New injectable technology means doctors could know there’s a problem before you do

Patients experiencing unexplained blackouts are set to have their hearts monitored using a new device, no bigger than three matchsticks, and their smartphone.

For some time, implantable loop recorders have been fitted in patients for cardiac monitoring, but at the size of a computer USB stick, they were visible under skin, had to be surgically implanted in a cath lab, and patients had to return to hospital regularly for the data to be reviewed.

But now advances in technology mean that doctors could soon know there’s a problem before the patient does, as Lee Wise, Cardiac Physiologist based at Castle Hill Hospital explains:

“It was when I was working as a locum at another Trust that I first saw the very small devices being used. It struck me that they had so many benefits, so when I came back to Castle Hill, I made a point of getting them introduced.

“Traditional loop recorders are about the size of a USB stick. They have to be implanted in the cath labs, which involves making a surgical incision and then closing it with sutures. This creates scar tissue, and the device is still very noticeable under the skin. The new loop recorders are much smaller; about the size of three matchsticks laid side by side; which means they can be ‘injected’ into the skin and the opening glued shut, making the device barely noticeable once in place.

“As well as benefiting patients receiving the new recorders, there are also huge benefits for the hospital. The fitting of each traditional loop recorder takes around 20 to 25 minutes in a cath labs, whereas inserting the new device can be completed in most clinic rooms in just a couple of minutes. It’s less stressful for the patient and, crucially, frees up the time of clinicians, theatres and follow-up clinics to deal with other patients and procedures. Conservative estimates suggest we could save at least 250 clinic appointments each year by using the new devices, as well as creating considerable capacity for the cath labs.

But perhaps the most exciting thing is the potential which the new loop recorders offer for round the clock monitoring.

“We are currently using two small devices, the Medtronic Reveal LINQ and the St Jude’s Confirm,” Lee continues.

“The LINQ device has an activator which patients can use to instruct the device to start recording, and it wirelessly transmits the information it collects at the end of each day to a secure website. The Confirm device does a similar thing, but data is transmitted by the patient, quickly and conveniently, using a smartphone app.

“As irregular cardiac patterns aren’t always physically noticeable by the patient, this means there is potential for the clinician caring for them to spot a concern based on the data they receive before the patient is even aware something’s wrong.”

This is one of the UK’s few physiologist-led services. The team, comprising Lee Wise, Debbie Leggott and Renjith Antony, began to ‘inject’ the new loop recorders at the end of June in six patients, and a further eight patients received a new small loop recorder earlier this month.

Lee continues:

“The implantable loop recorders are very clever devices, and whether large or small, they can help us to identify the causes of some people’s blackouts or identify other previously undiagnosed cardiac issues, in particular atrial fibrillation (AF).

“Research suggests that if the heart is in AF for longer than six minutes at a time, the patient is at increased risk of stroke. Longer term, there’s a lot of scope for us to get involved with research projects alongside our stroke team, and to realise our vision of a ‘one stop’ clinic for blackouts; where the new loop device could be implanted on the same day as the clinic appointment.”

Breastfeeding Awareness Week, 31 July – 6 August 2017

Specialist clinics designed to help new mums in the crucial early days of breastfeeding will be launched in Hull next week.

The benefits of breastfeeding have been widely known for some time, but despite some mums’ best efforts, they still have difficulty giving their baby the best possible start.

Now Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Infant feeding Coordinators, Anna Lee Hughes and Pippa Stott, will be using Breastfeeding Awareness Week (31^st July – 6^th August 2017) to launch their new specialist infant feeding clinics.  The clinics will take place weekly, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and are designed to help women in the crucial first month after having their baby.

The clinics will be held in relaxed surroundings within the Fatima Allam Birth Centre, and will be supported by the Goodwin Breastfeeding Peer Support Team*.

Anna Lee Hughes, Infant Feeding Coordinator within Hull Women and Children’s Hospital says:

“Women have lots of different things to think about when they’ve just had a baby and, naturally, feeding is often high up the list. It is well known that, if women are given access to specialist advice and support with breastfeeding in the very early stages, they are more likely to be successful. In turn, breastfeeding can strengthen babies’ immune systems in the early months, helps to create a strong bond between mum and baby, and can even reduce a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers longer term.

“For several months, we have been holding a number of ‘pilot’ clinics to determine how best to offer breastfeeding support to new mums in the early weeks, and determine what they would want out of such a service. Using the feedback we’ve received, we’re now pleased to announce a regular series of clinics will begin this week within the Women and Children’s Hospital to help with issues such position and attachment, baby weight loss and increasing milk supply.  Our specialist midwives will also be assisted in the clinic by members of the Goodwin Breastfeeding Peer Support Team, who can offer general breastfeeding advice and mum-to-mum support.”

Nicola Jones was one of the first mums to attend one of the pilot clinics. She says:

“We needed a lot of support in the beginning with position, and then it was just about reassurance that what I was doing, and how my baby was feeding, was right.

“The clinic support really helped and gave me confidence to carry on. Six months on and it seems like second nature.  I can’t believe it was ever that difficult. I’m so glad I was able to get the support and advice I needed to stick with it.”

The infant feeding clinics are open to any woman who has given birth in the Hull and East Riding area.  Women will be referred to the clinics for specialist breastfeeding support by their community midwife if there are issues around weight loss or supply which they have been unable to support to improve.  Women can also refer themselves for peer support by contacting the Goodwin Trust. 

The launch of the clinics is just one initiative taking place locally to mark Breastfeeding Awareness Week. The Infant Feeding Coordinators and Peer Supporters will also be talking to women in the antenatal clinic, and gifting each with a ‘golden moments’ keyring. The keyring is designed to introduce the topic of breastfeeding and highlight its benefits for both mum and baby’s health and wellbeing.

Midwives and nurses from the neonatal and children’s wards will also have a stand in the entrance to the Women and Children’s Hospital throughout the week.  They will be sharing advice and displaying information about the ‘Big Latch On’ events taking place regionally and nationally, where women gather to breastfeed and offer peer support.

This group of staff has also come together to form several new internal working groups aimed at improving and ensuring best practice for breastfeeding mums and babies under the group name, “HEY! Let’s support our mums to breastfeed.”

More details about the ‘Big Latch On’ events can be found at www.biglatchon.org  The team will also feature on the City of Culture’s ‘Challenge Hull’ page throughout Breastfeeding Awareness Week , where you will also be able to find out more about support and activities in relation to breastfeeding throughout the city.

The daughter of a prominent figure in the history of Hull’s hospitals returned to the city today for a trip down Memory Lane.

Jan Bennett is the daughter of Henrietta Brocklehurst, a pharmacist, founder of Hull’s Brocklehurst Chemist chain, and former Chairman of the Hull (A) Group Hospitals Management Committee for some 16 years, from 1958 to 1974.

Mrs Brocklehurst oversaw a number of key developments during her time in her hospital role, including the demolition of the old Western General Hospital and the opening of the Hull Royal Infirmary Tower Block some 50 years ago by Her Majesty, the Queen.

Prompted by Hull’s spell in the limelight as UK City of Culture 2017, Jan and her husband Peter, who now live in Bath, journeyed to Hull Royal Infirmary to do some fact-finding on her late mother as well as her father, E A Brocklehurst, another pharmacist and former Sheriff of Hull.

Jan, a retired GP, and Peter, a former General Physician, visited Hull Royal Infirmary earlier today where they met with Trust Chief Executive, Chris Long, for a quick chat about their family ties to the hospital.

The pair then met with Mike Pearson, who looks after the Trust Archive, and they spent some time looking through memorabilia, old film reel, newspaper cuttings and photos featuring Mrs Brocklehurst. Mike had also arranged for them to see first-hand a special plaque which had been made and dedicated to Jan’s late mother, before they continued on to visit the Trust’s Brocklehurst Building.

Jan says:

“I have early memories of Hull as a youngster and of spending time in the air raid shelter.

“When the Hull Royal Infirmary Tower Block was opened by the Queen, I was a house officer training in Aberdeen, but my older sister and I came back to Hull to be with mum and to attend the opening.

“I remember we were lucky enough to be introduced to the Queen; she acknowledged us and we shook hands, and I still have the glove we shook hands with now.

“Mum was a fiery character and all those years ago, she would often be found on the golf course, looking for consultants who should have been at work, demanding they get back to Outpatients!

“It’s great that the hospital still has all these items, but it’s a shame that people like mum; people who helped to build the city in essence; have almost been forgotten.

“The City of Culture is great for Hull, and the city has certainly been getting its share of the spotlight. It’s a special time and these celebrations were the motivating factor for me making contact with the hospital now and starting my journey of discovery about mum’s life.”

Whilst in Hull, Jan and Peter have also visited Hull History Centre and plan to do some exploring in the city centre.

Our Born into a City of Culture project reached its exciting half way stage, as panel number 6 of 12, representing June, was erected in the entrance to the Women and Children’s Hospital earlier today.

The project involves taking the footprint of every baby born in Hull in 2017 and using these images to create a unique piece of artwork. The babies’ footprints represent leaves, while midwives handprints also feature as the trunks of the trees.

Every month, a new panel is installed, and to mark the half way point, a mum and baby born in each of the first six months of the year were invited back for a mini celebration this morning. The artwork to date features more than 2,300 baby footprints, and will be complete by January 2018.

Vicky Turner (pictured far right) is mum to Travis, who is almost seven weeks old and whose footprint features in the June panel. She says:

“We’re really proud to be a part of this project. It’s great to know that Travis’s footprint is up there on the wall, and it’s lovely to have the midwives’ represented on the artwork too. Their hand prints show the journey that they’ve been on as well, helping young babies to grow and keeping all of us safe.”

The Born into a City of Culture project is supported by the Hull 2017 Creative Communities programme.

Postcards featuring images of the baby footprint panels are available for sale within the Women and Children’s Hospital, priced £1 each. Each postcard represents two months (January and February; March and April; and the latest is May and June) and the whole set will be complete in 6 postcards.

Hospital staff will be joining one of Hull’s biggest parties of the year this weekend, as Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust shows its pride in more ways than one.

Members of HEY Let’s Sing, the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust staff choir, will be performing for the second consecutive year at Pride in Hull tomorrow.

In 2016, this talented group of staff, which includes radiographers, midwives and therapists, were chosen to perform on the main stage. This year, they have been invited back again to help raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and to join in the celebrations, performing at the Bandstand in Queen’s Gardens at 3 and 4pm.

As well as treating revellers to favourites from Fleetwood Mac and Katy Perry, HEY Let’s Sing will also be joining in the Pride in Hull parade. The parade begins at 12 noon from Hull College, when the 30 strong group of health professionals will join the procession on foot, weaving and waving their way through the city’s crowds.

Bonnie Gray, Web Developer and Co-Founder of the HEY Let’s Sing Choir says:

“Taking part in Pride last year was such a great feeling; there was a really safe, supportive and celebratory atmosphere and it felt very inclusive too.

“It was a real honour to be a part of the celebrations then and to be able to perform on the main stage, so to be invited back for a second year is just fantastic.”

Saturday’s festivities will mark the start of a week full of Pride celebrations, and to ensure Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is playing its part in raising awareness, a number of Trust delivery vehicles have been emblazoned with rainbow stripes and a 5ft Pride flag will also fly from the top of the Hull Royal Infirmary tower block next week.

Simon Nearney, Director of Workforce for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Our Trust is extremely proud of the people who work here and of our city as a whole, so for Hull to be chosen as the focus for the UK’s first ever national Pride event is just brilliant.

“As an employer of over 8,000 people, we are fully committed to the principles of equality and diversity. Opportunities like Pride in Hull give us the chance to celebrate our remarkable people, to showcase the city, and to embrace the rich diversity we have here.

“This weekend’s event promises a real party atmosphere, and as one of the city’s major employers, we’re proud to be at the heart of it.”

Young men who are receiving or have completed cancer treatment took part in a regional first earlier today as the Look Good, Feel Better programme came to Cottingham.

National charity, Look Good, Feel Better, has been providing advice and support to women of all ages who are living with cancer for 23 years, concentrating specifically on the visible side effects of treatment. Until now, the charity has largely focused its efforts on women, but working with staff at the Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Unit at Castle Hill Hospital, seven young men found themselves in line for VIP treatment today.

Ryan Nicholls, Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Coordinator based at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, says:

“Being diagnosed with cancer at any age can be traumatic, but for teenagers and young people, for whom image is often everything, the side effects of treatment can be devastating. Losing your hair, your eyebrows or lashes, and changes to the skin can quickly dent a young person’s confidence.

“Whereas girls and young women generally feel happy to talk about things like hair and make up, men don’t always feel quite so comfortable, so the session held today was designed to give our male patients a non-judgemental space in which to work through some of those issues, pick up tips and ideas, and discover more about making themselves look and feel better.”

Sarah Addis from Look Good, Feel Better talked the young men through a range of different issues, from moisturising and sun protection to brow building and exfoliation.

Representatives of Skye & Craig salon, based within Total Fitness, Willerby, also gave up their time to visit the TYA Unit and offer advice on hair care, beard trimming and other aspects of male grooming.

Volunteer therapists offered massage to patients in a bid to help them de-stress and relax at what is undoubtedly a very difficult time, before the guys continued their chill-out with a game or two of pool.

“When someone starts treatment for cancer, they never know quite what the outcome or the effects of their treatment are going to be,” Ryan continues.

“We were keen to acknowledge that young men can become anxious and concerned  about their appearance too. This ‘men only’ Look Good Feel Better session is only the third to be staged by the charity, and the first in the north of England, and the feedback given by our patients today will really help to determine whether this programme goes forward in the future and what it might look like.”

All young men attending the session received a goody bag full of premium brand cosmetics such as YSL, Clinique and Cartier to take away with them, courtesy of Look Good, Feel Better. If the event proves successful, this could mark the start of further sessions designed specifically with men in mind being rolled out nationally by the Look Good, Feel Better charity.

29 June 2017

Chris Long, Chief Executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The safety of everyone using the hospital is of utmost importance to us.

“In a bid to provide assurance for our patients, staff and visitors, and in accordance with guidance set out by NHS Improvement, cladding samples have been sent away for testing.

“Based on the information obtained to date, we can confirm that the cladding on the Hull Royal Infirmary tower block is not the same as that used on the Grenfell tower block.”

Chris Long, Chief Executive at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Firstly, I would like to take the opportunity to reassure patients, staff and visitors that the safety of everyone using
the hospital is of utmost importance to us.

“In light of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, I requested that we review our already robust arrangements around fire
safety in our buildings and we are currently working to review our existing estate and risk assessments as soon as
possible.

“Unlike most high rise buildings and residential dwellings, we are operational around the clock which makes us well
prepared to respond in the event of a fire. There is a 24/7 staffing presence which includes porters and security
staff who are trained as first responders in the event of a fire and can begin to take immediate action should this
become necessary. Buildings are also monitored with fire and smoke detection systems with fire breaks installed
to reduce the risk and speed of fire spread between rooms and floors.

“Regular contact is also maintained with Humberside Fire and Rescue in respect of fire safety and prevention; the
two organisations have a rapid response system in place, and fire training forms part of our mandatory training
programme for staff.”

(ENDS)

A live exercise to test the response of emergency services to a major incident will be conducted in Hull this weekend, on Saturday 24^th June.

Exercise Orange Falcon has been organised by a team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust with support from colleagues including police, fire, ambulance, and the voluntary sector. The exercise has taken over six months to come to fruition, after discussion and preparations began back in December last year.

Organisers will not reveal precise details of the exercise prior to the day, as staff are being asked to respond as if it were a real life situation. However, people will begin to notice activity on Saturday morning in the Londesborough Street area of West Hull, and mock ‘casualties’, played by students of Bishop Burton College, will be brought to hospital.

The exercise is designed to test the ability of the various organisations taking part to work together effectively. In particular, as Hull Royal Infirmary is one of just eleven adult major trauma centres in the country, it will also allow Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to test its internal systems and how the various teams and departments work together.

Care has been taken to ensure the exercise will not interfere with routine services provided in the Emergency Department or elsewhere in the hospital.

Alan Harper, Assistant Director of Planning at the Trust says:

“No one can predict when a major incident or large scale emergency will occur, so it’s important that we test our systems regularly with both table-top and ‘as live’ exercises to see how people respond.

“Exercise Orange Falcon will not only test the inter-agency agreements and processes we have in place should there be a major incident, but crucially it will also test the personal response of individuals to a situation which is unknown, urgent and constantly changing.

“Many people are giving up their own time to take part in the exercise, for which we’re incredibly grateful. It represents a fantastic learning opportunity for all involved and as such, we will be also be filming parts of the exercise to use in the subsequent staff debrief and internal training videos.”

Exercise Orange Falcon will take place across the morning and early afternoon of Saturday 24^th June. Those local to the Londesborough Street area may note some unusual activity, including use of a drone to capture footage of events, supplied by Humberside Fire and Rescue.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will be using its Twitter feed @HEYNHS to post information and updates throughout the exercise, which is due to conclude in the early afternoon.

Duncan Taylor, Director of Infrastructure, Estates and Development at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Without detailed knowledge of the Grenfell tower block, it would be wrong to suggest that the encapsulation system used on that building is the same as that used on Hull Royal Infirmary.

“However, I would like to take this opportunity to reassure patients, staff and visitors that the safety of everyone using the hospital is of utmost importance to us.

“Hull Royal Infirmary is a concrete building with an outer framing system predominately made of aluminium with double glazed windows surrounded by further glass panels. Fire protection is incorporated within the cladding horizontally, across floors, to prevent a fire moving up, and similarly vertical fire protection is in place to limit any outward spread.

“In addition, over the last two years, we have continued to make significant investment in upgrading fire protection throughout the building following review and audit.”

(Ends)