Congratulations to liver nurse specialist, Dianne Backhouse, who has been announced as the deserving winner of the Nurse of the Year award at the Nursing Times Awards 2021.

Last night, in a glittering ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, London, nurses and organisations from across the profession were honoured across 25 categories in a night of recognition dedicated to celebrating exceptional achievement.

Following a rigorous judging process, Dianne emerged as the winner of the evening’s final and arguably most coveted award, Nurse of the Year. She earned the title based on her work to develop the role of the liver nurse specialist at HUTH as well as for the work she has carried out to improve care for her patients with liver disease and support them to stay at home.

The judges were won over by Dianne’s innovative, patient-focused approach and genuine impact on patient care. Before her appointment at the trust, there was no hepatology specialist nursing which was greatly needed; working with the matron and consultants she established a job plan to fill this gap.

Steve Ford, editor of Nursing Times, said:

“Every year, the Nursing Times Awards showcase the innovation and best practice of nurses and midwives across the UK, providing an opportunity to celebrate and share all that is good about the nursing profession.

“But I think it’s safe to say that 2021 is special. The past 18 months have once again seen truly incredible work by nursing staff, as the unprecedented and ongoing challenge posed by the pandemic and its impact on services continues. Their efforts deserve our thanks and recognition.

“Having read through the judge’s comments on our winners, I know we are giving awards to some very, very special individuals, organisations and projects.”

Discover the complete winners list at awards.nursingtimes.net/2021-winners.

A charity which is working to develop “dose-on-demand” radiotracers with improved detection and personalised treatment for patients with cancer, heart disease and dementia has taken a big step towards its goal with the delivery to Castle Hill Hospital of a consignment of UK-leading PET-CT scanning and research equipment.

Prof Nick Stafford, founder and Chair of the Daisy Appeal, said the arrival of the 30-tonne GE Healthcare GenTRACE  600 cyclotron is “a very exciting day for the Charity and the healthcare community in our region.”

Prof Steve Archibald, Professor in Molecular Imaging at the University of Hull, said the technology will maximise benefits to patients from across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire by making available a wide range of imaging and diagnostic techniques.

Prof Archibald added that his team will be able to attract more clinical trials to the region. Prof Stafford said the project will also bring considerable economic benefits including raising the region’s profile with facilities which are unique in the UK, and generating high-quality jobs.

The cyclotron components arrived at Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, and were transferred in a series of crane lifts over the roof of the admin building to the loading bay at the new Molecular Imaging Research Centre (MIRC).

The pieces will be assembled in the new building over the next two weeks and the cyclotron will become operational early in 2022 as the latest piece in a jigsaw which Prof Stafford has been working on since he launched the Daisy Appeal in 2000.

The Daisy Appeal Medical Research Centre opened at Castle Hill Hospital in 2008 and was followed, in 2014, by the opening of the Jack Brignall PET-CT Scanning Centre, housing the first in a new type of Siemens scanner in the country.

But with the radiotracers used in the Jack Brignall Centre having a short life span, the Daisy Appeal’s vision was to raise funds for the MIRC and pursue a “dose-on-demand” approach by making their own isotopes.

The total cost of the new centre is around £8.5m, including equipment to the cost of about £3.5m, about £1m of which is accounted for by the cyclotron components.

Once up and running the centre will initially be able to produce Fluorine 18 radiotracers, which are currently used in most scans but which the Daisy Appeal previously had to source elsewhere. During the next two or three years the centre will also be able to produce Carbon 11 radiotracers, which have great potential for neurological and cardiological use and will open up other opportunities.

The new building creates the opportunity for the isotopes to be piped directly from the cyclotron to hot cells in the room next door, where the product will be processed, checked and then delivered through a hatch in the wall direct to the Jack Brignall Centre for injection into patients.

Prof Archibald said: “The technology from GE Healthcare matches our unique approach to ‘dose-on-demand’ radiotracer production which will make a wide range of imaging and diagnostic techniques available. This will maximise benefits to local patients.

“The provision of cutting-edge cyclotron technology in Hull elevates us to the level of a handful of clinical sites in the UK and, when combined with our expertise and our own unique technology, will enable us to deliver improved clinical imaging to diagnose and monitor treatment response in cancer, cardiac and neurological patients.

“The technology will also improve our research, which is already internationally competitive, and attract clinical trials to Hull to further improve standards of patient care.”

Prof Stafford said: “The delivery of the cyclotron really sees the whole PET-CT project finally coming to fruition. The MIRC will become operative next year, at which point patients will benefit from our ability to manufacture personalised radiotracers tailored to the requirements of their disease on site.

“The cyclotron puts us in the top tier for this work in the UK and also opens up the opportunity for us to make carbon based radiotracers which have exciting new applications in cancer, cardiac and neurological imaging. It is a very exciting day for the Daisy Appeal and the healthcare community in our region.”

The Daisy Appeal has raised more than £20m to fund cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Hull-based construction company Hobson & Porter built the Jack Brignall Centre and the new MIRC, which is due to be formally handed over to the charity later this year.

Claire Levy, Daisy Appeal Fundraiser, said: “One of the most important aspects of fundraising is having the ability to show donors how their money has been used to deliver on the charity’s aims and objectives.

“The Daisy Appeal has already brought enormous benefits to patients from across the Hull and Humber region with the Medical Research Centre and the Jack Brignall Centre, and the delivery today of a cyclotron is another huge step forward.

“We are grateful to all the businesses, communities and individuals who have played a vital part in helping us to reach this milestone, but the journey continues. We are closing in on our target of £8.5m to complete the MIRC and we will then focus our efforts on meeting the substantial running costs.”

To find out more about the Daisy Appeal please visit https://daisyappeal.org/

You can now securely access your outpatient letters and hospital appointments electronically via the NHS App.

The NHS App already allows you to see your vaccinations status, order repeat prescriptions, book and manage GP appointments, get health information and advice, view your NHS Number and view your GP health record securely.

The new service, which is completely free, will link your hospital information in the App, allowing you to view your hospital outpatient appointment letters and appointment details and add information to your record, such as measurements, data from devices such as fitness watches and symptoms.

In the future it will also give you secure online access to hospital scans and test results and it’s all thanks to some extra technology that we have added to the app for our patients.

How to register

1. Download the NHS App

First you need to register for the national NHS App, which you can do by searching for ‘NHS App’ in the App Store or Google Play and following the instructions. If you don’t have a smart device you can also sign up and access the service via a web browser.

You will be asked to follow a number of steps to verify your identity so that you can securely log in and access all of the services in the national NHS App.

2. Sign up to our additional service in the NHS App, run by Patients Know Best (PKB)

To get access to your hospital appointment letters, you need to follow a few further steps:

• Open ‘messages’ in the NHS App and select ‘consultations, events and messages’
• A message will open asking if you agree to share your NHS login information with Patients Know Best. Click ‘I agree’
• Register with your email address, a strong password and a security question
• Accept the privacy agreement and click the ‘register’ button
• You’re all set! Next time you log into the app you will be able to see both your GP and hospital appointment information.

Please be reassured that whilst PKB is our partner in providing this service, they do not have any access to your health information, which remains secure. Your information doesn’t move from the NHS and you will be the only person who can view the information available through the App.

The global Covid pandemic has been a frightening and uncertain time for us all. Personally and professionally, it has made us reflect and made us grateful for what we have. We appreciate being able to have friends and family around us more, we’re thankful for our freedoms, and we’re grateful for a health service which has spearheaded the battle against Covid-19.

But not everyone has been so fortunate. Some of us have already lost friends, co-workers and loved ones to the virus, and many of our own staff with family and loved ones abroad have felt concern for their wellbeing and the anguish of not being there to help.

Among those watching Covid-19 claim lives in her home country was Sri Lankan born critical care consultant, Dr Pumali Gunasekera. Having seen patients come in and out of Hull’s ICU with the virus for the past 18 months, she knows just how debilitating Covid can be and how important it is for patients to receive timely medical care.

Moved by images of countries like Sri Lanka and India struggling to cope with the sheer numbers of Covid infections, she set about gathering equipment and supplies which could be used to aid the international Covid response.

Dr Gunasekera appealed to colleagues throughout the trust for unused or obsolete equipment and supplies that could be sent abroad; and the response she received was amazing.

“I was overwhelmed with the response,” says Dr Gunasekera. “I received donations from all over; emergency care, theatres, ICU outreach, clinical practice educators and more, all with equipment which could no longer be used here, but which was still suitable for use abroad.

“Respiratory physicians Dr Pinder and Dr Crooks and senior matron Vicky Sharman helped me to source CPAP machines that were surplus to requirements and these were very kindly released by chief executive, Chris Long. Many of the departmental housekeepers also helped by sorting through their stores and finding suitable supplies to send over.”

Among the items sent to hospitals in Sri Lanka were more than 35 CPAP machines, a variety of airway and breathing equipment including oxygen masks, NIV masks, and laryngoscopes, plus PPE to protect clinical staff including surgical face masks, FFP3 masks and gowns.

And the recipients couldn’t have been more grateful. Chief nursing officer for National Hospital Kandy in Sri Lanka, Mr Jayamanne, wrote to Vicky Sharman upon receipt of a donation to say thank you.

“As a fellow nurse facing similar pressures of patient care and flow in a pandemic, I find it inspiring that you were able to think of the welfare of patients on the other side of the world during this crisis.  A true embodiment of the “missioner of health” pledge that we take”.

Members of the College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists of Sri Lanka also wrote to Chris Long with their thanks, having distributed CPAP machines among 15 of the hospitals they support.

“With the emergence of the third wave of the pandemic, patients requiring intensive care services in Sri Lanka have risen within a very short period of time. As a result, the healthcare system is saturated and overburdened due to a surge of admissions of critically ill, both COVID and non- COVID patients, to the intensive care units amidst limited resources.

“We greatly appreciate your donation and thank you for your generosity towards uplifting standards of critical care facilities [in our ICUs] in the country.”

Dr Gunasekera adds:

“This equipment could no longer be used by our trust, so it’s fantastic to know that it’s been put to good use in hospitals where it’s really needed. The compassion for others and the goodwill shown by colleagues here has been really uplifting, and just shows that even in the tough times, in the middle of a global pandemic, we are all in it together.

“On behalf of the ICU team and all the receiving hospitals over in Sri Lanka, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped with the appeal.”

We’re not on our phones! It might look like we are but only because we need to be.

From Monday, our wards at Castle Hill are switching over to digital nurse care records. This means our ward-based staff will be using hand-held devices that look similar to phones to record vital information about their patients and their treatment plans.

Please be reassured that our staff are not using these hand-held devices to browse through social media, check emails or use them for any other business. It’s all about patient care and our mission to switch from paper records.

Thanks very much for help, support and understanding as we make the transition to this new digital way of working to provide the best possible care for you and your loved ones.

Hospital staff caring for young people with cancer are launching a new service to help them when they lose their hair.

The Teenage Cancer Unit at Castle Hill Hospital is teaming up with the Living With and Beyond Cancer team at the Queen’s Centre to set up a new wig service.

Young people who come to the unit for treatment will now be able to purchase wigs in modern styles and in vibrant colors including ombre, blue and purple to help boost their morale if their hair falls out during treatment.

Claire Swift, Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Teenage Cancer Unit, said: “Losing your hair during treatment for cancer can be traumatic for everyone but it’s especially difficult for young people.

“This new service can make someone feel better about themselves when they’re already going through so much.”

Claire and Youth Support Co-ordinator Charlene Kent realised there was a need for the service after referring their patients to the Living With and Beyond Cancer team at the Queen’s Centre.

Charlene said: “They have a wigs service but the wigs they have were not really age-appropriate for the people we look after in our unit.”

Working with Sarah Guest from the Living With and Beyond Cancer team, they were given some free samples of modern hairstyles from Welsh wig company Lush to pass onto patients for feedback.

Charlene said: “They loved them so we knew this was something we wanted to do.”

The team has purchased a small number of wigs from the company and patients have added to the stock by donating wigs they no longer need.

Patients will be able to purchase a wig for £15 with available packages including the wig, a wig stand, hair brush and products to wash, condition and style the wig.

Jane Griffin, who volunteers for the Living With and Beyond Cancer team, will help them choose the wig that suits them best, fit it and show them how to care for their new hairstyle.

*If you have a wig suitable for a teenager or young person that you would like to donate, please contact the team on:01482 461091/01482 461326 .

*Photograph: Charlene Kent, left, and Sarah Guest with their new display cabinet for young people’s wigs

Twenty-one husbands, wives, sons and daughters in East Yorkshire have been given a second chance of life thanks to the courage of bereaved families.

Between April 2020 and March this year, 14 families agreed to donate the organs of their loved ones when they discovered there was no hope of them surviving illness or injury.

Thanks to those people who had shared their wishes with their families for what should happen in the event of their deaths, 21 people were able to receive life-saving or life-changing transplants.

This week is Organ Donation Awareness Week, which will run until Sunday,

Fay Turner, Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation, said: “We want to say a massive thank you to the families who know what their loved ones would have wanted to happen in the event of their deaths.

“Their selflessness in the face of their grief means 21 people have a chance to spend longer with their families and the people who love them, or to live pain-free lives.

“We owe them a huge debt of gratitude and, on behalf of us and the people who have a received an organ, we thank them for all they have done to help us.”

The message of this year’s Organ Donation Awareness Week is “Leave Them Certain”. The national spotlight is also highlighting the importance of education,  with blood, organ and stem cell donation now part of the school PHSE curriculum for young people in Key Stage 3 and 4.

To mark the event in our area, staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust who work in the hospital restaurants, post room, general offices and reception desks will be wearing bright pink organ donation t-shirts.

Hull City Council’s buildings in Queen Victoria Square will light up pink along with The Deep, St Stephen’s shopping mall and other key landmarks in the city.

Hull Hospitals are here, by your side when you need them, from the delivery of exceptional care, to supporting families and loved ones.  They are a team we can truly depend on when we need them most.  Many of us will have our own story to tell on how hospital staff have touched our lives and gone above and beyond to make a difference.

WISHH, the official charity of Hull Hospitals, has launched a new ‘By Your Side Appeal’ to raise £40,000 to enhance parental accommodation as part of a major redevelopment project at Hull Royal Infirmary.  The project includes expanding the number of family rooms for parents and carers of the area’s sickest children that are being cared for at the hospital.

Each year, Hull University Teaching Hospitals provides care for approximately 49,000 babies, children and young people with a variety of health problems, conditions, and other childhood illnesses.  They range from those who are critically ill and who stay in the High Dependency Unit for care with cancer, complex needs or other significant disabilities, as well as premature babies cared for within the Neonatal Unit.  A number of these babies and children need to stay in hospital for an extended period of time, placing additional pressures on their families.

It has been a long-term ambition of Hull Hospitals to expand upon the provision of accommodation for parents and carers, which will enable them to stay close by the side of their child whilst their child is receiving treatment.  The development project will double the existing capacity from four rooms to nine.  The WISHH Charity is asking members of our community, local businesses and fundraisers to get involved in this appeal to ensure the new rooms provided are as welcoming and comfortable as possible for families, to include furnishings and distraction items for siblings, making it a home-from home environment, during such challenging times.

The campaign launch has received a fantastic start with Home Bargains providing an initial sum of £12,000 in support.  They have committed to continue fundraising across their stores in Hull and Scunthorpe.

Mike McDonald, Area Manager of Home Bargains said, “As a result of the generosity of our customers donating their change at tills in our stores and our staff taking part in fundraising activities, we can make this fantastic donation to kick-start the fundraising for this great appeal.  We are delighted to continue our support of this appeal and encourage others to get involved too.”

This purpose-built family accommodation will be located in a self-contained area on the same floor of Hull Royal Infirmary as the High Dependency Ward.  It will enable families to stay close to their ill child, shower and recharge, and have facilities to make refreshments, which will make a tremendous difference to the families, the child receiving care and other family members.

Sister Anne Dalby

Sister Anne Dalby of Ward 130 and the High Dependency Unit said, “This accommodation will make a massive difference to the families of patients cared for on our ward and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, especially for babies and children needing longer term care and their families who do not live near the hospital.  We provide care to babies and children from across Hull, East Riding and the wider region.

“The new facilities will enable parents and carers to get a proper rest and a break in tranquil and comfortable surroundings away from the clinical area, yet still be close to their child. The psychological benefits it will provide for families, to be in close proximity to the ward, where a nurse can get them if they are urgently needed will provide reassurance and will have a beneficial impact on the overall mental health and wellbeing of families.

“Due to current Covid restrictions we currently can only accommodate one parent per child and this new facility will enable both parents and carers to be there, taking it in turns to visit the ward and enabling family time. It will also enable siblings and families to come together on special occasions.”

Caroline Horler, parent said, “You cannot under estimate the importance of parents’ facilities on a children’s ward.  I have spent many weeks over a period of many years in hospital with my daughter.  To be able to recharge your batteries, have a shower and rest whilst always being close to your child makes so much difference and will help alleviate the stress parents are already going through.  This facility will also provide space for a parent to spend some time with siblings as not everyone has family support close to hand.”

To support the appeal visit https://justgiving.com/campaign/ByYourSide  Donations can also be made via cheque made payable to WISHH Charity, posted to WISHH By Your Side Appeal, WISHH Office, First Floor Administration Building, Castle Hill Hospital, Castle Road, Cottingham, HU16 5JQ.  Donations can also be made via Bacs transfer, contact the WISHH team for further information hyp-tr.hellowishh@nhs.net or call us on 01482 622299.

Any amount large or small will be welcomed and help us achieve our target. If, however, you wish to contribute to a specific item, or sponsor a room this can be arranged.  To discuss in more detail please contact Lisa Whitton lisa.whitton3@nhs.net or call on 01482 622299 or mobile 07827 881766.

Background of the scheme
Ward 130 and the Paediatric High Dependency Unit are currently based on the 13^th floor of the tower block at the Hull Royal Infirmary.  The project is part of a major transformation of Hull Royal Infirmary.  The new three-story extension at the front of the hospital, in part facilitates the relocation of the paediatric wards to the second floor. This change will not only make access to these wards much easier, but it will also enable paediatric medical staff to move more quickly between the main building to the Women and Children’s Hospital.