page 6Fruity Friday

www.rdehospital.nhs.uk

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust staff newsletter May/June 2011

RD&Enews

ChiefExecutiveStaff update

page 2 & 3

First Stepsnurseryofficially open

page 7

Fit For The Future2

Your focus, commitment and

innovation achieved the full

£18.3 million savings for the last

financial year. Thank you to

everyone for rising to the

challenge and contributing to the

Fit For The Future programme so

far.

This is the first time the RD&E has

made efficiency savings of this

scale – previously it has been more

in the order of six million. What is

particularly encouraging is that

colleagues not only reduced costs

and spending but improved patient

care and services by changing our

ways of working and using

resources more effectively.

The challenge we must meet this

year (2011/2012) is to keep up the

momentum of the Fit For The

Future programme whilst

maintaining quality patient care,

your welfare and the financial

health of the RD&E.

An example of patient

experience and clinical service

improvement, which has also

reduced costs to the NHS, is the

successful Early Stroke

Discharge Support Scheme.

Patients return home with the

same quality and level of

specialist care and support they

would have received had they

stayed on the hospital ward but

the familiar surroundings of

their own home is beneficial to

their recovery. This approach

has received positive feedback

from patients, and their carers

and families.

An update for staff from Chief ExecutiveAngela Pedder

Fit For The Future 3

Our business planning has set

further savings for this year of

around £23 million based on the

reduced activity for acute

hospitals coming from the

commissioner, NHS Devon;

reduction in the tariff price for

what we do and other wider

changes to the national NHS

pricing system. Examples of

changes with financial impact on

the RD&E are non-payment for

treatment of patients readmitted

to hospital within 28 days of having

been discharged and financial

penalties for breaching national

single sex accommodation

standards.

Our FFTF strategy will continue to

be re-design of patient care

pathways by working

collaboratively with local GP and

community healthcare services so

that we can all offer the most

effective care first time in the

right place with minimal delay. The

Trust Board has confidence that by

working together with staff

involvement we can work through

issues and keep our financial

programme and service

development on track to meet

future demand and expectations of

RD&E services.

Your flexibility and innovation is

essential to the success of the

FFTF programme. Colleagues from

across the whole Trust are well

placed to identify and share more

ideas and solutions to be more cost

effective and make best use of the

resources we have. Change at the

RD&E is inevitable, from the

changes to the NHS, and it will

need to be embraced with the

learning of new skills, flexibility

and development of new roles and

models of service so that the RD&E

is fit for the future.

Financial prudence though does

not mean that we stand still in

terms of innovation and service

development. Recent examples of

Trust investment and commitment

to research and development

include the opening of the new

surgical research unit and the

extension of Exeter Oncology

Centre. We are also partners with

the University of Exeter and

Peninsula Medical and Dental

School for the development of a

Research, Innovation, Learning and

Development Centre. Sixteen

million pounds over the next year

will be invested in our buildings,

upgrading of equipment and Invest

To Save initiatives to benefit

patient care now and in the future.

We are in a strong position to move

forward and achieve our FFTF

goals because of your ‘can do’

approach and appreciation that we

must all play our part in the NHS

community to ensuring that every

pound spent provides best value.

New FFTF pages on IaN

CQC inspection visit4

The visitors were two CQC

inspectors, an external Director of

Nursing and a representative from

Age Concern. They inspected

Bovey and Bolham wards and gave

initial verbal feedback to us on the

same day – a formal report will

follow.

When asked todescribe the overallculture, the CQCassessors said:“Your people reallylove working here.”

This was clearly reflected in the

good practice they witnessed:

� Discreet, individual and skilled

attention to help patients who

needed assistance with eating

� Use of the Specific

Requirements signs

� Intentional Rounding

� Provision of special dietary

requirements, such as

thickened fluids

� The knowledge staff had about

their patients

� Use of, for example, curtains

and screens to promote dignity

� Therapists documentation was

described as ‘Excellent’

Areas where we can focus and

improve:

� Do Not Attempt Resuscitation –

documentation to evidence how

the decision was made, and

review process

� Assessment of communication

needs & personalisation of the

care plans

This has been a really positive

inspection and we should take a

moment to be very proud. The areas

for focus will be addressed and we

will share the findings of the formal

report when we receive it.

Em Wilkinson-Brice, Director of Nursing & Patient Care

The Care Quality Commission made anunannounced inspection visit at the RD&EWonford hospital as part of their nationalDignity and Nutrition Inspection Programme.

ministerial visit 5

www.rdehospital.nhs.uk

Hundreds of RD&E patients in

Devon with COPD (Chronic

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

have received advice, reassurance

and training from specialist

respiratory nurses so that they can

self manage their condition and

oxygen treatment. COPD, which

includes respiratory conditions like

chronic bronchitis and

emphysema, leads to damaged

airways in the lungs, causing them

to become narrower and making it

harder for air to get in and out of

the lungs.

The word 'chronic' means that the

problem is long-term and the most

common cause of COPD is smoking,

though some patients have been

exposed to occupational factors

like coal dust, or inherited a

condition.

The COPD aspect of the visit was

led by Dr David Halpin, Lead

Clinician for Respiratory Medicine.

The Minister also met respiratory

nurse specialist Chervonne

Chamberlain and Jayne Trott,

Specialist Physiotherapist for

Respiratory Medicine who

explained what the Exeter

Pulmonary Rehabilitation service

provides. (Pictured below).

Dr Halpin said: “I think the Minister

recognised the importance of

integrated services for people with

COPD. He understood that these

are multi-professional and include

community and hospital based

services and that only by working

together can we deliver high

quality care for patients. I think

he also gained a real insight into

what it is like to live with COPD on

a day to day basis.”

The Minister also met about 30

frontline NHS staff and RD&E

Governors, to hear their views as

part of the NHS Listening Exercise

about choice, competition, public

accountability, patient

involvement, clinical leadership

and training.

Health Minister Simon Burns said:

“I'd like to thank the patients and

staff who took the time today to

share their views with me about our

modernisation proposals. It is

evident that having specialist

clinical assessment, advice and

treatment like those available at

the RD&E, have an important and

positive impact, not just on health

outcomes but quality of life too. It is

so important that patients and staff

have the opportunity to voice their

opinions and help us to shape and

safeguard the NHS for the future.”

Minister of State for Health Simon Burns MPvisited the RD&E to find out firsthand fromstaff about the patient benefits of the onlyservice of its kind in the South West.

Improving health & experience6

Staff from the RD&E dietetic

department did their bit to raise

awareness of the links between diet,

nutrition and cancer prevention on

Fruity Friday (13 May) as part of an

annual event organised by the World

Cancer Research Fund.

Staff handed out free fresh fruit, dried

fruit and juice samples to staff,

patients and visitors, as well as

providing advice on healthy eating and

cancer prevention.

RD&E Dietetic Assistant, Liz Cook said:

“Fruity Friday has been a great

opportunity to educate the public on

the benefits of eating fruit and

vegetable. Getting your five a day

couldn’t be easier and it will have a

real positive impact on your health.”

Pictured: Carah Sanders Wright, Esther

Mason, Liz Cook, Beth Thompson and

Angeline Taylor.

Infection Prevention & Control colleagues got into the spirit of a worldwide awareness Clean Your Hands event in Mayto encourage and improve effective hand hygiene among healthcare workers at the right time in the right way.

Here they are pictured at their information stand in Oasis but they also visited ward teams with a teaching session called‘5 is your Magic Number.’

Fruity Friday - front cover picture story A regional review to improvepatient experience & reduceinequalities for people withlearning disabilities has ratedthe RD&E fourth out of 18acute hospitals.

The RD&E learning disabilityservice was reviewed lastautumn and demonstratedstrengths in seven keyobjectives, with areas identifiedfor further improvement.

It’s a great result for a hardworking and committed team.

First Steps officially open 7

www.rdehospital.nhs.uk

This unit looks after people who have had surgery to allow external collection of bodily waste, mainly because of

colorectal (bowel) cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

The unit sponsor company, Coloplast, has been a primary funder of the makeover to the office, clinic room, bathroom and

storage space have all had a complete makeover to create a brighter and more patient-friendly area.

The clinical space is now distinct from the other

rooms, with increased privacy for patients and

the greater storage space has meant that the

unit is less cluttered and easier access for

cleaning and infection control.

The Stoma Care team has also benefitted from

the addition of new members of staff, including

secretarial support.

The RD&E’s purpose builtnursery, First Steps, isofficially open.

The Trust Chairman, Angela Ballatti,

opened the new nursery in a fun-filled

event celebrating the achievement.

Work on First Steps, the first purpose

built nursery for the children of

hospital staff, began in 2010 with the

official opening ceremony marking the

culmination of months of hard work.

The event was attended by staff

involved in the project, parents, and

children currently at the nursery. All

the guests were treated to the

children’s homemade goodies and

entertained by a puppeteer! The

nursery, which caters for 102 children

between the ages of three months and

five years, is a self funding facility

which not only covers all its own

running costs, but also contributes to

the costs of running the hospital,

further improving patient experience.

Angela Ballatti, pictured centre, said:

“The nursery allows Royal Devon and

Exeter staff to focus on their working

roles knowing their children are in a

safe, stimulating environment. The

facility is not only an advantage for

current staff with childcare needs, but

has also proven to be an attractive

benefit to those professionals

considering employment at the

hospital. We are extremely proud of

the new building which couldn’t have

been achieved without the

outstanding work of the project build

team – Director of HR Lynn Lane, Mark

Gill (HR), Kay Rosslee (Childcare

Service Manager) and Julie Blight

(estates project officer) - the nursery

staff and the support of the parents.”

The Stoma Care Unit has undergone a transformation in recent months– greatly increasing capacity to care for patients.

� Stoma Care Team (L-R): Jane Holmes (Healthcare assistant); Mark Johnson(Stoma care nurse); Pip Chandler (Charter healthcare nurse); Rose Hudson(Secretary); Sam Robertsion (Lead stoma Care nurse specialist); Tracey Inch(Charter healthcare nurse); and Sarah Power (Stoma care nurse).

other news8

Lead Nurse for Surgery Julie Bloom retiredafter 35 years NHS nursing service.

Julie joined the RD&E in 1985 as a bank nursebefore taking on Staff Nurse responsibilities onDinham Ward at Heavitree hospital. Over the nextdecade she was promoted and as she said in herfarewell gathering speech, she has favouredsurgery over other specialist directorates. ChiefExecutive Angela Pedder thanked Julie for heroutstanding commitment to nursing and hertrademark ‘impish’ smile.

The RD&E News is now bi-monthly which gives colleagues more lead up time to contribute their

story and picture ideas by email to me. The deadline for the July/August edition of the RD&E News

is 22 June 2011.

Wendy Shaw, Communications Manager

Congratulationsto Staff Nurse Brenda Somerfieldwho was voted overall nationalwinner of the Patient’s Choice‘Clare Raynor Nurse of the YearAward’ 2011.

Brenda, who is part of the Mere

Ward team, was accompanied at

the award ceremony by her family

and Mr Gerard Noel, who

nominated Brenda for the care of

his wife, Caroline, during her

terminal illness.

The RD&E laundry and linen service has been approved to enter a national framework agreement allowing it toenter new contracts to provide laundry services to a greater range of healthcare providers, without going througha lengthy tender process. This will not only save money by making the process more efficient, but will also allowthe laundry service to generate an income for the Trust.

Out of the 13 suppliers (6 Commercial and 7 NHS laundry providers), who submitted tenders for this nationalframework agreement, the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust was placed 3rd overall. It was the highestranked of the NHS laundry providers on the basis of ‘its competence, professionalism and ability to provide theavailable services in an efficient and cost effective manner’. John Herbert, Linen Services Manager, said: “This isa great result for our team, and the rest of the hospital – the staff work really hard to ensure they provide a topquality service within the hospital and it is great to see that this is recognised. Entering the national frameworkagreement will allow us to extend this work outside of our organisation, earning money for the Trust which can beused towards improving patient experience.”

The Royal Devon & Exeter NHS FoundationTrust highest ranked NHS laundry provider

Family and friends of a former Exeter MobilityCentre patient donated £1,200 to the specialistservice.

Mr Gordon Thorne passed away in November 2010and donations made in his memory were presentedto EMC staff Emma Kidner and Marnie Punchardwho looked after his mobility needs.

Pictured (left to right): Naomi Thorne-Lang(Granddaughter), Marnie Punchard, Shirley Thorne(wife), Kathryn Lang (daughter), Emma Kidner,Alice Lang (granddaughter) and Rosemary Gay.