Greg has now completed a total of 10hemi-wrist arthroplasties – a procedurewhich involves removing three bones inthe wrist and replacing them with asteel alloy implant. He is now teachingthe technique to other surgeonsaround the world.

The beauty of the implant is that it canreplicate the mobility of the actualwrist bones.

One grateful patient, Stewart Locke(pictured here with Greg), believes fateled him to Greg’s door. After sufferingpainful wrist problems for many years,he believed his only option was to havea bone fusion. But with two youngchildren, a kitchen fitting businesswhich entails sawing and hammering –not to mention a passion for golf – theprospect of not being able to flex hiswrist was alarming.

Fortunately a series of delays with hisprevious consultant meant nothing was

done before heheard aboutGreg’spioneeringwork.Stewart, 50,from Clacton, said: “When I first sawhim, he had just been to America toresearch the operation and was readyto try it.“As it was totally new, there was notmuch information available. But hewas very positive – and I am quite apositive person myself.”Despite the doom-mongers whowarned against it, Stewart decidedanything was better than a bone fusionso, in August last year, he became onlythe fifth person in the world toundergo the operation.Greg said: “So many everyday activitiesinvolve wrist movement. In the past,there were really only two treatments

available for patients like Stewart: atotal wrist replacement with metalimplants attached to the end of thearm and to the hand, separated by aspacer to allow hand movements, orfusing the wrist bones together.“Both techniques meant only limitedmobility.”

Stewart said: “I have no regrets at alland am very happy with the outcome.I would recommend the operation toanyone in the same situation andespecially as an alternative to fusingthe wrist together.

“It is still early days but I am hoping toget back on the golf course any timenow.”

Greg leads the worldin pioneering surgery

For Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust staff and volunteers April/May 2012

The aim is to make sure Look featuresnews and information that you reallywant to know about and that you finduseful in your work. Having a bi-monthlymag means that you now have moretime to get your news on the front – orone of the inside pages!

Contact Pat Stone in thecomms team with all yournews and she will do herbest to feature it in the nextissue. Pat is on ext 5048 oremail her atpat.stone@southend.nhs.uk

New Look Here!Welcome to your new-look Lookmagazine! As part of improvingthe way we communicate witheach other, we have redesignedour staff magazine, made itbigger and will now be bringingit out every two months.

Orthopaedic consultant Greg Packer (picturedright) has earned his place in medical history bybecoming the first surgeon in the world toperform a new type of wrist replacement.

2

Brenda’s incredibleachievement

1967 – the year football legendBobby Moore received an OBE; theUK applied for EEC membership; SirFrancis Chichester completed hissingle-handed sailing voyage aroundthe world; the Beatles releasedSergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts ClubBand; BBC Radio 1 went on air andFord launched the Escort. Oh, and itwas also the year Brenda Willis cameto work for the hospital – fresh out ofschool, aged 16.Forty-five years later,Brenda has finally retired from theclinical coding department to spendmore time with husband, Steve,tending their garden and newly-acquired allotment.

Long service runs in Brenda’s family –her father was a porter at RochfordHospital for 44 years. She started therein medical records and transferred herewhen the hospital closed in 1995. Shehas worked in various departmentsincluding outpatients and maternitybefore starting coding in 1988.

One of the highlights of her long andloyal career came in 2008 when, inrecognition of chalking up 41 yearswith the NHS,Brenda was invited toattend one of the Queen’s gardenparties at Buckingham Palace.

She says: “I have never moved onbecause I have loved it – why go ifyou are happy?”

Hardly surprisingly, there was standingroom only at her leaving ‘do’ whenclinical coding manager CherrySanchez described Brenda as a hard-working, conscientious, very loyal,peace loving ‘oracle’ and a surrogatemum who cared for her colleagues’well-being.

Cherry added: “Her hardworkingachievement is incomparable – wemay actually need two people toreplace her.”

Carole’sretiring forfun!Carole Butlerretired in April2012 afterworking innuclear medicine

reception for nearly 19 years. Caroleknows exactly how she plans to spendher retirement: ‘having more fun’,which will include meals, shows anddays out with her work colleagues aswell as seeing more of her threechildren and three grandchildren.

Farewell Linda – andsee you again soon!Linda Luza,neonatal nursingsister, has left usafter 14 years –having previouslynursed for 15 yearsin her nativeZimbabwe. Whileworking here, Lindacompleted herdegree in midwifery but now she hasdecided she needs more quality timewith her three grandchildren and thechance to make more frequent visitsto her father in Africa.

Neonatal unit manager, MaureenBarnes said: “Linda will be missed forher dedication to caring for babiesand for staff. She has been aninvaluable team player both inmaternity and neonatal services.”

Happily, we have not seen the last ofLinda, as she is expecting to do someodd shifts to help out.

Awardedandretired atthe sametime!Lesley Cranfield,consultantbiochemist andacting head of

biochemistry, retired at the end ofApril after 30 years with the NHS.

Helped by her love of science,Lesley’s career path was set after aschool visit to her local hospital in

Kirkcaldy, Scotland when she wasjust 16. She started her working lifein that same hospital and came to us23 years ago via the Whittington andKing’s College in London.

Her retirement coincided with thepresentation of a rock crystal awardfor services to the southern regionfrom the Association for ClinicalBiochemistry for which she has beena union rep for 15 years.

A self-confessed ‘outdoor person’,Lesley is looking forward to spendingmore time in the garden andwalking, visiting her family and doingsome travelling.

Debbie Packwood, head oflaboratory operations, said: “We aregoing to miss Lesley in so many ways.She has built strong clinicalrelationships throughout the Trustand beyond and has become ourexpert in paediatric biochemistry. Shehas been part of many committeesand management groups and spentmany hours in governance forpathology and the trust. And she hasbeen a key player in teaching ourjunior doctors, scientists and GPs.

“We will miss Lesley’s smiling faceand bubbly personality; quite simply,she will be a hard act to follow andwe thank her for her commitmentand passion for the pathologyservices and the Trust and wish her along and happy retirement.”

Boosting our acutemedical teamWelcome toDr AshrafMahmood Syed,consultant acutephysician, will beworking in theacute medical unit,alongside the A&Eteam.

After qualifying in 1986, Ashrafspent 23 years in the Pakistan ArmyMedical Corps where he achieved therank of a senior lieutenant colonel.During this time, he won ninehonours, awards and medals,completed his Fellowship of theCollege of Physicians & Surgeons(FCPS) in 2002 and won a scholarship

Welcomes, congratulations and farewells

3

to the UK in 2004 to train innephrology at the Royal LondonHospital. The following year hereceived his Certificate ofCompletion of Specialist Training(CCST) from the specialist trainingauthority of the Medical RoyalColleges, with an entry to the GMCspecialist register.

His first impressions on joining ourconsultant body are of a congenialworking environment with excellentfacilities, with good scope for doingclinical research.

Ashraf, who has a daughterstudyingat Imperial College London and ason at City University London,enjoys lawn tennis, photographyand pencil sketching.

Welcometo our newpermanentsurgeonMr VyomeshBhatt, is our newconsultant oraland maxillofacialsurgeon, whojoins consultant oral surgeonMr Kandasamy Ganesan in thedepartment of oral andmaxillofacial surgery. This is aparticularly welcome appointmentas, since Mr Peter Weller retired acouple of years ago, the service hasbeen provided on an ad-hoc basisby a series of locum consultants ortemporarily upgraded staff.

Vyomesh said: “We hope that theservice will now flourish withenhanced quality services as a resultof better clinical governancemechanisms, training andeducation under our leadership.”

Vyomesh completed his basicdental qualification in south Indiawith distinction in 14 subjects. Hewent on to specialise in oral andmaxillofacial surgery and, followinga year teaching in a dental school inIndia, moved to the UK in 1998.Since then he has worked in anumber of hospitals, completing hismedical training with honours anda number of prizes from

Birmingham University where he isnow an honorary lecturer. Justbefore coming to us, Vyomeshspent eight weeks in Freiburg inGermany on an intense fellowshipin maxillofacial trauma anddeformity surgery.

His particular interests include:

• General and maxillofacial trauma

• Congential and acquired facialand jaw deformity

• Salivary gland surgery

• Paediatric oral and maxillofacialsurgery

• Facial skin lesions

• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ)disorders

• Maxillofacial and oral pathology

• Oral medical conditions

• Complex dento-alveolar (bonessupporting the teeth) surgery,including pre-prosthetic surgeryand implants

Married with a three-year-old son,Vyomesh is an advanced traumaand cardiac life support instructoras well as an examiner with theRoyal College of Surgeons. Outsideof work, his interests are cycling –he recently helped raise £11,000pedalling from Birmingham to Ypresin Belgium – cooking and learninglanguages. He speaks five Indianlanguages fluently as well asEnglish, Italian and French and iscurrently learning Spanish.

Well done David!• The estates and facilities team

send major congratulations toDavid Law on successfullycompleting on the IntermediateLevel Apprenticeship inEngineering in January 2012.

• Congratulations to Kay Judd andClare Gates from the pathologyteam for passing their diplomasfor semen analysis, set by theAssociation for BiomedicalAndrologists. (For those of us notin the know, andrologists carryout male fertility testing and postvasectomy analysis!)

Keeping theircustomers satisfiedStaff who work to keep all ourmedical equipment in tip-topworking order are on a high aftertheir medical library became the firstNHS hospital equipment library inthe country to gain British Standardaccreditation.

The department itself, which maintainsand services about 16,000 items ofmedical equipment from bed frames andlife-support systems to hoists andwheelchairs across the Trust, has beenworking to a BritishStandards qualitysystem for sometime.

Paul Goodfellow,MEMS generalmanager, said: “Wepurchase, maintain, dispose of anddecommission equipment correctly.”

Now the library, down in the basementof the MEMS premises at the back of thehospital near the eye unit, has itselfgained ISO 9001:2008 – a tried andtested framework to ensure customer(ie, our) satisfaction.

The library holds 1,500 different piecesof essential equipment. Need a bloodpressure machine right now? Go toMEMS. The service runs 24/7 to provideurgently-needed items to wards anddepartments.

Paul said: “We aim to deliver therequested item within three hours of acall. When staff have finished with it, wecollect it and clean it, ready for the nexttime it is needed.

“It is a very cost-effective system as ourwell-stocked library eliminates the needfor different wards and department tobuy their own costly equipment, whichmay then stand idle for much of thetime. We make full use of theequipment, sometimes lending it out anumber of times a day.

“The accreditation is geared towardsmeeting the customers’ needs. We havefully structured procedures which areaudited on a regular basis by BritishStandards and our own internal audits.

“We are a progressive department andare thrilled that our service has beenrecognised.”

4

A true-to-life child mannikinwas the focus of concentratedmedical and nursingattention in an hour-longexercise in emergency care.Three-year-old ‘Little Johnny’ presentedas a seriously-ill child, transferred to theNeptune unit from A&E andaccompanied by his distraught ‘mum’ –aka critical care’s lecture practitionerGill Donohue.

The highly-sophisticated mannikin – onloan from the Postgraduate MedicalInstitute at Anglia Ruskin University –reacts just as a bona-fide patientwould. It has a pulse, it blinks and itspupils dilate, it can be cannulated,intraosseus needles can be insertedthrough the hard cortex of the bone tothe softer marrow, and it can turn blue

to indicate low oxygen levels.

Prof John Kinnear, consultantanaesthetist and director of medicaleducation, acted as simulator operatorthroughout the exercise, so that LittleJohnny’s responses reflected thetreatment he was receiving.

Julie Dibbens, practice facilitator forpaediatrics who helped set up thescenario, said: “The exercise was amulti-disciplinary team approach tolearning and included a paediatricconsultant, registrar, junior doctors andall grades of nurses. Afterwards, wehad a full debriefing with paediatricconsultant Anupam Shrivastava todiscuss aspects of the scenario andtreatments for the particular conditionpresented.”

In this case, that was diabetic

ketoacidosis, indicated by theKussmauls breathing (heavy, labouredbreathing as the body attempts toeliminate acids) but the symptoms canbe changed for different scenarios.

In the past, the only option was totravel to the ARU campus atChelmsford for the training, but Julie ishoping to stage more and more in-situsimulations here on the hospital site,giving staff the best of both worlds.

“They are designed to be as much likereal life as possible, which is why wehad Gill posing as the distressed mum.We are hoping these sessions willbecome a regular occurrence.Ultimately, this training is aboutimproving patient safety by improvingthe way healthcare teams work,” shesaid.

‘Little Johnny’ puts paediatricteam through their paces

They are designedto be as much like

real life as possible,which is why we hadGill posing as thedistressed mum.

5

Our highly-acclaimed stroketeam has scooped two awardsfor their participation in recentresearch trials.The awards, from the Thames StrokeResearch Network, recognise the

Southend team as recruiting themost patients into clinical trialsdesigned to improve the survivaland quality of life of stroke patients.

Southend is gaining a far-reachingreputation for its enthusiasm for

clinical research. Lead strokeconsultant, Dr Paul Guyler, praisedthe team for their passion forparticipating in research trials andfor making real progress inimproving patient care.

Stroke team scoops research awards

A new leaflet and card havebeen launched and areavailable for patients whowould like to make anadvance decision to refusetreatment.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 givespeople in England and Wales astatutory right to refuse treatmentthrough an advance decision. It is alegally binding document. It enablessomeone aged 18 and over, who hasmental capacity, to refuse specifiedmedical treatment (which couldinclude life-sustaining treatment) for atime in the future, when they maylack the capacity to consent to / refusetreatment. It should state any specifictreatments that the person wishes torefuse. The advance decision shouldbe discussed with the person’s GPbefore it is made, as they can help theperson understand the benefits anddrawbacks of refusing medicaltreatment in the future. The personmay also choose to talk to a solicitor,who can ensure that his/her views areclearly documented.

The leaflet gives information aboutmaking an advance decision. Thecard is pocket-sized and informspeople that an advance decision hasbeen made. It also specifies who hasbeen given a copy of the person’sadvance decision.

The leaflet (Form2138) and thecard (Form 1363)can be orderedfrom JohnBlundell at theprint shop.

For more information on advancedecisions, please access this website –www.direct.gov.uk and put‘advance decision’ in the search box.

If anyone with a diagnosis ofdementia would like to make anadvance decision, there is afactsheet available from theAlzheimer’s Society and this canbe downloaded from theirwebsitewww.alzheimers.org.uk

centreCLINICAL

Please read this. . .I have made an‘Advance Decision toRefuse Treatment’

ALERTAdvance

decisionalert

Pressure ulcers cause patients long term pain and distress.

If you’re a healthcare professional, please take a look at this two minuteanimation, which might be full of surprises and practical help for youand your colleagues: www.stopthepressure.com

To make it easier for you to prevent and treat pressure ulcers, step bystep, please use the Trust's new pressure ulcer pathway. This is beinggiven out now to all wards and departments by matrons and extracopies are available from the print shop.

You can see how our new pathway fits well with the new regionalpressure ulcer path by checking out www.stopthepressure.com/path

Stop the pressure

76

Our NewVision-what we do

It's spring – the season of new beginnings! It's also the start of a 'new year' for the Trust –as our year runs from April to March – so now is the perfect time to launch our brandnew vision and strategy for taking our hospital from ‘good enough’ to ‘excellent’.

Our vision is our goal - it is what we are aiming for all the time.Our new vision is to provide excellent care from excellent people.

Like all the best visions, it's simple, but effective. It's easy to remember and tounderstand. It's also quick and easy for people to assess whether or not we are doing it!

Our strategy is our plan for howwe are going to achieve ourgoal (our vision of excellence).

The NHS is facing radical changes underthe new Health and Social Care Act andsignificant financial challenges. For ourpatients, new treatments and innovationsmean that healthcare today is moreeffective than ever before. At the sametime, as staff, we face major changes inlocal commissioning and regulation,increased competition and the need todrive down costs, while driving up ouractivity and quality of care.

To do all this, we need a strategy to 'grow'substantially, but selectively, the serviceswe provide in the hospital, the high streetor at home. Put simply, we are going to:

• Expand what is excellent

• Improve what is good

• Deliver what is essential

• Stop doing what is done betterelsewhere

• Grow excellent services to achieve£300 million income within five years

• Make our staff feel proud to workat Southend

Rather than just having a long 'to do' listof actions, we have divided the strategyinto six basic strategic themes:

1 Patient focus – keep gettingbetterTo ensure the care experience ofpatients and their families isexcellent

We value excellence. That'swhy our vision (our goal) isabout being excellent andour strategy (our 'how to'plan) is about achievingexcellence.

The reasons why we are focussedon excellence is because our valuesare:

• Everybody matters

• Everything counts

• Everyone’s responsible

We know you, our staff, value beinglistened to, that you are passionateabout quality care and about doinga good job and we know you wantto be accountable for yourexcellence and for us to recogniseyour achievements.

We know we have to be aninnovative and dynamicorganisation that proactively seeksto improve patient care, experienceand outcomes

We know we need to be engagedwith our communities andstakeholders.

But we also know we need to beclear about what excellence lookslike, so that we are know exactlywhat we are aiming for and how weare going to get there together.

The best way to understand this isto look at our three values and setout clearly what we will do for eachto achieve excellence:

In this issue of your new-look "Look", you will find examples of how we are all alreadydoing some of this work. These examples are badged as 'excellent' so that we can all -from board to ward - get used to what excellence looks like at Southend.

OurValues -why we do it

Staff are encouragedManagers:• Create an environment of openness, trust, honestyand challenge.

• Reinforce the strengths of the team.• Manage performance positively and honestly andhave courage to provide regular constructivefeedback.

• Motivate and coach people, irrespective of differences.• Use their own influencing skills to lead otherswithout relying on formal authority.

• Demonstrate listening, understanding and respectfor others.

Communicating with staffManagers:• Make messages clear, relevant, consistent and concise.• Ensure all staff are communicated with, irrespective of differentwork patterns and roles.

• Pursue two-way communication within teams, between teamsand across functional areas.

• Ensure people have the information they need to be able todeliver.

• Demonstrate listening, understanding and respect for others.• Are sensitive to unspoken words, body language and expressions.• Adapt their style of communication to the audience - even anaudience of one individual.

Staff see where their role fitsStaff:• See where their role fits in the organisation andunderstand the impact of their own actions.

• Understand resources and costs associated with thedelivery of their services.

• Adapt to new information or situations.

• Identify areas for improving services and implementthese.

• Encourage and demonstrate innovation and creativity.

Staff do the right thingStaff:• Focus on delivery and monitor their progress against plans.• Plan and assign resources effectively.• Proactively resolve issues and conflicts to ensure delivery.• Follow Southend Hospital's preferred processes and methods.• Have a 'can do' attitude and develop credible solutions tochallenges and obstacles.

• Have the drive to deliver results and meet or exceed relevantobjectives.

Staff take responsibilityStaff and managers:• Learn from experience and seek personal feedbackfor their own development.

• Maintain a high standard of work and composure -even in difficult or hostile situations.

• Take responsibility for their own mistakes and don'tshift blame to others.

• Demonstrate energy and enthusiasm.• Avoid subjectivity and uphold ethical standards ofbehaviour.

• Behave with integrity and in a professional manner,upholding the values and ethics of the hospital.

Staff are the patients' championsStaff and managers:• Seek ways of making things better to improve customerservice to patients and carers.

• Reflect and reassure patients that their needs are understood.• Demonstrate concern for patient care and for ensuringpatients receive the best care possible.

• Are sensitive to differing patient needs and act accordingly tomeet these needs appropriately.

• Are disciplined in their behaviour and follow SouthendHospital's processes.

• Have the courage to challenge colleagues appropriately whena patient's needs are not being met.

Our New Strategy -how we do it

2 Staff – feel proud to work hereand be making a differenceTo foster the skills required tocreate an excellent organisationwith excellent leaders

3 Sustainability – growselectivelyTo seek opportunities to growservices in which we excel

4 Research, education andinnovation – invest in thefutureTo develop our areas of expertisein research and training, and buildon our existing innovation

5 Sustainability – keep the corestrongTo ensure we get the basics rightevery time

6 Partnership – our hospital andour communityTo support our relationship withthe community and stakeholdersto shape services in our hospital ofwhich we can all be proud.

The executive team and the business unitdirectors have used these themes todevelop their focussed action plans todeliver the new strategy (See our AnnualPlan 2012-2016 on the intranet). Theseplans have outcomes we can measure,so that we can see where we are doingwell and where we may need to put inmore effort, or perhaps look again athow we are trying to do something.

Jacqueline Totterdell, chief executive.

The Care Quality Commission(CQC) has just published theresults of its 2011 inpatientsurvey.The survey is made up of various typesof questions about our patients’experience during their time in hospitaland the results of the 2011 surveyreflect the views of patients dischargedfrom the hospital last June.

Last year, Southend had 29 areas in thebottom 20 per cent of Trusts nationally.This year, our results show a massiveimprovement, with 27 of these movingup the scale and just two areas forSouthend to shift from the bottom20 per cent. It is highly likely that

introduction of new initiatives such ascare rounds have contributed tothis improvement.

Jacqueline Totterdell, ourchief executive said: “Animprovement of this scale insuch a short space of time is areal achievement and I am soproud of each and every oneof you. I would like to thankstaff for their continued hard work andcommitment to developing services forour patients and carers.

“The survey has proved very helpful inshowing us where our patients feelwe’re doing well, but also the areasthat need improving.

“Clearly we’d like to be in the top 20per cent, and over the coming year

we’ll be workingeven harder toensure that wecontinue to improveour services forpatients and carers.I hope that nextyear’s survey results

will reflect this andshow a high level of satisfaction in allareas”.

8

Dr Alex StoneIt is with great sadnesswe announce the deathof consultantanaesthetist Dr AlexStone. Alex was apopular, caring, energeticand highly-competentmember of staff whoseloss will be acutely feltby all who knew him.

He was clinical lead for thesurgical high-dependency unit, critical care outreachservice and resuscitation as well as chairman of theresuscitation committee and, until March 31, chairmanof the department of anaesthesia and critical care.

Chief executive Jacqueline Totterdell said the impactof his death would rip the heart out of theorganisation for a while. Alex was a rising star whogave 150%. Finance director Brian Shipley describedhim as ‘a top bloke’. Colleagues who signed the twocondolences books told how Alex’s kindness,commitment and expertise had touched their lives andinspired their own careers. One spoke of his ‘courageand willingness to champion the right course withsuch passion and determination’.

Another summed up Alex’s impact:

‘Some people come into our lives and quickly go;Some stay a while and leave footprints on our heartsAnd we are never, ever the same.’The funeral was held in Little Baddow with donationsin Alex's memory chosen by his two young children.A joint memorial service for Alex and two anaesthetistcolleagues who died recently, Dr Saumshi Nagaray andDr Clint Buckoke, was held in May.

Doreen CurnoIt is with sadness and regret that we announce thedeath of Doreen Curno. Doreen worked in thecellular pathology department for more than 17years and was a very committed and conscientiousmember of staff.

She had been married to her husband Martin for morethan 40 years and had a daughter and son, as well as atwo-year-old Grandson, Olly.

Colleagues paid tribute to Doreen saying: “She was avery lovely lady who would go out of her way to helpother people if needed would put everyone elsebefore herself and was a pleasure to work with overthe years.

“CellPath has certainly lost a valuable member of staffwho always managed to put a smile on the faces ofpeople who knew her well and those who just mether briefly. She will be sorely missed by all.“

Obituaries

An improvementof this scale in

such a short spaceof time is a realachievement.

National inpatient surveyresults - we are getting there!

The Trust’s new ‘lunch with the bosses’ sessions got off to agreat start in April, when these invitees had the chance toexchange views with the chairman and chief executiveinformally round the lunch table.Every month Alan Tobias, chairman, andJacqueline Totterdell, chief executive, invite10 randomly-picked members of staff to jointhem in the boardroom for a bite to eat anda chat.

Jacqueline said about the April event:“The staff said they all felt they could talkfreely, everyone had an opportunity to speakand it had been worthwhile. For us, it wasreally good to listen to how they felt things were going in their areas and whatthey would like to change. And it was good to have some non-interruptedtime and talk about where the hospital is going and how we may get theretogether.”

Alan added: “I think everyone felt at ease and certainly everyone contributed.It was good for me to hear views from different perspectives and have thechance to understand what makes the hospital work. It was also encouragingto see how everyone inter-related and how they seemed to gain an, albeitbrief, insight into the work done by colleagues they might otherwise nevercome across.”

Lunch atthe top table

9

In fact, this initiative has sparked improvements already. For example,it was discussed that there was sometimes delay and frustration whenpharmacists had to wait for keys to the drugs cupboard on the wards. Ithas now been agreed for the pharmacists to have duplicate keys.Simple, but effective!

The staff said theyall felt they could

talk freely, everyonehad an opportunity tospeak and it hadbeen worthwhile.

In June 2012,the Trust islaunching abrand newstaffachievementaward scheme calledSouthend Hospital Heroes.As you know, our new hospitalvision is to provide excellent carefrom excellent people. Our questfor excellence can only be achievedby developing the skills of staff atall levels, ensuring that we all havethe same set of values and attentionto detail because:

• Everybody matters

• Everything counts

• Everyone’s responsible

Southend Hospital Heroes is a wayof valuing the many people whocontribute to this vision. The awardscheme aims to recognise peoplewho go “above and beyond” intheir role, who promote goodpractice and who inspire others –helping us all to deliver outstandingpatient care.

Please consider nominating acolleague who you think fits theabove criteria and who deserves tobe named ‘Employee of the Month’.The first winner will be chosen nextmonth and will be presented with acertificate from the Trust board, a£50 voucher and will be featured inthe next edition of The Look.

If you would like to nominatesomeone for Employee of theMonth, please visit thecommunications pages on STAFFnet.Nominations are welcome from allstaff and must be in by 15 June2012.

As well as the monthlypresentation, all winners will beinvited to an annual gala dinnercelebrating all aspects of excellenceat the Trust. So get nominating!

SouthendHospitalHeroes

10

Speech and language therapists inSouthend Hospital have now startedwearing a uniform.There has been a really positive response to the newuniform (white tunic with lilac piping / white polo shirtwith lilac print), which was introduced at thebeginning of the year.

The therapists report that they are now much moreeasily identified as health professionals by staff,patients and visitors. They also like the new uniformbecause it is more practical and helps them withmeeting infection control standards. And, almost asimportant perhaps, they say they also have to spendfar less time considering what to wear to work!

A&E staff nurses Sarah Blewitt, CarolineDiggin, Nula Kelly and Betsy Doxfordcreamed, mixed, whisked and swirled toproduce enough cakes to fill a bakery.When word got around, customers swooped likehungry vultures, raising funds to redecorate therelatives' room in the department.

A&E staffnurses’deliciousfundraisingcake sale

Amanda Burton, webservices manager in IT anda biology graduate, andVictoria Cole, seniorbiomedical scientist inmicrobiology, are takingtheir hands-on everydayexperiences of using scienceand technology out intolocal schools to inspire morelocal girls to train for ascientific career.

Amanda and Victoria are STEM(science, technology, engineering andmaths) ambassadors. Victoria said:“Locally, we have a lack of womencoming forward to work in thescientific areas of the hospital and wewant to help change that situation”.

Both are looking for more Trust staffto sign up as STEM ambassadors. Youcan contact Amanda or Victoriadirectly via email, or you can find outmore about the scheme atwww.explorestem.co.uk

Great careers stem from here

Uniform talking point

yourwork

11

Bang on trend and all geared up for the season, rehab assistantsNickii Seaton (left) and Hazel Lincoln model some of the stylishmillinery produced by stroke patients at their regular craftsessions.Hazel explained: “We have different projects for different times of year. It helpspatients with cognition, memory, socialising and improving their motor skillsand upper limb movement.”

Citizendog!Zeke, one of our PAT(Pets as Therapy) dogswon first place at Cruftsin the good citizen dogcategory. We are all soproud of him!

It’s hats away girls!Mum-to-be Christabelle Guichardhad her week planned out witha visit to her midwife, and then ascan before her baby was due tobe induced. But nine days beforeher due date, tiny Ruby decidedshe could wait no longer.When the pains began to intensify,Christabelle, 21, called a taxi to come toHospital. But on the journey here thebaby’s head started to appear. Once inthe hospital corridor, Ruby was born.Luckily Christabelle’s partner’s mother,Ruth McNelly, a healthcare assistant inthe outpatients department, was thereto help out.

Staff immediately arrived with screensand took mum and baby, still attached,up to the post-delivery ward. Ruth said:“Christabelle was so pale I was afraidshe would pass out, so I forced her tothe floor and caught the baby. When ithappened, there was no-one at allaround so I screamed and staffappeared from nowhere to help. Theywere all marvellous.”

Christabelle said: “I was in labour forhours with my son Riley so I certainlydid not expect Ruby to be born quite asquickly as that!

Baby Rubycouldn’t waitto be born!

in pictures!

International Nurses’ DayWe are looking for your stories for a feature in The Look. Ifyou have had a memorable nursing experience, or youwant to share why you came into nursing, or what youthink makes a good nurse or you have any interestingnursing stories, please email pat.stone@southend.nhs.ukor call Pat on ext 5048.

Tai Chi classesClasses have started again! Please call the occupationalhealth and wellbeing service on 01702 222900 forinformation. Please wear loose clothing and socks, andbring a towel and water.

Reflexology and back massagesPlease remember to take advantage of these free half-hoursessions. To book please call the occupational health andwellbeing service 01702 222900. The sessions are held onthe hospital site.

Nominate now in NationalLeadership Recognition AwardsIf you work with an individual, a board, or a partnershipthat has made a significant impact through outstandingleadership practice, take the opportunity to nominate them

now for a national NHS Leadership Recognition Award. Theawards celebrate leaders working at every level of thesystem and are open to everyone working for, or on behalfof the NHS in England.

Visit www.nhsleadershipawards.nhs.uk to nominatenow; the deadline for nominations is May 31 2012. If youare nominating someone, please let the comms team knowso that we can cover it in a future issue of The Look.

Help Ladybird children collectThe nursery children are busy collecting lots of excitingthings for them to play with and would be delightedif anyone could help them with:

• Wallpaper and squeezy bottles

• Children’s story books

• Net curtains or material

• Art and crafts materials

• Natural resources such as out-of-date flour, rice, pasta,cornflour, pine cones, acorns, conkers

• Pots, pans and kitchen utensils for play

Drop off at the Ladybird nursery please.

As part of the Trust’s equality and diversity policy, the communicationsdepartment is committed to ensuring this publication meets the needs of allour staff. If anyone would find it helpful to receive The Look in an alternative format,eg large print or audio please email the communications department.If you have an item that you would like to see published in The Look, contact Pat Stone on ext: 5048 or by email.Deadline for next edition – Friday, June 22.

Girls and gears!Any day during this week sign upfor 45 mins ladies-only basic bikemaintenance session run by RichardTwomey, the brains behind theaward-winning ReCycle Centre.Visit the BUGWUG FORUM on theintranet any day during Bike Weekfor more details and to sign up.

Monday -Bikers’ breakfastSupplied by Medirest. From 7.30am, asyou park your bicycle, collect abreakfast ticket from any hospital cycleshelter, then show it at the Spice of Liferestaurant, plus your cycle helmet, bike

pump or bike saddle to receive a freecoffee/tea and toast.

Tuesday - Cycle lotteryToday 20 tickets will be randomlyattached to parked bicycles. Contactthe number on the ticket to receiveyour free high visability back pack andgoodies.

Wednesday - Doctor BikeCyclesUK Road Show and Bike DoctorDay. The boys from CyclesUK will behere all day to give your bike a healthcheck-up. They will perform a basiccheck and maintenance free of chargeand supply written recommendations ifany further work is needed.

Thursday - Cycle lotteryToday 20 tickets will be randomlyattached to parked bicycles, contact thenumber on the ticket to receive your freehigh visability back pack and goodies.

Friday - New cyclistawardsHigh visability back pack and goodiebag given to the first 10 new cyclists(started cycling to work on or after 01June 2012) who cycle into work everyday during bike week. Simply email apicture of yourself each day on yourbike in front of any hospital bike shelter(the date will be displayed on eachshelter from 7.30am) totravel.office@southend.nhs.uk toreceive your prize.

Bike to Work Week –18 to 22 June 2012A week packed of events to

celebrate the Hospital's cyclists!

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