News@NLaGStaff and members magazine Nov/Dec 2016

Presenting your Our Stars 2016 winners

Winners inside!

Page 3 - Have you had your flu jab yet? OPD Nick Fish has

Page 6 - See all of your 2016 winners Page 18 - Meet the staff on PIU

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Together we care . . .

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Contents3 Serving up new menu choices4 Therapist is finalist in prestigious HSJ awards 5 £1.6m project in endoscopy underway6 Four page our stars winners special 10 Improving services double page spread12 Latest news from our governors14 Staff could win a top prize by completing the national staff survey15 Latest news from the staff lottery and spotlight on staff benefits16 Your feedback17 Health Tree Foundation celebrates its first birthday18 Meet the planned investigation team at Scunthorpe hospital19 Do you feature in our picture round-up?

Sarah fronts M&S Macmillan advertOne of our occupational therapists has fronted an M&S advert for Macmillan.Sarah Hodge was picked from professionals across the country to appear in a campaign to promote the Marks and Spencer partnership with Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Sarah was nominated by the regional Macmillan development manager as a good representative for the difference Macmillan staff make to patients.She was then picked from a handful of people to appear in the video.

Cake galore in aid of charity

Macmillan told us she was selected for her ‘passion’ and ‘warmth’. Sarah said: “I initially felt shocked to have been picked, but feel it is a real privilege and an honour to represent Macmillan, the trust and occupational therapy.”The video was shown during September on the M&S website, on their social media channels and shared via their internal communications channels to their staff. You can watch the video on YouTube at http://ow.ly/glex303Njvo

Growing our own

The Flu Fighters have been out and about ensuring staff have had their flu jabs. Stop the flu virus. Stop him from doing his job before he stops you from doing yours!Think of your patients, family and colleagues. Not had your jab yet but want to? Then contact the occupational health team on SGH/GDH ext 2210 or DPoW 823115.

Don’t forget we are always on the lookout for exciting events and touching tales.If you have something to shout about please let us know. Whether it’s a service improvement, an award win or a cheque presentation - we want to know!The staff/members magazine is bi-monthly with the next issue out in January. If you have a story to share then please let us know by December 9. The magazine is put together by the communications and marketing team.Send your stories to nlg-tr.comms@nhs.net or call 01724 387739 to chat to one of the team.

Get in touch

Occupational therapist Sarah Hodge enjoying a cuppa with Joanna Lumley

Hospital support assistant Tracey Gacem from SGH NICU having her jab

Staff across the Trust cooked up a storm and baked their hearts out in aid of charity. Numerous teams and individuals produced a mountain of mouth-watering delights to raise money for the annual Macmillan world’s biggest coffee

morning. There were a delightful array of cookies, muffins, cakes and gateaux all on offer at a variety of stalls held across the hospitals. Here are just some of the delicious delights that were on sale for the charity.

More choice for patients on the menuPatients can look forward to improved meal choices as we bring in changes to the menu cycles. Our facilities team are set to serve up new and improved meal choices.As of November 1 inpatients are now getting a hot meal on a night time as well as for lunch and those staying for longer periods of time have more variety with the introduction of a three-week cycle of menus.Keith Fowler, head of facilities, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer an improved service with increased choice and more hot selections. We know that food plays a vital part in our patients’ recovery and we have worked with our Trust dietitians to produce new menus in line with hospital food standards and Department of Health recommendations.“We’ve listened to our patients who have asked for more variety when staying for longer periods of time.”The new menus include five sandwich filling choices at lunchtime, five hot meal choices at lunch and three hot choices on an evening. They contain extra energy and protein and the structure of the menu has also been

A new scheme to get young people into work has proven to be a success. Seven teenagers have started administration apprenticeships after completing the Trust’s new traineeship scheme. The first 10-week traineeship programme ran over the summer to give people a taster of what it’s like to work in the NHS.Those on the course got experience on NHS IT systems and completed work experience across all areas in the hospital from surgery and medicine to women and children’s services. On completion of the course they were awarded a customer service qualification and were able to interview for apprenticeships posts at the Trust.Of the 15 on the course seven secured an apprenticeship. A further seven are being supported to find apprenticeships and one person decided the hospital environment wasn’t for them.Rachel Maguire, training and development manager, said: “Our administration teams are a vital function in the health service and play a key role in contributing to our patients’ experience.“We set up the traineeship scheme to grow our own workforce locally while equipping people with the skills they need to start a successful career in the NHS.” Chloe Pattinson, 20, was one of those on the first traineeship programme. She is now working as an apprentice in the medicine department at Scunthorpe hospital. She said the course gave her the confidence to apply for an apprenticeship. She said: “The traineeship taught me so many new things and prepared me to enter the NHS environment. I could finally get my foot in the door and now I am working as an administration apprentice in the medicine group office.”“I have met so many inspirational people and learned how the NHS functions on a daily basis. I also learned about all the hard work each individual does and I’m proud to work for such an amazing organisation”

A hospital support assistant serving up food on Disney ward

revised so the evening meal carries equal nutritional importance to the lunchtime meal. There are also improved vegetable options. Healthier eating options, soft food items which are easy to chew and swallow, gluten free and vegetarian options continue to be incorporated into the menus.The menus are also being published on the Trust’s website for the first time so anybody who has a planned procedure can see what’s on the menu before they come to hospital to see what will be available during their stay. The changes have been brought in without incurring a cost.

Have you had your flu jab yet?

Sahar Biuk has had her jab

Joy Botfield has had her jab

Chloe Pattinson

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Together we deliver . . .

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Together we respect . . .

registered nurse in 1981. She worked in a wide variety of clinical roles across the north of the country, before returning to Lincolnshire in 1997 where she has held a number of senior roles including chief nurse, director of operations and deputy chief executive at Lincolnshire community health services. Throughout her time in management Susan has always kept up her clinical skills and is practising locally in urgent/emergency care. Susan said: “Grimsby is where I started my clinical career within the NHS and I look forward to working within the Trust again. It will be a privilege to work alongside the considerable expertise already in place to ensure it continues to provide high quality care to the local population.”

director came from working as part of a Hull and East Yorkshire community mental health and learning disability trust for seven years.Anne said: “I am very honoured and delighted to have been appointed as Trust chair by the governing body and will do my utmost to fulfil their expectations. My previous experiences as a non-executive director and my earlier career as a nurse will stand me in good stead for this inspiring and exciting role.“The Trust faces many challenges as we move forward with transforming our services while ensuring the highest quality of care we can for our patients.”Sue, who is a nurse with nearly 40 years’ experience in the NHS is from Grimsby. She trained at the Grimsby School of Nursing and qualified as a state

Speech and language therapist Jennifer Benson is heading to London in November as she is a finalist in the prestigious national HSJ awards. She has been selected in the compassionate patient care category for her voice banking project.Voice banking is where a synthesised version of the patient’s voice is produced to be used on a communications device.Jennifer has been helping patients with motor neurone disease (MND), and other neurological conditions, preserve their voices and was the first in the region to

A former nurse appointed as new chair at Trust

Therapist in running for top HSJ awardoffer voice banking to her patients.It’s not the first time Jennifer has been recognised for her work, as last year she was invited to present at an international conference in Orlando, Florida. She was due to find out if she is an HSJ winner on November 23.Karen Pearce, director of care from the MND Association said: “It’s wonderful that Jennifer has been shortlisted and no more fitting a category. Her professionalism, compassion and commitment to using the latest or most suitable communication equipment to

help people living MND has made such a difference to so many families.”

Say hello to two new appointments which have been made to the Trust Board. Anne Shaw, who is no stranger to NLaG having been a non-exceutive director for the past three years, has taken on the role of chair.Sue Cousland has joined the Trust as a non-executive director.Anne has replaced former chairman Dr Jim Whittingham. She is from the East Riding of Yorkshire but began her professional career as a staff nurse working in the A&E department at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.However it was not long before she decided to move closer to home and secured a job as a staff nurse in Hull.Later on her career took a different route and she moved to teaching nurses across Hull and the East Riding. This soon opened doors for her to work as part of Open University, teaching within the health and social care department for about a decade.For six years she was a public sector director for the Doncaster learning and skills partnership. Afterwards she became a director of Aim Higher Humber, working across all four local authorities including East Riding, Hull, North and North East Lincolnshire, supporting and encouraging young people into higher education. Her experience as a non-executive

Work is underway on a £1.6million project which will see the creation of a new dedicated endoscopy unit at Scunthorpe hospital. The new development, which will be located on the Church Lane side of the hospital close to the main entrance, will also see the current lower gastrointestinal (GI) unit redeveloped. The new endoscopy unit, which will replace the existing facility in the coronation block of the hospital, will provide new dedicated outpatient and day case facilities and will be completed later this year. Mr Martin Gough, consultant upper GI and general surgeon, said: “The new unit will be bright, environmentally friendly and welcoming. The layout of the new unit will also improve the patient experience and increase their comfort, privacy and dignity.”

Work underway on endoscopy unit at SGH

Claire Algar, strategy and planning coordinator, in what will be the new unit. She is holding an artist’s impression of what it will look like when complete

New chair Anne Shaw New non-executive director Sue Cousland

Jennifer Benson pictured with patient Greg, who sadly passed away rcently, and his wife Mandy who were the first family to use voice banking

Film to put patients at ease when in hospitalPatients with learning disabilities have produced a video to help others know what to expect when going into hospital.Members of the ‘Time For Action’ and ‘The Thinkers’ group worked with NLaG on the project.It can be a frightening time going to hospital for the first time, so the video sets out what to expect from being referred, receiving your appointment letter in the post, to how to get to the hospital and what happens when you are there. The video follows Robert on his journey from visiting his GP to going an outpatient appointment. Robert Yates plays the starring role. He said: “The idea of the video was to make people feel better about going to hospital. The group was very glad to have the opportunity to make it.”The video is being shared with staff as a training tool and will be posted on various health and social care websites including the Trust’s. Rachel Greenbeck, quality matron with a lead for learning disabilities, said: “People with learning disabilities often have a range of complex needs and

communication difficulties that require extra support or attention as they go about their day-to-day lives.“There is much that we can all do to increase our awareness of these difficulties, especially as most issues that arise for people with learning disabilities are around listening to them and their carers.

“This is why we have been working closely with learning disability groups to find out how best we can improve their experience when they come into hospital for treatment and provide the right support and training for our own staff.” Watch the video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94wiQSbA9Is

From left: Karen Gray, Rachel Greenbeck quality matron, Annabel Tindalel from Healthwatch, Michelle Lakin from the council, Robert Yates, Joanne Barraclough and Jane Barnard

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Compassion in practice

Unsung hero

The Achiever

Meet your Our Stars 2016 winnersMore than 400 staff had their say and cast their votes in choosing this year’s Our Stars. Each October the Trust holds a special evening of celebration where we recognise those stars who have shone the brightest during the previous year. A total of 264 people were nominated, with these shortlisted to 27 finalists.The winners were announced at a special ceremony which celebrated innovation, dedication and those staff who have gone the extra mile in their role.Our Stars 2016 took place at Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort on Friday

The patient’s choiceWard C1 Holles staff

Chief Executive’s AwardLindsay Cooper, HSA team leader

Louise Salt, colorectal/stoma specialist nurse

Lisa Webster, communication officer

Joan Such, staff nurse discharge lounge

Our chief executive Karen Jackson met Lindsay, a team leader, on one of her CEO visits and chose her for this award. Karen said she was enthusiastic, committed and had extremely high standards. Her colleagues held her in high regard. She had fire in her belly, real grit and determination to get the job done to high standards. Dr Karen Dunderdale, deputy chief executive, presented Lindsay with her award as the CEO had unfortunately been unable to attend. She said: “I know Lindsay is supported by a team behind her so I want you all to come up. I want to thank you for your dedication and incredible hard work. You go about your day getting your jobs done, you are a silent force busy getting things done.”Lindsay said: “It is an honour to receive this award, thank you.”

She was nominated because ‘she is compassionate, caring, motivated, forward thinking and strives to provide quality care to her patients at all times’. She is also a visible presence on the ward providing comprehensive compassionate care to the patients. She looks after patients who have had a diagnosis of cancer and ‘the way she cares for the patients is as you want your family member to be looked after. Accepting her award Louise said: “I feel very privileged to be receiving this award. I work with a wonderful team and I wouldn’t be standing here without their support.”

Her nomination read: “Lisa is incredibly resilient, resourceful and full of good ideas as well as a healthy dose of common sense. She undertakes the onerous task of collating and producing the Trust annual report every year and ‘came up with the corker of an idea to a) make good use of staff benefit lottery funds and b) encourage staff to be more active”. Lisa, on receiving her award, said: “I want to thank everyone who voted for me, it means a lot to be standing here tonight. I also want to thank the amazing team I work with. I love being able to champion and raise awareness of the amazing work that goes on within the Trust to the local media and beyond.”

Her ‘sunny personality’ was one of the reasons for her nomination along with her passion for the service and ensuring her patients get a high quality service. Her nominated read: “Joan can see the benefits of the discharge lounge and is constantly battling to get staff to send more patients. She asks the questions that should be asked; for instance do you have a care package in place when you go home, do you have your medication, and is often responsible for arranging transport home for patients. Joan said: “I’m very surprised, I can’t believe I have won. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for the rest of the team.”

Patients and their families nominated teams and individuals for this special award. It’s aim is to recognise those heroes who have created a lasting positive impact on our patients journey through our services. C1 Holles was put forward by a retired nurse with more than 40 years experience for the ‘excellent’ and ‘outstanding’ care provided to her mother who was at the end of her life. The nomination said: “My mother was treated with respect despite her dementia and I saw the difference first-hand in allaying her fears (terrors) by treating her in this kind way. This quality of care seems to stem from the high standard the ward sister sets and it must be a beacon to other wards in the hospital. It really was some of the best nursing care I have seen.” Collecting the award Sarah Rushby, ward sister, said: “We don’t see what we did for this lady as being special, it’s part of what we do every day”

The Innovator

She was nominated for setting up a new radiographer-led service which tests for fertility. A hysterosalpingography (HSG) has traditionally been conducted by a consultant radiologist, but Julie has undertaken the training as the consultant who did the tests has semi-retired. As it is now a radiographer-led service it is far more flexible for the patients. On the night of the awards ceremony, Julie said: “I am absolutely amazed and absolutely delighted to receive this award. It’s not just me, it’s the whole team and we do it for the patients.”

Julie Ireland, radiographer

Lindsay accepts her award from deputy chief executive Dr Karen Dunderdale

Paul Grinell and sponsor James Sutherland from Keyzo with staff from ward C1 Holles

Lisa Webster receiving her award from Jug Johal, director of estates and facilities

Joan Such received her award from medical director Mr Lawrence Roberts

Julie Ireland pictured with Pam Clipson, director of strategy and planning

Louise Salt accepts her award from chief nurse Tara Filby and Steve Radcliffe from Clugston

October 7. The main sponsor for this year’s glittering event was Clugston. During the evening, attended by more than 270 staff, the Trust recognised the outstanding achievements of individuals and teams. Each of the winners took home a framed certificate and a glass trophy. The event was hosted by Neil Rudd, a presenter from BBC Radio Humberside who was the compere for the evening. A raffle held on the night raised a massive £1,600 which will go to the Trust’s own charity, the Health Tree Foundation.

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Rising Star

Team of the Year

Sparkle award

Amy Fletcher, clinical admin assistant

NICU teams at SGH and DPoW

Scunthorpe hospital guides

This award recognises newcomers to the Trust who have already made a difference and are set for a bright future. Amy was nominated as ‘she is only 20 yet she is mature above her years, positive, innovative, reliable and forward thinking, a real shining star’. Her presence at the fluoroscopy clinic has revolutionised working practice and she has made excellent suggestions for improving practice. She always shows a caring nature and maturity beyond her years in dealing with patients and families. Amy said: “I am really shocked. I started as an apprentice and worked my way up. The team have been really supportive.”

The teams were nominated for providing excellent care and supporting all of those around them without question, with continuous discretion, empathy and professionalism. The nomination said there was a strong team ethic and all staff look after not just the babies but each other in a way that drives a positive and innovative culture. They ooze passion for what they do and there is always thank you cards and pictures painted by children on the walls. On receiving the award Belinda Westfield said: “We work with patents who have had their hopes and dreams shattered. We work with them to help them parent and guide them along the way.“ Claire South added: “It’s a passion more than a job.”

This award was to say thank you to our army of volunteers who give a lot to the Trust in terms of time and energy. The nomination for the Scunthorpe volunteer guides said: “They are a magnificent asset to our organisation. They come to volunteer in all weathers, without pay, with a smile and a friendly face to guide people around the hospital. Without this fabulous group of dedicated people our patients, their relatives, new staff and visitors to the hospital would be lost in our hospital corridors. Nothing is ever too much trouble for them.”Volunteer Philip Smith said: “I am so happy to pick up this award on behalf of the rest of the guides.”

Charity champion

Charity chairman David Wedlake said: “It’s a sheer pleasure to be recognised and we’re absolutely delighted to win, especially in the light of the other strong contenders. This comes at a time when Lynn, one of our charity’s most dynamic, hard working Trustees is taking a long deserved retirement after 35 years as an unpaid charity shop manager and secretary so it was doubly pleasing that she was able to receive the award on behalf of the group.” Lynn added: “I’ve not survived cancer because I’m brave. I’ve survived it because I’ve had great treatment.”

Cleethorpes Cancer Support Group

Members of the NICU teams with deputy chief executive Dr Karen Dunderdale

Trust chair Anne Shaw presents the certificate and trophy to volunteer Philip Smith

David and Lynn from the charity with former chairman Dr Jim Whittingham

Amy Fletcher (centre) accepts her award from non-executive director Neil Gammon and Flora Sparling from Listers

Sparkling event to celebrate our stars

A big thank you to our

photographer for the

evening, resuscitation officer

at Scunthorpe hospital Guy

Hageman. You can view his

fabulous pictures of the evening

and buy copies by visiting his

website at: www.guyhageman.

co.uk/

Former chairman Dr Jim Whittingham and wife Margaret were presented with gifts in recognition of Jim’s service to the Trust

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How we are improving services for both our patients and staff

Improvement works starting to take shape at Scunthorpe A&EThe first phase of improvement works to the emergency care centre at Scunthorpe hospital is well underway. Builders have been on site creating a new dedicated entrance for ambulances.Before the works started there was just one main entrance to the emergency department used by both ambulance crews and patients walking in to the department, meaning people with major injuries and the walking wounded are using the same entrance.The additional entrance that is being created will be used by ambulance crews to take patients straight through to the ‘majors’ part of the department. The existing entrance will continue to be used by patients arriving on foot.Consultant in emergency medicine Mr Ajay Chawla said: “Having a dedicated entrance purely for ambulance crews

will ensure a smoother handover of these patients and preserve the dignity of people being brought in as an emergency.The next two phases of the project will see:• A new paediatric waiting area, play

room and consultation room is being created

• Improvements to the reception area will be made to provide easier access to reception staff for disabled patients.

Mr Chawla added: “The new paediatric waiting area will also be a much improved environment for our younger patients and the modified reception desk will make things easier for our disabled patients.”Redecoration and refurbishment works will be carried out alongside the building work. The work is expected to be complete by mid-December.

More than 100 new nurses will soon be donning their uniforms and taking up posts across Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole hospitals this autumn.A total of 102 new starters – both experienced nurses and newly qualified nurses – have swelled the ranks of the nursing team at the Trust.They will be spread across all three of the Trust’s hospitals, as well as in our community services.Chief nurse Tara Filby said: “We have undertaken robust and targeted recruitment campaigns and I am absolutely delighted to welcome these new nurses to our Trust.“These new starters mean for our inpatient wards we will have reduced our vacancy rates by November to the lowest vacancy rate we’ve seen for a long time.”All of the new starters have been put through their paces on Care Camp - a unique initiative introduced at the Trust last year which is a

hands-on clinical education programme to ensure staff are all doing things the ‘NLaG way’.The one-week intensive course aims to ensure the care provided to patients is consistent in quality.Tracy Mortimer is a newly qualified nurse

who is due to start working on the planned investigation unit at Scunthorpe hospital once she completes Care Camp. She said: “I had the option to work in Hull but I chose Scunthorpe hospital as it’s

smaller and seems really friendly. I was in the RAF before a period at home looking after my children but I’m really looking forward to getting started as a nurse.”Vicky Mann, who is due to start working at Grimsby hospital, said: “I live in Grimsby so working at the local hospital is ideal for me. I can see already from the Care Camp sessions that there’s lots of support in place for us.”

All of our job vacancies are available to view and apply for on our website at www.nlg.nhs.uk/careers

102 new nurses on the wayFrom live training exercises testing how staff respond to emergencies to securing thousands of pounds worth of funding, the Trust’s clinical skills and governance midwife is making a real impact on improving quality and safety within maternity services. Andrea Squires joined the Trust in April from Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals where she worked in a similar role within patient safety. Her role at NLaG is a mix of risk and governance and practice development. When she started here she was faced with a backlog of 40 incidents that needed reviewing. She co-ordinated the approach to this so lessons could be learned and reviewed the systems and processes in place. There are now no outstanding incidents and these are all dealt with well within the nationally set time-frames.Andrea sees every incident that comes in on a daily basis and co-ordinates how these are reviewed - either by the clinical review group, perinatal group or a senior clinician. An example of how this has led to improved quality and safety was an incident that identified a need for staff to receive further training on CTG interpretation (monitoring fetal heartbeats). Andrea secured £3,500

in funding to send doctors and midwives on a CTG masterclass. On the practice development side of her role Andrea has introduced live training exercises to see how well staff respond to emergency situations. For example the topic could be a post-partum haemorrhage, a case of eclampsia or perhaps a breech delivery. These scenarios are being tested four times a year, are unannounced and involve an actress to get a real feel for how staff would respond. As part of this training Andrea secured £12,000 of funding to purchase specialist equipment - an interactive pelvis- see page 19 for more information.Andrea said: “Everyone’s been so welcoming and the team have been immensely supportive. Staff have really engaged with the changes and improvements we are making.”

Improving safety in maternity services

The new dedicated ambulance entrance for Scunthorpe’s emergency centre is starting to take shape

Andrea Squires

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Together we speak . . . Together we speak . . .

Governor and members forums are your chance to have a say on local health care and find out about the latest news and developments from across the Trust’s three hospitals and community services. There are sessions held at each hospital site on a quarterly basis which are friendly and informal and a great opportunity for Trust members and the public to ask their governors for information about hospital and community services.Local governors deliver the forums and our new Trust chair, Anne Shaw is hoping to pop along and meet people and provide a Trust update at the next sessions in November. Alison Hurley, membership manager, said: “It’s really important that our local Trust members and public have a chance to engage with their local governors.“These informal forums offer a great opportunity to do just that. We would love to see faces old and new, so please do come along.”People are free to go along for cake and a chat with local governors and get the chance to ask for information about a

Why not pop along for cake, coffee and a chat with your local governors

service or issue that is important to them. As part of the events, governors provide an update on schemes and developments, along with news from across all three hospitals and community services. Anyone who would like to raise specific items for discussion with the governors should contact the Foundation Trust

Sad farewell to two stalwarts

membership office on (01724) 387946 or email nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net to ensure they have the relevant information to hand.The dates for events in November can be found on the Trust website at www.nlg.nhs.uk or check out page 13 of this magazine.

The Council of Governors has said a fond farewell to North Lincolnshire public governors Beryl Allison and Max Withrington. They have stepped down due to health reasons and increased personal commitments.Both governors brought great skills, knowledge and experience to the Council of Governors even though they were from differing nursing and financial backgrounds.Beryl said “I really wanted to make a difference to help staff and patients and give something back now that I am retired from nursing.“Governors are a very valuable asset to the Trust and are truly listened to, which

brings the public and patient voice to the Trust Board.”New governors Chris Bayne, Jeremy Baskett, Janthea Capitani and Cheryl George who were appointed this summer, are all finding their feet quickly. Feedback from them to the membership office has been that they have been impressed with the level of support provided and the helpful induction programme for new governors.They are already involved in many governor activities including undertaking ward reviews, member engagement and recruitment and attending governor and member forums.

Right, are Beryl Allison and Max Withrington

Governors Roy Taylor, Paul Grinell and Rob Pickersgill at a previous member event

Members’ corner

Have your contact details changed?We want to keep in touch with all of our members, so, don’t forget to let us know if your contact details changed including your email address. To update your details send us a quick email to nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net or ring (01724) 387946.

Membership officer Zoe Hinsley (centre) with members of the public Jean Welbourne and Ruth Harvey

Foundation team and governors out and about recruiting members

Bag a Xmas bargain with NHS discounts

ThursdayNovember

243pm to 6pmGovernor member forum, lecture room, Goole hospital

TuesdayNovember 83pm to 5pmGoole members’ drop-in session, Coffee Bean, Goole hospital

WednesdayNovember 92.30pm to 3pmGovernor and member drop-in session, function room one, Civic Centre, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe. 3pm to 5pm, governor and member forum, same venue

ThursdayDecember

133pm to 5pmGoole member drop-in, Coffee Bean, Goole hospital

Dates for your diary

WednesdayNovember2.30pm to 3pmGovernor and member drop-in session, lecture hall, Grimsby hospital.3pm to 5pm, governor and member forum, same venue

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Members of the membership team have been helping the swell the ranks of members at a recent health event. Together with public governor Roy Taylor, the team attended the Goole health day event held in the Courtyard. They held a small stand at the event where they spent time chatting with local residents, and signing up new members to NLaG.Membership manager Alison Hurley said: “The key aim of the session was to promote the benefits of Trust membership, recruit new members and try to ensure we have a representative membership of our population.”She said public governor for Goole and Howdenshire Roy Taylor was on hand to chat to people about his role as a governor, that of the Council of Governors and how members can

Do you like to a bag a bargain? Did you know that Trust members can save money thanks to massive discounts on the Health Service Discounts website?It’s a great place to browse to find exclusive discounts, brilliant deals and money-saving offers. It is totally FREE and simple to join. Register for at www.healthservicediscounts.com and then sit back and enjoy accessing a comprehensive range of discounts, benefits and money off vouchers. These include great savings on weekly shopping, major purchases and holidays. You can also compare deals on such things as gas, electricity, broadband, bank accounts and much more.

Governor Roy Taylor

interact with their local hospital. Other stallholders at the event included the police, Humberside Fire and Rescue, Healthwatch and many more.

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Staff lottery cash prize now at £3,000One lucky person has walked away with a bumper £3,000 thanks to the staff lottery. For the first time since the staff lottery’s inception back in 2013, the monthly prize money has reached £3,000.This is thanks to more than 2,000 staff members who have signed up to the staff lottery.As the number of players increases, so does the monthly prizes on offer. Christine Wharton is the first to win the bigger top prize amount of £3,000.Christine, stroke secondary prevention and support advisor at SGH said: “It’s funny because the day before the draw I said to my colleague ‘I’m going to win that tomorrow’ so when she text me to say I’d won I thought it was a joke. I feel lucky to be the first one to win £3,000.”Are you missing out on winning big? It is easy to join the staff lottery just go to: www.nlg-staffportal.co.uk

Don’t miss the chance to have your say on what it’s like working for NLaG

Scrubs the Bear filling in his staff survey

Only you can tell us how good your working life is. Your feedback is vital to help us understand and change things for the better.Evidence tells us the more engaged staff are, the better your working life becomes and the service you provide to your patients and services users.Every year we take part in the National NHS Staff Survey. This year, instead of only sending surveys to a random selection of staff, everyone will receive one.Jayne Adamson, director of people and organisational effectiveness, said: “This is your opportunity to have your say on what it is really like to work for the Trust. It gives us a chance to hear what your concerns are, what we are doing well and what we can improve on.”ConfidentialityWe know that many you have concerns over the confidentiality of the survey, mainly due to the reminder email you receive. We would like to reassure you that the Trust is not able to link any of your answers to you. We hope the FAQs below provide you with this reassurance:Where do my answers go?All the responses go directly back to an independent survey contractor which administers, collects and collates the surveys. There is no way the Trust can link data back to a particular individual.How do you know I haven’t filled in

my questionnaire? The Trust doesn’t know. The reminder emails are sent by the independent company who conduct the survey on our behalf. It uses barcodes on the questionnaire so that no personal information has to be printed on the document and to ensure that reminders are sent only to those that do notMost staff invited to participate via an email and are provided with a unique password, all the responses are entered directly back into the independent company’s secure online web survey. No one in the Trust ever sees individual responses for any reason.Why is there a unique password?

We need to get a good response rate, 50 per cent plus if possible, and this can only be achieved if those who do not respond are reminded to do so. That is what the unique password is for; it enables the independent company to identify who has responded. The Trust does not know who has replied and who has not; and no Trust EVER receives information about the views of any individual.What would happen if you received my questionnaire?It is illegal for the independent company to give personal data about the views of staff to the Trust. It would break the Data Protection Act.

Prizes galore on offer for staff completing surveyComplete this year’s staff survey and you could win a top prize. An IPad mini, IPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy tablet and a camera up for grabs for the 500th, 1,000th and 1500th person who completes their survey. The independent company which distributes and collates the survey will identify the winners and inform the Trust. Jayne Adamson, director of people and organisational effectiveness, said: “Our staff are the people who know our services inside out and so are best placed to make suggestions for improvements.

“We really want to hear what all of our staff have your say on what it’s like to work here.“We need your views, good or bad on what the environment is like, how you feel about coming to work, whether you are happy with the quality of care provided and if you’d recommend it as a place for treatment for your family and friends.”Make sure you complete your staff survey - either online or via a paper version, to be in with a chance of winning a fantastic prize.

Supporting parents with their childcare

Am I eligible?To be eligible for childcare vouchers, you must:• Be employed (but not self-

employed);• B a UK tax-payer;• Be the parent or legal guardian

of at least one child aged between 0 to 16 years and;

• Use registered childcare.

Do you have a child under the age of 16? If so, you could benefit from the Trust’s childcare voucher scheme, potentially saving you up to £933 a year.Working in healthcare means that sometimes you have to work night-shifts, come in early or leave late, meaning you have to rely on a bit of extra help to care for your child.Childcare can support parents with balancing work and home life and with voucher schemes like the Trust provides, parents can get an extra helping hand towards caring for their children.Childcare vouchers are a tax initiative, designed to help working parents save money on their registered childcare costs. This is done by reducing the tax and national insurance contributions you have to pay from your gross salary.It doesn’t cost you anything to sign up for childcare vouchers and the scheme applies regardless of the rate of tax you pay. You just decide how much money a month you want to pay towards your childcare which then pays for your vouchers at a discounted price than what you would pay direct to the childcare

provider.What’s more, both parents can request vouchers on childcare such as nurseries, nannies, childminders and out of school clubs among others.Also, the voucher scheme is not just for young children before school age, you can sign up and receive vouchers to help pay for children aged up to 16.To join, visit the staff portal and make sure you have your payroll and national insurance numbers (you can find these on a recent payslip) and your employer’s scheme ID, which you can get from the HR department. For more information and to see the Trust’s other staff benefits, visit the staff portal on www.nlg-staffportal.co.uk.

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My wife and myself have both received treatment for cataract replacement and on very visit to the hospital we have been dealt kindly and courteously. We are always impressed by the efficient service we receive. It’s quite impressive and we have no hesitation in commending the service to our similarly aged friends and acquaintances. Do keep up the good work. It’s an invaluable benefit to us older folk. Frank and Mavis Jenkins, South Cave.

Via the Trust website

We collect feedback from our patients and visitors from a variety of sources including our social media sites, via the ‘contact us’ form on our website and our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).Send your compliments and thank-you letters to PALS by email at nlg-tr.pals@nhs.net or via our website at www.nlg.nhs.uk/contact. You can also talk to us on social media: just search for NHSNLaG, scunny hospital, grimsby hospital or goole hospital to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

On social mediaJudith Braithwaite: “I would just like to thank the neonatal intensive care unit at SGH. It is thanks to the nurses, doctors and consultants for their care and dedication that made it possible for me to celebrate my son’s 18th birthday on 7/10/16. My son spent three months on the unit born at 29 weeks thank you so much.xx”

@nicouils: “@ScunnyHospital Been to A&E this morning. In & out in 90 mins with suspected meniscal tear. Booked into fracture clinic tomorrow. Thanks.”

@YorkshirePete: “Thanks to all the staff especially Helen at #CCDU @GrimsbyHospital As you would say I’m home and “as well as can be expected.”

Thanks to SGH for the support and care given to people with special needs and learning difficulties. A day surgery specifically for special needs patients was perfect for my brother who has Down syndrome and dementia. The whole experience was built around making patients and families feel relaxed and stress free. Special mention to the amazing nursing staff who were brilliant in there care and support.

Margie Challoner: “My 17-year-old son is here in Grimsby attending college. On Wednesday he brought himself to A&E were he was admitted to ward B2. He has been treated really well by all the staff. I drove here on Wednesday from Liverpool to find out he was having his appendix out Thursday morning. All the staff have been so friendly and caring . Thank you to Nicola Griffiths for putting me at ease while Callum was in theatre. You really did ease my nerves. Can’t thank you all enough.”

From Aisha Auckland: I attended A&E at Grimsby with my daughter. She was poorly but in typical little person fashion made a magical recovery when the doctor saw us. The doctor was just brilliant. He reassured me that although I felt silly I did the right thing taking her and not to worry next time if I felt I needed to bring her back. As a parent sometimes the fear of going to the emergency department holds you back as you don’t want to waste the department’s time or have your child out late at night. He was just lovely about it and reassured me he would rather see us going home than for it to be she was very poorly and left at home longer than needed. The department was not that busy and I’m sure word had got round about my outburst at the idiots swearing in the waiting room something beyond the hospital’s control. But I sharply put them in line reminding them I was there with a sick child and not in a local bar and their blue language shouldn’t be used around my daughter. Not sure what some people think the hospital is for bit it’s certainly not that. I digress I want to thank the doctor as he reassured me well enough to get home and relax through the evening (well he and the fact my daughter perked up and wanted to play at 1am). If more of the doctors in the hospital were like him it would truly be a wonderful and speedy process during some of the most worrying times. From Clare Smith: I attended the gynaecology outpatients department at Scunthorpe hospital on Wednesday 3 August 2016. I would just like to pass on my compliments and say thank you to the members of staff involved in my treatment, who were all so friendly that I was put at ease straight away.

Patient feedback

Wishes come true as charity celebrates first birthdayThe Health Tree Foundation - the Trust’s official charity - is celebrating its first birthday this month.Did you know that in its first 12 months it has:• Received more than 300 wishes for

funding• Invested in excess of £600,000

in equipment, improving the environment and training.

Partnership manager Victoria Winterton,

Autumn is here and whether we like it or not, Christmas is fast approaching. The Health Tree Foundation is calling on staff and members of the public to back its festive campaign to get people to wear Christmas jumpers. Victoria Winterton, partnership manager, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Christmas jumper day on Friday December 16. “We are encouraging staff and local people to don their Christmas jumpers and donate to The Health Tree Foundation.”Members of the charity will be out and about on the day taking snaps of people in their festive woollies. Victoria said: “We may even bring some Christmas treats for you all along the way.”

The Health Tree team will be on hand to help people fundraise and want to hear from teams and individuals backing this fun day. The charity has more festive fundraising opportunities on the way (which they will share with people in the weekly bulletin and on the Hub). They also want to hear from people about how they would like to celebrate the festive season and support the Health Tree Foundation. Whether it’s a Santa run, a Christmas fair or a mince pie bake off, contact the Health Tree team and they would be delighted to support you take your idea forward.Call them on (01472) 874111 ext 1009 or email hello@healthtreefoundation.org.uk

who heads the team, said: “It is has been an incredibly busy 12 months with one of our core tasks condensing the number of charitable pots across the hospital and community services, promoting our Circle of Wishes and helping to make them come to life.“I would like to say a big thank you to all the staff across NLaG and for helping us to achieve so much in such a short space of time.”

Call to don a jumper for charity

Here’s how we have helped over the last year

Tiny tots in the child development centre are standing tall thanks to Humberston Lions. They donated £4,400 to buy specialist chairs and standing frames.

Scunthorpe League of Friends donated more than £2,500 to purchase an Accuvein device for the ambulatory care unit at SGH. The device allows staff to shine a light onto a patient’s arm to help identify veins easily when giving injections.

Christmas came early for surgeons at Goole hospital when they took delivery of a new £52,000 electric operating table. It was purchased after a wish was submitted to the charity.

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Planned investigation unit, Scunthorpe

The planned investigation unit takes referrals from

hospital consultants and GPs and is open from 7.30am on Mondays to 7pm on Fridays.

Meet the team

Above: Members of the planned investigation unit

Picture box

The Union Jack flag is flying high again at Scunthorpe hospital thanks to a kind donation from the League of Friends. They have purchased a brand new flag for the hospital which is at the Cliff Gardens side. Made of military issue fabric the flag will be flying permanently but will be lowered to half-mast on Remembrance Day and upon the death of an employee.Harold Edwards, treasurer from the League of Friends said: “Many of us in the League have lost loved ones in combat and feel it’s important to remember those who have passed away. It was sad that on these special days the flag was not looking its best.”

The first cohort of the quality, service improvement and redesign

course (QSIR) have graduated with flying colours. Receiving their

certificates and prized ‘orange lanyards’ are (from third on left) Lisa

Webster, marketing and communications officer, Jenny Brown, job

title, and Di Hughes, xxxxxxxx. Also pictured are course leaders Jeremy

Daws and Angie Davies and executive sponsor Dr Karen Dunderdale.

Lottery winner for January??????

District nurse Christine Hankins (second from left) has been awarded a ‘top

nurse’ accolade from the University of Hull. Formerly a community staff nurse

Christine graduated with first class honours after studying for a year for a

specialist community practitioner qualification. She’s now working as a district

nurse in the Scunthorpe South locality and has around 100 patients on her

caseload. Out of 15 students on her course she was picked as the winner of

the prestigious Queen’s Nursing Institute award: the Philip Goodeve-Docker

Memorial Prize 2015 for Outstanding Achievement. As well as the accolade she

received a £50 prize and a certificate.

Harold Edwards and Anne Vause-Brown from the Scunthorpe League of

Friends present sweets to A&E staff nurse Sarah Woolhouse. The league

have kindly agreed to keep the department stocked up so that any children

attending the department can be given a sweet to cheer them up during

their treatment.

Get in touchAre you organising a cheque presentation on your ward/department? Then get in touch with the communications team on (01724) 387739 and let us know so we can pop along with our camera.

Picture box

Labour ward coordinator Diane Jarvis, clinical skills and governance midwife Andrea Squires, clinical simulation lead Liam Wilson and operational matron Karen Cross proudly display new equipment for training staff. Maternity has secured £12,000 to buy equipment to ensure doctors, midwifery and healthcare support staff are appropriately trained to respond to obstetric emergencies. The cash has come from the Yorkshire and Humber Clinical Skills Network. The equipment includes a caesarean section module, and a postpartum haemorrhage module, ensuring multidisciplinary use of the training equipment.

Welcome to Paul Fieldhouse. He has relocated from Northumberland to Scunthorpe to take up his new position as chief pharmacist and clinical lead for medicines optimisation. Originally born in Lincoln, Paul trained as a pharmacist in Sunderland and went on to achieve further diplomas in pharmacy and therapeutics from Keele and Newcastle universities.He has owned a community pharmacy, written health guidelines and helped to support the development of national pharmacy policies. Most recently he has worked as a clinical director and chief pharmacist for the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust.

Toddlers who visit DPoW will now be better supported thanks to speech

therapist Eleanor Whitfield, who made a wish to the Health Tree Foundation

for new resources for supporting language development in paediatrics. The

charity has bought some new Pictoys which are unique resources that are part

pictures and part toys.

From witnessing live surgery in theatres to helping out on the wards,

Grimsby students from Franklin College have been getting hands-on

experience at DPoW over the summer holidays on a clinical placement

which helps to bridge the gap between education and work by giving

access to real experience. Through the programme students are paired

with mentors who support them before, during and after their internship

experience. Nine students from the college, who are all about to go into

their second year of A levels, spent time in paediatrics, theatres and out on

the wards.

Get in touchAre you organising a cheque presentation on your ward/department? Then get in touch with the communications team on (01724) 387739 and let us know so we can pop along with our camera.

Members of the community and therapy management team who work

in Brigg’s Scawby House were delighted when Trust CEO Karen Jackson

and chief nurse Tara Filby paid them a visit. The duo chatted with the team

about the forthcoming CQC visit which is scheduled for November. It was

a supportive informative visit. Dawn Daly, head of therapies and interim

assistant chief operating officer for community and therapy services, said:

“We were all really pleased to see Karen and Tara. It was a really informal

and informative get together.”

A nurse-led unit is making a massive difference to a range of surgical and medical patients by providing a one-stop shop for their treatment or diagnostic tests.The planned investigation unit at Scunthorpe hospital may only have nine overnight beds but it sees a lot more patients who walk in for their treatment and go home the same day. It has five side rooms with a total of nine beds. There is also a waiting room, a treatment area,and two seated areas where patients can sit while they have their treatment, or to recover. There are also three twin bays used for a range of procedures and recovery including cardiology. There is also a respiratory area where specialist nurses carry out clinics daily. Unit sister Brenda Pownall said: “We might not have 30 beds on our unit, but we can have nine patients in our beds with numerous more being cared for in chairs who are under the care of several different consultants.“We also have patients who have been referred by their GPs for tests, or infusions.”Deputy sister Vicky Bailey said: “People have this misconception that we are not busy on the unit, but we are flat out

every day. “We may not have the same volume of inpatient beds, but the services we provide ensure patients come to our unit as a day case, receive the treatment and care they need and we discharge them the same day. This is to avoid them taking up a bed on a general ward.”The team, which is made up of 10 nurses and seven healthcare assistants, does not have its own doctor. Instead, a multitude of consultants all use the unit. The nursing team preassess patients, as well as discharge. They provide services for the following specialities: cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, immunology, respiratory, renal, urology, general surgery, general medicine, haematology and neurology.Vicky said: “We carry out a vast array of tests and diagnostics, such as a cardioversion which is where we give the patient a general anaesthetic on the unit, stop their heart and restart it. “We also assist with angios, transoesophageal echocardiograms, fine needle aspirations, endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatographys, biopsies of the liver and lungs.“We also prep patients for lumbar punctures, carry out glucose tolerance

tests, insulin stress tests, infuse patients with such

things as iron, zolendronic acid and immunoglobulins.Vicky said: “It is really mixed, and no two days are the same.”Staff nurse Debbie Bell, who has worked on the unit for the last year, said: “I have worked on other wards across the Trust but fancied a change so opted for PIU. I couldn’t believe how busy it is. I love it though as we see such a different variety of people coming through the doors.”She said it also enabled her to get the chance to learn new skills, and assist with procedures a nurse wouldn’t normally do on a general ward. She said: “I was working with one of our cardiologists recently and I got to see vegetation round the heart (endocartis) which you wouldn’t normally get the chance to see.”Vicky added: “It is a great place to work as there is a real team feeling to the unit. We might not be a 30-bed ward but we do see a lot of patients.”