Patients and porters at Hull Hospitals are celebrating after taking delivery of 15 specialist wheelchairs.

The new chairs, collectively costing more than £15,000, have been paid for through the hospitals’ WISHH Charity and its generous supporters.

In a change to the usual NHS blue, the chair seats are a distinct shade of lime green, a nod to the charity’s colours, and each has been emblazoned with WISHH branding on the back. The chairs feature a brake, leg rests, drip stand facility and a medical notes holder on the rear, and are a welcome addition to the Trust’s equipment stock, as Graham Taylor, Facilities Services Manager (Logistics) explains:

“With two busy hospitals under our remit, the availability of wheelchairs on site is essential to be able to move patients around quickly and safely, and ensure services continue to run smoothly.

“Across Hull Royal and Castle Hill, our Portering team carries out more than 800 patient transfer jobs each day with the majority of those requiring the use of a wheelchair. We know plenty of other visitors use our chairs independently to help loved ones with mobility difficulties get to their appointments too, so the importance of having chairs available across our sites really can’t be stressed enough.

“The new wheelchairs paid for by WISHH will go a long way to ensuring patients have wheelchair access readily available when they arrive with us, and hopefully help to make their time with us a bit more comfortable and less stressful.”

Lisa Whitton, WISHH Charity Manager says:

“The WISHH Charity is so pleased to have been able to support our hospitals with the provision of wheelchairs. The chairs are very clearly identifiable with their bold colouring and distinct design; it’s a great way for us to be able to improve patient experience and raise awareness of the hospital charity’s work at the same time.

“As both of our hospitals are so very busy, we know the chairs will be well used and much appreciated by staff and visitors to Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

“The donation has been made possible through the generosity of local people, local businesses, and the support they have given to our WISHH fundraising activities in recent times. On behalf of WISHH and Hull Hospitals, I’d like to thank everyone who has donated and helped us deliver what will be a real enhancement to patient care and patient experience.”

Members of the public are welcome to use available wheelchairs around the sites but are asked not to take them away from either hospital. Should any chair be found, please report this to the Portering Helpdesk on 01482 674021 to arrange collection.

Help us shine a light on your Healthcare Heroes! We need your nominations for a special award to celebrate the amazing efforts of local NHS staff.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are working together as NHS Humber Health Partnership (NHSHHP).

Our staff work across Hull, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Castle Hill and Goole hospitals, and out in the community.

This year, for the first time, the two Trusts will be holding a joint staff awards ceremony, Golden Stars 2024.

As part of those celebrations, we’re seeking nominations for the Healthcare Heroes Award. If you’ve recently been a patient at one of our five hospitals or under our community services, and want to highlight a staff member or team that made a difference to your experience, we want to hear from you!

Whether it’s a compassionate individual or a whole team of dedicated professionals you’d like thank, put them forward for this award as a mark of recognition.

Chairman for NHS HHP, Sean Lyons, said: “Our brand new awards scheme, Golden Stars, will shine a light on the outstanding efforts and achievements of local NHS staff.

“Our 17,000+ staff regularly go above and beyond to provide the best possible care for our patients. So if someone went the extra mile to support you and you’ve had a good experience from a member of our team, what better way to say thank you than nominating them for this prestigious award.

Jonathan Lofthouse, Group Chief Executive, added: “Our joint celebrations will see fifteen awards presented on the evening, but arguably the most coveted trophy will be for the award chosen by patients and the public, so please get in touch and tell us about how your healthcare heroes made a real difference to your experience.”

The winner of the Healthcare Heroes award will be revealed, alongside 14 other awards, at the Golden Stars 2024 ceremony on Friday 13 September at the Hilton Hotel in Hull.

If you have been a patient or visitor at one of our hospitals or in our community health services, you can nominate a staff member, clinical or non-clinical, by visiting the awards website at: https://www.hull.nhs.uk/awards/

Nominations will be accepted up until midnight on Tuesday 30 April.

A spokesperson for NHS Humber Health Partnership, said:

“We have been working closely with Humberside Police to ensure that family members of all those affected have been contacted; there is no need to call the hospital or the police.

“The wellbeing of these families is our absolute priority and we will ensure that we continue to support them throughout this process.

“As this is an ongoing legal case we cannot make any further comment at this time.”

Hull’s BaBi research project is over a quarter of the way to its annual recruitment target within just 4 weeks

Families in Hull are committing to make the city a happier, healthier place by taking part in a new study.

Sarah Collins (left) and Eloise Taylor from the BaBi Hull and East Yorkshire study team

Over 100 families have already signed up to take part in the Born and Bred in (BaBi) Hull and East Yorkshire project, which will use data held about local people to shape health services or highlight societal changes which could improve long-term health outcomes.

The Hull-based research team originally set out to recruit 400 families in the first 12 months, but are thrilled to be more than a quarter of the way to their target already, just four weeks after the project launched on 6 February.

Sarah Collins, Research Midwife for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“The response to the study in the first few weeks has been amazing, really surpassing our expectations. The high level of interest also shows that people really do care about the things that happen around them and how they could be impacting on their own family’s health.

The BaBi project looks at both maternal health and children’s health in their early years. It is seeking to connect up all the information that health, education, social care and other organisations hold about young children and families to try and identify patterns that could drive improvements in the lives of the next generation and beyond.

In Bradford, where the BaBi study first began, the findings have contributed to bus route diversions in areas where pollution and childhood asthma were noted to be high and the creation of more green spaces to promote better mental health.

“We all want the best for our families, so taking part in the BaBi study is one way in which local people can help to influence that, not just for themselves but for our wider community too, “ Sarah continues.

“Taking part isn’t over timely consuming and doesn’t require regular involvement with the study team, but what it does have is the potential to help us improve the health and wellbeing of thousands of families, both  now and for generations to come.”

Would you like to join the study? All pregnant women and birthing people booked for care with Hull Women & Children’s Hospital will be invited to take part in the study as a matter of course, but more information is also available on our website:  https://www.hull.nhs.uk/maternity/babi/ or by emailing hyp-tr.research.midwife@nhs.net

Health professionals are praising Withernsea residents for their support following disruption to breast screening services in the town.

Late last year, Humberside Breast Screening Service’s mobile unit was subject to vandalism and cable theft while stationed in Withernsea. To ensure patients were able to be screened on time and to minimise further disruption to the service, staff set about contacting hundreds of people to invite them for screening at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham instead.

The team reports that this latest round of screening is now complete, and staff are pleased to see a positive uptake from local people, as Lesley Peacock, Breast Screening Service Manager explains:

“Being able to offer screening opportunities within local communities is really important to us, but the repeated vandalism and cable theft before Christmas left us with no alternative but to invite people to Castle Hill Hospital instead.

“We did have reservations as to whether the extra travel to Cottingham may impact or deter people from attending, but we’re pleased to say that this wasn’t the case, and in fact, we’ve seen an increase in breast screening uptake among local people compared to this time three years ago, when the unit last came to Withernsea.”

Figures show a rise of almost 5%, with 78.8% of all those invited from the Withernsea area attending breast screening in the last few months, compared to 74% in 2020/21. Staff from the screening service have also noted a rise in the number of people attending first invitations, and more people attending screening who had previously declined.

Karen Hallberg, Superintendent Radiographer says:

“We’d really like to thank everyone who has been able to make the journey over to Castle Hill Hospital to take up their screening invitations over the last few months. Breast screening enables us to spot potentially serious changes at an early stage, so it’s really encouraging to see that the unfortunate circumstances in which we found ourselves last year didn’t deter people from travelling and getting themselves checked out. We’re really keen to see this positive trend continue next time we visit Withernsea.”

The mobile breast screening unit moves between different towns on a three-yearly screening cycle, with the next visit to Withernsea due to take place in 2027. A full security review will be conducted beforehand to provide people with greater assurance around ongoing local access and to minimise the risk of further disruption.

More information on breast screening can be found at www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-screening-mammogram/

It is all joy for hospital porters at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital as they’ve been awarded Portering Team of the year at the National MyPorter Awards held in London.

The hospitals are part of a Group of hospitals including Goole, Grimsby and Scunthorpe, employing 17,000 staff and caring for over 1,000,000 patients every year. Getting people and resources to their destination in an organisation of that size is no mean task, but this 120-strong team handles this responsibility effortlessly.

Graham Taylor, Interim Portering, Postal and Switchboard Manager, says:

“Being recognised nationally as ‘Portering Team of the Year’ is outstanding and I am immensely proud to represent this team. Their responsibilities and duties go far beyond simply pushing a stretcher or moving a bed.

“They are expert communicators, constantly keeping patients and their families informed and reassured during difficult and often uncertain times. Their dedication and compassionate attitude towards their work make them invaluable members of our organisation.”

One of the key achievements upon which the team’s award nomination was based this year is the ‘Ready to Go’ model, which is designed to make the process of discharging a patient from hospital or to another ward or unit more efficient. When booking a job, ward staff are asked to consider the MINTED* model and ensure all essential stages of preparation such as medication and transport have been arranged before the porter attends.

But that’s not all. The team is also contributing to the Group’s carbon reduction efforts through the management of nitrous oxide. Now responsible for the management, distribution and replacement of this potentially harmful gas and in the majority of hospital locations, the team collects data and employs practices which are designed to minimise the harm causes by medical gases and reduce waste which could damage the environment.

Over 300 nominations were received for the MyPorter awards this year from hospital trusts across the country. The recognition is a testament to the team’s excellent work.

Graham continues:

“This team truly is phenomenal, and it fills me with pride to witness their unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of patients and their families every day.

“The team may not always receive the recognition that they truly deserve, but their contributions are immeasurable. They are the unsung heroes who quietly and efficiently keep the hospital running and deserve to be celebrated for their hard work and dedication.”

* Preparations staff undertake as part of ‘MINTED’.  

M = Medication ready?
 I = Patient Informed?
N = Notes packed?
T = Transport correct?
E = Escort available?
D = Dignity check completed?

Junior doctors across the Humber region will begin their tenth round of industrial action shortly as part of their long-running pay dispute with the Government.

Members of the BMA will take industrial action in the form of a full walkout from 7am on Saturday 24 February through to 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February. This will be mirrored by members of the HCSA union, but their action will be slightly longer, ending on the Thursday at 6.59am.

Staff at Castle Hill, Hull, Grimsby, Goole and Scunthorpe hospitals have put plans in place to prepare for the strike, which does mean some patients will have their appointments/procedures postponed. Staff will be contacting affected patients. Anyone with an appointment/procedure scheduled for between 24 and 29 February should attend the hospital as planned if you haven’t heard from our team

Dr Kate Wood, Group Chief Medical Officer for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“We appreciate that there will be some patients who are seeing their appointments with us postponed, perhaps not for the first time. We know just how frustrating this is and we’d like to extend our apologies to anyone affected. Stepping down some routine care is regrettable but necessary as it allows us to focus on the most seriously ill/injured of our patients, allowing us to keep urgent, emergency care and cancer care services running.

“This is the tenth junior doctors strike that we’ve seen so our staff are well rehearsed at putting plans in place to prepare, however we know that five/six days of industrial action will place further pressure on our already busy services.  As with previous strikes we’d really appreciate the support of our local communities.

“GP surgeries and pharmacies are not affected by the strike and will remain open. NHS 111 staff are on hand to offer advice if you’re unwell and unsure where to turn. If you do need to come into one of our emergency departments please be mindful that we have fewer doctors on shift so be prepared to wait to be seen and please respect our staff who are in work who are doing their best to see and treat people as quickly as possible.”

Patients can also help themselves and others by:

• Ordering repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so they don’t run out of medication or other essential items
• Avoiding hospital if suffering Norovirus-type symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, or with cold or flu-like symptoms
• Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home including painkillers, indigestion remedies and diarrhoea tablets
• Using the NHS Emergency Prescription Service if a regular medication runs out completely
• Taking up the offer of Covid and flu vaccinations where eligible; and
• Familiarising themselves with nearby NHS services which can offer help both in and out-of-hours; these include all Walk-In and Urgent Treatment Centres and a number of local pharmacies. NHS111 remains available 24hrs/day, 365 day a year for medical advice and signposting, online or over the phone.

Full details of alternative local healthcare services can be found at www.letsgetbetter.co.uk

It was a trip down Memory Lane for a very special visitor to Hull Royal Infirmary today.

Professor Bola Owolabi, a practising GP and NHS England’s National Director for Health Inequalities, made a welcome return to the hospital where she worked as a junior house officer years ago.

But recalling her days on the gastro ward weren’t the main reason for her return to Hull; she had come to visit the Homeless Health Team which works within HRI and to learn about their work to support safe discharge for this patient group.

Bola (left) chats to Anna from the Homeless Health Service

The visit had been organised in partnership with the homeless charity, Pathway, and Modality Partnership, which is commissioned to provide the Homeless Health Service.

At the start of her visit, Bola was very clear about wanting to make a difference:

“I’m really keen that our work at NHS England reaches our communities at the margins. I’m very mindful that health inequalities don’t happen in our plush offices in London, which is why it’s vital that we put boots on the ground. I spend a lot of my time visiting different places because I’m really keen to see how the policy papers we write translate on the ground and whether they are making a difference to the organisations and the people they’re intended to help.”

The Homeless Health Service started in October 2019. The team holds an honorary contract with the Trust and is based within the Craven Building alongside partners from Re:New drug and alcohol service.

Bola spent the first part of her visit getting to know the team, asking about their challenges and the benefits of having a service like this embedded within an acute setting. She heard how it’s not without its difficulties, and how the pressure to discharge patients and free up beds don’t always work in the interests of patients whose ongoing needs are more complex. However, the team also explained that it provided some great opportunities to offer truly holistic care and to share knowledge with clinical colleagues on matters such as substance or alcohol misuse, and associated behaviours, which aren’t always their area of expertise. The team also explained how their role saw them acting as hospital gatekeepers at times, promoting the use of community detox where appropriate and encouraging homeless people to engage with primary care services to try and help avoid hospital admissions.

Bola said she learned a lot from colleagues today

Bola urged the team to consider how they show they are adding value, not just morally because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes sense from a service and commissioning perspective. She was keen that the Homeless Health Team’s partners and commissioners hear about the team’s successes not just on an individual patient level, but to show how their interventions, and doing the right thing first time, can help to save time, resources and many repeat attendances further down the line.

Accompanied by Anna and Michelle from the Homeless Health Team, Bola then moved over to the tower block, where she was introduced to two patients with no fixed address who are currently being cared for on wards. She spent time chatting with them about their barriers to good health and wellbeing, but she was also keen to look for the positives, seeking to understand what is working for those patients now and what they want to happen when they finally leave hospital.

Concluding her visit at Hull Royal Infirmary, Bola said:

“This has really been a career fulfilling visit, and visits like today’s are so important in helping us to understand how our national policy translates into practice,  the rhetoric into reality; what does it really mean for the people we care for?

“Having started out in Hull as a junior house officer on the wards many years ago, to now returning in a different capacity, I have really learned so much from the team and the patients and I hope to be able to make a difference with this knowledge going forward. It was really wonderful to be back.”

After a lunch with members of the wider team and primary care colleagues, Bola thanked the team for making her visit ‘real’. She then spent the afternoon in Hull City Centre at ‘The Hub’ where she was able to speak with more agencies supporting the city’s homeless and rough sleepers.

Queues out of the door and over 200 online applications in the space of four days; nursing apprenticeships in Hull really are the hottest ticket in town right now!

Across the course of a two-hour event last week, more than 150 people attended the nurse apprenticeship open evening held at Castle Hill Hospital.

From school leaver enquiries through to existing staff looking at further study, the team – which included representatives from the University of Hull, Hull College, North Lindsey College and Hull Training and Adult Education as well as Hull Hospitals – was ‘overwhelmed’ by the volume of interest they received.

Anne Burdis, Widening Participation Manager for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“We have seen a growing appetite for health service apprenticeships in recent months and years, so we thought last week’s event would be a good one but we didn’t expect anything like the level of response we received on the day! At one point, people were queuing out of the doors and into the hospital grounds to be able to speak with us about apprenticeship opportunities.

“In total, we had more than 150 people visit us in the space of just two hours, and that was to talk about everything from entry level qualifications to progression in current roles and the types of nursing which people can choose to specialise in.

“We’d really like to thank people for their interest, their patience and their support; we were really blown away by just how popular the session was.”

Since opening for applications last Monday 5 February, more than 500 applications have been received for the Trust’s nursing apprenticeship vacancies overall, which include apprentice healthcare support worker, apprentice healthcare assistant, trainee nursing associate, and degree-level nurse apprentice.

People interested in nursing apprenticeships with Hull Hospitals can continue to apply via the Join Hull Hospitals website until the closing date of 22 February 2024.

Lucy Vere, Group Director of Learning and Organisational Development, says:

“Nursing apprenticeships offer a great alternative way into the profession, especially for people who have the right personal qualities and the caring approach needed to become a nurse, but who maybe just aren’t suited to traditional, university-type study.

“To shore up our services for years to come, we know we need to recruit more nurses, so apprenticeships are also a great way for us to offer employment opportunities to local people and to grow our own workforce for the future. The level of interest we saw in nursing apprenticeships last week just goes to show that there is a real appetite for this type of study and indeed, in nursing careers more generally, which is really encouraging not just for our hospitals but for our community as a whole.”