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University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | APRIL 2015
Health Talks for Foundation Trust Members Daytime sessions: 10.00–10.30 – Registration 10.30–noon – Health Talk
Evening sessions*: 18.00–18.30 – Registration 18.30–20.00 – Health Talk VENUE: Lecture Theatre 3, Education Centre, Level 1, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Friday 17 April Dementia and Alzheimer’s Thursday 7 May* Organ donation Tuesday 19 May Lungs: Coping with respiratory conditions Wednesday 17 June Sleep: Insomnia and sleep problems Friday 24 July Thyroid: Under-active and over-active Tuesday 18 August Can you hear me? Hearing problems and treatments Monday 7 September* Mental health Wednesday 23 September Eyes: Common conditions affecting sight Friday 23 October Stroke and TIA Monday 16 November How the brain works Wednesday 16 December Alcohol: The effects of drinking and support available For more information see: www.uhb.nhs.uk/health-talks.htm
Screening invitation Women can keep their breast screening appointment closer to home thanks to a mobile van service. The aim of breast screening is to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage, often before women are aware of any abnormalities. Early detection may mean simpler and more successful treatment. Currently the NHS Breast Screening Programme saves an estimated 1300 lives each year in the UK. To enable women to be screened closer to home, breast screening is carried out at a number of sites across the region. The South Birmingham Breast Screening mobile van is currently located at Quinton Lane Care Centre and the service is screening ladies from the following GP surgeries until the middle of May when we move the mobile unit to Balsall Heath: ■ Lordswood House Medical Practice ■ Dovecote Surgery ■ Harborne Medical Practice ■ University Medical Practice ■ Alexandra Medical Centre ■ Clement Road Medical Centre Ladies who are registered with these GP surgeries will receive an invitation letter through the post detailing an appointment date and time. It’s possible to change your appointment online or by telephone. We also offer appointments at the breast unit located within Birmingham Women’s Hospital on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday and Friday afternoons and alternate Saturdays. Breast screening saves 1300 lives a year.
Insight into brain issues Clinical nurse specialists were out in force to mark brain tumour awareness day organised by The Brain Tumour Charity (BTC). More than 200 members of the public visited the awareness stand set up in the Atrium at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists in neuro-oncology, Claire Goddard and Frederick Berki handed out information from BTC on the tumours that affect around 4,000 adults in Britain each year. Brain cancers cause around 3,000 deaths a year which accounts for two per cent of all cancers. However, they contribute to almost eight per cent of the lives lost from cancer before the age of 70 (ONS). On average, survivors of brain tumours still die 20 years sooner than a person who lives to the current life expectancy, which is 82.6 years for women and 78.7 years for men. About 2,000 cases are discussed each year at QEHB in multi-disciplinary team meetings, attended by a dedicated team of professionals who have expert knowledge and skills in the care and management of patients with suspected brain tumours. It is thought that the cause of five per cent of brain tumours is inherited however more research is needed as it is not known what the cause for the majority is. Claire said: “Many patients with a brain tumour diagnosis face an uncertain and frightening future. Research and early diagnosis can have a significant effect on management and outcomes. “New treatments for patients with brain tumours are becoming available all the time
If you would like further information, please ring on 0121 623 6890 or visit www.bscreen.org.uk/southbirmingham
Delivering the best in care
Many patients with a brain tumour diagnosis face an uncertain and frightening future. Research and early diagnosis can have a significant effect on management and outcomes. Claire Goddard, Clinical Nurse Specialist to complement the specialised surgery and radiotherapy available at UHB. “Awareness days are really to let people know what a brain tumour is and that they affect so many people. It is also to let them know about the resources available to support patients and their loved ones,” she added. Specialist nurses also raised awareness of the dedicated Brain Surgery appeal set up by QEHB Charity to bring more state-of-the-art neurosurgical equipment to the Trust which will benefit brain tumour patients and support research. For more information about the brain tumour charity, visit: www.thebraintumourcharity.org or to donate to QEHB Charity’s brain surgery appeal, visit: www.qehb.org/appeals/neuro
You said, we did…
Andrea Fernyhough, manager on Ward 621
You Said: The Trust’s GP Liaison Manager received a call from a local GP who had received feedback from his patients. His chemotherapy patients reported that, for a number of good reasons, a couple of their cancer drugs were not formulated until they arrived at the hospital. This meant they sometimes had to wait before receiving the medication. Comments in patient feedback surveys also reflected this issue, which led the senior nurses in the chemotherapy and haematology unit on Ward 621 to look into it. We Did: Firstly, a working group led by senior nurses addressed several of the operational reasons why patients were waiting and as a result, waiting times were reduced. In addition, the GP Liaison Manager contacted the Trust’s IT team. Along with the senior nurses, they discussed the potential solutions and contacted the hospital charity to help with funding. QEHB Charity purchased some state-ofthe-art patient pagers allowing patients more freedom and independence as they wait for their appointments. The ‘QuietCall IQ’ patient pagers are handed out by reception staff and buzz five minutes before the patients are needed for their appointment, giving them time to get back. Currently, the pagers are used in the chemotherapy and haematology day unit and the hospital is one of the first in Britain to begin using the paging system in a bid to help reduce the stress of waiting times. Mike Hammond, Chief Executive of the QEHB Charity, said: “These patient pagers are an excellent idea. They really make a difference for patients as it can be frustrating being restricted to a waiting area if there is a delay. “This way they can go to the café or shop or just step outside for some fresh air and feel their time is being better spent than just sitting in a waiting area.” For more information about QEHB Charity or to support patients with a donation, please visit www.qehb.org or call 0121 371 4852.
Keep up with UHB online uhb.nhs.uk facebook.com/QEHBofficial Clinical nurse specialists Claire Goddard and Frederick Berki
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