Download April 2016 - Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

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Airedale
NHS Foundation Trust
Foundation Trust Members’ newsletter • April 2016
Pedal power for patients
A new therapeutic exercise bike to help
people with disabilities and mobility
problems has been bought for the specialist
rehabilitation team at Airedale Hospital.
The bike was funded by the trust’s charity
Friends of Airedale and is being used in the
rehabilitation gym in the Day Hospital for
the Elderly
In the photo it is being put to the
test by Nigel Hargreaves, aged 70, of
Draughton, near Skipton who suffered
a stroke. Julie Buckley, principal
physiotherapist said: “We are
delighted as this piece of equipment
will ensure that all our patients,
whatever their disability,
will have the opportunity to improve their
exercise tolerance individually or in a group.
“The design of the bike means it can be
easily used by people in wheelchairs with
various conditions such as multiple sclerosis,
Parkinson’s disease, amputees and spinal
injury.
“It will also benefit patients attending the
neuro outpatient department, the AIRE unit
and the stroke unit at our hospital.”
Eileen Proud, president of Friends of
Airedale, said: “This bike will allow the
specialist rehabilitation team to help their
patients who would normally find it difficult
to get fitter and stronger. We thought it was
a really good cause to support.”
Patient Nigel Hargreaves with Kathryn Webster, specialist
physiotherapist at Airedale Hospital
Signs of the times: new signage
shows you how to find your way
A new signage system has been introduced at
Airedale Hospital to help patients find their way
around the site more easily. Around 900 signs, both internal and external,
were replaced in March by Nuneaton Signs and
are an interchangeable panel system that can
easily be updated. “It is a huge change but we hope it will benefit
our patients who often find our site confusing
the first time they visit the hospital,” said David
Moss, interim deputy director of strategy, business
development, estates and facilities at Airedale
NHS Foundation Trust.
“The previous signage had no real logic and
just evolved as the hospital has developed. Our
new system is well-thought out, consistent,
colour-coded and we have involved patients in
our planning process to make sure it is easy to
use.”
John Lofthouse, section leader of the guides
and member of the wayfinding group, said: “It
Inside
may take a little time for some people to get used
to the new signage but I feel sure it will help all
patients and visitors in the future.
“However if there is anyone who still needs
help, the guides are there to provide assistance.”
10 information points with a map of the whole
hospital site and department directory have been
positioned at the entrances and major junctions in
the hospital. The site is now split into four zones,
A to D, and each ward or department has been
given a location number. Visitors can consult an
alphabetical list of wards and departments on the
maps to find its location number, for example,
the maternity ward 21 will be located at zone
B – location number 18 and the Emergency
Department x-ray will be zone A – location
number 4. Car parking areas will also have
numbers to make them easy to locate.
All patient letters from the hospital have been
updated to make sure that they are consistent
with the new signage. This will give patients clear
directions to the place they need to be.
Extra volunteer guides will be on hand to
help patients find their way during the transition
period. A downloadable version of the site map
and department directory is available on our
website at www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk in the
footer of each page. Local taxi companies; ambulance, police and
fire services and partner organisations have also
been given the new site map. •Governor update
•Food tips for patients with dementia
•All about prostate cancer
YOUR HOSPITAL
Here to care
Governor update
Governors make sure voice
of the public is heard
Welcome to your latest update from
your governors, looking back it has
been a busy period once again.
The Trust has been preparing for
the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Inspection in March where Governors
were involved and invited to share
their views and experience of
working with the Trust. We will give
you an update on the report after it
is published.
Fulfilling our duties as
governors
A main part of the governor
role is to hold the non-executive
directors (NEDs) to account for the
performance of the board. We do
this by observing and questioning,
at board meetings at council of
governor meetings and at other
meetings. The previous system by
which governors met with the NEDs
and Executives has been changed to
a more time efficient and effective
meeting and discussion format,
which takes place during the Council
of Governor meetings, the first of
which in January was well-received.
The appointment of two new
NEDs will be taking place soon and
Governors will again have a part to
play in this very important process.
Another important part of the
Governor role is to represent your
views and to this end Governors
reviewed all the public comments
received over the last year and in
December delivered a presentation
to the Board, so that these views
could be considered as part of the
annual plan. Governors presented
the comments you have made and
the outcomes of the previous year’s
report, as part of our task to ensure
that the public voice is heard and
acted upon. It is very reassuring that
the vast majority of comments are
strongly supportive of the hospital
and any other issues are quickly
acted upon.
A summary of your feedback
and that meeting is below. We
will give you an update on what
has happened as a result of your
feedback, in the next newsletter.
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As well as holding the non-executive directors to account, governors like to see and be seen around the hospital
the Emergency Department and
described the treatment received
from friendly, approachable and
extremely professional staff.
Main themes where you had
a positive experience:
• Consistent high quality care on
every visit in all departments
• Impressive new Emergency
Department
• Friendly, approachable and caring
doctors
• Good inpatient care
• Good follow up care.
Main theme where you think
the hospital could improve:
• Admission to hospital – parking
and problems with public transport
Your feedback in 2015
A small number of people felt
there could be improvements
in:
The majority of feedback that
you gave us was positive and
across all service areas the main
theme was high quality care and
treatment. Many people had used
• Waiting times – in the Emergency
Department and waiting during
outpatient clinics
• Food – lack of choice and quality.
We will report back on how
the Trust has responded to your
comments in your next newsletter.
Events
The regular focus events continue
to be very popular. The Governor
elections this year have now started
and two events were held in February for those interested in the
role.
Governors have also been
attending careers events at colleges
in Skipton, Keighley and Bradford
to hear the views of students and
encourage them to join as members,
so they can be invited to talks and
open days.
On 29 June we are pleased to
say that the Board of Directors are
coming to Barnoldswick Civic Hall to
hold their meeting and to offer you
the opportunity to ask questions of
the Board and tell us governors what
you think.
There will also be a mini-health
fair.
For more details see your events
programme.
‘Adopt a courtyard’ project
There is a new project underway
in the hospital to improve the
courtyards and groups have been
offered the opportunity to adopt a
courtyard, re-design it and then do
the planting. Governors have been
given a courtyard and work starts in
early March to prepare the area for
planting. We hope to make courtyard
9 the pride of Airedale.
Parking
Unfortunately the new parking
arrangements have been delayed
through no fault of the Hospital.
Hopefully the contract for the work
will be in place soon and these
improvements can then be put in
place. We will keep you updated.
Get in touch
Please contact us if you have any
questions or comments about
improving our already excellent
hospital. Email us at members@anhst.
nhs.uk or phone the membership
office on 01535 294540. We look
forward to hearing from you.
YOUR HOSPITAL
Here to care
Health Facts All about prostate cancer
Understanding
your prostate:
a guide
for men
Every man has one,
yet few men know
anything about their
prostate or what can
go wrong with it.
symptoms, think about visiting your
GP. You can also talk to a Prostate
Cancer UK specialist nurse on their
confidential helpline on 0800 074
8383, or via the online live chat,
instant messaging service at www.prostatecanceruk.org
Who’s at risk
Only men have a prostate. It’s a
gland and its job is to make some of
the fluid that carries sperm, called
semen. It’s usually the size and shape
of a walnut, and it sits underneath
the bladder and surrounds the
urethra, which is the tube that carries
urine and semen.
Some men with prostate cancer
may have no symptoms. Other men
may have symptoms that include:
• needing to pee more often,
especially at night – for example,
needing to go again within two
hours
• difficulty starting to urinate
• straining, or taking a long time to
finish
• a weak flow
• a feeling that the bladder hasn’t
emptied properly
• needing to rush to the toilet, and
the occasional leak
• dribbling urine.
Prostate cancer mainly affects men
over the age of 50 and the risk
increases with age. However, we
also know that black men have been
shown to be diagnosed with prostate
cancer on average five years younger
than white men and about 1 in 4
black men will get prostate cancer,
which is double the 1 in 8 risk faced
by all men. The reasons why are not
yet clear, but it could be because of
genetic changes.
You are also two and a half times
more likely to get prostate cancer
if your father or brother has been
diagnosed, compared with a man
who has no relatives with prostate
cancer. There might be a higher
chance of developing prostate cancer
if a relative was diagnosed under
the age of 60, or if you have more
than one close relative with prostate
cancer.
Less common symptoms of a
prostate problem include:
• pain when peeing
• pain when ejaculating
• problems getting or keeping an
erection
• blood in pee or semen.
If you have any of these
If you are worried about prostate
cancer or other prostate problems,
visit your GP. Your GP or practice
nurse will ask you about your
symptoms and they may do some
tests to find out if you have a
prostate problem, such as:
YOUR HOSPITAL
What to do next
Here to care
A urine test
They might ask for a urine sample to
check for any infection that could be
causing you problems while peeing.
A prostate specific antigen (PSA)
test
This is a blood test that measures the
amount of prostate specific antigen
(PSA) in your blood. Your PSA level
rises as you get older. Prostate
problems, such as an enlarged
prostate and prostatitis – as well as
prostate cancer – can cause your PSA
level to rise. A PSA test alone cannot
tell you whether you have prostate
cancer. Your GP will need to look at
your PSA level together with other
test results, such as the digital rectal
examination (DRE).
A digital rectal examination (DRE)
This is where the doctor or nurse
will feel the prostate through the
back passage (rectum) for any hard
or irregular areas, and to check if
it is enlarged. The examination is
an important way for the doctor or
nurse to help assess your prostate.
Many men who have had the DRE
say that it is not too bad and it
doesn’t take too long. It ensures that
your doctor gets the best idea about
whether you have a problem that
needs treating.
How is prostate cancer
treated?
For many men with prostate cancer,
treatment is not immediately
necessary.
If the cancer is at an early stage
and not causing symptoms, a policy
of “watchful waiting” or “active
surveillance” may be adopted. This
involves carefully monitoring your
condition.
Some cases of prostate cancer
can be cured if treated in the early
stages. Treatments include surgically
removing the prostate, radiotherapy
and hormone therapy.
Some cases are only diagnosed at
a later stage when the cancer has
spread. If the cancer spreads to other
parts of the body, typically the bones,
it cannot be cured and treatment
is focused on prolonging life and
relieving symptoms.
All treatment options carry the risk
of significant side effects, including
erectile dysfunction and urinary
incontinence. For this reason, many
men choose to delay treatment
until there is a risk the cancer might
spread.
Living with prostate cancer
As prostate cancer usually progresses
very slowly, you can live for decades
without symptoms or needing
treatment. Nevertheless, it can
have an effect on your life. As well
as causing physical problems such
as erectile dysfunction and urinary
incontinence, a diagnosis of prostate
cancer can understandably make you
feel anxious or depressed.
You may find it beneficial to talk
about the condition with your family,
friends, a family doctor and other
men with prostate cancer.
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Elections update: Don’t forget to vote
Voting starts on 29 March for this year’s governor elections
if there is more than one candidate for a seat.
The public seats available are: Bingley, Bingley Rural,
Craven, Ilkley, Settle and Mid Craven, Skipton, South
Craven, Wharfedale and Worth Valley.
The staff seats available are: Nurses and Midwives,
Allied Health Professionals and Scientists and the ‘All other
Staff’ ie non clinical staff group.
If there is more than one candidate for a seat then all
members in these constituencies will be sent a voting form
on 4 May.
This year to make it easier for our members, you
can vote online or by phone or text. Just follow the
instructions on your voting form.
This is your right to choose someone to represent your
area on the Council of Governors. The election results will
be published on our website on 26 May.
Practical tips for people with dementia
Dietician Louise Nash has designed some new
information sheets to help people with dementia
overcome eating and drinking problems. The
information sheets have been sent out to care
homes throughout the Airedale, Wharfedale and
Craven district and are being used throughout the
country by other professionals after Louise shared
them with her colleagues.
Many older people or those with dementia are
at greater risk of malnutrition which can result in
falls, infections and being admitted to hospital.
These leaflets aim to prevent people with dementia
from becoming malnourished and requiring hospital
treatment.
Louise, from Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Eating nourishing food and drinking regularly is so
important for helping people get well and keeping
someone healthy.
“Often people with dementia experience
changes in their dietary behaviour, their tastes in
food may change to preferring salty, spicy or sweet
food or they may just forget to eat or drink or
forget that they have just eaten. There can also be
practical problems such as people lose the ability
to eat independently, prepare food or use cutlery;
medications can have side effects such as stomach
cramps or feeling sick; they may develop difficulty
in swallowing or not want to drink leading to
dehydration resulting in urinary infections or they
could develop a tendency to pace and wander
burning off a lot of energy and calories.”
“Their families may not realise these changes in
behaviour are caused by dementia and eating and
drinking worries can create stress in relationships.”
Louise Nash, dietician, with information sheets designed to help people with dementia
Louise has developed a series of information
sheets including ‘Eating well with a small appetite’,
‘Finger foods’ and ‘Eating and drinking with
dementia’ which are available by visiting http://
www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk/services/dietetics/leafletsfor-patients-with-dementia/
A few practical tips for carers of people
with dementia are:
• Try regular snacks and small meals rather than set
mealtimes. Finger foods are sometimes preferred
• Presentation should be attractive and colourful,
avoid serving white food on a white plate. Don’t
overload the plate.
• Avoid making food and drinks too hot
• Calm, quiet music can reduce agitation – avoid
distractions, for example, TV or loud music
• Meals should be relaxed and unhurried and
served where the person with dementia feels
comfortable
Try different flavours, colours and smells. The
aroma of cooking can stimulate appetite.
CONTACT US
Foundation Trust Membership Office
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Airedale General Hospital
Skipton Road, Steeton
Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6TD
Tel: 01535 294540
Email: [email protected]
www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk
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@AiredaleNHSFT
Airedale features in the Dr Foster
Hospital Guide top ten list of most
recommended hospitals – the only
one in Yorkshire.
YOUR HOSPITAL
Here to care