A specialist kidney team is marking 50 years since the service was launched in Hull as part of this year’s World Kidney Day.

Hull has a dedicated kidney unit at Hull Royal Infirmary, satellite units led by nurses at in Bridlington, Grimsby and Scunthorpe and patient outreach clinics at Bridlington, Goole, Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

People who have undergone treatment for kidney treatment including dialysis and transplants will join staff to mark the global awareness day on Thursday.

Dr Helen Collinson, Consultant Nephrologist at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Many lives have been saved and improved since we introduced the service in 1969 and we’ve made incredible advances over the decades.

“This year’s theme of Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere calls for universal health coverage for the prevention and early treatment of kidney disease.

“We’re pleased to have such a great service right here in Hull as well as satellite units throughout East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire to give people access to the best possible care.”

The city’s Renal Dialysis Unit was originally opened by Sir Ronald Tunbridge, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Leeds University and president of the British Medical Association (BMA), at Princess Royal Hospital on October 6, 1969.

During the ceremony, Mrs Henrietta Brocklehurst, chair of the Hull (A) Group Hospitals Management Committee from 1958 to 1974, said Hull had been placed on the map for its medical services thanks to Sir Ronald and his interest in developing Hull Hospitals.

Around three million people in the UK have chronic kidney disease (CKD) although about a third of them do not realise they are living with a condition which can lead to kidney failure, fatal without treatment by dialysis or a kidney transplant because they have no symptoms.

Once diagnosed, Hull’s renal team may be able to help to slow down progression of the disease, reducing or delaying the need for kidney replacement treatment such as dialysis or transplant which can make a huge difference to a person’s quality of life.

The trust plans to mark World Kidney Day with staff and patients manning a stand in Hull Royal Infirmary’s restaurant between 11.30am and 2pm to raise awareness among NHS workers, other patients and visitors to the hospital.

Symptoms of CKD can include weight loss and poor appetite, swollen ankles, feet or hands caused by water retention (oedema), shortness of breath, tiredness, blood in urine and an increased need to urinate, particularly at night.

Some people will have insomnia, itchy skin, muscle cramps, nausea and headaches. Men with kidney disease can also experience erectile dysfunction.

People can reduce their risk of developing chronic kidney disease by changing their lifestyles right now.

Stopping smoking, reducing the amount of salt and saturated fats we eat, taking regular exercise, always drinking plenty of water and maintaining a healthy weight can all reduce the risk of developing CKD.

However, lifestyle changes can also help a person who already has kidney disease.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, family members with kidney disease, have had pre-eclampsia or are from a BME background, ask your GP for a kidney function test.

Smokers will be asked to leave Hull Royal Infirmary if they persist on lighting up outside the tower block, a hospital Chief Executive is warning.

Visitors, patients and staff complain regularly about walking through clouds of smoke at the front entrance to the tower block to attend appointments, see loved ones or start work.

Smokers persist in gathering around the front door despite warning signs declaring the hospital grounds smoke-free, although vaping by visitors is permitted.

Now, Chris Long, Chief Executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “There is a very high level of lung disease caused by smoking in our area.

“Every winter, the hospital is filled by emergency patients with breathing problems caused by their smoking, some of whom die.

“It is completely unacceptable that our patients, along with children and mums-to-be, should be forced to endure the smoke of those selfish people who think it is OK to smoke anywhere in a hospital’s grounds.”

Recently, Humberside Police escorted a man off HRI’s grounds after he refused repeated requests by security staff to stop smoking outside the front door.

Trust security manager Ron Gregory said: “The man had discharged himself from hospital but was intent on smoking outside the front entrance. He was asked several times to move onto the public road if he wished to smoke but refused to do so.

“Our security teams then approached police officers who assisted in escorting the man from our premises.

“It’s unfortunate that it requires this level of involvement when we have invested time and public money in not just warning signs and equipment but help for patients to stop smoking.

“People need to be aware that we will continue to enforce the smoking ban until the message is received loud and clear that smoking in a hospital is not acceptable.”

Mr Gregory is appealing to all staff and the public to help enforce the ban by asking people to stub out cigarettes on hospital premises.

He said: “People can be in no doubt that smoking is not permitted here yet too many ignore warning signs and the speaker system we have installed appealing to people to move off the site if they want to smoke.

“We need the help of all staff, visitors and patients to spread the message that it is no longer socially acceptable to smoke in or around a hospital, regardless of whether you’re here to work, as a patient or as a visitor.

“The NHS offers many ways to help people give up and we are happy to direct people to services to help them quit. But they must stop smoking in our grounds.”

The trust is also contacting Yorkshire MP Tracy Brabin to support her attempts to introduce a blanket ban on smoking at all NHS properties with support for people to stop or abstain while they’re in hospital.

She is taking action after discovering staff  on a neonatal ward were unable to open the windows because of the harm posed to seriously ill newborn babies by smokers outside.

A virtual tour of the Queen’s Centre has been created by a hospital oncology team to help people about to embark on life-saving cancer treatment.

Patients can ‘walk’ through the doors of the centre at Castle Hill Hospital and explore each area of the building from the café on the ground floor to the day unit, radiotherapy and corridors leading to the wards.

Stephen Miller, Business Manager for Specialist Services at the Queen’s Centre, said: “We are very aware that when patients come here for the first time, they can feel very anxious and vulnerable.

“It’s already a big shock to the system to be diagnosed with cancer and we’re trying to make it easier for people and let them see what to expect.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust worked with York company Digifish and Apollo 3D, based in Otley, to create the virtual tour.

The building was filmed at dawn on a Saturday morning to give people an idea of the different departments, waiting rooms and treatment areas where they may be asked to go.

People can click on a “doll’s house” view or a floor plan to get a 360-degree view of each area just by clicking on the image. They can explore the different levels in the centre or move along the corridors.

The tour is now posted on the trust’s website after Stephen worked with trust Web Developer Bonnie Gray to create a designated area for the Queen’s Centre.

As well as using the virtual tour, people can also get information on services from chemotherapy and haematology to the Macmillan Chemotherapy Nurse Specialists, radiotherapy and the wards.

They can also watch videos of patients undergoing assessments and talking to staff so they have a better idea of what to expect.

Stephen said: “We put ourselves in their position to try and make it a better experience for them.

“We know that when you’re hearing all this information for the first time, you do take it in and understand it at the time but it can be so overwhelming and difficult to remember what you’ve heard.

“Supplementing the information we give patients through the website acts like an extra pair of eyes and ears so we hope that will reduce some of the anxiety people will feel as they prepare to come into the building for the first time.”

The mother of a baby who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome will join midwives at an event in Hull next week to help families keep their children safe when they go to sleep.

Jennifer Wakefield’s son Ralph was just six months old when he died from SIDS, one of five babies to lose their lives every week.

Now, Jennifer will join midwives from Hull Women and Children’s Hospital at St Stephen’s shopping centre on Monday as part of Safer Sleep Week, the national campaign organised by the Lullaby Trust.

Midwife and Childbirth Educator Melanie Lee said: “Jennifer has drawn on her own terrible experience over the death of Ralph to help prevent other families experiencing the devastation of SIDS.

“We’ll be at St Stephen’s to hand out leaflets with information, advice and guidance and also speak to parents to make sure they know how they can keep their babies safer.”

SIDS claims the lives of around 240 babies in the UK, with five dying every week. Around 85 per cent happen in the first six months of life and boys were at a slightly higher risk than girls – 52 per cent compared to 48 per cent – in 2016, the latest available figures.

Mothers under 20 were three times more likely to lose their babies to SIDS compared to any other age group in that year.

Sleeping on a sofa can increase the chance of SIDS by up to 50 times while sharing a room with your baby for the first six months of their lives can halve the risk.

However, the number of babies dying of SIDS has reduced by 79 per cent following the Back to Sleep campaign in 1991, where parents were encouraged to put their babies to sleep on their backs following the death of TV presenter Anne Diamond’s four-month-old son Sebastian.

Jennifer and the hospital team will be joined by members of the Hull and East Riding Safer Sleep Steering Group at St Stephen’s from 9am to 4pm on Monday as part of the week-long campaign.

Teenage mothers from the Boulevard Centre, which supports younger women through pregnancy and birth, will also be at the event to help spread the message about safer sleep.

Two Moses baskets will also be set up in the foyer of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital throughout the week to highlight important “dos and don’ts” of safer sleeping.

Staff working in the children’s departments of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will also be promoting the message of safer sleeping in their areas.

Here’s how you can reduce the risk of their baby dying.

• Place your baby on their back to sleep and keep them in a cot in the same room as you for the first six months of their lives
• Don’t smoke during pregnancy or when you’re breastfeeding and don’t allow anyone to smoke in the same room as your baby
• Don’t share a bed with your baby if you’ve been drinking, taking drugs or if you smoke
• Don’t let your baby get either too hot or too cold
• Don’t sleep with your baby in an armchair or sofa
• When putting your baby in their cot or Moses basket, put their feet at the end of the cot or basket so they can’t wriggle down under their blanket.
• Always keep your baby’s head uncovered. Tuck their blanket in no higher than their shoulders.
• Do not use cot bumpers or place teddies inside cots, prams, push chairs or car seats

Hospital staff in Hull are seeking to reverse traditional stereotypes when it comes to healthcare careers.

The commonly held belief than ‘nurses are women and doctors are men’ is something that Simon Knopp, Practice Development Matron for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, is helping to address.

Simon, a former Royal Engineer who has served in Bosnia, was inspired into his nursing career by his wife after leaving the forces.

Now, having practiced as a nurse for more than 16 years, Simon is keen to promote nursing careers and, in particular, to get more men representing the profession.

Earlier today, Simon visited a class of around 90 Year 1 pupils at Biggin Hill Primary School Academy, north Hull.

He says:

“The early years are so important when it comes to children formulating ideas, not just about what they might want to be when they grow up, but about who can take on a particular type of job or role.

“I’ve visited lots of school classes in my time and it’s amazing how many pupils think I must be a doctor because I’m a man.

“Visits like the one today at Biggin Hill Primary certainly help to show that a career in caring can be for anyone, no matter who you are.

“It also gives us the opportunity to get pupils thinking about health careers from an early age, and hopefully inspire young people to study and train to become our doctors, nurses and other health professionals of the future.”

As well as giving a talk to the pupils, Simon also took along a UV light box which is used for infection control demonstrations. Pupils learned about proper handwashing technique, and then a number were invited to place their hands under the UV light after washing to see which areas they had missed and could be carrying germs.

Mrs Hodgson, the Year 1 teacher at Biggin Hill Primary School Academy says:

“All the children were really engaged in the handwashing discussion and were eager to ask questions and have a go. They really took on board the advice and could explain the benefit of careful handwashing. Not only did it support our healthy schools agenda but it was really nice to be able to have a positive role model in school to inspire the children.”

Simon’s work is just one example of how the hospital trust is linking in with schools and colleges across the area to promote NHS careers and inspire the next generation of health professionals. Hull Royal Infirmary regularly throws open its doors to students, most recently teaming up with the Children’s University to give students an insight into ‘A Day in the Life of the NHS’.

The trust is also home to many inspirational female medics such as orthopaedic surgeon, Elizabeth Moulder. Miss Moulder regularly champions medical careers for girls and women, and was an expert panellist in the 2017 ‘Women of the World’ event in Hull which sought to promote gender equality.

Stillbirth has been reduced by more than one third in two years at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital after maternity services adopted national guidelines to save babies’ lives.

Medical and Midwifery teams at Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust have reduced stillbirths by 36 per cent from 25 in 2016/17 to 14 so far in 2018/19.

Helping women to stop smoking when they become pregnant, monitoring women at risk of stillbirth more closely and checking babies’ heart rates more effectively during labour have all played a part in achieving the dramatic reduction.

Head of Midwifery Janet Cairns said: “Any stillbirth is a tragedy and we have been working closely with parents, local and national charities to improve the way we look after families who experience such sad events.

“Sadly, we will never know what causes some stillbirths.

“However, we know factors such as smoking in pregnancy or reduced moments can lead to stillbirth and we are pleased to see such a dramatic reduction in such a short space of time.”

The NHS has launched its Saving Babies Lives initiative to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths in England by 20 per cent in 2020, halving the rate by 2025.

Stillbirths account for 4.7 in every 1,000 births in the UK, one of the highest rates among richer countries. However, the rate can vary by as much as 25 per cent between different regions in England.

Hull has more stillbirths than other areas, partly because more women smoke during pregnancy or have a higher body mass index (BMI).

Healthy lifestyle midwives work with stop smoking services at Hull City Council and City Health Care Partnership to encourage more women to give up during pregnancy.

All women undergo carbon monoxide tests at their first appointment and again at 36 weeks .

Women who continue to smoke during their pregnancy have carbon monoxide tests at every appointment and are monitored closely to ensure their babies are growing normally. They are also put in contact with smoke-free teams.

Although the work continues, Hull now has its lowest rate of pregnant women smokers in more than a decade, with the rate falling almost five per cent to 18 per cent in under two years.

Fetal growth restriction is the biggest risk factor for stillbirth, with one in three full-term deaths linked to babies not growing properly in the womb.

Midwives and doctors have received additional training to measure growth  and women identified with babies who are “small for gestational age” are monitored closely in later pregnancy.

Staff also teach women about the importance of monitoring their babies’ movements after 24 weeks, ensuring they know what to do if they detect reduced movements, a proven link to stillbirth. Women are also given leaflets with their handheld notes explaining the importance of healthy lifestyles and monitoring reduced fetal movements.

Midwifery and medical staff undertake annual training in in cardiotocography (CTG) – the monitoring of babies’ heart rates during labour – to prevent stillbirths and severe brain injuries. Last year, staff attended bespoke master classes in CTG interpretation.

Spot checks are carried out every week to ensure staff are meeting standards expected for CTG monitoring and the trust also operates a “fresh eyes” system where CTG readings are double-checked by another member of staff with the correct procedure followed if concerns are raised.

An engineer saved by the quick actions of his wife has told how two hospitals worked together to prevent him suffering brain damage after a stroke.

Stuart Dixon, 58, became the first patient to be “blue-lighted” from Scunthorpe’s Hyper Acute Stroke Unit to Hull Royal Infirmary to undergo a mechanical thrombectomy to reduce the risk of brain damage or long-term disability.

Stuart said: “My care has been incredible.

“If I had been a member of the Royal Family, I couldn’t have had better treatment. It all happened so fast and everyone was brilliant.”

His wife Adele said: “I don’t know how we can say thank you. Everyone was in the right place at the right time when we needed them.

“I hope our story gives people hope and makes them think about acting fast if they suspect a stroke.”

Strokes are caused when a patient experiences a blocked artery, usually caused by a blood clot, and the blood supply to the brain is cut off.

Around one-third of people are suitable for clot-busting drugs, which can be administered up to four and a half hours after the onset of a stroke.

However, drug therapy may not be effective in patients with blockages in large arteries.

Instead, those patients can now benefit from the new regional mechanical thrombectomy service at Hull Royal infirmary, effective up to six hours or even up to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms.

Stuart had gone downstairs on November 12 to make himself and Adele, 51, a cuppa before returning to bed. He coughed, spilling tea from his mouth, and Adele knew instantly something was wrong.

She said: “His speech was slurred, he was unable to raise his left arm and his face had dropped on his left side. I realised he was having a stroke so I grabbed the phone and rang for an ambulance.”

Stuart was rushed to Scunthorpe District General Hospital and within 30 minutes, had been scanned and given a clot-busting drug.

Dr Asem Ali, consultant in stroke medicine and the stroke team lead at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG), realised Stuart would be a suitable candidate for the new mechanical thrombectomy service.

Known as a “Lazarus procedure”, a wire is passed into the patient’s brain to retrieve any blood clots, enabling some people to recover mobility, speech and other faculties damaged by an acute ischaemic stroke.

The team at Hull discovered a tear in Stuart’s carotid artery was leaking. A clot had formed in the artery and a further two had broken off and moved into the brain, causing the stroke. These were all removed during the procedure.

Adele said: “Immediately after his procedure, he could wriggle his fingers and move his leg. Every day there has been an improvement. The speed with which the team reacted was incredible and, without a doubt, it prevented irreparable damage.”

Stuart spent the night at Hull before returning to Scunthorpe where he spent three days undergoing intensive physiotherapy before being transferred to Grimsby Hospital to continue rehabilitation.

He said:  “I had to learn how to walk again. Using the walking frame was terrifying to begin with as I had no balance and even sitting in a chair was scary.

“Every day I am making progress. I couldn’t tie my own shoe laces or use my fork properly.

“Now I am out walking the dog, collecting wood from my log store at the bottom of the garden and I have taken up Tai Chi.”

Dr Ali said: “Strokes can cause catastrophic damage leaving patients with life-long disabilities. However, if people act FAST there is so much more we can do these days and can limit the damage caused by stroke.

“Welcoming Stuart back to the ward was wonderful as he has made such a great recovery. Working together with our colleagues in Hull has made such a difference to this family’s life.”

Hull’s consultant radiologist Dr Paul Maliakal, who carried out the procedure, said: “The treatment isn’t suitable for all patients but it can make a huge difference to the people for whom mechanical thrombectomy is appropriate.

“Hull is at the forefront of this kind of treatment and we’re attracting national recognition for our work in the field.”

The organisation which runs East Yorkshire’s two main hospitals will change its name this Friday in a bid to attract more clinical staff and trainees.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, received its official Establishment Order from the Department of Health and Social Care earlier this week. The order, signed by the Secretary of State, confirms the name change from 1^st March 2019 to Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Trust Chairman, Terry Moran, says the move will help to put Hull on more of a level playing field with other big teaching hospitals:

“The Trust delivers so much more than the essential hospital services everybody expects. We work in partnership with the University and Hull York Medical School to provide expert teaching and to undertake first class research and development to further advance patient treatment.

“When choosing somewhere to work or study, we know that medical trainees and other health professionals look at study and career development as part of the overall offer.

“While Hull has had a strong track record for high quality clinical training for a number of years, this is not currently reflected in the Trust name, and this potentially disadvantages us when compared to other regional centres.

“When competing with other geographical areas to recruit doctors, nurses and other health staff, it’s important that we make ourselves as appealing as possible.

“Changing the Trust name to incorporate our status as a teaching hospital and to reflect our strong links with the university will undoubtedly help us to attract more interest and hopefully more people to work in the city and help us care for local people.”

Professor Julie Jomeen, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Hull, said:

“At the University of Hull, we welcome the renaming of the Trust which demonstrates its commitment to learning and research and also reflects the shared ambitions and strong connections between the Faculty of Health Sciences, Hull York Medical School, and the Trust.

“For many years, we have been working in close partnership to improve the health of our region: many of our health professionals and medical students gain essential experience as part of their programmes of study at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital and make a valuable contribution to the health of our community. A large proportion of our graduates then go on to work at the hospitals post qualification where they build on the close links they have already forged there to develop as outstanding practitioners across many specialities as well as undertaking high-calibre research, which positively influences the health of our region.

“The University’s life-changing research and the nurses, doctors, midwives, operating department practitioners, paramedics and allied health professionals we train in partnership with the Trust are making a real difference to patients.

“Our commitment to the Trust is underpinned by the new simulated training facilities in the Allam Medical Building at the University which ensure that all our graduates learn in the best environments and are fully-prepared for clinical practice.”

Professor Una Macleod, Dean of Hull York Medical School says:

“Since Hull York Medical School was established we have been working with Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure we respond to local workforce needs and equip our students with the knowledge and skills they will need to deliver high quality patient centred care.

“From 2019 we will be training an additional 90 doctors per year, many of whom will train and work within the Trust – helping to build a sustainable workforce in the area. We welcome the renaming and believe it will ensure visibility of our joint commitment to inspiring future medical and other healthcare professionals and ensure we attract the very best medical professionals to this region.”

The Trust consulted with a range of partners including Clinical Commissioning Groups, local authorities, Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull on the proposal to change its name, and received strong support.

The formal name change will take effect this Friday, 1^st March 2019.

Parents are to be warned of the dangers facing young children from everyday items including dishwasher tablets and hair straighteners at the next Hey Baby Carousel.

Midwives and child birth educators at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital are working with Hull City Council’s Accident Prevention Team to outline the risks household objects pose to children.

More than 16,000 under-fives were taken to Hull Royal’s Emergency Department following an accident in 2017/18, an increase on 11,095 the previous year.

Childbirth educator Melanie Lee said: “Before your baby arrives, you have to look at your home with fresh eyes to see potential dangers.

“Going around your home on your hands and knees can give you a different perspective and help you see things which are in a child’s eye line.

“However, we want to show people how washing dishes or clothes, having a hot cup of coffee or straightening your hair can cause severe injuries and even death to their child.”

Hey Baby Carousel takes place on the last Wednesday of every month and is now held at the Clinical Skills Building in Fountain Street, near Hull Royal Infirmary.

Pregnant women, partners and grandparents are all welcome to attend the next event on Wednesday, February 27, between 6pm and 8pm.

You can speak to midwives about your options for giving birth, speak to staff at the Fatima Allam Birth Centre and use the award-winning Virtual Reality headsets to immerse yourself in a range of experiences from using the pool in the birth centre to using a birthing ball on the labour ward.

Along with the accident prevention stall, midwives, birth educators and childcare experts will be on hand to offer advice, tips and guidance to parents for every stage of their pregnancy and parenthood.

There will also be practical demonstrations of how to change a nappy, how to bathe your infant in those early weeks and how to fit a car seat correctly.

There’s no need to make an appointment – just turn up.

Children undergoing surgery in Hull are to be ‘driven’ to the operating theatres in a Tesla electric car.

The miniature version of the electric car has been donated to Acorn Ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and will be used to transport children to theatre as well as for scans.

The Tesla Owners Club UK and the Christian Blandford Fund, a charity helping children facing long stays in NHS hospitals, are donating the car to make the experience of undergoing surgery less daunting to younger patients.

Joanne O’Conner, sister of Acorn Ward, said: “We do our best to make the experience of surgery or going for scans less intimidating and frightening for children.

“Our new car will make it far more exciting when the children discover they will be able to drive themselves to the theatre.

“It’s a fantastic gesture from the Tesla owners and the Christian Blandford Fund which will make a huge difference to the children we care for at the hospital.”

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who bought Tesla Motors in 2003 to bring electric vehicles to the mass market and is now working on space travel, has supported the donation, helped by the WISHH Charity supporting Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

The Tesla Model S for Kids car in midnight silver has a full sound system and room for a teddy bear in the boot. Suitable for children aged three to eight, the car is powered by an electric battery with the patient able to sit behind the wheel.

Tesla car owners Julian Hakes, Josh Cunningham and Karl Smith came to the hospital to hand over the car and treat staff, visitors and patients to displays of their own cars, including one’s “dancing” features.

Tesla car owners Karl Smith (left)Josh Cunningham (second from left) and Julian Hakes (right) with Acorn Ward Sister Joanne O’Connor

Deryn Harvey, Mini Tesla Coordinator  at the Tesla Owners Group UK, said:“ The car is sure to bring joy and alleviate anxiety in young children in hospital.

“This mini-Tesla is one of 500 we have placed across the country thanks to our members’ donations.

“Hull Women and Children’s Hospital is especially deserving as it was nominated by one of our local members in gratitude for the great service provided to his children.”

David Haire, Project Director Fundraising at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Both the trust and the WISHH Charity welcome this thoughtful donation which will, I am sure, help children to relax in the period before they have to receive their treatment.”