Guttmann awardsHealthcare Assistant Caroline Price has beennamed as the first ever overall winner of theGuttmann Care Awards, awarded to staff atthe National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC),Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

The awards were established by the PoppaGuttmann Trust to recognise the quality ofcare and dedication to patients with spinalcord injuries. Each month patients on eachward vote for their choice of staff member.The recipient with the most awards over theyear goes on to become the overall winner.

Caroline, from Hemel Hempstead, has beenworking at the NSIC for four years and as aHealthcare Assistant plays a vital role inensuring that patients’ needs are met andtheir hospital stay is as comfortable aspossible.

Said Caroline: “I am absolutely delighted andespecially honoured because the award ischosen by patients themselves. Nobodywants to be in hospital and if I can somehowmake a positive difference to that experience,then I feel rewarded. But ultimately, it is ateam effort and I am privileged to work withthe most amazingly skilled and dedicatedcolleagues.”

Said Mike Mackenzie, Chairman of the PoppaGuttmann Trust: “The Awards have been verysuccessful in showing the appreciation ofpatients for the care they receive from all staffon the wards, and in raising morale, pride andthe spirit of the National Spinal Injuries Centre.”

Said Claire Guy, Operations Manager for

NSIC: “The Awards promote qualityimprovement in the care of spinally injuredadults and children. It is a great way ofcelebrating those staff who continue to act inthe spirit of Sir Ludwig Guttmann and playtheir part in making consistent improvementsby all who work in healthcare.”

SUMMER 2015

Guinness World RecordAfter almost a year of conversation with the Guinness World Record teamthe NSIC is very happy to announce that Beryle C Bell (T7 paraplegic)has been awarded the World Record for ‘Longest Living Paraplegic’; thisbrand new record stands at 67 years 7 months. The NSIC noted therewas a record for longest living tetraplegic (54 years 3 months) and also arecord for incomplete tetraplegia (83 years 5 months) but not forparaplegia. Injured as a child and the first civilian to be treated at the

NSIC, Beryle was the obvious choice fornomination. Beryle consented to the NSICputting her details forward and she now holdsa place in the record books. Why not trysetting your own record? The record for thelongest distance travelled by ‘wheelie/backwheel balance’ stands at 25.8km (16.3 miles),longest stationary wheelie 12 hours 30minutes. What else could you do to set a record?

SCI News

Buckinghamshire HealthcareNHS Trust

NHS

Stoke Mandeville SpinalResearchStoke Mandeville Spinal Research iscommitted to improving quality of lifeafter paralysis. Our research tacklesthe medical complications of SCI aswell as the social and psychologicalimpact of living with paralysis. Inaddition, we are promoting andresearching the use of assistivetechnology to help more peoplebenefit from the excitingdevelopments in this area.

With our new logo and websitewww.lifeafterparalysis.com in hand,we are calling out for anyone with a

spinal cord injury to join us, bybecoming an ambassador or sharingtheir story with us. Your stories areour motivation and together we canraise more funds and awareness toimprove life after paralysis. Follow us@lifeafterpara, call us on 01296 315255 or emailcharlotte.minoprio@smsr.org.uk. Orbetter still, pop in for a chat with usin the Sodexo building across fromthe NSIC.

Lands End to John O’GroatsIt has been a few years since the NSIC has embarkedon a fundraiser, this is set to change in 2015! Aninformal chat led to 3 staff embarking on a plan to cyclefrom Lands End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) inSeptember 2015; Luke Delahunty, Claire Guy, and PaulHunt. Other riders will make the group up to six, thediscussions of route planning are starting in earnest. Weare planning to raise money for a new project at theNSIC with Horatio’s Garden, a charity set up to designand see beautiful gardens develop in Spinal InjuryCentres. http://shop.horatiosgarden.org.uk/ .

The charity started at the Duke of Cornwall SpinalTreatment Centre, Salisbury when Horatio Chapplespent time talking to patients asking them what theywould like to have. There was a unanimous request forrelaxing garden areas, which subsequently have beendeveloped. The Charity is now working with other SpinalInjury centres, of which the NSIC is one. Sadly Horatiodid not see the garden develop at Salisbury, do readmore about their story on the link above.

We are planning to start the LEJOG bike ride onSeptember 1st, there will be a just giving site set up,please check the NSIC website for further updates. Wewould welcome any fundraising however small towardsthis exciting project which we hope will begin this year. Ifyou have any questions or would like to donate to thiswork, or contribute in any way to the bike ride or theGarden development, please contact Claire Guy atClaire.guy@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk.

Claire Guy

Second place success forspinal injury service

Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients are

prone to the development of chronic

oedema (fluid retention in the body

causing swelling) due to the nature of

their injuries. For the last five years, two

members of staff, Ruth Peachment,

occupational therapist, and Sue

Lawrance, lymphoedema clinical nurse

specialist, have combined their

knowledge and skills to look more

closely at how the management of this

condition could be improved in spinal

cord injury patients.

“We wanted to address this problem

and work to challenge the entrenched

views that chronic oedema is an

acceptable and inevitable consequence

of SCI” said Sue. “Since working

together we have found that, just by

going back to using basic principles of

chronic oedema management, we can

significantly improve our patient’s

quality of life. Patients are able to return

to using normal footwear and regain

independence as limbs are lighter,

allowing them to transfer

independently.”

To improve the care provided to

patients suffering from chronic oedema,

some who may have had the condition

for many years, a collaborative clinic

was set up between the Lymphoedema

Clinic at Florence Nightingale Hospice,

and the National Spinal Injuries Centre,

both based at Stoke Mandeville

Hospital. With over 100 referrals since

the clinic began, patients are seen

jointly by Ruth and Sue and the corner-

stones of chronic oedema management

are discussed, including skin care,

exercises and elevation.

Ruth added: “We entered these awards

to raise awareness that, through this

unique service model, we have been

able to provide accessible and effective

treatment of chronic oedema to our SCI

patients. We are eager to see this

model used by other spinal centres

across the country and we’re delighted

that it has been recognised by this

award.”

The collaborative clinic took the second

prize in the chronic oedema and

compression award category at the

third annual JWC awards in March

2015. The annual awards aim to

recognise innovation and excellence in

wound care, through research and

clinical practice both nationally and

internationally, and this category

celebrates practitioners who have made

an outstanding contribution to their

clinical practice.

Congratulations Ruth & Sue, well done!

Mindfulness Sessions at the NSICThe Psychology Department successfully ranMindfulness sessions for 5 weeks (November –December 2014). These were taster sessions wherepatients and staff were able to experience a variety ofmindfulness exercises. There was a great deal ofinterest with 16 patients and 46 staff taking part. Theirfeedback was overwhelmingly positive and all werehoping there could be further sessions.

Due to the success and positive feedback, thePsychology Department will continue to runmindfulness sessions for current inpatients and theirfamily members on a monthly basis. These sessionswill run on the off-week for patient education and willbe held in the Patient Education room. If you would liketo recommend this to a current inpatient or theirrelative, please contact the Psychology Department at01296 315823.

Motivation

Magical MalawiI’ve been aware of the amazing work that the charityMotivation do for some time, and when theopportunity to be involved with a project of theirs inMalawi came up, I was excited to take part.My African adventure didn’t get off to a great startunfortunately - although I arrived safely in Blantyreairport, my wheelchair did not join me, as someonedecided it should stay in Kenya! However, it quicklybecame clear why Malawi is referred to as the ‘warmheart of Africa’; the airport staff and Motivation teamcould not have been more helpful, really trying tomake sure the situation was resolved as soon aspossible. As it was, I had to make do with a wheelchair loanedby the airport for a day or so. This was prettychallenging - I struggled to balance as it didn’t fitproperly, my feet didn’t stay on the footplates,transfers were difficult due to the extremely high armrests, and there was only one push-rim and oneproperly functioning front castor. It gave me a realinsight into what many people have to deal with inAfrica following a spinal cord injury, and they have todeal with it for much longer than a day or so. Thoseare the ones lucky enough to get a wheelchair at all.Myself and another trainer were there to run the‘Training of Trainers’ camp. The aim was to train tennew trainers so they can teach ‘Peer Group Training’sessions on healthcare, wheelchair skills anddisability rights to people with a spinal cord injury.We all stayed together in a lodge; which gave me achance to get to know people from all kinds ofdifferent backgrounds and hear their fascinatingstories. The one common message from all the new trainerswas what a huge impact the Motivation Peer GroupTraining had had on their lives. I learned that thistraining can be literally life saving, as well as lifechanging. It was overwhelming to realise just how lucky we arein the UK after a spinal cord injury, somethingdefinitely taken for granted by most of us. Themajority of people at home are transferred to aspecialist spinal injuries hospital following an injury,and have access to education and equipment duringrehabilitation. Now, in the UK, the life expectancy of aparaplegic is no different to an able-bodied person.In Malawi, the life expectancy of a paraplegic is two

years. Two years! What makes this statistic evenmore appalling, is that it could be so easily avoided.The majority of people die from infections, but withmore education these cases could be dramaticallyreduced. Some of the people on the camp hadn’t even initiallybeen told that they had a spinal cord injury, or thatdamage in complete injuries is permanent. Oneperson said that when being discharged, his doctorhad told him to just go home and ‘wait until you canwalk again’. He then got shipped around variouschurches with people trying to heal him with prayer.

The first time he learned that his paralysis ispermanent was on the Peer Group Training, he couldthen accept his situation and begin to move on.

Lack of understanding on the basic issues of spinalcord injury has huge implications on quality of life.Most participants said they hadn’t been told anythingabout bladder and bowel management, so were tooscared to leave the house. Add the lack of educationon skin care to the situation, and it’s hardly surprisingthat infections from pressure sores as well asbladder infections are common. Left untreated, thesecan be life threatening.If I was shocked by the healthcare elements, I wasperhaps even less prepared to learn about attitudesto disability in Africa. The worst I have to deal with inthe UK is some staring and occasional ignorantcomments. In Malawi, I was told that wheelchairusers are treated like beggars. One lady even had

people in her village call her ‘peasant’. Several of theparticipants said friends and even family hadabandoned them. A disabled person is notconsidered to be worthy of much in society. Trying to change these attitudes may seem like anoverwhelming prospect, but if we can just start with afew of the wheelchair users that attend theseMotivation camps, they can go on to challengeperceptions. The disability rights session talks abouthow a disabled person has as much right as the nextperson to be happy, have a family, get a job and

generally be treated with respect. Environmentalissues play a big part in disabling you further; Iunderstand there are some groups now campaigningto improve building access etc to reduce theseimpacts. It does sound like things are beginning tochange for the better.Most of my expertise lies in teaching wheelchairskills, so I was keen to see if I could help. This had tobegin with getting an understanding for what theliving situation was like for people, along with theterrain they had to deal with. I talked to many of theparticipants at great length to gather this information;the main feedback I got was that the wheelchairprovided by Motivation had absolutely andcompletely transformed their quality of life. The moresuitable wheelchairs meant it was easier to strivetowards a goal of being independent; the skills wethen teach improve confidence to help achieve thisgoal.Skills such as how to push up ramps, get overobstacles, ascend and descend steps will mean thatsome of the challenges encountered everyday canbe overcome. Many of the participants who hadalready been on the Peer Group Training camptalked about how much the skills learned hadimproved their confidence and independence. Theywere more willing to leave the house and integrateback into their community, because getting aroundwas much easier.However, I witnessed how much harder people haveto work to achieve this independence. Culturally, it iscommon for people to want to push wheelchairusers. Even after a successful wheelchair skillssession where participants had overcome barriersindependently, a family member would come andpush them back to their room. Despite trying to getthe message across that you should only push awheelchair user if they ask for help, not before, I feltlike the message was falling on deaf ears. One ladysaid she had asked her family members many timesnot to push her around, but they still did itregardless. The more wheelchair users that are seenout and about in their communities pushingthemselves independently, the more this attitude willchange.I felt very privileged during the second half of mytime with Motivation to watch our new trainers teacha variety of sessions on the Peer Group Trainingcamp. They had begun to truly believe that they arerole models, and that their achievements couldinspire others. I witnessed first-hand what anincredibly positive impact this had on the participantsof the PGT camp.Although Motivation are making huge strides inimproving the quality of life for many disabled peoplein Malawi, there must be a large number who havenot yet been reached. This will undoubtedly be a bigchallenge for Motivation, but one I’m convincedthey’ll work hard to overcome. I can only hope to beinvolved again at some point in the future to helpthem achieve greater goals.If you would like more information on Motivation,please visit: www.motivation.org.uk

Jane Sowerby

Linda HallMrs Linda Hall, Administratorfor the Department of ClinicalPsychology for over 19 years,sadly passed away earlier thisyear. As well as providing allthe secretarial needs for theDepartment, Linda had beencentral to the fabric of rehabili-tation provision at the NSIC asthe administrator for theNeeds Assessment Checklist.Newly injured patients at theNSIC complete a NeedsAssessment Checklist which forms the basis for the GoalPlanning Programme. Therefore hardly a patient would havepassed through the Centre that would not had contact withLinda, albeit often unknowing to the patient concerned. Lindawas also the founding Secretary for the MultidisciplinaryAssociation of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (MASCIP) andthe European Spinal Psychologists Association and beeninstrumental in hosting the Guttmann Conference on 3occasions. Linda had exceptional organisational skills coupledwith a tremendous ability to get alongside people and put themat their ease. She provided invaluable support to the traineeclinical psychologists and international students who haveplacements at the Department enabling them to get the mostfrom during their time at the NSIC. Linda and her husbandNigel have also provided back up and transport to thecharitable cycle rides of the NSIC staff. Her life touched manypatients and staff at the NSIC, with current and formercolleagues attending her funeral and her book of condolencereceived messages from across the world.

Our best wishes and thoughts are with her family Nigel, Carly,Ben, Kayleigh and granddaughter Alice.

Paul Smith

MASCIP joins with other members

of the SCI community in sharing the

sadness following the loss of Paul

Smith following a short illness.

Paul became CEO of the SIA 12

years ago and achieved many

milestones during his time. Paul

was enthusiastic and motivated to

achieve all that he believed was

best for the SIA and those it served.

He always managed to find balance

to getting his message heard in

situations where many other

opinions were distracting the

outcome. This he did with a mix of

common sense, humour,

knowledge of his topic and

conviction in his purpose. As the

chair of SCIUK Paul worked hard to

combine the efforts of the various

healthcare professionals with SIA to

pull together, believing more could

be achieved in unity. His partici-

pation in numerous working groups

was enriched by his presence with

his ability to negotiate and charm

his point across.

Our thoughts go to Paul's wife

Christine and his family and all his

colleagues at the SIA during this

sad time, Dot Tussler, Head Physio.

CARFCongratulations to the NSIC team for an outstanding effort which hasresulted in the Centre successfully retaining its Commission onAccreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation - aninternational standard which recognises the Centre's unique rehabili-tation opportunity and the outstanding quality of care and dedication ofthe NSIC team

The Centre was delighted to be awarded the highest level for themaximum three-year period, running until October 2017.This is an extraspecial achievement as we are the only NHS Trust to be awarded CARFaccreditation and also have the only accredited children's unit inEurope.

CARF evaluates standards in rehabilitation across the world and foundthat the NSIC had "demonstrated its commitment to offeringprogrammes and services that are measurable, accountable and of thehighest quality". Some of the areas they highlighted within their report asstrengths included:

• an established patient-centred goal planning process

• opportunities for patients to provide input to the centre and existing patient/ex-patient forums

• quality strategy and ongoing action plans

• representation at national and international level

• a comprehensive education programme for students, graduates and multi-disciplinary staff

• comprehensive access to peer support

• promotion of sport / leisure / arts / health / wellness

• enthusiastic and dedicated staff at all levels and the longevity and experience of staff within the service, which speaks to their compassion and commitment

• learning opportunities for patients, relatives and children. eg.relatives days and sibling support workshops

SportabilityTaking the ‘dis’ out of disability

Sportability is a British registered charity with oneaim – to provide sport and challenging pursuitsfor people with paralysis – typically people whohave had a spinal cord injury. This includessailing, archery, quad-biking, clay pigeonshooting, gliding, canoeing, BloKart sailing, 4x4driving, scuba diving, microlight flying,wheelchair tennis, and many more.

It is not about creating elite sportsmen andwomen. It is about the adrenaline rush, puttingthe buzz back into a life corralled by thewheelchair, walking sticks or crutches.

The Sportability Experience helps to re-buildconfidence, restore self-esteem and re-assess

their capabilities, which carries through toeveryday living. It is not just access to activities,but the social mix, the acceptance and sense ofachievement that are empowering.

In 2014 Sportability offered over 800 completelyfree places for people with paralysis across 69events in 12 regions around the UK. Of these, 28were multi-sport days which offered two or threeactivities within one event. Sportability alsostaged several indoor events (skydiving, archery,tennis and shooting) allowing us to offer aprogramme of winter activities for the first time.

Their Goal: To provide a range of accessiblesports in more areas of the UK for people withparalysis.

Their Credo: To take the ‘dis’ out of disability;

focus on ability; inspiring the thought, “If I can dothis, what else can I achieve?”

If you would like more information, please checkout their website www.sportability.org.uk or emailinfo@sportability.org.uk.

Congratulations Tracey GeddisCongratulations to Tracey Geddis. She is nownext to her role in Spinal Outpatients also asenior lecturer at Bucks New Uni. We wish her allthe best!

Naomi GathNaomi Gath, one of our physio’s here at thespinal unit, has been training for the LondonMarathon.

She is fundraising for Spinal Research. Naomiraised around £1000 so far through bake sales,carol singing, raffles and donations. She aims toraise at least £1800! If you would like to sponsorher please get in touch.

Good luck Naomi

Meet Stuart Coalwood

Stuart is the new GeneralManager at the NSIC. Hestarted here in October 2014.

Stuart has come from theRoyal National OrthopaedicHospital where he worked formany years.

Here is our Q&A:

What is your favourite film? The Italian Job

What is the most adventurousholiday you have ever been on?Travelling around South Africa– Cape Town, Durban,Nelspruit, Johannesburg &Sun City

What is the best piece oftravel advice you could givesomeone?Don’t forget your passport

What is your favourite quote?“Never for the sake of makinga living forget to live”

Wanted:Can you spare a few hours to help develop theSpinal Outpatient and Community Service?

We need anyone who has been a patient of theNSIC and is willing to attend some meetings withstaff to help to develop our services for thefuture.

Part 1.We need to gather patients and their families toobtain their experiences of using spinalOutpatients and Home visits

Part 2.Join staff in meetings to share and co-design thefuture service and develop shared priorities forthe service

If this is something you’re interested in, pleasecontact: Alison.graham@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk

Santa visitOn December 18th Santa, his Christmas Fairy and Elves came to visit the NSIC onceagain.

They handed out presents to every patient and sweets for all the staff.

We would like to thank all the staff and the Wendover Rotary Club for their generousdonations. It really put a smile on everyone’s faces and helped to spread theChristmas cheer!

Mindfulness and SCI researchThe University of Buckingham and The National Spinal Injuries Centreare looking for participants to take part in research exploring theexperiences of pain, social relationships, and health and well-being,

after spinal cord injury. If you are an outpatient with pain as a result ofyour injury, with a friend, carer, or other family member who is willingto take part alongside you and would like to know more about thestudy, please contact the chief investigator, Jasmine Hearn, at 01280828 322 or email: jasmine.hearn@buckingham.ac.uk

NSIC-OnlineThis site is an addition to thePatient EducationProgramme which gives youeasy access to timely andappropriate healthcareadvice and information. Thepatient educationprogramme is a key part ofthe inpatient rehabilitation admission, but NSIC-online compliments this with access to informationonce home. It will help you to manage your owncare, keep in touch with the NSIC community andstay up to date with latest knowledge. The site isaccessible through PC, Smart TV, tablets andsmart phones. www.nsic-online.org.uk

SCI News is sponsored by

CONGRATULATIONSZoë Chevalier on having a baby girl

GOODBYE TOAmy Gilder, OT

Carolyn Jones, OT

Darshan Mann, Psychology

Claire Storey, Trainee Counselling Psychologist

Jane Sissons, Outreach Administrator

Lisa Hughes, Dietitian

Janet Hodgkinson, Sister

Thank you all for all your hard work over the years. You made a tremendous difference to all your patients. We wish you all the best in the future.

WELCOME TOTracy Thompson, Ward Manager & Matron Assistant

Emily Betts, Psychology

Alka Pandey, Dietitian

Roanna Freeman, Dietitian

Susie Scorer is back from her maternity leave

Welcome to all new nursing staff, from home and abroad

Welcome to the new senior management team

PLEASE LET US KNOW …….

A) If you would like to receive this Newsletter by email please enter your name and email address here andreturn this slip to the address below:-

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B) If your details need amending please print them here and return the slip to the address below:-

C) If you no longer wish to receive future copies of this Newsletter please print your details here and return to

the address below:-

RETURN TO: - Melissa Swinkels, Patient Support Officer, National Spinal Injuries CentreStoke Mandeville Hospital, Mandeville Road, Aylesbury, HP21 8AL

Or email melissa.swinkels@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk