Issue 96 • October 2011

Pennine NewsT O P R O V I D E T H E V E RY B E S T C A R E F O R E A C H PAT I E N T O N E V E R Y O C C A S I O N

Praise frOM aliCefOr eNHaNCeD reCOvery

• Pennine leads way in global cancer study

• Royal College president visits Oldham

• Drain dressings covered

• Annual public meeting – focus on patient safety

Contents Annual public meeting . . . . Pg 4

Royal College president visits Oldham . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 4

Flu - get your jab in . . . . . . . Pg 5

Drain dressing covered! . . . . Pg 5

TfE update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 6

Praise from Alice for ERP . . . Pg 7

Meningitis display . . . . . . . . Pg 7

Core brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 8

Team focus on podiatry . . . . Pg 9

Long service awards . . . . . . . Pg 10

Infection prevention link worker study day success . . . Pg 11

Imaging unit in honour of Susan Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 11

Retirement of medical director Pg 12

Care in everything we do . . Pg 12

Thought for the month . . . . Pg 12

‘Emergency’ work experience Pg 13

Diary dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 13

Tax changes for high earners Pg 13

Talking leaflets . . . . . . . . . . . Pg 14

E-learning for end of life care Pg 14

Charity round up . . . . . . . . . Pg 15

Staff noticeboard . . . . . . . . . Pg 16

Inside NewsTHE Trust has several communication tools to help keep staff up to date:

n Core brief is sent round monthly, for use in all team briefings .

n Weekly bulletins are emailed on Mondays and contain a range of operational and site information .

n A medical director/nursing director bulletin is circulated monthly .

n Online copies of all the bulletins and core brief, plus more, can be found on the Trust intranet at nww .pat .nhs .uk/communications

You can send your stories for either Pennine News or for local media to Trust communications at trust .communications @pat .nhs .uk, or call Nicola Berry on 44284 .

If you have any ideas, views or suggestions regarding communications across the Trust, please email staff .views@pat .nhs .uk

Please recycle this magazine

News - Trust stories2 October 2011

STAFF have been given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a good book, thanks to Unite the Union .

Liz McInnes, Secretary of the North & East Manchester Health Branch of Unite the Union, has presented the Fairfield Education Centre Library with some carefully chosen books and a £100 cheque in support of the six Book Challenge .

Jane Burslem and Beckie Stansfield received the donation and said: “We are really grateful to Unite for providing us with funds and new books . The 6 Book Challenge is a scheme to promote adult learning and literacy amongst staff and also to encourage reading for pleasure . The library has books and services for all staff, whatever their role, but we also want to remind staff that reading is a great leisure activity

and these books and funds will help us to do that .”

Staff who joined in this year’s challenge commented: “The challenge has made me eager to read”; “I didn’t know everyone could join the library!” and “Really

enjoyed the Quick Reads books .”

Liz said: “Our branch is proud to be able to support this scheme . We supported a similar venture at Salford

Royal Hospital last year and I’m pleased to be able to help my own Trust in this project which is of benefit to staff .”

To find out more about library services and the 6 Book Challenge, visit the library services web pages from the link on the front page of the Intranet or call in at your site library .

Promoting adult learning and literacy amongst staff and encouraging reading for pleasure

Bookworms set to devour six book challenge

fall

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N EvERY year more than three million people aged over 65 in the UK will have a fall . The consequences can be devastating, both physically and emotionally .

Age Concern UK therefore held an awareness week in June to encourage people in later life to take simple steps to prevent falls, such as having an eye test and getting involved in falls awareness services .

various activities took place in Oldham including demonstrations of tai chi, Nordic walking and zumba dance classes, along with information packs, which were handed out to around 140 people .

Helen Ashton, falls co-ordinator for Pennine Care and based at The

Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “It is not just falls themselves that have an impact, the fear of falling can have a devastating effect on confidence – limiting daily activities and reducing independence . There are, however, a number of things that can be done to prevent falls – simply making sure you have regular eye tests and wearing the right prescription glasses can help with balance and make you feel more confident on your feet .

“As a physiotherapist, a large part of my work encourages people to become more active . It is very important to maintain active as we get older because we need strength and balance to prevent falls and improve well being and confidence .”

Watch your step with falls awareness

3in the news

Pennine leads the way in global cancer studyTHe Trust has won a global race and signed up the first patient for a worldwide commercial study looking at the use of sativex®, a cannabis-based medicine, for pain management in advanced cancer.

The study is part of the SPRAY III research programme, which is being sponsored by GW Pharmaceuticals .

SPRAY III is looking at the use of Sativex® for relieving chronic pain in patients with advanced cancer who have not obtained adequate pain relief from opioid therapy . It is being carried out at two of the Trust’s hospitals – North Manchester General Hospital and Fairfield General Hospital .

As it stands, Pennine Acute is to date the lead recruiting site in the world for the SPRAY III programme, with eight patients already recruited into the main studies and four into the extension study . It is hoped that another 32 will join the group over the next two years .

Sativex® is a medicine derived from the cannabis plant and is delivered by an oromucosal spray (sprayed into the mouth either onto the inside of the cheek or under the tongue) .

In a move which will hopefully show a quantifiable and demonstrable improvement in the pain and suffering of all palliative cancer patients, along with academic recognition for the Trust, the principal investigators for the trial at Pennine Acute are Dr Iain Lawrie, consultant and honorary clinical senior lecturer in palliative medicine at North Manchester and Dr

Paul O’Donnell, consultant in respiratory and palliative medicine, at Fairfield .

Sam Jole, senior research nurse, has been involved in setting up the trials and identifying, recruiting and monitoring patients . He said: “Research in palliative care, especially looking at new drug treatments is rare . Cancer research in the Trust has progressed significantly in recent years and the cancer research team recognised the opportunity for the Trust to be involved in a new palliative care research trial .

”The majority of cancer research is focused on curing disease . Palliative care is an under-researched medical specialty and the SPRAY III studies are genuinely ground-breaking . I’ve been a research nurse for years and have never come across anything like it .”

Patients who have been recruited from a number of cancer specialties, visit the clinic four times over a five week period . They are required to complete a two minute phone call each evening to report their pain scores and usage of painkillers . Neither the patients nor study team know whether the patient is using the active drug or a placebo .

Dr Iain Lawrie, said: “This study is an exciting development in the field of cancer pain management . Initial clinical observations suggest that Sativex® will have an important role to play in this complex area of palliative care .”

Dr Lawrie is pictured above with Sam Jole.

eight fold increase in patients for research trialsPENNINE Acute has helped the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Research Network (GMCCRN) increase the number of cancer patients recruited for clinical research trials .

In the last two years, the Trust has seen over an eight fold increase in the number of cancer patients it has successfully recruited to clinical research trials that are on The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) portfolio .

The NIHR Portfolio is a database of high-quality clinical research studies that are eligible for support from the NIHR Clinical Research Network in England .

Between April 2008 and March 2009 the Trust recruited 88 patients into cancer trials . Over the same period two years later (April 2010 to March 2011), it had increased this number to 740 .

Dr Steve Woby, research and development manager at PAT, said: “For the majority of the year we had just one dedicated cancer research nurse to work across our four main hospital sites . We realised that we needed more nurses to support trials but the only way we could secure more Clinical Research Network funding was to show that we could improve our recruitment . So we decided to change our strategy to focus what resources we had on high recruiting studies to increase our overall recruitment and attract more investment from the Network .

“I’m pleased to say that it worked . Over the last two years we’ve easily achieved the Cancer Network’s aim of 10% of all our cancer patients into studies . This year it was about 40% of the approximately 1800 new cancer patients we saw .”

Because of this successful recruitment, the Trust was able to bid for Network funding for more research staff from Greater Manchester Comprehensive Local Research Network (GM CLRN) and GMCCRN . The Trust now has 10 dedicated cancer research nurses working across its four hospital sites .

It’s not just in haematology where the Trust has seen increases in recruitment; it has had a large increase in colorectal recruitment with 75 patients already recruited into studies in the first three months of this year .

The Trust is looking to do more trials for urology cancer treatments .

PaTieNT safety was the central theme at last month's annual Public Meeting.

Information showcasing the Trust's progress in a number of initiatives to improve patient safety was displayed on poster boards at the post graduate medical centre at North Manchester for staff, public and partner agencies to read .

The APM coincided with this year’s national Patient Safety First Week . Launched in June 2008, the campaign

aims to establish an NHS with no avoidable deaths, or no avoidable harm to patients, and to ensure that NHS staff’s top priority is patient safety . The Trust has signed up to the campaign .

Dr Sally Bradley introduced the APM as the Trust's new Medical Director following her appointment in August . She reiterated the Trust's commitment to patient safety . “Patient safety is absolutely the top priority for this Trust”, she said . “Through our involvement in the national Safety Express programme and by supporting and using this campaign locally to promote patient safety, we are determined to ensure our key practices and high standards are embedded into all our services .

“We are proud to have been chosen as a host Trust for the Safety Express programme", she added . "We will lead a team of representatives from our PCTs in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and North Manchester, towards the aim of reducing harm across the whole health economy . The work of the collaborative will build on the work the Trust has already undertaken and progressed in relation to the reduction of patient falls, pressure ulcers and

thromboembolism (vTE) .”

The Trust has experienced a year on year improvement in its standardised mortality since 2005 . Encouraging progress has been made last year as part of the North West Reducing Mortality Collaborative . Dr Bradley added: “Our progress in reducing our hospital mortality is another positive step in the right direction on our journey to reduce hospital mortality further . The strapline for this year’s national Patient Safety Week is ‘It starts with me’ . I am wholeheartedly behind this national initiative . As Medical Director for the Trust indeed patient safety starts with me . But it is the responsibility of all our staff to ensure our services are as safe as possible and that we are not complacent but continue to improve areas of patient safety to ensure our patients are receiving the best care, based on the best current practice .”

Future proof services

In his report John Saxby, Chief Executive, reflected on the major reconfiguration and service moves implemented across the Trust over the last year . He said: "We have implemented the vast majority of the Healthy Futures and Making it Better programmes . We have, through the centralisation and development of a number of clinical services across the Trust, ensured they are future proofed and safe; that was the underlying principle that underpinned both programmes . By April next year, the majority of the clinical moves as part of Healthy Futures will have taken place” .

Commenting on the financial challenge facing the Trust, Mr Saxby said: “This financial year we are looking to make £45

annual public meeting - focus on patient safety

in the news4 October 2011

royal College president visits OldhamTHe Trust welcomed Dr anthony falconer, President of the royal College of Obstetricians and gynaecologists, when he asked The royal Oldham Hospital to host a gathering of North West royal College fellows and Members.

He was particularly interested to visit the site of the £44M women and children’s development which is due to open in December 2012 and to hear more about the service .

The recent transfer of inpatient maternity and children’s services from Rochdale Infirmary to The Royal Oldham Hospital, was part of the Making it Better programme to improve children’s, maternity and neonatal services across Greater Manchester . It has seen services relocated to newly refurbished and

expanded wards and facilities at The Royal Oldham Hospital . This includes a brand new Paediatric Observation and Assessment Unit (PAOU) for poorly children and young people .

On visiting the new wards Dr Falconer said, “Transferring the maternity service from Rochdale to Oldham ahead of the new development opening will also allow doctors and nurses to build their teams and integrate their procedures and processes in preparation for a smooth transition into the building .

“It also means that by creating a single larger team of doctors, The Royal Oldham Hospital has been able to increase the number of hours of consultant presence on the delivery suite to 102 hours per week, which is now one of the highest in the country . This means a very high standard of care can be provided to women and babies in the new Oldham centre .”

Pictured: Left to right: Mr Zul Anjum, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Pennine Acute Trust; Dr Mourad Seif, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Advisor for the North West Region; Dr Anthony Falconer, President of The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Mr Olubusola Amu, consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist and clinical director for obstetrics and gynaecology at Pennine Acute.

million of cost savings from our historic annual budget of around £560 million (8%) . To date, we have identified and secured £38 million of cost savings recurrently and are confident we will find the final balance .

"Next year, in addition to an anticipated 4% (or £21m) we will have to make, we have been advised by our commissioners, the local primary care trusts, that they will be reducing the volume of work they send us, mainly elective procedures, by some £15 million – close to a further 3% . We are working through the detail of that with our colleagues in the PCTs and its implications to our services, our patients and staff . The savings we have made this year have been made with one underlying principle at their core; that we will not compromise patient safety in anyway and we will maintain that principle as we address the financial challenges ahead over the next few years .”

In his report, Trust Chairman Mr John Jesky recognised the dedication of staff and volunteers . “It remains all to easy to take for granted the many amazing things our staff contribute day in, day out to improve patient services . To all of our staff, I would like to give my personal thanks for the work they do; for the commitment they have shown and for the tireless endeavours to improve the services and care we provide ."

The Trust Annual Report 2010/11 is available on the intranet and website . 2010/11Annual Report

Providing high quality care for patients through your local hospitals

5News - Trust stories

innovative idea

Drain dressing covered!

▼

THE infection prevention specialist nurses at The Royal Oldham Hospital recently teamed up with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of health care supplies in devising a new product .

Lorraine Durham and Elizabeth Wilson, senior infection prevention specialist nurses, identified that there was a gap in the market for specialist drain dressings and so approached Smith and Nephew .

Lorraine said: “We had a MRSA bacteraemia reported to us in a patient in Oldham . When this occurs we undertake an extensive route cause analysis of why the patient had MRSA in their bloodstream . This can identify any areas of practice that may need amending, addressing or improving upon .

“This particular bacteraemia revealed that there were no specialist dressings which nurses could use to put around `drains` . Patients can have a drain inserted for many different surgical procedures to ensure that excess fluid or blood lost internally can be drained from the wound effectively .

“A dressing therefore that is occlusive to bacteria, and that fits around the drain is highly important to ensure no organisms can travel down the drain site and into the body . All the dressings that were being used were either inadequate or very expensive dressings and still not suitable for the purpose .”

After working with Angela Davies, tissue viability nurse, and Debbie Hark from the supplies department, Lorraine found that there were no suitable dressings for drains anywhere on the market .

The infection control nurses at Oldham therefore raised the issue with Smith and Nephew who said that they would be interested in developing a dressing which would meet NICE guidelines . They came up with the design, which their inventors reviewed with the infection prevention team, as well as ward nurses across the Trust .

One year on from their initial contact, the OPSITE visible drain dressing is now available nationwide and is the standardised drain dressing for the Trust .

Lorraine said: “I can’t believe how fantastic the new dressing is . It is a semi permeable dressing which is bacterial occlusive . It has a unique honeycomb design to it which allows inspection and monitoring of the wound . There are also adhesive tapes which are applied to seal the entrance site to the drain, which prevent bacteria from gaining access .

“It is important that this drain dressing is now used on patients with drains as it has met our aim of standardising practice across the Trust, plus also significantly reduced any risk of bacterial infection to the patient . A single incidence of bacteraemia can cost the Trust £10,000 in expensive antibiotics and extended length of stay in hospital .”

Staff nurse victoria Laurie (pictured above with Lorraine), is already impressed with the new drain dressing . She said: “The new drain dressing is better to use than ones we were using previously . One of its benefits is that it is transparent which allows observation of the drain entry site for any skin changes . It’s also really helpful that there are pictorial guides on the outside of the dressing package so that you know exactly how to use it .”

Rob Steel, Senior Brand Manager for Hospitals at Smith and Nephew said: “The staff at The Royal Oldham Hospital were instrumental in helping us at every stage of bringing this new product to the market . They highlighted to us the challenges they were facing when trying to dress drains effectively with the current products they had available to them . They then reviewed some of our design concepts, giving us feedback and ultimately they helped us choose the final design which we went on to launch .”

Trust staff should order the new drain dressing which is detailed in the tissue viability formulary, available on all wards .

flu - geT yOur jaB iN

PANDEMIC flu and swine flu have hit the headlines over the last couple of years and the Trust is now busy preparing for the latest lead-up to this winter’s vaccination programme .

Pennine’s service continuity plans were tested to the full in December 2010 when there was an increase in the number of seriously ill patients suffering from H1N1 seasonal flu . The Trust’s response was proactive, with staff vaccinations, communication and inpatient management through patient isolation and cohort wards being set up .

The seasonal flu gold command group was introduced, comprising senior managers and clinicians, and they held weekly meetings to discuss operational issues and how best to cope with the increasing numbers of patients presenting with flu-like symptoms .

The escalation policy for the Trust was revised and cohort wards for flu patients were identified on each hospital site . In addition to this, the uptake of the seasonal flu vaccination increased amongst staff, with 48% vaccinated by January 2011 .

Chief executive, John Saxby, said: “We are encouraging all our staff, particularly front line staff, to have a flu vaccination early this year .

“Although we had one of the highest take-up rates in the North West region last year, we can do better . We expect vaccines to be available in October .

“By ensuring our staff are vaccinated early, we hope to avoid some of the problems experienced last year . In some cases, flu can be fatal and the vaccination is not compulsory . However, it protects you, it protects the patients in your care and it protects your family . If you are working with vulnerable people, you have a duty of care to protect them .”

vaccinators will be available for mass vaccination events at each Trust hospital when staff can just turn up in a central location for flu vaccination .

In addition occupational health will provide vaccination by appointment and key front line areas such as A&E, critical care, cohort wards and community staff will have vaccination provided in the department or ward .

Details will be provided in October as soon as the flu vaccine arrives .

Transforming for Excellence

How does the programme work?EACH divisional HR manager, in conjunction with the employee’s line manager will aim to redeploy staff within their own division . Immediate redeployment takes place if the employee’s skill set matches the post by 70% and if s/he is the only person available for the post . However, if more than one candidate is suitable, then each candidate is scored based on their success in a competitive interview . The candidate with the highest score is redeployed into the new position and the other candidates are returned to the redeployment register and are re-matched to other available positions .

If the employee is not matched to any available jobs in their division (stage 1), they then enter stage 2 of the redeployment programme . The central recruitment office tries to match the employee’s skill sets to opportunities available across the Trust . Every Monday, the vacancy scrutiny panel reviews the list of vacancies and the employees registered on the redeployment programme to make the best possible matches .

So far 833 employees have been through the redeployment programme, of which 671 employees were placed within their own divisions in Stage 1 of the process, and 89 employees were redeployed across the Trust in stage 2 . Others are still in the process of being matched to suitable opportunities .

Carol Kelly, recruitment manager at Pennine, said: “It is re-assuring to see how managers and employees have been so flexible and open to this programme . Managers have been willing to conduct extra training and some employees have accessed workshops on interviewing techniques and skills development such as IT/ keyboard proficiency to enhance their skills .

Carry-Over of annual leave for staff on agenda for Change Terms and Conditions

During the last financial year the policy on carry-over of annual leave for staff employed under Agenda for Change conditions was re-enforced and any requests submitted were scrutinised to ensure compliance with the ‘exceptional circumstances’ criteria .

The same approach on carry-over remains in place: it is expected that for the vast majority of staff all holiday entitlements will be taken within the financial year .

Any requests for ‘carry-over’ of annual leave - only available ‘in exceptional circumstances’ - should be submitted for prior approval to the appropriate Executive or Divisional Director .

If you have any questions please contact your line manager or Divisional HR Team .

A CHANGE in role has opened up a whole new

world for a member of staff at Pennine Acute .

Jan McGovern had been working in the pre op clinic at

North Manchester for six years, when she had to change jobs due to

the restructuring of the booking and scheduling department . Now safely redeployed into the adult and childcare office, Jan has found that the experience is now starting to pay off its rewards .

She said: “My old job was relocated to Rochdale Infirmary and so I had to go through the process, along with the rest of the booking and scheduling team, of reapplying for jobs . I was unsuccessful after the first interview and so was placed on the redeployment register .

“I was very anxious at first as I did not know where I would end up working, and I felt like I had no choice of moving out of a job which I loved . The HR team, along with my managers gave me great support and advice, and helped me to deal with the whole interview and redeployment process . After a couple of weeks I was successfully placed in the adult and childcare office at North Manchester .”

Job roles which are changed or moved to different sites due to restructuring are always going to be a cause of concern to staff, but thanks to the human resources department redeployment programme,

People6 October 2011

“While we have had huge success in the programme, it is not an easy process for employees to go through . Some staff have come to me feeling upset and insecure and felt that this is a reflection on how they perform in their jobs . In reality, however, this has nothing to do with their work performance . They are perfectly capable, professional and skilled employees, who are in a tough position owing to the restructuring .”

Caroline Beirne, divisional HR manager at NMGH, added: “All staff have responded to the redeployment process by ensuring that patient care remains at the forefront of everything that they do . They have remained professional throughout and have worked hard to avoid compromising any element of patient care .”

For more information on the redeployment process, contact your divisional HR manager, call the HR Helpdesk on 01617202717, or contact Carol at carol .kelly@pat .nhs .uk

91% of staff registered on it, have now been successfully matched into new posts .

With the Trust having to find new ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs, major restructuring is taking place right across Pennine, but chief executive John Saxby, has stated that the Trust will do everything in its power to ensure that there will be no non voluntary redundancies . Simply put, the redeployment programme places all those who have had to move away from their original jobs into other substantive jobs within their divisions or across the Trust .

Jan is now two months into her new role and is embracing the new challenges which it throws up . She said: “My new job is totally different to the one I had in the pre op clinic . I can’t really say which one I prefer as I love them both, for totally different reasons .

“I have had lots of support in my new role and vickie, the adult and childcare co-ordinator has been really helpful in getting me settled into my new tasks . I feel so much happier now and my new job has given me lots more confidence in administrative roles for the future . It has proven that you can do things which you initially think are beyond your capabilities . I have even signed up for a computer course at the Trust which will give me lots more opportunities to further my career .”

Don’t delay – act quickly on meningitisWITH around 2,500 cases of bacterial meningitis, and possibly double that of viral meningitis in the UK every year, play specialist Lisa Kelly thought that it was important to highlight the signs and symptoms of the disease .

In a special poster display in the A&E department at North Manchester General Hospital, the information attracted parents, carers and young adults in a bid to educate them of the illness .

She said: “Anyone of any age can get meningitis or septicaemia . Meningitis means the swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord . Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by the same germs . Meningitis and septicaemia can occur together or separately . It can strike quickly and kill within hours and so it is essential to watch out for signs of it and get medical help immediately if you suspect that you have it .”

Margaret McCann was impressed with Lisa’s display . She said: “I think the poster is bright and colourful . It can’t help but gain people’s attention and makes the focus on the important information about meningitis .

7News - Trust stories

a NeW enhanced recovery programme for patients having elective colorectal sur-gery has received high praise from a 92-year-old patient.

Alice Parmley underwent major bowel surgery at The Royal Oldham Hospital in July and found that the service really helped her to recover quickly and leave hospital sooner .

She said: “I feel fantastic and the staff are angels . I feel much better than I expected to as I thought that I would spend days in bed feeling groggy .”

Enhanced recovery focuses on each stage of the patient’s journey including pre op counselling, less invasive surgery techniques, advanced pain relief techniques and new approaches to the management of fluids and diet . Early mobilisation is also key to the enhanced recovery programme .

Alice would normally have expected to spend over 14 days in hospital, but instead was ready to go home in 10 days . Other patients have gone home as early as four days post major bowel surgery . Alice had undergone major colorectal sur-gery over 20 years ago, when she was dis-charged after 14 days, so she was able to appreciate the difference and could see the benefits .

Previously she would have been starved and given bowel prep pre operatively . On this occasion she didn’t have bowel prep and was given a carbohydrate pre loading

product to give her the energy she needed for the surgery . She had an epidural for pain relief and was mobilised regularly from the first day after her surgery . She was also encouraged to eat and drink earlier and to supplement her diet with Fresubin energy drinks .

Steph Gooder and Hilary Thorpe are enhanced recovery nurse (ERN) facilitators who are supporting the roll out of the scheme . Steph said: “Enhanced recovery is a multi disciplinary team approach . The staff at The Royal Oldham Hospital have really committed to it . From physiothera-pists, to ward staff, the pain team, high dependency unit, theatres, pre-operative staff, dieticians and occupational thera-pists, it really shows a good example of how a team approach can be of real ben-efit to the patient .”

An enhanced recovery awareness day was held at The Royal Oldham Hospital over the summer . Hailed as a success, feedback was that staff at Oldham are welcoming the new programme and showing a lot of interest in its implementation . A similar event will be held at NMGH in October .

Lloyd Stephens (Deltex Medical); Judy Marsh (Deltex Medical); Rachel Meskell, enhanced recovery specialist nurse Salford Royal; Carrie West (vitaflo); Steph Gooder, enhanced recovery nurse ROH and Karen Bamford an ODP are pictured at the ERP stand .

enchanced recovery programmepraised by alice

Signs and symptoms

Meningitis and septicaemia can be difficult to spot . Early symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, and muscle pain can easily be mistaken for common illnesses like flu, so be aware of all signs and symptoms – they can appear in any order and some may not appear at all . Do not wait for a rash, it can appear late or not at all .

A rash that does not fade under pres-sure is a sign of meningococcal septi-caemia and is a medical emergency . You can check this by pressing the side of a clear drinking glass against the skin where the rash occurs .

Alice and Steph Gooder pictured following Alice’s operation. Pictured on front page, L-R: healthcare assistant Sue Booth, Dr Jenny Dawes, patient Alice Parmley, physio assistant Suzanne Roberts and enhanced recovery nurse facilitator Steph Gooder.

Core brief - team talk8 October 2011

Have you been briefed?Core brief takes place once a month and is a way of updating you about the latest news from the Trust.

Cardiology and stroke rehab servicesThe 12 week public consultation on cardiology and stroke rehabilitation services will be led by Healthy Futures and will begin on 17 October 2011 . A decision is expected at the end of January 2012 . The consultation is needed because the previously proposed configuration of these services at Rochdale Infirmary is no longer in keeping with best clinical practice .

More information: visit Healthy Futures online at www .healthyfutures .nhs .uk/

Changes to pain nurses’ serviceThe pain nurses have restructured their team as follows:

Rochdale - The team at ROH will also incorporate and provide clinical cover for the service at RI . Contact the pain nurses on bleep numbers 7201/7614 .

FGH - The team at NMGH will incorporate and provide clinical cover for FGH . There will be an acute pain nurse on site at FGH Monday – Friday 08 .30 – 12 midday . Please bleep 0333 on site or 4400/ 4229 for advice from the pain nurse when they are off site . Please continue to fax the chronic pain referrals to the pain consultants in the anaesthetic office .

Director of finance and iM&TRobert Chadwick, the Trust director of finance and IM&T, has been appointed director of finance at the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust in Wakefield and will be leaving the Trust at the end of September 2011 . Barbara Herring, associate director of finance will act up as director of finance following Bob’s departure . A recruitment process to make a substantive appointment is under way .

Transforming for excellenceSince its launch in October last year, the TfE programme has helped the Trust make huge savings, enabling the income and expenditure to balance .

Recently, the Trust created a small multi-professional team called the Delivery Support Unit (DSU) to deliver the TfE’s quality and efficiency initiatives . Current schemes the DSU are working on include:

1 . Proposed changes to ward nursing staff shift patterns . 2 . Identifying measures to improve the use of theatres and endoscopy suites, for

example, by improving scheduling systems .

3 . Testing an opportunity to save vAT on the purchase of theatre equipment . 4 . Reviewing the use of taxis in the Trust . Since the DSU’s formation, all performance improvement and cost saving ideas shared by staff have been divided up by division . DSU members responsible for that division will now be working on executing those ideas where practical .

More information: If you would like to learn more about TfE and/or the DSU or join the team, please speak to your line manager and contact the DSU team on 44379 or Beverley Cook at beverley .cook@pat .nhs .uk .

Trauma and orthopaedic servicesAs part of Healthy Futures, the Trust is creating two centres for emergency trauma and orthopaedic services at North Manchester and The Royal Oldham . The Trust has been asked to establish the newly planned trauma assessment unit at North Manchester prior to transfer of trauma from FGH .

More information: Contact Anne Marie Smith, project lead major service change, on Tel . 44940 or email ann-marie .smith@pat .nhs .uk

Proposed changes to ward staff shift patterns for adult inpatient wardsChanges to shift patterns are being proposed and consulted on so that we can provide a better quality and safer service to our patients . More regular shift patterns, fewer changes of staff during the day, fewer handovers and fewer bank or agency staff will improve continuity of care for patients and improve patient safety .

The changes will save an estimated £1 .49 million in a year . The proposed shift pattern does not reduce the number of nurses on wards . Savings will come from reducing the need to use temporary staff to fill gaps and from standardising the early / late shift overlap to 1 .5 hours, which is the pattern already used in many wards .

Briefing sessions have been held for nursing staff affected by the proposals and meetings have taken place with staff side representatives . The formal 90-day consultation period runs from 26 August to 24 November 2011 .

Any member of staff affected will also have the opportunity to discuss the proposals and any issues they may have with their manager in a 1-1 session .

More information: can be found on the TfE pages of the Trust intranet .

Core Brief

Team focus on podiatry

A typical dayI arrive at the clinic around 8 .30am to set up . We normally run one consultant MDT clinic a week and two podiatry led clinics . I ensure all results are available for the consultant during the clinic . There are times when the clinic can overrun due to patients needing admission, or the manufacture of more complex casting . Sarah our footcare assistant is on hand to take any urgent phone calls from the wards or patients . Any emergency patients that phone up during a clinic are asked to attend the same day .

After clinic I go up on to the wards to review any inpatients . It can be difficult visiting patients in the afternoon as it often clashes with visiting times . However it also provides an opportunity for family members to ask any questions they may have . If I have any problems or need advice regarding patients I am able to contact a specialist podiatrist either at Oldham or on any of the other sites .

The 60 second interview

What are the highlights of your job/service?

What don’t you like about your job/service?

What would make your job/service better?

What word best describes your job/service?

What is the one thing you would change about

your job/service?

What is the current biggest challenge in your

job/to your team?

How do you see your role developing?

What aspect of your job/service is the most

rewarding?

How has your job/service changed in the

last 12 months?

Team focus - a day in the life of

The service has only been in place for two years . Within these two years we have developed a simple pathway for the wards to ensure correct referral to our team . A pathway has also been developed for the community podiatry team to ensure patients with deteriorating or long standing wounds are referred to our specialist clinics efficiently . We have also developed joint working with vascular, rheumatology and young persons’ clinics .

Staff have been trained to manufacture soft casts to help off load foot ulcers .

A healed foot ulcer . Foot ulcers have a great impact on a patient’s life as they are tied down to wearing certain shoes, attending weekly appointments and reducing their weight bearing . Patients often remark the healing of a foot ulcer results in them taking back control of their lives .

As one of the biggest acute Trusts in the country we currently have a large number of foot ulcer patients . This has provided us with an ideal setting to undertake clinical research into heel ulcers .

In the future I hope I can participate in more research trials and help the team develop new treatments and pathways for both Pennine and national diabetic foot ulcer patients .

After two years we are still experiencing issues with wards not fully understanding the service we provide . Many times we are triaging inappropriate referrals we receive such as for fingernail cutting, providing shoes and even to assess chest pain!

As we are such a small team we often do not see one another for many weeks . Although we do have clinical supervision monthly it would be nice to all change sites more often and see how different specialist podiatrists work . Everybody has their own way of doing things and by working with others you may learn or develop new skills .

Challenging yet rewarding at the same time .

At times it can be frustrating when we are unable to heal foot ulcers . Many patients end up having digits or limbs amputated and the impact on the patients and family can be quite distressing .

The challenge to balance all contributing factors in order to heal a foot ulcer . Also being able to meet so many new patients every day . Each patient has a different story to tell .

Khadijah Nazir salim is part of the podiatry team who provide a specialist lower limb service for inpatients and outpatients. she is based at The royal Oldham Hospital.

9

More time! Although we work full time it seems many times there are simply not enough hours in the day to see all the patients . It can be quite stressful trying to get everybody reviewed by the weekend whilst also dealing with new referrals .

25 years - long service awards

LONG Service Award certificates have been presented to Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust staff at a series of ceremonies held in June this year . Each of the four sites had its own ceremony to recognise staff who had served in the NHS for 25 years or more .

Certificates were presented by divisional directors and individual and group photos were taken to mark the occasion . Each event was rounded off with a buffet lunch and the opportunity to catch up with colleagues and friends .

Roger Pickering, director of human resources and organisational development said: “The 25 years’ service awards are an opportunity for Pennine to say thank you to staff who have made a significant contribution to the NHS and to the Trust . Many of the staff receiving 25 years’ awards have dedicated the whole of their working lives to the NHS . We are extremely grateful for their loyal service over so many years .

“The Trust is committed to recognising staff for both long service and outstanding contribution . We recognise how important these are in helping us deliver excellent care to our patients .”

The long service award scheme is available to all staff within the Trust who have attained 25 years (or more) total service in the National Health Service . The scheme recognises all service, except casual work in the NHS . You must be working at Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust when the 25 year mark is reached . If you have had a break in service, it is possible that all separate periods of employment may be aggregated for qualification purposes .

Eligible staff will receive a long service certificate and Capital Bonds to the value of £250 . In the 12 months to June 2011 the Trust has awarded long service awards to 113 of its staff . This equates to an impressive 2800+ years service in total .

If you think that you might be eligible for a long service award, please contact Jackie Livesey X44311 or e-mail jackie .livesey@pat .nhs .uk and she will forward you the necessary paperwork .

40 years service awardsThis autumn the Trust will be launching an event to recognise Trust staff who have achieved 40 years service in the NHS . These staff have been invited to attend a dinner with a partner, friend or colleague and John Jesky, chairman will be presenting certificates to staff to mark the occasion .

To date investigations have identified 47 staff who have achieved this milestone . If you have 40 years service or know someone that has and you have not received an invitation letter please contact Jackie Livesey X44311 or e-mail Jackie .Livesey@pat .nhs .uk .

News - Trust stories10 October 2011

Oldham front row L–R: Paul Warrington, Joanna Schofield, Susan Thornton, Lorraine Milton, Michelle Fowley and John Lindars - divisional director for surgery. Back row L–R : Martin Lewis, Maxine Murtagh, Jayne Richardson and Sarah Ramsden

Rochdale L-R: Julie Gala, Paul Taylor, Debra McDonald and Cathy Trinick - divisional director for women and children’s

North Manchester Front row L- R: Jacky Doyle - head of organisational development, Carole Simpson, Julie Anne White, Mary Smith, Sarah Pattinson and Nick Hayes – associate director of human resources. Back Row L–R: Pauline Anderson – divisional nurse lead, medicine, Robert Ronson and Adele Perrett.

Fairfield L-R: Angela Barrett, Josephine Fletcher, Chris Sleight – divisional director for diagnostic and clinical support, Katharine Clegg, June Butterworth and Andrea Maxwell.

fun and educational - link worker study day

WITH prizes, discussions and a full day of presentations on offer, over 60 staff attended the second infection prevention and control team’s link worker study day .

Attracting clinical teams from The Royal Oldham Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary, the day was sponsored by eight companies, who also provided a health fair, allowing staff to discuss products and new developments in an enjoyable and informal way .

Liz Wilson, senior infection prevention nurse at Oldham, said: “The day was intended to be both fun and educational, as well as to discuss where we have come from as a Trust in infection prevention and control, and where we need to progress to in the future .

“We also recognised and rewarded link workers at The Royal Oldham Hospital for

their continued hard work and dedication, not only to infection prevention and control, but to their patients who continue to benefit from all the improved standards and care that is delivered on a daily basis .”

With a full programme of speakers, the link workers heard about a variety of topics including: the next step in infection prevention and control and superbug reductions; viruses including flu and chicken pox and how to deal with them; Smith and Nephew drain dressings . The infection prevention and control team at Oldham were heavily involved in the design of this product, meeting with the development people from Smith and Nephew during the manufacturing process to ensure the best design and purpose for both patient care and clinical practice - see article on page 5 .

11News - Trust stories

Annual infection prevention and control awardsn Quizzer of the year – Sr Milton, from ward F6

n Special recognition award – Ward F6 for managing the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak so successfully for the last two winters

n Highest IPNA audit score – maternity 2 who scored a fabulous 99%

n Infection prevention and control link worker of the year – staff nurse Pat Moyo-Ndlvu from ward C2

n Most enthusiastic award – staff nurse Lisa Cook from ward F5 who applied for the study day before it was even advertised!

The infection prevention team are in the process of producing their own formulary which will guide staff to the best products as recommended by the infection prevention team . This will have cost savings and ensure that all products being used are monitored, and hopefully influence the continued reduction in rates of infection .

The infection prevention infection control nurses are also developing a poster which will be presented later this year at Wounds UK, and next year at the Infection Prevention Nurses’ Association . The poster will demonstrate how they have helped develop and rolled out a new dressing to help prevent blood culture bacteraemia associated with surgical drain sites .

THE endoscopy department at Oldham have recently received their infection prevention ward accreditation award for successfully completing the infection prevention programme . Yvonne Kevins and Sue Dermody worked extremely hard on the project and should be congratulated . Directorate manager Rachel Scott presented them with their award .

Ward accreditation

Imaging facility named in honour of NMGH radiographera fOrMer North Manchester radiographer who died last year, has had an imaging facility at the university of salford named after her.

The Susan Hall Imaging Facility will help train future generations of diagnostic radiographers and comprises two new computed radiography rooms, a £300,000 Toshiba Aquillion 16 CT scanner, plus excellent digital imaging teaching facilities . Salford is one of very few universities in the UK to have a CT scanner to train radiography students in diagnostic scanning and research techniques .

Susan spent most of her career working in the North Manchester district group of hospitals and was instrumental in the provision of quality radiography services . In 1960 she became a fellow of the Society of Radiographers and was also the district superintendent radiographer covering six hospitals in the region, all with radiology departments specialising in different aspects of basic sciences and radiology .

North Manchester General Hospital was put on the map when Susan made sure that it was the first fully computerised radiology department in the UK, and she also helped to twin the hospital with one in St Petersburg, Russia, following a study tour there .

She was committed to radiographers’ training and professional development and was honoured by the Society and College of Radiographers when she was presented with a gold medal in recognition of her contribution to university education .

retirement of medical director

Care in everything we do

MEDICAL director, Dr Ruth Jameson, enjoyed four send-off events when she recently retired from the Trust .

Recognised by the Trust Board, the executive team, the senior managers’ group and a general Trust presentation, she was given numerous gifts including a chimenea, bird table, binoculars and a large garden swing/hammock .

She said: “I’d like to thank everyone for their great gifts . The chimenea has been used for three meals so far and has kept us warm during the cold summer evenings! I’ve got plans to visit France, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Dubai in the coming months and so the binoculars will come into their own on safari!

“Thanks to all staff for their support over the years and the gifts will ensure that you are not forgotten!”

Dr Jameson was medical director at the Trust from 2005 . Previous to that she was associate medical director for the women and children’s division, and had also worked at numerous hospitals within the

north west region She was presented with the Pennine Acute lifetime

achievement award at this year’s staff awards event .

Chief executive John Saxby, said: “Ruth has had an enormous influence on clinical medicine in the Trust, especially in her own specialty of paediatrics and child health . She also spearheaded the drive to make patient safety and the pursuit of better care for our patients the primary objective for the Trust .

“As a key member of the Trust Executive and the Trust

Board she always ensured that our discussions and decisions

never lost sight of those objectives . She was also quite properly recognised

formally at national level for her contribution to paediatrics and child health in Greater Manchester .

“We will miss her calm and courteous demeanour, but the underlying principles she laid the foundations for will continue to characterise the Pennine approach to deliver the very best care for each patient on every occasion .”

Dr Sally Bradley is the Trust’s new medical director .

‘PLEASE take more care ’ is the key phrase which Lisa Parr, service manager for health records is urging staff to remember when they are addressing letters to patients .

In one month alone, 67% of letters which were sent to patients’ home addresses, were returned by the Royal Mail as the patient had been identified as no longer living at the address shown on the envelope .

Lisa said: “We have now placed reminders at the bottom of the front page of the PAS screen asking staff to double check that the patient still lives at the address previously given, and also to include the postcode . We have had one example of a next door neighbour opening the patient’s letter in an effort to redirect it to the correct address . This is clearly unacceptable and a breach of patient safety and confidentiality .”

Ten letters which equated to 11 .36% were also returned because of sloppy or poor manual addressing by staff . They had either missing street names, missing or incorrect door numbers, and on one example, the patient’s name and address was missing from the correspondence, but

it was placed in the post .

“Some addresses did not exist when checked on the Royal Mail postcode finder, and although the address and postcode were included, they were not a correct match, and so the mail was being directed

to the wrong area,” added Lisa .

“The concern is that if we do not address this issue, because we dispatch approximately one million letters per year, we could end up with 112,500 letters returned per annum because we have incorrectly

addressed mail . These failings are human errors and nothing to do with any of the systems used by the Trust or the mail provider . We need to take extra care to ensure patients are not disadvantaged because we don’t record or hold their correct address .”

For further information please contact Lisa on 56687 .

Don’t forget to post all mail out using second class delivery .

Use smaller sized envelopes to reduce postage costs .

Thought for the month by Rev John Hall, chaplaincy co-ordinator

How do you attempt a risk assessment when considering a walk to the North Pole? Or what about a charity fund raising event which involves being strapped to another human being and ‘falling’ out of a plane from a great height?

Thoughts that went through my mind when watching Prince Harry join some of the injured servicemen who were featured in a Tv documentary walking to the North Pole or in a conversation with Jan Bolton, our Trust fundraiser who is trying to recruit people to parachute jump in order to raise money .

The very words ‘risk assessment’ conjure up many images and feelings, for some it comes with added servings of health and safety which again can cause certain reactions from within . Some ‘risks’ can’t be fully planned or run through even with a lot of thought and preparation .

All healthcare has an element of risk to it . The risk of not being successful, the risk of disappointment . One of the bits of information for any patient is being told ‘what might go wrong’ before having done whatever it is that they need to have, which can make the bravest of patients a little nervous .

Whilst risks are presented before patients in order to give as much information as possible, I’m not as confident that the same approach is given to assessing the spiritual needs .

Do we take unconscious risks by not explaining that we can provide for individuals’ spiritual needs in the same way we can provide other types of healthcare? May be we risk embarrassment if the subject is raised; may be we risk the stereotype of the overly religious chaplain who only appears as life slips away? May be we risk the idea that we are not too confident about what ‘spiritual needs’ are?

As health care colleagues, we represent many different traditions as well as faiths and want to reduce the risk of not being there for those who would benefit from our involvement . If you have doubts and uncertainties we can talk to your unit, ward, and department and so reduce the risk of missing out on an important part of holistic health care .

People12 October 2011

13People

Tax changes for high earners

ready to tackle anything after ‘emergency’ work experience

HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) pension rules are continuing to change for high earners . There are 2 main pension tax areas that may apply .

HMrC’s existing lifetime allowance and annual allowances .

The HMRC lifetime allowance is a limit on the value you can build up in your pension arrangements without paying extra tax . For the tax years 2010/11 and 2011/12 the lifetime allowance is £1,800,000 .

This limit applies to the overall capital

value of the total of all your pension arrangements . The lifetime allowance is reducing to £1 .5m from 6 April 2012 .

In salary-related schemes such as the NHS Pension Scheme, the HMRC annual allowance is the maximum amount by which the capital value of your pension benefits may grow in any one tax year, without you having to pay a tax charge . For the tax year 2010/11 the annual allowance was £255,000 . The annual allowance is reducing to £50,000 from 6 April 2011 .

The capital value for the annual allowance is worked out by multiplying the growth in your pension by a factor of 10 and adding any additional growth in the lump sum . This is then measured against the annual allowance to establish if any tax is owed .

To calculate your total amount you must also add any contributions you make to other registered pension arrangements .

Further information can be found on the NHS Pensions Agency website http://www .nhsbsa .nhs .uk/pensions

BEING in the right place at the right time gave some of the Open Road work experience students a fantastic opportunity at Fairfield General Hospital .

Sandra Lloyd-Johnson, clinical educator for the Bury Cadets, arranged for her students to observe a training session delivered by emergency planning manager, Allan Cordwell .

Allan was training members of Fairfield’s A&E team on handling a major incident and during his training session he gave the students updates on the processes and equipment that would be used to deal with possible chemical and radioactive spillages . The students had the opportunity to witness staff in the protective suits and the ‘decontamination’ units that would be used, as well as being able to ask questions on what was happening .

The students, from Derby High School, thoroughly enjoyed this unexpected activity in addition to their placements .

A&E staff members at Fairfield are pictured top, taking part in the emergency planning major incident training.

STUDENTS at North Chadderton school in Oldham got to the heart of the matter when Frankie Hutton, a specialist clinical physiologist in the cardiology department visited their school .

He delivered classroom workshops to support a module of their BTEC level 2 extended certificate course and engaged the students in lively discussions about cardiac problems .

Julie Roberts, work placement co-ordinator, said: “It was clear from the workshop that many students have family or friends who have been affected by different cardiac problems and it was great that Frankie was able to answer their questions in a manner which they found easy to understand . As well as highlighting the issues that can lead to heart problems, Frankie provided the students with information on careers within the Trust .”

Sarah Semple, subject leader in health and social care at North Chadderton School said: “The visits we have from professionals within the NHS are fantastic and so valuable . They really enhance our curriculum and allow students to gain a real sense of the jobs that exist . Most people just think of doctors and nurses and I can see that it sparks off ideas in their heads on the many possibilities and opportunities that are available in health and social care .”

Young green fingers CHILDREN at Fairfield’s private day nursery enjoyed the cream of the crop, when they ate the fruits of their labours .

Spending the spring and summer busy planting flowers and vegetables, the children have since been able to admire their garden . The work was part of their planting and growing project, which supports their learning through the Early Years foundation stage . The nursery holds the Bury healthy eating award ‘the golden apple award’ at the gold standard level and so the children were particularly keen to grow their own peas, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes and herbs . Gemma Hill, nursery manager, said: “All the produce flourished in the garden and we all enjoyed eating the rewards!”

For information on the nursery, which holds a good Ofsted rating, contact Gemma on 778 3613 .

Diary dates

Frank Hutton, cardiac physiologist and Ahfeena Chaudhry, student physiologist..

17 Oct - Start of Healthy Futures cardiology and stroke rehabilitation consultation.

Talking leaflets - helping patients understand careIT’S good to talk as the old BT advert said, and this is proving to be the case in a new pilot scheme launched by the Trust .

Talking leaflets are now available for patients on a range of specialties in a bid to make sure that those whose first language isn’t English, those who have difficulty reading, have a visual impairment or a learning disability, can access information about the procedure which they will be undergoing .

Supported initially by NHS North West, and then funded with money from a Dragon’s Den style competition, which was won in conjunction with NHS Oldham, the leaflets have now been introduced in the maternity, ophthalmology, cancer screening, health checks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and endoscopy specialties .

Shirley Naylor, clinical audit co-ordinator, said: “Pennine’s catchment area includes a large and ever changing mix of ethnic minority population whose health challenges are exacerbated by the language barrier, which results in a higher than normal rate of DNA (did not attend) and failed procedures .

“By introducing the new talking leaflets we are hoping to reduce the number of DNAs and the lack of understanding that some patients have about their treatment when English is not their first language .

“The leaflets explain what the procedure will be, plus any risks, benefits and alternatives to enable the patient to make an informed choice about their treatment plan .”

Patients ring a dedicated telephone line and can listen to the leaflet in English, Urdu, Polish, Arabic, French, Farsi, Cantonese, Gujarati or Bangla .

The pilot includes the ophthalmology and maternity departments at the Trust, 12 GP practices and Oldham Community Health Services (part of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust) staff, who are involved in care related to the leaflet topics . This includes health visitors and district nurses .

Around 5% of patients from each clinical area are expected to use the new service .

E-ELCA is an e-learning package commissioned by the DOH and developed by a group of palliative care specialists . It is aimed at all groups of staff who have contact with patients receiving end of life care including nurses, health care support workers, Allied Health Care Professionals, clerical and medical staff . The key modules offered include assessment and care planning, symptom control, communication and advanced care planning . The e-ELCA is very flexible and allows the learner to complete sessions which are appropriate to their role and needs .

A team led by Cathy Thorman and Tracy Wild have undertaken a pilot implementation project to establish the experience of using the e-ELCA with 26 staff from the Trust . The initial use of e-ELCA was not without its teething problems from the technical perspective, but beyond this, the feedback from learners who participated in evaluation feedback was very positive:

n 94% said they would recommend e-ELCA to others, n 47% said they would definitely continue further study and n 27% said possibly .

Participants felt the e-ELCA was of excellent quality and “at the right level .” One participant responded it “met my expectations and beyond .” The education and training department have already resolved the technical issues

experienced and now the team are looking to launch the use of the e-ELCA across Pennine .

The results of the pilot were presented at the North East Sector Launch of e-ELCA on 20 June at the village Hotel in Bury . The event was well attended by representatives from organisations across the sector and has resulted in the generation of plans for other teams to implement e-ELCA .

If you would like any further information regarding e-ELCA contact Macmillan specialist palliative care nurses Cathy Thorman (82679) or Tracy Wild on (42814) or John Bramwell, library systems manager (82907) .

e-ELCA, the new way to learn for end of life care

News - Trust stories14 October 2011

exam successCONGRATULATIONS to the following students who have completed information technology qualifications with the PAT IT training team .

Sharmin Ali Zanib Akhtar Claire Wain

Patricia Greenwood Rebecca Higginson

Anthony Hoy Nicole Lynch

Paul Aspin

Christina Baybutt Julie Bone Donna Daley Joanne Edge Antony Fitton Paul Hynes Jill May Sharon Mottley Lynda Odgers

Martine Pinnington Dawn Richardson Amanda Ryan Geoff Tancred Joanne Thompson Julie Tretiak Jessica Whitley Maureen Woodhouse

BCS NHS level one award

ECDL advanced

ITQ (BCS level 2 in IT user skills)

Microsoft Office specialist training

Charity round up

Small change BIG difference

PaT staff take on 10K challengeTHE charity secured 57 runners for this year’s Manchester 10K Run, three of whom had to pull out due to injury .

The total amount raised to date is over £12,000, more than double the amount raised last year . Over £5,500 of the total was raised for the In Your Hands Appeal, six staff from Ward F6 raised £820 for their ward endowment fund, and a grateful relative raised £450 for Ward F5 at The Royal Oldham Hospital . Three staff raised over £500 for the PIU at Fairfield General Hospital, £1,130 came in for the Link4Pink Appeal, a member of staff raised £385 for Think Floyd and a massive £3,476 came via runners for the Billy Cooney Appeal .

The charity would like to thank everyone who took part in the run for their tremendous fundraising efforts and Maureen Woodhouse and Sarah Flaherty who signed runners up, issued T-shirts and sponsor forms and organised the whole thing in Jan Bolton’s absence .

Billy’s legacy raises £18,400

Diving into the dosh!PLUCKY members of staff are asked to help raise money for the ‘In your Hands Appeal’ at TROH, by taking part in a charity sky dive .

volunteers will be taking to the skies on Saturday 22 October for a tandem sky-dive . No experience is needed but a minimum sponsorship of £395 is required .

If you would like to take part contact Mary Sunderland, volunteer co-ordinator on 45892 or Jan Bolton, fundraising manager on 44497 .

vanessa said: “I wanted to raise money for A&E to keep Billy’s name alive and help other patients . Doing this has helped me to come to terms with what has happened and has given me a reason to get out of bed each day . I know Billy would have done the same . I know he’s watching me and he’ll be proud of what we’ve achieved .

“We want to hold Billy’s day every year and I hope to raise more money each time . It will be held around the same time each year so it’s close to Billy’s birthday in July . Every ticket we sell for Billy’s day is an extra few pounds that will go towards changing someone’s life .”

Julie Winterbottom, A&E matron at The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “On behalf of all the A&E staff, I would like to say such a massive thank you for this incredible donation . They are such a wonderful family and we are so touched that after all they have been through they have been so determined and dedicated to raising this money to help others .”

If you would like to help vanessa to raise money for The Royal Oldham Hospital A&E department in memory of Billy, please call her direct on 07545 319 011 .

THE family of a young man killed in a car accident have presented a cheque for £18,400 to the A&E department at The Royal Oldham Hospital, to say thank you for the care he received before he died .

Billy Cooney, 19 from Failsworth, tragically passed away following a car accident in September 2010 . Following her brother’s death, vanessa Cooney pledged to raise money for the A&E department at The Royal Oldham where Billy was treated .

vanessa, her family and many of Billy’s friends, took part in a number of fundraising events including the Manchester 10k run and Manchester to Blackpool cycle race . The family also organised Billy’s Day – a fun day in July which included a celebrity football match, live music and various stalls and rides .

The money raised by the family will go towards new equipment for the resuscitation unit in A&E .

15fundraising

Pictured: Pennine Acute Trust director Tom Wilders (front left) receives the cheque from Vanessa Cooney and her daughter, Masie Kennard. Behind left to right - Trust fundraising manager Jan Bolton, Mark Cooney, Jayne Cooney, Sam Kennard and A&E matron Julie Winterbottom.

staff room - noticeboard16 October 2011

retirements Heading for the 19th hole in retirement!

Staff noticeboard

Happy send off for Linda Friends joined healthcare assistant linda Mills for a celebratory meal at the Crimble restaurant in Rochdale, when she recently retired from the Trust .

Working for the NHS for over 30 years, Linda has worked at Birch Hill, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield .

Presented with gifts including jewellery, flowers, vouchers and chocolates, Linda was wished good luck, good health and a long and happy retirement .

Linda would like to thank everyone for their beautiful cards and presents, and a special thank you to Jackie Dawson for organising her party .

Tom Wilson, cellular pathology service manager, retired on 30 June after 39 years of service in pathology within the NHS .

Starting his career at Wythenshawe hospital, he moved to North Manchester General in July 1984 and then gained several promotions before becoming cellular pathology service manager in 2006 . He played a key part in the centralisation of cellular pathology services at The Royal Oldham Hospital site in February 2007 .

A buffet lunch was held in the pathology department for past and present friends and colleagues, to mark his retirement . Tom received many gifts, including a new set of golf clubs following kind words from Len Fielding, pathology directorate manager, and Dr Oyegade, consultant pathologist .

Tom will be missed by all his friends and colleagues who wish him a very long and happy retirement .

abbie edwards

Let’s take time to reflect on your long NHS career

You’ll be missed by many especially us here .

From Ireland you came to start your working life You soon did your training to be a midwife . New mums and babies received dignified care Making the difference because you were there .

Performance and quality achieved through your work Never a challenge from which you would shirk . Your tenacity is something we’ve come to admire High standards and excellence your driving desire .

So many people, so many years So much influence in helping careers . Your belief in our strengths you knew from the start Your support to succeed came straight from your heart .

You’ve done so much to develop our team Because of all that like bright stars we’ll gleam . We’ll uphold the work that you have championed here Your influence will be with us for many a year .

Countless good friends made along the way Sending love and best wishes for this special day . We hope that retirement goes just as you planned And wish you much happiness back in your homeland .

Thanks from ChrisChris Mylott, voluntary services manager at The Royal Oldham Hospital sends the following message to all staff following her recent retirement .

“Many thanks to everyone who made my last few weeks so memorable . I received many good wishes, cards and presents and was overwhelmed with the response .

“I will take many good memories with me and I wish you all health and happiness always .”

The big ‘O’s on G3! The endoscopy unit at Oldham would like to send their congratulations to staff who have been celebrating their special birthdays .

elaine Crowther and ed Horner, the party girls are now 60 (although not looking a day over 59!), and june Knight, lynn Parkinson and yvonne Kevins have all bit the big 50 . Best wishes from all your friends on G3 .

In memoryHSDU at The Royal Oldham Hospital lost a good colleague and friend, Thomas gardner, who died unexpectedly on August 16, aged 48 .

Tom’s wife passed away several years ago and he leaves a son, Sam .

He worked as a porter/ driver for the department so was well known and appreciated by those he came into contact with .

His favourite pass time was fishing and he was determined one day to win in an angling competition . Unfortunately, that big fish always got away .

Tom, you are greatly missed . God bless from everyone in HSDU .