Insight
THE MAGAZINE FOR NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND VISITORS Northampton General Hospital
Summer 2017 | Issue 63
THANK YOU, NORTHAMPTON! Local support funds new chemotherapy suite Pages 18 & 19
Supported by the Northamptonshire Health Charitable Fund
NHS Trust
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S COLUMN
Inspections and fundraising We were heartened to receive the findings of the latest inspection by healthcare watchdogs, the Care Quality Commission. The inspected four service areas when they visited earlier this year and rated them as good as well as highlighting some practices they felt were outstanding. The improvements observed by the CQC are notable and, when the ratings are compared to the last visit when we were judged to be requiring improvement, the changes are very significant. This kind of change does not happen overnight and it does not happen because of a few people – it happens because of the efforts of staff from all parts of the hospital. We know that we’re a good hospital where amazing things happen every day. We know what we can do to make it even better and this inspection rating proves that we’re on the right track – and strengthens our resolve to aim higher. One of the things that really impressed the CQC inspection team was their observation that we were proactively developing options for improvements, recognising that, although changes were needed outside the hospital, there was much within our own control. We can see this clearly in the development of our urgent and emergency care service. On the opposite page, you can read about our plans for a new emergency assessment unit and the acquisition of the neighbouring Springfield building as an urgent care centre. You can also read about the amazing support we have from our staff, patients and local community. I was delighted to be on the judging panel of our Dancing Stars contest which saw 16 NHS employees take on the challenge of learning to ballroom dance in just six weeks – on top of their day jobs! In the midst of our operational and financial pressures, it was a privilege to witness the joy and happiness of the event. Meanwhile, the opening of our refurbished chemotherapy suite couldn’t have happened without the generosity of hundreds of local individuals and organisations who supported the fundraising campaign. Thank you all for your ongoing support.
Dr Sonia Swart
Chief Executive Northampton General Hospital
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We’re good – and it’s official! N
orthampton General Hospital is good with some outstanding areas – that’s according to the latest inspection by healthcare watchdogs the Care Quality Commission. In their inspection report published in May, inspectors found that we had made significant improvements since the commission’s previous inspection in 2014. Inspectors visited the hospital as part of a focused inspection, to check on whether improvements had been made in four core service areas. These were urgent and emergency care, medical care (including older people’s care), surgery and end of life care. All of these services were previously rated as Requires Improvement but, following CQC’s inspection, all are now rated as Good. Chief executive Dr Sonia Swart said: “Every single person of the nearly 5,000 people who work at NGH has an important role to play in keeping patients at the heart of all the decisions we make. This report is heartening because it shows that we’re heading in the right direction -
towards being an outstanding hospital.” CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: “Our inspectors found a number of significant improvements had been made at Northampton General Hospital since our last inspection and staff are to be commended for their hard work. “The trust had taken action to meet concerns raised during our inspection in January 2014, particularly with regard to establishing an inclusive and supportive staff culture with a clear focus on patient safety. This was notable in all four core services we inspected with staff who were committed to improving the quality and safety of care and treatment for patients. “Staff were friendly and compassionate and patients spoke positively about their care and those caring for them. Effective systems were in place to protect people from harm and inspectors saw a number of areas of outstanding practice. “This was particularly evident in how the trust treated people with dementia and with regard to people being cared for at the end of their lives. “The leadership team in the emergency department were outstanding in driving improvements through the service with a clear focus on patient safety, despite pressures due to increasing attendances. “However, there were some areas where further improvements were needed. We highlighted this to the trust and its leadership knows what needs to happen to make sure improvements are made. “We will continue to monitor Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and will return to check on its progress in the future.”
Areas of outstanding practice
the quality of care and patient experience, including for those living with dementia. There were colour-coded bays on some wards and finger food boxes, to help patients eat when they wanted. Plans were being developed with primary care and community services to support elderly patients at home. The end of life care service piloted, evaluated and implemented an end of life companion volunteer scheme for patients who may not have visitors. The ED had an end of life care room next to the resuscitation area. There was a specific pathway and guidance for managing these situations when the patient was a child or young person.
There were some areas of outstanding practice, including: The geriatric emergency medicine service (GEMS) was outstanding in terms of providing awareness of and responding to the needs of patients. The emergency department (ED) worked with external organisations to develop an on-site psychiatric liaison service within the ED, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) gave the hospital the best rating possible (band A) in the April to June 2016 audit. Staff were focused on continually improving
Artist’s impression of the new building for the assessment unit. It will be linked to our emergency department on the first floor
NEW 60-BED ASSESMENT UNIT T
his year, visitors to NGH will notice a lot of construction activity taking place near our main entrance beside our emergency department. We have two major building projects taking place which will have a big impact on
how we care for patients most in need of emergency care. Building work started in July on a new £12 million emergency assessment unit on the site of the A&E car park. The 60-bedded two-storey building will be used to care for seriously unwell patients who need to be admitted from our A&E department for further assessment and treatment.
GP streaming
Chairman Paul Farenden signed the lease on the new building
The assessment unit construction project will take place alongside work to provide new GP streaming facilities at the entrance to the hospital site at the Springfield building. This means that patients who attend A&E who would be more appropriately seen by a GP will be directed to the new facilities. The location of Springfield close to our emergency department will ensure that patients in need of primary care services can receive these in the most appropriate setting and help take some of the pressure from the increasing attendances in the A&E department. On average, we see 70 patients each day in A&E who could reasonably have been expected to see a GP or pharmacist instead.
What is an assessment unit?
Emergency assessment units are used for patients who have recently been admitted to hospital. The units allow patients to receive dedicated assessment and care so that further steps for their care can be planned. That usually means we stabilise patients so that they may be moved to specialist wards to receive further specialised treatments or we care for them until they are well enough to be discharged home. Emergency assessment units are staffed by a dedicated team of consultants, nurses, assistant practitioners and healthcare support workers with support from other services across the hospital. The new emergency assessment unit represents an exciting opportunity for us to explore innovate models of care for our emergency admissions. If you’re a registered nurse or a health care assistant and you’d like to find out more about career opportunities in our new unit, we’d love to hear from you - contact our associate director of nursing Jason King on Jason.king@ngh.nhs.uk to register your interest.
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Want to say thank you to one of our nurses or midwives?
STEM CELL
Share your story with us.
We are proud to be one of the first hospitals in the UK to introduce the DAISY Award, an international recognition programme that honours and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses and midwives provide every day. The DAISY Award is your opportunity to say thank you by sharing your story of how a nurse or midwife made a difference you will never forget. Established in the USA in 1999 by the family of J Patrick Barnes following his death from complications of the auto-immune disease ITP, the DAISY Foundation commemorates the appreciation Patrick’s family had for the care and compassion shown to him and his family. Following Patrick’s death they felt compelled to
say ‘thank you’ to nurses in a very public way. Each DAISY Award Honoree will be recognised at a ceremony in her/his ward or department and will receive a DAISY Award pin, certificate and a hand-carved sculpture A Healer’s Touch. Everyone in the ward/department will celebrate with cinnamon rolls, which were a favourite of Patrick’s during his illness. The Barnes family hope that whenever and wherever nurses and midwives smell that wonderful cinnamon aroma, they stop for a moment and think about how special they are. To nominate an extraordinary nurse or midwife, simply download a nomination form from our website and send it back to us by: Email: daisy.award@ngh.nhs.uk Post: Julia Jones, DAISY Award Co-Ordinator, Patient, Nursing & Midwifery Services, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Cliftonville, Northampton NN1 5BD
MRI improvement works underway Work is progressing on an extension of our radiography department to house a new static MRI scanner. Building work is scheduled to be completed in November and we’re hoping to have the first patients receiving treatment before Christmas. Alongside the provision of the new scanner, we’ll be upgrading our existing static scanner so that our patients will have the benefit of the latest technology in this area.
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atients receiving a highly specialist form of transplant therapy using their own stem cells can now be treated closer to home thanks to the re-introduction of the service at Northampton General Hospital. Since April, our haematology department has been carrying out autologous stem cell transplants on Talbot Butler ward. An autologous stem cell transplant involves collecting a patient’s stem cells and returning them at a later stage after extremely high doses of chemotherapy to eradicate their cancer. The infused stem cells help to speed up bone marrow recovery after high-dose chemotherapy. Previously, patients received this specific treatment at the University Hospitals of Leicester. With the new service, patients travel to Leicester to have their stem cells collected but the transplant treatment is completed in Northampton. Consultant haematologist Dr Jane Parker said: “A local transplant service offers treatment closer to home for patients and it’s delivered by the healthcare professionals they are familiar with, so there are clear advantages in terms of our patients’ experience. “It benefits our haematology healthcare teams as well, by improving their knowledge and expertise in quite a specialist area. We’ve developed a training programme for our haematology nurses and doctors to ensure patients receive the best possible transplant care. “It’s been made possible thanks to the hard work and collaboration between the transplant teams, managers and quality management teams at Northampton and University Hospitals of Leicester.” The new transplant service has developed dedicated transplant clinics, transplant care plans, and specific transplant ward rounds. The service meets national and international standards of safe transplant care.
L TREATMENT CLOSER TO HOME Stephen’s story
The Talbot Butler ward team supporting patients benefiting from the new service
Factfile Patients first receive chemotherapy over a number of months to eliminate as much tumour as possible Their bone marrow stem cells are then stimulated with a combination of chemotherapy and growth factors to temporarily circulate in the blood. As soon as the stem cells reach peak numbers in the blood, patients travel to Leicester and undergo stem cell apheresis. This is a system whereby stem cells can be siphoned out of the blood and collected. The siphoned stem cells are carefully frozen and stored at Leicester for future use. Patients are then admitted onto the transplant unit. They first receive high dose chemotherapy to eliminate any residual tumour. Their stem cells are infused into the blood 24 hours later. The effects of the chemotherapy then start to kick in: patients develop severe mucositis, struggling to eat or swallow and developing severe diarrhoea. Their bone marrow is also completely eradicated, leaving them open to potentially life-threatening infections and requiring regular blood products. They are therefore nursed in single rooms with special air filters to reduce the risk of infection. The infused stem cells seed into the empty marrow and start to produce healthy blood cells around 2 weeks later. Patients can be discharged once their white cells recover and they can eat and drink sufficient amounts. Their hospital stay is usually around 4 weeks. It takes up to 3 months or more for full recovery. During this time, patients are closely monitored in specialist Haematology units. They receive their childhood vaccinations again at 6 months because their original immune system has been eradicated.
Stephen Gray from Towcester is one of the first patients to receive the stem cell technique at Northampton General Hospital as part of his treatment for non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. We spoke to Stephen before the final stage of treatment to reintroduce his previously-collected stem cells back into his body. “From the outset I knew what my treatment plan was going to be and what to expect, which was very helpful in terms of being able to make plans. I’ve had three cycles of outpatient chemotherapy and three as an inpatient, leading to the harvesting of the stem cells in Leicester. “Having my treatment here in Northampton does make a difference. Medically, I’m being treated by people who I know and who’ve been involved in my treatment up to now. I’m familiar
with what happens here. That alleviates a lot of anxiety about the treatment. “In practical terms, it makes everything easier for me and my family. When I had my cells harvested in Leicester, I was lucky enough to have a friend nearby I could stay with but lots of families don’t have that option and have to stay in a hotel. Those additional costs, and the travel costs, are an added worry because while all this is happening, I’m not working. So to be treated here does make a difference and it means it’s easier for my family to see me. “I suppose there’s an added benefit as well, and that’s for the staff here. When they’ve cared for patients right from the beginning, it must be rewarding for them to see it through.
Patient Stephen Gray pictured with his care team Dr Jane Parker, Lindsey Wallace and Liz Williams.
New role to support patients The team on Talbot Butler ward has been strengthened with the appointment of Lyndsey Wallace in the new role of stem cell transplant nurse specialist. “In my role I help to coordinate the service from the first transplant appointment through to the patient travelling to Leicester for stem cell harvest and infusing the stem cell back on Talbot Butler. The patients
I see need me to support and guide them through their journey, as the process that they are undertaking will be new to them and will bring anxieties and uncertainties with it. “I see my role as a point of contact for patients, to make sure that they are fully aware of what is happening to make the process easier for my patients. It helps to make the way ahead seem clearer.” Lyndsey previously worked as a junior sister on Talbot Butler ward, cared for autograft patients post-transplant, gaining knowledge and experience in the care of this group of patients.
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50 YEARS OF CRITICAL CARE – ONE PATIENT’S STORY T
By Monday morning, Laura wasn’t his year, Northampton General Hospital celebrates 50 years of able to get out of bed and was coughing delivering critical care to some up blood: “We went straight to the of our most vulnerable patients. The doctors on Monday morning. The nurse department cared for 985 patients in ran some checks and said we had to go 2016/17 - and Laura Blackburn was A&E because my oxygen levels one of them. Laura had a five were very low. And that’s the per cent chance of survival last I can remember.” when she became critically On arriving at the I didn’t get ill after contracting flu emergency department, to meet Jack while pregnant. Read her Laura’s condition until he was inspirational story here. deteriorated rapidly. She about eight “I was 30 weeks was placed in an induced pregnant, working full time coma and the decision weeks old. and I just been promoted into was made to carry out management in my job. It was an emergency caesarean a Friday at work and I developed section. Laura’s baby Jack a bit of cough. But on the whole I was cared for on Gosset ward, our felt okay.” neo-natal intensive care unit and Laura
Laura’s critical care team at NGH. At one point, they kept Laura alive by performing CPR for an hour until her condition stabilised
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continued to receive treatment from the critical care team. Over the following fortnight, Laura developed double pneumonia and sepsis, a life-threatening condition when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Our critical care team battled to save Laura’s life but her condition continued to worsen. As Laura’s life hung in the balance, consultant Jonny Wilkinson contacted Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital to request a transfer so Laura could be treated on one of only five ECMO heart and lung bypass machines in the UK. Dr Wilkinson said: “When you have lost the ability to help somebody, as we did with Laura, seeing a retrieval team
In November, just six months after waking up from a coma, Laura ran the 10k Leeds Abbey Dash. Along with her sister Nikki, Laura decided to fundraise to help other families who might find themselves in a similar situation.
Factfile C ritical care units are specialist hospital wards that provide treatment and monitoring for people who are very ill. T hey can sometimes be called intensive care units (ICUs) or intensive therapy units (ITUs) T hey’re staffed with specially-trained healthcare professionals and contain sophisticated monitoring equipment. I ntensive care is needed if someone is seriously ill and requires intensive treatment and close monitoring, or if they’re having surgery and intensive care can help them recover. T here’s a lot more equipment on a critical care ward than a standard ward. This equipment is used to monitor their health and support their bodily functions until they recover. A year on from Laura’s treatment, her family caught up with critical care consultant Dr Jonny Wilkinson
“I felt guilty that I couldn’t be a come in is wonderful. Having to let parent. I saw him for half an hour and Laura go was sad but a huge relief at every time for that first week, I cried. It the same time because at Glenfield she was just overwhelming. had a higher chance of survival.” “There was a period when I thought At Glenfield hospital, Laura spent I wouldn’t be able to walk again and I another three weeks in a coma. had all sorts of fears. Once I was able Although her condition improved, to build up strength and hold him she suffered internal bleeding which properly, I had hope.” required further surgery. Finally, Laura needed intensive therapy after five weeks in a coma, Laura to help her regain the use of was gradually woken up by her her arms and legs. She medical team. When she explained: “I’m quite an was stable enough, Laura There was a active and outgoing and was transferred back to period when busy person so to go Northampton where she I thought I from that to suddenly finally got to meet not being independent her baby Jack for the wouldn’t be able and not being able to first time. to walk again and care for my children Laura said: “I didn’t I had all sorts was really difficult. get to meet Jack until of fears. “As soon as I was he was about eight walking I joined the weeks old. The first time gym. There was nothing I met him, I was off the high to wait for, it was a matter of dependency unit and on a normal getting strong again, getting fit again. ward. It was quite hard because I I wanted to feel like me again and to couldn’t hold him properly and there be a parent.” were mixed emotions.
Earlier this year, the Insight team and Dr Wilkinson caught up with Laura and her family in their Northampton home. Laura’s nine-year-old daughter Hollie had some questions for Dr Wilkinson. Check out our YouTube channel to see the video
Laura was determined to regain her strength so she could enjoy being a mum to Hollie and Jack
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50 YEARS OF CRITICAL CARE – THE CELEBRATIONS N
orthampton General Hospital’s critical care team celebrated its 50th anniversary in May at the beautiful barns in Hunsbury Hill where two fabulous parties were held both for patients and former and current staff. Our charity, Northampton Healthcare Charitable Funds, very kindly hosted a wonderful afternoon tea party on the team’s behalf where over 60 patients and relatives came to share their memories and experiences and celebrate the 50 years that have seen Critical Care services advance beyond recognition. All enjoyed a fantastic afternoon entertained by pianist Laurence Knight.
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Guests were able to peruse through the fantastic exhibition prepared by Dr Livia Malanjum which highlighted how sophisticated critical care has become today. The evening party kicked off in style with former and current members of staff greeted by a be-feathered stilt walker and a gin fizz! Four generations of critical care lead nurses were present – Annie Walker, Ann Hankin, Jo Dilley and Lisa Swan as well as previous and current clinical leads, Dr Richard Marsh and Dr Naz Ali. We also celebrated the invaluable contribution of critical care’s longest serving member of staff, David Chambers who retired on 18th May having worked in Critical Care for an incredible 26 years
Everyone enjoyed the delicious ‘street food’, hanging out in the ‘campervan’ photobooth, all topped off with lots of dancing to DJ Dr Jonny Wilkinson. The critical care team is delighted to celebrate what has truly been a most remarkable fifty years. Many families have been influenced as a result of the incredible skill and dedication of so many staff both past and present coupled with the continuum of technical advances – we are all delighted to continue to provide a service to our community that we are immensely proud of. Congratulations Critical Care on 50 years of achievement!
Photographs courtesy of Laurence Cook, with many thanks
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More Than Mobility 25 Weston Favell Shopping Centre, Northampton NN3 8JZ
Advertorial
Need a zip replaced, a hem shortening or alterations to work wear? Bring your garments to the ZipYard in St Giles Street Northampton for a fast quality service AND a 10% discount for NHS hospital staff. All of the work is carried out in our clean purpose built alterations and repair centre by professionally trained seamstresses. If it can fit under a sewing machine we can fix it! We offer a very flexible service depending on what each customer needs. We have two fitting rooms, where our fully trained seamstresses can fit garments precisely and expertly in complete privacy. Those who don’t want to be fitted by us, are welcome to pin their clothes at home and bring them into us to finish. For alterations to wedding dresses we have a spacious bridal fitting suite where the bride-to be and her bridesmaids can relax and enjoy the experience of having their dresses pinned so they fit perfectly. We’re great believers in recycling clothes rather than just throwing them out and buying new. Put those unworn outfits lurking in the back of your wardrobe to good use – bring them in to the ZipYard. Our team has the expertise to take in or let out garments and even re-model items to create an up – to date look. From dress re-styling and taking in or letting out garments to formal wear alterations and leather work. The ZipYard can do it all. There is also a 1-hour express service for zips, hems and minor repairs. We also make soft furnishings; curtains, cushions to sofa covers and much more. The ZipYard is located at 30 St Giles Street, Northampton, a 10 min walk from the hospital. It is open from Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.30pm. To contact the ZipYard telephone 01604 624111. 10 ❘ Insight
50 YEARS OF CRITICAL CARE – FROM OUR ARCHIVES The beginning of intensive care units
In the previous pages, you can read about our celebrations to mark the 50 anniversary of providing critical care at Northampton General Hospital - and we believe ours was one of the first in the country – a proud boast. What you may not know is how the concept of intensive care therapy came about and the need for specific departments, separate to the wards.
Our first intensive care room
In 1952 there was a polio epidemic in Copenhagen and the Blegdam Hospital was inundated with patients suffering from respiratory muscle paralysis. Professor Lassen was the chief physician and was faced with hundreds of patients in need of artificial ventilation. In the first wave, 315 patients were admitted in need of ventilation over several weeks. He employed 1,000 medical and dental students to hand ventilate the intubated patients for 24 hours a day, paying them £1.50 per shift. They were supervised by a team of 35- 40 doctors. Anaesthetist Dr Bjorn Ibsen suggested tracheotomies on the patients to enable more efficient ventilation. The mortality rates soon dropped from 80% to 40%. Following the epidemic, Dr Ibsen at the same hospital had the idea of a dedicated ward where each patient would have their own nurse. In December 1953 the new speciality of intensive care became a reality. Dr Kristensen then took over and needed to improve the technology of monitoring blood gases. The Carlsberg factory in Copenhagen had acquired the knowledge of
Local newspaper coverage recorded the opening of our intensive care unit
pH monitoring and was able to assist with this new science. Dr Max Wail was the next pioneer establishing a four bed “shock ward” in a Los Angeles medical centre in the early 1960s. The first ICU in the U.K. was set up in 1966 at St. Thomas’s Hospital, London by Dr Geoffrey Spencer. Source of the facts for this article from: Clinical Medicine: August 1, 2014 vol.14 no.4 376-379 Authors: Fiona Kelly, Kevin Fong, Nicholas Hirsch, Jerry Nolan.
A seaside colony “We ask your sympathy and presence here Your generous help, but not for praise or gain; All that you can give us is for children dear, To ease for them the mystery of pain.” This verse was written by Sir Ryland Adkins, who was Vice-President of the Northampton County Crippled Children’s Fund (NCCCF). It was quoted at the beginning of each annual report by the charity. One of the facilities provided by the charity was the use of a house in Wales for annual summer breaks for the children. No.13, Craig-y-Don Parade, Llandudno was rented for up to eight weeks each year for this purpose and became known as the ‘Seaside Colony.’ This large three-storey house was on the sea-front and was staffed by nurses from the charity. During their stay the children were monitored by local doctors. The children would travel down in groups of 20 or more by train, for a stay of 14 days. The local population of Llandudno were generous with their help and support to the colony. In the
early 20th century Llandudno was popular as a seaside resort for numerous parties of crippled children from many industrial cities, particularly Manchester and Liverpool. The locals would organise charabanc outings, Punch & Judy shows
and donkey rides, all free of charge. The colony was in existence for 22 years, always staying at the same address. When Manfield Orthopaedic Hospital opened in 1925, the Llandudno holidays stopped. This could have been because all the charity funds were re-directed to the cost of running the hospital. The other reason may have been that the children would now get sufficient sunshine and fresh air in the grounds of the hospital. Today, No.13 Craig-y-Don Parade has extended its premises and is now run as a hotel.
Interested in finding out more? A photo from our historical archive collection featuring Northampton children enjoying their seaside holiday
Details of our historical archive collection can now be found on the Northamptonshire Heritage website www.northamptonshireheritage.co.uk
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NGH DANCING STARS SPARKLE AND SHINE
This is an incredible event that demonstrates the commitment of everyone at Team NGH to going above and beyond.
Our dancers dazzle as they raise more than £13,000 for our hospital charity.
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hat an amazing evening Saturday 17th June turned out to be! Eighteen brave contestants – sixteen of whom work at NGH and two from Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – stepped out of their scrubs and into sequins and sparkles to take to the stage and complete in NGH Dancing Stars 2017. Along the way our contestants raised
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over £13,000 for the Northamptonshire Healthcare Charitable Fund. They gave the audience a real treat as they took part in freestyle group dances with a Disney theme and danced a cha-cha-cha and an American Smooth Viennese Waltz with their experienced dance partners. Chelsey Sherry, medical admissions pharmacist, was chosen by the judges, who included BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s
Kristina Rihanoff, as the winner of this year’s competition, with her dance partner, Harry Brown. Chelsey was one of seven finalists in the strongly fought dance-off, who included Nick Penney, paediatric nurse, Laurence Neale our graphic designer, Rachel Gilbert, PA to Mr Nasr, Des Daly, urgent care nurse practitioner, Vicky Wright, ED bank nurse and Stephen Stevenson, HCA in our ED. Most improved dancer awards were given to Emma Wimpress, our volunteer services manager and Shane Carroll from the training department at NHFT. The hospital was supported by Gabriel Gospodin, principal of local dance school, Topdance, who provided six weeks’ dance tuition for our Dancing Stars, partnered by experienced ballroom and Latin American dancers from Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. Those dancers also gave additional support to our dancers during extra practice sessions. We are truly grateful to them for the encouragement and support they gave. Many departments throughout the hospital will benefit from the funds that were raised, including the planned
development of a designated area for children aged 12-16 on our children’s wards; celebration bells for our patients completing their radiotherapy and chemotherapy and our urgent care services. Speaking at the event, Dr Sonia Swart, NGH CEO, and one of the judges, said ‘This is an incredible event that demonstrates the commitment of everyone at Team NGH to going above and beyond. Everyone you have seen perform here tonight has a busy day job, yet they still find the time to do more for others and, importantly, they manage to retain a real sense of fun and enjoyment.’ Gabriel Gospodin said ‘I truly believe every contest is a winner tonight. They have all worked incredibly hard over the past six weeks and demonstrated their commitment and professionalism. Despite the pressures of their jobs, they have given 100% at every practice session and, at the same time, they have raised a wonderful amount for the charity. They are all Dancing Stars.’
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10%
discount for all NHS staff
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NEW DRILL TREATMENT HELPS NGH PATIENTS P
atients in Northamptonshire with severely blocked arteries that cannot be treated with routine surgery are now getting specialist treatment closer to home. Patients receiving treatment in our heart centre can now benefit from a complex surgical procedure, called rotablation, which uses high-speed drills to blast away hardened calcium. David Sharman, consultant cardiologist said: “Most cardiac patients who have blocked arteries are able to have a routine coronary intervention, which means using a needle to go into the body and place a balloon into the narrowed artery to squeeze it open before placing a stent across the narrowing to keep it wide open. “But a small number of patients cannot be treated with this routine approach as they have a high build-up of calcium that prevents balloon expansion and stent placement. “Previously our patients would have had to either travel to Oxford or Harefield hospital for the procedure. It’s great news for our patients and their families that we can now provide this service here in Northampton.” Rotablation uses a tiny drill to target the hard calcium rather than the soft lining of the blood vessels. It powers through
Patient Beverley Blundell (right) was the first to receive rotablation treatment at NGH. Pictured with Hayley Hill and David Sharman.
the calcium and then makes it possible to complete the procedure using conventional techniques with balloons and stents.
Factfile C oronary Rotational Atherectomy (‘rotablation’) is a small burr (1.252mm diameter) that is used through percutaneously via a small tube through the radial artery or femoral artery under local anaesthetic. I t is used for severe calcified coronary lesions, sometimes avoiding bypass surgery or treating patients that would previously been untreatable due to the severity of disease. T he burr rotates at 170,000 rpm and has a diamond dust coated tip to drill through the coronary lesions. This enables passage and deployment of coronary stents. T he procedure takes around an hour and can be done under local anaesthetic.
We are delighted to be collaborating with local audio journalist Penny Bell on her series of podcasts about dementia. Penny interviewed Dr Sarah Vince, our emergency medicine consultant who specialises in care of the elderly and those with dementia, who told Penny about our dedicated A&E bays for patients with dementia. These bays are set away from the noise and activity of the emergency department and our A&E staff have had specialist dementia training. Penny also spoke to Leena on Abington Ward about how we address the care needs of patients with dementia. Alison from our charitable trust explained our Do It For Dementia fundraising campaign to raise money to make our hospital environment more dementia-friendly. You can hear the podcasts on Soundcloud at www.soundcloud.com/discoveringdementia
Coronary artery disease is the biggest killer in the UK, and a major cause of chronic illness. A narrowed artery in the body raises your risk of stroke, while a narrowed artery in the heart causes pain (angina) and heart attack.
Patients Betty-Jane and Eileen were on hand to join us as we launched our new 19-metre mural of Abington Park beside our elderly care wards. The mural works as a reminiscence trigger to prompt memories in patients, with particular benefits for our patients with dementia. It’s accompanied by the piped sound of birdsong and the smell of freshly-cut grass. The mural was funded by donations to our Do It For Dementia campaign coordinated by our charity Northamptonshire Health Charitable Fund.
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OUR PEOPLE
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A big welcome to Paul Blake, our learning disability project worker. Paul works alongside learning disability liaison nurse Debbie Wigley to help us identify how we can improve support for patients with learning disabilities as well as working directly with patients to help them during a stay in hospital.
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Happy retirement to ophthalmology health care assistant Karen Humphries. Karen worked for NGH for 35 years, working in our eye department since 1981. We pay tribute to volunteer Christine Osborne who died earlier this year from cancer. Chrissie had been a Friends of NGH volunteer guide since 1993, based at the South Entrance on Thursday mornings, and was well known by both staff and visitors to the hospital. She bravely fought cancer for many years.
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Congratulations to our communications team who won the communications category of the HSJ Value in Healthcare awards for their campaign to recruit more nurses onto our staff bank. Congratulations also to Dr Kirsty Adcock, Dr Jyothi Kambhampati and Dr Bansari Trivedi whose saw their project shortlisted – the project halved the length of time for an emergency gynaecological examination following the introduction of emergency assessment bags into the emergency department so that the specialist equipment for a comprehensive gynaecological assessment would be immediately available.
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We’re very excited to have our first ever legacy nurse working with us. Jill Garratt retired in June from her role of dementia liaison nurse where she was committed to improving the experience of patients with dementia and their carers. Now, Jill is supporting Abington Ward as a legacy nurse – there’ll be more about this new role in the next issue of Insight.
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Our critical care team’s longest-serving member of staff, David Chambers, retired in May after 26 years caring for our some of our most vulnerable patients. We wish Dave a very happy retirement. Good luck to our digital and social media apprentice Callum Grant, whose experience supporting the hospital during his apprenticeship with the communications team motivated him to return to college to study for a career in nursing. Hopefully we’ll be seeing Callum in a student nurse uniform on our wards before long.
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Our best wishes to porter Luis Arias on his retirement. Luis joined NGH in Feb 2004, well-liked by colleagues who would observe that Luis would walk in to work with a smile and leave work at the end of his shift with a smile. Luis always put the needs of patients first and that is what he came to work for!
Insight
Summer 2017 Issue 63
Insight is a free magazine. Please feel free to take a copy home with our compliments and pass it on to a friend or relative when you have read it. Insight is produced thanks to the sponsorship of Northamptonshire Health Charitable Fund. Edited by Eva Duffy eva.duffy@ngh.nhs.uk Designed and printed by Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd, Hawks Nest Cottage, Great North Road, Bawtry, DN10 6AB.
Keep in touch Follow us on Twitter @NGHNHSTrust Follow us on Instagram northamptongeneralhospital Like our Northampton General Hospital Facebook page
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CHARITABLE FUND
Thank you, Northampton! A chemotherapy suite that treats over 450 chemotherapy day case patients each month was officially re-opened following huge public response from the people of Northampton to the fundraising appeal. As we celebrated the opening of our new chemotherapy suite, we remembered everyone who’s shaved their head, abseiled down the Northampton Lift Tower, run through muddy obstacle courses, baked (and eaten) immeasurable amounts of cake and done other wonderful things to raise over half a million pounds for this campaign. The total cost of the refurbishment was £650k, with £500k donated by individuals and local groups and businesses specifically for the refurbishment with the remainder coming from the charity’s general funds. The newly-refurbished suite has increased capacity by four additional treatment bays which will reduce waiting times for patients. With the careful use of design, lighting and colour, the treatment area is a more welcoming and calm environment offering more privacy to patients as well as being a more practical working space for staff. Treatment for patients receiving chemotherapy was temporarily relocated on the hospital site during the refurbishment. 18 ❘ Insight
Thanks to the wonderful NGH Choir who sang at the opening ceremony
Thanks to the thoughtful use of design, lighting and colour, the treatment area is much more welcoming.
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CHARITABLE FUND
‘Northampton Lighthouse’ abseil raises money for charity Over £10,000 was raised by NHS employees and patients thanks to a day of sponsored abseiling down Northampton’s most iconic landmark – the National Lift Tower. Thirty plucky volunteers took on the 127 metres (418ft) abseil challenge down the National Lift Tower. Some participants were more worried than others but everyone came over the top of the tower and made it to the bottom…….all with a grin on their faces when their feet touched the floor! Some took longer than others - some turned around to wave to their supporters at the bottom - and all of them raised money for the department of their choice. Over an incredible £10,000 was raised for all different departments including ophthalmology, Wheatfield ward at Berrywood Hospital and the emergency department at NGH. The A&E team of eight raised over £800 for the department and came along with their own support crew while voluntary services manager Emma Wimpress was cheered on by her young family! Anne Hicks from NGH’s maxillofacial department overcame her fear of heights and came down the tower at speed, raising 20 ❘ Insight
nearly £1,000 for the maxillofacial department and the Dunstone Bennett Centre. Caroline Adams, who has recently been treated at NGH by Mr Dawson and his team and wanted to raise some money to thank them for her treatment had a mass of supporters on the day (pictured) to help stop her legs turning to complete jelly. Caroline’s philosophy to overcome her jelly legs was “This is scary but having cancer was scarier.” After, Caroline said: “This was such a fabulous if rather insane thing to have done and I feel very pleased to have taken part. Thanks for the opportunity … I NEVER want to do it again!!”
If you think you have the nerve to take part in the next abseil event and raise money for the department of your choice, then please contact the charity team on 01604 545857 or email greenheart@ngh.nhs.uk.
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CHARITABLE FUND
New arrival in the simulation suite T
hanks to a charity donation of £12,000, Northampton General Hospital’s family of medical-grade manikins now includes a neo-natal baby for training staff in how to care for some of our most vulnerable patients. Training manikins blink, breathe, have a heartbeat and can be programmed to display symptoms that test our staff’s understanding of how to react to situations. The training enhances participants’ teamwork and communication skills as well as promoting patient safety. Simulation manikins are used to recreate realistic scenario-based training and thanks to the support of the charity, our simulation training team can now train our specialist neo-natal staff in their working environment.
Support for Dryden ward Huge thanks are due to Gavin Warren, Chairman of Northants County Cricket Club whose fundraising is helping to meet the costs of a much-needed refurbishment on Dryden ward. The first stage is to put a women’s toilet near the women’s bay as currently they have to walk into the men’s bay or out of the ward to go to the toilet. The ward team are also hoping to have a family room on the ward where staff can speak to family members about care plans or for when they have to sensitive conversations about their loved ones. Gavin’s donated a total of £6,000 - the most recent donation was £3,000 raised at the Beaujolais Nouveau grape launch last November - and we can’t wait to see how the July family fun day at the cricket ground went!
A&E bike ride Well done to our emergency department team who took on the gruelling London to Bristol bike ride on one of the hottest days of the year – and for Steve and Des, it was the morning after they competed in the NGH Dancing Stars ballroom and latin dance contest!
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Brian Willet A big well done and congratulations to NGH’s Brian Willet for cycling over 600 miles from London to Paris to raise money for the hospital’s Do it for Dementia appeal. Brian’s amazing achievement has raised over £2,000 for the campaign! “A big thank you to all of my family, friends and colleagues who have supported me.”
Well done, Daisy! We want to give a special mention to one of our youngest fundraisers, 10-year-old Daisy Pancoust who’s raising money for our blood-taking unit. Daisy walked the 27 miles of the International Waendel Walk to raise money for a new Accuvein AV300 Machine. This piece of equipment will be very helpful to find the veins on all ages of patients who have difficult-to-see veins or are having either ongoing treatments which sometimes makes it difficult to find veins. The machine works by simply pointing the device at an area of the skin and clicking to display the peripheral veins beneath. The cost of the machines is approximately £4,000 each. The Mayor awarded Daisy for her efforts at the closing ceremony. You can support Daisy by donating at her just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ Dawn-Pancoust or making a donation to the donation tin in the blood-taking unit.
Family of NHS physiotherapist raise money for Northampton Macmillan team
Nurses Sarah Reital and Emma Carruthers with patient David Arthurs
Home comforts on Talbot Butler ward When you have a long stay in hospital, sometimes it’s the little things that you miss most. Like the smell of bacon cooking in the morning. That’s why the Talbot Butler ward team asked for charity funding so their patients could have a cooked breakfast once a week. Every Friday morning, the catering service prepares orders for sausage, bacon or egg rolls – and our patients get to enjoy a taste of home. David is one of the patients on the ward who can request a hot breakfast thanks to charity funding
The Macmillan Cancer Support team based at Northampton General Hospital has received a fundraising gift of £1,700 in memory of a Northamptonshire physiotherapist who passed away last November at the age of 45. The family and friends of Fiona Hoey, who worked in Danetre Hospital in Daventry, contributed to the fundraising appeal set up to acknowledge the support that Fiona, her husband Michael and their three children received from the specialist palliative care team at Northampton General Hospital. Earlier this year, Fiona’s son Conor and his friend Joe (pictured) ran the Bath Marathon to raise money for NGH – and between them they raised over £2,500.
All donations to the hospital are managed, separately from NHS finances, by the trustees of the Northamptonshire Health Charitable Fund, a registered charity. If you would like to make a donation, or be involved in raising money for NGH, please contact our fundraising office on 01604 545857. Find us on Facebook/NorthamptonshireHealthCharitableFund
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STOP GEL GO
Have you spotted our new hand sanitising zones outsides our wards? Stop, gel and go: that’s the message from our infection prevention team to help keep our patients safe from preventable infections. Always use the gel provided to help us keep our patients safe. Clean hands save lives!
Our infection prevention team demonstrate their handwashing technique!
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust endorse any of the products or services.
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WIPES BLOCK PIPES! W
ipes block pipes – that’s the message from Northampton General Hospital and Anglian Water as we join forces to raise awareness of the financial and environmental cost of flushing disposable wipes down the toilet. When flushed, wipes don’t disintegrate like toilet paper. And with more and more people using disposable wipes for personal hygiene and cleaning, pipes and sewers are getting blocked. We’ve launched an information
Our new hand sanitising zones
campaign to help raise awareness of the problem. We’re appealing to our patients, visitors and employees not to flush wipes down the toilet. Even those marketed as flushable can’t biodegrade quickly enough to avoid clogging the pipes. Here at Northampton General Hospital, it costs us an average of £1,000 a month to sort out the blockages in our pipe system. Flushing wipes is bad for the public purse and it’s bad for the environment.
Infection prevention matron Wendy gets the message across
Every possible care has been taken to ensure that the information given in this publication is accurate. Whilst the publisher would be grateful to learn of any errors, it cannot accept any liability over and above the cost of the advertisement for loss there by caused. No reproduction by any method whatsoever of any part of this publication is permitted without written consent of the copyright owners. Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd. ©2017. Hawks Nest Cottage, Great North Road, Bawtry, DN10 6AB. Tel: 01302 714528
Designed & Published by Octagon Design & Marketing Ltd, Hawks Nest Cottage, Great North Road, Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN10 6AB. Tel: 01302 714528
Look out for our new apple signs encouraging employees and visitors to be more active. If you’re able to, take the stairs - not the lift!