News@NLaG

Inside this issue

Clinical supervision launched

Flufighters out and about

Help shape our services

Staff and members newsletter October 2013

Celebrating our stars of 2013 Read about their achievements on pages 3-5

Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Winners announced inside!

2 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 3

Contents

Have you got news for us?Don’t forget we are always on the look-out for great gossip, exciting events and touching tales – if you have something to shout about please let us know!

The editorial deadline for the December edition of the magazine is 14 November.

Lisa WebsterMarketing and communications officerTel: 01724 387739Email: lisa.webster1@nhs.net

Charlie GarrityMarketing and communications officerTel: 01724 282282 extension 2743Email: charlotte.garrity@nhs.net

Katie BlackburnCommunications assistantTel: 01724 282282 extension 2528Email: katie.blackburn1@nhs.net

www.facebook.com/NHSNLaG @GooleHospital, @GrimsbyHospital, @ScunnyHospital, @NHS_NLaG

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

3 Winners of our stars 2013 revealed

7 SuperDraw winners

6 An audience with Karen

8 Clinical supervision launched

9 Future of unplanned care

12 Our vision and values

13 Make your views count

14 Flu fighters out and about

16 Members’ corner

21 Your health

22 Meet the team

24 Celebrating staff

26 Clinical support online

27 A day in the life of...

28 Infection control round-up

Welcome to the new joint staff and members’ newsletter which we have decided to amalgamate to ensure we bring everyone the latest news from across the Trust. So forget the approach of dark nights, rubbish weather and the countdown to Christmas and get stuck into the latest edition of NLaG News.

The main topic of conversation buzzing around the Trust recently has been the crowning of ‘Our Stars’. Out of around 80 nominations, the eight individuals and teams were announced and took home their coveted trophies.

A glittering sell-out night of celebration saw staff and their guests turn out in their glad rags at Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort. As well as the trophies, lucky raffle prize winners walked away with a spa day, golf day, an ipad, ipods and tickets to local sporting events. Check out the fantastic photos from the night, as well as comments from the winners.

This issue also looks at why the Trust has made clinical supervision mandatory for all registered nurses across the Trust.

We take a look at why it is important for staff and what staff themselves think to the move.

Appraisals are also under the spotlight. Did you know if you don’t receive your annual personal appraisal development review you won’t automatically receive your annual increment?

Flu is also high on the agenda this month with Flu Fighters out and about across the Trust targeting frontline staff. The flu vaccination helps to protect not only staff but also their patients and their families.

Read about the changes to unplanned care which have been launched across North Lincolnshire. The changes don’t really affect patients but they have seen a change in the way our staff in accident and emergency (emergency centre) now work.

This month’s ‘meet the team’ feature focuses on our executive directors and ‘a day in the life of’ of comes from a work experience student.

Finally, a warm welcome to our Foundation Trust members who will be receiving this bi-monthly newsletter for the first time. We hope you enjoy it.

Together we celebrateOn Friday 4 October 180 members of staff gathered at the Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort in Broughton to hear which of their colleagues would be lucky enough to walk away with one of the Our Stars trophies.

We were thrilled, after months of anticipation, to finally reveal the eight winners who had fought off competition from more than 80 nominees to pick up an award at the glitzy ceremony which was a sell-out.

In addition to being presented with a trophy and certificate each winner will receive £250 for their department to be spent benefiting patients and staff. All the shortlisted nominees will also receive £200 for their department.

Karen Jackson, chief executive, said: “I know that many of you don’t

realise that what you do is special. You see going the extra mile to make a difference to patients as part of your daily job.

“Our Stars is about recognising your achievements and celebrating them together. We depend on the skills and professionalism of our staff and it’s clear from our winners and everyone who was shortlisted that there is a great deal of this within our organisation.

“I’m proud of your achievements, and you should be too. I hope you’ll join me in marking Our Stars a date

for the calendar each and every year.”

The raffle on the night raised £700 which will go to the Trust’s charitable funds.

A special thank you goes to our resuscitation officer, Guy Hageman, who took some stunning photos of the evening and to Neil Rudd, former BBC Radio Humberside presenter, who was the compere on the night.

We’re proud to present to you with the winners of this year’s Our Stars 2013, along with a short snippet from their nomination forms:

Patient centred care awardAnd the winner is: Dr Joseph Alex, consultant radiologist (Grimsby)Shortlisted: Family nurse partnership, Goole minor injuries unit.

Dr Alex is a person who is continually available and friendly no matter how busy he is. He is a very unique consultant and cares about each and every patient that is in his care. Nothing is ever too much trouble for him as he will give priority to a patient, even if this means working late into the evening.

Dr Alex said: “To the people who nominated me I am truly touched and humbled by the kindness of your gesture, thank you. This is a team award in every sense as I stand here on the back of a lot of peoples time, effort and dedication - a remarkable team who have come together and contributed in their own ways to the common good of improving patient care. “

Good corporate citizen award: And the winner is: Transport team (Trustwide)

The transport team have been working on a transport strategy since 2006 and are actively promoting the travel plan, continuously encouraging a change in travel behaviour towards more sustainable and active modes of transport.

The team have developed a set of initiatives for encouraging travel by alternatives to driving including video teleconferencing , pool cars, park and ride, cycle to work, cross site shutttle bus and the lease car scheme.

Jug Johal, hotel services manager, said: “The Transport Team are absolutely delighted to be recognised at this prestigious awards evening. We just develop and implement the policies the real champions are those staff that use our services.”

4 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 5

Best business initiative award: And the winner is: David Owen, assistant chief pharmacist (trustwide)Shortlisted: Jacqui Twomey, equipment store manager

David sucessfully managed the project to outsource the dispensing of outpatient prescriptions which resulted in a seven year contract with Lloyds Pharmacy which will deliver year on year savings for the Trust.

David said: “This really is an honour I didn’t expect. I would like to thank all the various Trust teams that enabled this project to be a success, without all of them and the hard work also put in by the Lloyds Pharmacy team I wouldn’t be stood here this evening.”

Clinical quality and innovation awardAnd the winner is: Enhanced recovery orthopaedic team (Scunthorpe)Shortlisted: Ward 2 short stay/hospital at home team/dvt clinic (Scunthorpe) and oncology nursing team (Trustwide)

This team are improving the orthopaedic patient experience with innovative and modern methods to ensure a painless and quick recovery from surgery. They have reduced the length of stay for elective hip and knee arthroplasty and reduced patient pain scores significantly, improving both the quality of the service and also using current up-to-date methods.

Mr Molitor, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, said: “Winning the award is a recognition of the importance of team work. All the members of the enhanced recovery team have a role in achieving improved outcomes and patient experience. My only role is to provide the carpentry! I am sure the awards have been a boost to morale in these difficult times.”

Keeping our patients safe award: And the winner is: Critical care outreach teamsShortlisted: clinical pharmacy teams (Trustwide), medicine management nurses (Trustwide)

Hardworking, helpful and proactive, they are a valuable resource in helping staff to care for patients and family in crisis. They are dedicated, knowledgeable, approachable and supportive of other healthcare professionals in caring for acutely ill patients.

Sue Snelson, critical care outreach sister, said: “We are a small team but would like to think that we are seen as members of every ward and department team where we work with staff to recognise early deterioration in a patient’s condition and respond appropriately to improve patient outcomes.”

Clinical service redesign award: And the winner is: Path Links andrology team Shortlisted: Michelle Bellinni, staff nurse and acute medical unit (Grimsby)

This dedicated team of four has completely turned around this service in less than 12 months. Their achievements include a dramatic fall in patient waiting times, improved on-site facilities, reduced reporting times and they’ve attracted patients from outside the county.

Bev Lister, advanced practitioner, said: “What a complete surprise to win having heard all of the amazing achievements listed for the other nominees.”

Valued partnerships award: And the winner is: Childrens centre speech and language therapy team (North East Lincolnshire)Shortlisted: Barton and Winterton locality integrated team and rapid response team NEL

Commissioned by the children’s centres this teams works in partnership with colleagues across health, social care, early years and voluntary sectors, delivering home-based therapy at a universal and preventative level. They are proactive in engaging with other agencies and commissioners to further improve outcomes for children and their families.

Jenny Clarkson, highly specialist speech and language therapist, said: “It was completely unexpected and we are so pleased that our little team has been recognised for the partnership working we do every day as part of our jobs.”

Staff engagement awardAnd the winner is: Lisa Atkin - business support manager Shortlisted: Angela Boyd, theatre nurse (Grimsby) and Claire Jenkinson, assistant general manager (Trustwide)

Lisa started from the bottom and has worked her way up. She is approachable, motivational and inspirational. She sees every perspective, can relate to all levels of staff and is adaptable to all situations. She is well respected and works very hard and will always praise her staff and pass compliments when a good job has been done. Both as a person and as a manager Lisa brings skills to medicine that has completely changed the dynamics of the medicine group.

Lisa said: “I am very humbled by this award and very grateful to be acknowledged for the work that I do. I would just like to thank the person/people that voted for me, the panel for selecting me and also my close team for all their daily support and I would like to dedicate this award to all of them”.

We look forward to seeing you next year for Our Stars 2014!

6 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 7

Electronic patient records are coming to a hospital near you soon….

All members of staff are welcome to drop in to an information session to find out more about what it might mean for you.

Sessions are being held on the following dates:

Grimsby hospital lecture theatre

• Tuesday October 22, 1pm to 2pm

Scunthorpe hospital lecture theatre

• Wednesday October 30, 3pm to 4pm

• Monday November 4, 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

Open dayAre you, or a loved one, living with or beyond cancer? Would you benefit from chatting with a professional or with others who are similarly affected?

The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole patient involvement group is organising a free cancer survivorship open day on Saturday, October 26, between 9am and 3pm, in the Angel Suite, Market Place, Brigg.

There will be a variety of stalls for people to browse round, as well as light refreshments available.

The SuperDraw staff benefits fund has now launched, so get your thinking caps on and think of ways to splash the cash.

Dr Dosh and Nurse Lucky are now accepting applications from staff applying for funding for projects, items or anything else that provides that ‘little bit extra’ for staff.

All ideas will be considered by the lottery committee as long as it is for the benefit of Trust staff and is not something covered by NHS funding. It could be used for such things as:

• Improving staff facilities such as outdoor seating for relaxing while on breaks

• Subsidising staff summer fetes

• Leisure/recreational courses (not covered by the Trust’s training and development directory)

• Sports equipment.

Only those staff who have joined the SuperDraw staff lottery are permitted to apply for funding from the staff benefits fund. However, applications

can relate to an item/project for the benefit of all staff not just those entered in the lottery.

The fund has to be used for the ‘extra things’ that benefit staff, the things that make being a part of the Trust more enjoyable or fun. Applications for such things as office furniture or equipment or office redecoration will not be considered.

The amount of money in the fund is displayed on the staff portal. It is split into two parts:

• Part 1 (30 per cent of funds) – for small applications up to and including £100

• Part 2 (70 per cent of funds) – for large applications more than £100.

The applications will be reviewed by the lottery committee, which is made up of the chief executive, a representative from workforce and organisational development, a finance representative, a communications representative and three staff governors.

SuperDraw benefits launchedPeople will be kept updated about applications via the staff portal and will receive a decision via email. The decision of the lottery committee will be final. There will be no formal appeals process. However, should the applicant wish to submit a revised application form, bearing in mind the reason for rejection of their first application by the lottery committee, this will be permitted.

People will be able to have a look at applications submitted on the staff portal, as well as the status of each applications eg pending decision from lottery committee, approved, rejected. Pictures of items funded through the fund will also be posted on the staff portal.

Applications must be made using the electronic form on the staff lottery section of the staff portal. Staff applying must state whether there will be a continuing revenue cost, as the fund will only pay for the initial cost of the item applied for and not ongoing costs.

So, what are you waiting for? Log onto the staff portal at www.nlg-staffportal.co.uk and submit your idea.

This month’s lottery winnersCongratulations to the latest staff SuperDraw lottery winners. The top prize went to health records manager Lynn Frith who pocketed a bumper £1,500.

The second prize of £500 went to Amanda Wilkinson. The six £100 prizes went to the following people: Adam Cook, Vicky Badics, Diane Hampel, Anji Lavelle, Linda Lyle and Rosemarie Baxter.

if you haven’t already signed up go to: www.nlg-staffportal.co.uk

More chances to meet the chief

Staff have further chances to ‘Meet the Chief’ and raise any concerns they may have about quality or patient safety in person.

The latest set of dates in the programme are available and people are asked to pop them in their diary if they would like to speak to Karen Jackson.

The one-to-one private and confidential sessions enable staff to ask specific questions, talk about issues important to them and raise concerns directly with Karen.

The Trust wants to encourage people to bring any quality concerns to the attention of their managers or the

senior management team. We need to learn from the Francis report and want staff to feel they can raise concerns without fear of recrimination.

There is a ‘speaking out policy’ in place, available on the intranet, which details the procedure for

raising any concerns at work. The ‘meet the chief’ sessions provide a further opportunity for staff to highlight any issues at a high level within the organisation. By bringing these directly to the attention of the chief executive we hope staff can be reassured that action will be taken to address their concerns.

The sessions are being held on:

Monday November 11, between 2.30pm and 3.30pm, in the HYMS building at Grimsby hospital

Friday November 15, between 9am and 10am, in the visiting managers office, Goole hospital.

Wednesday November 20, between 11.30am and 12.30pm, in the Modular meeting room, Scunthorpe hospital.

‘An audience with Karen’ is a lively quarterly event when staff from all areas of the organisation come together to meet Trust chief executive Karen Jackson to hear personal and honest updates as to what is happening.

It isn’t simply a one-way communication event and a significant proportion of the two hours is allowed for staff questions and open debate among those present. In addition to this, if staff have questions which they would rather not ask at the event they can submit them anonymously to Simon Dunn in the organisational development and workforce team so answers can be sought and provided at the next event.

The staff, who come from all occupations, departments and sites, are provided with a narrative of the discussions and are asked to feed this back to their colleagues.

If you want to attend the event then please discuss this with your manager and email simon.dunn@nhs.net so your details can be added to our distribution lists.

The next event is being held on:

Friday January 17, 2014, between noon and 2pm, in the lecture theatre

at Scunthorpe hospital.

An audience with Karen

8 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 9

Clinical supervision has been made mandatory for all registered nurses working across the Trust. The change came into force on October 1 as a way to support registered nurses in developing their professional skills and judgement.

The Trust recognises that the key to providing quality services is through our staff. Clinical supervision of registered nurses working in our hospitals aims to support nursing practice, enabling nurses to maintain and promote high standards of care.

Clinical supervision is also recommended in the chief nurse strategy as a way of improving the quality of nursing care and contributing to patient safety, and it shares many of the principles of our new vision and values.

Chief nurse Dr Karen Dunderdale said: “I am keen to ensure all nurses across the Trust are able to receive the necessary support to ensure their knowledge and competencies are up-to-date. That is why clinical supervision has been made mandatory.”

All areas of the acute Trust where nursing care is provided will have to

identify clinical supervisors working in clinical areas. We are looking for more than 100 nurses to nominate themselves as clinical supervisors to help lead this development and support their peers and colleagues.

All clinical supervisors will receive training to help them prepare for the role. They will be expected to make themselves available to undertake clinical supervision sessions in a safe and confidential environment. The supervisees will be responsible for accessing clinical supervision, at least annually, and maintaining personal records. Clinical supervision can be undertaken in either a group setting or on a one-to-one level if required.

Registered nurses who fail to access clinical supervision will be required to discuss their reasons for this with their line managers at their personal appraisal and development review.

Karen added: “We need enthusiastic, forward-thinking dynamic people to come forward and help us ensure we have a competent and skilled nursing workforce for the future.”

What is clinical supervision?It is a formal process of professional support and learning which enables individual practitioners to develop knowledge and competence, assume responsibility for their own practice and enhance consumer protection and safety of care in complex situations.

It shouldn’t be confused with appraisal or mentoring. It is an activity that brings skilled supervisors and practitioners together in order to reflect upon their practice. Mentoring is about one person helping another to achieve something. Whereas appraisals are the process by which managers examine and evaluate an employee’s work behaviour by comparing it with pre-set standards.

Clinical supervision to drive up quality care

Please contact your manager if you wish to be considered and require further information.

For more information go to the chief nurse directorate management intranet site under clinical supervision.

Interviews with staffDiane Fixter is the ward manager on Grimsby hospital’s coronary care unit where they have been providing each other with clinical supervision for the last 15 years. Diane said:

“It is a bit like a buddy system. We have a clinical supervisor who we can talk to about our job, our skills, where we are going career wise and if we have an issue with a particular skills we can turn to them for help and guidance.

“It is having someone there that you can go to, who will challenge your skills and practice, will help direct you, put you right if need be and guide you on all things to do with your clinical skills.

“It is almost like having a personal professional tool which challenges, supports and guides you. I think it is good thing that the Trust is making it mandatory for all registered nurses.”

Julie McDonald, deputy ward manager of Grimsby’s coronary care

unit, said: “Clinical supervision provides

staff with someone to go to if they are struggling with their experience, or clinical skills. Their supervisor will listen to their concerns and work with them. Supervisors provide extra support.

“I think making clinical supervision mandatory is certainly needed and is something that staff can benefit from. I do hope that people have the time to do this as there are a lot of advantages to having it in place. I have seen it work really well and when given the time it is very effective.”

The future of unplanned careA new streamlined way of providing emergency care has been introduced across North Lincolnshire.

Patients are continuing to receive high quality emergency care as the changes apply to the way services are administered and managed. Scunthorpe hospital has become the central point of contact for all unplanned care (emergency) across North Lincolnshire.

The changes, which came into force on October 1, have been introduced in line with new requirements set out by North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The following services are now available at the hospital - emergency centre, clinical decision unit and short stay. Here’s a quick overview of what they do:

Emergency Centre

The accident and emergency department at Scunthorpe hospital has been renamed as an emergency centre and continues to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The centre will include the following services:

• Single point of access (SPA)

• Accident and emergency services

The SPA service is run by nursing staff who act as the first point of contact for patients walking in to the emergency centre and they also take telephone calls from NHS 111, the ambulance service and health and social care professionals.

They undertake assessment and clinical triage face-to-face or by telephone to decide where best to treat the patient, this could be by their own family GP, a GP in the centre or by emergency centre staff.

The centre will also provide primary care services. During the day emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs) will treat patients turning up with minor illnesses and injuries. Out of hours primary care services continues to be provided by SAGPEC.

The emergency centre continues to provide traditional accident and emergency ‘majors’ services. 

Clinical decision unit

The clinical decision unit (CDU) is based at Scunthorpe hospital in what was the medical assessment unit. It provides clinical assessment and diagnostics for patients aged 16 and over and takes referrals from the emergency centre, locality teams and the SPA.

It works alongside the short stay ward which provides inpatient care for up to 72 hours. In addition to this ambulatory emergency care services will be implemented and will be co-located with the short stay ward.

Ambulatory care is a patient focused service where some conditions may be treated without the need for an overnight stay in hospital. They will receive the same medical treatment they would have received as an inpatient.

Fergus Macmillan, lead GP for urgent care at North Lincolnshire CCG said:

“If people feel ill, we advise that they contact their own GP in the first instance, or ring NHS 111. This service will assess and advise them or transfer them to the emergency centre. The emergency centre will then arrange the help they need, either by asking them to attend the centre, or by sending an appropriate service to them.’’

Clinical director for accident and emergency at Scunthorpe hospital Mr Ajay Chawla said: “We are delighted to be able to provide a more streamlined model of emergency services across North Lincolnshire. Patients won’t see any changes to the way they access medical help, it just means they will be treated by the most appropriate person.

“The single point of access service will ensure people are treated in the right place and our emergency nurse practitioners will be able to see and treat those patients who turn up with minor illnesses and injuries, ensuring emergency staff can deal with those people with life threatening ailments and injuries.”

Clinical director for general medicine at Scunthorpe hospital Dr Stephen Beer said: “Ambulatory care will make a real difference to our patients as they will be able to receive timely care from medical, nursing and therapy staff without the need of being admitted as an inpatient.”

10 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 11

Jackie Smith, Gordon Mumby and Michelle Jacklin

A big hearted couple raise funds for MacmillanA big hearted couple have raised a massive £2,104 at their annual summer fair in aid of Scunthorpe hospital’s Macmillan nurses palliative care fund.Gordon and Pauline Mumby, of New Holland, open up their garden every summer and invite friends and family to their annual fundraiser.

This year Macmillan clinical nurse specialist in palliative care Jackie Smith attended the event together with her colleague Michelle Jacklin.

Jackie said: “The fair is always such a great event and there is a tremendous atmosphere. I really want to say a massive thank you to the Mumbys for their continued support.”

Following an investigation by the Trust’s local counter fraud specialist (LCFS) a doctor from Scunthorpe hospital has received a criminal conviction for fraud in relation to making a false representation to the Trust.

The doctor, who appeared before Scunthorpe magistrates, was found guilty of dishonestly claiming to be sick and unable to attend his duties when in fact he was working elsewhere. The court also ordered him to pay a fine, compensation and court costs to the total value of £1,508.35.

During his relatively short employment with the Trust the doctor took three episodes of sickness absence in order to allow him to undertake his other employment, which involved commentating at horse events in both America and the Netherlands. This secondary employment was also not officially declared to the Trust.

In addition to being prosecuted for fraud the Trust also conducted a disciplinary investigation and subsequently dismissed him for gross misconduct.

The Trust also referred the matter to the General Medical Council (GMC). As a consequence of his actions the GMC’s Interim Orders Panel took the decision to suspend the doctor’s registration, which means he cannot currently practice as a doctor in the UK, pending a full investigation by the GMC.

The outcome of this case should serve as a deterrent to others who feel that they can defraud the NHS of its valuable and limited funds in this way.

Any suspicions of fraud and corruption can be reported to the Trust’s LCFS or via the national NHS Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line, which is free, on 0800 028 40 60.

Gotcha!

SGH League of FriendsScunthorpe hospital’s League of Friends’ secretary Hazel Ford rubbed shoulders with opera star Lesley Garrett when she made an appearance at a country show.

The soprano singer, who was awarded a CBE for service to music in 2002, popped along to Epworth agricultural show. She is pictured (left) with Hazel Ford on the League of Friends stall.

Trust welcomes Louth midwivesWe said a big welcome to the Louth community midwifes who transferred to NLaG last month from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Quiz nightA quiz night is being organised by staff from ward 11 at Scunthorpe hospital in aid of the Disney ward and St Lukes School.

Sue Campbell and Leah Sylvester have arranged the event which is being held on Thursday November 14 at 7pm at Robert Holme Hall.

The event is being held in memory of Hannah Mitchell who sadly died in June of this year. Her mum Louise Mitchell is a staff nurse on the orthopaedic ward.

Tickets are priced at £30 per team of four, which includes a pie and peas supper. Tickets are available from Ward 11.

The move was prompted by an increasing number of expectant mums choosing to have their babies at the maternity unit at Grimsby hospital.

Sue Briggs, Trust operational matron for midwifery, said over the past years the number of out of area deliveries has risen, with last year approximately 700 women from the Louth area, which includes Skegness, Mablethorpe, Binbrook, Caistor, Holton-le-Clay and Alford, choosing to have their babies at Grimsby hospital.

She said the transfer meant the midwives are now working to one set of protocols and guidelines which will ensure a seamless package of care for women. Women will also have continuity of care with midwives from the same organisation providing their antenatal, hospital and postnatal care.

A total of five midwives transferred to the Trust and plans are in place to recruit additional midwives.

In addition to this, an obstetric

ultrasound service is to be established at Louth Hospital.

The service is to be delivered two days a week providing a timely, direct access service in conjunction with the midwifery service.

The ultrasound team from Grimsby hospital will be providing dating and nuchal scanning, anatomy scanning and growth scanning.

A teenager who whipped up an afternoon treat is set to help young people diagnosed with diabetes in North Lincolnshire.Hannah Peill, who is a patient of the community diabetes team at Scunthorpe hospital, has raised £153 which will be used to benefit local children with diabetes who attend the team’s educational fun days.

Paediatric diabetes specialist nurse Anne Foster said: “Hannah is one of our patients and wanted to do something during her summer holidays to help other young people who have been diagnosed with diabetes. I would like to say a big thank you to Hannah for the money she has donated.”

Hannah, along with her brother and grandma, baked a batch of delicious cakes and scones and held a coffee afternoon to which they invited family and friends.

Hannah Piell (seated, left) hands the cheque to paediatric diabetes specialist nurse Anne Foster. Also pictured are Hannah’s cousin Harry Cook and paediatric diabetes specialist nurse Nette Burson-Thomas

Hannah bakes up a storm

12 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 13

Staff Survey: make your views countThe 2013 staff survey is now live and a random sample of staff (1,250) should have already received their surveys. So the Trust can identify any areas for improvement as an employer it is vital that you complete the survey if you have been selected to do so.

This year, as an incentive to fill in the survey, everyone who completes it will be in with the chance of winning some M&S vouchers. There are three prizes available: a top prize of £50 worth of vouchers and two prizes of £25 worth of vouchers.

The contents of the survey are confidential and the prize draw is undertaken on the Trust’s behalf by Capita Surveys, impartially and independently of the Trust.

We’ve already taken a number of actions as a result of staff feedback in last year’s survey. We’ve launched meet the chief sessions, an audience with Karen, Your Voice (Q&A staff forum) and new appraisal documentation linked to the vision and values.

We’ve also developed a coaching network to support all staff, introduced quarterly morale barometer surveys and the weekly bulletin to improve staff engagement and communication.

Our vision and valuesIf you’re a member of staff you’ll be wearing a new ID badge holder and lanyard and you will have seen the new ‘together’ logo cropping up on letterheads, minutes and agendas. But there’s more to our new vision and values than just changing the way things look.

How will we embed the vision and values?In addition to the new branding and the value led recruitment and appraisals we’ve also set up a vision and values group which reports directly to the quality and patient experience group (which is a sub-group of the Trust board).

This group will be responsible for embedding the vision and values within the Trust, ensuring they are used to support quality and safety improvements and patient experiences.

Most importantly the group will provide assurance that we are placing our vision and values at the fore of how we deliver our services for the benefit of both our patients and staff. 

 Karen Jackson, chief executive, said: “Our priorities always have been and always will be our patients and how we can work together as a team to provide them with the best care. Without each and every person on our team we could not provide the excellent services that we do.”

Our vision and values is not just a flash in the pan, or a knee jerk reaction to the Keogh report or Monitor putting the Trust in special measures; it’s something our assistant director of human resources, Simon Dunn, has been working on for some time.

He said: “Culture change is not something that you can implement overnight, it takes a long time. The vision and values represent our beliefs, our principles; it’s who we are as people, both at work and at home. For our patients it sets out what they can expect from us at every step of their journey with us and for our staff it says that by

working together as a single team we can improve the quality of care our patients receive, regardless of their job role.”

Simon consulted with hundreds of staff members through surveys and workshops asking staff what they valued, what they’d like to see in the future and ultimately how they wanted patients to feel when they come into contact with our services.

The result of this work was our new vision and values which we launched in September: together we care, we respect, we deliver.

We care about quality and patient safety We care about positive experiences for patients, carers and staff … and we care about doing the right thing, each time, every time We respect the dignity and individuality of each person in our care We respect the professionalism, diversity and skills of each person in our team … and we respect the dedication and commitment of those delivering healthcare We strive to deliver first-class services through listening, learning, and empowering We aim to deliver forward thinking healthcare services that set us apart from the rest … and we will deliver safe, compassionate services to exceed our patients’ expectations

Behind each of the three values are a set of behaviours which staff will be expected to demonstrate and these are standards that staff will be measured against in their appraisals, which are now value-led.

Jim Whittingham, Trust chairman, said: “I am proud of the passion our staff bring to the care they provide and of their determination to deliver and develop first class services. This new shared vision and values will now form a foundation for everything we do.”

How staff can get involvedWe’re extending the challenge to all staff in all areas to get more involved. Each ward and department has been asked to have a dedicated conversation to:

• Reflect on what the values and their behavioural standards mean to them

• Discuss how as a team they will take the values forward

• Decide on, display and deliver three value led quality improvements each quarter

• Nominate a values champion for their ward/department.

14 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 15

Flu fighter is back. A team of yellow clad Flu Fighters are now out and about on wards and departments taking flu jabs to staff.

They are visiting wards and patient areas at Scunthorpe and Grimsby hospitals from now until November 1. They will also be at Goole hospital every Wednesday during October.

The team will also be undertaking some weekend sessions between 1pm and 4pm when they be touring the wards and departments offering staff their jabs. They will be at:

• Grimsby hospital on Sunday October 13

• Scunthorpe hospital on Sunday October 20.

If frontline staff miss the Flu Fighters then don’t worry as you can ring the occupational health and wellbeing service during November to ask for a jab.

Non-clinical staff will be offered their flu vaccination from mid November.

Members of the Trust Board recently had their flu jabs. Pictured are chief nurse Dr Karen Dunderdale, Trust chairman Dr Jim Whittingham and acting medical director Professor Carrock Sewell.

Myth - Healthy people don’t get seasonal flu. FALSE

• The reason that free flu vaccines are offered to all frontline staff is because anyone can pick up the virus

• Generally, 15 to 20 per cent of the population gets flu - healthy people included

• If you can catch it, you can pass it on to those who are at more risk of serious illness. This could include your patients, friends, family, or work colleagues. Vulnerable patients with long-term medical conditions and elderly patients are not strong enough to fight off the infection.

Myth - The side effects are really bad. FALSE

• Some people have said they are worried about having the flu vaccine this year because of the side effects they experienced from the single swine flu vaccine they were given in 2009/10.

• For the most part, seasonal flu vaccine side effects are really mild or often non-existent and may include a slight soreness around the site of the injection and occasionally some aching of muscles or a slightly raised temperature.

• These symptoms should go away after a couple of days and are a lot less serious than actually having flu.

Myth - I have had the flu jab before so I don’t need it again. FALSE

• The flu is a living organism and the flu strains mutate slightly every year so they can survive. The only way to protect against these mutated strands is to update the seasonal flu vaccine every year.

• You should still have the seasonal flu vaccine even if you have previously been given the swine flu or seasonal flu vaccine, and it is strongly recommended for all pregnant women.

Myth - The flu vaccine isn’t safe. FALSE

• The risk of having a serious reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine is less than one in a million. It is much less than the risk of getting seriously ill from having the flu itself.

• However, you should not have the vaccine if you have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to eggs. This is because hen’s eggs are used in the manufacture of the vaccine.

Myth - The flu vaccine can give you the flu. FALSE

• It is impossible to get flu from having the flu vaccine. This is because the vaccine does not contain any live viruses.

• The vaccine takes two to three weeks to provide protection against the flu virus therefore it is possible to catch flu before the vaccine starts to work.

• The vaccine does not give protection against other flu-like illnesses or the common cold.

Myth - I can’t have the flu vaccine because I’m pregnant. FALSE

• Pregnant women are actively being offered the seasonal flu jab as an “at risk” group this year.

• This is because we know that pregnant women who catch swine flu have a much higher risk of serious illness or death from the virus than other people.

• When pregnant women are vaccinated, their unborn baby also gets some protection against the flu virus.

Trust chairman Dr Jim Whittingham (pictured top right) said: “It is really important people have their flu vaccination in terms of continuity of services. We need people to be fit and well and not incapacitated by the flu this winter. It is also good for people’s health and wellbeing.”

Trust chief nurse Dr Karen Dunderdale (pictured top centre) said: “It’s now easier and more convenient than ever before for our staff to have their vaccinations. By having your jab you are helping to protect not only yourself, but your families, work colleagues and patients.”

Trust acting medical director, professor Carrock Sewell (pictured top left) said: “The flu vaccination is a top line defence against what is potentially a fatal infection. It is essential that NHS staff are vaccinated.”

Consultant ophthalmologist Mr Sakkaf Afab said: “I have never had my jab before as I thought it would hurt but it didn’t at all. I was also worried I would get the flu after the jab but apparently that is just a myth. I also got a pen, sticker and a sweet.”

Dr Stephen Beer, consultant physician, said: “Working on the frontline in the clinical decision unit, the most important thing to me is that I don’t pass the flu virus on to our vulnerable patients.”

Flu kills! Don’t delay have your flu vaccination today

“It is really important people have their flu vaccination in terms of continuity of services. We need people to be fit and well and not incapacitated by the flu this winter. It is also good for people’s health and wellbeing.”

“It’s now easier and more convenient than ever before for our staff to have their vaccinations. By having your jab you are helping to protect not only yourself, but your families, work colleagues and patients.”

“The flu vaccination is a top line defence against what is potentially a fatal infection. It is essential that NHS staff are vaccinated.”

Get jabbed

Staff at SGH and Goole contact ext 2210 Staff at Grimsby contact ext 7986

Members contact your GP to see if you are eligible

16 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 17

Message from lead governorPaul Grinnell, governor for the North Lincolnshire constituency, holds the position of lead governor on the Council of Governors at the Trust. Here he looks at the priorities for the Trust over the coming months.

There are challenging times ahead in the next few years both for our Trust and for the NHS in general, with a need to maintain and improve the quality of care delivered to patients while making efficiency savings to keep finances in order.

In the immediate future, the highest priority for our Trust will be to address the issues highlighted in the report by the Keogh review team. The Trust Board has a detailed action plan already in place to do so.

The Council of Governors will be supporting the Board and participating fully in helping to meet both the immediate and longer term challenges. Indeed, this is now one of the governors’ statutory roles, because in addition to their existing duty to represent the interests of members of the Trust and the public, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 gives governors increased responsibilities and powers to:

• Hold the non-executive directors, individually and collectively, to account for the performance of the board of directors

• Approve ‘significant transactions’ - these might include entering into a merger or acquisition, or other agreements which would have a major bearing on the operation of the Trust.

As lead governor, I am confident that your Council of Governors is well placed to take on these increased responsibilities but to carry out our role effectively. We do need to hear our members’ views. I therefore urge you to attend the events which we arrange from time to time, and/or to contact one of the elected governors for your area if you have an issue or concern that you wish to discuss.

You can contact a governor via the membership office on 01724 387946.

Have you considered becoming a public governor on the Council of Governors?If you have an interest in, and commitment to your local hospital’s health provision, wish to increase the public’s understanding and awareness of your Foundation Trust, want a challenging role that can make a difference - then maybe being a public governor is for you.

Have your contact details changed?Don’t forget to let us know if your contact details change. The membership office is moving to paperless communications in the future so will be emailing people with details of future events and of course the newsletter.

We already have a large number of email addresses but we’d like to ensure these are accurate, so please send us a quick e-mail to nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net and we can keep your details up-to-date.

We recognise that not everyone prefers electronic communications and we are happy to provide paper copies on request. Alternatively, for those of you who do not have access to a computer, did you know that you can use one at your local library and the staff will also help you to set up an email account?  Or, you may also be able to use a friend or relatives computer.  

It is only by listening to you that we can ensure that we meet the needs of our members, so please make sure we have your email address and thank you for your continued support as a member of the Trust.

Welcome John Frost, new public governorNew public governor John Frost has been elected to the Council of Governors at the Trust for the Goole and Howdenshire constituency.

He is a lifelong Goole resident and has worked in local government finance and for community voluntary groups for more than 45 years.

Mr Frost said he had taken great interest in the NHS and its provision locally and had attended various health forums, including the Trust’s governor member meetings.

The Council of Governors is responsible for holding the Trust Board to account and for representing the views of members. It is chaired by Trust chairman, Dr Jim Whittingham, and meets four times a year with the meetings open to the public. Visit the Trust website www.nlg.nhs.uk for dates and agendas of meetings.

Great discountsDid you know that as a member of the Trust you could save money thanks to massive great deals on the Health Service Discounts website?

It is a great place to browse to find exclusive discounts, brilliant deals and money-saving offers. It is totally free and simple to join.

All you need to do is register for free at www.healthservicediscounts.com and then sit back and enjoy accessing a comprehensive range of discounts, benefits and money off vouchers.

You can make great savings on weekly shopping, major purchases and holidays. You can also compare deals on such things as gas, electricity, broadband, bank accounts and much more.

Members’ corner

The Trust does not choose its governors - they are elected by the membership, and you do not need to be a health specialist.

Ideally, governors should be active, engaged and challenging members of the Council of Governors., be prepared to truly engage with members and ensure their views are heard and considered in the development and delivery of services.

You will represent the voice of the people in your constituencies, protect and promote their interests, and will make and scrutinise Trust decisions to ensure they are in the best interests of patients.

The roles and responsibilities of a governorGovernors have certain statutory duties they are expected to perform as part of the role as required by the National Health Services Act 2006 and Health and Social Care Act 2012.

You would be expected to be committed to the goals, aspirations and philosophy of the Trust. In order to carry out your role effectively you will be expected to make a time commitment to the Trust, which could possibly be two to three sessions per a month. This includes attending four Council of Governors meetings annually as well as working groups, training events, ward reviews and members’ and community events.

Public governors are both ambassadors for the Trust and guardians to ensure that the Trust is run in a way that reflects its purposes and complies with its obligations placed on it is as a Foundation Trust.

They are required to sign up to the Code of Conduct, and full training is given to make sure that they can carry out this responsibility.

Give us your feedbackPlease help us to represent you better by answering the following questions.

• Where would you like to meet with governors for informal discussion and which venues would be best?

• Do you know how to contact governors with any issues you have and how would be the best way for you?

• Are there any special areas of interest that you have and would you like to come to see guest speakers talk on these topics?

• Would you like governors to come to speak to you as to what their role is, perhaps at a social club, group meeting, patients participation group, shopping centres etc?

Please send any comments to the membership office at nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net or call on (01724) 387946.

18 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 19

Anne Shaw, a married mum-of-three, has joined the Trust as a non-executive director.

Anne is from the East Riding of Yorkshire but began her professional career as a staff nurse working in the accident and emergency department at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. However it was not long before she decided to move closer to home and secured a job as a staff nurse at Hull’s Castle Hill Hospital. Later on her career took a different route and she moved to teaching nurses across Hull and the East Riding. This soon opened doors for her to work as part of Open University, teaching within the health and social care department for about a decade. Over the years she has been involved with various boards in several organisations, including a spell as a secondary school governor. For six years she was a public sector director for the Doncaster learning and skills partnership. Afterwards she became a director of Aim Higher Humber, working across all four local authorities including East

Riding, Hull, North and North East Lincolnshire, supporting and encouraging young people into higher education. But her experience as a non-executive director came from working as part of Hull and East Yorkshire community mental health and learning disability trust for seven years. Anne said: “I have a lot of experience behind me and a broad range of high level skills that I hope to be able to use as part of my new role. I have joined the organisation with an open mind and no preconceptions, my family have been treated and in receipt of services at this Trust.”

What’s onMembers and non-members are welcome to attend as many of the following public meetings as they would like. Admission is free.We have listened to your feedback when planning the events and hope you will find them of great interest. If you have any suggestions about future events, please do not hesitate to contact:

Trust membership manager Alison Hurley on (01724) 387946 or email nlg-tr.foundationtrustoffice@nhs.net

Date of Meeting Type of Meeting/Event Venue Presentation

Wednesday October 23, 3pm to 6pm

Governor and Members’ Meeting - Goole

Conference Room,Goole Hospital

Wednesday November 27, 3pm to 5pm

Governor and Members’ Meeting - Grimsby

Lecture Theatre,

Grimsby Hospital

Wednesday December 11, 3pm to 5pm

Governor and Members’ Meeting - Scunthorpe

Dining Room,Butterwick House,Scunthorpe Hospital

New non-executive director joins the TrustYour letters:

I went to accident and emergency at Scunthorpe hospital with a fairly minor complaint which was starting to give concern and was as astonished as I was delighted at the speed and efficiency with which the problem was handled.

From reception through triage and into the system, everyone seemed to go out of their way to be pleasant and professional and I was in, tested, treated, dispensed and back on the street in no time.

I would like to make particular mention of the A&E charge nurse who was the model of calm efficiency taking me through the processes, discussing the case clearly and simply and - a perhaps minor, but to me important, point - taking the trouble to keep me posted with progress and finally delivering me from A&E into the next stage at ward 2.

You doubtless have battalions of people with clipboards shuffling round the place measuring everyone’s performance bar their own, so perhaps you could grab one of these by the collar and ask them to put a large gold tick down for me experience today, with particular thanks to the charge nurse.

Comment posted on NHS Choice.

I attended for an ultrasound scan at Scunthorpe hospital. The waiting room facilities in the Blue Sky Imaging Suite were of excellent standard. The procedure was carried out exactly on time with everything being explained in a non-patronising way. The two radiologists acted in a very professional but friendly manner.

I should add that I have had a few hospital appointments recently and have been impressed by the efficient way that bookings are made, with helpful information provided each time. When I asked to change one appointment, this was done quickly, without any fuss.

Many thanks to clinical and clerical staff.

Comments posted on NHS Choices.

I would just like to take the time to say thank you for the great support and medical help you gave to my wife in your A&E and other departments over the last couple of weeks.

I brought my wife in to A&E due to stomach issues and not eating. She was seen in about 30 minutes and all the staff from the triage nurse to the X-ray and nurses on the A&E ward were very nice and did their job while keeping my wife in mind and not adding do an already stressful situation.

The doctors were great and did all they could to offer help and advice and due to their help we feel we are now on the right road to recovery and feel your hospital has helped in this.

We have seen people in the X-ray and also at the ultra sound department and have so far found all your staff to be a credit to your hospital and the NHS.

Please pass on our regards to all your staff and thank you once again.

Name and address supplied.

I just wanted to thank you for helping with my mother’s surgery at Scunthorpe hospital. I have just spoken with her and she is so happy that now her right eye can have a cataract removed soon. She is on the waiting list.

Once that is done she can have the membrane behind her left eye sorted, she has already had the cataract done.

I just want to thank the surgery and critical care staff for all of their help. Thank you so much.

Name and address supplied.

I attended Scunthorpe hospital on level D on ward 27 with my senior from the Manor House with a resident.

I would personally like to say a massive thank you to all the staff that took excellent care of our resident and ourselves while we were there. Such lovely helpful staff they were all fantastic and made our visit feel very safe and welcome. We really appreciated everything that was done for us as our resident can be extremely challenging. Really a huge thank you and I hope the staff/nurses receive this email.

Thank you once again.

Name and address supplied.

Members’ corner

20 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 21

Everyone deserves some ‘me time’. This is dedicated, one-to-one time with your line manager to discuss your performance, objectives and pay progression.

Personal appraisal development reviews are essential in providing people with an annual update on their performance, identifying training needs and opportunities and providing formal feedback.

Changes to pay progression means that all staff must complete an annual PADR, if not then they might not get their annual increment.

The NHS Staff Council agreed the changes to the NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, which covers all staff on agenda for change contracts. This change, which actually came into effect from April 1 2013, was implemented by NLaG on September 1 2013.

Essentially what it means for staff on agenda for change contracts is that:

• With effect from April 1 2014 all automatic increments will stop

• All staff will need to have had a PADR by March 31 2014

• Any PADR completed after March 31 2014 will not be subject to backdating, and the incremental progression will be the next scheduled date an increment was due

• Any staff member subject to a formal disciplinary sanction or is in formal performance monitoring will have their increments stopped with effect from April 1 2014.

These will not restart until: the disciplinary sanction has expired and a successful PADR has been completed; form performance management has been completed and a successful PADR completed. The incremental uplift will then be enacted from the next scheduled date for the uplift.

The communications and marketing team went out onto the corridors of Scunthorpe hospital to speak to members of staff about appraisals and what they think to them.

Christine Hall, staff nurse at Scunthorpe hospital’s medical assessment unit, said: “Appraisals give you that one-to-one time with your ward manager where you’re able to bring up good and bad points, the strengths

and weaknesses of the ward and of my own skills and competencies.

“It allows you the time to try and formulate strategies to make it better not only for the staff member, but for the ward and ultimately the patients.”

Hayley Smith, team leader for medicine at Scunthorpe, has about 40 staff to appraise and she is also appraised annually. She said: “I think it’s very important people have appraisals as it makes staff feel valued. Staff get the chance to speak to their line manager about any problems or issues they have got during dedicated time with you.

“It gives you a better rapport with your staff and helps to promote a better relationship as you are showing your staff that you care and are interested in their development and progression. It makes people feel valued if you give them feedback on their perfor-mance and it also provides an opportunity to look at training needs.”

Caroline Johnson, deputy manager of Scunthorpe hospital’s outpatient department, said: “It’s an opportunity to hear from the staff how they feel their job has gone over the past year and for me to give them feedback on their performance. However, it is not an opportunity for them to have a moan. It is the employee’s opportunity to talk to their manager about their development needs to ensure they are providing the best care they can for their patients.

“For me personally, having my appraisal gives me dedicated time with my manager to talk about my skills, competencies and areas where I might need to develop further.”

So, don’t delay make a date with your manager today.

Top to bottom: Christine Hall ,

Hayley Smith and Caroline Johnson .

Focus on annual appraisals

Are you eating well? What is healthy eating?A good diet is important for good health. Eating a variety of foods can help you manage your weight, improve general wellbeing and reduce the risk of conditions including heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes and osteoporosis (thin bones). All you need to do is eat sensibly, choosing a range of foods in the correct proportions.

Food groups

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Eatwell Plate is made up of five food groups – simply choose a variety of foods from each group.

In practical terms this means:

• Plan your meals/snacks around starchy foods such as bread, chapattis, breakfast cereals, potatoes, rice, noodles, oats and pasta. Aim to include one food from this group at each meal time.

• Five portions - have at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.

• Remember: fresh, frozen, dried, canned, juices all count towards your total. Also remember to include the vegetables you add to cooked dishes, for example as onions in a stew or casserole and tomatoes in a pasta sauce or tomato soup.

• Variety – eat a variety of different types and colours of fruit and

Your healthIncrease your walking at workHow often do you move around at work? Do you find you get stuck behind your desk, work station or microscope for the majority of the day?

Evidence shows regular short bursts of activity are better for our health than irregular bursts of intense activity.

Following the Global Corporate Challenge, where 84 members of staff in 12 teams clocked up 118,094,815 steps, you will have hopefully recognised the importance of getting up regularly at work and moving around to ensure you take the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

Did you know?At Grimsby hospital it takes around three minutes to walk a loop up the two flights of stairs along the C floor corridor, down the stairs and back to your starting point.

At Scunthorpe it’s again around three minutes to walk either in a square around the main hospital using the two ramps and no stairs or doing a ‘vertical loop’ up the two flights of stairs and then down and the ramp between the main buildings.

At Goole you can clock up a similar distance walking around the car park.

Fruit and vegetables

The eatwell plateUse the eatwell plate to help you get the balance right. It shows how

much of what you eat should come from each food group.

Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta

and other starchy foods

Meat, fish,eggs, beans

and other non-dairy sources of protein Foods and drinks

high in fat and/or sugar

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Milk and dairy foods

Department of Health in association with the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland

vegetables. This is because different coloured fruit and veg contain their own combination of vitamins and minerals, so try to include a variety of colours in your diet.

• Meat, fish, eggs and pulses (beans and lentils) should be eaten in moderate amounts. Choose lean cuts of meat or remove excess fat and remove the skin from chicken. Avoid frying where possible. Try to include two portions of fish each week, one of which should be an oily fish, for example: mackerel, trout, sardines, kippers or fresh tuna.

• Dairy - aim for a pint of milk a day, or the equivalent. For example the following contain the same amount of calcium as 1/3 pint of milk:

• a small pot of yoghurt

• a small matchbox size piece of cheese

• six and eight cups of tea or coffee, with milk a day

Try to choose reduced fat versions where you can – for example semi-skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt, cottage cheese and half fat Cheddar cheese or Edam.

• Sugar and fat should be limited so watch your intake of foods high in fat and sugar, choosing low fat or reduced sugar foods where possible. When using a spreading fat choose one that is low in saturated fat.

Summary

Eat a range of foods from the five food groups to make sure you have a balanced diet. Eat the right amount of food for how active you are. Most of all – enjoy your food!

Information from - www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts

22 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 23

This month our meet the team feature focuses on our executive team. These are the people responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust.

Karen Jackson

Chief executive

As chief executive Karen is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership. She took up the post in September 2010 after working as our director of finance, information and performance for two years. She has a degree in Genetics and is a qualified chartered accountant. In her spare time she is involved with a number of NHS charities.

Professor Carrock Sewell

Acting medical director

Carrock is a consultant immunologist and our clinical director for medical specialities. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Lincoln and the University of Cranfield, as well as Honorary Reader at the Hull York Medical School.

Angie Smithson

Deputy chief executive and chief operating officer

Angie is the overall manager for all our clinical services. She’s been with the Trust since 2004 and has worked in a variety of management roles roles. She’s a nurse by background having graduated from the Cambridge and Huntingdon School of Nursing in 1989. She worked in London hospitals before moving into general management and has an MBA.

Nigel Myhill

Director of facilities

Nigel oversees our transport, security, estates, catering and domestic services to name a few. He’s a chartered engineer and has worked for a number of NHS organisations including the National Blood Service. He has also spent time in the private sector with Center Parcs and Anglian Water PLC. Nigel is vice chair of the Health Estates and Facilities Management Association, which is a national organisation representing NHS estates and facilities professionals.

Meet the executive team

Dr Jim WhittinghamChairman

Jim heads up both our Board of Directors and Council of Governors. He was born and brought up in Scunthorpe and studied at the University of Sheffield where he was awarded a PhD in soil microbiology. He has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Lincoln.

That’s everything from making high level operational decisions and agreeing budgets to approving Trust policies and plans, setting the overall direction of the Trust and liaising with our commissioners; these are the leaders of our organisation.

The team try to get out-and-about within the Trust when they can through departmental visits, attending team meetings and even rolling up their sleeves to have a go at other people’s jobs to get an idea of what it’s like to work for the Trust at all levels.

They want all staff to feel they can approach them with any suggestions, compliments or concerns.

Karen Jackson, chief executive, said: “We’re a friendly bunch and quite normal, we don’t bite and our doors are always open if staff want to come and discuss something with us.”

Mike Rocke

Director of finance, planning and performance

Mike heads up our IT, planning and financial teams including procurement and payroll. He was appointed in November 2010 having previously held the post of deputy director of finance. He qualified as a management accountant at Harrogate Healthcare Trust and joined North East Lincs NHS in 1992, having previously held posts in the NHS in Preston and Hull.

Dr. Karen Dunderdale

Chief nurse

Karen is our lead nurse and was born and brought up in Scunthorpe. She qualified as a nurse in 1991 and worked on a general medical ward before moving to coronary care. She became a cardiac nurse specialist developing cardiac rehabilitation and heart failure services and became chief nurse in 2011. She has a PhD in Quality of Life in Chronic Heart Failure from York University and has contributed substantially to the development of cardiac nursing within the region.

Dr Neil PeaseDirector of organisational development and workforce

Neil heads up our recruitment, HR, organisational development and communications and marketing teams. He has worked in the NHS for nearly 20 years including as a porter and healthcare assistant. After obtaining a degree in sports medicine he moved into medical education, where he pioneered the use of clinical simulation in palliative care education. Neil holds a Professional Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University.

Wendy Booth

Director of clinical and quality assurance and Trust secretary

Wendy specialises in governance and risk management and is the lead for our complaints, legal, risk and quality assurance teams as well as our Foundation Trust office. She was appointed to her role in August 2012, having previously held the posts of head of governance and Trust secretary, assistant director of risk management and Trust risk manager.

You can read the team’s full profiles on the Trust website at www.nlg.nhs.uk

24 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 25

Sue Astle retiresAfter nearly 40 years working for the NHS in the Yorkshire and Humber region Sue Astle has retired. Sue wanted to be a nurse from a very young age and achieved that dream in 1975 when she started her nurse training at Doncaster Royal Infirmary after working as a nurse cadet for 18 months.

She’s worked across a variety of specialties, from her first placement on a paediatric ward to orthopaedics, surgery, special care baby unit and finally community nursing.

Her career took a change in direction in 1986 when she was successful in securing a post as a district nurse. Later she went on to be a team leader, cluster co-ordinator and head of nursing services.

Throughout her career Sue has identified areas for improvement and among the many changes she brought about were diary sized safeguard information cards, the implementation of data ease, a template for pressure ulcers and the redesign of the community nursing service. She cites one of her proudest achievements as helping secure funding for the new role of phlebotomists within community services.

Sue says she has no regrets about her career, other than it is finishing earlier than planned. But she’s looking forward to having more time at home, she said: “I am very family oriented and will now have a more wonderful settled family life that includes two fantastic grandchildren who keep me active. I am very lucky and looking forward to whatever the future holds.”

Skills boost for Macmillan nurses Advanced oncology nurse practitioner Graham Briggs and lung cancer specialist nurse Tina Jackson, who work at Grimsby hospital, have successfully completed their PG Cert in clinical assessment.

Graham said: “I obtained my final exam results achieving a solid pass. I use my new physical examination skills every day and continue to develop them further in clinical practice.”

The course, which was provided at Leeds University, covered three key areas: physical examination skills, managing clinical conditions and the interpretation of haematology and biochemistry Graham added: “I

want to thank the DPOW medicine divisional management team as they always show such an interest in developing our skills to provide an even better oncology service, and I am so grateful you enabled me to do the course.”

Collette Cunningham, general manager for medicine, said: “We’re very proud of Graham and Tina and know they’ll put this training to good use in their everyday interactions with patients.”

The infection control team and the invasive device nurses are pictured saying goodbye to Carol Brocklebank as she retires for a second time.

After retiring from Grimsby hospital’s A1 ward two years ago, Carol came back to work part time with Viv Duncanson, senior nurse infection prevention and control, on a shared vision to introduce a team that would facilitate best and safe practice with regards to invasive devices.

In April this year the vision came to fruition. Following a successful business case Steve Heath and Louise Gore were appointed as the Trust’s first invasive device clinical nurse specialists.

Carol has been mentoring both Steve and Louise to enable them to become competent practitioners, particularly with the placing of PIC catheters. Carol

Fond farewell to Carol

leaves a legacy as an exemplary practitioner that sets the standard for future practice.

You may see Carol occasionally in the future working on the wards as she has signed up for the nurse bank.

Carol (centre) with her collegues.

Melanie ‘falls’ into the spotlightOne of our quality matrons, Melanie Sharp, has been shortlisted in the regional NHS leadership recognition awards.

Melanie is a finalist in the NHS quality champion/innovator of the year category. She was nominated for her work to reduce falls at the Trust over the last two years which has resulted in a 16 per cent reduction.

The awards celebrate leaders at all levels and across all professions who have improved people’s health and the public’s experience of the NHS.

She’ll find out if she’s won at a special ceremony at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds on November 13 2013. Good luck Melanie!!

Running to raise moneyJackie Smith, Scunthorpe hospital Macmillan palliative care nurse, is pictured centre receiving £164.50 from Scunthorpe and District Club.

The club raised the money through race entry fees from more than 80 competitors who took part in a five-mile time trial from Burringham to East Butterwick and back.

Red book gets a refreshThe red book, which is given to every newborn baby, has been localised for the North Lincolnshire area by staff in our community and therapy services.

The red book is not only the main record of a child’s health and development, kept by their parent or carer, but is also a fantastic resource.

A working party and consultation led by Claire Clarke, clinical development and assessment coordinator for children’s community services, was set up to take on the task and included input from a range of professions including health visitors, midwives, public health, child health, children’s centre and safeguarding staff.

The outcome is a more comprehensive, parent friendly, localised and informative book.  The new information is aimed at parents and includes domestic violence support (national and local), stop smoking support (local), safe sleeping advice, 111 information, breast feeding policy and BABES peer support information (local).

Claire said: “There’s also a whole host of assessment and liaison paperwork included to make communication between professionals and between parents and professionals much more efficient and comprehensive.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in this project, which is just one of a number of initiatives we are working on to improve the quality of information we give to parents.”

If you have any suggestions for other local information you think would be useful for inclusion in the red book please contact Claire on 01724 203721 or by email Claire.clarke1@nhs.net.

Coaches qualified and ready to go

Staff from a variety of areas across the Trust including ophthalmology, health records, physiotherapy and a non-executive director were amongst those celebrating after gaining a qualification the equivalent of a Masters degree.

Eleven staff from the first group of coahes have now passed the level seven in executive coaching and mentoring through the Institute for Leadership Management, which means they can now officially start accepting people for coaching. Group two have just completed the course and group three are working towards levels three and five.

Karen Jackson, chief executive,

presented staff with their certificates.She said: “Given the difficulties we are facing as a Trust it is overwhelming to think you have gone out of your way to do this for the benefit of your colleagues. I’m really proud of you and what you’re going to be giving back to the Trust.”

The coaching network was set up to provide support and development to all staff, in all levels and positions. Coaches are here to help you unlock your potential and maximise your performance. If you would like to access coaching you can view the profiles of our coaches on the intranet. For further information contact Lindsay Crowther on DPoW x7136.

26 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver 27

Holly Jarman is a student at Scunthorpe’s Frederick Gough Specialist Language School. She spent a week in the human resources department at Scunthorpe hospital for her work experience. This is her story.

For the rest of the day I was with HR apprentice Catherine Larder. She showed me what work she did within HR and took me around the hospital to show me where everything was. I was also told that most things I hear or am told are confidential so I wasn’t allowed to repeat names or tell anyone what files and documents I had been looking at.

Day 2 - I was working for training and development and I was greeted by department coordinator Jane Cawthorne. My first job was sending out envelopes with certificates in for members of staff, my second job was photocopying 50 copies of a student handbook that included all sorts of information for new students who wanted a job within the hospital. This took me all afternoon so I was kept busy all day.

Day 3 - I was working in the bank office with Becky and Hermione. They showed me what they do and how their job is important within HR. In the afternoon I was with medical staffing. I was working with medical

staffing officer Deb Lazenby and I was given some doctors applications to check and log on the system. I was also given some scanning to do so the documents would be saved on to the computer instead of having paper copies.

Day 4 - I was in the HR offices all day on Thursday and I was working with Catherine, Angela and Patrick. Patrick explained a few of the different policies and what the procedure was if people had been off sick a certain number of times. I was then shown by Catherine how to calculate sickness percentages for the whole Trust and for individual areas in the Trust. In the afternoon I was given a staff members employment file to organise, putting documents into ascending date order so it would be made easier to look for a certain document when needed. Later on I was need in medical staffing to update spread sheets of when documents audits need to be done. I liked this as I found it easy and it kept me busy until I finished for the day at 4pm.

Day 5 - This was my final day of my work experience. I was working in communications and marketing with Lisa Webster and Rebecca Ferguson. I wrote two news releases about two meetings that were being held and I also had to write an article on breast cancer for the staff newsletter. I found this interesting as I was learning about something I had no experience in, so I had to do a good job. At 12.30pm I went up to the canteen with Rebecca so I could take pictures of the Staff SuperDraw Lottery so they could be used for internal communications. Soon after I took notes for an article I had to write for the next issue of NLaG News, this was about recording calls and its purposes.

I enjoyed my week in the HR and OD department for my work experience. I feel that I have gained confidence and learned new skills that I will be able to take back to school use later on when I am at college and further on in my career.

A day in the life of...

I thought working at the Trust would be a good chance for me to learn something new and to gain some ideas in what I would like to do once I have left school. Throughout the week I worked for various departments that are involved with human resources functions, so I could get a full idea of what it is the HR department does.

Day 1 - I was greeted by human resources manager Julie Rimington. She introduced me to the people she worked with in her department including HR advisor Patrick Lonergan. He told me about the health and safety policies and where to go if there was a fire.

I was then introduced to HR manager Claire Smaller and all the people I would be working with. I was excited to find out what I would be doing. She showed me around all the departments I would work for, training and development, the bank office, medical staffing and communications and marketing.

Online clinical support resource now availableDid you know clinical decision support system UpToDate is now available to all staff in the Trust? The system is an evidence-based, physician authored, clinical decision support resource to help you to make point-of-care decisions.

More than 5,000 physician authors, editors and peer reviewers use a rigorous editorial process to synthesise the most recent medical information. And with its Google-like interface, searching UpToDate could not be simpler to use.

Staff can access it via the Learning Zone link on the intranet homepage. Its target audience ranges from consultants, all grades of doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists and HCAs, and may be of personal interest to all staff about their own health.

It can also be used for revalidation with people able to build up CME points that may count towards their CPD supporting information for revalidation.

The system is also easy to access and can be used from work and from home. From work, click on the UpToDate icon that is sited on the intranet Learning Zone link . If you don’t have access to computers where you work pop along to the Trust libraries in Grimsby (education centre) and Scunthorpe (Butterwick House). At home, log onto: www.uptodate.com and log in with your NHS Athens username and password.

CAUTION! Our subscription to UpToDate is such that it can be used in the Trust as an educational resource. Please note that this is an

American product and that drug information in UpToDate contains dosing advice according to US product licenses and may differ from that in the UK. Prescribers should consult the BNF for current UK licensed indications and doses. Please also check with your usual contact in Pharmacy or Medicines Information.

UpToDate covers the following specialities:

• Allergy and immunology

• Cardiology

• Care of the elderly

• Dermatology

• Emergency medicine

• Endocrinology and diabetes

• Gastroenterology

• General medicine

• General surgery*

• Hepatology

• Haematology

• Infectious diseases

• Nephrology

• Neurology

• Obstetrics and gynaecology

• Oncology

• Paediatrics

• Psychiatry

• Respiratory medicine: ITU and critical care

• Rheumatology

General surgery consists of:

• Abdominal surgery

• Bariatric surgery

• Biliary surgery

• Brest surgery

• Colon and rectal surgery

• Endocrine surgery

• Gastrointestinal surgery

• General surgery

• Gynaecologic oncology surgery

• Gynaecological and obstetrics surgery

• Laparoscopic surgery

• Minimally invasive surgery

• Surgical oncology

• Trauma surgery

• Vascular surgery.

It is free to use as the libraries have paid for a licence. Trust library services manager Jo Thomas said: “The licence has not cost anything ‘new’ to the Trust.

“Users of the libraries probably do not realise this but every year we assess and analyse the levels of use that our resources have had against how much it cost to pay for that resource.

“This year, we decided that we would scrap paying for resources that show limited levels of use in order to reinvest that money in a resource that we think will be used more heavily.

“We think that UpToDate may be such a resource, but we will be monitoring levels of use very closely over the coming year.”

Anyone wanting advice should contact: Jo Thomas at Grimsby on extension 7298 or email her at jo.thomas3@nhs.net or for Scunthorpe and Goole enquiries Tim Staniland on SGH 5165 or email him at timstaniland@nhs.net

28 Togetherwe care, we respect, we deliver

Infection control corner

Infection control round-up

Staff competitionThank you to everyone who entered the picture caption competition launched last edition which featured David Cameron shaking hands with Andy Murray. Two winners were selected from the entries:

Deborah Fletcher, ward support worker on MAU at SGH, with her caption: “Using proper infection control means its game, set and match against these nasty bugs!”

Mel Sharp, quality matron, with:  (Cameron to Murray) “There I was thinking the racquet next door was the infection prevention team arriving with their new infection control boards!”

Both have been awarded a £10 voucher.

Here’s this month’s picture, send your IPC related captions to: viv.duncanson@nhs.net by Friday October 25.

Gold standard for infection prevention and control (IPC)Meanwhile staff at Scunthorpe have been working hard to ensure their IPC practices are up to standard. The gold, silver and bronze awards are given for achievement of a set of six standards which include aspects of hand hygiene, prevention and control of MRSA and C.diff, mandatory training, cleanliness and saving lives high impact intervention audits. 

Blue Sky Imaging Suite, ICU, CCU and ward’s 11, 24, 26 and 27 are the latest to be presented with awards.

Forty three wards across the Trust are celebrating after being recognised for achieving 100 days free of hospital acquired C.diff.

Representatives from each of the wards were invited to a special ceremony where they were presented with their certificates by chief executive Karen Jackson.

She urged staff to display their certificates with pride. She said: “This is a real achievement which our staff should be very proud of. It shows we are making good progress in reducing the number of hospital acquired infections. This is something we should shout about and I hope staff display these certificates so our patients and visitors can see them.”

Viv Duncanson, senior nurse for infection prevention and control, said: “We wanted to acknowledge the dedication the ward teams have shown in their efforts towards

minimising cases of C.diff in the Trust. These certificates are our way of recognising this.”

Representatives of the staff groups pictured abaove. From the top down: Scunthorpe, Goole, and Grimsby

This month’s picture

Staff in the Blue Sky Imaging Suite with their Gold award.

100 days C.diff free