Hull Royal Infirmary’s emergency department sees spike in attendances

A plastic surgeon is warning people of the dangers of life-changing injuries caused by fireworks and sparklers.

James Haeney sees devastating injuries around Bonfire Night as part of his role as consultant plastic surgeon at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

In the UK, last year, fireworks and sparklers were responsible for around 990 injuries, with 494 children hurt and 479 people needing to be admitted to hospital.

Hull Royal Infirmary’s emergency department and plastic surgery team are able to treat most of the injured although people with severe burns are transferred to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield or Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Mr Haeney and his team have treated numerous patients who have suffered hand injuries including multiple finger losses and blast injuries caused by fireworks over the years.

He said: “Most of the injuries we see are people who were having fun in their gardens or children and young men who have been messing about with fireworks and get injured. We see very few injuries from organised displays.”

“But these injuries, especially to hands, can be devastating. I’ve seen patients with multiple missing fingers and complex nerve injuries, tendon injuries and fractures meaning the hand will never work normally again.

“These aren’t common injuries but we do see them.”

Mr Haeney has helped people suffering burns when picking up sparklers, which have just gone out after burning at the same ferocious heat as a welding torch.

He has also treated people who have been standing too close to fireworks when they go off.

“Over the years, I’ve seen some really nasty injuries caused by people messing about with fireworks and setting them off too close to where people are,” he said.

“We’ve had blast-type injuries caused when fireworks are set off as people are holding them and some of them have caused life-changing injuries.”

“The ED will see, treat and discharge the majority of minor injuries but a small number of those in need of significant acute care will be transferred directly to the plastic surgery team or directly to the burns units if required.”

Emergency department consultant Chris Srinivasan said frontline staff see around 30 firework-related injuries around this time of year.

He said: “We see a lot of burns, with burns to the hand very common and the loss of fingers. But it’s important to recognise these burns aren’t superficial like you would get from a hot kettle.

“They can involve skin grafts and burns which require intervention from our plastic surgery team and staff at burns units in other parts of the country.”

He appealed to people to behave responsibly around fireworks if they are holding Bonfire Night parties this weekend.

“We don’t want to spoil people’s fun and there’s nothing wrong with having a drink and a laugh at a party,” Dr Srinivasan said.

“But we’d just ask people to be responsible around fireworks and bonfires so they don’t end up with an unplanned visit to the emergency department.”

A 103-year-old building where Hull’s paupers received medical treatment is being demolished, brick by brick.

The Haughton Building is being knocked down to make way for the new £500,000 helipad bringing critically ill patients to Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Workmen are demolishing part of the building by hand, removing each brick individually, because of its proximity to the railway line, one of the main arteries to the A63 on Argyle Street and Hull Royal Infirmary’s tower block.

Duncan Taylor, director of estates, facilities and development , said demolition work is expected to be completed by Christmas.

“It’s fair to say this job poses a few challenges,” he said. “We are having to hand-demolish part of it to prevent debris either falling onto the railway track or the main road.

“We have to do all we can to control the dust and debris associated with the demolition and these measures will help us do that.”

A Nightingale ward in the former West Block

The three-storey, red-bricked building has been a city landmark since it opened in 1914 as an infirmary treating paupers from Hull Workhouse before the NHS was created in 1948.

Mike Pearson, who looks after the trust’s archive, has sourced images of the building throughout the decades.

He said shortly after opening, it was a centre for frontline casualties arriving at nearby Paragon Station on special ambulance trains during the First World War before becoming a naval hospital for injured sailors in April 1917.

When the war ended, it returned to its original purpose as an infirmary until workhouses were replaced by “public assistance institutions” from 1930. The Haughton Building became part of the Anlaby Road Institution Hospital, run by Hull Corporation.

King George V and Queen Mary visit the hospital in June 1917

However, when World War Two broke out, it was used as a casualty receiving hospital for Hull people injured during the Blitz. They were taken to the building first for assessment before being transferred to Princess Royal, Castle Hill or Westwood hospitals.

Mike said the building transferred to the NHS after 1948 and was part of the Western General site until Hull Royal Infirmary’s tower block opened in 1967.

Then known as the West Block, its eight wards were used as Nightingale wards, where patients were treated in large dormitory-style rooms.

The 103-year-old building is being demolished

It became known as the Haughton Building, named after 19^th century hospital board member David Haughton in 1995. The last inpatients left the building in 2008 when the building was considered unsuitable for modern medicine and hospital care and was used as a linen store and for administrative services.

The Haughton will now be demolished to make way for the helipad, funded by a £500,000 donation from the HELP Appeal.

Measuring 30m by 30m, the helipad will be raised up to a metre off the ground next to the trust’s emergency department, saving vital minutes in transferring seriously ill and injured patients.

Work will begin on the helipad early next year.

More than 3,000 vaccinated at special clinics in just two weeks

Thousands of hospital staff have received flu jabs within two weeks of the launch of special vaccination clinics to protect patients this winter.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust launched the clinics and a team of volunteer vaccinators is working round the clock across departments to encourage staff to take up the offer of flu jabs, ensuring maximum protection for themselves, patients and their families this winter.

Vaccinators trained in delivering the jab are working in different departments at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital to vaccinate staff who would struggle to leave their posts.

And within two weeks, more than 3,000 people, more than a quarter of the trust’s 8,000-plus workforce, have answered the call to get their jabs before the end of November.

Chief medical officer Kevin Phillips said: “We want our staff to be protected against potential infection so they can help ensure we can deliver care to our patients in sufficient numbers over the winter.

“Frontline staff are at a high risk of catching any viral infection and that means they are at a high risk of spreading it to other areas or to their families.

“By getting the flu vaccine, they are protecting themselves and the wider community and ensuring we have enough staff to help care for patients who get sick.”

Flu vaccinations are considered vital for health staff, particularly this winter after Australia and New Zealand were gripped by the worst outbreak in years, with 170,000 cases recorded.

The trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, is offering free flu clinics to employees as part of a national campaign to vaccinate NHS staff.

All staff receiving vaccinations between now and the end of November will qualify for an extra day off as part of a trust incentive scheme to ensure as many staff as possible get their jabs.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Trust has been one of the country’s best performing NHS trusts in terms of staff vaccination rates for the past five years. Last year, 78 per cent of frontline staff were vaccinated against flu.

The phenomenal response in the first two weeks suggests Hull could be on track for a record-breaking vaccination rate.

People in good health who catch flu are usually expected to recover within a week or so of contracting the illness.

However, it can have severe consequences in anyone aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children and adults with underlying health conditions such as long-term heart or respiratory diseases and those with weakened immune systems

At-risk groups are also more likely to develop potentially serious complications such as pneumonia.

Trust head of occupational health services Carole Hunter said: “We think the publicity about the outbreak in Australia has made people realise the importance of getting their flu jab this year.

“We’ve also introduced new ways of allowing people to receive their vaccinations. As well as clinics in departments and in the hospital dining rooms, we’ve got volunteer vaccinators who are going to staff working across the trust so they don’t even have to leave their posts.

“We’re really happy with the response so far and hope staff will continue to come to clinics over the next two months so we can have as many people vaccinated as possible.”

Hospital staff are raising awareness of a potentially life-threatening condition which affects one in 250 people, often without their knowledge.

A team from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will attend this week’s Health Expo to explain how familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) can increase the risk of developing heart disease and how people can minimise the risk of suffering an early heart attack.

Hull Lord Mayor Councillor John Hewitt and Lady Mayoress Betty Hewitt will be visiting the Health Expo stand at City Hall at 11am on Thursday to watch an animation explaining the condition linked to high cholesterol levels and speak to staff spearheading the awareness campaign.

FH nurse Paula Sutton, who works at Hull Royal Infirmary, said: “If you have lost parents or grandparents to an early heart attack, we have the ability to reduce the risk of that happening again to you or another member of your family.

“We can help people create a great legacy for them and any child born into their family to change the course of their lives and reduce the chances of developing heart disease.”

Cholesterol plays a vital role in the body but it increases the risk of heart disease if levels get too high, usually when people enter their 40s and eat too much saturated fat found in butter, cheese, cakes or pastries.

Around 250,000 in the UK have inherited FH, a genetic condition meaning their cholesterol levels are higher than normal from birth and continue to rise, regardless of their lifestyle.

A baby born to a parent who has FH has a 50 per cent chance of also having the condition.

Uncovering the condition in a family matters because a 40-year-old with untreated FH has the same heart attack risk as a 70-year-old.

Many people are unaware of the condition, which often has few or no symptoms. If untreated, about 50 per cent of men and 30 per cent of woman with FH will develop coronary heart disease by the age of 55 and each day, one person with FH has a heart attack.

However, people diagnosed with FH can be treated before heart disease develops and live as long as those without the condition.

The team’s appearance at Health Expo comes ahead of the launch of a new trust service in December as part of a regional campaign to raise awareness across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Based at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and led by consultant Deepa Narayanan, patients referred to the service by their GPs will be assessed and family trees considered to reveal patterns of early deaths linked to heart disease.

Those considered at risk of FH will undergo a genetic test. If the result is positive, other family members will be encouraged to have the test and drug therapy to lower cholesterol and prevent the development of heart disease.

FH nurse Rachel Dunn said: “Our message to people is simple: if you have experienced the death of a relative from a heart attack early in their lives, just have that conversation with your family to see if it was a one-off or if there might be something more to it.

“Getting your cholesterol checked through your GP or as part of a health check is an important first step.

“People tend to accept heart disease runs in the family but you can do something about it. If the cause is high cholesterol we can help stop that story being repeated, generation after generation.”

Dr Dan Harman with one of the decorated zimmer frames

Hospital consultants are bringing a “Pimp My Zimmer” event to Hull this week with the aim of reducing the risk of falling among older people.

Staff from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will set up a stand at Hull’s Health Expo at City Hall on Thursday to encourage people to decorate zimmer frames and walking aids.

Dr Katie Athorn, Dr Dan Harman and Dr Anna Folwell, consultants in the department of medical elderly at Hull Royal Infirmary, are spearheading the project after a similar scheme in Essex saw a 60 per cent reduction in falls.

An older person loses 10 per cent muscle mass for every week spent in hospital so preventing falls and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions is key to promoting a better quality of life.

On Thursday, families visiting Health Expo with older relatives can decorate walking aids with wool or fabric, feathers or coloured paper so they can be easily identified and sessions can be booked online: Pimp My Zimmer! Reducing Falls Project Mini Sessions.

Dr Athorn is a member of the East Riding care home working group with representation from the acute trust, primary care, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and care homes in East Riding and she presented the idea after learning of the successful and innovative project that started in an Essex care home.

She said: “It started off as a recreational idea to keep residents entertained but staff found that, as a direct result, people took ownership of their zimmer frames and remembered to use them.

“Using the wrong zimmer frame which hasn’t been adjusted for your height can result in someone losing their balance so this helped people use the right frames, not just any one lying around.

“They saw a reduction in falls and I shared it with our working group for discussion.

“A couple of the care homes tried it and had a wonderful response, with not only the residents thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to be creative, but also resulting in a reduction in falls of between 40 to 60 per cent and fewer ambulance attendances and hospital admissions as a result.”

Dr Harman said decorating walking aids was something older people could do with their carers or grandchildren.

He said: “While this has a practical benefit in reducing the risk of falls, there’s also a social inclusion side to this as it’s a fun activity people can do with their families and carers.”

“Pimp My Zimmer” will be among about 80 stalls at the major health event on Thursday showcasing the best in healthcare innovation.

From clinical simulation “mannekins” to the Da Vinci robot, visitors will be able to see how modern techniques and new ideas are responsible for major advances in hospital care.

Elderly patients spending time in hospital spent an afternoon with a difference recently, as former Royal Ballet dancer-turned-teacher Vanesa Hooper visited to teach a class.

Not wanting the recent ballet fever to pass this patient group by, Dr Fiona Thomson, Consultant Physician in Elderly Medicine arranged for Ms Hooper to visit patients on Ward 9 at Hull Royal Infirmary to teach a bespoke ballet class.

Dr Thomson says:

“Research among our patients has previously indicated that they can become bored easily while in hospital, so staff on Ward 9 have been doing a lot in recent months to improve the patient experience and to help keep them occupied.

“There is much evidence to show that keeping frail older people moving and active while in hospital can help to prevent deconditioning and loss of functional ability. Happier older patients are more motivated, are likely to eat more, engage better with therapy staff, and may even be ready to leave hospital sooner.

“We took our inspiration from a recent Channel 4 series where a group of pre-school children shared their day care with care home residents, and which generated really positive results in both physical and mental well-being.

“Dance can also be very popular among our patient group, and we felt that if they were not in a position to attend the Royal Ballet while it was in Hull, we’d try and bring a touch of that magic to them instead.

“Vanessa’s class certainly provided patients with a welcome break from the daily routine of hospital life, as well as providing an opportunity to socialise with other patients, listen to music, improve muscle strength, and enjoy an activity that many of them will not have done for years.”

Due to the mobility of the patient group, patients took part in largely chair based exercise and worked out to a whole range of music, from classical to modern.  Activity included upper and lower body stretches, and wrist and ankle rotations.

Vanessa Hooper says:

“The visit helped to get the elderly patients moving and inspire them to try and do a little more in their lives if they can.

“Working with older people is something I really enjoy and I found that they got something out of it, and I loved it! I found it really encouraging that even patients who didn’t think they were going to be able to do anything started to get motivated and join in by the time we’d finished.

“Ward 9 is a lovely environment with lovely people; I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and I’m hoping I’ll be back.”

Patients failed to attend one in every 12 hospital outpatients last year, prompting Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to launch a new campaign to alert patients to the real cost of missed appointments.

A total of 66,385 outpatient appointments across Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital went unattended in 2016, equating to 8.4% of all outpatient appointments offered.

The financial cost to the hospitals Trust of such DNA’s, or ‘Did Not Attends’, was a staggering £11m; equivalent to some 440 nurse posts. And that does not take account of the emotional cost or potential health implications for other patients anxiously waiting for appointments who could have been offered earlier slots.

Eileen Henderson, Head of Outpatient Services at the Trust says:

“Work to improve access to outpatient services has been ongoing for some time, but as well as trying to increase reliability at our end, in terms of staffing, room availability, access to equipment  and so on, we also need the public to play their part.

“Last year, we had 66,835 people who did not turn up for their appointments.  This resulted in some patients having to wait longer for their appointments, our doctors and nurses waiting with no one to see, and our clinical administration staff having to contact those people again to offer further appointments.

“The cost of DNAs is massive, but this issue is not unique to hospitals; similar issues are experienced by GPs and other parts of the health community too. As well as the financial cost, DNAs also make the whole service less effective, as those who don’t turn up have to re-scheduled, with knock-on effects for other patients who are also on the same waiting list.

“Simply advising us that an appointment date is no longer suitable means other patients can be offered earlier appointments and doctors’ and nurses’ expertise isn’t wasted.

“A number of our services use text reminders as a prompt or an aide-memoire for people, but often these still don’t have the desired effect. The new poster campaign which staff and visitors will begin to see around our sites this week will serve to remind people of the real cost of missed outpatient appointments, and hopefully help us to provide a more efficient service across all of our outpatient clinics.”