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.”

Dr Kasfiki’s contribution to medical education has earned her this prestigious Royal College award

A Hull doctor has received a prestigious Royal College honour for her contribution to medical training.

Dr Eirini Kasfiki, a consultant in acute and general medicine based at Hull Royal Infirmary, has been awarded the Chiron Medal from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).

For the past five years, Dr Kasfiki has worked with the Trust’s simulation laboratory, pioneering modern methods of teaching that are both responsive to clinical need and, more recently, effective under pandemic-related restrictions. For example, she has been leading work to convert some traditional face-to-face educational sessions into a 360° virtual reality experience for trainee doctors.

As well as her skills in clinical simulation and medical education, Dr Kasfiki, who is also the Trust’s training programme director for acute internal medicine, is known for her genuine interest in the welfare and working lives of trainee doctors. Dr Kasfiki still kept in contact with trainees during a period of maternity leave, for example, and made sure to reach out to them during the Covid pandemic to find out how they were coping with challenges and ensure their training needs were still met.

Dr Kasfiki’s proficiency in training and teaching is said to be best reflected in the confidence her colleagues and fellow medical educators place in her to deliver effective training, which enables a culture of excellence to flourish across Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

She says:

“I’m honoured to receive this award. I think it’s a reflection of the values and commitment of the wider Acute Medical Team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals.”

The Chiron Medal for excellence in teaching and training is awarded to an individual physician every year by the RCPE.

Dr Kasfiki will be presented with the Chiron Medal at the College’s annual St. Andrews Day symposium, to be held virtually this year, on Thursday 25 November.

Extra nurses, doctors and porters, an additional ward and increased capacity for tests in hospital labs are among a £1m package of measures to prepare Hull’s hospitals for winter.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals is introducing additional measures to ensure Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital are best equipped to cope with an anticipated surge in admissions of patients with Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses such as flu and RSV.

Winter measures include

• extra emergency nursing staff
• extended operating hours for hospital labs to increase testing capacity
• a Winter Ward dedicated for seasonal viruses
• additional consultants and medical registrars
• extra porters to move patients from the Emergency Department to hospital wards

HUTH is also spending almost £300,000 on “Point of Care Testing” so patients are tested for Covid-19, flu and RSV shortly after they are admitted to hospital to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Michelle Cady, Director of Strategy and Planning, chairs the trust’s Covid-19 and Winter Command Response Group and said senior staff have been working on winter preparations for months.

She said: “This winter is predicted to be very challenging because of the impact not just of the usual winter pressures but because of the continuing prevalence of Covid-19.

“The pressure on our staff and services has only intensified for every week of the pandemic and it’s now almost 22 months since we treated the UK’s first two cases of patients with the virus in January 2020.

“We’re seeing more people attending our Emergency Department than ever before and we’re also working hard to reduce our waiting lists hit hard by the impact of the pandemic.

“People needing help should also come forward through 111 online so that NHS staff can help patients with the best option for their care. It remains as important as ever to get your life-saving Covid jab, and with winter approaching, your flu jab too.”

As well as preparing for the trust’s fourth surge of Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses, hospital staff are also planning for adverse weather like snow, freezing temperatures and ice.

Special measures are also being put in place to support frontline staff, who have faced unrelenting pressure for almost two years, including one-to-one counselling, psychological support and a range of after-work activities to help staff unwind such as yoga, walking groups and drama classes.

Hospitals in Hull are looking to beat government targets for carbon reduction and become net zero by 2030.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is today publishing its ZeroThirty Strategy and Green Plan, seeking to become carbon neutral up to 15 years earlier than the targets set by the Department of Health*.

The Trust’s flagship project is its £4.5m ‘Field of Dreams’, a solar field comprising 11,000 panels over almost 8 hectares which is under construction now. By the summer of 2022, it is expected to be generating enough energy to supply the whole of the Castle Hill Hospital site in Cottingham where it’s based.

But this is just one of a number of initiatives, planned or underway, which hospital bosses hope will put Hull at the forefront of the green movement within the NHS.

The Trust is already in the final stages of a relighting project, replacing over 20,000 traditional bulbs across its estate with LEDs, and putting the finishing touches to building insulation work which is predicted to save the trust around 15 per cent in energy use.

Among other things, the Trust has also set itself ambitious targets to:

• Send nothing to landfill by 2025
• Reduce anaesthetic gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2025
• Slash building emissions in half by 2028

Chris Long, Chief Executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

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

“In 2020, our Trust declared a climate emergency.

“While our recent focus has been very much about protecting patients, staff and the public in the face of a global pandemic, we in the NHS must not lose sight of the imminent health emergency that climate change could bring; more intense storms and floods, more frequent heat waves, and the wider spread of infectious diseases.

“As a major employer in the city and a major contributor to carbon emissions, we recognise we have a huge role to play when it comes to climate change. Not only must we take steps to reduce our own carbon footprint, but we also have a role in influencing and encouraging others to do the same, whether that’s through the suppliers we contract with, the people and partners we work with, and even the patients we care for.

“The publication of our ZeroThirty strategy and Green Plan today is a bold statement of intent, representing our commitment to work towards a greener, healthier planet, now and for the generations to come.”

Marc Beaumont, Head of Sustainability for the Trust says:

“Climate change and the impact of it is particularly important for this region. With 90 per cent of Hull being below the high tide line, the advent of sea level rise means Hull potentially is at real risk. That’s why it’s so important that we work on projects like our solar field to help reduce our impact on the environment, reduce our carbon emissions and help slow the pace of climate change down.

“The Field of Dreams is a great visual indicator of the Trust’s intent to achieve net zero, and will hopefully help the local community as well by improving awareness of the availability of renewable technology, renewable energy sources, and the Trust’s ZeroThirty ambitions.”

ZeroThirty: Why not here? Why not now? Why not us?

For more information on the Trust’s ZeroThirty plans, visit www.zero30.uk

* Current NHS guidance asks all NHS organisations to become net zero in respect of the carbon emissions they directly control by 2040, and those they can influence by 2045. Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is aiming to become one of the first hospital trusts in England to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.

NHS England/NHS Improvement and relevant hospital Governors have approved the appointment of Sean Lyons as the new joint Chair at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG). He will take up his post from 1^st February 2022.

Sean will replace former Chair Terry Moran who stepped down from his post in July 2021. Since that time the role of Acting Chair for NLaG and HUTH has been filled by Vice Chairs, Linda Jackson and Stuart Hall respectively.

Sean has a wealth of experience to bring to the role, including as Chair of the Board of Directors at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and as current Chair of Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

He has worked within large and complex organisations and helped to drive and sustain change and transformation including turnaround situations as a Chairman. His role at Sherwood Forest Hospitals was especially complex, due to the level of regulatory scrutiny it faced from performance challenges. Sean’s private sector career was mostly across manufacturing and the steel industry, where he worked in leadership roles at several complex organisations, including as the site director at Scunthorpe Steelworks.

His knowledge of the NHS and experience in transforming organisations will be beneficial as the two trusts continue to develop their joint working across the Humber region as part of the Humber Coast and Vale Integrated Care System (ICS).

Although he currently lives in Worksop Sean was born and bred in Scunthorpe and as such is familiar with this region, its strengths and its challenges.

Sean said: “I am passionate believer in the NHS and its principles, and I am excited by this opportunity. As a native of Scunthorpe , and having spent a considerable time working in the town, I believe I have a feel and an emotional attachment to the Humber area and I would like to think I could provide the leadership that the two trusts require.

“I will bring my enthusiasm and experience to support improvements to the quality of care provided, and the efficiency of resources as well as leading the trusts as they develop their role within the Humber Coast and Vale Integrated Care System.

“It is clear that there are significant strategic, quality and finance difficulties to be addressed however I believe in the people within the NHS , and it will be my privilege to be part of the continuing improvement journey.”

Chris Long, HUTH Chief Executive, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Sean to the Trust. He has a wealth of experience, which will be extremely valuable to us, and we are looking forward to working with him and the focus on improvement and transformation that he will bring with him.

“I would also like to offer my personal thanks, and those of the entire Trust Board, to Stuart Hall for filling the role of Chair at HUTH following the announcement that Terry Moran would be stepping down during the summer. Stuart has shown all of the professionalism and capability in that role that we knew he would and I look forward to continue working with him in his capacity as Deputy Chair and Non-Executive Director for our trust.”

Peter Reading, Chief Executive at NLaG, said: “I welcome Sean to the Trust and to his joint Chair role. He joins the trusts at a crucial time as we continue to work more closely together and look to seek capital to invest in our hospital buildings and digital infrastructure. He brings knowledge, experience and real passion for our local area. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Linda Jackson who has done a tremendous job chairing the trust through much of this year since the departure of Terry Moran. I look forward to working with Sean, Linda and the rest of the non-executive directors in what is a very exciting and challenging time for the Trust.”

They are the heroes in hard hats, playing a vital role in improving health care for patients across East Yorkshire.

The Capital Development team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is driving construction projects worth around £60m to reshape health services at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Photos by Jasmine Lee

And the efforts of the team are even more outstanding as 51 projects have been – or are being – completed against the backdrop of the pandemic.

Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development, said: “What our Capital Development team is achieving month in, month out is nothing short of remarkable at any time, let alone throughout a pandemic with all the challenges that brings for the construction industry.

“Their efforts will undoubtedly improve patient care, allowing us to provide some of the most modern facilities in the country.

“These facilities make our entire organisation more responsive to the needs of patients as well as providing a great working environment for our dedicated staff, enabling us to continue to attract the best local, national and international talent to work here.”

Major projects completed since March 2020 include

• a new £2.8m development at Hull Royal Infirmary featuring three new Covid/respiratory wards
• £1.6m specialist theatre facilities for the Da Vinci Robot
• £1.13m oxygen resilience work for the new Ward 38 at HRI and wards at Castle Hill
• Changing Places facilities costing £96,000
• A new £160,000 main entrance 2 at Castle Hill Hospital
• £214,000 upgrade of staff facilities for the Estates Department
• Combined Heat and Power Unit at Hull Royal Infirmary and Sterile Services Unit costing £2.5m
• A £1.8m refurbishment of the main steam boiler house at Hull Royal Infirmary

The team has also cleared old buildings from both hospitals, resurfaced roads, upgraded lifts and car parks and improved security and delivered more than £3m of maintenance such as replacement of emergency lighting, water main replacement and plant replacement at both hospitals.

Since March this year, major projects have been completed including the £3m reconfiguration of the ground floor of Hull Royal Infirmary featuring the relocation of the Pharmacy Department, the patient discharge lounge and the reconfiguration of the Acute Medical Unit.

They’ve completed a £2.8m project to relocate Virology from Castle Hill to join the main Pathology department at HRI and created the new Complex Rehabilitation Ward at Castle Hill and the £1m Queen’s Centre Acute Assessment Unit opened last month.

Projects due for completion shortly include the new ICU, the Allam Diabetes Centre and a new Elderly Assessment Unit, all at Hull Royal Infirmary and a new combined heat and power unit at Castle Hill Hospital.

Sustainability projects have also been undertaken by the team as part of HUTH’s Zero Thirty campaign to achieve carbon zero by 2030. These include more than £12.6m of de-carbonisation schemes in 10 months including replacement of 20,000 light fittings, heat pumps, roof insulation, window replacement, a large solar panel field.

The fantastic efforts of our Capital Team in using sustainable technologies in new buildings and the refurbishment of our existing buildings have also projected the team into the national spotlight.

They were announced the winners of the ‘Sustainable Achievement Award’ from the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estates Management (IHEEM) last week for its work using sustainable technologies for existing buildings and new builds.

The Healthcare Estates IHEEM Awards recognise excellence in the latest innovations from leaders in the healthcare sector. The awards are judged by experts with extensive experience and achievements within the NHS and commercial healthcare sector.

The awards were held in Manchester as part of IHEEM’s Healthcare Estates Conference.

Alex Best, Head of Capital which covers Capital Development, Sustainability, PFI and Property in Estates, Facilities and Development, said: “I am incredibly proud of my team and the efforts they make every day to support our teams in their efforts to deliver the best possible care for patients in the best possible surroundings.”

A new room for families of people with cancer has been created in memory of a woman who was cared for by staff at the Queen’s Centre in Cottingham

Laura Cook

Almost £4,000 was raised by the family of Laura Cook, 38, after she died of breast cancer in March to thank staff on Ward 30 and they decided they wanted to create a relatives’ room outside the ward.

Laura’s mum Liz Gelder, her father Bill and her husband Nick Cook have now officially opened “Laura’s Room” in front of doctors, nurses and support staff who knew and cared for Laura.

Preparing to cut the ribbon on the new relatives’ room at the entrance to the ward, Laura’s mum Liz Gelder said: “Today is bitter sweet because we’re so pleased to do this for the hospital but so sad that we had to lose Laura to do it.

“But this is something Laura would have wanted us to do and she would be happy with what we’ve achieved.”

Claire Swatman, the breast care specialist nurse who looked after Laura, said: “Laura was a beautiful person inside and out. She had a heart of gold and a beautiful smile and was a complete inspiration to everyone she met.”

Laura grew up in Goole and was well-known throughout the town. She was diagnosed with cancer seven years before her death but had earned widespread respect for her positive approach to her illness.

Covid-19 restrictions meant only 30 people could attend Laura’s funeral but the love and admiration people felt for her was reflected on the day of her funeral when residents packed three streets to pay their respects as her funeral cortege travelled past.

Laura’s workmates at XPO Logistics also asked for the cortege to make a special trip past their site so they could line the entire road to say a final farewell.

Mrs Gelder said: “Laura was vivacious and bubbly. She was a big Stereophonics fan and loved music and her and I used to go to as many concerts as we could.

“We did know she was well thought of before her death but we didn’t realise just how much and it has just been so humbling.

“It was just amazing to see all those people lining the streets who cared about her.”

Housekeeper Marie Shevchenko, Laura’s mum Liz Gelder and Sister Hayley Butler

Laura’s family started receiving donations in sympathy cards after her death and decided to set up a Just Giving page to raise money for the Queen’s Centre. However, they reached their initial target of £500 within hours and ended up raising more than £3,800.

Mrs Gelder worked with housekeeper Maria Shevchenko to design a beautiful, calming and tranquil place where families will be given updates on their loved ones’ conditions in privacy and away from the normal hustle and bustle of a busy hospital ward.

Sage green walls compliment the comfortable sofas and tasteful furniture with soft furnishings and artwork chosen specially to create a peaceful environment. Centre stage is a framed pebble design of robins, so loved by Laura.

Mrs Gelder said: “She told me she would send me robins to let me know she was ok. For weeks, we got one every single day.”

As a sign of their gratitude to Mrs Gelder and her family, staff on the ward raised money to present her with an identical framed pebble design of robins.

Ward Sister Hayley Butler said: “The new room will make such a difference to us. It’s somewhere peaceful where we can have what are often difficult conversations with relatives, giving them the space and time to come to terms with what we have to share with them.

“Marie worked so hard to create this for the family and we’re really pleased they like the end result.”

Hospital buildings in Hull are being upgraded to make them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) is putting the finishing touches to the major upgrade, fitting special roof insulation to buildings at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

The work is part of HUTH’s Zero Thirty campaign and its plan to reduce emissions by 1,000 tonnes this Autumn.

As well as the insulation of existing buildings, the trust is also working with Yorkshire company Enhabit to design a specification for external wall insulation and windows to ensure all new buildings have improved airtightness and are as energy efficient as possible.

Marc Beaumont, Head of Sustainability at HUTH, said: “One of the difficulties the NHS faces is making our existing building stock as efficient as possible. Here in Hull, we have buildings dating back to the 1960s so it is a massive challenge.

“Knocking them all down and starting again isn’t possible and would result in more emissions so we have to find ways of bringing these buildings up to our current standards.

“As well as coming up with workable and practical solutions to insulate our existing buildings to make them more energy efficient, we’re ensuring everything we build upholds our ethos to reduce our impact on the environment.”

Funding for the project has been possible after HUTH received a £12.6m grant from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of its Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Examples of some of the buildings being retrofitted with better roof insulation include Breast Care, the Centenary building and Nightingales, the staff restaurant at Castle Hill Hospital. The Tulley Building and the Therapies Centre at Hull Royal Infirmary have also been improved.

Better insulation is expected to save the trust around 15 per cent in energy usage, preventing heat escaping from the roof into the atmosphere and improving the comfort of buildings. It is part of the work already under way to cut building emissions in half by 2028.

As well as better insulation and improved airtightness in our buildings, HUTH is also fitting a Building Management System (BMS) to work lighting and heating in its buildings, reducing energy usage across the trust.