A frontline hospital boss says encouraging older relatives to keep hydrated, warm and mobile over Easter could prevent unnecessary trips to Hull’s A&E.

Matt Storey, divisional general manager for the Emergency Department and acute medicine, appealed to people to ensure they have enough prescription medication to see them over the four-day weekend.

He said having a well-stocked medicine cabinet with cough and cold remedies, a first aid kit and details of the opening hours for alternative health services will prevent long waits at Hull Royal’s A&E department, ensuring emergency teams are free to treat people most in need of care.

“It’s no surprise that our department has been under intense pressure over the winter and, unfortunately, we are still seeing high attendances despite the start of spring,” Mr Storey said.

“Over the Easter weekend, we always see an increase in patients needing emergency repeat prescriptions.  Please check your regular medicines today and ensure you have enough to see you through the weekend.

“If you do run out over the weekend please contact NHS111 or find a pharmacy through the NHS choices website www.nhs.uk

“Please do not attend the Emergency Department for this reason as it takes our doctors and nurse time away from looking after sick patients.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is running its #SeriousStuff campaign with a hard-hitting video and posters to educate the public on the need to keep A&E for emergencies only.

Mr Storey said forward planning ahead of the four-day holiday can make all the difference.

“Taking simple steps like ensuring you’ve got painkillers, plasters and antiseptic spray at home can help you self-medicate and prevent the need for a journey to the pharmacist or GP,” he said.

“Checking your elderly friends and relatives are having hot drinks, are moving around their homes if they are mobile enough and are keeping warm can also keep illnesses at bay and reduce the likelihood of falls.

“Spending time in a hospital bed has a negative impact on someone’s long-term health so keeping out of hospital in the first place and preventing the need for someone to be admitted to a ward can only be good for the person and their family.”

Mr Storey said there were a range of services based in the community to help people requiring medical attention over the Easter weekend, saving them the hassle of a trip and a potentially long wait in A&E.

He said: “There are plenty of services such as the GP walk-in centre at Wilberforce Health Centre in Hull, the Urgent Care Centre at Bransholme which provides 24-hour care, and the minor injuries units in the East Riding. You can also consult with your GP practice online, avoiding the need to even leave the house.

“If people choose wisely, they can help themselves and our staff so we’re there to help those who need us most.”

People can visit www.eastridingofyorkshireccg.nhs.uk/choose-well/miu/ for details of opening hours for minor injuries units in the East Riding over the weekend.  Visit www.eastridingofyorkshireccg.nhs.uk/pharmacy-opening-times-hol/  for pharmacy opening times over the Easter weekend.

In Hull, people can visit www.hullccg.nhs.uk for details of services over Easter.

The hidden health cost of Easter treats will be unveiled to prospective parents at a special event at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital this week.

Caroline Clark, healthy lifestyle midwife at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, will highlight the sugar content in a range of Easter treats from hot cross buns and a selection of chocolate eggs at the HEY Baby Carousel on Wednesday.

Held on the last Wednesday of every month, the HEY Baby Carousel provides mums-to-be and their partners with help, advice and support from midwives and childcare staff as they prepare for the birth of their babies.

The Government recommends adults shouldn’t have more than 30g of sugars added to food and drink a day while children aged seven to 10 shouldn’t have more than 24g and children aged four to six shouldn’t have more than 19g.

With a hot cross bun containing between 13g and 19g of sugar, a Crème Egg containing 26.5g of sugar and an average chocolate Easter egg containing upwards of 50g of sugar, Caroline will show how people’s sugar intake can rise dramatically over the holiday weekend.

Caroline said: “I work with women who have a raised BMI of above 30 which makes them at greater risk of gestational diabetes and it’s important people are aware of just how much sugar these products contain.

“But it’s not just for those women, all of us should be encouraged to find out the sugar content in the food we eat so we can make better choices.

“We’re not saying people can’t have the occasional treat but we do suggest people realise just how many calories these products can add to their diet.

“While one mini egg might not be the worst thing you can eat, a whole packet at the end of every meal will not be a good idea if you are aiming for a healthy, well-balanced diet to give your baby the best start in life.

“We need to dispel the myth about eating for two during pregnancy. All you need to do is ensure you are eating healthy, well-balanced meals.”

HEY Baby Carousel is held on the ground floor of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and attracts scores of parents-to-be every month.

They can visit stalls including Fit Mums and Friends, get help to stop smoking, learn safe sleeping techniques for your baby and benefit from mental health support for partners who may be feeling overwhelmed.

Midwives will be on hand to discuss birth plans and options for having your baby at home, the Fatima Allam Birth Centre or the labour ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

There’s no need to make an appointment and hot drinks, snacks and refreshments will be available. You can just drop in anytime between 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday night.

1902: ‘Legitimate’ midwives were created with the passing of the Midwives Act

1905: The first Supervisor of Midwives was appointed by Hull Corporation on 1 March

1912: Hull opens its first maternity home for women at risk of complications during labour and birth at 569 Holderness Road. Although the service was free, women had to pay £1 on admission to the six-bed home. However, 10 shillings was refunded when the woman was discharged home along with bedding and clothing for her baby.

1918: The home in Holderness Road is extended, taking in the neighbouring property at 567 to create a home with 14 beds. The number was reduced to 11 two years later after the Ministry of Health expressed concern that the home was overcrowded.

1921: The East Riding gets its first maternity home, a two-bed home alongside the Infants Clinic in Church Street, Driffield. It had later increased to 11 beds by the start of the Second World War.

1924: A temporary home was found at maternity services in Cottingham. The 36-bed maternity block was established at the City Hospital for Infectious Diseases, now the site of Castle Hill Hospital.

1929: The former sanatorium in Hedon Road, first opened in May 1887, becomes Hull Maternity Hospital. And it’s state-of-the-art, with two labour lifts, two receiving wards and an operating theatre. There are 83 beds, including 49 for maternity and 10 isolation beds.

1933: Hull Hospital for Women opens in Cottingham Road.

1937: Hull has 88 qualified midwives in place

1938: Hull Maternity Hospital has increased to 120 beds. The Townend Maternity Home with 10 beds opens next to Hull Hospital for Women in Cottingham Road

1939: Maternity wards with 16 beds are opened at the Avenue Hospital in Westgate, Bridlington, by Minister of Health Walter Elliot MP. Hull Maternity Hospital on Hedon Road becomes a receiving hospital for war casualties because of its proximity to the docks.

Emergency maternity cases are sent to Hull Hospital for Women in Cottingham Road. And 46 beds for Hull women are provided at Gate Burton Maternity Home near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. Women who required treatment here were taken across once a week by a special bus service. Women from the East Riding went to a similar emergency home in Malton.

1940: Hull Maternity Hospital reopens when the feared air raids failed to materialise. However, it was closed within three months as the Germans stepped up their attacks on the city.

1941: Once more a casualty receiving hospital, Hull Maternity Hospital is bombed four times. The final attack on the night of 8^th to 9^th May, the worst night of the Blitz on Hull, put the hospital out of action for the rest of the war.

Hull Hospital for Women is also bombed and is out of action for three months.

A Greystones Maternity Home in Northgate, Cottingham, opens with 12 beds as emergency provision.

1945: Hull Maternity Hospital starts accepting maternity cases once more, this time with a reduced provision of 48 beds and eight cots.

Westerland Infants Hospital in Elloughton first opens for children under three.

The former Public Assistance Institution Infirmary in Beverley opens as Westwood Maternity Home, with 20 beds.

1948: The NHS is created on July 5.

1960: The Special Care Baby Unit opens at Hedon Road in 1960 with 24 cots

1961: An antenatal clinic opens at Hedon Road as part of the move to centralise all maternity services at the site.

1965: Westwood Maternity Home gets a Special Care Baby Unit.

1974: A new maternity hospital for Hull, next to the Hull Royal Infirmary tower block is planned.

1986: The £1m Alan Bibby Wint increases the capacity at Westwood Maternity Hospital to 54 beds with 10 Special Care cots and a modern theatre.

1988: Diana, Princess of Wales, visits the Westwood to open the unit, presented with a posy by Sister Needham, the hospital’s longest serving midwifery sister. Her visit on September 29 lasts just one hour before lunch at Willerby Manor.

1997: The last baby is born at Beverley Westwood, with services transferred to the new Department of Women’s Health at Castle Hill Hospital.

2001: Work begins on the new Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, a private finance iniative (PFI) with Bilfinger-Berger, an international consortium, providing the £30m finance.

2003: Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and the new midwifery-led unit – the Jubilee Birth Centre at Castle Hill Hospital – open simultaneously. The hospital is opened by Cherie Booth, wife of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair, Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives opens the Jubilee Birth Centre.

2012: The Jubilee Birth Centre closes due to staffing concerns. All services are transferred to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

2017: The Fatima Allam Birth Centre, the new midwifery-led unit based in Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, opens.

Hull will mark another milestone in its 106-year history of providing maternity services this week.

Staff at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the opening of the hospital providing maternity, gynaecology and children’s services for families.

Since the hospital opened in 2003, centralising maternity and women’s health in Hull and the East Riding, 80,202 babies have been born including one set of quads, 11 sets of triplets and 1,163 sets of twins.

The heaviest baby to be born at the hospital was a baby girl, weighing in at 16lbs 5oz, and 19,730 babies have been born by caesarean section since March 29, 2003.

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Providing the very best maternity services, ensuring women from East Yorkshire have access to the best possible care, remains our priority.

“We’ve made huge progress in the past 15 years and we’re determined to build on our successes, learn when things don’t go to plan and ensure women and their needs remain at the heart of everything we do.

“We’re pleased at how far we’ve come but there’s more we can do to achieve our aspiration of becoming one of the best providers of maternity services in the country.”

To mark the anniversary, trust archivist Mike Pearson has created a display on the ground floor of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital charting the evolution of maternity and women’s health services in the city.

From the first maternity home in Holderness Road to the bombing of Hull Maternity Hospital at Hedon Road during the worst night of the Blitz on the city in May 1941, visitors will be able to view photographs and artefacts from the trust’s archive from Wednesday until the end of the Easter weekend.

Mr Pearson, who is part of the trust’s Estates Department and curates the archive in his spare time, said: “The history of maternity services in Hull and the East Riding shows how attitudes have changed throughout the decades.

“When the first maternity home opened, very few women gave birth in a hospital setting, with most delivering their babies at home with a midwife for support.

“There was a move towards hospital births in the 60s, 70s and 80s but we’re now seeing more women opting to give birth at home or in a midwifery-led service such as the Fatima Allam Birth Centre.

“The archive has many photographs, documents and artefacts which chart the history and I hope people will find it interesting.”

Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital managed to contain the spread of flu this winter despite 70 patient admissions in a single month.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust saw an increase in younger patients diagnosed with flu in January as a huge spike in cases was reported across England.

A surge in babies and young children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a potentially serious infection of the lungs and airways, was also recorded in East Yorkshire.

However, the trust managed to isolate people with flu quickly, ensuring the potentially life-threatening infection was not passed from patient to patient, and no wards or bays had to be closed due to hospital-acquired cases.

Chief Nurse Mike Wright said fears over the Australia pandemic known as “Aussie Flu” or Influenza A failed to materialise over the winter, with Influenza B accounting for almost three quarters of all cases admitted to the trust’s hospitals.

“We have seen a significant increase in Influenza B but the number of cases of Influenza A hasn’t been particularly high,” he said.

“During January, a shift occurred with a significant number of Influenza B cases reported, mainly in young patients under 65 and some ‘at risk’ patients who had not been vaccinated.”

“While we think the peak of Influenza B has passed, there are still a lot of people currently in hospital with flu of one variation or another.

“We thank our staff for their diligence in looking after these patients, ensuring  people received high-quality care and that the infection is nursed effectively, preventing its spread.”

This year, the trust recorded one of its best staff vaccination rates, with 6,099  of its 8,000-strong workforce receiving vital protection to stop any infection spreading to patients, relatives or frontline staff.

The first cases of flu were first noted by the trust in November, when two patients were diagnosed with the infection either on admission or shortly after admission to hospital.

By December, it had increased to 11, still in line with normal seasonal flu activity expected at that time of the year. As expected, more cases of Influenza A were recorded then but staff were able to screen, isolate and treat patients appropriately.

However, in January, 73 per cent of the 70 people admitted to hospital were diagnosed with Influenza B.

A significant number of Influenza B cases were reported mainly in patients outside the usual “at risk” groups.

Mr Wright said: “Yorkshire and the Humber has been particularly affected and the trust has managed to isolate and/or cohort affected patients successfully. There has been no evidence of onward patent-to-patient transmission resulting in bay or ward closures, which have been seen in other trusts in the region.”

The line appears on the test and it’s confirmed – you’re having a baby. Congratulations! An exciting chapter in your life is about to begin.

But discovering you’re pregnant can also be a daunting prospect.

Here, our team at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital tell you what you need to know in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, aka the “first trimester”.

Can the test give me a false result?

You can never get a “false positive” pregnancy test result. This means a test won’t show you’re pregnant if you’re not. You can, however, get a “false negative” result, meaning it could say you’re not pregnant when you are.

If you think you’re pregnant, repeat the test in a week when pregnancy hormone hCG levels might be higher.

I’m pregnant. Now what?

As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, call our direct access telephone line on 01482 605304 or visit www.hey.nhs.uk/directaccess to register online.

Why should I do this?

You’ll be registered for scans and antenatal appointments to make the most of the great care available throughout your pregnancy. Register if you’re planning to have your baby at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, the Fatima Allam Birth Centre or have a home birth in Hull or the East Riding.

What will happen when I ring up or use the online referral service?

“Most women go to their GPs when they first find out they are pregnant but the GPs don’t refer people anymore,” said clerical officer Christiana Lee. Instead, women have to call the direct access telephone line or register online themselves.

“We take their details, the date of their last menstrual period so we’ve got an idea of their due date. We’ll then book them in for an appointment to see a midwife.”

When will I see a midwife?

You’ll have your first appointment with a midwife when you’re between eight to 10 weeks’ pregnant.  It’s known as the “booking in appointment”

What happens during that appointment?

Your appointment is likely to be with a community midwife, close to your home, although women who need close monitoring will see midwives at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital throughout their pregnancies.

The first appointment takes around 90 minutes. Your midwife will take your details, history and take blood for screening.  You’ll be offered a test for thalassaemia, an inherited blood disease, and a combined screening test for Down, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndrome if you’re more than 10 weeks’ pregnant.  You could also be screened for sickle cell disease if it is considered a risk.

You’ll receive your green pregnancy notes. These offer you a guide to your options during pregnancy and record your personal details including medical history and details of previous pregnancies.

Is this when I have my first scan?

No. You’ll have your first scan at 12 weeks unless there’s a reason for you to have one earlier. Your midwife will book you in for your 12-week scan at this appointment.

What happens at the 12-week scan?

Your 12-week dating scan will take place at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. This will give you a more accurate idea of your due date as your baby’s measurements will be taken.

Do I get free copies of my scan?

You won’t have to pay for your scan photograph if you just want one copy. However, additional copies cost £8 each and you can pay for them with cash, credit or debit card at the machine in the foyer of  Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Can I bring my kids?

You can bring children along to your scan appointment but please bear in mind staff cannot be responsible for monitoring your children. If they are very young, we ask that you bring another adult to look after them.

We also ask respectfully that you restrict the number of children to two if possible as staff have struggled in the past when families have arrived with five or more children.

How can I make sure my baby gets the best start in life?

Start taking folic acid and continue for the full 12 weeks to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Although the neural tube has developed by 12 weeks, it won’t harm either you or your baby if you continue to take folic acid in multi-vitamins beyond 12 weeks.

But don’t feel you have to take multi-vitamins. Providing you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, there’s no need to spend your cash on supplements.  Make sure you’re eating plenty of fruit and vegetables – at least five portions every day. Fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced – they all count. Restrict starchy foods or carbs to around one third of your plate and go for higher fibre options like whole wheat pasta or brown rice. Eat protein foods every day such as beans, fish, eggs, meat, poultry and nuts.

How do I boost my chances of having a healthy pregnancy?

Don’t take either prescription medication or over-the-counter medicine without checking with your GP, midwife or pharmacist first. You’re unlikely to look pregnant at this stage so you’ll need to tell your GP or pharmacist if they don’t already know.

Get a flu jab. It’s perfectly safe and offers vital protection for both you and your baby.

Your breasts might ache so invest in a supportive bra. You could grow a full cup size over the next few weeks.

Visit www.healthystart.nhs.uk to find out if you qualify for Healthy Start vouchers to buy milk, fresh or frozen vegetables from your local shops.

What shouldn’t I be doing?

Stay away from the cat litter tray as cat faeces are linked to toxoplasmosis, an infection deadly to unborn babies.

Don’t smoke. Even if you haven’t managed to quit before becoming pregnant, now’s the perfect time to stop and there’s plenty of support out there. Mums in Hull can text QUIT to 61825 or ring 247111 to book an appointment with a stop smoking advisor. You can also ask your GP for a referral to the stop smoking service. If you live in the East Riding, you can call 0800 9177752 or text quit to 60163 to access free support.

Don’t drink alcohol.

Cut back on caffeine as too much can cause a miscarriage or result in babies with low birth weights. It’s found in tea, chocolate, energy drinks and cola as well as coffee. The current guidance is to have no more than 200mg a day – the equivalent of two mugs of instant coffee.  Switch to decaf, fruit juice or water.

Don’t “eat for two”. There’s no need. Just make sure you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Avoid swordfish or marlin while you’re pregnant and restrict oily fish like salmon, trout, mackerel and herring. And if you’re going somewhere exotic where shark is on the menu, avoid it.

Make sure eggs have got the red lion stamped on their shells as eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice are safe for pregnant women to eat raw or partially cooked. But avoid mousse, mayo and soufflés as you won’t know if the raw eggs come with the British Lion stamp.

Avoid soft cheeses such as brie, camembert and goat’s cheese and soft blue-veined cheeses including Danish blue, gorgonzola and Roquefort. They can contain a bacteria which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn baby.

What about morning sickness?

More than 80 per cent of women experience nausea or vomiting in early pregnancy. While unpleasant, it won’t harm your baby and usually subsides after 16 to 20 weeks.

Some women, including the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, suffer an extreme form called hyperemesis gravidarum and require specialist treatment. Your midwife or GP can advise you.

I’m bleeding. What should I do?

Bleeding in early pregnancy should always be checked out.

“The first port of call is the woman’s GP or nurse practitioner,” said Elizabeth Morris, practice development nurse in gynaecology at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.  “If the GP or nurse practitioner is concerned, they can refer the woman to our Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU).

“If the woman has already seen her midwife for her first booking in appointment, she can contact her midwife who can also refer to us.

“There is no need to go to A&E unless the woman is experiencing very heavy bleeding or severe pain.”

The EPAU can see woman who are four to 15 weeks into their pregnancies and Hull is one of the few areas in the country offering a seven-day service.

If you can’t get an appointment with your GP and can’t contact a midwife, head for the GP walk-in centre at Wilberforce Health Centre in Story Street, visit the urgent care centre at Bransholme Health Centre or attend one of the minor injuries units in the East Riding and you can be referred to the hospital’s EPAU.

I’m feeling overwhelmed at becoming a mum. Is this normal?

While a degree of anxiety and stress is natural – this is a major life event, after all – it shouldn’t overwhelm you. If what you’re feeling isn’t how you respond normally and you’re not able to set your worries aside, talk to your GP or midwife.

Good mental health is as important as physical health during pregnancy. Don’t feel embarrassed or worried to speak to someone.

Anything else that’s good to know?

Our Hull Women and Children’s Facebook page has lots of news and helpful information. Give us a like and join our friendly community for support and advice throughout your pregnancy journey.

The Hey Baby team holds a monthly Carousel between 6pm and 8pm on the last Wednesday of every month at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. You can bring partners, other children and prospective grandparents.

Come along and speak to our team of midwives, stop smoking coordinators, mental health professionals and home safety experts who can give you advice on having the best possible pregnancy. You will find information tailored to the different stages of pregnancy so feel free to come along more than once.

The next event will be on Wednesday, March 28, and there’s another one planned for Wednesday, April 25.  No need to book an appointment – just turn up. See you there!

An inmate from Hull Prison has thanked hospital staff for caring for him after he suffered a serious hand injury.

The prisoner, who is not being identified, wrote to the trust with his non-writing hand after he suffered a complex fracture and spent three days in hospital.

In his letter to Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the man said: “I am writing because I feel compelled to express the extreme gratitude I feel. I would like to thank every single person I met during three separate days.

“You all do amazing work for everybody. You are here to help and I really hope you are able to relay my gratitude to everybody.”

Chief Medical Officer Kevin Philips read out the prisoner’s letter, signed from HMP Hull, at the trust board meeting this week.

Mr Philips said: “We look after everybody with the same care and compassion.”

Chief Nurse Mike Wright said: “It is our responsibility to treat everybody with the same dignity and respect.

“It would have taken that person a significant effort to write to us and we are very grateful that he did.”

Hospital staff have been inundated with gifts of tea, coffee and biscuits after a thief ripped a donations box off a wall in a cancer ward.

Nurses on Ward 31 at Castle Hill Hospital were shocked to discover the box used to collect contributions for hot drinks and sweet treats had been stolen from a kitchen used by families of patients fighting cancer.

However, within hours of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust revealing the theft on its Facebook pages, Twitter feed and website, donations started arriving on the ward from the public and local supermarkets.

One card left by a well-wisher contained £60 and the message: “No one should be without a cuppa and a biscuit.”

Sister Marie Hardcastle, right, with staff nurse Chloe Barratt

Ward sister Marie Hardcastle said the outpouring of kindness had cheered up staff who used the contributions to buy tea, coffee and biscuits so relatives could enjoy a break with their loved ones.

“We just can’t believe how kind people have been,” she said. “Tesco were already here with donations when I arrived on the ward to start my shift.

“Asda have also been on the phone asking what we would like and ordinary people have been dropping by the ward with donations.

“We’re so touched by people’s generosity. There’s a real buzz about the ward and it’s really cheered everyone up.”

The metal contributions box, similar to the ones used for family and friends forms dotted around the hospital, was screwed to the wall in the beverages bay used by visitors on the ward corridor.

Josh Penrose, 30, was horrified when he read about the theft on one of the trust’s Facebook pages and handed in three bags of donations to the ward.

Josh, who works with Hull KR and the University of Hull as a masseur, said: “It just really annoyed me that someone would do this.

“I’ve had reason to be grateful to the NHS for treatment I’ve received and a relative of mine had cancer. I couldn’t believe someone would stoop that low.

“I’ve seen people having a cuppa of tea or a hot chocolate and a biscuit in the family room and I know it cheers them up.”

The trust’s security team have been alerted to the theft and an investigation is now under way to bring the culprit to justice.

Jonathan Wood, director of operations at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said staff had been overwhelmed by the public’s generosity.

He said: “We are just so humbled that people would help us like this. Our staff were trying to do a nice thing for relatives who already have enough to cope with and the theft really upset them.

“These donations mean we can continue to care not just for the patients but for the people who love them too. We really can’t thank people enough for what they’ve done.”

Hospital bosses are thanking NHS staff for maintaining a “professional and cheerful approach” during one of the toughest winters in recent years.

Chris Long, Chief Executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said the winter months had been hugely challenging for the 8,000-strong workforce.

Increasing numbers of seriously ill patients with more than one health problem have been arriving at A&E over the winter, with frontline emergency teams under intense pressure to cope with demand.

Patients with serious respiratory conditions including flu have also been admitted to hospital, with dedicated teams of staff working extra shifts to provide safe care.

In his report to the trust board this month, Mr Long said: “Despite this, our staff maintain a professional and cheerful approach in their delivery of great care.”

He praised staff for taking the recent winter storm dubbed “The Beast from the East” in their stride, turning up for shifts to ensure patients were seen.

Staff from ophthalmology who wore their coats to stay at work when the heating broke down, radiotherapy staff at the Queen’s Centre who battled through blizzards to get from Sheffield, Brigg, Bridlington and Rotherham to get to work and estates staff who kept pathways and car parks clear were singled out for praise.

“While parts of the country were brought to a standstill by the recent wintry weather, many of our staff braved the wintry conditions to come to work,” Mr Long said.

“Once again, our staff in all areas continue to demonstrate their dedication.”

At the trust board meeting on Tuesday, Chief Operating Officer Ellen Ryabov said winter pressures showed no sign of abating as snow is forecast for Hull this weekend.

“We continue to be under a significant amount of pressure as are many trusts across the country,” she said.

“Staff have gone above and beyond to keep services running for patients and we are extremely grateful staff have managed to do that.”

A cash box paying for drinks and biscuits for cancer patients and their families has been ripped off a hospital wall.

Staff on Ward 31 at Castle Hill Hospital bought tea, coffee, milk and biscuits for patients and families in their own time using contributions left by visitors.

However, ward sister Marie Hardcastle was horrified to discover the metal box where families left donations had been ripped off the wall this week.

Marie said: “We’re all just so shocked. This is something we do for families so they can enjoy a cuppa and a biscuit with the people they’re visiting.

“We just ask people to make a contribution and I go out and stock up on supplies in my own time.

“The box was screwed to the wall so someone’s gone to a lot of trouble and taken a risk of being discovered when they were ripping it off the wall.”

The box, similar to the one used for family and friends forms, was screwed to the wall in the beverages bay used by visitors on the ward corridor.

The area where the box was stolen from (top); the hole on the wall (bottom left) and the wall where the box was (bottom right)

Ward staff have alerted the trust’s security team and an investigation is under way to bring the culprit to justice.

Marie said: “I don’t know how they’ve managed to do it and no-one heard them.

“All I would say is the patients here have cancer and this was a nice thing we were trying to do for them and their families.

“Whoever’s done this would definitely have known what that money was for and it’s just appalling.”

Jonathan Wood, director of operations at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said the organisation would not tolerate theft on wards and confirmed the investigation had begun.

He said: “We are sickened that someone would do this. This is money which has been donated to help the families of patients at the most vulnerable time of their lives.

“It is completely unacceptable and we will do all we can to bring the culprit to justice.”