Hospital scientists are using ground-breaking technology to help rebuild the faces of cancer patients, those hurt in accidents and people born with complex facial deformities.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s reconstructive scientists are using 3D printing techniques to produce resin models of patients’ skulls.

The models are then used to create titanium plates and implants used by maxillofacial surgeons and neurosurgeons to repair damage to people’s faces.

Scientists and consultants have already used the technology to help a patient who has suffered serious facial injuries in a cycling accident, a patient with cancer of the nose and a patient with a large defect in their skull.

Robert Goddard, Maxillofacial Surgeon and Clinical Lead, said the new 3D printing techniques mean the team can help people recover more quickly from devastating injuries and illnesses.

He said: “By using these new techniques, we are now able to have a faster turnaround time to repair defects. This means our patients endure less psychological damage and can return to work and their social lives far more quickly.

“For other patients who have a longer journey ahead of them, the models we can produce give them a better understanding of their injuries and why it may take time for them to recover.

“It also helps patients with cancer who can suffer both soft tissue and bony problems as it allows us to treat them with greater accuracy.”

The scientists are part of the maxillofacial team, based at Castle Hill Hospital, to help patients with facial deformities, reconstruction of orbit or those needing reconstructive surgery after oral, head or neck cancers.

They took charge of the computer software programme (Mimics) and 3D printer earlier this year, one of the few trusts able to deploy the ground breaking technology.

CT scans are used to create a 3D image on a computer screen, which the scientists overlay with mirror images to analyse the extent of the damage from both inside and outside the skull.

The image is then sent to the 3D printer to produce the model, costing under £10 and often produced in less than five hours, in the lab at Castle Hill.

Consultants and scientists then work together to determine the best solution for each patient, based on their condition and the extent of their problem.

The new process eliminates the costly and inefficient previous process of sending CT images to Europe meaning any future changes due to Brexit will not affect services.

Patients benefit from the new system because they spend less time on the operating table, meaning a shorter stay in hospital.

As well as being better for the patient, the new technology is also saving the NHS money by reducing theatre time required for each person.

Reconstructive scientist Helen Dehkordy, head of Maxillofacial Scientists, said: “We can now make 3D models right here in hours instead of waiting months for them to be produced and delivered to the trust.

“Recently, a surgeon came to see me about a patient and we were still able to produce the surgical model two days later. Before we had this technology, just getting the model would have taken at least two weeks and that was for urgent cases.

“Not only does this new technology produce better results for patients, it also improves their whole experience at what can be a very difficult and anxious time for them.

“The first time we used the technology, the whole team stood around watching the 3D printing in progress because it was so exciting. I’m really pleased we’re moving forward with new technologies in this trust and it’s great to be a part of this innovative project.”

Midwives will help pregnant women protect their babies from flu at the HEY Baby Carousel event at Hull Women and Children’s hospital this week.

Mums-to-be will be able to receive flu vaccinations from a team of specially-trained midwives if they bring their hand-held maternity notes to the event on Wednesday night (November 28) between 6pm and 8pm.

Hull’s team of midwives, midwifery assistants and birth educators will also be on hand to give out hints and tips on having a healthy pregnancy with parents-to-be shown how to fit nappies, bath their baby and gain safer sleeping advice during practical demonstrations in a safe, non-judgemental learning environment.

Janet Cairns, head of midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Keeping your baby safe is an essential part of parenthood and getting the flu vaccine in pregnancy is one of the first steps you can take to achieve that.

“Catching the flu in pregnancy is really serious for both the mother and the baby so getting your flu jab now means you’re protecting your baby, even before they’re born.”

The HEY Baby Carousel is held on the last Wednesday of every month in the ground floor of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. Parents-to-be are asked to note there will be no Carousel in December as it was due to fall on Boxing Day. Instead, they are encouraged to attend the event this month or on Wednesday, January 30.

Hundreds of couples attend, often with their own parents, friends or other children, to talk to our midwives and childcare experts at the friendly and welcoming drop-in session. Some choose to come more than once, at different stages of their pregnancies.

People can wander through the stalls offering advice on healthy lifestyles, smoking cessation, emotional and mental wellbeing for partners and keeping fit during pregnancy, birth and after your baby has arrived.

If women bring their hand-held maternity notes, the midwives can discuss birth plans and give out MAT B1 forms which need to be handed into employers to claim maternity leave and pay.

Families can also speak to our midwives for advice and discuss options for giving birth including the midwifery-led Fatima Allam Birth Centre, in your own home or with consultant-led care at Hull’s delivery ward on the second floor of the hospital.

There’s no need to book an appointment – just drop in any time between 6pm and 8pm.

Nursing staff looking after sick babies, children and young people this winter are appealing for help to bring festive cheer to their wards this year.

Every Christmas, members of the public inundate Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust with requests to bring toys and selection boxes onto the wards.

This year, the trust is asking for donations to help brighten up the two wards on the 13^th floor of the tower block with an approach that embrace the city’s fishing heritage and reflects the success of The Deep.

Junior sister Helen Lyon, pictured left with members of her team, said a £5 donation could help buy a wall sticker to decorating cubicles, corridors, bays and the Ward 130 playroom in sea themes.

She said: “People are so generous every year and bring toys and selection boxes onto the wards for the children. We have enough toys now and we do our best to get most of our children home to spend Christmas with their families.

“If people would still like to help us this year, we thought they could help us pay for the wall stickers which will benefit not just the children we look after during the festive season, but the ones who will come to us throughout 2019 and beyond.

“It’s a lasting gift from the people of the city to let our sickest children know they are always in our thoughts.”

The paediatric department, which includes Acorn Ward in Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, the Paediatric High Dependency Unit and Ward 130 West, has received some funding as part of the trust’s newly developed Arts Strategy.

Woodwork is being painted in calming blue and pastel colours and cubicles decorated with artwork including dolphins and penguin transfers. Those cubicles used by older children will also have sunflowers and trees incorporated into the design.

Cubicles used to look after children with cancer and long-term conditions will also be fitted with entertainment systems featuring TVs, DVDs and games consoles after the ward received funding from children’s charity Candle-lighters.

The playroom is also being decorated and the clinical room where children undergo procedures is also going to be refurbished over the coming months.

Helen Lyon said: “We appreciate there are significant demands on the trust’s money so we’re doing what we can with the funds we have available and can raise through fundraising activities and support from others.

“We’re holding fundraising events to collect as much as we can to put towards the work and we’re hoping the public and businesses in the city will support us in the run up to Christmas.”

Anyone who would like to help us can send cheques, made out to the WISHH Charity and send them to Helen Lyon, Junior Sister, Ward 130, Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Hull, HU3 1JZ. They can also make a donation to the WISHH Charity through www.justgiving.com/wishh, marking your donation WALLSTICKERS.

Pathology staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are celebrating after winning Quality Team of the Year in a prestigious international awards ceremony.

The International Quality Awards 2018 recognise excellence within the quality profession and winners are acknowledged for enhancing the reputation of their organisations around the globe.

Judges voted to award the honour to the Hull team after praising the “rigorous quality structures in place across their laboratories.”

They said: “The team provides a high culture of transparency and a shared drive for continuous improvement.”

Pathology Quality Manager Ernesto Jr Quider, who entered the service for the award, said: “It was an amazing moment for the pathology lab team when we heard our name being called.

“We have worked very hard to uphold the highest standards in quality and this award is reward for the part every member of our team has played in securing this global recognition for the trust.”

More than 200 women are to become the first in East Yorkshire to see the same midwife from the start of their pregnancies to the birth of their babies.

Known as the “Ivy Team”, the seven midwives will look after pregnant women from their very first appointment right through antenatal visits and parenting classes. Each midwife will be responsible for caring for 35 women.

When she goes into labour, the woman will be able to contact her midwife who will meet her at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital or will come to her house if she has opted for a home birth.

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “During a national review, half of the women questioned said they would prefer to see the same midwife during their pregnancies.

“We want women to have a positive experience and this change will enable our team to work closely with them to offer a more personalised approach to maternity care.

“We will start with a small group of women at first and then assess the results. If it proves a success and women tell us it’s what they want, we will look at extending the service.”

Known as “continuity of carer”, closer relationships between a woman and her midwife can empower the woman with a greater sense of control, reduce stress and anxiety and enable the health professional to gain the trust of the woman, allowing them to identify and monitor potential problems.

Studies have shown women experiencing continuity of carer were 16 per cent less likely to lose their babies before 24 weeks and 24 per cent less likely to have their babies too early.

The new way of working was recommended in a national review of maternity services in 2016 called “Better Births” when women said they saw too many different midwives and doctors during their pregnancies.

Half of the women questioned rated having the same midwife before, during and after birth as five out of five in terms of importance to them, with an additional 23 per cent of women scoring it four out of five.

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE, Head of Maternity, Children and Young People at NHS England, visited the trust this summer to learn about plans for introducing the new model of care.

Now, the seven midwives – Nikola Donner, Charlie McSherry, Nicole Blake, Frances Hodgson, Vicki Ward, Kirsty Flemming and Natalie O’Reilly – will become the named midwives for 220 of the 700 pregnant women from the Beverley area from November 26.

While they will have their own group of women to look after, the midwives will be introduced to all of the women and will meet them on regular occasions.

Charlie McSherry said: “While the aim is to ensure the women see the same midwife each time, there will be occasions such as annual leave or when a midwife’s not at work and someone else will step in.

“We want to make sure the women know all seven midwives so they will feel comfortable with whoever steps in on these very rare occasions.”

A mother has been reunited with the midwife who helped her husband when she gave birth to their daughter on the bathroom floor.

Sarah Hirst, 34, gave birth to daughter Matilda in March at home before she had time to get to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Her husband Steve, an accountant, supported Sarah through the final stages of labour with the help of a midwife on the end of the telephone.

Now, the couple have returned to the hospital with baby Matilda, now eight months old, to be reunited with midwife Leanne Petherbridge.

Sarah, 34, said: “I’ve often thought about Leanne over the months and wondered if she ever thought about Matilda. You never know if these things happen all the time for midwives.

“Although we didn’t even know her name, Leanne really helped us and Steve was so calm during the whole thing.

“We just wanted to thank her and to get to meet Matilda.”

Sarah was two days over her due date when she started having mild contractions throughout the day on March 3.

By 6.30pm, they were coming faster and stronger so Steve called the labour ward at the hospital to say they were on their way.

However, the contractions started coming every two minutes before they could get out of the house and while Steve called the labour ward again, Sarah felt the urge to push.

She said: “I was on the toilet floor while Steve was on the phone again to the midwife and staff on the labour ward rang an ambulance for us.

“The baby was born in my waters so when I was first pushing, the midwife was able to talk Steve through what was happening and that everything would be ok and he told me.

“He was just so calm and he was relaying everything the midwife was telling him back to me.”

The couple’s baby daughter Matilda was born on the bathroom floor, with Steve catching her in a towel when Sarah’s waters eventually broke.

With Leanne talking to the couple on the phone, Steve went to fetch a hat and clean towels while Sarah cradled Matilda in her arms.

The ambulance arrived minutes later and took Sarah and Matilda to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital to stay in overnight for observation.

Sarah said: “The easiest thing would have been to ask for the midwife when we got to hospital but you get caught up in the moment.

“It was only recently that I got in touch with the hospital and they were able to check through staff rotas to see who could have been on shift that night. They narrowed it down and got in touch with the midwives on duty in the labour ward that night and Leanne remembered us.”

Leanne said: “It’s really nice to meet Sarah and Matilda and I’m happy I was there to help.

“Midwives are often called on to act quickly to help mothers and fathers during labour and I’m pleased that Sarah and Steve felt supported, even over the telephone.”

An operating theatre at Castle Hill Hospital has undergone a £450,000 upgrade to enable patients to benefit from the latest technical advances in healthcare.

New lighting, technology and equipment has been installed at Theatre 11 at Castle Hill, the operating theatre where patients with upper gastrointestinal problems undergo surgery.

Surgeons can now use multiple 4k high-definition monitors providing superior image quality during laparoscopic procedures, allowing more precision while the patient is on the operating table

Touch screens can be used by theatre teams while they are scrubbed to adjust settings, meaning more efficient and immediate changes can be made.

Smart lighting using LEDs has been installed which is more environmentally friendly and energy efficient, switching off automatically when everyone has left the theatre.

Rebecca Morley, Charge Operating Department Practitioner, said: “The new theatre provides a much more efficient environment and, more importantly, safer surgery for patients.

“The surgeons are able to set their own preferences on screens and they can still operate and touch the screens without having to scrub in again.

“A lot of time, effort and hard work has gone into the refurbishment of the theatre and we’re really pleased patients will now benefit from the latest technology we can offer them in their treatment.”

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

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, has received the official go-ahead from the Department of Health and Social Care to become Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust from 1^st February 2019.

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 such 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 go ahead on 1^st February 2019, and a group within the Trust is now working to prepare for the changeover. Members of the public will start to see the new logo being used online and in electronic documentation from 1^st February, however costs will be kept to a minimum as far as possible with signage, stationery etc. largely being updated on a rolling basis or as and when items need replacing.

A man from Kirk Ella who suffered a huge bleed on the brain returned to Hull Royal Infirmary today to present a £25,000 thank you.

Stephen Foster suffered an aneurysm while playing golf in January 2015 and underwent surgery at the hands of Mr Bahl and Mr Kounin.  Stephen then spent time in intensive care before being cared for in other parts of the Trust including wards 4 and 40, ward 29 at Castle Hill, and ophthalmology.

Stephen says:

“The NHS has been brilliant, I’ve never known care like it so it was important to me to be able to give something back.

“We decided to hold a function which included an auction, a silent auction, and a tombola at the Country Park Inn in Hessle. There was also a walk over the Humber Bridge. I wanted to raise £10,000 but in the end, we managed to raise £25,000 which is much more than I could ever have hoped for.”

Mr Anuj Bahl, consultant neurosurgeon, says:

“We’re really grateful to Stephen for his donation. The money will be split between the neurosurgical team, where it will be spent on specialist equipment, and the ophthalmology team who gave Stephen a lot of help and support with his blurred vision.

“It’s been a long road, but looking at the recovery Stephen has made now, it just goes to show just how much we can achieve working together as a team across the whole hospital.”

A couple who have spent the last 20 years fundraising in memory of their daughter have presented surgeons with yet another show of gratitude this week.

Ruth and Tony Knowles, from Sutton-on-Sea in Lincolnshire, have raised more than £161,000 to say thank you for the care shown to 22-year-old Emma Jayne before she died of a rare brain tumour in 1998.

The couple visited the neurosurgical team on Ward 40 at Hull Royal Infirmary earlier today to hand over their latest cheque from the Emma Jayne Memorial Fund. The cheque for £4,411,20 comprised sponsorship raised through the annual bikeathon, 10K run and 4 ½ mile walk which the Knowles organise every year in Little Cawthorpe, near Louth, plus proceeds from their yearly charity evening.

In total, Ruth and Tony, who were each awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2014 New Year’s Honours for their fundraising endeavours, have raised £161,063.49. This has been used to purchase specialist equipment and to support the ongoing care and treatment of neurosurgical patients at Hull Royal Infirmary.

The couple began fundraising for the trust after Emma-Jayne died of her inoperable brain tumour in 1998.

Emma-Jayne was working as a post woman for the Royal Mail when she started experiencing double vision and cold hands. She went to her GP and an MRI scan revealed she had a brain tumour.

She was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary in April 1998 under the care of consultant Kevin Morris and was found to have a rare brain tumour affecting just one in 1.5m people.

With the tumour too deep in Emma-Jayne’s brain for surgeons to operate, she received 35 radiotherapy sessions but died in December 1998, six days before Christmas and two weeks before her 23rd birthday.

Her parents asked for donations instead of flowers at Emma-Jayne’s funeral and raised £1,100, donating half to the GP surgery and half to Hull Royal Infirmary’s neurosurgical team.

When they attended Hull Royal Infirmary to hand over their first cheque, Mr Morris told them he was attempting to raise £12,000 for a spinal turning bed.

Determined to achieve something good in their daughter’s memory, the couple embarked on a fundraising challenge, raising the money for the bed through a series of charitable events including a bikeathon which has continued every year since.

They decided to keep on raising money for the hospital and, 20 years after the loss of Emma Jayne, they have raised enough money to pay for dozens of pieces of vital equipment.

Ruth says: “The staff on Ward 40 are amazing.

“We are trying to help patients who will never know us by purchasing what are known as luxury items.

“People knock the NHS but, as far as we are concerned, we cannot thank them enough.”

Neurosurgeon, Mr Chittoor Rajaraman, says: “Ruth and Tony have raised a phenomenal amount of money for us over the last 20 years and we’re very grateful for all they have done.

“It gives all the staff such a morale boost when we see them and see just how much effort they have put into supporting our patients and our work over such a long period of time.

“They are a truly remarkable couple and we’re incredibly grateful for all that they continue to do.”

For more details about the Knowles’ fundraising endeavours, visit www.emma-jaynememorialfund.co.uk 

Ruth is pictured above with Consultant Neurosurgeons Gerry o’Reilly (left) and Chittoor  Rajaraman.