RD&Express February 2011

www.rdehospital.nhs.uk

The newsletter for members of the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

RD&Express

Receptionist Maggie Penn hasnever missed a working day at theRD&E due to sickness in 23 yearsservice.

Twelve individuals and two teams,including volunteers who support theStroke Clinic, were honoured at the Trustevent, having been nominated by theirpeers for their outstanding contributionto patient care and RD&E working life.

Trust Chairman Angela Ballatti said: “Thepanel was particularly impressed with thequality of nominations for the awards thisyear. The wish to improve patient care andexperience was a consistent theme and itwas also clear from the nominations thatthe commitment, skills and personalqualities of these individuals are greatlyrespected and valued by their colleagues.Having these positive and highly motivatedpeople alongside you can be inspiring andmake life in a busy, challenging workingenvironment more rewarding foreveryone. We are very proud of the calibreof staff at the Royal Devon & Exeter andthe tremendous work they do to improvethe quality of our services.”

The 2010 Chairman’s Award winners, whocould choose an engraved glass bowl orvouchers with their certificates, arelisted on the RD&E website.

The tireless dedicationand inspirationalachievements of RoyalDevon & Exeter hospitalstaff have been celebratedat the annual Chairman’sAward ceremony

January/February 2011

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awards2

The RD&E StrokeResearch team haswon a national awardin recognition of theirwork which isimproving the careand recovery of strokepatients

RD&E Consultant Stroke Physician DrMartin James said: “The ClinicalResearch Site of the Year award is aterrific endorsement of the skills ofthe RD&E Stroke Research Team insuccessfully and safely running a widerange of research studies in stroke atthe hospital and in our linkedcommunity stroke units in Devon.

“The award is sponsored by theDepartment of Health and thePharmaceutical industry andemphasises one of the greatstrengths of the Research Networks –building collaboration betweenresearchers of all backgrounds to

improve the treatment of stroke asquickly as possible. Research fromstudies performed by these networksis already improving the care andrecovery of people with stroke, andcontributing to the transformationof stroke services across the countrysince the launch of the NationalStroke Strategy in 2007.”

The RD&E hosts the South WestStroke Research Network,managed by Jacqueline Briggs. TheRD&E team have been involvingstroke patients and their relatives

in stroke research since 2007 withover 300 participants taking part ina variety of studies. Each year thenumber of studies run at the RD&Eand community stroke units hasgrown, with 11 studies currentlylooking for more participants.

Research leads Leigh Barron andNicola Wedge from the SW StrokeResearch Network team based atthe RD&E were winners of thePharma Times Clinical ResearchSite of the Year 2010 award.

The annual awards are presented

by the Nursing Times and the

Health Service Journal as a

celebration of the best examples

of innovative work across the NHS

to improve patient safety and raise

awareness in the healthcare

community about the good

practice so that others can

improve their services.

The RD&E has been shortlisted for

the ‘Changing Culture’ category

with eight other contenders from

around the country.

The award winners are announced

in March 2011 and will receive a

trophy and a speaker place at the

Patient Safety Congress in May.

The RD&E has beenshortlisted for anational patient safetyaward

going green

Funded by partner Devon Contract

Waste Limited, the hospital

catering services has put recycling

bins and bags for plastic bottles

and drinks cans in Oasis and cafes

on the Wonford site.

The Patient Meals service is also

taking part - daily 220 four-pint

plastic bottles of milk are used

across the Trust which generates a

significant amount of bottle waste.

The Trust is piloting a park and ride busservice for patients and staff to theHeavitree Hospital site

The idea behind providing a limited off-peak bus link is to

serve the majority of potential users with the least impact on

the whole park and ride service and the sustainability of the

service environmentally and in achieving best value for public

money. The pilot bus service will be reviewed in six months

time with recommendations on whether it is a viable service

to continue.

A three monthrecycling pilot at theRD&E hopes to reducethe amount of wastetaken to landfill

Having your say 5members say4

Those who attended had the opportunity to have their say about the

Trust’s future priorities as well as listen to talks about key medical issues

from RD&E consultants. Members also attended discussions groups, took

part in a “who wants to be a millionaire” style quiz and other interactive

activities, and heard from staff on information stands about new

initiatives to improve patient care.

The reaction of our members to this event was overwhelmingly positive

and members told us they hold the RD&E and its frontline staff in high

regard, even in situations where people’s experiences was not all that

they would have wanted. The RD&E is clearly fortunate in having such a

committed, knowledgeable and proactive membership base keen to

contribute to the future development of RD&E services.


Over 120 RD&E members braved arcticconditions in November to attend the RD&E’ssecond Members Say event

Members were asked what qualityhealthcare meant to them – this is whatthey told us:

� Members were asked by RD&E Governors for their views to understand the expectation of ourmembership. Members said they like being informed on a regular basis about RD&E services, thatmembership should be publicised more perhaps with a monthly draw and more opportunities to have asay; more should be done to recruit middle aged members, they have a strong liking for the style andcontent of the newsletter and they would like to see more about what the governors do and future changesto healthcare services and issues.

Governor Keith Broderick said:

"I enjoyed meeting members, staff and volunteers and listening to their comments - and a few issues that Ilater shared with the Foundation Trust office. It was stimulating visiting stands manned by enthusiastic staffand volunteers providing insight into issues affecting the Trust's activities.I recommend anyone with anopportunity to do so to attend a Members Say! event - your views matter!"

Event highlightsActivities included:

� Four Medicine for Memberstalks by leading cliniciansabout respiratory medicine& stroke care

� Information displays aboutTrust Governors, diabetes, theExeter Hip, nursing care,infection control and outsidethe mobile eye clinic wasparked for tours.

� Interactive activities – forexample asking members touse fake money to choosetheir priorities for spending.Members voted with theircash as follows:

Priority How much?Time spent whilst waiting at the hospital £190Cleanliness of the hospital £570Time between being referred by GP and being seen by hospital doctor £560Reducing hospital infections £990Being treated with respect £310Being informed £410

Total spent £3,030

Meeting all Government targets, e.g.waiting times

Average number of days patients stayover night in hospital

Percentage of patients who rate theircare as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’

Percentage of patients who wouldrecommend the hospital to theirfamily and friends

Number of complaints, concerns andcompliments received

The rating or assessment given to thehospital from independentorganisations

2%

23%

17%

19%

6%

33%

Useful indicators of quality

Having your say 7Having your say6

A hospital where I am seen as soon as possible

A hospital with access to the latest technologies & drugs

A well maintained, clean, safe and modern hospital environment

Membership feedback from these lively and interesting group

sessions were captured in a report to the Trust Board of Directors

and Council of Governors so they are aware of the issues members

feel most strongly about and to respond to some specific comments

made.

A full report on the outcomes of the Members’ Say event is

available at www.rdehospital.nhs.uk or on request from the

Foundation Trust office (see contact information on page 12).


Nine discussion groups were held to exploremore in depth previously identifiedmembership priorities including:

Here are examples of the issues our members raised:

Member question: The noise at night disturbed my sleep. Can’t anything be done?

We recognise that noise at night from staff and other patients can cause disturbance and we have taken steps

to reduce this problem. For example staff talking and using the telephones and machine alarms at night. Our

2010/11 patient experience survey results show an improvement with fewer patients reporting that they were

disturbed by noise at night form staff than the previous year. Noise however from confused or distressed

patients can be difficult to minimise. If appropriate we endeavour to locate these patients in a side room but

this is not always appropriate as these patients may need close observation for their own safety or wellbeing.

We try to avoid moving patients in the night but emergency activity can make this a necessity. Reducing noise

at night from patients and staff will be a key objective for our 2011/12 patient experience action plan.

Member question: Why can’t thehospital use mobile phones toremind all of those people who missappointments?

We agree that missed NHS appointments is an

important issue. We are currently reviewing

outpatient appointments and looking at ways to

reduce the number of appointments not attended at

clinics, including a pilot scheme to use mobile

technology to remind people of their appointments.

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Having your say 9Having your say8


Member question: I never knew the hospital had won so many awards and was sohighly rated for so many things. Why can’t you put posters on the walls inoutpatients and receptions publicising all the hospital’s successes? You could reacha lot of people that way and it’d make them feel better about the hospital especiallywith all the talk of cuts, cuts, cuts at the moment.

We pro-actively publicise staff and

Trust achievements in the local

and specialist media, membership

newsletters and on the RD&E

website. When we refurbished the

main reception concourse we

responded to visitor feedback by

removing many notice boards

because it was felt there was too

much clutter which did not convey

a professional well maintained

hospital and people felt confused

by the signage and information.

We have also decluttered ward

and clinic areas of leaflets and posters for the same reason. Priority is given to patient and visitor information

on the limited display boards available. Keeping the board content up to date is also a consideration in terms

of cost effective use of staff time. There are some opportunities to promote the work and achievements of

our staff in the pipeline, for example in Radiology the waiting room was looking tired so we are creating a wall

mounted display explaining the skills and services the department provides.

Member question: In some outpatients, you go through several stages before youget to see anyone. This is good because it keeps you moving and you feel thatprogress is being made. In other outpatients you just sit and wait never knowingwhen it’s your turn. Surely you could get the ones that do it right to tell the otherones how to better handle patients?

We have two internal service redesign projects – one to look at Outpatients and Reception and also an Admin

Review that are looking at our administrative processes which will address these issues. These reviews will be

comprehensive and leave no stone unturned in developing a standard approach throughout the Trust which both

improves efficiency as well as “doing the right thing” for our patients.

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Member question: Why aren’t there signs and gel at the entrance to the wards soeveryone knows how important it is to clean their hands? Not having enough signsjust gives an excuse to people who can’t be bothered. I know how important usinggel is but sometimes even I’m not sure where it is on the ward and the staff don’tseem to check who’s used it and who hasn’t.

The approach we have taken encourages hand

hygiene as close to the patient as possible to

make sure that they are clean at the point of

contact. To help staff and visitors to do this,

alcohol hand rubs are provided at the foot of

every bed.

The only exception to this is in the children’s

ward where it would be hazardous to have

dispensers on the beds that can be easily

chewed or sucked on by young children so

instead every member of staff has a small gel

dispenser on their uniform.

In addition to the hand gel, there is a hand

washing sink in every bay and side room in the

hospital and an alcohol gel dispenser at the

doors of every bay and side room, so there are

ample facilities for staff and visitors to wash or

gel their hands, close to the bedside. Some of

our wards do have an alcohol gel dispenser

outside the ward doors because this is also close

to the ward kitchen and is useful for staff

making drinks or snacks for patients.

Q

Our next Members Say! event takes place here at the RD&E on Saturday 26 March, 10.30-3pm. Our

limited spaces are being offered on a first come, first serve basis. To secure your place at this

event ring the dedicated Members Say! hotline on 01392 404060. This is a message-only

service and you will be asked to leave your name and contact details.

constitution review 11Events for members 201110


Council of Governors (CoG) meeting on 19 January 2011

Chief Executive’s Report

Angela Pedder gave an update on how the Trust had managed the

difficult winter period with the increased number of flu and norovirus

bug cases. The snow during December had also led to pressure on

services. The RD&E had created wards for patients confirmed or

suspected of having flu as part of the infection control management.

Overall the winter was challenging but partnership working with NHS

Devon and other healthcare services was improved.

Performance Report

Suzanne Tracey, Director of Finance, presented the performance report

to the Council. The Trust was on track to meet its infection control

targets. There had been just one case of hospital-acquired MRSA

during the current year.

In terms of the RD&E’s financial position, the Governors asked for and

received reassurance from the Trust Chairman that the Board was

satisfied that a capital programme underspend was not affecting

patient care.

In other business

The Council of Governors approved the new Constitution for the Trust

(see page 11). They also approved their business and action plan for

the year ahead and received an update on the work of the Foundation

Trust Governors Association and RD&E development of a Stakeholder

Engagement Strategy.

Governors News Round-upDates for your diary

‘Medicine for Members’ talks

feature leading clinicians (doctors,

nurses, therapists) talking about

their specialist area and patient

services.

Renal medicine (kidney care) –

Tuesday 12 April 2011,

12.30pm-2pm

Consultant Dr Chris Mulgrew will be

talking about kidney care and the

work of the Exeter Kidney Unit.

Due to there being a limited

number of spaces available, please

contact Bernadette Coates on

01392 403977 or email:

[email protected] to

book your place in advance of the

talk. Details of the venue will be

given when you book.

Council of Governors Meeting

Wednesday 13 April 2011,

2pm-4.30pm

Venue: FlyBe Suite, St James

Centre, Exeter City Football Club,

Stadium Way, Exeter EX4 6PX

Changes made

� The percentage of public governors on the

Council has been increased to 70%. This will

mean a stronger connection with our

members by increasing the strength of their

voice within the Trust.

� The number of Staff Governors remains at

five but with the current five constituencies

being reduced to four. A new ‘Non-Clinical’

constituency will be created which

incorporates Admin, Clerical & Managers and

Hotel Services & Estates. This has been

agreed as it is in line with many other Trusts

and will hopefully make recruitment of staff

governors more straightforward in future.

We informed you in the last edition of the RD&Expressthat a small working group of Governors and Directorswere reviewing the Constitution of the Trust.

The intention of the review was to look at best practiceelsewhere and to develop a Constitution that can bewidely understood. It was also important to emphasisethe Trust’s commitment to the local community and re-balance the Council of Governors by increasing theproportion of Public Governors on the Council.

Since November the Board of Directors have approved theworking group’s recommendations and it was given finalapproval by the Council of Governors at their meeting on19th January.

The final stage is approval by Monitor, our regulator. Aswe went to press, we are waiting to hear their decisionbut it will be confirmed on our websitewww.rdehospital.nhs.uk as soon as we have it.

Elections to the RD&E’s Council of Governorswill be held in May and June and the 20,000members of the Trust will be asked to cast theirvotes for new Governors.

Would you like a say in the future directionof the RD&E?

Working alongside the Trust’s Board ofDirectors, the Governors collectively hold theDirectors to account and ensure that theinterests of the Trust’s members are taken intoaccount. RD&E Governors have shown greatcommitment in representing the views of localpeople and helping the RD&E to shape its plansfor the future.

If you are interested in taking part in theimportant work of our Council of Governors,you are invited to come along to one of our‘prospective governor meetings’, where youcan hear more about the role from currentgovernors and Trust staff.

The prospective governor meetings will beheld on:

Wednesday 6 April from 12.30pm to 2pmThursday 7 April from 5pm to 6.30pm

For details of the venue, to book your place orfor any questions about being a Governor pleasecontact Bernadette Coates in the FoundationTrust Office on 01392 403977 or [email protected]

These meetings are to give you information onthe role of a Governor, on the commitment youwill need to make and what is involved.However, you can still put your name forward tojoin the Council of Governors even if you do notattend.

You can also attend the Council of Governorsmeeting on 13 April in order to see the Councilat work.

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investment in services12

Building work hasstarted to extend theOncology Centre onthe RD&E Wonfordhospital site

The Trust has invested £6 million in

the phased development for cancer

services which included a third

Radiotherapy Treatment machine

which has been operational since

April 2010. The final phase of the

project involves building works

starting this month for the

installation of a new dedicated

radiotherapy wide bore CT

Simulator for radiotherapy

treatment planning. This is so that

more patients will have access to

the latest technology, which

captures three-dimensional images

of the cancer so that the specialist

Radiotherapy staff can accurately

plan and tailor treatment to the

specific clinical and individual needs

of their patients. The equipment

makes it possible to accurately scan

patients in various positions

required for radiotherapy treatment

without compromising comfort and

the quality of the image.

The project is also an opportunity to

improve the waiting and reception

areas within the Oncology centre

and the entrance to the main

hospital at the end of template A.

The new CT simulator is expected to

be operational at the end of 2011.

In the meantime our staff will work

hard to ensure that the quality of

our services is maintained during

these building works.

Have you recently moved house or changed your contact details?

Let us know so you can continue to receive information from us.

The Foundation Trust membership office can be contacted by telephoning 01392 403977, by emailing

[email protected] or by writing to: RD&E NHS Foundation Trust Office, Room E219,

RD&E Hospital, Barrack Road, Exeter, EX2 5DW.

For more information about the Foundation Trust visit the RD&E website: www.rdehospital.nhs.uk

We can arrange language translation if you do not speak English. We can arrangeBritish Sign Language interpretation, and also give you this information in largertext. Please ask us on (01392) 403977.

Pictured: Oncology Centre Manager Geraldine Jenner, Consultant

Clinical Oncologist Liz Toy and Head of Radiotherapy Physics Steve Blake

with the plans for the building project.

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RD&Express February 2011