Winter 2015

The best
care in the
community

More
help at
home

Could
you be a
volunteer

Welcome News in brief

Thank you supporting NHS
community health and social
care services by being a
member of the Staffordshire
and Stoke on Trent Partnership
NHS Trust.
Made up of 9,000 people including patients,
carers, our staff and residents; together we
all value the care and services provided in
homes, community hospitals, health centres,
schools and prisons across the county
that focus on keeping people well and
independent.

More help at home

How local people are leading our new
approach to complaints
Young people making an impact in care
Expanding skills in community nursing
Leading the way to a more open NHS
Thank you for your continued support.
Please get in touch to share your experience
of our services or to find out more
communications@ssotp.nhs.uk or visit
www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.
nhs.uk
@

Page 2

staffspartnersh

age
ur

Com
mi
t

Care, compassion, courage,

competence, communications,
commitment are at the
heart of a national initiative
the Partnership Trust has
championed this year to enhance
further our culture of compassion.

nt
me

Compa
ssi
on

Care is
our
business

Competence

In Member News 2014 we share how we are

making sure the best quality treatment and
support is available where you live. In this
edition we feature:

6Cs Focus for All

Partnership Staff

Co

We believe in helping you to live your life,

your way, in your community.

The first 6Cs Challenge Award being presented to the Physiotherapy

and Orthopaedic Medicine Service based at Sir Robert Peel Hospital in
Tamworth, by former Director of Nursing & Quality Siobhan Heafield.

unication
mm
Co

The Partnership Trust is the UKs largest

integrated health and social care
organisation. Our aim is to make sure more
NHS services are better co-ordinated making
it easier for you to get the right care, at the
right time.

Open to all our clinical and corporate teams the 6cs Challenge Award
inspires all staff to embed these key themes into everything they do.
Professional Head of Nursing Caroline Llewellyn said: We wanted
to ensure that the idea of the 6Cs became part of the culture
throughout the entire Trust, clinical or otherwise, which is where the
Award Challenge evolved from. Since it was introduced teams have
really embraced the concept and worked hard to evidence their
commitment.

Patients Benefit from District Nurses Enhanced Training

Staffordshire patients are benefiting from
enhanced skills and knowledge from our
district nurses who have completed a
specialist course aimed to provide expert
care to people in their own homes.
The training means district nurses can care for more

patients living with multiple and complex conditions while

in the community.
Along with more practical experience the course offers
opportuity to shadow senior staff including community
matrons, senior nurses, and often the chief executive to
increase their understanding of leadership within the NHS.

School Nursing Champions Lead the Way

Young people in Stoke-on-Trent are
among the first to become School Nurse
Champions as part of a national scheme
to boost profile and raise awareness of the
services provided by school nurses.
The Partnership NHS Trust received bursaries from the
British Youth Council and to train ten 11 to 16 year olds
to become School Nurse Champions in secondary
schools, acting as champions and advisors about services
provided by school nurses.
Sue Garland, team leader for school nursing in Stokeon-Trent, said: Champions will signpost other pupils to
the nurses if they are worried about their health or need
advice. They will also know when and how to contact the
nurse and will be on hand to help younger pupils if they

are worried about going to the nurses.

She added, This is our first step to working with young
people in Stoke-on-Trent to develop and improve our
services for them. Students recently visited Westminster
to share their experiences and explain about the
qualification they champions pick up for their own
development.

Rheumatology Centre Highlighted as National Leader

Our rheumatology centre at the Haywood
Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent is being held
up as a national example in providing
specialist care outside of hospital.
A report by national think tank The Kings Fund says
specialist knowledge is too concentrated in hospitals
and the increasingly complex needs of patients should
be treated closer to home and names the rheumatology
centre at Haywood Hospital as an example where
consultants are acting beyond traditional boundaries.

working outside hospitals in multidisciplinary teams

with primary, community and social care colleagues. This
approach is championed
by the Haywood team
which can lead to
better patient
experience, improve
management of
chronic conditions
and reduce waiting
times.

The report found a pressing need to develop new roles for

hospital consultants who should spend more time

Page 3

More Help At Home

Providing more help where people need it, to help them stay
independent, is the main focus of care provided by NHS community
health and social care services in Staffordshire.

The Partnership Trust aims to make sure the right

support is available and works with local people, their
families and carers to put together a package of care to
look after people at home and avoid unnecessary trips,
or even admission, to hospital where possible.
Several schemes are in place in Stoke-on-Trent and
Staffordshire that can help bring just a little extra
help at home or an extensive longer term package of
support.

Rapid Helps Supports

Jim and Janice

Jim Atwell from Stoke-on-Trent has multiple medical

conditions, including Parkinsons Disease, and recently
experienced a high number of falls leading to repeated
visits to A&E for assessments, before then being
discharged home.
When Jim fell again, paramedics were able to refer him
to a new community service The Hub, an enhanced
clinical co-ordinated telephone service that takes
referrals from GPs and health professionals to help
make sure patients receive the right care at the right
time and in the right place.

Page 4

A community based Intermediate Care Team was

dispatched to visit Jim and his wife Janice at home
within two hours of the paramedics referral.
Mrs Atwell explains: The intermediate care team
were there so quickly, gave Jim a full assessment and
arranged care overnight for us too. I was at rock bottom
at that point. You feel quite helpless. I didnt want him
in hospital but we needed help too.
A two week care package began that night and
included input from community nursing, occupational
therapy, physiotherapy and the falls responder service,
transforming the couples experience and supporting
their independence.
It was wonderful, explained Janice . Things really
improved from the very first time they visited. I
immediately felt they were there for me too, as well as
Jim.
District nurses came and you could tell the staff
loved their work. They were so professional, and the
communication was very good. Now I know that help
at home is just a phone call away if we need it.

New lease of life

for Florence
Ninety four year old Florence lived
a busy life with her daughter in
the Staffordshire Moorlands but
following a short stay in hospital
found it difficult to have the
confidence to carry out everyday
tasks for herself.
Leek Intermediate Care Team stepped in after
being referred by Florences GP and visited in
the mornings and evenings to give her a little
support to get back to walking independently,
washing and dressing herself again and
confidence to make snacks and drinks again at
home.
Daughter Wendy says, I cant praise them
enough. We thought my mother would need
to go into respite care as she really had lost all
ability to look after herself. Within just a week
of the team coming, mum had a renewed

I cant praise th
em
enough. We tho
ught
my mother wo
uld
need to go into
respite
care as she reall
y had
lost all ability to
look
after herself.

confidence. Now I think she is more full of life

than before she was ill.
The staff were just wonderful, not intrusive at
all and very gentle. I really feel they came in as
friends. Mum is a very private person and they
were great in letting her lead the way.
Now were out and about again all the time.
Shes got the will to live again and thats
wonderful.

Quick Access to Care in Cannock

Partnership Trust community nurses have
been leading a pilot of a new urgent care
service allowing patients from Cannock
and surrounding areas to be treated
appropriately at home, preventing
them from an unnecessary admission to
hospital.

An urgent care nurse then visits the patient; assesses

their needs and treats where possible, referring into
other community services if required.

GPs, West Midlands Ambulance Service, nursing and

residential homes and Partnership staff can refer to
the Urgent Care Service and speak to a clinician to
agree the type and timescale of response required.

The process is supported by the introduction of

Emergency Care Plans which help any health or social
care professional visiting the patient to make a safe
decision about a persons care.

Since launching in May this year, Urgent Care nurses

have seen 336 patients and been able to avoid 200
admissions to hospital.

Page 5

Helping Summer
Go to Nursery
Five year old Summer has
experienced respiratory
problems since she
was born and has been
diagnosed with Persistent
Bacterial Bronchitis
which affects her lungs
and upper airways
making her susceptible
to chest infections,
chronic coughing and
breathlessness. She and
her family have spent lots
of time staying in hospital
and attending outpatients
for tests.
Dad Mark explains; Summer needs
antibiotics intravenously three times
a day when shes unwell. Although
its essential it meant that we had to
stay in hospital which affected our
entire lives. Summer was missing
nursery, I couldnt go to work and
time spent with her older brother
and sister was limited.
The Hospital@Home and later the
Palliative and Complex Care team
were brought on board to help with

Page 6

Summers overnight ventilation.

They offer the exact same service in
hospital but in our family home.
Mark added: The great thing about
the services is their flexibility. We
can call to say where Summer will
be (at school, home, grandparents)
and they come to us when her
medication is due.
Mark and his wife have also been
trained to administer medication
and have more freedom with
Summers care.
The nursing team worked with
us until we felt that we could do
it alone. Summers quality of life
has improved as shes able to play
with her friends and siblings, go to
nursery and enjoy her childhood
like every other little girl.
Weve been able to prevent her
becoming extremely unwell. But
maybe the best thing is that the
nurses have become familiar faces.
Even better weve noticed she needs
less frequent treatment now, which
is fantastic.

Summers quality of life has

improved as shes able to play
with her friends and siblings, go to
nursery and enjoy her childhood like
every other little girl.
Page 7

The best care in

your community
Sign up to safety
Providing high quality, safe and effective
services is the first priority of the Partnership
Trust.
As a trail blazer organisation for Secretary for
State for Health Jeremy Hunts initiative, Sign
Up to Safety campaign, the Partnership NHS
Trust is at the forefront of the drive to build a
more caring and compassionate culture in the
NHS with the aims of reducing harm, saving lives
and encouraging further openness.

Falls in Hospital

Our Fighting Falls Programme reduced the

number of falls that resulted in a serious incident
by 54% between April and August this year; a 66%
reduction on the same period last year.

Raising Concerns

Appointed UKs first Ambassador for Cultural

Change Helene Donnelly, is an independent route
for staff to raise concerns which are then escalated
directly to the Chief Executive and Trust Board. The
role supports a broad programme of staff support,
We are focusing on four key areas to improve the enhanced manager training and a helpline to give
safety and quality of experience for people who staff greater confidence.
use our services. We are proud to report that:

Rose Goodwin, interim Director of Nursing and
Quality said: We all recognise that health and
Pressure Ulcers
social care carries some risk and while everyone
We have a zero tolerance approach to
working in the NHS works hard every day to
avoidable grade 3 and 4 pressure ulcers. None
reduce this risk, harm still happens.
were reported in our community hospitals
between April and December this year.
Our ambition is to make it easier for people
to raise safety concerns and develop ways of
We reduced avoidable harm by a 46% in
sharing lessons learned from safety incidents with
community settings from April to June 2014
colleagues across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent,
by strengthening training and improving our
in partner NHS organisations as well as care homes,
investigations into incidents.
by having open discussions about how to provide
harm free care.

zero
TOLERANCE
Our approach to
avoidable grade
3 and 4 pressure
ulcers.

Page 8

reduced
avoidable harm by

46%

reduced the
number of falls
that resulted in a serious
incident by

54%

Our ambition
is to make
it easier for
people to raise
safety concerns
and develop
ways of sharing
lessons.
Rose Goodwin Interim Director of Nursing

Public Panel New

Critical Friend on
Complaints
Following the recommendations from Sir Robert Francis public
inquiry into the failings at Mid Staffordshire Hospital NHS
Trust and Anne Clwyd MPs investigation of NHS complaints
procedures, this summer the Partnership Trust set up a new
independent complaints panel to review and investigate
complex complaints.
Described as critical friends to the Trust, panellists include people
from voluntary sector organisations such as Healthwatch, Age
UK and the Carers Association as well as former complainants.
Together with senior clinical leads, the panel ensure apologies
are given when necessary, simple and appropriate language is
used and independent opinions are present throughout the
complaint reviewing process.
Rose Goodwin, Interim Director of Nursing and Quality, is
leading the new approach to complaint handling for the Trust
and says: We want this to be a genuine challenge process so
that we can maximise how we can learn better, ensure we
investigate in the best way and genuinely review how we
respond to people who have felt the need to complain about
their experience of our services.
Elizabeth Jarrett, Community Engagement Lead in North
Staffordshire for HealthWatch, was one of the first panellists to
join the independent complaints review panel and said: The
review panel is a good example of the Partnership Trust using
HealthWatch Staffordshire as a critical friend and one way the
Trust demonstrates its willingness to listen to user and carer
representatives and to make improvements to practises and
services.

1st

UKs first Ambassador

for Cultural Change
Helene Donnelly

We want this to be
a genuine challenge
process so that we can maximise
how we can learn better
Rose Goodwin Interim Director of Nursing
Page 9

Could you
be an NHS
volunteer?

Mystery User and

Carer Programme
Would you like to improve local health
and social care services?

What is expected?
Time - Initial training takes around 1 hour. Each
questionnaire will take around 15 minutes to complete.
Mystery shoppers are also be invited to events to hear
feedback results and outcomes and improvements we
have made.

A
 re you a patient, service user or carer
and aged 18 or over?
Do you live in Staffordshire?
If so, this could be an ideal opportunity for you!
What is a Mystery User or Carer?
Current patients, service users or carers complete a
short questionnaire, openly and honestly, about their
experience each time they use a service. Feedback can
relate to an appointment, a letter or simply a telephone
call and is returned to our Experience Team to enable us
to improve our services

Interested?
Page 10

Please contact Mystery User and Carer Support Officer

Tel: 0845 602 6772 or
Email: userandcarerexperience@ssotp.nhs.uk

Are you good with

people, looking for a way
to contribute to your
community and want a
rewarding role? Why not
consider volunteering
for your local NHS
community services?
Partnership Trust volunteers play an
important role in enhancing the quality
of care, supporting patients and staff
and promoting understanding of health
and social care in the community. We
welcome volunteers from all sections of our

communities who carry out a number of

diverse roles.
Our volunteer co-ordinater can help identify
the right role for you and arrange training
and welcome to the Partnership Trust.
Michelle Wills spends three days a week
volunteering on community hospital wards.
My main role is to keep patients company
and help out with different activities from
painting to signing and the regular tea
parties. Many elderly patients like to tell old
stories from their past, which I enjoy hearing
and they take pleasure in sharing.

Id certainly recommend volunteering. Its a

fantastic opportunity to get involved with the
local community.

South Staffordshire
Community Engagement
Events
The Partnership Trust would like your views on integrated health and
social care community services. We are doing things differently and
holding events to discuss with local people how we can:
Harness the potential of new technology
Prevent rather than treat illness
Care for people closer to home, enabling them to live well at
home for longer
Give more people more control of their own health and care

Join us in January to share your views

13 Jan Rising Brook Conference Centre, Stafford (2-4pm)
22 Jan Dove Room, Town Hall, Burton (2-4pm)
27 Jan Chase Park, Hatherton, Cannock (2-4pm)

For more details contact

communications@ssotp.nhs.uk or
tel: 0300 123 1161 ext 6519

Help Us Make
Sure Our
Information
is Right Join
Our Virtual
Group

It is important that the information we

provide to patients and service users is
easy to understand, accurate and helpful.
Could you help us make sure we get our
information right?
We are establishing a virtual group who
will review documents, leaflets and letter
templates online to give them a patient
and service user seal of approval.
If youre on online and interested
in helping please email
communications@ssotp.nhs.uk
Page 11

Get involved - keep in touch

Did You Know?

You can find out lots of information about our wide

range of community health and social services on our
website www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk

Our popular website case studies and short films of

people who use our services are a great way to learn
more about how we help people stay independent
and healthy

Along with health and care advice, comprehensive

details of services in your area are available. You can
also keep up to date with the latest news, when our
public meetings will be held and other developments
via our new pages.

Follow us on Twitter too

@staffspartnersh

Recommend a
Friend!

Stay in
Touch

Help us increase our membership and the voice of the

public in health and social care services by getting a friend
or family member to sign up today.

For more information or to

People can join us online at

www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk
Or request a printed form from our membership office and
return it free of charge to:
Freepost Plus RSSS-GCBS-EKSB,
Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust,
Morston House, The Midway, Newcastle, ST5 1QG
Page 12

offer your views on any of the

content in this magazine, contact
our membership office:
t: 0845 602 6772 ext 6519
e: communications@ssotp.nhs.uk
w: staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk