Hospitals in East Yorkshire are updating their visiting rules to reflect a changing approach to Covid-19.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, has removed the need for ward visitors to pre-book slots in advance, and now openly encourages loved ones to attend at mealtimes.

The move reflects a changing, more relaxed approach to Covid-19 as the impact from the virus reduces and a higher number of people carry the protection of vaccination.

Wendy Page, Interim Deputy Chief Nurse

Wendy Page, Interim Deputy Chief Nurse for the Trust says: “When the Covid-19 outbreak began, visiting was stopped altogether which was clearly upsetting for patients and their loved ones, but ultimately had to be done while there was so much unknown about the virus and the threat it posed.

“Over time, we’ve gradually been able to relax visiting rules in certain areas, and now we’re returning to essentially what is business as usual. We believe the current rules now offer patients plenty of opportunity to spend time with loved ones and afford visitors more flexibility over when and how they visit.”

Key changes include:

• General ward visiting no longer needs to be pre-booked and can take place any time between 11am and 7pm
• Patients can receive multiple visits during the day from different people, as long as there are no more than two people at a patient’s bedside at any one time
• Visitors are actively encouraged to attend at mealtimes to help/encourage patients with eating and drinking

The ward sister or charge nurse still reserves the right to limit visiting where this is felt to be in a patient’s best interests or where, for example, there is an infection outbreak on a particular ward. In these instances, visiting will still be facilitated in exceptional circumstances.

Certain wards and departments still operate slightly different rules such as outpatients, neonatal, antenatal and emergency care; see www.hey.nhs.uk/visiting for full details.

Wendy adds:

“Visiting by essential care givers, such as those caring for people with dementia or learning disabilities, has been unrestricted since last year on the basis that they know their loved ones best, and are the best people to advocate for and support those patients.

“This latest rule change now feels like a very welcome and timely continuation of this, so that every patient can benefit from company as and when they need it, or help at mealtimes and encouragement to eat or drink.

“Visits from friends and family can serve as a real boost to people when they’re poorly and help them on their way to recovery, so this is a really positive step forward for them and for our hospitals in the journey towards living with Covid.”

Full details of hospital visiting rules, including any specific arrangements or exceptions which apply to individual departments, can be found at www.hey.nhs.uk/visiting

Hull’s hospitals have become among the first in the country to offer three innovative healthcare science apprenticeships in its Medical Physics team.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has secured £250,000 funding from Health Education England to be able to offer apprenticeships with degree-level training in the highly specialised fields of Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Protection and Diagnostic Imaging Services and Radiotherapy Engineering.

Three apprentices recruited to the project will join the Medical Physics teams on competitive salaries in September and will study for their three-year BSc (Hons) courses at the University of West of England (Bristol).

Now, the Medical Physics department will open their doors on Saturday, April 22, to offer a “behind the scenes” glimpse of its work to showcase how it benefits patient care at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital as they seek recruit local apprentices for the posts.

It gives the chance for potential future Medical Physics technicians and their families to see the Queen’s Centre facilities at Castle Hill Hospital and meet some of the trust’s Medical Physics experts to find out more about career opportunities.

Professor Andrew Beavis, Consultant Medical Physicist and Head of Medical Physics at the trust, said: “We want to encourage local people to apply for these posts so we can offer them high-quality training in an internationally recognised Medical Physics department.

“These apprenticeships give us the chance to integrate young people into our department, give them the best possible training and basically grow our own staff for the future.

“In return, the three apprentices chosen for the programme will be rewarded with exciting careers in a high-tech environment in the NHS with the opportunity to achieve fully-funded degrees and high quality training.”

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the relaunch of the trust’s apprenticeship programme and, since then, more than 900 apprentices have been recruited.

Apprenticeships are offered in more than 30 career pathways in the NHS from finance to customer service and horticulture to health care sciences. It also offers nursing apprenticeships, with the first registered nurse degree apprentices graduating last year.

The new apprenticeships with the Medical Physics team follows the success of a pilot project last year when the trust recruited two Nuclear Medicine degree apprentices and one apprentice in Radiation Physics Treatment Planning.

The trust has also recruited four degree apprentices in Radiotherapy Services, offering courses in conjunction with Sheffield Hallam University

Anne Burdis, Assistant Learning and Development Manager at the trust, said: “The Open Day on April 22 is a first for the trust and is a fantastic opportunity for people interested in following a healthcare science career to see what really happens behind the scenes.

“They’ll understand how the Medical Physics team plays a central part in patient care and treatment and how this work plays as much of a pivotal role in saving lives as frontline services.

“Prospective candidates can also bring parents, guardians or partners with them to see what the apprenticeships will entail so we demystify the roles and answer questions.”

You can read more about the work of the team here and use the online booking form if they’d like to attend the Medical Physics Open Day.

Email  hyp-tr.apprentices@nhs.net for further information.

Junior doctors are due to begin 96 hours of industrial action next week.

Members of the BMA and HCSA unions will go on strike immediately following the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, starting at 7am on Tuesday 11 April and ending at 7am on Saturday 15 April 2023.

Junior doctors are qualified doctors who have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working in hospitals. Junior doctors account for half of all doctors in the NHS, and they play a key role in the day-to-day running of hospital services and specialties.

Professor Makani Purva, chief medical officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Extended holiday periods such as Easter, when there is a four day weekend, are always busy for our hospitals as many routine services are closed. This can make it more difficult for the public to access non-urgent healthcare, but it can also make it more difficult for us to discharge patients from hospital who are medically ready to leave.

“The impact of the extended Bank Holiday, followed by a four day period without input from many of our junior doctor colleagues, will make the situation even more pressured.

“During the junior doctor strike from 13^th to 15^th March, we saw more than three quarters of our junior doctors who were due to work – that’s several hundred staff – take part in industrial action each day.

“Allied health professionals, specialist nursing staff, advanced practitioners and consultants all stepped in to ensure essential services were maintained, but this undoubtedly put a strain on services and led to some outpatient appointments and surgical procedures being cancelled; a situation that’s set to be repeated next week.

Bransholme Urgent Treatment Centre is open round-the-clock

“At a time of such high demand, we would really urge the public to look for the healthcare service which is most suited to their needs if they do need help over the Bank Holiday weekend and, of course, throughout the ensuing strike period.”

Patients who are due to attend hospital appointments or procedures between 11^th and 15^th April will be contacted if there is any need to change or reschedule their appointment. Those with appointments who do not hear from us should assume it is still going ahead and attend as planned.

Patients arriving at Hull Royal Infirmary’s Emergency Department with non-urgent health needs are likely to be asked to seek treatment elsewhere as staff seek to juggle service demands and keep patients safe.  Anyone who chooses to stay in the department is expected to face significantly lengthy waits.

Medical advice is always available, 24hrs per day, through NHS111 online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111, free of charge.

A list of local pharmacies can be found on the NHS website, while walk-in care and treatment for minor injuries is available from the following centres across Hull and East Yorkshire, all of which are open late into the evening or round-the-clock:

• Hull – Story Street walk-in centre
• Bransholme – Urgent Treatment Centre within Bransholme Health Centre, Goodhart Road (open 24hrs)
• Beverley – Urgent Treatment Centre within East Riding Community Hospital, Swinemoor Lane
• Goole – Urgent Treatment Centre within Goole & District Hospital, Woodland Avenue
• Bridlington – Urgent Treatment Centre within Bridlington Hospital (Entrance A), Bessingby Road

A Royal Navy veteran from East Yorkshire has described his invite for cancer screening as his ‘winning lottery ticket.’

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and Gary Terry, from Market Weighton, was only 55 when he received an invitation through the post to take part in bowel scope screening.

Gary served in the Royal Navy for eight years

Following a whirlwind cancer journey, Gary is now keen to tell his story to prevent other families succumbing to the UK’s fourth most common form of cancer.

“I served in the Royal Navy for eight years, I’ve worked as a prison officer for 30 years, and I’ve kept myself physically fit all my life with football, cycling and other sports,” he says.

“I had no symptoms at all when the invitation came through the post, but things like this have never bothered me, I’m not particularly shy or squeamish, so I thought, “what have I got to lose?”

Gary accepted the invitation in February 2018 and attended an appointment for bowel scope screening within a month. This involved insertion of a thin flexible tube with a camera on the end to look inside the lower part of the bowel and back passage.

This form of screening has more recently been replaced by the FIT (faecal immunochemical test), which can be carried out at home using a small test kit and then posted off to the laboratory for analysis.

But the scope screening really was a life-saver for Gary:

“The team found a small polyp when they did my test, something which – at that stage – wasn’t causing me problems and I certainly wouldn’t have known about had I not had the test.

“I returned for a further appointment with my wife, Liz, and that’s when they told us I had bowel cancer.”

Gary needed surgery to remove the cancer and was scheduled in for his operation shortly afterwards.

Yet, still keen to maintain his fitness, Gary completed the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles on the rowing machine on the morning of his surgery, just hours before he was admitted to Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.

“It was major surgery, I was in there for five hours and had 54 stitches,” he continues.

Gary says he was determined to beat his cancer for his family

“I then had to go for 12 weeks of chemotherapy, and I was pretty much smashing it for the first half, I was continuing to exercise, maybe walking six or seven miles a day.

“But by the half way point, it was starting to get to me, I was tired and felt ill and couldn’t keep the activity up. But as a former serviceman, I wasn’t going to let it beat me; I was determined to stick it out and focus on getting myself well for my family and to take part in upcoming Remembrance Day events.”

Gary served as a Sonar Operator in the Operations Branch of the Royal Navy between 1979 and 1987, which included service in the Falklands War of 1982.

“I never used to go to reunions, but now I’ve started to go, and when I’m there I tell my colleagues just how lucky I’ve been.

“Getting that letter through the post inviting me for the scope was like winning the lottery; I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life.  What were the chances of getting the letter when I did, catching the cancer at the stage it was, and still being here to enjoy semi-retirement with my wife and family?

“My surgeon, Mr Armitage, and all the staff at Castle Hill Hospital were fantastic. I really have been blessed.”

In the Humber area, FIT test kits are now sent out automatically to people aged between 56 and 74, and this is set to reduce further to age 50 in the next few years. Gary’s message to anyone who receives a kit is clear:

“If you’re asked to take part in screening, get over the embarrassment and just do it. I thought I was fit and healthy, I had no symptoms at all when I had my test, but bowel screening saved my life. If I can help to save just one other person by telling my story, it will be worth it.”

Mark Hughes (third left) and members of the Humber Bowel Screening Team

Mark Hughes, Clinical Director for the Humber and Yorkshire Coast Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, says:

“Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, accounting for more than one in every 10 new diagnoses.

“The good news is that if it’s caught early, it’s highly treatable and has good long-term survival rates. That’s why it’s important for people to take up screening opportunities when they’re invited.

“Some 12,100 people across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are invited to complete the FIT test every month. We have a great uptake rate compared to many other regions across the country at 70 per cent, but we’d still like this to be higher as more than 3,600 people every month are missing out on potentially life-changing or even life-saving screening.

“While bowel cancer is more common in the over 60s, Gary’s story shows that younger people can still be affected, so if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms which could indicate a problem for more than three weeks, don’t’ ignore them; seek help from your GP straight away.”

Signs and symptoms most commonly associated with bowel cancer include:

• changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
• needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
• blood in your poo, which may look red or black
• bleeding from your bottom
• often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
• tummy pain
• bloating
• losing weight without trying
• feeling very tired for no reason

For more information on bowel cancer, visit http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/

Hull is to open its first state-of-the-art care facility as an innovation solution to free up hospital beds for people most in need of care.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) is investing £3.8m in Paragon Intermediate Discharge Suite for patients no longer receiving hospital treatment but still requiring care and support.

Each day, Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital has a shortage of beds because up to 200 people are waiting on wards for social care support in the community and other reasons, despite being well enough to be discharged.

This has a knock-in effect on NHS services including extended waits for ambulances, long waits for admission to wards from Hull’s Emergency Department and the cancellation of some non-urgent operations.

Now, HUTH will transfer people with “no criteria to reside” in hospital into Paragon Suite to increase bed capacity for the sickest patients.

Chief Executive Chris Long said: “We are optimistic the new facility will enable us to free up some of our beds, improve the flow of patients through our hospitals and help us make further improvements to our waiting lists.

“Reducing the number of patients with ‘no criteria to reside’ is imperative to reduce waiting times for patients and enable our specialist staff, including our surgical teams, to do what they do best every day.”

Paragon Suite will open on the site of the former helipad on Gladstone Street, close to Hull Royal Infirmary, in the next few weeks with up to 60 beds.

Patients will move out of Hull Royal infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital into Paragon Suite once they have been assessed by medical staff as being well enough to be discharged.

The specially designed facility includes a dedicated therapy space and separate dining area so patients can continue their journey back to health or regain their independence following hospital stays.

Social care packages will be prepared as soon as possible so people can return to their own homes to continue living independently with support.

Other people will stay in the facility, cared for by specially trained staff employed by HUTH, before they move into supported accommodation such as care or nursing homes, depending on their needs.

Help to balance the demands of work and home life following a loved one’s cancer diagnosis

A cancer diagnosis can be a shock to the system, not just for the patient but also for their loved ones. Thoughts can race from treatment and side effects to the impact on family, work, and what else the future could hold.

In order to help guide people through such a time of uncertainty, the Macmillan Living With and Beyond Cancer Team at Castle Hill Hospital has teamed up with local carers support services to offer regular, specialist advice.

On Thursday 30^th March, Hull’s Carers Information and Support Service will begin hosting weekly drop-in clinics for patients at any stage of their cancer journey and their loved ones. The session will take place from 9am to 5pm in the Macmillan Information Centre at the Queen’s Centre, Castle Hill, and then continue to take place weekly each Thursday, with no appointment necessary.

For those living outside the city, East Riding Carers Team will host the first of four quarterly drop-in sessions from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 4^th April, also in the Macmillan Information Centre. These sessions are again open to anyone living in the East Riding who’s been diagnosed with cancer as well as the family, loved ones and carers supporting them through their diagnosis and treatment.

Representatives from Hull and East Riding Carers Groups will be on hand to offer advice

Claire Walker from the Living With and Beyond Cancer Team says:

“Working at the Macmillan Information Centre, we regularly provide advice and support to people with a cancer diagnosis, but we spotted a gap recently for those caring for a loved one with cancer. Family members in particular don’t often see themselves as a carer, and so can miss out on the various types of support available.

“Talking to our patients, we regularly hear how partners are struggling to cope after taking on a much larger share of domestic duties and responsibilities. The pressures of work, childcare, finances, taking care of the home and taking their loved one to and from medical appointments can have such a big impact mentally and physically; they can really take their toll.

“But the good news is that help and advice is out there. We recently held a successful carers event at the Queen’s Centre which had a great response. From this, we realised that we needed to offer more regular opportunities for people to speak to experts in this area, so by teaming up with the Carers Services in Hull and the East Riding, that’s exactly what we’re now doing.”

Both sessions will offer advice on matters such as the carers card and assessment, financial support, family support, carers respite, access to support groups and much more.

All discussions will remain confidential, with access to private discussion space if required.

Julie Watson, Macmillan Lead Cancer Nurse at the Queen’s Centre says:

“By teaming up with carers services across Hull and East Yorkshire, we’re looking to ensure the personal, social and clinical needs of our patients, and those caring for people going through cancer treatment, can be addressed more fully.

“The provision of specific advice for carers, to help them through what can be a really tough time for them too, will be a brilliant extra resource and will really complement the support services we already have in place.”

Chris Long, Chief Executive at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“Following its inspection in November 2022 the CQC has published its report into services at our hospitals. The CQC inspected Emergency and Urgent Care, Medicine and Surgery and looked at the ‘well-led’ key question for the Trust. The overall rating for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was Requires Improvement, which is the same as the rating we received in 2020.

“We were pleased that the CQC acknowledged the compassion and kindness, which our staff and teams demonstrate in the treatment of their patients. For ‘Care’ we received a rating of ‘Good’ from inspectors.

“Inspectors rated the key domain of ‘Safe’ as ‘Inadequate’ and they highlighted a number of issues in emergency care and surgery at the Trust, which required urgent action. Many of the areas they highlighted for improvement have already been addressed.

“Like many other Trusts up and down the country we have experienced a sustained period of extreme pressure on our emergency services. Despite the best efforts of our staff we have seen long delays for patients in our Emergency Department and we apologise to anyone who has not received the quality of care we always aim to provide.

“We know that staff have already delivered against many of the urgent actions we set ourselves after we received the CQC feedback. Our goal now is to ensure that the improvements we are making will be sustained. We have a plan to open an intermediate care centre at Hull Royal Infirmary for patients who are medically fit to leave. This will increase capacity in our hospitals making it easier to discharge and admit patients and therefore reduce delays.

“I would like to thank our staff for the amazing care and support they give to our patients, while acknowledging that they have been working in an incredibly challenging and busy environment.”

Hospital nurses say they’re “incredibly humbled” after an overwhelming response to an appeal to help their patients.

Just eight weeks ago, the Dementia Care Team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust asked local knitters and craft groups to help make twiddlemuffs and fidget bears to give to older people in hospital.

The brightly coloured, woollen muffs are often adorned with bows, buttons, bells and zips, which older people can ‘twiddle’ with and keep their hands occupied. As well as the obvious benefit of keeping hands warm, for people with dementia, such items are also known to have a calming effect and help reduce boredom and anxiety.

Karen Harrison, Lead Dementia Matron for the Trust, says the response from people, near and far, has been nothing short of amazing.

“Since we launched our appeal for twiddlemuffs and fidget bears eight weeks ago, we’ve literally gone from having no supplies to hundreds of items ready to give out.

Members of the HU4 Sewing Group are among those to have knitted for the appeal

“Dementia is becoming such a prevalent issue in society now that many of us will either know someone with the disease or have had a relative or loved one experience it. To feel like you’re slowly losing someone you love to dementia can be heart-breaking, and that could be the reason why so many people have felt moved enough to help us with our appeal.

“We’ve had some beautiful pieces sent from local Knit & Natter Groups, but through word of mouth and social media, we’ve also received items from much further afield too, such as Wakefield, Pocklington, and even Knoydart on the west coast of Scotland.

“Dementia East Riding held a knitting competition among their group members, encouraging people to take part and see who could create the best twiddlemuff for us. We’ve also had a great response from hospital staff too; one staff member from our Employee Service Centre doesn’t knit but crochets, and has offered to make us a crochet prototype to look at so he can help out too.

“We fully appreciate how much time and effort people have put in, and in the current financial climate we know that wool and materials wont’ be cheap either, so we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who’s knitted for us and who continues to send us muffs, bears and blankets. There are too many people to mention individually, but we’re trying to keep up by sending thank you cards to everyone who sends or drops off parcels, and we know our patients will just love the items they receive.”

Twiddlemuffs, fidget bears and blankets are in high demand across Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, so some of the early donations have already made their way out to the hospitals’ patients. A batch has been sent to the Emergency Department to help calm and occupy older people with urgent care needs, and further batches have been sent to Wards 15 and 20 at Castle Hill Hospital for use by their inpatients with dementia.

Karen adds:

“Like many other health conditions, as a community and a society we’re starting to open up and to talk more about dementia and the impact it can have on individuals and families. Celebrities such as Barbara Windsor and Bruce Willis publicly revealing that they have dementia also helps to raise  awareness and promote understanding of what is very much a disease of the brain, not just an inevitable result of getting old.

“On behalf of my team, the ward teams and our patients, we’d like to say a huge thank you again to everyone who’s donated for their support and their generosity.”

For more information on dementia including sources of local support, visit https://dementiaeastriding.org.uk or www.alzheimers.org.uk

Claire Walker, from the Queen’s Centre

It’s a disease that sadly claims the lives of one person in the UK every 45 minutes, and is the most common cause of cancer in UK men*.

Now hospital staff in East Yorkshire are set to hold a special event for anyone living with or beyond prostate cancer.

Claire Walker, from the Macmillan Living With and Beyond Cancer Team, based at the Queen’s Centre (Castle Hill Hospital) in Cottingham, says:

“Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50, and the risk is known to increase further if you are black or have a family history of prostate cancer.

“More than 500 people across Hull and East Yorkshire have been diagnosed with prostate cancer since April last year, and many of those will have received treatment or other support through the Queen’s Centre. The majority make a good recovery, but that journey from diagnosis through to end of treatment can be very difficult and lead to lots of questions, worry or uncertainty along the way.

“On Tuesday 28^th March, we’ll be holding a drop-in session for anyone who’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer, who’s going through treatment now, or who’s finished their treatment but still needs a bit of advice or support.

The drop-in event will be held inside the Queen’s Centre at Castle Hill Hospital

“Our experience is that men can sometimes be hesitant or reluctant to seek help for health issues, so this is a really informal, open invite to call in and see us any time between 10am and 3pm that day.

“We’ll have experts on hand to answer clinical questions about treatment and recovery, and we’ll also be offering discreet advice on related issues such as financial support, side effects, erectile dysfunction, diet and exercise, urinary problems, and returning to work.

“We know that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t just affect the individual, it has a knock-on effect to the wider family too, so we’re also keen to speak to anyone whose loved one has received a prostate cancer diagnosis and who feels like they themselves need a bit of extra support.”

Sue Spence, Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Stephen Kendall, Radiotherapy Advanced Practitioner for Urology, will be available at the Macmillan Information Centre, within the entrance to the Queen’s Centre, Castle Hill Hospital (Cottingham) along with the usual team between 10am and 3pm on Tuesday 28^th March. If you would like to speak to either Sue or Stephen, there’s no need to make an appointment; simply call in between 10am and 3pm for an informal, confidential chat.

At the same time, cancer experts over in Northern Lincolnshire will also be holding similar events in the Macmillan Information Centres at:

• Grimsby – 10am-3pm, Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, between Amethyst Ward and Chemotherapy Day Unit. Urology expert, carers support and benefits advice will be available.
• Scunthorpe – 10am-1pm, Scunthorpe General Hospital (turn left off main entrance). Urology expert, carers support and representation from the local Prostate Cancer Support Group will be available.

People are, again, encouraged to call in with questions or to seek advice at their convenience, with no appointment necessary.

Anyone who cannot attend on the day is encouraged to speak to their own clinical nurse specialist or medical team to discuss any concerns. General information and advice on prostate cancer and life beyond can be found on the Prostate Cancer UK website – www.prostatecanceruk.org

Note: *According to Cancer Research UK, prostate cancer accounts for 27% of all cancers in males, and is one of the four most common cancers in the UK along with lung, bowel and breast. More details: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/incidence/common-cancers-compared

A team of midwives whose work to support those expecting a baby has been recognised by the Royal College of Midwives.

‘Ask a Midwife’, the online service which responds to questions and requests for help through social media, has been shortlisted in the ‘Excellence in Midwifery for Public Health” category of the 2023 RCM Awards.

The service responds to over 500 contacts from people expecting a baby every month, including partners and family members, and is accessible via the ‘direct message’ function of the Hull Women and Children’s Hospital facebook page. There are also daily posts to social media covering health promotion advice, safety alerts, and key issues or concerns which are trending within the antenatal day unit, such as winter bugs or summertime swollen ankles.

The idea for Ask a Midwife was conceived in Hull in 2020, due the amount of questions received about the COVID-19 pandemic. The service has continued to evolve ever since; not only does the team now have an Instagram account to further extend its reach, but the midwives are starting to work with local employers with high numbers of non-English speakers to promote early access to antenatal care.

The service has been so successful, in fact, that the blueprint has been taken and used to help families in other parts of the region, including York, Harrogate, Scunthorpe and Grimsby, as part of the Humber and North Yorkshire Local Maternity System.

Sarah Collins, the Ask a Midwife project lead, has been a qualified midwife for over 27 years. She says:

“Pregnancy can be one of the most magical times in a person’s life, but can also be one of the most stressful.

Members of the Ask a Midwife team are now visiting local employers to promote antenatal care

“There’s so much to think about and plan for; everything from staying healthy during pregnancy and baby’s movements to bonding, feeding, and safety in the home.

“The Ask a Midwife service is there to help anyone who’s pregnant, or supporting someone who’s pregnant, with advice, information and crucially, reassurance where we can give it.

“Not everyone feels able to call their midwife regularly, especially if they think it’s something trivial, and not everyone has a support network around them, so sometimes we find people are more comfortable just sending a message.

“While the service doesn’t operate 24 hours, the fact that Ask a Midwife is social media based does mean that people can send us a message at any time, day or night, and we’ll pick it up and respond as soon as we’re back at work.

“There really is no question too trivial or too random; we’re happy to help answer them all and put minds at rest if we can, or otherwise refer people on to more specific sources of clinical or medical support.”

The Ask a Midwife team will make a presentation on their service to a panel of RCM judges later this month, before finding out if their project has been successful at the RCM Awards ceremony which takes place on 19 May.