Sharing news about the Trust directly with staff and public members | Number 241 | November 2012

www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/mainstream.shtml

Face of hospital retiresBrian Langstaff retires this month – page 7

MainstreamSee backpage...

Car sharing and survey winners 10At their best: Estates and Facilities 6Well done to Paul Gilbert and his teams

Doing it by the BICSc

8New training facilityunveiled as Trustmaximises audit tools

News from the Board 12A report from the Chair and a profile ofone of the Board members

A prefectstart toChristmas!

16Other newsSuccessful careers fair ..............4New appraisal paperwork .........6Clinical portal news ..................7Free parking for patients.........10Lose 2,013lbs in 2013! ...........12Hopper stops at North Station 13

RegularsHow long will I wait?..............13In the diary.....................13 & 15Twitter news .............................4Letters | Emails | Your views ....15National news.........................11People news .............................7Sixty seconds interview ...........14Briefly for staff .................6 & 12

page 2 | Mainstream

Contents

Senior Infection ControlNurse Heather Dakin hasthanked everyone who

took part in Infection ControlWeek, 15-19 October.

More than 300 staff visitedthe stands and did the quizzesat Essex County (above) andColchester General hospitals.

Heather said: “It was agreat opportunity to meet col-leagues and make them awareof all the good things we haveachieved in recent years inrelation to infection control.”

Chief Executive Dr GordonCoutts said: “We have a goodtrack record in infection controlbut there is no room for com-placency. We need to be as vigi-lant as ever to protect patients.So a huge thank you to theteam for their enthusiasm andto all staff for the role they playin reducing infections.”

Meanwhile, visitors, staffand patients are being askednot to come to hospital if theyare suffering from diarrhoea orvomiting. Fordham Ward atColchester General Hospitalwas closed for six days thismonth on the recommenda-tion of the Infection ControlTeam, following confirmedcases of Norovirus (winter vom-iting) and four bays wereclosed on two other wards fora while too. All areas havenow had a “high clean”.

People should stay awayfrom hospital until they havebeen symptom-free for 48hours. Winter vomiting is veryinfectious and can be spreadquickly through close contact.

i Read more on our website: www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/infection_control.shtml

Don’t over do it

On 19 November, theAntibiotic ManagementTeam visited wards and

departments, promoting theprudent use of antibiotics, as partof European Antibiotic AwarenessDay, an EU initiative supported bythe Department of Health. Misuseof antibiotics may cause patients tobecome colonised or infected withMRSA. Their misuse is alsoassociated with an increasedincidence of C diff infections.

Infection Control/AntibioticNurse Vicky Bywater said: “The keymessage to patients and visitors isthat antibiotics will not cure a coldor viral infection and are totallyinappropriate in those situations.With staff it’s to remind themabout our antibiotic prescrib-ingpolicies and guidelines and howthey contribute towards the Trust’shighest priority of patient safety.”

i More information on theintranet under News

Antimicrobial e-learning

The antimicrobial e-learningpackage for nursing staff (seeSeptember’s Mainstream) is

now “live” on Moodle*. There aretwo packages – one for doctorsand one for nurses. All staffinvolved in the prescribing, supplyand administration of antibioticsmust update their training oncurrent issues every three years.

i *Moodle is found here: elearning.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/

From left: AntibioticSecretary Chloe Cummings,Team Secretary LouisaEfstratiou and HeatherDakin, raise awarenessaround safe invasive devicemanagement

From left: Heather withChristine Wilkinson,Catheter passportProject, and Judy Cecil,Continence andUrology Manager atAnglian CommunityEnterprise (ACE)

Infectioncontrol week

November 2012 | page 3

Helen Thompson, who are allbased at Colchester GeneralHospital, and diabetes special-ist nurses Sheila Smyth andJanette Streeting from ACE,were presented with certifi-cates at the awards ceremonyin Guildford, Surrey, on 18October.The Diabetes QiC pro-

gramme is a partnership tosupport the 2.8 million people

in the UK with the conditionand includes Diabetes UK,NHS Diabetes and the Depart-ment of Health.Its aim is to recognise and

disseminate innovations byindividuals, health care teamsand collaborative projects thatbring real benefits for patients,while promoting joint workingbetween the NHS, patientgroups and industry.

Three projects which areimproving diabetescare to patients across

north east Essex havescooped national awards.The members of the joint

diabetes care team were pre-sented with awards at the Dia-betes Quality in Care (QiC)Awards 2012. The team arefrom the Trust and AnglianCommunity Enterprise (ACE),which provides more than 40community healthcare servicesacross north Essex. The gestational diabetes

screening service at ColchesterGeneral Hospital, which diag-noses diabetes in about 100pregnant women from northeast Essex every year, washighly commended in the“Best improvement pro-gramme for pregnancy andmaternity” category.An outreach service for

patients with diabetes whofailed to keep health appoint-ments was highly commendedin the “Best initiative address-ing unacceptable variation”category.Finally, a telephone

helpline that operates 8am-8pm on weekdays for GPs to

contact if they need adviceabout diabetes was commend-ed in the “Best admissionsavoidance and/or safe dis-charge initiative” category.This initiative reduced hospitaladmissions by 41 over sixmonths, saving £47,667.Diabetes specialist mid-

wife Heather Chandler andher diabetes specialist nursecolleagues Karen Turner and

National award winners!

From left: Helen Thompson, Karen Turner, Janette Streeting,Heather Chandler and Sheila Smyth

Anew gift shop run by the ColchesterLeague Of Hospital & Community Friendsopened this month at Colchester General

Hospital. The League was initially founded in1954 to raise funds to support local hospitalsbut has now grown into a leading local charity,holding its own with other similar Friendsgroups across the country. It operates a numberof retail outlets around the two hospitals, sellinga wide range of products.

The League operate a fleet of trolleys whichvisit wards with a range of goodies – from KitKats and bottles of squash to the morningpapers and library books. Over recent years the

League has been instrumental in raisingthousands of pounds for a vast range ofequipment. The original CAT scanner appealraised over a million pounds and provided aresidue fund for subsequent modifications. Atthe other end of the scale it has met requestsfor simple things such as footstools, whichalthough modest can make a tremendousimprovement to a patient’s wellbeing.

How do you turn a cup of coffee into aheart monitor? Buy it in a League coffee shop!

To learn more or become involved, contactEmma Moulding on 01206 286643 or emailclhf@hotmail.co.uk

A different League

The Trust’s Communications Teamuse Twitter to engage more withusers of the Trust’s services. Some Tweets about us:

Dermot O’Riordan @dermotor:“V interesting visit to@ColchesterNHSFT to observetheir Clinical Area AssessmentProgram. Looks in detail at clinicalquality on a ward”

Curious Pigeon @pigeon_power“Running a Santa Fun Run to raisemoney for Colchester Hospital newcancer centre. http://www.justgiving.com/Lynn-Nash”

Brooks Newmark MP@TweetBrooks “Excellent briefingat Colchester General Hospital onpatient care.” Some of what we Tweeted:

”I’ve been tinkering with ourcareers page, where all our jobsare advertised. Could we makeany more improvements?http://bit.ly/Szy9Ei”

”#LiverpoolCarePathway hasbeen in news recently. Read p11,June 2012 Mainstream mag to seehow our Trust implement it.http://bit.ly/TWaREA”

”Essential drainage repairs willcause severe disruption to vehicleand pedestrian access at ClactonHospital. http://bit.ly/TTyk9F”

See our video of 64 prefectsfrom St Helena School dressed asSanta! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colchester-General-Hospital/164906576891110

i If you use Twitter, followthe Trust here: @ColchesterNHSFTIf you don’t understandTwitter: https://twitter.com/about

page 4 | Mainstream

4 TWITTERING

Twitter

How social media is beingused to interact with people

NEW FEATURE!

The Colchester CareersConvention on 16 October atthe Weston Community Homes

Stadium proved extremely popular.About 80 exhibitors were visited bymore than 2,000 14-19 year olds

from schools in the Colchester andsurrounding area.

Chief Executive Dr GordonCoutts said: “I visited theConvention in the morning and theTrust had several stands including

ones about nursing, midwifery, andinformation technology.

“It was a pleasure to see theamount of interest shown by thestudents and the fun they had usingthe various interactive models.”

Successfulcareers fair

From left: Lucy Archer(who has recently

changed role to workfor NHS Professionals –

see page 14) andRebecca Robinson,

Dementia Care NurseSpecialist, chat with

students

One student’s story of work placement

Jess Haggan is a student atColchester Institute, in hersecond year of doing an Extended Diploma in Health

and Social Care Level 3. Sherecently completed a work place-ment at Colchester GeneralHospital.She said: “My role was to

shadow the ward clerks on Con-stable Wing to gain insight intotheir role, do administrationwork and observe what a mid-wife does every day as part oftheir job.“I was expected to be on

time, follow health and safetyrules, observe and ask questions.

I assisted the ward clerks andlearnt how Constable Wingworked as a unit. I also wantedto gain a rough idea of what ittakes to be a midwife and getthe most out of the placement.“I collected health records,

sorted the post, filed bloods, gotrecords ready for the next dayand while I was doing these jobsother staff would be getting onwith the more important jobslike making appointments, enter-ing new data, answering thephones and assisting patients.“After the first couple of

days I knew what I was doingand where I had to go and I was

always on time, if not early.“At every given opportunity

(when they weren’t busy) I askedthe midwives and students aboutthe courses they studied, whatmade them want to become amidwife, what their daily job waslike and this helped me gain abetter understanding of what ittakes to become a midwife.“I learned that ward clerks

were treated no differently tohealthcare assistants and thatConstable Wing is like a littlefamily that all work together as aunit to achieve the best outcomefor their service users, whichwas a really good thing to see.”

November 2012 | page 5

The hospital in 2006

January 2011

The hospital in May 2012

Spring 2012 facelift

November 2012

Main picture and below: thenew wood-effect panels

Works to create theIsolation Unit on the first

floor, July 2009

The temporary burgundy-coloured panels at the frontof Colchester General Hospi-

tal were replaced last month tomatch the appearance of thewood-panelling used for theadjoining two-storey ward block.

This now creates an impres-sion of one seamless overall build-ing and along with the Springfacelift to the hospital (see AprilMainstream) greatly improvespeople’s first impressions.

In March, the entrance canopyand lobby area were modernisedand given better signage. Thepedestrian bridge opposite theentrance was also upgraded, traf-fic calming improved measuresand ambulance parking baysintroduced.

Changingface oftheGeneral

Eight out of 10 staff haveattended At Our Besttraining since it was

launched in October 2011.Reaching such a large swatheof the Trust is the result ofinnovative training prac-tices, co-operation ofline managers inreleasing theirstaff and the dedi-cation of individualsto be performing “at theirbest” when working at theTrust.

Deputy Director of Nurs-ing Kathy French writes: “Thisis fantastic news and showsthe level of commitment anddedication of staff to fulfilthe values of the At Our Bestprogramme. The Board ofDirectors continues to pro-mote the At Our Best valuesof caring, communication andconsistency. It is very pleasingthat 78.6% of staff have beento a session. Staff and man-agers have worked very hardto ensure that the pro-gramme is spread right across

the organisation.”The Estates and Facilities

Department has made thegreatest progress in the pastmonth and are above theirtrajectory for the number of

staff trained,partly dueto week-end andevening

training.Patient Envi-

ronment Manager PaulGilbert, from Estates andFacilities, said: “Initially train-ing our teams started wellwith weekly afternoon ses-sions to train a number ofstaff that would either just bestarting or finishing a shift.This went on for a number ofweeks and thanks must go tothe operational line managerswho were able to cover shiftsto allow people to partici-pate. However, over the sum-mer months with holidaysbeing taken a differentapproach was needed.

“With many different shift

patterns over a seven dayweek we realised that onerigid session a week wasn’tworking. As the main trainer,I needed to remain flexibleand ascertain certain timeswhen staff could attend toensure maximum numberswere being trained. Fortu-nately, with the support of myteam, I was able to hold somead hoc training sessions at theweekend or late into theevening. This in turn saw ourtrained numbers rise and nowleaves us in a position abovetrajectory.”

All staff – from consult-ants, porters and directors tonurses, clerical staff and jun-ior doctors – are expected todo the training session before31 December. Managers arereceiving fortnightly reportsabout staff who have not yetbooked or attended a session.

i To find out how to attenda training session, send anemail to:atourbest@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

New Pedometer ChallengeThe Trust is entering the lat-est Pedometer Challengeagainst other East of Englandtrusts following the success ofour own “Health RecordsMafia” who won the lastregional challenge. More onthe intranet News pages.

New appraisal paperworkThe Trust’s new appraisalpaperwork, along with a web-site for online support, hasbeen unveiled. Along withthe monthly Knowledge andSkills Framework (KSF) andappraisal training sessions, anumber of drop-in sessionshave been arranged to easethe transition. Full details onthe intranet home page,under Info About > Appraisal.

Molly’s fundraising Molly Bird raised over £500for the Physiotherapy Team tosay thank you for all the sup-port she received beforeundergoing an operation forcurvature of the spine.

Last month she presentedHannah Pickford and FrankSkelton with the money shehadraisedwalkinga chal-lengingsix miles.

page 6 | Mainstream

4 BRIEFLY FOR STAFF

Briefly for staff

More news for staff, page 12

For more news, staff can go tothe intranet: http://apollo andclick on “News” or “Forums”

On 5 November, the latest stage of theAt Our Best programme waslaunched, with behaviour standard

“be the difference”. It was supported withwalkarounds by board members, governorsand senior managers distributing posters fordepartments and wards.

i Find our more on the updated web page:www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/at_our_best.shtml

Governors and senior staff promote “Be the difference”

At their best: well done to Paul and his teams

Public Governor Vi Haddow (left) and GeneralSurgery Project Manager Liz Cooper, chatting toSister Karly Robbshaw on a walkaround in A&E

Clinical Portal newsFor more than a year, the Trust hasbeen developing a way in which itcould have fewer patient informationsystems and so improve clinicalprocesses. Last February, the Board ofDirectors approved a £4.5m upgradeof the Trust’s clinical IT systems tocreate a “Clinical Portal” to allow staffto access patients’ test results, x-rays and documentation from onesystem instead of many.

The Clinical Portal will significantlyreduce the time staff spend lookingup patients’ results, leading to moretime being spent with patients. But itmeans completely replacing the Trust’scurrent PAS (patient admin system)and integrating it with a new system.

This initiative will enable cliniciansto access key information aboutpatients when and wherever theyneed to. It will also enable the Trust torespond to increasing demands tocollect evidence of best clinicalpractice in order to recover incomeunder changing tariff arrangements.

A multidisciplinary team is ensuringthis major upgrade goes smoothly, as itrequires significant changes to theapplications staff use. There are six keyareas: Emergency Department (A&E),Inpatients, Outpatients & Waiting Lists,Referral to Treatment, CasenoteTracking and Order Communications.The clinicians involved see benefits inimproved patient safety and improvedproductivity. All staff who use PAS willbe retrained and it is anticipated thatthe PAS, Theatres and EmergencyDepartment (A&E) modules will go-livenext June.

It is important to remember this isnot an IT project – it is a way ofimproving and benefiting the patientexperience and will lead to improvedclinical care.

i More on the intranet underInfo About > Clinical Portal

Farewell to theface of the hospitalYes, it’s true! BRIAN LANGSTAFFwill retire from his post onColchester General Hospital mainreception on 30 November.

Brian (pictured on the coverand below) is considered bymany to be the “face ofColchester General Hospital”.Since starting on the receptioninside the main entrance in1997, Brian has helpedthousands of patients, visitorsand staff. He is renowned for hischeerfulness, constant goodhumour and exhaustiveknowledge of the hospital. His issuch a familiar face that he isoften greeted by people whenhe is out and about.

Chief Executive Dr GordonCoutts said: “Brian has been thepublic face of the hospital formany years. He always has apositive attitude and a broadsmile, and goes out of his way towelcome and help people findtheir way in the hospital. Manyvisitors have spontaneouslycommented to me that Brian isoutstanding. It is no surprise thathe has been nominated manytimes for one of the Trust’s AtOur Best Awards for his excellentservice. The patients and theTrust will miss him greatly and Iwish him all the best for hisretirement.”

Farewell Anne ANNE FERRIS retired as AssociateDirector for Governance earlierthis month following 36 yearsworking within the NHS.

Anne (above) joined St Mary’s Hospital, Colchester, asa staff nurse having qualifiedfrom University Hospital of Walesin 1979. In 1980 she startedmidwifery training at ColchesterMaternity Home, holding variouspositions within maternityservices, including Head ofMidwifery from 1995. In 2010she became Associate Directorfor Governance.

She said:”I have loved everyminute of my career andthoroughly enjoyed my timewithin maternity services andlatterly governance. I am amidwife at heart and will alwaysbe so. The Trust has given me somany opportunities over theyears, for which I am gratefuland the things I have learnt Ihave tried to put intopractice. I would like to thankeveryone for being there andfor the many gifts and cards Ireceived. I have made somany friends and will trulymiss you all. Everyone hasbeen so kind. My leaving giftof an iPad is fantastic and mybook of memories is superb!”

Farewell Sue Pruitt Outpatients Sister SUE PRUITT(pictured below) has retired. Shestarted her training at StanmoreHospital in 1973 and joinedColchester General Hospital(CGH) in 1986 as a plaster roomstaff nurse. In 1994 she becamejunior sister in CGH Outpatientsand was appointed sister in 2003.

Finance fright!The Finance Team in Villa 10decorated their office forHallowe’en and dressed up too!

4 PEOPLE II| NEWS ABOUT STAFF FROM THE INTRANET’S FORUM

Peop

le new

s

Anne pictured with colleagues in aphoto used in the October 1995

edition of Mainstream. Inset: Anne pictured this month

Sue (centre) in theOutpatients department

November 2012 | page 7

page 8 | Mainstream

Anew training facility forhousekeepers and cater-ing staff has been set up

at Colchester General Hospitalwith fixtures and fittings that sim-ulate areas in the hospital.The Trust has 130 full-time

and 40 part-time housekeepingstaff, as well as 26catering staff, andthey will all beattending a courseto maintain theright skills for theirrole. Facilities Man-

ager Paul Theo-cleous said: “Aroom in the OldBoiler House hasbeen converted tosimulate a bay on award. It has a bed,the same floor surfaces as a ward,and even a toilet and a shower, soit gives it a realistic look and feelwhen training staff.“Trainees are away from their

usual areas of work and can con-centrate on their training withoutinterruptions. We have threetrainers, including the trainingmanager, and they have all gained

accreditation by the British Insti-tute of Cleaning Science (BICSc).“This will result in the staff

being trained to a level that willnot only produce a clean hospitaland even lower infection rates,but will make the staff members’work more interesting. We hope it

will also give anincentive to staffto progress theircareer through pro-motion to firstlevel team leader orsupervisor.”The first train-

ing started on 6November. Totrain everyone willtake about ninemonths, allowingfor annual leaveand cover for staff

being trained.Paul added: “In January we

will seek accreditation as a formalBICSc training site. It means ourstaff will be trained to an accred-ited industry standard. We willalso be able to offer training on acommercial basis to NHS organi-sations, private hospitals and carehomes.”

About the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc)n BICSc is an international standard of cleaningn It is highly regarded within the cleaning industry as it has an ongoing commitment to improving standards and protecting thepeople working within it

n Trainees will receive a certificate of competence when completingthe course

n The Institute was formed in 1961 by a group of like-minded individuals seeking to give the cleaning industry recognition

n It was initially set up to raise the profile of the cleaning industry as a profession and then went on to establish educational standardswithin the industry.

Doing it by the BICSc

The first group of housekeepingstaff to be trained in the trainingfacility in the Old Boiler House

Training managers ShirleySmith and Shirley Bracey(front) with colleagues

November 2012 | page 9

Quality monitoring hastraditionally been alengthy task involving reams of paperwork,

time-consuming duplication andthe need to manually analyse data. Which is why the Trust has

invested in a new hand-held sys-tem for the Facilities team.The Maximiser audit system

highlights when areas are due tobe audited so that all high riskareas are covered on a weeklybasis. Facilities Manager Paul Theo-

cleous said: “The audit tool is ahand-held personal digital assis-tant (PDA) with a stylus to recordthe cleaning standards achievedfor, say, toilets, beds, high andlow surfaces. “It is used by Facilities

co-ordinators and managers on adaily basis to measure cleaningstandards. The results are subse-quently uploaded onto a laptopand the information can then beused as a report. “If the audit scores are below

the threshold set, a re-check isinstigated. The response timeshould be within two hours ofthe failed audit.

“The Maximiser audit systemis used to keep a record of auditscores on the ‘very high risk’ and‘high risk areas’, as well as otherareas in the hospital.”The system not only covers

cleaning but all of Estates andnursing. In 2004, the Government

published a set of national stan-dards for healthcare in the NHS. There were 24 core standards

which set out the minimum levelof service patients and serviceusers have a right to expect. Cleanliness is included in

these standards and the items tobe cleaned are broken down into49 elements. All 49 are includedon the audit spreadsheet. Paul said: “This audit tool

demonstrates due diligence tooutside agencies such as the CareQuality Commission and it sup-ports the Patient EnvironmentAction Team (PEAT) inspections. “The process also supports

the National Patient SafetyAgency audits and infection con-trol audits. The audit scores canalso be used towards the Trust’skey performance indicators.”

About the Maximisern The Maximiser is a highly effective hand-held quality monitoringsoftware solution

n It provides a structured approach to quality monitoring against anyservice level

n Used to support inspections against any criteria and scoring system,Maximiser allows the user to conduct live quality monitoring inspec-tions, collect comments, signatures and images on the go, savingunnecessary administration and re-keying for further analysis.

Trust maximises its audit tools

Patients undergoing long-termcancer treatment (chemo-therapy or radiotherapy) at

Essex County Hospital are nowable to park for free. Patients canpick up a form for these passesfrom the ward or departmentwhere they are a patient, complete

page 10 | Mainstream

Diamond Jubileedonation to hospital

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has result-ed in a charity donating a £600 porterswheelchair to the radiology depart-

ment at Colchester General Hospital.The hospital has benefited from a cam-

paign run in the Queen’s honour by Path toSuccess called the “60 for 60” WheelchairAppeal to provide 60 wheelchairs for 60 NHShospitals in England.

The chair will be used to move patientsneeding diagnostic tests such as x-rays or CT,MRI or ultrasound scans at Colchester Gener-al Hospital. It was donated at an event inLeicester hosted by Leicester East MP andformer minister Keith Vaz and attended byDavid Cottrell, Logistics Manager at theTrust. Mr Vaz is a Path to Success patron.

John Hendricks, deputy radiology servic-es manager, thanked the London-basedcharity for its donation.

“It is not always easy to access a freewheelchair so we welcome this additionalresource,” he said. “It’s the first time thedepartment has had its own wheelchair andit will result in greater efficiency.”

Path to Success funds projects whichhave an immediate and demonstrable posi-tive impact upon the health, welfare andeducational projects of the young and adultswith disabilities, mental health and shelterconcerns.

The Car Share Scheme forColchester General Hospitalstaff starts soon, following its

launch at the “eco-driving” eventlast month, where staff were giveninformation and helped to findsuitable partners.

The scheme starts on Monday19 November in Car Park D (nextto Training Rooms South) whicheventually will accommodate 14car share groups. More bays willbe allocated as more staff join thescheme.

Facilities Support ServicesManager Jacqui Gregory said:“Signs at the car park entrance willindicate which bays are for carsharers and the car park officer willensure it is used appropriately. Thisis the first phase and other areas atthe hospital will be designated carshare zones as demand grows.There were 117 staff at the “eco-driving” event on 25 October whosaid they were definitely interestedin car sharing and a further 160

David Cottrell is in thenew wheelchair andbehind him are (fromleft): John Hendricks;

Debbie Chapman, seniorradiographer; HaleyDuffy, interventional

radiographer; and LukeMussett, trainee assistant

practitioner

Free parking for patients having long-term cancer treatment

Car sharing starts andsurvey winners announced

November 2012 | page 11

£25m to improve maternity wards and servicesNew support has been announced by the Government in theform of a £25m fund to improve birthing environments. Mater-nity services can apply for new funds to improve their materni-ty environments. More on the Trust’s intranet, under News.

Consultation on replacement for NHSmail (“@nhs.net”)A consultation is taking place into early December to find outwhat the NHS wants from a future email service. The currentNHSmail service (the one with the suffix “@nhs.net”) ends inJune 2014. The Connecting for Health team want to hear fromusers and non-users of the current system.

Join in: www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/nhsmail-2 Email the team at: cfh.nhsmail2@nhs.net Find out more: www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/nhsmail/nhsmail2

NHS Discounts has changed its nameNHS Discounts has changed its name to “Health Service Dis-counts”. Exisiting NHS Discounts’ usernames and passwords willwork on the new website. To find out more about the exclusivediscounts, cashback offers and more, visit the Trust’s webpage: www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/ft_member_discounts.shtml

Get wise in winterA campaign has been launched to encourage people to learnwhen to dial 999, to point them in the right direction of otherNHS services when appropriate, and to urge everyone to planand prepare for wintry conditions. Find out more about Getwise in winter on the East of England Ambulance Service NHSTrust’s Facebook page, to follow @EastEnglandAmb on Twitter tobenefit from up-to-the-minute news and info about everythingwinter. Visit www.eastamb.nhs.uk or look for updates, interviewsand features in the media.

Transforming Pathology Services in the East of EnglandAn update from the East of England Strategic Health Authoritywas issued on 30 October. “We are working with commission-ers to agree preferred bidders to provide pathology services inthe East of England in the future. We hope to be able toannounce this decision by the end of the year. The StrategicProjects Team and its advisors are still in discussion with pri-mary care trusts (PCTs) and clinical commissioning groups(CCGs) about preferred bidders. The restructuring of these serv-ices is for the whole of the East of England system; thereforeall PCTs and CCGs in this area need to reach unilateral agree-ment before any preferred bidders can be announced. Oncediscussions are complete, an announcement will be made.”

More on the Trust’s intranet, under News.

4 NATIONAL NEWS II| IIPrimary care, Dept of Health and beyond

it and take it to the General Office.They will be given a permit whichwill last for the length of theirtreatment, but it needs to berenewed on a monthly basis. Thereare four dedicated spaces outsidethe radiotherapy department.When these are full, patients can

park in any designated space aslong as they display the permit intheir car. This does not apply foroutpatients of other departments.

i Read more about EssexCounty Hospital car parking: http://bit.ly/TFulkV

National n

ews

who might be interested, which isencouraging.”

Another initiative to easeparking pressure at the hospital isthat the Staff Hopper Bus will bemaking an additional stop at NorthStation [see page 13]. “This newservice has been introduced as adirect result of responses to ourTravel Plan Survey,” said Jacqui.

More than 1,000 staffcompleted the survey – held lastmonth – and radiographer JoWhitmore wins £75 for being thefirst name drawn randomly forcompleting the survey within thefirst week. Of the 1,080 entries,Kerry Penfold, a trainee associatepractitioner in dermatology, wins£50 for being the first namedrawn randomly on 31 Octoberwhen the survey closed. The eventand the prizes were sponsored bythe Loveurcarcolchester project,which is funded by Defra.

Meanwhile, the winners of thecompetition on 25 October to find

the Trust’s top three most fuelefficient drivers are:n 1st: Jacob Stone, pharmacyassistant (pictured below in thedriving seat), £100n 2nd: Grant Bernard, Facilities Co-ordinator Radiology, £50n 3rd: Jane Lovell, ProcurementAdministrator Pharmacy SupportUnit, £25.

Jacqui said: “We do listen, soif you have any ideas that willbenefit staff travel, please let usknow.”

i More information on theIntranet, under News or InfoAbout. Contact Jacqui Gregoryon 01206 742010, or email:travel.plan@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

Free parking for patients having long-term cancer treatment

Car sharing starts andsurvey winners announced

Looking across the Essex County Hospitalcar park to the radiotherapy department

News from the Board4 BRIEFLY FOR STAFF

Continued from page 6

Staffnews!

Lose 2,013lbs in 2013!The Trust’s health and wellbe-ing challenge for 2013 is foreach division to lose 2,013lbs.Dietitians will run workshopson healthy eating and portionsize. Staff will be able to logtheir own weight loss private-ly on the intranet and thedivision’s weight loss will beaccumulated monthly. Allstaff taking part will beoffered a one-to-one sessionfor mini-health and wellbeingchecks, including cholesterol,and blood pressure.

CoHoC updatel Colchester Hospitals Charity(CoHoC) is organising a bikeride on 27 July that will takethe villages from which Colch-ester General Hospital wardsget their name. l If you haven’t got a raffleticket from housekeeperJanet Smith, buy yours before7 December to win an AppleiPad, a Samsung Notebookand more prizes. l CoHoC is selling calendarswith images from the winningentries in thephotographycompetition, runby medical pho-tographer, Syree-ta Fletcher. Cal-endars are £5.99 each fromthe hospitals’ general officesor the Fundraising Office. Itmakes a great stocking filler!

For full details of CoHoC,please see back page

page 12 | Mainstream

The governance of our Trustcomprises a membership, aCouncil of Governors and aBoard of Directors. Dr Sally Irvine(pictured) is Chair of both the

Council of Governors and theBoard of Directors. The Council met

on 11 October and there was a joint workshop withthe Board in the afternoon. She writes: “The Boardrecently had a day out to talk through future optionsof the Trust, as the future of healthcare is looking veryinteresting! We also had a useful workshop with theBoard and Council looking at possible key areas fordevelopment. As the thoughts become clearer wewill, of course, be engaging all staff with our futureplans and long-term strategy.

“Meanwhile, we are delighted to welcome TomFleetwood as our new Non-Executive Director (see lastmonth’s Mainstream), replacing Anna Bradley. Tom isa former Commander of Colchester Garrison and I amsure you will join us in welcoming him.”

i Updates from the Board are on the intranetforum, “News from the Trust’s depts”

Medical Director reinforces importance of multidisciplinary workMore than 120 staff attended the Emergency CareReconfiguration Implementation Team (ECRIT)meeting held during the audit half-day last month.

Medical Director Dr Sean MacDonnell reinforcedthe importance of multidisciplinary work in treatingpatients who present as an emergency and finishedwith a presentation: Four Things To Do Every Day*.

Chief Executive Dr Gordon Coutts said: “We weretold about the progress being made in many areas,including the Emergency Department, EmergencyAssessment Unit (EAU) and on the wards. Particularlynoteworthy are the adoption of daily ‘Board Rounds’on the wards, the sustained reduction of patientoutliers and patients with a long length of stay (14+days) and time to consultant review on EAU.”

i See two ECRIT events, In The Diary, page 13 *Read the Four Things To Do Every Day: www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/emergency_care_at_our_best.shtml

Briefly for staff

Board memberprofile:Helen ParrDeputy Chairmanand Non-ExecutiveDirectorAppointed: 2006;reappointedDecember 2010Term of officeexpires:30 November 2013Chair of the Quality &Patient Safety

Committee; member of the Finance & Commissioning,Remuneration & Terms of Service and Nominationscommittees.Born and brought up in Birmingham, Helen

has lived in Essex for the last 35 years. Her firstjob was as a management trainee with a largeengineering firm in Birmingham. She thenmoved to Nottingham and worked for thetobacco industry in marketing and promotions.After marrying and having two sons, Helen

became a college lecturer and spent 25 years inFurther Education, becoming Principal ofColchester Institute and then Principal of Oak-lands College in Hertfordshire. She then workedas an independent management consultant.Being a non-executive director (NED) has

been an important part of her life for severalyears. She was appointed as a NED for Herts &Essex Community NHS Trust in 1993. She wasthen appointed to Essex Rivers NHS Trust (pre-decessor to Colchester Hospital University NHSFoundation Trust) in 1998 for two years. Her lat-est appointment was in 2006 to the present. Now with three (soon four) grandchildren,

family takes up more time, but she is a sportsenthusiast and plays tennis and golf, and stillskis. She and her husband are beekeepers.Helen is also a local magistrate in north

Essex and a member of the Essex Family Panel.

i Find out about all the directors: www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/trust_board_current.shtml

The graph shows the gender and age of the 6,752unique people who have seen any of our contenton our Facebook Page for Colchester General Hospi-

tal in the past month. Source: Facebook Analytics

4 IN THE DIARY

4 Monday 19 November

Antibiotic awareness dayEuropean Antibiotic Awareness Day. See page 2.

4 Thursday 22 November

ECRIT awareness day10am-2pm, outside Senses Restaurant. See page 12.

4 November and December

Chief Exec’s Staff BriefingPostgraduate Medical Centre. Dr Gordon Coutts briefssenior managers. Key messages are then cascaded to allstaff. If you do not receive the cascade, email info@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk n Mon 26 Nov 2.30pm CHANGED DATEn Tue 18 Dec 10.30am n Wed 16 Jan 11am NEW DATEn Thu 21 Feb 2pm NEW DATEFor more information, go to the intranet’s Home pagehttp://apollo (under Info About > ‘B’ for Briefing).

4 To February 2013

Health talks for the publicA series of free talks where a leading doctor or otherhealthcare professional speaks on a health topic. Anyone, including public and staff members, theirfriends and family, are more than welcome to comealong. 6.30pm-8pm.nWed 28 Nov “NHS Bowel Cancer Screening” Dr Achuth Shenoy, Consultant GastroenterologistnWed 30 Jan “Keyhole Robotic Surgery”Mr Adam Howard, Consultant Vascular Surgeon. More details and all topics and dates for 2013 are onour website. For the exact location and details, call theMembership Helpline (see back page).

4 Every Thursday, from 22 Nov

Zumba for staff and friends! Get fit, have fun and lose weight. 5.30pm. £3.50.Colchester Primary Care Centre. Call Claire on 01206745284 email claire.kelly@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

4 Sunday 25 November

Guts and Glory5k or 12k of water obstacles, boggy tracks, steepinclines and lots of mud! £15 per person if you book viaColchester Hospitals Charity (CoHoC) (usual fee is £22).For an information pack, call CoHoC’s Fundraising Man-ager Caroline Bates (see back page).

Hopper to stopat North Station

4 THIS MONTH’S GRAPH

How longwill I wait?

For September 2012 (September 2011’s figures in red): 5Outpatients attending hospitalfor first time 57,430 (50,790)

5Follow-up outpatients 127,770(114,395)

5Day case spells 12,859 (11,313)6Elective inpatient spells 3,802(3,894)

5Non-elective inpatient spells20,922 (19,188)

5Regular day attendances 7,097(5,860)

In September 2012 (Sept 2011):5A&E department attendance6,268 (6,080)

LAverage performance ofpatients seen, treated ordischarged against the four-hourstandard 96.30% (98.10%).Target is 95%

J18-week referral to treatment95.05% (91.53%) for admittedpatients. Target is 90%

JFor non-admitted patients,98.15%% (97.33%). Target is 95%

L1 (0) breaches in the outpatients13-week target

JUrgent suspected cancerreferrals (those meeting two-week maximum wait from GPurgent referral to first outpatientappointment) 96.3% (94.9%).Target is 93%

JMRSA 0 cases in the month (0)0 cases year to date (0) (ceiling is 0 for 2012/13)

JC Diff 2 cases in the month (5)13 cases year to date (19)(ceiling is 25 for 2012/13)

LHand hygiene compliance98.09% (98.53%). Target 95%

i Visit “How long will I wait”:www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk Continues on page 15

November 2012 | page 13

All events at Colchester General Hospital unlessotherwise stated. Members are invited toattend public events with their friends orfamily. Details from Membership Helpline on backpage. Staff should look on the Trust intranet’sForums under Events at: http://apollo

1.7%

0.9%

9.4%

17.4% 17.7%

9.8%

3.1%Female60.7%

13-17yrs 18-24yrs 25-34yrs 35-44yrs 45-54yrs 55-64yrs 65+

Male38.2%

From Monday 26 Novem-ber the Staff Hopper Buswill stop at North Station

on the first two, and last four,journeys between ColchesterGeneral Hospital (CGH) andEssex County Hospital (ECH).

The Hopper will stop atthe station on these journeys:

8am ..................CGH to ECH8.30am .............ECH to CGH4pm..................CGH to ECH 5pm..................CGH to ECH4.30pm.............ECH to CGH 5.30pm.............ECH to CGHOutside of these times, if a

member of staff wants to goto the station they can book aplace on the Hopper in theusual way, by calling extension

7676, and then asking thedriver to stop at the station.

This new service has beenintroduced as a direct result ofyour response to our TravelPlan Survey – see pages 10-11.

Don’t forget that as a Trustemployee you can apply for a10% train discount fromGreater Anglia. Contact JacquiGregory for full details and anapplication form.

i Contact Jacqui Gregory on01206 742010, or email:travel.plan@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

i See the train network mapon the Greater Anglia website:http://bit.ly/PTOGCJ

Publicevent!

1.6%

6.5%

11%

1.2%

10.3%

6% 2.2%

Ijoined the Care of the Elderly“Communication Hour” this monthin which Matron Chris Burrows dis-

cussed developments across the Trustand reinforced standards of care forthese wards.

Many of the patient safety initia-tives started last year continue to pro-duce impressive improvements. Forexample, we have seen a further 60%reduction in pressure ulcers andsteady reductions in the number offalls and harm from them.

At the meeting I was able to dis-pel a rumour that there is a plan tomerge wards so we can reduce thenumber of nurses we employ – orwords to that effect. This could notbe further from the truth. We arelooking at ways to improve efficiencyso that patients have to spend as lit-tle time as possible waiting for tests,investigations and operations. Bydoing this, they stay the minimumamount of time required, whichmeans we can treat more patients.

Last year we increased the num-ber of HCAs and nurses by about 60and this year we plan to employanother 30. We can then look atexpanding services and using thesefreed beds for the additionalpatients. Our recent success with vas-cular surgery is one example and thecurrent stroke bid is another we arepursuing.

This month, the Surgical Divisionheld their second “Dragons’Den” to create ideas for their

three-year Business Plan. It was fabu-lous fun and involved about 40 staffin teams presenting the best idea to apanel of four “Dragons”.

We were asked to give construc-tive feedback – I am not sure themake-believe money we had willmake a big difference to the divisionbut their plans certainly will!

Congratulations to the BusinessInformatics team who won aUK Business Discovery World

Tour 2012 Award this month. There is no doubt the team has

made a dramatic difference to howwe can track progress and manageour hospitals.

Thanks to them, we can makefact-based decisions on a commondata set which is reliable and readilyavailable at the click of a mouse.

Finally, I met Georgina Edwards,Senior Named Nurse Safeguard-ing Children, to talk about the

vitally important work our safeguard-ing team does.

She told me about the large num-ber of new referrals they receive eachweek. Because cases are often compli-cated, our team works with a largenumber of community-based services.

It was heartening to hear howmuch we have improved and how thetraining that has been undertakenhas meant staff across the Trust aremore aware and attentive to safe-guarding – let’s keep it up!

Dr Gordon Coutts | Chief Executive

Communicating

Describe your job I joined NHS Professionals (NHSP)last month. NHSP is the preferredsupplier of temporary nurses andHCAs to the Trust. I work with theTrust and NHSP flexible workers toensure recruitment andoperational aspects are managedprofessionally for a high-qualityservice. I am the main NHSPcontact for the Trust and throughpro-active liaison and relationshipbuilding ensure fast and effectivetroubleshooting.

What would you changeat the Trust? I would like more Trust employeesto register with NHSP so they canreap the benefits of workingflexible hours to suit their needs,getting competitive weekly payand having first choice ofavailable shifts. It doesn’t takelong to register and then staff canstart booking shifts!

How does your roleimprove patient care? By providing maximum fill rates offlexible workers on the wards I ensure the staff to patient ratiois as high as possible, helping tomaintain a first-class service topatients.

Best part of your job? I am enjoying building on therelationships I have developed inmy previous role at the Trust (asStudent/Volunteers’ Co-ordinator)and getting to know our nursingworkforce better!

iNHSP are on our webpage:www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/recruitment.shtml

i Take part in the 60Second Interview. Visit: www.surveymonkey.com/s/60_Sec_Interview

4 LUCY ARCHER

page 14 | Mainstream

60 secon

ds

4 PEOPLE II| IISIXTY SECONDS INTERVIEW

4 TRUST LIAISON CO-ORDINATOR,NHS PROFESSIONALS (NHSP)

4 LAYER MARNEY WARD, CGH

4 STARTED AT THE TRUST IN 2010

Letters | EmailsYour viewsGovernor thanksI would like to thank all the staff thattook the time to meet me outside Sensesrestaurant on Friday 12 October. It was sonice to meet many of you, and have thechance to explain the role of a staff gov-ernor. I hope to do a similar event atEssex County Hospital soon. Kathy Flint, Staff Governor

Tendring Diabetes ForumWe’re a small group of diabetics and car-ers who meet on the first Thursday of themonth to listen to speakers talking aboutdiabetes-related topics, such as eyes, feet,diet, etc. We meet at 6.30pm in the Ten-dring Voluntary Services building in Rose-mary Road, Clacton. There’s a car parkbehind the building attendees can use.Meetings last about two hours and ournext one is on 6 December, which will alsobe a Christmas social meeting. We lookforward to meeting anyone interested injoining us.Alan Penney, Chair of the TendringDiabetes Forum, 07966 091 063

Recent care on D’Arcy WardMy mother (in her 90s) was recently apatient on D’Arcy Ward for five weeks.The care and attention she received wasof the highest possible standard and I have only praise for the staff.

Normally quick-witted and highlycommunicative, mum found herself con-fused, disorientated, at times delusional,and found it difficult to come to termswith her sudden deterioration of overallhealth and mobility. Her frustration wasobvious. Nevertheless, the nurses andnursing support staff have shown amaz-ing patience, light good humour, gentle

encouragement and phenomenal under-standing – often being rewarded with lit-tle more than a grunt or indeed noacknowledgement of their hard work.

Having observed as a visitor for hourson end their diligence and dedication tothe patients, even when staff resourceswere stretched beyond what appearedfair and reasonable (particularly eveningsand at weekends) it amazed me howcheerful and professional they remained.

I would like to pass on a specialthanks to the catering ladies and to thevery helpful young staff nurse who put inextra time and effort (staying beyond theend of her shift) in order to expedite acomplicated inter-trust discharge. Fromthe most senior to junior member of theteam, I have nothing but admiration.

Sadly mum died a few days later –very peacefully and without any pain atthe nursing home she moved to.

With very best wishesRS by email

Old photos and memorabilia wantedI am looking for old photos and memora-bilia from the Derwent Centre and Sever-alls Hospital for some history projectswe’re doing soon.

Our Trust is doing a major refurbish-ment at the Derwent Centre and nextApril is the centenary of Severalls. If youcan help, please let me know.

Many thanksMike Waddington, Associate Directorof Communications North Essex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust, Stapleford House, 103 StaplefordClose, Chelmsford, CM2 0QX.01245 546465 mike.waddington@nepft.nhs.uk

November 2012 | page 15

4 IN THE DIARY | FROM PAGE 13

4 3-7 December

Carol Singing – sort of! The Co-op are organising a Christmas musical street col-lection. CoHoC need people 5.30pm-8pm to collectdonations as a Santa Sleigh brings Christmas carols tothe streets of Colchester. We will be going to differentareas every evening, including Mersea Island. If you canhelp, call CoHoC’s fundraising manager (see back page).

4 Thursday 6 December

ECRIT awareness day10am-2pm, outside Senses Restaurant. See page 12.

4 Wednesday 5 December

ICUsteps QuizThe ICUsteps Colchester and Essex drop-in group isholding a fund-raising quiz in aid of Critical Care. Allwelcome. 6.30pm-7.15pm chat, 7.15pm quiz! To findout more, call 01206 742687 or visit our webpage:www.icusteps.org/support/colchester

4 January to April 2013

Council of Governors & Board of Directors meetingsThe Council of Governors works closely with the Boardof Directors to influence decision-making and strategicplanning. The public and staff are represented by theirgovernors. Meetings are held in public:n Thu 10 Jan 2013 Council of Governors meetingn Thu 11 Apr 2013 Council of Governors meetingDownload the agenda and papers, with venues andtimes, from our website (look for “Board meetings”under the About Us menu) or contact the FT Member-ship Office on 01206 742347. www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

4 Saturday 8 December

Football Match bucketcollection at Col UtdCoHoC need some help shaking buckets at the Colch-ester United Football ground. This year the match isagainst Oldham. Details from CoHoC, see back page.

4 Sunday 9 December

3rd Annual Santa Fun Run! Run, walk or stroll with a buggy! See back page.

4 11-13 December

Christmas lunch at Senses restaurant Come and enjoy a feast of delicious dishes, with tableservice by the catering team. £12.50 each, payable by 7 December. To make a reservation for you or yourparty, contact Chrissy on 01206 742478 or emailchristine.reynolds@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

# WRITE TO: Mainstream Editor

Trust HQ, Colchester General Hospital

; EMAIL: info@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

Your views Publicevent!

Publicevent!

Publicevent!

Publicevent!

Publicevent!

4 EDITOR: Paul Searle, Head of Communications, 01206 742348. Send your photos, news or articles to: info@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk4 DISTRIBUTION: 2,000 copies delivered monthly to Trust sites (7,000+ to Public members in March, June, September and December). 4 ONLINE: Get free monthly copies via: www.colchesterhospital.nhs.uk/mainstream.shtml 4 NEXT EDITION’S DEADLINE: end of this month.

Dozens of prefects ata Colchester second-ary school launched

the Colchester HospitalsCharity’s (CoHoC) third SantaFun Run this month. All 64prefects (Year 11 children,aged 15/16) at St HelenaSchool, plus two members ofstaff, took part and got intothe Christmas spirit by dress-ing up as Santa.The Santa Fun Run, con-

sisting of a 3km (1.86 miles)or 5km (3.1 miles) route,starts and finishes near thebandstand in Colchester’s Cas-tle Park on the morning ofSunday 9 December.Last year’s event attracted

over 400 runners who raised£17,000 which will be used tosupport patients in the newRadiotherapy Centre beingbuilt at Colchester GeneralHospital. Donations andsponsorship money from thisyear’s run will go to the samecause.CoHoC is the charitable

fund of the Trust, and theevent is being organised byCaroline Bates, CoHoCFundraising Manger, who hasset a target of £20,000.“This will be our third

Santa Fun Run in Colchester’sCastle Park,” she said. “Thefeedback from last year wasvery positive so this time wewant more people to join inthe fun and raise funds for

the radiotherapy centre.”The Santa Fun Run is

open to children and adults ofall ages and abilities, includinganyone who wants to walk orpush a buggy, pram or even awheelchair round the course.Jan Wilks, Prefect Co-

ordinator at St Helena School,said pupils – as well as herself– had taken part in the twoprevious Santa Fun Runs andis doing so again this year.“In 2010 and 2011, we

had about 35 people takingpart, including a few staff, andwe’re hoping to at least matchthat this year,” she said. “Last year and this time,

money raised will be used forcancer patients which, sadly, issomething our children canalready relate to. “Even at a young age,

many of their lives have beentouched by cancer and in aschool of 1,000 pupils weinevitably have people herewho have lost a parent to can-cer.”This year’s event is being

sponsored by Interserve,Toshiba, KLH Architects,Venables Associates, DudleySmith Partnership, RoseBuilders, Haydn Evans Con-sulting, East of England Co-operative Society, 5 Star BootCamps and C3imaging.Sir John Ashworth, Chair-

man of the CoHoC Commit-tee, said: “We are very gratefulto all the sponsors of thisyear’s Santa Fun Run. “Their support means that

every penny raised will beused to help people with can-cer.”

i Get an information pack or entry form fromCoHoC Fundraising Office, Villa 10, ColchesterGeneral Hospital. Call 01206 745282 or email:fundraising@colchesterhospital.nhs.ukTweet: twitter.com/CoHoC_Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoHoCharity

Alternatively, you can book at:http://santaf2012.eventbrite.co.uk

n Entry fee: £10 for adults (aged 16 and over),£5 for children aged 5-15£5 each for a team of at least 10. n Anyone raising £50 or more in sponsorship forCoHoC will have their entry fee refunded.n Entry for under-5s is freen Everyone under 16 must be accompanied by anadult. n Adults get a Santa suit and children aged 5-15a Santa hat. n Everyone will be given a free goody bag at theend of the run.

What a prefect start to Christmas!Staff and the public urged to join us for our Santa Fun Run (or walk or stroll!)

Volunteers

needed to marshal

the routes, hand out

costumes and goody bags!

Call CoHoC for details

Colchester General HospitalEssex County Hospital@ColchesterNHSFT

Membership Helpline: 0800 0 51 51 43Email: ft.membership@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk Write to: Freepost ANG 2707, Chief Executive, Colchester General Hospital, Colchester, CO4 5BR