A new GP referral service will be trialled at Hull Hospitals this winter to prevent patients having to make unnecessary trips to A&E.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is opening a new Acute Care Navigation Hub at Hull Royal Infirmary as part of a four-week trial.

GPs taking part in the trial will be able to use the hub to discuss patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week instead of sending them to Hull Royal Infirmary’s Emergency Department (ED) for assessment.

Stacey Healand, the trust’s project lead for the Acute Care Navigation Hub, said: “GPs will be able to ask our experts in specialties like elderly medicine, respiratory or orthopaedics for advice about their patients in a single phone call, at any hour of the day or night.

“We are hoping this new hub will prevent around 60 patients having to make unnecessary trips to ED by giving their GPs immediate access to the information, support and expertise they require.

“We expect this new system will give patients a far better experience, sparing often elderly people the inconvenience of having to come out in the cold and wait in our Emergency Department for long periods of time. We want to see if we can use the hub to turn emergency, unscheduled care into scheduled care at every opportunity.”

The new hub is part of the range of measures being introduced by the trust this winter to ensure patients continue to receive the best possible care over winter when pressure on services could increase because of the pandemic, bad weather and seasonal illnesses like flu, RSV and norovirus.

A new winter ward, additional nurses, admin and portering staff and three new additional wards behind Hull Royal’s tower block to support, assess and treat patients with respiratory illnesses or suspected Covid-19 are also among the measures.

Opening on November 2, the hub will run for four weeks initially. Results will then be analysed and if it proves a success, the hub will be extended to all GPs using our hospitals.

A national campaign will be virtually launched on Wednesday, October 7th at the Castle Hill Hospital to support recruitment to the health and care workforce in Hull and East Yorkshire.

Under the banner, East Yorkshhire: ‘the secret’s out’,  the new campaign will seek to attract more people to vital roles in Hull and East Yorkshire from around the country and beyond. Through a microsite, social media, street advertising, mini-brochure, and a series of short films, the campaign will be ‘confident and slightly mischievous’ in celebrating a ‘warm and wonderful, green and gorgeous, distinctive and diverse’ region that is ‘well educated, well connected and almost ridiculously affordable’.

John Skidmore, Director of Adults, Health and Customer Services, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, explains:

“Like most people who are lucky enough to live in this region, I happen to think that this place is something of a ‘hidden gem’. That’s why we have based our campaign around the stories of those people who came to work here, fell in love with it, and now want to let others in on the secret.

“We have always faced competition from major population centres for the best talent, but things are changing, heads are being turned and more and more people are looking at our region. This is the first time that every public sector organisation has got together to shout about our incredible patch, and I think we’re onto something!”

The unprecedented campaign has the support of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hull City Council, City Health Care Partnership CIC, Hull CCG, East Riding of Yorkshire CCG, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, Humberside Fire and Rescue Services, Humberside Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Hull York Medical School, and the University of Hull.

It will feature those people who have come to live, work and play in the area from as far afield as Nigeria, Poland, India, USA, and every corner of the UK. One person behind the campaign, which will share information about the region’s schools, housing, standard of living, and quality of life, is former cabinet minister, Alan Johnson, who now lives in the area, and will be a keynote speaker at the launch event. John Skidmore continues:

“As a former Health Secretary, who has become ‘one of us’, we are thrilled that he has agreed to support the campaign, and become an honorary ambassador, one of many who have come forward to share their incredible and varied stories.”

Clare Killingback, Programme Director for Physiotherapy, University of Hull came to the region earlier this year from Bournemouth to start a physio department from scratch:

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to have a blank slate. Everything has been brilliant. I’ve loved it. We couldn’t quite believe what we could get for our money. We were living in a one-bedroom flat in Dorset. Here, we have a fantastic house with a garden. I’m growing vegetables and (my partner) has got a music studio in the loft. It’s fabulous … but you do want to keep it a bit of a secret!”

Chris Long, Chief Executive at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who will also speak at the event, said:

“Many regions claim to have a unique identity, but I have honestly never known anywhere quite like Hull and East Yorkshire. It constantly offers so much in a charming, funny, understated, warm and welcoming way.

Our trust alone has almost 10,000 employees from every corner of the UK, and over 80 nationalities. A shared experience for those new to the area is the quick transition from knowing little about it, to shouting about it from the rooftops. I really think this campaign captures that.

It may go a little against the grain, but it’s about time we let people know just what we have here.”

East Yorkshhire: the secret’s out will be streamed live on YouTube from 9-10am on October 7th and can be viewed through: www.tinyurl.com/thesecretsout2020

www.eastyorkshhire.co.uk

Birth partners will be able to join women for pregnancy scans from Tuesday (October 6) after measures were introduced to protect staff and patients from Covid-19.

Maternity and sonography teams at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital have worked together for months to find a way for birth partners to attend 20-week scans.

From tomorrow, partners will be able to attend the 20-week scan and see the unborn babies on a second screen, separate from scanning machines, in the same room as women and sonographers.

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We have been working for months to look at how we can adapt our service to allow partners to attend scans.

“Unfortunately, our options were limited because of the size of our scan rooms and our waiting area. Space in our hospital has to be prioritized for patient care and we thank people for their understanding as we’ve worked to find a solution.

“Introducing a second screen in each room allows us to maintain social distancing, minimizing the risk of infection for the couple and our staff.”

Second screens have been installed for mums-to-be to view the scan in progress with their partner in scan rooms while the sonographer will continue to use the screen on existing scanning machines.

Janet Cairns said: “It’s not been quite as straightforward as people would imagine as we’ve had to fund the cost of additional equipment at a time when NHS resources need to be concentrated on the pandemic and its recovery.

“We’re very grateful that our trust has recognised the impact this has been having on women and families and have supported our work to find a solution.

“We understand how difficult it’s been for families and we’re grateful for their patience and understanding during this difficult time for them and our staff.”

The reintroduction of enabling partners to attend the 20-week scan is the latest easing of restrictions introduced in March at the start of the pandemic in line with national guidance.

Named birth partners can stay with women during labour and for a short time after the baby’s birth. Those same people can also arrange booked visiting slots with the staff on Rowan ward following the baby’s birth.

Other restrictions are under constant review by midwifery teams and will be lifted as soon as it is considered safe to do so.

A Consultant Vascular Radiologist in Hull has performed a world-first in keyhole surgery to save a patient with a life-threatening aneurysm.

Dr Raghu Lakshminarayan led a team including consultants, radiologists and anaesthetists along with Interventional nurses, radiographers, theatre nurses and ODPs, to save the patient by performing the world’s first fenestrated Altura graft at Hull Royal Infirmary.

With his patient, a man in his 80s, now back home after the procedure, Dr Raghu said: “My worry all the time is about the patient and how he is doing. I just wanted to see everything was right with the new device and I was relieved that it was.”

The patient developed an aneurysm – an abnormal bulge or swelling – in his aorta, the major blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, around ten years ago but recovered after surgery.

However, he recently developed a second swelling close to where his previous surgery had been carried out, just below his right kidney. That previous surgery and the position of the second aneurysm meant conventional surgery was not an option this time.

Instead, Dr Raghu worked with Lombard Medical in Oxfordshire to create a special fenestrated (window) Altura graft, the first of its kind in the world, to save the man.

Normal fenestrated grafts are a single cylinder with two “windows” which the surgeon positions in front of the patient’s kidney arteries to keep them functioning. Altura grafts, on the other hand, come in two parts, without fenestrations, and have been used below the kidneys up until now.

However, Dr Raghu planned to help design windows in both grafts to create the “fenestrated Altura graft” – a two-cylinder graft with fenestrations over the kidneys – to save his patient.

Dr Raghu said: “The company had discussed this possibility with me about this time last year to see whether I would work with them. I made multiple trips there to use flow models and also tests on cadavers to see what worked well. However, Covid-19 came along and the work was paused. When this patient then came to us and I was able to put two and two together.

“It was explained to the patient that his options were not doing anything or performing the procedure with a completely new graft. If we did nothing, the aneurysm would have burst, although we couldn’t say when, and that would be life threatening.

“He was aware that what we were trying to do was a world’s first.”

Using a CT scan and 3D printing, Dr Raghu was able to evaluate the fenestrated Altura graft to his exact specifications in relation to the patient’s kidney arteries.

Surgery was then carried out by Dr Raghu and the team on the patient at Hull Royal infirmary. Working to dimensions of 6mm diameters for the windows, the whole procedure was carried out as keyhole surgery.

The team included Mr George Smith (Consultant Vascular Surgeon), Dr Vivek Shrivastava and Dr Saira Sayeed, both Consultant Vascular Radiologists, and Consultant Anaesthetist Dr Christopher Rigg,

Over four and a half hours, the graft with the two tubes to cover the aneurysm was inserted from the top of each leg with the fenestrations over the kidney arteries to allow the stent extension to be fitted from tubes inserted just below the man’s collar bone and moved into the kidney fenestration.

Dr Raghu said: “Knowing what you’re doing is the first in the world does add to the pressure during the procedure because you don’t know how the graft will behave.

“Even though you’ve practiced on flow models or cadavers before, you don’t know how it will behave in the patient or orientate itself. If you’re halfway through and the windows are at 2pm on a clock face and the patient’s kidney arteries are at 4pm, you know you’re in trouble. But it went well.”

The patient was well enough to go home after 12 days.

Dr Raghu said: “I’m very proud to have been able to perform this procedure here in Hull and be part of the evolution of grafts. This is possible only because of a fantastic team of professionals from various specialties willing to work together for the common good of the patient.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is hoping to receive more than £3m of government winter funding to help Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital this winter.

Seasonal illnesses like flu among an ageing population, falls caused by bad weather and viruses like RSV and bronchiolitis among children has resulted in major pressures on beds during previous winters.

Plans for this winter are already in place with the threat of a second spike of Covid-19 and hospital services already impacted by the pressures of the pandemic.

A flu campaign involving a large-scale vaccination programme to help every member of staff avoid the flu and a plan to manage potential problems with the EU exit are also in place.

Michelle Kemp, Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Deputy Chief Operating Officer Michelle Kemp said: “We have been working for months on plans to see us through winter, regardless of a second wave or not.

“We are doing everything we can to help you or your loved one if you need us and make sure our services and our teams are in the best possible shape.

“But this isn’t just about what we’re doing – you can play a major part in this by only coming to our Emergency Department (ED) with genuine emergencies so we can help those with life-threatening and serious illnesses and injuries.

“If you do this, our hospitals will be able to manage the relentless pressure of winter and whatever else comes our way.”

The trust’s winter plan includes

• A new winter ward opening in December with 22 extra beds
• Pathology services expanded for swift diagnosis, allowing treatment to begin
• A new contact and acute referral service for GPs
• Extra nurses and porters in ED to transfer patients who need admitted onto wards
• Additional admin staff on wards to speed up discharge for patients well enough to go home
• A new at-home IV service to give antibiotics to sick children, enabling them to stay at home instead of in hospital
• Extra clinicians including consultants, specialist nurses and surgical staff
• Seven-day services in the Cardiology Unit and Cardiac Cath Lab to help patients with heart conditions

In addition, we have plans for more than £500,000 to be invested in additional clinical support services including the flu campaign, pharmacy, diagnostic services such as MRI and CT and therapies to ensure patients get access to rehabilitation and support.

Extra nurses will also be recruited to work as part of the teams at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Work begins this week on the £60m transformation of Hull Royal Infirmary.

A new, three-storey entrance, an assessment unit, modern pharmacy, restaurant, shops, improved facilities for parents of sick children and a multi-faith area will be part of the major construction programme lasting two years.

Subject to both planning approval and business case approval, construction work is expected to transform the front of the tower block, a landmark building in Hull City Centre which has remained largely unchanged for more than 50 years.

Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The aim is for us to have better use of more flexible space to deliver our services.

“Staff, visitors and patients will benefit from a fantastic facility at the front of the building with shops, a new restaurant and waiting facilities and overnight facilities for parents of children in our paediatric department.”

Wards 36, 37 and 38 have been created behind the ambulance bay for the Emergency Department with 52 additional beds in response to the pandemic.

Ward 36 opened this weekend as a 12-bed assessment facility which will be used to isolate and treat patients with confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19, other infectious diseases and seasonal illnesses more common during winter, including flu.

The Acute Medical Unit and the Ambulatory Care Unit including the Surgical Ambulatory Care Unit have already moved temporarily to Wards 37 and 38, allowing construction work to begin on a combined unit for patients who require further assessment before admission onto a ward or discharge home.

Work on the new, much larger and self-contained assessment unit is expected to take around three months, providing better facilities for patients with views over the front gardens and natural light.

Pharmacy will move to the back of the ground floor, with a new robotic arm installed to pick prescriptions.

The “Yellow Brick Road” weaving through the gardens from Argyle Street to the main entrance will be closed off with eight-foot timber fences to protect people from the construction work over the next few weeks ahead of work on the new front entrance beginning in earnest in October.

Mr Taylor said: “There may be some inevitable disruption to allow us to carry out this major transformation but these facilities are long-awaited on this site.”

Frontline staff caring for patients with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 are being prioritised as part of a campaign this year to protect vital NHS services and patients during the pandemic.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is launching a major vaccination programme to offer the flu jab to all clinical and non-clinical staff at Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, Hull Eye Hospital, the Queen’s Centre and Castle Hill Hospital.

Last year, around 83 per cent of trust staff received the flu vaccine to protect them, their families and their patients from the virus.

As the trust prepares for a potential second wave of Covid-19 over the winter months, plans are also under way to ensure as many staff as possible are vaccinated against flu, with staff working on wards with Covid-19 patients or other clinically vulnerable patients prioritised.

Chief Executive Chris Long said: “This year, more than any other year before, it is essential that as many people as possible are vaccinated against the flu.

“We know health care workers are at greater risk of catching flu because of their increased exposure to illnesses so we want to do everything possible to protect our staff from what can be a very serious illness.

“We need our people to be fit and healthy, especially this year, so they are there to look after people when they need us most. Each and every one of us also needs to do everything we can to prevent spreading the flu to our patients, who are already seriously ill.”

Around 200 vaccinators have been trained by the trust’s Occupational Health team to deliver the vaccine in every ward and clinic across all hospitals. Vaccinators will be available to offer the jab to shift workers.

Non-clinical staff will also be able to attend special, socially-distanced clinics at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital to receive their vaccine.

Adults who are at most risk of flu are being urged to take up the offer of a free flu jab. They include includes pregnant women, those with a long-term condition like a heart problem, kidney disease, severe asthma or those with lowered immunity. People with a BMI of 40 and above, those with learning disabilities, neurological conditions, problems with spleens, diabetes or those who have had a stroke should also get a free flu vaccine.

The free jab scheme is also being extended this year to those on the NHS Shielded Patient List for Covid-19, health and social care workers employed through personal budgets to deliver domiciliary care and children aged 11 by December 31.

Later in the year, the free flu vaccine may be given to people aged 50 to 64. More information on this will become available over the next few weeks. However, if you’re aged 50 to 64 and in an at-risk group, you should not delay having your flu vaccine.

Mr Long said it was crucial that those eligible for a free flu jab took up the offer to protect the NHS this winter.

He said: “The public can help us by getting their own flu vaccine. If we all play a part in protecting ourselves, our families and our communities from the flu, it means we’ve got a better chance of ensuring hospital services can keep running even if we are hit by a second wave of Covid-19.

“Getting the flu vaccine means we’re less likely to be overwhelmed by severe cases of the flu at the same time as we’re trying to help people who may catch Covid-19 if there is a second wave.”

Jess accepts Steve’s marriage proposal

After 18 years together, the dream of becoming a family has finally come true for Jess Mayall and Steve Branson from Waltham near Grimsby, but with a special added surprise.

Shortly after giving birth to baby Imogen on Wednesday, Steve proposed to Jess with the help of midwifery staff at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and his new baby daughter.

Dressed in a special baby-grow just minutes after being born, Imogen delivered the surprise message, “Mummy, will you marry Daddy?” and Jess’s response was instant.

Jess said:

“It was such an amazing surprise. We’ve had many ups and downs together, but we’re thrilled to be able to start the next part of our journey as a family.

Baby Imogen pops the question!

“We have been together for almost 18 years and have been trying for a baby for almost 6 years now. In 2018 we were lucky enough to conceive with the help of the IVF team in Hull but sadly, on 5^th July 2019, our daughter Ava was born sleeping at 38 weeks and 3 days.

“Imogen is our Rainbow baby; she was also conceived via IVF at Hull so it was lovely that she could be involved in this.”

Steve said:

“Now that Imogen is here it feels like a huge weight has been lifted and this just felt like the perfect time to ask Jessica to (finally) be my wife! We can finally start the next chapter of our lives with Imogen; with Ava in our hearts.

“I would like to thank everyone on the labour ward for helping me to pull this off; the care we have received has been incredible from start to finish.

Jess, Steve and baby Imogen

“We would like to express our gratitude to all of the doctors, especially Dr Tibbott who’s been amazing, the IVF team especially Dawn and Nicky, and Louise and Sarah from the bereavement team, all of whom have supported us throughout.”

Jade Barker, midwifery assistant at the hospital says:

“My colleagues and I were happy to help Steve make the proposal.

“It was so nice to be involved in something so meaningful and positive for this lovely couple after everything they have been through.”

TV cameras will join the staff and patients of Hull Royal Infirmary once again this autumn when filming begins for series 2 of “A&E After Dark”.

The programme, made by Crackit Productions, provides a ‘warts and all’ account of life in Hull’s busy emergency department, one of just a handful of major trauma centres across the country.

The first series, which was broadcast on Channel 5 during June and July, peaked at over 2 million viewers. Hospital staff praised the docu-series for providing a very real account of what it’s like to work the A&E night shift, while viewers were left full of admiration for the staff and horrified by the abusive behaviour they face on a regular basis.

Now, Crackit Productions have been given the go-ahead to film a further 10 episodes which will also reflect how the current challenges associated with COVID19 are impacting upon staff and the wider department. Filming will begin this week.

Teresa Cope, Chief Operating Officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The response to the first series of A&E After Dark was overwhelmingly positive. It provided a real insight into the clinical and emotional challenges our staff face on a daily basis, and the very unpredictable nature of their work.

“We know our staff do amazing things, but they largely happen behind the scenes, and it’s important to us that people see them.

“We want people to watch the series, to see some of the really serious and life-threatening cases that come through the doors, and to feel proud of the clinical expertise we have right here in Hull. We also want people to watch the series and reflect on their own use of A&E; do you really need to be here? Could you have been treated elsewhere? Was your behaviour towards staff appropriate?

“People were amazed just how A&E is used, and in some cases abused, in the first series, but we saw an enormous outpouring of support and appreciation for our staff. The current situation with COVID19 presents them with an additional set of challenges, so the next round of filming will really help to capture a place in time and show how, even when faced with a global pandemic, our staff still take it all in their stride and rise to the challenge.

“We’re looking forward to working with Crackit again to deliver another eye-opening series of programmes which shows just how remarkable our people really are.”

Helicopters are now able to fly critically ill and injured patients directly to Hull Royal Infirmary after its new £600,000 helipad was declared operational.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has completed the major construction project so patients seriously hurt in accidents across East and North Yorkshire and parts of Lincolnshire can be flown into the hospital grounds, the Major Trauma Centre (MTC) for the area.

The helipad, behind Hull Royal Infirmary’s £12m Emergency Department (ED), had been funded entirely by the HELP Appeal, the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads.

Trust Chief Executive Chris Long said: “We are deeply grateful to the HELP Appeal for its £600,000 donation which has allowed us to construct the helipad directly behind our Emergency Department.

“There is no doubt that having a helipad so close to our highly skilled major trauma team means we will be able to save more lives in situations where every second counts.”

Robert Bertram, CEO of the HELP Appeal

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said: “As the Major Trauma Centre for the whole region, funding a helipad outside ED was essential. Everyone is aware of the vital roles that hospitals and air ambulances play in treating a critically ill patient but having a helipad outside the ED can play a significant part in saving vital minutes when transporting a patient to the expert care they need to save lives.

“As the only charity in the country funding live-saving helipads, we are pleased to be able to cover the entire cost of the helipad. We know the difference having a ground-level helipad right outside ED would make.

“With the support of the air ambulances and the excellent emergency care team at Hull Royal Infirmary, this unique mix of helicopters, helipad and hospital medical staff will make a huge difference to those people who may need life-saving treatment urgently.”

Patients were previously flown to the helipad on the other side of the hospital car park on Argyle Street and had to be transferred to Hull Royal in an ambulance along Anlaby Road, one of the busiest roads in the city centre.

Intensive Care Consultant Dr Tom Cowlam, the trust’s clinical lead for the MTC, said: “The new helipad will shorten the journey by a quarter of an hour and remove the need for the patient to be transferred in a second ambulance to the Emergency Department.

“It will make the transfer quicker and more seamless for the trauma patient.

“When you have a really poorly person, this might be the difference between life and death because this could be the time when they are having surgery or a massive blood transfusion to save them.”

Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development, said the trust funded the demolition of the Haughton building among others and clearance of the site before main contractor Unico Construction could begin work on the helipad.

Measuring 30 metres by 30 metres, 900 tonnes of concrete were brought onto the hospital site, over the course of one day.

An access road for fire engines and service vehicles has been built alongside a second pedestrian route where patients will be carried out of the air ambulance and rushed into the ED.

Special double fences have been erected around the helipad as “baffles” to reduce noise pollution, provide security and the majority of the site has been turfed with pinned grass covered with mesh overlay to act as a “soakaway” to remove water from the helipad.

Lights have been imported from Holland to be set into the concrete, now covered in specialist paint.

Hull is one of the country’s 27 Major Trauma Centres (MTCs), credited with saving an additional 1,600 people’s lives since they were established in 2012.

Lincs and Nott Air Ambulance use the Hull helipad most often, with Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Derbyshire, Leicester and Rutland Air Ambulance also flying casualties to the city.

The Search and Rescue helicopter, based at Humberside Airport, also lands in Hull with people winched off mountains or those injured on oil rigs or out at sea.

The helipad will also be used by the Children’s Air Ambulance, which can fly specialist medical teams into Hull to treat seriously ill children as well as fly children from here to hospital with specialist paediatric services.

To support the HELP Appeal please call the donation helpline on 0800 389 8999 or text HPAD22 plus the amount and send to 70070.