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Dermacol Demonstration dates announced

Find out everything you need to know about our new product.

Have a look at the list below of upcoming Dermacol demonstration meetings in your area. Please call your local Care Centre on Freephone 0800 626388 to reserve a place and to check times.

Midlands

Tuesday 24th March 2009

Synosby Knoll Hotel
Asfordby Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0HP

Meet Community Stoma Care Nurse Kate Howlett. Lunch provided.

Tuesday 31 March 2009

The Trinity Centre
Church Hill, Mill Street, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1TF

Stoma Care Nurses from Good Hope Hospital will be in attendance and lunch will be provided.

North

Tuesday 10 March

Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Stoma Care Department, Sherrif Hill, Gateshead, NE9 6SX

Stoma Care Nurse Heather Wilson will be in attendance.

Friday 20th March

The Molineux Medical Centre
Shields Road, Byker, Newcastle, NE6 2UZ

Stoma Care Nurse Lesley Brown will be in attendance

Tuesday 24th March 2009

Synosby Knoll Hotel
Asfordby Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0HP

Meet Community Stoma Care Nurse Kate Howlett. Lunch provided. Light refreshments, tea and coffee will be provided.

Tuesday 7th April

Sunderland Royal Hospital
Stoma Care Department, Chester Wing Entrance, Kayll Road, Sunderland, SR4 7TP

Stoma Care Nurses Maralyn Boyd, Sue Rodda and Rosemary Jobling will be in attendance.

Thursday 30th April 2009

The Oakwell Centre
Desbury District Hospital, Halifax Road, Dewsbury, WF13 4HS

Stoma Care Nurses from Desbury District Hospital will be in attendance.

Islands

Tuesday 7th April 2009

Keyll Daree Training Centre
Nobles Hospital, Westmoreland Road, Douglas, Isle of Mann, IM1 4QA

Stoma Care Nurse Carol Cringle will be in attendance. Cheese and wine. Bring a partner or friend.

Salts relaunches killer footwear

Shuform is giving an entirely new meaning to the term ‘killer heels’, a term more likely to be associated with stilettos than hospital footwear.

The range, manufactured by Salts Techstep – our orthotics division – has relaunched the popular range, the linings of which are now being coated with particles of silver to help in the fight against the spread of infections such as MRSA in the hospital environment.

Salts’ Senior Product Manager, Adrian Priest explained: “Silver has been known for its antibacterial properties for thousands of years and even at low concentrations it has been shown to be capable of killing off more than 650 disease-causing organisms. While much is already being done in hospitals to combat so-called super-bugs, this is another important step forward in that battle. Patients wearing Shuform footwear during hospital stays will not only experience total foot comfort, they will also be helping to protect themselves and others against infection.”

The Shuform range includes a slipper that is designed for use following surgery when the foot is bandaged or swollen or where a condition prevents the use of normal footwear. Also in the range is a lightweight shoe which provides a firm sole and heel to aid mobility and is ideal for patients with painful foot conditions, an orthotic felt boot which has a wide steel shank in the base which allows for the use of additional appliances, and the unisex, multi-fit mediboot. In addition, Shuform offers a Comfort Shoe for outdoor as well as indoor use.

More improvements to Confidence Comfort drainable range

Ileostomists who use Salts Confidence Convex Supersoft drainable pouches will already be benefiting from the improvements we made last year to the closure with the introduction of softer, flexible foam strips on the outlet of the bag. The positive response we’ve received to the new soft closure has led us to extend the change to our Confidence Comfort drainable range which includes our large and standard oval wafer pouches. So Confidence Comfort also now features a closure which is softer, more comfortable, more flexible and more user-friendly because it is easier to open, drain and empty.

Confidence Comfort are clipless, drainable pouches for the one-piece user. They incorporate a new anatomical shape; a thicker silky soft covering, an oval shaped wafer; and quieter films – making this our most comfortable drainable pouch ever. Confidence Comfort is available in a wide range of sizes including a large pouch with an extra large oval wafer that can be cut up to 110mm wide and 70mm deep and was designed specifically to provide extra security.

Confidence Convex Supersoft pouches, also clipless and drainable, are ideal for one-piece users requiring convexity. They incorporate a softer, more flexible wafer with a slightly shallower profile to provide greater comfort.

As with all Salts’ pouches, Confidence Comfort and Confidence Convex Supersoft feature skin-friendly adhesive hydrocolloid wafers that provide the maximum comfort for ostomists. The ongoing research by Salts to continue improving its adhesive hydrocolloids has been officially accredited by the British Skin Foundation and this is an amazing achievement as Salts is the only ostomy products manufacturer to have received this prestigious endorsement.

Senior Product Manager, Maria Clifton said: “The great thing about our range of pouches is that we have something for everyone, whether it's flat wafer or convex, large, standard or small pouch size, and options on wafer size with the large oval wafer. Your stoma care nurse, or a member of staff at your local Medilink branch will be able to provide more information to help you find the right pouch for you.”

In addition, Salts’ range of Confidence closed pouches has many of the same features as the drainable product, including skin friendly hydrocolloid, discreet anatomical shape, soft silky covering with soft weld edges.

Salts Techstep Scores A Hole-In-One With New Orthotics Product

Golfers whose game is a little under par could turn their rivals green on the fairway with a new product launched by Salts Techstep – Salts Healthcare's Orthotics division.

NovaPED Golf is a range of specialist insoles that have been designed by Schein to improve the body’s movement during tee-off and backswing.  Endorsed by the German Professional Golfers’ Association, the arch supports result in improved co-ordination and help the player to use less energy without causing detriment to performance as well as preventing damage to joints.

Featuring special stiffening and pressure distribution zones, the insoles offer better stability and shock absorption which causes less strain on the feet, knee axis, the hip and the dorsal muscles of the back.

NovaPED Golf support arches are available for men and women in Basic, Procomfort and Prodynamic designs for right-handed and left-handed players.  Each one has pressure relief points on the heel, the ball of the big toe and the ball of the little toe and includes a cushioned layer made of alcantara – a suede-like fabric often used in the upholstery of upmarket cars – that is extremely soft and comfortable underfoot.

The Procomfort and Prodynamic arch supports also offer a pressure relief point on the big toe. Procomfort includes air ventilation at the forefoot, while Prodynamic includes magnetic field points that stimulate the metabolism and circulation to prevent premature fatigue.

So if you enjoy a game of golf, don't get 'teed off' by unnecessary aches and joint pains, get yourself a pair of NovaPED Golf arch supports. Contact Salts Techstep on 0121 333 2099 for further details.

Stoma Care Open Day

Stoma Care Nurses Doreen Woolley, Mary McIvor, Sheila Dolan and Caroline Whitaker are Holding an open day at the Wythenshawe Forum Civic Centre on Friday 7th September 2007 10am - 3pm

• All the latest appliances
• Free Refreshments
• Free Raffle
• All Welcome

Contact the Stoma Care Department for more information on 0161 445 5001

Cardiff Nurse presents to association of coloproctology conference after winning Edward Salt Award

Are we providing an adequate and appropriate level of follow-up care to bowel cancer patients? That was question Colorectal Nurse Specialist Cath Powell wanted to answer when she entered the Edward Salt Award 2006.

Established in 2004, the Award is part of an initiative by Salts Healthcare to further promote ever-better standards of patient care - and offers the winning nurse the opportunity to carry out a work placement within any Acute Trust or community based coloproctology department within the UK.

After being informed that she had won the award, Cath chose to visit the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Homerton Hospital in London, the Manchester Royal Infirmary, and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to compare the service they provided with that provided at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff where Cath has worked for the past 15 years. She has recently completed her visits and presented her findings at the Association of Coloproctology Conference held in Glasgow in early July.

“I was both excited and terrified at the same time when I discovered I’d won this award,” Cath said. “It’s a real honour to have this opportunity and one that I felt could really benefit our hospital as well as others offering similar services, but the prospect of speaking at the conference after I’d conducted my research was really daunting.”

Explaining the reasons behind her research, Cath said: “It had become apparent that there is no real consistency in follow-up care across UK hospitals and I wanted to look for examples of best practice across the four centres of excellence I was visiting and to use these to develop a policy for our own nurse-led follow-up clinic and to help improve other clinics across the country. This would enable us to work together to improve the service we provide and enhance the patient experience.

“The results showed patients were subjected to a ‘postcode lottery’ in terms of the frequency and type of care that was offered and that there is a real need for standardisation as part of Colorectal Cancer Guidelines. I really hope that relevant departments in all our hospitals take note of my findings and put policies in force that will reduce waiting times, improve patient care and increase patient satisfaction as well as reducing unnecessary duplication of care and making more effective use of Consultant time.”

Spray Adhesive Away With Salts Healthcare's New Wipeaway Spray

WipeAway sachets have been a favourite with Salts Healthcare customers since their launch several years ago and now ostomists have a choice of using the product in sachet or spray form.

The WipeAway product was originally designed by Salts to offer customers a skin-friendly way of removing residue left on the skin after the removal of an ostomy pouch. This is one of the most common problems experienced by ostomists and it is often unpleasant as the adhesives used on wafers can be sticky, and often difficult to remove.

Unlike many similar products, WipeAway doesn't sting or dry out the skin. It is simply sprayed on and around the adhesive when removing the pouch or flange, and then onto the skin around the stoma to remove any adhesive residue. WipeAway's natural ingredients help to soothe skin trauma associated with adhesive removal, alleviating the fear of irritation to broken skin and leaving a hint of fresh lavender.

Senior Product Manager, Maria Clifton said: “Difficult to remove adhesives are a thing of the past for our customers as WipeAway quickly and easily removes the residue, making the task easier and helping to keep the stoma skin healthy at the same time. The new product has been developed to provide an alternative for those who prefer to use a spray. It's easier to use than a conventional spray as it can be used upside down and it is already proving to be a welcome addition to our portfolio of stoma care accessories.”

If you would like to try a free sample of WipeAway Spray (which is available in a 70ml bottle), call Freephone 0800 626388 or visit www.salts.co.uk