High levels of microplastics have been found in surgical environments in a landmark study.

A team at the University of Hull analysed microplastic levels in both the operating theatre and anaesthetic room, in cardiothoracic surgeries.

The study is the latest in a series of ground-breaking microplastics research from the University of Hull, Hull York Medical School and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Researchers discovered an average of 5,000 microplastics per metre squared when the theatre was in use, almost three times the amount found in our homes.

In addition, the anaesthetic room showed average levels of microplastics to be 500 per metre squared when in use.

Both settings had no microplastics settling out from the air when not in use.

Professor Jeanette Rotchell, Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Hull, said: “You can imagine that during a cardiothoracic operation, which may last as long as eight hours, there will be a lot of people, utensils and consumable items. These items are all wrapped in plastic and this is contributing to all those particles in the operating room.

“It is a very dense environment for plastic particles to be introduced into the surrounding air. “

“The types of microplastic particles identified relate to common plastic wrapping materials.”

The majority of microplastic is PET – which would co-incide with blister packs, and polypropylene which may come from surgical gowns, hairnets and drapes for patients.

This study is the latest by the team in Hull which has already reported microplastics in abundance in outdoor and indoor environments and also in human lungs.

Other studies have also detected microplastics in the colon and blood, but until now, no studies have quantified microplastic levels in a hospital environment.

The study in surgical environments captured atmospheric microplastics for 12 hours per day in both operating theatres and anaesthetic rooms for seven days, on both working and non-working days; findings which will be replicated in surgical theatres throughout the country.

Professor Rotchell, said: “Although we know microplastics are in the air in a variety of settings, we can’t yet say what the consequences are or whether microplastics are harmful to health. Researchers have yet to establish this. “

“We do know that microplastics cause immune response type reactions such as inflammation in cell or tissue-based experiments. This study also highlights another route of exposure that differs from either inhalation or ingestion via our diet. In knowing the numbers and characteristics of the microplastics found in this study, we can now conduct more realistic cell type experiments to establish possible health impacts.”

Dr Daniel Field, lead investigator, said: “The invention of plastics was revolutionary for the surgical environment. “The fact you can vacuum pack equipment provides minimal risk to the patient and as doctors, our sole duty is to protect patients.”

“The amount of plastic used in operating theatres across Europe is astoundingly high – you can’t ignore it. We are producing a lot of plastic – much of it sterile, single use plastic and you can use 10-20 of these in a single operation just to take out a section of the lung, for example.

“While we do not yet know the actual health impacts of microplastics, if any, single use plastic is essential for the NHS that we see today. But that isn’t to say the NHS isn’t moving forward with goals and schemes in order to limit single use plastics elsewhere.”

Professor Mahmoud Loubani, co-author and a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust involved in the study, found the results particularly interesting:  “The environments in which we undertook our research are typical of most NHS operating theatres and anaesthetic rooms across the country, so we are confident in saying our findings will also be applicable to most if not all other clinical settings, locally and nationally, where major surgery is carried out.

“The NHS has moved to use a lot of single use instruments and equipment in surgery in the last 20 years which have improved our technical capabilities however this happened at the cost of increasing microplastics in the theatre environment.

“We have to consider ways of packaging the instruments as well as ways to open them that reduces the release of microplastics in the theatre environment.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has a growing reputation as a pioneer of innovative environmental healthcare practices and is one of the leading organisations in the NHS in the drive to reduce carbon emissions. The Trust has significantly reduced its use of carbon polluting anaesthetic gases in recent years and Castle Hill Hospital is the only facility of its size in Europe to be powered by solar energy.

The microplastics in surgical environments study was published in the Journal Environment International:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107630

Hull’s hospitals has achieved a UK first by launching a major educational project for schools and academies to create its own workforce for the future.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) is unveiling Med Shed – its online and immersive digital programme to introduce young people aged 11 to 16 to around 350 potential careers.

Med Shed showcases NHS careers throughout the Humber and North Yorkshire region, including engineering, catering, painting and decorating and administration alongside more traditional frontline roles such as doctors, nurses and physiotherapists.

The website, designed in a bright and bold style with animation, films and an NHS careers’ spinning wheel, gives young people the chance to explore various roles to see what appeals to them.

It also offers practical advice and “next steps” to help students in Key Stages 2 and 3 progress to careers in their local NHS through work experience and apprenticeships.

(left to right) Rania Ali Venia Issa Anna Lis Alistair Van Der Kroon Nicole Macasaet and Prince Mwungere

Simon Nearney, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development at HUTH, said: “It’s no secret that the entire NHS struggles with recruitment and, in recent times, has had to rely on overseas recruitment or attracting people from other parts of the country.

“A strategic priority for HUTH is to ‘grow our own’ workforce so we have the best local talent being educated locally and gaining local jobs and careers that are rewarding.

“’Med Shed’ raises aspirations in our next generation so our young people understand they can stay local, get on and do well in great jobs without having to move away to other cities.”

HUTH already has strong links with St Mary’s Sixth Form Academy and Winifred Holtby School, both health and social care academies in Hull, and will roll out Med Shed, supported by the University of Hull, Humber and North Yorkshire Health Care Partnership and Health Education England, to all schools in Hull and the East Riding.

Staff from apprentice engineers to consultant eye surgeons feature in the “Med Shed TV” section, giving young people insights into the people already working in these roles so they can envisage themselves in similar careers.

All schools across East Yorkshire will be invited to Med Shed events in 2023 and school leaders will also be able to book “Med Shed On Tour” where HUTH staff will visit individual year groups to talk about their work at Hull’s hospitals.

Craig Lazenby, Head of Marketing, Recruitment and Retention at HUTH, said: “Med Shed has been years in development from the initial concept to delivery because we knew we had to get this right.

“We are confident it will play a crucial part in securing our workforce for the future, enabling young people in East Yorkshire to land great jobs here instead of leaving their homes in search of decent careers.

“It’s helping us to quash pre-conceived notions that only certain kinds of people can do a certain kinds of jobs and it’s raising the collective aspirations of an entire city, showing just what can be possible.”

Cicely Alsbury, Partnership Director of the Medical, Health and Social Care Academy at St Mary’s College said: “HUTH provides a fantastic resource which will really help students to consider their different career pathways and the different opportunities available to them, particularly in our local community.

Sixth form students at the MHSC Academy who are considering careers in the NHS also welcomed the Med Shed initiative.

Alister Van Der Kroon said: “Meeting the people doing these jobs at the events and being able to arrange visits to our school means our students can see themselves doing the roles in the future.”

Prince Mwungere said: “Working with local medical teams is a massive benefit to us as students as it allows us to get a more enhanced experience, as opposed to just working in a classroom environment. Being able to work with Hull University Teaching Hospitals gives us excellent opportunities to learn real life experiences and skills straight from local front-line professionals. It gives us the chance to take part in workshops and other inspiring events.”

Venia Issa said: “Being partnered with the NHS and local professionals provides us with instant access to the realities of a career in medicine. As part of the MHSC Academy, we can experience placements and gain access to information and situations that we may not have the opportunity to encounter otherwise, allowing us to develop key skills that will match to many multidisciplinary roles.

Rania Ali said: “To be in a direct partnership with the NHS is an amazing experience which allows me to learn new skills and gain experience to work in a medical career in the future. I’ve always been intrigued by NHS workers and how they work so professionally and MedShed is a great way to find out more.”

Nicole Macasaet said: “This experience offered by the SM6 Medical, Health and Social Care Academy gives every student the opportunity to gain a deeper experience about the medical field and it gives a clearer picture of what it’s really like working in the NHS.”

Anna Lis said: “It is an incredible honour for the SM6 Medical Health and Social Care Academy to be partnered with Hull University Teaching Hospitals and nearby practices as it allows us to enhance our understanding of the direct and soft skills necessary for the types of health care roles we will fill in the future.”

Global experts in headache and migraine are heading to Hull this week to discuss pioneering treatments and advances in clinical care.

The UK’s biggest meeting on headache is being organised by the neurology team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust in conjunction with The Migraine Trust, The British Association for the Study of Headache (BASH), the International Headache Society (IHS), and Spire Hospital, Hull and East Riding.

Professor Fayyaz Ahmed

More than 300 delegates from across the UK will convene at Lazaat Hotel in Cottingham from 25^th to 28^th January. Here, they will receive the very first ‘Vicky Quarshie Memorial Lecture’ from Professor Cristina Tassorelli, President of the International Headache Society, who will fly in especially from the University of Pavia in Italy. Vicky Quarshie served the community of Hull as a specialist headache nurse for 15 years before she passed away following an illness at the age of just 48.

Delegates will also hear from no fewer than 50 experts in headache and migraine from various UK centres of excellence, including King’s College, London, and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

Professor Fayyaz Ahmed, consultant neurologist at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (pictured, right) is also a treasurer of the IHS and has held various board-level positions within BASH since 2005. He will be among those speaking at the event, which concludes with a half-day session for the public.

Professor Ahmed says:

“For some time, Hull has been leading the way in the care of people with headache, migraine and other associated neurological disorders. We have a reputation as a major centre for headache research and clinical services, built over the last 20 years, and we are proud to have been organising the biennial Hull BASH Headache Meeting since 2005.

“Headache and migraine are surprisingly common. Estimates by the Migraine Trust suggest some 10 million people experience migraine regularly in the UK, and there are thought to be around 190,000 migraine attacks in the UK every day.

Migraine and cluster headache can be debilitating

“Almost all of us will have experienced headache to some extent, but for those living with more severe forms such as migraine or cluster headache, the impact can be debilitating and have a significant impact on a person’s ability to work or lead a normal family life. That’s why events like ours, to share best practice and research among clinicians and advice with the public, are so very important.”

Among the topics for discussion across this week’s event are preventative treatments; sleep and headache disorder; women, hormones and migraine; and access to support through primary care.

The event is free to attend for healthcare professionals, Wednesday to Friday, and is open to the public to attend on Saturday morning – public places should be reserved in advance via the Migraine Trust website.

Appeal to knitters as supplies of twiddlemuffs start to dwindle

A senior nurse is appealing to local knitters, craft and community groups to support hospital patients living with dementia.

For a number of years, hospital staff have been giving out knitted twiddlemuffs to patients with dementia to help ease anxiety while spending time in hospital.

These brightly coloured items consist of a simple knitted tube which can be worn over the hands, but which are also adorned with bows, buttons, beads, bells, and other ornate items which the wearer can ‘twiddle’.  More recently, the Trust has received similar donations of fidget bears and blankets too.

Twiddlemuffs help to keep the hands occupied

But now supplies are waning, as Karen Harrison, lead matron for dementia and delirium at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust explains:

“Spending time in hospital can be difficult at any stage of life, but for older people in particular it can be quite confusing and upsetting. It can also be the cause of anxiety as people find themselves outside of their comfort zone, away from familiar people and surroundings.

“Twiddlemuffs are a really simple idea but can really help to calm people with dementia in particular who don’t always understand how or why they’ve come to be in hospital. They also provide stimulation for the hands and mind, and can be a great conversation starter for those who may otherwise tend to be quite withdrawn. They can even help us promote better safety on the wards, as patients who have little to do may be tempted to get up and wander or start to fiddle with their drip or cannula, and in turn this could lead to falls or other risks to patients’ clinical care and recovery.

“We’ve been using twiddlemuffs for a number of years, but following the Covid pandemic, we’ve seen a drop off in donations. Now we’re keen to receive a fresh supply so we can share these between our emergency department, wards and services at both HRI and Castle Hill and help make people’s time with us that bit more enjoyable.

Fidget bears also prove popular with people with dementia

“We’d be so grateful to anyone who has a bit of spare time, a bit of spare wool and a few bits and bobs in their sewing box who can help us with this request.”

Twiddlemuffs are required for both older men and women, and each person gets to keep their own. There’s no right or wrong way to design a twiddlemuff – some people go all out on the decorations, while others add texture or make the colours as bright as they can. Unsurprisingly, the black and amber of Hull City are always popular colours! The most important thing, however, is that the adornments – beads, bows, zips or other items – are firmly sewn on.

A basic twiddlemuff pattern can be found on the hospital’s website.

Anyone wishing to try making a fidget bear or fidget blanket can also find instructions online too.

Donations can be made by post/parcel to:

Karen Harrison
Corporate Nursing Services
Brocklehurst Building
Anlaby Road
Hull
HU3 2RW

For larger donations or to drop off in-person, contact the Dementia Care Team on 01482 315548 or email hyp-tr.dementiasupport@nhs.net

Unison members working for Yorkshire Ambulance Service will be taking part in industrial action on Monday 23 January 2023.

Members of the union will take action for 12 hours between 10am and 10pm and, in line with previous action taken, ambulance staff will be prioritising those with life-threatening needs.

Hospital staff will be discharging as many patients as possible in advance of the strike where they are medically fit to leave, and focusing efforts on timely ambulance handovers on the day.

Anyone with a routine hospital appointment or procedure scheduled for 23 January should attend as planned. Should there be a need to change your arrangements, including the use of patient transport services, you will be contacted directly to explain what this means for you in more detail and to reschedule if necessary.

Patients should only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency, i.e. when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. As there will be fewer ambulances on the roads during the industrial action, patients calling 999 for conditions which are not life-threatening are unlikely to receive an ambulance on strike days.

There are also likely to be fewer 999 and NHS111 call handlers available on the day, so anyone contacting these services should expect longer call response times. Where it is given, patients should take advice from 111 or 999 call handlers on circumstances where it is suitable for them to make their own way to hospital.

Please take extra care at this time and look out for vulnerable family members, friends or neighbours.

Anyone with non-urgent care needs should first seek help from NHS 111 online.

If you are unwell and need assistance, you should also consider alternatives such as:

• Local pharmacies
• Your GP practice
• Story Street walk-in centre, Hull
• Local Urgent Treatment Centres (Bransholme, Beverley, Goole and Bridlington), all of which are open into the evening with the exception of Bransholme which remains open 24hrs/day.

Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.

A new £4m paediatric unit providing first-class facilities for Hull’s sick and injured children and their families has opened at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) has opened Ward H20 – known as Woodland Ward – with 23 beds as part of the major £19.3m construction project to redesign the front entrance and lower floors of the famous tower block.

Jane Dearing Judith Lightfoot Debbie Baron Ann Dalby Mariessa Turner Doctor Mohammed Yasmin Stevenson

Now located on the second floor following the major relocation from the 13^th floor of the tower block, the new facilities have easy access link to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, its operating theatres and Acorn children’s ward via the link bridge over Lansdowne Street.

Four high-dependency beds for the most poorly children and a larger Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU), which now has nine rooms, are also part of the new unit on the same floor as Woodland Ward.

Pull-down beds have been added to single rooms so parents can stay with their children.  The unit also includes accommodation for parents with children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with five ensuite bedrooms, including one fully accessible room, and a dedicated lounge, enhanced with furniture, soft furnishings and art work funded by hospital charity WISHH’s By Your Side Appeal.

Vanessa Brown, Senior Matron for Children, Young People and Neonatal Services, said: “No one wants their child to be in hospital but our new ward means we can now offer parents and their children some of the finest paediatric services in the country.

“With its direct link to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and our operating theatres, we can provide a much better experience and a far more comfortable environment for the children who need to come into hospital and their families.”

The opening of the paediatric unit is the latest stage in the major construction project to create a new three-storey entrance to Hull Royal Infirmary with an assessment unit, modern pharmacy, multi-faith area and restaurant and shops for patients, visitors and staff.

A much larger and self-contained assessment unit provides better facilities for patients with views over the front gardens and natural light. Pharmacy has moved to the back of the ground floor of the hospital, with a new robotic arm installed to pick prescriptions.

Two new lifts will take parents and their children directly to the second floor, without the need for them to use the main lift lobby, to help ease congestion at busy visiting times.

Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development, said: “We have tried to make these new facilities a little more child and family friendly.

“Hospitals can be frightening enough at the best of times, with beeping machines, medical gases and sockets everywhere.

“We’re created bright, spacious and airy facilities, with medical equipment tucked away behind special panels, to make the whole experience of coming to hospital better for children and their parents.”

Jess Wilkinson, project architect at Race Cottam Associates, the practice behind the design for the new paediatrics department and main entrance, said: “The challenge was working within the building’s existing footprint, meaning there was no room to provide additional space so we had to be creative with things like furniture layout and adding in smart space saving measures such as drop down beds.

“It was also essential that the design avoided feeling sterile or utilitarian so we engaged an art consultant to create a series of colourful wall graphics.”

Ambulance service colleagues have announced that industrial action by both GMB and Unison members will be taking place on Wednesday 11 January 2023.

In readiness, we have been working to discharge as many patients as possible from hospital in advance of the strike, where those patients are medically fit and it is safe to do so.

Anyone with a hospital appointment on 11 January should continue to attend as normal unless contacted to advise otherwise. Should any changes become necessary as we approach the strike date, for example if an appointment has to be rescheduled or patient transport arrangements need to be changed, affected patients will be contacted directly to discuss in more detail.

Members of the public should be aware that there will be fewer ambulances on the roads during industrial action and they will be prioritising the most urgent and life-threatening calls. As a result, we will be stepping up efforts on the day to support timely ambulance turnaround for those crews arriving at our Emergency Department.

There are also likely to be fewer 999 and NHS111 call handlers available on the day and anyone contacting these services should expect longer call response times.

Anyone with non-urgent care needs should first seek help from NHS 111 online.

If you are unwell and need assistance, you should also consider alternatives such as:

• Local pharmacies
• Your GP practice
• Story Street walk-in centre, Hull
• Local Urgent Treatment Centres (Bransholme, Beverley, Goole and Bridlington), all of which are open into the evening with the exception of Bransholme which remains open 24hrs/day.

Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

Ambulance service colleagues will be taking industrial action on Wednesday 21 December.

In preparation, we have been working to discharge as many patients as possible from hospital in advance of the strike, where those patients are medically fit and it is considered safe to do so.

Anyone with a hospital appointment on 21 or 28 December is asked to attend as normal. Should a patient be subject to any changes e.g. to patient transport arrangements or should there be a need to reschedule their appointment, patients will be contacted directly to let them know and make alternative arrangements.

Members of the public should be aware that there will be fewer ambulances on the roads during industrial action, and those with life-threatening needs will be prioritised. 999 call handlers are expected to be very busy on strike days and NHS 111 call centres will have fewer staff, with longer call response times expected across the system.

As a result, anyone with non-urgent care needs should first seek help from NHS 111 online.

If you are unwell and need assistance, you should also consider alternatives such as:

• Local pharmacies
• Your GP practice
• Local Urgent Treatment Centres

Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

Further information and advice can be found on the NHS England website.

Patients in Hull and East Yorkshire are among the most supportive when it comes to research which could help save lives

Patients accessing health services across Hull and East Yorkshire are amongst the most willing to help when it comes to clinical research.

As we near the end of the calendar year, data published by the Trust’s Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Team this month shows that 5,465 people agreed to take part in research studies over the last 9 months alone, that’s an average of more than 600 people every month.

Professor Thozhukat Sathyapalan, Director of RDI and honorary consultant endocrinologist for the Trust is also heavily involved in clinical research through his links with Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull. He says:

Professor Thozhukat Sathyapalan, RDI Director

“We know that our research saves lives, enhances quality of life and improves patient care. This would not be possible without the support of our staff who help to recruit patients into trials, but also the willingness of our patients to help and to contribute to the future health and wellbeing of others like them. The people of Hull and East Yorkshire have always been incredibly generous in this respect and I’d like to express my sincere thanks on behalf of the whole RDI Team.”

The Trust has around 450 clinical trials and studies ongoing at any one time. These can range from something as simple as completing a survey or food diary to trialling new medications, and take place across the Trust’s specialties including paediatrics, respiratory medicine, diabetes and endocrinology, infectious diseases and cancer care.

One of the Trust’s most recent and perhaps memorable research programmes was the recruitment of participants to help trial to Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine against Covid-19.

James Illingworth, RDI Manager for the Trust is incredibly proud of the team’s achievements:

“Research really is the future of healthcare,” he says.

“It has the potential to influence future treatments and ultimately save lives, and here in Hull and East Yorkshire, we’re proud to be at the very forefront of that.“As at the end of the year, we currently rank 4^th out of 25 partner organisations in Yorkshire and the  Humber for recruitment to the National Institute of Health Research portfolio, having found patients willing to take part in some 127 NIHR studies.

“We’ve also delivered feedback from over 300 participants as part of the annual NIHR Participant in Research Experience Survey (PRES), where Hull Hospitals continue to see a rise in patient satisfaction year-on-year, and this is testament to the quality of care and support those patients receive.

“We’re continuing to enhance our national and international reputation for research, supported by an increase in funding awards to support our studies, so we really are finishing the year on a high.”

For more information on Research, Development and Innovation at Hull Hospitals and to see whether you could be eligible to take part in a study, visit www.hull.nhs.uk/research/

Chaplains will deliver messages for patients whose relatives can’t be with them

A messaging service which brought joy to patients in hospital last Christmas and New Year is being offered again this festive season.

Hospital chaplains working across Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary launched the service in December 2021, when hospital visiting was still heavily restricted due to Covid-19 infection risks.

The service enabled patients who were unable to see or communicate with loved ones, largely due to visiting restrictions at the time, to received heart-felt messages – either spoken or hand-delivered – via the hospital chaplaincy team.

The service proved incredibly popular, with season’s greetings and ‘get well’ wishes received for patients from as far afield as Canada.

Now, as we approach the festive season once again, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team will be reintroducing the messaging service to help bring those who can’t be with their loved ones that little bit closer.

Revd Tony Brookes, Head of Chaplaincy

Revd. Tony Brookes, Head of Chaplaincy, says:

“There are many reasons why people can’t always speak to or visit their loved ones in hospital. Last year, visiting restrictions made seeing loved ones difficult, but issues such as geographical location, personal commitments or people’s own health or communication issues may also make it difficult to keep in touch if a family member or friend is admitted to hospital.

“Last Christmas and New Year, we really saw the value of the messaging service we offered, both to our patients and to the families and friends we spoke with. A ‘get well’ message or a Merry Christmas wish can really help to boost the spirits of someone in hospital, and it’s such a simple thing to do.

“Not all patients have mobile phones, and not all patients are well enough to use them, so by taking messages out to patients again, we’re hoping to be able to spread some festive cheer, bring people together and remind those in hospital that their loved ones are thinking of them even if they can’t physically be with them.”

To send a message to a relative or friend in hospital via the chaplaincy team, simply email
hyp-tr.greetingstolovedone@nhs.net, providing the name of the patient, the ward, unit or department they are on, which hospital they are in, and any other detail/information which may help the team to identify the patient. The service will operate Monday to Friday, across both HRI and Castle Hill, with any messages sent over the weekend being picked up on the following Monday.

Tony continues:

“Having a loved one in hospital and not being able to see them can be a difficult and worrying time, and being apart from loved ones over Christmas can be even more upsetting for some.

“Many of those patients we saw last year were pleasantly surprised to see us as they were feeling lonely without visitors, and for those we were able to visit on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the contact proved to be the highlight of their day, an unexpected Christmas present.

“It was a true privilege for us to be able to support patients and families in this way and we look forward to being able to bring people together once again this festive season.”