Member News January 2014

8/13/2019 Member News January 2014

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Member

NewsJanuary 2014 - Issue 2

Stop the

Pressure

MembershipEvents

Keeping You WellThis Winter

Helping

Children Shine

Flu

Safe


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2 We Put Quality First We Focus on People We Take Responsibil ity Member News- Jan 2014

Welcome to the second edition of Member

News, your guide to local community healthand adult social care services. We would

like to wish our membership a happy and

healthy New Year and hope you enjoy

reading about the Partnership Trusts activity

over the past six months.

Investing in People for Top Quality Care

Our Support Worker Apprenticeship Academy

launched in September to nurture our own caring

and compassionate workforce. The academy gives

young people aged 16-18 the chance to develop a

career in the NHS by gaining hands on health and

social care experience.

Working with Stafford College we are also providing

the opportunity for individuals to gain a qualification

credit framework level 2 in Health and Social Care

along with valuable practical on-the-job experience

for those wishing to pursue a career within the

NHS. This is an exciting programme not only for the

Partnership Trust but for young individuals wanting

to progress their studies in a practical environment.

Welcome

Enterprise-ing Partnership Keeps

District Nurses on the Move

District nurses are receiving a helping hand to

reach patients in more remote parts of the county

during severe weather this winter. Thanks to a

partnership between the NHS and vehicle hire

specialist Enterprise, 4 x 4 vehicles will be available

when snow or heavy rain hits making sure district

nurses, community matrons and other health and

social care staff can still visit poorly patients at

home.


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3www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk

Trust Scores Top

Marks with Patients

in National Survey

Standards of food,

cleanliness and wellbeing

in our community hospitals

have been awarded excellent

ratings by patients in results

published by the Health

and Social Care Information

Service.

The Patient Led Assessmentof the Care Environment

(PLACE) programme focuses

entirely on non-clinical

issues and looks at how the

care environment supports

patients privacy and dignity,

food, cleanliness and general

building maintenance and

dcor.

Quick News

Partnership Trust drives recruitmentafter substantial investment in

Nursing

More than 100 new nurses are now working

in Staffordshire communities following a

recruitment campaign to improve the range of

services we provide for the growing numbers

of patients with complex conditions. Since May

2013, more than 35 new recruits including

staff nurses, nursing practitioners and advanced

nurse practitioners have joined to work in our

five community hospitals. An additional 90

community nurses have also been appointed to

work across North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-

Trent as district nurses and community matrons.

Keeping You Well This WinterAcross Staffordshire, community health and

social care services have been working with

partner agencies and the voluntary sector to

keep local people well and cared for at home

during the winter months.

Community nurses, therapists and social care

staff work closely as a joined up team to make

sure you have the care you need to keep you

well and independent.If you receive care at home, make sure your

family, friends, carers or neighbours know

how to contact your community team if you

become unwell.

Be Flu SafeRespect those you care forRespect your code of practice

Flu Safe

Our staff are committed to providing the best care and services

and this year has seen the biggest take up of the flu vaccineamongst health and care workers. We want to make sure our

workforce is well and can carry on providing services as well as

helping to prevent spread of the virus to vulnerable patients.


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Membership EventsEverybodys Talking about

As part of our programme of membership events we recentlywelcomed more than 80 people to a showcase of our speech and

language therapy services . The event supported The Royal

College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)

national Giving Voice campaign which highlights

the importance of supporting people with speech,

language, communication and swallowing needs

with its slogan speech and language therapy

transforms lives.

Joanne Fillingham, Trust Professional Head of Allied

Health Professionals, said: Speech and language

therapists work with children and adults to helpthem overcome or adapt to a vast array of disorders

of speech, language, communication and swallowing.

This event has helped speech and language therapy services

demonstrate Speech and Language Therapists unique

value to national and local decision makers, showing

evidence of their efficiency and value for money, and the

response from our membership and local people has been

fantastic.

Our Services inActionThe highlight of the Speech and Language

Therapy Service Showcase was service user

Mr Jeremy Sowter, who gave a moving

account of how our services were helping

to transform his life. Using specialist

technology and learned strategies to help

him deliver his presentation, and with

Speech and Language Therapist HeatherJones on hand to offer moral support,

Jeremy achieved one of his major recovery

goals at the event when he spoke about

his experience to an audience of almost

100 people.

Giving voice in superb style, Jeremy

described the stroke he had suffered in

July 2011, which left him unable to speak,

read or write. Jeremy spent five months


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undergoing rehabilitation at the Haywood Hospital in Burslem before he was able to go home. For the first

six months, Jeremy also had difficulty understanding what was said to him and was also able to say just two

words: Max and Vince, he explained. Ive no idea why.

Speech and Language Therapists worked with Jeremy and gave him a laptop which had special softwareon it to enable him to practice speech sounds. His understanding of speech improved during this time and

his case was assessed by the Access to Communication Team. This team gave Jeremy an electronic tablet,

which allowed him to create sentences by touching a picture of a word on the screen and forming this into a

sentence. As the tablet and speech and language therapy intervention improved Jeremys reading and writing

skills, his use of the tablet also improved and he now uses this at home and out in public as he regains his

confidence.

With the help of this tablet, Jeremy described some of the things he can now do that so many of us take for

granted:

I couldn't say too much originally but now I can order food in a restaurant, read my emails and manage my

diary, he said. I can also name objects and people with ease but putting them in a sentence is still difficult. Iknow that I am improving though and I am half way to speaking properly. The motion tablet is perfect because

I can use the Grid Beeline software."

Jeremy has also been referred to the Stroke Association, a charity in the UK that works to support people

affected by stroke. He now attends two

communication groups a week and has seen

further improvement in his speech.

Jeremy still has significant word finding

difficulties and his journey is not over

he rates himself as being at about

60%. However, his quest for constantimprovement saw him achieve an enormous

personal goal. To speak in front of a large

group of people was something Jeremy

found easy before his stroke and seeing the

effort required to overcome this hurdle left

some audience members in tears. These

turned to laughter however when Jeremy

ended his talk by joking: I hope no one has

any questions!


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Quality UpdateThe Partnership Trust has a strong Quality Framework in place, setting out how we will deliver high quality care

for local people over the next five years. We are now well on the way to implementing our plans, responding

as we do so to recommendations from national reviews. Thank you to all those members who took the time

to give their input as part of a consulation into our quaility strategies. Your thoughts and ideas were much

appreciated and where possible included in the strategies. You can now access all three supporting strategies

and our consultation report on our website.

You Said We Did!

Our Staff

We are working hard to create an open environment where our employees feel

comfortable to raise any concerns they may have.

It is now more than six months since Nurse Practitioner, Helene Donnelly, became our

Ambassador for Cultural Change. She said: Its great to see that colleagues feel confident to

approach me and there are already examples of how the Partnership Trust has reacted positively to feedback.

You Said:Patients were frustrated

contacting our Orthotics Department

by phone - telephones would ringseveral times before giving an

engaged tone and cutting off if not

answered.

You Said:Every NHS Trust has a

procedure for reporting incidents anda number of staff had raised concerns

about a lack of communication

following the reporting of an incident.

We Did:Voicemail message is now

recorded and call diverted to other

phones in the Orthotics department if

no reply. This means calls can now be

answered at any given time.

We Did: The Partnership Trust has made a

number of improvements to Safeguard, its risk

management system, including:

A description of what happens next now

appears at the bottom of electronic incident

forms

An automated email is now issued by the system

to confirm to the sender that the incident has

been received and logged

Feedback is now automatic, not optional anyone who reports an incident will be notified

when updates or outcomes are added to the

system


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Help Children ShineOur Teams

20 month old Jorge from Stoke-on-Trent is making great progress thanks to joined

up working within childrens services at the Partnership Trust. Jorge has Downs

Syndrome and needs help from a variety of health care professionals due to a delay

in his development caused by his condition.

Specialists from the Partnership Trusts Childrens Physiotherapy and Speech and

Language Teams worked with the family to develop play-based skills and fun exercise

tasks that Jorge and his parents could do at home.

Jorge and his parents now attend one-to-one sessions in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent,

where the teams work closely with parents Sara and Barry on activities like role

play and speech/sign practice, which will help Jorge become more engaged and

independent. The family also has access to specialist paediatric equipment, enabling

them to work on mobility exercises with Jorge in between therapy sessions, such as

standing and sitting.

Father, Barry said; The sessions are fantastic and weve seen a complete change in Jorge since he started. Last

week he stood on his own for a few seconds which was incredible. The team isnt only helping Jorge but the

whole family. We come here and learn new skills, which we can then take home.

Physiotherapist Rebecca Parslow said that working so closely with colleagues to create a care package entirely

personal to baby Jorges needs has helped improve his development significantly and Sara and Barry are over

the moon with his progress. Mum Sara said, Rebecca and the team are great. Their help and advice gives us a

better understanding of what we need to do to help Jorge progress, and how we need to encourage him.

Stop the PressurePatients, their families and carers are being encouraged to be more aware of the risks of developing pressure

ulcers in hospital or at home.

Anyone can develop a pressure ulcer if they are not easily able to move positions, which means that the

elderly and those with poor mobility are at high risk, explains Director of Nursing and Quality, Siobhan

Heafield.

However, early detection can help prevent and stop damaging pressure ulcers which, if not treated correctly,

can become life threatening. Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, are wounds to the skin caused by sitting

or lying in one position for too long. Blood flow is restricted, which causes damage to the skin and underlying

tissues. Ill-fitting footwear, sliding down the bed/chair, inappropriate wheel / arm chairs and poor nutrition can

also be significant factors in the development of a pressure ulcer.

Siobhans top tips for people who spend long periods of time in bed or in a chair, whether that is in hospital or

at home, are moving or changing positions regularly, eating well and drinking plenty, inspecting the skin on a

regular basis and using appropriate surface cushioning.

See our advice guide available on our website www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.ukhighlightingthe importance of movement, how to spot early symptoms and where to get help if concerned.


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Get Involved

Member News

This magazine belongs to our members so we want to hear from you about what you would like to

see in our next edition (July 2014).

Think Green

We are committed to reducing our costs and would like to communicate with members where

possible by email. If you have not provided us with an email already, and would prefer to receive

Member News electronically please get in touch and we will update your profile.

Recommend a Friend

Help us increase our membership and the voice of the public in health and social care services bygetting a friend or family member to sign up today!.

People can join us online at www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk

Or request a printed form from our membership ofce and return it free of charge to: Freepost

Plus RSSS-GCBS-EKSB, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust, Morston House, The

Midway, Newcastle, ST5 1QG

Attend our next Board Meeting

Our public board meetings are held all over Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent. More details are

avialable on our website - www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk

Council of Governors

In late 2013 Trust Chairman Nigel Ratcliffe led a series of 11 meetings, across Staffordshire, Stoke-

on-Trent and beyond county borders to speak to people interested in becoming Trust Governors.

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Trust Governor please contact the

membership office or see our website.

Contact Us

For more information or to offer your views on any of the

content in this magazine, contact our membership office:

0845 602 6772ext 1630

[email protected]

staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk

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