"YET AGAIN, EXCELLENT PROFESSIONAL CARE"

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you on here. I was very sorry to see that the hospital found it difficult to provide an appropriate hoist and commode for your wife. To this end, I have shared you story with our Specialist Moving and Handling Advisor here at the Trust who I know is looking into this for you.

If at any time you would like to raise your concerns formally, you can contact our Complaints team by calling 01872 252793 or email rcht.patientexperience@nhs.net.

I will make sure that I share your kind words with the team on Eden ward who helped look after your wife whilst in hospital.

Best wishes,

Jess

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you. As the Specialist Moving and Handling Advisor, your feedback is important with regards to your concerns and availability of equipment required to assist your wife during the course of her stay.

Could you advise whether or not you were issued with the ‘Spinal Injury Passport’?

This is a document/booklet given to patients when they are admitted into hospital if they do not already have one. This has been put together in order to support patients with a Spinal Injury or an existing Spinal Injury. If you do not have one currently we would like to send you one in order for you to complete and bring this with you if at any time you need to visit the hospital.

This assists the staff to provide the appropriate care and safely manage patients with spinal injuries, including bowel care management, moving and handling amongst other specific care requirements; this is key in ensuring there are no complications when receiving their care.

It would be really helpful to let us know more specific detail of the Hoist and the hoist sling type your wife uses, including the type of attachments the sling has; whether this is a clip or loop attachment to identify whether this is compatible with the hoists we currently use in the Trust.

We currently have a Tilt and Space shower chair on one of the wards which we could have borrowed if this was a requirement, there are plans to purchase a new ‘RAZ shower chair’ for patients with specific needs. If you would like to let us know of the Hoist and Hoist sling, and the shower chair your wife currently uses this will help assist for future planning for the purchase of the appropriate equipment. If you could also let me know if the equipment is provided by the community as part of your wife’s ‘package of care’ or if the equipment is privately purchased this may also help for the future when sourcing equipment.

Please feel free to contact the Specialist Moving and Handling Advisor on Tel No:- 07585795294 who is happy to discuss with you and your wife, in order that her provision of care in the future, is appropriate and suits her specific needs.

Best wishes,

Carol

Dear anonymous,

As the Specialist Moving and Handling Advisor I would just like to update you with further information in relation to the Spinal Cord Injury passport, and the Moving and Handling and Equipment provisions relating to the story you told us four months ago now.

We sent you an electronic copy of a Spinal Cord Injury Passport, if you have completed this please could you either e-mail it to rch-tr.SGAdults@nhs.net or send a paper copy to:-

IMPACT Buildings Manager and Safeguarding Services Administrator

Safeguarding Services

Pendragon House

Royal Cornwall Hospital

Truro

TR1 3XQ

Please keep a copy for yourselves and bring this with you if you are admitted to hospital as an in-patient.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals ‘SPINES’ group have produced some posters highlighting the ‘Spinal Injury Passport’ and these have been distributed to raise awareness of patients with Spinal Cord Injury and to inform Spinal Cord Injury patients and the public of the passport and the ‘SPINES’ group.

We currently have a ‘SPINES’ information resource page on the Intranet an internal resource for staff. At the ‘SPINES’ group this week it has been decided that the page will be put onto the ‘Internet’ in order that information and resources can be viewed by the wider public too.

Following our previous discussion, advice and support with staff on Eden Ward on several occasions have been had to discuss the issues raised in relation to Moving and Handling, for example:

Clearance of the bed, how to adjust the Hoist Mast and where to locate a specific tilt and space shower chair in the hospital if required.

We understanding that the equipment you used at home is provided from the community loan stores, could you confirm if this is correct? The Moving and Handling Policy is currently being amended and information will be added to the appendix on how to source equipment for ‘Spinal Cord Injury patients’.

I hope both you and your wife find this information re-assuring and look forward to hearing from you.

Hope you are both keeping well,

Best Wishes,

Carol Walpole Specialist Moving and Handling Advisor.