FabChangeDay - what will you be doing?

Fab, Fab, Fab!

FabChangeDay is our opportunity to come together, harness our collective ideas and energy to make a change. A year of putting ideas into action. Together our actions will make a difference in improving the care and wellbeing of those who use health and social care services.

Why get involved?

1.  You’ve got an idea you believe could make something a bit better, or a lot better, and you’re ready to try it
2. You’ve got a change happening you’d like to get others behind
3. You want to connect with other like-minded people – make new friends, be part of a growing network to get and give help, support and inspiration

In the frustrating moments when we see that things aren’t happening in the best way, we can start on the small change actions that — in time, and with the help of others — overcome the things that were getting in our way.

October 19th is FabChangeDay and we will be asking people working in healthcare , social care and General Practice  to pledge to change something to improve care/services within their area. There will be events happening round the country and we will soon be launching an exciting new way of pledging and sharing your change.

What did people do last year?

The Academy website has loads of examples of changinge to practice: http://fabnhsstuff.net/fabchangeday/stories/

Here is an example or two...

A shift on a trolley

Hannah Baird

On the 11th March for NHS Change Day, the staff at Central Manchester Foundation Trust came together to make pledges to improve patient care.

I (a Junior Doctor) decided to undertake a ‘shift on a trolley’ in order to understand one small aspect of how it can be for patients when they are waiting on an A+E trolley for a prolonged period of time; prompting me in the future to do what I can to make the experience more comfortable for patients, even if that is just offering a cup of tea. I therefore took to my trolley in the A+E department for the duration of a 10 hour shift. I asked my fellow colleagues to come visit me and make a small pledge of something they could do to improve patient care and experience or staff care and experience. Together each of our small actions will make a big difference in improving the care and wellbeing of those who use the NHS.

The day was hugely successful, with a grand total of 216 staff pledges made by nurses, care support workers, junior doctors, consultants, paramedics, porters, administration and clerical staff, and Sodexo staff. Senior members of the organisation, including the Assistant Medical Director, the Clinical Head of Division and the Divisional Manger, supported me by taking a 30 minute turn on the trolley when they called to make their pledge.

The pledges made ranged from simply ‘offering patients a cup of tea’ while they were waiting in the Emergency Department to ‘answering a bleep with a smile’ and ‘keeping patients and families updated even when busy’. These pledges were then mapped against Trust values and behaviors to create the ‘CMFT pledge wheel’.

All staff where offered the opportunity to sign up to ‘hello my name is…’ campaign and have their photo taken for a NHS change day video.

What did I learn from being on the trolley? The trolleys are uncomfortable after a while, especially with no pillow. Being moved on them is horrible as they are hard to steer and you get bumped into everything. Feeling unwell whilst on one must be horrible. I will take away this feeling and remember the discomfort, and from now on I will challenge myself to find a patient a pillow, or even something that can be used as a pillow. Understanding more how it feels to be on the trolley will prompt me to acknowledge the discomfort people are in and offer a little more empathy, and perhaps a cup of tea too.

Staff ‘swap shop’

Carolyn Johnston and Sarah Weatherall

For NHS Change Day 2014, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust pledged to shadow – and be shadowed by – a member of staff from a different department. They called this, ‘the staff swap shop.’ Over 200 people from across the organisation joined this action.

Carolyn Johnston, a consultant anaesthetist, saw the benefits of music listening to enhance the patient experience and raise mood, and Sarah Weatherall, live arts co-ordinator and part of the Art’s St George’s team, witnessed a transplant operation. This is what they had to say:

I’m so glad I signed up for the swap – it really cheers me to know we are thinking holistically about our patient’s wellbeing and I found myself humming Moon River for the rest of the day! – Carolyn

I observed a four hour operation where Carolyn had to keep the patient warm, breathing and with the adequate amount of pain killer and anaesthetic. Observing the effects of the transplant, with such major human outcomes, achieved on a scale of millimetres was a profound experience which I’ll never forget. – Sarah

Sarah and Carolyn reflected on what they had learned about their experience last year. Sarah tends to work with patients who have been in the hospital for over 28 days and Carolyn spends most of her time with patients who are not conscious. The swap shop allowed both Carolyn and Sarah to see more of the patient journey and recognise the holistic care that is provided in the Trust.

‘Stop Before Your Op’

Emma Fletcher

The Phoenix Team, part of Lincolnshire Community Health Service NHS Trust, developed the ‘Stop Before Your Op ’ initiative to encourage patients to stop smoking prior to surgery or treatment. Stop Before Your Op was not only intended to increase referrals into the service but also to raise people’s awareness of smoking-related diseases and help people to stop smoking.

‘Stop before Your Op’ was first launched in Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital in March 2013. As a result of the project referrals rose dramatically from just 13 in February to 105 in March and 115 in April. The success of this campaign has been unbelievable, and the benefits are huge: faster recovery rates, better and faster wound healing time, fewer cancellations of operations and faster discharge. It’s a cheap and cheerful but hugely effective intervention.

The aim of the ‘Stop Before Your Op’ project was to further develop key elements of the tobacco control programme in order to help meet our targets and provide services that are particularly geared to tackling health inequalities. Smoking is one of the most significant contributing factors to life expectancy, health inequalities and ill health – particularly cancer, coronary heart disease, respiratory disease and smoking related complications following surgery.

This project contributes to the Governments national ambitions within its Tobacco Control Plan for England (March 2011):

• To reduce the adult (aged 18 or over) smoking prevalence in England to 18.5% or less, by end of 2015.
• To reduce rates of regular smoking among 15 year olds in England to 12% or less, by end of 2015.
• To reduce rates of smoking throughout pregnancy to 11% or less, by the end of 2015 (measured at time of giving birth).

The Stop Before Your Op project is now well established in both Pilgrim Hospital, Boston and Lincoln County Hospital , Lincoln and through partnership working has helped many people to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.