Issue 9

21

Transplant Day WWL held a free Family Fun Day to mark the start of National Transplant Week

your hospitals, your health, our priority

Contents

10

3 Welcome from Andrew Foster, Chief Executive 5

Annual Public Meeting

6

Patient Engagement

8

Governor Elections

9

Young Peoples Event 2013

10 Cancer Patients Feel Benefit of Reiki Therapy 12 Cancer Services Embrace Shared Decision Making 13 Donation Helps WWL Boot Out Breast Cancer 14 HELP is on its Way! 15 WWL Extends the Appointment Reminder Service 16 WWL in Pictures 18 The Trusts New Website

13

19 Leadership Safety Rounds 20 Everyone Smiles in the Same Language 21 Wigan Folk Were Urged to Pass it On 22 Volunteers WIthin Clinical Audit 24 Choose Well This Winter 25 Catering for You 26 Twiddlemuffs 28 Wigan Reindeer Run 2013 29 Wigan Reindeer Run Entry Form 31 Growing our Membership

26

Issue 9 _ 3

Welcome to Our Latest Magazine

Update from Andrew Foster, Chief Executive

Welcome to my latest update for members about news from our three hospitals - Wrightington Hospital, the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI) and Leigh Infirmary – as well as the Thomas Linacre Centre. I hope it helps you better understand about the life and times in our hospitals. Hospital cleanliness remains very important for the Trust and we scored very highly in the recent Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) ratings, with each of our three hospitals being in the top ten in the whole of the North of England. Although we continued to perform well with just one case of MRSA since March, we are disappointed to report 25 cases of Clostridium difficile Toxin (CDT). This takes our year-to-date total above the limit set for the Trust. We have reviewed all cases of CDT this year to look for underlying causes or common themes but there is no obvious link. We are aware that a number of Trusts are above the number of CDT cases so far this year so this problem is not unique to Wigan. Our Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) improved further during September when we treated 97.6% of patients within four hours or less, compared to the national standard of 95%. Our average for the last six months stands at 96.4% We held our Annual Public Meeting on 19 September at the DW Stadium and it was one of the busiest I can remember.

4 _ Issue 9

Presentations from the Trust including an update of Urology Services at Leigh Infirmary given by Andy Thompson who is one of our Urology consultants based in the recently refurbished Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre. The public also asked many questions about the services we provide and what the future may hold for health services across the Borough. We advised those present that the Healthier Together review across Greater Manchester is expected to hold a public consultation early in 2014.

The Trust is supporting the national ‘Stoptober’ campaign. People who want to give up smoking are encouraged to sign up to the campaign, which aims to help the UK’s eight million smokers to stop smoking for 28 days. Research shows that if a person can stop smoking for 28 days, they are five times more likely to give up permanently. Over 160,000 people across England gave up smoking via the ‘Stoptober’ campaign last year. We really hope this campaign also helps to encourage people not to smoke outside our hospital sites.

A personal highlight for me during the Annual Public Meeting was the launch of our new empathy video. This video was inspired by a similar one I saw that was produced by the Cleveland Clinic in the USA. We decided to produce our own version that we will use to help train our staff to put themselves in the shoes of patients and visitors. The video includes staff, patients and actors to whom we are very grateful. It will be used extensively in staff training to underline the importance of empathy and to promote our values of patient-centred compassion, respect, dignity and care. I invite everyone to view the empathy video on our web site (www.wwl.nhs.uk/empathy) and I welcome any comments you may have.

I’m delighted to report that members of the Trust’s Finance department were winners in the Financial Services category of the HSJ (Health Service Journal) Efficiency Awards event held in London on 25 September. The win was for a ‘Devolved Financial Management’ project that has been introduced within the Trust. This project gives all our cost centre managers easy access to their budgets and the latest actual spend information on a monthly basis. Everyone knows at a glance if their department’s spend is below, on or above planned levels. We are also looking forwards to the main HSJ Awards in November as we have three short-listed finalists in other categories. If you have any suggestions for topics you would like me to cover, please send an email to [email protected] and I will endeavour to provide an update in the future.

Andrew Foster Chief Executive

Pictured: Rob Forster (Director of Finance and Informatics), David Evans (Associate Director of Estates and Facilities), Emma Cooke (Communications Specialist - PR) and Alison Foster (Secondary Care Liaison Officer) handing out Stop Smoking packs during Stoptober.

Issue 9 _ 5 Members of staff at one of the many information stall in the Health Marketplace

Annual Public Meeting

This years Annual Public Meeting was one of the Trust’s most successful to date, with members turning out in their masses to hear Consultant Urologist Andrew Thompson talk about the Trust’s excellent new Richmond Urology Unit in the Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at Leigh infirmary and its impact on improving the patient experience.

Feedback from members in attendance was extremely positive, reflecting well on the organisation of the event, the content and delivery style of the presentations and the very open and frank discussions.

Over 140 people attended the meeting at the Springfield Suite, DW Stadium - enjoying the variety of information and displays available in the Health Marketplace while having the opportunity to meet other Foundation Trust members, Directors, Governors and members of staff.

”many different aspects presented in an interesting and helpful way”

Chief Executive Andrew Foster gave an overview of the Trust’s activities throughout the year 2012/2013. Members in attendance approved the Trust’s Annual Report and accounts and heard about the work of Quality Champions. The Trust premiered its new empathy video which demonstrates the importance of understanding the needs of others. To view the video, visit the Trust YouTube channel:

“very good information - very useful event to attend”

Some quotes taken from the feedback forms:-

“very interesting - good to hear of achievements”

www.youtube.com/wwlnhs

Andrew Foster giving an overview of the Trust’s activities

6 _ Issue 9

Patient Engagement

The Engagement Department is based on the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary but works across all sites. The role of the Department is to support interaction and engagement with patients and the public to find out about their experience of using services. This important work helps to identify what we do well and areas for improvement. The team encourage staff to celebrate and share best practice and learning from each other to achieve a positive patient experience. Since April 2013 the Department has been involved in over 17,000 patient contacts whether this is via a questionnaire, face to face discussion or other forms of patient feedback such as focus groups and listening events.

Real Time Patient Experience One of the key areas of focus is a monthly Real Time Patient Experience Survey, which is organised and evaluated by the department but undertaken where possible by Hospital Volunteers and members of the Council of Governors. The survey is carried out one day a month and involves asking 10 questions to every patient on a ward, that is willing to participate. The survey focuses on some key areas of patient experience such as communication, choice of food and pain control. Some questions have been added from the National Inpatient survey, where the Trust has not scored as well as it should have done. By regularly monitoring these areas, we hope to improve the responses and overall patient experience. The results are reported monthly to the Trust board via a performance report.

Question

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

1. Have staff treating and examining you introduced themselves?

87.65%

88.44%

87.01%

88.24%

87.17%

85.82%

2. Did you find someone to talk to about your worries and fears?

88.89%

84.39%

91.53%

88.89%

87.7%

87.94%

3. Do you think the hospital staff did everything they could to help control your pain?

91.98%

96.53%

93.22%

96.73%

95.19%

95.04%

4. If your family or someone else close to you wanted to talk to a doctor, did they have enough opportunity to do so?

90.74%

91.91%

85.88%

89.54%

87.17%

89.36%

5. Have you been involved as much as you wanted to be in decisions about your care and treatment?

83.95%

83.82%

83.05%

86.27%

84.49%

84.4%

6. Have you been offered a choice of food during your stay?

88.27%

95.38%

87.01%

89.54%

88.24%

89.36%

7. Has there been healthy food on the hospital menu?

90.12%

84.39%

89.27%

88.24%

87.17%

90.07%

8. Have you been involved in decisions about your discharge from hospital?

48.15%

58.96%

55.37%

63.4%

59.36%

59.57%

9. Do you know which consultant is currently treating you?

Question only introduced in August 2013

71.66%

71.63%

Average

83.72% 85.48% 84.04% 86.36% 83.13% 83.69%

Issue 9 _ 7

Friends and Family Test

Engagement Event

The Friends and Family Test is a national initiative to help patients choose where they want to be cared for and to let them know how other patients rate the care they receive from NHS trusts.

A recent patient engagement event the Trust held was the Cardio/Respiratory Patient Listening event, which was set up at the request of one of our Consultants, Dr Ram Sundar. Patients were invited who had previously had an inpatient stay on either Ince or Winstanley Ward, to attend the event and using the experience based design technique we asked the patients about their experience, drawing out the positive and the negative elements with a view to bringing about changes that will lead to the establishment of a gold standard patient experience.

All inpatients who stay at least one night on a ward, all adult patients who attend A&E and patients using maternity services will be asked: ‘How likely are you to recommend our ward/A&E department/Maternity Services to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?’ Patients can choose one of six answers ranging from ‘Extremely likely’ to ‘Extremely unlikely’. How is the Friends and Family Test score calculated? The Friends and Family Test score can be described as the proportion of respondents who would be extremely likely to recommend (category ‘extremely likely’) minus the proportion of respondents who would not recommend (categories ‘unlikely’ and ‘extremely unlikely’).

The results of the listening event are currently being analysed and an update will be included in the next edition of the Membership newsletter, when we will be able to inform you of our findings and the actions that the Trust will take to improve its services using the feedback and comments we have received.

How are we doing?

Inpatient

Friends and Family Test Score (range from -100 to +100)

April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013

+82 +79 +78 +80 +84

Accident and Emergency

Friends and Family Test Score (range from -100 to +100)

April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013

+75 +66 +68 +71 +73

Pictured: The Engagement Department Team.

8 _ Issue 9

Governor Elections

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Governor Elections for 2013, undertaken by the independent supplier, Electoral Reform Service were recently held. Five seats were available on the Council in three membership constituencies – Wigan, Makerfield and Leigh. The Trust had the results delivered on 11 September and is delighted to welcome three new members onto the Council, as voted by you!

James Lee

James Lee (Makerfield Constituency) Bill Anderton (Wigan Constituency) Linda Sykes (Leigh Constituency) We look forward to working with them over the next three years. Not only were new Governors elected; we were delighted to have Gordon Jackson successfully re-elected for the Leigh constituency for what will be his third and final 3-year term. We are equally delighted to see Pauline Gregory return as a Governor for the Wigan Constituency after taking a year off to concentrate on her family. Pauline continued to contribute to the Trust during the last year by acting as a lay representative on the Medicine Division Quality Executive Committee.

Bill Anderton

Our election results were also very pleasing thanks to your help, as the Trust recorded a higher than average voter turnout in both the Leigh and Wigan constituencies.

Linda Sykes

Issue 9 _ 9

Young Peoples Event 2013

WWL recently held a health information and awareness event for young people. Local primary, secondary schools and college students from across the borough were given the opportunity to attend this healthy lifestyle awareness event but with the added opportunity to learn about the huge variety of careers available within the health service.

WWL’s Professional Education Facilitators stall.

The event was an outstanding success. Over 170 pupils aged from 8 – 18 attended throughout the day, enjoying all the activities that the day had to offer. Pupils had a wide variety of things to do, they learnt basic life saving skills, tested their hand washing and infection control techniques and had the opportunity to participate in active living exercises and Zumba classes. They had the opportunity to learn how to dress wounds, and maintain a healthy diet as well as learn about long term medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and mental illness. Students from the Deanery and Winstanley College had the opportunity to sit, chat and ask questions from a wide range of clinical and non-clinical staff getting very useful insight and learning about the day to day activities these members of staff perform. They also discovered what and where they had to study to achieve their chosen career path.

With so much taking place, the room was a hive of activity throughout the entire event. Staff and students were delighted that the Mayor of Wigan was able to join them for part of the day including a smoothie making activity. Teachers accompanying the students commented on the event’s success due to it being interactive and supported learning outside of a classroom setting in a fun and enjoyable way. The Trust staff in attendance found the event brilliant enjoying some of the challenging questions asked and also the sheer enthusiasm from the pupils and students wanting to learn about all the things they had to offer. More events are planned including health presentation events on medical careers at the Trust’s newly refurbished Medical Education Centre on Wigan Lane. So watch out for further news as to how the Trust is trying to support younger members of the Wigan Borough Community.

Pictured top: Pupils taking part in an Active Living aerobics exercise class. Pictured left: Wigan Borough Mayor Clr Billy Rotherham and local primary school pupils trying the smoothie maker bike.

10 _ Issue 9

Cancer Patients Feel Benefit of Reiki Therapy

Lead Volunteer Therapist, George Bates explains more about the new reiki therapy service at Wigan Infirmary. On 5 July, we started a Friday afternoon Reiki Clinic on the Oncology ward, offering Reiki treatments to, not only patients, but their carers and support staff. This was the climax to months of preparation in order to introduce a Reiki Clinic. We were aware there would be some hurdles to overcome, but we felt confident this could be achieved. We also considered implementing the most effective systems and procedures to support both the establishment and smooth running of a Reiki Clinic. We were aided and supported all the way by hospital staff, in particular we would like to acknowledge, with thanks, the support of Leonora Anson, Ward Manager; Celia Topping, Voluntary Services Manager and Angela Mallet, former patient and member of the Reiki Team. Each, like myself, had faith in the idea and put many hours into organising and developing the clinic.

What can Reiki do for the patient? Patient Angela Hunter, who lives in Parbold and has received Reiki therapy, says: “I had several sessions of Reiki therapy at Wigan Infirmary and it benefitted me in many different ways. I found the therapy really wonderful. It gave me an instant feeling of relaxation and I would definitely recommend it!” To summarise and to explain the principles of Reiki, I offer some common questions and answers: I cannot guarantee anything but, generally speaking, it is enjoyable and relaxing to the patient. This relaxation can help to strengthen the patient emotionally and enable them to face the problems ahead. We know how many and varied these problems can be.

How does Reiki work? We all have energies. We sense these energies; for example when we walk into a room or meeting and without a word being spoken we can sense that something is not quite right. Alternatively, we sense a feeling of harmony and calmness. We use our sensing of energies all the time. In Reiki, we work with seven major energy centres within the body. These are known as ‘chakras’. By passing my hands above the chakras, I can sense if the energies are in or out of balance. If they are out of balance I will attempt to re-balance them by changing the energy. In doing this we try to remove and disperse any negative energy that may contribute to a patient feeling down, depressed or sometimes confused. Such negative energies are then replaced with positive energies. This enables the patient to have a greater sense of well-being, enabling them to feel happier, more contented and strengthening them emotionally. This strength is something that may well aid them in their personal challenges such as facing chemotherapy and the after-effects and side effects that chemotherapy can cause. I believe Reiki helps patients by allowing them to feel stronger in order to cope with their everyday life. But as I said earlier, nothing can be guaranteed.

Progress to Date At our first Reiki Clinic on 5 July we had four therapists and used two beds. We treated seven clients and we were overjoyed with the feedback we received. Six weeks later, with the only publicity being ‘word of mouth’, we had expanded to using four beds (the maximum at our disposal) and seven Reiki Therapists. To date, we have given nearly

Issue 9 _ 11

Pictured: George Bates, members of staff and patients at the first Reiki Clinic.

100 treatments with the number balancing evenly between patients, carers and support staff. Every person treated has given us positive feedback and we, as therapists, have witnessed a huge improvement in the client’s well-being. They appear to be more relaxed and emotionally stronger and, therefore, better able to cope with the challenges ahead of them.

The Future Now that we are up and running, we are monitoring the reported improvement of patients in a more clinical way with a greater degree of structure and evidence, thereby providing a more scientific basis for our results. We intend to present a paper of these results for the British Medical Association.

A Call for More Therapists! Already, we have been approached by several other hospital services asking if we could expand to their units. We would love to do this in time but we are currently limited by the number of Therapists, who are all volunteers. We are trying to recruit more Reiki Therapists, so if you are a Therapist who would like to donate some of your valuable time, or know a Reiki Therapist who would like to join our Team, please phone the Oncology ward (01942 822571).

A Note of Thanks to the Reiki Team I would like to give a very big “Thank you” to all the Reiki Therapists in the team, for working voluntarily; they love giving help through their Reiki to people who are in need of help and enabling the hospital to offer these treatments, free of charge, to all who qualify for them.

12 _ Issue 9

Cancer Services Embrace Shared Decision Making

Cancer Services at WWL is joining other departments in taking part in “shared decision making” (SDM). SDM is a process in which patients are encouraged to participate in selecting the most appropriate health treatments or care management options for their individual needs and preferences. This process creates a partnership between patients and clinicians. SDM relies on two important factors: 1. The health professional being an expert on the effectiveness, probable benefits and potential harms of treatment options. 2. The patient being an expert on themselves, their social circumstances, attitudes to illness and risk, values and preferences. Both parties should be willing to share information and accept responsibility for joint decisionmaking. The clinician should provide patients with information about the diagnosis and treatment options and the patient should tell the clinician about their preferences. Patients are encouraged to ask three questions: 1. What are my options? 2. What are the pros and cons of each option for me? 3. How do I get support to help me make a decision that is right for me? Cancer services have started to introduce the concept with patients receiving palliative care. They have designed what has become known as an agenda tool, to make sure patients and relatives have the opportunity to discuss what is important to them at consultation. The tool is a menu of words, of which patients and carers can pick and mix to identify what is important to them at any given consultation. It also has a space for free text, to note anything that is not listed in the menu of words. “It’s exactly what I wanted to get out of this” said Janet Irvine, Lead Nurse for Cancer Services. “In our National Cancer Patient Experience

survey, we have scored low in the areas where patients have said they do not get enough time to discuss or ask what is important to them.” In response to that, we hope this approach and the use of the agenda setting tool will empower patients to be more involved their consultations.” Andrew Foster, Chief Executive said: “I believe that Shared Decision Making is a wonderful example of a win-win approach. The main benefits are to patients, who are much happier and more knowledgeable about decisions but clinicians too benefit, from greater commitment from patients and a stronger feeling of mutual trust. If Shared Decision Making leads to lower intervention rates then there is an economic win for the NHS too.” If you would like further information regarding the Shared Decision Making Programme please contact Janet Irvine, Lead Nurse for Cancer and Palliative Care Cancer Care Suite on 01942 822009.

Pictured above: Members of the Upper GI Patient Support Group with the SDM facilitator and Lead Cancer Nurse.

Issue 9 _ 13

Donation Helps WWL Boot Out Breast Cancer

A fantastic £85,000 donation from cancer charity Boot Out Breast Cancer (www.bootoutbreastcancer.org.uk) has purchased equipment that will help the South Lancashire Breast Screening service save more lives by detecting breast cancer early.

Breast Screening Service Extends Age Range

The new diagnostic equipment, unveiled by Boot Out Breast Cancer Chair Debbie Dowie and Rt. Hon Andy Burnham MP for Leigh in the newly renamed Dowie Suite at the Thomas Linacre Centre, saves theatre time and enables staff to diagnose faster.

Under new Department of Health guidelines, the existing 50-to-70 age range is being extended by three years for both the lower and higher age limit. In future, women aged from 47 will be invited for their first screening, while older women will be advised to continue their three-yearly screening until they reach 73 years of age.

Back in March, Boot Out Breast Cancer hosted its third annual ball in memory of Debbie Dowie’s good friend, Kay, a WWL pharmacist who tragically passed away after breast cancer in 2012. Lancashire County Cricket Club hosted the ‘Northern Soul All Nighter’ which turned out to be Boot Out Breast Cancer’s most successful fundraising event to date and a fitting tribute to Kay’s memory.

The Breast Screening Service is also piloting a new approach to breast screening by widening the age range of women invited for screening.

“Evidence shows that breast cancer in younger women can be more aggressive. As such, it’s important to invite women for their first breast screening three years earlier, from 47 years of age rather than 50”, says Northwest Regional A&C Quality Assurance Co-ordinator for Breast Screening, Tina Summersgill.

Breast Family History Service In addition to receiving the latest in breast screening technology, the Breast Screening Service in April introduced a Breast Family History Service for women of all ages with a family history of breast cancer. Even though more than 8 out of 10 women who have a close relative with breast cancer will never develop the disease, having a mother or sister diagnosed with breast cancer approximately doubles the risk. “If members of your family have had breast cancer, or if a blood relative has been diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, our advice to patients is to speak with their GP,” advises Consultant Radiologist and Director of Breast Screening Dr. Raquel Tuano-Donnelly. Pictured: Andy Burnham, Debbie Dowie, Silas Nicholls, and Dr. Raquel Tuano-Donnelly with a piece of the new equipment.

14 _ Issue 9

HELP is on its Way!

WWL recognise that effective communication between patients, relatives and healthcare professionals is of the utmost importance during their stay in hospital. When a patient becomes acutely unwell it is vital that the concerns of the loved ones and carers are listened to and acted upon accordingly. Recent investigations into clinical events, however have shown that, all too often these concerns are not successfully addressed by ward teams. The Hospital Escalation Line for Patients (HELPline) was launched on the 5 August 2013. The launch was communicated extensively via channels such as local papers, social media, posters, leaflets and internal and external publicity. The HELPline gives relatives and loved ones of patients, who feel that their concerns which are not being addressed by ward staff, the opportunity to raise their worries to a Matron or Senior Nurse. Relatives are always encouraged to discuss concerns with a member of the ward staff in the first instance prior to contacting the HELPline. The benefits of the HELPline are: • It is available to all inpatients and their families (after discharge the Patient Relations team would address any concerns in the usual way) • Families will be able to discuss concerns not resolved at a local level when those concerns arise • Families and carers can be assured that the Trust is committed to listening to the concerns of patients and their loved ones Part of the on-going monitoring of HELPline includes a system of logging calls. This is conducted by Matrons and Senior Nurses. In total there have been 14 calls received to the HELPline in the 13 weeks of implementation. The calls have helped to improve situations on the ward and address all concerns raised by patients or their immediate family.

The Matrons answering the calls attended the appropriate wards in 4 cases. All the calls involved some degree of follow up between the wards concerned and the Matron on call. The HELPline is proving assurance to our patients and families that we take their concerns extremely seriously and that we aim to continue to improve the experience of every patient who comes into our hospital. The contact number for the HELPline is 01942 822111. It is prominently displayed across all our hospital sites, in wards and public areas.

Pictured left to right: Pauline Law (Deputy Director of Nursing), Clare Thomas (Senior Nurse – Professional Practice), Diane Lawrenson (Matron) and Maxine Callaghan (Matron).

Issue 9 _ 15

WWL Extends the Appointment Reminder Service

Many NHS organisations send their patients an automated reminder for appointments which they have booked to come into hospital or to see their GP. This is proven to reduce the number of instances (missed appointments) where patients have forgotten their appointments, or forgotten to cancel or reschedule appointments if it is no longer suitable. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust currently send reminders using the mobile text message service. This has proved successful in reducing missed appointments but is limited to the patients with whom we have a mobile contact number and does not allow changes to be requested. The Trust is now introducing automated voice messages to provide a reminder service to the majority of our patients. The service will call mobile or home telephone numbers having the additional benefit of allowing patients to confirm their appointment or request that it be cancelled or changed. A survey of Foundation Trust Members was conducted by the Patient & Public Engagement Department, This has provided patient and public views which have been used to inform the service design. The service will automatically call a patient’s mobile or home telephone, ask for the patient. For security it will ask them to confirm their date of birth before announcing the date and time of their appointment. It will then ask the patient to confirm the appointment or request that it is changed or cancelled. If the reminder call is during business hours there will be an option of being transferred to the Appointment Centre or requesting a call back. If the reminder call is outside of normal business hours then the patient will be called the following day to re-arrange the appointment.

Reminder calls will be made 10am - 7pm, Monday to Friday and all calls from the service will be free to patients. Patients who do not wish to receive reminder calls will be able to opt out of the service. The new automated voice message reminders will be sent 7-10 days before an appointment with the text message reminders continuing to be sent the day before, acting as a final “don’t forget”. The voice reminders service will commence as of November 2013.

16 _ Issue 9

WWL in Pictures

Left: Staff recently took part in the NHS Fun Triathlon. Several of our individuals and teams came in the top three. Below: The Richmond Urology Unit at the new Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, was officially opened by Mr Bill Richmond, retired Consultant Urologist.

Left: Cancer patients were given a musical treat as guitar/vocal duo Matthew Cleghorn and Ben Hayward hit the right notes during a 60-minute concert on the hospital’s Cancer Care Ward.

Right: A new multi-sensory room is now available on Rainbow Ward. The facility will be used by any young patient at the hospital who is frightened, stressed or struggling with treatment.

Issue 9 _ 17

Right: WWL’s A&E department were privileged to have BBC Radio 4 visit recently. They observed and recorded what goes on during an A&E shift, with the aim of providing the listeners a clear picture of a day in the life of the department, and the pressures the staff have to cope with. Below: Wrightington Hospital Radio had it’s new studio officially opened by Les Higgins, Chairman at WWL, accompanied by Mrs Barbara Lambert, the Chair of Wrightington Hospital League of Friends.

Above: Staff supporting the Macmillan Coffee morning. Right: Elizabeth Titley, Fundraising Officer and Lauren Bird (Neonantal Unit Nurse) visited St Peters Primary School to explain how the money that they raised will help babies on the Unit.

Above: WWL’s new Education Centre and Library was officially opened in May by Les Higgins, Chairman. Left: Employee of the Year, Andrea Arkwright, Head of Engagement with Les Higgins,Chairman.

18 _ Issue 9

The Trusts New Website

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust has recently launched its new website. The site was completed following a 12 month design and build project that involved input and feedback from a wide variety of patients, visitors, staff, Governors, volunteers and Executive and Non-Executive members of the Trust Board. The homepage is now more specifically focussed towards the needs of patients and visitors and the corporate information that the Trust makes available is now displayed via its own dedicated section. The two different sections of the site are colour coded within the Trust brand colours; ‘Patient/Visitor’ information is displayed in the Trust ‘green’ colour and ‘Corporate’ information being displayed in the Trust ‘purple’ colour. The homepage has a unique ‘Consultant’ display function which offers patients the option to easily find information on the Clinical Consultants and Specialities at the Trust via a user friendly selection menu. Our Patient Information leaflet section is steadily growing and we continue to display all of the existing Trust leaflets in three different formats which include: • a PDF version (for reading on screen or printing) • an audio version (for listening) • a high contrast/large text version (designed to be easily read by anyone with a visual impairment) You can take a look and visit the new site at www.wwl.nhs.uk With the advances in modern technology, websites are no longer viewed solely on computers and as such the site has been designed to adapt automatically, depending on whether it is being viewed through a normal web browser on a computer, a mobile device or tablet. Try it on your PC and then on your phone and you will see the difference.

With this in mind, all the functions on the site will work on any web browser, PC or Mac. Furthermore, the site is fully touch enabled for viewing via the touch screen iPad/iPhone, Android, Windows Phone or Blackberry devices. We have built the site to ensure it is compatible with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome. In terms of backward compatibility, it is fully functional going back as far as Internet Explorer 8. Some of the additional features of the site also include: • A new scrolling news function that adds colour and variety to the homepage and meets the current accessibility requirements. • Specific functions to increase font size and to change the website display colours for users who require ‘larger’ text or greater colour ‘contrast’. • Twitter integration keeping you up to date with the Trusts latest tweets • Printing and emailing web pages or content can now be done directly from within any page. • A dedicated function for displaying ‘Hospital’ emergency announcements - should the need ever occur. • A ‘Google Translate’ function for multi-lingual translations of the text on the site into any of the alternative languages offered by Google. • A more engaging news system that scrolls and adds images to the homepage The site also offers BrowseAloud integration which means the text on the site can be ‘read’ back to a site visitor using the free ‘BrowseAloud’ screen reader software. All in all, the new website brings the organisation completely up to date and puts us in good stead with future developments planned for the next two to three years. If you haven’t seen our new website, go try it out now.

Issue 9 _ 19

Leadership Safety Rounds

In 2012 the Trust began to undertake a series of Leadership Safety Rounds whereby each month an executive and non executive member of the Trust Board along with the head of quality improvement, visit a clinical area and meet with a group of staff to discuss quality and safety in the ward or department. From the beginning of 2013 the visiting team has been extended to include a Trust Governor. The composition of the team varies each month thereby enabling all Board Members and Governors the opportunity to get involved. Each visit lasts 1-1.5 hours the main purpose of which is to find out about good practice, as well as the challenges faced by staff, in providing a safe, high quality, service to patients. Following a brief tour of the area, the visitors meet with a group of 4-6 staff from the multidisciplinary team and a semistructured questionnaire is used to encourage staff to talk about that of which they are proud, what is working well in terms of quality and safety and how that is achieved, and the challenges they face. At the end of the meeting further actions are planned with the visiting team agreeing to take away up to 3 issues to address and leaving behind a further 3 issues for the staff to further work on.

Board Members, Governors and staff members have all given very positive feedback; they have found the visits to be informative and enjoyable and in many cases there has been real opportunity to support staff in improving the quality & safety of services. “The staff were extremely pleased that the Trust Leadership were taking a pro-active role in monitoring their performance and noting their concerns and views. They and I were also pleased that the issues needing action would be reviewed at a future meeting later in the year and not allowed to ‘drift’.” - Maggie Skilling, Governor for the Wigan Constituency, commenting on a safety walkabout around the Oncology Unit, RAEI. “They are very proud of the trauma service and would not like to see it taken away. The hands on training is very beneficial. Recent results show families are appreciative of their efforts and in fact a family recently made a donation to the department” Bill Baker, Governor for England and Wales Constituency, commenting on feedback from staff on the A&E Department

Many of the teams talk about the importance of a strong team, a good leader and excellent communication to the delivery of a safe, high quality service and there is a great emphasis on the desire to ensure patients have a good experience under their care. Over 20 clinical areas have been included in the visits so far and more are planned. All 3 of the Trust’s hospitals and the Thomas Linacre Outpatients Centre have been included. Many visits have been to wards but other departments such as operating theatres and intensive care have also been involved.

Pictured: Maggie Skilling and Bill Baker.

20 _ Issue 9

Everyone Smiles in the Same Language

Debbie Jones, Equality and Diversity Project Manager

Over the last 12 months, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust has been working hard to embed equality, diversity and human rights into the core of its business activity. We are committed to recognising and promoting equality and diversity within our community, and believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff should be treated with respect and dignity. A new Equality Strategy for 2012-2016 was launched in December 2012 following a 4 week consultation and as part of our ongoing work, a number of key developments have been achieved over the last 12 months. Some of these include: • Funding secured for 20 additional hearing loops throughout Trust. • New Breast Feeding Rooms at RAEI and Wrightington. • Easy Read Patient Information is being developed and rolled out across the Trust. • Continued engagement with service users. Patient Feedback is being used to improve service accessibility. Other initiatives currently being reviewed include the implementation of a new on-line appointment booking facility for hearing / speech impaired patients. Patients who are unable to use the telephone to contact the Appointment Centre, will now be able to contact the Appointment Centre on-line to book appointments In response to feedback from patients and volunteers, the glass partition in the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary’s main hospital entrance has been replaced by a new ceiling to floor glass partition. This new partition will help to reduce cold drafts within the main entrance, café and waiting area, especially during the winter months. A design for the glass partition is currently being developed to ensure the glass panes are more visible to service users, in particular the visually impaired and children.

In January 2013, the Trust published a Transgender Patient Guidance Document for staff – this supports staff to understand the needs of transgender / gender variant patients within a hospital setting. Other new features of staff training and guidance include:• A new staff communication book for people with hearing loss produced by our Audiology Department as a support document for staff. • Learning Disability Training will be delivered to staff during 2012/13. • An Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Management Training Module are being developed specifically for Trust Leaders and Managers. Training sessions are being rolled out during 2013/14. • A Disability Awareness DVD is currently being produced by the Trust, featuring patients and staff. The DVD will be used in staff training to raise awareness about some of the barriers disabled people face when accessing health care services. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation wants to encourage patients and its members to have their say on equality within WWL. Members who have opted to be part of our patient reference group will shortly be receiving a short Equality and Diversity Survey asking for your thoughts and feedback, the results of which will be published in the next edition of our membership newsletter. If you wish to participate and join the patient reference group, please contact your Membership Manager, Stephen Hand via email on [email protected] or on the membership free-phone 0800 073 1477.

Issue 9 _ 21

Wigan Folk Were Urged to Pass it On

Most of us would be willing to take an organ, if we needed one, but only a third of the population are actually on the organ donor register. Around 1,000 people die needlessly each year in the UK because there are not enough organs to go around; that’s three a day.

How to join the Organ Donor Register • Online at www.transplantweek.co.uk • By phone on 0300 123 23 23 • By texting SAVE to 62323

This years National Transplant Week was all about turning these figures around and ‘Passing it on’. To mark the beginning of the week WWL held a free family fun day. The aim of the event was to raise awareness around donors letting their loved ones know their wishes. It’s important that donors don’t make their family guess their donation wishes when they are trying to deal with their loss. Not having those important conversations could affect a family’s decision, meaning donation wishes are being left unfulfilled. Over 90% of families will agree to donation if a loved one is registered and has discussed their wishes but this figure drops to around 40% if the person’s wishes aren’t known. Julie Barratt, Matron in Intensive Care says:

“WWL are committed to raising the profile of organ donation and though the event was a great success and fun for all the family, we also managed to get our serious message across to the local community”. Pictured top, left to right: Janet Atherton, Cancer Information and Support Assistant at Salford, Andy Burnham MP, Julie Barratt, WWL ICU Matron and Emma Corrigan, Specialist Nurse Organ Donation at the Walton Centre.

22 _ Issue 9

Volunteers Within Clinical Audit

Clinical Audit is carried out in all Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust Divisions and Specialties to ensure services are the best they can be and offer improvement year on year. Although departmental resources are limited, a small team delivers an outstanding service to ensure quality improvement is monitored and services delivered in accordance with the Trust’s strategy of providing a Safe, Effective and Caring environment. Trust strategy includes putting patients at the heart of everything we do and that includes clinical audit. Four lay audit representatives sit on the Audit Committee, having undergone a robust recruitment and training programme. This was encouraged by a very enthusiastic Public Governor who provided her time and expertise to help out with both recruitment and training.

Steady progress continues to be made with lay representatives participating in several quality improvement projects, one of which was an audit looking at Urology services prior to the opening of the new Richmond Unit in the Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at Leigh Infirmary. Audit results achieved improvements to the information patients receive and their first Urology appointment. Further projects have involved the lay team in a multi-site audit of patient consent and helping audit patient property. As the results of these projects are received by Trust clinicians more interest is being generated in patient participation.

David Brown on the Audit Tea Break

Issue 9 _ 23

Margaret Hughes (Governor) with staff on the Audit Tea Break

National Recognition

Future Direction

The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) recently invited Audit Manager Liz Farnworth, Clinical Audit lay-representative David Brown and elected Governor for Makerfield Margaret Hughes to review the national Documentation and Guidelines for Patient and Public Involvement in Clinical Audit.

As demand for patient and public involvement in clinical audit flourishes, more lay members will be recruited to the team and involved in all specialties throughout the Trust. The vision within HQIP is to expand quality improvement initiatives into Social Care and across the wider health economy.

It soon became apparent that WWL lead the way nationally in patient involvement in Clinical Audit. Members of the review Committee included lay-representatives from other Trusts and Commissioning Groups, The Royal Colleges and other national organisations, as well as HQIP senior managers. Many of those present were enormously impressed with WWL’s patient involvement initiatives and requested some of our models be adopted as examples on the HQIP website (www.hqip.org.uk). “I feel that my role as a Lay Audit Representative sends out a clear message that WWL NHS Foundation Trust is committed to putting patients first,” says David Brown, attending his first meeting as Vice Chair of the Service Users Network at HQIP. “The skills of the lay representatives are being encouraged and developed to support this commitment as we are included in more improvement projects across the Trust.” HQIP Clinical Audit Awareness Week was celebrated in style at WWL in October. The Clinical Audit Staff along with their Lay Members, prepared by designing a display within the hospital main corridor. The display stand was amply equipped with information supplied by HQIP including quizzes, pledge forms, information leaflets to name a few. The information on the stand was displayed for a week and on Friday, 11th October, it culminated in a successful Audit Tea Break, to which all the Clinical Audit staff and lay members had contributed by both baking and buying cakes, providing tea and coffee to all the visitors to the department, and providing a wealth of information to all those who attended.

Further expectations are that patients and public audit representatives could be more involved in regional and national audits in the near future. WWL already has a representative sitting on the Independent Advisory Group helping to identify areas for National Confidential Enquiry. Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Foundation Trust can be very proud of its ground breaking Clinical Audit and Patient and Public Engagement teams.

24 _ Issue 9

Choose Well This Winter

Choose Well will help you decide if you need medical attention if you get sick. It explains what each NHS service does, and when that service should be used. Choosing Well means that you and your family will get the best treatment. It also allows busy NHS services to help the people who need them most. If you don’t know which option to choose, please contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. For more information please visit the Wigan CCG website at www.wiganboroughccg.nhs.uk

A&E or 999 A&E or 999

Difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, broken bones, burns or scalds, chest pain Choking, chest pain, If you’re injured or seriously ill you should go or be taken to A&E. Royal Albert Edward Infirmary’s A&E black outs, blood loss. department is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to treat serious and life-threatening emergencies. If it is obvious that you or another person is seriously ill and in need of Walk-in-Centre immediate emergency care, you should call 999 and ask for the ambulance service.

Cuts, itches, sprains.

Walk-in Centres

GP

Cuts, strains, itches, sprains Vomiting, ear pain, Walk-in Centres can treat minor illnesses, cuts and sporting injuries, and offer expert healthback advice ache. for you and your family. The Leigh Walk-in Centre is open from 7.00am to 9.00pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You do Pharmacist not need an appointment, and you will be seen by an experienced health professional.

Upset stomach, runny nose, headache.

GP

Vomiting, ear pain, sore belly, back ache NHS Direct GP surgeries across the Ashton, Leigh and Wigan area offer expert treatment for people of all ages. Registering is free, and means you can make an appointment with a doctor for medical advice, Unwell? Unsure? Needexaminations Help? and prescriptions. If you need to see a doctor urgently outside of opening hours, contact your local surgery. Self Care You will be given the number for, or be transferred to, the out-of-hours service.

Hangover, grazed knee, sore throat, cough.

Pharmacist

Diarrhoea, runny nose, painful cough, headache Pharmacies across the Ashton, Leigh and Wigan area can give you expert advice on common winter illnesses and the medicines you need to treat them, without the need for an appointment. Over-the-counter medicines are often cheaper than a prescription. Some patents may be eligible to receive a free supply of medicines.

Self-care

Hangover, grazed knee, sore throat, cough A lot of common winter illnesses can be treated in your home by using medicine and getting plenty of rest. It is worth keeping handy: paracetamol or aspirin, anti-diarrhoeal medicine, rehydration mixture, indigestion remedy, plasters and a thermometer.

Issue 9 _ 25

Catering for You

Are you planning a big event, having a special birthday party or getting married? Our Catering department can do it all! You don’t have to work yourself to the point of exhaustion to provide a delicious spread for your family and friends. The Trust’s Catering Department produce wonderful cakes and savouries, every bit as good as you could make at home. And their new hot and cold buffet choices mean you can mix and match to get the food you really love.

These are just a few of the delicious delights on offer. But, if you would like something ‘off menu’ the Catering Department will work closely with you to create the unique and bespoke menu for your event. Bookings over £10 include free local delivery.

Let them take the worry out of catering. They have all the professional equipment and staff to bake, cook and create lots of tempting treats. They also supply platters of top quality and generously filled sandwiches, freshly made that day on premises.

Did you know our award winning WWL catering team serve 2,000 meals every day of the year and visit inpatients up to seven times a day? In addition, the Team operates a thriving external business providing services to other Hospitals, Nursing Homes, the Local Authority and Community Luncheon Clubs in Wigan and surrounding towns.

They can offer a fantastic choice from the cold menu including: • Savouries: sausage rolls, pizza slices, spicy chicken wings plus Chinese and Indian selections • Sandwich fillings: egg mayo, cheese and pickle, beef and onion, prawn cocktail, ham salad • Salad Selection: coleslaw, potato salad, rice salad, pasta salad, fruit and nut salad • Dips: sweet chilli, mayo, thousand island, yoghurt and mint, blue cheese, salsa • Desserts: chocolate fudge cake, apple pie, lemon meringue, carrot cake, profiteroles, fresh fruit The mouth watering hot menu includes: • Accompaniments: various rice dishes, savoury potato wedges, red cabbage, beetroot, mushy peas, garlic and naan bread, poppadoms and dips • Main Course: meat and potato pie, chicken and mushroom pie, various chicken curries, Lasagne, cauliflower cheese, fisherman’s pie, chilli • Desserts: chocolate fudge cake, apple pie, lemon meringue, cheesecake, profiteroles, fresh fruit

All the profits made are used by the Trust to improve and enhance the care of its patients.

Top quality food remains the priority; WWL was marked ‘excellent’ in a recent unannounced assessment by the Patient Environment Action Team and all facilities have achieved 5 star ratings for food hygiene from the Food Standards Agency. So, pick up the phone and call the Catering Department on 01942 264455/4452 to place your order today!

26 _ Issue 9

Twiddlemuffs

Support patients with dementia by knitting a basic hand muff

Have you heard of Twiddlemuffs? Twiddlemuffs are a knitted hand muff with interesting bits and bobs attached. They have been designed and developed to provide simple stimulation for active hands while promoting increased flexibility and brain stimulation. Many patients with dementia have found the Twiddlemuff reassuring and comforting. We’d be delighted if any willing knitters could help us to create more Twiddlemuffs as part of our dementia awareness work. Don’t worry if you are not an expert. The patten is very simple. If you aren’t a knitter but still want to support the cause, we would welcome donations of new wool,buttons, ribbons, zips, or anything that could be used for the muffs. We’re doing a wide range of work to support patients with dementia. These muffs will provide our patients with something to sooth restless hands and minimise agitation. Please contact Chris Swann on 01942 82 2196 or via email at [email protected], if you need any further information. Please send your completed Twiddlemuffs or donations to: Twiddlemuffs c/o Jean Ramsdale Standish Ward Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust Royal Albert Edward Infirmary Wigan Lane Wigan WN1 2NN

Emma Cooke and Chris Swann are two of the many volunteers that have been busy creating Twiddlemuffs.

Materials • This muff pattern is perfect for using up left over and odd balls of wool. Different textures of wool is also good for stimulation. • Needles: 6.5mm straight needles or 8mm circular • Beads, zips, ribbons, anything that can be twiddled with but will not break

Directions Cuff • Cast on 40 stitches using 2 strands of double knitting wool, (you can also use one strand of chunky wool). • Work in stocking stitch (knit a line, pearl a line) for 11 inches (28 cm). Muff Body • Continue with stocking stitch and use up any oddments of various textures of wool. For example chunky, mohair, snuggly, ribbon, chenille. • Knit until work measures 23 inches (58.5 cm) • Cast off.

Decoration and finishing • Now is the time to decorate the muff body with beads, flowers, zips, loops etc. Make sure all embellishments are sewn fast and cannot be easily pulled off. • Neatly join side sides together with pearl side facing you. • Turn inside out. • Push the cuff up inside the muff body • Neatly sew together the two ends.

Well done and thank you for your support!

28 _ Issue 9

Wigan Reindeer Run 2013

Raising money for Cancer and Heart Patients for second year

Three Wishes, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh’s Hospital Charity, will be again staging the hugely popular Wigan Reindeer Run on 8th December at The DW Stadium The Run was a tremendous success last year, with hundreds of people signing up, donning antlers and running shoes. There was a fantastic family atmosphere at the Stadium and a real festive spirit. As well as staff and the local community, patients and their relatives took part. The eldest runner was 80 and the youngest 2. Race Day had the best day of the week weather wise and there were plenty of cheering onlookers to keep the runners going.

Gary, a runner from last year, told us how much he enjoyed taking part:“I am a keen runner (although not a great one) and done many other running events including, cross country races for my running club. It was nice to relax on a run and not worry about my time or position, or even my ankle (as I recently injured it and am just getting back running again). It was great also to see the kids at the front running and trying to be first to finish (without the competitiveness of position and times etc) and the toddlers at the back. I also loved seeing the elderly group being able to take part and everyone else running or walking with a smile on their face!” You really don’t have to ever have run before to enter, plenty of participants are walking the route (its only 5K) and we have people aged 7 to 70 years old already signed up. Most of all it’s about having FUN! Its £15 to enter for adults and £5 for children; you will get a T shirt and antlers, a medal and a goody bag at the end! If you have any questions or to enter the Run, contact Elizabeth Titley, Fundraising Officer on 01942 77 3805 or [email protected]

Issue 9 _ 29

8 De c 10.3 ember 0am DW a Stad t the ium, Wig an

30 _ Issue 9

8/12/13

Entry Fee: £15 for adults and £5 for children (under 16 years). Please make cheques or postal orders payable to Three Wishes Charity and send to the address below. Alternatively you can pay by cash or cheque at the DW Stadium ticket office. If you prefer to pay by card, please ring our dedicated hotline on 01942 773337 between 8.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Please return this form to: Elizabeth Titley Fundraising Officer Trust HQ Wigan Lane Wigan WN1 2NN

Issue 9 _ 31

Growing our Membership

Do you have friends or relatives who would like to become members? If you know someone who may like to join our membership, receive information, invitations to events and become involved with the Trust – please ask them to complete the below form with their contact information, and return it to the free post address detailed on the opposite page. It is completely free you just need to be 16 years of age or over.

Name:

Address Change If you are moving house don’t forget to add us to the list of organisations you need to notify. Your address determines the constituency that you belong to. It is important during Public Governor elections that all our Public Members are registered under the correct constituency. If there is more than one Public Member in your household, let us know if you would prefer to receive more than one copy of our Newsletter. Also if your details have changed, please call the Membership Office on 0800 073 1477.

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Address: .............................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................. ..............................................................................................................................

Postcode: ..............................................................................................................................

Email address: ..............................................................................................................................

Telephone number: ..............................................................................................................................

If you have any questions or would like further information about the opportunities and benefits available to members, please don’t hesitate to contact our membership office on 0800 073 1477 or via email at [email protected]

Photo: Two of our Members attending the recent Annual Public Meeting.

Issue 9 The Magazine for WWL Members

Contact Us Switchboard T: 01942 244000 Appointment Centre T: 0300 555 4567 Engagement Department T: 0800 073 1477 E: [email protected] www.wwl.nhs.uk

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Produced by Engagement Department and Corporate Communications

Listening to You

Starlight Children’s Foundation recently visited Rainbow Ward to stage a performance of Sleeping Beauty. They brought lots of fun and laughter for our young patients and their families.