social Care Programme<br />
continues to grow from strength to strength since 1998 when<br />
<strong>Homerton</strong> became an accredited City and Guilds centre. The Trust<br />
maintains support for staff education in training and development in<br />
order to continue with the delivery of high standard of patient care.<br />
For HCAs interested in joining the NVQ programme, please<br />
complete a in-house application form and meet with your ward<br />
managers and NVQ<br />
centre coordinator.<br />
If you are a school<br />
leaver and have<br />
always wanted to<br />
train to be a nurse<br />
then you can join<br />
the cadet scheme.<br />
For further details<br />
contact Vilma<br />
Sindac on ext 7665<br />
or Sharon Prince<br />
on ext 7097.<br />
NHS childcare<br />
wins award<br />
By Helin Taylor-Greenfield,<br />
Childcare Development Manager<br />
The Pan-London Childcare Initiative has won the ‘4Children Employer Achievement<br />
Award’ for staff childcare. The judges were overwhelmed by the dedication and<br />
commitment demonstrated by the childcarers nominated in the variety of ways that they<br />
bring fun, laughter and friendship into children’s lives; providing the childhood<br />
experiences and memories that will travel with them into adult life. The NHS plays a big<br />
role in this; we work closely with a large number of childcare service providers aiming to<br />
offer good quality, affordable and accessible childcare to help support working parents.<br />
What they had to say about us …<br />
The NHS now provides more childcare support for staff than any other – and the NHS<br />
Strategic Health Authority/Workforce Development Confederation in London have created<br />
many new childcare places, including: 660 new nursery places and 716 holiday playscheme<br />
places have been created since 2003; bringing the total to over 2000 nursery places and<br />
1000 playscheme places for NHS staff in London – with many more being planned.<br />
Every member of staff now has access to an NHS Childcare Co-ordinator (there are 59 in<br />
London), working closely with early years and childcare teams in local authorities, childcare<br />
providers and voluntary organisations to help staff to find and afford the childcare they<br />
need.<br />
•<br />
For further information contact Helin Taylor-Greenfield via email<br />
helin.taylor@chpct.nhs.uk.<br />
What do you know<br />
about the medicines<br />
you are taking?<br />
Between 1 and 6 November staff from<br />
Pharmacy will be on hand in the main<br />
reception and pharmacy waiting area to give<br />
people a chance to ask about the medicines<br />
they are taking, as part of national Ask About<br />
Medicines Week.<br />
The week, which is supported by the Safe<br />
Medicines Action Group, will focus on choice<br />
and will inform people that they are entitled<br />
to be involved when deciding what medicine<br />
is best for them; that people should be able<br />
to get information to help make decisions<br />
about the medicine; and that healthcare<br />
professionals are there to help and support<br />
people when making<br />
these decisions.<br />
For further information<br />
about the week contact<br />
medicines information<br />
and surgical directorate pharmacist<br />
Margaret Brown on ext 7000 or via email.<br />
5
You may have spotted a lot<br />
of building work onsite<br />
over the past year or so,<br />
with cranes and lorries,<br />
and areas cordoned off for<br />
contractors of various<br />
sorts. Here we speak to<br />
Andrew Panniker, Director<br />
of Environment at the Trust, to reveal what<br />
has been happening, what is being built<br />
and what is coming soon...<br />
buildings<br />
buildings<br />
buildin<br />
Brooksby House<br />
Major changes have happened in Brooksby House this summer with<br />
a £3 million building project. In June, a new Sterile Services<br />
Department was opened, supplying the sterile equipment used in our<br />
operating theatres, wards and departments. This is the first time that<br />
this service has been available onsite, which means we can be sure to<br />
have the right equipment at the right time.<br />
This building project also resulted in changes to the procurement<br />
(supplies) department and distribution centre (stores), which is now<br />
also in purpose built premises on the ground floor of Brooksby<br />
House.<br />
MRI<br />
The MRI scanner - our first - was installed at the beginning of the<br />
year. It was a major event to lift the scanner (effectively a powerful<br />
magnet) over the building and into place in the X-ray department.<br />
You may have seen the large crane brought on site specifically for this<br />
purpose.<br />
Our patients are now benefiting for the new onsite service five days<br />
a week, rather than relying on the previous off-site service we had<br />
used for some years.<br />
Ward upgrades<br />
Patients in the maternity and gynaecology wards, in RNRU and<br />
Graham ward have benefited from new bathrooms and other<br />
improvements as part of an ongoing programme to refurbish our<br />
ward areas.<br />
Gardens and gardeners<br />
This summer we are sure that you will have noticed that the<br />
gardeners have worked really hard on our gardens and courtyards,<br />
and many of you have commented on how lovely they look and what<br />
a difference it makes.<br />
Work is now ongoing in the courtyard areas – the jug and bowl<br />
sculpture in the courtyard on the blue corridor is again working and<br />
the courtyard near cardiology has had a makeover after several<br />
months “in the dark” with building work going on overhead.<br />
Planning ahead, we are considering a landscaping “master plan”,<br />
perhaps even themed gardens for our patients and staff – contemplative,<br />
quiet, sensory, play.<br />
Operating theatres<br />
On the way to the canteen you may have seen (or heard) the building<br />
work going on for the new operating theatre and recovery area. Due<br />
to be completed very soon, this provides us with a fifth theatre, sterile<br />
supplies room, accommodation for the anaesthetics team and a new<br />
recovery area. The whole project is costing around £3 million.<br />
Mammography suite<br />
Our first mammography service is due to be launched later this year<br />
and building work is underway in X-ray 2 to provide a dedicated<br />
mammography service for our patients. This is an exciting<br />
development and welcome addition to our radiology service. The<br />
cost of the project is over £0.25 million.<br />
Lecture theatre and academic centre<br />
This autumn we begin building our long awaited lecture theatre<br />
complex on to the eastern end of the Education Centre; a £2.5 million<br />
programme. The Education Centre opened in 1986 and despite the<br />
major increase of teaching onsite, up until now there has been no<br />
additional classroom space. This will give us a much needed 150 seat<br />
tiered lecture theatre with all the modern audiovisual facilities we<br />
need. In addition the entrance to the Education Centre will move to<br />
the other end of the building and security will be improved. On a<br />
social note, we will also be opening a café-bar for daytime<br />
refreshments and lunches and a meeting place for staff in the<br />
evening. A patio area is also being included for those warm summer<br />
evenings!<br />
6
gs<br />
Artist’s impression of the new lecture theatre.<br />
Primary & Urgent Care Centre (PUCC)<br />
This spring the PUCC opened adjacent to A&E, to provide primary<br />
care-type facilities on site, working in partnership with A&E.<br />
Currently this is happening in the existing building but, very soon,<br />
major building work is due to start on the grassed area behind the<br />
wooden fence next to the A&E entrance. The building programme<br />
for this is costing £1.5 million and is funded by City & Hackney TPCT.<br />
It will include a new entrance to A&E, a joint reception area – with<br />
much more light and space in the patient waiting area, as well as all<br />
the clinical and office areas needed for this primary care service,<br />
which will include a GP service for new patients.<br />
Longer term...<br />
Office space<br />
As many of you will know, office accommodation is always a<br />
problem for us so next year we are looking into the possibilities<br />
of building a second floor on some parts of the building,<br />
which could provide office accommodation for over 60 people.<br />
Main entrance<br />
Even more longer term we will be considering improvements<br />
to the front entrance and driveway, to improve both the<br />
appearance of the hospital and the safety aspects.<br />
So we can see that there is a lot of work<br />
going on and being planned. There are likely<br />
to be contractors on site for some time yet but<br />
it is good to see improvements benefiting our<br />
patients in this way.<br />
Artist’s impression of the entrance to the PUCC.<br />
7
Do you have a good attitude?<br />
By Guy Young, Director of Nursing and Quality<br />
“The team could not have done more; everyone was nice<br />
and sensitive to my needs”.<br />
This comment comes from a recent survey.<br />
Wouldn’t it be great if all our patients felt like this?<br />
Unfortunately, we know that we don’t always get things right, as demonstrated through<br />
formal complaints, PALS enquiries and patient surveys. The majority of the concerns<br />
expressed are related to the way that we communicate with our patients and their families.<br />
Some patients also feel that they are not treated with dignity and respect.<br />
These concerns led to the development of a Trust ‘Code of Behaviour’. Whilst this code clearly lays out our expectations, it will<br />
not in itself change negative attitudes and behaviour. Enter Good Attitude, a new training DVD designed to help staff to better<br />
understand the need to communicate effectively. Working with a professional video company, we have produced a training<br />
tool that can be used in a variety of ways.<br />
Consisting of poor practice/good practice scenarios, based on the nine points of the Code of Behaviour, the DVD can be used<br />
to help staff see the negative effects of poor communication. Importantly it also shows how to get it right. The Trust is rolling<br />
out formal training sessions using the DVD, but individual wards and departments can also use it. A learning analysis section<br />
even allows self-directed learning, although we think the best results will be achieved in small groups who are able to discuss<br />
the scenarios in more detail.<br />
•<br />
Please contact Training and Development or Nursing Education if you would like to know more or if you would<br />
like to borrow a copy.<br />
New City<br />
governors<br />
join council<br />
We are pleased to welcome two new governors representing the City<br />
of London on the Trust’s Council of Governors, following an election<br />
held in the area in July. Geoffrey Rivett and Steve Stevenson both have links<br />
with the NHS; Geoffrey has been a GP, a medical civil servant and a historian<br />
of the NHS. Steve Stevenson is also a City resident with an active involvement<br />
in social and health care and he too has links with the hospital. He was an<br />
independent member of our last Patient Environment Inspection Team.<br />
In the news …<br />
The focus on infection control has continued with the BBC’s “should I worry about” programme,<br />
shown last month. The programme featured <strong>Homerton</strong>’s Dr Anne Marie Karcher in<br />
Whiteley’s shopping centre randomly swabbing the noses of 100 passers-by,<br />
and then explaining the process to presenter Richard Hammond …<br />
Meanwhile Prof Kate Costeloe and staff on SCBU and labour wards<br />
featured in a Panorama special, looking at really premature babies. This<br />
also included media appearances for Prof Costeloe on Richard and Judy,<br />
Radio 5 Live and the Daily Mail …<br />
Chairman Andy Windross was interviewed by local Kurdish paper Bizim<br />
Gunes about what it means to be a Foundation Trust …<br />
RNRU staff were featured in BBC Two’s “This is my family”, exploring one<br />
family’s experience of stroke ...<br />
Keep up-to-date with<br />
the latest NHS and<br />
healthcare news with “Media<br />
Watch” available under the<br />
‘News’ section on the<br />
intranet.<br />
And Sharmen Thompson, senior staff nurse on Graham Ward was featured in Nursing<br />
Standard about her role in setting up a support network for Montserrat nurses living in the UK, which<br />
also provides distance learning to those still working on the island.<br />
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A Day in the Life of ...<br />
Mohammed Araeen<br />
Some people might be under the<br />
impression that we have a group of<br />
elves working at the hospital; because on<br />
the wards when stocks are running low<br />
they are magically replenished and when<br />
admin staff fill in a requisition form and<br />
fax it off, the goods turn up without ever<br />
having to speak to somebody. But as<br />
<strong>Homerton</strong> Life found out, there is a whole<br />
group of people based in Brooksby House<br />
who do all that work for us.<br />
In charge of that group is Mohammed Araeen, a goods and receiving<br />
officer in the distribution centre (formally known as stores). His job is<br />
to check and place orders sent by wards and departments, ensuring<br />
that we receive cost-effective and quality goods, and that ordering is<br />
consistent. His team also visit wards to check stock levels, ensuring that<br />
there is always enough medical and non-medical equipment. As there<br />
is no actual storage facility in the distribution centre, the team has to<br />
order sensibly so that they don’t have too much stock for the wards,<br />
but making sure there is enough so that stocks don’t run out.<br />
Every day is<br />
different - I see<br />
different people<br />
and sort out<br />
different problems.<br />
Time flies so there<br />
is no time to get<br />
bored.<br />
Goods and Distribution Officer<br />
The department is constantly busy; on a<br />
typical day they will receive about 100<br />
non-stock order forms, 200 non-stock<br />
deliveries and about 1,000 top-up<br />
deliveries for wards, including syringes,<br />
gloves etc. This is nothing compared to<br />
Christmas though, when the department<br />
will see the equivalent of three to four<br />
days deliveries come through on the<br />
same day.<br />
Mohammed explains: “You have to get to<br />
know wards and departments buying<br />
habits so that you can pre-empt what<br />
their needs will be, especially during busy<br />
times like Christmas - we can’t allow<br />
stocks to run out. This can prove to be<br />
quite a difficult balancing act, ordering<br />
the right amount of stuff and ensuring<br />
that they are sent to wards and<br />
departments as soon as they are<br />
delivered. Every day is different - I see<br />
different people and sort out different problems. Time flies so there is<br />
no time to get bored.”<br />
It is clear that this is a job that Mohammed enjoys; having joined the<br />
Trust in 1995 he worked in the distribution bay until 2001 when he<br />
started his current position. Mohammed comments: “Before joining<br />
<strong>Homerton</strong> I had never worked for the NHS, I had been in the<br />
construction industry working on the jubilee line extension in Canary<br />
Wharf. Now I can never see myself working for a private company<br />
again, I really enjoy the NHS. The best thing is that everyone working<br />
at the hospital is there to provide a service, which in the end is helping<br />
patients and the community. I feel part of that service and feel that we<br />
all support one another.”<br />
Fundraising<br />
at <strong>Homerton</strong><br />
On line donating<br />
You can now donate safely and securely online via the<br />
website<br />
http://www.homerton.nhs.uk/services/1082038464.html<br />
Payroll giving or give as you earn is open to staff and nonstaff<br />
to make a regular contribution to the hospital.<br />
Remember every penny counts.<br />
http://www.homertonnhs.uk/services/1091779899.html<br />
Recycling<br />
A new recycling partnership with Office Green Technologies<br />
means that other companies can now see us on the Office<br />
Green web site and choose to recycle cartridges and toners<br />
with the money all coming to our hospital.<br />
http://www.homerton.nhs.uk/services/1092925395.html<br />
http://www.officegreen.co.uk/charity-list.html<br />
Monthly raffle<br />
We are now running a monthly raffle for all staff. The<br />
prizes are donated from various sources so hopefully at one<br />
stage during the year there will something that you want to<br />
put your £1.00 towards.<br />
Last month’s prize was a signed football. This month is a<br />
stereo system and at Christmas you can win a mountain<br />
bike. Who knows what the New Year will bring.....<br />
Sponsored events<br />
If you or any of your friends,<br />
family or patients would like to<br />
take part in sponsored events<br />
to raise money for the hospital<br />
please let us know as we can<br />
help with the sponsorship<br />
forms and advertising.<br />
Anyone wanting to help out with fundraising or for<br />
more information on any of the above contact the<br />
fundraising manager on ext 5154.<br />
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The <strong>Homerton</strong> Oars<br />
Last month five mad members of staff: Guy Young, Tracey Fletcher, Susan Acott, Richard<br />
Gourlay and Jennie Negus met at Richmond Bridge armed with a picnic, cushions and<br />
workmen’s gloves. They climbed aboard their rowing boat loaned to them by the<br />
Docklands Scout Project and started to row!<br />
They rowed and they rowed and they rowed! In total, 22 miles, passing by the famous<br />
landmarks and beneath the historic bridges and finally crossing the finishing line at<br />
Greenwich.<br />
“There’s no denying it was hard work but it was also great fun”, said Jennie. “We kept<br />
our rhythm quite well once Tracey took control - Sue and Richard were trying to get us<br />
going at ramming speed!” The team agreed that although amid fantastic sights the<br />
hardest stretch was from Westminster, as the wind picked up and there was quite a swell<br />
in the water from the pleasure boats.<br />
The Great River Race is an annual event, dubbed ‘the marathon on the Thames’ and is a<br />
pageant of over 250 traditional boats, from simple rowing boats to Celtic, Viking and<br />
dragon boats, all celebrating the diverse history of life on the river.<br />
Our intrepid five raised over £300 for the scouts and <strong>Homerton</strong>, and despite<br />
aching arms and blistered hands have vowed to enter again next year!<br />
Watch this space...<br />
GET IT WRITE<br />
•<br />
Do you receive the fortnightly staff bulletin via email? If<br />
not, contact Kim Hutchings and ask to be added to the staff<br />
circulation email list. This way you can keep up-to-date with all<br />
the latest news and offers for staff. If you don’t have access to<br />
email, ask your line manager to print off a copy and display in<br />
your staff area.<br />
VOLUME<br />
3<br />
Are you using the staff circulation email correctly? Please note that this is<br />
•<br />
only for important Trust wide messages to reach all staff. Please do not use<br />
for other purposes.<br />
Are you a<br />
future leader?<br />
Do you have an interest in HR, finance or<br />
general management and feel that you<br />
could make a difference to the NHS? If so, the<br />
NHS Modernisation Agency’s management<br />
training scheme could be for you.<br />
There are three schemes (HR management,<br />
financial management and general management)<br />
available to anyone with a minimum 2.2 degree –<br />
the aim of the scheme is to train, develop and<br />
nurture future board directors and chief<br />
executives.<br />
Trainees are employed centrally by the NHS for<br />
the duration of their scheme, but train in<br />
hospitals, PCTs and other NHS organisations<br />
throughout England. After the scheme trainees<br />
will be able to apply for management jobs<br />
throughout the NHS. The schemes are highly<br />
regarded by NHS employers, so there should be<br />
no shortage of opportunity or choice.<br />
Kathryn Worswick is currently on the general<br />
management scheme and joined <strong>Homerton</strong> in<br />
September as business manager for the fertility<br />
unit. She said of the scheme: “I have always<br />
wanted to work in the public sector, particularly<br />
the NHS so that I could help improve patient care.<br />
The NHS offered the best scheme by far,<br />
providing me with a Masters degree at the same<br />
time. It is also really supportive with training, in<br />
the 12 week orientation programme alone I get<br />
to sample a whole range of jobs from receptionist<br />
to porter, so that I get a good sense of the<br />
hospital before I start work.”<br />
For further information visit www.futureleaders.nhs.uk,<br />
email mtsinfo@mts.nhs.uk<br />
or call 0870 169 9731. Applications for the<br />
next intake for trainees (September 2005)<br />
will close on 13 December <strong>2004</strong>.<br />
A nurse’s view on nurse prescribing<br />
By Jenny Anthony, Clinical Nurse Specialist Dermatology<br />
As an Extended Formulary Nurse Prescriber (EFNP) I am able to prescribe from a limited formulary of prescription only medicines (POM) for a<br />
number of conditions. Also available to me are all pharmacy only medicines and those on the general sales list.<br />
Whilst the POM list and the list of conditions is quite limited, it does enable me to prescribe for skin diseases such as atopic eczema and acne when<br />
mild or moderately severe, which comprises a large chunk of my workload. I am qualified to prescribe for any of the conditions mentioned in the<br />
BNF, however I choose to restrict my prescribing to my specialist area only.<br />
I have been prescribing for only a few weeks, but I’m already finding that my consultation times in clinic are reduced as I do not have to leave to<br />
find a doctor to provide a prescription. Initiation of treatment is also much quicker, especially on the wards where I can ensure that the patients<br />
get the right medication when they need it and the ward staff are not left waiting for a doctor. I have also found that treatments can be incorrectly<br />
prescribed, due to lack of familiarity with the preparations and their use in skin disease. Being able to prescribe them myself ensures they are<br />
prescribed correctly and I can ensure nursing staff are aware that new treatments need to be<br />
ordered.<br />
I believe this qualification is enabling me to provide a more holistic service for the patients I<br />
see, ensuring they see the right person at the right time. It has also been a sharp reminder<br />
of professional accountability and the wider responsibilities that come with taking on new<br />
roles. It was a lot of hard work, which is not over yet.<br />
•<br />
There will be more nurses trained<br />
later this year. If you feel that nurse<br />
prescribing may benefit your service,<br />
contact Maddy Woods via email.<br />
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Shaun’s<br />
‘stratum’<br />
The tables will be turned on Art<br />
Curator Shaun Caton next month<br />
when the Trust opens its 21st<br />
exhibition. Instead of sourcing and<br />
organising artworks from local artists,<br />
Shaun will be experiencing life from the other side as his own<br />
pieces go on display in the Education Centre.<br />
Running for four months, the exhibition entitled ‘Stratum’ will<br />
showcase a style of paintings and drawings that Shaun has<br />
been developing since 2001 following an inspirational trip to<br />
Greece. To give you a taster of what to expect, Shaun<br />
describes his pieces as “playful, mischievous, inventive, quirky<br />
and affordable!”<br />
Shaun has exhibited his work all over the world including,<br />
USA, Russia, Holland, France, Japan, Germany, Spain and<br />
Poland, but this is the first time that he has held an exhibition<br />
in a hospital. Shaun said: “I’ve been exhibiting since 1985, but<br />
due to my work at <strong>Homerton</strong> I have grown to see the hospital<br />
as a huge gallery. It will be strange to see my work exhibited<br />
here, but the staff photographic exhibition held earlier this<br />
year really gave me a confidence to show my own stuff.”<br />
The exhibition will also form a basis of a new series of patient<br />
art therapy workshops in the RNRU. Proceeds from the<br />
exhibition will go towards the hospital arts fund<br />
Small grants available<br />
for R&D<br />
From time to time staff within the Trust have good ideas or are<br />
provided with opportunities to undertake small pieces of work,<br />
but are unable to take this forward due to a lack of funding.<br />
The Research and Development (R&D) Committee has<br />
developed a Trustwide scheme that will allow staff to bid for up<br />
to £1000 to support studies that are registered on the Trust<br />
R&D database. These costs can cover things like travel, statistical<br />
advice, small pieces of kit, translation of information sheets and<br />
occasionally the cost of investigations.<br />
People interested in applying for such support should<br />
contact R&D manager Bunia Gorelick on ext 5107.<br />
Two<br />
minutes<br />
with…<br />
Damian Muncaster,<br />
Senior Chief Respiratory<br />
Physiologist<br />
1 What was your first job?<br />
Well, although not quite the first, the most<br />
glamorous was as a butter bean tickler in a local<br />
canning factory one summer. It involved using the<br />
‘tickler’ to ‘tickle’ the butter beans through a large<br />
funnel to make sure the flow of beans onto the<br />
sorting belt was even. It made Mother so proud.<br />
2 What did you want to be when you were growing up?<br />
Tough one, senior chief butterbean tickler held<br />
obvious appeal but growing up it had to be a Nun or<br />
a member of the Von Trapp Family… I loved the<br />
‘Sound of Music’, something to do with the<br />
lederhosen maybe!<br />
3 Who is the person you most admire?<br />
Difficult to choose one, loads of sportsmen - Bobby<br />
Moore, Lance Armstrong, Maradona but if pushed it<br />
would have to be George Foreman. Those grilling<br />
machines are superb.<br />
4 What was your most embarrassing moment?<br />
Aged 13 I made the mistake of taking my mum’s<br />
knickers instead of my Speedo trunks to my school<br />
swimming lesson. After trying to bluff my way out<br />
of the lesson, I was totally humiliated as I was hauled<br />
in front of the awaiting class to hand over my<br />
‘trunks’ to the teacher for inspection.<br />
5 What is your biggest indulgence?<br />
Has to be West Ham - spending too much money<br />
and far too much time on something that provides<br />
far too much disappointment.<br />
6 What would you do if you won the national lottery?<br />
Well I wouldn’t let it change me! As I was sipping<br />
champagne, whilst being fed oysters by the cheeky<br />
girls on my yacht in Monte Carlo.<br />
7 What was the last:<br />
- book you read Not the biggest reader but enjoyed<br />
the Long Firm by Jake Arnott which was recently<br />
adapted for TV<br />
- cd you bought Cheeky Girls – Greatest Hits<br />
- film you watched Doe a Deer a female deer, they<br />
just don’t make them like that any more!<br />
8 Reality TV… what would be your one luxury item?<br />
I would hate to have to choose one of the cheeky<br />
girls, so I’ll go for some kind of radio so that I can<br />
keep track of all the goals West Ham concede.<br />
11
A summer sizzler<br />
This summer was one to remember at <strong>Homerton</strong>, with a<br />
whole host of events for everyone. Including, the evercompetitive<br />
sport’s day; a celebration of diversity that saw<br />
the resurrection of the staff BBQ and a whole host of staff<br />
treating us to traditional food from their countries and/or<br />
traditional performances; even Andy Pandy had time to pop<br />
into Starlight to greet some of the children.<br />
Published by the Press and Communications Department,<br />
1st Floor, Education Centre, <strong>Homerton</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>Hospital</strong> NHS Foundation Trust<br />
Contact the editor Lee Jones on x5035 or lee.jones@homerton.nhs.uk<br />
Visit our website www.homerton.nhs.uk for all the latest news about the Trust.<br />
Designed & produced by<br />
Andrew Younger & Associates<br />
020 8995 8787<br />
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