Hull Hospitals are here, by your side when you need them, from the delivery of exceptional care, to supporting families and loved ones.  They are a team we can truly depend on when we need them most.  Many of us will have our own story to tell on how hospital staff have touched our lives and gone above and beyond to make a difference.

WISHH, the official charity of Hull Hospitals, has launched a new ‘By Your Side Appeal’ to raise £40,000 to enhance parental accommodation as part of a major redevelopment project at Hull Royal Infirmary.  The project includes expanding the number of family rooms for parents and carers of the area’s sickest children that are being cared for at the hospital.

Each year, Hull University Teaching Hospitals provides care for approximately 49,000 babies, children and young people with a variety of health problems, conditions, and other childhood illnesses.  They range from those who are critically ill and who stay in the High Dependency Unit for care with cancer, complex needs or other significant disabilities, as well as premature babies cared for within the Neonatal Unit.  A number of these babies and children need to stay in hospital for an extended period of time, placing additional pressures on their families.

It has been a long-term ambition of Hull Hospitals to expand upon the provision of accommodation for parents and carers, which will enable them to stay close by the side of their child whilst their child is receiving treatment.  The development project will double the existing capacity from four rooms to nine.  The WISHH Charity is asking members of our community, local businesses and fundraisers to get involved in this appeal to ensure the new rooms provided are as welcoming and comfortable as possible for families, to include furnishings and distraction items for siblings, making it a home-from home environment, during such challenging times.

The campaign launch has received a fantastic start with Home Bargains providing an initial sum of £12,000 in support.  They have committed to continue fundraising across their stores in Hull and Scunthorpe.

Mike McDonald, Area Manager of Home Bargains said, “As a result of the generosity of our customers donating their change at tills in our stores and our staff taking part in fundraising activities, we can make this fantastic donation to kick-start the fundraising for this great appeal.  We are delighted to continue our support of this appeal and encourage others to get involved too.”

This purpose-built family accommodation will be located in a self-contained area on the same floor of Hull Royal Infirmary as the High Dependency Ward.  It will enable families to stay close to their ill child, shower and recharge, and have facilities to make refreshments, which will make a tremendous difference to the families, the child receiving care and other family members.

Sister Anne Dalby

Sister Anne Dalby of Ward 130 and the High Dependency Unit said, “This accommodation will make a massive difference to the families of patients cared for on our ward and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, especially for babies and children needing longer term care and their families who do not live near the hospital.  We provide care to babies and children from across Hull, East Riding and the wider region.

“The new facilities will enable parents and carers to get a proper rest and a break in tranquil and comfortable surroundings away from the clinical area, yet still be close to their child. The psychological benefits it will provide for families, to be in close proximity to the ward, where a nurse can get them if they are urgently needed will provide reassurance and will have a beneficial impact on the overall mental health and wellbeing of families.

“Due to current Covid restrictions we currently can only accommodate one parent per child and this new facility will enable both parents and carers to be there, taking it in turns to visit the ward and enabling family time. It will also enable siblings and families to come together on special occasions.”

Caroline Horler, parent said, “You cannot under estimate the importance of parents’ facilities on a children’s ward.  I have spent many weeks over a period of many years in hospital with my daughter.  To be able to recharge your batteries, have a shower and rest whilst always being close to your child makes so much difference and will help alleviate the stress parents are already going through.  This facility will also provide space for a parent to spend some time with siblings as not everyone has family support close to hand.”

To support the appeal visit https://justgiving.com/campaign/ByYourSide  Donations can also be made via cheque made payable to WISHH Charity, posted to WISHH By Your Side Appeal, WISHH Office, First Floor Administration Building, Castle Hill Hospital, Castle Road, Cottingham, HU16 5JQ.  Donations can also be made via Bacs transfer, contact the WISHH team for further information hyp-tr.hellowishh@nhs.net or call us on 01482 622299.

Any amount large or small will be welcomed and help us achieve our target. If, however, you wish to contribute to a specific item, or sponsor a room this can be arranged.  To discuss in more detail please contact Lisa Whitton lisa.whitton3@nhs.net or call on 01482 622299 or mobile 07827 881766.

Background of the scheme
Ward 130 and the Paediatric High Dependency Unit are currently based on the 13^th floor of the tower block at the Hull Royal Infirmary.  The project is part of a major transformation of Hull Royal Infirmary.  The new three-story extension at the front of the hospital, in part facilitates the relocation of the paediatric wards to the second floor. This change will not only make access to these wards much easier, but it will also enable paediatric medical staff to move more quickly between the main building to the Women and Children’s Hospital.

School children are to benefit from the latest design innovation to learn about the importance of organ donation in saving lives.

Specialist Nurses in organ donation, based at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, will use a 3D interactive torso with removable organs including the heart, liver, pancreas and gall bladder, when they tour schools across Hull and the East Riding to explain their work.

The 3D torso, which cost more than £3,000, was funded as part of NHS Blood and Transplant’s mission to promote education and awareness about the importance of organ donation and was created by the design team at Aura Innovation Centre, part of the University of Hull.

Children and young people are set to take centre stage as the main theme of this year’s Organ Donation Week, which will run from Monday, September 20 to Sunday, September 26.

Fay Turner, Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation, said: “We’re very grateful to the team at Aura who worked with our specifications to create this fabulous teaching tool to support our education work.

“The teaching tool has arrived in a very timely manner as Organ Donation Week 2021 aims to inspire millions of family conversations and registrations by putting children and young people at the heart of our message.

“It will encourage organ donation conversations across the generations and really press home the ‘leave them certain’ message.”

“Previously, we have had to rely on videos and photographs but our new teaching tool will encourage the students to take out the organs, feel what they’re like and understand how each one functions.

“It will provide students with valuable hands-on learning so they can understand exactly how important our organs are – and, therefore, why we need organ donation to save people’s lives.”

As well as focusing on stories of children who have received or donated organs, Organ Donation Week will shine a national spotlight on the importance of education, with blood, organ and stem cell donation now part of the school PHSE curriculum for young people in Key Stage 3 and 4.

To mark the event in our area, staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust who work in the hospital restaurants, post room, general offices and reception desks will be wearing bright pink organ donation t-shirts.

Hull City Council’s buildings in Queen Victoria Square will light up pink along with The Deep, St Stephen’s shopping mall and other key landmarks in the city.

Hospital emergency teams sprang into action today as part of their training for a major chemical spill in the city.

Porters, staff from the Emergency Department and security teams worked together to ensure five casualties received the best possible care after the mock accident.

Operation Hoddle was set up by Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH) to test staff’s response to a chemical or hazardous waste accident.

David Roney, Head of Emergency Planning, said: “The exercise is about testing our response to any chemical or hazardous waste incident. It’s particularly relevant to us because we have so many refineries and factories within the area.

“We have to train and practice for the time when we might have to use that equipment for real.”

A decontamination tent was set up at the side of Hull Royal infirmary’s Emergency Department so staff from the hospital’s Emergency Department, dressed in powered respirator protective suits (PRPS) were able to treat their injuries in the safest possible environment.

Security Investigations Officer David Liddle, Clinical Administrator Cameron Walker, who works in Suite 36, James Garnett, a clinical administrator in the Department of Medical Elderly, Donna Major, manager of the Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation (HILS), and Emily Clappison, an Administrator in Clinical Skills, all volunteered to act as casualties.

The 90-minute exercise was filmed by the trust’s Clinical Skills Department and will be used to train ED nursing staff and be included in HEY247 to help train other staff who may be involved in a real-life accident.

East Riding Council has approved plans for a solar panel field to generate energy for Castle Hill Hospital.

Known as “ground mounted solar photovoltaic array”, the development will cover 7.7 hectares, including access roads, on land south of Castle Road in Cottingham.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust plans to erect almost 11,000 solar panels to generate a third of the total energy requirements of Castle Hill Hospital, meeting all of its daytime requirements in the summer.

Landscaping will be used to screen the development and protect wildlife, with information boards put up around the site to inform people living near the hospital about our environmental plans.

Construction work on the field is now under way with the solar panels expected to be generating energy by the end of the year.

Marc Beaumont, Head of Sustainability at the trust, said: “We’re grateful to East Riding Council for a swift decision on our plans and we’ve already started the work because the time for action is now.

“We cannot afford to wait any longer to make radical changes to the way we run our organisation and this is a major step forward.”

The field is all part of “Zero Thirty,” the trust’s campaign to be a UK leader in tackling the NHS’s impact on climate change by achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Funding for the project has been possible after the trust received a £12.6m grant from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to support its new green agenda.

A national campaign to attract the best talent to vital health and social care roles in Hull and East Yorkshire is the latest to support Inner City Sesh.

Under the banner, East YorkSHH!re: ‘the secret’s out’, the new campaign has had unprecedented success by telling the stories of those people who came to work here, fell in love with it, and now want to spill the beans.

As Humber Street Sesh is a firm favourite with so many who come to the region, the campaign has stepped up and joined forces with the Inner City version – supporting the East YorkSHH!re Silent Disco at the Queen’s Gardens event on Sept 18th.

John Skidmore, Director of Adults, Health and Customer Services, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, explains:

“Everyone loves the Sesh events, they are a part of our cultural identity, so it’s great to be able to get together with our healthcare partners in Hull and East Yorkshire to support Inner City Sesh, and show our region off at its best.

“We want more and more people with vital skills and knowledge to come to live, work, study and play in Hull and East Yorkshire and discover what a hidden gem it is. Events like this are hugely important in telling that story and encouraging people with vital knowledge and skills to lay down their roots here.”

“Maybe, in the past, our perceived isolation worked against us in attracting people here but we’ve turned that on its head to share the secret of what an incredible place this is and it’s really paying off.”

The “East YorkSHH!re” campaign is an unprecedented recruitment partnership between East Riding of Yorkshire Council, City Health Care Partnership CIC, Hull CCG, East Riding of Yorkshire CCG, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, Humberside Fire and Rescue Services, Humberside Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull.

Launched in October 2020, it has built on the success of earlier recruitment campaigns which have succeeded in bringing health care staff to the region.

A series of short films celebrate the distinctiveness and diversity of Hull and East Yorkshire, celebrating the connectivity of the area as well as low house prices and affordable cost of living with easy access to beautiful countryside, coastline and natural beauty. It also showcases the hidden beauty of the city, from the Marina and the Old Town to the revamped city centre, celebrating Hull’s cultural depth and its thriving communities.

A microsite, street advertising and brochures have been supported by a blitz on social media, encouraging health care professionals to take a look at what’s on offer across the region.

The campaign tells the stories of people who have come to live, work and play in the area from as far afield as Nigeria, Poland, India, USA, and every corner of the UK.

Inner City Sesh will feature the best of Humber Street Sesh with The University of Hull Main Stage, Hull Trains Dead Bod Stage, Emerging Musicians Stage, and a stage dedicated to some of the finest DJs in the region.

Community favourites include: The Silent Disco Marquee, supported by East YorkSHH!re; Team Extreme Skate Park, with displays from the experts; Festival Markets for independent traders; a funfair on Guildhall Road; Photo Exhibition, supported by Wykeland Beal, showcasing Hull’s burgeoning music scene; graffiti art, art installations and an array of food choices and bars.

Festival organisers are keen to make the event as environmentally friendly as possible with 2 solar powered music stages, and recycling stations around the site.

Inner City Sesh, Queens Gardens, 12 midday until 11pm, Saturday, September 18, 2021.

£10 e tickets are available via innercitysesh.co.uk and seetickets.com. Booking fees apply.

£15 at the gate. Free entry for 12 years and under, when accompanied by an adult.

Wristband exchange locations TBC.

www.eastyorkshhire.co.uk

A new service is set to launch this week to assess children and young people for the long term effects of Covid-19.

From Monday 16 August, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will begin accepting referrals for its new Paediatric Long Covid Assessment Service, serving patients and professionals across the Humber, Coast and Vale Integrated Care System (ICS).

The service will review children from Hull and the East Riding, as well as those referred in by paediatricians in other parts of the Humber, Coast and Vale region which includes areas such as York, Scarborough, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole.

The establishment of the service follows national announcements made in recent months for multi-million pound investment in services to support those suffering from the effects of Long Covid, including children and young people.

Dr Chris Wood, consultant paediatrician for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The new service is designed to assess young patients experiencing long-term health effects following Covid-19 infection. While we know young people have been less severely physically impacted by Covid-19 at the infection stage than older people, with a much lower level of hospitalisation for example, we still don’t know for sure how the virus can or will affect children going forward.

“There have been numerous reports of children experiencing the same or similar Long Covid symptoms to adults such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mobility issues, so our service is designed to look at those and then make recommendations as to the best course of treatment and support.”

The Paediatric Long Covid Service will only accept referrals from either hospital or community based paediatricians. Demand is expected to be high, so it is important that local district general hospitals seek to address or rule out more routine causes of a child’s health problems before a referral to the assessment service is made.

GPs will not be able to refer directly into the service and parents will not be able to self-refer their child. However, parents are encouraged to make an appointment with their GP in the first instance if they are worried their child may be exhibiting potential Long Covid symptoms which may require assessment by a local paediatrician and/or subsequent referral into the Paediatric Long Covid Assessment Service as appropriate. For Long Covid to be diagnosed, symptoms should have continued for at least 12 weeks after the original infection and other causes of those symptoms considered and excluded.

Assessment will take place through multi-disciplinary team meetings where experts come together to review a child’s history and current symptoms. In some circumstances, clinic-based face-to-face assessment will be necessary and some virtual/video appointments may also be offered.

Dr Wood continues:

“Our role is to look at the whole picture and then advise children and their families, local hospitals and clinicians on how each child’s symptoms could best be managed. Hull will not provide treatment for all the children we assess, except where we would ordinarily be the child’s local hospital; instead the intention is for children to receive any treatment they do need as close to home as possible, normally through their own district general hospital or associated community service.”

The Hull based Paediatric Long Covid Assessment Service is one of five to operate in the NHS North East and Yorkshire region, and one of just 16 to be set up across the country.

More information is available in our FAQs.

A man who stole a laptop from a sleeping junior doctor has been jailed for eight months after a joint operation by hospital security staff and Humberside Police.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) has a special arrangement with the force when crimes are committed in the grounds of Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

The two organisations worked together to bring Lee Conman to justice after he broke into Hull York Medical School’s library in the early hours of the morning last month.

Conman, 39, entered the building in the grounds of Hull Royal Infirmary and forced his way into the library. Once inside, he snatched a bag containing a laptop from the junior doctor, who was resting in the special Quiet Zone where staff can recuperate after a tough shift.

The junior doctor raised the alarm with the hospital’s security staff when he woke to discover his bag – and his laptop – had gone.

Chris Watson, the trust’s security manager, said they were able to obtain clear CCTV images of the thief leaving the building with the doctor’s bag and passed them onto the hospital liaison officer in the force.

Officers recognised Conman, of Albert Avenue, Hull, and he was arrested within hours, He appeared at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Mr Watson said: “Those who attempt to commit crime or who commit crimes against our staff should know that we will do whatever it takes to bring them to justice.

“Our arrangement with the police means no time is lost in making sure we have the best possible chance of making sure perpetrators of crimes in our hospitals and against our staff face the full force of the law.”

Neighbourhood Beat Officer Sarah Wilson said: “As the Beat Officer for the hospital, I’m really pleased that justice has been served.

“Our healthcare professionals work tirelessly to be able to assist patients who require medical treatment and, without the appropriate equipment, this can make their job increasingly difficult.

“Burglary is a serious offence that we dedicate lots of our resource to as it’s important that everyone in our force area feels safe at home and work.”

We’ve still got around 50 people seriously ill with Covid-19 in our hospitals. And we still need your help to control the spread of the virus.

All visitors must wear a mask, sanitise their hands and follow social distancing rules as soon as they enter Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital or any of our hospital buildings.

Because we continue to see high levels of infection in our community, please do not try to visit our wards if you do not wear a mask. You must wear a mask or face covering or you will not be able to visit.

Please understand we have a duty to protect all of our patients, not just your loved ones, who need to be in hospital.

Many of our patients are at a high risk of serious illness or even death if they contracted Covid-19. They’ve been protecting themselves at home and we have a duty to continue to protect them when they need to come to hospital.

We must also protect our dedicated and hardworking staff who continue to give their all to care for us, our relatives, our friends and our neighbours 19 months on from the start of the pandemic. Their health has to be protected too so they can continue to come to work to do their jobs.

Remember that one in five of us can be infected with this deadly virus without even knowing because they don’t have symptoms. You might think you’re safe to come to hospital without a mask but you could have a virus that causes the risk of serious illness or even death to another person.

We know families are desperate to see their loved ones and you can, if you wear a mask and follow our rules around visiting.

If you are not wearing a mask, please don’t attempt to enter any of our hospitals expecting to be allowed to visit someone on a ward. We’re making progress against the virus but we need your help and your cooperation to avoid the risk of another wave.

We know Covid-19 isn’t over. Our teams see it every day still.  With your help, we can stop this deadly virus spreading to our most sick and vulnerable patients and the fantastic staff who work so hard to care for them.

It can feel like we’re surrounded at times by Covid-19 statistics, from infection rates and hospital admissions to the number of people who have sadly died with the disease.

And while the data changes every day, hospital staff in Hull are keen to ensure the people behind the data, those whose lives have been changed by the disease due to a stay in intensive care, are not forgotten.

One way in which intensive care workers at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are doing this is through their bi-monthly Critical Care Support Group. The session is run by staff working in the department including doctors, nurses and physiotherapists. It provides a safe and confidential space for patients and families with experience of intensive care to share their experiences, to ask questions of the professionals and draw strength from each other.

Dr Pumali Gunasekera, consultant in critical care for the Trust says:

“The coronavirus pandemic has meant that we’ve seen more long stay patients through intensive care over the past year and a half than we would normally expect to see.

“A stay in ICU is often unexpected, and it can be very difficult for the patient as they struggle to understand what’s happening; they may feel distraught, angry or confused about things, they may have periods they don’t remember, or they may be struggling to adapt to life beyond their period of illness.

“At the same time, it can also be difficult for their family or loved ones who can also be left upset, distressed perhaps by what they’ve seen or experienced, or anxious about what the future now holds for them and their family.

“The Critical Care Support Group is a safe and confidential way for patients and relatives to talk about their experiences, their worries, and to seek advice from professionals and from others who have been in the same positon.

“Under normal circumstances, families would be able to visit their relatives freely in ICU and be able to meet with staff to discuss their progress. Covid-19 has led us to introduce visiting restrictions in ICU so that we can protect the most seriously ill, but this also means families are largely unable to have that face to face interaction; most conversations are had over the phone right now; so this is a way in which we can try to fill the gap.

“Many of us will have had someone close spend time in hospital but intensive care can be an altogether different experience, and with Covid-19 leading to more prolonged stays in intensive care lately, there could be many more people in need of this kind of help.”

The Critical Care Support Group was set up around seven years ago, in 2015, and since then the support provided by its members and hospital staff has helped scores of people come to terms with life in and beyond ICU.

The trust currently operates two critical care units across its estate; one at Castle Hill Hospital and another within the tower block at Hull Royal Infirmary. The latter will be replaced when work concludes shortly on a new three-storey, multi-million pound intensive care facility to the rear of HRI.

Dr Gunasekera is keen to stress that the Critical Care Support Group is suitable for patients and relatives with any experience of intensive care, not just Covid-19.

“Our world has been dominated by Covid-19 for so long now that it can be easy for people to forget that life goes on without it, but people are still involved in road traffic accidents or assaults, they still have cardiac arrests, donate organs, and they still undergo major surgery which requires extra support afterwards.

“The Critical Care Support Group is there to assist any patient who has been on the receiving end of any severe illness or injury resulting in a period of intensive care, and their loved ones, and who feel they would benefit by talking it through with others.”

For Covid safety reasons, the group is currently conducting virtual online meetings. These are held every two months, with the next meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday 10 August at 2pm.

For more information or to request joining details, please email hyp-tr.hullicusupport@nhs.net or call (01482) 674689  / 461504.