Staff will recall at the end of April, we sent out a special newsletter which highlighted some of our achievements over the last 10 years. To coincide with the NHS s birthday on 5th July this is the second newsletter which features other highlights from our 10 years as a Foundation Trust. I hope you enjoy reading it! 1st January 2015 marked 10 years since our Trust became a Foundation Trust. Those members of staff who were here in 2005 will recall the tremendous amount of work that went on to prepare us for this new status and then the time of intense activity as we established effective working arrangements for the new organisation. We have made a number of major investments in staff and services in this time and have been able to implement many service improvements as a result. Our track record of high performance and a whole range of award winning services speaks for itself. Thank you all for being part of this journey and for the outstanding contribution you make to all that we do. Lorraine Lambert Chief Executive 2005/2006 Deans Wing The final phases of development in creating integrated facilities for the care of the elderly at South Tyneside District Hospital were completed. This involved a major upgrade to Ward 20 and the creation of a rapid assessment facility, within the same block, known as the Deans Wing. Cardiology A new Cardiology facility at South Tyneside District Hospital costing 1,194,000 was completed. Purpose-built to the highest standard, it brought together the whole clinical team in a single location so patients could receive a seamless service. Angiography, once the province of larger hospital, could now be done effectively and safely, locally. Patients no longer had to travel for the insertion of most pacemakers and the cardiology team worked with other centres to support the delivery of angioplasty and other more complex interventions. 1
2006/2007 Colorectal Cancer Screening We were one of the first centres in the country recognised for colorectal cancer screening, putting us at the forefront of the new, national screening programme for the detection of bowel cancer. Our Site and Service Redesign Programme brought together a group of doctors, nurses and others to look carefully at how services were provided and how they might need to change in the future. It was decided to put all emergency services together with the specialist staff who support them to ensure that we could manage emergency care effectively and efficiently, with the right people in the right place at the right time. This would also allow us to be much more efficient in the way we provided planned care, such as routine operations and procedures. 2007/2008 We invested in a major bed replacement programme, at a cost of 243,000 for electronic profiling beds. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome On a smaller scale, a number of schemes were completed which assisted in smoothing the patient pathway, such as the purchase of a Mediracer to enable the early diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and reduce patient waiting times. Disabled access We continued our programme to ensure that our environment was compliant with the requirements for disabled access, with a further 60,000 invested in schemes. Endoscopy systems benefited from an investment of 512,000 in new equipment.
2008/2009 Care of emergencies We undertook ongoing work to change the way in which the care of emergencies was provided, with all emergency patients now being managed by a single, consultant-led team for assessment and stabilisation, before being passed on to the appropriate speciality for ongoing management. This considerably improved the flow of patients through the department and received positive feedback from patients, their GPs and from frontline staff. Led by Dr Shaz Wahid, a team of Consultant Acute Physicians manage the facility, supported by a highly expert, multi-disciplinary team from a range of specialties. The maternity team were recognised for their work in continuously improving risk management and safe systems of care with the award of Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts level 3. Ours was one of only 15 Trusts in the country to have achieved this standard, with a score of 39 out of 40. Redevelopment The redevelopment of the main entrance area of the hospital, along with shopping and café facilities, was opened in March, 2009. The scheme was undertaken to improve disabled access and the general environment for patients, visitors and staff. This was the first phase of work which saw the whole of the hospital frontage transformed. 2009/2010 We continued to develop our research capacity and we were chosen by Comprehensive Local Research Networks as an example of success in developing a strong research function. One-day service for suspected lung cancer After two years of planning, our oneday service for suspected lung cancer was launched. Following referral by GPs, patients who formerly had to attend multiple appointments for an initial consultation, CT scan and other tests were now managed in a single working day, leaving with either the allclear or an individualised action plan.
Emergency Care The first stage of our new and expanded Emergency Care Centre at South Tyneside District Hospital opened to the public in December, 2010. This provided 10 assessment rooms, each with state-ofthe art facilities. Children coming in could be immediately looked after by an expert children s team in a dedicated area, a significant step towards our vision of a fullyintegrated emergency care unit. 2010/2011 Laparoscopic Colorectal Procedures We introduced laparoscopic (keyhole) colorectal procedures which made a big difference to both cancer patients and those with benign conditions. The surgical team used the technique to effectively treat conditions ranging from earlystage colorectal cancer to ulcerative colitis with minimal discomfort to the patient, due to reduced surgical intrusion and small incisions. South Tyneside was placed third in a national audit of continence care in the NHS, demonstrating the high level of care offered to patients and the great improvements achieved. Stroke Services 2011/2012 A unique collaboration the first of its kind in the UK between three hospital Trusts meant that suspected stroke patients across South of Tyne and Wear now received quicker access to expert assessment. To improve the speed of treatment for suspected stroke patients in South Tyneside, Sunderland and Gateshead, a new Hyperacute Thrombolysis Rota, combined with the use of a specialist telehealth system, brought on-call expert consultants to the patient. Maternity The maternity unit took the first step towards international recognition for its efforts to ensure a high standard of care in relation to infant feeding for pregnant women and mothers and babies, being awarded a Certificate of Commitment from the UNICEF (United Nations Children s Fund) Baby Friendly Initiative. Learning Disabilities A unit for adults with learning disabilities was re-opened following extensive work to provide accommodation and facilities fit for the 21st century. Elmville, situated in the grounds of Monkton Hall, Jarrow, offers short breaks for people with a learning disability and associated health needs.
2012/2013 Kidney Dialysis A new, safer, more effective treatment for critically ill patients in need of kidney dialysis was pioneered at South Tyneside District Hospital. The Trust was the first in the North East and one of the first in the country to use citrate, a naturally-occurring chemical in the body, in the process instead of the anticoagulant drug, Heparin. A screening programme which helps to prevent serious eye damage in diabetic patients celebrated its 10th anniversary. When it was launched in Sunderland in 2002, it employed four staff and served around 7,000 patients. By 2012, it employed 20 staff and served about 20,000 patients across both Sunderland and South Tyneside. Type 2 diabetes An innovative service for South Tyneside patients with type 2 diabetes was introduced to reduce waiting times and ensure that they are seen by the most appropriate healthcare professional. It involved an integrated approach by Consultant Diabetologists at South Tyneside District Hospital, a GP with a special interest in diabetes and the Trust s diabetes specialist nurses. People s Choice A project to improve patient care at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust was hailed by healthcare professionals from all over the country as an example of best practice. It was given the People s Choice award at the national 5th Lean Healthcare Academy Conference and Awards, which recognise excellent service improvements and enhanced efficiencies. The project focused on ensuring that a patient s stay in South Tyneside District Hospital was not extended beyond their care need. Sexual Health Clinics A new way of working, which was providing people using the sexual health clinics in Gateshead and South Tyneside with a more confidential, streamlined service won South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust staff a national award. They were joint winners of the Clinical Team of the Year, Sexual Health category at The General Practice Awards 2012. Sexual health staff in clinics in Gateshead, supported by the Trust s clinical modernisation team, piloted a triage system to reduce the number of clinicians each patient had to see. Healthcare assistants were specially trained to carry out the triage in relation to contraception, pregnancy and sexual health infections. Using their experience and knowledge, they were then able to pass the patient on to the clinician with the appropriate skills. As a result, the patient pathway was smoother and quicker. The new approach avoided duplication of historytaking and examinations, reducing clinical risk and improving the patient experience.
2013/2014 Waterbirth The pioneering waterbirth service at South Tyneside District Hospital celebrated its 10th anniversary. Hundreds of babies have been born in the borough in this way to date and it is still proving a popular option with a significant number of mums-tobe. The Trust s Maternity Unit was among the first in the region to fully establish the service and it developed a reputation as a leader in the field. South Tyneside District Hospital was given a clean bill of health following an unannounced, routine inspection. Following three days on site, a team from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) concluded that all essential standards of quality and safety inspected were being met. The feedback was that across the wards and departments that the CQC visited, patients had positive comments about their care, describing staff as exceptional and respectful. Embracing Technology Hospital Volunteers A new team of volunteers was recruited for an exciting initiative to improve the experience of patients at South Tyneside District Hospital. The Hospital Volunteers group - a partnership between South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) began as a one-year pilot scheme on the Trust s elderly care wards before being extended to other areas of the Trust. The recruits provide non-nursing, non-clinical care to patients, including help with feeding, companionship, reading to them and helping them with their hobbies and interests. They also assist staff with tasks such as preparing the bed for the patients arrival and will greet patients and visitors. An electronic system, which is enabling South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust s district nurses to improve their service, scooped a prestigious national award. The Trust s entry was judged the winner in the Embracing Technology category of the Lean Healthcare Awards. In the same week, the project was also runner-up in the national Patient Experience Network (PEN) awards, in the Innovative use of Technology/Social Media section. The electronic system, known as Hydra, is used by the district nurses to manage patient referrals and plan appointments for home visits. This has successfully improved patient access to the service and their experience of care, whilst improving efficiency by reducing the amount of paperwork for nurses, freeing up valuable time which can now be spent with the patients. We hope you enjoyed reading this review of some our innovations over the last 10 years.