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GP Round Up Issue 67 | April 2016
Dear GPs and practice managers
This month I am delighted to let you know that our 2 week
pathway for urgent skin referrals is seeing patients on time again.
The dermatology department has worked closely with the CGG
and wider cancer network to improve performance. Consultant
Dermatologist Helena Malhomme has led her team through the
changes and together they have successfully streamlined the
referral process for tele-dermatology, revised the 2ww referral
form and made plans for a GP education programme.
In this issue we also have other good news to share with you about new
orthopaedic services, national recognition of our excellent end of life care and the
success of Whitley Day Unit for heart failure patients one year on.
Dr Lindsey Barker Medical Director
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Dermatology good news
We are delighted to report that
patients who meet our 2ww
referral criteria for skin are being
seen on time again.
We are now taking steps to ensure
that we continue to see all patients in a
timely manner. We have appointed a
full-time locum from May for 6 months,
a “see and treat” service at Townlands
commences in May and a GP VTS will
be working with us from August.
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We will also be encouraging GPs to
attend our Friday “see and treat”
clinics at RBH and WBCH to gain
experience and confidence in
diagnosing skin lesions (more detailed
information will be circulated by the
CCG)
If you have any queries please get in
touch with Dr Helena Malhomme
Clinical Lead Dermatology
Email: helena.malhomme@royalberks
hire.nhs.uk
GP Round Up Issue 67 | April 2016
New T&O “Hip Knee Elbow Shoulder & Paediatric” clinics
The Orthopaedic department recently welcomed two new Consultants to their team. Giuseppe
Sforza specialises in shoulder & elbow surgery and Ed Tayton specialises in hip & knee surgery.
Ed Tayton (pictured left) qualified from The Royal Free (UCL) in 2002 and
is nearing the end of his Higher Surgical Training with the Wessex Deanery.
He took time out of the programme from 2010 to 2012 to undertake a PhD
with the Bone and Joint Research Group at the University of Southampton
as a MRC Research Fellow.
Giuseppe Sforza studied medicine at the University of Bari, Italy and in
1999 he was appointed shoulder surgery fellow at the Reading Shoulder
Unit. In 2000 after completion of his fellowship, he returned to Italy and was appointed Consultant
Orthopaedic Surgeon. In 2004 he joined the Reading Shoulder Unit. In 2007, he was appointed
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Redditch, Worchester Acute NHS Trust.
Short waiting times!
Hip or knee appointment in 1 week followed by
surgery within 1-2 weeks.
Shoulder appointment in 3-4 weeks and a
further 4 week wait for shoulder surgery.
Hip & knee
RBH WBCH Bracknell &Townlands
Ed Tayton: weekly clinics, alternating between
RBH and Bracknell. All-day fracture clinic
@ Newbury (WBCH) each Tuesday
Richard Dodds: knee clinic on the 1st and 3rd
Thursdays of the month at Townlands Hospital
Bryan Riemer (in post from May): weekly hip &
knee clinic from 17th May
T&O Paediatrics
Townlands
Richard Dodds holds a general
paediatric clinic on the 2nd and
4th Thursdays of the month.
Shoulder and Elbow
RBH & WBCH
Giuseppe Sforza holds twice
weekly clinics at RBH
(accompanied by a Clinical
Fellow and a Physiotherapist).
On the 3rd Thursday of the
month, the shoulder clinic is held
at WBCH.
We are keen to receive more orthopaedic referrals and wish to work with primary care to
ensure that the services we provide meet the needs of our local
community. Please email [email protected] Surgical Directorate
Manager or call 0118 322 6660 if you have any questions.
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GP Round Up Issue 67 | April 2016
Dying Matters to us
In a recent audit led by the Royal
College of Physicians “End of
Life Care – dying in hospital” ,
the Trust achieved scores
between 82% and 96%
compared to the national
average of 56% to 84% across 5
indicators.
Mindful that every patient is someone’s
loved one, the Trust has invested in
end of life care training across clinical
and support staff. There is a close
relationship with local community
health and social care providers
(including GP and district nursing,
palliative care teams and hospice care
providers), to give patients who do
want to die at home, the chance to do
so.
Susi Lund is the Trust’s End of Life
Care lead. She puts the Trust’s
performance in this emotive area down
to our staff’s focus on delivering
excellent quality of end of life care.
Susi explains “Ultimately, when you
lose someone close to you, you
remember the people around you in
hospital at that time and it is important
to those who work at the Trust that we
are remembered for our compassion,
and our care, for the patient and for
the families.
“Our End of Life Governance Group
includes clinical, pastoral and support
staff. The group focussed on what we
thought was important at the end of a
person’s life and the care we would
want to see given. That is the standard
we set ourselves: what care would we
want for ourselves or our family.”
It should also be noted that the Trust
has good Hospital Standardised
Mortality Ratios (HSMR) which means
that fewer people die at the hospital
than would be expected according to
the last reported annual data for
2015/15.
We are delighted to be identified as a
national leader in delivering end of life
care in
Next day RACOP appointments for the elderly
Please consider referring elderly patients to the Rapid Access Clinic for
Older People (RACOP) whenever possible, rather than sending them to
A&E.
This clinic is suitable for those with anaemia (Hb 74); unexplained breathlessness that
may be idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; heart failure with hyponatraemia (normally about
130, had fallen to 126); 3 month history of worsening cognition and falls (with several
unsuitable medications).
Referrals can be made by telephone conversation with the registrar or consultant covering
RACOP from 8.30-16.30 via switchboard (0118 322 5111) and then asking for bleep 510. In
this way patients can be seen on the next working day if necessary.
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GP Round Up Issue 67 | April 2016
New Unit improves patient experience and saves 1000
hospital bed days
The Whitley Day Unit at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has saved 1000 bed days in
the year that it has been open. The innovative service was set up to improve the
care of patients with heart failure, a chronic illness caused by the inability of the heart
to pump properly. Patients with this condition typically experience breathlessness
and, as the condition worsens, often accumulate fluid in their legs and lungs making
day to day life difficult or impossible.
Jon Swinburn, Consultant Cardiologist said:
“In the past, when the condition reached the
point that tablet medication was failing to
control their symptoms, these patients had
no option but to spend days, and often
weeks, in hospital receiving intravenous
treatment.
“Since opening the new ‘Furosemide
Lounge’, patients have been able to attend
on a daily basis to receive intravenous
furosemide to clear the fluid. They are
assessed by a nurse and have blood tests
performed in a visit that might last from one
to four hours.
“This results in a huge quality of life benefit
for the patients, who, although they have to
travel to hospital daily, still spend the rest of
the day at home with their families. It is also
more efficient and since starting the new
service has saved the equivalent of almost
three hospital beds.
80 year old Walter Clark from
Newbury travels with wife Janet to
the Royal Berkshire Hospital every
morning, seven days a week, to
receive his treatment and said:
“I can’t praise the staff and the
service highly enough,”
“Everyone is so considerate, helpful
and professional. Being able to have
my infusion and then carry on my
day in the comfort of my own home
with my family is fantastic. If this
service wasn’t available I would have
to stay in hospital for the duration of
my treatment - so far that’s been
two weeks and it’s not finished yet."
As well as receiving excellent praise from patients, the service has received endorsement
from the British Heart Foundation, and hosted visits from other Trusts across the country and
healthcare commissioners who have been interested to find out more about how the service
was set up and operates.
Consultant joiners and leavers
Recently we welcomed Ed Tayton and Giuseppe Sforza to T&O.
Dana Brooks has been appointed to a substantive post in Gastroenterology.
We bid farewell to Margaret Myszor Gastroenterology Consultant at the end of
March.
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GP Round Up Issue 67 | April 2016
GP pages on Trust website
The Trust website http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/ has a new layout and resources for GPs
are all in one place under the blue “GP” tab http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/gps.htm at the
top of the main page. The following links may be found in the GP section:

Directory of outpatient services http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/directory-ofservices.htm

GP secure online resources http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/gp-secure-onlineresources.htm

Clinical and referral guidelines http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/gp-referralinformation.htm

Consultant directory http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/consultant-directory.htm

GP Newsletter http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/gp-newsletter.htm

Choose & Book http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/choose-and-book.htm

Continuing professional development for GPs
http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/continuing-professional-development.htm

Patient information leaflets http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/patient-informationleaflets/

Infection control information http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/infection-controlinformation.htm

How to raise a query or concern http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/how-to-raise-aquery-or-concern.htm
How to Raise a Query or Concern
We welcome feedback from GPs and Practice Managers, so please let us know if you
experience any problems with our services by sending a secure email
to [email protected]. Alternatively you can telephone Caroline Hillman GP
Liaison Manager on 0118 322 5313. We will acknowledge your concern within 3 working
days.
If a GP wishes to raise a formal complaint, this should be made in writing (by letter or email)
to Lindsey Barker Medical Director. Alternatively, if the complaint is of a sensitive nature, the
GP may prefer to telephone or speak to Lindsey in person.
Our Patient Advice and Liaison Team (PALS) focus on providing support and on the spot
help to patients, relatives and carers and can be contacted
via [email protected] The PALS Team also investigate serious patient
complaints.
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