Doctors, nurses and NHS staff will run the Hull 10k and Hull Half-Marathon next month to raise funds for a charity supporting Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

A team of 80 staff working in neurology, ophthalmology, endoscopy, physiotherapy, estates, security and theatres will pull on their trainers to raise funds for WISHH at Hull’s Run For All event on June 2.

WISHH is the independent charity supporting Hull’s hospitals by providing “added extras” for patients such as equipment, facilities and services which is not already funded by the NHS. In its first three years, the charity has paid for a reminiscence cinema for elderly patients, a mini Tesla car to transport sick children to theatre and is currently funding the redecoration of a children’s ward at Hull Royal.

Environmental Support Officer Gavin Lee (pictured, left), who works in the Recycling and Sustainability Department at Hull Royal Infirmary, will be running the 10K in memory of his mum Lynne, who died in 1999 when he was just 15.

Gavin said: “My mother used to run for charity when she was younger including a marathon.  Sadly in 1999, when I was 15 years old, she passed away from multiple cancers.

“Throughout my life, I’ve tried to be a son she would be proud of and a good reflection of my mother’s spirit.

“I wanted to do something she loved to remember the wonderful person she was and to support our hospitals at the same time.”

Nursing Auxiliary Debbie Smart will be running the half marathon for WISHH.

She said: “I have a passion for running and love nursing across both Hull Royal and Castle Hill.  I wanted to raise funds for WISHH because they do so much to help the patients who have to come into hospital.

“It’s great to be part of this large team all running for the same great charity which helps the people we care for every day. The atmosphere will be amazing and we will be spurring each other on.”

Sue Lockwood, Chair of Trustees for WISHH who is also the High Sheriff of the East Riding of Yorkshire, will be there to cheer on the runners.

She said “I am bowled over by the fantastic response we have received from hospital staff who are coming together to support WISHH.

“This major event brings together the amazing diverse workforce of the hospitals from a broad spectrum of departments and medical specialisms.

“All funds raised will go towards making a difference to patient care by providing additional specialist equipment and support services for our children’s wards and to provide dementia-friendly facilities for our patients within our hospitals.   Some team members are also raising funds for their own wards.”

“We hope our runners have a great day and thank them and their sponsors for supporting Hull Hospitals through WISHH.”

If you would like to support our teams, donations can be made through our Just Giving pages:

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wishhcharityHull10K

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/WISHHCharityHullHalfMarathonTeam

Radiographers at the trust have been given top marks after their support for students was ranked first in the UK.

The team in our Radiology Department work in conjunction with the University of Leeds to train 45 student radiographers in a clinical setting every year.

Now, they’ve learned the BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography course has been ranked first in the UK for medical technology by the Complete University Guide.

Educational Lead Radiographer Shelly Rice said: “It’s fantastic to see our staff getting this recognition because they work so hard to help the students.

“It’s not easy, balancing their everyday responsibilities with the responsibility of teaching the next generation of radiographers, so it’s a great achievement which means a lot to us.”

The trust has been training student radiographers since the late 1990s.

Now, the students come for 19 weeks’ training in the first year of their course, 16 weeks in the second year and 14 weeks in their third year before qualification.

With practical experience making up 40 per cent of their three-year course, the students work at Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital, East Riding Community Hospital and the Urgent Treatment Centre at Bransholme under the supervision of fully qualified staff.

They are placed on the clinical rota and work shifts to gain experience in all aspects of the job, from emergency x-rays and CT scans to theatre work, learning how to position patients correctly.

Second and third-year students also work evening shifts in the Emergency Department.

Shelly said the support given to students often sees them choose to come to Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust once they are qualified because of the support they have received during their training and the relationships they already have with the teams.

She said: “As Leeds is our closest university to train radiographers, it’s a good way of us growing our own staff and we work hard to retain them in the area.

“We have also had some success in attracting students from further afield, with one student joining us from Birmingham.”

Here’s some of the feedback from students in their evaluation forms after their training at the trust:

‘Learnt a lot in busy environment and under pressure’ – Emergency Department X-ray

‘I cannot commend the team more. An extremely friendly team who were inviting and made me feel at home’ – CT Castle Hill Hospital

‘I engaged with staff I had never worked with before including a team of Resus staff, ICU staff and Clinical Support Workers’ – CT Hull Royal Infirmary

‘The staff were really friendly and helped to aid my learning and made it a really enjoyable. I feel like I was able to aid in the team’ – Fluoroscopy Hull Royal Infirmary

‘This was my favourite week of placement to date, I felt as though I was a part of the team’ – East Riding Community Hospital

‘Most staff were very friendly and welcoming and more than happy to answer any questions I had regarding various examinations, equipment, technique etc.’ – MRI Castle Hill Hospital

Two midwives have become the first in Hull to carry out special scans on women at risk of having small or large babies.

Midwives Zoe Clark and Amanda Pritt have undergone intensive training to carry out growth scans for women who need extra monitoring to ensure their babies are developing normally.

The midwives received 150 hours of practical training from sonographers in the Ultrasound Department at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital while studying to Masters level at Sheffield Hallam University.

New ultrasound equipment has been purchased for the Antenatal Outpatients Department which will support the work of the sonographers who carry out 12,000 growth scans, 6,000 dating scans and 6,000 anatomical scans a year.

Wendy McKenzie, Midwifery Sister at the Antenatal Outpatients Department, said: “We have worked closely with the Ultrasound Department to support Zoe and Amanda so they can become our first midwives to offer growth scans to the women we look after in Hull.

“Thanks to a great team effort between our departments, we’re now able to offer women growth scans by our midwives.

“Amanda and Zoe have worked really hard to achieve their qualifications, fitting their studies around their normal shifts, and we’re really proud of them.”

In the UK, the average birth weight of newborn babies is 7lb 8oz for boys and 7lb 4oz for girls.

All pregnant women are measured at midwifery appointments and at scans as underweight or large babies can lead to birth complications and health problems for the child.

Smoking, certain medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney problems and pregnancy over the age of 40 are risk factors for growth restriction and underweight babies while women with BMIs of 30 or more are at a higher risk of having larger babies.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust introduced its GAP programme for at-risk women from 28 weeks as the city has high numbers of pregnant smokers and women with high BMIs.

Health Education England funded the training for Amanda and Zoe enabling them to conduct  growth scans as part of the GAP programme.

Clinical Specialist Sonographer Suzanne Richman said: “We helped Zoe and Amanda with practical training alongside their university studies, showing them how to put the theory into practice.

“Having this additional support service means we will now be able to have two additional sessions to see all the women who require additional monitoring.

“We’re a very busy team so it’s great that the trust can now offer this additional service to women.”

A nurse who has dedicated 36 years of her life to the NHS is planning to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise £1,000 for sick children at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Barbara Joy, 55, is taking on the epic sponsored cycling challenge to raise funds for WISHH, the independent charity funding the redecoration of Ward 130 and the Children’s High Dependency Unit at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Young patients on the ward and the unit will chart Barbara’s progress as she cycles the 940-mile route from June 18 to July 5.

She is aiming to cover between 30 and 77 miles a day with her brother David, who is flying over from his home in Dubai to join his sister on her challenge.

Barbara, who has worked on the children’s wards at Hull Royal since 2007, said: “The children, their families and the staff I work with are all excited about me taking part in this challenge. It’ll spur me on to know they’ll be monitoring our progress every day.

“We’ve put a gigantic map of the UK on the wall in the ward and the children will be plotting where we have reached every day, learning about each different area as we go along.”

WISHH is the independent charity supporting Hull’s hospitals by providing “added extras” for patients such as equipment, facilities and services which is not already funded by the NHS.

In its first three years, the charity has paid for a cinema for elderly patients, a mini Tesla car to transport sick children to theatre and is currently funding the redecoration of a children’s ward at Hull Royal.

Ward 130 and its neighbouring High Dependency Unit on the top floor of Hull Royal care for children recovering from serious illness, acute and chronic medical conditions such as asthma or epilepsy or life-long conditions such as cystic fibrosis. While some children can be on the wards or High Dependency Unit for days, others can spend weeks or months undergoing treatment.

Barbara, who is now semi-retired but still works on the ward, said she and her brother will undertake the challenge alone, relying on each other rather than a support crew to cover the distance.

She said: “It’s going to be really tough but we’re both determined to do it. The children looked after by staff on the ward are so brave and many of them have had to endure more than most of us can contemplate so the thought of them will keep us going.”

As well as raising money to help improve the ward environment for patients, Barbara will be raising funds to buy toys and entertainment equipment to brighten young patients’ days.

Barbara said, “As a British Cycle Ride Leader, cycling is my passion and it seemed the perfect fit to do what I love while raising funds for Ward 130.  Every penny donated though my Just Giving page will go directly to the ward.”

Here’s how you can support Barbara.

Hull Royal Infirmary recorded the highest number of attendances in its history last week after a massive spike in demand.

Almost 3,000 people – more than 400 a day ­– visited Hull Royal’s Emergency Department between May 13 and May 19. On one day alone, 447 people turned up at A&E.

And on Monday this week, 459 patients arrived at the department looking for medical attention, with, at times, more than 100 patients within the Emergency Department.

Now, with May Bank Holiday approaching and around 450 people still attending every day, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is appealing to people to only come to A&E with life-threatening emergencies and consider the wide range of alternative services across Hull and the East Riding.

Chief Operating Officer Teresa Cope said: “Pressure on our emergency department is expected to be worse in winter but summer is just around the corner and we’re still seeing record attendances in Hull.

“Your help and support has never been more crucial. Tell your family and your friends – don’t make A&E your first choice unless it’s a life-threatening emergency and please think about the alternatives available.

“Our Emergency Department is also a Major Trauma Centre and needs to prioritise treatment to the serious injured, serious ill and those who are vulnerable and frail. It puts considerable pressure on all of the hospital when we have such high volumes of patients attending the ED.”

Hull Royal’s Emergency Department underwent a £12m refurbishment in recent years and was redesigned to cater for around 340 patients a day. However, a growing elderly and frail population saw expected attendances rise to around 380 a day.

Now, average attendances this year have now soared to more than 400 most days and the increase is having a major impact on patient care.

Analysis by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust shows around one quarter of those could go to their own GP, Urgent Treatment Centres, the GP walk-in service or pharmacies for medical attention instead.

Mark Findley, Medical Director at City Health Care Partnership CIC, which runs urgent care services including Urgent Treatment Centres in Hull and the East Riding, said: “People need to understand that A&E is not the best place for them unless their life is in danger.

“If you go there with an injury or illness which is anything less than life-threatening, you should be prepared to wait hours and hours to be seen as those with far more serious conditions have to be prioritised.

“It would be far better for you to use alternative services where you will be seen by highly-skilled and experienced health professionals far more quickly. If you have a minor injury, go to your local walk-in or Urgent Treatment Centre; if you’re unwell, ring NHS 111 who will be able to direct you to the most appropriate service. Don’t forget, you can also ask your pharmacy for advice.”

If you live in Hull, visit www.hullccg.nhs.uk/other-services-2/local-services-and-your-health/find-local-services/ find out where you can go to be seen quickly.

You can visit http://www.eastridingofyorkshireccg.nhs.uk/choose-well/ to find the alternatives to A&E if you live in the East Riding.

A man has become our first patient to undergo a new heart procedure which saves people having to travel across Yorkshire for treatment.

David Morris underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) after Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was commissioned to set up the new service by NHS England.

Performed at Castle Hill Hospital, heart patients in Hull, the East Riding, North Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire no longer have to travel to Sheffield or Leeds for treatment.

Mr Morris, now back home and recovering well, said: “It’s been fantastic and I am now able to walk into town again.

“I am 86 and my wife’s main carer so travelling to Leeds or Sheffield would have been difficult for us.

“Having it done here has made a big difference to us and meant my wife was able to visit me every day.”

Some patients with heart disease are not considered fit or well enough for major heart surgery if they require valve replacements. Instead, they are often suitable for TAVI, which puts less strain on the body as the heart does not need to be stopped and placed on bypass.

During the procedure, a catheter with a balloon on the tip is inserted into an artery in either the upper leg or the chest which is then passed into the heart and positioned near the opening of the aortic value. The balloon is then inflated, creating space for a new tissue value which is put in position and expanded.

Mr Morris started experiencing chest pain while walking around Cottingham and he was referred to the Centre for Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery at Castle Hill Hospital by his GP.

Tests showed his heart valve was restricted, causing him to experience chest pain and extreme tiredness, and Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Dr Raj Chelliah, who leads the TAVI service, realised Mr Morris would be a suitable patient for the treatment.

Mr Morris underwent TAVI under general anaesthetic in March and stayed in hospital for six days before he was well enough to go home.

Dr Chelliah said: “TAVI is an excellent procedure for some patients who may not be suitable for major heart surgery. It is less invasive, meaning patients can spend less time in hospital and can have a far quicker recovery time.

“For patients like Mr Morris, it can be a far better option for them as not only can they have the surgery right here, much closer to their homes and their families, it also takes less toll on their bodies which means they are able to recover more quickly and get back on their feet.

“We’re really pleased with Mr Morris’s progress since his procedure and look forward to offering this treatment to more patients that are suitable across our region.”

Caring is in the blood for 72-year-old nursing auxiliary Millie Riches who retires from hospital life today

She recalls with great fondness the time when she was asked by a senior nurse to leave the ward because she was ‘making the patients laugh too much’. She lights up when she recalls  another patient who refused to get out of bed, and was found dusting shortly afterwards using other patients’ underwear taken from their lockers.

As 72-year-old Mildred Riches, Millie to her friends, prepares to retire from hospital life, it’s clear she has a wealth of experience, memories and lasting friendships to take with her.

Millie is a nursing auxiliary, part of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s pain management team working across East Riding Community Hospital and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. She has spent the past nine years working as part of this close knit team, caring for people who need help with back pain, shoulder pain, and conditions such as sciatica and fibromyalgia.

She hasn’t always worked in the pain team, however; when Millie first joined the hospital trust way back in 1984, she began in orthopaedics. Over her 35 year career, she’s spent time in many other areas including elderly care, gynaecology, paediatrics and the eye clinic.

“There’ aren’t many places I haven’t worked over the years”, she jokes.

Millie, who lives in Hessle, has cared for hundreds if not thousands of people over the course of her career.

“I’ve always been a caring type of person so I’ve always been drawn to hospital roles. I may have dabbled in other jobs, but I’ve always come back to hospital life.

“I’ve worked in the Hull Royal tower block, at Princess Royal Hospital, in the IVF Unit and in the old Kingston General Hospital. In that time, I’ve met a lot of people; lots of patients come in very ill or depressed, so I’ve always seen it as my role to make them feel better.

“They say laughter is the best medicine and I’ve had so many laughs with patients over the years; I was once asked to go off the ward when I worked in gynaecology by the Sister because I was making the women laugh too much; I literally had patients in stitches in stitches!

“But it’s also the little things that make people feel valued and cared for; when I worked in the elderly day centre at Kingston General, I could be doing anything from bathing a patient to cutting their nails or doing their hair. People often feel better inside if they’re presentable outside, and I used to love making people feel nice and comfortable; it really has been a lifelong passion of mine.”

When asked what she plans to do in retirement, there was no hesitation for Millie:

“I’ll be asking to come back on the nurse bank!

“I really love my job, and I’m not just saying that. I’m proud to work for the hospital trust and I shall really miss the people that I work with and the patients that I see. I can’t sit down all day, I need to keep busy, so I’m still hoping to come back for a few hours a week.”

Further probing reveals Millie has a partner, Kevin, two sons, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren with a third due any day now.

“It will be nice to spend more time with the family”, she says. “I’ve always enjoyed cake decorating so that’s something I might look into again, I like bird watching, and I keep asking my partner for a dog, so maybe that’s something I can keep pestering him for…”

And when asked what advice she’d give to nursing staff just starting out in the profession, Millie keeps it simple:

“You just need to get on with it. Be strong, take an interest in people, be your own person, and enjoy your work and your patients.

“If I could have my time again, I would do my full nurse training, but I really can’t complain as I’ve absolutely loved it, I’ve loved my time in the health service.”

And the scores of people who saw Millie off at a special lunchtime gathering today; current and former colleagues and family members; are testament to just how popular and how well respected this lady this.

There may be the odd tear of sadness in contrast to the many years of laughter, but her eyes won’t be cloudy for long; no doubt she’ll be wanting to arrange her next shift.

Old wheelchairs no longer required by hospital patients are to be sent to Africa to help children and adults who have had limbs blown off by landmines.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is preparing to transport 34 wheelchairs, once destined for recycling as scrap metal, to Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas (DESO).

Environmental Support Officer Gavin Lee discovered the charity’s work as he searched for a solution to prevent still-usable equipment being sent for scrap metal.

He said: “I’m always looking for ways of saving waste in the NHS and I knew there had to be a better way of recycling these so they can actually be used to help people.

“We are so lucky to have the NHS so when we need equipment like crutches and zimmer frames to help us walk or wheelchairs when we can’t, we get them.

“People in developing countries who are born with disabilities or lose a limb through standing on a landmine have to crawl about on their stomachs or shuffle on their backsides because they do not have access to the equipment that can help them.

“I just thought we could help them.”

The charity, based in Kent, was set up by  Mavis and Eddie Hyde to collect and recycle equipment which would be disposed of unnecessarily in the UK but could still help disabled people in Ghana.

Gavin, who has worked for the trust for two years, is also sourcing crutches and walking frames which are no longer required by the NHS to add to the collection.

He said: “We’re currently working out the logistics of getting the equipment down to the charity but I hope to take it to them in the next few weeks.”

Caption (l to r): Leon Rouse, Gavin Lee and Elliot Arnold

Midwives and staff at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre in Hull have just welcomed their 1,000^th baby into the world.

Alfie Davey became the centre’s 1,000^th new arrival when he was born on May 4, weighing 8lbs 9oz.

Mum Nikita, 32, and dad Thomas , 33, claimed the honour when their son was born under water in one of the centre’s birthing pools.

Nikita, Oscar and baby Alfie

Nikita said: “We didn’t know until after Alfie was born that he was the 1,000^th baby because there was another woman in one of the other rooms and staff didn’t know which of us would be first.

“It was a fantastic experience and the staff were just lovely. We’re glad Alfie’s birth was special for them as well.”

The £470,000 birth centre was opened two years ago by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for women with low-risk pregnancies who could have their babies supported by midwives, without the need for medical intervention.

It was created to offer women more choice thanks to a major £370,000 donation by Fatima Allam, wife of Hull businessman and philanthropist Dr Assem Allam, and her family, with the trust contributing £100,000 to the project.

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

The birth centre is proving hugely popular with couples, with births rising from 23 a month when it first opened in 2017 to 55 a month now.

Nikita, who works in the civil service, and Thomas, an architect, hadn’t thought about using the birth centre before Alfie arrived and were prepared to “go with the flow” instead of making a birth plan.

The couple’s first son Oscar, now three, had been born in a birthing pool in the labour and delivery suite at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and Nikita had no complications or concerns throughout her second pregnancy with Alfie.

Nikita with baby Alfie

When his wife went into labour three days before Alfie’s due date, Thomas phoned ahead to the labour ward and by the time they arrived at hospital at around 3.15am on May 4, they were shown to the Fatima Allam Birth Centre.

Nikita said: “I’d heard about the birth centre from a friend but I hadn’t really thought about going there. I’d just gone in and that’s where I was taken.

“They had seen in my notes that I had a water birth with Oscar so we were taken to the birth centre. They’d already run the bath and got everything ready for us so we didn’t even have to wait.”

The couple, of Newport, East Yorkshire, were only in the centre for 40 minutes before Alfie was born and Nikita was supported by midwives Becky Broom and Robyn Preston and midwifery assistant Jane Thompson.

The couple were able to return to their home in Newport, East Riding, with Alfie at 6pm that same day.

Nikita said: “My whole labour lasted just three hours and I can definitely recommend a water birth.”

Head of midwifery Janet Cairns said: “The Fatima Allam Birth Centre is a wonderful facility Hull can be proud of as it increases a woman’s options when they are deciding where and how they would like to give birth.

“Seeing our 1000^th baby born at the centre is a fantastic milestone to reach and we are pleased so many women and their partners have chosen to have their babies at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre.

Thomas with Oscar and baby Alfie

“Alongside our labour and delivery suite at Hull Women and Children’s and home births, the birth centre is proving to be a valuable addition to maternity services for women from Hull and the East Riding.”

Katie Headlam, Midwifery Sister at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre, said: “We are so lucky to have the birth centre, thanks primarily to the generosity of the Allam Family, here in Hull and we’re so proud that Alfie has become our 1000^th baby.

“The feedback we receive from women who have chosen to use the birth centre has been fantastic and we’re happy to help provide a beautiful start to life for our new arrivals and their parents in relaxing and comfortable surroundings.”

If you would like to find out more about the Fatima Allam Birth Centre, speak to your midwife or attend one of the monthly HEY Baby Carousel events held on the last Wednesday of every month, 6-8pm, in the Clinical Skills Building in Fountain Street, next to the Eye Hospital. The next event will take place on Wednesday, May 29.

They are the patients who thought they had run out of options to tackle their breathlessness, chest pain, fainting and dizziness.

But now, patients with heart disease are being offered the chance of improved health and a better quality of life at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The trust has become the third centre in Yorkshire and the Humber to perform Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) for patients who were previously considered too frail or unwell to undergo major heart surgery.

Dr Raj Chelliah, the Interventional Cardiologist who is the trust’s TAVI lead, said: “In the past, patients in Hull, the East Riding, North Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire had to travel around two hours or more to either Sheffield or Leeds if they were considered suitable for the treatment.

“Now, we can offer them this life-changing procedure much closer to home.

“It is making a huge difference to patients with aortic valve disease who were not considered suitable for major heart surgery.”

This month, the second list got underway at the Centre for Cadiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery following the success launch of TAVI in March.

The patient in their 80s is wheeled into the Cath Lab at the centre based at Castle Hill Hospital. Their anxiety is obvious and understandable.

But, surrounded by the anaesthetist and the friendly, dedicated and highly skilled Cath Lab Team, they are reassured and comforted until they fall under.

Theatre Nurses, Operating Department Practitioners and support staff under the guidance of Senior Sister Claire Bradley prepare for the procedure while the Radiographers get in position and the Interventional Cardiologists get scrubbed and gowned.

Anaesthesia takes around an hour and there are plans for Hull to follow the other centres in offering conscious sedation, which could see the procedure performed under local anaesthetic. This will mean less impact on the patient as well as the potential for more patients to be put on the list because of the procedure could be performed more quickly.

We’re given heavy wraparound lead aprons and gilets to wear over our scrubs to protect us from the continuous x-rays carried out while the patient is moved from the trolley onto the operating table to give the surgeons a view of what they’re doing on giant screens.

Dr Chelliah, assisted by Dr Joseph John and Dr Ben Davison, take up their positions as the patient is prepared for surgery.

In TAVI, a catheter or hollow tube with a balloon on the tip is inserted through arteries in the patient’s groin. The catheter is then passed into the heart and is positioned near the opening of the aortic valve.

The balloon is inflated to create space for a new tissue valve, which is then put in position and expanded, with the redundant and diseased value pushed out to the side.

But before one surgical instrument is lifted, the team fall silent for the WHO surgical check list, with all the patient’s details, allergies and condition checked and confirmed by everyone in the room, regardless of their job title.

And then we begin. Incisions are made in the patient’s groin while pacing wires and markers are inserted to guide the surgical team.

In the corner, a huge box is opened. It contains the TAVI delivery system, a complex network of tubes and wires which will be fed through the patient’s arteries to put the valve in place.

The 26mm valve has been selected specifically for this patient to prevent leaks. Looking at it encased in wire mesh on a table, it’s hard to imagine how it will ever end up in place, given the narrowness of the catheter. But then the magic begins.

The valve can be reshaped by cold water so it is placed in a trough containing two litres of ice-cold water before it is crimped into the delivery system and handed over to the surgical team.

Then, under the watchful eye of a surgical proctor assigned to guide and support our staff through the early days of TAVI, Dr Chelliah and Dr John feed the catheter through the patient’s artery with dexterity and skills, following the instructions of “half a turn” or “quarter of a turn”.

These are movements of tenths of millimetres but you’d never know the pressure these doctors are under as they go about their business. It is humbling.

Within half an hour, the valve is inflated and in place, the delivery system is removed and the closure work begins to stitch up the patient’s arteries. But the pressure isn’t off, as there’s a risk of severe bleeding and complications around the insertion sites.

Not today. It all goes to plan and in a matter of minutes, the patient is ready to be wheeled to recovery.

TAVI nurse Alan Fussey has watched the entire procedure but, really, his role is getting the patient to this point and looking after them once it’s over. He’s in theatre as the patient’s advocate. He’s built up a relationship with them over the weeks and months and he’s with them now.

He works in the clinic alongside Dr Chelliah, helping to identify patients who may be suitable for the procedure.

For those too frail or sick for major heart surgery, TAVI can be an option as the procedure puts less strain on the body because the heart does not need to be stopped and placed on bypass. It also avoids people having a large cut on their chests and can mean people recover more quickly than if they had undergone conventional surgery.

Alan said: “Patients are referred to Dr Chelliah and I go into clinic with him to discuss with the patient their suitability for TAVI.

“These patients have been turned down for surgery so TAVI is the only option. We then carry out investigations, arranging ECHOs and CT scans and, once they’re considered suitable, they are added to the list.”

Sometimes, it doesn’t work out as everyone has hoped and the tests show the patient isn’t suitable for TAVI. “It’s seen as a ‘last chance’ so, sometimes, we have to tell them that the last chance isn’t an option for them and that can be very hard to hear.”

But as the patient is wheeled out of the Cath Lab and into recovery, it’s been a success.

They will be closely monitored with all the usual post-op checks – blood pressure, heart rhythm and the like – but the insertion sites will be closely monitored too along with pulses in the feet to check circulation.

Then, hopefully within days, they’ll be well enough to go home to a new life, able to once more lead a life they may have thought was over.