A mother is thanking hospital staff who saved her and her baby son after she developed a life-threatening condition.

Caroline Latus, 35, was rushed to hospital when she was 32 weeks’ pregnant and staff at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital realised she had developed severe preeclampsia.

She underwent an emergency caesarean section and son Zach was born eight weeks early weighing just 2lb 7oz.

Now, Caroline and husband Will, 31, are preparing to celebrate their first Christmas with Zach after staff saved both his and his mum’s life.

“I’m just so grateful both Zach and I are still here,” said Caroline.

“The consultant told me later that if they had delayed giving me an emergency section, they could have lost either Zach or me, or both of us.

“I cannot praise the staff on the ward, in intensive care and in the neonatal unit enough for all they did for us.”

Caroline, who owns a web design business, and Will, who runs a gym in Chanterlands Avenue with his brothers, discovered they were expecting their first child on Boxing Day last year.

However, the 20-week scan revealed their baby had a growth restriction condition and Caroline went through a series of test and attended growth scan appointments every fortnight.

On July 14, Caroline had gone for a walk on a hot summer evening with Will but felt unwell when she returned to their home in Hessle.

She said: “I was suffering heart burn in the afternoon, during the evening the pain worsened so I decided to go to bed early but as soon as I laid down, I couldn’t breathe very well. I knew something wasn’t right and started to have cold shivers.

“I couldn’t reach my phone so had to wait for Will to come to bed to help me. We called the hospital and they said to come in straight away.”

Preeclampsia normally affects women in the second half of their pregnancies and early symptoms include high blood pressure and protein in urine. It can also cause severe headaches, problems with vision, severe heartburn, excessive weight gain caused by fluid retention and a sudden increase in oedema or swelling of the feet, ankles, face and hands.

If untreated, it can lead to convulsions, a liver and blood clotting disorder or a stroke, putting both the baby and the mother’s lives in danger.

Staff at Hull Woman and Children’s Hospital ordered blood tests and discovered her upper abdominal pain was a result of a deranged liver. The consultant was so concerned about Caroline’s deterioration that he arranged for an emergency section before the results from a second round of tests were known.

Zach was born shortly after 5am on July 15, weighing just 2lbs 7oz, and was whisked off to the neonatal unit where highly skilled staff began the battle to save him.

Caroline also faced her own battle for life and was taken across the footbridge to Hull Royal’s intensive care unit for specialist treatment.

Although Will was able to take photographs of their newborn son, it was 34 hours before Caroline was well enough to be taken over to the neonatal unit to meet Zach.

“I remember being wheeled across the footbridge and just bursting into tears because I was finally going to meet my son,” she said.

Staff in the neonatal unit helped Caroline to help Zach despite the wires and feeding tubes and she was able to have vital “skin to skin” contact with her son.

“It was just magical,” she said. “There were so many really poorly babies in the unit and I was just so relieved to have him with us.”

Zach spent three nights in the high dependency unit, one in the step-down “blue room” and the next five weeks in the special care baby unit until he was well enough to go home, weighing 4lbs.

Now 7lbs 2oz and five months old, Zach has had his final neonatal check and has been given the all-clear, with no complications linked to his prematurity.

As a thank you, Caroline and Will are keen to raise money for Hull’s Neonatal ward where Zach was a resident for 6 weeks to help other premature babies and families. Will is planning his first triathlon Ironman 70.3 challenge in Majorca in May with his uncle Sam to raise money for the unit. Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/zach-latus if you would like to contribute to his cause.

Caroline said: “We could have been looking at a completely different scenario this Christmas if staff hadn’t acted as quickly as they did when I was rushed to hospital.

“Zach is here and doing well, it wasn’t what you expect for a first pregnancy but it hasn’t put us off and we’re hoping to give him a brother or a sister one day.”

Warnings about overindulgence during the festive season have become as much a part of Christmas tradition as tinsel and mince pies.

However, for thousands of people in Hull and the East Riding, a bigger risk to their health is not eating enough.

Malnutrition costs the NHS almost £20bn a year, more than the £16bn spent on tackling obesity and about 15 per cent of the total health and social care budget.

And around one-third of patients admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital each year are suffering malnutrition.

Specialist dietitian Alice Hanning said: “A lot of people can’t eat around Christmas if they are unwell and it can be very upsetting for them.

“What we say to family and friends is ‘little and often’.

“Instead of overwhelming people with huge plates of food, use a smaller plate so people can go back for seconds if they’re able rather than be daunted by a massive plate of food they know they have no chance of tackling.”

With 153, 370 patients admitted in 2016/17, more than 51,000 people admitted to the trust’s hospitals were undernourished.

Every patient admitted to the trust undergoes regular screening for malnutrition and food diaries are kept to show how much a patient is managing to eat each day.

Patients are offered extra snacks and high calorie milk shakes and smoothies if they are considered at risk of malnutrition.

The dieticians, based at both Castle Hill and Hull Royal, encourages these patients and their families to enrich food by using full-fat products such as full cream milk and yoghurts instead of low-fat alternatives.

Cheese can be added to soups, mashed potatoes, vegetables and pasta dishes and sugar, jam, honey or milk to porridge, breakfast cereals or puddings.

Good snacks for people who require a higher calorie intake include sandwiches, fruit cake, nuts, crisps, cereals, crackers and cheese and toast and a topping such as beans, scrambled egg or butter.

Indulging in foods you fancy and trying not to miss or skip meals can make a big difference to a person’s recovery after surgery.

Frozen ready meals or keeping your store cupboard filled with basics such as tinned meat, tinned or frozen fruit and vegetables, hot chocolate, long life milk or cereals is a good idea if you know you’re going into hospital.

But if food preparation is too much, consider a meal delivery service or ask friends and family to help in shopping, preparing and cooking meals.

Alice said: “We’re surrounded by food at this time of year and when you can’t eat, it can send you on a downward spiral and lead to depression.

“Sometimes, people can ‘celebrate’ Christmas in January when they’re feeling better and have recovered more but, if that’s not possible, going by the ‘little and often’ mantra can make all the difference.”

People can visit www.malnutritionselfscreening.org/self-screening.html  to use the screening tool developed by charitable association BAPEN to find out if they are at risk of malnutrition.

TIPS TO BULK UP YOUR FESTIVE DIET

Add cream to your mince pie

Add mayonnaise to turkey sandwiches

Add butter and cheese to vegetables and mashed potato

Eat plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods

Eat two or three portions of high protein foods every day such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts or beans

Eat or drink two to three portions of dairy foods every day such as cheese, milk and yoghurt or non-dairy alternatives like soya, almond or coconut milk.

Have at least six to eight high-calorie drinks such as malted drinks, hot chocolate, milky coffee, smoothies and milkshakes a day. Sugary drinks such as fruit juice, fizzy drinks or squash can provide extra energy.

Eat ‘little and often’ – try a small snack between meals and a dessert after lunch and evening meal but avoid having drinks just before meals to avoid feeling too full to eat

Avoid low fat/diet versions of foods and drinks for example skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt, sugar free drinks or watery soups

Hospital bosses are launching a hard-hitting campaign to prevent people turning up at Hull’s accident and emergency department with festive hangovers and winter bugs.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will unveil its “A&E: It’s serious stuff” campaign this week to ensure the department at Hull Royal Infirmary is reserved for life-threatening injuries and illnesses.

Bus advertising, billboards and posters will appear across Hull with slogans including “Give A&E a break. Not a sprain” and “A&E. That’s emergency care. Not emergency contraceptives” in the next week.

Posters will also appear in pub toilets with the message “Being drunk isn’t an accident. It’s not an emergency either”  to target drinkers visiting A&E with hangovers or the effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Trust chief executive Chris Long said: “It’s no secret that A&Es all over the country are under pressure all year round but that pressure ramps up even further over winter.

“We try to educate people on alternative services and highlight the pressure our department is under but still, we get people turning up at our A&E every day with sprains, colds and even hangovers.

“We need people to realise this has serious consequences.  If our doctors and nurses are treating people who could have gone elsewhere, they’re not there for those who really need them.

“Put simply, coming to A&E with anything other than an emergency puts lives at risk.

“This year, we need people to heed our message. Our A&E is for the serious stuff. We need you to go somewhere else if it’s not an emergency.”

The trust is anticipating a surge in seasonal illnesses, falls and injuries over the next few weeks as winter begins to bite.

The campaign reminds people of alternative services including the GP walk-in centre at Wilberforce Health Centre in Hull city centre, the urgent care centre at Bransholme Health Centre and pharmacists and minor injuries units in the East Riding. Visit www.staywellthiswinter.co.uk for advice and information on services, including opening hours,

Trust data shows people most likely to attend A&E when they could be treated elsewhere include those who wrongly believe they need stitches or an x-ray, which can both be performed at the urgent care centre at Bransholme, and those who are normally healthy but are suffering from colds or flu.

The campaign will target people living in the seven Hull postcodes accounting for 60 per cent of all A&E attendances. It will also be aimed predominantly at those aged 18 to 50, responsible for more than two-thirds of attendances.

Parent packs will be handed out at schools listing common injuries and illnesses in children and the best place to receive treatment quickly.

“Pub packs” including beer mats and advice to staff will also be given out. And Sunday League teams will receive information packs on where players should be taken if they are injured on the pitch.

As well as the work to prevent people with minor illnesses and injuries turning up at Hull’s A&E in the first place, the campaign will continue in Hull Royal Infirmary with stickers and posters in the department stating “One in 10 people shouldn’t be here. Which one are you?”

The trust has produced the campaign with award-winning marketing firm Strawberry following the major success of the “Remarkable People, Extraordinary Place” recruitment campaign.

Pharmacy staff are going the extra mile to help Hull’s homeless this year by collecting warm clothing and food at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Staff are donating items to a reverse Advent calendar every day until December 24 to make a difference to the lives of homeless people living on the city’s streets.

With temperatures plunging below zero this week, hats, scarves and gloves were already handed over to “Raise the Roof”, a Hull project providing essentials and a bed for the night for homeless people.

“Raise the Roof” was selected because senior pharmacy assistant  Julie Kirke, based at the dispensary at Castle Hill, volunteers for the charity every week.

Boxes labelled 1 to 24 were set up at the dispensaries at both hospitals and staff were encouraged to buy an extra item along with their usual shopping to donate to the charity.

Senior pharmacy technician Anna Steele said staff working in the dispensary at Hull Royal had responded well to the appeal.

She said: “We’ve got posters on the wall about what people can bring in so they’ve been bringing in hats, scarves, gloves, food and toiletries.

“Our boxes are getting full and we’ll be taking them to the charity on Christmas Eve.”

Deputy chief pharmacist Paul O’Brien, based at Castle Hill, said this was the first year the team had held a reverse Advent calendar collection after raising money for Hull charity Paul for Brain Recovery.

Paul said: “There has been an excellent response from staff to the appeal. Our boxes are already overflowing at Castle Hill and we’ve still got 10 days to Christmas Eve.

“I’ve been so impressed by the team. We’ve done a really good thing here.”

Two hospital wards at Hull Royal Infirmary are currently closed to new admissions due to the winter vomiting bug, Norovirus. Patients on wards 70 and 90 have been affected, prompting the temporary closures in order to limit the spread of the virus.

Greta Johnson, Lead Infection Prevention & Control Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“It is not unusual for hospitals to experience cases of gastroenteritis, such as Norovirus, at this time of year. These types of virus often originate in the community and can spread quickly when a number of people spend time in close proximity, such as in schools or on a hospital ward.

“As a temporary measure, in order to try and prevent further spread of the virus, we are asking people only to visit Wards 70 and 90 at this time if absolutely necessary, as Norovirus can be passed on easily.”

Norovirus is usually quite mild, lasting for about 48 hours, however people who have had symptoms can remain infectious for a further 48 hours after the symptoms have gone away.

Patients, visitors and staff who have experienced diarrhoea or vomiting are all being urged to stay away from hospital until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours to help minimise the spread of the virus to others.

Anyone experiencing sickness, vomiting or diarrhoea should first seek advice from their local pharmacy, or telephone their local GP or NHS 111. Attending the GP surgery or Emergency Department is strongly discouraged as this risks spreading the illness to other people who may already be more susceptible to infection.

Regular, thorough handwashing, especially after using the toilet, can also help to reduce the risk of viruses being passed on to others.

Hospitals in East Yorkshire are taking a novel approach in a bid to attract staff into hard to fill vacancies.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, covering Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, has launched a ‘Refer a Friend’ scheme similar to those used by retailers.

Existing members of staff will be paid up to £500 if they are able to help fill roles which are traditionally difficult to recruit to, such as qualified nursing posts, Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs), and Therapy Radiographers.

Under the terms of the scheme, the referring member of staff receives £100 if the friend or relative they have recommended is successfully recruited and stays in post for three months. A further £400 is payable after the new recruit has been in post for six months and has successfully passed their probationary period.

Simon Nearney, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development for the Trust says:

“Like every other NHS organisation across the country, we want to attract the best candidates. Nationally, there are shortages of staff in key areas such as theatres, nursing and therapies, where we are all competing for the same people.

“In order for us to provide the best possible care we can to our patients, we need to be appropriately staffed, so our ‘Refer a Friend’ scheme will be piloted initially for six months as a means of helping us recruit to posts which we’ve traditionally struggled to fill.

“While there is, of course, a financial implication for us in the first instance, if this scheme is successful, it will actually benefit us longer term as it will mean we’re spending less on agency and temporary staff and creating a more stable workforce.”

Simon adds:

“We’ve done a lot over the past couple of years to try and attract people to Hull to work, most notably through our award-winning Remarkable People, Extraordinary Place campaign, and we’re also doing a lot of work with schools and colleges to try and grow our own local healthcare staff of the future.

“For now, we need to look at different ways of attracting the professionals we need and our staff, with their enthusiasm and their recommendations, are the best asset we have to help us do this.”

Mums-to-be will be offered vital protection against the flu this winter when they attend hospital appointments.

A team of hospital midwives have become the first in Hull to be trained in administering the flu vaccine which will be offered to women when they attend hospital antenatal checks at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

With around 5,500 births in Hull every year, pregnant women are particularly susceptible to flu which can cause miscarriage in the early stage or stillbirth in the later stages of pregnancy.

Some women who already received the flu vaccine earlier this year will require a second vaccination now to ensure they are covered for the most current strain.

Caroline Clark, healthy lifestyles midwife at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said the 10 midwives trained to administer the vaccine were offering women the chance to protect themselves and their babies.

She said: “Flu can make pregnant women really unwell and they are more susceptible because their immune systems are more suppressed in pregnancy.

“Women may not realise how serious flu can be in pregnancy. Studies have found links between flu and miscarriage in the early stages or early labour, resulting in premature births. There are also possible links to stillbirth.

“We are really keen to see more pregnant women take up the offer of flu vaccines, which is why we have trained our midwives to deliver it at a time which might suit them, when they’re already coming to hospital.”

Women are offered the vaccine when they attend antenatal appointments

Women will still be able to receive the flu vaccine in the community or from their GP and midwives will signpost women there if they usually see their midwife at their local health centre or Children’s Centre.

However, the 10 midwives have been trained to administer it to women at the hospital antenatal clinics or when they visit the hospital’s day unit for checks.

Caroline Clark said pregnant women should be assured that receiving the flu vaccine poses no danger to them or their babies.

She said: “There has not been a single reported case of harm caused to a baby by the vaccine since the programme of vaccinating pregnant women began in 2010.

“While a minority of people may experience very mild flu-like symptoms after receiving the vaccine, this is not the flu as the vaccine does not contain a live virus. Instead, it is their body responding to the vaccine by producing the antibodies required to protect them against the flu.

“And with pregnancy spanning 40 weeks of the year, some women will require a second vaccine, even if they received a flu jab earlier this year.

“Different vaccines are produced every year to protect us from different strains of the flu virus so those in the early stages of pregnancy who receive a flu jab in March will need a second one now in the later stages of their pregnancies.”

There is no need to book an appointment for a flu vaccine as it will be offered to women attending hospital for already-booked appointments.

Sick children being cared for at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital are set to benefit from a major donation of Lego.

Charity Fairy Bricks, which aims to donate Lego worth £7,500 to children’s wards and children’s hospices every month, has donated 30 sets to the hospital’s Acorn Ward.

Sean O’Donnell, a member of the charity who is also works as a staff nurse at Castle Hill Hospital, donated the Lego to staff on the ward as part of a major giveaway by the charity.

Mr O’Donnell travelled to Diana, Princess of Wales and Scunthorpe General Hospital on his day off with wife Sally to hand over the sets.

He said: “Lego has given the charity 20,000 sets to be given away to children’s hosptials throughout the UK this Christmas.

“It’s such a simple thing but it brings so much joy to the children. We like to be involved with the charity because it’s such a great cause.”

Ward sister Joanne O’Connor said the donation would be gratefully received by the play specialists working with the children currently receiving treatment on the ward.

She said: “We’re very pleased Fairy Bricks has included us in their giveaway and we’d like to thank everyone involved for their generosity.

“The sets will come in very handy at this time of year but they’ll also be put to good use by the children coming into Acorn in the future.”

Women who have had previous caesarean sections are being offered support from a new midwifery-led service to prepare for their next babies.

Hull Women and Children’s Hospital is setting up at the new service to give women additional support, information and advice.

Currently, women who have undergone previous caesarean sections see a consultant around 36 weeks into their pregnancies to discuss birth options for their next baby.

However, under the proposal, women will be referred to the specialist clinic by community midwives at their first booking appointment, ensuring early support for the women throughout her pregnancy.

Women will be seen by midwives at 24 weeks, 32 weeks and full term to be supported in their choices, with those mothers-to-be in need of clinical support to be referred to their named consultant obstetrician.

Janet Cairns, head of midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said the new clinics would give information to women to increase their knowledge about their choices and improve their experience.

“We want to ensure women are given all of the options available to them to ensure they play an active role in deciding what is best for them and their baby,” she said.

“Caesarean sections are not a risk-free option and many women think it is the only option if they have had their first baby by caesarean section in the past.

“This new service will enable our highly skilled midwives to support women to make the best choice, allay worries or concerns and give the women confidence to have a great birth experience.”

The introduction of the new service could reduce the number of caesarean sections in Hull, which is slightly higher than the national average of 12 per cent.

However, Hull has fewer emergency caesarean sections, 14.4 per cent of births compared to the national average of 15.4 per cent.

The city also has more “normal” births – 61 per cent compared to 59 per cent nationally – and fewer instrumental births – 8.8 per cent compared to the national average of 12.9 per cent.

Emergency caesarean sections can be carried out for a number of clinical reasons such as to protect the mother or baby’s health. Collective decisions are made by the parents and the doctors and midwives caring for them.

However, some women opt for c-sections for non-medical reasons despite the risks attached to the major operations and can take up to six weeks to recover.

Janet Cairns said: “It is hoped these appointments will give women more information about their choices in their subsequent pregnancies so they can make the right decision for themselves.”

Hull’s ophthalmology team has scooped a top award in a prestigious ceremony celebrating clinical excellence in the UK.

The multi-disciplinary retinal team at Hull Eye Hospital have won best ophthalmology service improvement in the Bayer annual awards.

Staff nurse Anna Sanders was also highly commended in the outstanding ophthalmology nurse category for her 35 years of dedicated service.

Michelle Kemp, director of operations at the trust’s Family and Women’s Health division, said: “This is fantastic recognition for an outstanding team who have embraced innovation and new ways of working to ensure patients receive the best possible care.

“We couldn’t be prouder of them.

“We’re also so proud that Anna’s commitment and dedication to her job has been recognised by some of the most respected names in the profession.”

Consultant ophthalmologist Louise Downey, who leads the retinal service, head of optometry Brian Melia and optometrist Ellen Beddows collected the award on behalf of the team

Funded by Bayer, the annual awards are judged by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts in ophthalmology care to recognise and celebrate work carried out by teams throughout the UK.

The Hull team was named best ophthalmology service improvement at a glittering ceremony in London this week.

The award was collected by consultant ophthalmologist Louise Downey, who leads the retinal service, head of optometry Brian Melia and optometrist Ellen Beddows on behalf of the team.

The award recognise improvements in eye units to improve and enhance patient care, save money and minimise the effect of reduced budgets as well as improving patient experience, quality of life and outcomes.

In its citation, Bayer said the team had undertaken virtual clinic assessments for patients undergoing intravitreal treatments to allow the highly skilled team to deliver or assess 15,000 injections a year.

The judges said: “This was an absolutely superb and fantastic entry that highlighted the added value brought to patient care for the centre with ‘superb’ metrics.

“The whole panel felt that this initiative could be (and should be) replicated in other centres across the UK.”

OUTSTANDING: Anna Saunders, third from left, receives her award

Announcing Anna Sanders as highly commended in the category of outstanding ophthalmology nurse, the panel said her expertise had helped pioneer innovation in practice.

Judges said she was “pivotal” in reducing the length of stay for patients after cataract surgery before retiring from the trust earlier this year.

The panel also singled out her compassion, helping homeless patients in the run-up to Christmas, fund raising for worthy causes and creating “positive memorable journeys” for students.

Ophthalmic surgeon Colin Vize, medical director of the Family and Women’s Health Group, said: “Ophthalmology services are under pressure all over the country and we are no different here.

“But these awards show our patients can be assured that they are being treated by staff recognised by leading lights in the profession as the very best in the country.

“We are delighted for our team and thank them for their fantastic contribution to the care of patients, day in, day out.”