People with complex health conditions are being urged to chat to hospital consultants, GPs or specialist nurses to ensure their wishes are followed in a medical emergency.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust became the eighth NHS trust in the country to introduce ReSPECT, used by staff to help people with complex needs, those nearing the end of their lives or people at risk of sudden deterioration or cardiac arrest.

ReSPECT allows people to draw up a plan with health professionals, such as whether or not they wish to be resuscitated or “brought back” if their heart stops in a future medical emergency or if they agree to a particular treatment to save their lives.

Neil Jennison, Resuscitation Manager at the trust, said: “No one wants to think about a time when they might not be able to express their wishes but it can happen.

“ReSPECT gives people the chance to make decisions now so that if a time comes in the future when they can’t speak for themselves, their wishes are known.

“It’s not just about saying what you don’t want, it’s about empowering people to say what they do want in an emergency.”

ReSPECT forms were introduced at the trust last year to replace “Do Not Attempt CPR” forms after concerns were raised over the limitations of restricting people’s options to either resuscitation or not.

The ReSPECT form was developed by health organisations in conjunction with the public and its launch was managed by the Resuscitation Council (UK).

Anyone can have a ReSPECT form in place but it is of particular importance to those with health conditions involving sudden deterioration, those with life-limiting conditions or those at risk of cardiac arrest.

People of all ages, including children and young people, can have a ReSPECT form to outline their preferences for care and treatment in the event of an emergency.

Hospital consultants and specialist nurses help people by discussing their options, outlining what specific treatments do or can achieve in relation to their illnesses.

Clinical teams at Hull Royal and Castle Hill Hospital and other health services working in the community can then consult the two-page form in the future, tailoring treatment to the patient’s wishes.

Neil Jennison said: “Having the form in place means our staff can be confident they are following the wishes of the patient, even if they can’t speak for themselves.”

To fill out a ReSPECT form, speak to your GP, your hospital consultant or specialist nurse.

Midwives are to offer hypnobirthing sessions to help pregnant women and their partners achieve a calm and positive birth experience.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will offer a 12-hour course for women and their partners from the autumn as part of an initiative to increase choice around giving birth.

Through visualisation and deep breathing, practised for weeks before the baby’s due date, women use hypnobirthing to work in harmony with their bodies and tune into their natural ability to give birth.

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery, said: “We know hypnobirthing has many benefits and can reduce the need for surgical intervention during labour.

“More and more women are using hypnobirthing during labour to help them feel calm and in control and we want to offer mothers and partners the widest possible range of maternity services, delivered by highly skilled and dedicated staff.”

Hypnobirthing is based on the work of English obstetrician Dr Grantly Dick-Read, a leading advocate of natural childbirth who wrote a book called Childbirth without Fear. He suggested excessive pain in labour resulted from women tensing their muscles through fear of giving birth.

Based on positive thinking, affirmations and suggestions, hypnobirthing allows women to use special calming techniques to achieve a more peaceful, comfortable and relaxed birth.

Benefits of hypnobirthing can include shorter labours, fewer surgical interventions, lower levels of stress and fear and a reduction in the need of pain relief.

Women can achieve a sense of euphoria after their babies are born with hypnobirthing, allowing them to bask in a rush of hormones to bond with their babies in the first minutes and hours after birth.

Partners are also able to play a more active part in the birth, supporting the women by sharing the visualisation and breathing techniques practised in the months leading up to their babies being born.

The trust has funded training for 23 midwives and midwifery assistants working in the community, the Labour and Delivery Suite at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and the Fatima Allam Birth Centre in KG Hypnobirthing, a course accredited by the Royal College of Midwives.

From September, the trust will offer a 12-hour course costing £150, a competitive price compared to services offered by private firms, with the fully trained midwives teaching breathing and visualisation techniques to help women prepare for labour and birth. All money raised by the trust from the service will be reinvested in strengthening maternity services at the hospital.

Midwife Alex McCann, leading the hypnobirthing project, said: “The courses will teach women skills that can help them in labour and birth. It allows them to release their fears and adopt a positive attitude to birth.

“It builds on a positive view of birth, showing that their bodies were meant to do this so they can remain calm and in control.

“Our midwives have been trained as practitioners in hypnobirthing and will teach women and their partners techniques during the course.

“The women will then be given literature and material such as peaceful music so they can practice every day in their homes.

“Although there is a charge for the service, spending time and money on hypnobirthing is an investment that can benefit the woman, her partner and baby emotionally and physically.”

Women can find out more about hypnobirthing at the next HEY Baby Carousel, which will be held at the Clinical Skills Building in Fountain Street near Hull Royal Infirmary on Wednesday, April 24.

They can also contact the birth centre on 01482 607860 or email hyp-tr.KGH@nhs.net  if they’d like more information.

An eye surgery team credited with some of the best safety rates in the country has been praised for bringing waiting times down to just seven weeks for patients needing cataract removals.

The dedicated team at Hull Eye Hospital sees around 5,000 patients a year for cataract surgery, caused as people grow older and the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, affecting vision.

Cataract surgery, which replaces the cloudy lens with a clear, artificial lens, is the most common operation performed in the UK and Hull has one of the lowest rates of complication in the country.

Now, despite treating around 100 patients in need of cataract surgery every week, the ophthalmology team has almost halved waiting times from around 12 weeks to just seven.

Consultant ophthalmologist Colin Vize said: “Everyone from our reception staff to the people in our appointments team and the clinical staff carrying out the procedure has worked so hard to get people seen as quickly as possible.

“The national standard is 18 weeks but we’re seeing patients far sooner for their first appointment.

“The vast majority of our patients see the consultant for their first appointment within seven weeks of being referred to the hospital by their optician.

“Most operations are then done within five weeks, meaning the whole process from initial referral to surgery is completed within 12 weeks.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and one we’re very proud to share with people.”

People are able to choose which hospital they wish to carry out surgery.

However, Mr Vize said Hull’s highly skilled team and short waiting lists mean people in the city and surrounding towns and villages in the East Riding can benefit from high-quality health care on their doorsteps without the inconvenience of travelling further afield.

Cataract surgery, like all forms of surgical intervention, carries risk and the most common complication is “posterior capsule rupture”. The complication is used by the Royal College of Ophthalmology as a way of measuring the quality of cataract surgery at different hospitals.

Although PCR happens to one in every 150 patients nationally, just one in 400 patients will experience the complication in Hull, making Hull Eye Hospital one of the safest places in the UK to undergo the operation.

Mr Vize said: “We’ve got a fantastic service to offer local people so there’s no need for anyone to travel anywhere else in Yorkshire.

“Our short waiting time means you’ll be seen very quickly and the whole process will be over in a matter of weeks, allowing you to be on the road to recovery and able to get on with the rest of your life with the clearest vision possible.”

A mum will take part in a sky dive this weekend to raise money for two breathing machines which saved her baby son’s life.

Lindsay Cockitt will be taking to the sky on Saturday to raise more than £3,000 to buy Airvo machines for the Children’s Emergency Department at Hull Royal Infirmary

Her son Ollie, now 19 months, was rushed to hospital in November after he contracted bronchiolitis and was struggling to breathe.

He started to go blue and went limp in Lindsay’s arms before an Airvo machine, then on loan to Hull Royal Infirmary, was brought into the department to help him to breathe.

Once Ollie recovered, Lindsay and her partner Lee Farndale decided to embark on a fundraising campaign to buy two Airvo machines for the department.

She said: “Experiencing first-hand the benefits the equipment made to Ollie, we wanted to raise enough money to buy at least one machine which we know will make a big difference to other children.”

Paediatric Consultant Elizabeth Herrieven said the machines provided high flow, warmed and humidified oxygen to help babies and children with breathing difficulties caused by conditions such as bronchiolitis.

She said: “The team in the Children’s Emergency Department are incredibly grateful to Lindsay for all her hard work raising money for the Airvo machines.

“These machines can help prevent the need for babies and children to be put into induced comas and onto other breathing machines such as ventilators.

“More families will now be able to stay in Hull rather than see their children transferred to intensive care units in other cities thanks to Lindsay’s desire to make a difference to the lives of other children.”

You can support Lindsay’s skydive through her Go Fund Me Page https://www.gofundme.com/to-raise-money-for-an-airvo-machine

A man who assaulted a nurse and two security officers at Hull Royal Infirmary has been placed under a night-time curfew and been ordered to pay them compensation.

Mark Gallagher, 42, assaulted the nurse in the early hours of February 16 after he was brought to Hull Royal’s Emergency Department with a head injury. He then assaulted two security officers called to escort him out of the department.

Gallagher was prosecuted under new legislation designed to protect emergency workers, including NHS staff.

Ron Gregory, the trust’s security manager, said the prosecution under the Assaults of Emergency Workers (Offences) Act should serve as a warning after more than 70 assaults by members of the public were reported by staff at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in the past 12 months.

He said:  “Anyone who is violent or abusive to any member of staff at our hospitals should be in no doubt they will face the appropriate punishment for their crime.

“Our staff come to work every day to help others. They do not come to work to be assaulted, abused, spat at or attacked and we will not tolerate any such behaviour.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is teaming up with Humberside Police in a new initiative called Operation Victor to prosecute offenders who commit crimes at either hospitals or attack staff.

Chief Inspector Lee Edwards of Humberside Police said: “Any assault on an emergency worker is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“Our priority first and foremost is to protect and help the public, and attacks like these should not happen.

“If anyone thinks they can get away with assaulting an emergency worker, they are sorely mistaken, as they will now face much tougher penalties for such actions.”

The new legislation came into force at the end of last year, creating an offence of assault against an emergency worker in the exercise of their functions and increasing the maximum penalty from six to 12 months.

Gallagher appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Monday to admit three counts of assault against emergency workers.

Magistrates were told he had gone drinking with a relative and was taken to Hull Royal with a head injury after falling over. He underwent scans, which were clear, but staff allowed him to stay in a cubicle to “sleep it off”.

James Byatt, prosecuting, told the court while a nurse was treating a patient in a nearby cubicle, Gallagher came in and assaulted her, pushing her by the shoulders and grabbing her wrists.

Mr Byatt said: “She said it had left her shaken and nervous. She felt helpless and it has made her more wary of intoxicated patients in the future.”

Security staff were called to the Emergency Department to escort Gallagher off the premises but he punched one and kicked another before being arrested by police.

Mike Farr, defending, said Gallagher, who has no previous convictions, had no recollection of the attack and had been taking medication for depression and anxiety, which he believed had reacted with the alcohol he drank.

“He is extremely sorry for his behaviour,” Mr Farr told the court. “He is extremely remorseful for his stupidity and his actions.”

Magistrates imposed a curfew on Gallagher, preventing him from being outside between the hours of 7pm to 7am for eight weeks. He was also given a 12-month community order and was ordered to pay £150 in compensation to each of the three members of staff. He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £85.

Lynda Carmichael, chair of the magistrates, told Gallagher: “It is a very, very serious offence.

“These are people in their workplace and, as such, deserve not only the respect but certainly to be safe in their workplace.”

Shoppers will help Hull’s hospital care for the city’s sickest babies and children after national retailer Home Bargains agreed to support the WISHH Charity in seven of its city stores.

WISHH collection tins will be placed at tills for donations and loose change, with every penny making a massive difference to the lives of children cared for by staff at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

More than 49,000 babies, children and young people are treated at the Emergency Department following serious accidents, injuries or illnesses every year along with those who stay on wards and the Paediatric High Dependency Unit for conditions such as cancer or complex long-term conditions.

Home Bargains staff will take part in fundraising activities and challenges throughout the year to raise as much money as possible to brighten up children’s wards and departments as well as buy toys, games and equipment to make hospital stays more comfortable.

Junior Sister Helen Lyon, of the Paediatric High Dependency Ward said: “It is fantastic Home Bargains are supporting us.  Even a few pence donated can all add up and can be used to improve the experience for the child and their family through toys and games for distraction at what can be a distressing time.”

“The generosity of shoppers will help us buy equipment needed and create a better child-friendly environment.”

Mike McDonald, Hull Area Manager of Home Bargains said, “We are passionate about making a difference within the communities we serve by teaming up with the WISHH Charity to support children at Hull Hospitals.

“Our staff are glad to be taking part in extra activities to benefit sick children from the communities in which they live and work.”

If you or your work place would like to support WISHH Charity, please contact the team on 01482 622299 or email wishhcharity@hey.nhs.uk

Hospital staff from all over the world celebrated diversity at a special cultural event at Hull Royal Infirmary this week.

Nurses, doctors, administrative staff and volunteers from different countries around the world including Malta, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines took part in World Food Event.

In the past few years, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has recruited staff from as far afield as Finland, Hungary, Spain and Portugal to address staff shortages alongside a recruitment drive to attract student nurses from all over the north of England. The most recent recruits are newly qualified doctors from Pakistan, who will stay at the trust for two years to enhance their training before returning to their own country, and nurses from The Philippines, who arrived last month.

Held in the hospital’s Kingston Restaurant on the second floor, staff brought dishes from their home countries including Dhalbora, a pakora-style lentil and potato dish from Bangladesh, and imqannun il-forn, a pasta bolognaise type dish with a pastry lid from Malta.

Head of Patient Experience Louise Beedle, who brought garlic rice from Goa, said: “We hold these staff engagement events to welcome our overseas staff to the trust and to Hull.

“It’s all about celebrating the diversity we now have at the trust and what better way to celebrate than through our shared love of food.”

Health and social care students from Bishop Burton College, who volunteer at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the Department for Elderly Medicine and Oncology at the Queen’s Centre also attended the event, baking cakes and biscuits to represent Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.

Teaching assistant Saleha Begum, who is volunteering at the trust but is keen to work in the NHS with children and young adults, brought sweets and savoury snacks from Bangladesh.

She said: “I used to work in the NHS in Devon and moved to Hull almost two years ago.

“I’ve brought rice balls, gulab jaman and badana along with some Dhalbora to represent Bangladesh.”

Ward 5 nurse Marica Shepherd came to the UK from Malta 29 year ago and has worked at the trust since 2010.

She said: “I’m proud to be Maltese and I’m proud to work at the trust. I’ve brought food today to represent my country and it’s a great event to support, so everyone feels welcome.”

A woman is celebrating Mother’s Day after midwifery staff helped her to bring her newborn son into the world safely.

Kelly Goodrum, 23, came to the Antenatal Day Unit at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital when she noticed reduced movements from her unborn baby.

Tests and checks were carried out on Kelly and her baby and, reassured, Kelly went home before returning to hospital that weekend to have her baby.

Kelly with baby Leo

Now, after baby Leo’s safe arrival in time for Mother’s Day, Kelly has thanks staff at the unit and on the Labour Ward.

She said: “I was really nervous and anxious because it’s not nice to think your baby isn’t very well but you can’t do anything about it.

“But all the midwives I dealt with were just so lovely and reassuring.

“Sometimes, you feel you are a bit of a pain complaining when maybe everything is fine and it’s all in your head. But they were just really reassuring and helped me have a really good and positive experience.”

West Hull couple Kelly and husband Adam have two other children – Ethan, four, and two-year-old Zara – and were excited as the day their third child was due approached.

However, Kelly started noticing the baby wasn’t moving around as much as before on March 14, around three weeks before her due date.

She said: “I had experienced reduced movements when I had Zara a few weeks before she was born and her heart rate went up to over 220 beats per minute when I was admitted to the labour ward to have her.

“I thought the same was happening again.”

Between 17 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, women can contact their community midwife to discuss any concerns they have over reduced movements.

However, after 28 weeks, women can call 01482 382729 to get help and advice from the Antenatal Day Unit seven days a week without having to come to Hull’s Emergency Department.

Kelly rang the unit and was asked to come in so staff could check on her baby on the Thursday evening.

From left – Ethan, Zara and baby Leo

Midwife Sue Kitching carried out tests to ensure Kelly was not suffering pregnancy complications and her baby’s heart rate was showing as normal on the monitors.

Kelly said: “Sue was lovely. She was caring, empathetic and listened to my concerns. Nothing was too much trouble for her and I felt both me and my baby were in the best hands.

“She reassured me that I could come back at any time and I was doing the right thing, keeping an eye on my baby’s movements.”

Kelly went home and returned to the hospital on Friday, where she was admitted onto Maple Ward for monitoring before her waters were broken on the Saturday and she was taken to the Labour Ward.

Supported by midwife Jenny Chambers, Kelly gave birth to baby Leo at 7.24pm.

Kelly said: “Jenny was very down to earth, reassured me of the procedure and put my mind at ease. She was bubbly but clearly passionate for her job. She made me feel less anxious and nervous almost instantly.

“I really feel having such a passionate and caring midwife helped me during the labour process. I felt at ease and knew me and my child where receiving the best possible care she could give us.

“She explained everything very clearly and ensured we understood. She stayed after her shift had finished as I delivered just before and came back to say goodbye.”

Kelly has now nominated both Sue and Jenny for Moments of Magic, the internal staff awards run by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to thank staff who go over and above their duties to help patients.

Wendy McKenzie, sister of the Antenatal Day Unit and the Antenatal Clinic, said: “Kelly did exactly the right thing and we’re so pleased Leo arrived in time for Mother’s Day.

“We hope Kelly and her family have a very special day.”

People across Hull and East Yorkshire are being invited to have their say on how local health services could be improved for the coming years.

The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, outlines how the NHS will improve patient care and health outcomes over the next 10 years. It also requires regional partnerships to develop their own five-year plans which outline what changes are required in the local area to make health and care services better for the people who use them.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is now working as part of the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership to develop a plan to  deliver the requirements of the NHS Long Term Plan in the Humber, Coast and Vale area – Hull and East Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire, Scarborough and Ryedale and the Vale of York.

To help ensure the public, patients and those using care services are able to influence the plan, local Healthwatch organisations – led by Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire – are undertaking a piece of work specifically around the NHS Long Term Plan. Their #WhatWouldYouDo campaign runs until the end of April and consists of online surveys and a range of face-to-face engagement events.

People can share their views on how local NHS services in Hull and the East Riding can be improved in the future by completing the following surveys:

• For general feedback, including those who may not currently use health services: www.healthwatch.co.uk/what-would-you-do-general
• For feedback on specific conditions (cancer, heart and lung disease, mental health conditions, dementia, learning disability, autism and long term conditions such as diabetes and arthritis): www.healthwatch.co.uk/tell-us-what-would-you-do

Matthew Fawcett, manager of Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire said:

“We know that the NHS only works when people’s voices are heard. This is a once in a generation chance for local people to help decide where this extra money from Government should be spent in our NHS services.

“We want to hear from as many people, groups and communities as possible to ensure the local plans reflect the needs of our population. We want to hear about what works, what doesn’t and how people think local health services should be improved. No matter how big or small the issue, we want to hear about it. Sharing your experience with us is quick and easy – and could make a big difference.”

For more information on #WhatWouldYouDo, please visit www.healthwatch.co.uk/what-would-you-do

Medical Examiners are to be introduced at Castle Hill Hospital to provide enhanced scrutiny of deaths.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will introduce the new role as a pilot scheme in May before the new system is rolled out to Hull Royal Infirmary by April next year.

Independent Medical Examiners are part of the Government’s response to public inquiries into serial killer Dr Harold Shipman, the Francis Inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and deaths of patients at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Makani Purva, Interim Chief Medical Officer at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “When a patient dies in hospital, we want to be able to identify patterns, areas of concern or potential for learning to ensure people always receive the best possible care.

“Introducing Medical Examiners will mean all deaths, first in Castle Hill and then in Hull Royal, will be scrutinised, allowing improvements in the system of death certification by reducing delays and increasing accuracy.

“We will also be able to answer some of the questions relatives may have over the death of a loved one at an earlier stage. “

Harold Shipman, a GP working in Hyde, Greater Manchester, was convicted of murdering 15 patients in 2000 and was serving a life sentence when he killed himself in his cell at Wakefield Prison. A subsequent inquiry, lasting two years, estimated the final number of his victims at 250.

Shipman was able to become one of the world’s most prolific serial killers in part because he was filling in death certificates for his own victims without any additional scrutiny so no one had an overview of the high death rate among his patients.

Inquiries into patient deaths at Mid Staffordshire and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trusts also highlighted problems with the death certification process which meant concerns over some deaths were not being raised.

The Medical Examiners at Castle Hill will be part of a national network and their role will be independent, enabling them to scrutinise deaths because they will not have been involved with the patient or their care before their deaths.

They will scrutinise all deaths by reviewing patient notes and discussing the case with a doctor involved in the patient’s care and supporting junior doctors to fill out death certificates correctly.

As a final layer of scrutiny, each case will be discussed with a relative or friend of the deceased to see if there are other issues they wish to raise about the patient’s care.  In hospitals already trialling a Medical Examiner system, the Medical Examiner often fed back compliments on good care from the relative or friend rather than anything negative.

Dr Kate Adams, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Mortality and Morbidity at the trust, outlined the plan at the trust board meeting this month.

She said the certification of deaths has not changed for 50 years and the current system is not really fit for purpose given the complexity of many of our patients.

“The problem of lack of scrutiny of death certificates was brought out in many reports into medically related deaths including the Shipman and Francis inquiries.

“A lot of death certificates are inaccurate or, frankly, wrong and, unfortunately, don’t reflect how the patient died.

“The Medical Examiner system will be a change in culture for the doctors and a change in the way of thinking.

“We have a massive opportunity to get ahead of the game before the role of Medical Examiner becomes statutory. We should use this time to design and adapt a system that works here in Hull but above all we should make sure that we do it properly.”