www.breatheeasytelford.btik.com

September / October2014

Registered charity in England and Wales (326730) and in Scotland (SCO38415)

Breathe Easy Telford is a self-help group affiliatedto the British Lung Foundation, dedicated to

bringing together all those in our area affected byrespiratory diseases, both patients and carers.Meetings are monthly, every fourth Thursday at

Wellington Civic & Leisure Centre[Swimming Baths], Larkin Way, Tan Bank,Wellington, Telford TF1 1LX at 2.00 p.m.

Please contact chairman:- Gerald Newtonon 01952 593561 for further details.

E-mail the editor: dillarstone@blueyonder.co.uk

Daisy’s Tea Lawn Raises £260!Wow! What a fabulous afternoon we experienced at the home of Jo Grundy, drinking tea andselecting from an incredible range of home-made delicacies. I opted for Lemon Drizzle.Then a sneaky piece of Banana Loaf..... And, to my shame, a selection of buns to share(?) withthe family (ahem). Jo, is a friend of Kate Johnson, Gerald’s daughter. Together they and anotherfriend, Julie Dent,donned their immaculate aprons and provided Waitress Service to their“customers” in a beautifully decoratedgarden, complete with gazebos,bunting and music. The tea wasserved in china cups and saucers andwe all felt incredibly special. We verymuch appreciate all the hard work thatwas involved in organising this eventand thank everyone involved includingall those who donated raffle prizes!How lucky are we to have Friends whowork so hard to provide such interest-ing and enjoyable fund raising events?Thank you ladies! Veronica Miller

Breathe Easy Teford Quiz NightOn Friday 12 September we had our latest Quiz evening at the Learning Centre, Telford AFC.As usual Telford AFC gave us tremendous support in donating the room and bar staff along. PauletteCarter kindly donated the winning prize for the evening and Danny Carter was the evening’s Quizmaster.We raised in total on the night £170, which helps towards outings for the group, newsletters andgeneral support, so important for people with lung disease to encourage them to still enjoy their lives.It was a fun night and I have once again had a lot of very good feedback.We plan to have another evening in the spring next year, so watch this space!I would like to take the opportunity to thank AFC Telford in providing the facilities and Danny Carterfor his preparations and hosting the evening. Mark Dillarstone

Issues Regarding Ward 9 Princess Royal HospitalFurther to concerns raised by some of our members both patients & relatives, Mary Cook invited StevenMayo, Head of Quality CCG Telford & Wrekin & Sharon Smith Patient Engagement to the Breathe EasyMarch meeting so that our members could discuss the concerns and worries they were incurring whilstin/visiting Ward 9.Points raised:

1. Nurses not wearing name badges2. Bed side hand over3. Long shifts (nurses doing 12 hour shifts)4. Board over the patients bed not being fully informative of patient name, Consultant’s name etc.5. Concerns at a patient being on one ward who had different conditions. Ward 9 Lung but patient alsobeing diabetic, and or heart problems6. Ward visiting times causing some relatives great problems with being able to get home etc.7. Also relatives felt that when a patient is very ill then it would be nice if the relative can help withfeeding, toileting etc.8. No information provided as to which members of the nursing team were looking after the individualbays.

Steve Mayo agreed that with other members of his team he would make a on the spot visit to ward 9 tolook into these problems.He invited some of the committee members to a meeting to discuss his findings and also invited Ward 9Matron and Ward 9 Sister to discuss the findings and to implement changes.On the 2 September a further visit was made by members, who found the followingAll nurses/staff now wearing name badge.1. Hand over still done at bedside and can and does cause some worries, if a patient states they do notwant this done, or if something is of a very sensitive or confidential nature then the nursing staff will gooutside of the bay to discuss the handover of individual patients if necessary.2. The 12 hour shifts were working, nurses were only allowed 2 shifts and they were working with staffwho found that the long hours were not suitable but this did not seem to be a big issue at the moment.3. Board over the patients bed informing of patient name, consultant’s name and also informationregarding other illness, eating abilities etc. Felt this was now very informative to all concerned.4. If a patient has different conditions these are always noted and if any nurse etc had concernsregarding other areas this is advised immediately and dealt with by advising the consultants that areresponsible.5. It was confirmed that if visiting times caused a relative great problems with being able to get homeetc they should discuss this with the staff and ask them if they can arrange times to suit.6. Also if patient very ill then the relative can help with feeding, toileting etc by discussing this with theSister and obtaining a carer’s passport.7. List is on display of bay nurses/staff who are in charge on that shift in front of the Nurses station.

Other items noted by Breath Easy Committee when at the meeting with the CCG.1. Staffing issue was now sorted and Nurses now up to par with quota required.2. Also Agency nurses often blocked booked when able to help with continuity for all concerned.3. Nurses were all female but they do have 4 male HCA’s, Apparently when applying for a nursing postthe applicants’ can and do request specialised posts.4. The nurses/staff have team briefing updates at every shift, this is in writing and notes high risk patients.5. Cold water on tap, they have a cooling system on the taps that produces the water at a cooltemperature and can be requested by patients at any time if required.

The wards are now displaying a poster in certain places, entrance to ward and bays. These posters state"if you have problems or concerns do not take them home with you, tell us" As the sister said if thepatient/relatives tell us of problems weeks etc after the event it is very difficult to deal with the concerns,if we know immediately this is noted and has to be followed up. You may raise any further issues with acommittee members. Maureen Sanders

RIDDLES1/ What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?2/ What kind of room has no doors or windows?3/ Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?4 / A man who was just learning to drive went down a one-waystreet in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. Why was that?

1/ A stamp.2/ A mushroom.3/ Neither, they both weigh one pound.4/ He was walking.

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Mrs Jackie HigginsIt is with great sadness we have to announce the death of one of our membersMrs Jackie HigginsAlthough she lived at Hadnall, Shrewsbury she attended our group and although she was only with usa short time she really established with gusto things that needed to be said and done, and we hadhoped she would have been able to put more input to the group, but alas this was not the case and weshall miss her, our thoughts go to her husband and family.

ICE ?In Case of EmergencyHave you put 'ICE' in your mobile?Storing 'ICE' along with a name andtelephone number will enable theemergency services to quickly con-tact someone for you in the eventof an emergency.Eight out of ten people in the UKcarry no next of kin details yet 80percent carry a mobile phone,most of whom have it on them allthe time.There is no simpler way of lettingthe emergency services know whoto contact should you be involvedin an accident than by using ICE.Standing for In Case of Emergency,ICE will allow the emergency crewsto quickly contact a nominatedperson who can be informed of theincident.

Festive Meal 2014We are having a festive lunch at the

Ramada Telford Ironbridge Hotel (Grays),Forgegate, Telford Town Centre TF3 4NA

Wednesday 10th December 2014 arriving at Noon for 12:30.£14.95 per person.

Bookings are now being taken by Mary Cook on 01952 254678.`

Membership formsBritish Lung Foundation are askingBreathe Easy Groups’ members tocomplete a membership form.These forms will be available at thenext meeting. We do already holdsome relevant data in order to dis-patch the newsletters. A letter ex-plaining this further and the form maybe attached or enclosed with thisnewsletter. Thank you for your help.

Your stories, your thoughts in print!!Email the editor

A Poem Sent in by John PibworthJohn ‘s late wife Annie suffered from Aspergillus and he wantedto share with members the following Poem from a fellow sufferer.

We are so often ill, our breath coming in gasps,We fear for ourselves, plead for mercy,Those breaths we take fight us with wheeze and rasp,Our plight is hard; our mood is hard and bitchy.

But wait a moment; pause a minute, look around, do you see?Those that love us, care for us, nurse us and stay by ourside,Those loved ones, siblings, partners or spouse, standingclosely,Holding our hand, mopping a brow, hiding how they cried.

So while we suffer, puff and pant, do not grumble, do notrant,There is strength beside us, a hand to support, an ear tolisten,Our loved ones who watch us suffer without showing a tear,Our life is hard, full of despair, but do we see the eyethat glistens?

My wife is my rock, my oxygen mask, my faithful nurse,I am lucky, I'm not alone, I have someone who cares,Suffer we do, often its true, but don't moan, don't curse,One of us is ill but both feel the pain, the suffering weshare.

Friend or family, brother or son, husband or wife,We all must remember those who hide their tear, hide theirpain,They sacrifice their hearts, to accompany us in our plight,So keep in your hearts a smile, for those who love us, withnothing to gain. Mike Chapman

Breathe Easy Telford CommitteeChairmanGerald NewtonTreasurerVeronica MillerNewsletter Editor/Website ManagerMark DillarstoneWelfareElaine Biddulph, Mary Cook,Maureen Sanders,Mervyn Tuck & Brian Bennett

Community Respiratory NurseSarah PatersonMeet & GreetBrian BennettEvents & TransportMary CookSpeakersJeff WoodcockRaffle DrawMervyn Tuck

Forthcoming Events25 September Dr Moudgil, Consultant Physician - Respiratory Medicine PRH6 October Pub Lunch – Wickets Inn, Wellington23 October Sarah Paterson, Community Respiratory Nurse, NHS T&W – Lifestyle change management3 November Pub Lunch – Wickets Inn, Wellington27 November Hadley & District Orpheus Male Choir1 December Christmas Pub Lunch – Wickets Inn, Wellington10 December Festive Meal Ramada Hotel, Telford No Group Meeting in December2 January 2015 Peter Pan Pantomime -- Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

Please note 5 Thursdays in October

Stay healthy this winter – get the flu jabWith the leaves falling from the trees and nights drawing in, many people –particularly those with lung disease – will recognise it's the time of year to getvaccinated against flu. Flu (the short name for influenza) is unpleasant for anyonewho catches the virus. It affects people of any age and gives you a sudden fever,chills, headache, aching in the muscles, a dry cough and often a sore throat. It canmake you feel very weak and can take at least a week to pass. For people with long-term health problems, such as asthma or chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD), and older people, it can be even more serious.Getting a vaccination can protect you from unnecessary illness. The vaccination isgiven by an injection which will take a week to 10 days before it protects you from

catching flu. It will not only protect you, but may also help to protect your colleagues, friends and family. You are eligible to receive a free flu vaccine if you: ◦ are 65 years of age or over◦ are pregnant◦ have a certain medical condition, including a longterm lung disease◦ are living in a longstay residential care home or other longstay care facility◦ get carer's allowance, or you are the main carer for an older or disabled person whose welfare may beat risk if you fall ill◦ are a health care worker with direct patient contact or a social care workerIf you are not entitled to a free jab, you can get one from a range of providers including many high streetchemists – just have a look at their websites to see if they offer this.If you think the flu vaccine might be helpful to you, you can also discuss it with your GP.

BLF Christmas CardsOrders are now being taken - A couple of design examples!: Orders now being taken at shop.blf.org.uk/( From October call 0207 688 555 to order.* From October call 0207 688 555 for an order form.