articulate - Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust · PDF fileSUMMER 2017// ISSUE 124...

SUMMER 2017 // ISSUE 124

aarticulateTo connect by a joint, to speak distinctly.

The Great Get Together

Team Talk: Critical Care Outreach

RedevelopmentUpdate

Buttercup Bounce!

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Every month I welcome our new staff intothe RNOH at induction and describe whatwe are all here to do – our “mission”: Tobe a world-leading orthopaedic hospitalwith the best patient care and staffexperience in the NHS. I describe how wewill do this by delivering the best patientcare, the best staff experience, improvedinfrastructure (buildings, equipment anddigital technology), world leading researchand innovation, and maintaining financialstability.

Those of you with experience of our Trust willknow that the journey we are on as anorganisation takes time. We operate within ahighly complex and challenging environment withhigh demand for our services and limited resources.However, the RNOH is on the right path and everystep we take is moving us toward our mission.

The evidence shows that we alreadyachieve so much:

1.The Care Quality Commission agree that our outcomes for patients and the caring nature of our services are outstanding

2.Hundreds of our patients rated us one of the best in the country on the recent national inpatient survey

3.You, and our colleagues, rated us very highly in our annual staff survey

But we recognise that as a Trust, we need to improve and you providevaluable feedback to help us decide how to focus our effort andresources to continuously improve.

• The redevelopment of the site is now well underway - the new ward block reached its highest point in June and is on schedule to open next year.

• June saw our first “sandpit” event with UCL – bringing together our clinicians and UCL scientists and engineers to tackle clinical problems together and come up with solutions – we have a unique mix of talent working on the Stanmore site with over 40 UCL staff working alongside us.

• Our financial challenges remain very difficult and real in both the short term and longer term – however, we can stay in control of our own destiny if we demonstrate that we manage our resources as effectively and diligently as possible.

The evidence also shows that the best way to face up to thesechallenges is to continue improving the way we work together. If we areto make the RNOH the best place for both patients and staff in the NHS,we need to focus on the really important things: teamwork, collaboration,support for each other, kindness – essentially we need to “live our values”.

What can we do to help? I would encourage each and every one ofyou to read (or re-read) the VAL-YOU Charter of Behaviours that you allhelped create. I would encourage you to spend a few moments thinkingabout what our Trust values mean for you and reflecting on how each ofus can make sometimes small yet positive changes. That will add up to alot across nearly 2000 staff. Our culture is the sum of all of our parts – it iseach of us; the way we speak to each other, the way we respond whenwe are under pressure and the way we appreciate when things go well.

Again there is so much to be proud of about our culture and what weachieve. Our mission is to continuously improve what we do and howwe do it and the evidence tells us a focus on us all living our valuesdrives positive and continuous improvement and - that is a major factorin how we face up to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Editorialteam

4 The Great Get Together

5 Penny's Art Passion

6 Staff Recognition Awards

7 Wheelpower Relay

8 Team Talk: Site and Outreach Team

9 Hand Hygiene Week

10 Nurses Day 2017

12 HALT Initiative

13 Training news

14-15 Redevelopment news

16 15 years of Speech & Language Therapy

17 Inside Job

19 Topping out the New Ward Block

20-24 RNOH Charity news

25 Mark Lane, gardener

26 Stanmore Sandpit event

Tony HigginsCommunications& EngagementManager Extension 5349

Dipti PisavadiaCommunications& EngagementAssistantExtension 5750

China Hammond,Communications& EngagementCoordinatorExtension 5569

Contents

@RNOHnhs facebook.com/thernohcharity linkedin.com/company/rnoh

A message from Rob Hurd

articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly.

Can you dig it? yes we can!

The Lloyds Banking Group Volunteers get stuck in! In the group shot, third from left in white t-shirt, is Steve Wallace, whose daughter was treated at the RNOH for scoliosis a few years ago, hence their involvement. This year they cleared the Angus McKinnon garden.

Gardening Volunteers

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Caption competition:WINNING ENTRy fROM ISSUE 123:


❝ Check out my DJ skills ❞

Submitted by Sanjay Chudasma, Transformation Manager.

Send entries to: [email protected] line: Caption Competition

CAPTION THIS!

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Last month saw thousands of people across communities up anddown the country join in with the Great Get Together.

It’s GREAT to GET TOGETHER

This was an initiative by Brendan Cox, the husband of thelate Jo Cox MP, who was killed in 2016. Brendan wantedpeople to join together in friendship to show that we hadmore in common than that which divides us and, inmemory of his late wife, the Great Get Together waslaunched.

Roxy Zarneger, Consultant Anaesthetist from theChronic Pain Department suggested that RNOH hold ourown event and so, in the bright afternoon sunshine, stafffrom across the Trust came onto the grass by the helipadto share chat, drink and – of course – food!

After the Great Get Together, Brandan Cox issuedthis message to everyone across the country whotook part:

❝ It was really uplifting to see all thepowerful things that Jo stood for celebratedin such a British way, with all theimagination and spontaneity and downrighteccentricity that one would expect.

And, perhaps most importantly of all,after being told how divided we are, it wasjoyful to see thousands upon thousands ofphotos of people across the countrycelebrating community and togetherness.Sometimes we just need an excuse to gettogether, and when we do, it’s clear thatthere’s much more that unites us, exactly asJo said.

Wherever we go next with The GreatGet Together, I know that together we cancreate a platform to focus on the things wehave in common and bring ourcommunities together. That's a legacy thatJo would have been very proud of. ❞


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“At the time of the accident I was very active:I looked after, bred and rode Connemaraponies, gardened, and ran a small herd of 40sheep. In addition, I ran a home, three

children and a husband.Having enjoyed drawing from a young age, I took ‘O’

Level Art in school but hadn’t sketched for years as I’dbeen busy with the family. I didn’t think I could hold apencil but my therapist recommended putting stickyholders on the pens to prevent my fingers from slipping.Watercolours were best as I wouldn’t have to apply a lot ofpressure. We went to an art shop and chose oil pastels in afew colours and also a draughtsman pen. These allowedme to build up the picture without using too muchpressure.

Over time as I became more absorbed in my drawing Inoticed that my left hand, which had been paralysed,became more useful. I was passing items from my lefthand to my right without thinking about it. My brain hadstarted to reconnect which was fantastic! My drawingsstarted with a ewe in lamb and as I became morecompetent and confident, moved on to horses with foalswith more detail and colour.

During my time at the RNOH, Emma Linley, OccupationalTherapist, has been a great support. I emailed my drawingsto her to illustrate her how I had progressed. My sketchesare now proudly displayed in the corridor surrounding theMike Heaffey gym at the Aspire Leisure Centre.”

Emma has been impressed with Penny’s art:“Penny’s pre-injury passion for drawing hasbeen both her motivator and exercise regimefor regaining further control of her handssince her discharge. The provision of an

accessible work table has also been instrumental inallowing Penny to drive her power wheelchair to a set upwork station without needing assistance from others. Thisin turn has freed her to spontaneously draw as ‘the muse’strikes her“.

Penny Harrison has been tetraplegic as a result of a riding accident in 2011. Here, shetells Articulate about her drawing and how it has helped her.

Penny’s art passion

Ewe with lamb

❝ ❝

Rob and Clare

Staff RecognitionIn April this year the RNOH launched two new staff awards sothat we can start to recognise the hard work, dedication andexcellence of our colleagues from across the hospital.

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The two prizes ‘Employee ofthe Month’ and ‘Team of theQuarter’ are awarded by amultidisciplinary collection ofstaff who meet monthly at the‘Listening into Action’delivery group.

The first three recipients of the Employeeof the Month awards are:

Bhagwanji Sanghani, Porter for ISSBhagwanji, known as BK, was nominated forhis consistent demonstration of our Trustvalue of “Patients first, always”

APRIL

Clare Harman, Clinical Nurse Specialist inSpinal DeformityClare’s nominator noted that she is a “trulycaring and helpful, a first-class example of atruly dedicated, knowledgeable and caringnurse”

MAy

Dr Helen Cohen, Consultant inRheumatology and Pain ManagementDr Cohen received her award for being a rolemodel for all four of our Trust values: Patientsfirst, Excellence, Trust, honesty & respect andEquality

The first Team of the Quarter award waspresented in June to the Peripheral NerveInjury Unit for their “knowledgeable, honestand considerate” patient care. Their patientnominator noted that:

“understanding and empathy go a longway, but having this backed up withexpertise and confidence is so reassuringwhen you feel so vulnerable”.

JUNE

❝articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly.

Dr Helen Cohen

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ROTARy & WHEELPOWER RELAyIn the run up to the Inter Spinal UnitGames on the 23 April, the Rotary Clublaunched a fundraising initiative forWheelPower, an organisation dedicatedto providing sporting opportunities fordisabled people. They organised a relaythat transported a sports wheelchairfrom the Rotary Conference inManchester to Stoke Mandeville hospital,visiting many spinal units en-route.

The participants arrived at the Aspire Leisure Centre fromthe Spinal Unit in Salisbury. Supported by the Rotary Clubof Edgware and Stanmore, and attended by mayoralrepresentatives from Harrow, Barnet and Hertsmere plusthe Rotary in London District Governor Helen Antoniou,the final stop was on Friday 21 April at the RNOH andincluded a demonstration of wheelchair sports such astennis and basketball in the Aspire Centre, plus areception.


Site and Outreach Teams started in 2005 asan initiative by the Department of Healthwho asserted that every hospital shouldhave a Site and Outreach Team to follow uppatients who have had been discharged byITU onto the general wards. Patients whoneed critical care are amongst the sickest in ahospital and require a high level of clinicaland technical expertise.

Here at the RNOH, Site and Outreach Team is anurse-led initiative that runs Monday to Friday.During working hours the service is covered bythe staff of the Alan Bray Unit and the out ofhours (nights and weekends) service is covered bya dedicated team across the whole RNOH site.They are also part of the Crash Call service to thehospital.

The Outreach team consist of four highlyskilled practitioners who provide theovernight emergency cover. The Outreachteam are called on to assess any patient onthe critical care list in an emergency. Thisincludes patients that:

• are deteriorating; a plan is put into place and Outreach support the ward staff if there is any complexity with the patient. This enables ward staff to stay on the ward, promoting continuity of care.

• has been evaluated using the National Early Warning Scores (NEWS) and deemed too ill to stay on the ward. The Outreach practitioner will identify an appropriate intervention or escalate the case to the ITU registrar/consultant.

The NEWS system was developed in 2013 toenable early detection of patient deterioration bycategorising a patient’s severity of illness. Thisprompts nursing staff to request a medicalreview at specific trigger points utilising astructured communication tool while followingan escalation plan. Adopting NEWS standardisesthe assessment of severity levels of acute illness,supporting a timely response by using a commonlanguage across acute hospitals nationally.

The Outreach practitioner can arrange for thepatient to be seen by the doctors and/orreturned to Alan Bray Unit if deemed necessary.Whilst the Practitioner can seek the views ofregistrars and consultants, they can overridetheir decisions if they believe it is not safe tomanage the patient on the ward and they havesupporting evidence e.g. a patient has heartproblems / aneurysm and cardiac equipment isnot readily available; or if specialist skills areneeded which cannot be facilitated on thewards.

The skills essential to an Outreach practitioner’srepertoire includes three years as a Band 6 nurse,ITU training, experience working with highdependency patients and advanced life supporttraining and ECG. This expertise should not onlycover adults but paediatrics too.

Outreach have strong relationships with themulti-disciplinary teams such as anaesthetists,surgeons, physiotherapists and dieticians, all ofwhom the practitioner can call for specialistadvice. With only one Outreach memberavailable on a 12 hour night shift, a practitionercan tap into any of the on-call clinicians ifrequired.

To help aid the Site and Outreach Teammanage their patients’ better, a handover huddleis held at both 08:00 and 20:00 where the team- including Senior House Officer, ITU Registrar,on-call orthopaedic surgeon, the on-callconsultant anaesthetist and Outreachpractitioner - discuss and review the status of thepatients.


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Mohammed Aldhoun, Outreach/Site Manager & Loraine Papapavlou, Lead Nurse, give Articulate thelowdown on their service.

Team Talk: Site and Outreach Team

Site Outreach Team Brian Dorman, MohammedAldhoun, Adnan Al-Shboul, Margaret Doweling,

Ahmad Jarrah, Loraine Papapavlou

This year the focus is on the fight against antibioticresistance using the first line of defence: hand hygiene. Todrive home the message they have used the slogan: ‘FightAntibiotic Resistance – it’s in your hands’.

Menard Ryan Ong, CNS Infection Control, said “This year,Infection Control teams have extended this event for aweek to help keep it front of mind for all nursing andhealthcare staff. Audit analysis held post the InfectionAwareness day confirmed results are higher and thereforebetter than before the event. If these figures fall, theInfection Control team work with the senior nursing staff inthe affected areas to raise awareness, implement goodpractice, and reiterate the ‘5 Moments for Hand Hygiene’:

1. Before touching a patient; 2. Before clean/aseptic procedure; 3. After body fluid exposure risk; 4. After touching a patient; and5. After touching patient surroundings

Hand washing is the cheapest and most effective way ofpreventing infection and cross contamination. “Preventionis always better than curing” Menard confirmed.

“As an elective hospital, we do specialist orthopaedicwork and in comparison to other orthopaedic hospitals, weare doing relatively well, though our surgical site infectionrates can fluctuate. In an acute Trust where there are walk-ins and emergencies their targets for health care associatedinfection are higher than ours. The RNOH has a morecontrolled admissions procedure: all our procedures areelective and planned. With pre-admission screening, we

can detect and treat infections before they become anissue.”

Infection control is not limited to just nursing andhealthcare staff. All clinical staff, doctors and Allied HealthPractitioners and patients/visitors are expected to adhere tothe Trust’s high standards of cleanliness. As part of theirinduction, staff are taught about good hand hygienepractice – it’s not just about washing your hands, it’s alsoknowing when and how and being ‘bare below theelbows’.

Should you or your department require the InfectionControl team to give a talk on Hand Hygiene, pleasecontact ext: 5360 or ext: 5625 or email:[email protected].

Images: Handhygieneedited.jpgHand Hygiene edited 2


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Lets see those CLEAN jazz hands!

Since starting in 2008, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates handHygiene Day in May every year to help fight infections across the globe.

HAND HyGIENE WEEk

This is how you do it!

Nurses Day 2017International Nurses Day was marked once again on 12 May andto show appreciation for the fantastic work nurse do across theRNOH, cakes were baked and presented to the wards.

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Ward 4 Jubilee

SCIC Plaster Theatre

Duke of Gloucester Outpatients

The ISUG Stanmore team Credit Geo Pictorial

Staff and patients from the LSCICattended the annual Inter Spinal UnitGames back in April 2017. This is anevent organised by the charityWheelPower and held at the GuttmanStadium in Aylesbury across four days.

Patients who have been injured in the last year areeligible to compete and are drawn from all 13 spinalinjury units across the UK. Competitors have theopportunity to try sports such as tennis, fencing,weight lifting, golf, wheelchair racing, hand biking andmany more. Everyone that took part across the eventdid exceptionally well. The LSCIC team managed tosecure second place overall after winning thetetraplegic American Pool, male para table tennis, asecond place in the female para table tennis and thirdin the rifle range. We also had exceptionalperformances in the pool. Everyone who attended hada fantastic time and the staff at LSCIC were immenselyproud of everyone’s performance.

Graham Brown spoke about his experience: “The week was very enjoyable. Toattempt sports - which I would nevereven thought about prior to myaccident - certainly opened my eyes

to the fact that there are no barriers for a spinalinjury person. The highlight had to be the dinnerand awards when it was announced thatStanmore had come joint second. A fantasticachievement by the team.” Sarah Haeneghansaid: “Being a part of the games was the firsttime in the four months I had been in hospital,where I felt like I could contribute to something,to myself, to a team, to the ‘real world’. It wasinvaluable and well worth going.”

If you are a SCI patient, who has been injured in thelast year and require further details on LSUG, contactGemma Moseley on: 020 8909 5500.

LSCIC 2nd Place in2017 Inter SpinalUnit Games

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Coxen

Theatres

Margarete Harte

Recovery

❝

Previous methods of disciplinemay demotivate staffpermanently as opposed toincentivising them to improve.Rather than just plugging theholes with staff re-training, thebigger issue was to ‘re-wire’teams: the error was actually justthe end point of a set of factorsor something that had happenedmonths, days or hours before.

An audit was sent out to 200 staff exploring theirmotivation and performance atwork. The findings confirmedthat staff came to work to dotheir best for patients, carefor patients, keep pain to aminimum, help their healingand to do what they aretrained for. When an errorhappens, the effects can bedevastating to the patient,the staff member and theteam. Allan commented:“Staff feel as if they havebroken a sacred sacrament –when someone is at theirmost vulnerable, they failedthem. There is a grievingprocess which the staffmember needs to journeythrough. Then they canforgive themselves thoughthey will always carry the scar. To err is human and tolearn and move forward is what I am trying to getacross”.

It was felt that the team should deal with the error as awhole and be fully supportive of the individual. Thereneeded to be human factors training and not judgement- we all make errors. This is where the HALT (Hungry,Angry, Late, Tired) initiative comes into play. The aviationand nuclear fields are very aware of human factors incatastrophic mistakes and have used initiatives such asHALT to help prevent catastrophes.

On the hospital floor, people do not work as individuals

but as a team. Allan suggests that “consideration shouldbe given to all team members: if you know an individualis not feeling well, check in with them, offer them a teaor coffee; colleagues needing time out for study leaveshould be accommodated though there may be a need toadjust other team members. Staff who feel theirorganisation care and appreciate their work will often gothe extra mile”.

Allan believes the Val-You ethos can be used as a proxymeasure through Staff and Friends & Family surveys:“Staff approval of the RNOH being a great place to workwill be formally recognised as the new culture slowly

permeates. This initiativeshould not be a top downcascade but more of asnowball effect – it continuesto grow as staff pass on theirknowledge.

From the patients’perspective, there should be asteady fall in mistakes causedby human factors. When aRoot Cause Analysis iscompleted for an incident, itshould not be related to astaff member being too tiredbecause they hadn’t takentheir break but more likely tobe a policy, education orequipment failure”.

Raising awareness of theHALT initiative has already

started. Allan has been intoclinical areas teaching staff nurses to help their peersembrace HALT: “As it becomes a part of the Trust’sculture and language, staff will start to recognise thesigns within themselves and correct their behaviouraccordingly. One of the positive side effects of this newculture could help the Trust retain staff whoseknowledge, efficiency and experience help maintaincontinuity on the wards”.

If you would like Allan to attend your team meetings todiscuss the HALT Initiative, he can be contacted on: 020 8909 5601 or [email protected]

Hungry Angry Late Tired (To Err is Human)

The HALT InitiativeWhen Allan Seraj, Senior Nurse for Education, first arrived at the Trust, there were a number of clinicalerrors being made. Traditionally, the first port of call was usually to punish the ‘perpetrators’ who are thenexpected to learn from their errors. But being an experienced clinician, Allan recognised that staff who arequalified to perform highly complex procedures have trained to help their patients, not harm them.

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Research has proven you have a greater chance ofmaking a mistake if one of these elements is active:

Hungry Studies have proven that staff need abreak to eat or they will not be able to concentrate.Sugar levels drop off, causing lethargy.

Angry If you’re angry should you be workingwith patients? Step back and wait a few minutesuntil you’re calm.

Late Someone is waiting to finish their shift andyou’re running late? It’s easy to become frustrated bythe pressure.

Tired Is it the amount of shifts you are doing? Areyou getting enough rest? If you are unable toconcentrate on the complex work in front of you,there will be mistakes.

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One of the aims of the day was to inform staffabout the diverse learning and educationopportunities we can offer and how staff canmanage their own development. Under a newnational scheme we are now able to offer you morechances to gain recognised qualifications relevantto your work and enhance your career prospects. Toadvertise these opportunities, we had trainingproviders talking about information technology,medical administration, healthcare assistants,business and administration, warehousing andmanagement qualifications.

If you were unable to attend, and find any of theseareas appealing, please pop in to see us in the TeachingCentre to find out more. We will be finalising details ofthese qualifications in the next few weeks so please lookat the Learning and Development page on Grapevine formore news.

A further thank you to all of you for the way you haveembraced booking yourselves onto training courses andcancelling when you cannot attend. We have reallyappreciated your help during this busy time and hopethat you have found the changes to self-servicereasonably straightforward. We know it takes time, butas with any system it becomes easier with practice.

To make this easier for you in the future, the system weuse for managing our training – ESR – will be changingover the next few months. First, you will notice adifferent look to the front page and a new ‘tab’ called“392 Employees Self Service” (limited access) where youwill be able to see your own information and check thatit is accurate. We are also making the system easier toaccess; from summer you will no longer need a passwordand username to enter to the system if you are loggedinto your personal RNOH network account. Moreinformation on this to follow so keep an eye out.

Lastly, there are changes afoot in the Learning &Development team. Many of you will have spoken toNilay over the last 18 months, but he has now left theteam and works in the Trust’s IT department. In addition,the L&D is now a team of three with a job share in theL&D Coordinator role between Joanna (Monday –Wednesday) and Simon (Wednesday – Friday) withShanae joining as our new administrator. The team willcontinue to provide staff an excellent service and answerall your learning related queries. Please help us bycontinuing to ‘book on’ and ‘unenrolling’ for yourmandatory training and if you are passing by theTeaching Centre, please come in to introduce yourself toSimon and Shanae.

Training & Education newsWe would like to thank everyone who helped make ‘Learning at Work’ day on 18 May such afantastic event. We hosted teams from across the hospital, including Infection Control, NurseEducation and Safeguarding, who shared their latest work, in addition to external trainingproviders, who came to talk to staff about development opportunities.


Radio Brockley volunteer Keith Reeve wasgiven a tour of our new £40m Patient WardBlock by RNOH Redevelopment ProgrammeManager Richard Scott and Balfour BeattieTrainee Site Manager Rose Donaghey. Keithwas able to “access (nearly) all areas” and,whilst doing so, recorded the event for thestations “Brockley News” programme. Theprogramme may be heard via their YouTubechannel

www.youtube.com/user/RadioBrockley

Radio Brockley going up in the world

Richard (left) and keith

How did you get into designing?I always enjoyed art and design at school and went on to study Architecture at theUniversity of Manchester. I then specialised in healthcare architecture and now workfor BDP who have been commissioned by Balfour Beatty to work on the NewInpatient Ward Block ‘NIWB’.What other projects have you worked on?Most notably I was involved in the Dublin Children’s Hospital design which was a£500 million project.Do you have a favourite building design?Yes, I particularly like the Cancer Centre at Guys Hospital designed by RichardRogers.How do you get inspiration for a building?There is generally a collaborative brainstorming session by the senior architectswith ideas very much influenced by constraints of the site and followinghealthcare efficiencies albeit unique to each project. For the NIWB project theglass Atrium is a unique design feature of this development and will also deliveron bringing day light to patients on the wards and with views across the site. Afterfuture phases are completed this building will become the Main Entrance andgateway to the rest of the hospital.Design specifications for the NIWBI have been involved with this development design since July 2015 when theproject was re-started and I will continue up until it finishes in 2018. Throughoutthis time there have been up to 10 people working on different elements of thedesign, such as the clinical room layouts, documentation for Council planners andcompleting regulatory paperwork.

To arrive at the final design there will be probably over 4000 drawingsproduced; 1500 by us, 500 by other consultants and the rest by the variousspecialist trades and if just one copy of each drawing was stuck end to end iswould be almost exactly half of the football pitch at Wembley.

Siobhan keenan, Project Architect at BDP:

How did you get intocontractor designmanagement?I originally qualified as anarchitect but I enjoyeddelivering on projects andworking on site so I movedinto the construction sector. Infact, as you know Richard, Ijoined Balfour Beatty threeyears ago and started workingon a high rise project with youas my Senior Project Manager.Now I am working here at theRNOH only to find that youhave moved to work in-houseat the RNOH and are now theclient we are working for!What does your roleinvolve?I am responsible for deliveringon the project design;ensuring the design is asintended in terms of the Trust’sbrief and requirements. I workclosely with you and TrudyJohnson on internal designrequirements as well as whatother consultants/contractorsare working on, for example,landscaping the children’sgarden and planting themeadow area with wildflowers and some trees. Todaywe have been in the DesignReview meeting ironing outand finalising the roomdesigns.

Vijay Patel, Design Manager, Balfour Beatty:

Richard Scott, Redevelopment Programme Project Manager, caughtup with Siobhan Keenan from BDP and Vijay Patel from Balfour Beattyafter a Trust Design Review meeting in the Balfour Beatty site offices.

RNOH REDEVELOPMENT NEWS

BUILDING BLOCkS

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Siobhan and Vijay on site

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New views of the inpatient ward block


All seeing eye... Ward block interior level 2

New ward block from the front

New ward block at sunrise

“It was a very busy time working withpatients both pre-admission preparation andpost-surgery treatment. The nursesrecognised me by the patter of my feet

rushing from one patient to another. Discussions toexpand the service to deliver a sole paediatric facility cameto nothing. Therefore the paediatric service had to bewithdrawn due to lack staff as I was unable to oversee allthe patients and give them the time and expertise theydeserved. I was surprised to be approached by an eminentsurgeon working at the Trust at the time, applauding mywork and with his patronage, other surgeons gave mybusiness case their full support. Thanks to their backing,the Paediatric SALT service was set up in 2006. It was atthis time that I went off on maternity leave. People wereamazed to discover that this was not my first pregnancy –I had three under 3s at home!

“On my return the NHS were looking at a frameworkwhere children were treated by specialist paediatricclinicians as opposed to ‘borrowing’ from adult services.Both services at the RNOH were now under two differentSLAs managed by NPH. The issue with the managementside being with NPH became apparent when I put intothe charitable funding for specialist toothbrushes. Idiscovered that my bid had been refused because Iworked at NPH. It was only when I clarified that my postwas at the RNOH alone that I was informed they hadthought I would distribute the toothbrushes to patientsat NPH. My bid was put through with no furtherproblems. As a small service, I needed governance andtraining to keep me at a standard which is acceptable ata national level as I train my staff. This is what NPHprovides.

My first job at Papworth Hospital, a specialistcardiothoracic unit, involved both adult and paediatricpatients and I gained experience with ventilators. St Bartholomew’s & Charing Cross hospitals followed,where I worked with complex neurosurgical patients. I wasbased in Barnet with a great community rehab team but Imissed the excitement of an acute hospital. When an adpopped up in a job magazine for the spinal injuries team atthe RNOH, my interest was piqued and after the interviewwas offered the position.”

Jackie was an unwitting innovator for speech & languagetherapists in SCI: “Spinal cord injury was not a recognisedarea for speech therapists at the time, with nothing writtenon it for reference. My curiosity enabled me to discovernew techniques by working and talking with other SALTteams. The job has grown and changed over the years. Ihave worked with the pharmacists on a research projectundertaken; NHIR Masters course at the University ofHertfordshire and a PhD and Research Fellowship on‘swallowing problems in spinal cord injury patients’.”

The SALT department has changed in the 15 years Jackiehas been here. Their specialism had been firstly withspeech but they are now renowned in their work with‘swallowing’. The team are well established and knownthroughout the industry. They have presented atconferences and won multiple awards. The reins havebeen passed to the safe hands of her colleague, SarahMorgan, who has deputised at the RNOH for many years.Jackie will be missed but leaves the RNOH on a high. Hernew role at St. George’s Hospital as a consultant in SALTwill be a continuance of her thirst for challenge. Goodluck Jackie and thanks from us all.

In 2002, it was agreed that an onsite Speech & Language service was preferable to thead hoc provision provided by Northwick Park Hospital (NPH) for the RNOH. Jackie Mcraewas employed as the sole therapist, on a part time basis, covering complex andchallenging adult and paediatric patients. She tells us about the service.


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THE SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY SERVICE:

A 15 year Overview

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Jackie, left, and Dietitian Sarah Morgan

INSIDE JOB


What was your pathway to theRNOH?“Before starting here I worked for 17 years as a lecturerin critical care nursing at King’s College, London withclinical links to King’s College Hospital in South London.After completing my PhD, I undertook a post-doctoralfellowship in improvement research; a science focusingon investigating the best methods for qualityimprovement and translating evidence into practice. Theopportunity to use my research skills and knowledge in aclinical setting prompted me to apply for my current post.

What are your plans for the RNOH,what are you hoping to do here?My aim is to promote nursing research activity in theTrust. I hope to increase nurses’ confidence; developresearch related knowledge and skills and facilitatenurses’ use of evidence. My first goal is to betterunderstand the organisation and the people who workhere. I want to get to know as many people as possible,so please do stop and say hello if you see me. I am not anorthopaedic nurse so I need help to understand what thepriorities for patients and staff are in this speciality. Overthe next 12 months I plan to draw up a list of researchpriorities considered important by both nursing staff andpatients/families. I will also be working closely with theother co-directors of research to ensure the researchstrategy for the Trust is aligned across disciplines.

Ok, but nurses are busy withpatients care, why should theybother with research? Patient care should be based on the best availableevidence. I want to demonstrate the importantcontribution that nurses can make to improving patientcare through research and innovation. Not everyonewants or needs to be an active researcher, but with theright support and encouragement, regardless ofexperience or position, every nurse should feelempowered to contribute to the development and/or useof research evidence to inform best practice. I can helpyou develop and report projects, which address thingsthat are important to you and your patients and whichmaintain and further develop the national andinternational profile of the RNOH.

What do you do outside work? I am a keen marathon runner and cyclist. Please look outfor me struggling to cycle up the hill from Stanmorestation! I am currently training for the Ride 100 event inLondon and the Nottingham marathon, raising money forICUsteps (www.icusteps.com). This Charity providesmuch needed support for patients and familiesthroughout the critical illness trajectory and anydonations are welcome:http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=SuzanneBench&faId=801714&isTeam=false

Suzanne BenchAssociate Professor of Nursing

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“I qualified as a nurse in 1987 and completed my PhD in 2014. I am interested inexploring the experiences of patients, families and staff, particularly aroundtransitions of care and using these to enhance healthcare practice.”

I am a joint appointment between London, South Bank University and the RNOH. Myoffice is in Eastgate House. Please pop in and say hello or drop me an email to discussany ideas or current work that you are involved with: [email protected]

HOW CAN yOU BE CONTACTED?

Why bother? What’s in it for me?


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The days of volunteers being seen as little old ladies in twin-setsand pearls has been long consigned to history.

Today, volunteers at the RoyalNational Orthopaedic Hospitalcome from all walks of life withages ranging from 18-80 yearsold. Volunteering is flexible:from a couple of hours overlunchtime, one day a week toweekends or in the evenings.

The reasons for volunteering are as varied as the roles and individualsthemselves. Some come to make new friends, others to learn new skills;they arrive with partners or family members or they can come in groups.

Here at the RNOH, we appreciate that taking a career break to raise afamily can dent your confidence. Volunteering not only helps restore orgrow your self-confidence but it can help you develop new skills thathelp you back into the workplace.

As the nation’s largest specialist orthopaedic hospital, we are a leadinginternational centre for complex surgery and rehabilitation as well ascutting edge research. Our patients are among the most acute in theNHS and, as such, they require the very best care and expertise. Thisextends to our volunteering service too: dedicated and committed, theRNOH volunteers are a vital component to the world-class services wedeliver every day.

Instead of meeting friends for lunch, why not come along and helpsomeone have their lunch?

for a chat about volunteering call Lisa or Diane on: 020 89095394 [email protected] or visit the RNOH website.


Elisa McGarry, Communications & EngagementCoordinator, left the Trust at the end of Mayafter working at the RNOH for three years.Colleagues gathered on Matrons lawn on a hotsunny afternoon for tea and homemade cakesto wish Elisa well in her new job at Bupa asInternal Communications Channels manager.Elisa said: “It’s been a real pleasure working

with all of you over the past threeyears in so many differentcapacities – thank you for beingsuch a brilliant bunch of people.”

Elisa and her legion of fans

Elisa McGarry

❝We will dearly miss our colleague – she’s been amazingly supportive and fun towork with, and always remained a true professional to the very end – Goodluck in your new job you ledge!


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Traditionally, topping out is a builders'rite held when the last beam (or itsequivalent) is placed atop a structureduring its construction. It can trace itsroots way back to ancient Scandinavia –a time before Ikea.

Despite the damp conditions, everyone donned theirbest Bob the Builder gear and made their way to the roofto hear from Prof Tim Briggs and Trust Chair Prof TonyGoldstone before laying a few bricks themselves. It’sgood to know that if a career in medicine doesn’t workout, they have trade to fall back on.

Everything is tip topA major milestone in the construction of the new impatient ward blockwas reached last month when the ‘topping out’ ceremony took place.

Tony Goldstone, Tim Briggs and Radio Brockley's keith Reeve

Sue Lister - nurse by day, brickie by nightLacing up in the boot room


Trust Chair, Prof Tony Goldstone

During her visit, Princess Eugenie was given a tour of the new wing,and talked to many of the Centre’s patients. She learned how theysustained their injuries, and the ways in which the SCIC has helpedthem to recover, and to regain their independence.

Before she officially opened the new wing, Princess Eugenie praisedthe SCIC’s staff – whose work is internationally renowned – and paidtribute to the incredible resilience of the patients she met.

Princess Eugenie of York, the Patron of The RNOH Charity’sRedevelopment Appeal, visited the hospital on Friday 7 July toofficially open the new wing of our Spinal Cord Injury Centre (SCIC).

SCIC opening fit for a Princess

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THE

ROYA

L N

ATIONAL ORTHOPÆDIC HOSPITAL

The RNOH Charity’s 2017 London Marathonrunner, David Clark, smashed everyone’sexpectations when he exceeded his fundraisingtarget an incredible fOUR TIMES in six months,raising over £13,000 for The RNOH Charity.Initially aiming for £2,500, David found himselfpushing that target higher and higher assupport from friends, family, and his localcommunity came flooding in. David has longbeen a supporter of the RNOH, as both hisgrandfather and daughter have been patientshere. David said:

“I ran this fab event to raise money for theRNOH, as they have spent the last eightyears doing a brilliant job of looking after mydaughter, Charlie-Rose, who was born with

a very poorly formed hip socket. When Charlie had herfirst operation in the hospital, I could imagine mygrandfather lying in the same bed 50 years earlier – withnot a lot different! With the possibility of Charlie havingto go back in for further operations in the future, Idecided then that if I ever did a crazy fundraiser it wouldbe for this charity, to help improve the facilities for all thechildren and adults, both patients and staff, at the RNOH.

Huge thanks goes to everyone for their support leading

up to the marathon. It was a great, buttough day, enjoyed by many. The support around thecourse was unbelievable! Everyone has been verygenerous in their donations and this carried me around atotal of 27.33 miles in 5 hours and 33 seconds, which Iam more than happy with!”

If you or someone you know gets a place in the2018 London Marathon and would like to supportThe RNOH Charity, please ask them to get in [email protected]

RNOH CHARITy

Running up £13,000 for The RNOH Charity

❝

The RNOH’s very own Patient Involvement Lead recently took on theIsle of Wight Challenge to support The RNOH Charity, raising over£1,000 in the process. The Charity currently funds the volunteersdepartment, which makes such a difference in the lives of RNOHpatients. Well done to Diane for taking on such an incrediblechallenge – we’d like to thank both you and your blisters foryour achievement. If you’d like any information about taking onthe 2018 Isle of Wight challenge, just get in touch.

David Clark marathon man

Diane young


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Diane Young’s Isle of WightChallenge

The cyclists triumphantly arrived at theOLCH at 7pm on Friday 5 May, ready forthe next day’s Charity Cycle Dinner tocelebrate their enormous achievement andto raise even more money.

The sponsored cycle ride is one of a series of events beingorganised by The Kelly Group, as part of their London IrishWard Appeal. This particular event was in aid of both TheRNOH Charity, and CMRF Crumlin, the fundraising body forOLCH. The event raised a staggering £101,000 whichbrought the Appeal total to an incredible £577,418.

This was followed by another incredibly successful charitygolf event, bringing the total raised to over £600,000.

Professor Tim Briggs, the RNOH’s Director ofStrategy and External Relations, said:

The Appeal aims to build and fit out one ofthe RNOH’s new 32-bed adult wards, whichwill treat patients with a range of complexconditions, such as bone tumours, spinal

deformity and sarcoma, a rare form of cancer requiringhighly specialised treatment.

We are incredibly grateful to Tim Kelly, who is leading theLondon Irish Ward Appeal, and to everyone that has sogenerously supported the appeal.”


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The London Irish Ward Appealsurpasses £600,000

Legendary Irish goalkeepers Packie Bonnerand Pat Jennings were among those whotook part in the London Irish Ward AppealGolf Classic at Hendon Golf Club

7am on 3 May saw eight cyclists setting off bright and early for an intense cyclechallenge spanning over 300 miles, from their start point at the RNOH to Our Lady’sChildren’s Hospital (OLCH) in Dublin.

❝

Pedal power: the teamprior to setting off

Seamus Carr, organiser of the golf event

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Image courtesy of The Irish Post

Every year, thousands of runners pound thepavements of London for the Vitality London10,000, one of the most iconic events in the runningcalendar. This year, Sian Gossa took on thatchallenge for The RNOH Charity, smashing her initialfundraising target of £500 to raise over £1500.

Sian decided to take on the challenge after her fatherwas treated at the RNOH for sarcoma in his right arm.Although the treatment he received was of the highestquality, Sian couldn’t help but notice that the facilitieswere more than a little outdated, so she decided to dowhat she could to help.

“On March 28th, Dad underwent majorsurgery at the Royal National OrthopaedicHospital in Stanmore to almost entirelyreplace the bone in his upper right arm,

which was by that point, almost entirely bone tumour.Despite all our fears, worries and anxieties, the surgerywent well and our dad recovered well at the RNOH,getting fantastic care. We are more grateful than we can

say; the hospital have saved his arm, saved his life, andpreserved a beloved man. I'm running the London 10kfor the hospital and would love to raise as much moneyas possible to support the amazing, life-saving work theydo. They're currently undergoing works to bring their 100year old hospital up to date.”

The money that Sian has raised will go towards our £15million Redevelopment Appeal, helping us to rebuildour hospital; replacing inefficient and outdated buildings,and ensuring that the RNOH is on the cutting edge oforthopaedic research and innovation. If you would beinterested in taking on the 2018 Vitality London 10,000,just get in touch for more information about how tosecure a place.

Sian Gossa’sLONDON 10k CHALLENGE

Sian: Medal winner

❝

Max Reid can often be seen on London Undergroundbusking pitches wowing commuters with a medley ofpieces played on the fiddle.

Max has been wheelchair-bound since suffering spinalmalformations and has been treated numerous times byspecialists at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

Since April 2015, Max has donated all of his proceedsfrom busking on the Underground and at the LondonMarathon to The RNOH Charity. This has now reached astaggering £45,550. Max said:

“My running days are over, but if people aregoing to throw money at me for sitting downand playing fiddle tunes, that’s fine with me.About twenty years ago the Spinal Cord Injury

Centre at Stanmore patched me up and gave me my lifeback - or rather, a new life as a street musician. The least I

cando to thank them is to help raise moneytowards improving facilities for the hospital’s spinally-injured patients.”

If you missed Max's recent interview on ITV News, youcan catch up via our Facebook page

Max and fans

Max Reid APPEARS ON NATIONAL NEWS

❝articulate To connect by a joint, to speak distinctly.

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BUTTERCUP WALk

Mary opening the Buttercup Walk

Hundreds of walkers came out to supportThe RNOH Charity’s 15th AnniversaryButtercup Walk, and were treated to aday of sunshine, great music, and deliciousfood, amongst other attractions.

The walk was led by our amazing 96 year old champion,Mary Tye, whose determination and positivity shonethrough as she took the first few steps of our one-mileroute. Mary, who was treated at the RNOH for a spinalcord injury 8 years ago, was excited to lead the waysaying, ‘You should never let life get you down. Just keepyour head held high and focus on what’s important: livinglife to the full. I want to show other spinal cord-injuredpatients that if I can do it, then they can too.”

Accompanied by some great live music from localBarnet band, The Rockin’ Bones, the walkers refreshedthemselves after their efforts with fresh, handmade juicesfrom the Swig and Filly’s reclaimed vintage horse cart, andrelaxed in the sunshine. Younger participants tookadvantage of Kids and Karts incredible go-kart racingcourse, and the bouncy castles and mega slide proved aspopular as ever. Stagecoach Harrow and Wealdstone’sPerformance Troupe also made an appearance, and thebarbecue provided by the RNOH’s very own ISS teamrounded the day off.

Rosie Stolarski, fundraising Director of the RNOHCharity said:

“The Buttercup Walk has so far raised over£20,000 and monies for sponsorship are stillrolling in so we are absolutely delighted!Over 100 entrants took part in the Walk and

around 300 people attended the fun day and enjoyed theentertainment stalls, live music and of course, the dogshow! It was brilliant to see staff, patients and supportershaving such a great time and we are looking forward toplanning next year's event - so watch this space."

Peter Calder, consultant orthopaedic surgeon andButtercup Walk Chairman said:

“We are so grateful to everyone who camealong to show their support – ourinspirational sponsored walkers and all oursupporters – from the police and fire brigade

who brought their vehicles for our youngsters to explore –to all the staff and volunteers who gave up their Sundayto run stalls and make the day such fun. The event was ahuge success and has raised thousands of pounds toenrich and support patient's experience during their timeat the hospital.”

We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyonethat gave up their time to volunteer on the day andall those who participated in the walk. We hope tosee you all again next year!

❝

❝


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Eleven employees from Twickenham-based housing association Thames Valley Housing showed theirsupport for The RNOH Charity by putting on their running shoes to take part in the Hampton CourtHalf Marathon, raising just over £6000 for the RNOH’s Spinal Cord Injury Centre (SCIC).

The hospital holds personal resonance for Thames ValleyHousing staff, as two members of the team, Jon Clowesand Kim Shanahan, have both had close family memberstreated at the hospital’s SCIC.

In June 2016, Kim’s partner Ashley Grealish, a craneoperator, experienced a major accident at work andsuffered a severe spinal cord injury. He also received supportand rehabilitation from the SCIC and with the help of thespinal team is now doing much better.

Rachel Allen, who co-ordinated the team’s efforts,commented, “Our aim is to raise awareness of the amazing

life changing work undertaken by staff at the spinal unit,and to give thanks to the support and care provided to Kimand Jon’s' families. Money is being raised to help fundfurther improvements to the spinal unit, to help treat morepatients so that they can confidently return to the normalityof their life and cope with any adjustments needed toregain their independence.”

We are so grateful to the team from Thames ValleyHousing for their donation. This is such a great achievementand one which will enable us to do more for the patientswe treat. Huge thanks go to everyone that took part.

Thames Valley Housing run for the SCIC

Thames ValleyHousing team


Mary withCinnamon, the DogShow Winner

The Rockin'

Bones

A keen flautist and artist from a youngage, I steered towards architecture andhorticultural therapy as a profession butwent on to study Art History atUniversity College in London instead. Icontinued playing the flute and becameprinciple flautist for the universityorchestra.

After university I went into publishing and worked myway up to the managing editor position at a leadinginternational arts publisher. It was at this time that my caraccident curtailed my career and I had to review the life Ihad and what I enjoyed and how I was going to goforward in this new position.

With my love for gardening and art background, Idecided to study landscape design. As a child, I hadfollowed my grandparents around their large garden withstring, a pair of blunt scissors and a small fork and troweltie in the clematis and runner beans, deadhead the rosesand sow seeds. I have a sneaky suspicion that Grandadcared for the seeds when I wasn’t there as I was alwaysamazed at how well they had grown.

I spent a long time at RNOH following a car accident 17years ago. Amongst my many therapies, I met a wonderfulhorticultural therapist who told me that I had to go forwardand to champion being in a wheelchair. After a four-yearrehabilitation, I left the RNOH and I started looking forhorticultural courses and visited many schools. If I wasshocked at the terrible layout of the campuses and limitedoptions for someone in a wheelchair, I was horrified to betold that they would not be able to validate the coursebecause I wouldn’t be able to do the physical side of thecourse, for example, dig holes and complete site surveys.With a strong and dogged determination, I looked onlineand found a suitable Open Learning course.

Even as an established garden designer, I have had toexplain to clients that I have help to undertake physical sideof site survey and digging. Sometimes I have bad dayswhich mean I will be unavailable but every client has beenwelcoming and understanding. Finding something asmeaningful to me as garden design, has really helpedremove the spectre of depression that hung around myshoulders after my accident. Of course I still have down

days but with the right medication I know I can continue,albeit at a managed pace.

To help me negotiate muddy sites, I have two all-terrainwheelchairs to help me. At home I have a height adjustabledesk and a wheelchair desk chair. Other than that, Isuppose the biggest adaptions I have made are fromwithin. I am more determined, level headed and passionateabout what I do. In a strange way for me, becoming awheelchair users full time has been positive. I probablywould not be where I am today if I had carried on mypublishing career.

My first professional commission was a large garden for alovely retired headmistress, whose brief was lowmaintenance; it would help with her physiotherapy and bea joy to look at 12 months of the year. I designed twocircular lawn areas with a pathway wrapping around thetwo in a figure of eight.

I have not looked back from taking my first nervous stepsas a garden designer. After designing numerous gardens, Istarted writing articles for magazines and which werepicked up by a BBC research team. This opened the door tomy BBC presenting work. Whilst I do not class myself as acelebrity, it is surreal watching myself on TV and peopleasking for photographs and autographs. I have thoroughlyenjoyed the presenting work and hope it continues foryears many to come. More importantly, if someone with aspinal condition sees me doing TV work, undertakinglandscape designs then all the better. Hopefully it willinspire others to get on with their lives.

I was honoured to be asked to be the Health, Wellbeing& Community ambassador for Groundwork, a charitywhich focuses on improving communities by addressingenvironmental issues and improving deprived areas of thecountry by either building, redeveloping or maintaininggreen sites. Thrive, a gardening disability charity to which Ican relate to, bestowed the title of ambassador to me, andcentres on positively changing lives through horticulturaltherapy.

I am where I am today because of the very wise words ofLinda Exley and Viv Williams, RNOH horticultural therapists.Thank you so much for your words of wisdom andencouragement – it would be great to see you again. I oweso much to the RNOH and their incredible staff.

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BBC RHS Gardening Presenters

Mark Lane: GARDENING GREATNESSI was born in Hertfordshire but grew up in Brighton & Hove. School was not anenjoyable experience. Whilst I didn’t struggle academically and was always at the top ofthe class for just about everything, my only salvation was in music and art.


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Sandpit judges

The Winning Team with Judges, from Left: Professor SebastianOrselin, Mr Brian Carling, Miss Deborah Eastwood, Professor

Vivek Mudera, Dr Steve Taylor, Dr kofi Agyare, Dr DafneRamirez, Mr Irving kaplan, Dr Alireza Rastegarpanah, Mr Rob

Hurd, Dr fjodors Tjulkins, Dr Rui Loureiro

It also provides an opportunity to bringtogether two institutions who share avision to create an environment in whichwe can transform patient care throughinnovation.

The Stanmore Sandpit Event, organised jointly betweenRNOH Research & Innovation Centre (RIC) and the UCLInstitute of Healthcare Engineering took place last month.The event brought together clinicians, scientists andengineers to address a real need for patients and providea solution to a clinical problem where currently there isnone or inadequate solution.

Three clinical problems were presented by a clinical leadand, in one instance, by a patient impacted by thecondition. Three groups were set up to brainstorm aproposed solution. Debates full of energy and ideas tookplace over the course of the day with the main aim:

The winning team was Dr RoxanehZarnegar, Dr kofi Agyare(Department of Anaesthesia), Mr Irving kaplan, Dr Steve Taylor,Dr Alireza Rastegarpanah, Dr fjodors Tjulkins (Aspire-CREATe)and Dr Dafne Ramirez (UCLIC)

RNOH RIC and the Moving Forwards Flagshipprogramme leads will work with the team to ensure thewinning idea is transformed into a real product withactual benefits to patients everywhere. The RNOH Charitywill review the winning project so support is in place totake all the required next steps. We will also support theremaining teams in securing funding to develop theirprojects.

The day brought together groups of people who wouldrarely collaborate, and established relationships which willcontinue to develop and produce innovations.

Thank you to all that participated and in particularthe clinical leads of the other two teams Dr AngelaGall, Mrs Anju Jaggi, Mrs Emma Linley and ProfessorJohn Skinner.

❝ To develop technology that toucheslives and delivers therapy in the rightdose, and in the right places and theright time ❞

Delivering modern healthcare in ever changing environment requires an ability toadjust, develop and invent. The UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering Flagshipprogramme allows the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital to build on its pasthistory of innovation.

Stanmore SANDPIT


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BACk TO THE fLOOR

My Portal allows the doctors to write up notes regardinga patient’s next appointment directly to the newplatform. Administrators can then book the follow upappointment straight onto My Portal without having tofill in a Clinical Outcome Form. Referral to Treatment

bookings can also be processed through this platform.

Saroj was impressed that the new system is helpingstaff to process appointments more efficiently andbedding in issues had been minimal.

Dr Saroj Patel

The Children & Young People’s unit in the Outpatient Unit are trialling the new My Portal system before it is rolled outacross the Trust. Saroj Patel, Director of IM&T and Innovation, visited the unit todiscuss how the new system is bedding in and any issues that may have manifested.

So, no excuses for double or tripleparking. Sadly, many staff do notpark properly or considerately.One of the worst examples of thisis parking in disabled bays.

Lydia Creppy, SeniorExecutive Assistant to theDirector of Nursing, is a BlueBadge holder and explainsthe frustrations that happenwhen disabled bays are usedby unauthorised drivers.

“There are enough parking spaces on site foreveryone. An issue is whether some able-bodiedstaff are prepared to walk any distance when themain car park is full. Many don’t want to walk a

short distance so parking in disabled bays becomes an easieroption. But without a blue badge this is not permissible.

Being a disabled person myself, access to disabled bays isimportant. There are far less disabled bays than there areordinary spaces and I find it very frustrating when some able-bodied staff choose to use these bays. They are fit to walk butdo not want to. However, they expect those who have mobilityproblems to do so. There is simply no excuse to park in adisabled bay unless you are allowed to. It’s even more difficultto understand when staff work at an orthopaedic hospital –they see and deal with patients with muscular and mobilityconditions every day. You’d think they’d have moreconsideration. It’s a very upsetting and selfish thing to do.”

As we all know, parking on the RNOH Stanmore siteis, at best, challenging. But it needn’t be that way.Despite what you may think, there is actuallyadequate parking for staff. Please ensure you makeuse of the parking up behind the SocialClub/Orthotics – it is well lit and has CCTV.

❝

PARKING- be thoughtful


articulate - Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust · PDF fileSUMMER 2017// ISSUE 124...

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Transcript of articulate - Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust · PDF fileSUMMER 2017// ISSUE 124...