Families are benefiting from a new hospital service supporting families to find the right care home or respite care.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is commissioning a new service to help families through the difficult decision of placing a loved one in residential or nursing care.

Under the new scheme, people who have been assessed by local authority social care teams as requiring residential or nursing care are ‘matched’ with homes best suited to their needs.

They and their families are then taken to visit the selection and are supported by fully trained staff as they make their decision, with the team able to place patients in care homes within an average of three days.

Michelle Veitch, the trust’s deputy chief operating officer, said: “We understand the decision to place a loved one in a residential or nursing home is not an easy one to make.

“But, for many families, there comes a time when people who have cared for a husband or wife or a parent can’t manage anymore.

“Over the years, we have seen many families struggle through the process and we wanted to introduce a new way of working that would relieve some of that burden.

“It’s early days but we believe this service will make a real difference to the people in our care and prevent them staying in hospital where their health needs can be better met elsewhere.”

The trust has commissioned CHS Healthcare, which already works with hospitals to reduce the length of time a person stays in hospital once they are fit enough to be discharged while families decide about their future care.

Although that may mean some people going into residential or nursing care, it can also mean short stays in respite care until someone is well enough to return home.

Kelvyn Casson was supported by the new service to find suitable respite care for his 92-year-old mother after she fell and broke her hip at her flat in East Yorkshire.

His mother was assessed as requiring care by the in-hospital assessment team after undergoing a partial hip replacement and Mr Casson, who lives 120 miles away in Northamptonshire, was put in contact with the team.

They then took him to visit care homes and he had made up his mind after visiting two of the three on the list and his mother now settled in her new environment as she gets back on her feet after surgery.

Mr Casson said: “This is a wonderful service and helped me so much in making these tough decisions. If you have people around you with experience of these things, they can help you without forcing you into any situation and it makes the decision easier.”

Mandy Griezans, business manager at CHS Healthcare, said:  “We’ve got a bespoke database with all the information on all the homes available in the area so we can help families find places that can offer the care their loved one needs.

“We then contact the families and take them to two or three places to visit at a time to suit them, even at night or at weekends if people are working.

“The final decision is left to the family or the patient if they have capacity.”

The new service has received 32 referrals since it was introduced on January 29 for patients living in the East Riding. Patients requiring residential or nursing care and have Hull GPs will benefit from the service from this week.

With research showing patients over 80 suffer 10 years of muscle ageing for every 10 days spent in a hospital bed, the new service is allowing people to be discharged to a facility more suited to their health needs more quickly.

Michelle Veitch said: “Our aim is always to get people home from hospital as soon as they are well enough to leave our care.

“But if people require further support, we will do what we can to ensure they and their families get the help they need.”

Women who suffer miscarriages in the early stages of pregnancy are to be offered ultrasound images of their babies.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust recently introduced special “Forget-Me-Not” memory boxes to help women cope with the loss of their child in the first few weeks of pregnancy.

Now, the trust is introducing a new policy to ensure parents enduring the loss of their babies will be offered scan photographs.

Chief medical officer Kevin Phillips, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, said: “We understand and appreciate how difficult it is for parents to lose a child, regardless of when that occurs in a pregnancy.

“We are determined to offer compassionate care to every women and this new service is part of the work we are undertaking to support women miscarrying in the first few weeks.

“Some women will want to keep an image of their baby and, where that is possible and the image can be picked up by the sonographer on the ultrasound, we will be able to provide that service.

“We understand some women will not wish to have an image but we feel it is important to let women know we can now provide this service.”

The trust introduced the memory boxes last year to help parents who lose a child to miscarriage, ectopic or molar pregnancy.

While memory boxes were already provided for women losing babies in later stages of pregnancy or shortly after birth, staff nurse Hayley Ellenton came up with the idea of providing the boxes for women on Cedar Ward at the Woman and Children’s Hospital and in the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit.

She set up a fund to buy and fill the box with items including a packet of forget-me-not flower seeds to plant in remembrance, a journal and candle, a bespoke pendant and a memorial certificate to mark the day the pregnancy was lost.

A major teaching hospital is extending its job opportunities to student nurses after interviewing record numbers in the past week.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has offered new careers to around 165 students, set to qualify as adult nurses in September, so far.

Now, following the latest success of its “Remarkable People, Extraordinary Place” recruitment campaign, the trust is increasing the number of career pathways open to students to attract more applications.

It is also making the application process easier, with students able to select their own interview days and times.

Simon Nearney, director of workforce at the trust, said: “We’re opening up most of specialties to student nurses to allow them to experience career paths they may not have considered during their training.

“We’re introducing 18-month rotations as an option, where students will spend six months in three diverse areas across the range of hospital services to enable our new recruits to experience the full spectrum of nursing.

“From theatre and frontline emergency work to ward-based nursing in specialities including medical elderly, neurology and women’s health, we can offer students complete grounding in the profession and allow them to determine where they would like to work.”

The trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital, Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and Hull Eye Hospital, is on course to hire record numbers of newly qualified nurses in 2018/19 to boost existing staff levels.

While the majority of applications have come from the University of Hull, applications have also been received from students at universities in Lincoln, Leeds, Sheffield, York, Manchester and Tees-side.

As part of the latest recruitment drive, the trust is attending university recruitment fairs and is holding open days to encourage more students to apply for roles upon qualification.

The trust has simplified its application process, allowing candidates to select their own interview times to suit the rest of their commitments through its “choose a date” service

Visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/join-hey-interviews-then-a-career-in-adult-nursing-registration-41457964889 to find out more.

Mr Nearney said: “People are attracted by our message that we’re a trust on the up which can offer them first-class training to pursue attractive and rewarding careers.

“We’ve attracted a high standard and calibre of students and we’re pleased to be able to offer so many opportunities to begin their careers here with us, surrounded by dedicated teams of professionals who put patient care at the heart of everything they do.”

As well as rewarding career pathways, the trust will pay bridge fees for students living in the south bank for the first year and offer relocation packages for students living further afield.

Four interview panels featuring nurses already employed at different levels in the trust will conduct the interviews this week, with successful candidates notified within 24 hours.

To take up the job offer, students must submit their dissertation and pass their final exams at the end of their three-year degrees.

They will be hired by the trust as Band 2 health care assistants until they receive their nursing PIN numbers from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, allowing them to familiarise themselves with their new working environment and start earning.

New recruits will benefit from a fully-supported “Let’s Get Started” induction process as they put their academic skills to practical use working alongside fully qualified staff on the wards and theatres.

Patients well enough to be discharged from hospital are returning home sooner after the launch of a new seven-day service.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is teaming up with the British Red Cross to offer the assisted discharge scheme to patients ready to be discharged from Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.

And, for the first time, the service is operating seven days a week between 10am and 6pm and patients with East Riding GPs are now benefiting from the extended service as well as those living in Hull.

Michelle Veitch, deputy chief operation officer at the trust, said: “Many of our patients are living with complex health conditions. While they value their independence, they do require some form of support in the immediate aftermath of hospital stays.

“Offering this service means our patients are being supported in those first few days at home while they are getting back on their feet.

“It also means we are able to free up beds to cope with increasing admissions of patients with complex health conditions seen at hospitals all over the country this winter.”

Research shows 10 days in a hospital bed causes the equivalent of 10 years’ ageing in the muscles of patients over 80 so it is imperative older people are discharged as soon as they are well enough to go home.

The scheme was running five days a week for people registered with a Hull GP. However, after additional funding was released by NHS England to help hospitals cope with additional winter pressures, the scheme was extended to seven days and to include patients from the East Riding.

The assisted discharge service sees the Red Cross working with hospital teams to identify patients ready to be discharged from hospital with additional support.

In the six weeks since the scheme was extended in January, 215 patients have been helped by hospital staff and the Red Cross to return home sooner from Hull Royal Infirmary. The service from Castle Hill is due to begin shortly.

Patients must be well enough to travel in salon-type cars and are then driven home by Red Cross drivers without having to wait for an ambulance or patient transport services, freeing up vehicles and reducing the length of time they have to wait in patient discharge lounges.

Once home, Red Cross staff and volunteers will check on the person in their own environment, ensuring they have provisions, family or friends have been contacted and alert systems such as Lifeline are working.

Judith Lund, British Red Cross independent living service manager for East Yorkshire, said: “Our role is to make sure the patient is safe and well and then stay in touch with them signposting to other services where necessary.

“We find that the emotional support and care given by our staff is important in the first hours after discharge and makes it less likely that a vulnerable person will call for further medical assistance.

“Having our services available in hospitals means we’re on hand to help people get home as soon as it’s medically safe for them to do so.”

Fathers and partners feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of becoming a parent will be supported at a hospital event next week helping couples prepare for the birth of their baby.

Midwives and health teams trained in pregnancy support, birth, home safety and child care will be at the next Hey Baby Carousel at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, February 28.

Mental health teams and voluntary group Andy’s Man Club will be on hand to speak to people who may be feeling overwhelmed by the thought of parenthood.

Childbirth education administrator Hayley Rust said: “Becoming a parent can be an overwhelming feeling for both parents but support is there for everyone, right through a pregnancy and beyond.

“Often, the focus is on the woman and the baby and some partners feel left out and unable to share their feelings.

“But no-one needs to feel alone and we’re all here to help. People can speak to us privately at the event or arrange to attend a follow-up service at a more convenient time.”

Carousel events were launched by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in September and the drop-in events, which run from 6pm to 8pm on the last Wednesday in the month, have proved hugely popular.

Hundreds of couples have attended the Carousels and the Hey Baby team are now seeing couples who first attended shortly after they discovered they were expecting a baby who are now preparing for the birth.

Melanie Lee, birth education midwife who leads the HEY Baby team, said: “The great thing about the Carousel events is that even if people came before, they can pick up new information on the next stage of their pregnancy or start thinking about their options for birth as their due date approaches.

“We’ve got information to help couples during pregnancy, at the time of birth and beyond so people can always find something which will be of benefit to them, regardless of which stage they are at.”

Midwives working at the hospital and in the community can talk women through their options and birth plans, offering support and guidance to help women make the best choice for them and their babies.

They can also sign MAT B1 forms required for maternity payments for working women and to enable them to benefit from free prescriptions and dental care.

Midwives from the Fatima Allam Birth Centre will also attend the event to outline the service available to women with uncomplicated pregnancies  and couples can also find out information about home or water births. Midwives from the Labour Ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will also be available to answer questions women may have about their birth options on the obstetric led unit.

Humber Fire and Rescue will also be available to discuss home and fire safety alongside dental health and child care teams.

Drop into the HEY Baby Carousel in the foyer and café area of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, February 28, between 6pm and 8pm if you’d like to attend. There’s no need to book a place and refreshments will be available from the hospital café on the ground floor.

A children’s surgeon is raising awareness of the dangers of magnets after saving the lives of children falling victim to a new ‘body piercing’ craze.

Hull Royal Infirmary’s paediatric surgery department has treated three children who have swallowed high powered ball-bearing magnets in the past three months.

Sanja Besarovic, a consultant paediatric surgeon at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, has written to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents as the latest craze where young people attempt to mimic body piercings sweeps schools.

Ms Besarovic, known to the parents of seriously ill children in East Yorkshire as Miss B, said: “We have seen three cases in the past three months alone and I am concerned about the growing incidence of this problem.

“Parents and schools should be aware of this craze so they can warn children of the life-threatening risks especially if swallowed at different times.

“Most of children are asymptomatic and first symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting develop only after damage had been done.”

Consultant paediatric surgeon Sanja Besarovic

It is believed youngsters are attempting to mimic body piercings, unaware that the magnets stick to each other through loops of gastrointestinal tract and could cause bowel perforation or intestinal blockage uf they are swallowed.

Three children, including a four-year-old, were rushed to Hull Royal after swallowing ball magnets. The four-year-old child was lucky to escape injury as the magnets stuck to each other and passed through their digestive system without complications.

However, the two others were admitted to the children’s ward with significant internal damage.

One suffered a perforated stomach and duodenum after swallowing nine ball magnets while another had a small bowel perforation. Both underwent major surgery including a laparotomy and bowel resection.

Ms Besarovic said: “We have been able to save these children but I’m growing increasingly concerned that this is happening more often.

“Both of the children recovered well after surgery but the next child may not be so lucky.”

People have been turning up at Hull Royal Infirmary’s A&E department to ask emergency staff to remove acrylic nails and squeeze their blackheads.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is producing a video revealing the non-medical requests from the public as emergency frontline teams come under the toughest winter pressures in recent years.

In the video, nursing staff tell how people have arrived at the emergency care area at Hull Royal Infirmary to ask them to remove false nails and even squeeze blackheads.

Others have turned up in the department with stomach upsets despite the widespread availability of over-the-counter remedies and the risk of spreading the bug throughout the hospital.

Kevin Philips, chief medical officer at the trust, said: “The staff working in our emergency department must be free to deal with people facing life-threatening emergencies.

“However, some of the ‘problems’ staff are asked to deal with are not emergencies or even problems requiring medical attention.

“We are trying our best to cope with the demands of winter as we see increasing numbers of patients with complex health conditions who need to be admitted to hospital.

“We are asking for the public’s help to ensure our staff are there to help those most in need of attention and use alternative services if they do not have a medical emergency.”

The video has been produced as part of the trust’s “A&E: It’s Serious Stuff” advertising campaign to urge the public to use alternative health services such as their GP, pharmacies, minor injuries units and the urgent care centre at Bransholme.

Bus advertising, billboards and posters have been produced with slogans including “Give A&E a break. Not a sprain” and “A&E. That’s emergency care. Not emergency contraceptives”.

Posters are also appearing in pub toilets with the message “Being drunk isn’t an accident. It’s not an emergency either”  in an attempt to persuade drinkers not to visit A&E with hangovers or the effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Parents have less than two weeks to purchase postcards and prints of their babies’ footprints featured in artwork to mark Hull’s year as City of Culture.

Footprints of babies born in the city throughout 2017 created a unique piece of art now displayed in the foyer of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Postcards were released throughout the year as each of the completed panels was unveiled, with a print of the entire artwork produced last month with limited edition canvases available to order.

Now, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is advising families the closing date to buy postcards, prints or canvases will be on Wednesday, February 28.

Community midwife Sallie Ward with the final panel of the “Born Into a City of Culture” artwork

Sallie Ward, the community midwife who came up with the idea for the artwork, said: “The response to the project has been phenomenal and we’re happy so many families have taken part.

“We don’t want anyone to miss out so we’re again reminding people that they have a limited time left to buy their prints, postcards and canvases.

“We’ve sold more than 3,000 postcards, 1,000 prints and 190 canvases and every penny will be ploughed back into improving maternity services for women.

“As well as knowing they have contributed to a City of Culture project, the families can also take pride in knowing that they have helped the parents of the future.”

The art is now displayed in the foyer of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital

Prints cost £7 each or two for £10. Postcards cost £1 each or £6 for the set of six. Canvases can be ordered for £25 regular size or £50 for a larger one

Postcards and prints can be obtained from the community midwives’ office on the first floor of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Canvas enquiries can be made by emailing hyp-tr.hey.baby@nhs.net. Payment is required before an order can take place but people must write “footprints” in the subject line and must send their emails by Wednesday, February 28.

Prints and postcards will also be on sale for the final time at the Hey Baby! Carousel event on Wednesday, February 28, between 6 and 8pm in the foyer of the Women and Children’s Hospital.

Record numbers of student nurses have been offered careers working for a major teaching hospital in Yorkshire.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is interviewing 165 student nurses this week as part of its Remarkable People, Extraordinary Place recruitment campaign.

Despite a national shortage of around 40,000 nurses, the trust is on course to hire record numbers of newly qualified nurses in 2018/19 to boost existing staff levels at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

David Withers, the trust’s head of education, said: “We are interviewing 165 students for adult nursing roles, around 50 more than we interviewed last year.

“Although the majority are from the University of Hull, we’ve also attracted applications from students in Leeds, Lincoln, York, Sheffield, Manchester and Tees-side.

“The response to our recruitment campaign has been phenomenal and we’ve been really impressed by the high standard and calibre of the students who have been selected for interviews.

“People are being attracted to a trust on the up which can offer people fulfilling and rewarding careers, not just jobs.”

Hull students Sharon Sanford, Emma Farr and Sophia Taylor were offered jobs after attending interviews this week.

Emma, 32, worked in a bingo hall before embarking on a three-year nursing degree and has now been offered a job following her successful interview.

She said: “My family is here, I live here and all my student placements have been here so I wanted to work here.

“The whole application process felt easy and relaxed and now that I’ve been offered a job, it’s one less thing for me to worry about.”

Sharon Sanford, 46, was an account manager at KCom before pursuing a career in nursing. She has been offered a nursing post.

“It was a mid-life career crisis for me,” she said. “My children are older so this is the ideal time for me to focus on my career and what I want to do.

“And I want to make a difference.”

Sophia, 22, is aiming for a career in intensive care or cardiac nursing after her successful interview.

“I lost my mother when I was 11 and one significant thing I remember through the bad times was the quality of nursing,” she said. “She had district nurses and spent a long time in Hull Royal and throughout that time, her care was great so that’s why I wanted to become a nurse.

“I’ve grown up here and I think with Hull just being City of Culture, it is an exciting place to work. I feel this trust is going through a period of change and I want to be involved in that.”

As well as rewarding career pathways, the trust will pay bridge fees for students living in the south bank for the first year and offer relocation packages for students living further afield.

(left to right) Trust nurses Lisa Kehoe, Laura Cowan and Rosie Hoyle formed one of the interview panels

Four interview panels featuring nurses already employed at different levels in the trust will conduct the interviews this week, with successful candidates notified within 24 hours.

To take up the job offer, students must submit their dissertation and pass their final exams at the end of their three-year degrees.

They will be hired by the trust as Band 2 health care assistants until they receive their nursing PIN numbers from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, allowing them to familiarise themselves with their new working environment and start earning.

New recruits will benefit from a fully-supported “Let’s Get Started” induction process as they put their academic skills to practical use working alongside fully qualified staff on the wards, theatres and departments.

They will also be offered six-monthly rotations in different specialities to give them the opportunity of experiencing a variety of nursing roles before they choose a particular career route.

Mr Withers said: “Students who join our trust get the added benefit of experiencing a role they may not have considered previously.

“We are supporting our newly qualified nurses from the outset, ensuring they have a package of learning in place to aid their development as they embark on what we hope will be successful and fulfilling careers with the trust.”

In 2017, the Trust identified a cohort of patients who have not been tracked appropriately through its patient administration system, Lorenzo. It is not uncommon for Trusts to experience this kind of issue as a result of any new system implementation.

Around 85,000 patient records in total, some dating back to 2015, were identified as not having tracked properly. Following an initial review of those 85,000 records, a total of 7,433 patients have been identified as requiring further clinical input across various hospital departments. To set this in context, the Trust sees around half a million patients in outpatient clinics alone every year.

Ellen Ryabov, Chief Operating Officer at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“Earlier this year, we identified a number of patients who had not been appropriately tracked through our patient administration system, prompting a review of those patients’ records.

“For completeness and assurance, we have reviewed records back to the implementation of the new Lorenzo system in 2015. The system itself is not the issue, rather its capabilities have helped us to identify the problem and all of the patients affected by it.

“We are confident that we have now identified all patients whose records had not tracked correctly, and those patients within this group who require further clinical input. To clarify, patients identified as requiring ‘further clinical input’ do not necessarily require medical treatment, but could need any of the following; discharge from the hospital; a results letter being sent to them; adding to a separate waiting list; being seen by a doctor or nurse in clinic; or further tests or treatment.

“The clinical review process, and that of contacting patients who require further clinical input, are both well under way, and these patients are being prioritised as appropriate.

“An investigation seeking to establish how the issue was able to occur will be undertaken in due course, once the review of all patients has been completed and all further clinical input arranged. Our focus and our priority at this stage is on patient care first and foremost.

“We would like to apologise to anyone who has been affected by this issue and remind people that we will be contacting them directly if any further action is required on our part. We would also like to thank those staff who have worked exceptionally hard to validate records in a very short space of time.”

The process for validating (reviewing) records comprises two stages:

1. Admin validation, whereby Trust staff reviewed each record to ensure that all actions required on the patient’s record had been completed. The admin review of circa 85,000 records has now been completed in its entirety.
2. Clinical review – following the above review, and where there is no definitive record of a required action being completed for a patient, the relevant consultant is asked to review the patient’s record again to determine what further action now needs to take place. Those considered highest risk and those dating back the furthest have been prioritised for review, and this work is now more than 50% complete. The Trust is working towards an end of March deadline for the completion of all clinical reviews.

The Trust has also established a committee, chaired by the Medical Director, which meets fortnightly to consider any cases where the patients’ conditions may have deteriorated or there is a view that the patient may have come to potential harm as a result of the tracking issues. Duty of Candour is being enacted in all cases where it is appropriate to do so.