the Gazette December 2009

8/9/2019 the Gazette December 2009

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Professor Brendan

Madden gets stuck in

December 2009issue 15

Dr Foster Hospital Guide names St Georges as Large Trust of the Year


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contents

2 the gazette

the gazette is written and published by

the Communications Unit. The opinions

expressed do not necessarily represent

those of St Georges Healthcare NHS

Trust. The next edition will be published

February 2010. If you are a staff member

with a story for the gazette, please

email: [email protected]

2 Fraud and security roadshow

3 Dr Foster names St Georges asLarge Trust of the Year

3 A word from David

4 Patient diary award

4 Cluster to improve care

5 iCLIP

5 Shaping future leaders

5 Oncology team of the year

6 New cord blood unit opens

6 Just in time

7 Pioneering kidney transplant

7 St Georges showcases living

donor transplant programme

8 Spotlight on Hilary Johnson

9 Paul Murphys view from the top

10 Lifetime achievement award forChair

10 Restaurant renovations

11 New and improved

12 Sticky solution to deadlylung problem

13 Foot care is strides ahead

13 Stamp of approval for patientpassport

14 Trust staff are One Team

14 Celebrating staff15 Working in partnership

16 Charities update

Feature photography by Mark

Evenden, Media Services, St Georges

University of London.

Front page picture shows Professor

Brendan Madden. For full story, see

page 12.

Fraud and securityroadshowA joint Counter-fraud and Security roadshow has

helped raise awareness of how staff can protectthemselves and the NHS from crime.

Security Manager Neil Dowden raises awarenessof staff safety with Special Constable and Securitystaff member Daisy Gunesh

Local Counter-fraud Specialist Pauline Lewis talks to Destina Asibuo of Ocean Ward andCharlotte Cabrera and Ann Lee from the Day Surgery Unit

The roadshow was held in the

main entrance, Grosvenor Wing,

last month and targeted staff

members and the public.

Local Counter-fraud Specialist,

Pauline Lewis, reported a good

response: People were surprised

that fraud and other crime does

take place within the NHS. Theyfelt it was good to encourage

alertness and to know that we

are actively doing something

about it.

For more information about

fraud prevention at St Georges,

visit the Counter-fraud intranet

pages. Here you will find details

of how to report a fraud, advice

on how to register any gifts and

hospitality offered to you, and a

link to the national NHS Counter-

fraud Service.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year


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Oncology teamof the yearThe Penile Cancer Team has been named

Oncology Team of the Year at the prestigious

2009 Excellence in Oncology Awards. The awardsrecognise UK-based healthcare professionals who

have made significant improvement to the

management and care of cancer patients.

The awards are judged by a multi-disciplinary panel of national

oncology healthcare professionals, and representatives from

cancer patient groups and health media. The award panel

recognised the St Georges team for introducing new surgical

techniques, redefining patient pathways, educating other cancer

teams and developing a patient information resource with the

help of national charities.

The team has transformed patient care in penile cancer since it was

established in 2001. The unit at St Georges provides care for men

from a large part of the South of England and is currently the

largest service of its kind in Europe.

The judging panel

commented: This

is an impressiveteam that provides

world-class services

and has

transformed the

care of patients

with such a potentially morbid condition. The extensive list of

achievements only further serves to encourage development in

other cancer teams. They are clearly leaders within their field.

In the same awards, St Georges oncology nursing team was

commended in the Oncology Nursing Team of the Year category.

The accolade acknowledges the teams creation of an oral care

teaching package and the establishment of expert workinggroups in oral care, which were developed in response to audits

which revealed the need to develop better information for staff

and patients.

the gazette 5

Oncology team of

the Year

The Oncology Nursing team - Rachael

Scowcroft, Julia Paska and Barry Quinn

As part of the ongoing review of the iCLIP

programme, it has been decided to defer

deployment until March 2010.

The iCLIP programme is a major change project forSt Georges and this decision will ensure that all staff are

even better prepared and that any impact on patients is

minimised.

A March deployment will mean that the iCLIP team can

run more training, demonstrations and dress rehearsals to

ensure that all staff are confident with the new systems

and fully prepared for when they are introduced.

Chief Executive David Astley says it is important that staff

remain focused and committed to the programme.

Staff across the Trust have made great efforts in

attending training sessions and getting prepared for whenthe programme is introduced. They have been working

hard with the project team to ensure a smooth

deployment of the new iCLIP systems, he says. It is

important that we maintain the momentum generated

over the last few months. Departments should continue

with rehearsals and staff encouraged to attend training

sessions. This as an opportunity to be even better prepared

the hard work already put in will stand us in good stead

for a spring deployment.

More information about the programme and the new

deployment timetable will be provided via the iCLIP

intranet pages. News will also continue to be postedregularly in the eG on Thursdays.

St Georges is helping to shape the future

leaders of the NHS by hosting four NHS

Graduate Management scheme trainees.

The scheme, which is full time and takes two and

half years, is open to those who have a minimum

2.2 undergraduate degree. It has four specialism,

human resources managements, financemanagement, general management, and informatics

management.

St Georges has one graduate from each of the

specialisms doing a work placement but also hosts

orientation sessions for trainees working at Epsom

and St Helier, the South West London and St

Georges Mental Health Trust, and Sutton and

Merton Primary Care Trust.

The highly competitive scheme is open tothose already working in the NHS and to

those outside it. If you would like to knowmore about the NHS Graduate ManagementTraining scheme, please visitwww.nhsgraduates.co.uk

deploymentre-scheduled

Shaping future leaders


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A pioneering transplant

technique that overcomes the

blood group incompatibility

barrier between donor and

recipient has been used

successfully by a surgical team

from St Georges.

The team, led by consultant

transplant surgeon Mr Nicos

Kessaris, performed its first ABO

blood group incompatible live kidney

transplant in September.

The technique has been adopted by

only a handful of hospitals in Europeand the UK and means that donors

who would have previously been

turned down for a transplant are now

able to undergo surgery.

Around 20 to 30 per cent of kidney

failure patients who have someone

willing to give them a kidney as a live

donor are in a situation where that

person has an incompatible blood

group. Up to now, this has meant that

a transplant could not take placebecause of kidney is usually rejected by

the recipients own antibodies against

the donors blood group. The new

process involves giving the recipient a

special antibody called rituximab one

month before transplantation. This

reduces the number of white cells in

the blood that would otherwise evolve

to produce antibodies which could

harm the new kidney.

The week before transplantation, the

patient has three or four dialysis-like

sessions to remove antibodies against

specific blood group proteins from the

blood. The transplant operation itself

is the same as in blood group

compatible cases.

Speaking about the surgery

Mr Kessaris said:

This is a significant milestone for

St Georges and the result of a

team effort across the South West

Thames Renal Transplant Network.

Through using this technique we

will be able to improve patient

care by performing more

transplants in the future.

the gazette 7

Pioneering kidney transplant

Nicos Kessaris (centre) with the renal team.

Seated are transplant receipient, Steven

Purcell, and donor, Patrick Purcell

St Georgesshowcases livingdonor transplantprogrammeThe first international workshop

on removal of a kidney by a

specialised form of keyhole

surgery (retroperitoneoscopic

donor nephrectomy) was held

at St Georges Hospital in

September.

The workshop was hosted by St

Georges Consultant Transplant

Surgeon, Jiri Fronek, and

included a live demonstration of

two living donor kidneyremoval operations from the

operating theatre.

It was attended by professors,

consultant transplant surgeons

and trainees from centres across

the UK and Europe. St Georges

is currently the only centre in

the UK that performs this

technique.

Since its introduction a year

ago, the number of living donor

transplants has increased tomore than 50 per year with a

100 per cent success rate.


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The role of the Chaplaincy team is to provide

support for patients, for staff and for friends

and relatives of patients. We have a multi-faith

Chaplaincy at St Georges representing Islam and

Judaism as well as the major denominations of the

Christian faith. The team can also give guidance,

and make appropriate contacts, for those of the

other major world faiths including Hinduism,

Sikhism and Buddhism. Usually, Roman Catholic

patients would see a Roman Catholic priest and so

on, but all of the Chaplaincy team will visit peopleof all faiths and no faith.

The Trust has recently appointed male and female Muslim

chaplains. The male chaplain is one of our local Imams,

Suliman Gani, who will be working here part-time. Both

Imam Suliman and the female chaplain Saida Mohamed-

Mourched have received training in healthcare chaplaincy from

the Muslim Council of Great Britain.

As well as marking Christmas with a number of special

celebrations, the Chaplaincy will be providing a 24-hour service

during Christmas and New Year. It can be a busy time as the

festive season can be difficult for many people who are goingto be alone, or who are dealing with addictions to drugs or

alcohol. Often, we find we have people with troubles seeking

help on Christmas Eve and this can be patients or staff.

One of our Christmas events (see box) will be a novena, a

nine-day prayer event running up to Christmas Day, which was

started at the request of Filipino staff. The

carol singing on the wards is also very

popular with patients. Anyone is welcome

to join us; we meet in the Chaplaincy

Department , ground floor, St James

Wing, at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

While religious activities like prayer,

communion (also called mass or eucharist)

and baptism are the tools of our trade,

listening is often a key part of the role of

chaplain, particularly in time of crisis.

The Chaplaincy team sits within

Therapies, which is important as it

recognises we are both a frontline, and a

professional, service. However, we work

alongside other staff who provide support

for staff or patients. For example, we

would support Staff Counselling if, during

a flu pandemic, there was an increased

need for staff support. We recognise that

Meet Hilary JohnsonThe Chaplaincy team leader

Fspotlight

8 the gazette

many staff are skilled at offering

emotional support, for example, nurses

working in palliative care. Our unique

role to is to provide spiritual support, and

the religious ceremonies and rites which

help people.

Ive been here almost 20 years and the

view of chaplaincy has changed over this

time. When I began, the role of chaplain

used to be seen as part of the career

path for someone who was going to go

on to be a priest or vicar in a parish.

Hospital chaplains were often younger

men doing the job for two or three

years. Now, more and more people see

being a chaplain as a full-time career in

itself, and this is supported by training in

healthcare chaplaincy.

This move to professionalism has an

association with St Georges, through a

Chaplaincy team

G Muslim Chaplains:

Imam Suliman Gani and

Saida Mohamed-Mourched

(both part-time)

G Jewish Rabbi:

David Katanka (part-time)

G Roman Catholic Chaplains:

Father Philip Pak

Father Habte Ukbay

G Free Church Chaplain:

Revd Martin Taylor

G The Church of England

Chaplains:

Revd Rob WallRevd Joanne Farman

Revd Canon Hilary Johnson

Revd Canon Hilary Johnson gets ready for Christmas withFather Philip Pak


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the gazette 9

view from the top

What skills and expertise doyou bring to the trust?

I am the CEO of The Jordans &Ryvita Company. Before that I was the

General Manager of Twinings in the

UK, North America and Australia. I

have over twenty years experience in

business and have worked and lived in

France and the United States as well as

the UK. I bring general commercial

experience to the Trust.

Although the trust is not a business I

do believe that there are some

business practices particularly in

finance, procurement and projectmanagement that are highly applicable

to the challenges that the trust faces.

I do have a little NHS experience. I

worked as an operating theatre orderly

during my summers while I was at

university. Not deep clinical experience

I know, but I do know how hard

operating staff work and I have

cleaned up my share of blood!

What do you think are the key

challenges for the Trust?I think that the key challenge for thetrust is achieving Foundation Trust

status. I think this would give the

hospital more autonomy and in the

long term make it more accountable to

its local community. To do this we will

have to continue improving our

financial situation and carry on

improving our patient care.

In the longer term, I think that the key

challenge will be building a Trust in

which patient care is truly at the heartof everything we do and where the

staff really feel that they can make the

changes needed to achieve that. Not

an easy thing to do in an organisation

as large and complicated as the NHS,

but definitely worth striving for.

What do you do to relax?I have four small children and so Ispend most of my time picking up toys

and putting them in cupboards.

Outside of spending time with my

family, I like to do outside sports like

rock climbing or hiking.

What do non-executivedirectors do?

We have two key roles. The first of

these is to challenge the executive

directors. We do that on behalf of the

local and wider community and ourkey focus is excellent patient care and

the good use of tax payers money.

The second is to support and advise

the executive directors and where

possible provide them with a useful

external perspective. Sometimes the

skills we have from other walks of life

can be helpful in dealing with issues in

the NHS.

Outside of my role on the board I sit

on the Audit Committee, the

Foundation Trust Steering Group and

The Commercial Board.

Why did you become a

non-executive director? I became a Non Executive Directorbecause I passionately believe that

although the NHS has improved it

could still do better by providing much

more consistent high quality patient

care. I think it is worth devoting the

time to, because few things are more

important to most people than howthey and their families are treated at

moments of ill health. I hope I can

contribute to this.

Paul MurphyNon-executive director and deputy chair

St Georges has seven

non-executive directorswho play a valuable role inTrust governance.Here, Paul Murphy, gives hispersonal perspectiveon the role.

man named Norman Autton who was

chaplain at St Georges from 1961 at the

time it was based at Hyde Park Corner.

He believed the role of hospital chaplain

was a special one for which peopleshould be prepared and trained. He

wrote books and created training courses

for clergy wishing to work in hospitals.

He moved from St Georges in 1967 to

become a full-time Director of Training

for the Hospital Chaplaincy Council.

I trained as a nurse and I was working

as a health visitor when I decided to

become a hospital chaplain. I already had

a qualification in church ministry, as a

deacon, as this was before women could

become priests. I was trying to juggle a

church role, a health professional role

and a family and I saw it as a way of

combining some of my interests.

I saw an advertisement for a hospital

chaplain at St Georges. It was a second

time advert and said that previously

applicants need not apply, which was

slightly daunting. I rang Ian Ainsworth-

Smith who was chaplain here at the

time and asked him what he was

looking for that the previous applicantshad not had. I spent a day

shadowing Ian and felt this

was what I was called to.

Christmas events atthe hospital include:

? Carol singing by the charityon 15th December in mainentrance

? Chapel Carol Service on17th December at 5pm

? Roman Catholic and Churchof England services over

Christmas including a nine-

day prayer event running

up to Christmas Day

? Carol singing from 5pm onChristmas Eve around wards? Nativity scene outside

chapel from mid-December


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Lifetime

achievementaward for ChairNaaz Coker, the Chair of St Georges,has won a Lifetime Achievement Awardfrom a scheme recognising the contributionof Asian people to UK society and business.

L loyds TSB Jewel Awards, celebrate achievementand success of Asian people in professionalservices, public service, food retail, business and

commerce, healthcare and education, and as

entrepreneurs.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is for outstanding

individuals who have made a sustained

contribution to success in their region. Ms Coker

was singled out for maintaining her 38-year

career in the public and voluntary sector alongside

running a management consultancy. She has been

Chair of St Georges since 2003 and is also a Non-

Executive Director of the Ethical Property

Company, trustee of the RSA and Council member

of St Georges University of London. Until

November 2008, Ms Coker was Chair of Shelter,

the housing and homelessness charity and from

1998 to 2006, she was Chair of British Refugee

Council.

Congratulating Ms Coker on her award, David

Astley, Chief Executive, said:

This award recognises a lifetime of

commitment to improving healthcare

in the UK. During her time as Chair

of St Georges, the Trust has made great

strides and has seen major improvements in

its services that are delivering the highest

standards of care to patients.

Naaz Coker with her Jewel award, flanked by executive

directors from Lloyds, sponsors of the awards.

RestaurantrenovationsThe Lanesborough Wing restaurant closed for

renovations in mid-October and work is well underwayto create a new dining experience for staff and visitors.

The existing kitchen and service areas are being transformed into a

new seating area, including separate dining areas for staff and

visitors, a kids zone and internet access points. Six different

counters will provide hot and cold food and drinks. The art gallery

is also being retained. The project will free up the current dining

area to be used as clinical space.

The plans were put in place earlier this year when MITIE was

appointed as the Trusts catering and domestic services provider.

The scheme to upgrade catering across the Trust has also included

the St James Wing coffee shop undergoing a transformation. The

Atkinson Morley Wing restaurant has been refurbished. There are

also plans to provide a trolley service to the perimeter areas and a

branded coffee cart to the Lanesborough Wing Outpatients area.

The works in the Lanesborough Wing restaurant will be completed

in early 2010.

Images of the new Lanesborough Wing restaurant

10 the gazette


11/16

the gazette 11

Fimprovements

New and

improvedWork this autumn has seen the areaaround the bus stop near the

Lanesborough Wing entrance made

easier for wheelchair-users and safer

for everyone.

The zebra crossing has been moved

so pedestrians are crossing behind

the G1 and 493 buses which stop

there and not in front of them, while

a built out pavement gives

wheelchair-users better access.The road surface was renewed and

a section of new paving, backed by

raised flower beds, was added.

The old bus shelter and zebra crossing

The improved area with all newpaving, planting road surface, andbus shelter and a safer crossing.

Before

After


12/16

A revolutionary procedure

that uses surgical BioGlueto prevent potentially

life-threatening infection

in lung surgery patients

has been successfully

carried out by St Georges

cardiothoracic team.

P

atients who undergo surgery on a

lung can be susceptible to

infection via a bronchopleuralfistula, a hole that can occur between

the bronchial pathways. These holes

can leak air, leading to infection

forming in the space where the lung

was removed. This infection can then

travel backwards through the

bronchopleural fistula and cause

infection in the remaining healthy lung.

In most cases these holes are sealed

surgically. However, for patients who

have medical complications, surgery

can be a risk.

The cardiothoracic team used BioGlue,

a surgical adhesive, to close

bronchopleural fistulas in

three post-surgery

patients. In all three casesBioGlue was applied using

a pre-filled syringe and all

were successfully sealed

with the patients

recovering fully.

BioGlue seals bronchial

fistulas quickly and firmly

without any known local reaction and,

when applied in overlapping layers, it

doesnt clot or move, says Brendan

Madden, Professor of Cardiothoracic

Medicine, who led the team.

Previous endoscopic use of BioGlue in

sealing bronchial fistulas has been

limited. However, following the

research at the Trust, Professor Madden

suggests that using BioGlue in this way

should be considered as an early

treatment option. This procedure

should be considered for patients who

have other medical complications, suchas infection, which can significantly

increase the risks of further surgery,

he says.

12 the gazette

New treatmentmakes national news

Professor Madden points out that more

research is still needed to determine

how widely this treatment can beapplied. Each patient in our research

had bronchopleural fistulas less than

8mm. he explains, However, we

appreciate that fistulas over 8mm may

not be suitable for endoscopic closure.

The research was published in The

Annals of Thoracic Surgery in

November. The Trusts communications

team worked to promote the story,

which was picked up by ITN News. The

news feature included interviews withProfessor Madden and patient,

Jacqueline McHenry, on the success and

application of the new technique.


13/16

Fawards

St Georges has won the best

European interdisciplinary teamaward for its lower limbrevascularisation and diabeticfoot service. The award - whichincluded an educational grant -was awarded by the ilegxinitiative; a European wideinitiative to reduce the numberof lower limb amputations.

The award recognises outstanding

contributions by a team of

multidisciplinary specialists dedicated

to improving the way in which

leg/foot tissue loss is diagnosed and

treated.

The winning team comprises of

Keith Jones, Vascular Consultant, Dr

Marcus Simmgen, Endocrinology

Consultant and the Diabetic Foot

Clinic team - Mark Greenhill, Kathy

Davies, and Vaishali Desai. This team

has been extended and now includes

Laura Whitney, Principal Pharmacist,

Antibiotics and Infection

Management and Dominic Nielson,

A multi-partnership group comprising

Wandsworth Community Learning Disability

Team, St Georges Hospital and Merton

Community Learning Disability Team calling

themselves Access 2 Acute have won anaward from the Foundation of Nursing.

The award was for the development of a Hospital

Passport to provide staff with detailed information

about individual patients with learning disabilities.

The Passport not only provides essential medical

information but other important information about

the person and their likes and dislikes.

The winning team, Peter Warburton, Sue Cooper,

Jayne Quigley, Jim Blair, Ursula Battle, Chris Waller,

Kirsty Glaysher and Wilfred Carneiro were

presented with the certificate and a cheque byTheresa Shaw, the Chief Executive of the

Foundation of Nursing, at the Nursing Board

Meeting in November.

the gazette 13

orthopaedic foot

specialists, podiatrists,tissue viability nurses,

vascular technologists,

interventional

radiologists, plastic

surgeons and vascular

surgeons. Every diabetic

foot referred to the

vascular team is now

examined within four

hours of referral during

working hours, and at the

start of the working dayfor out-of-hours referrals.

I am delighted that we have won

this award, by utilising this team

approach we have increased the

numbers of limb salvage

procedures and reduced the

numbers of amputations. This is

an on-going process but the prize

is a great recognition of our

progress and it now shows us as a

standard to be matched.said Keith Jones.

The diabetic foot care team Mark Greenhill, Kim Mitchell,

Marcus Simmgen, Kathy Davies, Vaishali Desai, Keith Jones

and Farnaz Dashati

Foot care is strides ahead

Orthopaedic Consultant. All the

Vascular trainees are linked into the

team with lecturers Peter Holt and Rob

Hinchliffe initiating supportive research

along with Peter Gogalniceau, one of

the academic trainees.

The team has put processes in place to

ensure that every patient with diabetes

and critical limb ischaemia are involved

in discussions with specialists in every

aspect of their care. This includesmicrobiologists, diabetologists,

Stamp of approval for hospital passport


14/16

Fstaff

The dinner was held in the

Lanesborough Wing restaurant and

was attended by award winners, their

guests and senior members of staff.

Sally Storey, Director for HR, read a

small citation on each Special

Achievement Award winner and long

serving members of staff received a gift

from the Trust presented by Naaz

Coker, St Georges Chair.

David Astley, Chief Executive, ended

the evening by thanking staff for all

their hard and dedication to the Trust.

In July, the Trust announced it had

successfully won funding from theNHS London Partnership to embarkon a programme to help create aworld class service culture atSt Georges.

The result of this announcement is an

innovative initiative designed to empower

and develop colleagues working at grades

1 to 4 the One Team project.

The funding has so far been used to

develop the initiative among a pilot of 400

staff from Theatres, Outpatients, and

Estates and Facilities.

Alan Thorne, Director of Transformation,

explained: St Georges has the foundations

in place to become a world class service

provider. We do, though, acknowledge that

there are some key barriers within the trust

to delivering excellent service, especially

between colleagues. The One Team is

helping to identify and address these

barriers by giving staff the platform to learn

and practise new skills.

Since the summer, the One Team, a group

jointly led by Trust employees, Staff Side

representatives and Impact Innovations, an

innovation consultancy, has been busy

running activities which aim to develop a

culture of both excellent colleague-to-

colleague service and excellent colleague-

to-patient service. The programme

introduces workshops that build esteem

and capability within staff, and encourage

joint working and better understanding

between departments.

Its been both an interesting and

rewarding process, said Nick Fawcett,

project lead for Impact Innovations.

Weve held drop-in sessions and

workshops over the last few months,

asking staff of all levels to come and give

their views on the positive and negative

features of service delivery at the Trust. Its

given us a fascinating insight into the

barriers to good service and has helped us

to develop models that staff can apply in

the workplace to improve things.

The whole project is about teamwork,

Nick continued, the project itself is a joint

project between the trust and staff side,

and a key objective for us is helping to

develop stronger links between

departments and empower them to work

together more closely. This should help

break down some of those barriers and

also help staff feel more comfortable and

confident in the workplace.

Of the 400 staff that have experienced the

programme so far, around 40 have been

identified as service partners (SPs),

passionate about good service between

colleagues and patients and motivated to

lead others to improve things where

needed.

14 the gazette

Long service award winners:

Elizabeth Jane Adam (known as Jane)

Meirion Adjetey

Paulina Asiedu

John Boyd

Cathy Corbishley

Manel Dias

Cliff Douglas

Afezoon Gibson

Sheila Gordon

Deborah Green

Brian Hayes

Linda Kiernan

Annie ODell

Gillian Porter

Elizabeth Sanders

Catharine Stirling

Feroza Ramnath

Loraine Swaby

Trust staff are One Team

Paulina Asiedu receives her long-service award

from Chair, Naaz Coker

As part of the project, these SPs have been

experiencing service safaris where they

have visited commercial workplaces, such

as John Lewis and the O2 arena, to

discover how those organisations work

together to deliver top level customer

service.

These activities are designed to enrich the

experiences of staff at grades 1 to 4 and

help them to explore the possibilities of their

roles, explains Jane Pilgrim, Staff Side

secretary. The staff on the programmeare the hospitals most important customer

service providers and we hope that theyll

start seeing themselves as valued partners

of the Trust, empowered to get the best

out of their roles.

Although One Team is a pilot scheme, the

Trust aims to roll it out across the

organisation and the hope is that the

practises will go on to form part of the

fabric of St Georges. This isnt a short-

term project its designed to help us

change the culture at St Georges, which

will then be carried through by our staff

for years to come, says Alan Thorne,

Director of Transformation, Were very

excited about the difference this will make

and look forward to rolling the

programme out to staff across the Trust

from spring 2010.

Celebrating staffThe annual dinner for long serving members of staff and SpecialAchievement Award winners was held on 12th November.


15/16

HR and Staff Side have worked hard to negotiate a new

Disciplinary Policy, There will be a longer notice period for the

majority of meetings of seven calendar days. Some warnings will

have a shorter spent period and representation will be

encouraged at all levels of disciplinary meetings.

During the last annual staff survey, you indicated that bullying

was increasing. We then asked the Trust for a group to be

formed that would tackle bullying, and would be made up of

unions, HR and Managers. One thing that was recognised was

that in the long-term we needed to improve the culture in the

Trust, building on respect and dignity for each other as well as

our patients. This work continues and we are very proud of the

One Team project that resulted from a successful Partnership bid

(see facing page). We are still developing ideas to counter

bullying including possibly developing the staff support service

and providing additional phone line advice. Another idea

emerging is that we could involve the One Team culture within

the induction program and within recruitment.Next year when the first phase of the One Team project is

completed, Staff Side will be taking a key part in managing

the continuation of the program. The first service partners will

begin to change the culture and each group that qualify as

service partners will continue with this. Within a year we will

have areas that will be creating the new positive culture

throughout the Trust. Our vision is that One Team

theory will be populating the hospital within two to

three years and that all staff will feel empowered,

respected and important.

The Staff Side committee wish all staff a merry Christmasand a very happy New Year.

the gazette 15

Looking back at 2009:

a view fromStaff SideThe Staff Side secretary, JanePilgrim, and the Chair, Dr JustinNowell give their view ofpartnership activities with theTrust during the last year andwhat to expect in 2010.

The Staff Side committee is made up of members from

each union who work collectively in partnership with

Human Resources (HR) and management to discuss

and negotiate Trust issues.

During 2009, the Staff Side committee has been busy building

links and bridges between staff and management; we are after

all one team, a mighty workforce delivering care to local and

wider population, and every member of that team is equally

important. We have formed some strong working relationshipswith the Trust and HR and are now involved in many of the Trust

work streams, committees and boards in order that we can have

that direct link in negotiations.

Next year the Trust will be applying for Foundation Trust status.

Staff Side is now involved in the communication aspect to this

and will be working with the Trust to ensure that staff are well

informed of the changes. Although we acknowledge that the

Trust is obligated to apply, it is likely that some unions are against

FT status, as they believe it does not reflect the founding

principles upon which the NHS is based. Dave Prentis, UNISON

General Secretary states that: There is no evidence that the

market or competition benefits patients. Staff Side has a dutyto our members to point out the possible negative effects of

becoming an FT. Through our negotiations, the next issue of

the gazette will be featuring answers from the Trust to staff

questions over staff welfare and status if the Trust is successful in

achieving FT status.

The Trust is planning to introduce electronic rostering in 2010.

There have been concerns over this and we remain dubious.

However Staff Side is now involved in the work streams to

ensure fair process. A questionnaire to staff using the

e-rostering systems devised by UNISON and the RCN is in process

to seek members views. We have now also been assured that

doctors will be included in the scheme. Whilst some staff may

view this as fair, not all are in favour. Through discussions, wehave been informed that the system will help with fair

rostering, annual leave and accuracy of pay. The jury is still

out on this issue.

To find out more about the Staff Side committee,

please contact Jane Pilgrim ext 1318.

working in partnership

Jane Pilgrim and Dr Justin Nowell


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-fundraising

Music for a causeWandsworth Symphony Orchestra has performeda Charity Concert on behalf of the Friends ofSt Georges. The programme included a selectionof rhapsody and blues.

The concert took place in the Monckton Theatreon Saturday 21st November, and at the request ofone of the members of the WSO, the proceedsfrom the concert will go to purchase equipmentfor the Cardiothoracic Department here atSt Georges.

The evening raised more than 2,000.

Another concert took place the following Fridayin the Monckton Lecture Theatre, when StGeorges Symphony Orchestra, comprised of Truststaff and St Georges University of Londonstudents and staff took to the stage. The eveningfeatured pieces by Mendelssohn, Vaughan-Williams and Beethoven and the conductor wasJemima Jackson.

Proceeds went towards the South West London

and St Georges Mental Health Trust.

16 the gazette

Tree-mendousThe former chair of St Georges HospitalCharity, Gill Noble, returned to the hospital at

the end of October to plant a tree in the Walk

on the Wildside garden.

Gill, who completed her term as Chair in September, was

given the tree by the charity for the garden, which the

charity helped to revitalize with a grant of 130,000.

Gill was keen on improving the hospital environment and

particularly outdoor spaces, and the renovation of the

garden was a project close to her heart. A plaque by the

tree says its planting celebrates her time as chair from

2002 to 2009.

Christmas carols

and rafflesSt Georges Hospital Charity is hosting a Yuletidecarol concert on Tuesday 15th December at 5pm inthe Main Entrance, Grosvenor Wing. The charity isdelighted to welcome The Great Gustos choir,which will be leading the festive sing-song, andall staff are invited to come and join in.

To make the event doubly festive, the charity will also be

drawing its Grand Christmas Raffle during the carol concert

tickets on sale now from the Fundraising Office. Why not

come down to take a look at the fabulous prizes on offer?

Another chance to winAnd if you are feeling lucky, you could also buy raffle tickets

at the Neonatal Unit (NNU) reception to raise money for First

Touch, formerly the Friends of St Georges NNU.

Tickets for the NNU raffle are a 1 each and pledged prizes

include racing at Daytona in Sandown Park, beauty bag from

Marie Claire magazine stuffed with beauty products, hair

from Hair Magazine with hair products and style irons, a

Wendy house from Ideal Home magazine, signed goodies

from CBeebies, luxury products from Falke, signed Jack

Mcmanus CDs and various toys.

For details about the raffle, please contact

[email protected]

the Gazette December 2009

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Transcript of the Gazette December 2009