CATERING: Hospital gives food for thought
NOTTINGHAM University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has been praised for the quality of its food and efforts to source ingredients from local farms. In its new report published this week, entitled First Aid for Hospital Food, The Soil Association held up the City Hospital as an example of best practice, proving that it is possible to source fresh, local and organic food with no impact on cost. As a result, NUH has achieved the organisation’s Food for Life Bronze Catering Mark. The report states that, nationally, the association found a large disparity in the quality of hospital food served. NUH was praised for, among other things, sourcing all its milk from a local dairy just 11 miles away and buying 95% of its meat from a local processor sourcing from farmers in the East Midlands. The switch to local suppliers has saved an estimated 150,000 food miles a year and £6m in costs.
STAFFING: Uniforms single out top nurses
SENIOR nurses at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth are wearing new red uniforms so they are easily identifiable to patients, visitors and colleagues. The uniforms are a simple way to help patients and their families identify who is the most senior nurse. This will enable them to direct comments and raise awareness of issues to the highest nursing level. The uniforms also promote leadership within the clinical environment and are worn by the head of nursing for each clinical service centre and corporate services within Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, as well as the deputy chief nurse and the director of nursing. They consist of either a dress or tunic and black trousers. Julie Dawes, director of nursing, said: “The new uniform will help to instill further confidence in the nursing profession as it will ensure that people entering our hospital know immediately who the nurse in charge is.”
ESTATES: Capita Symonds wins estates contract
NHS organisations across Leicestershire and Rutland have appointed Capita Symonds to carry out a strategic review of their £550m estate. During a two-stage exercise, Capita Symonds - on behalf of NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland, NHS Leicester City, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and Leicester Partnership NHS Trust - will look at the options for the 496,000sq m estate, which is made up of a mix of more than 160 NHS-owned buildings including acute hospitals, community hospitals, a wide range of community facilities, and NHS-owned GP practices. Helen Seth, QIPP executive lead for capacity and assets for the health partners, said: “We have agreed to work together to define what buildings are needed to meet the health needs of the local population both now and in the future. While doing this we also need to deliver better outcomes for our patients and transform the way in which we use our assets to support the services we deliver.” The first stage will involve a detailed survey to identify opportunities to improve occupancy. The second will use this information to produce a high-level plan for improvements. Tony Rackstraw, director of Capita Symonds, said: “Greater productivity will be realised through a combination of cash released through a reduction in asset base and efficiency gains through improved utilisation of residual estate and service reconfiguration.”
ESTATES: A welcome sight
EMS Healthcare has won a contract to supply a mobile unit that will help medical consultants save the sight of thousands of patients while avoiding a trip of up to 84 miles. Called Liberty Plus, the medical trailer will be the base for ophthalmology specialists in Yorkshire, treating up to 50 patients a day with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvARMD), a condition that causes progressive sight loss. The treatment unit will allow patients to visit their local hospital site for treatment instead of undergoing a round trip of up to 84 miles to a regional unit. The unit was commissioned by The Eye Site Clinic to deliver an injectable drug treatment to NHS patients who would otherwise rapidly go blind without it. The unit will be initially deployed at Bridlington hospital, eventually moving to other local hospitals in the East Coast area. Richard Gale, consultant ophthalmologist at York Teaching Hospital and chairman of the Eye Site Clinic, said: “There are an estimated 26,000 new cases of nvARMD a year and the demand on ophthalmology units has become overwhelming. The mobile unit will be extremely busy servicing the needs of patients requiring this vital sight-saving treatment and eventually we hope to be able to offer this mobile service to hard-pressed units throughout the country.”
CATERING: Bolton wins national award
THE Royal Bolton Hospital has won a national award for its catering services. The hospital triumphed in the Hospital Catering Award category at the Health Business Awards 2010, beating off competition from three other health centres. Margaret Meadows, catering manager, said: “We work hard to give people the best experience we can.” Initiatives that have seen the catering, dietics and health promotion teams work together include reducing salt and sugar levels in meals, providing information on healthy eating, and replacing unhealthy options with healthier alternatives. Lesley Doherty, hospital chief executive, said: “I am thrilled. We have a great catering team.”
ESTATES: Trust stubs out smoking
HOSPITALS operated by The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are creating no smoking zones immediately outside main entrances and A&E departments. Fairfield General Hospital in Bury was the first to see the red hatched areas painted onto the ground outside its front doors following complaints from staff, patients and visitors about the impact of people smoking outside hospital entrances. Dr Sally Bradley, deputy medical director at the trust, said: “Our aim is to promote a pleasant and healthy environment for everyone across all our hospitals. As well as helping make our hospitals a cleaner and safer environment, the benefits of quitting smoking include reducing the risk of illness or death caused by cancer, heart or lung disease. It also protects the health of others by not exposing them to second-hand smoke. Smoking at hospital entrances is not only unsightly and unpleasant for people who have to walk through a cloud of smoke to gain access, but it is causing increased litter and is a serious fire risk and health hazard.”
ALSO IN THE NEWS: MEL Secure Systems has announced the launch of Domehawk HD, a new rapid deployment CCTV solution. Incorporating the latest mega-pixel technology, it is available with either a full zoom or fixed lens and aims to help cut crime and reduce the anti-social behaviour on a wide variety of sites including hospital estates…