St George’s Community Hydrotherapy Pool

E-Newsletter Issue 9

April 2014

In this issue:

Saving The Pool

User Profile: Gary

Cllr Cereste’s Visit

Family & Friends Test

CLF Donations

Manager’s Message

Physio Exercise

Contact Information

The council cabinet agreed to keep the hydrotherapy pool open for a maximum

of two years providing funding was found from elsewhere, in particular the

NHS, and that it would not require capital investment during that period.

Our Campaign To Save The Pool

The campaign to save St George's has involved a great deal of hard work by

many committed people. Users have written to their councillors, to their

MPs and have spoken eloquently at meetings and to the media. There was

also a memorable and wonderful response to our petition; we asked lead

petitioner and pool user Trayce Smeeton to talk about her experience.

" It started in January, which seems so

long ago, when we received an email

informing us that Peterborough Council

planned to stop funding the hydrotherapy

pool, with the intention of closing it at the

end of March 2014. What a shock, then

panic set in as we realized we only had until

March 5th to change the council's

mind. There was so much to do, so little

time in which to do it and we did not know where to start. Luckily, as someone who has strong

feelings on certain issues, I have signed petitions in the past and I remembered that some of

these were created by a group called 38 Degrees. On 27th January I contacted them: they were

brilliant - guiding me through the process of setting up and maintaining a petition and they are still

following us, offering advice and support. The next part of the tale is where all of you, the users,

families of users and Friends of St George's became so important as you rallied round, gathered

signatures and shared emails. A big thank you goes out to each and every one of you for all of your

hard work. On Monday 17th February, despite the freezing temperature, everyone who was

available met in front of Peterborough Town Hall at 11am to present the petition to Councillor

North. This asked for all councillors to, " Keep St George's open and fund it for the next two

years or until alternative funding or provision was available". Whilst we were handing over the

petition, which had 3,452 signatures, Jane and Trish continued to share information about St

George's with passing shoppers and collect even more . At the same time Michelle, from Little

Miracles, had some last minute additions making a final total of 3,611. Well done everyone. "

On Sunday 13th July 2008, Gary Owen’s life was

quite literally shattered. The 42-year-old long

distance HGV driver from Peterborough was working

on the Olympics project in London at the time.

However, on 13th he was riding home on his Aprilia

RSV 1000 Tuono from Mallory Park, when he was

involved in a high-speed crash.

Paramedics rushed him to Coventry Hospital where

he remained unconscious for three days. Gary had

sustained a number of serious injuries, especially to

his left leg, which had four open fractures below the

knee and one above. He also sustained extensive skin loss to his right thigh.

The fracture to the bone above his knee (the femur) was pinned and plated, but the open wound

breaks below (the tibia) were so severe and complex that an external fixator was required.

Around 50% of his right thigh needed skin grafts. Gary remained hospital for four weeks.

There then followed six months of rehabilitation at

home in Peterborough. Unfortunately, at the end of

this it was found that none of the bones had joined –

called a nonunion.

Gary was therefore fitted with a new external

fixator, which he wore for a year.

A year and a half after his accident, Gary’s skin grafts

had largely healed. However, the fractures in his left

leg were still only showing signs of some initial healing.

They were not correctly aligned either. Gary has type 2 diabetes, which can delay and make

healing more difficult. It was therefore decided to remove the fixator for six months to see if

this would encourage healing.

There then followed two years of various leg casts, trips to orthopaedic specialists in Sheffield

and Peterborough and extensive physiotherapy. At the end of this, the plate in the upper half of

Gary’s left leg was removed and the femur was re-pinned. More walking to improve the strength

and circulation in the left leg to aid healing was prescribed, but this was without effect.

Finally, in December 2012 Gary was referred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

It was then found Gary’s attempts at walking might have actually been aggravating the problem, as

his bones were still soft and unhealed. Gary was given three choices:

1. To have an amputation above the knee

2. To have a full knee replacement that would give him half his original range of knee movement

back. This, however, was a risky option because it involved a site where there had previously been

an infection. Any reoccurrence of this could lead to full leg amputation

3. To clean out the knee and to insert a solid rod running from his hip to his ankle

Reasons To Keep The Pool Open: Gary’s Story

The Friends of St George’s turn a new page

The Friends are delighted to announce that we have our own Facebook page! It is

a great way to keep up to date with what is going on at St George’s and to have

your say on all our ongoing projects. We have many pictures, links our recent appearances

in the Peterborough Telegraph and on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, as well as all the details

of the progress of the “Save St George’s” campaign. Why not ‘Like’ our page?

https://www.facebook.com/friendsofstgeorgescommunityhydrotherapypool

Please join us for the next Friends meeting, it is on Monday, April 24th

1:00 - 3:00 at St George’s Community Hydrotherapy Pool.

If you have story about how hydrotherapy at St George’s has made helped

you, or someone you care for, please contact the pool

stgeorgeshydrotherapypool@peterborough.gov.uk or speak to a member of

staff. We would love to hear from you.

Gary chose this final option. He had his operation June 2013. He says, “Things have moved

forwards so much since then; I have made so much progress. I can now walk short distances

without crutches.”

Of course, such a major operation has complications. As expected, Gary is unable to bend his

leg at the knee. However, he has also lost 2 inches in leg length and been left with a very stiff

ankle meaning he is unable to place his heel to the floor. He was receiving physiotherapy for

this at Peterborough City Hospital in January when he saw a card advertising St George’s

Community Hydrotherapy Pool and decided to refer himself.

Reasons To Keep The Pool Open: Gary’s Story

He says, “I wish I’d known about St George’s and been able to

come earlier. On my first session, I was able to put my foot flat

to the floor. In the pool, I can walk about; I have freedom of

movement for the first time in five years. It’s so much easier

and less painful in the warm water. It gives me respite and re-

laxation too.” Gary now attends the pool weekly. His physio-

therapist at the hospital noticed an improvement after just a

few sessions. However, more than that Gary says that since

coming to the pool he has a new positive frame of mind. “I have

the confidence to walk and attempt more, such as the stairs. I

feel able to do more for myself and more positive about moving

towards going back to work and about the future.”

Easter Open Day

Birthday Party

In March, St George’s hosted its first

birthday party for Shay Harvey, who

regularly comes to the pool on Saturday

mornings with his

grandma Emma.

Everyone who

attended had a

really good time,

and Shay went

away smiling from

cheek to cheek.

If you would like

St George’s to

host a birthday

party for someone,

please get in touch

with me.

'Manager's Message Board'

Charity Bands!

To help raise money for the

Friends of St George’s and to

help keep the pool open, we have

created these charity wristbands.

They help raise awareness of St George’s Community

Hydrotherapy Pool to the general public, and are a

great advertisement for the pool wherever you go!

The bands are available in both blue and red.

Because they are made of silicone, not only are they

comfortable to wear, but also they are very robust,

and you can wear them in water!

If you would like one, we ask for a minimum donation

of £1 per band to cover the cost of production, but

any donations on top of this go directly to the Friends

of St George’s group to help keep the hydrotherapy

pool open.

Update on funding...Towards the end of March, it was announced that

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group have confirmed that they will be

funding access to the hydrotherapy pool as one route in their musculoskeletal (MSK) pathway.

At the time of writing, I have not been given any further details than this, and the NHS questionnaire you have

recently completed is helping the NHS to understand the range of conditions we treat at St George’s. However, the

announcement is very encouraging news for the immediate future of St George’s and for the health and rehabilitation

of people across the city.

I should like to thank to each and every one of you for your continued support of the pool and particularly what you

have done to help us in the last couple of months.

It has been a tense and unstable time for us all, and the announcement from the Clinical Commissioning Group would

not have happened were it not for your collective work, continued campaigning and support that you and all other users

and Friends of St George’s have dedicated.

So, on behalf of all the staff at St George’s, I should like to say thank you so much.

Following the incredible success of our Christmas Open Day in December, we are hosting our Easter Open Day on

Saturday 12th April from 10:00 – 15:00 here at the pool!

We will have a range of stalls and activities here, including a tombola, a crafts and gifts stall, games and

refreshments.

In keeping with tradition, we will also be hosting a colouring competition for children aged 16 and under, with

seasonal prizes up for grabs!

If you have anything you would like to donate to any of the stalls, be it prizes for the tombola, arts and crafts or

even home-made baking, we would be really grateful!

Leader Of Peterborough City Council Marco Cereste Visits St George’s

Hydrotherapy Matters!

On Monday 3rd March,

St George’s was

delighted to welcome

the Leader of

Peterborough City

Council, Councillor

Marco Cereste, to the

pool. There he met

users and Councillor

Fox for an informal

discussion on the future of the pool and the service following the Cabinet’s decision, in principle,

to keep the hydrotherapy pool open for a maximum of two years subject to the necessary

income and funds being raised to support the service. Councillor Cereste was confident that new

hydrotherapy pool would be incorporated into one of the new leisure developments planned for

the city. He said, “I fully support the hydrotherapy pool and what the users are trying to do. I

hope the NHS helps with cost whilst a new pool is being built.”

We heard afterwards that Councillor Cereste had enjoyed his visit. We certainly enjoyed

receiving him.

A cure that can be fun...Ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians knew

about and used hydrotherapy to alleviate pain, to aid mobility and to promote well being. Hydrotherapy

knowledge has been handed down through the centuries because it works.

Hydrotherapy derives from hydro (water) and therapy (cure). It uses the properties of water - water

pressure and temperature, usually warm, to promote a healing and relaxing environment. At St

George's Community Pool the water is kept at an optimum of 36 -37 degrees. There are some

circumstances where very cold, icy water is used but that is another story!

How does all this work in practice ?

Water pressure provides buoyancy so that when you are immersed in water, up to your chest, you weigh

approximately half of your normal weight. This enables you to move and exercise more than if you were

supporting your body weight on dry land. The warmth of the water frees up muscles and joints and enables

exercise without, or with reduced , pain. These two properties, of water buoyancy and pain relieving

warmth, when combined produce enormous benefits for those who are frail, have an injury or have reduced

mobility.

Being able to move without, or with reduced, pain affects mood, promotes a feeling of well being and this in

turn generates even more benefits, some of an economic nature. Apart from this, a session in the

hydrotherapy pool is enjoyable and can be fun.

The Friends and Family Test

Facts and Figures

On 13-14th February, during the Council’s

budget consultations, Peterborough Telegraph

ran a live news poll, “Should Peterborough’s

hydrotherapy pool be kept open?”

The results were:

Yes 97%

No 3%

This was certainly an empathetic vote of

support for the pool, and the service it offers,

by Peterborough Telegraph readers.

The Friends and Family Test is a single question survey administered nationally by the NHS,

which asks patients whether they would recommend the service they have received to friends

and family who needed similar treatment. Answers are on scale of ‘extremely likely’ to

‘extremely unlikely’ and are used to calculate a score that can range from -100 - +100.

St George’s Community Hydrotherapy Pool recently adopted this test to measure the level of

its customers’ satisfaction. We are delighted to report that 136 customers completed the sur-

vey which produced a very encouraging score of +81

In addition, users were invited to give the main reason for their choice. An overwhelming ma-

jority took the time and the trouble to do this, which we greatly appreciated. You can read all

the comments on our website: http://www.sgchp.btck.co.uk/Quotes

Thank you to everyone who took part. Copies of Friends and Family Test will continue to be

available in the reception area and we would very much encourage anyone who has not already

completed one to do so when they next visit. Your feedback is very important to us.

Friends and Family Test: St George's Community

Hydrotherapy Pool

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Don't know

Extremely unlikely

Unlikely

Neither likely nor unlikely

Likely

Extremely likely

Lik

eli

ho

od

of

reco

mm

en

din

g

Number of respondents

Series1

Facts and Figures February and March saw 81 new users

joining the pool - the highest number

this financial year.

Facts and Figures

Groups that use the pool:

• 6 Schools

• 1 Nursery

• 1 College

• 5 Day Centres

• 8 Care Homes

Community Leadership Fund Donations 2013-14

More Donations

Have you noticed the table, covered in books, in the corner by the front door of the foyer?

Anyone can choose a book, or two, and leave a donation in the Friends and Users of St

George's blue charity container on the desk. If you have any books that you no longer

need, please feel free to bring them in and put them on the table. From kind donations

received so far we have made £97 and shared some good books.

As you may know, St George’s users come from every ward in the city. Once again, as you can see

below, a number of Peterborough’s councillors have generously supported the hydrotherapy pool by

making a donation from their Community Leadership Fund.

£2,500 of this, which was donated earlier, has assisted the pool this financial year, but it has

been agreed that the remaining money can be carried over to support the pool over the next few

months while alternative funding, in particular from the NHS, is found.

We would like to thank all councillors for their continued and much appreciated support.

Ward Councillor Amount

Bretton North Cllrs Martin & Sylvester £500.00

Bretton South Cllr Fletcher £3,500.00

Central Cllr Nadeem £500.00

Central Cllr Jamil £500.00

Dogsthorpe Cllrs Ash, Miners & Saltmarsh £262.50

Glinton and Wittering Cllrs Lamb & Holdich £881.37

Newborough Cllr Harrington £328.49

North Cllrs Swift & Sharp £260.00

Northborough Cllr Hiller £2,022.06

Orton Longueville Cllrs Goodwin & Casey £350.00

Orton Longueville Cllr Forbes £470.46

Orton with Hampton Cllrs Seaton, North & Scott £1,000.00

Park Cllr Shearman £150.00

Park Cllrs Kreling & Peach £366.66

Paston Cllr Simons £926.66

Paston Cllr Knowles £220.00

Walton Cllrs Shaheed & Sandford £1,500.00

Werrington North Cllrs Fox, Fox & Lane £500.00

Werrington South Cllr Davidson £300.00

Werrington South Cllr Thacker £133.33

Exercise Corner

PRINCIPLE: USING BOUYANCY

EASY: Place the floats under your hands

and out to your side then bring them

forward in front of you and then return

to the start position.

This is a good exercise for range of

movement. Do as many as you are able.

PRINCIPLE: RESISTANCE AGAINST

BOUYANCY

HARD: Place the floats under your

hands and out to the side the bring

them forward and then back to the start

position. Try to keep the floats just

under the surface of the water at all

times.

Physio:

Thursdays at 3pm and 5pm.

Fridays at 2:30pm and 3:30pm.

Price only £10.

Each session includes a personalised exercise plan for you

each time you come, developed during your session in the pool.

Private 1:1 session with aquatic physiotherapist also available for £90

Have you tried our Physio and Aquafit Classes?

Aquafit:

Thursdays at 4pm and 6pm.

Saturdays at 12 noon.

Price only £5.

Contact Information

Bookings or general enquiries:

Email: stgeorgeshydrotherapypool@peterborough.gov.uk

Telephone: 01733 453 583

Address: Pool Manager,

St George’s Community Hydrotherapy Pool,

367 Dogsthorpe Road,

Peterborough, PE1 3RE

We Are Supported By

Public Session Prices:

£4 - per session

£35 - block bookings of 10 sessions

£90 - Private 1:1 session

with an aquatic physiotherapist

Appointments are always necessary

Our website QR code

Our website is frequently updated, please take a look at:

www.sgchp.btck.co.uk

Public Opening Hours:

Monday 09.30 - 13.00

Tuesday 09.30 - 13.30

Wednesday 10.30 - 13.30

Thursday 13.00 - 18.00

Friday 10.00 - 14.00

Saturday 10.00 - 14.00

Sunday Closed

www.facebook.com/stgeorgespool

https://twitter.com/pborohydropool