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.

Hospital staff in East Yorkshire are celebrating the successful discharge of more than 300 patients treated for coronavirus.

The figures come just two weeks after Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI) and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, announced the 200^th COVID-19 patient had recovered and gone home.

Members of the public reacted enthusiastically to the earlier figure, with one follower of the Castle Hill facebook page describing it as “wonderful news” and a HRI facebook follower saying “it really is so nice to hear something so positive after weeks of awful news… well done to all the staff on the front line, you’re doing an amazing job.”

Now a further 100 people who have been cared for at the two hospitals, including 30 patients who had received the highest level of treatment in intensive care, have been deemed well enough to leave hospital, taking the total discharged to 304.

Chief executive, Chris Long

Chris Long, chief executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“In the current climate, it’s the positive news that keeps many of us going. Three hundred patients successfully treated for coronavirus and now discharged home from our hospitals is another fantastic milestone. It gives us all hope, it shows that an increasing number of people are beating the virus, and it’s testament to the great care being provided by our staff.”

While the figures do paint an encouraging picture, Chris is urging the public not to become complacent.

“It’s great to see so many people recovering, but we must still remember that 130 people have died in our local hospitals with coronavirus too. COVID-19 is not to be underestimated.

“The best way to help our staff and to protect our local communities is still to stay home if you can and prevent the spread of the virus.  Social distancing really does seem to be having an impact, so we’d really urge people to continue their efforts in this respect.”

Hull’s hospitals are preparing for months of admissions of patients with COVID-19 following the first wave of cases.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) believes Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital experienced a peak of the virus on April 21, with 110 confirmed patients. Demand for critical care beds peaked on May 2 with 20 patients.

Jacqueline Myers, Director of Strategy and Planning at HUTH, said: “It is now clear that rather than experiencing a short but intense peak of COVID-19 hospital admissions, we can expect a prolonged period of relatively small levels of activity.”

In response, the trust is reconfiguring its hospital beds again to provide a smaller, dedicated facility for patients with COVID-19. Some wards identified as COVID-19 wards will now be returned to their original purpose for people with other illnesses and injuries not related to the virus.

A new receiving area for those suspected of having COVID-19 and beds for people confirmed to have the infection will be part of a new ward block at the back of Hull Royal Infirmary for up to 64 patients.

The new facility is expected to be completed by mid-June. In addition, a dedicated COVID-19 critical care facility for up to 14 patients with the most severe forms of the illness will be opened.

Every patient admitted to Hull Royal infirmary or Castle Hill Hospital is tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or not, and a revised plan will be brought into action if there is any surge in COVID-19 illness over the coming months.

New ways of working have already been introduced during the pandemic to deliver care while keeping face-to-face contact and travel to a minimum for patients.  Teams are currently evaluating those changes to keep the ones providing the biggest benefits to staff and patients.

The trust, part of the Humber, Coast and Vale Integrated Care System (ICS), is also  working with other health and care organisations across the region to cope with pandemic in the months ahead.

Ms Myers said the uncertainty associated with any pandemic made planning “extremely difficult” as the situation could change day by day.

She said: “We are used to planning with a level of uncertainty in the health service but we have never dealt with the level of uncertainly we are dealing with currently.

“However, we are working closely with our clinical teams to ensure we create the best possible arrangements to care for both COVID-19 and other patients who need our services over the coming months.”

Hospital bosses has managed to see almost half of its patients awaiting outpatient appointments despite the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had to cancel services including non-urgent appointments and routine operations in line with hospitals around the country in response to COVID-19.

At a meeting of the trust board today, board members heard around 50 per cent of outpatient appointments have still gone ahead, with almost two-thirds of follow-up appointments taking place. All urgent cancer treatment has still gone ahead.

However, there are now 85 patients waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment, with 83 of those reported in March alone when the cancellations were introduced.

The ‘thank you NHS’ message at the entrance to Argyle Street car park

Chief Operating Officer Teresa Cope told the board: “The impact of COVID-19 has been significant.

“On March 11, the trust moved into Incident Command status to respond to the Covid-19 Pandemic. This required the trust, in accordance with national guidance, to take a number of actions to prepare for receiving high volumes of patients with suspected and confirmed coronavirus.

“This included ceasing all routine out-patient, diagnostic and elective activity. In addition, other restrictions were placed on other activity and diagnostics tests which are Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs).”

Only 80 per cent of patients could be scanned or scoped within the target of six weeks during March and national guidance, which required endoscopy and CT colonoscopy work to cease for all patients except emergencies, will continue to mean increased numbers of patients waiting for diagnostics tests.

Fewer people have been referred to hospital for urgent tests and appointments by their GPs since the ‘lock down’ measures were introduced by the Government on March 23.

However, there were positives.

In February, the two-week target for people undergoing tests for cancer was achieved and 92 per cent of women referred for breast cancer investigations were seen within a fortnight against a 93 per cent target.

ED performance was 89 per cent last month, just short of the target of seeing 95 per cent of patients within four hours, mainly due to the decrease in the number of people coming to the department.

No patient had to wait on a trolley for 12 hours or longer for the whole of 2019/20.

Mrs Cope praised the “exceptional work” undertaken by staff in health groups who are introducing innovative measures such as video and telephone clinics to ensure patients can still be seen as safely as possible.

Nurses Day celebrations take place every year on 12^th May, but in 2020, there’s even more reason than usual to celebrate the contribution nurses make in our society.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s nursing staff have been central to the hospitals’ COVID-19 response in recent weeks, working round-the-clock in areas such as intensive care, emergency care and infection control to provide the best care possible for patients.

But nursing staff can be found in all areas of Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary, as well as community clinics too. The Trust employs research nurses, children’s nurses, and nurse specialists who are experts in a particular illness or condition such as diabetes, stroke or heart failure. Then there are respiratory nurses, nurses who manage organ donation, and advanced nurse practitioners, who undergo extra training to work at a higher clinical level.

In total, the Trust employs more than 2,600 registered nurses and almost 1,200 healthcare assistants, without whom the organisation would be lost.

Beverley Geary, Chief Nurse for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Nurses Day is always a great opportunity for us to pause, reflect and really appreciate the contribution our nurses make to our organisation.

“With the arrival of the COVID-19, it’s no longer just ourselves who are truly seeing the value of our nursing staff. We’ve received so many donations and offers of support in recent weeks for them, and now with the weekly Clap for Carers, our communities are also showing a renewed understanding and appreciation for all that they do.

“It can be physically and emotionally challenging at times, but a career in nursing is so rewarding and provides so many different opportunities to progress and to specialise.

“I’m proud to be a nurse and would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our nursing staff for their care, compassion and dedication, not just now, but every single day of the year.”

The bespoke design for Hull nurses by Helena Mackevych

One of the kind gestures shown to the trust has come from Sheffield-based Helena Mackevych. Illustrator Helena has designed and donated a stunning piece of artwork which thanks all nurses and midwives at the Trust. Two prints of Helena’s work will be framed and displayed around the hospitals.

Helena says:

“I wanted to create this because I’m so grateful to everyone in the NHS for everything they do all the time, and even more so at the moment. They are taking such risks to take care of us all; such amazing and courageous people.”

Beverley adds:

“Helena’s design is just stunning, and will serve not only as a lasting reminder of the current situation, but as an ongoing thank you and show of appreciation for the work of our nurses and midwives.

“We’d really like to thank Helena for donating her time and her effort, the illustration really is beautiful.”

Some operations and outpatient clinics at Hull Royal infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital will resume next month as hospital bosses prepare for the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) will reintroduce some non-urgent surgical procedures, investigations requested by GPs and outpatient clinics as part of its plans for the second phase of the outbreak.

Patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 will be cared for in three designated wards at Hull Royal Infirmary to allow other wards to restart normal activities.

Retrained clinicians will continue to cover long-term absences, such as staff with underlying health conditions who are required to shield until at least the end of June.

Chief Operating Officer Teresa Cope, who is leading HUTH’s response to COVID-19, said: “We apologise to every patient whose treatment has been on hold while we deal with the pandemic and we thank them sincerely for their understanding.

“We won’t sugar-coat the situation or pretend this is not serious. We know many of our patients have waited – and will continue to wait – far too long. We are so sorry about that.

“But we are doing everything we can to restart services as soon as possible while ensuring we are not overwhelmed by the pandemic.”

Although urgent and emergency surgery, as well as cancer treatment, continued, outpatient appointments and non-urgent operations were cancelled by hospitals all over the country in March to protect the NHS and create enough intensive care capacity for those with the most severe form of the virus.

Almost 90 patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are still receiving treatment at the hospital and 119 have died since March 19. Around 280 people have been well enough to go home.

As part of HUTH’s second phase planning, COVID-19 bed numbers have been scaled back from more than 200 to 170. The long-term plan to have all patients with suspected or confirmed cases of the virus at Hull Royal Infirmary unless their clinical teams decide they should be elsewhere.

Some non-urgent surgical procedures and treatment will be reintroduced over the coming weeks and telephone and video clinics will continue wherever possible to prevent people making unnecessary trips to hospitals. People considered a higher clinical priority will be called in and tested for COVID-19 before their procedure goes ahead in line with the trust’s policy to test all patients on admission or before surgery.

In line with national guidance, visitors will only be allowed onto wards in exceptional circumstances, such as to be with a loved one at the end of their lives, to protect staff and patients from the infection.

Services will only be introduced when there is enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep staff and patients safe from the risk of infection.

Teresa Cope said  “We coped really well with the surge in admissions, which wasn’t as severe as the national modelling originally predicted because people listened to the advice and stayed at home.

“This is far from over. We still have around 90 patients with COVID-19 on our wards, with new admissions every day, and we expect it to remain like this for most, if not all, of this year.

“People are aware of the global demand for PPE. The safety of our staff and patients remain a priority for us and we will only reintroduce services when we are confident of keeping everyone safe.”

Over the coming weeks, people waiting for treatment will be notified by the trust’s administrative team if their appointments have been rescheduled. Please do not contact the trust directly to find out if your treatment is to be rescheduled as this will only add to the pressure on the organisation.

Hospital managers in Hull are inviting the public to join them in their first ever online meeting.

The Board of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will be trialing the use of video and telephone conferencing facilities for its May Trust Board meeting next week.

Carla Ramsay, director of corporate affairs

Carla Ramsay, Director of Corporate Affairs for the Trust, says:

“In light of the current coronavirus pandemic, levels of interest in hospital activity and how we’re responding to the situation are understandably high.

“We normally hold our Board meetings in person, however it’s essential for us to uphold social distancing rules and ensure members of the public do not attend our hospital sites or put themselves at risk unnecessarily.

“To this end, we have decided to use video and telephone conferencing facilities for the first time to enable members of the public to attend the meeting in a safe and convenient way.”

Guests will be able to watch the Board discussion on topics such as staffing, performance, and of course, pandemic preparations. And as would normally be the case, members of the public will also be able to put questions forward for a response at the end of the session.

Carla adds:

“The use of video conferencing within the trust has rocketed since the lockdown began, but we’re finding it a particularly good way of keeping in contact and, in this case, still ensuring openness and transparency at a time when people can’t physically join us.

“If the trial proves successful and uptake is good, this is something we would certainly look to continue at our Board meetings to enable more staff and members of the public to attend in the future.”

The May Trust Board Meeting will take place between 10 and 11:30am on Tuesday 12^th May. The agenda can be found on the trust website: www.hey.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-board-meetings/

If you would like to attend, please email rebecca.thompson71@nhs.net to request the joining details. Questions for the Board can also be submitted in advance using the same email address*.

Note

* Questions will not be answered directly on an individual basis, instead discussion will take place and responses to each question will be summarised in the minutes of the meeting.