Hospital staff receive awards for 132 years of patient care

THE matron and three senior nurses of Minehead Hospital have been recognised for their combined 132 years of service to patient care.
Hospital matron, Sue Meade, staff nurses Tracey Griffin and Christine Bard, and outpatients sister Linda Arscott received commemorative certificates and specially engraved glass paperweights.
The presentations took place at an NHS long service award ceremony held at the town’s hospital just before Christmas by Somerset Primary Care Trust chairman Jane Barrie.
Mrs Barrie commended all of the staff in the hospital for their hard work during year and their commitment to delivering high quality care to patients.
She said: “The board of the primary care trust and I appreciate and thank all Minehead Hospital staff for their continued hard work and efforts.
“This year, Government inspectors the Healthcare Commission awarded the second highest rating of ‘good’ for the standard of our community health services and this was due to the continuing hard work of all staff.
“It is your commitment and determination to improve the quality of the care and treatment that is appreciated by local people, the primary care trust and the National Health Service.”
Sue Meade has worked in the NHS for more than 29 years and was appointed matron in Minehead in 2004.
She started working at Minehead in 1983 as a staff nurse and had previously worked at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
Sue became acting sister in 1983 and was promoted to sister in January, 1985.
She has always been at the forefront of developing local services and has been playing a leading role in the development of the new Minehead hospital which will be built off Seaward Way.
Tracey Griffin has worked in the NHS for more than 26 years, starting her career as a student nurse in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, in 1982.
She became a staff nurse on the surgical ward of Minehead Hospital in January, 1986, and was promoted to senior staff nurse in 1988.
In 1994, Tracey was promoted to sister with the surgical team, and as well as managing surgical services for the local community she has run specialist blood clinics for West Somerset.
Christine Bard has 41 years of service with the NHS, having qualified as a nurse in the 1970s.
From 1978 to 1982, she worked in Yeovil District Hospital, before being appointed to Glastonbury Health Centre in 1987.
In 1992, she transferred to Williton Hospital, and then started working at Minehead Hospital in 1995 as a staff nurse in the outpatients department.
She retired from Minehead Hospital in February, 2007, but returned a few months later to again work in the outpatients department.
Linda Arscott has 36 years’ NHS service after starting as a student nurse in Frenchay School of Nursing, Bristol.
In 1975, she started as a staff nurse with Wiltshire Health Authority and then moved to Hertfordshire Health Authority as a staff nurse.
She moved to Somerset in 1988 and joined Minehead Hospital as a staff nurse on the wards.
Linda was made acting sister on the medical ward in1990 and later went to the nearby Irnham Lodge medical centre as sister of the day hospital until it was relocated to the hospital site in 1994.
Since then, she has worked as sister responsible for the outpatient department of Minehead Hospital.

• Our photograph shows (left to right) staff nurses Christine Bard and Tracey Griffin, outpatients sister Linda Arscott, matron Sue Meade, and primary care trust chairman Jane Barrie. Photo submitted.

Hospital cuts waiting lists to 18 weeks

WAITING times for appointments at Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton, have significantly reduced - a year ahead of target.
The latest figures show that at the end of December, more than 90 per cent of all patients waited less than 18 weeks from when they were referred by their GP to when their treatment started.
This time included all the necessary steps in a patient’s journey before treatment could be started, such as diagnostic or other tests.
It was an improvement from November, 2006, when fewer than half of all patients were treated within 18 weeks.The hospital’s director of operations, Jon Scott, said: “This is a fantastic achievement.
“We have met the target of reducing waiting a year ahead of schedule.
“Our staff have done extremely well to look at everything they do to reduce unnecessary steps and ensure that different departments and teams work closely together.
“We have introduced more ‘one stop shops’ for patients so they do not have to make a second visit for a test, and we have redesigned services to better meet patients’ need.”
One recent patient in Musgrove’s orthopaedic department, Sheila Rogers, said: “I was brought in incredibly quickly, and in fact the whole thing was no more than about 12 weeks from start to finish.
“As my operation was so minor - a cyst on my toe - I expected to wait for ages, but in fact they offered me an appointment before I was expecting it.
“I was also really impressed that when I went in for my pre-op they gave me a full health MOT.
“People do worry about waiting for hospital treatment and it is great that waiting times at Musgrove Park are now so low.”
Project leader Ian Bramley said: “Achieving 18 weeks is great for the hospital and our patients, but this is only one step towards a system at Musgrove with no delays and no waits.”

Good recoveries by intensive care unit patients

PATIENTS who are treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, have been reassured they are more likely to recover than would be the case in many other parts of the country.
An independent national survey showed the department is delivering high quality care to the people of Somerset and was among the top three performing comparable units in the country.
Musgrove ICU patients had an 18 per cent better outcome overall than the statistics would predict.
The report acknowledged that the department was busy, with 500 admissions last year, and, compared with similar units, that patients admitted were older, sicker, and had a greater likelihood of their conditions being life threatening than anticipated.
Dr Bradley Browne, consultant anaesthetist and clinical lead for critical care medicine at Musgrove Park, said: “The report shows even with the higher needs of our patients, we are performing extremely well.
“This is a result of great teamwork, having staff with the right expertise, and professional attitude. The unit and staff are very proud of this achievement.”
ICU senior nurse Carolyn Panton said: “As a nursing team we are dedicated and focussed in our efforts to provide a very high standard of care for the patient and their families.
“We are also very lucky to have a superb group of support staff who help to keep the unit running efficiently.”
Last year, Margaret Lomax’s husband Michael was treated in Musgrove Park ICU but later died.
However, Margaret was full of praise for the care which she and her husband received.
She said: “The dedication of the team in ICU is astounding. The care that we received was superb and everybody was just so kind and caring. They were absolutely exceptional.”

• Our photograph shows (left to right) Dr Steve Harris, senior Sister Carolyn Panton, Sister Felicity Miles, Dr Bradley Browne, and physiotherapist Sarah Burt with 'patient' Jane Frost. Photo submitted.