A broader approach to supporting patients through chemotherapy treatment is being introduced at the Queen’s Centre, Castle Hill Hospital.

Patients receiving treatment for colorectal, upper GI and gynaecological cancers are already receiving consultations with different health professionals, and this approach will be rolled out to other cancer specialties over the course of the year.

This means that, at appropriate stages of their treatment, patients could meet with a specialist nurse or a pharmacist for example, rather than a consultant, and benefit from their additional knowledge and technical expertise.

Jan Hunter, Humber Lead Chemotherapy Nurse for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (pictured, right) says:

“Patients in receipt of chemotherapy have always been cared for by a range of health professionals,  but they may not always have known this or had separate face to face appointments with them all.

“Our multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach now means that, where it’s safe and appropriate to do so, patients could have their appointment with someone other than a doctor, such as a pharmacist or a clinical nurse specialist.

“As well as enabling patients to receive their appointments more quickly, in some cases it will actually be more appropriate for patients to meet with a different health professional. While the team is small, it’s made up of a number of highly skilled staff, many of whom have years if not decades of experience, and it can be really beneficial for patients to be able to tap directly into that.”

Like many others in the healthcare sector, the team has experienced its share of workforce issues but staff are confident that their high standard of care can be maintained. The new ‘consultant led, team delivered’ approach will be more holistic and will help to improve efficiency as health services continue to recover post-pandemic.

Consultant oncologists will continue to see patients at all key stages of their treatment, including first appointments, delivering test or scan results, before changing their treatment or starting a new round of chemotherapy. While some appointments need to be conducted in person, due to Covid precautions and the clinically vulnerable nature of the patient group, telephone clinics will continue for others.

Jan adds:

“We know some patients may be worried about not seeing a doctor every time, or perhaps feel that if the doctor isn’t seeing them, then there’s no one looking after them, but that’s not the case at all.

“Patients remain under the care of a consultant at all times, and the wider team will make best use of their knowledge and skills to deliver that care and support patients through their chemotherapy journey.”

Around 1,900 patients from across the Humber and parts of North Yorkshire receive either intravenous or oral chemotherapy treatment through the Queen’s Centre at Castle Hill Hospital every month.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has begun contacting patients this week in an attempt to speed up care for thousands of people on hospital waiting lists.

From Thursday 30 June, we will start contacting 31,000 people who are waiting for either an outpatient appointment or routine procedure at Hull Royal Infirmary or Castle Hill Hospital.  Patients will be contacted in batches of 500 to 1,000 people at a time, and they will be asked whether they wish to continue waiting, whether they no longer need to be seen, if they have had their treatment elsewhere, or if they wish to delay treatment.

The work is being carried out in an attempt to combat lengthy hospital waiting lists by ensuring the information held is up to date, and only those who need to be seen remain on the list.

Patients will receive either:

• A text message inviting them to complete a short online survey to indicate their current position, or
• A letter by post inviting them to contact the Trust by phone to indicate their current position (letters will be sent where a patient has no mobile number on file).

Julia Mizon, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused further delays for people awaiting outpatient appointments and routine procedures across the country, and the situation is the same here in Hull.

“We are working hard to reduce the number of patients waiting, and one important part of this is to ensure that our waiting lists are accurate and up to date. For some patients, a significant amount of time may have passed since they were last reviewed, for example, and so their situation may now have changed.

“This week, the Trust has begun to contact elective patients who have waited more than 18 weeks from the decision to treat but still have no confirmed appointment date, starting with those on our gynaecology waiting lists. Patients will be asked whether they still need their appointment, whether they wish to delay treatment or whether they wish to remove themselves from the list. Patients will usually be contacted via text message and asked to follow a link to complete a short online survey, but letters will be sent in the post to those patients with no mobile phone number on their record.

“This exercise is designed to give us the most up to date position on our patients’ needs, and to speed up care for those who do still need to see us by removing those who don’t from our list.  We expect to complete this work within eight weeks.

“We are mindful of the impact which any delay can have on a patient’s wellbeing and quality of life, and so we would like to thank those who are still waiting for their ongoing patience and understanding.

“We remain committed to working through all of our lists as quickly and as safely as possible.”

A team specialising in the care of seriously injured patients has received international accreditation for its work.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been awarded ‘Collaborative’ status from the Chest Wall Injury Society (CWIS) for its often life-saving work with patients with rib fractures and other chest injuries.

Hull is one of just 26 specialist Major Trauma Centres across England, with patients arriving into Hull Royal Infirmary, often by helicopter, from as far afield as North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands.

Following receipt of urgent care on arrival, patients with rib fractures would normally go on to be cared for in either HRI’s Major Trauma Centre, ward H40, or in the cardiothoracic surgical ward, C27, at Castle Hill Hospital. Patients may also be admitted to intensive care or to one of the trust’s general medical wards, according to their needs.

Dr Tom Cowlam, Major Trauma Centre Clinical Lead

The accolade from the CWIS is a reflection of the quality of care provided by the multi-disciplinary team, and serves as great reassurance for patients affected by such injuries.

Dr Tom Cowlam, Consultant Intensivist who has led the Major Trauma Team since 2014 says:

“We’re so pleased to have been named as a Chest Wall Injury Society Collaborative Centre. This accreditation is an outward reflection of the excellent work going on in our trust to support the care of patients with rib fractures and other chest trauma.

“Chest wall injuries are usually sustained as a result of moderate or major trauma, so something like a fall or a crush injury. In cases like this, patients can be at risk of pain which could compromise their breathing, and in turn, could lead to further complications such as pneumonia.

“In designating us a ‘Collaborative Centre’, the CWIS has assessed different elements of the service we provide including patient care, research, education and team-working, and assured itself about the quality of our service.

“Our work, and our achievement, is very much a team effort, and I’m really proud of everyone whose work and whose dedication to our patients has made this possible.”

The team wishes to acknowledge the support of the following people in particular:

• Dr Tom Cowlam, Major Trauma Centre Clinical Lead
• Mr Michael Cowen, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon
• Mr Michael Gooseman, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon
• Dr Ananth Ananthasayanam, Surgical Division Medical Director
• Kerry Bulliment, Cardiothoracic Ward Sister
• Lorraine Laws, Major Trauma Centre Business Manager

Patients being cared for in East Yorkshire hospitals are set to benefit from extended visiting arrangements from today.

The number of visitors a patient can receive and the amount of time they can visit for has been extended across the majority of wards and services at Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary.

In order to balance the benefits of visiting with any potential risks of infection, visitors will still be required to book in advance to enable nursing staff to safely accommodate increased numbers of people on each ward.

Jo Ledger, Acting Chief Nurse for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“We know how difficult it can be for people to have a loved one in hospital and either not be able to see them or to have very limited contact with them.

“Having reviewed our visiting policy in the context of the local Covid-19 situation and updated NHS guidance, we feel we can now cautiously extend hospital visiting to allow patients more time with their loved ones.

“Friends and family can provide a lot of support to patients when they’re ill and serve as a real boost to their wellbeing and recovery overall. While we are still mindful of the need to protect patients, staff and visitors from the spread of infection, this certainly feels like a step in the right direction.”

Among the changes taking effect today are:

• Patients can now receive up to two visitors per day, rather than one
• Patients can receive visitors for up to two hours per day, rather than one, and this can be split into multiple visits
• Visitors can change daily and do not have to be the same two people for the duration of a patient’s stay*
• A broader visiting window running from 11am – 7pm is in place on general wards and 9am – 9pm on antenatal and postnatal wards
• Visitors are welcome to visit during mealtimes to help loved ones with feeding if they wish
• Patients attending outpatient clinics may now be accompanied by one other person
• Patients attending the Emergency Department may also be accompanied by one other person

In light of continued high levels of demand on emergency care, the Trust has maintained its request for just one parent or guardian to accompany their child in Children’s A&E.

Visitors will continue to be required to wear a face covering while inside hospital premises unless clinically exempt, and the requirement for visitors to regularly wash and sanitise their hands during their time in hospital also remains in place.

Full details of the new visiting rules can be found at www.hey.nhs.uk/visiting

*With the exception of transplant patients

Cyclists are being invited to take part in a Cyclosportive to help a member of staff at Hull Royal Infirmary who has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

Joel Wainman, who has worked at Hull University Teaching Hospitals since 1990 and is known throughout Hull Royal Infirmary as a stalwart of the Post Room, was diagnosed with the life-limiting condition earlier this year.

Since the age of 17, Joel had made his name as a top racing cyclist at local, regional and national level and was known to the Strava cycling community as the owner of many of their King of the Mountain segments.

Now, Joel’s friends at the trust are inviting our cyclists to take part in the Cyclosportive held in the heart of the Wolds on August 21 to help fund his care and help him make memories with his two sons Jake, 18, and Isaac, 11.

Steve Guymer, who works in the Therapies Centre at Hull Royal and is a close friend of Joel, said: “I’ve worked with Hull Thursday Road Club to arrange the event to do something to help Joel.”

“We thought the Cyclosportive was a good way to help raise some money to help pay for his care over the coming months and for him to do activities and make memories with his sons.”

Three events will be held on the day – The Big J 150K, which costs £35 to enter; the Big J 100k costing £30 to enter and the Mini J 30K event, costing £15 to enter.

The longest route takes in the best and hardest climbs in the Yorkshire Wolds including the infamous Hanging Grimston and Acklam which test even the most seasoned cyclist.

The 100K route still takes in some very testing climbs such as Thixendale and Nunburnholme.

The Mini J is for the less experienced cyclist who still wants a challenge on a nice route.

You can enter the event here or email s.guymer@nhs.net if you’d like further information. Alternatively, if you don’t cycle or can’t take part in the event but would still like to donate, there is a ‘Not riding, just donating’ option, also available on the event entry page.

Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership have launched the ‘DadPad’ app to support new and dads-to-be.

The DadPad app is an easy-to-use, freely downloadable resource for new dads and dads-to-be in Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. Packed with relevant information, as well as details on local support groups and service providers, it aims to provide new fathers with guidance on how to develop the mindset, confidence and practical skills needed to meet their babies’ physical and emotional needs.

Building a strong attachment will not only enable dads to better enjoy their new role but also contribute towards positive long-term social, health and educational outcomes for their babies. Crucially, the app also provides dads with guidance on how to support and seek help (when needed) for their partners and themselves as they adjust to their new roles, and cope with the physical and emotional strains that this can place on individuals and relationships.

The app covers topics such as:

• Feeding, holding, changing and cleaning your baby
• Surviving without sleep and coping with crying
• Getting to know your baby
• Home safety and first aid
• Looking after yourself and supporting your partner

The app is available to all dads and dads-to-be within the Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire region and can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

The DadPad app is also available for dads within North Yorkshire and York. Once the app is downloaded it will ask for your location and direct you to your localised version of DadPad.

Section of woodland planted as part of carbon offsetting scheme for Hull’s £8m ICU

There’s no doubt that Hull’s new multi-million pound Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a huge leap forward in the provision of quality care to critically ill patients.

Constructed by Helix CMS in 2021, the new three-storey unit boasts 24 individual glass fronted cubicles containing electric hoists, Draeger ceiling pendants for essential services, and negative air extraction to help with infection control. Add to this a dedicated bed lift linking straight to surgical theatres and it arguably becomes one of the most enviable critical care facilities in the country.

But that’s not the end of the story.

“One of things that’s really important to us in all of our projects is the notion of giving back,” says Joe Fletcher, Senior Site Manager at Helix CMS.

“While we can see the benefit this amazing new facility brings to the local community, we also wanted to do something nearby to improve the future sustainability of the project. That’s why we have chosen to donate the trees to create an area of woodland in North Yorkshire which will be dedicated to Hull Royal Infirmary’s ICU. We can expect the trees in this woodland will sequester 55 Tonnes of CO2 over the next 40 years.”

The woodland dedicated to the ICU is part of a wider project called ‘Make it Wild’ which promotes carbon offsetting through the creation of green spaces and tree planting. Helix has arranged for a special plaque, engraved in oak, to be sited within the woodland space which officially dedicates the area to Hull’s Intensive Care Unit.

Joe, who managed the ICU project, was joined by Mark Pearson, Construction Director at Helix CMS in returning to the unit to present a special gift, marking the donation, to ICU staff.

Sister Becky Redmore says:

“Staff are thrilled with their new workplace; it’s proving to be a much more modern, suitable and better equipped environment in which to care for our critically ill patients.

“We were pleased to see that more environmentally friendly solutions were factored into the build from the start, such as energy efficient lighting, air source heat pumps and chiller units. Now it’s great to know that not only are the building and the people within in doing their bit for the environment, but that we also have an area of woodland out there in our name to help offset the emissions we do generate, both now and in the future.

“We’re thrilled that Mark and Joe have been able to return to the unit to present us with our own copy of the woodland certificate, and of course to see how well the new unit is running.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals is hosting ‘At a Loss for Words’ – a conference to help organisations and employers support staff through bereavement.

The event, run in partnership with Cruse Bereavement Care, offers tips and tools to allow employers and employees to support colleagues suffering bereavement.

The free, half-day event with breakfast runs from 7.30am to 1pm and will take place at the MKM Stadium on Anlaby Road, Hull, on Friday, June 24.

People who have benefitted most from previous events have been managers/directors and human resources/occupational health personnel.  However, the pandemic has created an even greater need for these skills in the workplace.  The interests and desire to do even better now includes all different grades of staff across many diverse organisations.

Please pass the details of this event to anyone who you feel might benefit.

You can contact Sandra.kelly12@nhs.net or call 01482 461260 to request a booking form. Please book your place asap as this event is always over-subscribed.

Thousands of pounds and thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions saved as part of Trust drive to achieve net zero by 2030

A team working to reduce carbon emissions across Hull Hospitals has turned its attention to the anaesthetic gases given during labour – with staggering results.

Until recently, almost one fifth of all the carbon emissions generated by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, around 17% or 5,000 tonnes, have come from anaesthetic gases. Of these, around 4,000 tonnes have been generated through the use of Entonox as a pain relieving gas for women giving birth in Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Anaesthetic gases have significantly higher environmental impacts than other sources of emissions and are hundreds to thousands of times more harmful than carbon emissions.

With a self-set target to halve gas emissions by 2025 as part of its Zero30 ambitions, a hospital team including midwives, pharmacy and estates staff, and colleagues from PFI company Apleona, began to investigate Entonox use and found that a few small changes could make a huge difference.

Marc Beaumont, Head of Sustainability for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, explains:

“We began by looking at our data and noted that the amount of Entonox used in the Women and Children’s Hospital was much higher than the national average when you consider how many births we have each year.

“This suggested there may be an issue with leakage, so working alongside our midwives, the estates and PFI teams set about investigating possible leaks throughout the system, from the actual gas cylinders to the point of use by women in labour.”

Julia Chambers, Lead Midwife says:

“Entonox is an anaesthetic gas that we use in maternity for labouring women. As a unit, we are the highest users of Entonox in the Trust and so massively contributing to overall carbon emissions, but it’s not something that I or probably my colleagues had ever really thought about before.

“Tests were carried out on labour ward and we found small leaks at both the bedhead panels and at the demand valves which ladies use to inhale gas. The bedhead seals were changed, and now we only plug the valves into the Entonox supply when they’re in use, rather than having them connected all the time.”

Julia Chambers, lead midwife

And the results have been phenomenal. Since September 2021, the replacement of seals combined with a simple change in practice by the maternity team has led to a significant reduction in the consumption of Entonox, and seen associated carbon emissions drop by 87% – from 347 tonnes per month to just 45.

Over an average year, emissions associated with Entonox use amounted to over 4,000 tonnes, equivalent to an average car driving round the earth 592 times, but this has now fallen by over 3,500 tonnes per year, or 514 round-the-world trips, to just 540 tonnes.

Reduced carbon emissions aren’t the only benefit either; saving gas has also helped the Trust save money, some £3,300 per month to be precise or £40,000 per year. Plus, with the number of gas cylinders being delivered to site falling from 250 to just 33 each month, this has freed up more time for porters and estates teams to work on other jobs and further reduced carbon emissions by cutting the number of journeys required to collect and deliver cylinders.

Julia continues:

“There has been no change to the high quality of care we are able to offer women in labour, but just by looking at our practice and checking our gas supplies, we’ve been able to reduce the emissions created in maternity by a staggering 87 per cent. This has actually been quite simple to do, and knowing we’re making a difference for those children we’re helping to bring into the world, it’s something we’re all really proud of too.”