TALKING POINT November 2012 Inject even more into patient care – have your flu vaccination today! Talking Point is your magazine and it is only as good as you make it. Ideas and stories or suggestions to Maternity staff get their jab from flu champion Lynn Young who vaccinated hundreds of staff make Talking Point in the first week even better are always welcome. Please send your ideas to: Inject even more The editor - Lesley Connor Public relations into patient care South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust EVERYONE at the trust is being give you the flu and while some people may The James Cook urged to join the fight against flu experience mild fever up to 48 hours after University Hospital having the jab as their immune system The Murray Building this winter with the start of the staff responds to the vaccine, this is not flu. Our Marton Road vaccination programme. target this year is 70% of healthcare workers MIDDLESBROUGH and their support staff. Last year we achieved While frontline health workers will be given TS4 3BW 50.8% against a target of 60%. priority, everyone at the trust – including Extension: 55900 volunteers and students – will be encouraged Kimberley McCabe, hearing aid technician Email: lesley.connor@ to have the flu vaccine to ensure they are who is six months pregnant, was keen to have stees.nhs.uk protected before it’s too late. the injection. She said: “I’d never bothered with the flu jab before but as I’m now You can also contact Occupational health nurses and trained pregnant I wanted to protect myself and my the public relations flu champions have begun the campaign baby, as well as my other colleagues.” team on 01642 to vaccinate over 5000 frontline healthcare 854343, extension workers and their support staff since The campaign got off to a great start with 54343 JCUH or email late September. public.relations@ 3253 (42.2%) of healthcare workers vaccinated in the first three weeks stees.nhs.uk Pam McCourt occupational health manager said: “We hope staff will take the Talking Point This included the following uptake opportunity to be vaccinated early in the is written and by staff group: campaign as it takes 10 to 14 days to develop illustrated by the Doctors – 53.2% your body’s immunity to flu vaccine, so don’t Nurses, midwives and health public relations team leave it to chance.” and designed by visitors – 37.3% Octagon Marketing Acting chief executive Tricia Hart said: All other professionally qualified clinical Company Ltd. “As an organisation we do have a duty to staff – 44.2% ensure all of our staff and volunteers, who Support to clinical staff – 43.5% have a direct role in caring for patients, are So let’s take the challenge and increase the offered this vaccination. Octagon Marketing trust uptake even more this year. Company Ltd specialise “By getting it, not only are you protecting If staff have any questions or queries in in gaining advertising yourself but also your families, your patients relation to the flu vaccination or where you support for magazines and the NHS services you provide.” so Talking Point is now can get your flu vaccination contact the produced, packaged, Staff are reminded that the vaccine does not occupational health department on extension distributed and carry any live virus, which means it cannot 52482 at James Cook. delivered at a minimal cost to the trust. Front page picture: Hearing aid technician Kimberley McCabe, who is six months pregnant, gets her flu jab from Eileen Tilley, occupational health nurse 2 Fourth catheter lab open THE FOURTH cardiac – transcatheter aortic valve catheter lab has implantation – an advanced procedure in which a team of opened at James Cook specially trained consultants providing state-of-the- replace narrowed heart art facilities for local valves without the need for heart patients. open-heart surgery. More floor space allows greater An examination room fitted flexibility during procedures with diagnostic imaging for the surgical and equipment to support the cardiology teams involved. catheterisation procedure, the fourth lab, which cost Specialist x-ray equipment approximately £2M to fit in the lab has excellent and equip will help ensure image quality and lower patients are treated more radiation dose saving quickly and their hospital features benefiting patients stay is reduced. and staff. Extra monitors and theatre lighting allow The new lab is specifically improved visibility for all the designed for TAVI procedures medical team. Cameras can also be installed in the lights Top team: Fourth cardiac catheter lab staff to record what the surgeon sees during The first patient to use what the results would be, a procedure the new facility was but everything was fine and which can Carole Harris, 69, former went to plan. All the hospital be used for nurse from Guisborough staff were lovely, top class teaching and who had a coronary and they looked after me education angiogram on 31 May 2012. very well.” purposes She said: “My treatment at Dr Andrew Sutton, consultant in future. James Cook was excellent, I cardiologist, said: “We are could not fault it. delighted with the success of our fourth catheter lab “I found out I was going and 300 patients have had to be the first patient to procedures carried out in Consultant have my angiogram in it so far. cardiologist Dr the new lab when I Richard Wright was waiting on the “We are continuing to with first patient ward, so it was a bit of improve and develop our Carole Harris in the a surprise. service to ensure patients are fourth cath lab at benefiting from the latest James Cook “I was a bit nervous and technology and the trust is at wondering about what the forefront of developing was going to happen and heart services.” Heart rhythm NOTHING is too small when it left, and assistant practitioner comes to enhancing patient Joanne Ingledew. comforts while they are in Dr Davies said: “The heart fund has James Cook. not only spent large amounts such That’s the view of Dr Adrian Davies, as £140,000 on vital equipment for chair of South Cleveland Heart the new fourth catheter lab, but this South Cleveland Heart Fund has also Fund, who is shown handing over £60 sound system will enable patients generously provided a television an iPod-compatible sound system to play their favourite music while for the cardiac investigation unit’s to staff nurse Sian Davies-Wilson, undergoing their procedure.” waiting room. 3 Stoptober success THE stop smoking team took to the streets to urge smokers to join the tens of thousands of people taking part in Stoptober - the nation’s biggest ever stop smoking drive. Roadshows were held in Redcar, Middlesbrough and Guisborough with stop smoking advisors from the trust’s health improvement team on hand to offer support and advice. Event organiser Claire Moore said: “Stoptober certainly boosted the number of people coming for appointments with our stop smoking advisors. A lot of people saw the TV adverts or our street events.” Research shows those who stop smoking for 28 days are five times more likely to stay smokefree. Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, said: “Most people who smoke begin as children and go on to regret ever starting. Most would love to be rid of tobacco for the sake of their health, for their children and to have more money in their pocket. “People don’t always find quitting “Contact that easy, even though some your local stop smokers do manage it first time. But people can make the process easier smoking service by using a friendly and free NHS and boost your Stop Smoking Service, which boosts your chances of stopping for good.” chances of To find your local stop smoking stopping for service visit www.southtees.nhs.uk/ good.” services/health-improvement/stop- smoking or call 01287 284487. Your opinions matter EVERY year the trust takes part in the NHS national staff survey because we are keen to learn of your views regarding your employment experience around a number of key areas including your personal development, your job, your health, wellbeing and safety for example. We are now a month into the survey having gone out to all staff. If you haven’t sent your survey back yet, its takes about 20 minutes to complete and is important to return so we can IWL leads from across the trust ahead of one of their meetings get your feedback to not only improve your experience and 4 Family planning made easier A GROUNDBREAKING new service for couples looking for a permanent method of birth control, as their families are complete - and for women where childbirth presents a risk - is soon to be provided at the Friarage Hospital. The ESSURE permanent birth control system manufactured by Conceptus is a minimally invasive technique designed to provide a non-surgical alternative for women seeking sterilisation which involves no anaesthesia, no cutting and just a simple 10-minute process (average time). (left to right) Nicola Child, clinical trainer Conceptus, Jo Stracey obstetrics and gynaecology outpatients department manager Friarage, Deborah Travis sonographer, Chris Coates nurse Two consultant led outpatient clinics a hysteroscopist, Nicola Pearson, Dr Suzie Peatman and Jane Shaw pre-assessment sister month are planned at the Friarage and currently over 25 women are waiting for admission for an operation to have their undertaken as an outpatient procedure, the new procedure. ‘tubes tied’. meaning women can resume their normal The quick and convenient method of A doctor uses a hysteroscope - a narrow activities quickly.” female sterilisation is 99.83% effective telescope - to insert two soft and flexible Nicola Pearson was the first patient to based on five years of follow up with inserts into each fallopian tube and tissue have the procedure at the Friarage.