A new facility for mums-to-be seeking a natural birth experience has opened within the Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Design and construction of the midwife-led, Fatima Allam Birth Centre began in November 2016 and was completed towards the end of March. Following a short handover period, the centre will welcome its first new arrivals today.

The birth centre comprises three individual rooms, each featuring a birthing bed, birthing pool, en suite bathroom and additional equipment, should it be needed, cleverly contained within hidden wall panelling. The Lotus, Jasmine and Persea rooms are all individually designed with feature walls to provide a homely and relaxed feel.

The development of the centre was made possible through the generosity of Mrs Fatima Allam, who has donated £370,000 towards the overall £470,000 cost.

Around 1,400 women give birth in Hull and East Yorkshire each year with the support of midwives, and without the need for medical intervention. The birth centre will help to meet the needs of those women who wish to birth their babies naturally whilst also being close to the main labour and delivery suite, meaning medical support is on hand should the need arise.

Nicola Foster, Labour Ward Matron for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“The new birth centre looks fantastic, and each room is designed to provide women with a comfortable, non-medical environment within which to birth their babies.

“Midwives always discuss choice of place of birth with women at an early stage in their pregnancy, and whilst a natural birth won’t be suitable for every woman, it’s great that we can now offer this choice locally.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Mrs Allam for helping us to make this possible. I’m sure local women will really appreciate the effort that’s gone into creating the centre, and I know that midwives are very much looking forward to working there.”

Mrs Allam says:

“I feel privileged to be involved in the provision of this new centre and I am sure that it will provide a relaxed and comfortable facility in which mothers-to-be can give birth. In addition to providing funds to make this centre a reality, I, together with members of my family, have had the opportunity to input into the overall interior design process.”

In creating the new birth centre, the Trust’s maternity service has worked closely with Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups to ensure the recommendations within the National Maternity Review are met.  The findings of the review recommend local women are able to choose where they would prefer to give birth; whether at home, in a midwife-led or obstetric-led unit, following discussion around the benefits and risks associated with each option.

Pupils from four local primary schools will take the first steps towards penning ‘A Song for Hull’ today when they receive a visit from two special guests.

Students from eight schools across the city have been invited to take part in the Song for Hull project; one of 60 projects to be supported this year with a City of Culture Creative Communities grant.

Jonathan Ansell, who featured on ITV’s X Factor as part of operatic group, G4, will be joined by local rapper and former teacher, Nineties Boy, in visiting Year 6 pupils at Ings, Woodlands, Priory and Chiltern Primary Schools.

Pupils will talk about what Hull means to them, how the City of Culture is inspiring them, and then get their thoughts down on paper in the form of a poem. Using these poems and the work of other pupils in participating schools, Nineties Boy will then create lyrics for the Song for Hull.

The song will be performed by around 240 school pupils at Hull City Hall in October, supported by members of Hey Let’s Sing; the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust staff choir, along with Jonathan, Nineties Boy, and Britain’s Got Talent starts, the Garnett Family.

The aim is to instill pride in young people, raise their aspirations, and give them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity during the 2017 City of Culture year which they will never forget.

Martin Green, CEO and Director of Hull 2017, says:

“This is exactly what Creative Communities is all about – showcasing local talent while giving young people an opportunity to develop that talent by working with national artists. Not only will the children be sharing the stage with a multi-platinum selling artist in October, but they will be performing a song specially written for them based on their own words.”

A Song for Hull is a collaborative project between Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Hull Children’s University, and HPSS Events.

Old and out of date hospital equipment is giving pets in Hull a new lease of life.

Surgical instruments, wound care packs and disposable sheets are just some of the items which have been donated to the PDSA Pet Hospital in Brunswick Avenue this week.

As modern medicine has advanced, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has found itself with a range of items which are no longer required or have passed their used by dates.

Instead of throwing them away, however, the Trust has delivered four boxes full of items to PDSA veterinary nurses and surgeons, who will now use these items to care for sick and injured animals.

Debbie Mann, Service Improvement Facilitator within theatres at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“With the introduction of keyhole surgery and other advanced techniques, some of the equipment we use during surgery has become out of date or is no longer needed in our hospitals.

“Whilst these items may no longer be useful to us, they are still in good working order, so we were really pleased when the PDSA said they would be able to accept them. Not only are we reducing waste and saving the charity money, but we’re also helping people within our local community in a way which they wouldn’t necessarily expect.”

Lucy, PDSA veterinary nurse team leader at the Brunswick Avenue pet hospital says;

“PDSA is a charity which receives no central funding, so we rely entirely on donations to help us do our work.

“The hospitals’ donation of equipment is just amazing. We operate on many different companion pets, from small birds through to Great Danes, and we have a limited budget for surgical equipment. This donation will not only enable us to continue operating on pets in need, but also provides us with additional equipment to support practice and staff training.”

The Radiotherapy Team at Castle Hill Hospital is one of the first in the country to benefit from a share of £130 million for new equipment.

Back in October 2016, the Chief Executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens, announced a national fund to modernise radiotherapy equipment over the next two years.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was lucky enough to be one of the first to receive funding, and now a new Varian Truebeam Linear Accelerator (Linac), valued at £1.7m, has just been installed in the Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology.

Clare Hutton, Radiotherapy Manager for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“As a specialist cancer centre for the region, we treat patients from as far afield as Scarborough, York and Grimsby. Around four in every ten patients who experience cancer receive radiotherapy treatment, which makes being able to provide accurate, reliable and up-to-date radiotherapy techniques so important.

“The new Linac is a really welcome addition to the department. It will replace one of our existing machines which has now reached 16 years old, making it one of the oldest in the country!”

Around 40 patients every day from across Hull, East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire travel to Cottingham to receive treatment in one of the Queen’s Centre’s six treatment units.

Using the Linac, staff will be able to treat patients with some of the very latest techniques, including SABR (Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy), a very short course of high dose radiotherapy treatment which is used to target small tumours in the lung.

Peter Colley, Consultant Physicist Lead for Radiotherapy Physics at the Trust says:
“In our department, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of cancer treatment, and the new Linac enables us to extend the availability of the very latest techniques and technologies to more of our patient treatments. Not only does this mean radiotherapy treatment is more accurate, but in certain patient groups, the technology allows us to more carefully monitor patients’ treatments and enables us to assess and make modifications to treatment.  This has the potential to reduce side effects and increase the effectiveness of the treatment we are delivering.

“The Truebeam can also help to reduce treatment time for patients with head and neck cancers, for example, from 20 minutes to just 15. This is a huge benefit for patients, as each person receiving treatment has to wear a beam direction shell to restrict their movement. This can be daunting, especially for those who are already anxious or may be claustrophobic, so it will help us to improve patient experience too.”

Radiotherapy can be delivered internally, using a technique called Brachytherapy, and externally, using a Linear Accelerator. The treatment is carefully planned using a CT scan to allow the Clinical Oncologists to pinpoint where they wish the Dosimetrists and Physicists to create a treatment plan. The treatment plan then provides the instructions for the Treatment Radiographers to deliver the treatment. The aim is to target the cancer while keeping the dose of radiotherapy to the surrounding healthy body tissue to a minimum. The detailed planning and treatment delivery ensures that the treatment is delivered to the exact place each day. Patients may experience some side effects, such as fatigue, nausea and skin reactions, however this varies depending on which part of the body is receiving treatment. If patients do experience side effects, there is a patient support team including Radiotherapy Nurses, Clinical Support Workers and Therapy Radiographers available to help.

The new Linac machine is now situated within the Radiotherapy Department at Castle Hill Hospital and, following an installation and commissioning period, the first patient is scheduled to be treated using the machine in early June.

For more information on the £130m radiotherapy modernisation fund, visit www.england.nhs.uk/2016/10/radiotherapy-fund/

This week saw TLC Teddies achieve a local landmark: 10 years and 30,000 bears donated to local hospitals.

Hull City AFC players Alfred N’Diaye and Oumar Niasse and former Tigers captain Ian Ashbee called into the Children’s  Emergency Department (ED) at Hull Royal Infirmary to mark the occasion. They brought with them a special celebration cake, baked especially for the occasion by local Hull baker, Joe Duffill.

Ian Williams, TLC Coordinator, Yorkshire North & East Ridings, says:

“We are proud to have presented our landmark 30,000th TLC Teddy to staff at Hull Royal Infirmary.

“For 10 years, TLC has supported the Children’s Emergency Department in Hull, helping distressed children who are brought in for treatment. It was great to see Ian and the Hull City players kindly present the 30,000th bear, funded by the donations of Freemasons in Yorkshire, North & East Ridings, to the Hull paediatric nurse practitioners.”

Kelly Williams, Play Specialist from the Children’s ED says:

“As well as being in pain or feeling unwell, children who come into the Emergency Department are often frightened, upset or confused. The TLC bears are a really effective way of bringing comfort to young children or serving as a distraction during treatment, for example, whilst for those who can understand a little bit more, we sometimes use the bears to show how we’re going to put a dressing or a cast on.

“The bears help us as health professionals to earn children’s trust and communicate with them in a way they can understand, and this is so important. We are always grateful for our TLC donations which help us to carry on doing the good work we’re known for and help local children back on the road to recovery.”

Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire North & East Riding Jeffrey Gillyon, who also unveiled a plaque within the department to mark the event says:

“Hull Freemasons are proud to have supported their communities for over 200 years and this is another example of a fantastic initiative. 30,000 TLC bears is an amazing landmark to reach.”

The findings of one of the biggest surveys of East Yorkshire hospital staff in recent years have been published today.

The results of the 2016 Staff Survey for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reinforce the message delivered by last month’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection report, which painted an improving picture in terms of care quality and staff experience.

Staff confidence in reporting unsafe clinical practice, the percentage feeling they have equal opportunities for career progression, and the number of staff having experienced discrimination at work in the last 12 months are now amongst the best in the country, whilst local improvement has also been seen in other key areas such as bullying and the number of staff saying they would recommend the Trust as a place to work and receive care.

Over 3,500 members of staff completed the survey, representing 44% of the entire workforce and the highest response rate seen in the Trust in the past ten years. The findings have been published today alongside those of every other NHS organisation across the country by NHS England.

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

“We have carried out a lot of work in the past two years to try and better understand our workforce, to improve the culture and staff experience, and generally make our Trust a better place to work.

“It’s really encouraging, therefore, to see some of this reflected in our most recent Staff Survey results, and to be able see year-on-year improvement within the Trust in areas which have previously been an issue for us, such as bullying and incident reporting. Even the response rate of 44% in itself suggests staff are more engaged, willing to speak up, and willing to work with us to make things better.

“An engaged and valued workforce ultimately delivers better patient care, so this progress is not just good news for existing staff, it’s also good news for our patients, and will certainly help us when it comes to attracting new employees too.”

Within the survey, there are 32 key finding areas, such as job satisfaction and team working; support from managers; and reduction in sickness absence due to stress. Each key finding area is made up from a cluster of related questions.

Trust performance in the above has shifted significantly when compared against the national averages for each of those findings. The Trust now ranks amongst the top 20% of Trusts in the country for 13 areas, as opposed to just six last year, and has fewer areas ranked within the bottom 20% of Trusts.

Simon continues:

“In a similar way to when our CQC report was published, there is much to celebrate here because the findings do present an improving picture of staff satisfaction and engagement at our local hospitals overall.

“At the same time, we know we can’t afford to be complacent; we still perform below the national average in some areas and so we will now be concentrating our efforts on how we address those underperforming areas whilst maintaining high levels of performance in others and sharing good practice between our different departments and health groups.”

The Trust has already formed a Staff Survey working group to consider the findings of the survey and an ambitious action plan for further improvement will be presented to the Trust Board in April.

The full Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Staff Survey report for 2016 can be found online at www.nhsstaffsurveys.com

Hospitals in East Yorkshire have launched the healthcare careers of well over 100 apprentices in just over three years.

From those working with older people and those making sure patients get the right nutrition, right through to those working in pharmacy and caring for the bereaved, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has really thought beyond the traditional when it comes to developing new roles and new talent.

And the success of the Trust’s programme speaks for itself, with 93% of the 108 apprentices taken on by the Trust to date going on to gain employment or further study.

So what better time to put those healthcare workers of the future in the spotlight than National Apprenticeship Week (6 to 10 March 2017)? This national celebration is designed to promote apprenticeships as a fast track to a great career, and raise awareness of the benefits amongst employers and the wider community.

Beth Walker (20), a Student Healthcare Scientist from Cottingham, was one of the first clinical apprentices to be taken on by the Trust. She says:

“I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but I wasn’t really sure where or doing what. I didn’t want to go to university, so being a doctor was out, but I was keen to do an apprenticeship, so when I saw the advert for an apprenticeship in clinical physiology, I jumped at the chance.

“I finished my apprenticeship last summer, and I enjoyed it so much that I am now working towards a degree through a combination of workplace-based training and online study. After three years, I will qualify as a Clinical Physiologist; not something I would ever have thought about while I was still at college.

“I love the variety that working in the Department of Neurophysiology brings; every day is different, I’m helping different patients every day, and I work within a really supportive team.”

Debbie Elton, Education and Development Advisor for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“We know that college or degree level study is not for everyone, so apprenticeships offer a great opportunity for local people to find an interest, develop a set of skills, and start to build a career around workplace based training.

“By helping local people to find their niche, whether that’s in direct patient care or in one of the support functions such as health sciences or estates which help to keep our services going, apprentices will play a vital part in helping us to deliver great patient care.

“Recruitment within the NHS is only going to get harder and more competitive in the coming years, so it’s also a great way of providing training and development opportunities for local people and of growing our own workforce for the future.

“From the outset, we have been keen to try and create roles which are that little bit different, so one of our first apprenticeships was in the mortuary, for example, and more recently, we also created what we believe to be the first Recreational Coordinator post in an acute hospital setting in the country. Without the help of those staff members who have acted as mentors and made it possible for apprentices to train and progress within our hospitals, none of this would be possible; their willingness to help us foster new talent has been exceptional.”

Debbie continues:

“We also work with a number of locally based education providers to ensure our apprentices are able to study towards relevant qualifications at the same time as gaining hands-on experience. More than 9 in every 10 apprentices we have helped to develop have gone on to employment or further training, which makes us really proud and, more importantly, it means jobs and prospects and great patient care.”

For the third year running, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been more formally recognised for its work on apprenticeships by Health Education England through the NHS Yorkshire and Humber Talent for Care Awards. The 2017 awards ceremony will be held at Hull’s Guildhall on Friday 10^th March to tie in with the City of Culture celebrations, and will see eight people from across Hull Royal infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital competing against their peers for awards. The Trust is also one of three NHS organisations vying to be named ‘Employer of the Year’.

The full list of award nominees is as follows:

Job offers have been made to more than 130 local nursing students who are set to qualify this summer.

A total of 132 people who are in their final year of study at the University of Hull have just been offered permanent roles working at either Castle Hill Hospital or Hull Royal Infirmary.

Interviews have taken place over three days, following a highly successful recruitment event held at the University back in January. Job offers have now been made to the student nurses subject to successful completion of their nursing degrees later this year.

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

“Hospitals across the region are competing for a limited number of newly qualified nursing staff each year, so to have interviewed and be in a position to offer jobs to more than 130 of those is fantastic.

“We have worked really hard in the last year or two to improve the image of our hospitals, to create a better culture within the organisation, and to promote some of the amazing work, research and developments which take place here day after day.

“All the signs seem to indicate that this work is starting to pay off, as this is the second year in which we’ve been able to offer permanent roles to such a high number of final year nursing students, and it is certainly good news for our patients.”

Over the coming weeks and months, the Trust will continue its drive to attract newly qualified nursing staff by developing further links with educational providers. In addition to the work already carried out in Hull, the Trust has also been asked by a number of providers across the North of England to attend other recruitment events, as they have heard such good things about Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Meanwhile, Mike Wright, Chief Nurse for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, is delighted to see so many people who have trained locally now looking to continue working locally. He says:

“I am delighted with the level of interest shown in working for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at the university recruitment fair. This was really encouraging, and my colleagues and I have been extremely impressed with the calibre of the nursing students we’ve met so far, so it’s great that this has now translated into real job offers for people living and studying locally.

“We know each of those nursing students that has been offered a job will have a particular passion or area of clinical interest, so where we can, we have offered people roles in their preferred areas of work. There has been a high level of interest in emergency care, cancer and elderly care, for example, so these are just three of the specialties which are likely to benefit from additional staff in the coming months.

“All in all, this is a really fantastic result for local hospital care and for our patients and service users, and we look forward to welcoming our next cohort of newly qualified nurses in the autumn at the start of what I hope will be an amazing career for them.”

Professor Julie Jomeen, Interim Dean for the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Hull, said: “We are delighted that the recruitment fair for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been such an overwhelming success.

“A key aim of the School of Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University is to provide a high quality workforce for our region and we are working hard with our partner NHS organisations to realise this aspiration.

“This outcome is therefore extremely positive and an indication that the University and NHS organisations are working together successfully to support the future provision of local healthcare.

“This excellent news comes at a time when the University is investing heavily in its facilities for our healthcare students with a £28 million health campus set to open later this year meaning our students will be better equipped for the working environment than ever.”

CASE STUDY: Gemma Ansel (pictured aboved)

Gemma enrolled on the University Certificate in Health and Social Care Practice, which provides a qualification-free route into higher education for health related subjects at the University of Hull.

After completing the Certificate, Gemma progressed onto a specialist child nursing degree. Then, during her final year, Gemma secured a job as a children’s ward nurse at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Now fully qualified and putting her skills into practice, she is loving her new career.

She said: “It’s really rewarding. When you have a poorly child come onto the ward and you spend time caring for them it’s really good to see them going home healthy and happy.

“My studies really laid the foundation for my job and are put into practice every day.”

The icing on cake was discovering she got a first in her degree.

Gemma said: “I was the first person in my family to go to university and as a mature student I am doubly proud to have got a first. Balancing studying and family life can be tricky but if it’s something you love it doesn’t feel like hard work.”

The mother of the first baby born in Hull during the City of Culture year returned to the Women and Children’s Hospital earlier today for a very special occasion.

Charlotte Marshall and her baby son, Lincoln, watched as the first of 12 ‘tiles’ containing  footprints taken as part of the ‘Born into a City of Culture’ project was installed this morning.

Since 1^st January 2017, footprints have been taken from babies born in the city with a view to creating a large scale artwork over the course of the year, depicting trees throughout the seasons. Baby footprints will form the leaves, while midwives’ handprints will form the supporting trunks.

A total of 381 baby footprints were taken during January, and these have been used in the first tile, which was mounted within the entrance to the Women and Children’s Hospital earlier today. The artwork will now be added to, tile by tile, month on month, before the full picture is expected to be complete in January 2018.

The imaginative design has been worked up by Hull-based marketing and design company, Jenko.

Colin Wilson, Creative Director from Jenko says:

“This has been an incredible project to work on from the outset – we have had such amazing feedback to this most personal of subjects. We are so proud our humble contribution has connected with the people of the region and that everyone can feel part of honouring the new births, new mums and excellent, professional care from the midwifery team.”

Sallie Ward, Community Midwifery Sister for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Our midwives have been busy collecting footprints over recent weeks, and we’re all delighted with how the first piece looks now it’s in place. It was also lovely to be able to invite Charlotte and baby Lincoln back to see the first tile, which includes his footprint, being installed.

“The project has met with such a positive response, and parents are really keen for their babies to be a part of it, which is just fantastic.”

‘Born into a City of Culture’ has been supported through the 2017 Hull City of Culture Creative Communities programme.