A Dignified Revolution Newsletter

Whilst the experiences of poor care continue to hit the headlines it is great that we are able to include the Good News Corner in this month's edition of the newsletter. Scroll down to read more.

On 20 May we held a meeting in Llandrindod Wells to discuss the development of a Dignity Champion Network for Wales. It was an excellent day, with wide representation from the caring sectors. There is a real passion to further develop the network to provide support, share expertise, practice and resources. The next meeting will take place on Thursday 23 September in Llandrindod Wells and anyone who would like to join us is most welcome. For more information email info@dignifiedrevolution.org.uk

We have set up a new page in the resources section of the website which is devoted to resources related to human rights. Please let us know if you have details of any other documents/websites etc that would be worth adding to the list.

DIGNITY TRAINING WORKSHOPS

Dignified care despite difficult colleagues is a workshop for professionals who want to improve their organisation's approach to dignity and respect. This course will run on Wednesday 23 June 2010, Mid Wales

Dignity is more than just a word is a workshop for professionals and carers who want to improve their communication with patients. This course will run on Thursday 24 June 2010, Mid Wales

Using Human Rights to Maintain Dignity in Care - this workshop is run in partnership with Morgan Cole Solicitors on Tuesday 6 July 2010, Age Cymru, Cardiff

These courses are run by A Dignified Revolution but because we do not have online booking facilities they are routed through Healthcare Alliances, whose website contact details are noted below.

GOOD NEWS CORNER

We have heard from the students in Nottingham who had previously been in touch for information to support a project that they were doing with Age Concern around dignity. They have informed us that they have presented their work at a conference which Age Concern Cheshire attended. Age Concern were very pleased with their recommendations and have asked them to contribute to a short film that they are publishing on dignity. Well done to all those involved.

The staff on Dare Ward, Cwm Taf Local Health Board have worked hard to make dignity and respect a priority and an integral part of all aspects of patient care and relative support. They are keen to share their work in order to demonstrate what can be achieved and recently exhibited a poster at the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales conference. If you exhibited at the conference we would love to hear from you.

DISCUSSION FORUM

We have received the following email from a member of our network:-

"I was recently one of the facilitators at a Dignity event involving, in the main, older people. The others present were paid staff. A task of the workshop groups was to look at people's positive experience around dignity. Predictably, much of the feedback was around poor standards (one bad experience will, I suspect, outweigh countless positive ones). Given that there were around ten workshop groups, I decided to go outside the box and asked for experiences around non-institutional settings and professions in institutional settings other than nurses and doctors. Feedback was more or less what I expected; experiences around district nurses, therapists, paramedics/ambulance staff, home carers, housing wardens, etc. was positive. The one profession I omitted to mention was social work. Negative experiences were very much about hospitals, and District General Hospitals at that. There were superb examples from specialist hospitals, for example Abergele and St. Asaph in our area".

We welcome your views and experiences. Could you please either email them to info@dignifiedrevolution.org.uk or visit the discussion forum at our website, as listed below.

OUR ACTIVITIES

• We met with Tony Hazel, Chair of the Nursing & Midwifery Council to issues related to fitness to practice and pre-registration nurse education.

• We participated in human rights training delivered by Tessa Shellens and Kate Russell from Morgan Cole Solicitors, Cardiff for Department of Health Dignity Campaign members.

• We met with the Assistant Director of Nursing and Nurse Consultant from Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board. The focus of the meeting was enhancing dignity through public/patient involvement, Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA), and training
• We participated in a Cure the NHS Event that was aimed at encouraging people to develop local groups, similar to theirs, in other areas across the UK. Representatives from Professional Concern and Kissing It Better also attended plus many members of the public from various parts of the country. Other presentations were given by Peter Walsh, Chief Executive of AVMA and Professor Brian Jarman from Imperial College London.

• Founder member Judith Allen was interviewed for the BBC Three Counties Campaign on elder abuse. This is a year long campaign in collaboration with Action on Elder Abuse.

CORRESPONDENCE

• We wrote to Jonathan Morgan AM to ask when the in dependent inquiry into CSSiW would be taking place. The initial response from his office was that "he has received a letter from the Wales Audit Office (WAO) who informed him that they were awaiting sight of the terms of reference for the proposed CSSIW review, before deciding on the potential, scope and timetable for their own inquiry. WAO indicated that they would write to Jonathan Morgan as soon as the full scope of their inquiry had been determined." However, recent correspondence from Jonathan Morgan's office is that "an internal investigation has been done and Jonathan Morgan's office have no further information."

• We have written to Ruth Mark's, Older People's Commissioner to draw her attention to the investigation . We have received a response which says that the Commissioner is also making enquiries about the investigation and will contact us when she receives a response from the Welsh Assembly Government.

• We have written to Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) to ask how it will address some of the issues raised in its recent review of safeguarding and protecting vulnerable adults in NHS Wales. We are awaiting a response.

• We wrote to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to ask:-

* For an update on the investigation of a 22 year old who died at St George's Hospital. Their response can be read on the Blog page of our website - contact details for our website are below;

*How they intend to address the findings of a recent Nursing Times survey that showed that some nurse mentors said they had passed students whose competencies or attitude concerned them, or who they felt should fail. The NMC response can again be read can be read on the Blog page of our website ;

*For clarification that the ward environment's and the nurse education establishments in Mid Staffordshire will be included in it's investigation. We are awaiting a response

RESOURCES

Patient engagement site launched by Picker Institute

A website designed to help the NHS improve its public profile has been launched by the Picker Institute Europe. The Invest In Engagement website which is detailed below, offers advice for healthcare managers hoping to build patient engagement in the treatment process.

With Respect: Dignity in Homecare in Wales

This Trainers Guide for dignity training is add as a separate attachment

Talking Mats help involve people with dementia in decision making

This Joseph Rowntree Foundation Study has revealed how Talking Mats, a low-tech communication tool, can help both parties participate fully in discussions about everyday care. The link to the Joseph Rowntree website is detailed below. Or you could visit the Talking Mats website as detailed below to find out more about research and publications, training packages etc. to support practice.

Putting quality first in the boardroom

This King's Fund Report, which we have added as a separate attachment, considers the dynamics of the boardroom and the role of the nurse executive. The main observations of the report relate to board members behaviour and attitudes to the question of discussing and improving clinical quality.

LATEST NEWS

Hospitals face flood of claims over NHS breaching patient's 'right to life'

The Mail Online has reported that the Health Service faces a flood of potential lawsuits under the Human Rights Act after a secure mental hospital was ruled liable for one of its suicidal patients killing herself. The website link for this article is detailed below

Student nurse victimised for being a whistleblower

The Daily Mail has reported that a student nurse who exposed the appalling neglect of elderly patients at a hospital trust where up to 1,200 people died has been thrown off her training course. The website link for this article is detailed below

Mentors passing students despite doubts over ability

A Nursing Times Investigation has found that student nurses often pass clinical placements despite serious concerns from their nurse mentors. The website link for this article is detailed below

First students tested on compassion

The Nursing Times has reported that the first national batch of nursing students to be tested and tracked on their ability to show compassion will be arriving at Welsh universities this September. The website link for this article is detailed below

Compassion is no harder to measure than rain

The link for an article giving an excellent example of compassionate nursing care can be found below.

Food-fighting nurses captured on face book

The Daily Mail has reported on nurses throwing food around on a ward in Mid Staffordshire Hospital. The photos were featured on Facebook. The website link for this article is detailed below

Providing dignified care requires leadership

Julie Burgess writes in the Nursing Times about how her observations on a ward have led her to identify implications for leaders in ensuring the dignity of older people. The website link for this article is detailed below. She comments that there is a need to:-

• make sure ward routines allow sufficient time for older people to do what they have to do in a dignified way
• focus on discharge planning and understand the very complex pathways and routes from leaving a hospital to going back home or into a nursing home
• think how quickly people's lives change. Massive change is expected for older people in a very short period of time.
• Be very careful around language, particularly around delayed transfers of care, or about people with dementia. Words like "bed blockers" or "some loopy old man" are completely unacceptable.

Consultation on Essex hospital trust services begins

The BBC has reported that a public consultation on the standard of services at the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals has started. Thurrock Council is asking patients, carers, GPs and hospital staff for their views on cleanliness and staffing levels at the trust. The consultation ends on 11 June. The website link for this article is detailed below

Dame Joan Bakewell steps down as voice of older people

Dame Joan Bakewell, after stepping down as the voice of older people, will be lobbying for an Older People's Commissioner for England. Northern Ireland is also in the process of establishing an independent champion for the elderly. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

Heston Blumenthal takes on hospital food

Experimental chef Heston Blumenthal is poised to revolutionise hospital meals for elderly patients. The celebrity restaurateur, known for his unusual dishes such as snail porridge and bacon and egg ice cream, hopes to increase the flavour of well-loved dishes including shepherd's pie. This could rejuvenate the palates of older diners, whose sense of taste often deteriorates with age. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

Author furious her father with dementia was discharged from hospital alone in just his pyjamas

Leading Welsh author Catrin Collier has spoken of the heartache of her parents dementia, after her 89-year-old father was discharged from hospital alone in just his pyjamas. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

FormerLand Girl dies after she is left to 'wallow in her own filth' on NHS ward

The Daily Mail has reported a case of a helpless and confused after suffering a stroke, an 84-year-old was left dehydrated, hungry and lying in her own faeces in a hospital bed for six hours. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

Left unwashed and fed by fellow patients

A dying grandmother was left in squalor by hospital staff and forced to rely on fellow patients to feed her, her family claimed in an article in the Daily Mail. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

Private hospital's neglect led to patient's death

A private hospital's neglect contributed to the death of BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh's father days after a routine operation on his prostate, an inquest jury has decided. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

EVENTS

Uncovering Compassionate Care - the why, what and how of values based care

9/10/11 June 2010 at Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh Napier University. The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

World Elder Abuse Day

Tuesday, 15 June, 2010. For further information email daisygoodstien@elderabuse.org.uk

Coming of Age: Dementia in the 21^st Century

19-21 October 2010, London The website link for this article can be found at the bottom of the page.

CONTACT / SEND NEWS / SUBSCRIBE

If you have any information that you would like to share with others please let us know and we will be happy to circulate it in the next edition of the newsletter.

Join the mailing list

If you are reading a copy of this email forwarded to you by a colleague we may not have your contact details. If you would like to guarantee a regular monthly copy of the mailing send your details to info@dignifiedrevolution.org.uk

A Dignified Revolution can be contacted at:- Britannia House, 11 High St, Cowbridge CF71 7AD Tel: 07811 159800 email info@dignifiedrevolution.org.uk

• Dignified Revolution Website can be found at:- (opens new window)

• Healthcare Alliance Website can be found at:- (opens new window)

• Invest In Engagement Website can be found at:- (opens new window)

• Joseph Rowntree Website can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The Talking Mats website can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The Daily Mail online link regarding the Health Service facing potential lawsuits can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The Daily Mail online link regarding the student nurse victimised for being a whistleblower can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The nursing times link regarding mentors passing students despite doubts over ability can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The nursing times link regarding the article on the first students tested for compassion can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The nursing times article focusing on compassionate nursing care can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The Daily Mail link for the article on food fighting nurses can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article in the nursing times about dignified care requiring leadership can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article on the public consultation on the standard of services at the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Trust can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article on Dame Joan Bakewell lobbying for an Older People's Commissioner for England can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article on Heston Blumenthal revolutionising hospital food can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article on the author's father discharged from hospital alone in his pyjamas can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article on the death of the former land girl can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The article of the dying grandmother left in squalor can be found at:- (opens new window)

• The Guardian Online article on a private hospital's neglect contributing to the death of a patient can be found at:- (opens new window)

• Uncovering Compassionate Care website:- (opens new window)

• Coming Of Age Event Website:- (opens new window)