Issue Number 4Spring 2010

GP

The Laboratory medicine team at NNUH processes more than950,000 specimen requests each year, of which around 3,500 arefound to be incorrectly labelled. This creates an unacceptable risk

to patients, as well as additional costs, and we havebeen looking into the reasons for these errors as partof our ongoing campaign to improve patient safety.

Recent evidence suggests that more than half themislabelled requests come from primary care and weare working with colleagues in the community to helpfind solutions to this problem.

Liz Groves, the clinical scientist who is leading this project for theNNUH Foundation Trust, says: “We have identified the main factorscontributing to labelling errors within the Trust and we are working withstaff to make sure that patients are positively identified and that samplelabelling is done at the point of collection. However, there may bedifferent factors involved in errors with samples from primary care, so it’simportant that we work together to improve labelling andreduce the risks to patient safety.”

Krishna Sethia, Medical Director,Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals

NHS Foundation Trust

Make the most of laboratory medicineARE YOU having problems meeting the

demand for phlebotomy in time to meet the

transport pick-up times? Would you like to

extend this service for your patients, while

cutting down the waiting times for bloods?

The laboratory medicine team at NNUH

would be happy to discuss the options

available to allow you to do this. For

example, did you realise that if you had a

centrifuge in your surgery to spin the

biochemistry samples, you would be able to

take bloods after your pick-up time and save

the samples for collection the next day –

thus extending your phlebotomy service?

The hospital laboratory does not supply

centrifuges but can offer advice on suitable

equipment to use and will provide the

necessary staff training.

If you’d like to discuss possible options

please contact Dianne Gibson, Service

Manager on tel 01603 286936 or email

Dianne.gibson@nnuh.nhs.uk “

THE LABORATORY Medicinedepartment at NNUH is hosting anopen afternoon for GPs on 13 Aprilfrom 2 - 5pm in the East Atrium.The programme is:• 2pm: welcome and introduction

• The Power of Automation: a tour of the

hospital laboratory to see the processing

power of the equipment

• ESR or CRP – you choose

• POCT – the good, the bad and the ugly

• A biochemical approach to testosterone

measurement

• Improvements in our laboratory service

• Question and answer session

To book a place, please email rebecca.perry@

nnuh.nhs.uk

Enhancedrecovery

NEWS FROM

UpdateADVANCES IN surgical techniques,

coupled with changes in pre- and post-

operative care and advice, mean that

patients are able to recover from surgery

much sooner than before.

Research led by Professor Henrik Kehlet,

from Copenhagen, demonstrated that

patients could be eating, drinking and

walking unaided only three or four days

after major colorectal surgery. When

combined with laparoscopic techniques,

some patients are able return home after

only three days.

At the NNUH we have started to

introduce this process, and some patients

are able to recover and go home more

quickly than before. Very occasionally

patients may experience complications.

Where this is the case patients will be given

a direct line number to contact the hospital

for assistance.

The power of progress: Why not come and

take a spin round our hospital laboratory?

PLEASE HELP US TO TACKLE LABELLING ERRORS

A CAMPAIGN has

been launched at

NNUH to raise

awareness of the

dangers of blood

clots contracted in

hospital. All adult in-patients must now

undergo a Thrombosis Risk Assessment

(TRA) and both patients and staff are being

urged to learn more about clot prevention

after surgery (an information leaflet is

available via our website: nnuh.nhs.uk).

A new “Click for Clots” icon on the

desktop provides instant access to

information for staff, together with a TRA

form and guidelines on anticoagulation, with

links to other useful sites. The aim is to make

the question “Have you filled in a TRA?” as

ubiquitous for hospital doctors as “Have you

washed your hands?”

PREGNANT WOMEN aged over 35 are now

able to have a nuchal fold scan at NNUH to

screen for Down’s Syndrome at about 12

weeks of pregnancy.

Previously only women in high risk

categories were eligible for this scan, but the

service has now been extended following a

cash injection of £500,000 by NHS Norfolk.

Two rooms at NNUH have been

refurbished and equipped with ultrasound to

meet the expected demand.

A routine blood test for Down’s will

continue to be offered to all pregnant women

at about 16 weeks into their pregnancy.

It is essential that women bring with them

a signed consent form as otherwise the scan

cannot take place. The forms are available

from midwives.

NEW GUIDELINES for the appropriatetreatment and referral of some of the mostcommon conditions have been drawn upbetween NNUH and NHS Norfolk’s PlannedCare Commissioning Team.

The guidance includes useful “rules ofthumb” for dealing with conditions suchas snoring and nosebleeds, difficultyswallowing, tonsillitis, chronic rhinitis, ear

wax and discharge, tinnitus, children’shearing loss, and dizziness. They aredesigned to provide helpful support toGPs and suggest treatment options priorto referring patients to NNUH.• Look out for our quick guide pack,arriving shortly, or go to http://nww.knowledgenorfolk.nhs.uk and searchfor the relevant specialty

GP UPDATE SPRING 2010KEY CONTACTS

Free advice line for employersNorfolk and Norwich UniversityHospitalColney LaneNorfolk NR4 7UYWebsite: www.nnuh.nhs.uk

On-call:For emergencies tel: 01603 286286 andask to be transferred to the appropriateon-call teams:• Surgical: SpR. (bleep 0080)• Medical: via the Emergency Assessment

Unit (EAU) on bleep 0002• Medicine for the Elderly: ext. 6509

There is also an on-call general (GI) andvascular consultant available via theswitchboard.

Norwich Community HospitalBowthorpe RoadNorwichNR2 3TUTel: 01603 776776(Also Breast Screening, Pain Management)

Norwich Central Family PlanningClinicGrove RoadNorwichNR1 3RHTel: 01603 287345

PharmacyMedicines information line: 01603287139

Pathology

Clinical Biochemistry andHaematology01603 286929 / 286932 / 286959

Microbiology01603 288587 / 288588

Knowledge Norfolk website:

http://nww.eastern.nhs.uk/scripts/index.a

sp?pid=73450&id=95975

TOP TIPS FOR COMMON COMPLAINTSGP UPDATEGP Update is edited by RebeccaPerry and produced by the NNUHCommunications team If you haveany questions, comments orcontributions please contactRebecca on 01603 289989 or byemail: rebecca.perry@nnuh.nhs.uk

Down’s scansare extended

CLOT TACTICS

OCCUPATIONAL health advisors from

NNUH are taking part in a pilot scheme to

give small local businesses free access to

professional advice via a helpline and

website.

More than £100 billion is lost from the

UK’s economy each year because of

working-age ill health and sickness absence,

with an estimated £30-40 billion of this

attributable to mental ill health.

A recent Government report identified a

need to provide employers, particularly those

in small firms, with easy access to advice on

workplace health issues. To address this, a

‘Health for Work Advice line’ for small

business is being piloted in seven locations

in England, and across Scotland and Wales.

Building on existing services such as NHS

Plus, the Advice line provides small business

employers with early and easy access to

advice from health professionals that is

tailored to their needs. Employers are also

directed to other services and advice if

required.

The advice line will provide small

businesses with direct support to help them

retain the services of an employee at work or

assist an employee back to work following a

period of sickness related absence.

Employees may also call the advice line

about a health problem, although they

should be encouraged to speak to their

employer in the first instance, who can then

contact the service on their behalf.

The advice line, delivered by NHS Plus,

will run until 31 March 2011 and the

number to call is 0800 0 77 88 44, or visit

www.health4work.nhs.uk