Welcome to the latest edition of your UHSussex staff newsletter, a round-up of the news stories from across our hospitals throughout February |
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Dear colleague
We started the month launching our fantastic Patient First STAR Awards 2023. Remember to submit a nomination to help recognise the hard work of a colleague, team or volunteer, before nominations close next week.
We continued to recognise the outstanding contributions of our long service colleagues, celebrated our second Environment Week, and saw one of our colleagues elected as Chair of the British HIV Association.
We applauded our St Richard’s and Worthing maternity units for earning a certificate for commitment to a global programme, highlighted our efforts as part of a national drive to improve cancer wait times, and reported on a very special donation to the Amberley Unit.
What’s more, we announced investment to transform emergency and urgent care at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, witnessed the new signage being added to the Louisa Martindale Building, and documented several strikes that took place across our sites in February.
So please grab a cuppa and take some time out to catch up on our news.
Thank you,
Communications
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Patient First STAR Awards 2023 |
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Winners will be chosen by our panel of judges from nominations made by colleagues, patients and the public, and announced at the glittering awards ceremony in June.
Colleagues who submit a nomination will be entered into a prize draw. The range of fantastic prizes will be revealed each week on the STAR Awards page of the intranet.
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£48m investment to transform emergency and urgent care at RSCH |
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Senior clinicians have announced a £48 million investment to transform emergency and urgent care at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
The investment means that by 2028, the County will have a new emergency department (ED), a new acute floor and new urgent care and treatment centres in a space more than twice the size of the current A&E, which is largely unchanged since it opened in the 1970s.
Emergency and urgent care services will be expanded and redesigned in line with national best practice to create new ED pathways for ambulance arrivals and walk-in patients.
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Improving care for patients with suspected colorectal cancer |
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More than 200 patients with suspected colorectal cancers are now assessed each week in new faster diagnosis clinics across Sussex, helping to address the growing demand for the service.
Since 2019, there has been a 25% increase in suspected colorectal cancer referrals at the Trust, which now receives more than 1,100 urgent referrals each month.
As part of a national drive to improve cancer wait times and patient experience, we set up faster diagnosis colorectal cancer clinics across our four hospital sites.
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Maternity units earn certificate for commitment to Baby Friendly Initiative |
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St Richard’s and Worthing maternity units have been awarded a certificate of commitment in their first step towards gaining recognition from the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative.
The Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme aiming to transform healthcare for babies, their mothers, and families.
The certificate of commitment recognises that a healthcare facility is dedicated to implementing a set of recognised best practice standards.
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Public consultation: Plans to improve our stroke service in West Sussex |
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A series of online and in-person events are taking place in the coming weeks on a proposal to improve in-hospital stroke services in West Sussex.
You can find out more, ask questions and have your say by attending one of the public consultation events.
The next event takes place in Worthing on Monday 6 March, from 6-7.30pm, in the Auditorium, upstairs in the Guildbourne Centre.
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Faster and more efficient CT scans for patients in emergency care |
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One year on from introducing improvements to computerised tomography (CT) scanning at the Royal Sussex County Hospital’s Emergency Department, the radiology team celebrate a quicker and more efficient service.
Over the last year, even with an almost 40% increase in the number of CT scans requested each week, the team have achieved significant improvements.
These include more timely scans, including those completed within 60 minutes of being requested, and improving the turnaround of results being available within an hour of the scan.
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HIV consultant elected Chair of the British HIV Association |
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Congratulations to Professor Yvonne Gilleece, Consultant in HIV Medicine and Sexual Health, who was elected Chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA) last month and is the first candidate outside London to ever hold this position.
BHIVA is the leading UK association representing professionals in HIV care. It is a national advisory body on all aspects of HIV care and provides a national platform for HIV care issues, including undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, which Professor Gilleece will lead.
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Local knitter crafts ‘breasts’ for patients with cancer |
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The Amberley Unit, at Worthing Hospital, were delighted to receive knitted prosthetics for patients who have undergone procedures to the breast, thanks to the compassion and generosity of a local knitter.
Bella Bailey, 94, donated a variety of hand knitted breast prostheses to the unit, which specialises in chemotherapy and medical day services for cancer patients, offering a soft, breathable alternative to the heavier, sometimes uncomfortable standard options.
Once placed in a regular bra, these knitted alternatives take the shape of a real breast.
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Thanks to generous support from our charities, Love Your Hospital and BSUH Charity, jars of coffee, tea bags and bottles of squash were available for colleagues to collect this month.
A big thank you to our Health and Wellbeing team, ambassadors, catering team and volunteers, who helped organise and distribute them across sites.
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New signage added to the Louisa Martindale Building |
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As part of the preparations to open the Louisa Martindale Building at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the building's external signs were put up this month.
Check them out in the video below and see the building from an unusual angle.
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Celebrating our long serving colleagues |
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We held our second Long Service Awards ceremony of the year, to recognise colleagues for their service over 20 years, 30 years, 40 years and 40+ years at the Trust.
It was a wonderful opportunity to thank them for their outstanding commitments and contributions over the years.
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Strikes across our sites in February |
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A day of physiotherapy strikes took place across our four acute hospitals, as a result of industrial action by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
Another two days of nurse strikes also took place across our four acute hospitals, as a result of The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) voting to take action.
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Patient First Planet First news |
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UHSussex Environment Week |
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Throughout the week, we shared stories about what we've achieved so far, our plans looking ahead - and how you can support our aim to reach net zero by 2040. These included:
Colleagues were in with a chance of winning a Pashley Pronto bike when they took part in a short Environment Week quiz. Keep an eye on the intranet for the winner announced this week.
We saw the return of our Green Travel Roadshows, which highlighted the array of sustainable travel options available via the Trust. Over 150 colleagues attended, with many sharing the small changes they will make to support our green goals. Those who made a green pledge were automatically entered into a prize draw full of goodies from local businesses.
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‘RITA’ Supports Patient Rehabilitation at UHSussex |
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An innovative digital therapy system is supporting patient rehabilitation at RSCH and PRH, funded by generous donations to BSUH Charity.
Reminiscence Interactive Therapy Activities(RITA) is a touchscreen toolkit that enables patients to use apps, games and other leisure activities as part of their hospital recovery.
The wide range of available content – including music, films, historic news reels, puzzles, seated exercise sessions, and more – provides plenty of choice, enabling staff to personalise care as they can find activities to suit each patient’s interests, condition and mobility.
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In case you missed it....
Here's our round-up of all the stories and updates across the Trust in February:
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Patient feedback highlights |
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