STAFF UPDATE

Works to develop a new admin facility at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) are making excellent progress.

The new development, known as Yeo View, will provide new, modern, compliant workspaces and facilities for colleagues currently based in Chichester and Munro Houses, which are soon to be demolished to make way for new staff residential accommodation.

The development is the first major build in the Our Future Hospital (OFH) programme, which promises to build a better hospital in North Devon by rebuilding the staff and patient facilities in most urgent need of upgrade. For more details, including a time lapse video, see the full story on HUB. You can also click on the image below to watch the video.

Pictured is the Buttercup and Gastro team with first patient Tom Petfield, who said “It’s great to see that the Nightingale Hospital is being given a new purpose.”

The latest One Devon Bulletin showcases more examples of the way teams and organisations are collaborating across Devon.

Articles in the June edition highlight two Devon projects that have been in the spotlight on the national stage – the collaborative work by system partners and the national GIRFT team at NHS Nightingale Exeter, and a digital project that allows the secure sharing of patient information between local organisations that is helping to enhance end-of-life care.

This month’s team of the month is our very own Nightingale hospital team, who talk about the work they are doing to reduce waiting lists through innovation and outstanding patient care. Well done to the team.

The monthly One Devon Bulletin focuses on teams across Devon who are working together to deliver high quality services that transform care. Sign up here to receive the newsletter directly to your inbox.

Congratulations to our seven interns from Project SEARCH Barnstaple and six interns from Exeter, who have been presented with their graduation certificates after completing their work experience placements at the Royal Devon. 

Project SEARCH is an innovative one-year internship programme which is helping 16 to 24-year-old students with a learning disability or autism into employment. It’s a partnership between the Royal Devon, Sodexo, Petroc and Pluss (a social enterprise that supports people with disabilities in Devon).

See HUB for the full report on the graduation ceremonies

The discharge hub at NDDH is celebrating its first anniversary with some impressive numbers. Since the unit opened last year: 

• 6156 patients in total have been transferred and discharged through the hub and a whopping 1011.8 bed days saved
• 99.4% of patients have been transferred to the hub before 10am
• The average patient length of stay within the hub is 3.7hrs
• A total of eight nights open for escalation beds over the 12 months to support with increased numbers of admissions.

Tracey Squire, Clinical Ward Manager, said: "Thank you to you all for making this a very exciting and successful year, I’m very proud of all that we have achieved. We are looking forward to breaking this record next year."

Read the report on how the HUB performed during June 2024

Our annual Quality Improvement Academy (QIA) conference is back on Thursday 11 July at the RILD at RD&E (Wonford). We will be celebrating and sharing improvement projects that have taken place across the Royal Devon over the last year.

All colleagues are welcome to attend this interesting and inspiring event, which will include presentations, an opportunity to view the posters and talk with colleagues about improvement projects over refreshments.

This year the conference will feature guest speaker, Colonel James Berry and the event will be chaired by Sam Higginson, Chief Executive Officer and Shan Morgan, Chair.

Click here to find out more.

The Royal Devon’s victorious team members in the 2024 Exercise Medical Endeavour event were presented with their trophy by members of the 243 Wessex Multi-Role Medical Regiment on Monday 1 July.

Endeavour, formerly known as the Southwest NHS Challenge, is a series of challenges designed by the Volunteer Reserve Force. These include rifle shooting, providing ‘care under fire’ in a simulated battlefield, recovering a military truck from a minefield, an intense military confidence course, and a final race that takes the participants to their physical and mental limits.

The Royal Devon team was congratulated by Sam Higginson, Trust Chief Executive Officer, at Monday’s presentation (pictured below).

See HUB for more details, including how to be part of next year’s event and defend the trophy

HUB, our Trust-wide staff intranet, has been live for over a year now. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to its development since it launched.

For HUB to be a success that works for all colleagues, each department/service needs to take responsibility for keeping their section current and up to date.

The communications team are currently sending out emails to each departments/service asking them to review their sections and update accordingly. If you need any help with this please see the help pages on HUB or email rduh.hub@nhs.net.

June 2024 saw the launch of Devon’s new Perinatal Pelvic Health Service (PPHS). 

This vital service aims to reduce the number of women living with pelvic health problems during pregnancy, postnatally and in later life. 

The Devon PPHS team of physios and midwives are leading local delivery of the national NHS Long Term Plan’s ambition to improve prevention, identification, and referral to NICE-recommended treatment for pelvic health problems during pregnancy and following birth. 

Please see HUB for more. You can also click on the image below to watch a video about the new service.

The Microbiology team has another fantastic event running on Thursday 18 July to shine a spotlight on the work they do. The event will offer a unique opportunity to discover how microbiologists make a difference to patients' lives, through fun activities and the chance to meet the team. This is the second of two events – the first was held at the RD&E (Wonford) RILD building in June, and this one promises to be just as much fun.

Don’t miss the opportunity to become a micro detective and solve the clues at the fun, interactive microbiology careers event at the Royal Devon Thursday 18 July, 3.30-6.30pm, Meeting Room 1 (level 0), North Devon District Hospital, EX31 4JB

For anyone interested in a career in microbiology, there will also be opportunities to speak with the Microbiology team about any internal queries, as well as the course options and qualifications needed, and the different career pathways to become a microbiologist. See HUB for full details

"The ability to visit with my three-year old son and have space for him to play whilst visiting his dad and bringing him a bit of normality. All the staff were so engaging with our little man too, which made visits truly lovely.

“The facilities are amazing too, being able to visit and make a cuppa for us to share.” Read the full feedback here

All services should now have Care Opinion responders within their team to engage with their feedback. If you haven’t already, please visit HUB for more detail on how you can respond.