Issue 18

N e w s f r o m S o u t h a m p t o n U n i v e r s i t y H o s p i t a l s N H S T r u s t

FREE PLEASE TAKE ONE

HOSPITAL AT NIGHT

FOUNDATION TRUST:

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT

OWEN IS BABY

100

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust has one of the highest detection rates in the country for breast cancers smaller than 10 to 15 mm.

Major progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Southampton over the last 20 years due to the success of the Trust’s breast screening programme.

Over the past year, 78 per cent of cancers detected by Southampton’s breast imaging team have been smaller than 15mm.

Dr Caroline Rubin, consultant radiologist and director of the screening programme, said: “The success of the unit is due to the skill of the radiologists in identifying very small anomalies on the screens.”

Pharmacists celebrate year of successPharmacists at Southampton General Hospital are celebrating a bumper year of achievement after collecting five prestigious

health awards.The department has also seen

its divisional clinical director, Martin Stephens, appointed as a national pharmacy tsar by the government

and chief pharmacist, Surinder Bassan, made a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Top honours won by the department include the NAPP

award for the pharmacists’ role in chronic pain teams, the GlaxoSmithKline Advanced Practitioner Award for pharmacist and nurse prescribing and the UKCPA award for intervention monitoring.

Sharron Millen, head of clinical pharmacy at SUHT, said: “The past year has been overwhelmingly successful for pharmacy in Southampton and I am delighted that top pharmaceutical bodies are recognising the great work we are carrying out.

“We are leading the way in many areas and that has been demonstrated with Martin’s selection as a national voice for hospital pharmacy.”

media monitor: This story was covered by ITV Meridian and the Daily Echo.

media monitor: This story was covered by Southampton News Extra.

media monitorthe latest SUHT news

2-3 CONNECT ISSUE 18

Welcome to issue 18 of Connect

In this issue...SUHT in the news 2Owen is baby number 100 3New liver brings new lease of life 4Hospital at Night 5Getting to know… 6Golden Stethoscope 7The Fundraising Connection 8

Tell us what you think...Let us know what you think of Connect, plus tell us what news and features you’d like to see in future editions.

Email:connect@suht.swest.nhs.uk

Write to:CommunicationsMailpoint 18Southampton General HospitalTremona RoadSouthampton SO16 6YD

Telephone: 023 8079 4853

Website: www.suht.nhs.uk

Connect is produced by SUHT’s communications team. Printed on environmentally friendly paper.

When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it.

Major progress in the detection of breast cancer in Southampton

Long serving volunteers rewardedDistinguished former weatherman Trevor ‘the weather’ Baker was among a host of volunteers who celebrated a combined 1,260 years of service to Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust recently.

Trevor collected a 20-year service honour, while Milly Stokes, Graham Lines and Chris Litton each collected awards celebrating 40 years of dedicated service.

Members of many voluntary organisations active within the Trust, such as the League of Friends, Southampton Hospital Radio, Radio Lollipop, the British Red Cross and Talking Echo were in attendance at the long service awards ceremony.

Kim Sutton, voluntary services manager, said: “Our volunteers are such a vital part of the hospital and give up so much of their time to improve the patient experience.”

media monitor: This story was covered by the Daily Echo.

Staff at the New Forest Birth Centre have been celebrating the arrival of their 100th baby, Owen Hayter.Kirsty Richardson, 22, from Hythe, gave birth to 8lb 6oz Owen in one of the centre’s birth pools, with partner Martyn Hayter by her side.

Kirsty hadn’t planned to give birth at the new centre, but was glad she did and would recommend it to other mums.

She said: “The care and attention I received during and after labour was brilliant; the midwives and maternity care assistants gave me lots of

support.“The

pool was big and they kept

it at a good temperature. I wasn’t left on my own for a minute.”

The couple’s other son, four-year-old Aaron, came in to see his mum and new baby brother, but it wasn’t long before Kirsty and Owen were ready to go home and be with the rest of the family.

Owen’s name has now been added to a tree of life created by one of the mums-to-be at the birth centre.

She painted the tree without any leaves and made a leaf for each of the first 100 babies born there. With the mother’s consent, each name and date of birth has been added and it hangs in the front entrance of the birth centre.

Owen is baby number

Nationally, the number of c-sections has dramatically increased over the last decade. This has led the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement to develop a toolkit to help midwives reduce these numbers.

This toolkit has been in development at Princess Anne Hospital for the last 18 months. During that time there has been a 4% reduction in the number of c-sections. This is double the target reduction.

In 2007, 24% of births were by c-section. In 2008 this dropped to 20%, with just 16% of births by c-section in November.

One of the initiatives is to introduce midwife-led care for women having a vaginal birth following a previous caesarean. This is known as VBAC.

Helen Barnes, the consultant

midwife trainee who developed this initiative, said: “There are lots of benefits to a normal birth, so where it is safe to do so we would advise this for women if their previous c-section was uncomplicated.

“We try not to medicalise the event, so from the beginning the mother will see a midwife, rather than a doctor. They’ll have a risk assessment to make sure they are suitable for midwife-led care and VBAC and we fully explain the risks and benefits so they can make an informed choice.”

After a normal birth, recovery tends to be quicker and the mother is up and about sooner. This means there less risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Breast-feeding also tends to get off to a more successful start.

100The midwife-led New Forest Birth Centre opened in September 2008, in the grounds of Ashurst Hospital. It is suitable for anyone expecting a straightforward birth and also offers a drop-in

lounge for advice and breastfeeding support.It is not just for women from the New Forest, but for all of those under the care

of Southampton’s midwives.Nearly half the births there so far have been first-time mums, who find the centre

a safe, friendly and relaxing home-from-home environment.If at any point mums or babies require extra help from a doctor, they will be

transferred by ambulance to the consultant led unit at Princess Anne Hospital.

First-time mum Jo Tolley had

baby Katie at Princess Anne

Hospital before the pair were

transferred to the New Forest

Birth Centre.She said: “The staff at Princess

Anne were fantastic and I couldn’t

have asked for better care.

“It was great to be able to go

back to the NFBC though - it was

very welcoming. I had someone

there at the press of a button for

help and advice.

The facility is fantastic with

everything you could need and I

would recommend it to anyone.”

She said: “It was a forceps delivery, and was wonderful compared to the c-section, completely different. I’m due to have baby number four in a couple of weeks and hope this will also be a normal birth too.

“I remember my obstetrician being really pleased when I said that I wanted to aim for a normal birth. You have to stay open-minded

though, and plan for different scenarios, as you never know what will happen once you go into labour. The most important thing is that mum and baby are safe.”

Julie now helps other mums who have had a c-section and chosen to try for a VBAC with their second baby, by talking to them at a workshop run by the midwives.

JULIE’S STORY

Julie Noble, 38, from Hythe, has had two emergency caesarean sections. When she fell pregnant for the third time, she wanted to attempt a natural delivery.

For further details or advice please contact the midwifery information office on 023 8079 6834.

BENEFITS OF NORMAL BIRTHSMidwives at Southampton are helping women who have previously had a caesarean section to choose a normal birth for their next baby.

4-5 CONNECT ISSUE 18

Experts at the Eye Unit, along with staff members from the pathology team, have pledged to increase the number of eye donations after becoming one of ten eye retrieval centres across the country.

The Eye Unit’s bid for retrieval status was one of only two successful applications out of 22 from different trusts in the UK to join the existing eight other centres.

As a designated centre, the unit will

promote eye donation and retrieval within Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, providing 100 donations in the first year alone.

Unlike other organs, which must be donated immediately, corneas can be donated up to 24 hours after death.

Parwez Hossain, a consultant at Southampton Eye Unit, said: “Being selected as one of only ten national eye retrieval centres is a great endorsement of the unit and the work we carry out.”

Now, following a liver transplant, her health has been transformed and she is living life to the full again.

Jennifer, 60, from Fair Oak near Southampton, was first taken ill in 2003, when she spent time in intensive care. Her illness was caused by complex problems with her liver and she underwent a four-hour procedure in radiology in a bid to correct them.

For 18 months she felt better, but when her health began to deteriorate

again Dr Mark Wright consultant hepatologist, asked a specialist transplant team from Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge to see her. They agreed she was a suitable candidate for a transplant.

Jennifer was suffering from a condition called ascites, which in her case was caused by her livery artery leaking into her liver vein. A large amount of fluid would build up in her abdomen and each week she came to Southampton General Hospital to have it drained.

She said: “Because my stomach was so swollen I could barely eat and I lost an awful lot of weight. I also had to deal with people staring and making comments because they saw an older lady, with grey hair, who looked pregnant.”

About six months after she was put on the transplant list, Jennifer received a

late night call to say a suitable liver had become available. She travelled straight to Addenbrookes with her husband, Andy, where she spent more than 10 hours in surgery. After two weeks recovering in Cambridge, Jennifer was allowed to come home, and she hasn’t looked back since.

She said: “My life is totally different. I’m back to my old self, just like Dr Wright said I would be. I used to get so tired and I couldn’t do a thing, not even look after my three-year --old grandson, Harrison. Now I have him every Wednesday and we can walk to the park and play.

“I had such excellent care from everybody, I can’t fault it. I found out my donor was a 21-year-old girl, which is so sad, but I hope it is a comfort to her family that she saved other people’s lives. She’s living on through me.”

New liver brings new lease of lifeEighteen months ago, Jennifer White was making weekly trips to hospital to have up to ten litres of fluid drained from her abdomen.

New champion for organ donationAndy Eynon, director of the neurosciences intensive care unit, has recently become SUHT’s donor champion.

He is one of 30 donor champions across the country who have responsibility for raising awareness and numbers of organ and tissue donations.

The UK currently has one of the lowest donation rates in Europe and is aiming for a 50% increase.

Andy said: “The general public are very supportive of organ and tissue donation, so it is a great shame when families are not offered the opportunity. It is one way of some good coming from a bad thing.

“Organ and tissue donation can not only save lives but also make huge differences to the quaility of the lives of patients and their relatives.’

SUHT also has a transplant co-ordinator, Trish Collins, who supports the families of donors. She works closely with the intensive care unit and emergency department to ensure families are offered the option of organ and tissue donation as well as helping to educate staff about the importance of this.

Any staff wanting further advice on organ and tissue donation can call a transplant co-ordinator 08700 555500, pager number 839261. This service is available 24 hours a day.

Donor facts• Only 25% of the UK

population are on the donor register

• 9,000 are waiting for transplants across the country

• 1,000 people die each year waiting to go on the transplant list

New satellite service for liver transplant patientsDr Kathryn Nash, a hepatologist who trained in Cambridge, has now taken up a post as a consultant at Southampton General Hospital. As well as reviewing local patients, she takes referrals from regional hospitals and helps spot patients who would benefit from a transplant. There are also nurse specialists available who can provide counselling.

Patients undergo transplant assessment in Southampton,

including testing the fitness of their heart and lungs. Following the transplant, the post-surgery care, tests and follow-ups can all be done in Southampton.

Therefore, other than a short pre-admission to meet the team at Addenbrookes, and the surgery itself, the patients can now be treated much closer to their homes and families, rather than having to travel hundreds of miles for weekly clinic reviews.

Southampton now operates a satellite service from Cambridge for liver transplant patients in the region.

Eye unit launches bid to increase corneal donationsSouthampton’s eye specialists have also launched a drive to increase corneal donation rates to allow more sight-restoring transplant operations to be carried out.

Hospital at nightThe Hospital at Night project began in Unscheduled Care last October and will be rolled out throughout the Trust by August this year.

Each night at 9pm, there is a handover to the Hospital at Night team. For each shift, the team has two nurse practitioners, a medical assistant and three junior doctors.

Throughout the night, all requests for medical care are sent to the nurse practitioner, who holds a bleep for the team. The nurse practitioner prioritises these requests and ensures they are passed onto the appropriate member of the team.

They receive, on average, between

35 and 55 calls per night. Around half of these are dealt with by the medical assistants, who can perform tasks such as blood tests, cannulas and catheterising patients. This frees up the junior doctors’ time for more complex patient care.

Karen Pellatt, pictured right, is one of the Hospital at Night medical assistants. She said:“Since the pilot began, the way we work on the night shift has been much better co-ordinated.

“We cover 13 medical and elderly care wards and I have a trolley called Bob that I take around with me. Bob has everything I need to

care for the patients I’m called to. I call him Bob because he carries all my bits and bobs!

“We use the Vocera system to stay in touch. It’s a small badge that I wear on my shirt and can instantly speak to the team using the Trust’s wireless networks.

“It also helps me feel safe when I’m out and about on my own in the hospital during the night.”

A pilot project at Southampton General Hospital is changing the way patients are cared for through the night.

Make your vote count!Over 40 staff members have shown an interest in nominating themselves for the Foundation Trust Members’ Council – do you know who you will be voting for?

Twenty three people will sit on the Members’ Council and four of these will be staff representatives from the following areas:

• Medical and dental • Nursing and midwifery• Other clinical staff• All other staff

All staff will be written to at their home address and you only vote for the person representing your area. So if you’re a physiotherapist, you will vote for a representative in the other clinical staff category.

The election process is being handled by Electoral Reform Services Ltd (ERS) to ensure it is independent and fair. Your ballot paper will be sent to you with a list of candidates and brief supporting statements to help you make your decision.

We need you to vote and to encourage others to vote so that the elected members reflect the whole membership.

For more information please contact our membership office on 023 8059 6896 or e-mail ft@suht.swest.nhs.uk

6-7 CONNECT ISSUE 18

Tell us a little bit about your background

I’m a local boy, Shirley Warren born and bred. I’ve been married to Jan for 35 years. We have one son, one daughter and four grandsons.

I have a mixed background prior to working in the NHS; car manufacturing industry, wages clerk and traffic clerk, but I was made redundant in all three jobs.

Who do you have at home? Jan and Carly. I’m not a pet

person, other than a few goldfish and hamsters in the past.

What do you get up to in your spare time?

Running, cycling, eating out and then even more running. I’m a Saints fan for my sins.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

Nelson Mandela’s The Long Road to Freedom. It’s a riveting read, a real eye opener. I cannot believe this was allowed to happen in today’s

world. I’m particularly into serious autobiographies - not these C-list celebrity types’ autobiographies.

Favourite film? It’s difficult to choose between

Field of Dreams, an adult’s fairytale, and Black

Hawk Down, a fact based film on the

American forces involvement in Somalia.

What three items would you take with

you on a desert island? A pair of

running trainers, Jan (better

not leave her at home) and my CD collection.

Who has inspired your career? My family and the need to provide

for them and give them a reasonable standard of living.Why did you choose to work for the NHS?

Mainly by default because I was out of work at the time (26 years ago). I’m very proud to be part of the Trust though. It’s something that all of us, or our families, will need to use at some stage and therefore I have a vested interest in ensuring we provide a quality service.

GETTINGTO KNOW… RECEIPTS AND

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

GEOFF COTTON

Have fun and raise money for Wessex HeartbeatVisit our website www.heartbeat.co.ukContact us on 023 8079 5907

Amanda Barnes has been matron on the General Intensive Care Unit for the past two years.

Several of her staff have contacted Connect to nominate her for Thanks a Bunch. They surprised her with a bouquet of flowers, to say thank you for her hard work on GICU.

Linda Johnson, senior sister, one of the members of staff who

nominated Amanda, said: “Amanda is an excellent manager on both a personal and professional level. The unit recently had an eight-bed expansion and she has brought stability to the department during this change.”

Chrissie Guyer, lead nurse practice development, added: “This is a thank you from all the staff on GICU. Amanda is always recognising other people’s achievements so we wanted to do the same for her.”Do you know a colleague who’s gone beyond the call of duty? Say thanks to them! Email your nomination to connect@suht.swest.nhs.uk

Flowers kindly donated by The Floral Shop.

Thanks a…

The Golden Stethoscope

Can you name three of this year’s Celebrity Big Brother contestants?No.Score: Zero points

Which European football club has David Beckham joined on loan?I don’t know. Oh, is it Milan? Which one? I didn’t know there were two. I can tell you about horse racing. I come from a family of jockeys, my father was a jockey. I was too big to be a jockey so I had to get a proper job.Score: Half a point

What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a suit for work?£700 - £800, although that wasn’t specifically a suit for work, I just wore it to work. Usually I’d get them from M&S.Score: Half a point

How much is a second class stamp?I haven’t bought second class stamps. I bought some first class a couple of weeks ago, but I can’t remember how much they were.Score: Zero points (Second class is 27p).

When was the last time you travelled on a bus?Um... about ten years ago on holiday, but I needed help because they insisted on having the right change. I asked a lady at the bus stop. What country? It was somewhere near Hampton Court. Prior to that it was at school.Score: Zero points

Can you name a song in the current top ten singles chart?No, I can’t. I’m not doing very well am I? I used to know what was in the top ten.Score: Zero points

When does Southampton’s new IKEA open?No, I don’t know what they do.Score: Zero points

Which of these famous women will not turn 40 in 2009 – Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Zeta-Jones or Kylie Minogue?Catherine Zeta-Jones?Score: Zero points (Kylie Minogue celebrated her 40th birthday last year, the others are all 40 this year).

What do you listen to on your way to work?I tend to listen to audio books or jazz. Sometimes country and western.Score: Zero points

Who is the new Doctor Who?I only know that he’s a young guy. You have to remember that I was around for the first Doctor Who.Score: Zero points

Are SUHT consultants in a world of their own – or are they keeping it real?

Facing the 10-question challenge this time is consultant maxillofacial surgeon Barrie Evans.

Score1

10

Nadia Chambers, consultant nurse in elderly care, who was named on the New Year’s honours list.

She has been awarded an OBE in recognition of 30 years of service in healthcare.

In the past, Nadia has been selected to advise the Secretary of State on reforms of health and social care in the UK.

Barrie Evans, consultant maxillofacial surgeon, who has been appointed as president of the

British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Barrie took up his new role in January 2009 and will hold the position for one year.

Sarah Charters, senior sister in the Emergency Department, who was made

an Associate of the Royal Red Cross in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

The honour was bestowed in recognition of her continued commitment to No 4626 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron as a senior nursing officer. She has been with the squadron for 19 years.

Ian Howard and his team in the haemostasis and special techniques section of SUHT’s pathology department, who were awarded two gold awards from the Central Quality Assurance Scheme (CQAS).

The team were named best performing lab of 2008 for measuring both antithrombin (an enzyme which inhibits coagulation) and HbF (foetal haemoglobin).

The Fundraising Connection

For further details about fundraising news and events and to find out how you can help, visit www.suht.nhs.uk/charity or contact the

team on 023 8079 8881 or email charity@suht.swest.nhs.uk

As The Red & White Appeal gains momentum following its November launch, supporters are being urged to make a small donation and a big difference in 2009.

In light of the current economic climate, Southampton Hospital Charity is asking people across Hampshire,

the Isle of Wight, Wiltshire, Dorset, West Sussex and the Channel Islands to make a contribution to the appeal in whatever way they can. The appeal aims to create the transplant treatment centre of choice for patients with leukaemia and other blood disorders.

Small donation, big difference in 2009

How you can help:• Rubies and diamonds – donate your jewellery even if it’s costume jewellery!• Pay £1 to wear something red and or white for the day. Perhaps you could

wear red and white socks to school or work? • Cake sale - bake a cake and decorate it with red and white icing• Hold a round robin lunch – invite ten people to lunch and ask them to make

a donation, then each guest organises their own fundraising lunch inviting nine guests and so on

• Hold a red and white sporting event – cycle round the Isle of Wight wearing red, hold a ten pin bowling night and only use the red bowls, organise a cricket, football or rugby match or why not organise a golf day?

• Roll an Edam down a hill competition• Knit a red jumper and sell it to a friend or relative• Fill a red and white collection box with your spare change • Ask your local shop to display a collection box• Holding a sporting, musical or amateur dramatic event? Add £1 to the ticket price• Donate your pocket money for a week• Grow your own red and white plants, vegetables, fruit and bulbs and make a donation• Hold a red and white wine tasting evening• Hold a red dress and red corduroy party• Hold a red Thai curry night• Hold a Valentines disco

Complete this puzzle to be in with a chance of winning a meal at the Tiffin Club worth up to £25.

Enter numbers from 1 to 9 into the blank squares, so that every row, every column and every 3x3 square has one of each digit. Cut out and send your entry through the internal post to Connect, Mailpoint 18, Trust Management Offices, SGH, by Friday 20th February.

Congratulations to Dr Neeta Singh, from histopathology, who successfully completed Issue 17’s puzzle to scoop the prize. www.tiffinclub.info

SUHT Sudoku challengeWin a meal at the Tiffin Club!

www.dailysudoku.co.uk

Catering staff at SUHT celebrated the adoption of Southampton Hospital Charity at their annual festive dinner.

Over £100 was raised through the staff raffle, which included many

donated items including cakes baked by Lisa Prince and chef Geoff Gallaway.

Catering manager Stella Gardener said: “We’re delighted to be able to contribute to the excellent work of Southampton Hospital Charity, which fundraises for projects across the entire hospital. It’s important for the staff and visitors to see where their donations are making a real difference.”

Southampton Hospital Charity would like to thank all staff and visitors for their contributions.

Catering staff backing Southampton Hospital Charity

Runners are being urged to get in training for the Southampton Hospital Charity 5K Fun Run on Sunday 17 May. Please email fundraising officer Suzie Pearce on suzie.pearce@suht.swest.nhs.uk to sign up today.