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.”

3,775 women across Hull and the East Riding have already done it this year, and a further 1,507 are waiting patiently…

Having a baby can be an exciting and daunting life event at the best of times, so now health experts from across the area are getting together to host a series of drop-ins to help new and expectant parents .

From hypnobirth and fitting a car seat correctly to using the new Fatima Allam Birth Centre, experts from various agencies, community and support groups will convene later this month for the next HEY Baby carousel event.

Melanie Lee, Childbirth Educator Midwife at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Literally thousands of babies are born in this city every year, and we want to give those babies and their parents the best possible start.

“The event we’ll be hosting next week is designed to bring a lot of different experts in their field together so pregnant women or new parents can come along and have all those niggly little questions answered, like ‘what do I need to bring into hospital’ or ‘how do I lose my baby weight?’

“Sometimes women don’t always like to bother their midwife, or questions crop up later in conversation with friends or family, so this event gives people the opportunity to pop in and ask whatever they like; the main thing is we want families to feel ready, confident and supported, and aware of all the options open to them.”

The HEY Baby Carousel Event will take place on Wednesday 27 September from 6 to 8pm at the Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.  Representatives from/advice on the following will be available:

• Fatima Allam Birth Centre (midwife led unit)
• SureStart Children’s Centres
• UsMums fitness sessions
• Baby bath and nappy change demonstrations
• Car seat safety
• Home birth group
• Hypnobirth
• Healthy lifestyles
• ‘Let’s talk’ talking therapies
• Health Visitors
• Breast buddies – breastfeeding support
• Infant feeding
• … and much more!

Copies of the Baby Footprint postcards, as featured on the 2017 City of Culture artwork within the entrance to the Women and Children’s Hospital, will also be on sale.

There is no need to book, but for more information, call the HEY Baby team on 07769 671449.

Local hospital staff have given national conference delegates arriving in Hull this week a more unusual welcome to the city.

Hundreds of eye specialists are convening for the BIPOSA (British Isles Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Association) 11^th annual conference, held in Hull in celebration of the 2017 City of Culture Year.

Far from playing the Housemartins or passing round the chip spice, however, healthcare staff have done what they do best, and that’s give a warm and healthy welcome to visitors in the form of a 5km run around the city centre earlier this morning.

Usman Mahmood, Consultant in Paediatric Ophthalmology at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has led on organising the conference and the active introduction to the area. He says:

“In recent years, we’re told it’s become somewhat of a tradition for BIPOSA to offer its delegates a run as part of their annual three day conference.

“We’re incredibly proud of our city and so this gave us the perfect opportunity to show off some of the sights in a relaxed and sociable way, as well as for delegates to get a bit of fresh air and get the blood pumping before their conference schedule begins.”

The 5km route designed by Specialist Optometrist, Ellen Messingham, took runners from Hull City Hall, where the conference is being held, through the old town and along the marina before heading past The Deep and onto Victoria Dock. The route then led participants over Scale Lane Bridge, along High Street to the Wilberforce Museum, before heading back to the City Hall past Hull College and through Queen’s Gardens.

Usman continues:

“We have a lot of keen runners throughout the Eye Hospital, HRI and Castle Hill, and staff were only too willing to give fellow health workers from across the UK a warm welcome in this way.

“Hull has so much to offer that we didn’t want our visitors to miss out. We hope by giving them a taste of what’s around and about, they will use what free time they have while they’re here to explore further, or maybe even encourage a return visit to Hull in the weeks and months ahead.”

For most hospital patients, visits to the ward tend to come from the doctor, a therapist, friends or loved ones. Elderly patients spending time on Ward 9 at Hull Royal infirmary, however, are now receiving visits from a new four-legged friend.

Nudel is an 14 month old Labradoodle who is training to be an assistance dog with Canine Partners. Once a month, Nudel and her Puppy Parent, Mike Cormack, come on to the ward to raise a smile among patients and give Nudel herself experience of socialising in different environments.

Once fully trained, Nudel will be matched with an appropriate owner who requires help with daily tasks; often this is someone living with a long term health condition such as Multiple Sclerosis or Muscular Dystrophy, or it could be someone who has been injured in military service.

In the meantime, Nudel is serving as a welcome talking point among patients and staff, and bringing enjoyment to those patients who may be temporarily parted from their own pets.

Mike says:

“It’s great for Nudel to be able to come into Hull Royal to get used to the sights, sounds and smells of a hospital environment. This is also a socialisation exercise for her, so it gets her used to people and how to behave when she’s working.

“She can already perform a number of tasks and understand a lot of commands. She’s used to picking things up off the floor and retrieving things, but she can also push and pull which, once she has a permanent owner, will mean she can help with everyday tasks such as dressing, closing doors, opening drawers, and turning light switches on and off.

Nudel is being trained through Canine Partners, a registered charity bringing greater independence and quality of life to people with physical disabilities. As well as visiting hospital, Nudel and Mike also visit older people in a care home, journey on buses and trains, visit shops, supermarkets and even restaurants to get Nudel used to working in busy areas.

Dr Fiona Thomson, Consultant Physician in Elderly Medicine says:

“Before we brought Canine Partners on to the ward, we carried out a survey amongst our patients which found that many of them were bored and felt they had little to occupy them during the day.

“As a team, we’ve been looking closely at what we can do to keep older people engaged and active while they’re in our care, and generally brighten up their days. Animals as therapy have been trialled elsewhere, and so we decided to give it a go and begin canine visits to the ward, with a really positive response.”

The Royal College of Nursing is currently drawing up guidelines for medical institutions on how to use animal therapy safely and effectively in order to benefit patients. In a survey carried out last year, 82% of nurses surveyed by the RCN said animals could help patients be more physically active and 60% said they believed animals improved physical recovery.

“As well as the obvious enjoyment which some people get from animals, we’ve also seen other benefits for our patients from having the dog in already,” Dr Thomson continues.

“Some patients with dementia who may otherwise appear quite withdrawn engage very well with the dog, and we’ve also seen a calming effect for some patients if they’re anxious. Nudel also serves as a talking point for people, whether it’s patient to patient, patients and relatives, or patients and staff, and this not only helps to pass the time but these social interactions also benefit our patients’ sense of well-being too.”

Canine visits are just one of a series of events and activities organised for older people by the staff on Ward 9 to promote regular physical activity and social interaction; other schemes include exercise to music and reminiscence therapy.

Nudel will begin advanced training on the 20^th November, where she will be assessed over a period of eight weeks. Mike describes this as, “a very sad day for us all”, but if accepted, her training will then be tailor made to benefit one suitable person on the Canine Partners waiting list.