News from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

THe PulseIssue 148 Spring 2017

Meet our Theatres Team

Staff Awards open

The Pulse

The Pulse

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THIS ISSUE

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Views sought on new skin centre

A&e: busiest time in history

Trust staff scoop awards hat-trick

staff Awards open

Our hard-working Theatres Team

Meet the Charity Team

New team help improve patient journey

Green travel

Contents

Spring 2017Issue 148 Marking World Encephalitis Day

Produced by:The Communications Departmentthh-tr.communications@nhs.netPrint: Streamline Your Print

Who’s who

The Pulse magazine is for our patients, local people, staff and members of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Copies can be picked up from the Trust and downloaded from our website www.thh.nhs.uk.

www.thh.nhs.uk

Cover: Consultant, Victoria Cook

encephalitis is a rare condition which affects

4,000 people in the UK every year. For some patients, a return to normality is never achieved – however, a key factor in this is prevention and early intervention.

Spotting the signs and symptoms is vital if rapid treatment is to be received. On World encephalitis Day, marked each year on 22 February, organisations such as the NHS and the UK-based encephalitis Society, try to raise awareness and save lives through informing the public.

encephalitis is a rapid-onset swelling of the brain, and can be caused by a number of things. In most cases, encephalitis is caused by a viral infection (infectious encephalitis). The most common viruses that can cause encephalitis are:• The herpes simplex virus (the

virus that also causes cold sores)

• The measles virus• The varicella virus (chickenpox)• The rubella virus (German

measles)The initial symptoms of encephalitisareflu-likesymptomsthat develop over several hours or a day:

• Headache• Fever (high body temperature)• General feeling of being

unwellAfter the initial symptoms, the headache can become severe and people can also experience:• Nausea (feeling sick) and

vomiting (being sick)• Mild to moderate neck

stiffness• Drowsiness and confusion• Problems with memory• Speech problems• Changes in personality and

uncharacteristic behaviour• epilepsy (seizures).

Other symptoms can include sensitivity to bright light and a lack of co-ordination (unsteadiness when walking or clumsiness with the hands).

In many cases, people will make a good recovery from encephalitis, but nerve cells in the brain may be damaged. This can lead to long-term effects, which are sometimes severe.

The encephalitis Society is the main support group in the UK for people who’ve had encephalitis and their loved ones.

Its helpline number is 01653 699 599, or visit https://www.encephalitis.info/. Alternatively go to www.nhs.uk and search for ‘encephalitis’.

www.thh.nhs.uk

Views sought on new skin centre The Trust is planning to

create a new purpose-built skin centre at Mount Vernon Hospital and wants to hear what residents and patients think.

The demand for skin services is increasing and last year we managed more than 22,200 outpatient appointments - a 75% increase since 2010.

The service currently operates from nine scattered locations across both main hospitals and three community clinics. This proposal would consolidate the majority of the Trust’s skin services in one dedicated building, improving the overall service for patients.

Operating from one specialist building would: • Streamline services for

patients• Speed up treatment and

diagnosis• Improve clinical facilities• enable greater staff training

opportunities• Provide greater convenience

for patients receiving cancer services delivered by east and North Hertfordshire Trust at Mount Vernon.

The proposed skin centre building would be a stand-alone building adjacent to an existing car park and the Treatment Centre.

The planning application is due to be considered by Hillingdon Council in the summer.

Send comments to: THH.capitalprojects@nhs.net or to: The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Skin Centre Consultation, estates and Facilities Department, Hillingdon Hospital, Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge UB8 3NN.

WELCOME

Shane DeGarisChief executive

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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A word from the Chief Executive

Shane DeGaris, Chief Executive

Winter has always been a busy time of year for

hospitals and this year has seen record levels of demand for A&e services across the whole of the NHS.

At Hillingdon we are experiencing the busiest time in our entire history. This is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the emergency department and the rest of the hospital. The Trust has therefore not been able to meet the government’s target of seeing 95% of patients within four hours. It is a testament to our fantastic staff that they are working tirelessly to continue delivering the best possible care to our patients under challenging circumstances for us all.

Patients with the highest level of need are being prioritised and we are encouraging those that don’t need to come to A&e to get the advice and support they need from one of the many other services available to them. This will help us to provide emergency care to those that really need it most.

Our A&e department is one of the smallest in London and our GP commissioners have recognised, in the Shaping a Healthier Future programme, that it needs to grow to cope with increasing demand. As those plans will take some time to come to fruition we have taken the decision to begin expanding our emergency department now to create more space to manage patients. This will obviously take some time to complete but will be very welcome news to patients and staff alike.

The Trust is always working on improving and expanding its services and I’m pleased to tell you that we have recently opened a

new Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) at Hillingdon. This provides us with a dedicated area to care for patients, away from A&e, and determine if they need to be admitted to hospitalorarefittogohome.

We are also planning to build a brand-new skin centre at Mount Vernon (details opposite). This will greatly enhance the service we are able to offer to patients needing skin treatments. Andfinally,wehavecommitted

to forging ahead with our long-term ambitious plan to deliver an innovative new university health campus including a next generation acute medical centre replacing the current hospital. This will be delivered in partnership with Brunel University and Central and North West London NHS FT. We will keep you posted about these and other developments as they progress.

Here’s looking forward to a successful year ahead.

The Pulse 4

NEWS

Ambitious plans for new hospital

An ambitious partnership project, aimed at improving the way health care is delivered in the future, was given a further endorsement by the Trust Board at the end of last month.

The plan is to develop an innovative new health campus on the Brunel University site that would lead the way in creating a new system for delivering health and social care. The new development would include replacing the current Hillingdon Hospital with a next generation acute medical centre alongside an Academic Centre for Health Sciences (ACHS). This would work in partnership with GPs and other community-based health and social care professionals to drive and deliver improvements in population health and patient care through education, research and innovation.

Championed in partnership by the Trust, Brunel University and Central and North West London NHS FT, the new health campus would seek to build on best international practice and work closely with all local healthcare providers to develop a template for other parts of the UK (and beyond) for the way healthcare is delivered in the future.

The partnership has outlined a vision that will support a more integrated system of hospital and community-based health and social care provision to meet the complex care needs of Hillingdon’s growing population.

The Trust will be working alongside its two partners in the coming months to further develop its plans and will be seeking the views of local people on the proposals.

Frances Woodstock with the bed replacement team

Food for families of children with life-

threatening or life-limiting illnesses is now subsidised in Hillingdon’s Peter Pan Ward, thanks to a charity initiative.

The scheme, run by The Liesel AngelTrust,wasofficiallylaunched by the Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor John Hensley, in January, having been piloted at the Peter Pan Ward since March 2014. It offers a daily £5 voucher for a meal for families to eat at their child’s bedside, ensuring children’s

parents/carers can eat at least one healthy meal a day while on the ward with their child.

The Liesel Angel Trust is a Registered Childhood Cancer Charity founded by Ms Lovia Ofori-Agyemang after she lost her daughter Liesel Angel to Neuroblastoma childhood cancer. It was her personal experience which provided the framework in developing this scheme.

‘Liesel’s Meal’ launched

The Mayor of Hillingdon joined Lovia Ofori-Agyemang, her mother and hospital staff to launch the meal voucher scheme

More than 300 beds were replaced with newer, more sophisticated models, representing about an 80% bed replacement.

All wards in the main tower block at Hillingdon, Paediatrics,

AlderbourneUnit,Beaconsfieldeast and the Stroke Unit had their beds replaced. Sue Manthorpe, Assistant Director of Health and Safety, said: “Patients were thrilled to get a new bed.”

New beds for HillingdonA major bed-replacement programme has now been

completed at Hillingdon.

www.thh.nhs.uk 5

PAgE TITLENEWS

A&E: busiest time in historyHillingdon Hospital’s A&e department is currently experiencing the highest demand for services in its history. This means people will have to wait longer to be seen.

The number of patients coming to A&e grew

to almost 17,000 between October and December 2016 compared to around 15,000 the year before – a 14% increase.

The number of patients being blue-lighted by ambulance to the hospital also increased by 32% over the same period meaning more very sick patients need caring for. These patients require a longer hospital stay and this is impacting on the Trust’s ability to see patients as quickly as we would like. In addition, discharging some of our elderly patients is also taking far longer meaning that beds are not readily available and this has an impact on the time people are waiting in A&e.

Hillingdon’s A&e department is the smallest in North West London for the number of patients it

sees. It was originally designed to manage something in the region of 4,350 patients per month but is now seeing an average of 5,600. Managing this number of patients within the available space is extremely challenging. Most days the sheer volume overwhelms the physical capacity of the department and this is the biggest contributing factor to delays within A&e.

Regardless of these difficulties,duringthelast quarter we saw 81% of patients within the government’s four-hour target. Our staff are doing a fantastic job coping with the situation and continue to provide safe patient care.

We are prioritising patients with

Finding the right care at the right timeChoosingtherightcareensuresthattheNHS’valuableresourcesareusedwisely.Youcanfindmoreinformation

by going to: www.rightcarenwlondon.nhs.uk.

the highest need and asking those that don’t need to come to A&e to seek the care they need from the most appropriate place, including their GPs, pharmacies and through the NHS 111 number.

Your local pharmacist is highly trained and can provide a professional,confidentialservice,free of charge with no need to book or wait.

Many pharmacies have private consulting rooms and are a good choice for help with many common ailments including: coughs, colds, cystitis, skin conditions, aches and pains, and upset stomachs.

Your GP is the best option for many routine health problems and you can often be seen the same day.

They provide: advice on physical and mental health problems; diagnosis and treatment for a range of conditions; help with long-term care and arrange referrals to hospital specialists and community-based services.

The NHS 111 telephone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s completely free of charge to call to help you choose the right care.

Call NHS 111 when you: need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency; think you might need to go to A&e or need another NHS urgent care service; don’t know who to call, or need health advice.

The Pulse 6

NEWS

Josna Patel, Diabetic Specialist Nurse at the Trust, was commended in the Outstanding Ophthalmology Nurse or Allied Health Professional category of the Ophthalmology Honours last November, for her ‘skills, excellent intuitionandfirst-rateknowledgeof diabetes and ophthalmology’.

The awards programme is run by Bayer and supported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the sight-loss charity body Visionary. It recognises and celebrates the outstanding work being carried

A Hillingdon man received France’s highest honour for

his part in the Normandy landings - thanks to the efforts of his surgeon.

Peter Chesney, 92, was presented with the Legion d’Honneur in Hillingdon Hospital’s BeaconsfieldEastWardlastNovember.

The Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor John Hensley, presented the medal, along with

Mr Alistair Myers, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Hillingdon Hospital. Mr Myers had recently performed surgery on the former artilleryman and led the efforts to ensure Mr Chesney got his recognition from the French government.

Mr Myers revealed: “It meant so much to him. He has no living relatives and this is really the last thing he wanted to achieve in his life.”

Congratulations to Midwife Gillian Pearce who has secured funds through the prestigious Florence Nightingale Foundation Awards to help her research into the risks of malaria overseas posed to women expecting a baby.

Gillian is keen to improve advice for women in the topics of malaria prevention – including mosquito avoidance and deterrence – anti-malarial medicines, differing strains of the disease and occurrence by geographical area.

Her year of travel and study has already resulted in a wealth of new knowledge, an information leafletwithachecklistforwould-be travellers and – she hopes – further information resources in due course for women who live in malaria regions.

Gillian has previously spent time at the Kamuli Mission Hospital in Uganda.

Peter Chesney receives the Legion d’Honneur

War hero patient awarded prestigious French honour thanks to surgeon

Trust staff scoop awards hat-trickA trio of Trust staff have been recognised for their outstanding work

out by multi-disciplinary teams in ophthalmology throughout theUKandidentifiesexceptionalinitiatives that demonstrate clinical excellence and innovation.

The awards were presented at a special ceremony at the Royal College of Surgeons in London.

For award-winning midwife Aissa edon, the fightagainstFemaleGenitalMutilation(FGM)goes on.

The Community Midwife Team Leader has been honoured by the Royal College of Nursing with a Mary Seacole Scholar Award, to help her continue her work raising awareness of FGM and working with victims, their partners and families.

Aissa wants to research women and their partners’ experiences and expectations of care and best practice, and look at how to improve things. She says: “As far as my work around FGM is concerned, the Mary Seacole Award is not a beginning but it is a milestone. I have beenfightingthefightagainstFGMforalongtime,andIwillnotgive up.”

Aissa, a native of Mali, has practised in France, Belgium and Switzerland, and set up the Hope Clinic in Southall in 2014 to help victims of FGM.

Gillian Pearce, centre

www.thh.nhs.uk

NEWS

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The Trust has launched its annual staff awards

paying tribute to the 3,300+ staff working at the Hillingdon and Mount Vernon sites, and we want you to tell us about your Trust hero for our staff Awards Compassionate Carer category.

Now in its third year, this public-nominated honour is for the member of staff who has demonstrated true compassionate care, for example to you, a member of your family or a friend.

Now it is your chance to say ‘thank you’, and nominating them could not be easier.

Simply pick up a form in our main reception areas or go online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/publicawards2017 – and make sure outstanding compassionate care is recognised.

Nominations close at 5pm on Friday 24 February.

Staff Awards – nominations now open

Plenty of pledges for a healthier year

Music and chat at Mount Vernon

Patients at Mount Vernon can be treated to Frank

sinatra, elvis and Abba over the airwaves if they tune in to Radio Mount Vernon.

The station is staffed by 16 volunteers who broadcast four evenings a week to Hillingdon patients in an orthopaedic ward, Trinity, and Daniels ward, where patients with MS and other mobility issues are treated, longer term. Volunteer ward visitors and presenters regularly walk around the hospital meeting patients to collect requests. Long-term patients in particular really appreciate the service, and say it “helps them through the long days”. even short-stay patients are

often delighted to chat about something other than their health issues.

The station has a huge collection of music on vinyl, CDs and digitally, and they feature special programmes with music from the 60s - 90s and a ‘Guess the Year Quiz’, with music, news and sport.

To listen from home, request a track or read more about the station, visit radiomountvernon.org.uk.

Do you know a hospital worker or team who deserves to be recognised for their work?

‘Healthy January’, when we all pledge to give up something bad or take up something good, saw a storm of pledges at the Trust.

Staff committed – via an online ‘Pledge Wall’ and public notice board – to avoid alcohol for ‘Dry January’, join team mates in a ‘Pedometer Challenge’ by recording the total number of steps taken each day for a fortnight, or to eat more healthily, go to the gym, give up smoking or cut down on sugar and salt – the list was a long one!

Regular messaging went out via the Trust’s websites and social media channels to help spread the word.

The aim is to encourage staff to be healthier in the year ahead. Martin Hill presents the Sunday request show

Who will you nominate?

The Pulse

NEWS

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The Trust has partnered with NHS Blood and

Transplant to promote organ and blood donation to people throughout the borough.

Launching a new avenue of promotion, the Trust is using itsfleetvanswhichcarrymail,records, blood products and equipment around healthcare sites in Hillingdon, Hounslow and ealing, to encourage people to sign up for organ donation and to give blood.

Steve Wedgwood, Assistant Director of Facilities said: “Signing up to the Organ Donor register and giving blood is something that many people want to do but just don’t get round to. We hope that this message reminds people in the local community about this great cause along with the details of where to go for more information.”Tofindoutmoreaboutjoining

the NHS Organ Donor Register or giving blood, call 0300 123 23 23.Youcanalsofindmore

information at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or www.blood.co.uk.

Our hard-working Theatres Team scrub up wellHillingdon’s surgical theatres are one of the busiest areas of the Trust with more than 16,200 procedures and operations being carried out each year by a team of specialists.

The Trust has 13 operating theatres in all, with nine at

Hillingdon, including two in maternity, and four at Mount Vernon. A team of more than 250 are involved in their smooth-running although many of them are not directly involved in conducting operations.

It requires a lot of different skills to ensure that a surgical team works effectively. Carrying out the

surgical procedure, or operation, isusuallythemostsignificantelement of a patient’s treatment but there are many steps leading up to it and, of course, a lot goes into ensuring patients get the best possible care following their operation.

Many people involvedThere are many people involved

in the process, from the pre-assessment nurses who check thatpatientsarefittoundergoa procedure, to the managers

Safe in her handsConsultant, Victoria Cook is the Divisional Director for Surgery and Anaesthetics at the Trust and has been with the organisation for nearly 17 years. As well as leading the Surgical Division she specialises in Urogynaecology and runs specialist clinics on both the Hillingdon

and Mount Vernon sites. Miss Cook is greatly experienced having formerly been the

Trust’s Associate Clinical Director of Obstetrics. She is an active

member of the surgical team and on a full day could operate on as many as12patients.Thefirst

operation she carried out was a caesarean section back in 1990. She has since carried

out more than 6,800 operative procedures. She loves what she does and is full of praise for her colleagues saying: “The great thing about our surgical team is that there is a real team spirit. everyone pulls together and provides support to each other as well as a lending hand where needed. This positive, can-do attitude means that patients get the very best care.”

Miss Cook prepares for surgery

New partnership with NHS Blood

www.thh.nhs.uk 9

YEAR REVIEW FEATURE

Our hard-working Theatres Team scrub up wellwho have the unenviable task of scheduling-in patients and the consultants, anaesthetists and other theatre staff who undertake the operations.

The Trust’s theatres are open 24 hours a day for emergency cases but a standard theatre list currently starts at 8.30am and finishesat5.30pm.Thenumberof patients undergoing surgery each day varies according to the complexity of the operations listed. Getting the scheduling right is a challenging job. We want to make the best use of the theatre time by seeing as many patients as possible but if there are any complications things can sometimes take a little longer than planned. Time between operations also has to be factored in so the surgical teams can make sure everything is spotlessly clean and sterile in preparation for the next patient.

Broad range of proceduresThe surgical procedures the

Trust undertakes are very varied and operations change from day to day depending on the schedule, the surgeons’ diaries and the need to deal with any emergency admissions. Procedures

Theatre fact file• More than 16,200 operations and procedures carried out a year• Manages hundreds of different types of procedures from guided

injections and dental extractions to complex 6+ hour operations• The Trust employs 11 theatre specialists covering: paediatrics,

intensive care, pain procedures, obstetrics, orthopaedics, urology, gynae, C-sections, dermatology, colorectal and general

• Most common procedures carried out are for: cataracts, carpal tunnel syndrome and hip replacements

• Demand is seasonal: children’s trampolining accidents in summer holidays; elderly patients’ joint and hip fractures in winter

• Football and rugby injuries peak at the weekends• An emergency team of six is on-call 24/7.

or operations can range from a relatively short 10-minute cataract operation to a complex six-hour colorectal operation requiring a number of senior consultants to be on hand throughout.

It can be confusing for patients to understand what is classed as a procedure or an operation. In short a procedure usually refers to something that is less invasive, for example a guided (steroid) injection to target pain, while an operation is often more invasive and likely to require a patient to be given a local or

general anaesthetic. Whatever the procedure, the team works together to provide the best possible care and outcome for patients. And they are always ready to deal with emergency admissions, with a theatre team of six on-site and on-call. Last Christmas Day, the on-call team carried out four operations.

There are some operations that aren’t carried out at the Trust as they are referred to specialist centres. These include: spinal and major vascular surgery and ear, Nose and Throat procedures.

Dr Con Pappageorgiou, Miss Victoria Cook and Mr Ash Prabhudesai outside one of our operating theatres

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CHARITY

Charity Director, Andrew Bickerdike brings a wealth of previous charity experience, includingfiveyearsleadingfundraising for The King’s Fund – a charitable foundation which works to improve healthcare. He also led a national corporate fundraising team for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Community Fundraiser & Corporate Partnerships, Sophie Stevens-Wallace has more than 15 years of corporate board-level experience across the Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Charity sectors and has developed management consultancies in the UK and the US. She has worked with several local charities and is a keen supporter of local charity events.

Money from the Charity pays for a range of things, from medical equipment over and above what would otherwise be possible, to items which improve the staff and patient experience.

Over Christmas the Charity provided money for:• Christmas trees for every

ward in the Trust• Breakfast for all staff

working on Christmas Day• A Christmas party for cancer

patients on Children’s wards.The Trust has formed a new

partnership with Stockley Park. Wearetheirfirsteverpreferredcharity and we are working with them to develop a calendar of fundraising activities.

Here to make a differenceHillingdon Hospitals Charity is your charity. We are here to support both staff and patients at Hillingdon and Mount Vernon Hospitals. We are based at both hospital sites and work in the community and with corporate partners.

Andrew Bickerdike and Sophie Stevens-Wallace

A range of local support to improve patient experience By text or telephone:Text THeH01 and the amount

of your donation in pounds to 70070 to make a donation direct from your mobile phone. Or call 01895 279954 during officehourstomakeadonationby card.

In person or by post:Donate in person at the

cashier’sofficeinHillingdonHospital, or by post to Charity Office,HillingdonHospital,PieldHeath Road, Uxbridge UB8 3NN. Please make cheques payable to Hillingdon Hospitals Charity, and please enclose your contact details so we can thank you! Download our Donation Form from the website.

How can you help?

Find us online – you can hear the latest news from the Charity by going to: www.hillingdonhospitalscharity.org or join us on Twitter @hillhospcharity

Meet the Trust’s fundraising Charity Team

The charity funds practical improvements for patients at both hospitals, helps to transform the hospital environment, develop hospital staff and volunteers, and supports innovation to provide the best possible healthcare.

www.thh.nhs.uk

SPOTLIgHT

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The Trust’s switchboard is a 24/7 service, which

takes external and internal calls for both Hillingdon and Mount Vernon Hospitals, and is often the first contact that many people have with the hospital.

The service also takes emergency calls for east and North Herts and Central and North West London Trusts. The team’s main role is to put people through to who they need to speak to - a job that takes a long time to learn as a lot of detailed knowledge about the hospital and all the departments is vital.

There are 15 people in the Switchboard team, including 13 operators who take on average 2,800-3,000 calls a day. These might be from the patients wanting to speak to doctors, nurses, the appointment unit or Outpatient Clinics, or needing directions and advice on which bus to catch. Medical professionals outside the hospital call in to make referrals, book appointments and get test results. One of the most obscure requests has been: “Can you connect me to the tall man with the beard?”

The Switchboard is also a crucial source of information for hospital staff, who phone through internally for information. As the Switchboard operates all night there is always a friendly voice to answer queries no matter what the hour, and there can be on average 150 calls a night.

The team answer all internal emergency calls that must be dealt with

immediately. There are currently over 60 different emergency teams across the two sites and it is essential that the team know who is on-call, day and night. During the early hours there are on average between 10 and 20 emergency calls received.

And it’s not just calls. The Trust has various alarms including fire,intruder,panic,medicalgasand temperature alarms which must be monitored, and this falls within the Switchboard remit, as does a programme to replace the current telephone system with a new digital one throughout the Trust by the end of the year.

Fact file•The number of incoming calls

are approx 70,000 a month•However, recently there have

been around 2,800-3,000 calls a day

•Internal calls to the operator average 10,000 calls a month

•The average number of calls per night is 150

•emergency calls within the hospital can be as many as 80 on a busy day.

You’re through to Hillingdon Hospitals…

The Switchboard team at work

“ ” Can you connect me to the tall man with the beard?

Members of the Switchboard team Karen East, George Wood, and Angie Treadwell

The Pulse

read the pros and cons of having a PSA test carefully. The latest advice from Public Health england can be found on the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.co.uk) by searching on ‘PSA test’.

And in January there was further good news, when the BBC reported a trial in which doctors found almost twice as many aggressive tumours than normal, detected using a new MRI scanning method, so avoiding the need for often painful biopsies.

FEATURE

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expect to see a lot of information and

fundraising efforts around ovarian and prostate cancer as February draws to a close.

In the Trust, staff at the Cancer Information Centre are planning to run an information stall in March: however, good advice and support is available there all year.

Former lorry driver, Alan Beckett, lives with terminal prostate cancer.

Back in 2013, Alan, 72, had visited his GP for an initial consultation, only to discover something was ‘not quite right’. Sent to Hillingdon Hospital for a blood test, he was then called back for a biopsy and MRI scan.

It was prostate cancer and Alan was put straight on to hormone injections and regular PSA (ProstateSpecificAntigen)tests.

Now Alan says: “Me and my wife still make plans for the future. Perhaps not two months ahead but certainly a month at a time.

“I was told by my specialist at the time of my diagnosis: ‘I would be disappointed if you weren’t here in three years.’ Well that was New Year’s eve 2013, so that mark has just passed and I’m still here.”

PSA occurs naturally in small amounts in men: a raised level could mean a problem with the prostate, but it might not be cancer: other checks are required.

It was after visiting Hillingdon for an appointment that Mr Beckett noticed the Cancer Information Centre and popped in.

“I get fantastic support from the cancer centre,” he said, “and I also use Harlington Hospice regularly.”

Currently there is no national prostate cancer screening test. Advice for symptom-free men is to

A month to make all men and women awareMarch is national awareness month for both prostate and ovarian cancer and the Macmillan Cancer Information Centre based in Hillingdon Hospital is no stranger to the two conditions.

Fact fileProstate cancerProstate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year. It usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs you have it for many years.Symptoms often only become apparent when your prostate is large enough to affect the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis).Symptoms can include:• An increased need to urinate• Straining while urinating• A feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied.

Alan Beckett

Ovarian cancerThesymptomsofovariancancercanbedifficulttorecognise,particularly in its early stages.• Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynaecological cancer

in the UK and is diagnosed in over 7,000 women a year• There is currently no screening programme for ovarian cancer• About 10% of ovarian cancers are thought to be caused by a faulty

gene inherited from either parent. Researchers have also found that close relatives of women with ovarian cancer are slightly more likely to develop it themselves

• The majority of ovarian cancers are epithelial ovarian cancer. The epithelium is the surface of the ovary

Three symptoms are more frequent in women who are diagnosed:• Increased abdominal size and persistent bloating (not bloating that

comes and goes) • Persistent pelvic and abdominal pain

• Difficultyeatingandfeelingfullquickly,orfeelingnauseous.

“

www.thh.nhs.uk

FEATURE

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New team help improve patient journey

Patient Flow Co-ordinators: Sam Johnson, Debbie Leakey, Jack Johnson, Sam Claridge, Colin Cooper, Diane Kennedy, Leara Sutherland-Payne and Josie Earley

earlier this year, the Trust dedicated a week to

really focus on improving patientflows–thetermused to describe how quickly it takes for a patient to move through the hospital system.

This, along with reducing the length of hospital stay for patients, is the key issue that the Trust is struggling to deal with day-in day-out.

Patient flow weekThe aim of the ‘Patient Flow

Week’ was to concentrate everyone’s minds on tackling the long-standing issues that cause delays in patient discharges which lead to the overall bottleneck in patientflows.

enabling patients to return home quickly

The week predominantly focused on two key initiatives which have now been rolled out across the Trust; ‘Red to Green days’ and ‘Tomorrow’s discharges today’. Both of these are based on the principle of ensuring that patients are not in hospital any longer than they need to be and that enabling patients to return to their home or usual place of residence in the quickest possible time is in their best interests, and is part of providing the highest possible quality of care.

The Red to Green days, which is a national initiative, is now underway on all wards at Hillingdon. It involves identifying (for every patient) the care or intervention that they need that day, to progress them towards their discharge. If that care or intervention is provided when required, the patient is having a Green day. It is a Red day where it is not. The multidisciplinary ward

team determine at a board round each morning what needs to happen to turn that day from Red to Green.

Tomorrow’s discharges today

The other initiative rolled out across Hillingdon Hospital is ‘Tomorrow’s discharges today’ which involves the whole ward team ensuring that any patient who is due to go home the next day or the day after has everything prepared the day before. This includes, prescriptions, transport arrangements and any social, or home care needs, for example ensuring the community nurse is able to schedule in visiting them at home.

Thewholepatientflowbundleworks with the aim of ensuring that all patients have a planned date of discharge, that there is a steadyflowofpatientsthroughthe wards and that at least 33% of patients due to be discharged are done so before midday.

To help support these initiatives the Trust has created eight new

New team help overcome delays

Patient Flow Co-ordinator (PFC) roles. They work to ensure a smooth patient journey through the hospital as well as help to speed up the discharge process.

The new PFC Team work across inpatient, adult and paediatric wards throughout the Trust focusing on monitoring what is happening around patient journey and discharge, helping the ward team to overcome delays and solving the problems which result in delays.

Involving patientsAs well as continuing to roll out

Red to Green days and Tomorrow’s discharges today, the Trust is also exploring how to involve patients in managing their own journey through the hospital so they are informed around what needs to happen for them to go home, when they will go home and what the plan for care is once they get there.

Did you know...?An extra 10 days in hospital for a patient aged 80 or over can result in the equivalent of 10 years of muscle ageing due to inactivity.

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The Pulse 14

PROFILE

The role of the Green Travel Co-ordinator is

to raise awareness among staff and the public of the alternatives to car transport and the benefits of two-wheeled travel.

She started her career as a Porter back in 2008. After three years she became a Staff Parking Administrator, a role she performed until 2014 at Hillingdon before continuing at Mount Vernon Hospital. This was followed by a return to Hillingdon in September 2016 to take up her currentrole.“TomeIfindthisjob rewarding in the way that I can help staff and visitors to be healthier in providing provisions

relating to greener travel,” said Suzi. “I enjoy positive outcomes when assisting people and a little ‘thank you’ goes a long way.“Ifindthebestpartofthejobis

the lovely atmosphere and overall friendliness of the staff. It’s almost like working with a rather large extended family!”

“The biggest achievement in my role has been in understanding the principles of green travel, in order to promote and extend my knowledge to others.

“My role is predominantly a conduit with staff and the public in order to promote green travel and to improve the carbon footprint of the Trust.”

At the top of her ‘to do’ list is a revamp of the Hillingdon bike shelters – one on the edge of the Maternity car park, the other between BeaconsfieldEastandthe elderly Day Hospital – plus an audit of the lockable ‘bike bin’ storage boxes. The shelters will be cleaned and keypad locks checked.

Hillingdon Council, which collaborates with the Trust on travel plans, has donated a number of bike racks and Suzi is encouraging people to make use of them. She says: “With Healthy January just gone, it is not too late to make a new

year resolution and make 2017 the year you come to work on two wheels.”

Or why not consider the bus? In recent years, Transport for London has routed many more of its services past Hillingdon Hospital. Suzi encourages people to have another look at the company’s journey planner via the Trust website.

“I know a lot of people don’t realise how close they are to a bus route that serves our hospitals,” she said. “Once they have looked at the Journey Planner they realise how easy it is it to take the bus to work.”

For now, the Green Travel Co-ordinator has a string

of initiatives to lay out in the coming

months. As Suzi says: “Green travel is not just

about cycling; it’s a lot more

besides.”

Suzi Swan:Suzi’s travel plans are green for goSuzi Swan is the Trust’s Green Travel Co-ordinator. Here she talks buses, bikes and an improved carbon footprint.

14 The Pulse

Fact file• In 2010, the Trust

received an NHs Cycling Award, recognising our achievements for encouraging staff to cycle to work.

• 44% of people over five have access to or own some form of bicycle

• In 2015, the number of commuters in the uK getting to work by bike was 741,000.

• There were 5.04 billion local bus passenger journeys in Great Britain in 2015/16 - 60% of all public transport journeys

• In london, over 6,800 scheduled buses operate on over 700 different routes.

www.thh.nhs.uk 15

gOVERNORS’ VOICE

There are a number of staff governors covering Doctors and Dentists, Nurses and Midwives, Allied Health Professionals and Support Staff. As you can probably guess from my background I cover Support Staff.

As governors we attend quarterly board meetings that are heldinpublicunlessconfidentialinformation is being discussed, along with other meetings and events throughout the year. Governorshaveaspecificremitwhich, amongst other things, involves appointing the Trust Chairman and Non-executive Directorsandconfirmingpaylevels for the Chairman and Non-executive Directors. We also approve the appointment of the Chief executive!

Staff governors, unlike public governors,arefocusedspecificallyon providing support to staff. We’re here to listen to staff concerns and, where necessary, raise them through the lead governor, appropriate Non-executive Director or at the quarterly Board meetings.

Concerns can cover anything from changes to polices, a restructuring proposal or how we implement nationally-driven initiatives that affect staff. Where appropriate we will advise staff how to address these within the

Being a governor has been a positive experience

Trust, it might be through their manager, Union Rep or HR staff. With so much change in the NHS there can be a lot of things to deal with so there’s never a dull moment.

Since becoming a governor I have learned even more about the workings of the Trust and the wider NHS so it has been a positive experience.

Paul CornfordStaff Governor

Staff governor, Paul Cornford says “never a dull moment”

Dates for your diary: PIP meetings

The dates for the 2017 People in Partnership (PIP) meetings are:

• Tuesday 25 April, Postgraduate Centre, Mount Vernon Hospital• Tuesday 11 July, education Centre, Hillingdon Hospital• Tuesday 14 November, education Centre, Hillingdon Hospital.All meetings start at 7pm, with refreshments served from 6.30pm. Membership of ‘People in Partnership’ is open to people:• Living within the Borough of Hillingdon • Registered with a GP practice within the Borough of Hillingdon • Patients under a Trust health professional • Representatives of a voluntary or community organisation

within Hillingdon • A member of staff. Its aim is to involve patients and members of the public in the

development and planning of services by the Trust. For more information go to: https://www.thh.nhs.uk/patients/ppi/pip.php

Governor elections

I’ve been a staff member in the Trust’s People and Development team for more than eight years and a staff

governor for the last three. even though I’ve been here for quite a while there is still a lot to learn about the Trust and how it works which was one of the reasons I decided to apply to become a staff governor.

Nominations for the Council of Governors will close on 9 February. The election will open on Friday 3 March and all members will receive their voting packs either by email or post.

Please remember, you must be a Trust member to be able to vote. You can only vote for those candidates who fall within the constituency you live in.

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16

FEEdbACk

I gave birth to my son at Hillingdon hospital and cannot thank the staff enough for their care. The baby doctors and midwives were absolutely top class and honestly I can’t say enough good things about them. The labour ward was clean, I was looked after so well. There were difficultiesinmylabourwhichresultedinmeandmyson requiring special care but the staff delivered my son safely and all was well. I am extremely grateful to them for that. They were fantastic.

Gynaecology Outpatient AppointmentI was seen this morning at the outpatient department at Hillingdon Hospital. I received extremely good care from beginning to end including a consultant with a great sense of humour! I would like to express my thanks to all the staff involved from receptionist to nurses and consultant!

Top TweetsFollow @HillingdonNHsFT for news, updates, information, jobs and public involvement.

@quentynblogI had to go into Hillingdon hospital

last night to get my ankle looked at and I have to say what a professional group of drs and nurses

@barbaranorth1@HillingdonNHSFT once again THH has

made a difference to my family. My granddaughter was taken ill on Friday, quick actions and amazing care.

@SByrneFraserHaving spent a month in and out

of West Middlesex and Hillingdon hospitals with my son, I have been blown away by the medical teams.

@kathy_stephens @MrNickKnowles Absolutely! ..I

spent all of last Christmas in Hillingdon hospital with my Mother, nurses kept me going. Fantastic people!

@lorraine_tinker@HillingdonNHSFT just been blown

away by Alissa edon’s talk &passion 2 help women&their partners @theRCN #FGM @joan_myers @cisanim

Huge thank you to the wonderful nurses on AMU. They were kind, patient and extremely tolerant. everyone we saw, HCA, doctors, nurses, ward sister, diabetic care nurse, catering ladies, all were warm friendly and explained everything in testing circumstances in basic english not medical jargon. Took their time and smiled! Genuinely felt my relative was being cared for. We hope they have a wonderful Christmas and new year. It was really appreciated.

The Pulse

hillingdonnhsft Hillingdon Hospital staff and young patients welcomed Boris Johnson, MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip when he opened the new wing of our Peter Pan children’s ward.The new wing features four high-spec en-suite rooms with lots of space for patients and their families, including chair-beds for parents. There is a dedicated treatment room as well as a separate teenage room where young people can chill out together and watch TV or play on games consoles.#children #childrensward #hillingdon #uxbridge #boris #borisjohnson #baby #hospital #ward