A team of health scientists at Castle Hill Hospital is showing that better care for cancer patients doesn’t have to cost the earth.

The routine replacement of a linear accelerator (linac) last year, used in radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients, with a new Varian Halcyon generated more than just improvements in throughput.

The Varian Halcyon

The Radiotherapy Physics Team, based at the Queen’s Centre, found that not only were the therapeutic radiographers able to treat around 20% more patients each month, but that power consumption in Bunker 4, where the Halcyon is now sited, dropped by an amazing 70 per cent.

Peter Colley, Consultant Physicist and the Trust’s Lead for Radiotherapy Physics says:

“Linear accelerators and the Trust’s Halcyon are both used at the hospital to deliver courses of radiotherapy treatment. Each machine uses precise high energy x-rays to target cancerous cells and treat hundreds of people battling cancer every month.

“Two of the main reasons for us getting the Halcyon were its technical treatment capabilities and the promise of a better overall patient experience.

“We knew that the Halcyon system would use less energy, but it’s not something we were able to quantify at the time and so not something which had been key to our decision making.  It turned out to be a value-adding bonus.

“Once the Halycon was installed, we began to see energy consumption drop dramatically, which is astounding given the number of treatments we deliver with the Halcyon averages around 610 treatments a month; with the old linac this stood at around 500.”

Energy consumption in Bunker 4, in fact, dropped by over two thirds, from 4,500kWh per month to just 1,200kWh, which equates to quarterly cost savings of over £2,000. But Peter and the team say the financial savings aren’t the only benefit.

A patient is treated with the more energy efficient Halcyon

He continues:

“Our patients have told us the Halcyon delivers a better experience for them, plus it’s quicker, it’s quieter and it generates much higher quality images for the therapeutic radiographers to use. In turn, this enables our radiotherapy team to target patients’ cancer cells with much more accuracy and avoid damaging healthy tissue.

“Not only that, but the reduction in energy we’re able to record doesn’t include the air handling and the chiller plant on the building roof which offsets the heat generated by the radiotherapy treatment machines. These aren’t metered independently, but it stands to reason that if we are putting that much less power in, we’re going to be taking proportionately less heat out and blowing it into the sky; we are also going to be cooling less.”

“The Halcyon is helping us to care for our patients and care for the planet at the same time, and this is definitely an approach we’ll be looking to continue as we move the service forward.”

Chaplains will continue delivering messages and get well wishes to patients in hospital

A messaging service which has brought joy to patients in hospital at Christmastime is to be extended into 2022.

Hospital chaplains working across Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary began a service last month, offering to hand deliver messages to patients unable to see or communicate with loved ones due to Covid visiting restrictions.

Season’s greetings, heartfelt messages and get well wishes came from as far afield as Canada.

Now Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team says the service has been so worthwhile that they intend to continue visiting patients on behalf of loved ones for as long as Covid-related visiting restrictions remain in place.

Allison Dean, Senior Site Chaplain, says:

“Not all patients have mobile phones to be able to use in hospital or are up to speed with video calling, so for those who have no other means of keeping in touch, it can be a very difficult and worrying time.

“The messaging service we ran over Christmas was a success, with messages being well received and families grateful for the opportunity to reach out to their loved ones in this way.

“Many of those patients we went to see were pleasantly surprised as they were feeling lonely without any visitors, and for those we were able to visit on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the contact proved to be the highlight of their day, an unexpected Christmas present.”

Messages of thanks received by the Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team included:

“What a lovely thing this is to do, it is much appreciated for us to get messages to loved ones we are unable to see under the terrible restrictions we currently face. So a BIG thank you!”

“I live in Canada and the pandemic has kept me from seeing my Grandma. I miss her so much and want her to know that I’m always thinking of her.  My sister contacted you earlier and informed me of this wonderful service you provide.”

Allison continues:

“As chaplains, all of us have felt that it has been a real privilege to be able to read and deliver these messages to patients. Many have been grateful for the time we have taken to sit and chat with them, and have asked for return visits; this was not something we expected to happen and so this has been a real gift to the team too.”

If you would like a message delivered to a relative or friend in hospital, simply email
hyp-tr.greetingstolovedone@nhs.net, providing the name of the patient, the ward, unit or department they are on, which hospital they are in, and any other detail/information which may help the team to identify the patient. The service will operate Monday to Friday, across both HRI and Castle Hill, with any messages sent over the weekend being picked up on the following Monday.

As we approach Christmas, we understand that relatives and friends will want to stay in touch with loved ones spending time in hospital. We appreciate the current visiting restrictions make this difficult but would like to present a few options for how you can keep in contact over the festive season.

Our hospitals are very busy right now and so for this reason, where possible to do so, we would encourage you to keep in contact directly using personal mobile phones, bedside communication systems, tablets or other devices. This will enable you to message or speak to your relative or friend at a time to suit you both, and enable our doctors and nurses to continue focusing on the clinical care of their patients.

Patients are permitted to charge personal mobile devices on the wards and if their admission to hospital was urgent or unexpected, a relative is able to drop off essentials for them at the ward which could include a phone or tablet charger. Please ask a member of staff if your loved one needs help to charge their device.

If your relative does not have a mobile phone or device, perhaps doesn’t know how to use one or is too unwell to do so, the Trust’s Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team is offering a free messaging service while visiting restrictions remain in place. Simply email your message and a few details about the patient, and the team will aim to deliver it in person to your loved one within one working day, Monday to Friday. Full details can be found on our website.

If there is a Hospedia bedside entertainment unit where your relative is being cared for, you can either call through directly to them (charges apply) or your relative can use this to telephone you – all outgoing calls to mobiles and 01482 numbers are free of charge. Full details can be found on our website.

Some wards may be able to access iPads to enable patients to communicate with loved ones via video calling. However, the number of iPads available is somewhat limited. To enquire whether this is possible, please contact the Senior Nurse or Ward Clerk on the ward/unit/department where your relative is being cared for in the first instance. All requests to use the iPads must be made to the Trust’s Digital Nursing Team by a member of staff on the ward. Please note that it will not always be possible to accommodate every request, and we apologise in advance should this be the case.

Again, to reduce the risk of infection and to free up staff time for clinical care, we encourage family and friends to communicate directly with patients in hospital using either the Hospedia bedside units or their own mobile phones, tablets or other devices.

If you need to telephone the ward for status updates on your loved one, we kindly ask that this is limited to just one call from one nominated family member per day, and that family member then shares the update with other relatives and friends as appropriate.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding at this difficult time.

Hospital chaplains will be taking Christmas messages out to patients over the next few weeks as visiting restrictions continue.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team is inviting relatives and friends to email them with messages for patients which they will then deliver in person.

The team of chaplains works across both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, and will be offering the service from Monday 20 December with intention to continue into the New Year or for as long as visiting restrictions remain in place at the Trust.

In the first instance, it is designed to bring comfort to those patients with little or no means of outside communication, but is open to all to use.

Tony Brookes (third left) and members of the Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team

Tony Brookes, Head of Chaplaincy for the Trust says:

“There’s never a good time to be in hospital, but to be hospitalised in the run up to the festive season and with visiting very much restricted for Covid safety reasons at the moment, we felt the need to do something for our patients.

“We appreciate many patients will have mobiles these days and will be able to keep in touch with loved ones by phone or social media, but there will be some who don’t own a phone, perhaps they don’t know how to use a mobile, or they may simply not be well enough to do so.

“We’d like to make sure those patients in particular, who cannot communicate with family or receive visitors in the coming weeks, still have the opportunity to connect with loved ones and know that they are still thinking of them.

“Quite simply, we’re inviting people to send us the details of their friend or relative, and we’ll pass on any messages, poems, stories or good wishes which they choose to share with us. It’s such a small gesture but one we think will make a huge difference to many patients in our care this Christmastime.”

The team is offering the service Monday to Friday, across both HRI and Castle Hill, with any messages sent over the weekend being picked up on the following Monday.

Messages should be emailed to hyp-tr.greetingstolovedone@nhs.net along with the name of the patient, the ward, unit or department they are on, which hospital they are in, and any other detail/information which may help the team to identify the patient.

A hospital-based security team from Hull has received one of the profession’s highest accolades.

The security team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been named ‘Healthcare Security Team of the Year’ by the National Association for Healthcare Security (NAHS).

The team serves the two major local hospitals, namely Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, and comprises both directly employed NHS staff and contracted staff from APCOA.

This year, they beat off national competition to earn the award, which is made annually by the NAHS to a team considered most outstanding and worthy of recognition.

To earn the award, the Hull-based team was able to demonstrate how they:

• Have developed a much more customer focused service, for example by making themselves more available to patients/staff though 24/7 staffed offices on both hospital sites
• Worked with nursing and clinical staff to design and deliver safe, appropriate escalation procedures (the ‘Enhanced Care’ model) for patients with challenging behaviours
• Reduced the number of calls for police assistance and improved working relationships with the local force
• Invested in the professional development of team members through the delivery of extra training such as customer service, ICT, physical intervention and NHS core skills
• Took feedback from security team members working on the frontline with staff and patients and delivered service improvements as a result
• Improved team cohesiveness to ensure all team members feel valued, are working to a common purpose, and placing patients and colleagues at the heart of what they do

Chris Watson, security manager for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The past couple of years have been very difficult for everyone in the healthcare sector, but not least for security staff and I’d like to pay tribute to just how well they have all coped with the various challenges and demands made of them during the pandemic.

“In the middle of all this, the team has maintained its focus very much on supporting our staff, patients and visitors to the hospital as a single team. While members of the public don’t always see the full extent of what they do, we know hospital staff regularly rely on the team for support and hold them in very high regard.

“Over the past few years, our security team has become more visible, more innovative and more proactive, and they are thoroughly deserving of this award.”

Hospital chief executive, Chris Long (right) presents APCOA contracts manager, Joe Moore, with the NAHS award

Chris Watson’s view is endorsed by Kim Challis, APCOA’s regional managing director UK & Ireland, who says:

“This prestigious award recognises the impact of great partnership working. Since APCOA began the contract with the Trust in April 2020, our relationship has strengthened and we work closely together to identify ongoing opportunities for further improvements.

“APCOA has more than 500 SIA-trained security officers specifically specialising in NHS environments and awards like this recognise the important job they do to support NHS staff, visitors and patients in sensitive and sometimes challenging healthcare locations. We’re all very proud of our colleagues at Hull, who are great ambassadors for APCOA and the Trust.”

The award for the wider team supplements the  ACS Pacesetters Security Officer of Distinction Award earned by security team leader, Josh Welch, earlier in the year.

Hull Hospitals’ commitment to sustainability and to patient care have been recognised at a national awards ceremony this afternoon.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had two projects shortlisted at this year’s Health Business Awards, which was hosted online by well-known TV medic, Dr Mark Porter MBE.

Emerging triumphant in the Patient Safety category was the Trust’s eco-friendly slide sheet. Made from recycled plastic and wrapped in biodegradable packing, the sheets are used to move patients safely in their beds and protect their skin from tissue damage. The sheets are particularly useful for bariatric patients, those who are recovering from surgery, or other patients with frail or fragile skin.

‘Field of Dreams’ – the Trust’s £4.5m solar field project

The Trust’s multi-million pound ‘Field of Dreams’ solar farm was also one of five in the running for the Estates & Facilities Innovation Award. It was narrowly beaten to the title by a project being led by our neighbours at Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS Foundation Trust, who are seeking to use renewable geothermal power for heating and hot water.

It was great to see innovation and healthcare sustainability within the Humber region so well represented on a national stage.

Congratulations to everyone involved in our shortlisted projects.

Visiting at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill is being restricted to exceptional cases only from this week to reflect global concerns over the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is stopping all visiting to patients except specific cases approved in advance by senior ward staff as national and international concerns mount over the increased transmissibility of Omicron.

Visiting will only be allowed for exceptional cases which must be agreed in advance with senior nursing staff such as patients at the end of their lives and patients with dementia and learning difficulties.

Birthing partners will be able to attend when a woman is in labour, to visit antenatal and postnatal wards and to attend antenatal appointments such as scans. One parent will be able to visit children in our paediatric wards and both parents as co-care givers on the neonatal intensive care unit.

All other visiting will be halted from tomorrow (Wednesday). All visitors who are given permission to attend must take a lateral flow test (LFT) before attending and confirm they have done so when attending the ward. A LFT should be taken before every such visit.

Chief Nurse Beverley Geary said: “Our duty must be to the patients in our care and we must do everything we can to protect them from the threat of Covid-19.

“We know the vast majority of the public understand that our patients are already vulnerable and catching the virus could have very serious – and indeed deadly – consequences for them.

“We are not introducing this step lightly. We know it distresses relatives and the patients themselves when they can’t have visitors.

“But we must do everything we can to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to address the risk of this specific variant until the world understands more about the danger it poses.

“We thank the public in advance for their understanding and reassure them that restrictions on visiting will be eased as soon as we are sure our patients will be safe.”

In response to the Government’s tightening of restrictions, face masks must be worn by all staff, visitors and patients on hospital grounds as well as when they enter any hospital building.

All members of the public should stay away from hospital if they are showing any symptoms of Covid-19.

A new £8m Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been unveiled at Hull Royal Infirmary to treat critically ill and injured patients from all over Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is opening the 24-bed unit next week to provide some of the best critical care facilities in the country.

The three-storey unit, next to Hull Royal Infirmary’s Emergency Department, also features modern isolation facilities to make sure the hospital can cope with further waves of Covid-19 or another pandemic in the future.

Chief Executive Chris Long said: “This fantastic unit will support our outstanding critical care teams by providing some of the best facilities in the country.

“As a major trauma centre for the entire region, our new unit will help us save more lives and provide our sickest and most critically injured patients, as well as their relatives and our staff, with cutting-edge equipment in a modern environment.

“It puts our area in the best possible position to deal with any future waves of the virus or, indeed, any other pandemic in the future.”

Patients will receive specialist one-to-one care in glass-front cubicles, double the size of the cubicles in the two existing ICUs in the tower block.

There are 12 cubicles on each floor, split into identical halves separated by a central observation area for staff.

Every cubicle has a Draegar ceiling pendant for essential services including medical gases to maximize the floor space. This means doctors, nurses and other health professionals such as physiotherapists will be able to perform their tasks more easily around the patient’s bed.

Electric hoists have also been fitted so staff can lift patients safely, reducing the risk of musculoskeletal problems in the future.

Cubicles will be fitted with negative air extraction systems to assist infection prevention and control. Six of the 12 on each floor have “donning and doffing” anterooms so staff can care for patients with Covid-19 or any other infectious disease.

The new ICU is being constructed in line with the trust’s Zero Thirty campaign and will be as energy efficient as possible with its own heat pumps, air conditioning, chillers and heat recovery systems. This means the unit will remain cool enough for patients and staff in the summer but warm enough in the cooler months.

A dedicated bed lift connects the ICU to the theatre complex in the main Hull Royal Infirmary tower block via a link bridge over Lansdowne Road. This will also be used to take patients from the ICU for MRIs or scans, preventing the need for them to be wheeled outside to the MRI suite.

A staff-only link staircase will also be created to ensure teams can access the tower block without having to leave the building.

A separate area with staff rest rooms, offices and support services including Medical Physics has also been created as part of the unit.

As part of the ongoing project, two new trauma theatres will be created on the top floor, with six to eight recovery beds to monitor patients in those critical first few hours after surgery.

The new theatre floor will also act as a decant space so the existing ICUs can undergo routine maintenance.

An extension is being built next to the ICU to provide support accommodation for staff including rest rooms, offices and support services including Medical Physics.

Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development, paid tribute to the trust’s Capital Development team and other Estates staff who have managed the project.

He said: “Our team has worked hand-in-hand with our clinical colleagues who deliver the care to design the unit with their needs and the needs of the people they care for at the forefront of every decision and plan.

“The result is an Intensive Care Unit which symbolizes the futures of critical care and we’re very proud that Hull and our trust is at the forefront of this innovation.”