Welcome to the latest edition of your UHSussex staff newsletter, a round-up of the news stories from across our hospitals throughout October |
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Dear colleague
It has been an incredibly busy month with lots to celebrate. Not least, our amazing people. From our mental health advocate and amazing AHPs, to our Patient First champions and long serving colleagues.
We were also delighted to award our Star of the Month for supporting a patient's hospital experience.
This month, we also celebrate investments in our sites, including refurbished cardiac cath labs at the County as well as the positive outcomes of the Urology Investigation Unit one year on from opening at Worthing.
So please grab a cuppa and take some time out to catch up on our news.
Thank you,
Communications
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Andrej’s passion for care takes him from housekeeping assistant to physiotherapist |
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When Andrej first came to the UK, he had only a summer holiday in mind. What started as an opportunity to work whilst improving his English, stemmed into a 14-year career at UHSussex.
We followed his journey as his experiences, skills and studies led him from Housekeeping Assistant to his recently appointed role of Junior Rotational Physiotherapist.
Andrej said: "I would say to anyone thinking about progressing within the Trust to never stop thinking about trying to gain new skills and move further along in your career.”
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Celebrating our Allied Health Professional staff |
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On 14 October, we celebrated our Allied Health Professions (AHPs). We highlighted how our 1,000 AHPs bring real diversity in terms of their skills and experience, working across eight specialisms, from physiotherapy to operating department practitioners and orthoptists – to name just a few.
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Normalising conversations about mental health |
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On 10 October for World Mental Health Day, we spoke to UHSussex Nurse and Clinical Doctorate Fellow Gemma Clay, whose own experiences have seen her become a passionate champion for opening up conversations about suicide, mental health and wellbeing.
Over the years Gemma has worked tirelessly to raise awareness, improve support services for staff, and encourage cultural change.
She has worked closely with HR to produce informative leaflets, secure funding for managers to have mental health first aid training, and has used her experience as a Senior Sister, Matron and Clinical Lead Nurse, to help create a guide for managers.
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Pilot ward for Patient First training looks back on transformational changes |
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Before it became our long-term approach to transforming our hospital services for the better, Patient First was first piloted six years ago with Botolphs ward at Worthing Hospital.
Patient First is a process of continuous improvement that is all about giving frontline staff the freedom to identify opportunities for positive, sustainable change and the skills to make it happen.
Today, its framework is embedded in our Trust, supporting our staff to lead, drive and create change. But back in 2016, it was all new to acute stroke unit, Botolphs ward.
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Mobile screening units hit the road to help detect early signs of breast cancer |
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To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we highlighted the importance of attending breast screening appointments to help find and treat cancers early.
There are seven mobile screening units across Sussex, enabling us to reach the community beyond our hospital sites, offering convenient appointments to thousands of women.
Our multi-disciplinary team provide a safe, private and friendly service from the mobile vans, which are fitted with state-of-the-art digital screening equipment to provide high quality images.
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Urology Investigation Unit reduces admissions and expands capacity |
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Part of a £2.1million investment, the Urology Investigation Unit (UIU) at Worthing Hospital opened last summer as a new specialist urology area and has transformed the way we care for patients.
The unit was converted from an unused eye theatre space into a dedicated area for appointments, clinics and procedures, enabling care to be given via a one-stop urology outpatient service.
The new space and way of working has resulted in a 30% increase in the number of new patients seen, follow up appointments and procedures. And a recent survey revealed 100% of people would recommend the UIU to their friends and family.
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Going above and beyond to cook up a patient experience feast |
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Receiving high quality, nutritious food can make a huge difference to a patient’s hospital experience, as our September Star of the Month winner highlighted.
Stephen Dorman, Catering Assistant at Princess Royal Hospital, was awarded for going above and beyond his duty to ensure a patient received their meal after the kitchen had closed.
He said: “Our job is to make sure patients have everything they need. I’m really pleased to have been nominated and recognised. I did what anyone else would have done to help support a patient’s experience and recovery.”
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Chief Social Worker visits teams at St Richard’s |
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Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults in England, visited the social work team and discharge co-ordinators based at St Richard’s Hospital this month.
She heard about the teamwork achieved during the pandemic, and how flexible and responsive everyone was to the challenges and ever-changing situation. The teams shared how this has built strong foundations for partnership working into the future.
Lyn praised what she described as a great culture within the hospital social work and discharge teams, where their professional expertise and skills are equally valued to problem solve together to get the best outcomes for patients.
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Ada Lovelace Day: Celebrating the achievements of women in science healthcare at UHSussex |
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Ada Lovelace Day (11 October) is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. We shone a light on Dr Kate Shipman, Consultant Chemical Pathologist.
Kate plays a key role in diagnosing and monitoring patients with a wide variety of illnesses, including lipid disorders, common causes of high cholesterol and rare genetic diseases.
She said: “I’ve always enjoyed sciences. It’s my love for the subject that inspired me to apply for medical school.”
It was this journey to becoming a doctor where Kate learnt the importance of resilience.
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Refurbished cardiac cath labs at the County |
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Two of the cardiac catheterisation labs at the Royal Sussex County Hospital have been refurbished, with a new suite of equipment that provides higher quality images at a lower level of radiation.
Staff in the labs make use of live imaging to help them carry out lifesaving and improving heart procedures.
Michael Clarke, Superintendent Radiographer, said: "We have far greater versatility now about how we display and manipulate the images we use during a procedure. It makes it easier to give the team members the view they need, where they need it, with pinpoint accuracy."
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The Nurses’ League reunited this month for their annual get together after a two-year hiatus due to Covid.
The league consists of retired nurses who formerly worked at legacy Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals (BSUH). The group meet to celebrate their careers as nurses, listen to speakers from the Trust and enjoy a social lunch.
The group enjoyed a service at St George’s Church, followed by a delicious lunch. Maggie Davies, Chief Nurse, also gave a presentation which featured a review of the last year.
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Take part in annual Staff Survey |
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Share your experiences and insights, from patient care, to career opportunities, health and wellbeing, and management support – including how supported you feel to raise concerns.
Staff Survey responses remain completely confidential. To protect anonymity, department reports will only be available if more than 11 colleagues have responded.
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Patient First Planet First news |
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Menu switch that’s kinder to the planet |
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As part of our commitment to operate our hospitals in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way the catering teams introduced several carbon neutral menu options.
Brighton and PRH catering team has worked with their meal provider to remove two beef dishes:
- Beef Bolognaise replaced with Chicken Chasseur
- Steak Pie replaced with Meat Free Chicken Pie
And from 7 November, Worthing and St Richard’s Hospital catering teams have produced two new recipes:
- Beef Bolognaise will be replaced with Turkey Bolognaise
- Braised Lamb will be replaced with Chicken Supreme
Close collaboration with dietetic and therapy services means the new options have been confirmed as having the nutritional requirements and texture to make them suitable for our patients.
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Bike Ride from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace |
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Medical Secretary Coco Highton will cycle an incredible 519 miles from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Buckingham Palace in London to raise funds for one of the Trust's dedicated charities, Love Your Hospital.
Coco will be undertaking this challenge in January 2023, to help fund the creation of a commemorative garden for veteran patients suffering from PTSD and/or physical injury. The garden, at Southlands Hospital, will be designed by award-winning landscape designer, Juliet Sargeant.
Coco said: “As an Armed Forces Champion in the Trust, this initiative is very close to my heart and will help to raise awareness of our UHSussex service provision for veteran patients, both within Sussex and beyond. Every donation to this very worthy cause will keep me pedalling like a trooper!”
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Sussex Cardiac Rehab Team charity hike |
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On 1 October, the UHSussex Cardiac Rehab Team from Worthing and Southlands Hospital, completed a 13 mile hike over the South Downs and raised almost £1,000 for the charity Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex (CRSWS).
With great weather on their side, the team completed the walk in just under five hours, where the route started and finished at Lancing Ring and took the team to Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings too – ‘The Walk of The Rings’!
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In case you missed it....
Here's our round-up of all the stories and updates across the Trust in October:
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Patient feedback highlights |
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