A new eye surgery lab offering some of the best training facilities in the country has opened in Hull to help train the next generation of surgeons in Yorkshire.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has enlarged and upgraded its Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation Eye Surgery Lab to train junior doctors in eye surgery, including cataract surgery, one of the most common surgical procedures in the UK.

The ‘wet lab’ will be known as “The Stephen Foster Room” in memory of former patient Stephen Foster who raised £27,000 in a single day to thank eye surgeons and neurosurgeons after suffering a brain haemorrhage while out golfing.

Mr Foster died recently but his family (left, with Mr Innes) and friends were invited to the official opening ceremony attended by trust Chief Executive Chris Long on Friday.

Ophthalmology Consultant James Innes spent years planning and designing the lab in the Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation building next to Hull’s Eye Hospital.

Mr Innes said: “Surgical training is well past the times when you just ‘had a go’. The day I first started in 1978 was the day I did my first cataract operation and it was only the second one I’d ever seen. Now we have excellent simulation training to hone skills before supervised practice begins.

“It was different back then but, despite that, I always tell students how I had practiced for two years using a microscope so I was completely familiar with it.

“That’s why I was so keen for us to have real microscopes in the lab and thanks to the generosity of Stephen, we’ve been able to get the next stage of this project up and running.”

Between six and eight surgical trainees in ophthalmology per year from the Yorkshire Deanery will come to the lab throughout the next seven years before becoming fully qualified eye surgeons.

Junior doctors from other hospitals throughout the country will also be invited to training events and workshops at the lab.

As well as learning techniques for cataract surgery, the surgical trainees will also practice techniques used to deal with known complications such as advanced anterior vitrectomy, required when the clear membrane surrounding the lens of the eye ruptures or breaks.

Water is used during cataract operations and the specially designed operating tables in the lab allow trainers to simulate the exact conditions junior doctors will face in operating theatres.

With around half of eye doctors suffering back problems, the Wet Lab will feature adjustable tables to allow them to perform at exactly the right height. Operating chairs have also been sourced by Mr Innes and his team of designers to ensure junior doctors learn the correct position in which to operate from the outset of their careers.

Simulated eyes of various designs allow surgeons to improve skills and techniques in an environment allowing them permission to fail outside of the highly pressured operating theatre.

Four surgical microscopes, costing between £30,000 and £80,000, use overhead pendants instead of fixed in position and the students will be able to use foot pedals to zoom in and move the scope around as required.

Eye health products firm Bausch and Lomb is supporting the wet lab by providing cataract and VR surgical technology for training purposes and will also look after the maintenance of the equipment.

Adele Brown of Bausch and Lomb said: “Quality hands-on training is crucial for the development of the future generation of ophthalmologists.

“That’s why we are thrilled to be able to support this top-class facility to provide practical, skills-based education that will enable the team here to continue to deliver excellent care to patients across the region.”

A man who became the first nursing student to work with long-term patients in the former Kingston General Hospital has spoken of his 40-year service to the NHS to mark International Nurses Day.

Mike Hebblewhite became known as Mr Kingston General  and was credited with playing a major role in transforming care for older people in the city.

Now 85, Mr Hebblewhite, who was awarded the MBE for his services to nursing by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 1987, said:  “It was hard work but I loved every minute of my career.

“It was a pleasure to come to work.”

Mike Hebblewhite at an awards presentation with Miss Amy Squibbs, an assessor from the General Nursing Council, in 1958

International Nurses Day is held every year on May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, to celebrate the contribution nurses make to society. This year’s celebrations also mark 100 years since the Nurses Registration Act was passed.

Mr Hebblewhite trained as a nurse after serving in the Royal Air Force as a medic for three years.

”When I went to the recruitment centre, I wanted to be a gunner but they said there weren’t rear gunners on planes anymore and I’d five minutes to think what else I could do,” he said.

“They said I could work in equipment or in the office but I didn’t fancy that. Then they asked what about running about in a field ambulance so I thought I’d give that a try.”

Initially posted at RAF Driffield, he spent two years in Iraq before he was demobbed. He couldn’t get his job back at Sanderson’s Paint Factory so, with the NHS in its infancy, decided to use his medical training and went to see the matron at Kingston General.

“She looked at my service record and said I’d need to start right at the bottom and that was fine with me,” he said.

Mr Hebblewhite was sent to work in the former Sculcoates Workhouse, which had been transformed into Kingston General Hospital, to work in the geriatric unit looking after people with long-term chronic conditions.

Back then, patients were institutionalised with conditions such as epilepsy, terminal syphilis or disabilities and often spent decades in hospital until they died on a 44-bed ward with open fires and huge cot beds with no day room.

Working first as a staff nurse and then a charge nurse, he helped to transform elderly care, introducing bingo sessions to occupy patients and trips to the pantomime.

Mike Hebblewhite marking the 150th anniversary of Kingston General Hospital in 1994

Mr Hebblewhite then moved to North Hull Clinic, which housed Hull’s first day hospital and helped the rehabilitation of patients after strokes, heart attacks or respiratory conditions.

Although “partnership working” has become a buzz word in recent years, it was in practice and part of daily life back then, with Mr Hebblewhite in direct contact with district nurses, council housing teams, social workers and therapists to assist the people who came into the centre.

“It wasn’t just the patients we looked after,” he said. “We were there for their families too and if someone told us they had an appointment on a day their mother wasn’t due to come to the centre, we’d arrange for them to come to us for an extra day.”

In 1992, he returned to Kingston General as site co-ordinator for the newly formed Royal Hull Hospitals Trust and stayed until his retirement four years later.

“My first three months in the job were spent washing lockers in the sluice room, cleaning and emptying bedpans and spittoons, changing and making beds,” he said. “It was superb grounding.

“For the first 11 years, I used to walk to and from work and that was while I was doing a 48-hour week but I didn’t mind. I loved it.

“My wife Sheila tells me I never saw the kids because I was backwards and forwards to the hospital all the time but that was just how it was.

“I miss the people and I do miss nursing in a way but I’ve been retired for 22 years and I’ve got it out of my system now.”

A leading midwife who ran Hull’s Maternity Hospital for two decades and played a significant role in shaping the profession is to be celebrated as part of this year’s International Day of the Midwife.

Kathleen Coni OBE was Matron of Hull Municipal Maternity Hospital from 1924 to 1946 during a career spent championing the midwifery profession.

She was awarded the OBE in 1943 for services to midwifery.  Reporting her death in 1965 at the age of 75, the Midwives Chronicle reported: “The midwifery profession suffered an irreparable loss and many midwives themselves have felt a personal grief at the passing of a dear and treasured friend.”

Now, the lives and times of the woman known as Miss Coni will be part of a celebration of the history of midwifery in Hull to mark International Day of the Midwife on Sunday, May 5.

Mike Pearson, Archivist at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, has looked out photographs and cuttings about Miss Coni to include in an exhibition at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital in the week leading up to the global celebration.

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery  at the trust, said: “Kathleen Coni played a remarkable role in developing midwifery and as matron of the maternity hospital, she was a crucial figure in the history of health services in Hull.

“International Day of the Midwife celebrates how far we’ve come as a profession in serving women and their families today.

“However, it’s important to look back at those pioneers who achieved so much to establish such strong foundations for midwifery to thrive.”

Mike Pearson said: “The midwifery profession has a lot to thank Miss Coni for and the importance of her work in Hull to develop the service for women and their families cannot be over-stated.

“We’re hoping people will enjoy seeing old cuttings and photographs charting the development of Hull’s maternity services over the years.”

Kathleen Coni wanted to be a nurse from the age of seven and became interested in the woman’s suffrage movement to demand the right to vote and social reform.

She obtained her hospital certificate in 1917 before completing her midwifery training at the General Lying-in Hospital in Lambeth and was part of a movement headed by Dame Rosalind Paget which helped establish the Royal College of Midwives.

Passionate about education, she was a strong advocate of midwifery training and her tireless work with post-graduate midwives.

She became Matron of Hull Maternity in 1924 then based in two semi-detached houses in Holderness Road. The day after she started, she was summoned by the city’s local authority to ask if she would take charge of moving maternity services to Cottingham, now the current site of Castle Hill Hospital.

The number of beds more than doubled from 14 to 30 with just two staff midwives and four women in training.

She was elected to the joint roles of President and Chairman of the Hull Association of Midwives and in 1925, holding the positions until 1946.

After five years, the maternity hospital then shifted to Hedon Road, this time with 100 beds. Part of the site was used as a nursery for babies and children up to five years with digestive problems, staffed by a midwife with “mothercraft experience”.

All trainee midwives spent time in the nursery, allowing them to build up their training as children’s nurses as well as midwives.

In 1936, Kathleen Coni was elected Midwives Institute Representative on the Central Midwives Board, the statutory body responsible for professional standards and the conduct of midwives.

Awarded the OBE during the Second World War, she remained at Hull Maternity until 1946 when she was forced to retire through ill health after suffering pneumonia and then a heart attack.

She moved south with her lifelong friend Mrs Mitchell and became honorary treasurer of the Royal College in 1947 and in 1948, when the NHS was formed, she was appointed to the first Hospital Management Committee.

Her obituary, published in the Chronicle, read: “The world can never be quite the same for any of us who loved her. We can only pay tribute to this great woman by trying to preserve the things which made her great.”

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has introduced a two month swim session pilot, aimed solely at people who are experiencing cancer or who have been through cancer in the past.

The pilot sessions, which will take place at three leisure centres across the East Riding, will enable eligible people to swim with others who know what they have been through.

Many people going through cancer may wear wigs, prosthetics or aids to help them during or after their treatment. The cancer swim sessions enable people to feel comfortable removing these items, show their scars and swim with others who are in a similar situation to them without feeling judged or embarrassed.

The viewing windows around the pool will be covered for the swimmers’ privacy and members of staff from the leisure centres have been trained as Cancer Champions, courtesy of the Cancer Alliance.

There is also the opportunity for swimmers to chat and socialise with people in the café afterwards.

Many people who are experiencing cancer are told by their GPs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including physical exercise where possible. People should always check with health professionals that they are able to go swimming.

John Skidmore, director of adults, health and customer services, said: “During the council’s cancer awareness project, we have heard comments from people who are unable to continue swimming due to their diagnosis of cancer.

“We want to try to break down that barrier for them and help them to continue doing the hobbies or exercises they love doing without restrictions.”

The council is trialling the sessions for two months and the demand will be reviewed at the end of July. Any feedback received from the swimmers will be greatly appreciated.

Ian Rayner, head of culture and customer services, said: “We are delighted to offer these sessions to people who may need somewhere to go to be physically, mentally and socially active.

“We want swimmers to know that they can feel comfortable attending these sessions and that everything is being done to make their visit a pleasurable and rewarding experience.

“Our trained staff are keen to exercise their knowledge about cancer and physical activity in general and we hope that this gives the swimmers an even better experience at our leisure centres.”

The pilot will start on Thursday and will run until the end of July.

Participating leisure centres include:

• East Riding Leisure Francis Scaife Tuesdays from 1-2pm
• East Riding Leisure South Holderness Thursdays from 3.15-4.15pm
• East Riding Leisure Withernsea Tuesdays and Fridays from 2-3pm

To find out more information about cancer awareness, visit www.eastridinghealthandwellbeing.co.uk

To become involved in the council’s one-year cancer awareness campaign as a case study or a supporter, email Kimberley.nichol@eastriding.gov.uk or call (01482) 391444.

Memory boxes are to be given to children to help them cope with the death of a brother, sister or parent at hospitals in Hull, North Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire..

Abbie’s Fund, set up by Katy Cowell in memory of her daughter, has donated white, pink and blue boxes for brothers and sisters of babies and children who die at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Labour & Delivery Suite, the Children’s Emergency Department or the Children’s Wards at Hull Royal Infirmary,

“Hug Me” hearts, where children struggling to ask for a hug can simply present the heart to a trusted adult to show what they need will be put inside the boxes.

Boxes will also be delivered to Adult Intensive Care Units at Hull and Grimsby to help children experiencing the death of a mother or father and to neonatal units in Doncaster and Scunthorpe.

Family finger print pictures, where every member of the family contributes their fingerprint to a family tree alongside their loved one, “heart in the hand” keyrings, teddies, clay moulds for hand and foot prints are among the items included in the box.

Anne Dalby, Sister on Ward 130 at Hull Royal Infirmary, said: “We are so grateful to Katy for all she has done to help families experiencing the death of a loved one.

“We hope they will help children to process their grief when their brother or sister dies and come to terms with their loss in a personal way.

“The boxes will allow them to feel close to their brother or sister, keeping their memories of them close and in a way that we hope will give them comfort.”

Katy and her husband Paul set up Abbie’s fund after their daughter Abbie Grace was stillborn at 38 weeks at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital in October 2010. She weighed 5lbs 4oz, was absolutely perfect but had died in the womb after the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck five times.

Katy and Paul spent two days in the hospital’s bereavement room with Abbie in a cold cot to allow them to spend precious time with their little girl.

They were given a memory box by a midwife shortly after Abbie was born, containing her hand and footprints and a lock of her hair.

Katy said: “We had planned to buy a memory box after we had left hospital but this removed the emotional trauma of searching for one at a time when we were consumed with grief.  We were extremely grateful.

“From our experiences following Abbie’s death, we have put together a box of keepsakes and ideas that we hope will help parents who find themselves in this situation to make precious memories.”

Katy recently joined the Paediatric Unit Bereavement Group working with nurses and play specialists to look at ways to support bereaved parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters.

Play specialist Gina Kirk said: “This can be a child’s special box where they can keep their memories. It can be useful straight away but it can also be something they can keep to help them.

“Katy has done an amazing thing to help other families and we’re so grateful for what she has done and the support she gives us.”

Katy said: “Abbie’s Fund has supported families who have lost a baby since 2010 and had recently developed memory boxes for siblings so we were in a great position to develop memory boxes for parents of older children, older siblings and for children who lose a parent.

“It has been an honour to be part of this group and we are really proud of the support we are able to give to many more local families who find themselves in this devastating situation.”

A dad has thanked NHS emergency staff for helping his son who broke his arm in two places in a scootering accident.

Dylan Douglas, 9, fell off his scooter during a day out at Little Switzerland in Hessle with his dad Iain, mum Sam, seven-year-old brother Ewan and 10-week-old baby brother Warran during the Easter holidays.

Paramedics from Yorkshire Ambulance Service carried Dylan out of a remote area of the nature reserve in a special chair before he was rushed to the Children’s Emergency Department at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Dylan Douglas with his injured arm

Now, with Dylan recovering after surgery to repair the double break, Iain is thanking the teams who worked together to help his family.

Iain, who works in the mental health liaison team at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Working in the NHS, I see great care everywhere ever day but I am truly blessed that my family received it too.

“To them, it was routine standard care but I know it was of exceptional high quality, from the ambulance crew and the ED staff who were brilliant to the radiographers and the staff on Acorn Ward.

“We couldn’t have asked for better care.”

The family, who live in Hull, had gone to Little Switzerland at Humber Bridge Country Park on April 15 and Dylan fell off his scooter as he came down a steep hill at the back of the reserve.

Iain said: “I ran to help him when he fell off and was about to give him a telling off because he’d torn his t-shirt when I noticed his arm was bent at a really weird angle.”

With his son in agony, Iain called 999 but realised the crew would struggle to find them because of their remote location.

A woman saw the family in need and headed to the car park at the top of the reserve to direct the crew once they arrived. However, the paramedics realised they would struggle to reach Dylan so drove to the foreshore before taking the stretcher chair into the reserve.

Iain said: “It felt like time went so slowly but they were with us within half an hour to 45 minutes and were absolutely brilliant.

“They reassured my middle lad who was terrified and did everything they could to sort out Dylan’s discomfort on the way back to the ambulance. They explained and reassured him every step of the way without patronising him and they got him into the ambulance were swiftly and smoothly.”

Once at Hull Royal Infirmary, staff in the Children’s Emergency Department arranged for x-rays with orthopaedic and trauma reviews to assess the damage. Radiologists fitted Iain with a special apron so he could stay with Dylan, who was distressed.

Doctors discovered Dylan had broken the radius and ulna in his left forearm in the fall and carried out an emergency reset ahead of surgery.

Dylan then spent the night on Acorn Ward, with his father able to sleep in a cot next to his son, before he was taken to the operating theatre the next day to have a plate and a rod fitted in his arm.

Now back at school, Dylan is sporting a pot and has been told he’ll be able to get back on his scooter and return to goalkeeping duties within a few weeks.

Iain said: “He’s fine in himself and is back to being a normal nine-year-old. The rest of the Easter holidays were a bit frustrating for him because he’s got his arm in a pot and he couldn’t do all the things he likes to do.

“But we are just so grateful for the help we all received. Due to the blur or events, I can’t remember the names of the people who helped us but I would just like to say thank you for everything they did to help Dylan and the rest of the family.”

Forty-nine year old Jane Smith has always wanted to take part in the London Marathon.  She was due to take part in 2018, but after a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery she wasn’t fit enough to do so.  However, with a positive outlook and a firm belief that anything is possible if you try, she is now taking part in this year’s London Marathon on 28th April.

Jane is recovering from a total hip replacement, caused by incurable metastatic breast cancer “having a chomp at my bones” as Jane says, but sees the London Marathon as a major challenge for her.  Jane is on a mission to walk as much as possible of the 26.2 miles supported by friends Duncan and Michelle.

Through the WISHH charity, Jane wants to raise funds for the Macmillan Survivorship Programme (living with and beyond cancer) and the Macmillan Community Physiotherapy service too.  Jane would love to exceed her fundraising expectations to support other Macmillan teams, to benefit as many patients as possible.

Jane said, “Taking part in the London Marathon is something I have always wanted to do since I was 11 years old.  My little girl dream became a bucket list wish, and all the memories we make on the day will be amazing for my family and friends to recall in years to come.  I feel very lucky to be a part of the history of The London Marathon and to help raise funds for Macmillan teams that directly benefit patients.”

To read more about Jane’s inspirational story and to support her visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jane-duncan-michelle?utm_source=sms

Kind-hearted couple, Kim and Paul Mankel wanted to make a difference to the Oncology Unit at Castle Hill Hospital’s Queen’s Centre, after the bride underwent treatment for thyroid cancer.  The groom’s mum was also looked after by a team of dedicated doctors and nurses at the centre, and varying friends and family have needed the unit’s assistance.

When planning their wedding, the bride and groom said there was no need for wedding gifts, instead, invited guests to make a donation, which raised a staggering £2,725.

Bride and Groom, Kim and Paul Mankel pictured with Queen’s Centre nursing staff David Emmitt, Amy Price and Lynsey Wood

Kim and Paul’s wedding took place at Beverley Register office with immediate family.  The following day, family and friends were invited to a garden party at The Ship Inn, Dunswell to celebrate, which also marked Kim’s mum’s 90th birthday, who cut the cake with the newly-weds.  Paul’s son Lee and family organised an auction, with various items including restaurant vouchers, beauty care, Hull FC passes, gym memberships and a ride on a Harley Davidson to the Goodmanham Arms. As part of the two-day celebration, entertainment included a Jazz band, magician and raffle.

Sister Deborah Simpson said: “On behalf of the Queen’s Centre Day Unit, I would like to thank Kim and Paul for their fantastic support.  The generosity of their wedding guests has enabled us to buy three sets of specialist weighing scales, which produce a printout for patients’ medical records, enabling nurses to prepare medication.  The scales have also helped reduce a patient’s waiting time.”

Kim said: “We had such a magical weekend with the help of all our family and friends. We were absolutely overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity to support the Oncology unit. Thank you so much.”

A hospital team has raised £1,000 in just one month to honour fallen soldiers from Hull and East Yorkshire who died fighting for their country.

The Maxillofacial team at Castle Hill Hospital came up with the idea of honouring veterans during commemorations to mark 100 years after the end of World War One.

Staff decided to raise funds for a bench with metalwork cut in the shape of soldiers and poppies after being inspired by the poppy display at Hull Minster.

Charge Nurse Michael Hookem said: “One of our dental nurses was talking about veterans and the poppy display in Hull and staff came up with the idea of having a bench outside the unit.

“The response was phenomenal. Every member of staff was involved from holding bake sales to tombolas and raffles.

“Patients and visitors to the unit were so generous and we’d raised the money for the bench by the first week in December.”

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.

Michael said: “We thought it would be a really nice thing to do for outside the unit and we’d like to thank everyone who helped our appeal.”

People with complex health conditions are being urged to chat to hospital consultants, GPs or specialist nurses to ensure their wishes are followed in a medical emergency.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust became the eighth NHS trust in the country to introduce ReSPECT, used by staff to help people with complex needs, those nearing the end of their lives or people at risk of sudden deterioration or cardiac arrest.

ReSPECT allows people to draw up a plan with health professionals, such as whether or not they wish to be resuscitated or “brought back” if their heart stops in a future medical emergency or if they agree to a particular treatment to save their lives.

Neil Jennison, Resuscitation Manager at the trust, said: “No one wants to think about a time when they might not be able to express their wishes but it can happen.

“ReSPECT gives people the chance to make decisions now so that if a time comes in the future when they can’t speak for themselves, their wishes are known.

“It’s not just about saying what you don’t want, it’s about empowering people to say what they do want in an emergency.”

ReSPECT forms were introduced at the trust last year to replace “Do Not Attempt CPR” forms after concerns were raised over the limitations of restricting people’s options to either resuscitation or not.

The ReSPECT form was developed by health organisations in conjunction with the public and its launch was managed by the Resuscitation Council (UK).

Anyone can have a ReSPECT form in place but it is of particular importance to those with health conditions involving sudden deterioration, those with life-limiting conditions or those at risk of cardiac arrest.

People of all ages, including children and young people, can have a ReSPECT form to outline their preferences for care and treatment in the event of an emergency.

Hospital consultants and specialist nurses help people by discussing their options, outlining what specific treatments do or can achieve in relation to their illnesses.

Clinical teams at Hull Royal and Castle Hill Hospital and other health services working in the community can then consult the two-page form in the future, tailoring treatment to the patient’s wishes.

Neil Jennison said: “Having the form in place means our staff can be confident they are following the wishes of the patient, even if they can’t speak for themselves.”

To fill out a ReSPECT form, speak to your GP, your hospital consultant or specialist nurse.