Inside Story Story/Inside... · 90 minutes handing out presents and signing autographs at the...
Transcript of Inside Story Story/Inside... · 90 minutes handing out presents and signing autographs at the...
Inside Story is the UCLH staff magazine
Inside Story
A mystery visitor... Modern matron wouldn’t approveSmile you’re on cameraProtecting patients’ privacy
SURPRISE PARTY...Chelsea Cheer theChildren
Front cover stars: Chelsea’s surprise visit
You Shall go tothe Ball
It’s a must have ticket so get your
glad rags ready and book now for the
UCLH Nurses Ball. The annual
celebration is at the Savoy Hotel,
Strand, on Friday February 23rd with
cocktails, followed by dinner and
disco dancing. Price is £38.00 and
tickets are available from Sylivia
Jemmott (nursing only) x 9569 and
Lydia Pierre (admin only) x 2155.
New YearHonour forUCLHConsultant
Forty years of
dedication to
biomedicine won UCLH’s Mike Wren
an MBE in the New Year Honours.
Consultant biomedical scientist Prof
Wren has worked in the NHS since
1966 and began at UCH in 1989 as a
senior chief biomedical scientist. He
became a lab manager in 1994 and
was promoted to his current position
in September 2004.
During his time at the trust Prof
Wren estimates he has trained
thousands of biomedical scientists
and junior doctors and he was
recognised in the honours for his
services to biomedicine.
Microbiology service manager David
Baker prepared the citation which,
supported by the Trust, won Prof
Wren his honour.
”It’s been a wonderful, wonderful
career and I still enjoy it even after
40-and-a-half years,” said Prof Wren.
“Nearly half the time has been spent
here and I think this is a terrific
hospital to work for.”
Following more than three years working for a Professor at UCL,
Olwyn Sanderson has joined UCLH as a senior medical
secretary in Oncology. Olwyn says she takes pleasure in her
role from many things but primarily patient contact: “It’s a
demanding role but I like talking with the patients. "On her
thoughts about UCLH Olwyn points out that she was once a
patient at UCH – “I was really touched by the standard of care
and all the help I received toward my road to recovery.”
A new registrar in the neonatal unit at the EGA, Huda Fawa
joins UCLH from King's Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS
Trust. Huda’s role involves caring for pre-term babies with
complex problems; “I’ve worked in paediatrics before and I
like it but it is stressful” Huda explains. The neonatal
placement is a sub-speciality part of her training so she’ll only
be here for three months but Huda says; “I hope to extend it if
possible because you get a first class service here and the teaching opportunities
are great – I turned down a job in Oxford for this one!”
After twenty five years at Oldchurch Hospital in Romford, seven of
which as an anticoagulation nurse specialist, Jenny Hills decided
it was time for a change. “Nurses I’d trained at my old hospital
moved to UCLH and recommended it’s innovative approach” says
Jenny. Joining UCLH in the same role; administering anti-
coagulants and monitoring their use and effect on patients Jenny
says; “People tend not to understand what my role involves but
there’s a lot of autonomy in it because the clinics are nurse-led
and there’s also minimal input from doctors.”
NEW faces @UCLH
Teenagers on the cusp of
adulthood will receive specialist care
at a crucial time in their treatment at
a new craniofacial centre at the
Eastman Dental Hospital.
The world class centre ensures vital
continuity of care for young people with
severe craniofacial deformities when
they leave children’s services and go
into the adult system.
“It’s a vital time for them
but we found there was no
continuity of care, said
Professor Nigel Hunt,
chairman of the division of
craniofacial developmental
sciences at the Eastman
and clinical lead.
“It has to be done when
growth has stopped at
around sixteen plus, just
when patients are moving
to adult services. Many patients from
Great Ormond Street for example will
be able to continue their care at the
Eastman.
The team works in tandem with state
of the art in-patient services at UCLH,
which now has the biggest adolescent
unit in Europe. It harnesses the
expertise of specialists in eight
disciplines, including oral and
maxillofacial surgery, plastic and
craniofacial surgery and neurosurgery,
as well as liaison psychiatry, orthodontic
and restorative dentistry.
Professor Mike Wren
The multidisciplinary team at the new Eastman
centre with Frank Dobson MP (left front)
New Eastman centre bridges the care gap
Treatment at thisstage shapes howpatients will look,their final facialappearance
Special guest and UCLH patient Barbara Windsor couldn’t
shake hands when she joined hundreds of visitors to the
Trust Open Day but she could pose for photographs.
“I was filming and fell a… over t… and came here with a
fractured hand, “she told everyone to laughter, when she
officially opened the event. The day was a great success for
all staff showcasing their first class services, pioneering
treatments and sophisticated technology. Visitors were given
tours of eight different areas of the new hospital including the
operating theatres, therapy pool and gyms.
The Eastenders star stopped to chat at the stalls. “The staff
are truly wonderful,” she said.Chairman Peter Dixon and
chief executive Robert Naylor thanked everyone for making
the afternoon such a great success.
OPEN DAY A MASSIVE HIT
A big thanks to everyone who helped make the open day a huge success
Got a story? Contact [email protected] or call x 9897
This photo of
Mr Alexander
Litvinenko in his
hospital bed at
UCLH flashed
across the world.
Taken just days
before his tragic
death, it
prompted many
questions about
how to deal with
requests to take photographs or video, from press,
patients or relatives and friends. The case of Mr.
Litvinenko was an international high profile case, but the
same rules apply to each and every patient.
Dealing with Media requestsAll media requests should go through the
communications unit, who’ll arrange consent
from patients, which must be given. The unit
will also get any other permissions needed i.e.
from the Trust or staff. In Mr. Litvinenko’s case, he asked for
the picture to be taken and used his own photographer.
Clinicians gave their opinion on whether it was advisable.
The unit sorted out consent forms and told the media how
they could access the photograph, ensuring minimum
disruption to staff and patients.
Requests from family and friendsIt’s so easy now to take pictures or videos
with mobile phones and usually there is no
problem when family or friends take pictures
for personal use. Questions arise when the
patient is not conscious, and this is often a time when family
members are very distressed. If next of kin give written
consent, and pictures are for personal use, permission may
be given. If the patient regains consciousness then
retrospective permission should be sought. A similar case to
this came up recently and staff were unsure what to do.
When we’re looking after patients like the July 7th bomb
victims or celebrities we need to be extra watchful that no
one takes photos or video that might be used by the media.
If you have any concerns or queries at all please contact
the communications unit who will be able to advise.
Pictures of patients for clinical useUCLH policy on consent for images used for
clinical purposes is stricter than the national
policy, and has just been updated to maintain
the highest level of security and confidentiality.
At the Trust, a patient must consent in writing to any kind of
photography whether or not the patient can be identified.
Taking images without consent can only be done when it’s
demonstrably in the patient’s best interest or for legal
reasons... The patient’s consultant, clinical director, or Child
Protection Team, must authorise. These become part of the
patient’s medical records and are protected by law in the
same way as any other part of the record.
Photographs of an unconscious patient may only be taken
if consent is obtained from the patient when he or she is able
to give it; without it they must be destroyed.
Parents or guardians must sign consent forms for children.
If a competent child does not want an image to be used, it
must not be used, even if consent has been given by those
with parental responsibility.
May I take a picture?
A scheme to spot and groom NHS
leaders of the future is set to put four
staffers on the road to success.
They’ve won a place on the national
“Breaking Through” programme for
black and minority ethnic employees
with potential to take on senior jobs. It’s
run by the Institute for Innovation and
Improvement.
Esther Dontoh-Sikwese, a call centre
manager, wants to be a service
development manager and then
general manager involved in service
improvement in areas like clinical
efficiency. “I’m flexible and adapt well. I
hope the course will open up my mind
more and help in furthering my NHS
career.”
Trupti Patel is an
HR manager for the
new acute services.
“I want to work at a
more strategic and
influential level. I
hope this course
gives me the
confidence and
skills to achieve
that.”
Hamise Djoshkoun, at UCLH as a
clinical dietetic services manager for
nearly four years, currently manages a
team of five at the NHNN. “I want to be
pushed further. I’m confident this
programme will achieve this.
The assessment was
challenging. I felt I’d already
learnt a lot.”
Tamara Gyapong joined as a
clinic co-ordinator and is
currently an outpatient
supervisor at the EGA.
“I hope the course helps to
develop my strengths, enables
me to look at issues from a wider
perspective and improve my
negotiating skills. I want to get into
senior management in service
improvement and development.”
Contact Marita Brown, x 5145 for
more details on the scheme.
Full guidance on
photography and video images
of patients can be found in
Appendix 19 of the information
governance policy 2007, which
is available on Insight.
Top training for top jobs Tamara, Hamise and Trupti
Send details of your upcoming events to [email protected]
Young patients at UCLH were amazed when some of
the biggest stars in English football made a surprise
visit… and so were some of the staff!
Tracey Spraggs, mother of 18-year-old Ben, said: “It’s
made his day and it’s taken away his pain for a while.”
“I never expected to meet the players.They’re actually
quite normal which really is surprising,” said fourteen
year-old fan Andrew Walsh.
Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack spent
90 minutes handing out presents and signing autographs
at the children’s Christmas party. The trio were
joined by goalkeepers Magnus Hedman and
Hilario, defenders Paulo Ferriera and
Khalid Boulahrouz and striker Salomon
Kalou.
England left-back Ashley Cole said it
was a humbling experience. “It’s sad
that the children are in hospital for
Christmas, and if we can take some
time out of our lives to put a smile on
their faces then that’s brilliant.”
The visit was organized by CLIC
Sargent, the official charity partner
of Chelsea FC.
The unit was officially
opened by Frank Dobson,
MP for Holborn and St
Pancras. He was recently a
patient at the Heart Hospital
and sent this letter of
“deepest gratitude” to all
there, along with presents
of House of Commons
chocs.
A thank you letter to all at
the Heart Hospital and
boxes of House of
Commons chocs came
from grateful patient Frank
Dobson, MP for Holborn
and St. Pancras.
“From the people in the
operating theatre, other
clinical staff through to the
people making the beds
and cleaning the floors, I
was treated and cared for
with professionalism,
warmth and concern. And
just as important, so were
all the other patients.
The Heart Hospital is an
example to us all – people
working together for the
benefit of their fellow
citizens. It did my heart
good in more sense than
one.
I will never be able to
repay my debt to everyone
who helped look after me…
my deepest gratitude.”
If you go down to the
wards today…
Look
who
turned up
in a taxi
to pay a
surprise
hospital
visit way
back in
1950.
No Big Bear wasn’t
looking for Goldilocks.
Not sure modern matron
would approve but Big Bear
was visiting his owner and
keeper circus impresario Mr
Chipperfield himself, who
was a patient at The
Middlesex. He missed his
favourite bear so much he
persuaded staff only a visit
could cheer him up. Just
after the Second World War
Chipperfield’s circus was
the biggest in Europe, and
the picture, taken by a
press agency would
probably have made
newspapers headlines.
The pictures are in the
Trust’s archive collection of
photographs, documents,
and correspondence. Annie
Lindsay, trust archivist
showed off some of the
archives at the Trust open
event, and they proved a
great hit with visitors and
staff alike.
Frank
Lampard with 14-
year-old Andrew
Walsh
Surprise Surprise –it’s Chelsea !
I couldn’thave receivedbetter care andattention
Frank Dobson
Thank you to Heart Hospital staff And Another Surprise Visit
Check out the 52 club’s fantastic sports and leisure facilities
Tiny tots and youngsters with diabetes met UCLH’s top
specialist team for an open day lesson in cutting edge
care for children. They all hope to switch to insulin pump
therapy. The pump, the size of a bleep, is a small
computer-driven gadget attached to the body and
delivers insulin continuously via a cannula.
Rebecca Thompson,
specialist nurse, gave a
tailor made lesson to
families on how the
pump works by using
Rufus the teddy as a
patient. ”It’s not a quick
fix but there are real
benefits for children”,
said Rebecca, “fewer
injections, more
flexibility, and better
control with improved
long term outcomes.”
Research indicates it
gives greater control of
diabetes. Already the
UCLH team have 42
children under the system with patients from far and wide, as
multidisciplinary specialists in the field, incorporating dietetics,
psychology, podiatry, nursing and medicine.
Toddlers Thomas Sugden
and Deborah Saywell would
benefit, say their parents.
“With a two year-old you don’t
know what they are going to
eat or when, and it can all be
very and worrying. The pump
gives flexibility”, said Thomas’ mum Katy.
Ella Dowling and Ben Simms gave the new
gadget the thumbs up: “They
come in great colours and
you get to choose your own”,
said Ben. Ella added ”You
don’t have to have as many
injections – they’re horrible.”
Sleepy Sam Marcus said “It sounds
great. I’m about to become a teenager
and I’ll want to sleep a lot. I’ll be able to
have a lie in instead of getting up to
give myself an injection with this.
Fantastic.
And it’s really good for sport – I can
take it out before a football or rugby match instead of worrying
about eating and injections. Brilliant.”
The Royal London Homoeopathic
Hospital hosted an open event to
mark Carer’s Day, with staff from care
centres on hand to give advice and
support..
Manjula Parmar told of her struggle to
raise two young children while looking
after her husband, then desperately ill
with Huntington’s Disease, an inherited
incurable and degenerative brain
disorder. Manjula watched fearfully for
signs of the disease in her children. Her
teenage son Amar is now very ill.
Manjula’s story“When my son Amar saw his father in
the final grip of Huntington’s disease, he
told me; ‘Mum I will be like that one day’.
It tore my heart apart.
He was already finding it hard to
swallow and could barely even speak.
He was ten when I first noticed some
of the signs but I tried to convince
myself there was nothing wrong with my
beautiful son. Finally at fourteen he was
diagnosed with it. Everything around me
stopped. I didn’t know how I would cope
seeing my son suffer with am incurable
disease.
Amar, now nineteen, needs round the
clock care. He can’t swallow solids, his
speech is barely recognisable and he’s
unsteady when he walks. At night the
pain keeps him awake.
Despite his suffering he has great will
power and a determination to enjoy life.
He’s been commended at school and
like any teenager he’s hooked on
computer games. He met the England
football team and Arsenal at their new
stadium, and has been to Disney World.
I am praying that God keeps giving
Amar the will and the strength to carry
on living for a long time to come.”
Who Cares? Manjula with her son Amar
Marathons in memory of myloIn just one day Army Lieutenant Colonel Alastair Todd ran
a 26 mile marathon, cycled 112 miles, and swam nearly
two and a half miles. And on top of the triathlon he ran a
brace of marathons - New York and
London - raising £3,500 for the neonatal
unit of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
and Obstetric Hospital.
The gift is in memory of their baby son
Mylo who was cared for in the neonatal
unit. It will buy new furniture and gentle
lighting for the parents’ quiet room on the unit. “We wanted
to give something for other parents who are going through
such a difficult time,” said Alastair. He and his wife Kim
presented consultant neonatologist Dr Jane Hawdon and Sue
Beatson, operational lead nurse, with a giant cheque.
Dr Hawdon said “We are overwhelmed that they
have done so much for the benefit of other families.
We’re also delighted that Kim has agreed to assist
the neonatal unit team by advising on the important
family facilities of the new neonatal unit in the phase
2 of UCLH to ensure that a peaceful and supportive
environment is provided.”
Class act for Children with Diabetes
front Sue Beatson and Alastair Todd and wife Kim, Dr Jane Hawdon, back left
Have you seen the new policy on e-mailing patients? (check Insight for details)
When Sasha Wilson starts
talking about blood money it’s
enough to make your own
curdle. She’s talks a lot about
blood. She can tell you how to
suck it up and repackage it, how it’s a multi-million
pound operation, and why we all need to take care of
every little drop. Sound like a double agent in a Bond
movie? No, Sasha Wilson x 8096 at Trust HQ, is our new
blood transfusion clinical nurse specialist.
“We spend over £4 million a year on blood products. That’s
a great deal of money. I try to encourage people to use it
correctly and not to waste any.”
Her job is part detective, part teacher, part laboratory
liaison. She rattles off the cost of a bag of blood to the last
penny, and the figures are quite an eye opener.
“A bag of Adult Red costs £132.07. Neonatal Red is
£131.80. Platelets cost £216.87 a bag. Pooled
Cryoprecipitate costs £227.80.”
A lot of her time is spent shuttling between hospitals and
the lab blood laboratory just off Tottenham Court Road,
promoting safe transfusion practise, ensuring that ‘the right
blood goes to the right patient’ is her main priority. And
when the paperwork doesn’t match up she turns detective to
track down an explanation.
“We all need to be vigilant. A rigid rule is to do all checks at
the patient’s bedside.
New theatres at UCH now have a special cell salvage
machine which sucks up fresh blood during an operation,
cleans it and puts it back into the patient. The Heart Hospital
has them and main theatres should be equipped in the near
future.
It’s safer for the patient to be given back his or her own
blood where possible.
And at times there may be serious shortages of blood,
particularly now there are fewer eleigible donors, we need to
promote alternatives.”
KEY FACTS•33 million blood components have been issued nationally
from the UK Blood Services in the nine years to 2005.
•“Wrong blood transfusion” is the most frequent hazard. 439
incidents were reported to the SHOT (Serious Hazard of
Transfusion) in 2004, a 26 percent increase from the
previous year.
•Over 4,800 “near miss” events were analysed.
When Jim
Costello decided to
nip out and do a bit
of gardening he
just couldn’t stop.
For a whole year.
He found treasure
galore. So far, Jim, a
technician in the
sterile services
department at UCLH,
has unearthed 15,000 Roman artefacts in the backyard of
his Enfield semi – as well as bits and pieces from Neolithic
times. A history buff since schooldays, Jim turns Time Team-
style amateur archaeologist at weekends. It all started when
he moved into a new house in Enfield and tried to dig up the
foundations of an old greenhouse in his garden. “I was
digging deep and came across a piece of Roman pottery –
really top notch stuff, the equivalent of Royal Dalton. It had a
hunting scene of hounds chasing hares. The house is on the
line of Ermin Street, one of the great Roman roads of
Britian.“ My radar was up. I really thought I was on to
something.”
Jim dug for a year, joined by members of the local
archaeological team and they couldn’t believe their finds.
“My wife made thousands of cups of tea and a lot of
sandwiches to keep us going”, Jim laughs.
Amongst the rarest items found was an iron candlestick
holder that’s now being restored in the Museum of London.
“We also came across a star find – an 8,000 year old
Neolithic flint blade.”
Jim now boasts a genuine Roman path down the side of
his house “I built it from the cobbles I found, not bad eh.”
Secret lives
A day in the life...blood transfusion clinical nursespecialist - Sasha Wilson
Jim Costello at work at UCLH
Family and friends join
the quest
Jim digs deep for his next
find
Congrats to December’s competition winner: Rina Lochan
Good Luck PatIt’s a fond
farewell to
staff nurse
Patience
Duncan
Bosu who
notched up a
quarter of a
century with
UCL, starting
at St Peter’s
Hospital in
Covent Garden.
“She will be greatly missed as a well loved and
respected colleague, said sister Claire Nicholls. We
wish her a very happy retirement.”
Fancy That !Everyone got into the party
swing at the Eastman with a
marathon fancy dress,
partying through the night to
raise £500 for Great
Ormond Street. Wendy
Taylor won the best
dressed outfit and
claimed a bottle of
champagne as her prize.
Cheers!
Winner Wendy made her
dress out of rubber dam
sheets sewn together - the
stuff they use in root canal
treatment. Ouch!
Competition...Banish the badhair day!
We’re offering four
lucky readers the chance
to win a pair of Trevor
Sorbie’s new Client
Collection Professional
Ceramic Irons (£49.99 in
the shops!). They heat up
instantly to provide salon
performance
temperatures you can
control (includes digital temperature display with indicator) and
switch off automatically after 60mins. The slim ceramic plates
smooth the hair so you can achieve salon sleek styles at home!
To enter, answer this simple question:
Babara Windsor opened the Trust Open Day – what
character does she play in Eastenders?
E-mail entries to [email protected] or send to
communications unit, 2nd floor central, 250 Euston Rd via
internal mail. Closing date is Friday 9 February 2007.
Pat’s retirement party at 52
Club (L to R) Jo Parker, Sue Fell, Pat
Duncan Bosu, and Babs Tirbhowan
Let them eat cake!The cakes were worth
every calorie and they sold
… well like hot cakes,
raising £120 for homeless
charity CRISIS. Bakers
Clare Prudden, secretary in
the anaesthetics
department and Marion
Hazzard, secretary in
critical care, both at UCH,
only had the crumbs to
clean up.
Clare Prudden and Marion
Hazzard
He’sbehindyou!
Cinders did go to
the ball, Dick found
his fortune on streets
paved with gold, and
Jack climbed the
beanstalk… all in a
hectic panto day on
children’s ward T11.
The panto players from
SG Productions was organised by Starlight. The troupe
entertained the kids with a panto medly and some of the
corniest jokes around.
Graze yourway to winterfitness
Are you a grazer or a
gorger? It’s healthier to
be a grazer says Alexa
Scott, the Trust’s head
dietician. ”The body is like
a car it needs topping up
with fuel regularly.
Better to eat little and
often than big meals.”
Alexa gives three top
tips to kick start a good
health plan in the chilly
winter months.
Break the fast – the first
meal of the day is
important.
Exercise regularly – 30
minutes five days a week.
Eat seasonally – it’s
cheaper and tastier.
“We all need to look
after ourselves so that we
can look after others,
says Alexa. Hospital staff
are busy and often take
snacks on the run – it can
be healthy if you choose
wisely. Eating a little often
means the body burns off
energy efficiently. If you
go without food for long
periods you will have poor
blood glucose and
cholesterol control and
you can also end up
putting on weight that
way. Breaskfast is
important.”
Regular exercise can
reduce the risk of heart
disease, strokes, and
diabetes by fifty per
cent.
Kay Stringer
as the ugly sister