Children across Hull will rub shoulders with some of the country’s brightest singing stars this year when they perform live on the City Hall stage in celebration of Hull 2017 UK City of Culture.

‘A Song for Hull’ is a joint project between Hull Children’s University, HPSS, and the Hey! Let’s Sing Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust staff choir. In September last year, it was announced that the group’s bid to stage the performance had been successful, and that the team would receive a grant from Hull 2017’s Creative Communities Programme, which is being delivered in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund, to help get it off the ground.

Now planners can reveal that around 240 children from eight schools across the city will have the chance to perform alongside Jonathan Ansell, who found fame on X Factor as part of classical group, G4, in one of the city’s most iconic venues.

As well as Jonathan and around 60 hospital staff, the children will also step on stage with Hull-based rapper, Nineties Boy (aka Luke Chambers) and the Garnett Family, who also shot to stardom last year when they reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent.

Helen Garnett, Director and Founder of All For One Choir/member of The Garnett Family, will serve as the musical director for A Song for Hull and coordinate the show, whilst Nineties Boy will pen the lyrics for the finale based on poems written by the children.

Martin Gore, a member of the Hey! Let’s Sing choir and former Chair of Hull Children’s University (HCU), explains how the idea came about:

“The Hey! Let’s Sing choir had its own Britain’s Got Talent experience last year, when we travelled down to Birmingham to perform for Simon Cowell and the other judges in the magnificent Hippodrome. It was at that moment, when I was on stage, that it struck me; shouldn’t every child in Hull be able to have a similar, awe-inspiring experience?

“Upon our return, we got our heads together with members of Hull Children’s University (HCU) and HPSS to develop the idea as a way of showcasing local talent and giving youngsters in Hull a unique and exciting experience.”

Linda Cressey, Managing Director of HPSS Events, brought in G4 frontman Jonathan Ansell and Nineties Boy to the project. She says:

“Jonathan agreed to take part immediately. He has a real desire to support educational causes, and of course Luke is not only a talented musician but also a qualified teacher, so he understands how beneficial this will be to the children.”

For Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, A Song for Hull provides staff with another opportunity to showcase their musical talents and place healthcare at the heart of the local community. Martin continues:

“The Trust is one of the region’s biggest employers, and local children are our next generation of staff, so this partnership is a wonderful way for us to demonstrate our commitment to them and to promote the health and wellbeing benefits which singing brings. I’m just so thrilled that we are now able to make this idea a reality.”

Helen Garnett says of her involvement:

“I am delighted to be supporting A Song for Hull through arrangements and co-writing the piece that will be performed. It has been a privilege to lead the Hey! Let’s Sing choir for the past two years and to guide its members during the many experiences they have had.

“I am passionate about providing people with opportunities to get involved in singing, and it’s wonderful to be working with G4’s Jonathan Ansell again and with Nineties Boy for the first time. It’s going to be an exciting year and I can’t wait to work with both the children and the Hey! Let’s Sing choir on this project.”

But of course, the real stars of the show will be the children themselves. Natasha Banke from HCU says:

“We’ve been careful to involve a cross section of schools throughout the city, and the funding we have received from the Creative Communities Team will help us to prepare the children for their performance and offer discounted tickets to their immediate family, who I’m sure will be bursting with pride.

“Ahead of the performance, all of the children will be asked to write about what Hull means to them personally and the kind of future they want to see for our city, and these thoughts and aspirations will feature heavily on the night.”

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 but they will be performing a song specially written for them based on their own words.”

Work is now underway to agree some of the finer detail of the concert, which will take place on Friday 20^th October at Hull City Hall. Tickets for the show, which will feature a mix of pop music, classical, rap, rock and blues, will go on sale in the coming weeks and are expected to sell fast.

Over 150 student nurses are set to be interviewed next month in a bid to boost the ranks of two local hospitals.

Efforts to improve staffing levels at two of East Yorkshire’s biggest hospitals continue to bear fruit, as Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s ‘Remarkable People, Extraordinary Place’ recruitment campaign continues.

Scores of third year nursing students nearing the end of their degree programmes made a bee-line for the Trust at a recent Hull University recruitment fair, where they spoke to hospital representatives about their areas of clinical interest and plans for their future. As a result, the Trust has secured interviews with 154 final year nursing students out of a total of 183.

The students are set to qualify in September, but will be interviewed next month for permanent roles at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, subject to successful completion of their studies.

The Trust, which provides hospital care at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, has been working hard in recent years to revitalise its image and create a better place to work.

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

“We are really excited to be interviewing such a large proportion of this year’s cohort of student nurses. It’s really humbling to see so much talent coming through our local university and even more so that they choose to work for us.

“Hull is not alone in experiencing nurse staffing issues; this is something which hospitals and NHS organisations across the country have been facing in recent years.

“In the past, we have perhaps suffered a little bit from people completing their clinical training in Hull, and then wanting to move on to bigger cities like Leeds, Manchester or London, where they feel there is more going on.

“We knew we had to think and act differently to attract people to the city, and even more so to get the people who have trained in Hull to stay in the area once they qualify. The City of Culture celebrations this year have certainly helped with that by putting Hull on the map and making it an even more attractive proposition.

“It does feel that the tide is turning; I’m delighted to have so many student nurses interested in working with us and we’ve all been really impressed with the calibre of the people we’ve met so far and they cannot wait to get started. The students have filled us with such confidence and I know they will be a great addition our nursing workforce when they qualify this year.”

Patients can get condition specific information at the touch of a button, thanks to one small but significant change made to hospital leaflets.

Scannable square barcodes, commonly known as QR codes, have now been added to all patient leaflets published on Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s website.

This means that, simply by scanning a leaflet’s code with a QR reader installed on a mobile phone or tablet, a person can download a copy of the information straight to their device whilst they are still in the clinic.

Jackie Wileman, Senior Patient Experience Officer for the Trust, explains:

“Patient information is vital in helping people who are receiving hospital care to not only understand their condition, but to give advice on self care and preparing to come into hospital, for example.

“We have largely relied on giving out paper leaflets in the past, but now we have added these special codes to our online information, it means getting your own electronic copy is as simple as just tapping a button.

“This type of instant access means it’s easy for patients or their loved ones to always have information to hand, but it’s also helpful when staff are seeing patients in clinic, to be able to go through the contents with them and then for the patient to be able to take away a copy with a simple scan of the barcode.

“Once downloaded, the leaflet content is able to be changed to large print or translated into one of 100 different languages, meaning it becomes more accessible to a much larger audience. Working in this way should also help to reduce our printing costs over time, too.”

QR scanners can be downloaded via the iStore or Google Play. The full list of leaflets featuring QR codes can be found at www.hey.nhs.uk/patient-leaflets/

Research, prevention strategies, and why migraine tends to affect women in particular, are just three of the topics for discussion as headache and migraine experts from around the world descend on Hull this week.

Guests and speakers from as far afield as Denmark, Norway and the United States will attend the seventh Biennial National Meeting on Headache, organised jointly by the British Association for the Study of Headache (BASH), Migraine Trust and the Department of Neurology at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Dr Fayyaz Ahmed, Consultant Neurologist based at Hull Royal Infirmary, says:

“For a long time, Hull has held a reputation as one of the leading centres for headache and migraine research and treatment in the country. In what is a very special year; our UK City of Culture year; we are proud to be able to bring world renowned experts in headache and migraine to Hull, not only to learn about the advancements we are making here in Hull, but to showcase the wider city and region, and all it has to offer.

“The meeting will give our local Neurologists, Neurology trainees, GPs and general physicians, the chance to hear about some of the latest advances in international headache research, as well as emerging treatments for migraine and other primary headache disorders including cluster headache.”

The two-day summit for professionals, which will also mark the 25^th anniversary, ‘Silver Jubilee’ of BASH, takes place on Thursday 26^th and Friday 27^th January at Lazaat Hotel and Restaurant, Cottingham. The event will comprise case presentations and interactive discussion sessions on topics such as unusual headaches, innovative treatments, and the science behind headaches.

To supplement the BASH professionals’ event, a public information and awareness session will also be held there on Saturday 28^th January. This informal event is being held to enable members of the public to better understand their headache or migraine, to meet the experts, hear about latest treatments and research, and understand when to seek help. The event has been organised in partnership with the Migraine Trust.

Dr Ahmed continues:

“In many respects, Hull is leading the way in the field of migraine and headache treatment, so this week is all about shining a light on the subject, and our city, and getting people talking.

“To have global experts in this field here in Hull is very exciting. We hope they will not only bring expertise and knowledge which can be applied to the care of our patients across East Yorkshire and beyond, but that local people suffering from headache or migraine will also be encouraged to come forward and seek the advice and support they need.”

The 7^th Biennial BASH National Meeting on Headache will be held from 26^th to 28^th January at Lazaat Hotel and Restaurant, Cottingham. The event will consist of a two day conference for professionals on 26^th and 27^th, followed by a public event on 28^th designed to help local headache and migraine sufferers.  For more information and to book on to the public event, visit www.migrainetrust.org/events

People who are unwell are being urged to look at alternatives to Hull Royal Infirmary’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) as winter pressures begin to bite.

Over the last week, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has seen bed occupancy exceed capacity as local hospitals deal with an increase in the amount of sick people admitted through the A&E Department at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Hospital managers are now urging people not to come to A&E unless it is a genuine emergency. The Trust is appealing to the public to use local minor injuries units, visit their GP or pharmacist or call NHS 111 for telephone advice.

In order to free up beds and consultant time to ensure those with more urgent care needs can be accommodated, the Trust will be postponing some routine elective operations and clinics.
Kevin Phillips, Chief Medical Officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Hospitals regularly come under pressure at this time of year, and we do have plans in place to deal with these, but over the last week we have seen a volume of patients been admitted in to our hospitals which is over and above what we would predict for this time of year.

“Many of these are very poorly people who are then being admitted to hospital, but there are still some which could be treated elsewhere.

“We are urging people to exercise common sense and to look at alternative treatment options unless they are seriously ill or a person’s condition is considered life-threatening. This will allow us to concentrate our efforts on the very poorly people who are within our hospitals at the moment.

“The decision to postpone any operation or clinic is not one we take lightly as we are mindful of the impact this can have on a patient and their family. However, to ensure those who require more urgent care needs, we are going to have to postpone some routine elective operations and clinics. Those who are affected will be contacted directly and reappointed at a later date.

“I would personally like to pay tribute to the doctors, nurses and therapists who are helping our services keep going at this moment by ensuring a flow is maintained through the hospital and the limited space we do have is being utilised to its maximum potential.

“We are continuing to work extremely hard with our partners who are playing a huge part in creating additional capacity in the community to allow us to safely discharge those patients who are medically fit to leave our hospitals.”

A special project designed to celebrate every baby born during Hull’s City of Culture year has kicked off today.

‘Born into a City of Culture’ is a project which involves taking a footprint of every baby born in the city during 2017 and using those prints to make an artwork. The project will last for 12 months, building up pictures of different trees through the seasons, with footprints forming the leaves and local midwives’ handprints acting as the supporting tree trunks.

The artwork is the brainchild of Sallie Ward, Community Midwifery Sister for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and will involve both hospital and community midwives and midwifery assistants for the duration of the year. She says:

“2017 is going to be a very special year for the city, so I thought it would be great to try and mark this in some way for every baby born here.

“Everyone who has a baby in Hull in 2017 will be invited to take part in this project, and that’s what I love about it; it’s so inclusive, even for people who wouldn’t ordinarily see culture or art as ‘their thing’.

“My midwifery colleagues have already begun taking the first footprint impressions today, and both they and the new parents have been really keen to be involved as this will create something lasting and uplifting for the city.

“In total, we expect somewhere in the region of 5,700 children to be born here in 2017. By taking part in the project, they will become part of something special straight away, and for their parents, it will be something for them to talk with their children about for many years to come.”

Janet Cairns, Head of Midwifery for the Trust says:

“Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the city’s biggest employers, so it’s great that our staff are getting actively involved in the City of Culture celebrations.

“Sallie’s idea for ‘Born into a City of Culture’ really captures the imagination and now that it has officially kicked off, we’re all looking forward to helping out, spreading the word, and watching the artwork grow as the months go by.”

‘Born into a City of Culture’ will be displayed in the main entrance to Hull and East Yorkshire Women and Children’s Hospital on the Hull Royal Infirmary site throughout 2017. Once the artwork has been displayed in the hospital for the year, the plan is to then move it elsewhere in the community so more people can see and enjoy it.

The ‘Born into a City of Culture’ project has been made possible through a grant from the City of Culture’s Creative Communities Programme.

It started out as a bit of fun to create festive cheer, but little did staff at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust know they were about to get a history lesson.

The Dr Hermon Cup was originally awarded back in 1938 to the ‘Best Decorated Ward’ at the old Anlaby Road Hospital. After the 78-year-old silver trophy was recently uncovered in the Trust Archive, a small team of staff decided to stage a new competition to crown the hospitals’ most festive ward or patient-facing department of 2016. But the identity of Dr Hermon was still unknown.

Step forward Angela Chapman, a Personal Assistant working in the Estates, Facilities and Development Team. As the competition was being promoted to staff across Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary, Angela’s interest was piqued by the spelling of the doctor’s surname. After consulting her mum, whose maiden name was Hermon, the origins of the cup could be traced to Dr Richard Hermon, an Honorary Radiologist working in the city in the 20s, 30s and 40s, and the cousin of Angela’s maternal grandfather.

Angela says:

“I knew as soon as I saw the name that there must be some connection, as Hermon is quite an unusual name, and particularly that way of spelling it. I thought it just had to be a relative, and when I checked with mum, who’s in her 80s, it turns out that Richard Hermon was indeed my grandfather’s cousin on my mum’s side.

“I just can’t believe the coincidence. Since discovering the link, I’ve been able to find out a bit more about Richard Hermon, like when and where he lived and worked, but I’ve also been able to solve the mystery of who the Dr Hermon Cup was named after!”

And whilst there were many worthy entries into the competition this year, there could only be one winner. After considering entrants’ decorations, events and activities for patients and staff, and how teams have been working to spread Christmas cheer, a judging panel of five chose Ward 11 at Castle Hill Hospital, which provides colorectal care, as their overall winner.

Mr Colin Vize, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, came up with the idea of asking teams to compete again for the trophy in 2016. He says:

“The Dr Hermon Cup is an important part of our hospitals’ history and it’s great to be able to re-award it again in 2016, almost 80 years after it was first presented.

“Our hospitals can get very busy in winter and staff can find themselves under a lot of pressure, which is why something as simple as this competition is so important, not only as a bit of light relief for staff, but it also helps to get people talking and bring people together.

“Hospital workers in many, many departments have clearly pulled out all the stops to create a festive atmosphere for patients, visitors and colleagues, and to make time in hospital that bit brighter for our patients. From carol singing and gifts to take away, to a giant advent calendar and even a reindeer with his own ID badge, we’ve been so impressed with just how imaginative people have been.

“It’s been a great little project to be involved in, and Ward 11 is a very worthy winner.”

Staff on Ward 11 were presented with the Dr Hermon Cup today, along with a luxury hamper to share between staff and patients. Amongst the ideas singled out for praise on the ward include:

• Decorating the ward entrance as a giant parcel, complete with bow, lights and candy canes
• Involving patients in creating decorations including a gingerbread house and garden. Crafts have proved so popular with patients that the ward will set up a craft trolley in the New Year to help keep inpatients occupied
• Construction of a ‘Selfie Elf’ for patients, visitors and staff to have their picture taken with.
• Arranging choral performances from a local primary school, church, and the HEY! Let’s Sing staff choir.

Having an operation can be a scary thought at any time of year, but the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) at Hull Royal Infirmary has a unique way of putting its patients at ease at Christmastime.

‘Elf’, also known as Support Worker, Julie Smith, dons her special outfit every Christmas to bring a bit of festive cheer to people undergoing surgery and their relatives. Armed with her special E.L.F. ID badge; Everyone’s Little Friend; she provides a friendly face and a calming voice at what can be a very worrying time.

PACU provides post-operative care for between 30 and 40 patients every day, from tiny babies right through to older people. Members of the team collect patients from their hospital ward or department just before their procedures, and make sure they know what to expect after surgery. Once they are out of the operating theatre, patients receive expert support from the PACU team for anywhere up to four hours as they recover from the effects of general or local anaesthetic.

Julie says:

“I love playing Elf every year.  Due to the clinical nature of the PACU environment, it’s not always appropriate for us to have trees or decorations like other wards and departments, so the arrival of Elf really helps everyone here to get into the Christmas spirit.

“My role is really about supporting the patients and supporting the nursing team to provide a high standard of clinical care. One of the most important parts of my job is to ensure patients feel safe and comfortable, so something as simple as a friendly face, holding someone’s hand or telling them everything is okay can go a long way.”

Ellen Liddell, Staff Nurse on PACU says:

“Elf can be a bit cheeky, but she really helps to lift the spirits of both patients and staff at this time of year. As well as bringing joy and a bit of fun to PACU, she also performs a more serious role, and that’s to help everyone coming through the department to feel safe and at ease.”

Rachael Sherburn, Staff Nurse on PACU says:

“Having surgery is a very daunting experience for most people, so having someone like Julie who offers a fun distraction at a time when fears can take over can really make a difference to someone’s experience whilst in hospital.”

This is the fifth year in which Julie has played Elf. In 2015, she was nominated for one of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s ‘Moments of Magic’ for her work as Elf and the benefits this brought to the young patients in particular in her care.

They’ve had a busy year in 2016; auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent and receiving four yeses from the celebrity judges, being chosen to work with local primary schools on a 2017 City of Culture ‘Song for Hull’, and even forming a surprise flashmob for a bride at her wedding.

Now HEY! Let’s Sing; the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust staff choir; is getting into the festive spirit with a special celebration of their own.

After a busy day performing for shoppers in Princes Quay, entertaining patients on the hospital wards, and singing carols around the Hull Royal Infirmary Christmas tree, you could forgive choir members for wanting to call it a day.

But instead they called it twelve, by re-writing and performing the lyrics to the famous ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ song. Their new NHS version is designed to pay tribute to just some of the scores of staff groups who make up the Trust’s 8,000-strong workforce.

Bonnie Gough, Web Developer and HEY! Let’s Sing Staff Choir Coordinator says:

“It was a bit of a last minute idea inspired by a suggestion from one of our choir members, but we decided it would be fantastic to have our own Twelve Days of Christmas, and to use it to highlight the different people who work in our hospitals.

“It was a team effort to hastily re-write the lyrics to cover all manner of staff groups, from pharmacists and nurses to ward clerks and porters, to show that it takes all sorts of people working in different roles to deliver great care to our patients all year round.

“It was also a bit of fun, as we’ve all worked really hard this year, not just in our NHS roles but to keep developing our choir, and it’s a lovely way to finish off what has been a fantastic year for us.”

Footage from the choir’s performance at the hospital’s annual tree lighting ceremony has been combined with cameo appearances from representatives of the various staff groups to create the ‘Twelve Days of NHS Christmas’ video. Lyrics have even been added to the bottom of the screen to enable viewers to sing along.

Andrew Murphy Pittock, Head of Undergraduate Medical Education, is one of the 65+ HEY! Let’s Sing choir members representing Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. Membership covers many different job roles, and currently includes an ED consultant, finance workers, therapists, and a strong showing from the Trust midwives.

Andrew says:

“Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year, but even more so since joining the choir. We sing at incredible events throughout the year, but the pinnacle for me is singing for our patients on the wards.

“Bringing just that little bit of cheer to our patients when they are at their most vulnerable is a very special thing for me, and exactly what Christmas and the NHS are about.

“Our choir is so diverse with staff from across the Trust but we share these special moments that, as well as lifting our audiences, also lift us away from the pressures of our busy ward or environment.”

The HEY! Let’s Sing ‘Twelve Days of NHS Christmas’ can be found online at the HEYNHS YouTube Channel.

Local hospital staff will this week undergo a helicopter escape simulation in a bid to raise vital funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

From Emergency Care Nurses through to the Chief Finance Officer, the charity event will see over 30 members of staff from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust take on the underwater simulator, affectionately known as the “Dunker”.

The simulation which will see four members of staff at a time fastened into their seat and submerged into a pool is all in an effort to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity.

Serving the whole of Yorkshire and sometimes further afield, 365 days a year , the highly trained team of specialist doctors and paramedics from Yorkshire Air Ambulance regularly carry out pre‐hospital emergency medicine on board their helicopter.

Leading the event is Chris Srinivasan, Emergency Care Consultant at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and also one of the Doctors who form the Critical Care Team that fly with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Their crew have to undertake the “Dunker” test as part of their training and after completing the training himself, Chris took inspiration to turn it into a fundraiser.

He says:

“Working in the Emergency Department at Hull Royal Infirmary sees us come in to contact with the crews on board of the Air Ambulance on an almost weekly basis. Having seen some of the fantastic pre‐hospital care provided to those patients simply inspired us to go above and beyond and give something back to them. I am also privileged to fly with the crews of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance so I have seen first‐hand the vital work they do.

“The crew plays such a pivotal role in a patient’s journey and by making early interventions we give patients the best possible chance of survival ahead of them arriving at our hospital. Collectively as a team we wanted to do something different to raise money for the charity, and what better way than to participate in an underwater helicopter crash simulation.”

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies on the generosity of individuals and organisations to help save lives across Yorkshire. It serves five million people and has carried over 7,000 people in its 16‐year history.

£12,000 per day is required to keep both of Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s helicopters maintained and in the air. All donations received go directly into the lifesaving service provided. You can donate today by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/dunkED