FREE PLEASE TAKE ONE 2007-08 SUHT annual report BEATING THE SUPERBUGS How the trust is winning the war against infection RICKY’S JUST WHAT THE RECOVERY PATIENT How teamwork ORDERED saved biker Focus on the catering team A YEAR IN REVIEW The best bits of the last 12 months 2-3 CONNECT ANNUAL REPORT Welcome… To your summer 2008 issue of media Connect, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust’s magazine Futuristic for staff and patients. This bumper annual report monitor 2007/08 edition is packed with SUHT news from throughout the latest SUHT news communication the year, including the story of motorcyclist Ricky Fernandez, who survived massive becomes a injuries thanks to combined neurosurgery, radiology and intensive care. We also find out how the reality catering team manages to dish up Alfie’s shocking injury 6,000 meals to patients, visitors The story of sports-mad teenager Alfie Tyson-Brown, who found he had and staff every day and take a spent at least ten years with a broken neck that could have killed him Medical staff at Southampton General Hospital can now closer look at how the trust is at any time, made national news. speak to each other at the touch of a button using Star winning the war against infection. Alfie, 14, from Wimborne Minster in Dorset, had been out on his bike Trek style badges. Towards the back of this issue, before undergoing a scan, which revealed the peg at the top of his spine – you can find summary financial which should attach to his skull – had broken off. statements for the year. The teenager was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit The space-age technology follows the and efficiency. For instance, in operating We hope you enjoy our annual at Southampton General Hospital, where he underwent surgery by introduction of a new wireless network at theatres cables can jeopardise the sterile report. consultant spinal surgeon Evan Davies. the hospital. environment, so hands-free, wireless Now busy fundraising for the hospital, Alfie is expected to make a full recovery. Vocera wireless badges have been systems make things safer. trialed and are now live in Southampton’s The long-term vision is for the whole In this annual review issue... media monitor: This story was covered by GMTV, Sky, Meridian, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, The Daily Express, The Mirror, The Daily Mail, emergency department and acute Trust to be wireless, with staff able to 2 SUHT in the news BBC Online, Metro and the Bournemouth Echo. medical unit. They will soon be used all track and access patients, records and around the Trust. equipment in an instant and secure way. 3 Staff go wireless The badges can be clipped Ryan Hewitt, senior network and 4-5 Ricky’s amazing recovery onto clothes and offer hands-free security analyst, said: “If we can digitise 6 In the hotseat Prime Minister visits communications. By pressing one paper-based information, then the button on the badge and stating a benefits to our clinical staff include faster 7 Performance update name, title or role, the wearer is instantly access to patient records, where paper 8 Beating the superbugs world-class cardiac unit connected to the person they wish to documents can go missing. This means speak to. the service clinicians provide to the 9 The munch bunch Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah dropped in on Wireless technology improves safety patients, in turn, is better.” 10 Research in action Southampton General Hospital’s cardiac centre on the eve of the Labour 11 New era in fundraising party conference in Bournemouth. Mr Brown, who was filmed and photographed with doctors and nurses 12-14 Review of the year from the unit, used the visit to announce plans for a “deep clean” 15 Investing for the future programme for the nation’s hospitals. 16 Going green The couple heard about a pioneering service that is enabling heart patients to have check-ups from the comfort of their own home. 17 Roll of honour They also visited the hospital’s state-of-the-art catheter labs where 18 Finance Director’s Report cardiologists are involved in revolutionising the care of heart attack patients. CoWs help out on stroke unit 19-23 Balancing the books media monitor: The visit was covered by Sky, national and local BBC television, The Times, the Daily Mail, the Observer, the Mail on Sunday, News of the World and other national press, plus the Health Service Journal and Southern Daily Echo. Computers on Wheels (CoWs) are wireless laptops on specially designed carts that can be wheeled to the Please note patient’s bedside. This annual report contains At a glance summary financial statements Long service A trial in Southampton General Hospital’s west wing has been very successful. and is signed on page 20 by Top comedian cheers up • Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust was Consultant stroke physician Dr Giles Durward said: “This technology has Southampton University Hospitals awards for hospital formed in April 1993 certainly made a difference on the stroke unit. NHS Trust Chief Executive Mark children’s wards • It is the eighth largest acute trust in England “We can access a patient’s test results at their bedside, request any tests that Hackett. volunteers need doing and complete their discharge paperwork when they are ready to go • In 2007/08, it had an operating budget of just The full set of accounts for TV star Catherine Tate visited the On International Volunteer Day home, all during our ward rounds. over £430m and owned assets valued at over £300m 2007/08 is available via the trust’s Piam Brown Ward at Southampton in December 2007, the trust “It has streamlined our service as in the past this would have involved running website at www.suht.nhs.uk General Hospital before launching • The Trust employs around 8,000 staff a new charity dedicated to helping honoured 170 people who backwards and forwards to get paperwork and some of it would have been They include the Statement • The Trust owns Southampton General Hospital, the regularly give up their time to done later, once the rounds were complete.” on Internal Control, which sets young cancer patients. Princess Anne Hospital and Countess Mountbatten Catherine, whose comedy character help our hospitals. out how the trust board has Among those receiving long House, as well as running some services at the regulated the business this year. Lauren is famous for her “Am I Royal South Hants Hospital bovvered” catchphrase, spent time service awards for volunteering • It works closely with the University of chatting to youngsters on the ward, was Cognac, a pets as therapy Southampton which treats children from across the (PAT) dog and his owner Sue Thanks go to our lead South. Cole. • It provides local hospital services to half a Altogether, the Trust has more commissioners, Southampton The actress went on to a million people living in and around Southampton, than 900 volunteers who do plus an extensive range of specialist services to City and Hampshire Primary Southampton hotel where she launched the Joe Glover Trust, everything from running errands What’s next? a population that stretches across the South of England and the Channel Islands Care Trusts, who fund our a charity to provide practical, for patients to acting as hospital Radiology reports are already being sent to GPs electronically and, over the services, for all their support emotional and financial assistance guides. • The Trust is organised into five service coming months, the electronic transfer of discharge summaries to GPs will this year. to children and their families. operating divisions and Trust headquarters media monitor: This story was covered also be rolled out. by Meridian television, Radio Hampshire • Every year, Trust staff see 450,000 people and the Southern Daily Echo. at outpatient appointments, deal with 95,000 media monitor: This story was covered by local television, radio and the Southern Daily Echo. attendances at the Emergency Department and treat 115,000 inpatients and day patients. 4-5 CONNECT ANNUAL REPORT A 2020Vision for world class healthcare Ricky’s The specialist expertise of our clinical teams is a vital resource for our community and saves the lives of many people like Ricky Fernandez who have suffered serious accidents. As a Trust, we have a long-term plan to continue • Recognised as recovery investing in our expertise as we aim to become the one of the top 10 UK’s leading clinical academic centre. NHS organisations The 2020Vision is a strategy for the hospital that we for education and agreed with our two lead commissioners, Southampton training City Primary Care Trust and Hampshire Primary Care • Rated as an Trust, and other stakeholders. It describes how our excellent Last summer, Ricky Fernandez’s friends centres of excellence in Southampton will treat more of employer by 90 the region’s critically ill patients. This will help more of per cent of our and family were preparing for the worst. those people, like Ricky, whose best chance of survival staff is to be at a major regional centre. • One of the A motorbike crash had left him with dislocated his shoulder, broke his nose, For this to happen we need to create space in the five best- horrific, life-threatening injuries and it fractured other parts of his face, broke hospital by transferring some of our routine services to regarded public seemed unlikely he would pull through. his back in three places, had compound other local providers where it is safe and appropriate organisations in the region Now, at home in Hedge End, near fractures to his left leg, broke the right to do so.