!""#
$%&'()$*'+,*$-.$*/)$0)&'
issue20 October2010
the
Stroke service ratedbest in the country
!
contents
2the gazette
the gazette
is written and published by thecommunications unit, with contributions fromCharles Whitney. The opinions expressed donot necessarily represent those of St George’sHealthcare NHS Trust. The next edition will bepublished in December 2010. If you are a staffmember with a story for
the gazette
, pleaseemail:
communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk
Front page picture shows stroke consultant Barry Moynihan with patient John Davies
A new system is increasing patientsafety by ensuring the right staff withthe right skill mix are in the right placeat the right time. eRP, an electronicrostering staff bank and paymentsystem, is expected to generatesavings of £5m over the next twoyears. It was rolled out to nursing staffat the end of August, after a pilotintroduction on the general intensivecare ward proved to be a greatsuccess.
The system will reduce time spent onadministration and payroll errors, providinggreater transparency of staffing andreduce spend on bank and agency staff. Itwill also allow for greater flexibility, as anonline self-service function allows nursingstaff to plan their working lives, for example,requesting shifts and annual leave.The eRP project team will train staff on thesystems and provide support as theybecome familiar with the system. This willbe followed, at a later stage, with theimplementation of time and attendancewhich will ensure payroll errors areminimised.The initial rollout is across eight wards –Amyand, Richmond, A&E, Nicholls,Vernon, McKissock, delivery suite, cardiacintensive care unit as well as communitymidwives.A system for junior doctors will beintroduced by the eRP team towards theend of the year.Steve Loveridge, eRP project manager,said, “This is an exciting project which willmake a real difference to staff andmanagement.”
Electronic rostering programme (eRP):a safer staffing programme
The trust’s
2009/10 annualreport
and summaryaccounts is out now. Itcontains a review of some ofthe key areas of work fromthe last financial year.The report also includes anawards section, whichcelebrates the success thatSt George’s staff have hadduring 2009/10.Please contact thecommunications unit onext 2717 or via email ifyou would like a hard copy. Anelectronic copy is available onthe websitewww.stgeorges.nhs.uk
National award for rare cancer care
GOLDEN AWARD: (l-r) Mr Derek Fawcett, president of BAUS; Mr Nick Watkin and Mr Richard Greenhalgh, Urology Business Manager of Karl Storz
Nick Watkin, consultant urologicalsurgeon at St George’s, was awardedthe coveted Karl-Storz-Harold HopkinsGolden Telescope at the 2010 BritishAssociation of Urological SurgeonsAnnual General Meeting held in June.The award is in recognition of Nick’swork in male genital reconstructionand penile cancer.
St George’s is a specialist centre forpenile cancer, a rare condition affectingaround 400 men in Britain every year.The trust takes referrals from across theSouth of England, and is working toimprove the treatments available forthis distressing condition.Speaking about the care provided atthe trust Nick Watkin said: “In themajority of cases, surgery can beoffered which preserves the penis. Thisobviously has a huge impact on thequality of life for patients.”Anne Bishop, chief executive of theBritish Association of UrologicalSurgeons, said: “The award is given tourologists who have made a significantand lasting contribution to urology.”Rebecca Porta, chief executive of themale cancer charity Orchid, said: “It isencouraging to see the important workat St George’s being recognised and wecongratulate the team on their success.Penile cancer is a rare illness, and oneof the most emotionally difficult formen to deal with.“The research carried out by Mr Watkinand his team will undoubtedly help theoverall wellbeing of patients who arediagnosed with this disease and givethem the encouragement and supportthey need during their treatment.”
2National award for rare cancer care2Electronic rostering programme (eRP)3A word from David3End unnecessary pathology tests3Cancer teams lead peer review4Foundation trust update4Acute Pain Management Service5Nurse honoured for Afghan rotation6Spotlight on Dr Andy Rhodes7View from the top8The patient experience9AAA screening programme9Clinic celebrates five successful years10Stroke service rated best in the country10State-of-the-art scanner goes live11Informing patients11Choose and book improvements12Wheels in motion12Integration stakeholder event12Procument update13Greener healthcare is no waste of space13Health and safety hazards14Lunchtime snack turns into attack14Benjamin Weir past and present15Art – the heart of a healing environment15State-of-the-art breast diagnostic unit16Charity news
!
Plea to end unnecessarypathology tests
Unnecessary tests are delaying patient care and wasting money. That’s themessage from the pathology service as it calls on clinicians to thinkcarefully about whether tests are really required before requesting them.
Paul Collinson consultant, chemical pathology, from clinical blood sciences, said:“There are three types of inappropriate testing that we need to reduce.“The first is when tests are re-ordered despite already having been carried out thatday. For example you might have a patientadmitted to A&E who has a series of tests,then exactly the same tests are ordered atthe medical assessment unit and again whenthe patient is on a ward, all within 24 hours.“The second is when tests are repeated tooclosely together and there is no way ofdetermining meaning from the results.Sometimes thyroid function tests are carriedout within a few days of each other but theinternational guidance is clear, there shouldbe a six week interval between tests.“The third is tests that are clearlyinappropriate for the patient. I’ve seen A&Epatients being screened for cancer by bloodtesting and even male patients being testedfor breast cancer, all at St George’s.”Success issomething Iam pleased tosay we aregetting veryfamiliar with hereat St George’s.However I amacutely awarethat it does notcome without alot of hard workand dedicationfrom our staff.In August the trust came out top in anational stroke audit,which assessedmore than 200 trusts in England, Walesand Northern Ireland. The audit assessedquality of care by looking at the processof care in place for patients and how theservice is organised. St George’s achievedthe highest overall score and mycongratulations go to the stroke team onthis outstanding achievement.October’s edition of
the gazette
is filledwith other examples of the great workthat goes on around the trust in clinicaland non-clinical settings.As
the gazette
goes to print, our plans forintegration with Community ServicesWandsworth are being finalisied. OurFoundation Trust plans also continue togather pace; the consultation came to anend in August and I’d like to thank thosewho took the time to respond.This month
the gazette
focuses on theimportance of clinical leadership at StGeorge’s. In
view from the top
we speakto Val Thomas, one of our divisionalchairs, while the
spotlight
falls on AndyRhodes, consultant in general intensivecare unit.In the last issue of
the gazette
welaunched the trust’s new values whichare aimed at improving the trust’s culturefor staff and patients. Look out for thevalues special logos introduced inthis edition.
the gazette3
A word from David
David Astley, chief executive
"
technology
Cancer teams at St George’sdemonstrated excellence in thelatest round of assessmentsconducted under the NationalCancer Peer Review Programme.
Out of 30 teams from the SouthWest London Cancer Network, sixwere awarded Earned Autonomy thismeans they have improved on ormaintained excellent performance fortwo consecutive years and will notneed to be internally verified duringnext year’s review.Three of those six were teams fromSt George’s. The breast, lung andupper gastro-intestinal teams allgained Earned Autonomy.Macmillan lead cancer nurse JuneAllen, who leads on peer review atSt George’s, said: “This shows thefantastic work which is going onwithin these teams. The other cancerteams scored extremely well and weare looking forward to more teamsachieving Earned Autonomy next year.“Everyone within cancer has workedextremely hard to achieve andmaintain such high complianceagainst the peer review measures.”June Allen and Steve Powell, cancerand neuro auditor, would like tothank the teams involved for all theirhard work and commitment topatient care, making St George’s aleader in cancer treatment.
Cancer teams lead peer review
Congratulations
to Helen Jarvis, practice educator,who is the lucky winner of our July competition. Theanswer to the question
Arthur Smith is a regular guest onwhat BBC2 programme
was Grumpy Old Men.Helen wins a signed copy of Arthur Smith’s book
My Name is Daphne Fairfax
.
kindresponsiblerespectfulexcellent
Search History:
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.
the Gazette October 2010
October 2010 issue of the Gazette. the Gazette is St George's Healthcare NHS Trust's bi-monthly magazine that documents stories around the trust.
1.2K
Reads
5
Readcasts
204
Embed Views
More From This User
Notes
Load more
