issue24 July 2011

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Celebrating ourfrontline staff

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the gazette is written and published by thecommunications unit. The opinions expresseddo not necessarily represent those of St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust. The nextedition will be published in October. If you are a staff member with a story for the gazette, please email:communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk

Front page picture shows Nurses’ Day winners: (l-rback row): Briar Cooper, healthcare assistant (HCA) ofthe Year; Mary Holland, Mentor of the Year. Frontrow: Alice Ciolino, Midwife of the Year; Linda Smith,Nurse of the Year.

Date for the diary St George’s Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) will take placefrom 6pm–8pm on Thursday 29th

September in the MoncktonTheatre, ground floor, GrosvenorWing.

38-year-old Stacey Raines had no ideathat, when she came to A&E onChristmas Eve last year, she wouldremain in hospital for 42 days.

Stacey began to feel unwell at the end ofNovember when she came down with flu.A couple of weeks later she developed anaggressive cough and when her ability tobreathe drastically declined on ChristmasEve, she went straight back to her GPwho called an ambulance immediately.She was brought to St George’s A&Edepartment and was diagnosed withswine flu and admitted onto the cardiacintensive care unit (ICU).

Before New Year’s Eve, Stacey was so sickthat her consultants referred her to theExtra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation(ECMO) at centre Glenfield Hospital inLeicester. ECMO is used when a patienthas a serious condition which preventsthe lungs or heart from working normallyand is a supportive measure that uses anartificial lung to oxygenate the bloodoutside the body. While Stacey fulfilledthe criteria, the centre could not take heras they were full.

The St George’s intensive care unit (ITU)team pressed on with a technique knownas high frequency oscillation. Thistechnique is a specialised ventilationtechnique and is only performed by a veryfew ITU in the country.

Nick Fletcher, consultant and leadintensivist for cardiac ICU, said: “We findwhen conventional ventilation fails as inStacey’s case, this technique can belifesaving. It helps to hold the lungs openin the most desperate conditions.”

Stacey was very ill for a long time, buteventually started to make a goodrecovery and after 32 days in ICU she wasmoved onto a cardiac ward. She said: “I didn’t know how ill I had been and Icouldn’t believe how much time hadpassed – I woke up thinking that it wasBoxing Day and that we should be goingsnowboarding!

“I then had to go through a rehabilitationprocess while on the ward, as my muscleshad wasted away after being bedriddenfor so long. The staff on the ICU wereamazing – I cannot thank them enough.”

Stacey’s rehabilitation continued afterleaving hospital in the formof physiotherapy for issues with hermuscles, joints and lungs. Four monthslater, while just resuming lightgym training, Stacey is still some wayoff getting back to all the sports she usedto enjoy such as cycling, snowboardingand sailing.

Stacey has recently got engaged to herpartner, Simon. She said: “He wanted topropose to me while we were on holidaybut then I got sick so he had to sweat itout a little longer!” The couple are due to get married in New Zealand next year.

Life-saving intervention forswine flu patient

HAPPY ENDING: (l-r) Simon and Stacey outside the intensive care unit in which she spent 32 agonising days

2 Life-saving intervention for swineflu patient

3 Introduction from Peter Coles3 Review to look at ‘Better Services

Better Value’ in southwest London 3 Potential St Helier partnership4 Living our values awards -

celebrating kind 5 National Thrombosis Week5 Patient safety – our top priority

5 Junior doctor programmeimproves patient safety

6 Patient feedback6 Past and present Dame Muriel

Powell7 View from the top8 Spotlight

9 New information and supportcentre for St George’s cancerpatients

10 Celebrating nurses’ day

11 Partnership working combatscrime

11 National training success incardiothoracic surgery

12 St George’s community open daycelebrates a Tooting success story

13 Developing MITIE people 13 Public pick rose for new breast unit13 HOPE exchange14 AMW balconies opening celebrated14 Grove is officially opened14 Family Centred Care (FCC)

coordinator for neo-natal unit is a first

15 Nursing response team provide 24/7 care

15 Regional fetal medicine day 15 Leading the way in shortening

patient stays

16 Fundraising

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I am pleased to be writingmy first introduction in the gazette.

This edition, like previous ones I have read,showcases some of the great work that is goingon trust-wide. This monthreaders can also take theopportunity to find outmore about me and mypriorities for the trust in thecoming months in viewfrom the top on page 7.

I had the opportunity inJune to help bring one ofthe stories to life byawarding the winners of the trust’s living our values awards with theircertificate and vouchers for the value of kind – a very pleasant experience for my second week in post.

Other staff achieving recognition in this edition arethe winners of International Nurses’ Day event, thecoverage of which can be found on pages 10-11.Another great feature is the coverage of the St George’s first community open day on page 12.The day attracted around 2,000 people and was agreat way of engaging our local community withthe work of the hospital and the university.

Finally, I would like to thank all of those staff I havemet so far for the warm welcome they have givenme. I look forward to meeting many more of youduring my time here and working withyou to help St George’s reach its fullpotential.

Peter Coles

Doctors, nurses and therapists are coming together with patientsand their representatives to review health services in southwestLondon. They are calling the review: Better Services Better Value.

Six clinical working groups are being formed, looking at the followingareas:

l Planned care and end of life care

l Urgent, unscheduled and emergency care

l Maternity and newborn care

l Children’s services

l Polysystems, mental health, long term conditions and staying healthy

l Specialist services under London review (for example cancer, cardiacand paediatrics)

The NHS spends £2.2 billion annually on health services in southwestLondon. The review will consider: “Are we spending this money in a waythat benefits patients the most?” and, “Can hospitals work collaborativelywith each other to improve the service we offer to patients?”

It is recognised that hospitals across southwest London have areas ofexcellence among the services they provide. By exploring how these areasof excellence can be shared, quality across the board can be improved andservices can be protected for all patients.

The clinical working groups will be discussing the problems and notproposing solutions at this stage, so it is too early to start talking aboutany proposals for change. However, the overall aim will be to improvehealth outcomes for patients in southwest London within availableresources.

You can find more information about ’Better Services Better Value’ atwww.southwestlondon.nhs.uk.

Review to look at ‘Better Services Better Value’in southwest London

For any catering or cleaning (except Atkinson Morley Wing) enquiries, please contact MITIE helpdesk on 020 8725 4000

Potential St Helier partnershipSt George’s Healthcare has been formally invited to tender forpartnership with St Helier Hospital, including Sutton Hospital andQueen Mary’s Hospital for Children.

The Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust board agreed inDecember 2010 that the trust is not financially viable in the long term andwill not be able to achieve foundation trust status, and made the decisionto explore alternative options in order for Epsom, St Helier and Suttonhospitals to achieve foundation trust status, including the possible de-merger and re-merger of its hospitals with partner organisations.

St George’s Healthcare was the only NHS trust to express an interest inpartnering St Helier Hospital, and is now working to submit a bid on 16thSeptember 2011, with the St Helier transaction board due to make arecommendation to the Epsom & St Helier board in October 2011.

St George’s Healthcare and St Helier Hospital already have a wide rangeof clinical and academic links.

Many services provided by St George’s Healthcare and St Helier Hospitalare members of established clinical networks with care pathwaysoperating across the trusts and a number of joint medical appointments.These services include cancer, trauma, stroke, renal surgery, cardiology,vascular surgery, maxillofacial surgery, ENT, paediatric surgery, urology,plastic surgery, neurosurgery and thoracic surgery.

Updates on the potential partnership with St Helier Hospital will befeatured in future editions of the gazette, in eG and on the intranet.

Bolingbroke Hospital – the final chapterThe trust handed over the keys of the BolingbrokeHospital to Wandsworth Council in March, markingthe final chapter in the Bolingbroke’s century-longhistory of providing health services to thepopulation of Battersea and beyond. The council isworking with education charity ARK Schools to setup and operate a new secondary school on the site,which is scheduled to open in 2012.

Building bridgesThe director of women’s and children’s of the AgaKhan Institute, Prof Bhutta, and the deans of thesix medical schools of the Aga Khan visited StGeorge’s Hospital early in June, to strengthen theirunderstanding of maternal-fetal medicine.

The meeting was an informal fact finding visit.While the trust has no formal relationship atinstitutional level, Aris Papageorghiou, consultantin obstetrics and gynaecology, collaborates withProf Bhutta on research and some global healthinitiatives, so it may lead to a relationship in termsof St George’s Healthcare helping with traineesand even tertiary referrals.

● Anticipate and respond to patients’and carers’ concerns and worries

● Support each other under pressureand consider the impact of our actionson others

● Help people find their way if they lookunsure or lost

● Smile, listen and be friendly

Susie George, advanced physiopractitioner, won the individual award.She said: “We work together as a team –it does not work with just one person. I’mreally open and honest with patients,which they seem to like. I explain whattheir musculoskeletal condition means forthem and what they can expect next.”

In nominating Susie, Lucy Clark, teamlead for physiotherapy in outpatients,said: “Susie is an incredibly kind person inso many ways to both her patients andcolleagues. By treating each patientholistically rather than just the physicalsymptoms and always discussing theirexpectations, she significantly improvespatients’ experiences and satisfaction.

“By being kind and supportive to all hercolleagues, she is a good role model toothers and ensures the team worksseamlessly together to achieve team goalsand maintain high service usersatisfaction.”

In her nomination for the Wandsworthcommunity neuro team (WCNT), clinicalteam leader Rachel Sibson, said: “I havebeen the team leader of this service fornearly six years, and I am proud todescribe them as exemplary. Everyindividual in the team demonstrates thecore trust values on a daily basis. Most ofthe WCNT’s patients have very complex

This month, the gazette is asking staff to nominate a team or individual who they thinkembodies the value of:

When making your decision,please take into consideration the behaviours which support thisvalue and how the person/teamincorporates these into theirworking lives. Download thenomination form from the ‘ourvalues’ page under the ‘about us’section of the intranet and emailthis to awards@stgeorges.nhs.uk.

Winners will be announced in the October edition of the gazette.

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our valuesLiving our Values Awards -

celebrating kindLaunched in February, the Living our Values Awards have been embraced by staff across the trust. This month the gazettemeets those who won the awards for personifying the trustvalue of .

WINNING TEAM: Wandsworth community neuro team

and often deteriorating/terminalconditions; therefore the team ismanaging patients at the most difficultand traumatic time in their lives.

“They have to demonstrate tact, empathy,respect and humility at all times whileremaining professional, informative andproactive to anticipate and respond topatient’s needs and worries.

“I regularly hear comments from patients,relatives, carers and other servicescommenting on how the WCNT haveshown genuine kindness towards theirpatients – they often go the extra mile forpatients who are in particular difficulty, orhave been ‘let down’ by otherservices/organisations or individuals.”

HOLISTIC APPROACH: (l-r) Di Caulfield-Stoker,divisional chair of community servicesWandsworth division; Susie George,advanced physio practitioner; and Lucy Clark,team lead for physiotherapy

TeamWinner Wandsworth communityneuro teamRunner-up: William DrummondHASU team

IndividualWinner Susie George, advancedphysio practitioner, Queen Mary’sHospitalRunner-up: Dennis Farebrother,porteringRunner-up: Gwynne Farrell,neurosurgeryRunner-up: Bernadette Kennedy,integrated falls service

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Patient safety work is ongoingaround the trust to ensure thatpatients are safe and that anyproblems are reported in a timelyand effective way.

Across the trust there are manydedicated staff who champion thepatient safety cause and a number ofinitiatives and events are held topromote this. A coordinatedprogramme of safety initiatives iscurrently being developed into asafety dashboard which will beavailable on the intranet.

A key patient safety initiative is workaround the early warning system(EWS) tool. This is being undertakenby Deborah Dawson, consultantnurse in critical care, and her teamincluding Paula O’Shea GICU liaisonnurse and Chris Ryan GICU teamleader. The tool is used to record andreport the deterioration of patients.A new EWS is currently in a threemonth pilot and, if successful, will berolled out to the rest of the trust bythe end of the year.

This updated EWS has responded tostaff concerns and includes asimplified method of scoring systolicBP and urine output, it also includesa score for oxygen and updatedscores for heart rate, respiratory rate,conscious level and temperaturebased on national guidance andcontemporary evidence. As before,each parameter is scored more highlythe further it deviates from ‘normal’.The individual score for eachparameter is then combined and thisprovides an aggregated weightedscore for each set of observationswhich can be compared to a triggertool to highlight patients that shouldbe reviewed. The chart has also beenupdated to include all the scores onone page, a colour coded chart andthe SBAR communication tool.

Deborah Dawson said: “The EWStool helps staff to recognise and thenclearly communicate patientdeterioration. A fast response torecognise early patient deteriorationgives the patient the best chance forrecovery.”

If you or your team has developed asafety initiative please share this withYvonne Connolly, head of patientsafety via email.

Patient safety –our top priority

Junior doctor programmeimproves patient safety

National Thrombosis WeekA number of activities took placeacross the trust to mark NationalThrombosis Week in May. As well as having an educational standin the Grosvenor Wing main entrance,the ingredients restaurant and theHyde Park Room throughout the week,the venous thromboembolism (VTE)team also held ‘walkarounds’ onvarious wards to make sure that staff

knew what VTE was all about.

Ediscyll Lorusso, thromboprophylaxisnurse who leads on VTE, said: “Thewalkarounds were a real success as itmeant we could find out what differentwards were doing well and what theywere struggling with. It gave staff thechance to find out more about VTE andask any questions they may have.”

AWARENESS RAISING: (l-r) The VTE team had an educational stand in the Hyde ParkRoom, as part of International Nurses’ Day

Junior doctor Imran Qureshi isencouraging colleagues to get involvedin improving patient safety through hisDoctors Advancing Patient Safety(DAPS) programme.

The programme involves getting juniordoctors involved in developing projects thatwill improve or enhance patient safety in thehospital environment. Projects undertakento date include surgical handover, trackingthe changes in a patient’s medicationsduring their inpatient stay, developing amnemonic for medical ward rounds toensure necessary information is rememberedand producing a flow chart for arterial bloodgases in neonatal units.

Imran was inspired by the idea when heattended a quality and safety conference in2009. He said: “While I was there I had thisidea that junior doctors could be championsof safety, and fed this idea back to thegroup of junior doctors I was working withat St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey.”

Imran brought the programme over to St

George’s when he joined the trust in August2010. Each junior doctor involved in theinitiative at the trust has had a consultant asa mentor and this has been instrumental inproviding them with support.

The programme is constantly taking ondifferent projects and in January 2011 ran itsfirst International Improvement Programmewhich involved seven junior doctors goingover to Services Hospital Lahore, Pakistan, tocarry out quality improvement projects.DAPS has also developed its first publicationentitled Reporting for Duty whichencourages junior doctors to report cases onthe DAPS website to build up a collection ofcase studies which can be used as learningtools.

Imran runs DAPS with Sarah Hammond,consultant anaesthetist, and to facilitate theprojects and they have started a ‘studentsafety forum’ which is held bi-weekly andfocuses on key patient safety issues.

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FFeedback

The trust cares for more than 800,000 patients each year and many of those taketime to write and express their thanks. Each month in the gazette we publish aselection of those letters.

● FAO the spinal team, operating staffICU and Ocean Ward

My daughter was admitted into your hospital for a majorspinal operation to repair a scolliosis. I would like to say thatthe service my wife, myself and my daughter received wasfirst class. On what was a very stressful time for all of us, thestaff we dealt with were very kind, helpful and understanding.

I would like to single out the spinal team: Moey Chen Lim,Jason Bernard and Tim Bishop – their skill and compassion atwhat was a very emotional time was absolutely brilliant,before and after the operation. I am totally in awe of their skilland their ability to instill confidence.

Also a very big thank you to everyone else who was in theoperating theatre, it was very humbling when my wife and Irealised how many people were involved and were waiting forus when we got to the theatre.

After the operation the nurses and staff in the ICU and OceanWard were all very understanding and very helpful. All in all,what was a very stressful and emotional time for us was madetotally bearable.

● FAO the intermediate care team atDawes House

Thank you for the wonderful care, help and kindness receivedin intermediate care at Dawes House. All the staff were a realblessing, cheerful and willing to assist. Overall, the level ofcare was 100 per cent.

● FAO Champney’s WardI would just like to extend my sincere gratitude to you andyour staff for the excellent service I was given throughout mysurgery in the Champney’s Ward. From the nursing staff in myward (namely, Sonia) to the recovery ward (I only rememberhearing ‘Cherry’ for a name), I was so pleasantly surprised athow wonderfully I was treated. Thank you so much forputting me at ease from the moment I ‘moved in’ to the timeI was discharged. I will be eternally grateful.

● FAO Mr Rami Issa and team, Grey Wardand Vernon Ward and the HaemophillaClinical Nurse Specialist

I have used a number of your services and I have to say thatthe whole experience has been one of wonderment.Everybody I have been in contact with has been highlyprofessional, courteous and friendly. I have to say that youhave a dream team at St George’s which you should be proud of.

I would like to thank personally my surgeon Mr Rami Issa,locum consultant urological surgeon, and his team. At alltimes they kept me informed of what was happening, andwere a major credit to your hospital.

I stayed on Grey Ward and Vernon Ward and all the staff,from the sister in charge to the dinner lady, have to becommended for their professional approach. Their care issecond-to-none and the staff should, in my opinion, be highlypraised for the work that they do.

There is just one other person I would like to bring to yourattention – Ann, the haemophilla clinical nurse specialist. Likeeveryone else I have met, she has been highly professional,kept me well informed and has been very helpful.

I would like to finish by saying I am quite a stressful person,but your staff have been wonderful and have kept me calmthroughout. Your staff are a credit to the trust.

● FAO fracture clinicI was discharged from the fracture clinic after what I can onlydescribe as a course of thoroughly excellent, professionaltreatment, which does our much-maligned NHS proud.

I was seen promptly on each occasion, and was treated in afriendly and professional manner at all times. The variousmembers of staff I saw managed to gain my trust, and weremore than happy to accommodate my questions andconcerns. I would like to express my sincerest thanks for thecare that I received.

Past and present – Dame Muriel PowellThe Dame Muriel Powell meeting room on the third floorof Atkinson Morley Wing is named after one of the mostprominent and pioneering nursing figures of the lastcentury.

Matron of St George’s Hospital from 1947 to 1969, she hasbeen described as an outstanding figure among the nursingleaders of her era. Her commitment to research in the areas ofclinical practice and nurse education resulted in major researchprojects being carried out at St George’s Hospital during her timehere; for which she received both national and internationalrecognition.

Powell trained as a nurse at St George’s Hospital in 1934 andreturned to the hospital to be matron in 1947 at just 33 yearsold. Although some thought she may be too inexperienced for

the job, the general view was that a ‘youthful and progressive’leader was needed in light of the changes to the health system.

She revolutionised established practices in a bid to ‘humanise’ St George’s atmosphere, which she considered too strict. Sherecognised the importance of involving patients in decisionmaking, and introduced questionnaires on medical and nursingcare, as well as other aspects of the service, to see whereimprovements could be made. She also abolished the practice ofnurses having to resign when they married.

Every year at the International Nurses’ Day awards, the NursesLeague honour Dame Muriel Powell’s memory by presenting anaward which they fund. The ‘Dame Muriel Powell award’ aims topromote the ideals and values that Dame Muriel Powell upheld.

to the wider NHS, this hospital would bean obvious candidate to be one of thecapital’s leading FTs. Meeting financialtargets has been an ongoing challenge,while slip-ups on key performance targetssuch as 18-weeks and A&E waits doreflect a lack of consistency.

What are your key priorities for thenext few months? Patient safety and the quality agenda willalways be on the top of my list, but thesemust be achieved at the same time asfinancial targets. I have learned over mytime in the NHS that it doesn’t have tocost more to provide high quality. Doingthings right first time reduces cost andincreases productivity. An important partof my role will be to continue to build onthe improvements the trust has alreadymade, and to ensure that robuststructures and processes are in place tohelp us deliver long-term financialstability. The challenge is to deliver on ourcost improvement targets and get aheadof them if we can.

I also want to make sure we meet thenational performance targets for 18-weeks, A&E, cancer services, patientexperience, MRSA and C. Diff.

To achieve our goals we will need to workmore closely with other organisations. Thefuture strategy of the trust is linked inwith the London-wide reviews of servicesand will require us to forge a strongerpartnership with St George’s, University ofLondon and to work in alliance with localhospitals.

The gazette caught up with PeterColes, interim CEO, during his secondweek in office, to find out about hiscareer and his priorities for the trustover the next few months.

How long have you worked in theNHS?I have worked in the NHS for 28 years, attrust, foundation trust, primary care trust(PCT), regional and Department of Healthlevels and across acute, mental healthand primary care services.

From the start of my career I was keen towork in the public sector although I wasunsure about whether to go intoeducation or the NHS. It was whilewaiting for a postgraduate teachingcourse to come up that I took atemporary job at Leeds Infirmary, my localhospital at the time, in a clerical rolewhich I really enjoyed.

My first chief executive role came in 1994at Thameside Community Services inEssex, at which time I became one of theyoungest NHS trust chief executives.

What attracted you to St George’sHealthcare? I became very familiar with the trust whileworking as interim chief executive atEpsom and St Helier Hospital in 2009.

St George’s Healthcare has developed areputation for excellence across a numberof key specialties including major trauma,stroke, cancer, cardiac and neurologicalservices. These services, and many more,have helped the trust to retain its placeon the NHS map of strategic importance.However, as the NHS changes, so thetrust will need to adapt in order to meetits full potential.

Having taken up the interim role hasyour view of the trust changed? I’m still getting to know the place andeveryone I have met so far has made mefeel very welcome.

I think there is a sense that the excellentwork that happens at the trust hasn’talways been acknowledged or recognisedby the wider world – clearly we need tobe prepared to shout about our successesmore and tell people all the good thingswe are doing.

I also think that the trust has somehowfailed to deliver reliably against its statusand reputation. For example, not yetbecoming a foundation trust (FT) when,

‘view from the top

Peter Coles, interim chief executive

Because of my background andexperience, I already know the chiefexecutives of the other local trusts andthe directors of NHS South West London.I’m very keen to continue to developthose relationships and to build theeffective partnerships where we can, inmuch the same way that we are doingwith Kingston Hospital, where we havereviews and initiatives around the clinicalsupport services such as pathology,radiology and pharmacy.

Something that I am personally very keenon is supporting and developing the roleof the divisional chairs, clinical directors,heads of departments and non-medicallead clinicians, so they can take on morecontrol and responsibility for performancein their areas, whether it is financial,service or quality standards.

I know from experience that successdepends on being able to work alongsideclinical leaders to promote quality ofservices and performance. From what Ihave seen so far, the structure and thepeople, I have been very impressed.

What is your challenge to staff?Change is never easy and the currentclimate in the NHS is very much focusedon finding new and more efficient waysof working. However, in terms of StGeorge’s Healthcare there is a lot ofexcellence and even more potential.

The problems that we have are notinsurmountable. By working together wecan address them and we should takeconfidence from the many achievementsof the last few years, including integrationwith community services Wandsworth,becoming the centre of a number ofclinical service networks and improvedpatient survey results.

These achievements demonstrate that wehave the capacity to meet our targets, butwe also need to be honest about thoseareas where we need to improve and notseek to blame others or make excuses.We need to put our energies into fixingproblems where they exist rather thanbeing defensive about the reasons forthem. We also need to recognise wherewe have not met the targets and takeaction to put that right. If we can do thisthen we will have full control of our ownfuture.

What do you do in your spare time?Spare time? I try to strike a balance andlike to play sports including table tennisand golf. Also, I like to get out to thecountry at weekends and to go to thecinema when time allows.

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This month the gazette turns itsattention to a busy team workinghard behind the scenes to ensure thesmooth running of the trust’sfrontline services.

The divisional directors of operations,(DDOs) Fiona Ashworth, Chloe Cox andJan Beynon are managed by PatrickMitchell, chief operating officer. Togetherthey work closely with the divisionalchairs, divisional directors of nursing andgovernance, general managers andclinical directors to provide a link betweenthe executive directors and the clinicalteams.

The role of DDO is a varied one,incorporating strategic and operationaloverviews for patient, financial and clinicalactivity. On a day-to-day basis, the DDOswork with general managers, clinicaldirectors and directorate teams to helpthem move forward organisational andlocal issues in their services.

Chloe Cox, DDO for surgery,theatres, neurosciences andcancerChloe has worked at the trust for threeyears. She started her NHS career as ageneral manager after completing thenational management training scheme.

She works with divisional chair Ken Ansonto provide leadership to the fivedirectorates within her division. She said: “I see myself as being there tosupport the clinical teams. By the natureof my role, I do spend a lot of time inmeetings, but I would like to spend moretime in clinical areas.

“There have been some exciting projectsincluding the launch of the major traumacentre and hyper-acute stroke unit. Butwhile these are excellent achievements wehave got to focus on getting the basicsright too.

“Some of our plans for the future arearound improving the surgical pathway sowe are looking at the pre-operativeassessment pathway and the admissionsprocess. We have to make sure that weget our elective patients in efficiently andon time and need to focus on the qualityof patient care.”

kspotlight

Spotlight on... the divisionaldirectors of operations

Other key work streams include theproductive operating theatre (TPOT)project, which aims to improve theefficiency of theatres. TPOT covers allaspects of theatres life including theenvironment, the way that patients arescheduled and team working. The projectwill eventually roll out to all theatre suitesat the trust.

There are some exciting plans on thehorizon. Chloe explained: “We arelooking at how we can work more closelywith community services Wandsworth inthe way that we provideneurorehabilitation services to offer amuch more streamlined service for ourpatients.

“We have opened a new cancerinformation centre, funded by MacmillanCancer Support, on the ground floor ofGrosvenor Wing where there will be staffon hand to advise patients and provideaccess to expert literature and informationvia the internet.”

Chloe is very proud of her team and isquick to acknowledge the role that theyplay: “My role as a DDO would count fornothing without the people who workhard to support me.”

When not working, Chloe enjoys time outwith her family including her ten-year-oldand seven-year-old children. She said:“We are lucky enough to live close to theRiver Thames so we relax by spendingtime on the water. I also keep fit bycycling to work and running.”

Jan Beynon, DDO formedicine and cardiovascular Jan joined the trust in 2010 in atemporary role before moving on toassociate director of operations initiallycovering cardiovascular services. She hasrecently been appointed as DDO for themedicine and cardiovascular division.

After gaining a degree in economicspolitics and French, Jan trained to be anurse. Her career started at Guys and StThomas’ Hospital and, as well as workingbriefly in India and Romania as an aidworker, she has also worked in a numberof hospitals across London.

Jan enjoys working closely with EricChemla, divisional chair for medicine andcardiovascular, and her clinical colleagues.Jan said: “Our role is to support clinicalteams and we can only do this byworking closely with them.”

Some significant developments havetaken place in the medicine andcardiovascular division over recentmonths. The South West London CardiacCentre has recently extended itsboundaries to receive primaryPercutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)patients from Surrey.

Consultant cardiologists now review thepatient’s ECG using telemetry (technologythat allows remote measurement andreporting of information) to inform theambulance crew whether the patientshould be brought direct to St George’sHospital or referred instead to their localhospital.

The vascular surgery department alsoreceives all complex surgery from localhospitals and considerable work hastaken place to improve the patientexperience and capacity in cardiology witha focus on booking and patient pathwaysfor those who are referred for treatmentin the catheter laboratories.

The haematology department is workingclosely with community servicesWandsworth and other stakeholders toreview the sickle cell pathway with a viewto identifying where care and support forpeople with sickle cell is best placed.

The service is also looking at provision ofthe acute oncology service for cancerpatients who attend A&E with symptomsof their disease or side-effects of theirtreatment in order to ensure that they areseen as quickly as possible andappropriately.

In her spare time, Jan enjoys the outdoorswalking and cycling.

TIRELESS TRIO: (l-r) Fiona Ashworth, ChloeCox and Jan Beynon

Fiona Ashworth, DDO forchildrens, womens, diagnostics,therapeutics and critical careFiona has been in post at the trust for nearlythree years. She has a clinical background andhas worked in trusts across the country. Since1999 Fiona has worked in generalmanagement in several organisations acrosssouthwest London.

Speaking about her role Fiona said: ”As a DDOI work closely with Val Thomas, divisional chair,and Ruth Meadows, divisional director ofnursing and governance.

“I also work with clinical directors, generalmanagers and directorates to support them inaddressing and moving forward on key issuesincluding governance, patient safety andquality, and of course finance andperformance management.”

Over the past 12 months the division has hadmany challenges and also some very positivedevelopments.

In 2010 the trust’s paediatric intensive careunit (PICU) was extended to ensure adequateaccess for children locally, London-wide andbeyond. The build of the new breast screeningcentre is also close to completion enablingpatients to have a more ‘joined-up’ pathway.These schemes were developed and deliveredby the clinical teams who deliver the patientcare.

Some this division’s support services have hadto implement changes in ways of working, sothat maximum flexibility is ensured to enabletrust-wide developments. These changes havebenefited patients including stroke and majortrauma.

A pathology systems upgrade is currentlyunderway which enables resilience in patienttesting and GP results and is essential to theefficient and safe care of patients and supportstrust business.

Fiona said: “It is essential that Chloe, Jan, DiCaulfeild-Stoker, divisional chair fromcommunity services, Wandsworth division, andI work through cross-divisional issues,opportunities and challenges.

“The team of DDO, divisional chair with thedivisional director of nursing and governancemust work together with our fantastic generalmanagers and clinical directors if we are toensure that we meet our trust wide anddivisional objectives, with the clinical teamsshaping the solutions for patients. Our rolescannot be delivered without their support.”

Fiona, who lives near Epsom, keeps herselfbusy by spending time with her 24-year-oldand eight-year-old daughters and relaxes byattending military fairs and auctions, readingand the very occasional visit to the gym.

9

A new Macmillan information and support centre for patients, carersand families affected by cancer open its doors at St George’s Hospitalin July.

The centre, located on the ground floor of Grosvenor Wing, will provide vitalfree information and support for anyone affected by cancer, whether theyare worried they may have the disease, during treatment or whilst adjustingto life afterwards. The relaxed and informal space will include a main areaoffering information booklets and leaflets and a quiet room.

There is a large screen with a keyboard so patients are able to access helpfulwebsites, as well two specialist staff, a Macmillan cancer informationmanager and a Macmillan cancer information officer, on hand to answer anyquestions. Patients or carers can drop in, without the need to make anappointment.

The centre was funded with money awarded from Macmillan, after St George’s Macmillan lead cancer nurse, June Allen, and Beverley van derMolen, Macmillan Information manager made a ‘case of need’ bid to thecharity.

June said: “I’m thrilled that Macmillan has supported the development ofthis new centre. We know from feedback that our cancer patients have beenasking for a dedicated cancer information centre at St George’s hospital.

“When you’re living with cancer, having the right kind of information andsomeone to talk to when you need it is essential, as it helps you makeinformed choices about your treatment and care and takes away some ofthe uncertainty and fear. By having the Macmillan cancer information centreit offers greater flexibility to our patients and their family at a time when theyare feeling most anxious.”

The centre is open Monday to Friday, and the hours will vary to complementthe clinic times.

New information andsupport centre for St George’s cancer patients

HELPFUL TEAM: (l-r) Julia Charsley, Macmillan cancer information officer,Beverley van der Molen, Macmillan Information manager and June Allen,Macmillan lead cancer nurse

For any catering or cleaning (except Atkinson Morley Wing) enquiries, please contact MITIE helpdesk on 020 8725 4000

AUNTIE LUCY AWARD: Went to matrons ClairePainter (pictured) and Allison Hempstead forimproving patient hydration. The award waspresented by Auntie Lucy’s daughter Isabella(left) and her granddaughter

10 the gazette

The trust celebrated the contributionof its nurses, midwifery staff andhealthcare assistants on Thursday 12th

May through activities and events tomark International Nurses’ Day.

Activities were held a across the main trustsites as well as St George’s, University ofLondon throughout the morning andincluded information around patientexperience, simulation demonstrations,training and development information andfood tasting. More than 100 nursesattended a special event in the afternoonto hear a presentation from special guestTrish Morris-Thompson, chief nurse forNHS London.

The overall Nurse of the Year 2011 awardwent to Linda Smith, matron for clinicalinfections unit, sexual health services andchest services, for being a professional andhardworking role model. Emma Leegood,lead nurse for healthcare services at HMPWandsworth, received the runner-upaward for demonstrating proven benefitsto care following integration withcommunity services Wandsworth.

The Healthcare Assistant of the Year 2011award went to Briar Cooper forcontributing greatly to patient care oftenabove and beyond call of duty, and therunner-up award went to ChandradevGobin for making an outstandingcontribution to patient safety within theWolfson Neurorehabilitation Centre.

Alice Ciolino, practice developmentmidwife, was awarded Midwife of theYear 2011 for being extremely motivatedto increase standards in midwifery.Midwife Shirene Mowatt took the runner-

up for being hardworking, calm andapproachable. The Mentor of the Year2011 award went to Mary Holland, juniorsister at the Wolfson NeurorehabilitationCentre, for being very passionate abouther role as practice educator and takingevery opportunity to teach help herstudents. Judith Rowles, clinical nursespecialist at the chest clinic, received therunner-up award for making her students’learning “one of her priorities.”

The Nurses League presented their DameMuriel Powell award to Martyn Huws,charge nurse, McEntee Ward, for hiscontinued work around the productiveward initiative.

The Auntie Lucy award went to matronsClaire Painter and Allison Hempstead forimproving patient hydration throughpiloting the Hydrant; a bottle thatattaches securely onto beds, chairs andwheelchairs, giving patients instant accessto fluids so they can drink at any timewithout assistance.

Auntie Lucy was the name given to LucyKpobie by colleagues; she was a staffnurse on Gray Ward and gave many yearsof service to the trust and her patients.She was much loved by her colleaguesand her family have generously donatedfunding in her memory.

Alison Robertson, director of nursing andpatient safety, said ”International Nurses’Day is celebrated globally and is anopportunity to recognise the hard workand dedication of staff and to celebratethe achievements and successes ofcolleagues across the trust.”

Celebratingnurses’day

NURSES’ DAY WINNERS: (l-r back row): BriarCooper, healthcare assistant (HCA) of theYear; Mary Holland, Mentor of the Year. Frontrow: Alice Ciolino, Midwife of the Year; LindaSmith, Nurse of the Year.

CELEBRATORY CAKE: Caroline Thomas,amputee clinical nurse specialist, cuts into thecake provided at Queen Mary's Hospital incelebration of the day

MAKING A STAND: Staff promoted International Nurses’ Day in the Grosvenor Wing mainentrance at St George’s Hospital

RUNNER-UP: Shirene Mowatt, midwife,runner-up for Midwife of the Year, with TrishMorris-Thompson, chief nurse, NHS London

DAME MURIELL POWELL AWARD: presentedto Martyn Huws, charge nurse, McEnteeWard, for his continued work around theproductive ward initiative. The award waspresented by Kath Start, chair of St George’sNurses League

For any catering or cleaning (except Atkinson Morley Wing) enquiries, please contact MITIE helpdesk on 020 8725 4000 11

St George’s Healthcare is helpinglocal police ‘fill in the blanks’ ofassault crimes in a bid to reduceviolent offences in Wandsworth.

The initiative, part of a Home Office andDepartment of Health joint project forsafer communities, has been rolled outnationally over the past five years. Itrequires the trust to share anonymousdata about the precise location ofviolence, weapon use, assailants andday/time of violence with TheWandsworth Crime and DisorderReduction Partnership (CDRP).

This information is vital in helping theCDRP build a better picture of violentcrimes committed in Wandsworth as alarge number of cases treated in A&Eare not reported to, or recorded by thepolice. They will then target areas wherecrime is more prevalent, or where thereis an emerging trend in certain types ofcrimes or weapons used.

The scheme, which the trust joined inMarch, is the first of its kind inWandsworth and aims to improve thesafety of local residents and reduce theburden on the trust’s emergencydepartment. Partnerships have beenfound to reduce A&E violent assaultattendances by 25-33 per cent and in

the first quarter the trust has alreadyshared more than 100 incidents.

Heather Jarman, consultant nurse inemergency care and assistant clinicaldirector for major trauma, said: “Thework with our community and policecolleagues will enable the trust tosupport the crime prevention and publichealth agenda within our localcommunity.

“The shared information is completelyanonymous so ensures those who donot want to report their assault cannotbe traced but it will build a picture ofthe prevelance, types and locations ofviolence in the area. This enablesresources to be targeted appropriately.”

Superintendent David Chinchen,Partnership and Safer Neighbourhoods,said: “We are very pleased to beworking in partnership with the trustand the Wandsworth local authority onthis project, as the information will helpus address violence hotspots across theborough so we can reduce incidents ofviolent crime.

“In the long-term, this will mean thatthere is less drain on trust and the policeservice as we work together proactivelyto prevent these incidents fromoccurring.”

Partnership working combats crime

National training success incardiothoracic surgery Appointments of cardiothoracic trainees in the United Kingdom, withawards of national training numbers, have been performed through anational selection for the past three years.

There is an annual interview andappointment process which takes place overtwo days, where approximately only 20-24trainees are appointed into the specialtyacross the United Kingdom. Usually thehighest ranking candidates elect to come toLondon.

In May 2011, three of the highest rankingcandidates in the national selection processwere from St George’s Hospital, where theywere completing their core surgical trainingand/or cardiothoracic fellow training. Allthree are appointed into London trainingprogrammes.

The successful candidates were Mr. MustafaZakkar (highest rank in UK), Mr. BenjaminAdams and Mr. Damian Balmforth.

Marjan Jahangiri, professor of cardiac surgery and training program director, SouthThames, London, said: “We were delighted with this news since it emphasises thehigh standard of basic and specialist surgical training at St George’s. This will furtherattract high calibre post-core trainees.”

RUNNER-UP: Chandradev Gobin, runner-upfor HCA of the Year, with Trish Morris-Thompson, chief nurse, NHS London

HIGH RANKING: St George’scardiothoracic trainees pictured withMarjan Jahangiri (front centre)

RUNNER-UP: Judith Rowles, clinical nursespecialist at the chest clinic, runner-up forMentor of the Year, with Trish Morris-Thompson, chief nurse, NHS London

12 the gazette

Around 2,000 people enjoyed St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust andSt George’s, University of London’sfirst community open day, which tookplace on Saturday 18th June.

The day was officially opened by theMayor of Wandsworth Cllr Jane Cooper,while the Rt Hon Sadiq Khan, MP forTooting, was also on hand to lend hissupport.

Visitors were able to go on tours of thehospital to get the inside view of CT bodyscanning and state-of-the-art roboticsurgery. Staff from across the hospital anduniversity were also available on over 50stands to showcase key services, provideadvice on healthy living, and offerinformation about healthcare careeropportunities.

University students provideddemonstrations of healthcare skills, whileresearchers provided an insight into theworking science of the human body anddemonstrated aspects of their cutting-edge medical and health sciences work.

As well as all the science and healthcareactivities, family entertainment includedjuggling lessons, face painting, and streettheatre performances.

Professor Peter Kopelman, principal of StGeorge’s, University of London, said: “Itwas a memorable occasion thatshowcased the past achievements of thehospital and university, the current closepartnership and future ambitions.

“There was great interest from visitors inthe stands and exhibitions on show. It wasa privilege to be able to show peoplewhat we do here, as well as give them thechance to experience practical aspects ofmedicine and healthcare themselves.”

Naaz Coker, chair of St George’sHealthcare, added: “I thank everyonewho came along, and look forward towelcoming back the community to futureevents to celebrate the ‘greater StGeorge’s’.”

GRAND OPEING: (l-r) St George’sHealthcare NHS Trust chair, Naaz Coker; theMayor of Wandsworth, councillor JaneCooper; Tooting MP, Sadiq Khan; and StGeorge’s, University of London principal,professor Peter Kopelman

EDUCATIONAL DAY: Dr Matthew Szarko,lecturer in medical education, anatomicalsciences, explaining the anatomy of the eyesto a young visitor

St George’s community open day celebrates a Tooting success story

For the third year running, the trust took part in theinternational exchange programme organised by HOPE, theEuropean hospital and healthcare federation. The HOPEexchange programme encourages hospital and healthcareprofessionals with managerial responsibilities to take partin the programme to learn about hospital systems andhealthcare providers in other countries.

the gazette 13

MITIE, the contractor that providesdomestic and catering services to StGeorge’s Hospital, has made greatstrides in improving the cleaning andcatering standards across the trustsince 2009.

MITIE staff are offered specialist,certificated, training by dedicatedtrainers; Malcolm Mitchell and MaryRidge, from The British Institute ofCleaning Science (BICSc), and all newstarters are required to complete theirBICSc accreditation before workingunsupervised. MITIE’s mandatoryinfection control training means 100 percent of MITIE staff have successfullygained an infection control certificate.

Along with more formal training, MITIEuse “toolbox talks” designed to impartknowledge in key areas, particularlywhere there may be a particular issue,that staff need to react to.

MITIE has identified staff with thenecessary skills or qualities to exemplifyMITIE’s best practices. In addition to acomprehensive induction, all newstarters have a period of one weekwhere they are “buddied” with a skilledmember of the MITIE team in order thatthey can put their training to use in apractical setting. This means that at nopoint are unskilled staff required to workalone in the hospital.

Developing MITIE people MITIE PEOPLE: MITIE’s mandatory infection control training means 100 per cent of MITIEstaff have successfully gained an infection control certificate

Supervisor developmentSupervisors provide a crucial link betweenthe trust and the MITIE team. It isimportant to provide training and supportfrom the earliest stage. Recognising theimportant part that supervisors play in thesuccess of the business and investing intheir development helps ensure a steadystream of competent managers to supportMITIE’s work at St George’s.

MITIE holds supervisor workshops on amonthly basis at St George’s Hospital –forums which encourage supervisors tofeed back on issues affecting their dailywork. During the session supervisors aregiven an opportunity to raise ideas andconcerns. Focus topics for meetings so farhave been team-working, effectivecommunication, and equality and diversity.

MITIE’s supervisor developmentprogramme (SDP) is an interactive course,designed to help staff develop on the firstrungs of the management ladder. Theprogramme comprises of a three daysupervisory management skills course,completion of online learning, andattendance at four human resourcesworkshops.

Finally delegates complete an assessmentwhich gives them the opportunity toidentify the responsibilities in their role asa supervisor, give feedback on theirperformance and identify ways ofimproving performance by applying theirtraining to a real-life scenario.

Once the first stage is completed,delegates are offered the opportunity tostudy for the Institute of Leadership andManagement’s (ILM) level three certificatein first line management.

Public pick rose for new breast unitA public campaign to name a new breast diagnostic unit atSt George’s Hospital, Tooting, attracted nearly 400 votes, ofwhich more that 50 per cent were for the “Rose Centre.”

The Rose Centre, due to open in October 2011, will be namedafter breast cancer research pioneer Rose Kushner. As a stand-alone facility, the centre will provide patients with a modern, high-quality and efficient screening and diagnostic service, in a calmand caring environment.

St George's Hospital is a regional cancer centre and its clinicalresults for breast screening are among the best in London. Thehospital is also host to the South West London Breast ScreeningService and St George's National Breast Screening Training Centre.

Ros Given-Wilson, medical director at St George's, said: "Earlydetection of breast cancer is the key to successful treatment andthe Rose Centre will provide all the tests patients need in oneplace at one time, and give them their results quickly."

EURO EXCHANGE: (l-r)Christian Queckenbergfrom Germany; ConniChristiansen from Denmarkand Pedro Manuel PereiraMarques from Portugal

HOPE exchange

The newly refurbished St George’sGrove was officially opened in May. Theceremony was attended by St George’sstaff from nursing, facilities andoperations as well as Thames ValleyHousing (TVH), St George’s HealthcareNHS Trust and Willmott Dixon Housing.

The Grove comprises 557 affordablerental homes for key workers and 78shared ownership apartments. Thedevelopment was provided inpartnership between TVH, the trust andWillmott Dixon Housing. The key workerhomes suit a variety of needs andbudgets, ranging from single roomswith en-suite shower and sharedliving/kitchen facilities, to two or three

bedroom family apartments. They areavailable to employees of St George’sHealthcare and other local key workers.

Neal Deans, the trust’s director ofestates and facilities, said: “Previouslythe Grove, which is a 15 minute walkfrom the hospital, had 500 individualrooms in shared flats for staff, but theblocks were dull, grey and dated. Thisexciting redevelopment has nowtransformed the Grove into modern flatsand shared ownership properties withaffordable rent for all St George’s staff.”

To find out further information aboutthe Grove accommodation pleasecontact 0208 6070757 orstgeorges@tvha.co.uk

14 the gazette

First Touch, St George’s neonatalunit charity, and Bliss, the specialcare baby charity, have joinedforces to create a new andinnovative position at St George’sHospital to provide care for familiesof premature and sick babies insouthwest London.

The charities are working with the trustand the South West London PerinatalNetwork to ensure the very best care isdelivered to parents at what is anextremely challenging and difficult time.

The UK-first family centred care (FCC)coordinator post is being funded by thetwo charities for an initial term of threeyears. The coordinator will be based onthe neonatal unit and will work withfamilies to provide information andsupport; ensuring that the neonatalunit has consistent, high quality family-centred care. Caring for a premature orsick baby’s entire family is widelyrecognised as a crucial part of theiroverall clinical care, making a positivecontribution to the long-term healthand wellbeing of the child.

The full-time post is shared betweenBobbie Everson and Lyndsey Hookway.

Doris Jackman, head of nursingnewborn services and lead nurse SWLPerinatal Network, said: “We arethrilled and excited about this newinitiative. The FCC coordinator willmake a huge difference to the care wecan provide to babies and their families.The neonatal intensive careenvironment can be very overwhelmingfor parents and the FCC coordinatorwill help promote early maternal-infantattachment through support,communication and education. The rolewill complement the counsellor’s workin helping parents resolve the emotionalcrisis of having a preterm or sicknewborn baby on a neonatal unit.”

FAMILY CARE: Lyndsey Hookway and Bobbie Everson

Family centred care(FCC) coordinator forneo-natal unit is a firstKIND GIFT: (l-r) Henry Marsh, neurosurgery consultant; Janet Street-Porter and Francis Johnston,

neurosurgery consultant; with the family of Stephen Charlton

AMW balconies openingcelebratedMedia personality Janet Street-Porterofficially opened the newly refurbishedAtkinson Morley Wing balconies at areception held on 15th June. A portionof the funds for the refurbishment ofthe balconies were kindly donated bythe Charlton family, whose son andbrother, Stephen Charlton, was apatient at St George’s for many yearsbefore sadly passing away in 2003.

The balconies have created apeaceful area in which patients canenjoy an outside space. Pottedplants and flowers add colour to the spacethanks to the handiwork of Bob Holdawanski, trust gardener.

Henry Marsh, consultant neurosurgeon, said: “We are lucky with the wards in theAtkinson Morley Wing, as there is the potential for direct access to the outside world forour patients.

“Thanks to the generosity of Stephen Charlton and others, we have been able to convertthe balconies into this very attractive roof garden. It is impossible to overstate how wellreceived this has been both patients and staff.”

Grove is officially opened

15

An innovative change in the waycancer services are provided at StGeorge’s Hospital, Tooting, meanspatients can go home sooner aftersurgery.

The trust is one of only 13 pilot sites inEngland working in collaboration withNHS Improvement to take forward theday case or overnight stay dischargemodel for women receiving breastsurgery.

This innovative approach means thatmany patients are able to have surgeryand return home on the same or nextday. This is suitable for the two out ofthree breast cancer patients who donot need complex reconstructivesurgery.

Dibyesh Banerjee, consultantoncoplastic breast surgeon, said:“Patients who come for breast surgerytend to be aged between 50 and 60and are usually fit and well, so there isno medical reason why they should notgo home on the same day.

“Discharging patients earlier reducesinpatient stays and improves patientrecovery. It also helps patients avoiddeep vein thrombosis and hospitalacquired infections, such as MRSA,which are often associated withincreased length of stay.”

In the past patients might have been inhospital for up to six days, receivingpre- and post-operative assessmentsand aftercare, before they wereallowed to return home. Under thenew model, patients arecommunicated with well in advance oftheir operation in an extended pre-operative assessment and theiraftercare is provided by communitynurses in their own home.

The latest data shows that St George’sHospital is leading the way forsouthwest London, treating 83 percent of eligible patients under thismodel. None of the patientsdischarged within 23 hours werereadmitted within 30 days

Mr Banerjee stresses that patient safetyis always paramount: “Patients are onlydischarged if it is safe for them to gohome. Once they get home they arenot left to their own devices – they aresupported by a named Macmillanbreast care nurse or district nurses intheir own homes.”

Best practice by St George’s was showcased by NHS Improvement Nationallyat the British Association of SurgicalOncology conference and AGM 17th

May 2011.

Nursing responseteam provide 24/7 careThe nursing response team areimproving patient care and experiencethrough the 24 hour cover service theyprovide.

The team assist areas that are short staffedand also cover escalation areas that areopened when there are bed shortages.

The team was first established in November2009 and are managed by advanced nursepractitioners Siobhan Greene and GaryLloyd, and nurse practitioner Linda Philpott.Siobhan said: “The aim is to have staff thatcan be deployed to any area and thenmoved if necessary; thus responding tochanges in the hospital status.”

The main areas that the response teamcover include A&E, acute medical units andboth general and speciality medical andsurgical wards. They have also beendeployed to cardiac, neuro and paediatrics.This exposure to a wide variety of wardareas is seen as a positive aspect of the roleas the nurses are able to develop a range ofdifferent skills.

The team of nurses are highly competent ina number of areas and have undertakentraining such as cannulation, mentorship,MEERKAT, IV drug administration and malecatheterisation to prepare them for anysituation they may find themselves in.

Nurse Sarah Soares has been part of theteam since March 2010. She said: “Idecided to join the team because I wantedto gain experience in all fields of nursing. Ienjoy going onto different wards andhelping out colleagues when they are shortstaffed or when they have a heavyworkload. It’s nice to lend a helping hand.”

Leading the way inshortening patient stays

BEST PRACTICE: The 23-hour team showcased best practice at the British Association ofSurgical Oncology conference and AGM in May

St George’s Hospital played host toa regional fetal medicine day inMay. The aim of the day, attendedby 59 delegates, was to attract allthe consultants and fetal medicinemidwives from the trust’s referringhospitals to ensure goodcommunication, agree unifiedprotocols to streamline care andfacilitate research collaborations.

The trust’s fetal medicine unit is thesecond largest nationally and actsas tertiary referral centre forsouthwest London, in addition toan increasing number of hospitalsfrom further afield.

Regional fetal medicine day

For any catering or cleaning (except Atkinson Morley Wing) enquiries, please contact MITIE helpdesk on 020 8725 4000

16 the gazette16 the gazette

The Conway family has generouslydonated more than £1,300 topurchase an Anatome transfer chair forthe trauma and orthopaedic wards inmemory of their mother, Hilda May

Conway, who was cared for onGunning Ward.

The chair is a tilt-in-space and a reclinerchair; used for patients who are unableto sit on their own to do so safely.

London MarathonThis year’s St George’s HospitalCharity London Marathon runnersraised funds and awareness insupport of teams includingneurological ICU, cardiothoracics,paediatrics, Richmond Ward and thetrauma and orthopaedics team.

We are delighted that the total raised byour runners was more than £12,000!Huge congratulations to Chris Goldsmith,Hannah Moorhouse, Clare Hillery, LauraEdwards, Alan Nelless, Beth Long andSusan Menzies and thanks to the wholeteam for running for St George’s HospitalCharity.

For a place in the St George’s LondonMarathon Team for 2012 please emailgiving@stgeorges.nhs.uk or pop into theFundraising Office to request anapplication form.

Flying for Full Circle Up hill, down dale, twisting countryroads and a forecast of torrential rainwere just some of the challenges forTeam Full Circle in the May FlyerSportive on Sunday 8th May 2011.

Organised by the South Western RoadClub (SWRC) the May Flyer sportive, heldin aid of Full Circle Fund for the secondyear, comprised two seriously toughcourses – an 86km route and a longer146km route.

Several members of Team Full Circlecompleted the sportive in exceptionaltimes – Alan Brunsden, Vero Bringlow,and Dr Fenella Willis achieved Gold timesin the 146km route, and Chloe Hall wonGold for fastest female in the 86kmcourse.

Full Circle Fund supports children andadults with life threatening conditions atSt George’s Hospital, London. Team FullCircle raised more than £4,000 to fund apart-time therapist for a year.

To support the team, visitwww.justgiving.com/teamfullcircle,www.fullcirclefund.org.uk or call 020 8725 5503.

News from St George’s Hospital CharityIn the last six months, St George’sHospital Charity has awarded inexcess of £2m in grants to StGeorge’s Healthcare. These grantshave been for capital projects andnon-capital projects alike and havebeen awarded because the Trustees ofthe Charity aim to raise and usecharitable funds to bring real benefitsto patients and staff in areas wherethe NHS Trust is not able to makegrants or cannot stretch its budget.

These grants for capital projectsinclude:

• £500,000 for the relocation andrefurbishment of the SimultationCentre, including £150,000 for ahigh-fidelity mannequin

• £200,000 to relocate the chestclinic into Lanesborough Wingoutpatients from its currentlocation on the perimeter road.

• £82,000 to relocate and refurbishthe bereavement servicesdepartment away from its currentlocation in Knightsbridge Wing tothe heart of the Hospital

A number of non-capital grants have alsobeen awarded. These include:

Learning disability services received£10,000 over two years to support thepioneering work of Jim Blair to improvethe hospital experience of people withlearning disabilities and their carers.

The palliative care team was awarded£65,000 to purchase syringe drivers. Theseare being used by terminally ill patients tomanage their pain relief at home, at theend of their lives. This funding hasenabled St George’s to deliver thestandard of care that gives patientschoice, supports dignity and makes asignificant difference to individuals.

Avid readers of the Gazette will alreadyknow that St George’s Hospital Charityfunds the living our values staff awards.Individual and team winners receive £50and £150 vouchers respectively in thecategories of excellent, kind, responsibleand respectful.

All capital and non-capital bids are co-ordinated by Sharon Welby. Forms areavailable electronically from Liz Woods inthe Fundraising Office.

Rfundraising

GENEROUS DONATION: (l-r) Ray Conway; Paul Gillespie, orthopaedic consultant; MarilynCross and Carole Caddick, Mrs Conway’s daughters (front left); with the trauma andorthopaedic therapy team