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Vote for your
NHS hero in our Pride Awards 2012
DO you know a member of
staff hospitals working at our hospitals or in our community health
services who deserves special recognition for their excellence and
professionalism?
The Trust’s Pride Awards, now in its 4th year, will be held at
Friday, 18 May 2012, at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre.
The Patients’ Award is an opportunity for patients and families to
show their individual appreciation to a particular member of staff
or team. The award is shortlisted only from members of staff
nominated by the public.
This year the public can nominate staff who not only work at
Southport and Ormskirk hospitals but joined the Trust in April and
work delivering care in clinics, health centres and in patients’
homes.
Nominations, which can be made
online,
close at midnight on 24 February 2012. Also nominations can be made in writing
via by calling:- 01704 704714 and
requesting a form. They are also available from the volunteers at the receptions of Southport and Ormskirk hospitals.
Jonathan Parry, chief executive of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital
NHS Trust, said:- "Our staff do extraordinary things every day
of the year for patients across Sefton, West Lancashire and beyond
in hospitals, health centres and at home.
Pride Awards 2012 is the chance for patients and their families to
highlight someone who they think made their experience of care that
extra bit special."
Awards will also be presented in the following categories from
nominations made by Trust staff:-
Team of the Year (sponsored by Hill Dickinson)
Unsung Hero – Staff
Unsung Hero – Volunteer
Service Transformation / Innovation
Inspirational Role Model
Infection Prevention Award
Improving Quality and Cost Efficiency (sponsored by Allocate
Software)
Trust best
performing AQ hospital for third year running
THE Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
is 'The Best Performing Advancing Quality Hospital in the
North West' for the 3rd year running, according to new
results. Advancing Quality (AQ) was launched in October 2008 with 24
Trusts across the North West participating and scores how well
trusts are delivering against key quality of care measures. The AQ
hospitals aim to reduce complications, lengths of stay and
readmissions for patients in regularly performed treatments
including heart attacks, hip and knee surgery and heart failure by
promoting consistent good practice so this result is fantastic news
for staff at the Trust! In fact the data submitted to Advancing
Quality shows it is not only the best overall performer for the 3rd
year running, but the most consistent! Plus on top of that results
now also shows that the Trust’s scores, with in its 4 treatment
areas, have been consistently high performing since the programme
began. The Trust told us that:- "Factors driving the Trust’s
success include continuing what we already do well, improving
discharge arrangements, introducing new patient information and
enhancing training for staff." Dr Geraldine Boocock, medical
director at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, added:-
"These results again show how successfully our doctors, nurses
and other clinical staff are delivering the agreed quality standards
for patients. They are also a credit to the hard work of our staff
and will give extra confidence to patients choosing to be treated at
Southport and Ormskirk hospitals." Trust chairman Sir Ron
Watson CBE said:- "We are all extremely pleased with these
results which show our absolute commitment to high quality patient
care. We combine this as a Trust with a safe and friendly service
and are conscious of the very important part we play in our
community where health issues are of such importance."
Patients can find out more about the scores and compare them with
hospitals across the region by visiting:-
advancingqualitynw.nhs.uk.
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CARE HOME
COMPANIES RELYING ON PUBLIC MONEY MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HOLD ASSETS
IN OFFSHORE TAX HAVENS
COMPANIES like Four Seasons
with 45 care homes in the North West providing public services must
be obliged by law to be accountable and transparent and holding
assets in offshore companies with accounts not available to the
public is not consistent with that aim
GMB, the union for care home staff, is calling for legislation to
outlaw care home companies relying on public money for their income
from holding assets in overseas tax havens. This is after Four
Seasons Healthcare Group said it was not obliged to disclose its
offshore accounts. Four Seasons run 45 care homes in the North West.
Four Season Healthcare Group has finally agreed to GMB requests to
publish accounts for offshore companies based in Channel Islands and
Cayman islands on its website within the next 2 weeks. ‘We’re
not obliged to explain this to anybody – we’re putting this out for
the sake of transparency,’ it was quoted as saying.
This new stance by Four Seasons is in response to a letter from GMB
to Four Seasons auditors, KPMG, which asked for clarification as to
how the figure of £294.5m for net assets in the audited accounts was
consistent with the company claim in media that net assets are
£950m.
GMB had written to Four Seasons Health Care Ltd. on several
occasions requesting the accounts for their ultimate holding
company, FSHC (Guernsey) Holdings Ltd., registered in Guernsey, and
for another holding company, FINO Seniorco Ltd., registered in the
Cayman Islands. GMB requests had been refused.
Karen Atkinson, GMB Organiser for the care home sector said:-
"GMB represent thousands of care workers employed Four Seasons who
were transferred from Southern Cross last year.
As their union GMB has been seeking information from Four Seasons
since last autumn as to how it will pay loans of £780m given that
accounts audited by KPMG say it has net assets of £294.5m. Four
Seasons has responded in press that it has assets of £950m but it
had until now it has published no details of where these assets are
held. Four Seasons now say they will publish some details, but are
under no obligation to do so.
From the point of view of the staff, the residents and their
families that is a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs. Given
what happened at Southern Cross this is a belligerent and outrageous
stance and shows Four Seasons management don't live in the real
world but some offshore cloud cuckoo land.
Four Seasons looks after 25,000 elderly residents in 500 care homes
in the UK of which 45 are in North West. Four Seasons relies on
public funds for the bulk of its income. It is essential that
companies like Four Seasons providing public services are required
by law to be accountable and transparent. The elderly and vulnerable
in their care deserve nothing less.
Holding assets in offshore companies with accounts not available to
the public is not consistent with this aim.
GMB is calling for the law to be changed to outlaw care home
companies relying on public money from holding assets in offshore
tax havens risking a new Southern Cross. There is something wrong
here and this change would be a big step towards responsible
capitalism in action in this sector."
New consultant
for women’s health appointed
A consultant with
specialist interest in preventing cervical cancer has been appointed
to Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust.
Helen Bradshaw, who joins as Consultant Gynaecologist and
Obstetrician, trained at Sheffield, London and Liverpool. She was
previously a senior registrar at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Miss Bradshaw will be the Trust’s new colposcopy lead and be based
at Ormskirk hospital. The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent
cervical cancer by detecting precancerous lesions early and treating
them.
She joins fellow consultant in obstetrics and gynecology Shaireen
Aleem who was recruited to the Trust last summer. Miss Aleem
specialises in urogynaecology, treating women who have incontinence
of urine and/or prolapse of the womb, bladder or bowel.
Miss Bradshaw, who lives in Wirral and is the mother of two boys,
aged four and seven, said:- "This is a wonderful opportunity.
I have been really impressed by the friendly, clean environment at
Ormskirk.
I am looking forward to developing the colposcopy service in line
with national guidelines to ensure that women have the best possible
experience and the most up to date treatment."
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