Two years after it opened Fatima Allam returned to the birthing centre which carries her name at the Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Accompanied by her two daughters Eman and Enais, Mrs Allam met some of the mothers and their children who were born on the unit, as well as unit sister Katie Headlam and other staff members. The family spent time in the birth centre, which has seen over 1000 births since it opened in April 2017, to understand how it has operated over the last two years.

Chief executive Chris Long with Fatima Allam

Mrs Allam said she was “delighted to be returning to the Fatima Allam Birth Centre to meet with the staff and celebrate a very successful two years.”

She said: “I am immensely proud of what we achieved here, creating such a relaxing and homely environment for women and ensuring they have a wide range of birthing choices in our city.

“It is particularly nice to see some of the mums and babies who were born in the centre and to listen to their experiences. I hope that we will continue to provide this valuable service for many years to come.”

Work began on the construction of the birth centre in November 2016 after a donation of £370,000 from Fatima Allam and her family. Hull University Hospitals NHS Trust contributed £100,000 to the total cost of the centre.

The centre provides facilities for women to give birth without the need for medical intervention, supported by midwives. The birth centre was created to meet the needs of women with “low-risk” pregnancies who wish to birth their babies naturally, supported by midwives.

Fatima Allam with newborn baby Edie-Lee

Although the unit is self-contained on the second floor of the main Women and Children’s Hospital, it was built next to the labour ward to provide swift access to medical assistance should this be needed

With valued input from Mrs Allam, three rooms – Lotus, Jasmine and Persia ­ – were decorated in the style of luxury hotel rooms each featuring a birthing bed, birthing pool, en-suite wet room and a muted colour changing light scheme. Faux wood panelling conceals medical equipment, all within easy reach of midwives.

Midwifery sister Katie Headlam, who runs the Fatima Allam Birth Centre, said: “I know I speak on behalf of the team when I say how much we all love working in the birthing centre and we will always be grateful to Mrs Allam and her family for enabling us to open such a fantastic midwifery-led unit in the heart of Hull.

“We have had wonderful feedback from the women who have chosen to have their babies at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre. It is a real gift having it here in our city and we expect the number of women using the centre to continue to rise.”

Fatima Allam, centre, with staff from the Fatima Allam Birth Centre

The Birth Centre team has also just launched a continuity of care pathway, known as the Willow Team. This is where women can book to be cared for by the team of Birth Centre midwives throughout their pregnancy, the birth and in the postnatal period too. Women are welcomed to book onto this from early pregnancy, or before 28 weeks.

Mums to be who would  like to find out more about the Fatima Allam Birth Centre or the Willow Team can speak to their midwife or attend one of the monthly HEY Baby Carousel events held on the last Wednesday of every month, 6-8pm, on the ground floor of the Women and Children’s Hospital. They can also call the birth centre on 01482 607860.

New mothers are risking a serious infection by ripping off their dressings to post images of their caesarean section scars on Facebook, hospital midwives are warning.

The Hey Baby team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is urging women to keep dressings over their wounds to prevent infection which could lead to sepsis.

Midwife and Hey Baby Co-ordinator Melanie Lee

Hey Baby co-ordinator Melanie Lee said: “We are becoming increasingly concerned about the number of women who are removing their dressings so they can take photographs and post them on Facebook.

“Women who have just given birth and those who have just had surgery are at increased risk of developing infection already so it is essential their wounds remain covered until a health professional says dressings are safe to be removed.

“We’re sharing more and more on social media and sometimes, people post these images on their pages because they want to know if their wound is ‘normal’.

“But they need to realise that they increase the risk of the wound becoming infected if they remove the dressing and these infections could lead to sepsis.”

There are around 250,000 cases of sepsis in the UK every year and it claims the lives of almost one in five of those who contract the severe infection.

Women who have just given birth or had a caesarean section are at greater risk of developing sepsis along with pregnant women, the very young and the very old, people with compromised immune systems, people with cancer or liver disease and those who have undergone surgery.

According to the Sepsis Trust, it normally begins with a bacterial infection and the most common types of infection leading to sepsis are pneumonia, urinary tract infections, meningitis, cellulitis and wound infection after surgery.

Symptoms include confusion, feeling cold and shivery, feeling hot and sweaty, feeling very tired and short of breath, vomiting, nausea or diarrhoea, not passing urine, cold, blue or mottled skin and developing an increasing sense of doom and feeling like you are going to die.

Melanie Lee said anyone who is concerned about their wound following a caesarean section should speak to their midwife or another health professional  such as a GP.

When she broke her arm at the age of six and had to spend the night in hospital, Denise Rose knew she wanted to be a nurse.

Now, 38 years after beginning her training, Denise is retiring from her role as Emergency Nurse Practitioner in Ophthalmology at Hull Eye Hospital.

Despite dedicating almost four decades of her life to caring for other people, Denise is modest about her contribution to health care.

“I’m nobody special, “ she said. “I come in, do my job to the best of my ability and go home. I try to be kind and I try to be nice but I’m just me.

“I’ve just been part of an excellent team.”

Denise Rose assisting Humberside Police with motorbike safety training

Denise, who grew up in Glasgow, started her nurse training with Ayrshire and Arran College of Nursing and Midwifery in 1981. After one week of training, she was sent to her base hospital, Ayr County Hospital, to learn nursing basics.

During her training, Denise found her passion when she went to work on the ophthalmic surgical unit at Heathfield Hospital in Ayr.

“I loved it so much,” she said. “I realised that was what I wanted to do. I understood it. It was where everything fell into place for me.

“I understood the anatomy, the physiology. And the patients were so diverse, from babies right through to the elderly.”

She set herself the task of building up her knowledge of general medicine. After qualifying as a State Registered Nurse in 1984, she worked at Biggart Hospital in Prestwick, which cared for the medical elderly and the young chronically sick, such as those with head injuries or neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease.

She then moved to Moorfields Hospital, the world famous eye hospital in London, to undertake her post registration diploma in Ophthalmology and spent a year working there  before moving to Peterborough District General Hospital where she spent one year as a full-time night duty staff nurse, first in ENT and then moving to acute medicine.

She arrived at Hull Royal Infirmary in 1987, starting in the Eye Clinic, the only full-time staff nurse supporting the full time sister.

After two years she then moved and became sister in Occupational Health in 1989 at Kingston General Hospital and then Princess Royal Hospital.  Just before she went on maternity leave to have her second child, she spotted a job as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner within the Eye Clinic. She applied and got the job.

Twenty –four years later, she’s still there, witnessing the creation of a separate Eye Hospital in Fountain Street and massive advances in treatment for people with sight problems.

“The first thing has been the success rate of cataract surgery and the fact that we can get patients in and out within hours,” Denise said. “Before, years ago, you’d be in for days. Now, we can do sight-preserving surgery in hours.

“The second thing is the evolution of treatment for age-related wet macular degeneration and the creation of the ophthalmic Nurse Practitioners who perform intravitreal injections

“Fifteen years ago, there was nothing we could do for people except signpost them to the Blind Institute on Beverley Road. Now, we can often preserve their sight and keep them driving rather than patients having to be registered blind.”

In her role, Denise helps patients who have suffered minor trauma to their eyes, such as bits of metal from welding or foreign bodies which end up in their eyes.

She said: “It can be extremely painful for people so making sure they are pain-free and reassuring them that they are not going to go blind is one of the best parts of my job.

“I always say that, as a nurse, I’m here to deal with the more minor cases so the doctors are free for the more major stuff.

“But sometimes, all those minor cases , the people who have been poked in the eye or have metal from welding or grinding, matters to that person. Removing that and making sure they don’t develop an infection and can get back to work in a few days is rewarding.”

Denise has been sharing her skills and knowledge with the Emergency Nurse Practitioners in the Emergency Department and is hoping to spend 22 hours of her week teaching health care staff in the community.

Denise Rose on her bike

She’ll also be making the most of her free time, riding around on her beloved Triumph Tiger 800, often seen parked outside her window at the Eye Hospital, with another tour of Germany and Austria planned for September and continuing her voluntary work as an advanced tutor with RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders East Yorkshire.

Ask her what she’ll miss most about her job and she falls silent, drawing herself together.

“I’m going to miss my colleagues,” she said. “This has been my life and I have made some lovely friends here.”

Senior Matron Terri Wainman said: “We are all going to miss Denise so much. She has been a fantastic member of our team and we would like to thank her for all she has done to help patients over so many years.

“We know they will miss her as much as we will.”

Hull nurse with 55 years’ service competes for NHS Parliamentary Award after local MP’s nomination

A Hull woman who has dedicated 55 years of her life to the NHS will travel to London next month to discover if she has won a national parliamentary award.

Madeline Large from Walkington, known to her friends as Maddie, was nominated in the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ category of the NHS Parliamentary Awards by Hull West and Hessle MP, Emma Hardy.

Maddie joined the NHS as a cadet nurse back in 1964, aged just 16. She has worked in numerous different hospitals in and around the city, but has spent the last 47 years working at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.  Over the years she has worked as a staff nurse, scrub nurse and sister, and has served as a mentor to hundreds of operating department colleagues.

Maddie’s career highlights include working as part of the team which opened the first cardiac surgical unit serving Hull and East Yorkshire in the early 1970s, and being part of the surgical team to carry out the first heart donor transplant in Hull alongside Sir Terence English.

Maddie says:

“It was a complete surprise to be told I’d won an award and that I’d been invited to the House of Commons for an awards ceremony; I thought it was a joke at first!

“Working in theatres, no one is more important than anyone else, and no one person can do their job without the others. Being part of a team where everyone pulls together has kept me motivated throughout my career, so this award is not just for me, it’s for everyone who I’ve worked with and who has supported me over the years.”

The NHS Parliamentary ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award seeks to honour those who have dedicated their lives to working in the NHS, and have left a lasting legacy through a better service for patients and/or a better place to work for those who will follow them.

Having stormed to victory in the regional (Yorkshire and Humber) heats of the NHS Parliamentary Awards, Maddie will attend the national awards ceremony at the House of Commons on Wednesday 10^th July. She will be accompanied by Heather Jaques, former cardiac theatres sister at Castle Hill Hospital (pictured right, with Maddie) who has known Maddie for some 20 years, and the pair will discover if Maddie has beaten off the other regional competition to win the overall national ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.

Heather says:

“Maddie is really deserving of this award. She has given so much to people over the years, both her patients and the people she’s worked alongside, that it’s only fitting that she be recognised in this way.

“Her work to establish the region’s first cardiac surgical unit really was ground-breaking, and lots of people living across Hull and East Yorkshire have a lot to thank her for without even realising it.”

Volunteers who help patients and staff at Hull Hospitals will get their own taste of Wimbledon next month to thank them for their dedication.

Staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are throwing a strawberries and cream tea during Wimbledon fortnight for around 70 volunteers at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Louise Beedle, Head of Patient Experience, will also present long-service awards to some volunteers who have been volunteering their time for the trust for upwards of 20 years.

Louise said: “We have more than 450 volunteers and we are just so grateful to them for all they do for us, our staff and our patients.

“They give up their time, day in, day out, week in, week out to help and the hospitals wouldn’t be able to provide the standard of care we wish to provide without their vital support.

“From meeting and greeting our patients at Castle Hill and Hull Royal to answering phones on busy wards, they are our army of dedicated and compassionate people and we would like to thank each and every one of them for what they do.”

The strawberries and cream tea will be held at Nightingales Restaurant at Castle Hill Hospital on Wednesday, July 3, from 3pm to 5pm.

Lindyhop dancers will provide the entertainment at the event, attended by senior members of the trust board to pass on their thank to the volunteers.

Volunteers at last year’s event

Women in East Hull will become the first in the city to have the same midwife throughout their pregnancies as part of a plan to offer more personalised maternity care.

Eight midwives will form the “Primrose Team” to support 280 women from their first antenatal appointment through pregnancy until their babies are born.

Known as “continuity of carer”, the Primrose Team’s initial aim will be to help vulnerable women needing additional support in an area with the highest deprivation scores in the city and high rates of smoking in pregnancy before the project is rolled out to more women in other parts of East Hull and across the city.

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Seeing the same midwife throughout their pregnancies can empower women with a greater sense of control.

“We know it reduces stress and anxiety and allows the midwife to build up a close relationship with the woman, gaining their trust so they can identify and monitor potential problems.

“So, it’s good for the woman, which can only be good for the baby too.”

A national review of maternity services in 2016, known as the “Better Births” report, recommended the new way of working when women reported seeing too many different midwives and doctors during their pregnancies.

Half of the women questioned rated having the same midwife before, during and after birth as five out of five in terms of importance to them, with an additional 23 per cent of women scoring it four out of five.

Studies have shown women experiencing continuity of carer were 16 per cent less likely to lose their babies before 24 weeks and 24 per cent less likely to have their babies too early.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust introduced the Ivy Team, with seven midwives supporting 220 women in Beverley, at the end of last year and the Primrose Team will begin their work this month.

The woman will be introduced to her midwife at her first appointment and will see her at every subsequent appointment as well as for parenting and antenatal classes. When she goes into labour, the woman will be able to contact her midwife who will meet her at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital or will come to her house if she has opted for a home birth.

Although the midwives will have their own group of women to look after in East Hull, they will be introduced to all women involved in the project and will meet them on regular occasions so the women will feel comfortable with any member of the team should they have to step in to cover illness or annual leave.

Claire Spear, one of the midwives in the Primrose Team, said: “We are looking forward to building great relationships with the women in East Hull to support them throughout their pregnancies, through the births and in those first few weeks after their babies are born.

“Getting to know your midwife throughout your pregnancy has been shown to have positive benefits for mothers and their babies and it’s fantastic for us to get to know the women we are looking after much better so we can tailor our support to their exact needs and wishes.”

Bernie Dawson, Strategic Lead for Children, Young People and Maternity at NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We’re proud to support the Primrose Team in providing dedicated midwifery led care to our families in East Hull. This ‘wrap-around’ care will support mums to improve their physical and mental health supported by their midwife.

“Continuity of carer means mums can build a strong relationship with their midwife who will then help them to address their personal health needs, such as accessing stop smoking services, health visiting and doula and peer supporters.”

Couples preparing for the arrival of their baby are being invited to a special session to help them give their child the best start in life through breast-feeding.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is offering the two-hour session once a month to help women from Hull and the East Riding who are planning to breast feed their babies.

Midwives Anna Lee-Hughes and Pippa Stott, the trust’s Infant Feeding Co-ordinators, show women and their partners how to position and attach their babies correctly and how to recognise when breastfeeding is going well during the sessions.

They also introduce themselves as Lactation Consultants, able to offer advice and support if women encounter any difficulties with feeding once their babies are born.

Anna Lee-Hughes said: “If more people know about positioning a baby and understanding when the babies are getting enough, the better they are going to be at feeding effectively once they have had their babies.

“It’s also important that partners and other family members understand the importance of correct positioning and how to support the woman while she is breast-feeding.

“As Lactation Consultants, we are introducing ourselves early so women know they can come to us for help and support if they are having specific problems.”

Breast milk provides health benefits for babies and their mothers which cannot be manufactured so are not present in formula milk. These include antibodies, vital for fighting infection, growth factors, hormones and anti-viral, anti-allergen and anti-parasitic properties to protect your child and give them the healthiest possible start to life.

Breast milk protects babies against serious infections and stomach bugs, urine infections and ear infections. Studies show babies who are breast-fed are less likely to have tooth decay or be overweight when they are older and are less likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma.

Breast-fed babies also have immune systems which are better protected against infection and inflammation.

Women are being encouraged to book the sessions through the Hey Baby online service at the same time as they book their parent education classes.

The optional fourth session is also open to women who have other children but may be considering breast-feeding for the first time.

The trust achieved Unicef Baby Friendly re-accreditation for its work on infant feeding, supporting mothers who choose to either breast or bottle-feed their babies. The organisation is now working towards the gold standard, which recognises the highest possible standards of care.

With over a million patient contacts every year, it stands to reason that patients and the public will have a lot of experience and a lot to say about the way we do business. That’s why we at Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust are looking for more people to join our Patient and Public Council.

This group works closely with our Patient Experience Team to gather information, share opinion and work alongside hospital teams for the greater good. Its purpose is to make a positive impact on healthcare and to influence and improve patient experience in the health and social care setting.  We’re looking for people with bags of enthusiasm, and we’re keen to hear from people with  different backgrounds who have a diverse range of skills and experience to bring.

More details can be found below; if after reading this you feel you want to do more to help your local hospitals and the staff and patients within them, we’re hosting two open days on Wednesday 26th and Friday 28th June where you can meet the team and find out more. Alternatively, we can arrange for you to have an informal chat with a current member of our Patient and Public Council if you prefer. To arrange a visit or a conversation, please email Louise.beedle@hey.nhs.uk or call 01482 674326.

In order to be an Ambassador for the Trust, and to promote public and patient involvement, we need someone who has:

An open and enquiring mind

An interest in the quality of the services provided by the Trust

A desire to contribute to and represent the local community

The ability to work with the group and to explore issues objectively.

Good communication skills.

The confidence to ask question, give opinions and constructive criticism and join in debates.

An ability to listen and make informed choices

The ability to work well with others

Patient Council members are expected to give a firm commitment to:

Attend all meetings.  These include monthly Patient Council meetings, Health Group Governance and Board meetings for your chosen Groups and other Committee meetings and service user meetings as they arise.  These meetings might be at Hull Royal Infirmary or Castle Hill Hospital and can be at a variety of times.

If unable to attend meetings, give apologies in good time and ensure to update on the progress of the group date by reading minutes.

Read papers prior to meetings and, if attendance is not possible, forward any comments to the chairperson.

Observe group etiquette – respecting other members’ views, not speaking over someone and respecting privacy and confidentiality of the matters discussed.

Write and submit relevant feedback from meetings where you represent the group.

Read draft documents and send constructive comments to the chairperson within the stated timescale.

Attend mandatory training.

Interested? Read the full 2019 Patient and Public Council Terms of Reference, then contact Louise Beedle, Head of Patient Experience, to find out more or arrange a visit.

Former Hull Kingston Rovers captain Shaun Lunt will be sharing his experience of a near fatal illness with health professionals in the city next week.

Shaun will be speaking of his experience of sepsis at a national Sepsis Congress being hosted by the Sepsis Team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Shaun was subject to a potentially deadly blood infection which resulted from an abscess in his spine back in September last year.

Shaun will be joined at the congress by some 250 health professionals from across the country and big screen inspiration, Tom Ray (pictured above). Tom lost his arms and legs and had part of his faced removed as a result of sepsis, and the 2016 film ‘Starfish’ tells his own moving story and that of his family.

Rachel Harris, clinical nurse specialist for sepsis at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Sepsis is not limited to or typical within any particular patient group. Although the term ‘sepsis’ may still not be familiar to people, the body’s response to this severe infection can have life-changing consequences for not only people who develop it but for their family and loved ones too.

“More than 250 nurses, doctors and other health specialists will be coming to Hull on Tuesday to hear the latest sepsis research updates, to find out more about the effect of sepsis in certain patient groups such as older people and pregnant women, and also to hear first-hand from people who have survived sepsis about the potentially devastating consequences it can have.

“Regardless of where they work, our aim is to ensure health professionals always have sepsis at the forefront of their minds if symptoms start to present.”

There are said to be at least 250,000 cases of sepsis in the UK every year. Over a fifth of those cases – 52,000 or an average of 1,000 per week – result in death.

More locally, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust introduced its sepsis team in 2015, as part of a national initiative to drive up survival rates. The team now comprises consultant Dr Kate Adams and clinical nurse specialists Donna Gotts and Rachel Harris, all of whom are working to improve in-hospital screening and the provision of potentially life-saving antibiotics in the first hour, and supporting colleagues working within the ambulance service, GPs and community staff.

The Sepsis Congress will take place at the Bonus Arena on Tuesday 18 June. Tickets are still available for clinical staff to purchase via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hull-sepsis-congress-tickets-50970684690

Speakers at the event include Dr Michael Porter, Lecturer in Molecular Genetics and a sepsis survivor himself, local GPs Dr James Moult and Dr Scot Richardson, and Dr Richard Fawcett, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Royal Stoke University Hospital who also flies with the Midlands Air Ambulance and serves as Clinical Director for the 208 Field Hospital Royal Army Medical Corps.