Linda can be called to take her camera to anydepartment of the hospital at any time of day and isunfailingly empathetic, caring and professional in anysituation.

Her citation tells how ‘Linda treats all patients withdignity and respect even when they are rude anddismissive to her. Every patient she photographs istreated as important. She is always ready to attend at the drop of a hat, has to deal with extremely distressing situations and works tirelessly to get the best images possible.’

Excellence in actionFor Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust staff and volunteers Sept/Oct 2012

Dr Jan Prejbisz is the consultant students go to foradvice and support as they know he’ll take time to helpthem.Jan was nominated for the August award by a whole team ofadmiring staff – many of whom were there to cheer him on atthe presentation. Twenty years ago, Jan was almost sent back tohis native Poland when his study visa ran out. A chance meetingwith consultant oncologist Dr Anne Robinson secured him a jobhere – and he’s been with us ever since.

Jan is always willing to fill in where needed and he readily acts asa Polish interpreter for patients and families where necessary.

And, adds his glowing citation: “Jan never complains and hasgreat patient feedback. All have agreed that he is a pleasure towork for and with.”

Projecting the right image

Our first doctor hero

Medical photographer Linda Murray foundherself in front of the camera for a change afterwinning our July ‘employee of the month’ award.

Linda with non-executive director Clare Dobie

Jan and fan club

2

Trust bosses are committed to getting out and aboutaround the hospital to hear first-hand what staff on thefront line are thinking, and learn of any safety concerns.

HR director Sandra Le Blanc and chairman Alan Tobiasstopped to share a joke with young Jack Lane when they

visited Neptune ward where they were shown around bySharon Murrell, matron for women and children’s servicesand consultant gynae oncologist Dr Khalil Razvi, businessunit director. Meanwhile director of nursing Sue Hardyspent some time with staff on the recovery ward.

National BreastfeedingAwareness Week held littlefascination for new-bornHarvey Tegerdine – even hisfree vest failed to wake himfrom his contented slumber.The week aims to raise awareness ofthe health benefits of, and promotesupport for, breastfeeding and toincrease social acceptance.

Midwife and infant feeding advisor,Julie Newby, said: “The World HealthOrganisation and UNICEF BabyFriendly Initiative recommendbreastfeeding as the optimal way tofeed infants to reduce healthinequalities. We want to highlightbreastfeeding, not only as a feedingmethod but as a healthy lifestylechoice for mum and baby.”

Laid-back Harvey modelsthis year’s must-have vest

Sharps injuries are anoccupational hazard whichneed not happen if stafffollow the best practiceguidelines - as ourawareness day made clear.The event covered everything fromhow to minimise the risks to actionsto take should a sharps injury occur.

And it was a good opportunity to

reinforce some of the golden rules:• Never leave sharps on trolleys• Seal sharps boxes when two-thirds full

• Dispose of sharps immediatelyafter use

Michelle Hercules, occupationalhealth adviser, said: “Despite staff’sbusy schedules, the exhibitiongenerated a great deal of interest,with 264 staff attending.”

Sharp-smart

From board to ward

EverybodyMatters Everything Counts Everyone’s Responsible

3

Rehab assistant Angelique Rosariosaid: “All the different sportingactivities are excellent for improving

strength and coordination, and fun atthe same time.”• The rehab team is still appealing

for items such as material, paper,buttons and glue. Call Sam onext 6592 if you can help.

Whether you are grabbing abite to eat, getting the carserviced, learning to kite surfor buying your wedding outfit,there is probably a firm ortrader out there to help ease the financial pain – as those ofus who visited the staffbenefits exhibition found.

Hardly surprisingly, the event drewbumper attendance figures andorganiser Lisa Green (pictured) said: “We do have some excellentdeals available for staff and new onesare being offered all the time, soplease do check out the site onSTAFFnet.”

The rehab area on our stroke unit was transformed into a miniOlympic Park, with everything from badminton and cycling totable tennis and walking-stick hockey. Patients made bunting,trophies and medals to create their own London 2012 atmosphere.

Once in a lifetime experienceOutpatients HCA Bryan Record helped make Olympic historywhen he volunteered as one of the much-feted Games Makersduring the championships.Bryan spent five days looking after spectators at Lee Valley white water centrewhere he met Team GB medallist David Florence (pictured), who took silver inthe canoe slalom. He then moved down to the Hadleigh mountain bike coursefor the final weekend. Bryan says: “I saw lots of the action and was only reallycalled on to treat headaches and blisters. My abiding memory is of the fantasticatmosphere, the looks on people’s faces as they saw the venues and the friendliness. It was absolutely brilliant.

“All the medical team are now planning to ‘shoot the rapids’ at Lee Valley in an inflatable raft.”

He is next setting his sights on Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games – and even on the 2016 Rio Olympics.

On the winning side

Reaping the benefits

A growing demand for halal meal choices led Medirest cateringmanager Mick Hailey to have urgent discussions with specialistsuppliers.Now, after close consultation with members of the local Muslim community, a widerange of halal options has been introduced to our restaurant and patient menus.

Mick explained: “Although patients have previously been able to choose the halaloption, we did not provide any pureed meals for patients with difficulty swallowing.Now that has been remedied, using mashed potato for carbohydrate as rice cannotbe pureed. Our supplier has only halal produce in the factory to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.”

A large selection of halal sandwiches is also delivered to the hospital daily. Leaders of the local Muslim community weredelighted with Mick’s achievements. Majid Pankhida said: “There is such a big demand for halal food both from patientsand hospital staff. It is absolutely fantastic that Mick has gone to so much trouble.”

EverybodyMatters Everything Counts Everyone’s Responsible

Catering for all

4

When our advert for a liaison nurse forpatients with learning disabilities firstappeared, Sarah Haines could not believe hereyes. It was the job she had been dreamingabout for so long – her area of expertise andjust a stone’s throw from her Westcliff home.Having worked with this patient group in the mental healthtrust for 20 years as a ward sister, it was hardly surprisingthat Sarah landed the job. She brings a massive amount ofexperience to the remit but admits: “It’s a huge job andbecause it is a new role, I am shaping it myself.”

As well as helping to mould policies to meet the needs of LDpatients, she is supporting ward staff caring for thesepatients. Although three wards – Eleanor Hobbs, CastlePoint and Balmoral – have been designated specialist LDwards, the clinical need will always dictate where the patientis treated.

Sarah says: “I have been brought up in an LD world and sohave built up a certain rapport with this group of patients.And I enjoy making sure they get the care they deserve. Ithink I bring some insight on how to communicate and buildrelationships with them and their carers.”

As she points out, the term ‘learning disabilities’ covers avast spectrum, with some patients completely unable toverbalise their needs and fears. So she is keen to create morepicture booklets to enable them to express themselves. Shealso works closely with the community teams to make sureeverything is in place when patients leave hospital.

Sarah says: “I am available to support ward staff on requestand am working directly with more complex cases as andwhen needed.”

Sarah can be reached on extension 6448.

I have been brought up inan LD world and so have

built up a certain rapportwith this group of patients

After spending the last five years concentrating ononcology and rheumatology research, Pam Long hasreturned to her orthopaedic roots and taken on the role offracture prevention clinical nurse specialist.She will be focusing on patients who come in with fragility fractures –breaks sustained in a low-impact fall. Those aged 55-plus will be askedto fill in a questionnaire to assess their risk of going on to breakingmore bones. Pam, who is based in rheumatology, said: “We arelooking at lifestyle measures like diet, weight-bearing exercise, alcoholconsumption, smoking and steroids use. I may also need to check forover-active thyroid, low Vitamin D levels or low testosterone in men. Abone density scan might be required – I will be working to NICE guidelines.”

As a nurse prescriber, Pam will be able to start appropriate patients on a regime of medication herself. Shesays: “Some weeks I may get up to 50 patients who need special help. It is really important that they areidentified as these breaks can be very painful and debilitating and, by sustaining one fragility fracture, thepatient has an increased risk of future fracture. They cost the NHS a lot of money in treatment and bed daysand we need to do all we can to prevent them. It is an area which has been somewhat neglected in the past soI am determined to raise awareness.”

Pam will be alongside consultant rheumatologist Prof Bhaskar Dasgupta when they speak at a meeting of theNational Osteoporosis Society at Southend Library on Thursday, September 20 (see page 12).

Pam’s new role

Sarah lands her dream job

5

Keen to keep the momentum going,our wound management team hasorganised our own awareness eventon November 16, world-wide Stop thePressure Ulcer day. They will be settingout their stalls, market-style, in the oldboard room and hope to attractpassing trade from patients andvisitors as well as staff. It will beanother opportunity to hammer homethe importance of keeping patients:

• clean and dry• well-supported withcushions/mattresses

• mobile• well-nourished and hydrated

And, following on from the successearlier this year of blood-clot cupcakesto highlight VTE dangers, there will beteatime treats decorated withulcerated body parts, courtesy ofBalmoral ward HCA Jo Bates. Anyone

who can correctly identify grades ofpressure ulcers will receive their cakeas a prize.

Gina Somerville, associate woundmanagement CNS, said: “The teamwants to highlight the importance ofthorough skin scrutiny for our at-riskpatients: early inspection means earlydetection.”

* www.stopthepressure.com

Nursing staff are beingurged to scroll and clicktheir way along thepressure ulcer path* as westrive towards our goal ofhaving no avoidable grade2 or above pressure ulcersby December.To coincide with a regional drive inSeptember, they are all being issuedwith a laminated prompt card toremind them of five key checks whenassessing patients at risk.

What pressure?

Just how green can we get? The WET (waste, energy, travel) team is hoping thatwe’ll dig deep enough to knock £33k off our mammoth £1.29m* electricity bill byMarch next year. They have introduced green pledges – to make sure we don’t just pay lip service to the green message.

The execs have been first up to go public with their promises. Undisputed gold medallist is interim director ofestates and facilities, Colin Cadwallader, who has pledged a whole shopping list of actions to save energy andreduce waste.

They include turning off his computer screen, lights, printer, fax and photocopier before leaving for the night;disposing of paper, cartons and plastic in the appropriate recycling bins; printing out emails only when reallynecessary; switching off his mobile charger at the mains when not in use; checking his car tyre pressure everymonth; using the stairs instead of the lift; getting on his bike – oh, and taking a shower instead of a bath! Colin– you are a shining example to us all!

Post your promise on the STAFFnet green pledge wall:http://intranet/noticeboard/Lists/Green%20Pledge/AllItems.aspx?PageView=Shared

Fifty shades of green

*To put that figure into perspective – it’s enough to pay for another 61 nurses or 91 HCAs.

Full steam ahead - Our annual plan – taking us to the futureEverybodyMatters Everything Counts Everyone’s Responsible

We have all started to understandhow our values can really make a

difference to how we go about our work,but they are also at the heart of how we

will achieve our plans for the future.

Each year we produce an annual plan which sets out not only what we want to

achieve as an organisation, but also what weneed to do to achieve it. Here we have taken

our six core objectives and summarisedbelow how the annual plan will get us onthe right pathway to making these aims

a reality.

6 Partnership – our hospital and our community

We have been at the heart of the community we serve since 1932 and we want to ensure that the services we provide continue to meet the needs of that community. And just as that community has changed over the years so have we. Continuing to embrace that change will enable us to provide the level of care that is relevant today and tomorrow.

This means we need to work and develop relationships with those who refer patients to our care, those who pay us to provide care and those who receive our care.

We will also continue to work alongside our other partners such as the local and county councils, otherhospitals and our universities.

By working together we will make our vision to provide excellent care from excellent people come alive.

1 Patient focus – keep getting betterWe must all take responsibility for the experience of the patients we treat.

They are our priority and we must always put them at the centre of what we do. By doing this we want to getgreat results in patient surveys, as they tell us what we have achieved. We aim to be in the top 20 per

cent of trusts in the country for patient experience. The introduction of Board to Ward visits to lookat patient safety issues is one way we are working to make this happen. And patient safety and

experience are at the top the agenda – quite literally - for every meeting.

We want to move towards becoming a seven-day hospital– which means doing what we do

Monday to Friday over theweekend too and having

senior leadership inplace seven days a

week.2 Sustainability – keep the core strongKeeping the core strong is about making sure we getthe basics right every time, meet our targets and that we cancontinue doing so into the future.

This means we must do what we say we are going to do, from the top down, to ensure all of ourcontractual obligations as afoundation trust are achieved, and that we are able tomove back to a green governance rating from Monitor.

We are committed to maintaining atight control of our finances by ensuringour risk rating is maintained at 3 orabove and saving the money we havepledged to save as part of the cost improvement programme.

4 Research, education and innovation – invest in the futureInnovation may be a buzzword these days, but we want it to become embedded in what we do.

By supporting and investing in research and education opportunities, we not only enhance ourreputation as a care provider, but are able to continue to attract high-calibre staff from around the world.

Quite simply the more research bids we make, the more funding we get to carry out projects which will improve the outcomes for our patients.

5 Staff – feel proud to work here and keep making a difference

Taking pride in what we do is important to us all, so we needto make sure the place we work makes us feel valued, listened toand supports our development.

We will continue to improve communication withstaff, and to recognise and reward those who go the extra mile with schemes like our HospitalHeroes awards (see page 1).

We will listen to your views and suggestions tomeasure how we are doing and to identify theareas in which we need to do more.

We want to be the hospital of choice for ourpatients but also the employer of choice for our staff.

3 Sustainability – grow selectively

As the NHS changes we want to ensure we remain in the best position to offer the right services, free at the point of access to people in

the most convenient and appropriate way, using the latest technology andinnovation.

In the annual plan we have said we will build on what we excel at and look at how we canhelp more people to benefit from that excellence, while at the same time generating more

money to re-invest into service improvement.

This means looking at new ways and places for our staff to deliver care both here at the hospital and out inthe community, closer to patients through local clinics or even in their own homes.

See the full annual plan on STAFFnet

Dr Emily Helliwell (centre) gotthe consultants’ vote in thisyear’s poll to find the ‘BestFY1 Doctor’ and took theprize from Southend DistrictMedical and Dental Society.Highly commended were DrLetitia Dormandy, Dr BoyangLiu (both pictured), Dr HenrySeligman and Dr ElizabethField. Scores were based ontheir clinical ability,competence and willingnessto learn.See page 11 for more top docs.

What can you do in 20minutes? Read the paper?Prepare a packed lunch?Write a blog post? Phone afriend?Or… you could fill in the staff surveyform you should be receiving verysoon. That’s really as long as it takes –and it could make your working lifehappier and, in turn, improve ourpatients’ experience of SouthendHospital.

After all: Everybody matters, so yourresponses to the survey carry as muchweight of those of the bosses (it’scompletely anonymous so no-oneknows who has filled in which form).

Everything counts. The Trust boardreally does want to know what you

think about working here and howit can be improved. They arealways listening to staff’s viewsand, where possible, actingon them. In fact, our set ofvalues was born out of onestaff survey where it becameclear that not everyone feltvalued in their particular team.And steps were taken to re-route patient trolleys away fromthe busy public areas after you voicedyour concerns. So things do get done.

Everyone’s responsible - so do notwaste this valuable opportunity to ‘tellit like it is’. And, of course, it is not justthe gripes we want to hear but the bitsyou think we are doing well. It all helpschief executive Jacqueline Totterdelland her fellow executives get a goodpicture of how staff are feeling, whatthey like about the hospital and whatthey’d like to see improved.

Associate director of HR, Keith Warrior,who is working with managers on thesurvey, said: “There are some things wecannot change – like the amount of

money we will be receiving from theNHS. But we can change how we dealwith these difficulties and help eachother get through these challengingtimes.

“We are trying to make the hospital areally good place to work – and thatwill make it really good place to betreated. So please meet us half way byfilling in the survey.”

This year, all staff will be invited to fillin the forms – remember, it is just 20minutes out of your day. And it couldmake such a difference.

8

We are trying tomake the hospitala really good

place to work

Top of the docs

Twenty minutes to improve your life

It is always interesting to know what

colleagues in other areas of the hospital are

doing – but our staff working at our Orsett

Hospital ‘outpost’ fear that no-one else

even knows they exist!Altogether, we have more than 30 staff in the eyedepartment there providing the same services forpatients as the on-site eye unit. This includes achildren’s clinic; diabetic retinopathy clinic; minorops; age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) clinicand Botox for squint correction. The only thing that’snot done there is surgery requiring a generalanaesthetic.

Staff nurse, Jackie Smith, said: “We are a very happyteam and really enjoy our work – the clinic is a littlebit of Southend in Thurrock. But sometimes we feellike we are the forgotten cousins and that no-oneelse knows we are here.”

The clinic came to the fore in the summer whenorthoptist Reshman Patel, who works in thechildren’s clinic, was featured in the local media afterspotting potentially-fatal brain cysts during a routineeye check on a patient. It was not the first timeReshma’s expertise had saved a life. Four years agoshe noticed the first signs of an aggressive braintumour in a young teenage boy’s eyes.

Having the clinic on their doorstep is obviously a great boon for patients in the south-west of the county, whowould otherwise have to travel down the A127 for

their treatment.

Jackie says: “The majority of our patients are elderly whoappreciate not having to drive so far.”

9

We’re getting better….We were delighted when this year’s PEAT (Patient Environment Action Team) scores gave usan ‘excellent’ rating for our catering, with ‘good’ in both the environment and privacy anddignity categories. Last year, we were assessed as ‘good’ in all three areas.Sue Hardy, director of nursing, said: “Our top rating for our food reflects an enormous amount of work whichhas been carried out by our caterers Medirest in conjunction with our dietitians and nutritionists. Apart frommealtimes being a highlight of what can often seem a very long day for patients, good and adequate nutritionplays a big part in recovery.

“It is great that we have improved on last year’s PEAT score, but of course we will not be completely happy untilwe get ‘excellent’ ratings in all three categories.”

A little bit of Southendin Thurrock

10

Welcome to:Dr Leila Bafadhelconsultantcommunitygeriatrician who isdividing her timebetween us andthe communityhealth services toimprove care forour elderly patients and allow them tomaintain their independence for aslong as possible.

Leila joins us from the Royal BerkshireHospital. One of her first priorities willbe to develop the community geriatricservice.

She says: “It is a fantastic specialty aswe get to deal with the patient in aholistic way and have time to get toknow about their home set up as wellas their physical and mental well-being. In a hospital setting you do notalways get that 360-degree picture.”

Farewell to:Anne Berry,dietitian, who hasretired after a longcareer with thehospital. Annespecialised in careof the elderly andoncology.

She’s planning to live in France andindulge herself in all her artisanalskills: gardening and making bread,cheese and, possibly, soap as well asmaking inroads into her enormouscollection of books.

Colin Davies,pathology ITmanager, whohas retired after atotal of 26 years.Colin’s ambitionto work inpathology lookedscuppered when he failed hischemistry O level. But he joined ourmedical records department while hestudied for a re-sit at night school,then successfully applied for a lab job,keeping up his studies to climb thecareer ladder. Colin had a 16-yearbreak in the commercial sector before

returning to us as pathology ITmanager in 2003.

Apart from his professional expertise,Colin will be remembered as astalwart of the legendary hospitalrevues which actually started life inthe labs in the late seventies.

He’ll not be hanging about long afterhe leaves – he and his partner Lindseyhave big plans to tour around Europein their new motor home, spendingthe winter months in the Alps. Whenthey do touch base they will bespending more time with theirgrandchildren, catching up ondeferred DIY and grooving withColin’s fundraising band Wheelz.

Clinical systems manager LaurenceHazell has now taken over the role ofpathology IT manager.

Ros Syers,assistantlibrarian, whohas retired aftera total of morethan 24 yearswith us. Whenshe first started,computers werebarely in use in the library so she hasseen ‘fantastic’ technological changes,including the introduction of theinternet, from which she learned somuch. Ros also played a key role inimplementing a number of differentlibrary systems.

Her leaving was hastened when shefell very ill with Guillain Barresyndrome last year which kept her inhospital for two months and off workfor six.

She said: “I really want to convey myheartfelt gratitude to everyone wholooked after me during my time hereas a patient – in intensive care, theacute respiratory unit and rehab. I amvery lucky and cannot thank themenough.”

As the former chairman and secretaryof the now-disbanded SouthendHospital Art Club, Ros is lookingforward to taking up her brushesagain and getting everythingshipshape in her new bungalow.

Liz Glenister,head ofmidwifery andgynaecology,who is retiringafter more than30 years with us.Liz joined us todo her midwifery training at Rochfordafter leaving her nursing officer postat Great Ormond Street Hospital.

During her time here she played a keyrole in introducing Downs syndrometesting to the maternity unit when itwas still very new. She was alsoinstrumental in bringing maternityservices to the Southend site,designing the women’s clinic andhelped to produce the virtual tourDVD for prospective parents.

Liz will remain as supervisor ofmidwifes.

Congratulations to:Physio Anna Tipton for scoring TeamGB’s first goal in the Paralympicsgoalball event. Fantastic! Anna andher teamates have raised the profile ofthe sport.

Danielle Harrison herappointment asward managerof Southbourneward, whichfocuses on careof patients withhip fracture.Danielle hasbeen acting ward manager for somewhile and is looking forward to thechallenge ahead and developing theskills of her staff following thetransition from an elderly care ward.

Cath Comeryon herappointment aspracticedevelopmentnurse for themusculoskeletalunit. Cath was

Welcomes, congratulations and farewells

11

previously a staff nurse in theorthopaedic department for 12 yearsso brings a wealth of experience tothe role.

Dr Kershin ‘Audrey’ Soo and DrBoyang Liu, (pictured here withassociate dean, Dr Fernando Moro-Azuela) for winning the Teaching andEducational Excellence award.

The award recognises theiroutstanding contribution toeducation for both year 3 and final-year medical students.

Medical education manager, KatiePalmer, said: “Doctors need to beclinical teachers – it is important todemonstrate early in their careersthat they have the ability to impartknowledge. And it is great formedical students to be taught bythose who have recently graduated.Peer education provides a very goodsupport network.”

David Parkinsthe new deputychair of our boardof directors, whohas taken over therole from ClareDobie.

Our car parkteam for retaining their Park Mark,awarded to show stringent safetycriteria have been met – no meanfeat when you consider that in thepast year there have been 900,000vehicles on site. Operational servicesmanager, Kevin Chinnery, said histeam made every effort to ensurevisitors and staff can feel safe in thecar parks.

Mark Bibby of the British ParkingAssociation, said: “This shows whatcan be achieved by the dedicationand diligence of all personnelconcerned. Kevin and his teamshould be congratulated for all theirefforts to make everyone using thesite feel confident of their safety.”

The ‘crash team’, a group of stafffrom A&E (pictured) who raised morethan £300 for charity in the 54-mileLondon to Southend bike ride – andmade it home without having to callon each other’s expertise!

Lung cancer CNSJo Phelps onachieving herMasters degree inadvanced nursingpractice. Jostudied hard inher own timewhile also looking after her youngfamily of three girls aged nine, 11and 15. Jo admits it was a ‘hard slog’which got harder as it went on and isnow looking forward to a well-earned break from studying.

Happy Birthday……to HeadStrong, the hair lossadvisory service for cancer patients,as it celebrates its fifth anniversarywith us. Anyone with hair loss due tocancer treatment can visit our breastunit in the Nightingale Centre tolearn stylish scarf-tying techniquesand try on hairpieces and hats.Volunteers are also on hand to talkthrough any concerns. For more info, go towww.breastcancercare.org.uk

Lorraine Harwood11 January 1951 to17 June 2012

Lorraine was a much-loved and respectedsecretary in theanaestheticdepartment whoalways had a cheerfulgreeting for all she met.

Colleague Pat Francis said: “She will besadly missed by all who knew her. Shewas a very strong, brave lady and thoughshe has gone from us now, she will not beforgotten by all of us who had theprivilege to work alongside of her.”

Mary Plews19 May 1958 to 9 July 2012

Mary was happy,warm-hearted,funny and alwayssaw the best inpeople.

After training atSouthend School of Nursing back in theseventies, she worked her way up tobecome deputy manager of Rochfordward.

Colleague Fiona Mowatt, said: “Marywas a dedicated nurse who waspassionate about her patients and alwaysstrove for excellence. She touched somany lives and has left a legacy of loveand compassion with everyone she met.We will miss her gentle ways, quirkysayings and radiant smile.”

Christine Cook20 June 1962 to18 July 2012

Chris also spent herwhole working lifewith us. Aftercompleting hermidwifery training,she worked on thematernity unit where she was a well-respected colleague and friend to otherstaff.

Amanda Cushing, bereavement supportmidwife, said: “Chris was a kind,hardworking midwife who took excellentcare of her patients.”

She leaves a husband, two children,father, twin and older sister as well asmany nieces and nephews.

Obituaries

12

Michael Daley’s ShirleyBassey impersonation islegendary.Now you will have a chance to see itfor yourself when, in trademark figure-hugging gown, he takes to the PalaceTheatre stage at Southend Hospital’sGot Talent show on September 28.

Senior HCA Michael and staff nurseCaroline Diggin, both from A&E,dreamed up the idea to showcase our

hidden talentsto have a bit offun – and raisefunds for ourdementiapatients.

After months ofauditions, 21acts – frommusical puppets and a performing dogto singers and bands – are lined up fora spectacular evening’s entertainment.

Tickets are on sale now at £12.50 (or£9 for under-16s and over-65s) – callKayley Harvey on ext 6401.

Give us a twirl, Shirl!

Taking the lead again

National Osteoporosis SocietyThursday, September 20

7.30 to 9.30pm at Southend Library

Professor Bhaskar Dasgupta and CNSPam Long presenting on our fractureprevention service (see page 4).

MSK study daySaturday, September 29

Shoulder and ankle ‘hands-on’ coursein the ed centre. Aimed at specialtytrainees and anyone with a specialinterest in MSK imaging. £50including lunch – for full detailscontact Denise Southgate (ext 5627)or Katie Palmer on 5082.

Children’s Acute Transport Service(CATS) study day

Thursday October 4 – in theeducation centre

Contact Julie Dibbens on ext 6372.

Quiz night

Friday, October 26 at the FreightHouse, Rochford

In aid of our Bosom Pals Appeal OnThe Road

7.30pm for 8pm start. Teams of eight- £6 per head. Contact ext 5337.

Diamonds Are Forever charity ball

Saturday October 27 at Orsett Hall

In aid of Bosom Pals Appeal On TheRoad

7pm start. Tables of 10 or 12. Tickets£48 include reception drink, three-course meal, half bottle wine andevening of entertainment : Tribute toJames Bond and Jackie Wilson Says(13-piece soul band).

Christmas craft and gift fair

Sunday November 25 at the MillHall, Rayleigh

In aid of Bosom Pals Appeal On TheRoad

10.30am to 4pm

Research and audit day

Friday, December 7

In the education centre lecturetheatre (culmination of quality weekwhen posters are on display).

Mini masterclasses

In the education centre from 7.30pmto 8.30pm

Tuesday, September 11

Update on minor injury and softtissue injury management

Speaker: Mr Brian Burgess

Wednesday, September 19

Inflammatory arthritis and PMR

Speaker: Professor Bhaskar Dasgupta

Diary Dates

We notched up another ‘first’ in Julywhen we became the first trust inthe Essex Cancer Network (ECN) togo live with our oncology electronicprescribing system, ChemoCare.

Given that altogether there are around550 different combinations - orregimens - of oncology drugs, we tooka phased approach to introducing thenew technology. First up was breastcancer where all patients nowattending for chemotherapy will havetheir own individual electronictreatment record which can beaccessed by all authorised staff involvedin their care.

Every step of the patient’s treatment ischarted on a single record – from the

moment the consultant makes adecision to treat and orders the drugsto be made up. Staff in pharmacyproduction can set to workimmediately, taking into account thepatient’s weight and height and bloodresults to ensure the drug dosage isaccurate and tailored to the individualpatient.

The system is also capable of bookingpatients into treatment sessions on oneof the Carlingford centre’s 23 chemochairs and will automatically block outthe amount of time needed forindividual sessions.

Following this successful introduction,other tumour sites such as colorectaland lung will gradually come on board

– so there’s plenty of work still to do!

Consultant clinical oncologist AnneRobinson (pictured here with projectmanager Anjum Sair and Ryan Wong,ChemoCare lead pharmacist andoncology support), said: “Thepharmacists have done a fabulous jobestablishing ChemoCare and trainingstaff in its use.”