Families have thanked Hull doctors for saving their children’s lives in a moving video to mark 40 years of paediatric surgery.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will play host to some of the UK’s leading children’s doctors today (Friday) to celebrate the 40th anniversary.
A video of families whose children have undergone surgery since 2009, including some children as soon as they were born has been made by the trust’s medical education technical services team.
Dawn Smith, whose son Ellis was saved by the trust’s paediatric surgical team, said: “You can’t just say thank you to someone who has saved your life or changed it. It’s just not enough.”
Countless lives have been changed and transformed through the skills of our surgical teams, led by consultant paediatric surgeon Sanja Besarovic and known to families throughout East Yorkshire as Miss B.
Jamielea Marshall, whose son Sunny Miller had surgery when he was 12 hours old after he was born in November 2015, said: “I was scared because I didn’t find out until late on in my pregnancy that there was anything wrong.
“Miss B restored my faith in this system. She had made me think they do an amazing job.”
Surgeons from Great Ormond Street Hospital, King’s College Hospital, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield Children’s Hospitals will present on topics including paediatric obesity in childhood, diagnosing problems in pregnancy and congenital conditions at the full-day conference in the trust’s medical lecture theatre on Friday.
NHS staff who underwent paediatric surgery as children, retired surgeons, an anaesthetist and families of child patients will also share their experiences of Hull.
Ms Besarovic said: “We are holding this event to mark 40 years of paediatric surgery in Hull and 2017, with Hull’s year as City of Culture, seemed like a good occasion to celebrate what we have achieved.
“We have speakers who are well-known nationally and internationally who are coming to the city and most of them have spent time in Hull, either as senior house officers, locum consultants or consultants.
“It is great that they have accepted our invitation to return to the city to talk about their work.”
The Royal College of Surgeons has accredited the event with six “continuing professional development” points for doctors attending in recognition of the level of expertise present.
Colin Vize, medical director for family and women’s health at the trust, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work our staff have achieved since we began to offer families paediatric surgery in 1977.
“So many lives have been changed in those 40 years thanks to the skill and dedication of our staff and this prestigious event, attracting some of the most important experts in the field, shines a spotlight on the essential work of this department.”