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.

A father and his two sons are arranging a celebrity football match with soap stars from Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks in memory of their wife and mother.

Helen Winfield died in October on Ward 32 at the Queen’s Centre at Castle Hill Hospital around 10 years after finding a lump in her breast and shortly after her 50^th birthday.

Now, Helen’s husband Andy and her two sons Billy, 24, and Charlie, 22, are arranging a football match to raise funds for the Queen’s Centre, where staff cared for Helen throughout her illness.

Andy said: “It could be called the Queen’s Centre because they made Helen feel like the Queen. Staff were like another family to her.”

Andy and Helen met 33 years ago when Helen worked in a newsagent’s opposite from Andy’s work and he used to nip in at lunchtime to buy a sandwich.

They married three years later and had their two sons. They were due to celebrate their 30^th wedding anniversary on August 26 this year.

Helen, who was a care worker at Highfield in Sutton, started undergoing treatment for cancer around 10 years ago after a scan confirmed the lump in her breast was malignant.

She was hugely popular with the staff at the centre and was much loved by the Living With and Beyond Cancer team, turning up for the Positive Note choir every week.

Andy, who works at a builder’s merchants in Cottingham, and their two sons invited mourners to make donations for the Queen’s Centre at Helen’s funeral and their fundraising continued with a dinner dance, raising money for the Outpatients’ Department, Ward 32 and the Living With and Beyond Cancer team.

“We contacted Jet2 a few months back for donations for a raffle and managed to get through to someone quite important ,” said Andy.

“He gave us a donation for the dinner dance raffle and mentioned they have a football team. We are heavily involved with Costello Football Club so we jumped at the chance to have a charity match.

“We really don’t have a figure in mind. We just wish to raise as much as possible.”

Celebrities, past and present, from Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks will form a Jet2 All Stars team to take on the “Not Very All Stars” team from Costello Football Club for the match at North Ferriby Stadium on Sunday, June 30.

Tickets cost £3 for adults and £1 concessions, with kick-off at 2pm and funds raised through ticket sales, refreshments and a raffle will be donated to the Queen’s Centre.

Sarah Guest of the Living With and Beyond Cancer team said: “Helen was part of our team and we miss her very much. She used to come to the choir every week and spent time in our Outpatients Department and in the Day Unit having her treatment.

“We are so grateful to Andy, Billy and Charlie for thinking of us at a time when they’re adjusting to life without Helen and coping with the enormity of her loss.

“We hope people turn up to the match and have fun as that’s what Helen would have wanted.”

Email Sarah at sarah.guest@hey.nhs.uk if you’d like to buy a ticket to see the stars in action.

A man who has dedicated more than half a century to transforming hospital services for women and children, people with cancer and those with heart problems has been honoured for his service to the NHS.

David Haire joined the NHS in 1967 and, as Director of Operations, drove the creation of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and the Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology.

His work with the Daisy Appeal also led to the opening of the Daisy Building for the care and treatment of people with cancer, heart disease and dementia.

David Haire receives his Lifetime Achievement award from former Chief Nurse Mike Wright

Mr Haire’s dedication was recognised by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at its annual Golden Hearts awards ceremony in Hull on Friday.

The glittering ceremony at DoubleTree by Hilton was held to thank staff looking after the health of more than 600,000 people in Hull and the East Riding.

Fifteen awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr Haire, were presented to individuals and teams working at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital during the ceremony, hosted by former Chief Nurse Mike Wright.

Chief executive Chris Long said: “We can only achieve the high standard of care we offer patients because of the dedication and hard work of our staff.

”It is right we take the time to thank the people who spend their lives helping others and to celebrate their achievements.

Chloe Tennyson receives award for Outstanding Individual – Nursing and Midwifery

“I would like to congratulate our very worthy winners and thank them for their hard work and devotion which ensures the NHS remains the envy of other countries around the world.”

The winners were:

Making It Better award: HEY Baby Team

Great Leader: Lindsey Harding

Team Spirit: Renal Dietetic Team

Lessons Learned: Karen Harrison, Tissue Viability

Apprentice of the Year: Andrew Eagle

University Partnership Working: Academic Respiratory Team and Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre

Moments of Magic: Jenny Wilson

Health Group Trophy: Clinical Support Health Group

Outstanding Individual of the Year (Scientific, Technical and Therapeutic): Julie Randall

Outstanding Individuals of the Year (Non-clinical): Stuart Cutts and Tania Hicks

Outstanding Individual of the Year (Clinical): Dr Kamrudeen Mohammed

Outstanding Individual of the Year (Nursing and Midwifery): Chloe Tennyson

Outstanding Team of the Year (Non-Clinical): Radiotherapy Physics

Outstanding Team of the Year (Clinical): Kidney Transplant Team

Lifetime Achievement: David Haire

The Golden Hearts celebration was funded by the trust’s own staff lottery and through the generous sponsorship of Minstergate/Beerhouse, Go MAD, T2, KCOM, Savilles, Managers in Partnership, HYA Training, Simply Health, OCS, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Interact, Cambio and the University of Hull.

War veterans laid their standards at a bench funded by hospital staff to honour Hull’s fallen heroes today as part of the commemorations to mark the 75^th anniversary of D-Day.

Staff from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust gathered outside the Maxillofacial Unit at Castle Hill Hospital this afternoon to watch members of the Royal British Legion remember the soldiers, sailors and air crews who never came home.

Chief Executive Chris Long, a former Army Major, said: “We are very proud of our work with veterans and feel very honoured to welcome the Royal British Legion as we remember the hundreds of thousands who took part in D-Day.

“Our staff raised money for the bench to create a special place of contemplation and we hope today’s ceremony will show veterans and their families their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

The trust became one of the first NHS trusts to be awarded Veteran Aware accreditation last year and is leading the way in improving NHS care for veterans and members of the Armed Forces communities.

Staff receive special training to be aware of veterans’ specific needs and can help signpost past and present servicemen and women to services and charities which can help them, such as mental health services or support with financial or benefit claims.

Jeff Dixon, a standard bearer with the Royal British Legion, said: “Today is a very special occasion when the whole country remembers those who lost their lives on a day which changed the course of the war and saw the Allies begin the journey to victory against the Nazis.

“Hospital staff have made sure their sacrifice – and the sacrifice of others in different conflicts – will be remembered by the generations who enjoy freedom.”

Staff and patients from the Maxillofacial Unit gather for the ceremony

The Maxillofacial team at Castle Hill Hospital raised £1,000 in just one month after coming up with the idea of honouring veterans to buy a bench with metalwork cut in the shape of soldiers and poppies after being inspired by the poppy display at Hull Minster.

The bench has now been put in place outside the unit at Castle Hill and the estates team have planted flowerbeds around it to create a quiet haven of reflection. Olive trees have also been planted outside the front entrance to the unit with the small amount of money left over.

Charge Nurse Michael Hookem said: “We are so touched to have members of the British Legion here with us on such a special anniversary.

“Patients and visitors to the unit were so generous to help our fundraising appeal and it was so moving today to watch the men lay their standards at our bench.”

A world-class training facility in Hull which prepares NHS staff for medical emergencies is achieving recognition on a global stage as it plays host to two international teams.

Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation (HILS) has designed an ‘operating theatre’ and four-bedded ward to mirror the exact conditions staff will face when working in emergency medicine and critical care or performing keyhole surgery.

Workshops train health professionals in skills using hi-tech equipment including mannekins which respond to ‘pain’ and surgical equipment to practice surgery.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust uses the centre in Fountain Street, next to Hull Royal Infirmary, so staff can learn in a protected environment with “permission to fail” so they are able to cope in real life when a patient’s life hangs in the balance.

Members of the Landspitali simulation team Thorstein and Baldur

Now, the centre is showcasing its facilities and ground-breaking work to visitors from Iceland and India.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Makani Purva said: “Hull has an outstanding simulation facility and our work is now attracting global attention.

“We are striving constantly to find new ways of using simulation in learning and our determination to use the latest technological advances can only benefit the people of Hull who come to us for their care.

“These visits show we are establishing a global reputation as a leader in this exciting field of medical education.”

Members of the Landspitali simulation team Thorstein and Baldur , based in Iceland, visited HILS last month to discover how the centre uses simulation to improve health care ahead of setting up their own centre later this year.

During their three-day visit, they learned about the training programme, the role of the simulation technicians and other activities the service offers as part of a long-term partnership set up between the two organisations.

Dr Sree Kumar

Dr Sree Kumar, an oversees fellow from  India, is also spending eight weeks with the team to learn how to set up a run a successful simulation centre back at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.

Dr Kumar has been observing simulation, running in situ simulations in diabetes and also visited Defence Medical Services at Whittington Barracks in Lichfield with the HILS team to see how the military run their simulations.

The trust has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the university to take forward the simulation agenda and hopes to establish joint research projects and exchange programmes in the future.

Specialist midwives are set to mark Rainbow Baby Day at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital to remember families who have lost their babies.

Charity Kicks Count is organising the first Rainbow Baby Day on Friday, June 7, to support families who have lost a baby following a miscarriage, stillbirth or death shortly after birth who go on to have another child.

Throughout the country, people will be encouraged to hold bake sales with brightly coloured treats , wear colourful clothes or have fancy dress walks to support Rainbow Baby Day.

Sarah Green, Bereavement Midwife at Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, said a rainbow banner will be placed in the foyer of the hospital to raise awareness.

She said: “Women who have lost a baby before are understandably anxious when they find out they are pregnant again and come back to us.

“To help them, we give them a special wooden rainbow plaque funded by Sands which can be attached to the outside of their door to show staff their new baby is not their first.

“While some women are happy to talk about the baby they have lost, others find it difficult and this stops them having to explain over and over again that this isn’t their first baby.

“It also alerts our staff, from support staff to midwives,  that the woman may be feeling more anxious because of what happened to her before.”

As well as funding the plaques used in hospital, Sands, a charity helping families after they experience stillbirth or the death of their baby shortly after birth, also provide a supply for the hospital so a woman can take one home with her as well.

The trust also gives women a voucher from Kicks Count so they can obtain a free rainbow bundle worth £30.