The day will run from 10.00 to 15.00hrs and is free to attend. Visitors will be able to explore the work of a number of hospital specialist departments including CT scanning and robotic surgery while guided tours will trace the history of St George's and its famous pioneers of medicine, such as the world famous Edward Jenner and John Hunter.

Inquisitive minds will have the chance to speak with scientific researchers about their pioneering projects studying new medicines and treatment. The university course recruitment team will also be on hand to provide information about healthcare and medical education and career opportunities.

The day will also offer a variety of family friendly activities. We’ll be inviting you to meet our captivating 'Human Books' and local broadcasters Radio Jackie will be providing music, games, giveaways and interviews throughout the day.

Come and join the excitement

• Discover St George's research with interactive science exhibits
• Find out about careers in healthcare and medicine
• Visit an operating theatre
• Learn how modern scanning produces 3D images of the inside of the body
• Become a member of St George's Healthcare
• Take a step back in time with our history tour
• Try out your surgical skills in the amazing simulation unit
• Meet one of our fascinating 'Human Books'

HURRY: Book your tour in advance!

Tours of our facilities are always busy and numbers are limited - we recommend that you book in advance to avoid disappointment.

To reserve a space on our tours, email communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk with 'Tour booking' as the subject line. Please ensure you provide the names of the people you are booking for.

Visitors can book on the following tours:

Visit a modern operating theatre (approx. 30 minutes)

Take a tour of one of our state of the art operating theatres, led by a trust surgeon. You will also be able to see our innovative surgical robot, which carries out minimally invasive surgery on our patients

Note - This tour may be unsuitable for some of our younger visitors. Children must be accompanied by an adult

Tour times: 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 13.30 and 14.30

Visit our simulation unit (approx. 40 minutes)

Try out your surgical skills in our modern simulation unit, training the doctors of the future

Tour times: 10.30, 11.30 and 13.00

Sterile services tour (approx. 30 minutes)

Find out how we prepare our instruments for surgical procedures in this department

Tour times: 10.15, 11.15, 12.15, 13.15 and 14.15

CT scanning (approx. 30 minutes)

Learn how our CT scanner produces 3D images of the inside of the human body

Tour times: 10:45, 11:45, 12:45, 13:45 and 14:30

St George's history tour (approx. 90 minutes)

Trace the history of St George's and its famous pioneers of medicine, such as Edward Jenner

Tour times: 10.30 and 13.00

Exhibits

All the exhibit stands will be located on the ground floor of Grosvenor and Hunter Wings. There will be around 40 stands including:

Grosvenor Wing, St George's Hospital

• Acute pain service
• Arts St George's
• Bariatric surgery
• Blood pressure unit
• Breast screening unit
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Chaplaincy
• Children and families community nursing service
• Children's therapies
• Endoscopy and bowel cancer screening programme
• First Touch
• Infection control
• Joint Research and Enterprise Office (JREO)
• Major trauma
• NHS Blood and Transplant - critical care
• PALS
• Pathology
• Respiratory medicine
• Ronald McDonald House Tooting
• Sickle cell and thalassaemia
• Smokers support team
• Stroke and neurosciences
• The Improvement Programme
• Transition Town Tooting
• Voluntary services

Hunter Wing, St George's, University of London

• Examining neighbourhood activities in built living environments - the ENABLE London study
• Joint Faculty of Health, Education and Social Care
• Joint research and enterprise
• Neurosciences: Discover hubris syndrome
• Population health
• SGUL alumni
• SGUL international
• SGUL public engagement and events
• South West London Academic Health & Social Care System
• Student recruitment - university undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
• Student Union
• The body's own cannabis-like chemicals in the circulation
• Tuberculosis: A disease of the past, present and future
• Widening participation - a university open to all

The report can be read online at www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/annual where it can also be downloaded as a PDF. Copies of the summary report will also be made available to patients and visitors at St George's and Queen Mary's Hospitals and across health centres in Wandsworth.

Miles Scott, chief executive, said: "The report reflects on an excellent year for St George's where we have shown ourselves to be at the leading edge of healthcare, innovation and research.

"For the second consecutive year we were also named by the Dr Foster report for the Department of Health in the group of trusts with the country's lowest mortality rates.

"This has given us the perfect platform to implement our ten year strategy and deliver truly outstanding healthcare services to the patients we serve."

Christopher Smallwood, chairman, said: "Over the last year we successfully delivered a £6.28 million surplus, which is a significant achievement in the prevailing economic climate. Our financial prudence has allowed us to invest and improve our frontline services.

"This has included our paediatric intensive care unit and pre-operative care centre, and means we are very well-placed to offer high quality and safe care to all our patients.

"I know from my experiences visiting wards and departments that staff always give their absolute best in embodying our values and ensuring patients receive the best care possible."

The trust's annual plan for 2013/14 has also been published online. The plan sets out the trust’s key annual objectives over the next twelve months, and can be viewed at www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/aboutstrategy.asp

If you would like a copy of the trust's annual report to be sent to you, contact the communications team on 020 8725 5151 or email communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk

The 69-year-old went to see her GP about a sinus problem only to discover her headaches were caused by an aggressive tumour that had been spreading undetected across the left side of her face.

Maxillo-facial surgeons at St George's Hospital, Tooting, had to remove a large portion of Ann's jaw, her left eye and numerous teeth before beginning the painstaking work of reconstructing of her face using innovative computer technology to rebuild the damaged area.

The technology involves electronically scanning the opposite side of her face to build a 3-D profile that surgeons can then replicate along with the use of a CT scan.

Ann said: "I've always been healthy so it came as a shock when the doctor referred me to hospital where the scan revealed a tumour. The hardest thing to take was the loss of my left eye.

"The surgeons told me it was just rotten luck but that I was lucky the tumour had been growing outwards rather than inwards. My father died of cancer but I was told that many types of cancer were now curable as long as they are caught early enough."

It meant her under-going a ten-hour operation at the hospital's specialist Maxillofacial Unit which specialises in reconstructive surgery including facial trauma, deformity and head and neck cancer.

The centre, which is recognised as a centre of excellence, carries out hundreds of operations a year.

The amazing operation included taking a portion of bone from her leg to reconstruct her jaw and a number of tissue grafts where arteries and veins had to be painstakingly re-connected using micro surgery.

A complication saw Ann return to surgery a day later for a further ten hour operation before surgeons were satisfied that blood was circulating properly to the affected area.

She added: "I can't praise the staff enough. They kept me informed every step of the way and have been very caring and kind from the surgical team to the nurse who bought me a cup of tea in the small hours of the morning. I put my faith in the hospital and they saved my life."

Ann, who lives in Roehampton, says it took her a week before she had the courage to look at herself in the mirror.

"I told myself it could have been worse and am now focused on getting on with my life. You have to be positive.

"The hospital offered me a false eye but I don’t want that staring back at me every morning. I'm as fixed as I'm going to be and that's good enough."

Ann says her family have been a great source of support along with one of her grandchildren who curiously asked if her eye would grow back again.

"I told him no but that I could still keep on an eye on him with the other one."

Dr Mr Kavin Andi, one of two surgeons involved in the operation, said: "It's always satisfying to see a procedure go well and return people to their home environment so they can get on with their lives."

Dr Andi, who was supported in theatre by a team of more than ten clinicians and nurses, said the use of 3-D imaging meant much of the preparatory work was carried out 'virtually' on a computer so he knew exactly what needed to be done before going into surgery.

He added: "We are lucky at St George's because we are a world leader in this field of work. The 3-D imaging means I can look at the tumour from different angles and take the necessary measurements including how and where bone is removed and re-sculpted."

"I am particularly pleased because Ann was allowed to go home on the pre-agreed date, despite the extra operation."

A 3D model of Ann's face showing tumour

Ann after the operation

The HSJ Awards, to be held on 19 November, are the leading awards in UK healthcare. With 22 categories the awards champion best practice and innovation to overcome the challenges which face the health sector today.

The Wandsworth Community Wards, delivered by St George's Healthcare NHS Trust (which provides a wide range of acute services and community services), aim to improve patient experience, deliver better home-based care, and prevent hospital admissions. The wards provide a highly responsive multidisciplinary approach to the management of those patients in Wandsworth with chronic long-term conditions like diabetes, asthma and heart disease.

The shortlisted organisations, chosen from a record number of entries will now complete presentations and interviews to category specific judging panels made up of 85 senior and influential figures from the health sector.

Andrew McMylor, Director of Delivery & Development at Wandsworth CCG said:

"Being shortlisted for this award is great for Wandsworth and shows some of the great work being done to improve our health services."

"At its core the Community Wards programme promotes joint-working between health and social care services by bringing together a team of staff including consultants, GPs, community nurses and social workers to make sure our most vulnerable patients can be looked after in their own home."

"Thanks to a five year piloting and development period, the Wandsworth Community Ward incorporates a number of innovative adaptations, making it unique amongst other virtual ward models. These adaptations have been crucial to the success of the Community Wards in reducing emergency admissions for hundred of vulnerable and high risk patients, enabling them to remain happy and healthy at home."

Alison Benincasa, Assistant Director, Older People and Neurological Rehabilitation Services at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, said:

"Key to the success of the community wards over the last five years is the collaborative approach adopted by the commissioners, local GPs, and the wide range of services providing care to patients to the design and implementation of the service.

"This approach has undoubtedly improved the health outcomes for patients in Wandsworth. By providing care to patients in their own homes, the community wards help to avoid emergency attendances and hospital admissions by addressing complications before they escalate into serious issues"

Alastair McLellan, Editor-in-Chief, HSJ, said:

"I am delighted to announce the shortlist for the HSJ Awards 2013. Being shortlisted means that your organisation has been specifically chosen as a leader in innovation and best practice. We received a record number of entries for this, our 32^nd year of the awards - a reflection of the pride health services and organisations have in their vital work."

For more information contact Andrew Hobson, Communications and Engagement Lead and Wandsworth CCG on 07527 765007 or andrewhobson@nhs.net

For more information on the HSJ Awards go to http://www.hsjawards.co.uk

The Department of Health has awarded £9 million to fund the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) South London. The CLAHRC will also receive £9 million of matched funding from the local partners taking the total to £18 million over five years.

The collaboration pools the clinical and research expertise of both the NHS and universities in south London as it brings together King's Health Partners (a partnership between King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts), with St George's Healthcare NHS Trust and St George's, University of London - as joint leaders of the CLAHRC.

The money will help make sure that patients benefit from innovative new treatments and techniques that could revolutionise future health care. Researchers will work together to investigate new methods to prevent and treat chronic diseases such as stroke, and tackle public health issues including reducing alcohol-related harm. In south London up to 30 per cent of acute medical admissions and 50 per cent of mental health admissions are alcohol related.

Funding will also establish education programmes, and a new Centre for Implementation Science will be set up as a central resource to support research and test innovations in these nine areas: alcohol; diabetes; infection; palliative and end of life care; psychosis; public health; stroke; women's health; and patient and public involvement.

The organisations involved in the CLAHRC already have a track record of using new research to fundamentally change policy, influencing clinical practice and training. As the following examples show.

• To help local patients control their type 1 diabetes, King's College London and King's College Hospital together run an educational programme, 'Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating' (DAFNE). The five day course teaches patients to match their insulin dose to their food intake and equips patients with the skills they need so that they can effectively manage their diabetes.
• Research from King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' has: identified the acute and long term impact of stroke in Europe and inner city south London; highlighted inequalities in health and healthcare delivery; and developed cost effective complex interventions to address these impacts.
• Research at St George's into hospital acquired infections has led to improved protocols for C. difficile testing, leading to changes in NHS policy and clinical practice across England.

Researchers within the new CLAHRC will also work closely with industry, including pharmaceutical companies, software companies and medical device manufacturers as they look for ground breaking ways to improve patient care. For example, St George's is already working with industry partners to develop new ways of testing for sexually transmitted diseases and diagnosing infection at the point of care.

Professor Graham Thornicroft, Director of the NIHR CLAHRC South London and Professor of Community Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London said:

"I am delighted that we can announce the success of our bid for south London. The key role of the CLAHRC is to provide support, through proper research, for implementation of new ideas and innovations in the NHS. The nine focus areas have been chosen to target the health needs of people in south London and we hope to see real results.

"We are working in partnership with our local Academic Health Sciences Network (AHSN) in south London - with its membership across different sectors, its involvement is crucial in helping to deliver and spread innovation and good practice, directly informed by the research findings of the CLAHRC."

Lord Howe, Health Minister said:

"This is great news for patients - this funding could potentially help the development of ground breaking treatments which could revolutionise care. With a growing elderly population, the need for innovative and effective solutions has never been more important.

"We want the UK to lead the world in terms of health research and this announcement underlines that commitment.

"It is vital that we invest in health research, not only to create the opportunities for health research to grow - but also to help our economy thrive so we can compete in the global race."

Researchers from right across the country were invited to bid for £124 million funding, which has been provided by the Department of Health, to address long term conditions and public health challenges. A total of 13 CLAHRCs has been announced.

St George's Healthcare NHS Trust has joined forces with Google to publish the first interactive indoor hospital map in the UK. Patients and visitors at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south west London, can now use the Google Maps website or apps to navigate the 14 hectare St George's Hospital site, the largest hospital site in London, to find the wing, ward, clinic or department they need.

The indoor map, published as part of Google's indoor mapping programme, shows the hospital's many buildings, wards and points of interest such as stairs, lifts, toilets, coffee shops and cash machines across the hospital's seven wings, some of which span seven storeys.

The maps are available on the Google Maps website, and will be available on the Google Maps Android app and the Google Maps iOS app later this month. The indoor map layer is activated when zooming in on the St George's Hospital site. On mobile phones a sidebar allows for different floors of the hospital to be loaded while zooming in on the floor level shows the wards and points of interest on the map.

Speaking about the new indoor maps Colin Wren, St George's new media officer and project lead, said:

"St George's Hospital is the biggest hospital site in London and offers a huge number of services for over a million people from across south west London and Surrey every year. Coming to hospital can be an anxious time for people, so we are determined to make it easier for patients and visitors to get to their appointments on time and to help them to find the wards that their friends and family are staying in quickly and easily.

"The indoor maps follow a number of other initiatives that St George's have done to bring information about the hospital to our patients, visitors, staff and members of the public via the social networks, apps and electronic platforms that they use everyday."

The indoor maps can be viewed by searching for "St George's Hospital, Tooting" on the Google Maps website or in the Google Maps apps for Android and iOS. The indoor maps are activated by zooming in on the St George's Hospital site.

Mr Manisali talking about Shereen's case on accepting his NHS Heroes award

Shereen, Mr Manisali and the maxillofacial team

St George's Hospital was the setting for a special reunion this afternoon as Shereen Sadiq returned to the hospital to pay tribute to her NHS Hero, Mr Mehmet Manisali, the maxillofacial surgeon who has turned her life around.

Five years ago Shereen was hit four times on the head with a blunt instrument and left for dead during a burglary at her home. Shereen's injuries were so severe she was not expected to live, with the right side of her face completely crushed.

Fast forward five years and Shereen is enjoying life again. A number of neurosurgical operations saved Shereen and intensive therapy and neurorehabilitation have got her back on her feet.

On top of this, over a period of four years Mr Manisali and his team undertook a series of complex operations to rebuild Shereen’s face, giving Shereen her self esteem back and a hugely important boost to her confidence.

As a gesture of her gratitude, Shereen nominated Mr Manisali for an NHS Heroes Award, a national award scheme that recognises the extraordinary efforts of staff from across the country.*

On handing Mr Manisali his award, Shereen said:

"I nominated Mr Manisali as my NHS Hero as he is an inspiring, warm and caring surgeon who has changed my life, and helped me look in the mirror again.

"Mr Manisali is a brilliant maxillofacial surgeon, and I, as one of his reconstructed patients, can now look forward to the future thanks to him."

A clearly touched Mr Manisali said:

"It is very humbling to be presented with this award, and very special to me as being nominated by one of your patients makes it a very personal and emotional experience. I am delighted with the progress Shereen has made over the last few years, and have to pay a huge amount of credit to my team who have supported her every step of the way, and to Shereen for the inspiring courage and determination she has summoned over the last few years."

Shereen's NHS Heroes nomination video

Voted for by patients and their families, the Purple Iris Award is awarded by the Colostomy Association and recognises a stoma care department who provide outstanding care and exemplary service to their patients.

The patient who nominated the team for the award had this to say about them: "I would like the team at St George's to get this award as they are so kind and nothing is too difficult for them. They are so helpful in getting the right appliance for you and are always available if you have queries. I not only have a urostomy but a colostomy also. I think I could have given up but for their patience and concern and help. I could not say enough to thank them for everything."

The team were presented with the award at the Colostomy Association's patient open day event in July.

Caroline Rudoni, senior clinical nurse specialist in stoma care, said: "We are thrilled to receive this award. What makes it even more special is that our patients nominated us for it and we would like to extend our thanks to all our patients who are our absolute passion. We strive to provide excellence in care while our patients are in hospital as well as the community and it is wonderful to be recognised for our work."

Left to right: Heather Dennis, clinical nurse specialist in stoma care, Caroline Rudoni, senior clinical nurse specialist in stoma care and Claire Gough, clinical nurse specialist in stoma care

The latest figures from June record that 583 out of 837 former inpatients are 'extremely likely' to recommend treatment at St George's and 214 are 'likely' to.

However, during the same month 10 inpatients said they were 'unlikely' or ‘'extremely unlikely' to do so.

Miles Scott, chief executive, said: "We welcome the Friends and Family Test as an excellent tool in providing valuable feedback on our services. We want to make sure that every patient treated by our clinicians has the best possible experience.

"The test produces information about patient experiences on a ward by ward level, in a way that we didn't have before. It is fundamental to helping us identify where we need to do better."

The trust is undertaking a number of initiatives to ensure patients experience high quality care at St George's:

• We have changed the uniforms of our senior ward staff so that patients can quickly and easily identify who is in charge during their stay
• Our 'intentional rounding' scheme has been rolled out across the trust, which ensures patients are seen and monitored regularly by clinical staff
• Mixed teams of staff and patient representatives regularly visit wards to check the trust's values are being upheld by staff.

The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) new approach will be introduced at 18 NHS trusts within the next three months, with all hospitals being inspected by 2015.

Under the new regime hospitals will receive a mixture of announced and unannounced inspections. Visits will be carried out by larger inspection teams including:

• a senior NHS clinician or executive
• professional and clinical staff
• Experts by Experience
• patients
• carers
• other experts

Jim Maddan, Wandsworth Council's executive member for adult care and health, said:

"The new approach is more comprehensive and puts patients at the heart of the inspection process. It will offer us a more detailed understanding of how our hospitals are performing and creates space for a broader range of critical opinions.

"Patients, patients' families and hospital staff will have a direct role to play. Their feedback will help our hospitals in their drive to improve standards of care across the board."

Miles Scott, chief executive at St George's Healthcare Trust, said:

"We value the importance of the CQC in scrutinising NHS services on behalf of the public and the insight that independent inspections bring. Staff at St George's work hard to provide the best care and environment possible and so we welcome monitoring which holds us to account on quality. We are very happy to continue working with Healthwatch Wandsworth who are so well placed to represent our local community."

The departments/wards that the inspection teams will always look at are:

• accident and emergency
• maternity
• paediatrics
• acute medical and surgical pathways
• care for the frail elderly
• end of life care
• outpatients (including discharge arrangements and joint work with other sectors)

The inspections will highlight hospitals that provide good and excellent care as well as those that provide poor care.

Where failings are uncovered the CQC will work with Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority to produce a clear programme to help the trust improve.

In April, a new watchdog group was set up by the council to champion the views of NHS patients and people in receipt of care services across Wandsworth.

Healthwatch Wandsworth makes sure that the interests of patients and other health and social care users is properly heard and that their concerns are acted on swiftly.

It will use the feedback it receives from members of the public to campaign for improvements in local health and social care services.

The watchdog is funded by Wandsworth Council but is totally independent of the town hall and independent of all the commissioners and providers of local health and social care services.

As well as working to influence and challenge how local services are delivered, it will also signpost people to information to help them make the best choices about their health and care options.

The watchdog is managed by Wandsworth Care Alliance, a local voluntary organization that will be working in partnership with Lifetimes to provide its patient information and signposting service.

Membership of Wandsworth Healthwatch is free to people who live and work in Wandsworth. Anyone can sign up to become a member at www.healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk. People can also get in touch with the organization via Facebook and Twitter.

To find out more, including how to become a member, call (020) 8516 7767 or email enquiries@healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk. For more information visit www.healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk or via Twitter @HWWands.

The prestigious title was awarded by the European Society of Hypertension for demonstrating that the unit's staff are highly skilled and investigate, diagnose and treat large numbers of patients, some of whom have very complex medical needs. The way that staff use their involvement in research to improve outcomes for patients suffering with blood pressure-related problems was also commended. Furthermore, the unit was identified as having access to state-of-the-art facilities.

The unit is one of only five to be awarded the status in 2013 by the European Society of Hypertension, an organisation committed to the prevention of hypertension and cardiovascular problems. There are 154 centres worldwide that currently hold this impressive accreditation.

Dr Tarek Antonios, the unit's lead consultant, said: "This accreditation is an honour and recognises the high standard of care we provide to our patients. It is also a testament to the quality and expertise of our fantastic nursing and medical staff."

The blood pressure unit is the only one of its kind in the region, taking patients with complex blood pressure problems from across southeast England.

St George's is an accredited centre of excellence for trauma, neurology, cardiology and cancer services, and the national centre for family HIV care and bone marrow transplantation for non-cancer diseases.

Dr Antonios receiving the Hypertension Centre of Excellence Diploma at the European Society of Hypertension’s annual scientific meeting in Milan, Italy in June 2013.
(l-r): Professor M Viigimaa, council member, Professor J Redon, President, European Society of Hypertension, Dr Tarek Antonios and Professor P Nilsson, secretary.

St George’s blood pressure unit team
Standing (l-r): Christine Carney, nurse manager, Dr Tarek Antonios, consultant and lead physician, Dr Teck Khong, consultant
Sitting (l-r): Nana Palm, former secretary, Helen Mullahy, nurse specialist, Gloria Fox, clinic co-ordinator, Manjit Gill, clinic co-ordinator, Busola Ogunseitan, nurse specialist and Carol Farebrother, secretary

The project, led by the trust's transfusion team, aimed to improve transfusion practices and reviewed the use of blood in patients undergoing surgery at the trust. The team audited blood usage in all elective surgical cases and implemented a revised blood ordering schedule.

In addition, patients with iron-deficiency anaemia were also offered a nurse-led iron therapy service rather than treatment with a blood transfusion, in line with best practice and carrying a lower risk for patients.

These changes have resulted in a reduction of adverse reactions to transfusions by 30 per cent and savings of £300,000 per year for the trust.

Dr James Uprichard, clinical lead for blood transfusion, said: "We hoped that a reduction in blood use would result in a decrease in transfusion-related complications. Blood transfusion is also expensive so we anticipated that there would be financial savings through purchasing fewer blood units and a reduction in unnecessary clinic appointments.

"The team has significantly reduced waiting times, transfusion costs and most importantly, maximised patient safety by reducing the clinical risks associated with transfusion."

The HSJ Efficiency Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 25^th September 2013

The transfusion team nominated for the HSJ Efficiency award.
Back row (L-R) Dr James Uprichard, clinical lead for blood transfusion, Mark Grumbridge, senior transfusion practitioner, and Steve Wiltshire, chief biomedical scientist in blood transfusion.
Front row (L-R) Kelly Feane, transfusion practitioner, and Sarah Carr, transfusion practitioner.

The Sexual Health in Prisons event was attended by consultants and representatives from sexual health settings across the country, including the National AIDS Trust, Public Health England and frontline prison, hospital and community sexual health services.

Topics presented for discussion included the provision of healthcare in the prison system and sexual health services for female prisoners.

Bernard Kelly, sexual health advisor for St George's Healthcare, said: "It is very important that we hold events like this to allow us to provide comprehensive sexual health services to a vulnerable and marginalised group in an often challenging environment."

Consultants and sexual health representatives from a range of healthcare settings across the country attended the Sexual Health in Prisons conference, the first of its kind

Members of staff and guest speakers from today’s conference

A garden created to recognise the work of First Touch, the neonatal unit charity at St George's Hospital, has been awarded a gold medal at the 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Designed by landscape architect Patrick Collins, the First Touch Garden was one of six recipients of the gold medal in the 'Best Fresh Garden' category.

The concept of the garden is inspired by cells, the building blocks of life; a reminder that all life starts from extremely small beginnings. The planting and other elements reflect the underlying theme of growth and transition, with similar forms expressed in a range of sizes. Water also plays a significant part in the garden, and takes the form of circular, reflective pools.

The design of the garden and labour to construct it was given free of charge, and the plants, hard landscaping and decoration were donated or loaned. All materials will be recycled or reused after the show.

Patrick's own daughter, Isabel, was born prematurely and was cared for at St George's in 2001. Patrick's wife, Sarah, now works for First Touch as the charity's director.

Patrick said: "Isabel was born three months early, so I know first hand how incredible the neonatal unit at St George's is, and how amazing the nursing staff and doctors there are. I really wanted to raise awareness of the life saving work taking place at the neonatal unit, which is supported by First Touch."

Celebrity patrons of First Touch also visited the garden to show their support, including TV presenters Ortis Deley and Chris Jarvis, newsreader and presenter Sophie Raworth and Ashling McCloy, writer and style expert.

Sarah said: "It has been truly amazing to have our garden awarded a gold medal at such a prestigious event. The garden also had a royal visit from Her Majesty The Queen, so it really has topped off a wonderful week.

"The garden was inspired by the hard work and dedication of the doctors, nurses and all other staff on the neonatal unit. It has also allowed us to highlight the important work of First Touch, which raises money for vital equipment, specialist nurse development and support for families whilst they are on the neonatal unit."

To find out more about the work of First Touch, visit www.first-touch.org.uk

The gold medal certificate, awarded to the First Touch garden in the 'Fresh Garden' category

The concept of the garden is inspired by cells, the building blocks of life

Water plays a significant part in the garden and takes the form of circular, reflective pools

Celebrity patrons of First Touch also visited the garden: (l-r) Ashling McCloy, writer and style expert, Ortis Deley, presenter, Sophie Raworth, BBC newsreader and Chris Jarvis, children's TV presenter

(l-r) Garden designer Patrick Collins with Sarah Collins, First Touch director, and Nicholas Owen, newsreader

St George's Healthcare marked International Nurses' Day on Friday 10^th May with the trust's annual nursing awards.

Awards were presented for Nurse of the Year, Midwife of the Year, Healthcare Assistant of the Year and Mentor of the Year. All award nominees were put forward by fellow colleagues for their outstanding contribution to nursing practice over the last year.

This year's special guest was Caroline Alexander, chief nurse for NHS England (London region) who made a presentation on compassion in practice. This was followed by a presentation from Yvonne Connolly, head of patient safety, and Kristina Hager, infection control nurse, on their experiences on a trip to a hospital in Ghana.

Also presented at the event was the 'Auntie Lucy' award, a nursing education award of up to £1,000. The award is named in memory of former trust employee Lucy Kpobie, and presented to individuals or teams who wish to develop an area of practice or develop a new initiative for the benefit of patients.

A special award was also given to staff nurses Bronwyn Dunstan and Laura Bland this year, in recognition of their bravery in leading patients to safety from a fire at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton in February.

Dr Nidhi Sofat, consultant rheumatologist, was awarded the Michael Mason Prize in Rheumatology, which is awarded by the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) to recognise innovative work in rheumatology research.

Winners of the Prize receive the Michael Mason medal, a prize of £1,000 and the opportunity to present their work at the annual BSR conference.

Dr Sofat said: "I am delighted to have been awarded the Michael Mason Prize. It means the work I have been doing in understanding osteoarthritis pathophysiology over the last 10 years has received national recognition, and highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms underlying this most common arthritic disease.

"We now plan to build on the success of this award by conducting future studies and clinical trials at St George's to help improve care for patients. I am grateful to all our patients and collaborators, past and present, who are contributing to our work on a daily basis."

If you would like to contact Dr Sofat regarding clinical studies in osteoarthritis, please email nsofat@sgul.ac.uk or call 020 8266 6474.

Using 'Firefly' technology in the da Vinci surgical robot, the technique is known as immunofluorescence assisted partial nephrectomy. This is a form of minimally invasive surgery which uses green dye to determine the blood supply to a kidney tumour. This allows surgeons to facilitate excision (removal) of the tumour.

Knowing the exact pattern of blood supply to the tumour enables surgeons to spare as much kidney function as possible whilst removing the tumour.

Dye injected into the patient shows up under the da Vinci robot’s specialised camera as bright green light, which gives the technology its 'FireFly' name. The procedure was performed by Professor Alex Mottrie, a worldwide expert on robotic partial nephrectomy surgery from Belgium.

Chris Anderson, consultant urologist at St George's Healthcare, said: "Partial nephrectomy is a complex operation and requires excision of the tumour and reconstruction of the remaining healthy kidney. Using this latest technology we are able to achieve this better than has been possible in the past.

"It is an excellent innovation and we are fortunate to have been part of the pioneering process of this technique in the UK."

© (2013) Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Dye injected into the patient shows up under the da Vinci robot's specialised camera as bright green light, giving the technology its 'Firefly' name

Image shows Chris Anderson (right), consultant urologist at St George's Healthcare, and Professor Alex Mottrie, a worldwide expert on partial nephrectomy who performed the procedure.

The procedure was minimally invasive and used the new da Vinci robot to remove the tumour.

The national inpatient survey is an important indicator of how all NHS trusts in the country are performing, and the 2012 survey looked at the experiences of patients who were admitted to hospital for at least one night.

This year's survey rates St George's Healthcare as 'about the same' as most other trusts in the country for all 70 questions. Specifically there were six areas where the trust has improved significantly from their results last year:

• More patients felt their room or ward was clean
• More patients were encouraged to give their views on the quality of care they received
• More patients felt they received clear answers from the questions they asked nursing staff
• A choice of food was given to more patients
• More patients thought staff were clear in the advice they gave and did not contradict each other
• Fewer patients reported nurses talked in front of them as if they were not there

Alison Robertson, chief nurse and director of operations, said: "The results of this year's survey show we have successfully maintained, and in some cases built upon the improvements we have made in inpatient care.

"In 2009 the trust was ranked in the lowest 20 per cent of all trusts in the country for almost half of the survey questions. For 2012, we have consolidated our significantly better results.

"This would not have been possible without the continued hard work and dedication of our staff, which reflects the huge progress we have made in three years.

"While we are pleased with these results, we should also use the opportunity to focus on additional areas which will improve the patient experience. Feedback from our patients is fundamental in helping us to identify where we need to do better."

Louise Briggs, allied health professional therapy consultant for acute rehabilitation, was invited to join the database to provide her clinical expertise on older people to national bodies such as NHS England.

The expertise that Louise and other healthcare professionals provide will help to develop policies and commissioning pathways for older patients nationally.

Louise said: "Joining this database is a great opportunity to raise the profile of rehabilitation for older people and to be able to influence best practice at a national level.

"Care of frail older people has been under the spotlight in the media recently, and I hope that by taking a role in helping to develop clear guidelines we can improve the standard of healthcare for these patients across the country."

The shortlist for this prestigious category recognises cardiovascular medicine teams, who, with constantly evolving treatments are translating knowledge into improved care for patients suffering from heart and circulatory diseases. The St George's team is one of only five teams who have been shortlisted nationally for this category.

The team, who have been in place since July 2011, is made up of doctors and nurses from cardiology, anaesthetics and intensive care. This multidisciplinary approach to patient care has greatly improved outcomes and survival rates for patients who have suffered a heart attack as patients are given immediate emergency and intensive care treatment as soon as they are brought into hospital.

St George's Hospital is one of the biggest and busiest of the seven specialist heart attack centres in the capital, serving the southwest London population and, since March 2011, patients from across east Surrey. It provides emergency care, diagnosis, medical treatment and outpatient services for all heart disorders. The heart attack centre provides a 24-hour emergency angioplasty service, enabling life-saving treatment to be given to heart attack patients.

The awards ceremony will take place in May. For more information, visit http://groupawards.bmj.com.

The trust and the school have been running the Project SEARCH scheme in collaboration with HAFAD and Merton Council since November 2012. The Project SEARCH scheme helps people with moderate or severe learning difficulties experience employment, providing a series of work placements at a host organisation.

Students have been working across different departments at St George's Hospital, Tooting, including estates and facilities, cardiothoracic outpatients and hospital records. Many are now working on their second placement within the hospital, allowing them to learn and master competitive work skills.

19 year old Reece Edwards from Croydon is one of the students who have taken part in the scheme, working in the catering department. He said: “"My first placement was washing up the plates and cups and making sure they were cleaned well. I really enjoyed this, but once I had learnt how to do this I wanted to move.

"Now I work on the serving line in the hospital restaurant. I found it hard to get the portion sizes right at first but I know them now and I like working in a team and giving good customer service."

Reece has impressed his mentors so much that he was given the chance to earn a Food Safety certificate, and has recently passed his Level 2 qualification.

Emily Steltzer, Project SEARCH job coach, said: "Training programmes like Project SEARCH are so successful because they are a unique collaboration between an education provider, a service organisation and a business that provides real work experience for students to build their confidence and ensure they gain competitive and marketable skills."

Reece Edwards (right) with assistant head chef Alan Nash

Peppa paid a special visit to patient Louie Bull, who was celebrating his first birthday on the unit. Louie's mum Natalie McDougall said: "It was a lovely birthday treat for Louie - Peppa Pig is one of his favourite TV shows."

Peppa Pig with PICU patient Louie Bull, who marked his first birthday on the unit

The OPAT service allows inpatients receiving intravenous antibiotics to be discharged early from hospital. Patients who are eligible for this service go home after receiving their last inpatient dose of antibiotics. The antibiotics they would have received whilst in hospital are then administered regularly by a nurse at the patient’s home. Since 2009 nearly 400 patients have been treated using this method.

The survey found that all patients surveyed who used the OPAT service found that it met or exceeded their expectations. 85 per cent of patients agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred the OPAT service to receiving treatment as an inpatient in hospital.

The survey also found that all respondents rated the OPAT team's support as good or excellent, and all patients surveyed said they would accept the OPAT service should the need arise again. 95.2 per cent of patients rated the overall service from the hospital as good or excellent.

The service is a collaboration between the clinical microbiology and specialist medicine departments at St George's. Clinical teams can identify patients who would benefit from the OPAT service and refer them to the team.

Although discharged from hospital, patients remain under the care of St George's and are monitored and reviewed regularly by both the OPAT and referring teams.

Aodhan Breathnach, consultant microbiologist, said: "By getting out of hospital sooner, patients are able to recover in a more familiar setting with the knowledge that they are in regular contact with nurses and have access to a consultant microbiologist 24 hours a day should they require help.

"Patients receive full home support for the administration of antibiotic therapy and can recover safely in their own homes – some even return to work while receiving treatment."

"This frees up beds at the hospital for patients who require more intensive treatment, resulting in a wider benefit to other patients and the trust."

The survey results show that compared to most of the 142 other acute trusts in the country, staff at St George's:

• have more ability to contribute towards improvements at work;
• have higher levels of motivation at work;
• are more likely to recommend St George's as a place to work or receive treatment.

More staff at St George's believe that they are making a difference to patients than at almost every other trust in the country, and more staff are satisfied with the quality of work and patient care they are able to deliver.

Staff at St George's are also more likely to report errors, near misses or incidents than at most other trusts. The lessons learned from these reports are a major factor in the trust's excellent record of patient safety, with the trust being named amongst the safest in the country and having some of the lowest mortality rates in the country despite the highly complex nature of the services provided in the Dr Foster 2012 Hospital Guide.

Ros Given-Wilson, medical director, said:

"I am really pleased that staff are more likely to recommend St George's as a place to work and receive treatment than nearly every other trust in the country.

"This staff survey demonstrates that the key to our strong clinical performance is a well engaged and highly motivated workforce that has the power to make the improvements they feel necessary at work."

Miles Scott, chief executive, was very pleased with the results:

"These results are hugely encouraging in light of the Francis enquiry recommendations. Knowing that our staff are so highly engaged and motivated and would recommend St George's to family and friends should fill all of our patients with a huge amount of confidence."

Despite St George's Healthcare’s strong performance in the NHS staff survey, the trust has identified areas where it feels improvements could be made to further improve the working lives of staff. St George's staff report high levels of harassment and tend to work longer hours than staff at other trusts.

Wendy Brewer, director of human resources, explains that the trust is working closely with staff and unions to address these issues and bring them into line with the highest performing trusts:

"The NHS national staff survey is important as it not only lets us know where we are performing well, but perhaps most importantly tells us if there are areas where our staff need some more support.

"Over the coming weeks we will work closely with our staff, the unions and our partners to identify what we can do to make the improvements we need to whilst maintaining our very strong performance in areas where staff have said we are doing well."

Miles will be using @StGeorgesCEO to tweet about his role as chief executive of one of the largest healthcare providers in the country. Followers will get an insight into the behind the scenes work that ensures clinicians have all the resources they need to focus fully on patient care.

Speaking about joining the Twitter masses, Miles said;

"Twitter is a fantastic way of engaging with the people who use our services. I hope to be able to give people a bit of insight into how decisions are made about the future of the trust as well as celebrating our achievements and explaining what we are doing to improve things that we feel could be done better."

Tweeters can also keep up to date with goings on at St George's Healthcare by following @StGeorgesTrust and by finding us on Facebook at facebook.com/StGeorgesTrust

The Winter Warmers initiative sees the trust working with the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity and Age UK to reach as many vulnerable patients as possible. Specialist instructors will be visiting specialist day centres and day hospitals in Wandsworth to teach a home exercise programme designed to keep people active, healthy and warm at home.

The initiative aims to keep people warm by issuing the Winter Warmers package, which includes a room thermometer, gloves, blankets and heat packs to make sure patients are well equipped to stay warm.

Digital radios will also be given out to help reduce feelings of loneliness and enable access to DAB radio stations such as The Wireless, which will blast out morale-boosting show tunes, remind people of their exercises and how to stay warm.

As the exercise programme rolls out over the coming months, the show will run reminder messages on the digital radios so that people don’t forget the exercises they were taught in class.

Bernadette Kennedy, head of integrated falls and bone health, said: "All the clinical evidence shows that keeping warm and active at home during cold periods significantly reduces the risk of being admitted to hospital, and is very good for your emotional wellbeing.

"By meeting Esta at the centres and then hearing her voice in their houses on a Saturday night we hope that exercises will continue at home."

"Starting an initiative like this means we can get to more of our more vulnerable patients and ensure they have all they need to keep the effects of the cold at bay."

Patients receiving their Winter Warmers package with Esta Charkham, presenter of Showtunes on The Wireless, Age UK’s digital radio station

Mr Nicholas Hyde, lead cancer clinician at St George's, who already sits on the LCA Clinical Board, has been appointed LCA pathway group chair for head and neck cancer, and Professor Barry Powell, head of melanoma services at St George's, has been appointed the LCA pathway group chair for skin cancer.

The LCA was established in 2011 as the integrated cancer system across south and west London. The LCA works in partnership with 17 NHS organisations to provide comprehensive, integrated cancer patient pathways and services, driving improvements in patient outcomes and experience for the populations served.

LCA Pathway Groups ensure that patients across south and west London have access to the same high quality diagnostics and care, as well as taking on responsibility for co-ordinating the research, education and development of cancer services.

Mr Hyde said: "I am delighted to be part of what promises to be a very exciting project in the development of London’s cancer services. I hope the group I will chair is able to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer to help reduce the stage at which this disease presents.

"There are undoubtedly some significant hurdles to overcome and my hope is that I might bring leadership and direction to this work."

Professor Powell said: "St George's has always been at the forefront of skin cancer services, not only nationally but internationally. It is right that the trust is recognised for this by taking a lead role for the development of skin cancer services for a large area of London."

Ros Given-Wilson, medical director, said: "These appointments underline St George's reputation as an accredited centre of excellence for cancer services.

"Having two of our clinicians appointed to these roles is a testament to the trust's development of its cancer services over the last 10 years and to the dedication of Nicholas, Barry and their teams. We are very proud to support Barry and Nicholas in their roles at the LCA. "

The team were invited to the reception at London's City Hall after the Mayor's office received a letter praising staff in senior health for their excellent care of a patient at the hospital.

Around 300 people from Wandsworth and Merton attended the event, where Boris spoke of the value of having a commitment to high quality services for the people of London.

Stephen Wood, principal physiotherapist in senior health, said: "The evening was a huge success and gave the staff full recognition for their dedication to patient dignity and care. Boris kindly spoke to us and was very keen to hear about our senior health initiatives and aspirations for the trust.

"All senior health staff have a valuable role in the care of our older patients, and we were honoured to represent them at this event."

(L-R) Louise Clancy, junior sister, Catherine Bridge, matron, Lorraine Paruma, practice nurse educator, Amanda Adams, sister, Boris Johnson, Gemma Singh, senior physiotherapist, Sheneika Edwards, staff nurse and Stephen Wood, principal physiotherapist.

The study by Patient Opinion, an independent not-for-profit feedback website enabling patients to share their experiences of NHS care, found that the trust responds to 95 per cent of all comments and 100 per cent of critical comments posted on both the Patient Opinion and NHS Choices websites.

The evaluation examined 4000 comments posted between May and October 2012 and how often the trust had responded to instances where patients had raised concerns.

St George’s was given the top rating, showing that the trust 'responds frequently and is good at these measures of quality'. St George's is one of only six trusts across the country named in this grouping.

Alison Robertson, chief nurse and director of operations, said: "Websites such as NHS Choices and Patient Opinion are becoming increasingly popular and offer an instant and convenient method for patients to share their experiences. The trust values all feedback it receives, whether in person, in written format or by digital means, as it helps us to identify areas where we can improve but also lets us know where we are doing well.

St George's is one of the country's leading healthcare institutions, known for its expertise in services such as major trauma, stroke, children's healthcare services and cancer, as well as being an historic hub of healthcare education and research, sharing its main hospital site with St George's, University of London, in Tooting, south west London.

Becoming a Foundation Trust is an essential and significant milestone for the organisation, one it aims to achieve by April 2014. Foundation Trusts are different from existing NHS Trusts as they are more financially flexible, are free from central government control and have different governance arrangements.

This additional freedom enables Foundation Trusts to make more decisions about their own future - decisions they reach with input from the communities and patients they serve.

Miles Scott, trust chief executive, said: "This is an important time for the trust and its future as a major healthcare provider. Over the coming years we have some ambitious aims for developing our healthcare.

"We want to make research a part of our everyday business so that we can advance our understanding of healthcare. We aim to modernise our services and develop ways of caring for more people in the comfort of their own homes. We also want to invest in our workforce so patients can be confident that they are being looked after by the most skilled clinicians.

"The future for St George's is very exciting and as a Foundation Trust the communities we serve can have a greater say over our plans by becoming members and electing a Council of Governors.

"This consultation is about finding out what people think of our plans to become a Foundation Trust - what our membership could look like, and how a Council of Governors will influence decisions.

"I would encourage everyone to respond and play an essential role in helping us to shape our proposals."

Christopher Smallwood, trust chairman, said: "Developing our membership and Council of Governors will increase the trust's accountability to patients, staff and the public, which will result in real benefits for all of our stakeholders.

"We will carefully consider feedback on our proposals from the wider community, so that we can become a Foundation Trust which continues to deliver high quality and compassionate healthcare."

The public consultation runs for 12 weeks, and will end on Friday 26^th April 2013. Any member of the public is invited to have their say. The trust's proposals are outlined comprehensively in the full consultation document, which can be read on the St George's Healthcare website at www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/ftindex.asp.

Dame Ruth Carnall, chief executive of NHS London, officially opened St George's Hospital's emergency department on Wednesday 23^rd January 2013.

The department has undergone a full scale refurbishment and modernisation which has improved a number of areas including:

• The children's emergency department which has been expanded to include a new space for a combined walk-in and minor paediatric injuries service
• A new paediatric majors area where children with more serious injuries are treated
• A new Paediatric Assessment Unit, which is a short stay area for children who need short stay observation or are awaiting investigations, but do not need to be admitted
• The Clinical Decisions Unit has been expanded creating more capacity, and has been kitted out with improved facilities which mean a better patient experience
• Additional space for the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) which replaced the Tooting Walk-in Centre in July 2012. The UCC provides treatment for minor illnesses and injuries like strains, bites, burns, infected wounds or chest infections
• A new reception, waiting room and triage area

The refurbishment was largely funded by St George's Hospital Charity.

Dame Ruth Carnall said: "I am so pleased to be able to officially open the unit. As one of the busiest A&E departments in the country and a major trauma centre for London, the hospital cares for patients who are in need of urgent and specialist care. It is wonderful to see what's been done since the last time I visited St George's Hospital. Staff are clearly enthusiastic about the care they provide and have worked hard to develop a smooth pathway of treatment for patients."

Our picture shows Dame Ruth Carnall with Dr Phil Moss, clinical director for emergency and acute medicine

Cold homes have a significant impact on people's health. One of the best ways of keeping yourself well during winter is to stay warm. Keeping warm can help prevent colds, flu or more serious health conditions like heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and depression.

Pensioners, people with long term chronic health conditions like asthma and kidney disease, and people on low incomes who cannot afford to heat their homes properly are the most at risk from cold weather related illnesses.

Alison Robertson, chief nurse,says that there are simple steps that everybody can take to protect themselves and their friends and family from the cold weather:

"It is really important to try and keep yourself warm at home. Try to keep as active in your home as possible, and drawing your curtains when it gets dark and keep your doors closed will help to block out draughts.

"Have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during winter.

"Wrap up warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside on cold days. Wearing several light layers of warm clothes is better than one chunky layer. If possible, stay inside during a cold period if you have heart or respiratory problems."

Alison also stresses the importance of getting vaccinated against the flu:

"Flu is a highly infectious illness that can spread rapidly and can be very dangerous for older people, pregnant women and people with long term health conditions. The jab takes five minutes and will protect you and your family from the flu. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about getting vaccinated."

It's not just in the house that people need to take care though. With the snow comes ice, which means more people slip and hurt themselves than at other times of the year.

Dr Phil Moss, clinical director for A&E, has some advice for people when they are out and about to help them avoid an unwanted trip to A&E:

"Icy pavements and roads can be very slippery. Take extra care if you go out and wear boots or shoes with good grip on the soles. Putting grit or cat litter on paths and driveways can lessen the risk of slipping as you leave the house.

"It is important to bear in mind that black ice on pavements or roads might not be easy to spot, and that compacted snow may turn to ice and become slippery. If you have to travel by car, wherever possible use roads that have been gritted. Icy roads can be dangerous so drivers should take extra care.

Phil is also urging people to make sure they choose the most appropriate health service for their condition this winter:

"A&E gets extremely busy during the winter, and a lot of the people who come could get quicker and more appropriate treatment closer to home.

"People should remember that A&E is only for emergencies and life threatening conditions. Your local pharmacist can also treat you for a wide range of conditions like coughs and colds, fever, nausea and sickness and skin irritations without the need for a prescription. Your GP surgery will provide services during the day and outside of normal hours.

"If you are suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting you should stay away from hospital and call NHS Direct as you probably have norovirus, better known as winter vomiting disease. The symptoms only last a couple of days but are very contagious and spread quickly. Norovirus is potentially dangerous to people with serious health conditions who are already in hospital.

"If you need advice or reassurance or need to know which NHS services to use you can contact NHS Direct, a 24 hours-a-day nurse advice and health information service, on 0845 4647 or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Judith is the responsible officer and senior medical adviser to the General Medical Council. Prior to this she was a consultant general and cardiothoracic anaesthetist at University College London Hospital until 2009 and President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists 2006-2009. Judith has chaired many important taskforces including the Swine Flu (H1N1) Critical Care Clinical Group for the Department of Health and the Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) sub-group. She was awarded a CBE in June 2009.

Stella has extensive commercial and human resources experience gained through senior leadership roles in a wide range of organisational settings. She combines the running of a successful consulting company on workforce and organisational strategy with a number of public appointments, including the Judicial Appointments Commission and non-executive director on the Service Personnel Board at the Ministry of Defence.

Judith said: "I am delighted to be joining St George's Healthcare at such an exciting and challenging time. I am looking forward to learning about the trust’s extensive range of clinical services, education and research opportunities and to supporting the trust's forthcoming application for Foundation Trust status."

Stella said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining St George's. I look forward to putting my experience and knowledge to use for an organisation that has such an excellent reputation in serving its local community."

Christopher Smallwood said: "I am very pleased to welcome both Judith and Stella onto the trust board. Their expertise and experience will help us further strengthen the board at an important time for St George's Healthcare as we continue with our bid to become a Foundation Trust."

Both Judith and Stella's appointments have been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. All non-executive appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Judith and Stella have declared no political activity over the last five years and hold no ministerial appointments.

Judith has been appointed to the St George's Healthcare Quality and Risk Committee and Audit Committee and Stella has been appointed to the St George's Healthcare Workforce Committee and Finance and Performance Committee. They will each receive remuneration of £6,096 per annum.

Patients attending an appointment at the POCC or an outpatient clinic at St George's are asked if they would like to speak to the smokers support team, where information and advice is given on NHS services available to help them quit.

Staff from the POCC were thanked by Peter Jenkinson, director of corporate affairs, and Trudi Kemp, director of strategic development. Nurses later met 'Big Cig', mascot for smoking support.

Nurse specialist Wendy Kite, who designed the referral pathway, said: "This new system has only been in place since July and already the POCC team have generated over 100 referrals. Other outpatient clinics across the hospital are also participating in the scheme, and so far we have reached a total of nearly 400 patients referred to this scheme."

Dr Ros Given-Wilson, medical director, said: "I am delighted with the response from staff who are already referring and would recommend that all outpatient clinics join this referral pathway. It is absolutely vital that we continue with this highly successful project."

There will be pop up drop-in clinics running in Asda in Clapham Junction and Roehampton in January to help smokers who want to quit as part of their New Year's resolutions. For more information and support from Wandsworth NHS Stop Smoking Service visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/stopsmoking or call 0800 389 7921.

The consultant-led unit provides patients with immediate access to the specialist emergency care they need and has been successful in reducing patients' length-of-stay in hospital by more than 30 per cent over the last year.

Jane Evans, lead consultant for acute medicine, said: "We aim to provide a high-quality service to patients with acute medical problems and work hard to ensure that they are managed in the correct setting. Our team adopt a truly multi-disciplinary approach to all our patients which ensures they receive a holistic assessment and reduces waiting times for treatment and therapies."

Ann received a tour of the unit and met with patients and staff.

Our photo shows L-R: Nicola Shopland, head of nursing, Jane Evans, lead consultant, Ann Radmore, chief executive of NHS South West London, Christopher Smallwood, chairman, Kelly Davies, matron and Jane Fisher, general manager

Hosted by Christopher Smallwood, chairman, and Miles Scott, chief executive, the dinner honoured staff who have given 25 years' service to St George's Healthcare as well as the trust's 2012 special achievement award winners. Volunteers who have given 10 years' service to St George's were also recognised.

The dinner was attended by more than 100 award winners, guests and senior members of staff.

Arthur Smith	Barbara Peters with Miles Scott, chief executive (left) and Christopher Smallwood, chairman	Miles Scott, Marian Williams and Christopher Smallwood
Miles Scott, Polly Hughes, Emma Evans and Christopher Smallwood	Miles Scott, McEntee Ward team and Christopher Smallwood	Sandra Howard and Arthur Smith

Winners:

25 years’ service

• Sally-Anne Pullum
• Maya Venkat
• Peter Mortimer
• Richard Harman
• Salim Nalla
• Sandra Boreland
• Susan Conlon
• Violet Milton
• Kevin Wedderburn
• Linda Brett
• Yvette Small
• Diana West
• Siew Nayak
• Earl Tulloch
• Liam Oxford
• Helen Phillips
• Sameena Abedeen
• Donna Chorley
• Ernestina Lartey
• Alison Redfern
• Janet Wade
• Helen Butler
• Tracy Del Valle
• Murray Bain
• Gillian Costello
• Dianna Fairman-Campbell
• Sarah Thacker
• Patricia Donoghue
• Anne Luongo
• Robert Hero
• Linda Thomas
• Traci Dean
• Sarah Foote
• Christine Schulkes
• Marietta Armoogum

Volunteers 10 years’ service

• George Brett
• Shirley Ruby

Special achievement award winners

Individual

• Ruth Godden, clinical team leader, health visiting and school health teams, Stormont Health Centre
• Sandra Howard, clinical nurse specialist, dermatology
• Rowan Lewin, recruitment advisor, HR
• Barbara Peters, senior technologist, mortuary
• Emma Pindard, discharge nurse, Allingham Ward
• Samantha Prigmore, nurse consultant, respiratory
• Marian Williams, SLT administrator, St John’s Therapy Centre

Team

• McEntee Ward team
• Obstetric simulation team (Emma Evans and Polly Hughes)

The neonatal unit cares for over 600 new-born babies each year, with up to 39 babies on the unit at any one time. The unit provides care for newborn babies from across south east England requiring specialist treatment, including premature and low-birth weight babies and those needing surgery.

Christmas can be a tough time for the families, and the unit do all they can with the hospital's neonatal charity, First Touch, to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to the unit, including special Christmas stockings full of presents on every cot.

Gethin Jones said:

"It was an absolute privilege to meet the amazing staff, families, and of course the incredibly brave children on the neonatal unit at St George's Hospital.

"The work they do here is so so important - life changing in fact. I'm really pleased we were able to give the unit the recognition it deserves by reporting on it with Daybreak.

"I'd like to wish everyone on the unit a healthy and very special Christmas."

Suzi Mach, neonatal nurse, Sara Yanbolu, neonatal matron, Gethin Jones, Kate Scadeng, neonatal nurse, and Jen Boardman, neonatal nurse

Gethin Jones with baby Hugh Hunter and mum Louise Hunter

Gethin Jones with baby Cassiana Pereira and dad Martin Stopher

A motley crew of riverside friends from Polka Theatre lead by the infamous Mr Toad arrived at the children's wards at St George's Hospital in Tooting on Friday, 14^th December.

Polka's production of The Wind in the Willows, based on the well loved book by Kenneth Grahame, has been delighting young audiences aged 5 - 11 since November and will run until 16^th February 2013. Arriving in style adorned in his driving clothes, Toad led Ratty, Mole and Badger up the road to St George's to delight and entertain the young people on the children's wards.

Patients were dazzled by the arrival of the exuberant Mr Toad and his more humble friends as they brightened up the ward with Christmas cheer; signing autographs and answering questions. Departing from Polka's Main Theatre for an afternoon to visit St George's was a treat for the cast and a great opportunity for the theatre to be involved with the local community.

Rosie Littleboy, lead play specialist at the hospital, said: "We are so pleased that the cast of The Wind in the Willows were able to visit us. Christmas can be a really difficult time for children who are stuck in hospital and the visit provided lots of smiles and laughter for the children and their families."

Patient Tia-Dior Blackman and the Wind in the Willows cast

Cold homes have a significant impact on people's health. One of the best ways of keeping yourself well during winter is to stay warm.

Keeping warm over the winter months can help prevent colds, flu or more serious health conditions like heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and depression.

The chances of these problems are higher if you're vulnerable to cold-related illnesses because of one or more of the following:

• you're over 65
• you're on a low income (so can't afford heating)
• you have a long-term health condition such as heart, lung or kidney disease
• you are disabled

Alison Robertson, chief nurse,says that there are simple steps that everybody can take to protect themselves and their friends and family from the cold weather:

"It is really important to try and keep yourself warm at home. Try to keep as active in your home as possible, and drawing your curtains when it gets dark and keep your doors closed will help to block out draughts.

"Have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during winter.

"Wrap up warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside on cold days. Wearing several light layers of warm clothes is better than one chunky layer. If possible, stay inside during a cold period if you have heart or respiratory problems."

Alison also stresses the importance of getting vaccinated against the flu:

"Flu is a highly infectious illness that can spread rapidly and can be very dangerous for older people, pregnant women and people with long term health conditions. The jab takes five minutes and will protect you and your family from the flu. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about getting vaccinated."

Phil Moss, clinical director for A&E and acute medicine, has some advice for people when they are out and about to help them avoid an unwanted trip to A&E:

"Icy pavements and roads can be very slippery. Take extra care if you go out and wear boots or shoes with good grip on the soles. Putting grit or cat litter on paths and driveways can lessen the risk of slipping as you leave the house.

"It is important to bear in mind that black ice on pavements or roads might not be easy to spot, and that compacted snow may turn to ice and become slippery. If you have to travel by car, wherever possible use roads that have been gritted. Icy roads can be dangerous so drivers should take extra care.

Phil is also urging people to make sure they choose the most appropriate health service for their condition this winter:

"A&E gets extremely busy during the winter, and a lot of the people who come could get quicker and more appropriate treatment closer to home.

"People should remember that A&E is only for emergencies and life threatening conditions. Your local pharmacist can also treat you for a wide range of conditions like coughs and colds, fever, nausea and sickness and skin irritations without the need for a prescription. Your GP surgery will provide services during the day and outside of normal hours.

"If you are suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting you should stay away from hospital and call NHS Direct as you probably have norovirus, better known as winter vomiting disease. The symptoms only last a couple of days but are very contagious and spread quickly. Norovirus is potentially dangerous to people with serious health conditions who are already in hospital.

"If you need advice or reassurance or need to know which NHS services to use you can contact NHS Direct, a 24 hours-a-day nurse advice and health information service, on 0845 4647 or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Known as the BreckerWire, the device is a new design of intracardiac guidewire developed by Dr Stephen Brecker, a cardiologist at St George’s since 1996.

Intracardiac guidewires are used in a number of cardiac procedures, including a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve. This is known as a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

The BreckerWire is a preshaped, flexible wire which enables the safer delivery of valves to the heart. Previously, a standard stiff guidewire was used in the TAVI procedure which carried a risk of complications, such as perforation of the ventricle.

In 2008, Dr Brecker aimed to redesign the traditional guidewire to allow more controlled use during high risk cardiac procedures. The idea was developed in conjunction with St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust and NHS Innovations London, and was also highly commended in the NHS Innovations London annual awards in 2009.

A clinical trial of the BreckerWire took place in 2010, and it is now being used in around four TAVI procedures every month at St George’s.

Dr Brecker said:

“To me, it seemed an obvious and simple idea which no-one else had done. Taking the idea from my head to the bedside was the difficult step, but having done this I am keen to assist others within the trust to do the same.

“I am convinced that the trust must have many efficient, innovative ideas which could enhance patient care and safety, but most of us simply keep the ideas to ourselves. Having faith that the idea can actually translate into something concrete is where the trust can help.”

Miles Scott, St George's Healthcare chief executive, said:

“Innovations like these show that our staff are committed to maintaining high quality care, as well as being able to identify improvements which can make patient care safer.“

Alison Robertson, chief nurse at St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, says:

“People with symptoms of D&V could be suffering with Norovirus, a bug which is generally unpleasant but rarely serious for otherwise healthy people. It can, however, become a very serious illness for patients in hospital who are already weakened by other conditions.

“Norovirus is exceptionally infectious and passes easily from one person to the next. This is why people suffering with D&V must not come into hospital, including those with outpatient appointments.

"Friends and relatives with symptoms of the virus are asked not visit patients on our wards until they are no longer infectious – at least 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped. Visitors bringing the virus into the hospital will put vulnerable patients at risk.

“With schools and local businesses gearing back up again after the festive break, the community may experience a rise in infection rates. This is the time to be most vigilant and avoid passing the virus to friends and family.

“The advice for healthy adults suffering with the virus is to rest, drink plenty of water and let the illness run its course. People should speak to their GP, pharmacy or NHS Direct over the telephone if they need more guidance.”

Clinical audits are used by teams in the trust to compare current practice against agreed best practice and make changes where necessary to improve patient experience and staff knowledge.

Nearly 60 posters were displayed and six oral presentations were given at the event, which was attended by over 120 staff. Jane Moore, implementation consultant at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), also presented to the audience on implementing NICE guidance.

Kate Hutt, clinical effectiveness and audit manager, said: "Throughout the year we have been working towards achieving the objectives of the trust's clinical audit strategy. The most significant change this year has been the introduction of new survey and scanning software for the collection of audit data, underlining the trust's commitment to improving outcomes and the steps that we need to take to achieve our aims."

Nigel Kennea, associate medical director, clinical effectiveness and audit committee chair, said: "Since first launching this event in 2007 we have been impressed by the enthusiasm to share the work undertaken to improve patient care. We would like to thank everyone that participated by either presenting their projects or coming along to learn more."

Linda Papadopoulou, cardiothoracic clinical fellow, explains her team’s clinical audit to Jane Moore, implementation consultant at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

The Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2012 further cements St George's Healthcare NHS Trust's position as one of the country's leading healthcare institutions. As well has also being named amongst the leading performers for SHMI, the trust has also been named among trusts with a 'better than expected' outcome for Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) and emergency HSMR.

This news follows St George's Hospital's heart attack centre being heralded as having the capital's best survival rates by the London Ambulance Service Cardiac Arrest Annual Report 2011/12.

Other areas in which St George's Healthcare is named amongst the leading performers in the country include:

• Having lower than expected 28 day emergency readmission rates;
• Having a higher than expected ratio of MRI scans carried out on the day of admission, demonstrating that we are providing timely diagnostics throughout the night and at weekends to some of south west London’s most seriously ill patients;
• Elderly inpatients having a shorter length of stay than most other hospitals, showing that we are effectively treating patients and getting them home quicker where they can be treated in the comfort of their own homes by our community nursing and therapy teams;
• Having one of the quickest 'first to follow up' ratios in the country, which shows that we see, treat and discharge our outpatients using fewer appointments and return trips than other hospitals. This is good for patients and demonstrates effective use of our resources;
• Carrying out more procedures at the weekend than most other hospitals, showing that we are offering our patients more procedures at times that suit them.

Nigel Kennea, associate medical director, said:

"As St George's Hospital is a major trauma centre, hyper acute stroke unit and heart attack centre, and a centre of excellence for cancer, maternity, cardiothoracic, neurosciences and renal services, our staff are used to treating the most seriously ill and vulnerable people from across south west London and Surrey every day.

"The fact that even for the most complex emergency services our mortality rates are significantly lower than expected is a testament to both the professionalism and dedication of our skilled clinical teams."

Miles Scott, trust chief executive, said:

"People in south west London can take a huge amount of confidence and pride in the fact that mortality rates at St George's are significantly lower than the national average and that the Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2012 further cements our status as one of the country's leading healthcare institutions.

"Our performance in the Hospital Guide is testament to the attitude and hard work of our staff, and to trust's commitment to research and innovation to improve quality and safety.

"We were one of the first healthcare organisations anywhere to monitor mortality to ensure that we could understand the death rate for every individual area of practice. Our rates are published on our website and this approach ensures that we have the clearest possible picture to help us maintain low mortality rates."

In his latest blog Miles shares some of the exceptional work the department of cardiothoracic surgery are doing in terms of clinical care and their dedication to research, training and education.

You can read the blog at www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/mediaceoblog.asp?post=celebrating-success-in-cardiothoracic-surgery