When Lindsay Smith followed her mum Janet’s footsteps into the health service, she was just 16.

Now, as mums across Hull and East Yorkshire celebrate Mother’s Day today, our special mother and daughter are marking 62 years of service to patients in Hull.

Lindsay, who will celebrate 30 years with the NHS in September, said: “I’m so proud of my mum and everything she’s achieved. I never imagined that, between us, we’d have all these years of service to the NHS but it’s something we’re really proud of.”

Janet, who is 74 and is retiring after 32 years, said: “It’s been lovely to work with Lindsay and she’s got on great in the NHS.

“It’s working with patients that make the job for me. That and working in a friendly environment where everyone says hello.”

Janet worked as a hairdresser but decided to apply for the job as a cardiographer, helping to diagnose people with heart problems, at Hull Royal Infirmary after spotting a newspaper advert in 1988.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I got the call to say I had the job.”

Janet is now a senior cardiographer, still based at Hull Royal Infirmary. Although she had cut her hours down to two days a week, she is looking forward to spending time with husband Dale and their six grandchildren when social isolation is over.

“I suppose I could have gone on forever but it was the traffic that got to me in the end,” she said. “I was driving home, stuck in horrendous traffic at tea-time, and I just thought I didn’t need it anymore.”

Lindsay decided to follow her mum into the NHS after leaving school at 16. She joined the trust as a student medical technical officer in neurophysiology, working for the service which investigates the function of the nervous system to diagnose and monitor neurological disorders.

She is now Principle Clinical Physiologist in neurophysiology, part of the team based at Gladstone Street.

Now with her own two children Cameron, 14, and Georgia, 11, Lindsay says her mother’s friendship and experience has been crucial in developing her own career.

“Obviously, I’m not living at home now but it’s still funny when I see my mum in the lift at work or when we’re on the same ward seeing a patient,” she said.

“I’ve asked her about patients and she’s sent referrals to me. We’ve got very similar personalities and we’ve always been really good at communicating with each other.”

When Janet, who lives in Hedon, and Lindsay, who lives in Burton Pidsea, see each other outside work, they try not to “talk shop”.

“We do try but it doesn’t always work,” said Lindsay. “It’s good to talk to someone else who understands and we can help each other.”

Chris Long, Chief Executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Sadly, we can confirm that a man who was being cared for at Castle Hill Hospital and had tested positive for COVID-19 has died.

“The man, who was in his 60s, had underlying health conditions.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family at this difficult and distressing time.

“We ask that the media respect the wishes of the family for privacy as they cope with the loss of their loved one.”

Non-urgent outpatient appointments and routine surgery at Hull’s hospitals will be postponed from today to allow staff to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is cancelling some elective procedures and outpatient appointments following a national announcement by NHS England to free up 12,000 to 15,000 hospital beds around the country.

However, emergency operations and admissions, cancer treatment and clinically urgent work will still go ahead.

Cancelling non-urgent operations and outpatient appointments from today will free up staff to undertake training, beds, theatres and recovery facilities ahead of the predicted COVID-19 peak in a few weeks.

Jacqueline Myers, the trust’s Director of Strategy and Planning, said: “As the Chief Medical Officer has stated, NHS services are likely to come under intense pressure as the coronavirus spreads. We need to ensure that we have as many beds available as possible to care for patients with severe respiratory problems when the number of infections peaks.

“Therefore, in line with well-established plans for situations like this, every hospital in England has now been asked to suspend all non-urgent elective operations for at least three months, with some other procedures likely to be rescheduled so we can train our staff and adapt certain areas.

“Urgent and emergency cases and cancer treatments will be carrying on as normal, but we know many people waiting for treatment will be disappointed or worried and we will be contacting everyone affected as soon as possible.”

The trust’s patient admin team are working as fast as possible to alert patients who have appointments over the next few days and weeks and are appealing to the public not to call the hospital about their appointments.

If your appointment is within the next seven days and is to be cancelled or changed to a telephone consultation, you will receive a telephone call from the Patient Admin team and a follow-up letter.

If your appointment is more than seven days from now, you will receive a letter if your appointment is to be cancelled or changed to a telephone consultation.

Some patients will still be required to attend to continue treatment so, if you do not receive a letter or a phone call, please turn up for your appointment as normal.

A midwife at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital has collected thousands of empty crisp packets from staff and patients to help children who have lost a parent.

Kim Preece started collecting crisp packets after a neighbour set up Bereaved Children Support in York.

Now, Kim, a midwife on Maple Ward, has collected thousands to be sent to a well-known crisp manufacturer for recycling, saving them from landfill, while raising money for the charity.

She said: “My neighbour had asked if we would help to support the children for children who have lost one of their parents. She has lost her husband and although there was plenty of support for her, she found there wasn’t very much for her two young children.

“She got in touch with other parents and they set up the charity. The manufacturer said they would do what they could to support them and we came up with the idea of collecting crisp packets for recycling.”

The money raised by the charity is used to pay for counselling or arts and crafts at monthly meetings to help the children express themselves.

In December, the charity raised £237, which funded 15 hours of counselling or an entire year of arts and crafts materials.

Kim, who has been a midwife for 17 years after originally training as a nurse, said: “I told the staff on Maple and Rowan Wards that I was collecting crisp packets and why and they all agreed to help me.

“I’ve collected thousands and I would just like to thank everyone who has supported me and the charity.”

Lead Midwife Lorraine Cooper sprang into action during a visit by England’s most senior midwife when a woman gave birth outside Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Lorraine was sitting in her car waiting to drive Chief Midwifery Officer Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent to Paragon Interchange when she spotted the woman about to give birth in the car park.

A midwife for 25 years and now Lead Midwife at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Lorraine rushed over to help the mother as her baby was born.

Lead Midwife Lorraine Cooper

Lorraine said: “I was waiting outside the hospital and saw a car drive up really quickly behind me and a man rush inside.“I suspected someone might be needing help so I went over to the car. I didn’t have my uniform on so I introduced myself as a midwife and offered to help the woman. I could see the baby was well on the way.”

Lorraine helped the mother stay calm and her baby girl arrived minutes later. She then took Professor Dunkley-Bent to the train station to catch a train home to London.

“It’s the second time I’ve helped a woman deliver her baby in a car and I’m just glad I was there to help,” said Lorraine. “I was just in the right place at the right time.

“I went to check on them when I came back from the train station and both mother and baby were fine.”

Professor Dunkley-Bent presented awards to the team during her visit

Professor Dunkley-Bent  was appointed Chief Midwifery Officer last year and has been touring the country’s maternity hospitals.

She was visiting Hull on Friday to see staff and services at Women and Children’s Hospital and the new Allam Medical Building at the University of Hull.

During her visit to the maternity hospital, she was shown the Fatima Allam Birth Centre, met staff on the labour and post-natal wards and was introduced to staff helping women in need of additional support through the antenatal work.

Professor Dunkley-Bent  learned about the Continuity of Carer teams at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, helping to ensure women see the same midwife throughout their pregnancy and when their baby is born.

She presented the trust’s Head of Midwifery Janet Cairns with a gold Chief Midwifery Officer’s award and also the trust’s Ivy, Primrose and Willow Continuity of Carer teams with silver awards.

Staff at Hull’s birth centre are celebrating a record-breaking start to the year after the 100^th baby was born there in just six weeks.

Hessle couple Lorna Easton, 23, and Steven Clarke, 25, opted to have baby daughter Polly at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Baby Polly arrived in the world under water on Monday, weighing 7lb 3oz, with midwife Eloise Taylor on hand.

Today, hairdresser Lorna said: “We’d heard great things about the birth centre from our friends so we were really keen to have our baby in such a relaxed environment.

“I thought a water birth would help me to relax and Eloise said it would be a great way to help.”

The birth centre – named after Fatima Allam, wife of Hull businessman and philanthropist Dr Assem Allam, in recognition of the support the Allam family has given to Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, opened in 2017.

In just three years, its birth rate has tripled as more women in Hull and the East Riding opt to have their babies at the midwifery-led unit.

Lorna Easton and baby Polly with midwife Eloise Taylor

Katie Headlam, who manages the unit, said: “To reach 100 babies in just six weeks is a phenomenal achievement and shows how popular the birth centre has become. We’re really grateful for the continuing support of the Allam family in being able to provide this wonderful service for families in Hull.

“Reaching 100 babies so quickly in 2020 shows that women feel more confident and understand they have choices about their birth, able to choose which option best suits their and their baby’s needs, and our highly skilled staff will support them.”

As well as offering women a more natural approach to child birth, the unit also has its own Continuity of Carer team of midwives – Willow – and the team supports the women through antenatal appointments, during the birth and after their babies are born.

Anyone interested in being supported by Willow or who wishes to find out more about the Fatima Allam Birth Centre should contact the Birth Centre directly on 01482 607860.

Couples preparing for the arrival of their new baby are to be given support from midwives at the next HEY Baby Carousel to cope with their child crying.

Midwives from Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will be on hand to help parents-to-be manage stress and develop coping mechanisms if their baby cries often.

People will be given the chance to watch a special DVD dedicated to helping new parents keep their baby safe as they cope with their new arrival into their lives.

Midwife Melanie Lee, who leads the Hey Baby team, said: “Looking after a baby isn’t easy, especially if the baby isn’t sleeping or feeding well or has colic.

“It’s important that parents are calm and relaxed and that their baby is always safe and this is a great way of equipping people with knowledge before their baby arrives.”

Hey Baby Carousel events are run by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the drop-in events, running from 6pm to 8pm on the last Wednesday of every month, have proved hugely popular.

Midwives and health teams trained in pregnancy support, birth, home safety and child care will be at the next Carousel at Hull Royal Infirmary’s Clinical Skills Building in Fountain Street, on Wednesday, February 26.

Women and their partners can be guided through their birth plans, making the best choice for them and their babies. They can also sign MAT B1 forms required for maternity payments for working women and to enable them to benefit from free prescriptions and dental care.

Midwives from the Fatima Allam Birth Centre also attend the event to outline the service available to women with uncomplicated pregnancies  and couples can also find out information about home or water births.

Staff from the Labour Ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will also be available to answer questions women may have about their birth options on the obstetric-led unit.

Mental health teams and voluntary group Andy’s Man Club will be on hand to speak to people who may be feeling overwhelmed by the thought of parenthood.

Thousands of homes are to be sent mail shots urging people to stay away from Hull Royal Infirmary’s A&E unless they have a genuine medical emergency.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will target thousands of homes as part of its Serious Stuff campaign to urge the public to use alternative services most appropriate to their needs.

“Patient streaming” was recently introduced by the trust’s Emergency Department (ED) to re-direct people to the most appropriate service if they come to Hull Royal with anything other than serious or life-threatening illnesses or injuries.

Mailshots listing NHS services such as Urgent Treatment Centre at Bransholme and the GP walk-in service at Wilberforce Health Centre will be sent to homes with HU3 to HU9 postcodes after an audit showed people living in those areas were more likely to head to ED with less serious or minor conditions.

Emergency Department Consultant Biju Cherian

Emergency Consultant Biju Cherian said: “We are appealing to the public to help us by only coming to the Emergency Department when they are seriously ill or injured.

“We know people often come here because they don’t know where else to go so these leaflets will give them the information they need before they leave home.

“This means they can save time by going to the correct place first time around instead of coming here, only to be re-directed elsewhere as part of our new steaming system.”

Every person attending Hull’s ED is now met by a senior nurse known as a “nurse navigator” within 15 minutes to determine the most appropriate place for them to be treated.

Anyone using ED for minor illnesses and injuries because they cannot get an appointment with their GP will be re-directed to an appropriate alternative service in the community. People will be given information on where to get mental health support or help with addictions while others will be asked to seek help from their own GPs if their conditions are not serious.

The new patient streaming service is part of the trust’s plan to improve urgent and emergency care as well as supporting the winter plan when hospital admissions increase because of seasonal illnesses such as flu and respiratory conditions or major trauma linked to accidents caused by bad weather.

An additional 22 bed ward opened at the end of October and 12 extra assessment beds have been introduced at Hull Royal Infirmary to help cope with the additional demand over winter.

Staff known as “progress checkers” will also be based in the Emergency Department to work with other hospital teams to gather results or book tests so patients can be discharged home or admitted onto a ward sooner.

Joy Dodson, Director of Integrated Commissioning at NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Winter is an extremely busy time for our emergency services. The new leaflet is a great way to ensure people know where to go for minor injuries or illnesses, keeping A&E free for those with serious life or limb threatening emergencies.

“However, if someone is still not sure what to do, or where to go, I would advise they ring NHS 111 where trained advisors will assess their symptoms and direct them to the right local service.”

Hospital security staff are assisting Humberside Police after staff’s vehicles were targeted by a thief while parked at the side of Hull Royal Infirmary.

Six cars had their catalytic converters either damaged or stolen while they were parked in the staff car park on Argyle Street, across the road from Hull Royal Infirmary.

Ron Gregory, Head of Security at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Our team is working with Humberside Police to find whoever is responsible for this.

“We know the cars were targeted on Tuesday between 8am and 4pm so we are checking relevant CCTV footage to see if we can assist police in any way.”

Security patrols have been stepped up around the hospital until the thief has been caught.