Improving patient care, reducing emergency admissions, treating disease earlier and saving lives; the aims of a two-year liver health project taking place across the Humber region.

Funding of £500,000 over two years from NHS England and the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has been secured to pilot Liver Health Checks in a number of community locations across Hull, East Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire.

Initially starting in Hull and East Yorkshire in April 2023, the project was extended after 12 months to encompass Scunthorpe, Grimsby and surrounding areas, and parts of Scarborough too. The region is one of just 18 sites across the country conducting the liver health checks project and this is based on high levels of deprivation and poor health outcomes from liver disease.

By working with healthcare and service providers, local authorities, local employers, community groups and taking scans out to those who might benefit most, the team is seeking to identify liver disease and begin treatment at a much earlier stage.

Faye and Beth with their fibroscan machine

Beth Featherstone, community liver nurse specialist explains:

“The Liver Health Check Pilot is about detecting liver disease early so it can be managed effectively and, in some cases, so we can seek to reverse any damage.

“People with early stage liver disease don’t always know there is a problem, so in many cases liver disease is only identified at the point it has become chronic sometimes when a person has been rushed to hospital. Patients with chronic liver disease also have a higher risk of developing liver cancer, so it’s vital we spot the disease early to give people a much broader range of treatment options and a better chance of managing the condition long-term.”

A team of specialists is now offering community-based fibroscans and lifestyle advice to people who are deemed at risk of liver disease to check their liver health and identify signs of damage. Typical risk factors include a fatty liver,

type 2 diabetes, a BMI of 30+, Hepatitis B or C, and alcohol consumption of more than 14 units per week.

Beth continues:

“We go to lots of different community settings to offer scans because we know that some of those who are most at risk, and whom we’re particularly trying to target, can find it difficult to engage in routine healthcare. We visit community alcohol and drug services, homeless hostels, GP surgeries, outreach clinics and diabetes clinics to try to break down any barriers and make it as easy as possible for people to have the checks.

“Not only is it better for the individual that we identify problems early, but it can also lessen the impact on the NHS by reducing avoidable hospital admissions or the long-term requirement for cancer care.”

The Community Liver Health Check Team, L-R Bethia Featherstone, Dr Lynsey Corless, Stephen Brocklesby, and Faye Coite.

The programme also benefits from a dedicated Community Liaison Officer (CLO) whose role it is to support vulnerable people in particular, by encouraging those who traditionally might find it difficult to attend routine healthcare or see healthcare professionals. Through dedicated one-to-one support, the CLO has helped to reduce the number of missed appointments by answering questions and concerns, reminding people about appointments and helping with travel.

Patients diagnosed with liver disease through the pilot are referred directly to the hospital’s liver team for ongoing monitoring for complications of liver disease, such as cancer.

Eighteen months into the project, despite the team numbering just four people; project lead and consultant hepatologist, Dr Lynsey Corless, community liver specialist nurse, Bethia Featherstone, community liaison officer, Faye Coite, and data manager, Stephen Brocklesby; they have been able to make a big impact. The Hull-based team has completed more than 3,000 fibroscans across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, and around one in 20 people scanned have required further assessment or referral into liver services due to advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis.

Dr Lynsey Corless explains:

“Liver disease is often diagnosed at a relatively late stage, by which time it can have a much bigger impact on people’s quality of life and be harder to treat.

“We are delighted to be able to offer the Liver Health Check pilot in our area, not only to help identify liver problems sooner but also to raise awareness of liver disease, and how to reduce the risk of developing liver problems in the future.”

Beth continues:

“The level of liver disease we have identified so far is in line with other sites running the liver health check pilot, but scaled up, this does suggest that thousands of people across the country could be living with unknown liver disease, which is really worrying,”

“We know that drinking too much alcohol is one of the most common reasons for liver disease, but it’s not the only reason, so we have also worked with local employers to offer the fibroscans plus preventative, healthy living advice to try and stop problems before they start.”

As well as their ongoing work in the community, the team will also be hosting a Liver Health Check event in Scunthorpe on 31 January for local people to call in, have a liver health check and/or fibroscan and find out more about their risks and disease prevention.

For more information on liver disease, visit the NHS website.

A hospital in Hull is ushering in a clean and green way to transport patients.

The facilities team at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham has just taken delivery of its first ever, all-electric, non-emergency ambulance.

The new ambulance has space for three seated patients plus a stretcher

Representing investment of over £86,000, the ambulance will be used to transport patients needing tests and scans, as well as those requiring admission to or transfer between wards, around the 168-acre (683,000 m²) site – equivalent to 106 football pitches.

The first fully electric patient transport ambulance to be used at a hospital across North Yorkshire and the Humber, it is also believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

David Wilkinson, Transport Manager for NHS Humber Health Partnership, says:

“We already have a fleet of electric vehicles which transports goods and samples between Castle Hill and Hull Royal Infirmary, but this is the first time we’ve invested in an electric vehicle for the movement of patients.

Porter, Tony Downs, will be among those driving the all-electric ambulance

“The ambulance is fully equipped with a load area which can accommodate both beds and wheelchairs, and can carry one stretcher and three seated patients at a time.

“As a fully electric vehicle, it’s cheaper, greener, and more efficient. The vehicle doesn’t create exhaust fumes, we don’t have to travel to refuel, we can charge on site for a fraction of the cost of diesel, and the ambulance is less likely to be off the road for maintenance as there are fewer moving parts to go wrong.”

David May, Deputy Head of Facilities (Logistics) for NHS Humber Health Partnership says:

“The footprint of the Castle Hill site is very spread out. For someone who is fit and well, it can take a good 15 minutes to walk the full length of the site, so just imagine how time consuming it can be for a porter to move a patient between departments on a trolley or in a wheelchair.

Porter, Tony Downs, and portering supervisor, Leanne Wilson, inside the new ambulance

“The new ambulance will not only free up porters’ time for other tasks, but it will hugely improve the patient experience, meaning they can arrive quickly and on time for any appointments or tests, and we can maintain their dignity by avoiding having to cross parts of the hospital site outdoors in bad weather.

“We have been committed to reducing our impact on the environment for some time now, and this is the latest in a number of steps taken on the Castle Hill site. The ambulance is a great complement to our existing fleet of electric vehicles and will make a huge, positive difference for both our patients and our staff.”

The ambulance will be driven by a member of the portering team, and seating is also available for a nurse or other clinical chaperone should a patient need someone to accompany them on their journey.

Midwives in Hull are throwing open the hospital doors in support of the city’s first ever “Baby Week”.

The team at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will run a special ‘Baby Carousel’ to mark the start of the week-long event organised by the Hull Early Help Partnership.

Baby Carousel events are open to all new parents and parents-to-be, offering the opportunity to browse stands, gather information, and speak to professionals on a whole manner of different subjects including:

• Eating well during pregnancy
• Pre and post-natal exercise
• Home birth and hypno-birth
• Baby car seats
• Feeding and bathing
• Safer sleeping techniques
• Changing a nappy
• Baby massage
• Safety in the home
• Mental wellbeing
• Support to stop smoking

This special Baby Carousel will kick off the week’s celebrations on Wednesday 13 November, from 6:30 – 8:30pm at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital – no booking necessary.

Geraldine Hotham, Childbirth Educator Project Lead says: “The Baby Carousel is a valuable opportunity for new and expectant parents, family and loved ones, to access important information and connect with other families in a friendly environment.

“As well as being exciting, becoming a parent can also be a daunting prospect, so it’s important to be able to cut through some of the noise and receive advice straight from the experts. A happy, healthy, comfortable, and positive parent is the best thing for any child’s health and wellbeing.”

The Baby Carousel will take place at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital

Visitors to the event will also be invited to join in one of Hull’s fastest-recruiting family studies to date. The Born and Bred in (BaBi) Hull and East Yorkshire study looks at factors which influence child and family health, and has the potential to shape and improve family health for generations to come.

Participants will be in good company, as the local research midwives have already smashed their one-year recruitment target three times over after just eight months, with more than 1,400 people now signed up to take part. All people booked for pregnancy care at Hull Royal Infirmary will be eligible to join the study.

Sarah Collins, Lead Research Midwife for the BaBi Hull and East Yorkshire study says:

“We know life becomes a bit of a whirlwind for new parents, so the great thing about this study is that it’s not time consuming for people to help out, and that may be part of its appeal.

“BaBi Hull and East Yorkshire will look at the factors which may impact children’s health and then use this data to make service improvements or to highlight changes within our community which could give future generations the chance to grow up healthier and happier.

“There’s no need for us to ask questions, to weigh or measure the baby, or for parents to keep a diary; it’s as straight forward as giving us consent to access data for the purpose of our research. And if people later decide they don’t want to take part, that’s no problem either.”

Please come along and chat to any of the teams on the evening of Wednesday 13 November.

Participants sought for new SNAP-3 research study

Pregnant people looking to stop smoking are being invited to join a new study taking place across Hull and East Yorkshire.

SNAP-3 is open to those who are less than 25 weeks pregnant and who smoke more than five cigarettes a day.

The study will look at how nicotine replacement can be used in different ways to help expectant parents kick the habit.

Overseen by the University of Nottingham, SNAP-3 will be led locally by research midwives at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. There is a national target of 1,430 participants, with Hull looking to recruit 15 of those by December 2025.

Sarah Collins, Lead Research Midwife for NHS Humber Health Partnership says:

“A lot of research has been conducted into the effectiveness of NRT, but there is less evidence of its success during pregnancy.

“The SNAP-3 study will provide participants with nicotine patches and different types of behavioural support in a bid to improve their chances of stopping smoking.

“We are hoping to speak with would-be participants at an early stage, either at booking or their dating scan, to invite anyone smoking more than five cigarettes a day, and who lives in Hull or East Yorkshire, to take part.”

The SNAP-3 study is intended to complement existing hospital-based stop smoking support delivered through the hospital’s in-house NHS Maternity Tobacco Dependency Team.

Signing up to the study involves a quick telephone conversation, including a number of non-judgmental questions about smoking habits, then there’s just a consent form to complete.

Each participant is then randomly allocated to one of two groups; either to receive the usual care provided by the hospital-based stop smoking team or the SNAP-3 study intervention, which involves using NRT in a slightly different way for a period of one to four weeks.

Sarah continues:

“Stopping smoking can be difficult and every smoker will have different factors and lifestyle issues that feed into their habit. Often, they recognise a lot of them but need some extra help to break those habits.

“The SNAP-3 study will allow us to try a slightly different way of supporting pregnant people who smoke to quit, and then compare its effectiveness with routine NRT support.

“Stopping smoking is the best possible thing a parent can do for their unborn child, so this study has the potential not only to improve the health of the pregnant parent, but also to increase the chances of a safe and healthy delivery and to enable baby to grow and develop to its full potential too.”

If you are under 25 weeks pregnant and would be interested in stopping smoking/learning more about the SNAP-3 study, complete the online form to check your eligibility.

A woman who has raised almost £175,000 for a hospital ward in memory of her daughter has visited Hull Royal Infirmary with her latest donation to help patients with brain tumours.

Ruth and Tony Knowles launched their fundraising campaign to support the Neurosurgical Department at Hull Royal Infirmary in 1998 after the death of their 22-year-old daughter Emma-Jayne.

The couple, of Sutton on Sea in Lincolnshire, were awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours List in 2014 and although Mr Knowles died last year, Mrs Knowles has continued their mission.

Mrs Knowles and her friends present their latest cheque to staff from Ward 40

Mrs Knowles visited Ward 40 at Hull Royal Infirmary, where Emma-Jayne was treated before her death, to hand over her latest cheque for £10,573, including donations made at Mr Knowles’s funeral on Tuesday. She also presented Mr Knowles’s British Empire Medal to the ward in recognition of the deep admiration and respect she holds for staff who’ve worked in Neurosciences at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Mr Chittoor Rajaraman and Mr Gerry O’Reilly, both Consultants in Neurosurgery, hosted a special celebration for Mrs Knowles and her friends along with Ward 4 and 40 Charge Nurse Paul Johnson and Ben Davison, Chief of Service for Neuroscience Specialist Care Group and other members of staff.

Mrs Knowles was also reunited with Caroline Paterson and Ronnie Milner, the nurses who looked after Emma-Jayne while she was on Ward 40.

Mrs Knowles told the Ward 40 team: “You are worth your weight in gold. There is no need to thank me. I do this because I love to do it.”

Sean Lyons, Chairman of Humber Health Partnership, said: “We are extremely grateful to Mrs Knowles for her unwavering support of our neurosurgical team. The money raised by Mr and Mrs Knowles has meant that, over these past 26 years since Emma-Jayne’s sad death, we have been able to purchase the latest technology to help us save patients’ lives and assist their recovery after surgery.”

Ruth Knowles presents her husband’s British Empire medal to Neurosurgeons Mr Chittoor Rajaraman and Mr Gerry O’Reilly

Emma-Jayne was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary in April 1998 after an MRI scan confirmed she had a rare brain tumour affecting just one in 1.5m people. She underwent 35 radiotherapy sessions because the tumour was too deep in her brain for surgeons to operate but died in December 1998, six days before Christmas and two weeks before her 23rd birthday.

Her parents started fundraising at her funeral, raising £1,100. Since then, they have continued to make donations to the hospital through a variety of charitable events including a bikeathon, now an annual event, sponsored walks and running races.

Over the years, their donations have been used to purchase specialist equipment used by neurosurgeons to remove brain tumours, a reclining chair to assist patients during the initial stages of their rehabilitation and an iPad and applications for speech and language therapy. They’ve also funded an ophthalmoscope and otoscope, used to look in a patient’s eyes and ears following brain injury, a wheelchair and physiotherapy for patients to assist their recovery.

Emma Jayne Knowles, who died only days before her 23rd birthday 

Fraud against the NHS will not be tolerated – this is the message coming from our local fraud-busters.

Fraud Awareness Month takes place this November and it coincides with International Fraud Awareness Week, running from 17 to 23 November.

We’re committed to making sure vital NHS funds are not lost to fraud and we’re reinforcing this message throughout November by holding a range of activities.

Nicki Foley, our Local Counter Fraud Specialist, will be hosting fraud stands on the following dates:

• Wednesday 6 November, 12pm onwards, Nourish restaurant, Hull Royal Infirmary
• Monday 11 November, 12pm onwards, Nightingale restaurant, Castle Hill Hospital
• Friday 15 November, 12pm onwards, Scunthorpe General Hospital restaurant
• Monday 18 November, 7.30am onwards, Global House reception
• Friday 22 November, 12pm onwards, Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital restaurant
• Tuesday 26 November, 12pm onwards, Goole and District Hospital main entrance.

Fraud against the NHS takes many guises including patients attempting to avoid paying prescription charges by falsely claiming exemptions or claiming for travelling expenses that they’re either not entitled to or haven’t incurred; staff may attempt to gain employment with false documentation or claim pay for shifts they did not work or work elsewhere while off sick from the Trust; and contractors may exaggerate or falsify records of NHS work or goods provided.

Nicki said: “All referrals made to us about suspicions of fraud are investigated thoroughly and are dealt with in the most appropriate manner, including where appropriate, prosecution through the criminal courts. We also seek to recover monies that have been defrauded and where NHS staff are involved, we take appropriate disciplinary action and refer them to their professional body for further possible sanctions.

“Most people who work in and use the NHS are honest but unfortunately, there’s a minority that try to defraud it of its valuable resources. Fraud is not just committed by staff but also patients and those who provide goods and services to the NHS.”

Mark Brearley, Interim Chief Financial Officer, said: “We need to ensure we all play our part, as fraud against the NHS is not a victimless crime. We need to protect our NHS funds to ensure they’re spent on delivering quality patient care within our organisation, and not directed into the pockets of fraudsters.”

Staff and members of the public are encouraged to play their part in protecting NHS resources and report any suspicions of fraud. To report suspected fraud or corruption in our Trusts, you can call Nicki on 03033 302994 or call the NHS fraud and corruption reporting line on 0800 028 40 60/visit http://www.cfa.nhs.uk/reportfraud.

According to nationally published data, there are as many as 441* miscarriages, stillbirths and neonatal deaths each day in the UK.  Each loss is devastating, which is why the work of Hull Hospital’s Early Pregnancy Unit and Maternity Bereavement Team, who offer support to families experiencing miscarriage, medical complications, still birth and neonatal death, is so important.

WISHH, the official charity of Hull Hospitals is launching a new appeal to raise £100,000 to enhance the bereavement facilities within Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

The appeal will see the refurbishment of the bereavement suite used by in excess of 100 families over the past 12 months, enabling families to make memories with their precious baby in a peaceful and tranquil area.  Funds raised will also support the renovation of six quiet rooms, and improve the entrance and exit to the Early Pregnancy Unit, to reduce the number of encounters families have with other expectant parents and new born babies.

Nothing can take the pain away for families following pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death soon after birth. Families who find themselves in the tragic situation of losing an unborn baby over 14 weeks’ gestation are offered the use of the bereavement suite facilities to spend time and create precious memories with their baby.  For those who find themselves in this heart-breaking position, spending time in a tranquil, comfortable and homely environment, whilst receiving sensitive support from the bereavement team, can make all the difference.

Quote from Cobie’s parents:

“If someone would have told us the day we went into hospital that we would be coming home without our baby, I would have never believed what they were saying.  However, one of the things that made this horrific experience a little bit easier was being able to spend a few days with our little boy in the bereavement suite, and all the memories we were able to make with him.

“The memories we made whilst in the hospital are something we will hold close forever, since we cannot hold our little boy.  Our angel baby lives on in our memories.  The photos, memory boxes, hand and foot castings are something we will treasure forever, and all of this was provided for us as a family whilst we were in the bereavement suite.”

Ainsley Belton, Bereavement Midwife said, “As a team, we always try to make people feel as best cared for as possible with a compassionate and empathetic approach.  Through the WISHH Baby Loss Appeal, funds raised will improve the current bereavement facilities, enabling us to take our patients and their families into a well thought out, calming space in their darkest of times, which will help us tremendously.  Having the opportunity for the parents to make memories with their baby is a privilege to us as a team.

Ainsley, Jenna and Sam from the Maternity Bereavement Team

The refurbished Bereavement Suite will be a self-contained home-from-home area, including a bedroom, living area, clinical room, catering and bathroom facilities, where parents can stay after birth to make memories with their baby.  The facilities will be soundproofed so families don’t hear crying babies and labouring women.  To minimise the amount of encounters bereaved families have with others, the Early Pregnancy Unit will have its own dedicated entrance and exit, which will allow parents using the bereavement suite to utilise.”

Families currently receive news about the loss of their babies through a number of different teams and services including gynaecology, maternity or neonatal services in the Women and Children’s Hospital. The bereavement team want to offer all bereaved parents the same experience delivered in suitable, sensitively designed surroundings. The improvement of the six quiet rooms throughout the hospital will allow a safe space for parents to process their news and make decisions regarding their next step with the support of the team.

Sue Lockwood, Chair of the WISHH Charity said, “When WISHH was approached by the Maternity Bereavement Team and they explained what they wanted to achieve for mothers at the Women and Children’s Hospital, and why it would make a real difference to parents in their darkest times, Trustees’ had no hesitation in giving our support and launching this WISHH Baby Loss Appeal.

“Improvements to facilities in antenatal care and creating a dignified and calm space where grieving parents can spend precious and private time together with their little one is very much needed, but can only be achieved through our fundraising.  Please help us if you can to make this appeal a success.”

Help support our WISHH Baby Loss Appeal
Lisa Whitton, WISHH Charity Manager said, “The WISHH Baby Loss Appeal will support the Bereavement Team help families through these devastating and life-changing times, but the current space which the team are using is tired and in need of a refresh to reflect the care and compassion they provide.

“The difference this appeal will make for families is huge.  You can be part of this project to help us raise £100,000 to enhance the bereavement suite, quiet rooms and facilities within the Early Pregnancy Unit at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital to a place, which will bring comfort to families when they need it most.  If you’d like to become involved in supporting this appeal, from fundraising, making a donation, to funding one of the quiet rooms, please contact Lisa Whitton, WISHH Charity Manager on 01482 622299 email lisa.whitton3@nhs.net

Your donations will enable WISHH to improve facilities throughout the Early Pregnancy Unit and the Bereavement Suite, making a real difference to the areas where families receive news and spend time.  The surroundings will feature new furniture, better lighting, calming artwork and much more.  Sensitive soundproofing will also be installed in the delivery suite.”

To make a donation direct to the appeal via Just Giving https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wishh-baby-loss

Donations can be made direct to the appeal using our charity’s BACS, details below:

THE HULL AND EAST YORKSHIRE HOSPITALS HEALTH CHARITY (Known locally as the WISHH Charity)

National Westminster Bank
Sort Code 56-00-06
Account number 29240360
Appeal reference: WISHHBabyLoss

Cheques can be made payable to ‘WISHH Charity’ posted to us at: WISHH Charity, WISHH Baby Loss Appeal, WISHH Office, Entrance 1B, First Floor Admin Block, Castle Hill Hospital, Castle Road, Cottingham, HU16 5JQ.

A hospital team caring for the older patients is urging everyone aged 75 to 79 to be vaccinated against a potentially life-threatening virus.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) accounts for thousands of hospital admissions and hundreds of deaths every year, with older people are more at risk of serious complications.

More than a quarter of the 44 cases of RSV admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital over three months last year were patients over 75.

Now, staff at Humber Health Partnership, the group running Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust, are urging those who turned 75 on or after September 1 this year, as well as people aged 75 to 79, to take up the offer of the new RSV vaccine.

Dr Yoghini Nagandran, Consultant in Elderly Medicine and Clinical Director for Frailty at Humber Health Partnership

Dr Yoghini Nagandran, Clinical Director for Frailty who works in the Department of Medical Elderly at Hull Royal Infirmary, said: “This vaccine can protect you for years from really serious consequences linked to RSV. It can be a very serious illness, especially if you already have other health conditions.

“However, if you’re vaccinated, you’re less likely to need to be admitted to hospital even if you do catch the virus because you’ll be protected from the most severe impact of RSV.

“As well as looking after your own health, you’ll also be helping us and playing a vital part in easing the pressure on our hospitals over the winter months.”

RSV is a common cause of coughs and colds every winter. While most infections improve by themselves, RSV can be serious in babies under six months, young children who were born prematurely and adults over 75.

This year, the Government is introducing a national programme to vaccinate pregnant woman, protecting them and their babies for the first six months of their lives, and those aged 75 and over, up until the day before their 80^th birthday.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, more than 400 deaths and around 2,000 hospital admissions could be avoided this winter if enough over 75s receive the vaccine. Vaccination will also save an estimated 15,000 GP visits and 60,000 RSV illnesses in the age group.

Data analysis discovered a hospital admission rate of 225 per 100,000 in people aged 75 and over, with almost 19 per cent dying within 30 days of being admitted to hospital.

You’ll be invited for vaccination by the NHS once you turn 75 and one dose offers protection lasting years.

Brunch club, balance class and a game of cards before lunch. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d checked into a swanky hotel, but this is actually Hull Royal Infirmary.

In July 2024 the 13^th floor – now informally dubbed ‘the Penthouse’ – was transformed into a reablement unit to support patients waiting to leave hospital.

In the face of ongoing pressure to admit acutely unwell patients, hospital staff were also experiencing difficulty discharging those who no longer needed medical care. There were many and varied reasons for this; sometimes patients were awaiting a residential place, others for a package of community care so they could continue living independently at home; but whatever the reason, for a cohort of patients which topped over 200 at one point, hospital was no longer the best place for them to be.

Rachel Kemp, Single Coordinator

Rachel Kemp, Single Coordinator for Hull and East Riding explains:

“Patients who are no longer in need of medical treatment often have to remain in hospital while they wait for packages of care or arrangements to be made for them to leave hospital.

“Demand for beds at Hull Royal is always high, but that pressure is made more acute when we have a lot of patients in hospital who actually have no further medical care needs but can’t leave, for whatever reason. For those patients, being in hospital is no longer the safest place to be, as their risk of infection is higher, and the risk of falls and deconditioning in older people particularly is much greater than if they were at home or in their own familiar surroundings.

“The 13^th floor reablement unit was set up to bring all the various health and social care partners together to look at how we can best prepare these patients to leave hospital. It’s not just about getting the patient medically well enough to leave, it’s also about reducing the effects of deconditioning while they wait for their discharge arrangements to be progressed, and allowing the team to look at and address all their needs in readiness – how is their balance, can they prepare a meal or a cup of tea, do they need any special equipment, and so on.”

Promoting independence and motor skills in the unit’s baking group

Staff are cared for while they’re on the 13^th Floor wards by a team of nursing staff with doctors’ input if required, but there’s a whole team of therapists and support staff waiting in the wings to get patients fit for discharge too.

From occupational therapists to physiotherapists, social workers to intermediate care support workers, the team use all their collective expertise to help patients become as independent as possible ahead of their discharge.

Rebecca Hardcastle, Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist explains:

“Our multi-disciplinary team does its utmost to promote mobility, balance, cognitive and motor skills among patients in readiness for their discharge home or to another place of care.

“Maximising patients’ independence using therapeutic interventions such as games and activities helps to reduce deconditioning while in hospital and instil confidence ahead of leaving the ward.

“In turn, those patients who are more independent; able to cook for themselves, move around and carry out basic daily living tasks; are less likely to require readmission due to a fall or malnutrition, for example.”

And there’s plenty on the daily activity menu to choose from. Therapists run regular breakfast and brunch clubs where patients are encouraged, with help if required, to walk to the therapy room and then make their own meal.

Therapists also run regular activity groups, including games such as cards and dominoes, designed to promote problem solving, planning and fine motor skills.

Members of the 13th floor Therapies Team

They offer exercise and balance groups where patients can improve their range of movement, balance and activity tolerance through games like skittles, darts, and basketball, or use of the parallel bars.

And for those less mobile, it’s cognitive games such as bingo, word-searches or the use of RITA, or bedside crafts such as jigsaws and colouring to promote brain function and stimulation.

“We try to make our activities as enjoyable and as sociable as possible, with everything from brunch clubs to baking sessions, basketball to games of bridge,” Rebecca continues.

“We even produce our own ‘Penthouse’ newspaper, and regularly encourage people to come together to watch and discuss key sporting events such as Wimbledon and the Olympics.

“Our patients regularly tell us they enjoy it so much here now that they don’t want to leave, which is a real compliment and testament to the hard work which all of our staff have put in to caring for our patients and improving flow through our hospitals.”

As well as the positive patient feedback, the numbers certainly stack up too. A one-week audit conducted by the Therapies team found that their interventions supported an improvement in patients’ functional dependence and mobility score of 253 points, with more than half of all patients (40 people) showing improvement across the whole of the 13^th floor. The discharge plan score also improved by 65 points, with the team supporting 43 patients to return home and a further 8 to rehabilitation beds, representing almost six in every 10 patients (57%) that week.