United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it is currently experiencing high demand for beds and services at Lincoln County Hospital.
The Trust is asking people to help during this busy time by only using A&E “if absolutely necessary,” and to call NHS 111 first 24 hours a day, or seek advice from a GP or local pharmacist before.
Those suffering from minor injuries are advised to consider attending their local walk-in centre in the first instance.
“No single incident” has caused this pressure, ULHT said. The trust and staff are taking actions to meet the demand on services.
Staff will be making additional ward rounds to ensure that people who are well enough to go home are discharged in a timely fashion, which then frees up beds for other patients.
The Trust say they are working with local commissioners to help care for patients with less severe medical conditions in community-based facilities.
The hospital is liaising with Lincolnshire GPs to ensure that patients not requiring hospital care are not referred to hospital during this busy time.
The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance will now give more emergency support in winter rush hours, thanks to a new light.
The air ambulance now has night flying operations, and already performed a number of airlifts in the dark.
The crew of the air ambulance team spent the last 18 months practicing night flying operations, while Chief Pilot and Deputy Chief Pilot have extensive night flying experience.
The crew now have certification in night flying, including the use of Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).
In the past, the air ambulance would be out of use from 4pm between October and February, meaning three hours of emergency support was lost.
Now, the team will be able to work until 7pm, extending its flying hours by 480 hours a year.
The MD902 Explorer helicopter the team uses is now fitted with special equipment such as a radar altimeter and night sun technology for use with NVGs.
Captain Tim Taylor uses the night vision goggles. Photo: Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air ambulance.
They first made use of the night equipment on December 18, when Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance attended a road traffic accident near Market Rasen.
The charity noticed that over the past 12 months here has been a slight increase of medical emergencies it needs to attend.
Chief Pilot, Captain Paul Smith, said: “We have undergone very rigorous training and the charity has provided the aircraft with the best possible equipment to enable safe flight during darkness.
“While night flying will be challenging, it is a natural and necessary step for us to be able to provide round the clock emergency support to people across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.”
Peter Aldrick, Chief Executive added: “It is important for the charity to fund equipment and training to enable the crew to fly after dark as this will allow us to extend flying hours.
“This is especially important in the winter months, when there are many more road accidents caused by the weather conditions.
“The equipment and training was paid for by donations and we would like to thank the people of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire for allowing us to extend our essential lifesaving work.”
Christmas is always a time for reflection and celebration – and at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, we have plenty of cause for both.
We’re coming to the end of a challenging year at the Trust. Following the Keogh Review, we are embracing that challenge – ensuring that all our patients are receiving safe, high quality care, delivered with skill and compassion.
ULHT is on a journey of improvement and we know that we are making progress. In the past 12 months the Trust has achieved an incredible amount.
Our mortality rate is now better than the national average
Our hip fracture team at Pilgrim Hospital are the best in the country for speed of access to surgery
We have more than halved the incidence of pressure ulcers to 1.2% – compared with the national rate of 6.5%
Our new Patient Advice and Liaison Service, providing confidential advice and support for patients, relatives and carers, is in place and we believe having a positive impact for patients
We now have ambulatory emergency care centres on our three main sites which provide urgent same day treatment for patients, so our patients don’t have to be admitted to hospital if there is no requirement for this
We have recruited more than 300 new nurses since April
We have expanded the Trust’s range of services at County Hospital Louth with the new Ophthalmology service now well established
Grantham Hospital is working with St Barnabas Hospice to develop the unique “Hospice in a hospital”, due to open in early 2014
The Lincolnshire Heart Centre was officially opened in September and is matching the best in the country on response times
We have launched Listening into Action, a new way of working with and engaging our staff to ensure that our services are the best they can be for our patients.
We have adopted new values chosen by our staff – Patient-centred, Excellence, Safety, Compassion, Respect – that we look for when recruiting new staff to the organisation and expect all staff to use as principles
As ever, ULHT cannot succeed without the skill and commitment of its dedicated team of staff and volunteers. I am very proud and grateful for what they have done to achieve the successes we have made.
I always say that working in the NHS is both the greatest privilege and the greatest responsibility, caring for people when they are at their most vulnerable. That is why we have launched our staff awards, to provide a new opportunity for us to recognise and reward the extraordinary things our staff do every day. We have had a fantastic response with 250 entries, winners will be announced in February 2014.
No doubt, 2014 will bring new challenges for us – starting with our busiest time of the year. However the quality and safety of our services remains our top priority. We are completely focused on continuing to improve our services and I am very grateful to all our staff for their vital contribution to this.
As we look forward, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas – and a prosperous and healthy 2014.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is in the top five nationally to improve the uptake of flu jab rates for front line staff.
Between September 1, 2013, and January 2, 2014, ULHT vaccinated over 74% of its front line staff against flu.
This is nearly twice the percentage vaccinated than in the previous year, and part of the highest ever national percentage of front line workers protected from flu.
Stephen Kelly, Occupational Health Services Nurse and Business Manager said: “Staff across United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust have been encouraged to get their flu injection.
“Flu can be potentially life threatening for some people, so it is important that members of staff are protected against the virus for their own benefit and that of our patients.
“Vulnerable residents of Lincolnshire and surrounding areas are also being encouraged to get vaccinated against flu.
“The injection is free from your GP if you are, pregnant, over 65 years, have a long term condition (such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or multiple sclerosis), or are a carer for a person in these categories.”
He added: “It is also important to remember to have a good hand hygiene regime to protect yourself against viruses.
““Catch it, bin it, kill it” – can protect you and those around you from the spread of germs. This means you should carry tissues with you, cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing with a tissue then dispose of it in a bin.”
An NHS social worker from Lincoln will now serve on the national board of the College of Social Work for mental health.
Rob Goemans, who is a social worker for Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will join a team of 12 to help improve the organisation’s work with their expertise.
He was elected to the new board after a ballot by the College in December, where members had to choose a candidate from a range of practice and academic backgrounds to represent their interests in the three different faculties.
Goemans said: “I am looking forward to working with a fantastic group of dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable social work representatives.
“The mental health faculty will work to ensure professional social work and social perspectives on mental health and distress are seen as central to the quality and effectiveness of mental health services.”
College chair, Jo Cleary, added: “The College’s strength and authority is based in part on the unique contributions of social work practitioners, managers and academics.
“Our new faculty members will bring great diversity and richness of expertise and knowledge to the faculties, building on the College’s work to raise standards and be a strong voice for social work.”
The new faculties will meet for the first time shortly to clarify key priorities and projects for the year.
A “never event” at Lincoln County Hospital left a woman who gave birth with an item accidentally stitched inside of her.
According to a monthly report by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, the incident was the first of its kind in the last 14 months at the hospitals it runs.
A “never event” is the term to describe and incident which should never have happened, should the procedure have been carried out appropriately.
The woman, who visited the hospital to give birth, required stitching after giving birth to her child.
During a procedure known as suturing, a surgical tampon was used by the obstetrics unit.
After being treated and receiving the stitches, it was discovered the tampon had been left within the patient.
The stitches and the item were later removed, and the patient did not come to harm during the ordeal.
Staff are now keen to determine what went wrong during the event, in order to avoid a serious “never event” like this happening in future.
A spokesperson for ULHT said: “This is the first never event United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has had for 14 months.
“The Trust takes incidents such as this extremely seriously and a full investigation will establish the circumstances around it with measures put in place to ensure this never happens again.
“We acted quickly and the patient did not suffer as a consequence.”
ULHT has been under review after the Keogh report found it to be one of 14 Trust with high mortality rates.
The Trust was placed into special measures, and required to take action on 57 recommendations by inspectors.
ULHT issue monthly reports on developments within the Keogh Review, and for January 2014, the report shows that a number of recommendations are being implemented or completed around the Trust, better response to unwell patients, less patient complaints and less concerns about patient safety.
The latest figures show that the number of deaths across Lincolnshire hospitals went up, but remained below the national expected mortality rate.
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust was criticised in the Keogh review and then put in special measures for higher than average death rates in June 2013.
But mortality rates have reduced, and between April and November 2013 the number of deaths has stayed within or been better than the national expected rate (100).
For the first quarter of 2013/14, ULHT recorded a mortality rate of 88.07, the lowest in the Trust for five years.
But the second quarter (the most recent figure) saw a rise in mortality rates to an average of 94.29 — still below the national average, but a figure that is once again near the national average expected.
Mortality rates are calculated as ratios, taking into account demographics for the local population, type of illness, key treatments, age of patients, and the health of the area.
Trust-wide mortality rates. Data: ULHT
A ULHT spokesperson said: ”The mortality rate for our Trust has improved consistently for the past three years, and since April 2013 has been within, or better than the expected range.
“We have been implementing a mortality reduction plan for more than 12 months and are pleased with the results we have seen so far in 2013-14. However we are not complacent and continue to focus our efforts on reducing our mortality rates.
“We have introduced daily ward rounds by senior doctors, including weekends and are moving to a new way of working over seven days a week which has already been introduced in areas such as stroke services where we have performed well.
“Over the last year we have introduced more thorough risk assessments for patients, which result in detailed care plans tailored to individual needs.
“We have committed £7m to a nursing recruitment drive over two years, and have already recruited 300 nurses this year. We continue our campaign in the UK and abroad and are working closely with our training partners to ensure early engagement with final year nursing students about employment opportunities.
“We have made some particular achievements in reducing mortality, for example for patients with hip fractures, and Pilgrim hospital is now among the best in the country.”
School children in Lincoln did their bit to reduce congestion by joining a “walking bus” as their mode of transport.
Functioning like a conventional school bus, Birchwood’s walking bus is designed to pick up children along the route from the Green Barrel Public House to Woodlands Infant School.
The walking bus is the first of many at Woodlands Infant and Nursery School, and is supported by Lincolnshire County Council’s Access LN6 programme.
On January 13, nine children took part in the run, accompanied by four parent volunteers.
Photo: LCC
Catherine Stratton, Headteacher at Woodlands Infant and Nursery School, said: “We’ve wanted to establish a walking bus for some time and are really pleased that we’ve been able to set one up this year; it’s great to see parent volunteers getting involved.
“Through the walking bus, we’re encouraging a healthier start to the day and easing congestion at the school gate.”
Councillor Richard Davies, Executive Councillor for Highways and Transportation, said: “One of Access LN6’s main outcomes is to see a change in children’s travel patterns to and from school.
“Walking buses are a great way to encourage children and parents to get out the car and into the fresh air with other children and families. Hopefully this will be the first of many walking buses in the local area.”
Another, longer walking bus will take place on Monday, January 20 from the Methodist Church car park, then Green Barrell Public House before reaching the school.
All children on the Birchwood walking bus will receive complimentary breakfast from the school for their commitment to sustainable and active travel.
Local schools interested in setting up a walking bus, or talking to the Access LN6 team about ways to encourage walking to school, should contact Victoria Wade on 07825 145 776 or accessln6@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Inpatient units in Lincoln, run by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, have gained top marks for their food hygiene.
The City of Lincoln Council’s environmental health team assessed Lincoln’s Peter Hodgkinson Centre, Francis Willis Unit and Long Leys Bungalows against the Food Agency Standards criteria for the “scores on the doors” scheme.
All three units were awarded a five — the highest mark available — for their management, safety and hygiene.
Environmental health officers inspect safety and hygiene procedures and practices, the physical structure of the production areas and the attitude and knowledge of staff.
Trust hotel services manager, Helen Dolby, said: “Good nutrition and the most robust food hygiene practices help prevent prolonged hospital admissions, poor health, and higher costs to the NHS.
“We focus our energy on ensuring patients not only benefit from the right types of food, but also on treating nutrition and food hygiene as an important aspect of patient safety.”
Director of nursing and operations, Dr Julie Hall, added: “It is reassuring to know that we are excelling in ensuring food hygiene and safety for our patients, visitors and staff.”
Academics from the University of Lincoln School of Life Sciences will be revealing their cutting-edge ‘legal highs’ research in the next series of Channel 4′s Embarrassing Bodies.
Dr Dawn with Dr Mark Baron at the University of Lincoln. Photo: UOL
Embarrassing Bodies presenter Dr Dawn Harper visited the university’s science labs this week and spoke to Dr Baron to learn more about what chemicals could make up some of the many substances that can be obtained legally and claim to provide similar effects to illegal drugs.
A broadcast date has yet to be announced.
Can't wait for you to see what we are filming for @EmbBodies today. If you've ever considered taking a legal high, you MUST watch #scary
Pregnant women in Lincolnshire can now make use of a state of the art birthing pool in Lincoln County Hospital.
The new pool replaces the temporary inflatable pool, and will help women going through labour ease some of the pain whilst providing a relaxing environment.
The plumbed-in pool is in its own room, with a projector to display calming images around the room as well as music.
Any woman in labour over 37 weeks can use the birthing pool if they have an uncomplicated obstetric medical history.
Matron Fran Gregory said: “We have been fortunate enough to secure funding from the Government to purchase the most up to date plumbed in birthing pool and purchase equipment to support active, natural births.
“The birthing pool at Lincoln County has been developed to provide state of the art facilities for new mothers.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to offer this service to women who want natural, relaxing birth experiences.”
Staff in Lincolnshire hospitals are getting ready to vow their commitment to patient dignity as part of a national Dignity Action Day.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is supporting the event in February 1, which aims to ensure patients are treated as individuals, given choice, control and a sense of purpose in their lives.
This year, Dignity Day hopes to host ‘digni-tea’ events across the country, encouraging people to spend time with people who might be lonely and isolated.
Lincolnshire wards and departments have planned activities such as dignity displays and asking patients what dignity means to them.
There will also be poster competitions and ‘digni-tea’ parties on the wards.
Trust-wide Senior Chaplain at ULHT, Tim Couchman, said: “In recent years the importance of the dignity in care agenda has rightly increased within the health and social care context.
“As a Trust we are actively engaged in the wider national dignity agenda as we seek to improve standards in dignified care in all our clinical areas and departments.
“National Dignity Action Day is intended to set aside one special day to focus and celebrate all the excellent work that our teams undertake in relation to dignity in care throughout the rest of the year.
“As a Trust we have introduced a number of initiatives to encourage dignity in our hospitals.
“These include the Dignity in Care Policy and Dignity Action Forum, which aims to provide assurance in relation to all issues relating to dignity in care.
“Our Patient Well-Being Champion Programmes help to train our staff to promote a quality patient experience and our Dignity in Care Pledges outline the standards of care patients can expect during their time in our hospitals.”
ULHT’s Dignity in Care Pledges are:
We pledge to be kind and compassionate at all times
We pledge to treat you with courtesy, dignity and respect
Aaron Crosby (9) from Lincoln was awarded £10 million in compensation, with a £3.25 million immediate payout, after his mother was given an overdose of a contraction stimulant, starving the baby of oxygen.
Aaron was left with brain damage, athetoid cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
He is wheelchair bound, cannot talk and cannot use any of his limbs. He requires 24-hour care.
ULHT admitted liability for the case and apologised to Aaron and his family.
The second reported case involved a teenage boy from Lincoln who suffered severe brain damage during his birth at Lincoln County Hospital. He was awarded an upfront sum of £2.65 million.
The boy, who was not named for legal reasons, suffered severe cerebral palsy due to being starved of oxygen while being born in the 1990s.
ULHT denied liability for the boy’s delivery, stating midwives worked “diligently”, but agreed to the multi-million settlement.
Compensation for the two other cases, which have not been disclosed, amounts to more than £1.3 million.
Addressing standards
Photo: File/The Lincolnite
Between April 2004 and October 2013, ULHT dealt with 162 clinical negligence claims in the obstetrics and maternity department.
The Trust said that it has received a recent uplift of 10 new midwives and that there are no current vacancies.
Across Lincolnshire, the birth to midwife ratio now stands at 1:28 – a figure just below the recognised benchmark of one midwife to 29.5 births.
A ULHT spokesperson said: “Our maternity and obstetrics departments follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and have measures in place to manage clinical risks.
“As well as the new birthing pool at Lincoln County Hospital and the recruitment of additional midwives, we are in the process of developing an antenatal day care setting to reduce length of stay for antenatal patients, and we regularly review any incidents and share lessons learned.
“The Lincoln County Hospital is one of few units in the East Midlands that provide a 60 hour consultant presence on the labour ward.
“This is a national standard recommended by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This ensures that a senior obstetrician is physically present during peak times of activity on the labour ward.
“The hospital has been providing a 7-day consultant presence even before it became a national requirement.
“Practices and guidelines regularly change, and we always ensure our practices are in line with national guidance,” the ULHT statement added.
The national picture
A report for the year 2012 by the National Audit Office on Maternity services in England, published in November 2013, highlighted that although national mortality rates have fallen over time, litigation in maternity care is rising.
Source: NAO
The report showed that £482 million a year, almost a fifth of the NHS budget for maternity services, is being spent on medical negligence cover, which equates to an estimated £700 per birth.
In 2012-13, there were 1,146 clinical negligence claims relating to maternity care, equivalent to around one claim for every 600 births.
The average payment per claim in the UK, between 2012 and 2013 was £277,000.
The number of claims increased by 80% in the five years from 2007-08 to 2012-13, which is consistent with the rise in claims across the NHS as a whole (88%).
Over the last decade, the most common reasons for maternity claims have consistently been mistakes in the management of labour and relating to caesarean sections, and errors resulting in cerebral palsy.
The NAO also reported that to meet a widely recognised benchmark of one midwife to 29.5 births, the country would require around 2,300 additional midwives.
Source: NAO
The average time from an incident occurring to a claim being resolved is over four years and therefore it is difficult to draw conclusions about the quality and safety of current care from the claims that have been settled.
NAO found that 79% of women are currently within a 30-minute drive of both an obstetric and midwifery-led unit, compared with 59% in 2007.
However, choice is restricted where units have to close because of a lack of physical capacity or midwives.
Lincolnshire has one of the highest proportion of overweight and obese adults in England, according to a new report.
The 2012 data, compiled by Public Health England, found that Lincolnshire is the most obese county in the East Midlands.
According to the latest statistics, 68.2% of county residents are considered overweight or obese, almost two in every three people.
The average for the entire country is 63.8%, with the East Midlands average score at 65.6%.
Lincolnshire is beaten only by Cumbria, which has an obesity percentage of 68.3%.
A person is classed as overweight if they have a BMI (Body Mass Index) score of 25 to 30, and obese if the score is over 30. A healthy BMI is between 18 and 24.
In the Lincoln district, the figure is at 57.6%, accounting for over half of residents.
This makes the City of Lincoln district the “slimmest” in the county by 7.9%.
The most overweight or obese district in the county is East Lindsey, where 73.8% of residents over overweight.
Also, 25.5% of reception age children in Lincolnshire are considered overweight or obese, higher than the country’s average of 22.2%, with no improvement in Year 6 age children at 34.8% (33.3% country average).
In Lincoln, 25.9% of reception age children are considered overweight or obese, and so are 35.2% of Year 6 age children.
Public Health England also studied the amount of fast food outlets per 100,000 residents.
In Lincoln, it found there were between 107 and 210 of these food businesses per 100,000 people, followed by East Lindsey.
The country average is altogether 86 per 100,000.
Public Health England highlighted the link between the number of fast food outlets and overall deprivation in an area.
Source: Public Health England
Cllr Patricia Bradwell, Executive Councillor for adult care and health at Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“A high percentage of adults in the UK are already overweight and an increasing number are obese, and this is a key issue nationally and across Lincolnshire.
“There are pockets in Lincolnshire where this is more of an issue, and it seems to be linked to factors like deprivation, rurality and people leading more sedentary lifestyles.
“Some communities are more reliant on cheap processed foods with hidden calories and fat, or may have difficulty accessing leisure facilities.
“We commission preventative services to reduce the risk of people becoming overweight and obese, such as healthy eating classes and exercise sessions, targeted at the communities where they are most needed.
“We also support those trying to lose weight, with weight management programmes.
“In 2010/11, between 8,000 and 9,000 people had participated in locally commissioned activity programmes in Lincolnshire, and 4000 adults per year in Lincolnshire are currently benefitting from a free 12-week Weight Watchers programme. Both of these are available to people through their GPs.”
Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service (LIVES) have launched a new emergency care team to provide a higher level of clinical expertise to patients.
The voluntary system has provided a volunteer Medic and First Responder service since the mid 1970s.
The new LIVES Care Team will operate in addition to the existing service, but will provide a fully qualified doctor or nurse alongside an emergency care assistant.
After a 13 week pilot period, the team will evaluate how the service can be further developed to provide the best pre-hospital critical care possible.
The initiative began on February 1, and will run on the Saturday of every week.
Stephen Hyde, from the LIVES Care Team, said: “The ability to provide a number of surgical procedures on location will mean a 30% greater chance of patient survival.
“We will be responding at the request of East Midlands Ambulance Service with a fully equipped rapid response vehicle.
“The scheme itself makes a lot of sense. The cost is minimal as it is run by volunteers and is more reliable that an air ambulance for example as there isn’t often the opportunity for the presence of a doctor on board.
“The service will cost around £50,000 per year. But cost per shift will depend on the equipment used.
“Our first shift went extremely well. We attended an incident involving patients affected by smoke inhalation. While the would have gone to A&E usually, we were able to treat them in their own home.”
The LIVES Care Team are appealing for qualified volunteers to come forward to offer their services.
You can contact info@lives.org.uk for more information, or call 01507 525999.
Ambulatory Emergency Care extended
Meanwhile, a new major emergency scheme has been rolled out at Lincoln Hospital, offering urgent same day treatment for patients.
The Ambulatory Emergency Care (AEC) service will mean most people will not have to be admitted to hospital before gaining treatment.
Patients with certain conditions, such as mild asthma, falls, suspected blood clots, chest pains and skin infections who arrive via A&E or are sent by their GP will also be fast tracked for assessments and tests.
It is hoped that the scheme will free up hospital beds, leading to a reduction in waiting times.
Dr Ben Loryman, A&E Consultant at Lincoln, said: “This is a significant development for the hospital and the feedback we have received from patients so far has been extremely positive.
“The service is already having a measurable effect on the number of patients we are able to discharge.
“Since the unit launched we have been able to discharge over 400 patients most of whom would have been admitted to hospital otherwise. As a result there has been a 12% reduction in admissions to the Medical Emergency Assessment Unit.
“The safety of our patients is paramount and we will only allow patients home on the same day if assessments have confirmed that their clinical condition does not require a stay in hospital.”
A group of fundraisers got the chance to relive part of their wedding day at a charity ball for Lincoln County Hospital.
The Wear Your Wedding Dress Again charity ball organised by Christine Davis, Emma and Mark Whaler, Annabel Swales, Sharon Foster and Nikki and Simon Croft, raised £3,000 for the hospital’s Ingham suite.
The Ingham suite provides haematology, oncology and chemotherapy treatments to over 1,200 cancer patients each year.
The event took place at the DoubleTree by Hilton, where guests wore their wedding dresses and enjoyed a three course dinner.
There were also raffles and an auction to raise money for the suite.
Emma Whaler said: “I am so grateful for the excellent care my dad received and I can never repay the staff for the all support and help they gave him, but I hope this money will go some way to benefit other patients on the ward.”
Christine Davis added: “We hold the event every year and following the excellent care and support our friends and family have received we decided to raise money for the Ingham suite so we could give something back.
“The money donated on the day exceeded all expectations and we would like to say a special thank you to everyone who supported this event and donated money to the unit.”
The money raised will now go towards a new day care couch in the waiting room, which has a pressure relieving mattress for patients who might need to lie down until the time that they are transferred or discharged.
Tracey Wilson, Chemotherapy Sister, said: “We’re extremely grateful to everyone who organised and attended the event for their fantastic fundraising efforts.
“The department will be able to put the money towards equipment to benefit both chemotherapy and radiology patients. Their generosity means we can further improve patient care.”
A specialist support service in Lincolnshire is planning to open a new rape crisis centre in Lincoln.
Lincolnshire Rape Crisis is a support service for women and girls who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any point in their lives.
Women and girls can get in touch with the service through a new helpline, email, one to one support sessions, group sessions, and counselling.
The new helpline service and the centre will open for drop ins and appointments from March.
The centre will deal with historic and new cases, and aims to help as many women as physically possible.
Service Manager Laura Wint-McKane said: “We support women and girls to explore their thoughts, feelings and options. We are here to listen.
“We do not advise, direct or persuade women to take any particular course of action. We believe the woman is the best person to decide what is right for her, and we will support whatever she decides.”
She added: “We are currently looking for volunteers to join our dynamic team, the role is challenging and rewarding.
“We are looking for women who are over 18 to give up three hours per week of their time to support to women and girls via our telephone helpline, provide face-to-face support and advocacy to women and girls at our centre in Lincoln.”
More information on the volunteer role and the new centre can be found on the Lincolnshire Rape Crisis website.
Lincolnshire staff who have been employed by the NHS for 20 years or more have been publicly thanked for their long service.
Among those awarded, Lincoln nurse Barbara Gregory was praised for over 50 years of service, making her the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s longest-serving member of staff.
Overall, the trust’s chairman Eileen Ziemer presented 30 members of staff with certificates and capital bonds in recognition of their commitment at an awards event on February 28.
Some 16 members of staff were recognised for 20 years of service and 13 employees were rewarded for 30 years of service – a combined service of 760 years working with the NHS.
Barbara Gregory, who started working with the NHS in 1962 and currently works as a bank nurse in Lincoln, received a standing ovation from her colleagues and said she has “no plans to retire just yet.”
Chairman Eileen Ziemer said: “Barbara epitomises dedication, care and compassion for others and continually demonstrates these behaviours across all of the areas she has worked.”
Long serving staff rewarded at the NHS awards were:
20 years of service
Amanda Proud – Interim Ward Manager, Rochford Unit, Pilgrim Hospital
Avril Welsh – Mental Health Liaison Nurse, Lincoln
Carrol Woolnough – Clerk Typist, Gainsborough
Deborah Hussey – Team Leader, Learning Disabilities, Lincoln
Sally Evans – Community Nurse, Louth
Shani Hocking – Nursing Assistant, North Hykeham
Doreen Johnson – Community Healthcare Assistant, Lincoln
Karen Woolsey – Payroll team, Lincoln
Elizabeth Wright – Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, Lincoln
Lisa Jackson – Community Psychiatric Nurse, Skegness
Gail Frankowski – Approved Mental Health Professional, Lincoln
Mo Bacon – Receptionist, Stamford
Samantha Williamson – Data Inputter, Lincoln
Shaun Louth – Information Analyst, Sleaford
Gary Jacobs – Pharmacy, Lincoln
Peter Nash – Community Psychiatric Nurse, North Hykeham
30 years of service
Anita Breen – Nursery Nurse, Lincoln
Carol Rogers – Occupational Therapist, North Hykeham
Debbie Armiger – Registered Nurse, North Hykeham
Anne Cossins – Physiotherapist, Grantham & District Hospital
Charlotte Ward – Staff Nurse, Rochford Unit, Pilgrim Hospital
Jackie Nash – Nursing Assistant, North Hykeham
Jane Tuxworth – Lead Occupational Therapist, Lincoln
Janet Cowell – Community Psychiatric Nurse, Grantham
Joanne Vokes – Community Psychiatric Nurse, Boston
Kym Cooper – Community Psychiatric Nurse, Grantham
Lesley Peach – Nurse Specialist, Sleaford
Sally Collin – Community Support Worker, Spalding
Trevor Young – Supporting People project manager, Gainsborough
A new chairman has been appointed for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
The NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) confirmed the appointment of Ron Buchanan as the new permanent Chairman on March 6.
Ron Buchanan had been acting as the temporary chairman for a number of months following the departure of the previous chair, Paul Richardson.
He worked previously for 30 years in a major UK financial organisation before becoming a non-executive director of Nottingham City Hospital in 2004.
In 2006, he became the Chair of Nottingham City Primary Care Trust, which became one of the top performing PCTs in the country.
He said: “I am excited to be joining the trust at this time. The challenges confronting it have been well documented and I look forward to addressing these alongside my colleagues throughout the organisation with energy, determination and imagination.
“To be successful it is imperative that we also act openly and collaboratively with our key partners to ensure that the people of Lincolnshire receive the quality of health services they deserve.”
Ron Buchanan has been appointed until 4 March 2016, and will receive £45,000 per year for his role.
Professor Steve Barnett and Kate Truscott.
In addition to the chair appointment, ULHT also announced new non-executive directors, Professor Steve Barnett and Kate Truscott.
Steve Barnett is a part time Senior Vice President (UK) for a US-based health technology company and the Non-Exec Chairman of SSG Health Partnership and Finegreen Associate, plus a Trustee and Director of the Institute of Employment Studies.
Meanwhile Kate Truscott worked as a Human Resources specialist throughout her career in the private and public sectors, working in the NHS for 23 years. She was an Executive Director of Human Resources for 18 years in NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.
Kate Truscott said: “I am delighted to be rejoining the trust where I began my health service career, although in a very different role.
“As a local resident, I want to support colleagues to further develop and deliver high quality clinical services to our local community.”
More than 90% of patients have rated NHS services in Lincolnshire as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ in a recent survey.
The telephone survey commissioned by Lincolnshire Community Health Service (LCHS) NHS Trust and conducted by Picker Institute Europe gathered 1,013 responses from 4,908 patients contacted.
The patients surveyed in October 2013 had all used either community nursing, physiotherapy or podiatry services across the county.
They were asked whether they would recommend service to family and friends, how their health professional treated them, how helpful the information they received was, appointments and overall care.
The survey found that 91% rated their overall experience as “excellent” or “good”.
Data: Picker Institute Europe
When asked how likely the patient was to recommend the service to friends and family if they needed similar treatment, 88% answered “extremely likely” or “likely”.
Breaking down the results by service type showed that 94% of patients who used the district nursing service were “extremely likely” or “likely” to recommend to friends and family.
The friends and family test score was lowest for podiatry and physiotherapy, with 6% “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to recommend.
Results after respondents were asked how likely they were to recommend the service to friends and family. Data: Picker Institute Europe
Most respondents felt that the information that was provided was helpful and they were as involved in decisions as they wanted to be, and 97% felt they had been treated with dignity and respect.
However, podiatry service users were more negative in their responses compared with other services for involvement in decisions.
Results from respondents who were asked if they were as involved as they wanted to be in decisions about treatment. Data: Picker Institute Europe
Some 89% of those surveyed were also happy with the frequency of appointments and visits.
“The physiotherapist was very interested, informative and helpful. She treated me very well, she was very nice and I had good treatment.”
Among criticisms noted in the survey, one patient said: “I would like a quicker response to be seen. I had to wait four weeks, and I was in quite a bit of pain.”
Lisa Green, Deputy Chief Nurse at LCHS, said: “This is the largest survey the trust has ever commissioned to look at what patients think of services and how they would like to see them improved.
“We were delighted with the responses, particularly for community nursing where 97% of patients rated the services as either excellent or good.
“This survey is one of a number of ways we are gathering patient feedback to ensure we are offering the best possible services.
“As a result we will now be focussing on a number of areas, including helping patients to access services at short notice and working with clinical staff to make sure the information and advice they provide takes into consideration the needs of both the patient and their families.”
