FuTure Spring 2013

ThefutureFor members of Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - from the governors

Issue 21Spring 2013

As an organisation, our values areEverybody Matters, EverythingCounts and Everyone’s Responsible.

We want to build on these beliefsand ensure that we continuallyimprove the quality of the servicewe provide in line with thestandards laid out for us bothnationally and, importantly, by ourpatients.

Involving patients and the public inplanning, monitoring anddeveloping health services is goodpractice. As we are an NHSfoundation trust, since 2006 wehave involved our patients in:

• how we plan and provide ourservices

Patients are at the heart of everything we do atSouthend UniversityHospital.

We want to continue to improveboth the clinical care we provideand our patients’ overallexperience at the hospital. We aimto do this by listening to what ourpatients tell us and by putting theirsuggestions into practice.

Southend University Hospital has along history of involving patients,the public and its foundation trustmembers in ensuring we providehigh-quality services which areresponsive to the needs of thediverse community we serve.

• how we develop and considerproposals to change the way weprovide our services

• decisions that affect how weoperate our services.

We are in the process of launchinga patient and carers’ forum to helpus develop services that are bettertargeted, more effective and morelikely to meet the expectations ofthe people who use them.

By getting involved you can let usknow your priorities and concerns.You will also get a betterunderstanding of how we work.

It also helps to improve ourrelationship with patients, carers,relatives, visitors, organisations andthe local community; ultimately ithelps us to improve patient care.

Get involved . . and help us make a difference

It’s good to talk! - staff and patients share experiences

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The Future March 2013_Layout 1 04/04/2013 15:41 Page 1

2 the FuTure . . . .

Did you know that of all thepatients referred to the ENT (ear,nose and throat) department onlyabout one in 10 needs anoperation? A large number needonly conservative treatment.

Ears are very complex organs.Problems range from wax in theouter ear (how many of you havesuffered that?) to more complexconditions in the middle and innerear badly affecting the hearingand, consequently, speech.

Noses are very important parts ofthe anatomy which can oftenbecome diseased or be damaged intrauma. The septum, or adjoiningwall, often becomes crooked or thebones of the nose can be broken,requiring surgery to repair. Just

think how uncomfortable you feelwhen your nose is blocked.

Throats contain a lot of structureswhich can become diseased ordamaged. We often hear aboutpeople having a tracheostomy, anopening into the windpipe to allowsomeone to breathe. This areacomes under ‘head and neck’ andcontains the thyroid gland whichoften needs surgery.

The ENT department at Southend isa very busy department with threeconsultant surgeons who operatemany days of the week and aconsultant who is involved with anumber of outlying clinics. Anumber of junior doctors also makeup the teams. On my visit to thedepartment, the senior house

officer had already done work inthe outpatients department,accident department where ENTknowledge was required, andtheatre by 12noon. ENT clinics areheld every day of the week,involving both doctors and nurses.The surgeons perform operationsand complete ward rounds. Thesurgeons have different areas ofexpertise, for example, ears ornoses or head and neck, but areable to carry out work in all areas ifrequired.

The clinics have a clinical nursespecialist, a sister and staff nurseswho are trained in ENT work andoften carry out some of theprocedures prescribed by thedoctors, they are involved in

All about theENT departmentAt a member meeting in Hullbridge, Mr Gavin Watters, consultantENT/head and neck surgeon, gave a very well received presentation onthyroid disease. Based on feedback received from members at the meeting, we have produced the following article on the work of ENT services.

Consultant David Gatland

Importantly, the forum is not aplatform for pursuingindividual issues, for whichfeedback mechanisms alreadyexist within the trust such asour Patient Advice and LiaisonService (PALS) .

We want forum members to bedrawn from a variety ofbackgrounds but share acommon interest in ourhospital and the standard ofservice we provide.

The forum will meet regularlyin public and welcomes peoplecoming to take part in itsdiscussions, share issues andconcerns, and see how it works.

By joining the forum as anactive member, you'll behelping to influence decisionsthat affect your healthcare andthat of your neighbours.

For more information aboutplease phone 0800 0185202.

Get involvedContinued from p1


. . . the magazine for our members 3

developing courses for future ENTnurses, and are well equipped totake on more responsibility fortreatment.

The surgeons also operate in theprivate sector and at Broomfieldwhere much head and neck surgeryis centralised. The department notonly has a good reputation in thearea but also nationally and

internationally, with theconsultants being involved withsurgery and teaching overseas and,together with the Royal Colleges,examining prospective surgeonsand developing courses fortraining.

Next door to the ENT department isthe audiology department whichdeals with problems of hearing and

As part of Southend CohesionWeek, Southend UniversityHospitalparticipated in a Healthy Living Fairat the Plaza Centre, SouthchurchRoad, Southend-on-Sea onThursday 21 March.

The members who came along tookpart in drumming displays andbhangra dancing between talks onlocal support services. After acomplimentary lunch they listenedto talks on dietetic services and

hearing aids, staffed by a multi-disciplinary team headed by aDoctor of Audiology. Being soclose to the ENT department makesit easy for the audiology staff toget a patient seen if they considerthat the problem is more than asimple loss of hearing. There is astrong mutual respectfulrelationship between the twodepartments. Did you know thathearing aids are FREE on the NHS?

The ENT department is to become“noteless” with a trial taking placesoon. This means that all the notesconcerning a patient will be on thecomputer and accessible to allnecessary staff, including operationnotes and any drawings concerningthe site of disease. Just think, whenyou attend outpatients your detailswill be there in front of the doctoror nurse and therewill be an endto theproblem ofnot havingyour notesavailable.

Surgical trainee Sunil Sharma

Promoting healthy living

by Barbara Oliver, Public Governor forRochford

Get involved

healthy eating followed by ademonstration on how hospitalfood is prepared. To round off theday, all visitors were entered into afree draw to win a selection ofprizes donated by local companies.

Tucking intodelicious hospital food

Enjoying the differentdrums available



With more than 200 patientspassing through its doors each day,the eye department is one of thebusiest in the hospital.

The department is actually madeup of two units - one based atSouthend University Hospital andthe other at Orsett Hospital inThurrock, and around one third ofall outpatient appointments for theentire hospital trust are dealt within the eye clinic.

As governors, we were keen to gobehind the scenes and find outmore about the services thehospital provides for those with eyeproblems.

Our guides during the tour werematron Kathy Halliday and sisterAnita Fountain.

Both units run by the hospital havea clinic, ward and theatre, and theconditions treated include maculardegeneration, cataract removal,

accommodate patients needing alonger stay. Any patient requiringgeneral anaesthesia would come toSouthend University Hospital,although day-stay surgery is alsoperformed at Southend.

Both units offer a wide range ofservices including laser treatment,photo dynamic therapy along withthe ability to conduct minoroperations. Southend also offers aneye casualty service.

The seven consultants who coverthe unit each deal with general eyeconditions as well as individuallyspecialising in all the major areas ofophthalmology includingglaucoma, cataracts, diabetes andeye treatment for under 18s.

The dedicated and highly-trainednursing team, many of whom havebeen specially trained in eye care,run specialist clinics which meanssometimes you will see a specialistnurse for your appointment andtreatment and not a doctor.

Focusing on the eye care unit

detached retinas and corneal graftsand even eye removal.

Orsett Hospital treats patients on a day-stay basis only whereasSouthend eye ward can

Mr Rajesh Aggarwal with matron Kathy Halliday

Staff nurse Pauline Burns recording a patient’s biometry



Volunteers also assist in the clinics,helping meet and greet patientsand try to make them feel at home,as many people can feel anxiouswhen they attend for theirappointment.

The clinics are open between8.40am and 12.30pm and then

1.30pm to 4.40pm, but the staff donot go home then. They will stayuntil the last clinic patient leavesthe department.

There is a casualty service availablefrom 9am to 6pm as well as a 24/7emergency service for those whoreferred on an urgent basis. The

casualty clinic is also open atweekends.

While all this in going on, behindthe scenes the team also takes partin all kinds of research projects andclinical trials to help develop newways to treat eye problems in thefuture.

The department is also setting up apatient focus group to help getfeedback from patients about theservices it provides.

Focusing on the eye care unitVia optician - if your opticiandecides that you need to beseen urgently in the eye clinicthey will contact an eye doctorby phone to arrange anappointment for you. If yourproblem is less urgent, they willwrite to the eye unit or referyou to your GP for help.

Via GP - if your GP decides thatyou need to be seen urgently inthe eye clinic, they will contactan eye doctor by phone toarrange for you to be seenurgently, usually either thesame day or the following day.If your problem is less urgent,they will write to the eye unitto arrange a clinic appointmentfor you.

Via A&E (casualty clinics) - ifyour optician or doctor thinksyou need to see an eye doctorurgently they can phone andspeak to the on-call doctor. Youwill be given an appointmentfor either the same day or thefollowing day. This service isavailable every day, includingweekends and bank holidays.

Being referred

Mr Rajesh Aggarwal with matron Kathy Halliday Left to right: Dr Alec Lowe; Staff Nurse Julie Sison; HCA Joel Tumlos;SN Lionah Musengezi; SN Taffy Sandengu

Mr Andreas Panagopoulus takes a closer look



professional leave requests.

I started my hospital career as a HRsupport officer where I organisedtraining courses and events plus Iassisted the HR managers with theirdiaries; the PA route seemed anatural progression for me. I thenprogressed to working in the trustoffices as a PA, where I haveworked for nearly two years now.

Catherine Wardle is anassistant librarian.

I guess thebest part ofmy job isthe variety. Ithink‘libraries’and being a‘librarian’has aparticularstereotypeattached toit when inreality,

they’re not true. To workin a modern library youneed to be gregariousand adaptable.

There is a plethora ofinformation available toclinicians and it is thehealthcare librarian’s jobto wade in and isolatethe resources that arereliable. As a good friendsaid to me quite recently,“Google can bring you

back 100,000 answers, a librariancan bring you back the right one!”

I monitor the general library inbox;requests vary immensely from usersrenewing their books toprofessional questions relating tostock. I also work closely with theacquisitions librarian and togetherwe aim to select, catalogue anddeliver an up-to-date and easilylocatable book collection.Additionally, I manage theperiodical collection ensuring thatnew journals arriving in the postare added to the catalogue and putout on display for users to browse.

After my BA degree I spent a largeproportion of my twenties figuringout what it was that I really wantedto do. Eventually I realised that myinterests were pulling me towardslibrarianship, a profession that myown mother had enjoyed workingin for over 30 years.

To become a librarian, you need arelevant Library and Informationundergraduate degree or at least a

year’s experience and aMaster’s degree inLibrarianship. Check theCILIP website for moreinformationhttp://www.cilip.org.uk/

Robert Farey is asenior physiotherapistfor the outpatientsdepartment.

I originally completed adegree in sport science

The Future spoke to a variety ofstaff to find out about theirhospital careers…

Lydia Woods isthe executive PAto JacquelineTotterdell, chiefexecutive andNeil Rothnie,medical director.

No two days arethe same in thisjob: I’m kept onmy toes andalways very busy.I look after thechief executive

and medical director primarily; it’smy responsibility to ensure theirdays run smoothly. It’s vital I keepon top of their diary commitmentsand ensure I’m one step ahead; Ihave to be proactive and ready toassist them with anything.

I love working with people. Being aPA in the trust offices means Ispeak to everyone from front-linemedical and clerical staff topatients. The most fulfilling part ofmy role is dealing with patientthank-you letters which come in tothe chief exec. The letters really hithome that I work for a hospital andthat every member of staff plays apart in ensuring it runs successfully.

A typical day could involve draftingletters for the CEO, audio typingfor the medical director, organisinginternal/external meetings,booking travel/accommodation,taking minutes and processing

Careers at the hospitalSouthend University Hospital employs over 4500 staff but it’s a common misconception tothink that means just doctors and nurses. The hospital offers many different career pathsfor hard working individuals. Accountants, physiotherapists, fundraisers, administrators,pharmacists, all work together under one roof and that’s just a small percentage of thediverse roles available.



Careers at the hospital & sociology, and then spent sixyears working for an investmentbank in Canary Wharf! Althoughworking for the bank wasfinancially rewarding, I did not findit fulfilling. I wanted to dosomething I enjoyed and I could beproud of. Physiotherapy hadalways been in the back of mymind so I took two weeks’ annualleave from work and spent itshadowing physiotherapists atSouthend University Hospital. Ienjoyed it so much: I knew it wasthe career for me.

I had to study for another degree: aBachelor of Science degree inphysiotherapy is an essentialrequirement for this profession.Spending time work shadowing ina hospital is also a good way to seethe various roles physiotherapistshave from A&E and intensive carethrough to working in thecommunity.

My days are varied; I spend some ofmy time working in the fractureclinic alongside orthopaedicconsultants. I also help run classesto facilitate upper limbrehabilitation, run a post kneesurgery clinic plus assess and treat avariety of patients referred fromeither orthopaedics or via A&E. Iam really lucky to work with a verymotivated, knowledgeable andconscientious team whoconsistently put their patients first.

Managing people’s fears andexpectations is a fundamental andchallenging aspect ofphysiotherapy. Listening to patientsand reassuring them is animportant part of the job.

Paul Smith is asenior pharmacist forpatient services(dispensary manager)

The most challengingaspect of my role isjuggling the dailyworkload. I enjoyspeaking to patients,answering theirquestions and helpingthem understandhow to take theirmedication. This has to be balancedwith myself and the dispensarystaff processing a large number ofprescriptions each day in a timelymanner. On average we process 200outpatient prescriptions, 40-60discharge prescriptions and supplymedication to approximately 800inpatients a day.

Pharmacists are experts inmedicines and can therefore offer alot of information and advice onanything related to medicationsincluding side effects and druginteractions. In order to become apharmacist, students need toobtain A-levels in chemistry and

usually two ofbiology/maths/physics. They willthen need to complete a four-yearMaster’s degree at university and aone year training programme (pre-registration pharmacist year)before becoming qualified.

During a typical day, Iwould spend a couple ofhours reviewing drugcharts and providinginformation to nurses anddoctors on the two medicaladmission wards. The bulkof my day, however, isspent in the dispensary,where I am responsible formanaging the smoothrunning of thedepartment. I checkprescriptions for

appropriate prescribing, whichmeans checking the doses,combinations and suitability of theprescribed drugs for each individualpatient.

If you are interested in a futurecareer at Southend UniversityHospital or are currently lookingat job opportunities within thetrust, the first and mostimportant thing you can do is tobecome a member. Foundationtrust membership means you’llbe informed on hospital newsand kept up to date on all futureplans of the trust. Membershipprovides you with a valuableinsight into how the trustoperates; it also shows theorganisation as an employer andtrainer, that you are interestedand committed to the hospital.

You have to be 12 years of ageor older and live anywhere inEssex. Visitwww.southend.nhs.uk/support-us/foundation-trust-membership/to download a membershipapplication form or call 08000185202 to apply.

There is a wide range of opportunities available for students. If youare currently studying for your GCSEs, you could attend our bi-annualwork observation week which includes lots of different talks and toursof various departments within the hospital. ‘A’ level students will beable to do non-clinical work experience. The hospital also partners upwith many local schools and colleges to give career talks and completeproject work with health and social care classes. You’ll find us atuniversity career fairs too. We can also offer foundation degreestudents work shadowing and work placements in clinical areas.Contact VQadmin.support.nhs.uk for more information on trainingand careers at the hospital.

Are you still in education and thinkingof a career at the hospital?

Become a member



Southend Hospital governors The Foundation Trust SecretarySouthend University Hospital NHS Foundation TrustFREEPOST ANG1863Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-SeaEssex SS0 0RY

Freephone: 0800 0185 202email: [email protected]

Hospital switchboard01702 435555 (add extension if known)

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)01702 385333

Southend Hospital volunteers01702 435555 extension 6135

Department of fundraising01702 385337

Governors are an essential part ofthe structure that makes up anNHS foundation trust.

They are the elected and appointedrepresentatives of staff, patientsand local stakeholders who bring alay perspective to the managementof the foundation trust.

Southend University Hospital NHSFoundation Trust has 42 governorsin total across Essex who comprisepublic, patient, carer, worker andpartnership governors. There arecurrently 10 elected governorpositions vacant. The electedgovernors each serve a maximumof two terms of three years beforetaking a break. The Trust has had acouncil of governors in place since

it became a foundation trust in2006.

The introduction of the Health andSocial Care Act 2012 however hasnow given foundation trustgovernors additionalresponsibilities and powers.

The governor role already consistedof the following duties: to appointand remove the chair of governorsand non-executive directors, toapprove the appointment of thechief executive, to input into theannual plan, to appoint auditorsand receive the annual accounts.

Under the 2012 Act, governors willnow have statutory duties to holdthe non-executive directors -individually and collectively - to

Wednesday 15 May from 7pm to9pm at The Lakeside Suite, OysterFleet Hotel, Knightswick Road,Canvey Island SS8 9PA

Thursday 25 July from 1pm to 3pm atThe Deanes School, Daws Heath Road,Thundersley, Benfleet SS7 2TD

Tuesday 10 September from 7pm to 9pm at Shoebury Youth Centre,Delaware Road, Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea SS3 9NS

Editorial Team: Geraldine Alward • John Blundell • Ruby Chittenden • David Fairweather • Claire HankeyFred Heddell • Barbara Oliver • Hilary Seago

Changes to the role of governoraccount for the performance of theboard of directors. They will alsorepresent the interests of themembers as a whole and theinterests of the public.

Governors must also now approvemergers, acquisitions, separationsand special transactions put tothem by the board of directors, aswell as approve constitutionalchanges with the board.

Their official name has beenchanged from board of governorsto council of governors torecognise this.

Would you like more informationon the role of a governor and thechanges taking place? Visitwww.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk formore details.

Future meetings . . .Useful contact details

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Contact us at

[email protected]

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FuTure Spring 2013