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(Title)

Happy 70th Birthday to QE Hospital - see page 3

May 2018

Spot the signs of delirium

pg 10

Hip hip hooray for QE surgery team

pg 9pg 4

A trip down memory lane

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Welcome

News in briefPet therapy dog is championBella the Border Terrier, who visits our patients every week, has won a prestigious award at Crufts. Bella is one of our Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs and came second place in the HiLife PAT Dog of the Year award at Crufts. She regularly visits patients at our Jubilee Wing and Cragside to brighten up their day.

The dogs bring real comfort and companionship to patients and are kindly brought along to the hospital by Pamela and David Coombes, volunteers from PAT. This national charity provides therapeutic visits by volunteers and their pet dogs and cats to hospitals, hospices, nursing and care homes.

Government praise for QE schemeA scheme at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, which aims to review the deaths of patients, has been praised by the Government for involving families and building a culture of constant improvement. The praise comes from the Department of Health (DoH), as it announced that NHS Trusts must publish data on how many patient deaths might have been caused by problems in care, meaning that Trusts learn from patient deaths and ensure that families are listened to.

Musicians strike the right note with patientsPatients and staff have been enjoying musical treats in the shape of performances by Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS). The musicians visited the Emergency Care Centre and gave a performance outside Costa. They then gave another exclusive performance on one of the hospital’s older persons’ wards. The amazing performance by a string quartet of musicians brightened the day of patients and staff alike on ward 22, as they spent a relaxing afternoon listening to classical sounds.

Welcome to the May edition of QE News, your foundation trust membership magazineWelcome to QE NewsFinally it seems that we are emerging from one of the most challenging winters on record. During the cold end to 2017 and in the first few months of 2018 we have seen our services come under unprecedented demand.

Over the winter, which is always a very busy time for the NHS, we’ve seen a rise in the number of people coming into A&E for emergency treatment and the proportion of those people with the most serious issues has also increased.

At times our staff have really felt the strain and I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone at the trust for working so hard in often very challenging conditions.

During the winter more people get ill and need hospital treatment which can put a real strain on the whole NHS system. This is because of colder weather making symptoms worse and seasonal illnesses like flu making more people unwell or complicating their existing medical conditions.

To help cope with this we put a number of plans in place and invested around £1.2m to look after patients during the winter surge. Despite the challenges faced right across the NHS our frontline teams in Gateshead have continued to perform well and provide a high standard of care for people both in hospital and out in the community.

It has also been a time of reflection and celebration as 2018 marks the 70th birthday of the NHS and our own 70th anniversary since the hospital was first opened in 1948.

To mark this special occasion we took the opportunity to welcome some special guests to the hospital and show them the new, state of the art, technology we now have here on site. Attendees included two of the first babies born here at the hospital as well as one of our longest serving volunteers, who has been here since the 1950s.

Much has changed since then of course and while the buildings and medical technology may be unrecognisable the one thing that has remained is the values we share at the Queen Elizabeth, because patient care has always been at the very heart of everything we do.

You can read more about our celebrations and see a fascinating history of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on pages 3 and 4.

Although much of the media attention and comment about the NHS focuses on A&E, there is so much more to a modern hospital than that. Many more people will actually be treated in the community, as an outpatient or when having minor operations at our purpose-built surgery centre. We’re very proud of the centre and you can read one man’s journey to recovery on page 9.

Finally, one of our teams has been working hard to help patients, families and the public spot the signs of a common, but often misunderstood medical condition (page 10). Would you know how to spot the signs of delirium in a loved one or understand what to do if you did? Our doctors have made a fantastic new video with expert advice as part of their work with patients and relatives so don’t miss it.

Ian Renwick

Chief Executive

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News

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The hospital was opened on 18 March 1948 – so, on our birthday we lit up the Millennium Bridge in NHS blue to mark the occasion.

We also hosted some VIP guests in our Pathology Centre to mark our special birthday and to show them the new, state-of-the-art technology we have here on site.

Guests included Margaret Jobson (who is one of our governors) and Alexander Clarke, who were both among the first babies born here at the QE back in 1948. George Law, one of our longest serving volunteers who has been here since the 1950s, was also in attendance.

George said: “It was great to be invited along and be part of the celebrations. Seeing all of the new technology in pathology was fascinating and it is amazing to think of what technology will be there in another 70 years.”

Julia Hickey, Chairman at QE Gateshead, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 70 years since we were honoured by a visit by the Queen Mother to officially open our hospital. Back in 1948 the QE had just 110 beds and 34 maternity beds, but our site has changed dramatically over the years and now expands across the borough. Today, our modern, state-of-the-art facilities include our £12m Pathology centre of excellence, where we hosted this special event.

“While there have been a lot of changes here over the years, patient care has always been at the heart of everything we do and I’d like to thank all of our staff for their commitment and hard work. We have a lot to be proud of here at the QE – here’s to the next 70 years!”

Happy 70th birthday to the QE

This year the NHS turns 70 – and we’re also celebrating 70 years since the Queen Mother officially opened the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

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Over the difficult war years, the QE gradually grew and by 1948 the hospital had 110 beds and 34 maternity beds. The site also included a two-storey central administrative block in which there was residential accommodation, outpatient departments and staff dining rooms. There was also a theatre with its own anaesthetic room, and an x-ray department.

Back in 1948, student nurses on night duty all lived at Bensham Hospital. Other student nurses, together with sisters and staff nurses, were housed in a ward converted into cubicles at the QE. Trained staff were able to be non-resident if they wished and worked a three-shift pattern.

On 18 March 1948, we were honoured with a visit by the Queen Mother to officially open our hospital.

A trip down memory lane….The QE started as a fever hospital as part of a pre-war hospital centralisation scheme. A general hospital was later built on the same site. In December 1943, the maternity unit was opened. Some of our first patients in the general wards were expectant mothers evacuated from London in the autumn of 1944.

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Membership Office contact informationThe Membership Office can be contacted

by post to: FREEPOST NAT14353 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust Queen Elizabeth Hospital Sheriff Hill Gateshead NE9 6BRby telephoning: 0191 445 3713 (voicemail available out of working hours)

via email to: ghnt.foundation.enquiries@nhs.net

Membership

MAY

23

JUNE

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Calendar of eventsCOUNCIL OF GOVERNORS’ MEETING

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 10.00 am

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 9.30 am

MEDICINE FOR MEMBERS’ – HIP REPLACEMENTS

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital from 6.15 pm to 8.00 pm.Registration opens at 5.30 pm where refreshments will be served

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 9.30 am

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 9.30 am

COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS’ ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 10.00 am

MEDICINE FOR MEMBERS’ – HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS

Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital from 6.15 pm to 8.00 pm.Registration opens at 5.30 pm where refreshments will be served

JULY

11

JULY

25

SEPT

25

SEPT

26

OCT

24

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Membership

At the Council of Governors’ meeting in April 2017, the governors approved the Trust’s Quality Account Indicator and were given routine assurance reports on finance and performance.

At the end of May, two governors will be attending NHS Providers Governor Focus Conference. They will be given presentations on the key issues for the NHS provider sector with emphasis on the areas relevant to Councils of Governors, feedback from a Trust on how Councils of Governors are working together and an overview of NHS highlights to celebrate the 70th Birthday of the NHS.

At the Council of Governors’ meeting in May 2017, the governors will be receiving briefings on the patient survey and the staff survey and will receive an update on the Trust’s Complaints, Litigation, Incident and PALS Report.

Governors have also received in-house training on the CQC Well Led inspections and the role of governors, and an update on the work of QE Facilities.

Papers for the Council of Governors meetings can be viewed on the Trust’s website http://www.qegateshead.nhs.uk/governormeetings

Your Governors - Working For YouSince the last newsletter, governors have again been busy. They have met once as a Council of Governors and have attended the Blaydon Walk In Centre and Blaydon Library to recruit and engage with members. Governors also attended the hospital’s Outpatients Department to promote membership and engage with patients.

Nomination forms will be available in late September for members who are interested in standing to become a governor.

The Council of Governors is made up of 32 governors, 23 of whom are elected by the members, made up of patients, staff and the public.

They provide members’ views on future hospital developments to the Board of Directors, represent members

and provide feedback to the constituencies, appoint the chair and non-executive directors, and act as a general ambassador for the Trust.

Further information on the timescales will be included in the next issue newsletter. However, in the meantime if you have any questions about becoming a governor please contact the Membership Office on 0191 4453713 or via email to ghnt.foundation.enquiries@nhs.net

Who can be a governor of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust? YOU can!!

FANCY BEING A GOVERNOR?

The governors are beginning to hold regular information stands throughout the hospital, to talk to and engage with patients and members of the public.

Governor Information StandsGovernors will be available on the following dates::

Come along and have a chat with the governors and share your views of the hospital, or find out more about being a member or standing in the elections to become a governor.

Thursday 31st May 2018Emergency Care Centre (outside of Costa)

10.00 am to 2.00 pm

Tuesday 12th June 2018QE Outpatients Department

10.00 am to 12.30 pm

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Membership

As many members will know, we have been running Medicine for Members events for a number of years.

MEDICINE FOR MEMBERS EVENTSThese events are a way for members to find out about health topics and the excellent work of the clinical teams within the hospital. At these events, members are encouraged to ask questions and responses are provided by clinicians or medical staff present.

Recent comments from attendees have been:

The next two events are as follows:

All events are held in the Lecture Theatre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital from 6.15 pm to 8.00 pm.

For further information or to book a place at any of the events, please either call the Membership Office on 0191 4453713 or via email to ghnt.foundation.enquiries@nhs.net. The events can also be viewed on the membership pages of the Trust’s website at www.qegateshead.nhs.uk/events.

Chairman, Julia Hickey, welcomes members to a Medicine for Members event

Excellent throughout, very informative – thank you!

A very passionate presentation. It was thoroughly informative and very enjoyable. Best presentation I’ve seen at the QE.

Excellent presentation, well delivered and easy to understand. The presenter covered the subject well and answered all questions to satisfaction. Another success for QE.

Hip ReplacementsWednesday 11th July 2018

Healthcare Associated InfectionsWednesday 24th October 2018

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Membership

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They can either complete the membership application form

online at http://www.qegateshead.nhs.uk/apply or

contact the Membership Office direct for an application

form. This can be done by telephoning 0191 4453713 or

sending an email to ghnt.foundation.enquiries@nhs.net.

Once their completed application form is received, we will confirm their membership and send out a membership card.

Go on – why not introduce a friend today!

Do you have any family or friends who would like to become a member? If yes, it’s easy for them to join.

Introduce a Friend

Send us your email addressesMembers can receive their copy of QE News either by post, by email or by accessing a copy on the Trust’s website.

However, we are always looking at ways to improve how we keep in touch with members. To assist this, we would be grateful if you could send us your email address so that we can send future communications – including QE News – to you electronically.

Over 1,400 members have already supplied the Membership

Office with an email address. However, a number of these

emails are no longer in use. If you have supplied us with

an email address and it needs updating, please let the

Membership Office know.

If however, you would like to receive a posted copy of the

newsletter and currently do not receive it this way, then

please contact the Membership Office to request this.

MemberPlease contact the Membership Office on

0191 445 3713 if this card is found or to confirm

the identity of the person presenting it

Membership CardAs a member you should have received a membership card.You can use this card to receive discount in the restaurants at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Bensham Hospital.

If you haven’t got a membership card and would like to request one please contact the Membership Office.

Membership discountsMembers of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust can access a range of discounts from Health Service Discounts and Red Guava.

Previously known as NHS Discounts

There are a number of discounts available via the website www.healthservicediscounts.com from fashion to leisure and entertainment, and from holidays to retail stores.

To access the discounts you will need to register online. For details of how to do this, please contact the Membership Office on 0191 445 3713 or via email to ghnt.foundation.enquiries@nhs.net

You can also receive a number of benefits and services via the online Red Guava Benefit Scheme.

The Red Guava website offers discounts from a number of retailers on such things as activities, health, finance, motoring, shopping and travel.

If you would like to register for this scheme, please contact the Membership Office on 0191 445 3713 or via email to ghnt.foundation.enquiries@nhs.net. You will then be sent a username and password for the Red Guava website.

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News

Dr Martin Emms, a researcher at Newcastle University, was always a keen sportsman and listed sky diving among his many hobbies until a problem with his hip began to affect his mobility. He opted for a total hip replacement at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Surgery Centre in the summer of 2017.

And after just over a month in recovery he found he was able to walk considerable distances and conquered Cat Bells, a fell in the Lake District - a feat that would have proved impossible before he had his surgery.

Martin says: “I am very happy with the results of my operation. It is hard to believe that only five weeks after the operation, we climbed Cat Bells in the Lake District (4.7 miles and 1200ft climb). I can now walk six miles without pain, where before I had lots of pain walking just 400 metres.”

“In the first days after the operation, all movement was painful and incredibly slow. Recovery strategy was to do small walks, little and often, starting slowly I did a little bit more each day. We started with half mile walks and increased the distance slowly each day. By four weeks we were walking between five and eight miles a day.”

Martin adds: “Anyone considering hip replacement surgery should be reassured that the results are fantastic.”

“The staff at the QE were fantastic. I was confident and relaxed because at every point they were telling me what to expect and what was going on, the care I received could not be better, I have nothing but praise for all the staff at the QE.”

Anna Richardson, Ward Manager, said “Patient experience is central to our philosophy of care at the QE Hospital so we’re thrilled that Martin had such a positive experience with us and has now returned to doing the activities that he enjoys. It’s heartening to see how this type of surgery, followed up with expert after-care, can help people like Martin to live their lives to their fullest. Our aim is to encourage future patients to return to things they have struggled with due to joint problems, and to reassure patients that they can recover to full strength and enjoy all the activities that were affected by their conditions.”

The Peter Smith Surgery Centre was designed and built to provide patient care in a 21st century environment at the QE Hospital. Built at a cost of £13.3m, the centre has 60 in-patient beds, four operating theatres and a 16 patient day case space. The surgery centre deals with all day case work as well as in-patient orthopaedic cases (ranging from minor hand and feet procedures to major primary and revision joint replacement) and gynaecology cases (including major abdominal hysterectomy.)

A local action man is well on the road to recovery and has taken up the activities he loves again, despite having a total hip replacement just months ago – thanks to both his determination and the care and dedication of local NHS staff.

Hip hip hooray for QE surgery team

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Focus on

Focus on…deliriumWould you know if a loved one had delirium?Dr Catherine Kirkley, Consultant Old

Age Liaison Psychiatrist, says: “Delirium

is something we encounter frequently

in hospital. Typically, a relative or carer

will notice that the person has become

confused over the space of a day or two,

they may be sleepy or agitated and have

difficulty concentrating.

Hallucinations are common and can be very distressing

and frightening for both patients and carers alike. Most

of all people worry that their relative will not return to

their usual self.

In Gateshead we have a fantastic mental health liaison

team for older people in the QE who are working with

people with delirium and their families every day.

Our patients are often surprised to meet a mental health

nurse or doctor in a general hospital, but value the

support our team are able to provide in helping them to

understand what is happening to them. In some cases

the symptoms can persist for some time and here we

are able to handover to our community team for

ongoing care.

Although anyone can get delirium older people, people

living with dementia and patients in intensive care have

the greatest susceptibility. In fact, international studies

show that up to 1 in 4 older hospital patients will get

delirium.

It’s important to say that delirium is different from

dementia. Delirium comes on quickly and usually resolves

over days whereas dementia develops slowly over many

months and mostly cannot be reversed.

To watch our video on delirium go to

www.qegateshead.nhs.uk/delirium-video

Symptoms • Confusion

• Changes in alertness

• Lack of concentration

• Disorientation

• Rambling speech

• Changes in behaviour

• Changes in sleep patterns

• Mood swings

• Hallucinations

• Delusions

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Charitable Funds

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QE Charitable Funds has funded essential new equipment for lung cancer patients at the QE Hospital in Gateshead.The new Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) machine has a vital role in the investigation of patients with lung cancer. The procedure can both diagnose the type of lung cancer and accurately stage the disease. This reduces the number of diagnostic tests a patient needs, which can be more invasive and may require patients to attend another hospital in the region.

Sue Longstaff, Michelle Barclay and Sarah Straughan, lung cancer specialist nurses at QE Gateshead added: “Finding out that you have cancer is a very difficult and worrying time for all patients. EBUS helps people who are going through this experience by providing a quicker diagnosis and eliminating the need to travel for more invasive procedures. Patients can get a diagnosis from one, less invasive procedure, at the same hospital, which will make a huge difference to their care. We would like to thank QE Charitable Funds for donating the much needed funding for this equipment.”

QE Charitable Funds provided £112,000 funding for the EBUS equipment. The charity aims to raise money to provide additional comforts, care or experiences for the direct benefit of patients and their families beyond that which the NHS provides. Through fundraising, the charity is able to touch the lives of thousands of people at the hospital every year.

Charity funds equipment for lung cancer care

QE Charitable Funds is raising awareness of the vital work it does with a new advertising campaign. The NHS hospital charity touches the lives of thousands of people at the QE in Gateshead every year. It does this by raising money to provide additional comforts, care or experiences for patients and families beyond that which the NHS provides.

To help raise awareness about how to fundraise, or find out more about the important work the charity does, there is now more information about QE Charitable Funds around the hospital. This includes new lift signage just outside Costa in our ECC, as well as new posters around the site.

Charity gives its advertising a lift

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Support your local hospitalQE Charitable Funds is the official charity of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, where your generosity helps hundreds of patients each year. To donate, simply:

Go online www.justgiving.com/qegateshead

Visit on site At the cashiers desk at the front of the hospital or by using the donation envelopes on the wards

By text Text GHFT01 to 70070 to donate £5.00

Thank you for your donation. Without the support of people like you we could not enhance the experience we provide for our patients.

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