BMA guide to Welsh Hospitals for Foundation Year one Doctors 2009 – your help is needed

BMA Cymru Wales has been producing a guide to Welsh Hospitals for F1 Doctors for several now years. It provides information about life as a F1 doctor working in Wales and is really well valued by final year students making decision about their future employment. The guide also gives the BMA vital information about living and working conditions in each of the hospitals in Wales, enabling us to work with Trusts to resolve any issues raised.

This year we are inviting current F1 doctors working in Wales to complete the survey online.

The closing date for completed surveys is Monday 6th July 2009.

The survey is sent to all F1 doctors in Wales and forms the basis of this guide, which is due to be published in October 2009. So your contribution is extremely important to us and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for your contribution.

And here, perhaps, is the best bit - by completing the survey you will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPod Classic 80G!

Welsh Pharmacy Awards 2009

Last night I attended the Welsh Pharmacy Awards at Cardiff's City Hall. This was the first ever event of its kind hosted by the Welsh Chemist Review - a publication for pharmacists produced by Medical Communications Limited, based in Northern Ireland. Similar hosted events take place in Northern Ireland where GPs are also recognised for their service. It is so important that the role and contribution of health professionals in Wales are recognised and I hope that the outstanding achievements, service excellence, innovations and developments that are taking place in community and hospital pharmacy receive wider recognition. I have always enjoyed excellent working relationships with both my hospital pharmacy and community colleagues and have always valued our collaborative working for the benefit of patients.

It will be vitally important for the patients of Wales that all healthcare professionals work in harmony in the light of the forthcoming NHS reforms in Wales, and the tighter financial position that we are frequently warned of. Primary and community care is intended as the key focus for healthcare delivery, although it is inevitable that patients require specialist hospital intervention too. The only thing that matters to patients is that all these services including social care are provided at the right time in the right place and to the highest possible standards, consistently and reliably. This can only happen when all those professionals involved in the provision of health and social care work together effortlessly, respecting each others roles and skills.


Note:

The categories & nominations were:

This year there were 8 award categories:

* Business Development of the Year
* Innovation in Service Development
* Managing Healthcare Services in the Community
* Pharmaceutical Care
* Pharmacy Support Staff Training
* Pharmacy Technician of the Year
* Community Pharmacist of the Year
* Hospital Pharmacist of the Year

Nominations

* Business Development of the Year Award
Andrew Mather, Fferyllfa Newport Pharmacy
Christine Campbell, St Athan's Pharmacy
Phil Bullen, Wellness Pharmacy

* Innovation in Service Development Award
Sarah Louise Blood, Wrexham Maelor Hospital
Ceri Williams, Rowlands Pharmacy, Porthmadog
Cherrie Temple, Boots UK, South Wales
Lloyds Pharmacy, Sway Road, Morriston

* Managing Healthcare Services in the Community Award
James Jenkins, The Co-operative Pharmacy, Rhondda Cynon Taff
Alexander Daghlian, Alexanders Pharmacy, Wrexham
Alison Sparkes, Sparkes Pharmacy, Neath
Lloyds Pharmacy, Marsh Street

* Pharmaceutical Care Award
Anita White, Wendy Griffiths Pharmacy
Rhodri Jenkins, The Co-operative Pharmacy, Pontycumer, Bridgend
Ruth Mitchell and the Pharmacy Team, Boots UK, St David's Centre, Cardiff
Sion Llewelyn, Rowlands Pharmacy, Bala

* Pharmacy Support Staff Training Award
Alexander Daghlian, Alexanders Pharmacies Ltd
Asda Stores, Pontprennau
Carol Hudson, Lloyds Pharmacy Gelligaer
Rowlands, Runcorn

* Pharmacy Technician of the Year Award
Melissa Roberts, Rowlands, Gwynedd
Catherine Daghlian, Alexanders Pharmacies Ltd
Kelly Hann, Lloyds Pharmacy, Morriston

* Community Pharmacist of the Year Award
Alwyn Fortune, The Co-operative Pharmacy
Ceri Williams, Rowlands Pharmacy, Porthmadog
Daniel Charles Jenkins, Lloyds Pharmacy, Port Talbot
Mike Wallington, Boots UK, Cardiff

* Hospital Pharmacist of the Year Award
Farzana Mohammed, Royal Gwent Hospital
Sarah Louise Blood, Wrexham Maelor Hospital
Sian Evans, Velindre Cancer Centre
Richard White, Glan Clwyd Hospital

Big Brother is watching – to help protect NHS staff

I know our members will welcome this announcement about a pilot CCTV scheme to deal with violence against NHS staff. Anything that can act as a deterrent is a good thing.

We have reiterated time and again how violence and aggression aimed at doctors and other health workers, just trying to do their job, ie. care for people, should be treated in such an appalling way. This is a growing problem which will not go away overnight. Our members should not have to live in daily fear of being attacked.

As some trusts already have CCTV cameras, why has the WAG not used this as a basis for the pilot, so that we would now be in a position to roll them out to all A&E departments in Wales?

And this is about more than just CCTV.

The BMA, giving evidence to the Audit Committee recently highlighted the following action areas;

• A register of violent patients: If a doctor, nurse or other healthcare personnel can be alerted in advance to the possibility of a patient becoming violent, s/he will be forewarned and no longer placed in a position of vulnerability through lack of relevant information.

• Ownership and Responsibility for staff Safety - ensure that a senior staff member is given the responsibility for staff safety and monitored on that responsibility.

• Training and Communication - ensure that all staff are fully trained, are aware of the mechanisms to report physical or verbal abuse; and that they are encouraged to report incidents.

• Staff Support - ensure that all staff are supported at all times, and continuing support (counselling services for example) are available after the violent incident.

• Public Awareness - ensure that patients and healthcare users know that they are not outside of the law while in contact with healthcare professionals, and that those offenders will be brought to justice.

• Police Liaison - to work in partnership to develop a common understanding of how attackers are dealt with.

This focus on CCTV cameras also shifts the emphasis on to NHS staff in hospitals, when violence is a particular problem for lone workers, ie. GPs and health visitors. Measures need to be taken to enusre their protection too.

Time to stub it on hospital grounds in Wales

On the second anniversary of the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces in Wales, isn’t it about time it’s extended to all hospital grounds?

The situation with this at the moment is that some Welsh NHS Trusts operate voluntary codes, but these aren’t enforceable by any laws or fines.

The BMA in Wales has campaigned before for smoking to be banned on all hospital grounds. In fact, we called on the Assembly Government to change the law to ensure hospitals were included in the smoking ban legislation, which came into effect two years ago today.

This wasn’t done, and now, more than ever, it seems absurd to have smoking outlawed in places such as pubs and restaurants. But on hospital grounds, where people go to be cured of illnesses, it isn’t. The very reason people visit hospitals is to increase their chances of getting better, not to potentially have their health threatened, by having to fight their way through clouds of cigarette smoke.

This anomaly’s recently been highlighted by North Wales NHS Trust, where security staff reportedly face 3,000 incidents of verbal abuse a year, as they try and enforce a ‘zero tolerance’ policy smoking on Trust grounds.

It seems logical that if it was actually made against the law to light up around hospitals, much of this abuse could be stamped out.

It really is time the Welsh Assembly Government addressed this issue and what better time than now, as we celebrate enclosed public places in Wales being smoke-free for the past two years.

Welsh NHS hospital buildings – "not so safe as houses"

Worrying news from the Welsh Liberal Democrats today. They’ve uncovered figures which apparently show a half a billion pound repair and maintenance bill to get NHS hospital buildings in Wales to an adequate safety level. Perhaps what’s even more of a concern is the fact that some of these safety targets were set back in 2002. So, for the past 7 years, many of our members have no doubt been working in premises which don’t meet basic health and safety regulations.

No one can deny the fact that NHS staff working in hospitals do extremely important jobs and deal with often very stressful situations. So surely the least they deserve is to have buildings that are fit for purpose, rather than having the added worry about their own health and safety when just going about their daily routines.

Let’s also not forget about the patient here too. If essential maintenance and repairs isn’t being carried out on hospital buildings, then anyone needing treatment in one is undoubtedly having their health and safety put at risk too. This really is an unacceptable situation, both for our members and the public and I urge the WAG to do something about it, now.

Let’s end the ban on using mobiles in hospitals NOW

The Department of Health in England has finally issued guidance on more widespread use of mobiles in hospitals, five years after it was reported outright bans weren’t needed.

This is an issue BMA Cymru Wales drew attention to last Summer, when it was announced hospitals it Wrexham and Flintshire were easing the rules.

It would be good for patients, putting an end to the excessive cost of making and receiving hospital calls. They shouldn’t be punished financially, at the very time they need to keep in touch with their friends and relatives.

Removing the ban on the use of mobile phones would also enable easier communication between doctors, which would be good news to patients ultimately, because it would mean better use of doctors' time.
So long as places where phones shouldn’t be used are clearly marked, and patients aren’t
unduly disturbed by others using their mobiles and they’re kept out of areas with sensitive medical equipment, then I would hope ALL Trusts around Wales will look at their current policies and remove any restrictions on using mobiles.

Some remedies to a lack of beds of in Welsh hospitals

The recent situation of a lack of beds across hospitals in South East Wales I have to say, was not entirely unexpected. BMA Cymru Wales did warn that a reduction in bed numbers would lead to an in-balance in capacity. We need to stop cutting bed numbers and get back to a situation of sensible bed occupancy rates. I understand hospitals are currently running at 82% rates, although I’ve been told in some Trusts it’s even higher than that, at over 90%. This leaves no room for manoeuvre, so hospitals are then unable to cope with any peaks in demand, which is particularly acute in Winter. It’s creating problems which could be anticipated. There really is no need to have such high bed occupancy rates. Any that reach over 75% can lead to an increased risk of hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and discharging patients too early to try and free up beds, merely results in those patients being re-admitted, creating a false bed occupancy economy.

More focus is needed on making inroads in transfers of care. Small differences have been made, but statistics highlight how managers are unable to pin-point the obstacles to discharging patients. I think a taskforce is needed to look into the appropriate care environment and a case by case analysis of the obstacles when trying to free up beds. If we could make just a 10% difference, that would equate to the freeing up of 50 beds.

Stopping people from coming into hospital unnecessarily by developing primary care services more, would be another way to address the problem. Providing these services closer to patients’ homes when appropriate, could ease pressure on hospitals. I know there is a desire from the WAG to pursue this in the current NHS reforms, but it is difficult to see how they will be completed in a speedy fashion, especially when there seems to be a lack of development in primary care, especially with regard to premises not being invested in. How on earth are we going to address the expansion of staff needed for the changes in primary care, if we don’t have anywhere to put them?

The Welsh Ambulance service needs to be considered in all of this too. Is this being appropriately resourced, so that it can operate to best effect? The service has a huge potential to be able to deliver alternative care models and avoid having to take everyone who rings 999, automatically to a hospital.

There is a definite requirement to streamline and simplify how we access unscheduled care. Patients are confused by the pathways they need to take. The DECs project was established to address this. But it needs to be moving quicker, so patients are seen at the right place and at the right time. At the moment patients have a vast array of options, and go for what they think is the quickest and easiest, a trip to A&E.

Ultimately, health professionals, working on the frontline of the NHS everyday, need to be listened to. They have the solutions and unless they’re involved in intricate, high-level decisions with managers, these recent problems seen in South East Wales, will worsen and spread.