82-year-old Jean, who spent a 56-year career in nursing, is among those recognised at a special celebration

They say time is precious, and nowhere do we feel that more than within our region’s hospitals.

Since January this year, a team of 502 volunteers has been donating their time and skills to support patients, staff, relatives and visitors across Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, clocking up a phenomenal 23,400 hours between them.

From meet and greet to running the mobile shop and bringing therapy dogs in to help reduce anxiety, volunteers take on all manner of roles.

Denis and his cockerpoo, Barney, volunteer in the intensive care units at both HRI and Castle Hill Hospital

Earlier this week, those volunteers were celebrated with a special Christmas meal and entertainment, courtesy of local ukulele band, the Sunshine Strummers.

For the first time, Hull Hospitals also handed out a number of “Volunteers Oscars”. The awards were given to those who, based on staff and patient feedback, had made the biggest impact in their wards or clinical areas, and to those whose stories served as the most inspirational and heartwarming for others.

Among those receiving an ‘oscar’ were Denis Lockwood and his cockerpoo, Barney (left), who took home the “Pawesome Pooch” award for the most therapy dog hours spent around the hospitals. Lydia Howard was recognised for having clocked up the most time as a volunteer this year with an amazing 849 hours worked, and Julie Marshall received the “Most Hours on a Trolley” award, for time spent running the mobile shop service for patients at Castle Hill Hospital and having raised over £4,000 this year alone in the process.

But two volunteers who work in Hull Royal Infirmary’s busiest department were also in line for awards.

Jean Walker, 82, worked as a nurse for 56 years before she officially retired at the age of 73. Told as a child she would never make it as a nurse due to her asthma, Jean silenced all doubters to begin training as a nurse cadet aged 17, then go on to complete her registered nurse training. Once qualified, she worked at Princess Royal Hospital and in Hull Royal’s Outpatients Department before spending the last 40 years of her career as a nurse in Hull’s Emergency Department (ED).

Old habits die hard, of course, and it wasn’t long before Jean was back volunteering, firstly in the hospital’s Acute Assessment Unit, then making her way back to ED, where she feels she belongs and where she has been volunteering for the past nine years.

A familiar face amongst staff, volunteers and patients alike, Jean was recognised with the hospital’s “Back from Retirement award” at the celebration.

Jean says:

“Nursing has been my life. I’ve been with the Trust in one form or another for over 60 years and I just love helping people, I do this for the love of it.

“Having been a nurse myself for so long, it really helps as I understand the pressures the teams are under. I help wherever I can, stocking up technically for them, making drinks for visitors and doing the jobs staff don’t have time to, to allow them to spend more time caring for patients.

Graham Gedney volunteers in Hull’s Emergency Department

“Even if you have aches and pains, you still come in because you know people need you. I just can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Another gentleman bringing smiles and support to both staff and public is Graham Gedney (right). Graham worked at some of Hull’s big name firms including British Cocoa Mills and Reckitts before retiring. He began volunteering in 2002, supporting GP and pharmacy inspections and working with the local Primary Care Trust to improve access to healthcare for communities in east Hull. A member of Hull Hospitals’ volunteers team since 2013, Graham now supports the Emergency Department by conducting patient surveys and spending time with patients and families.

Graham was one of two people, alongside Marie Stern, to receive the 2024 “Above and Beyond” award. Graham’s wife, Linda, also works at the hospital to meet and greet the public.

Graham says:

“You feel part of a family here, you feel part of a team with the doctors and nurses.

“As volunteers, a large part of our role is speaking with people, and that’s not just the patients; we spend a lot of time with relatives and families and that’s important because in helping them, in reassuring them and putting their minds at ease, you’re helping the patients in another way.

“It makes it all worthwhile when people say thank you, and tell you you’ve made a difference for them, but it helps us too as volunteering, especially somewhere busy like A&E, helps to keep the brain and body ticking over too.”

Rachael Hardcastle-Pearce (second left) with members of the Hull voluntary services team at their Volunteers Christmas Celebration

Rachael Hardcastle-Pearce, Group Voluntary Services Manager says:

“Our volunteers provide hospital staff with invaluable support, front-of-house, on the wards, and behind-the scenes; we really would be lost without them.

“There is such a community feel to this group of people and the numbers continue to grow, now topping 500 across Hull Royal and Castle Hill.

“Volunteering provides opportunities for everyone; we have young people giving their time to help further their studies and career aspirations, we have older people who want to stay active, and we have a lot of people who previously enjoyed a career in the care sector and want to continue using those skills now they have retired. We also have a good number of people who are motivated by the care our hospitals have given to relatives and loved ones in the past, and who feel like they want to give something back.

“It’s the sheer variety of people and the endless skills they bring which make my job such a pleasure and which provide our staff with the extra support they need to focus on patients.

“Our volunteers have had a cracking year and I’d like to say a huge thank you for everything they do for us, our patients and the public.”

If you would be interested in becoming a volunteer, call 01482 623089 or visit https://www.hey.nhs.uk/volunteering/

Thousands sign up in-year to support potentially ground-breaking research projects

Hospital staff across the Humber region have spent the year at the forefront of clinical research.

As 2024 draws to a close, research and development teams working for NHS Humber Health Partnership, which covers hospitals across Hull, Cottingham, Grimsby, Goole and Scunthorpe, plus some community services, have worked on more than 650* individual health research studies in-year.

Over 4,700 patients and users of the group’s health services across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire agreed to take part in research across 27 specialties this year, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, respiratory diseases, cancer, kidney disease, digestive diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases, and vascular disease.

Professor Thozhukat Sathyapalan

And while people often picture clinical research as simple drug trials, this type of study forms only a small proportion of the research teams’ work, as Professor Thozhukat Sathyapalan, Group Director for Research, Development and Innovation explains:

“With the support of local academic partners and Hull York Medical School, hospitals across Hull and the Humber region are continuing to place themselves at the forefront of clinical research.

“While some studies do look at the efficacy of drug treatments, many others investigate the effectiveness of therapeutic work with patients, or use questionnaires and patient data to look for trends or to influence treatment options going forward.

“Being able to offer local people opportunities to get involved in research is really important, not only in terms of improving the health of the local population, but also in discovering and developing cures, providing access to new and emerging treatments, understanding how certain conditions can affect people, and even being able to attract the best healthcare staff and academics to our region.

“We value every single person who helps us on our research journey, looking into many different conditions such as IBD, vascular disease and cancer, and would like to thank everyone who’s taken part or signed up to be involved this year for their willingness to help us and others like them.

“Signing up to a trial doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming, but could make all the difference to thousands of other patients in the future, not just in our region but across the world.”

(L-R) The FRONTIER team: Kayleigh Brindle, Professor Michael Crooks, and Karen Watkins

One of the most popular studies over the past 12 months has been the Born and Bred in (BaBi) study. This study uses data which is already held about local people to shape family health services and highlight societal changes which could improve long-term health outcomes for children and families. Having started in Hull in February, more than 1,200 people signed up in the first eight months, that’s over three times the original target for the year, and in the last month, the same study has launched in Northern Lincolnshire too.

Clinical teams from the region have been no strangers to the global stage either, with members of Hull’s respiratory clinical trials team being among those invited to present their projects and potentially ground-breaking findings to international research colleagues. Such projects include the FRONTIER Programme, a two-year project in partnership with Chiesi looking at undiagnosed COPD which was recently cited as best practice in Westminster.

During the first phase of the project, 201 patients who previously attended an NHS Lung Health Check and who reported symptoms of lung disease and/or had emphysema on their CT scan were invited back for further COPD testing. Over two thirds of those, 136 people, went on to receive a COPD diagnosis, suggesting that the NHS Lung Health Check also presents a notable opportunity to identify and enable timely treatment for other respiratory illnesses.

A collective celebration of healthcare research event, involving doctors, nurse and therapists working across the region’s hospitals, will take place in the New Year.

If you’d like to get involved with healthcare research or lean more about what’s involved, speak to your healthcare professional or visit https://www.hull.nhs.uk/research/

* The figure of 650 studies is a cumulative total across the research portfolio, with some projects actively recruiting and some providing follow-up activities.

An increasing number of patients have been admitted to our hospitals in Hull, Grimsby and Scunthorpe with flu over the past three weeks.

Our staff must now wear surgical face masks in all patient-facing areas at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill.

We’re also asking staff at Scunthorpe General Hospital, Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital at Grimsby and Goole Hospital to wear surgical face masks in specific areas such as our Emergency Departments and in wards treating patient with flu or respiratory conditions.

Visitors to these areas will also be asked to wear face masks to protect themselves and help us stop the spread of the virus throughout our hospitals.

Anyone showing symptoms of flu or any other illness should not come to hospital to visit so we can protect our patients from the winter bugs currently circulating in our communities. If you are unwell, for any reason, please delegate another person to visit in your place to ensure already sick and vulnerable people are not exposed to potentially dangerous illnesses.

We’d like to assure the public that these measures are being kept under daily review by our senior nursing and infection control teams and we will keep you informed of any changes over the coming days and months.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding while we do our best to protect your loved ones, relatives and friends who are in our care.

How would you like a fantastic job, with clear career progression and rewards, in a spectacularly beautiful yet unspoiled corner of England?

NHS Humber Health Partnership, the organisation running Hull University Teaching Hospitals and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, is launching a new website showcasing the Humber Region as an outstanding place to live, work and play.

The new website – www.joinhumberhealthpartnership.nhs.uk – will highlight vacancies in every profession across the organisation’s five hospitals alongside in-depth information about the different career choices in the NHS.

Craig Lazenby, Head of Marketing, Recruitment and Retention, said: “Our new website is the best place to go if you’re considering a move to one of the most under-rated yet up-and-coming parts of England.

“We’re aiming to attract people from other parts of the country or from other countries. But we also want to attract jobseekers from our own area, who know already what our region has to offer, but are searching for a great career in the NHS.

“And we’re not just advertising jobs for doctors and nurses. We’ve got a whole host of clinical and scientific careers as well as jobs with our estates team, IT, administration and apprenticeships.”

The new website will feature a dedicated careers section, highlighting the many different career paths in the NHS.

Cultural riches, regional landmarks and beauty spots will be listed in the “Live, Work and Play” section celebrating the distinctive and diverse Humber Region with its affordable cost of living, fantastic countryside and unspoiled coastline teaming with wildlife.

There’s also information on schools and the low-cost and affordable housing market to help people thinking of moving to the area with their families.

The website will also link to MedShed, aimed at Key Stage Two students attending schools in the region who may be considering careers or apprenticeships in the health service.

The website will be unveiled at the Graduate Nursing Event at the University of Hull on Thursday, December 19, when newly qualified nurses will be able to apply for vacancies at Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital, Goole Hospital, Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby and Scunthorpe General Hospital.

AI technology is being used to further improve a ground-breaking scheme that has already helped to transform the care of patients with chronic respiratory illness across Hull and East Yorkshire.

Since implementing the original scheme March 2023, we have seen a 40% reduction in the number of patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) needing to come back into hospital for treatment.

This is one of only two such services in the UK and now it is hoped that the use of Artificial Intelligence could help us to reduce this even further – possibly by as much as 90%.

Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Mike Crooks, who runs the service, said: “By using the Lenus COPD support system, we are able to treat COPD patients using virtual wards – so they can remain in the comfort of their own home.

“One of the characteristics of the condition is that people are prone to worsening of their symptoms that often results in needing hospital treatment but using the app can help to prevent this, by keeping track of how patients are feeling and what their symptoms are.

“The patients use a version of the app that prompts them on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to answer questions about their wellbeing and their symptoms and all that data is compiled together and put onto the clinician app. Patients can also message our team directly.

“This encourages them to self-monitor their symptoms so they understand their condition better, what’s normal for them in terms of day-today variation and prompts them to make contact to initiate treatment early, so that we can give them the care they need to get them back on the right path before the point they need to come into hospital.

“This has already had a significant impact on reducing the number of patients who get to the stage where they need hospital care.

“The next phase will be to use AI to analyse this data and help us to identify trends and triggers that are likely to result in COPD patients requiring care and put interventions in place to support them before they reach this point.”

Ruth, who was diagnosed with COPD at the age of 40, has been using the Lenus app as part of her treatment. She said: “Before the Lenus, I was using the hospital three or four times a year and now those visits have been cut down to virtually zero.

“If I need to reach out to a clinician, I know that the app’s there and I can do that.”

Marcia Rankin-Smith, Project Delivery Lead at Lenus Health, added: “Through our work with Humber Health Partnership, we have been able to gather real-world evidence demonstrating that providing Lenus digital tools for COPD care in deprived areas reduces hospital admissions and lowers costs of care. The in-year cost savings evidenced by the project will be particularly important to strengthen the business case for continued investment.

“Beyond the positive clinical and economic impact, we have fostered a remarkably strong working relationship with the Respiratory Team in Hull. Their expertise and insights have been key to improving the service, and we are thrilled to share our success story with the broader healthcare community.”

Our group directors will come together on Thursday 12 December for a meeting of our Trust Boards-in-Common.

The meeting will start at 9am and will be held in the Boardroom at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby. This is a formal meeting with a set agenda. The board papers will be available on the NLaG website shortly.

Members of the public are welcome. Please email sarahmeggitt@nhs.net before noon on Wednesday 11 December if you wish to attend.

Children as young as 11 are to be supported by a new A&E hospital programme in Hull, Grimsby and Scunthorpe after they’ve been injured or traumatised by violence.

“Navigators” will reach out to young people attending Hull Royal Infirmary, Scunthorpe General Hospital and Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby for injuries caused by or linked to violence, including knife crime.

Specially trained navigators will aim to build relationships with young people, directing them to community services and supporting them once they leave hospital, helping them to make positive changes to their lifestyles.

Vicky Thersby, Group Head of Safeguarding at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “We aim to support young people who come to our hospitals with violence-related injuries, providing them with support at critical time, following a violent incident.

“This is a confidential service providing care, guidance, practical advice and support to help young people tackle problems that might be preventing them from living safe and positive lives.

“Our Navigators are not there to ask about the incident which has brought a young person to hospital. Instead, our aim is to help the young person take the next steps to create a brighter future for themselves.”

Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object, including knives, have risen by nine per cent since 2021 across the Humber region. Between a quarter and a third of those admitted to hospital are under 24.

NHS Humber Health Partnership, the group representing Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals, has been commissioned by Humber Violence Prevention Partnership, a Home Office-funded Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) set up in 2022 to prevent and reduce serious violence, and will work with Tigers Trust and The Blue Door to deliver the Navigators programme.

Launched at the start of this month, anyone aged 11 to 35 who turns up at A&E departments following a violent incident or who is admitted to hospital wards for treatment can be approached directly by the navigators. They can also be referred to the service by hospital staff or they can request support themselves once they arrive at hospital.

Navigators will first assess the young person’s needs to protect them from immediate harm while they recover from their injuries. They are then able to make swift referrals to charities and support services in the community promoting positive lifestyles, such as refuges, housing and drug and alcohol services.

Rather than simply referring the young person to other services, navigators will continue to offer support from informal mentoring to teaching young people life skills to reduce immediate risk of violence in the future for as long as the person wishes.

Jonathan Evison, Chair of the Humber Violence Prevention Partnership, said: “The Navigators programme is part of the wider work we are doing across the Humber, taking a public health approach preventing and reducing serious violence.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) is pleased to announce that following a rigorous recruitment process involving key stakeholders, NHS England has approved the appointment of Murray Macdonald as its new Vice Chair. Murray will be taking over from Stuart Hall, who has served with distinction for many years, and his appointment will be effective from 1 January 2025.

The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) Council of Governors (CoG) also agreed to include Stuart’s Associate NED role at NLaG as part of this appointment, in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Trusts. HUTH and NLaG operate as a group under the name NHS Humber Health Partnership

Murray Macdonald brings a wealth of experience to these roles, having served in various NHS Non-Executive roles in Community Health, Commissioning, the East of England Ambulance Service, as well as the Lincolnshire ICB Finance Committee. He is also a highly experienced Chief Executive in the housing sector.

Murray lives near Louth and is looking forward to meeting and working with everyone at both organisations.

He said: “I am honoured to be appointed as the Vice Chair of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Associate Non-Executive Director at NLaG. This is an exciting time to join an organisation with over 17,000 staff, and which cares for well over a million people across our region. I look forward to working with the team and contributing to the continued success and growth of the Trust and the NHS Humber Health Partnership group.”

Sean Lyons, chair at both HUTH and NLaG said: “Murray’s appointment was subject to a robust recruitment process involving myself as well as the Chair of the NLaG Council of Governors, NHSE representation and the current Vice Chair from NLAG. I know Murray will be a valuable addition to the boards of both organisations given his extensive experience at this level and in the NHS.

“I would like to pay a special tribute to Stuart for the years of service he has given to HUTH and more recently to NLaG. His knowledge of the organisations and the NHS along with his wise counsel will be sorely missed and on behalf of the boards of both trusts I would like to wish him all the very best for the future.”

A midwifery team supporting Hull families who experience the death of their babies has won a prestigious national award.

The Bereavement Team at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital after they won Maternity Team of the Year in the MAMA Academy Awards on November 19.

Hull’s Bereavement Team – Lead Bereavement Midwife Ainsley Belton, Maternity Bereavement Support Worker Sam Catanach and Bereavement Midwife Jenna Cadden – were named Maternity Team of the Year after beating off competition from the Bereavement Team at King’s College Hospital, London, St Mary’s Birth Centre in Leicester, Lewisham and Greenwich Bereavement Midwives in London and Wirral University Teaching Hospital in Merseyside.

Members of the Bereavement Team Ainsley Belton, Jenna Cadden and Sam Catanach

Yvonne McGrath, Group Director of Midwifery at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “We couldn’t be prouder of our Maternity Bereavement Team in Hull. They put families at the heart of everything they do to ensure we offer compassionate care for as long as they need us at the most difficult time in any parent’s life.

“The dedication and commitment of Ainsley, Jenna and Sam underlines the progress we are making to introduce new ways of working and innovative services to deliver the best possible care for all parents and their babies.”

Winning the national award is the latest success for the team after they won Outstanding Clinical Team at the Golden Stars awards ceremony, held by Humber Health Partnership in September, to celebrate staff and their achievements.

The MAMA Academy, set up to reduce the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the UK,  holds its annual MAMA Awards Ceremony to celebrate the dedication and commitment of health care professionals who support parents and their babies.

Heidi Eldridge, founder of the MAMA Academy, read out the team’s nomination, outlining the team’s work, telling how they support families from the moment they receive the news that their baby has died, help with investigations and funerals and support families for up to four months.

She highlighted just some of their work from setting up a peer-to-peer support group for parents who have lost their babies to building the Rainbow Clinic to support families with subsequent pregnancies after they’ve lost a child. She also highlighted their work to set up a Remembrance Service during last month’s Baby Loss Awareness Week, attended by more than 100 people.

Heidi said: “Sam, Ainsley and Jenna are the dream team that everybody wants in their hospital.

“That is just remarkable work in such a short space of time so thank you so much. I’m sure many guests here tonight will be inspired by your dedication. Thank you.”

We’re a nation of pet lovers, and those who enjoy the company of an animal at home will know the joy they can bring.

At the same time, hospital staff and volunteers are bringing that same uplifting feeling to patients at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital to aid their recovery and wellbeing.

Having first introduced Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs to the hospitals in 2022, the initiative has proved incredibly popular and now, the team of furry, four-legged recruits has reached double figures for the first time.

Rachael Hardcastle-Pearce, Interim Group Head of Voluntary Services for NHS Humber Health Partnership says:

“Therapy dogs have been used in hospital settings for many years to help patients of all ages.

Hugo, pictured here with owner Yvonne, is the hospitals’ longest serving therapy dog

“Here in Hull, we’re proud to say that we don’t just receive visits from therapy dogs and their owners, but they’re actually part of our registered team of volunteers.

“Earlier this month, we were thrilled to recruit our tenth and eleventh volunteer therapy dogs and their owners to our team, meaning we now have more paws than ever to walk the wards.

“Animals can make a huge, positive difference in a hospital setting. They can serve as a welcome distraction for patients who may be awaiting surgery, for example, who may be in pain, or who are struggling to find ways to occupy their time, as a few days in a hospital bed can feel like a very long time!

“Many patients who come into hospital are used to having their own pet at home and may be missing them, so there’s often something comforting and familiar too when the dogs walk on the wards.

“One of the most powerful things the dogs can do though, is to bring people together and get people talking.

“It’s not unusual for patients to be admitted to hospital and to be very frightened or withdrawn; we often see this in young people or in elderly people and those with dementia. Bringing a therapy dog in really encourages people to open up; often they may begin by talking to or fussing the dog, but then it naturally leads on to conversation with its owner, fellow patients or our hospital staff.

“Social interaction is so important for patients’ wellbeing and recovery, to enable our staff to fully understand them and meet their needs, and the dogs can really help to get those conversations started where other efforts may previously have failed.”

The first and longest serving four-legged recruit is Hugo, an 11-year-old Border Terrier owned by Yvonne from Hull.

Denis and his cockerpoo, Barney, volunteer in the intensive care units at both HRI and Castle Hill Hospital

Yvonne says: “Hugo and I both absolutely love visiting the Trust. We started by visiting care homes, then moved on to Hull Royal a couple of years ago then on to volunteer in the Queen’s Centre at Castle Hill. We’re in a really nice routine now and see similar staff each week; it’s very much like a family in the Queen’s Centre, and we have been able to build up a good relationship with patients and staff. We both look forward each week to visiting the hospital to volunteer.”

Racking up the award for most hours worked is Barney, a Cockerpoo owned by Denis and Janet, who can regularly be found walking the wards at Hull Royal Infirmary, including paediatrics and intensive care.

And among the newest pups on patrol is 2-year-old Ralphie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owned by Gill from Hull.

Gill says: “I took Ralphie to visit an unwell relative at a care home, he went down well and helped to calm the residents which inspired me to come to the hospital as a volunteer with Ralphie. My favourite thing is seeing the pleasure he gives to the patients and staff – it gives patients a break and brings a bit of joy into their hospital stay.”

Since January this year, the hospital’s team of therapy dogs and their owners have donated an amazing 805 hours of their time to support patients’ recovery and bring smiles to staff, patients and visitors alike.