FREE!
Issue No. 39 Autumn 2024
dgft.foundationmembers@nhs.net
www.dgft.nhs.uk
YourTRUST
Top marks as wards gain gold standard Celebrations are taking place at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley as two clinical wards have both received Gold Standard Framework (GSF) accreditations, which is an esteemed recognition of the high level of care being delivered by those departments.
Ward C5 which specialises in Respiratory Care and Ward C6 which specialises in Urology have successfully managed to achieve the accreditation for the very first time. Ward sister on the Urology Ward Leanne McKeown said: “As a team we are so passionate about palliative and end of life care, so we are thrilled to receive GSF accreditation. “This achievement acknowledges all the hard work the team put in to make a difference to patients.” In addition, wards providing care in the areas of Renal, Oncology and Frailty have cemented Gold Standards Framework re-accreditation, another huge achievement for the Trust. The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) is the UK’s leading training provider for frontline healthcare staff, caring for people in their last years of life. GSF is a practical and evidence-based end of life care improvement programme, which aims to enable a ‘gold standard’of care for everyone, with any condition, in any setting, given by any care provider, at any time in a person’s last years of life.
Ward C5 which specialises in Respiratory Care
Ward C6 which specialises in Urology
When hosting an external assessor, staff on the Respiratory Ward also took the opportunity to debut their new ‘Sunflower Suite’ which was funded by generous donations through the Trust’s charity. The room is a calm and peaceful space for both patients and their
loved ones, as well as staff to take a moment of respite whenever they need it. The hallmark lasts for a period of three years before it can be re-applied for. In order to obtain the accreditation, the areas have to clearly show how they are supporting both fam-
ilies and patients to discuss end of life care planning and what matters to them. To gain accreditation the wards have undergone an inspection from the GSF national team to review their practices against the evidence submitted by the ward teams. Diane Wake, chief executive for The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am thrilled that our Respiratory and Urology teams have successfully achieved the accreditation from GSF for the first time. “Having this accolade further demonstrates the hard work and dedication our staff show every day to their patients to ensure the highest standard of care is being given to the people of Dudley. I’m equally proud of our Oncology, Frailty and Renal teams who have achieved re-accreditation! “It’s brilliant for our staff to see their hard work being recognised to a national standard and that they can proudly say they work on a ward that is delivering such high-quality care.” The Gold Standards Framework supports healthcare staff to enable a ‘gold standard’ of care for people nearing end of life, supporting both families and patients to discuss end of life care planning and what matters to them the most. Securing the accreditation solidifies that The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust are providing a high standard of care consistently. The awards were presented at the GSF Conference and Awards Ceremony.
Emergency department transformation begins
Works are under way at Russells Hall
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust are thrilled to announce that works are underway at Russells Hall Hospital to transform resus facilities, following a successful redevelopment bid for the Trust’s emergency department. Enabling works began in September, signifying the start of the work to provide a new state-of-theart facility, which will include an enhanced resuscitation space, that will revolutionise the care given at the Trust’s emergency department. The redevelopment includes additional resuscitation facilities with a dedicated paediatric area and iso-
lation rooms to provide appropriate safe care in the event of future pandemics or outbreaks. Further to this, the department will have state-of-the-art technology and equipment, including a digital medicine system to improve the storing, usage and prescribing of drugs to patients. Trust chief executive Diane Wake said: “I’m thrilled that work is officially underway to transform our resus department. “This is a defining moment for us here at Dudley and will have huge benefits not only for our patients and the Black Country community,
but also for our staff by improving the facilities.” Any disruption to the Trust’s emergency department will be kept to a minimum throughout the process however, due to these works, it may mean that services are busier than usual. Patients are asked to choose services appropriately and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to those who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, visiting your GP or attending your local pharmacy and only using 999 in an emergency.
DudleyGroupNHS
Trust looking forward to an exciting future
Chief Executive Diane Wake
A message from chief executive Diane Wake.
Welcome to the latest edition of Your Trust. Once again, we are proud to be sharing with you just some of the incredible work our teams have been involved with across the Trust and sharing an insight into the exciting future that awaits The Dudley Group. 2024 so far, has seen the Trust continue to transform care. Earlier this year our world-renowned Paediatric Virtual Ward welcomed its 1,000th patient, we proudly launched targeted lung health checks for people across Dudley and in April, The Dudley Group, alongside other NHS trusts, launched Call 4 Concern©, a safety service for inpatients. We’ve also experienced some new and exciting changes. Since our last edition we’ve welcomed our new chief nurse Martina Morris and we’ve welcomed four new non-executive directors who each bring a wealth of experience and insight to The Dudley Group. Work has also begun on our eagerly anticipated emergency department resuscitation redesign. These works mark a defining moment for us here at Dudley and will have huge benefits for our patients, the Black Country community, and our staff by improving the facilities. Our teams are also busy driving forward our goal to achieve University Hospital status in partnership with Aston University; a project that will continue throughout the next 12 months, but I look forward to sharing updates as it progresses. Whilst this edition focusses on our summer achievements and highlights, winter is not too far away.
See Page 4
Published by Midland News Association, 8th floor, Mander House, Mander Centre, Wolverhampton, WV1 3NB www.expressandstar.co.uk Contact Alison Butler, Advertising Sales Manager, 01902 319589