Medical Examiners are to be introduced at Castle Hill Hospital to provide enhanced scrutiny of deaths.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will introduce the new role as a pilot scheme in May before the new system is rolled out to Hull Royal Infirmary by April next year.

Independent Medical Examiners are part of the Government’s response to public inquiries into serial killer Dr Harold Shipman, the Francis Inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and deaths of patients at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Makani Purva, Interim Chief Medical Officer at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “When a patient dies in hospital, we want to be able to identify patterns, areas of concern or potential for learning to ensure people always receive the best possible care.

“Introducing Medical Examiners will mean all deaths, first in Castle Hill and then in Hull Royal, will be scrutinised, allowing improvements in the system of death certification by reducing delays and increasing accuracy.

“We will also be able to answer some of the questions relatives may have over the death of a loved one at an earlier stage. “

Harold Shipman, a GP working in Hyde, Greater Manchester, was convicted of murdering 15 patients in 2000 and was serving a life sentence when he killed himself in his cell at Wakefield Prison. A subsequent inquiry, lasting two years, estimated the final number of his victims at 250.

Shipman was able to become one of the world’s most prolific serial killers in part because he was filling in death certificates for his own victims without any additional scrutiny so no one had an overview of the high death rate among his patients.

Inquiries into patient deaths at Mid Staffordshire and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trusts also highlighted problems with the death certification process which meant concerns over some deaths were not being raised.

The Medical Examiners at Castle Hill will be part of a national network and their role will be independent, enabling them to scrutinise deaths because they will not have been involved with the patient or their care before their deaths.

They will scrutinise all deaths by reviewing patient notes and discussing the case with a doctor involved in the patient’s care and supporting junior doctors to fill out death certificates correctly.

As a final layer of scrutiny, each case will be discussed with a relative or friend of the deceased to see if there are other issues they wish to raise about the patient’s care.  In hospitals already trialling a Medical Examiner system, the Medical Examiner often fed back compliments on good care from the relative or friend rather than anything negative.

Dr Kate Adams, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Mortality and Morbidity at the trust, outlined the plan at the trust board meeting this month.

She said the certification of deaths has not changed for 50 years and the current system is not really fit for purpose given the complexity of many of our patients.

“The problem of lack of scrutiny of death certificates was brought out in many reports into medically related deaths including the Shipman and Francis inquiries.

“A lot of death certificates are inaccurate or, frankly, wrong and, unfortunately, don’t reflect how the patient died.

“The Medical Examiner system will be a change in culture for the doctors and a change in the way of thinking.

“We have a massive opportunity to get ahead of the game before the role of Medical Examiner becomes statutory. We should use this time to design and adapt a system that works here in Hull but above all we should make sure that we do it properly.”

Everyone likes surprises, and that’s exactly what young patients, staff and visitors received today as a former boxing world champion paid a visit to Hull Royal Infirmary.

No sooner had Chris Eubank stepped out of the car at the front of the hospital than boxing fans began to stop the former WBO middleweight and super middleweight title holder, asking for photos and saying how well his son, Chris Eubank Jr, is doing.

Chris was in Hull having spent last night at a gala dinner in Willerby as an after dinner speaker. Before leaving the city, he was keen to visit the hospital to meet and inspire some of the staff who work so hard and parents going through a tough time.

Chris visited Ward 130, where he met children in their first weeks through to their teens, along with parents and carers, many of whom were also keen to chat about his boxing career and what he’s doing now.

One young lady received a personal pep talk about the power of self belief, while another young man literally put his lunch to one side to have his picture taken with Chris, and a five-year-old boy told Chris ‘I love you’ in sign language.

Junior Sister, Helen Lyon (below, right), was excited to greet her celebrity guest on the ward. She said:

“Chris was incredibly charming and a real pleasure to have visit the ward. We really appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to come and see us; it was a great boost for the parents at what can be a very difficult time, and I think some of the staff were pretty star-struck too!”

Chris said:

“I expected to meet older people today, but I met babies mostly with respiratory issues.

“I enjoyed meeting them because it always reminds me to be grateful to the Lord for how lucky we are.

“Meeting the parents was inspiring because they were happy to see a familiar face. It’s always gratifying visiting hospitals because it reminds me of the quote: ‘Yesterday you were lucky, but it took today for you to realise it. People always want what they had.’

At the end of his visit, an older gentleman joined Chris and his colleagues in the lift, did a double take, and after confirming it really was Chris Eubank, shook his hand and proclaimed “well, that’s made my day!”

After a few more snaps with staff, and lots more ‘days being made’, Chris was on his way back to London.

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, and staff in the obstetric ultrasound department are playing a key role in the reduction of stillbirths.

Midwives and doctors have also 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.

Hull’s leading expert in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been appointed to promote clinical research at a globally recognised medical association.

Consultant Gastroenterologist Professor Shaji Sebastian, based IBD Unit in the Department of Gastroenterology, has been appointed to the Clinicom board of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO).

Professor Sebastian was elected to the three-year post responsible for overseeing and promoting clinical research throughout the national study groups of the organisation, partners and members around the world.

His appointment was made at the ECCO annual congress in Copenhagen last week, attended by more than 8,000 delegates from around the world.

Prof Sebastian said: “Our unit – IBD Hull- is already well-known throughout the world because of its innovative care model integrating clinical work and research and for our involvement in international research but this appointment further underlines the unit’s reputation in the field.

“It will further cement Hull’s reputation globally as an IBD centre of excellence and allow us to continue to deliver cutting edge, high-quality care to our patients.”

ECCO is a highly respected and influential non-profit association made up of 36 member states of the Council of Europe and facilitating collaborations beyond Europe’s borders.

Founded in 2001 to improve the care of patients with IBD in Europe, it is now the largest forum for more than 4,000 specialists in IBD across the world.

ECCO’s mission is to improve the care of patients with IBD in all its aspects through international guidelines for practice, education, research and collaboration in the area of IBD.

Professor Sebastian  leads the Hull IBD Unit, is gastroenterology LCRN speciality co-lead at the National Institute for Health Research and holds a honorary chair in gastroenterology at Hull York Medical School at the University of Hull.

A teaching hospital trust is launching an international partnership with Pakistan to bring 10 qualified doctors to work at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is joining forces with the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSP), Pakistan’s national institution which regulates medical education and professional development among its postgraduate doctors.

CPSP will benefit from their doctors receiving the best training at a major teaching hospital in the UK while the trust will be able to fill medical vacancies at a time of national recruitment pressures in the NHS.

Simon Nearney, the trust’s Director of Workforce, said: “We are extremely thrilled to have developed this partnership and programme with CPSP. The College is an outstanding organisation and have talented doctors that have chosen Hull to work and further their training.

“Although the partnership will help us fill vacancies in some of our specialties, it also means we can share our expertise, training and experience with doctors in a developing country who may not get exposure to the range of patients we see here in Hull.

“Doctors will come to Hull for two years and then return to Pakistan.  The plan is to bring further cohorts to Hull every year.”

The first of the Pakistani doctors are set to arrive in Hull next month and the trust is now progressing a similar partnership with universities in India.

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.