Stroke patients in Hull and parts of East Yorkshire are to benefit from a new rapid assessment system aimed at saving lives and improving care.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals, part of NHS Humber Health Partnership, is introducing a Pre-Hospital Video Triage Scheme after securing some funding from NHS England on a trial basis.

Stroke Co-ordinators, supported by Stroke Services Consultants, will connect to Yorkshire Ambulance Service crews using video technology enabling visual checks and digital evaluation of patients.

Patients with a suspected stroke will be “blue-lighted” to Hull Royal Infirmary, straight into the care of the specialist stroke team for CT scans or to begin life-saving treatment such as mechanical thrombectomy to remove blockages from their arteries.  Some patients who do not require hospital admission will be redirected to community services.

Dr Bernard Esisi, Consultant in Stroke Services, said: “This will allow clinicians to formulate a more accurate diagnosis so people having strokes can be treated in the right place at the right time, as quickly as possible.

“Every minute counts when someone is having a stroke so this new system means we can help people who need us more quickly while making sure those not having strokes get the right support without having to come into hospital.”

This triage scheme aligns with “Flow”, a major campaign spearheaded by the hospital group to improve patients’ experience of emergency or acute care and reduce unnecessary stays or admissions.

Ambulances parked outside Hull Royal Infirmary

Around 39,700 stroke survivors are registered with GPs across Humber and North Yorkshire and the prevalence of strokes in our area is 2.25pc compared to the national prevalence of 1.8pc.

Early diagnosis is crucial. Strokes can have a devasting, life-changing impact, with health and social care costs estimated at around £45,000 in the first year alone if a stroke survivor doesn’t get the right treatment at the earliest opportunity.

Hull Royal Infirmary sees around 1,000 patients with strokes every year. However, a further 300 or so people are brought to hospital with “stroke mimics” – conditions such a Bell’s Palsy, migraine or low blood sugar, which do not require emergency treatment in hospital and can be dealt with by GPs or community services.

Dr Esisi said: “There is no pre-hospital process that is 100pc effective at excluding a stroke or confirming a stroke diagnosis. At the moment, we rely on telephone conversations which can mean, for a variety of reasons, that some patients are not picked up or those not having strokes are brought to hospital when they may not need emergency care.

“This video triage system will allow us to add another level of assessment so that patient can be triaged to the most appropriate place for treatment.”

Tim Millington, Consultant Paramedic (North and East Yorkshire) at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “Stroke video triage offers ambulance clinicians rapid access to specialist support when caring for stroke patients. This pilot follows a successful trial in South Yorkshire and the senior clinical support provided to our pre-hospital clinical teams is beneficial in enabling our patients to get the right care, first time.

“We will be seeking feedback from patients, colleagues and partners throughout the pilot to ensure this innovative initiative on pre-hospital stroke practice works well for all those involved.”

Results from the scheme will be reviewed and, if the Hull scheme is a success, the project will be rolled out to North Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire.

Our Group directors will come together on Thursday 8 August for a meeting of our Trust Boards-in-Common.

The meeting will start at 9am and will be held in the Boardroom at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby. This is a formal meeting with a set agenda, which is available on the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) website.

Members of the public are welcome. Please email sarahmeggitt@nhs.net before noon on Wednesday 7 August if you wish to attend.

A Hull surgeon and his team are leading the way when it comes to epilepsy management.

Neurosurgeon, Mr Adam Razak, and colleagues at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham are understood to be among the first in the country to conduct battery changes for vagus nerve stimulators in a dedicated day case facility.

Vagus nerve stimulation is a technique used to manage the symptoms of epilepsy in adults and children of all ages. VNS Therapy works by implanting a small device under the skin in the chest which is then connected to the left vagus nerve in the neck with a thin wire lead. VNS Therapy delivers mild pulses to the brain through the vagus nerve to help prevent seizures before they start, and help them stop if they do.  Batteries last approximately five years before they need replacing.

Previously, a patient who required their battery device changing would have been admitted to a bed at Hull Royal Infirmary. Short notice cancellations would often occur if a bed were needed for more urgent surgery, and low bed availability would often mean only two or three patients could be treated in a day.

Now, within the new £10m* Day Surgery Unit at Castle Hill Hospital, patients requiring a VNS Therapy battery change can be admitted, operated on and discharged within a couple of hours. There is much more certainty around appointment dates and as many as eight or nine procedures can be carried out each day, helping to reduce waiting lists and deliver a much better experience for patients.

Mr Razak says:

“Moving this type of surgery from main hospital theatres to a day case unit was not without its challenges, but it’s precisely the type of surgery our new Day Surgery Centre was built for and ultimately it’s the best thing for our patients.

(L-R) Mr Adam Razak and Natalie Bailey

“In the past, we have had to cancel patients’ surgery just prior to their date, or even on the day of the procedure, because the bed was needed for more urgent work. As Hull Royal is so busy, it can often be subject to low bed availability, and that also limited the number of patients we could admit for the procedure, leading to several hours of empty theatre time between patients.

“By carrying out the VNS Therapy battery changes in the Day Surgery Centre, we have much greater capacity to admit, operate and discharge within the day, meaning greater certainty for patients, a reduction in the time people are waiting for battery changes, and it frees up our theatres at Hull Royal Infirmary for more complex or urgent operations.

“As a surgeon, it’s also a much more productive use of my time. The surgery itself only takes 15 or 20 minutes so I can help many more patients in a single day. Having a battery run flat could lead to uncontrolled epileptic seizures, so it’s really important to provide as many patients as we can with timely battery changes.”

Natalie Bailey is the VNS Therapy Representative (North) for Livanova, the supplier of VNS Therapy devices and batteries, and works closely with Dr Razak and his team. She says:

“We understand just how important it is for patients with an illness like epilepsy to have their condition under control, and we see first-hand just how beneficial VNS Therapy can be if medication proves unsuccessful.

“The new Day Surgery Centre at Castle Hill Hospital offers a much more modern and suitable facility in which to be providing VNS Therapy battery replacements, and we’re proud to be involved in delivering this type of surgery, and supporting local patients, in such a pioneering way.”

* Phase 1 of the development cost £10 million

Patients and hospital staff in Hull are to be tested for a serious infection in a ground-breaking public health project believed to be the first of its kind in England.

Nurse specialists from the Blood-Borne Virus Team are testing staff and patients on wards at Hull Royal Infirmary for Hepatitis C, a potentially serious viral infection damaging the liver, as part of a global campaign to eradicate the virus.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus spread through contact with infected blood from sharing needles or syringes, blood transfusions before 1996 or the reuse of un-sterilised medical equipment and the hospital team aims to raise awareness ahead of World Hepatitis Day on July 28.

Infectious Diseases Consultant Dr Nick Easom said: “People can have Hepatitis C without realising because symptoms in the early stages can be similar to general day-to-day feelings of tiredness or aches and pains. Many people have no symptoms at all.

“However, it can have potentially serious consequences, damaging a person’s liver to such as extent that they require a liver transplant. It can also be fatal in some causes.

“Offering this simple test to our patients and staff is a major leap forward in helping us to identify cases and ensure people receive treatment as soon as possible to prevent them becoming seriously unwell.”

Currently, around 58 million people worldwide are living with Hepatitis C and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a global target to reduce new infections by 80 percent by 2030.

NHS England is at the forefront of the campaign after securing almost £1bn of antiviral medication in 2022, identifying and treating more than 70,000 people in England with Hepatitis C. This has reduced significantly the number of liver transplants required because of the damage caused by the virus.

People can be exposed to Hepatitis C if they’ve undergone medical or dental procedures abroad, they’ve had tattoos or facial fillers and injections or they’ve injected drugs intravenously. Healthcare workers can also be at risk of Hepatitis C from “needlestick injuries” or contaminated blood which has entered their system through their eyes or mouth.

And they often don’t know they have the virus for months as symptoms can include general tiredness and aches and pains although the infection can also cause fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine and yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice).

Nurse Specialist Vicki Butterwick said: “We aim to test patients and staff using a simple finger prick test, similar to the one used to test blood sugar, to test for Hepatitis C antibodies. This is a good way of ruling out negative cases very quickly and for the small number of cases we expect to be positive, it means we can move forward and offer them treatment with all the appropriate support in place.”

One of England’s largest NHS groups is spearheading a major transformation project to deliver world-class patient care across its five hospitals.

NHS Humber Health Partnership – the group formed by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust – is launching “Flow” to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and admissions.

“Flow” will streamline every stage of a patient’s progress from Emergency Departments until they are well enough to be discharged from Hull Royal Infirmary, Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, Scunthorpe General Hospital, Goole and District Hospital or Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.

Jonathan Lofthouse, Group Chief Executive of NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “This transformative project will create meaningful and lasting change to how 1.65m people in our region receive hospital care.

“Every stage of the patient’s journey will be evaluated to ensure people receive the best treatment in the right place when they need it.”

Advanced technology will be deployed over future years to support patients with conditions such as COPD or heart failure in their own homes as part of the evolution of “virtual wards” to end time-consuming outpatient appointments and prevent emergency and unnecessary admissions to hospital.

Specialist AI software will be introduced where available to prepare x-ray reports or read blood test results to create tailored treatment, freeing doctors to provide more “hands-on” patient care, and teams will share ideas and best practice to improve patient flow throughout the hospitals.

Rapid assessments will be undertaken by consultants as soon as seriously ill or injured patients arrive at Emergency Departments, with patients moving to specialist assessment units for same day treatment and short stay admissions or transferring to wards for hospital care lasting longer than three days.

“Patient Packs” will be issued within 24 hours of arrival at hospital, outlining expected treatment such as scans, tests or surgery and estimated dates of discharge.

Enhanced board rounds will review every patient daily before 10am to check treatment is on track, discharge dates are appropriate and patients going home can be moved to Patient Discharge Lounges.

Nursing and medical staff, therapists and pharmacists will coordinate care with teams in transport, portering and administration so people can go home as soon as they are well enough, avoiding health complications linked to lengthy hospital stays.

Community health providers, mental health teams, local authorities and home care services will work with the hospital group to provide home care packages and minimise delays in getting people out of hospital as part of the region-wide project, supported by Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System.

“Flow” is launching in all five hospitals this week.

A new video game has been designed to help recruit the next generation of pharmacists to work in our hospitals.

Players have to do their best to look after four virtual patients, getting them the medication that they have been prescribed by the virtual doctor, so that they can go home – and it’s all against the clock, just like a real hospital!

A screenshot from Pharmacy Rush

The idea was the brainchild of Rachel Craven, Pharmacy Business, Service and Performance Manager at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, who wanted to find a way of inspiring more people to join the team.

After speaking to The Grimsby Institute, students on the BA Game Design course set about making Rachel’s concept a reality. They worked for free over the course of 12 months and came up with the finished product – Pharmacy Rush.

Not only is it great fun to play (not to mention strangely addictive) but it also helps to show potential future pharmacists how the team operates within a hospital at ward level, alongside other colleagues providing direct patient care. It can also be played on a computer, mobile phone or tablet, making it ideal to take out to careers events at local schools and colleges.

Rachel said: “Pharmacists are in short supply, which appears to be a national issue, compounded by our geographical location. As a hospital pharmacy service, we’re focusing on our future supply pipeline and growing local talent. We regularly attend local careers events to talk about our hospital pharmacy careers, as we have a variety of different roles which are quite different to how a community pharmacy operates. Engaging students at careers events can be challenging when competing against other career stands.

“I was trying to think of ways we could promote a career in pharmacy, which were outside the box, and came up with the idea of a video game. I approached The Grimsby Institute and they were delighted to help us with this. The game they’ve designed is absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for people to play it.”

Simon Priestley, Chief Pharmacist at NLaG, said: “What these students have created has exceeded our expectations. It’s been a really positive collaboration. Hospital pharmacy is not always understood and this will help us promote a range of careers. We do a lot of work going into schools and attending careers fairs, and this will help us attract more people for these roles.”

Fin Rohrbasser, a student on the year 2 BA Game Design course, worked as the project manager on the game.

He said: “We had to arrange everything into specific roles, so I ended up being project manager. We created a plan and assigned tasks to the team. I am very happy with the finished product, as I’ve never been involved in something like this before.”

Harmony Wolfe, a student on the year 3 BA Game Design course, worked as the art director on the game.

She said: “We all had input from the beginning. I was heavily influenced by the artwork for a video game called Overcooked and KENJI, which sells products inspired by Asian-inspired culture. I have never worked on something on this scale before. I’m going to study a master’s degree in indie game development, so this is great experience.”

Maxwell Stringer, programme leader for the course, said: “Rachel approached me regarding making an education game related to pharmacy, in the hope of helping recruitment to that sector within the NHS. Seeing an opportunity here for our university students to create a live industry brief and have a real impact within the community and NHS, this was a no brainer, and so we accepted the challenge and brief.

“Over the space of a year, my students tirelessly developed Pharmacy Rush, while also still working on achieving their degree. This was a huge collaborative effort for the students involved, and we have now created something that they can all be very proud of.”

The game can be used by both NLaG and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. You can play it via this link.

Patients with serious blood conditions are avoiding invasive surgery and additional overnight stays in hospital after an innovative procedure was offered to more people in East Yorkshire.

Intravenous lines for patients requiring stem cell transplant following intensive chemotherapy are now being offered to haematology patients at Ward 33 and the Teenage and Young Adults Unit after its successful use in oncology patients at the Queen’s Centre.

In the past 12 months, 32 haematology patients have undergone the procedure – known as PowerPICC Solo – avoiding the more invasive treatment performed in operating theatres while saving the NHS almost £50,000.

Ward Manager Jenni Downs said: “When we asked patients for their feedback, they told us they faced such a long stay in hospital when they came in for stem cell transplant and had to be transferred for a chest line insertion, resulting in extra overnight stays.

“Now, we can offer them this procedure which is far less invasive, can be done here on the ward and reduces their length of stay in hospital by two nights so they can go home much sooner. It is also reducing infection rates, meaning patients are able to recover far more quickly from their treatment.

“I’m very glad that as a nurse, I am encouraged to think about changes like this which could benefit our patients while also saving resources including money and theatre time, and can make them a reality.”

Patients with certain forms of lymphoma, myeloma and blood cancers undergo stem cell transplants to help them recover from the very high doses of chemotherapy they receive as part of their treatment.

Previously, these patients faced an additional two-day stay in hospital while they underwent the procedure known as Skin Tunnelled-Cuffed Catheter, inserted by the Interventional Radiology team at HRI, before undergoing stem cell transplant.

Now, however, those suitable for Power PICC Solo only have to visit the ward at the Queen’s Centre as an outpatient first before undergoing stem cell transplant two days later. The line can then be removed by senior nursing staff, without the need to go to theatre and enabling patients to return home more quickly.

Since Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, part of NHS Humber Health Partnership, introduced the procedure in its haematology service last year, infection rates, once experienced by around a quarter of patients who had catheters inserted, have plummeted to a handful of cases. Staff have also performed the procedure on three patients from hospitals in Leeds who come to the Queen’s Centre in Cottingham as part of their shared care.

James Bailey, Chief of Staff for Specialist Cancer and Support Services at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “We’ve offered this service to oncology patients for some time but we’ve now been able to extend it to haematology patients, with great success.

“This is a service inspired and developed at the ward level with real benefit to complex haematology patients as it reduces their length of stay of hospital and means they can avoid additional invasive surgical procedures at a time when they are already undergoing intensive chemotherapy.”

Junior doctors across the Humber region will begin their latest round of industrial action next week as part of their long-running pay dispute with the Government.

Members of the BMA will take industrial action in the form of a full walkout for five days – from 7am on Thursday 27 June until 6.59am on Tuesday 2 July.

Staff at Castle Hill, Hull, Grimsby, Goole and Scunthorpe hospitals have put plans in place to prepare for the strike, which does mean some patients will have their appointments/procedures postponed. Staff will be contacting affected patients. Anyone with an appointment/procedure scheduled between 27 June and 2 July should attend the hospital as planned if you haven’t heard from our team

Dr Kate Wood, Group Chief Medical Officer for NHS Humber Health Partnership, said:

“We appreciate that there will be some patients who are seeing their appointments with us postponed, perhaps not for the first time. We know just how frustrating this is and we’d like to extend our apologies to anyone affected. Stepping down some routine care is regrettable but necessary as it allows us to focus on the most seriously ill/injured of our patients, allowing us to keep urgent, emergency care and cancer care services running.

“This is the eleventh junior doctors strike that we’ve seen so our staff are well rehearsed at putting plans in place to prepare, however we know that five days of industrial action will place further pressure on our already busy services.  As with previous strikes we’d really appreciate the support of our local communities.

“GP surgeries and pharmacies will remain open during the strike. NHS 111 staff are on hand to offer advice if you’re unwell and unsure where to turn. If you do need to come into one of our emergency departments please be mindful that we have fewer doctors on shift so be prepared to wait to be seen and please respect our staff who are in work who are doing their best to see and treat people as quickly as possible.”

Patients can also help themselves and others by:

• Ordering repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so they don’t run out of medication or other essential items
• Avoiding hospital if suffering Norovirus-type symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, or with cold or flu-like symptoms
• Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home including painkillers, indigestion remedies and diarrhoea tablets
• Using the NHS Emergency Prescription Service if a regular medication runs out completely
• Taking up the offer of Covid and flu vaccinations where eligible; and
• Familiarising themselves with nearby NHS services which can offer help both in and out-of-hours; these include all Walk-In and Urgent Treatment Centres and a number of local pharmacies. NHS111 remains available 24hrs/day, 365 day a year for medical advice and signposting, online or over the phone.

Full details of alternative local healthcare services can be found at www.letsgetbetter.co.uk

Information boards have been placed in Hull Women and Children’s Hospital in time for the start of Euro 2024 to support people experiencing domestic abuse.

Researchers at Warwick Business School discovered abuse and violence by partners increase by 47 per cent on days when the men’s England side win a World Cup or European Championship match.

Clinical support worker Tracey Walker

Now, Clinical Support Worker Tracey Walker has updated information boards in the Gynaecology Outpatients Department and the Early Pregnancy Unit with information about the link between domestic violence and football along with notices on the back of toilet doors to help staff, patients and visitors facing abuse and violence at home.

Tracey, who has supported patients experiencing domestic violence in the last three years as part of her role, said: “We want to offer our patients the best possible care and we know that domestic violence can increase when patients are pregnant and when we have major football events.

“We’ve introduced these boards in the departments and given information in time for the Euros starting on Friday so our patients know we can help them. We’ve also put the information on the back of toilet doors to help those who might not feel comfortable reading the board but still want to access the information.

Tracey Walker with one of the leaflets

“Our hospitals are a safe space for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, somewhere where they can feel safe to speak to us, talk about what’s been happening or get help from community services.”

Tracey and her colleague, Colposcopy Support Nurse Vickie Carter, were among hospital staff to undergo specialist training to support staff, patients, relatives or carers at a Domestic Abuse Champions study day organised by the trust and Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP) last month.

Tracey said: “We’re been trained to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and respond to anyone who open up to us about what is happening in their home lives. We want them to know we are here to help and will be happy to listen to them and refer them to services which are there to help them.”