National Volunteers Week is being celebrated a little differently at Hull Hospitals this year

It’s national Volunteers Week, and under normal circumstances, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust would be thanking its 475-strong army of volunteers this week with the usual cream tea celebration.

Carol and Pat volunteer in Oncology (photo taken pre-COVID)

But with coronavirus still very much doing the rounds, the situation is anything but normal, and this has massively affected how the voluntary service has been running across Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Rachael Hardcastle-Pearce, volunteering lead for the trust’s patient experience team explains:

“We have some of the most amazing staff at our hospitals, but we are also reliant on the support of some fantastic volunteers too. We are lucky enough to have 475 people who regularly give their time to us in many different ways, and we simply couldn’t do without them.

“As the coronavirus outbreak began to unfold in March, it became clear that it would have a huge impact on the volunteers service.

“A large proportion of our volunteers, for example, are retired people who use their spare time to help others. As shielding rules were introduced to protect older and more vulnerable people, this meant a large proportion of those volunteers who would normally be available to support us could no longer be called upon because they had to stay at home.

“At the same time, rules around social distancing meant that many of the roles our volunteers carry out, such as ‘Meet and Greet’ and the ward trolley service, would no longer be practical anyway for the safety of patients, staff and the volunteers themselves.

Hugo’s work is on hold

“We know this has had a huge effect on our volunteers – many donate their time as much for their own physical and mental wellbeing as much as those they help. We have volunteers who were used to coming in almost every day who have been left feeling lost or like they have little or no sense of purpose anymore, but ultimately we have to do what’s necessary to keep them safe.

“It wasn’t just a blow to our older volunteers either, even the four-legged variety were affected, with therapy dogs such as Hugo no longer able to visit the patients on wards 8 and 9 and the discharge lounge at HRI with his owner, Yvonne; something everyone was upset about!”

As the coronavirus pandemic escalated, the amount of goodwill being shown toward hospital staff by businesses, community groups and supporters also grew, and a new way for volunteers to support staff during the crisis quickly emerged.

“Donations for hospital staff began to pour in, from hand sanitizer and Easter eggs to clothing and toiletries,” Rachael continues.

Some of the trust’s Young Health Champions (photo taken pre-COVID)

“The generosity was literally overwhelming at times; we could have pallets or delivery vans full of goods arriving day after day, and ensuring all of the donations could be stored safely and then distributed among staff at both hospitals became a logistical challenge. It was a nice problem to have, really!

“This is where our group of young health champions really got stuck in, helping out with everything from separating goods out for different teams and wards to delivering items around the hospital sites. We had a team of about 20 young volunteers working on donations every day at one point, helping to ensure those ‘thank you’ gifts made their way to the frontline staff who, in many cases, were putting their own health at risk to care for others.

“We also had some volunteers who, once told they could no longer safely perform their normal duties, switched to helping out in different roles behind the scenes; this gave our clinical staff some time back to concentrate more on direct patient care. It’s been refreshing for all of us I think to have a bit of a change, albeit not under the circumstances we would have wanted!

“What was also really great to see, when times were getting tough, was just how far our volunteers will go to support us. One young man, Tom Eckford-Sealy, wants to be an oncology nurse and has been volunteering on ward 31 at the Queen’s Centre. Tom regularly gets the train from Bridlington to Hull, then bikes from Hull to Castle Hill in Cottingham to volunteer, then makes the return journey home a few hours later; just amazing.

Volunteers have been a huge help in distributing COVID-19 donations

“We know we have a great bunch of volunteers, but the lengths people were going to, and continue to go to, to support our staff and our patients is so heart-warming.”

Twenty-year-old Adam is volunteering within the trust’s patient experience team he says:

“Joining the Young Health Champions was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I have learned excellent communication skills as a result, and I am able to effectively work in a team. I hope to gain an apprenticeship in the NHS in the future. I am forever grateful.”

Speaking about national Volunteers Week, 1^st – 7^th June 2020, Rachael adds:

“Our volunteers don’t expect anything back in return, but we try and show our appreciation a few times a year with a Christmas party and our Volunteers Week cream tea celebration which should be taking place this week. It’s one of the events the group looks forward to most, and a lovely way for us to acknowledge the contribution our volunteers make not just to the lives of our patients, but also to our staff and even each other.

“It’ such a shame that we haven’t been able to celebrate in the usual way, but I don’t think things have gone the way many of us would have expected this year.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our volunteers, whether they’ve been at home shielding in recent weeks or continuing to help out at our hospitals, and we’ll just have to make our end of year celebration bigger and better than ever to compensate!”

If you would like to know more about volunteering opportunities at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, call the Patient Experience Team on (01482) 623089 or visit www.hey.nhs.uk/staff/volunteering/

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

“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Adrian Cruttenden, an administrator within the medical records team at our organisation. Adrian died after falling ill and being admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary on 4^th May. Tests confirmed the presence of COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, while in hospital, Adrian subsequently suffered a stroke from which he was unable to recover, and he sadly died on 27^th May.

“Adrian joined Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in 2015, working in various departments including A&E, the acute assessment unit and the acute medical unit at Hull Royal Infirmary before most recently joining the medical records team at Harrow Street. He was a really valued member of our team and his loss will be felt deeply by everyone who knew him.

“We will shortly be opening a Book of Condolence for our staff to share their memories and this will be presented to Adrian’s family in due course.

“We extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to everyone who loved Adrian, especially his family. We cannot begin to imagine the agony or the grief they are enduring and we will do everything we can to support them.

“Given the nature of the virus including the incubation period, it is not possible to say where he contracted the disease and any speculation would only intensify the grief of his family.

“Out of respect to Adrian’s family and our staff who worked alongside him, we would ask the media not approach them as they come to terms with the enormity of their loss.”

They’re always on hand to support the health and wellbeing of hospital staff, but nothing could have prepared Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s occupational health team for the arrival of COVID-19.

The 16-strong team is well versed in responding to crises and outbreaks, but the speed at which the pandemic was evolving and the resulting demands placed on the team were completely unprecedented.

Carole Hunter, Head of Occupational Heath for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The COVID-19 situation moved extremely quickly, and to be quite honest, the team has never seen anything like this.

“We initially started with the odd call from staff members and managers here and there, asking about how to report sickness or asking what to do if they had their own health concerns.

“This quickly escalated as the scale of the global pandemic became clear, and the situation became all the more real once we’d had our first COVID-19 positive patients at Castle Hill Hospital; the first patients to test positive in the country, in fact.

“Within the space of five weeks, the occupational health team took over 1,000 calls from hospital staff concerned about the implications of the virus for themselves, their patients, their family and their clinical practice. Such was the demand for advice and information, that with support from our infectious diseases team, we had to become COVID experts overnight. We had to keep on top of national guidance and advice that was coming out, be familiar with specific advice for employers and at-risk groups, and work with our own in-house experts in infectious diseases and tissue viability to develop our own guidance for staff as well.

“At the same time as responding to the incoming queries, there was a huge role for the team in ensuring our hospitals could be staffed appropriately to meet the potential demands of COVID-19. Initiatives to encourage retired NHS workers back into clinical practice, for example, had to be carried out at pace, and health checks for new starters which would ordinarily take three days to complete were being turned around within 24 hours.

“For those already employed by the trust, occupational health input has been a crucial part of the decision-making process when it comes to staff redeployment. Hundreds of clinical and non-clinical employees have relocated to work in other areas over the last couple of months, either to support areas of greater clinical need such as our COVID wards, or away from high risk areas if staff members are deemed to be at higher risk from the virus themselves. This too has been a huge undertaking for the team but crucial to our workforce planning, and to ensuring our hospitals could have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time.

“Because the situation is like nothing many of us have seen before, there will be a psychological toll on some staff. At the moment, many people are just getting on and responding to what’s asked of them, so the enormity of the situation or how they feel about what they’ve seen in recent weeks may affect them further down the line. Be it now or in the future, we are working closely with a team of psychologists, organisational development and the trust’s chaplaincy service to ensure staff have access to psychological support. Sometimes this can be just a chat and an opportunity to express their frustrations from the day at one of the regular drop-in sessions, but where any on-going or longer term support might be needed, it’s our role to ensure employees can continue to access that.

“We’ve also been ensuring staff can access advice and support in relation to skincare issues. As a result of more regular hand washing, more frequent use of hand sanitisers and for some staff, the need to wear more robust face masks and other PPE, some staff have experienced quite severe skin problems such as cracked and bleeding hands and sores on the face. Working with the tissue viability nurses, we’ve been able to develop and offer advice to staff to minimise these issues and provide creams and other products to try and ease any discomfort they may be experiencing. These are unfortunate side effects of practices which are necessary to protect people and save lives.

“As far as coronavirus is concerned, we’re by no means out of the woods yet, and the need to protect our staff from COVID-19 and to limit the spread of the virus will continue to form part of our plans and considerations across the organisation for many months to come.

“At this time of year, for example, the occupational health team would normally start planning the delivery of seasonal flu vaccinations for staff. Hull is one of the best performing NHS trusts in the country for flu jab uptake, with 83% of staff involved in delivering frontline care vaccinated last winter, but our approach will be forced to change because of COVID-19 this year. Gone are the usual large scale drop-in sessions, and instead we’ll be looking to train more vaccinators within individual teams and departments to deliver this essential protection this coming winter.

“The impact of coronavirus is being felt in all parts of our hospitals and by everyone in it, but certainly as far as my team is concerned, they’ve taken it all in their stride and I’m really proud of how they’ve stepped up to the challenge. All nine of our occupational health nurses have rolled up their sleeves and just got on with the job, while the admin team have been fantastic in communicating with staff and keeping everything running smoothly.

“We’ve had members of our own team affected by coronavirus, we’ve seen staff in desperate need of help, and we’ve met ourselves coming backwards at times, but everyone is in the same situation. The most we can do is to protect our staff and safeguard their health and well-being, and in doing so, we give our patients the best possible chance of beating coronavirus too.”

Video link might not be the way most mums-to-be would expect to be taking their antenatal classes, but the unusual method of birth education has now produced some of its first ‘Zoom babies’ in East Yorkshire.

Back in March, maternity staff from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were forced to reconsider how they cared for babies and mums-to-be in light of the emerging coronavirus pandemic.

Women attending antenatal screening are now asked to attend alone, some early antenatal check-ups are being conducted over the phone, and the HEY Baby birth education team has quickly taken advantage of online collaboration tools like Zoom to ensure classes can still continue.

“The main priorities for us throughout the coronavirus outbreak have been to keep people safe and keep people informed,” says Melanie Lee, specialist midwife for parent education within the trust’s HEY Baby team.

Specialist midwife, Melanie Lee

“Having a baby is no easy task at the best of times, and it comes with all sorts of worries, questions and concerns, from what to expect during the birth, how to breastfeed and everything in between. The arrival of coronavirus then just added another layer of difficulty on top, so we were keen to do all we could to provide that much-needed presence and reassurance for women and their families.

“One of the main ways we prepare parents-to-be for their new baby is through parenting and antenatal classes. Normally these are conducted face to face, where we’re able to chat with people and demonstrate techniques in person. Once restrictions were introduced and social distancing rules came into force, we had to look again at how we shared this vital information with expectant parents, and online video conferencing tools gave us the perfect solution.”

In the last two months, the HEY Baby team has organised more than 20 online antenatal and parenting classes covering topics from signs of labour and support for partners through to safer sleep for the baby and bathing and nappy changing.

“Online collaboration is something the NHS has used a lot more since physical restrictions came in, and it’s proving incredibly popular with the people who use our services,” Melanie continues.

“People don’t have to leave the house, there’s no need to worry about getting parked anywhere, and if they have other children, they can still comfortably keep an eye on them at home while following the classes. Some 174 people took part in our online classes during April alone, and the feedback really has been fantastic.”

One woman who is particularly thankful for the support is Georgia VanDerEnd. She and her partner, Luke, took part in antenatal classes by Zoom over the course of three weeks, and on 18^th May, Georgia gave birth to baby Rory James in the Fatima Allam Birth Centre.

Georgia says:

“The online Zoom antenatal classes were so helpful in a time of such uncertainty. As first time parents, it really helped me and my partner with the basics and it was great to meet other mums in the area. The ‘what to pack in your hospital bag’ part of the classes was especially helpful as there were a few things I hadn’t actually packed, and little did I know my beautiful baby boy would arrive only days later!”

Emma Sanders also took part in the online classes before she had her baby boy, Archie Lewis, at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre on May 14^th.

Emma says:

“The online antenatal classes made sure I didn’t miss out on vital information, as well as support, before the birth of my baby.

“I found seeing and speaking to other mums on Zoom very helpful, and knowing that others were also isolating meant that I wasn’t on my own.

“The Zoom classes were successful and I would highly recommend them to other mums-to-be.”

Kate and Joel Bibby had their baby girl, Esme Rose, on 17^th May after they too took part in the online course.

Kate says:

“The Zoom antenatal classes were really informative and a good way to interact and stay connected with other mums-to-be during lockdown.  I’ve also found the WhatsApp group following the class a good way to continue asking questions and sharing information.”

If you have a Hull or East Riding GP and would like to book antenatal classes, simply visit www.hey.nhs.uk/maternity/book-antenatal-classes/

Pictured above (L-R): New arrivals Rory, Esme and Archie.

Important: If you are pregnant, it is important that you still attend your antenatal appointments and continue to seek advice from your midwife or maternity team. More information can be found at: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/pregnancy-and-coronavirus/

Waiting for a hospital appointment? COVID-19 has had a major effect on our services and we’re trying to keep you in the picture as best we can.

Here’s some answers to some questions you may have.

My GP’s referred me for treatment but I’ve just received a letter telling me it’s been ‘paused’ – why?

To put it simply – coronavirus or COVID-19.

All hospitals, including Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, were instructed by NHS England to cancel outpatient appointments and routine surgery in March so they were not overwhelmed by the virus.

We reconfigured every part of our hospitals, freeing up beds, changing wards and redeploying clinicians, nurses, admin and support staff to help as COVID-19 became our focus. More recently, we’ve had to adapt those plans again as we’ll be dealing with the virus for most, if not all, of this year and perhaps even beyond.

Was it just surgery or outpatient appointments that were paused?

It was both. We were only able to keep performing life-saving, emergency surgery and cancer treatment.

What about me? I was on the waiting list before the COVID-19 outbreak

If you were on a waiting list before the COVID-19 outbreak, you will still be on our waiting list unless we have written to you to advise you differently.  However, unfortunately, you will be waiting longer to be seen and we are really sorry about that.  Our clinicians are regularly reviewing our waiting lists and prioritising patients to be treated.  Since the lockdown, GPs have continued to refer patients to us and they are also on our waiting list.

How many patients are affected?

We’re very sorry to tell you the numbers are huge. COVID-19’s impact on the UK will last for years and affect millions waiting for hospital treatment all over the country.

These figures will help you understand why.

In 2018/19, we had 1,047,501 contacts with patients as outpatients, inpatients and follow-ups after procedures and treatment. Losing even a single day, let alone two months, can have a big impact. And that’s just at our NHS trust. There are another 222 just like us in the country, running more than 1,000 hospitals.

We have sent 12,296 letters to those waiting for their first outpatient appointment before the COVID-19 outbreak. There were another 10,612 waiting for a date for either day surgery or surgery involving a hospital stay and we’ve contacted them too.

We expect to see around 60,000 people for outpatient appointments every month but, in April, we saw just over half that number, 2,400 day cases compared to our normal 6,000 and 305 inpatients compared to 1,300.

In June, we’re expecting to see 32,000 outpatients, almost half of the number we saw in the same month last year, 3,100 day cases compared to 6,000 last year and 400 inpatients, less than a third of the number we saw in June 2019. Working at half our capacity means waiting lists in almost every area are increasing every month.

What are you doing to sort this?

Everything we can. But it’s not easy. We can’t just pick up where we left off because COVID-19 has changed everything.

If it’s suitable, we’re introducing video and telephone consultations. But you’ll appreciate that, in a hospital setting, that isn’t always suitable.

With so much of our hospitals taken up with COVID-19, we’re also working with the independent hospital sector to send some of our patients there for appointments and procedures. So, your appointment letter may ask you to attend the Spire Hospital in Anlaby.

When it’s not, we’re trying to bring back services but we have to take account of supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), staff availability and bed space.

Why is COVID-19 having such a massive impact when Hull escaped the worst of the pandemic?

It’s right to say that, so far, our hospitals haven’t seen the surge in admissions experienced by hospitals in larger cities like London or Birmingham. That might still happen and we check  admissions closely so we’re ready to respond to any change.

But the pandemic isn’t over, not by a long way. We’re still looking after around 100 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 every day and that’s been the case for two months. We’ve had 150 deaths and we’ve discharged more than 300 patients.

All patients admitted to hospital as urgent or emergency cases who are expected to stay with us for more than one night are being tested as well as those coming for screening ahead of surgery requiring a hospital admission.

We’re also swabbing those attending hospitals for procedures such as endoscopies and we’re testing every patient before they are discharged to a care home or their own home with a package of support.

So, that’s a huge amount of additional work on top of our everyday activities.

Surely it’s easy just to restart everything?

Let’s remind ourselves about the virus. COVID-19 is highly infectious and is spread by droplets caused by coughing, sneezing, talking and – here’s the important part – anything releasing those  droplets in the air. These are called aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and we do lots in hospital – everything surgery to CPR.

Remember, these droplets can linger on surfaces for up to three days.

In a hospital setting, just as you do at home, we have to take precautions to keep our patients and staff safe. Our theatre teams, for example, have to wear special PPE. They need to change and the air in theatres has to “settle” between patients. It’s time-consuming. Say in a normal day we’d see 15 patients, we can only see half of those now. That means fewer operations each day so more patients waiting for treatment.

We have to make sure we’ve got enough PPE to keep our staff and patients safe. The supply issues caused by the global demand are well-known. We will not reintroduce a service unless we have the PPE to keep our teams and our patients as safe as possible.

Some of our wards are treating COVID-19 so we’ve got fewer beds. That means we can’t call you in for your procedure or surgery if we’ve got no bed for you to begin your recovery.

We’ve also got a significant proportion of our staff self-isolating or off with COVID-19. This includes pregnant staff and those with their own underlying health conditions. Fewer staff means we can’t look after as many patients as before or hold as many clinics.

I understand all this. But how long will I have to wait?

It’s really hard to say. Our clinicians are going through our waiting lists very carefully and patients will be seen depending on the state of their health. In reality, that means those with the greatest need will be seen first. The lists will be reviewed regularly as we know some people’s conditions will deteriorate so whereas they might not have been a priority to start, that could change as the weeks and months go by.

I’ve been asked to shield and stay at home because I’m high risk. But I’ve been asked to come to hospital for an appointment. What should I do?

We are aiming to hold appointments by telephone or video-conferencing where possible to help with social distancing and so people don’t need to travel to hospital. However, some patients will need to have face-to-face appointments to give blood, for example, or so we can assess clinical issues. If you need to come here, we’ll try to make sure you’re seen in a part of the hospital where there are no known COVID-19 cases. If that’s not possible, we’ll attempt to give you an appointment either at the start or the end of a clinic to minimise your contact with other people. Be assured that our staff will be wearing the appropriate PPE to keep you as safe as possible. Remember, if you’re got any concerns about coming to hospital, you can call the number on your appointment letter.

What if I become unwell or my condition deteriorates?

If you feel that you are seriously unwell, please call 111 or, in an emergency, call 999. If you think your condition is deteriorating or you’re experiencing increasing pain, contact your GP who can request advice from one of our clinicians if necessary.

When will I hear from the service again?

From the outset, we want to say how sorry we are to everyone who is having to wait far too long for treatment. We know this is far from ideal. We know it’s frustrating for so many. Our staff come to work in the NHS to help people, not to keep them waiting, often in pain and discomfort. But we are coping with a situation beyond our control but in the best way we can.

We’re trying to keep everyone informed and we really appreciate your patience and understanding.

With so many people to help, it’s a massive task in itself just to get in touch with everyone.

We’ll be keeping people informed of important changes and general updates through our Facebook and Twitter pages and our website and we’ll be asking the media to help us relay important changes as we go along.

When it’s time for you to come for your appointment or procedure, we’ll get in touch with you. If you’ve got specific queries, you can contact our Appointments Centre on (01482) 604444 Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 12 noon.  Please remember they’re really busy so only get in touch if you have no alternative.

Hull’s Accident and Emergency Department will feature in a Channel 5 documentary set to air next week.

Staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust welcomed a team from Crackit Productions into the department last autumn to film for the new six part documentary series.

Recorded over the course of seven weeks, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, A&E: After Dark follows the doctors and nurses working the night shift at Hull Royal Infirmary. From drug and alcohol-related admissions to everyday accidents, the series shows viewers what frontline staff have to deal with on a night shift; issues which are not unique to Hull but common across all emergency departments throughout the country.

The first episode will be shown on Channel 5 at 9pm on Monday 1^st June, with the remaining five episodes to be shown weekly thereafter.

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

“We know our emergency care staff do an amazing job, so taking part in A&E: After Dark has given us the opportunity to show just what a caring and resilient team we have here in Hull and how they are trained and skilled to respond to anything and everything that comes through the door.

“In filming the documentary, we were also looking to give people a better understanding of what goes on behind closed doors, and why sometimes A&E waits can extend for several hours. Major trauma cases, medical emergencies and patients who are behaving aggressively can take up a large amount of resources; we felt it was important for people to see and understand this, and hopefully help us reduce the toll this takes on our staff and other patients.

“A&E: After Dark provides an insight into the personal and emotional impact the work can have on staff, gives a flavour of the difficult decisions they have to make, and shows how our staff work with partners such as the police, ambulance crews, mental health teams and our security staff to keep people safe.

“Watching the team at work makes me immensely proud of our emergency care staff, and shows just how fortunate we are here in Hull to have such a skilled and specialist team. Hopefully seeing the team in action will encourage people to support them by choosing health services more appropriately and, in a small number of cases, to behave towards our staff in a more courteous and appropriate way.”

Working the A&E night shift presents a set of challenges not generally encountered during the daytime. Alcohol and drug related admissions increase, as do admissions of vulnerable people such as the elderly and those with mental health issues, while falls and road traffic accidents also become more common.

A&E: After Dark follows previous hospital-based commissions from Crackit Productions including three series of Casualty 24/7; a series for Channel 5 following the day-to-day running of an A&E unit in Barnsley Hospital; and two series of BBC One’s Secret Life of the Hospital Bed, an access series to eight NHS hospitals.

Elaine Hackett, CEO at Crackit said:

“Filmed before the Covid-19 crisis, this series looks at the many incidents NHS night staff, not just in Hull, but throughout the country, have to deal with on a daily basis. From traffic accidents to drunken disasters, fights and drug-related admissions, this is a gritty, moving documentary that will show viewers the pressures NHS staff are constantly under.

“The prism of a night shift within A&E delivers a completely different working dynamic. We worked closely with the dedicated staff and Hull residents, and we also witnessed the night shift in full swing, where, as happens in far too many UK hospitals, incidents triggered by drugs, drink and criminal behaviour regularly caused disruption to an already overstretched A&E department. We hope our filming will bring the challenges facing the NHS to light and create conversation and debate about the incredible work of the NHS and its staff.”

Dr Biju Cherian, consultant in emergency medicine (pictured far right), is one of the many ED staff members to feature within the documentary series. He said:

“It’s true that our team has to deal with some difficult circumstances at times, but we know that our city and our patients are no different to anywhere else, and our staff generally have similar experiences to staff working in A&E departments in other parts of the country.

“Being filmed at work did feel a little strange at first, but staff quickly got used to the team being in the department and, in fact, many colleagues were keen for Crackit to show what life is really like for us on a typical night shift.

“Your shift in an emergency department can be unpredictable, but this is often what makes it so interesting, and every patient has their own story to tell. They might be new parents, recently bereaved, had too much to drink, be experiencing mental health distress, or been involved in a major road traffic collision – but to our team, everyone deserves and receives the highest level of care.”

A hospital doctor is warning that Hull could be at risk of a much more serious second peak of coronavirus cases compared to other parts of the country.

Dr Patrick Lillie, consultant in infectious diseases for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is urging people not to become complacent as the number of COVID-19 related deaths being recorded nationally starts to decline.

“Hull has been fortunate to an extent in that our coronavirus peak, which we experienced a few weeks ago, was not as high as we had originally planned for,” he says.

“Perhaps due to its relative geographical isolation, the Hull and East Yorkshire region has certainly experienced far fewer cases than the likes of other cities such as Liverpool, Sheffield and London.

“While this is good news initially, and while the numbers of people in our hospitals being treated for COVID are now reducing, we are by no means out of the woods yet.

“Because fewer people in the region were affected during this first peak, it means that we have more people who have not been exposed to the virus at all yet. Should there be a second peak, for example if there’s an outbreak in a large care home or people begin to flout social distancing rules, Hull could quite feasibly experience a second peak which is more severe than the first.”

Geographical isolation is no protection from coronavirus as, back in January, it was staff at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham who received the very first patients in the country to test positive before they were transferred to a specialist treatment centre in Newcastle.

Now, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust continues to treat around one hundred patients with either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 every day, and is routinely testing every patient admitted into Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital as a precautionary measure.

Dr Lillie continues:

“Locally, we are continuing to monitor hospital admissions, COVID-related deaths and the number of patients requiring intensive care, and we do have plans in place to care for COVID positive patients for months to come yet.

“Overall, the data shows we are currently heading in the right direction, but it’s important that this isn’t seen as permission to relax or drop your guard. The reduction will, in part, be due to improved management and treatment of COVID positive patients, but it will also be because some patients are still dying with the virus. The situation is very finely balanced at the moment and it wouldn’t take a lot to see demand for hospital care rise again.

“Hundreds of people are still dying across the country with coronavirus and because any second peak could potentially be more serious in East Yorkshire, it’s important that we all still stay alert and do as much as we can to prevent this from happening.

“Social distancing has certainly helped limit the spread of the virus in recent weeks, so local people can continue to help our hospitals and our amazing NHS staff by staying alert, staying at home as far as possible, and continuing to observe social distancing rules.”

They had never worked together before or even used some of the equipment.

But nurses, midwives and health care assistants came from all over Hull Royal Infirmary to work alongside administrative and ward support staff to look after people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

Some of the staff on Ward 36

Ward 36, formerly the Elderly Assessment Unit, was appointed one of the COVID-19 wards by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in March, specifically for patients requiring respiratory support.

Now, the last patient has been discharged and staff have moved to work on ward 1 while work gets under way to create a specialist hospital block for patients with COVID-19.

Senior Sister Nikki Atkinson was a sister in the Medical Day Unit when she was asked to take over as ward sister.

She said: “The Ward 36 team had never worked together before.  I came from my role as sister in the Medical Day Unit (MDU) and had never been a ward sister before.

“The other staff nurses and staff were Respiratory Specialist Nurses or worked in Endoscopy, Day Surgery, the Medical and Surgical Wards, the Site Team and Outpatient Departments throughout the trust.

“We also had a “return to practice” nurse who came back to help us through the early days of COVID-19 and two midwives.”

Respiratory Consultant Dr Shoaib Faruqi

Nikki said only a few of the staff had knowledge of respiratory conditions and had to be trained by the Respiratory Specialist Nurses to care for patients with the virus who were experiencing breathing difficulties, using non-invasive ventilation and drugs to ease their discomfort.

She said: “To set up a Respiratory Support Unit and ward for COVID-19 has been exceptionally hard but exciting in a weird sort of way.

“Only a small number of the staff had respiratory knowledge before this, never mind using the non-invasive ventilation (NIV) equipment before. But the team of Respiratory Specialist Nurses pulled together and educated the rest of the staff.

“Everybody has worked extremely hard and gained the specialist knowledge to care for the patients that we looked after on Ward 36.”

The ward has been closed temporarily to allow the completion of work on the new block for COVID-19 patients. Most of the staff have transferred to Ward 1 in the meantime, supporting the team there to  look after continuing admissions of people with the virus.

Nikki said: “I  am so proud of every single member of staff that I have had the pleasure to work alongside during this time.

“As a team, we have overcome the anxiety of not knowing what was to come and adapted every day to what was being asked of us.

“I would like to thank all the staff of Ward 36 for all support that they have given me throughout this time and the faith they showed in my leadership and direction.

“They have also coped marvellously with another move to ward 1 while we prepare for the next phase, working once more with another team again and managing yet more change and different pressures.

“All I can say they are such a wonderful set of nurses that I have had privilege to work with and I will never forget this experience.”

Ward 36 staff Kayleigh Brindle and Charlotte Riches

Beverley Geary, Chief Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH), said: “It is never easy when you’re asked to move to a new area, with people you’ve never before.

“COVID-19 has brought challenges to the NHS no one could have predicted and we’re so grateful to our staff who are stepping forward to help.

“We always said our trust was full of Remarkable People. Our response to the pandemic is proving exactly that.”

Hospital staff who came forward to help seriously ill people with COVID-19 have been praised after their ward was ‘stepped down’.

Nurses, health care assistants, doctors, admin staff, hygienists, caterers and therapists were called upon to help patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19.

During March and April, staff on Ward 16 at Castle Hill Hospital, which normally looks after patients requiring plastic surgery or treatment for breast or ENT problems, treated scores of people with the virus, including some who lost their lives.

As the weeks progressed, the ward’s 30-strong team were supported by staff from ENT Outpatients, the Breast Care Unit, Plastics Outpatients, Ophthalmology Outpatients, Ward 35, Hepatitis Clinical Nurse Specialists and Theatres.

In a message to her team, Senior Sister Melanie Jopling said: “A huge thank you to everyone that worked on Ward 16 during March and April.

“We worked together as an amazing team and we would not have achieved what we did without every one of you.

“You all gave 100 per cent and worked extremely hard during what was a very challenging time and you supported each other every step of the way. We have had positive feedback which is a credit to you all.

“Thank you again. Keep up the amazing work.”

Chief Nurse Beverley Geary: “Staff have undertaken a very difficult role these past few weeks as they dealt with a situation none of us have ever faced before.

“Many were moved to new roles and all gave the best possible care to the seriously ill and dying. They deserve our thanks and the thanks of people in Hull and the East Riding.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is celebrating today after the number of patients successfully treated for coronavirus and discharged from hospital has topped 300.

One of those to take on the disease and win is the amazing Liudmila Silogadze. Liudmila spent four weeks in the care of staff on Ward 36, one of the trust’s dedicated COVID wards at Hull Royal Infirmary, before leaving hospital earlier this month.

Liudmila, from Hull, was isolated from her family and really quite poorly for some time. She remained optimistic throughout her time on the ward, however, and this positive attitude coupled with the great care provided by staff have now put her back on the road to recovery.

Liudmila is one of 304 patients to be discharged from Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital after recovering from COVID-19, a figure which includes 30 patients who needed the highest level of treatment within one of the trust’s intensive care units.

Liudmila’s strength of character made her departure from Ward 36 all the more emotional as staff gathered to say goodbye, cheer her off the ward, and celebrate her return home:

Lucy Atkinson, senior nurse on Ward 36 during Liudmila’s time in hospital said:

“She had her ups and downs while on Ward 36, but Liudmila is a fighter!

“We were all in tears saying goodbye to her, we are all so proud of her for being strong and remaining positive at what must have been a very scary time for her.”

Liudmila’s daughter Natasha is full of praise for the hospital staff, and says her mum is continuing to get better day by day.