News update from the hospitals’ trust Accidents cause cancellations


PATIENTS admitted to hospital for pre- arranged surgery needed to realise that ac- cidents did sometimes happen, Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust was told. Something as simple as equipment not


being re-sterilised in time could mean an operation being postponed, members heard. Most cancellations occurred as a result of


high numbers of emergency admissions – which cannot be calculated or anticipated. Cancellations could then occur for a range


of reasons, from bed shortages to the un- availability of a surgeon. “We get a lot of letters from people com- plaining because they come in for elective day surgery and it does not then go ahead,” said board chairman Tony Jones. “The incidents have fallen at Maidstone


West Kent patients


face a long wait NEW figures from West Kent Primary Care Trust show that the number of people waiting more than 18 weeks for critical tests has risen by 81%. Patients needing tests such as


MRI and CT scans, heart tests and ultrasounds have gone up from 192 to 347 since May 2010.


Can’t phone home A GLITCH at the new hospital in Pembury meant many of the hospital’s first patients and their visitors were unable to make phone calls. The new single-bedded rooms do not contain tele- phones, as most people tend to use a mobile. However, the trust found that only Orange and T-Mobile signals worked on site, so a significant number of people were left without tele- phone contact. The trust insists the matter has now been re- solved.


Satisfaction survey IMPROVEMENTS atMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals were starting to shine through, the NHS trust board was told. Between 200 and 400 patients complete the trust’s satisfaction survey every month and De- cember showed the highest level ever of patient satisfac- tion, with 91% being satisfied with their overall care.


MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells hospitals are performing well – and getting better. According to the NHS Trust


board performance summary, most quality targets are being met, with a significant im- provement in the investigation of, and response to, complaints. There were 14 operations cancelled at the last minute in December for non-clinical rea- sons and, according to the trust, all patients were re- scheduled and called back within 28 days. The total num- ber of cancellations for the year – 130 – was 0.54% of the total and under the 0.8% national


22 Malling


Midwife lauded by her peers MIDWIFE Annemieke Koper has been highly com- mended for her work as a staff representative by the Royal College of Midwives. Annemieke (46), fromYalding,whoworks in the com- munity for Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust, has held the voluntary role for at least 10 years. She received her award in the Members’ Champion category at the college’s Annual MidwiferyAwards.An- nemieke’s role sees her involved in discussions with the trust about staff policy issues with its employees.


Annemieke’s colleagues at the trust have also been honoured for a second time for their research into Kangaroo Care – where a baby is carried skin to skin by either parent. They won the first prize for excellence in postnatal


and newborn care. The team of Sarah Gregson, who led the project to create the birth centre at Pembury, along with manager Karen Leeson, Jean Meadows, Marian Adams and Jane Jeal, were presented with their award by TV’sNatasha Kaplinksy (see picture).


Care commission’s unexpected visit REPRESENTATIVES of the Care Quality Commission who made an unexpected visit to Pembury A&E early in theNew Year spoke to patients and members of staff. A spokesman for the commission confirmed the visit


to the Downs Mail and said: “Thiswas an unannounced inspection of the A&E department. “CQC are unable to comment any further on this in- spection at present but a report showing the findings of this review of compliance will be published in due course.”


Our hospitals are getting better


target. while 95% of people at- tending A&E were seen within the four-hour target time. Therewere no reported cases


of MRSA in December and six cases of C-difficile, which re- mains a concern, but this is a 65% reduction on last year. Chairman Tony Jones said:


“This is a stupendous reduction, but it is important we continue to drive the trend downwards until we achieve the acceptable


now that more A&E patients are going to Pembury, but people need to realise that, on occasions, cancellations can still happen.” Because of their uncertain nature, admis-


sions to A&E could impact on the whole hospital, members were told. With more people coming through the


doors than originally anticipated at Pem- bury, waiting times had turned out to be longer than planned. However, steps had now been put in place


to resolve this, with the appointment of a new team leader and systems reviewed in the surgical assessment unit. Waiting times were alsodownat Maidstone,


now that more patients were being taken by ambulance to Pembury, with a resulting knock-on effect throughout the hospital.


A&E ‘still open for business’ THE number of admissions to Maidstone A&Eisdownby15% on thesameperiod last year, while the number at Tunbridge Wells has risen by 20%. Ambulance crewswere still on a learning


curve as to which patients should be deliv- ered where, the Trust heard, but many peo- ple who turned up at hospital under their own steam were going to Pembury, in the false belief that Maidstone had closed. “There is still a 24-hour A&E facility,with


a consultant and nursing staff,” said chief executive Glenn Douglas. “Maidstone is still open for business.”


Parking problems ease CAR parking problems at the new Pembury hospital have eased with the opening of more parking spaces, according to the Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust. Complaints about parking have fallen to virtually zero in recent weeks with the opening of additional car parks, said chief executive Glenn Douglas. He said: “We acknowledge there were a


few problems at the hospital at the outset but these are starting to resolve them- selves.” Mr Douglas said a staff car park with a further 450 spaces, due for completion in September, had already been handed over by the contractors.


More time to care scheme THE trust hoped a new programme would mean nurses at the Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells hospitals have more time to spend with patients. The “productive ward” programme is de- signed to make a series of simple changes to systems, administration, information and logistics to gain major time savings. Changing the labelling of storage systems reduces the time it takes to prepare an in- travenous injection by 1¼ minutes – a daily saving of 20minutes for direct patient care. And by simply moving an office, nurses


walk 116 fewer miles each year, saving 39 hours – which, in theory, can be better spent with the patients who need it. As part of the programme, the Maidstone League of Friends has funded a series of alert boards for patients’ bedsides, which are now being trialled and appear to make significant savings in handover time.


Award for energy savings GREEN energy-saving measures have won Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust a prestigious award. The Sustainable Hospital Award, which recognises the hospital has made smart use of energy, transport or waste management, is part of the Health Business Awards 2011


figure of zero. This is almost im- possible, but our aim is to get as close as we can.” The trust is still failing to de-


liver in the stroke unit, where the target is for at least 80% of stroke admissions to spend 90% of their time in a dedi- cated stroke unit. At present, this figure is closer to 70% and in December was just 67.9%. Trust chief operating officer Angela Gallagher said: “We recognise that currently not all stroke patients are admitted to a stroke unit but all our stroke patients, when appropriate, are admitted under the care of a stroke consultant.”


and was presented to the trust at the Emirates Stadium in north London. It closely follows a similar Green Apple environ- ment award. The trust reduced its gas and electricity bills by £139,000 dur- ing the financial year and used 20% less water across its sites. Energy-saving initiatives


have included installing more effective steam control equip- ment and a heat recovery sys- tem at the trust’s laundry in Parkwood, Maidstone, while optimising existing systems and acting on frequent energy usage surveys have saved money and energy at Maid- stone Hospital.


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