In The News - March/April 2013 - Issue 75

Headline story: Patients have a say in stroke services

A man who suffered a life-changing stroke spoke movingly about his experiences at the launch of a new patient group at the Trust. The group will enable people affected by stroke to have a say in how their services are run. About 70 stroke patients, relatives and carers attended the ‘Shaping Stroke Services’ event at the hospital. Guests met clinical and senior management staff, and heard how the group will help to influence stroke services in hospital and the community.

In The News - Jan/Feb 2013 - Issue 74

Headline story:Tackling alcohol abuse

The cost of hospital treatment for the growing number of people who drink heavily is a huge burden on the NHS. A quarter of adults in England drink hazardous amounts, costing the health service £2.7 billion each year, according to the Royal College of Physicians and the NHS Confederation.

The Trust is taking action to try and reduce the damage caused by excessive drinking and the pressure it puts on services.

In The News - Dec 2012/Jan 2013 - Issue 73

Headline story: Paediatric care at the Trust

On Monday 19 November, the CQC announced its decision to issue two formal improvement notices against the Trust relating to concerns its inspectors raised following their recent visit to paediatrics.

In The News - Oct/Nov 2012 - Issue 72

Headline story: Message from new Chief Executive Clare Panniker

“I feel very privileged to begin my new role at the Trust. I have already had the pleasure of meeting some members of staff, and I look forward to getting to know many more of you in the coming weeks and months. “It’s clear that there is much to be proud of in this Trust. We have some of the best health care facilities in the region, and in some cases, the country. We have a hard-working and dedicated workforce, prepared to be flexible and innovative in order to meet challenges."


In The News - Aug/Sept 2012 - Issue 71

Headline story: Butterfly Appeal takes flight with £15,000 lift from Friends!

Basildon Hospital league of Friends has generously donated £15,000 to help launch the Butterfly Appeal into flight.

In The News - Jun/Jul 2012 - Issue 70

Headline story: Stop the pressure

One in 20 people admitted to hospital with an acute illness develops a pressure ulcer, yet 95 per cent of these are avoidable. Now the Trust has launched a 'Stop the Pressure' campaign, to help achieve the NHS Midlands and East region's ambition to eliminate avoidable pressure ulcers by December.

In The News - Apr/May 2012 - Issue 69

Headline story: Award for Trust 'Business as usual' plans

Continuing to provide patient care in all eventualities is an essential duty of any hospital. This might include disruption to staff levels and supplies during severe weather, a flu epidemic, flood, fire or a loss of power, telephone or IT systems. Delivering services for patients during a crisis relies on meticulous advance planning for what is termed 'business continuity.'

In The News – Feb/Mar 2012 – Issue 68

Headline story: Right Place, Right Time

The Right Place, Right Time programme will streamline the patient journey from arrival to discharge, focusing on the entire emergency care pathway. It's not just about bed management, it's about improving the experience of all our patients.

In The News – Dec/Jan 2011 – Issue 67

Headline story: Compassionate Care

Team work is at the heart of the transformation made by nursing and midwifery staff to our patients' experience. Rising to the challenges set by Director of Nursing, Diane Sarkar, they have made patients' quality of care their absolute priority, developing their practice and raising standards to new heights.

In The News – Sept/Oct 2011 – Issue 66

Headline story: Being Prepared... Business continuity accreditation - Aiming for a UK first!

In The News – Jul/Aug 2011 – Issue 65

Headline story: Commitment to patients with learning disabilities

A week-long range of events marked Learning Disabilities week in June. It kicked-off with the signing of a larger-than-life charter by the Trust’s leading consultants. Building on last year’s news that we were one of the first to sign up to the Mencap ‘Getting it Right’ Charter, which shows support for equal healthcare and a high standard of treatment for patients with learning disabilities, the charter lists nine pledges to ensure equal access to healthcare for all.

In The News – May/June 2011 – Issue 64

Headline story: Lowest mortality rate in Essex

We continue to have the lowest mortality rate in Essex on Dr Foster's HSMR index. The rolling figure for March 10 - February 11 is 90.4, significantly lower than expected.

In The News – Feb/Mar 2011 – Issue 63

Headline story: Electronic Medical Records

Clinicians can start using Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to access archived and multi-volume casenotes, as the first phase of the project roll-out begins this month. EMR gives clinicians 24-hour access via computer to structured, historic information about their patients, which can be continually updated.

It will be available via the Trust's Clinical Portal - integrated with PAS, Pathology and Radiology Results Reporting, clinic letters, electronic discharge and handover and departmental systems. Doctors will be able to select a patient from their daily list and access all of their records, test results, appointment times etc. It will improve patient safety, allowing multiple clinicians to have concurrent access to the same records.

In The News – December 2010 – Issue 62

Headline story: All five conditions lifted as improvements continue

The Care Quality Commission has lifted the fifth and final condition imposed on us during registration in April.

Although the CQC has highlighted other concerns, focussing on the managment of serious incidents and the reporting of pathology results, we have made significant improvements since Monitor's intervention last year, and we have done, and will continue to do, everything asked of us by our regulators.

In The News – November 2010 – Issue 61

Headline story: £340,000 refurbishment for orthopaedic patients

The newly refurbished Orthopaedic Unit at Orsett Hospital was treated to two official openings after a toddler wanted to follow in the Mayor and MP’s footsteps and cut the ribbon too.

In The News – October 2010 – Issue 60

Headline story: A better restaurant and more food choices

Our restaurant, kitchens and meals are undergoing some changes to give our staff, visitors and patients a better choice of delicious food.

In The News – September 2010 – Issue 59

Headline story: Better care for hip fracture patients

Patients coming into Basildon University Hospital with a hip fracture can be reassured that they are receiving better specialist care thanks to daily orthogeriatrician ward rounds.

In The News – August 2010 – Issue 58

Headline story: Council survey highlights cleanliness

Most people think Basildon University Hospital is clean according to a survey carried out by Thurrock Council. The results reveal that the majority of people who visit our hospitals think they are clean, including 96% of staff, 71% of patients and 80% of visitors.

In The News – July 2010 – Issue 57

Headline story: Electronic Medical Records - a way forward to better care

In The News – May 2010 – Issue 56

Headline story: A calm environment for surgical patients