Contents
| www.leedsth.nhs.uk 4-5 Congenital Heart Disease services from then to now 6-7
A life-changing step forward
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Rise of the robots
9 The changing face of travel medicine 10 A history of midwifery 11
Leeds Cares and philanthropy
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A year of celebration
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20 years of Bulletin
14-15 150 years of the LGI 16-17 Going Live from A&E
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A life-changing step forward
Rise of the Robots
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals
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Paul pops in for tea at the Palace
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CCRF launch
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My Job - Betty Smithson
21 Donations
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NHS Trust
22-23 Retirements
staff magazine | Nov/Dec 2008
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20 years of Bulletin
LGI celebrates 150th birthday
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Nursing Conference
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Think Drink
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60 Seconds - Margaret Jackson
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Countess of Wessex visit In June we were delighted to welcome HRH Sophie, the Countess of Wessex to Leeds Children’s Hospital.
around 100% attendance targets in schools for young people with long term health conditions.
The Countess, who is Patron of the Children’s Hospital, unveiled a plaque at our brand new Children’s Clinical Research Facility where she met with some of our lucky patients.
HRH also visited our specialist surgical wards where she chatted to lots of patients and their families.
Whilst here the Countess also met members of our Youth Forum who told her all about the forum and explained a bit about the annual conference that is held for young people each year. Members described two fantastic outcomes that we’d seen from last year’s conference including the provision of more information about hidden illness and their work with schools, councils and educational bodies, particularly
At the end of her visit the Countess signed a personal letter that is now displayed pride of place in our Clarendon Wing entrance. Chair Linda Pollard accompanied HRH on the visit and said: “It is a privilege and a pleasure to welcome HRH The Countess of Wessex to our wonderful Children’s Hospital. As patron The Countess has been a fantastic support and we are honoured that HRH unveiled the plaque at our new facility.”
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Welcome to this special anniversary edition of Bulletin! I am delighted to present to you this extra special commemorative edition of the Bulletin - our venerable staff magazine that, with this issue, celebrates twenty years of showcasing the achievements of our staff and the innovations of our hospital services. And of course that’s not all - this issue coincides with the 70th birthday of the NHS itself, celebrations for which take place up and down the country on 5 July. As part of this we’re looking back at some of the innovations in medicine, healthcare and technology that have helped shape the NHS into the world-leading standard we are proud to be part of today. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about several of these pioneering transformations from prosthetics to robotics. And that’s still not all! This year we’re celebrating a panoply of other anniversaries - the Major Trauma Centre turning 5, the Gilbert Scott Building at the LGI turning 150, and our own Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust turning 20, to name but a few. What a year - and I’m sure you’ll join me in saying here’s to many more years of bringing leading NHS care to the people of Leeds and beyond. Which just leaves me to say… Happy Birthday, NHS! Kind regards
Julian Hartley, Chief Executive
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From then to now: the emergence of congenital heart disease services through 70 years By guest writer Dr Kate English, Consultant Cardiologist in Adult Congenital Heart Disease As a consultant specialising in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD), I find it almost inconceivable to think that this strand of medicine has only really come along within the lifetime of the NHS. Indeed, it is only because of the success of our much-loved healthcare institution in saving the lives of babies born with heart conditions that we even need ACHD services today. Congenital heart disease is a heart condition or defect that develops in the womb before a baby is born. It cannot be cured but with the right treatment and lifelong care, patients can expect to live a full and happy life. Back in 1948 - the first year of the NHS the picture was very different. Still in the post-war baby boom years, the UK saw more than 905,000 babies born with an estimated 1-2% affected by congenital heart disease. There were very few treatment options back then and sadly most children would die within the first few days of life. Those that did survive childhood were limited and disabled by their heart condition. Fast forward 70 years and thanks to huge advancements in medicine and surgery we now have one of the world’s greatest survival rates from congenital heart disease. The picture is no different here in Yorkshire and Humber: we have one of the largest and oldest adult congenital heart disease populations in the country. As survival rates have improved, the numbers of adult survivors have grown rapidly, and the complexity of the conditions we now see in adults has also increased dramatically. Leeds has always played a huge part in the NHS’s success in improving survival rates and this rich history of driving forward advancements in congenital heart disease
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care is why we are now a regional centre of excellence and one of only ten specialist centres in the country.
(complex care and surgery) being offered at Leeds General Infirmary and Leeds Children’s Hospital.
In 1957, Leeds became only the second place in the country to obtain a cardiopulmonary bypass machine. Around five years later in 1962, the Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit opened its doors at Killingbeck Hospital and just a year after that a 12 year-old girl underwent the city’s first open heart procedure. The unit went from strength to strength in the 1960s with the appointment of Dr Olive Scott, the first dedicated paediatric cardiologist in the country, and Mr Philip Deverall as paediatric cardiac surgeon.
In 70 years’ time who knows what will be possible? Maybe we will be treating congenital heart defects in babies before they are even born, maybe we will be ‘growing’ new donor hearts from the patients’ own stem cells.
Nowadays, medicine and technology couldn’t be more different. At the Leeds General Infirmary - home to the region’s congenital heart disease specialist service and network - my colleagues in the congenital heart disease team can now diagnose conditions during pregnancy, enabling a care pathway to be initiated even prior to their baby’s birth. Supported by a fetal cardiology specialist nurse, parents can understand and prepare for their child’s birth and subsequent treatment plan delivered by world class clinical specialists. We regularly use robots and state-ofthe-art cardiology techniques to treat babies, children and adults. In just a few months a new hybrid theatre and intraoperative MRI facility will open at Leeds Children’s Hospital to ensure children with congenital heart disease can undergo both heart surgery and less invasive cardiology simultaneously therefore reducing the overall treatment time and further improving survival rates for our young patients. It is thanks to charitable funding from the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund and Leeds Cares that we are able to introduce these ground-breaking facilities in our city. In the last 18 months we have seen the introduction of a formal network - the Yorkshire and Humber Congenital Heart Disease Network - hosted by the Trust. The network consists of 19 hospitals in the region which provide a range of CHD services - with the only level one services
Whatever happens, our commitment to delivering world-class care and pushing the boundaries of clinical excellence will continue. Here’s to another 70 years of congenital heart disease care in Yorkshire and Humber!
Heart surgery timeline 1952 - The very first open heart operation on a human was performed on a five year-old girl in 1952 in America. She had an atrial septal defect (hole in the heart). 1954-55 - The first steps towards the development of cardio-pulmonary bypass were taken by Walton Lillehei who developed a technique called ‘cross-circulation’. In this technique, oxygenated blood was supplied to the patient (always a child), via tubes connecting them directly to their own parent. Blue blood was drained from the child’s heart and fed into the veins of the parent. From there it would pass as usual through the parents’ lungs to be oxygenated, and then was extracted again and pumped back into the child. 1957 - Leeds obtains one of the UK’s first cardio-pulmonary bypass machines. 1962 - Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit opens at Killingbeck Hospital in Leeds. 1963 - First congenital heart disease open heart procedure performed in Leeds on a 12 year-old girl. 1966 - Dr Olive Scott becomes the UK’s first dedicated paediatric cardiologist after her appointment to Killingbeck Hospital in Leeds.
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Reconnecting our adult patient population
Happy Anniversary Children’s Heart Surgery Fund! We’ve another very special anniversary to celebrate this year - it’s the 30th birthday of the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund! The Fund began life in 1988 at the former Killingbeck Hospital and was set up by surgeon Duncan Walker to raise much needed funds for the unit. Since then, over £6 million has been awarded in grants to the congenital heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary and Leeds Children’s Hospital, its patients and their families. The Fund has campaigned tirelessly over the years to support the continued development of congenital heart services for patients across
Yorkshire and Humber, with the main specialist centre being delivered at Leeds Children’s Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary. The charity’s Chief Executive, Sharon Coyle, said: “I’d like to pay tribute to all the staff across the congenital heart service (past and present) whose skill and passion in this complex specialty ensure that patients across the region get the very best care and treatment. They really are the best in their field delivering world class treatment, and we’re proud to work with such inspirational teams and individuals.” To find out more about the charity visit www.chsf.org.uk
One of the most challenging aspects of working in adult congenital heart disease services is ensuring patients are aware of the need for lifelong monitoring and ongoing surgical and medical intervention. It is estimated that 90% of patients now survive into adulthood but yet almost a quarter of adults with congenital heart disease are not registered with a specialist - what we call “lost to follow-up.” Nearly 50% of adult deaths from ACHD are among this unmonitored population. Adults with CHD who are not under the care of a specialist may be missing out on vital lifesaving surgery such as secondary pulmonary valve replacement or surgery to correct thickening of heart valve tissues. Please keep an eye out for our lost to follow-up campaign due out this summer and help us spread the word about the importance of heart health for people living with CHD!
Adult congenital heart disease in Yorkshire and Humber • In 2008 the ACHD service provided 2500 outpatient appointments each year; that number is now over 8000. • The service performed 104 cardiac operations and 244 keyhole procedures on ACHD patients in 2017; more than double the number of procedures since 2008. • Around nine out of ten children born with congenital heart disease now survive into adulthood.
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A life-changing step forward in prosthetic technology Prosthetics have changed significantly over the past 70 years, from leather arms fitted with hooks to modern metal and plastic fittings. Now, as technology has advanced, the specialist rehabilitation services team (SRS), based at Seacroft Hospital are fitting highly specialist limbs for future paralympians. The team of prosthetists and technicians are employed by Steeper, a leading manufacturer and supplier of dynamic and progressive prosthetic, orthotic and assistive technology products, enabling patients to receive the very best limbs possible. The SRS team provide a regional service which means they look after patients from across Yorkshire and the Humber who need their specialist input, advice and support. Nancy Rhodes, Head of Specialist Rehabilitation, said: “We look after patients of all ages which includes giving advice to parents prior to a child’s birth following a limb absence or abnormality picked up on a scan right through to
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very elderly patients. We care for a number of war veterans and have good links with Catterick Garrison, our military partners. We provide all aspects of prosthetics, which are replacement body parts, from fairly straightforward limbs to the very high-end complex computer assisted limbs, both upper and lower prostheses.”
Nancy continues: “Our team consists of consultants, prosthetists, technicians, clinical nurse specialists, nursing support, physio and occupational therapy, clinical psychology and rehabilitation engineering, all working together to provide holistic and bespoke solutions for patients. It can take a really long time for people to adjust to life with prostheses
and we’re here to help them through it all. Our aim is to try to rehabilitate patients back to the best quality of life we can for them - it’s a joint input between them and the staff. Whether following an amputation or illness and disability, being able to help improve a patient’s quality of life and see the progress they make
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is just amazing.” Patients who are newly amputated are seen regularly for the first twelve months and monitored closely. All parts of specialist rehabilitation services allow patients to self-refer back into the system if their circumstances change or a problem develops. Nancy explains: “Prostheses are pretty sturdy but sometimes they do need repairing or replacing. Children grow out of them incredibly quickly so they need to be measured regularly to make sure they fit properly. Prostheses also need replacing for other reasons, such as when a patient loses or gains weight or if their lifestyle changes. We have blades for running and sports so that patients can stay active too.” The team stay on top of the latest developments in prosthetics so that patients receive some of the most up-to-date equipment available. They are currently looking into the use of 3D printers and they have been using computer-aided design for a number of years which allows patients to quickly receive equipment personalised to them.
Case study: Stuart Meikle The incredible advances in prosthetics are now enabling Stuart Meikle, a patient at Seacroft Hospital to work towards representing Team GB in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics as a triathlete. Stuart was born in 1975 and had his right leg amputated through the knee at the age of six months. Despite his disability he has taken part in sport from a young age, even in the early days when artificial legs had a fairly basic design. As a keen cyclist, Stuart had long been provided with a prosthesis that enabled him to enjoy the adrenaline rushes from a cross-country bike trail. Thanks to developments in prosthetics at Steeper, Stuart was fitted with a specialist knee with a tailored free swing mode, and his prosthetist recommended that he trialled the knee to provide him with an even more comfortable ride. With his new knee, Stuart was cycling more than ever, but his increasing amount of exercise and frequent movement affected the suction strength of his socket, making it difficult to keep going during his rides. Stuart took the problem to his Steeper prosthetist, Asad at Seacroft Hospital, who made adjustments to enable Stuart to easily maintain the fit of his socket by tightening the dial a click or two, providing him with the “best cycling limb” he has ever had. Having always had a passion for cycling and inspired by his children to take up running, Stuart was soon securing personal bests that were of Paralympic triathlon standard! A natural athlete and motivated
by his prosthetist Asad, Stuart recently secured funding to become a full-time paratriathlete and now firmly has his sights set on a Paralympic podium position.
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Rise of the robots: How cutting-edge technology is transforming surgery Of all the innovations in medical technology in recent years, none have captured the public imagination quite so much as robotic surgery. Previously the stuff of platinum-plated science fiction, robots are now a relatively common sight in surgical theatres. The benefits of robots have been significant, helping surgeons make finer adjustments, whilst limiting invasiveness, leading to less blood loss and faster recovery times for the patient. Meanwhile, enhanced features such as high definition 3D vision and remote control, allow surgeons to see the complex details of their work like never before, whilst world-renowned experts can be enlisted to operate on patients from the other side of the world.
A short history 1983 - The first robot to assist in surgery was the Arthrobot, which would position a patient’s limb during orthopaedic surgery on voice command from the surgeon. The surgeon would be able to focus on performing the procedure and the robot would save an assistant from having to hold the limb during the operation. 2001 - The Lindbergh operation was the first transatlantic surgical operation. A team of surgeons in the USA carried out a telesurgical operation on a patient in France. The Zeus surgical system – a robot comprised of three arms - was controlled by the surgeons all the way from across the Atlantic. 2006 - A robot surgeon performed the world’s first unassisted operation, which corrected a heart arrhythmia on a 34 year-old man. The robot learnt the procedure through data from approximately 10,000 realworld operations. 2012 - 1,595 prostatectomy operations
were carried out in the UK using robots – 29 per cent of the total performed. A recent study found that robotic prostatectomies are just as successful as operations carried out by humans, if not more so. Those in the study who were operated on by a robot lost less blood during the surgery, had to spend less time in hospital, and experienced less pain doing day-to-day activities a week later. 2016 - The world’s first robotic operation inside the human eye takes place. This was made possible by the robot’s ability to make tiny movements without the tremors of a human hand, and successfully restored the patient’s sight.
Robotics in Leeds Our own hospitals here at Leeds are no strangers to robotic surgery. Senior paediatric surgeon at Leeds, Mr Azad Najmaldin - who retired last year after a 40 year career in the NHS, 25 of those here in Leeds - is credited with introducing and popularising robotic surgery on children in the UK and Europe. Leeds was the first UK centre to have a dedicated children’s robot in 2006. In 2015, Leeds Children’s Hospital
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received a state-of-the-art surgical robot costing £1m. Holly Newby, a youngster who had already benefited from the robot during its trial phase, was present during the formal presentation to meet the team led by Mr Azad Najmaldin, who undertook her surgery with the new equipment. In 2016 the Urology team led by Sanjeev Kotwal, Steve Prescott and Sunjay Jain successfully completed their first four robotic cystectomies and intracorporeal ileal conduit, (the removal of a person’s bladder and urinary diversion without the need for open surgery), under mentorship of Professor Monish Aron from the University of Southern California. All four of the patients who underwent the surgery recovered quickly, well below the usual average hospital stay for the traditional open procedure. Last year was the Silver Jubilee for the world-famous Paediatric Minimal Access Surgery course, the longest running course of its kind internationally. Trainees come from around the world to learn from the best in the field in order to become skilled paediatric surgeons themselves. Paediatric surgeon, Mr Naved Alizai, took over leadership of this course from Mr Azad Najmaldin, which continues to provide world-class teaching, allowing students to be trained on cutting-edge robotics in Leeds. As a result of this eminent course, hundreds of thousands of children have benefited globally.
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The changing face of travel medicine By Dr Penny Lewthwaite, Consultant in Infectious Diseases The advent of accessible international travel has opened up a world of travel opportunities and increased the rapidity by which people can move for work, leisure and to visit family and friends. Whilst this provides numerous opportunities it also gives challenges from the infection perspective. In the UK as we celebrate 70 years of the NHS we are fortunate in having a comprehensive health care system with open access to emergency care. Going back to 428 BC Thucydides first noticed that people who survived smallpox infection didn’t get re-infected. This observation was put to practical use in 900AD when the Chinese used scabs from smallpox patients to give to healthy people (variolation) to prevent smallpox. This was then further developed by Edward Jenner to give us vaccination in its current form. Over the last 70 years the NHS has developed a fantastic prevention programme, starting even before birthwith infection screening for all pregnant women in the antenatal period, to further screening and immunisation programs progressing from birth throughout life to protect us from infections. These include childhood immunisations against measles and meningitis and the shingles vaccine in later life. Outbreaks and epidemics of infection
are well known from history, with the bubonic plague from medieval times and Spanish flu in the First World War. The advent of global travel has increased the speed at which these pandemic infections can spread around the world. Pre-travel vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis have a significant impact in reducing infections from countries with a high prevalence of infections such as Hepatitis A and typhoid. There is no room for complacency however, as recent international infections have illustrated: from Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fevers in Africa to swine flu and SARS. Despite this, we are better prepared than ever. With the internet and global news, information about outbreaks is rapidly disseminated around the world, bringing new outbreaks to early attention, allowing local, national and international experts to help in a far more collaborative way than has ever been possible before. Many of these novel pathogens have no treatments and diagnostics are challenging particularly in resourcepoor settings where these infections often arise. Antibiotics have also revolutionised healthcare. Since Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin in 1924 most of us will have had treatment for simple infections with readily available oral antibiotics. Infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis are now readily treated with a course of tablets. Even here there is a need for caution and antibiotic stewardship is never far from our thoughts with each antibiotic prescription. As soon as antibiotics became established in clinical practice resistance started to develop. We
now have many infections which have developed resistance to our first line oral treatments and require treatment with complex regimens involving combinations of oral and intravenous drugs . There are also a small but increasing number of infections for which we now have effectively gone back to the “pre-antibiotic� era for which we have no effective treatments. Globalisation and international travel have increased the spread of these infections across the world. But the same internationalism has increased the level of collaboration and information-sharing as we strive to improve our diagnostics, research and clinical trials to develop new efficacious anti-infective therapies.
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A history of childbirth and Midwifery - have we come full circle? Written with guest writer, Naomi Robinson, Homebirth Team Leader When the NHS was formed in 1948 it drastically improved the health of infants and women. It was the beginning of many changes in maternity services that would eventually see us start to go ‘full circle’. I have been a midwife since 2002 and have seen a number of changes just in that short time. But if we look back through the years we can see that it is a service that has been shaped by change. Between the late 1940s and early 1960s a third of women gave birth at home - it was still widely seen as the norm and is where women had been giving birth for centuries. In 1959, however, all that changed and the government recommended that at least 70% of women should be giving birth in hospital and in fact, by this time, up to 90% of women were giving birth at home. It was also during this time that men were increasingly present at births, supporting their partners through what was historically something that women went through alone. Maternity services quickly became the cornerstone of the NHS’s emphasis on providing care from the cradle to the grave, and in 1970 the Peel Report recommended that all women should give birth in hospital. This had a dramatic impact on homebirth figures with just 5% of mothers opting to have their children
at home by 1975. The Peel Report brought with it a huge change in attitudes to childbirth and arguably for the first time, conception, pregnancy and childbirth were embraced as something that could be adapted and changed to suit the individual. It was during the 1970s that more pain relief options became available to women - perhaps most notably it was in this decade that epidurals became popular. Into the eighties and nineties hospital birth remained the most popular choice for mums-to-be and between 1985 and 1988 homebirths fell to 0.9%. It’s widely considered that this is due to the fact that it was deemed to be safer to give birth in hospital and that hospital teams were more equipped for birth. And although this is certainly the case in highrisk births, low-risk births can actually be catered for just as well in the home - but more on that later. The mid-nineties saw a new vision for maternity services emerging that put women at the centre of care and this saw huge numbers of women continuing to give birth in hospital. In 2012 new NICE guidelines were
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released recommending that women with low risk pregnancies give birth at home, and for women having their second and subsequent babies it was said that it is a safer option. Is this the beginning of another significant change in midwifery services? Our very own homebirth team in Leeds sees lots of women who are now choosing to give birth at home - 1.5% now take this option and it is a number that is rising. Whether it is the benefit of home comforts or the one-to-one midwifery care homebirth is certainly an option that more women are considering something that was the only option when the NHS was born 70 years ago.
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Leeds Cares: A history of philanthropy Yorkshire has a proud history of philanthropy supporting innovation in healthcare that continues to the present day. Founded in 1767, the first infirmary in Leeds was funded by a group of 15 ‘subscribers’ alongside donations given in churches and inns across the city. In 1868, philanthropy supported the building of the iconic Leeds General Infirmary on its current site. The people of our welcoming city have continued to come together as a force for good to enable innovative change across the region’s healthcare services. From holidays for children with rickets, to psychiatric support for the homeless and care for wounded soldiers, the people of Leeds always react to crisis with humanity, generosity and kindness. In 1956, the first successful dialysis unit was jointly funded by a charitable donation from the Board of Governors of Leeds General Infirmary and the Medical Research Council. This early collaboration pushed the boundaries of a new medical treatment, again
demonstrating how philanthropy can deliver exceptional outcomes. In recent times, community healthcare partnerships have thrived with NHS organisations collaborating with charities and communities to deliver excellent healthcare; continuing to drive innovation, ground breaking research, and cutting edge technology. Today, the NHS in Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals are stronger than ever with an incredible team of over 18,000 dedicated people caring for over 1.5 million patients and their families every year on a local, regional, national and international platform. Leeds Cares is the official charity partner of Leeds Teaching Hospitals, dedicated to exceptional healthcare. Their vision is the best possible health and wellbeing
for everyone in Leeds, across Yorkshire and beyond. The charity is inspiring a new era of progressive philanthropy, bringing communities, businesses and other charities together with the NHS to collectively support healthcare for the modern world. Funds raised through the generous support of staff, fundraisers, volunteers and philanthropic partners allows the charity to support the development of new healthcare services, provide cutting edge equipment and specialist staff, enable ground-breaking research and innovation, and support health education and training. Leeds Cares exists to help staff deliver exceptional care to patients and families. The charity is accessible to all staff and people are encouraged to visit the new website to discover how Leeds Cares has supported Leeds Teaching Hospitals in the past, and how they can support you in the future. Please show you care by visiting www.leeds-cares.org
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20 years of Bulletin On 1 April 1998 two former Leeds trusts came together to form the brand new Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The former newsletters which had served the two sides of the city were replaced, in June 1998, by a short publication initially called “Merger Bulletin”. The infant Bulletin was barely four thin black-and-white sheets long, and featured just a few photos the size of postage stamps. Its cheap-and-cheerful look was directly due to a Board edict, as the Chief Executive at the time, David Johnson, did not want the financially-challenged organisation to be seen as wasting money to promote its new image. The very first Merger Bulletin set out David Johnson’s vision for the future on the front page, and the centre pages briefly reported a few snippets of news, including the then Health Secretary Frank Dobson’s visit to open the brand new Jubilee Wing at the LGI.
the first time, with the introduction of “NHS blue” shading and tints, although photos remained in black-and-white. Local Spice Girl, Mel B, visiting St James’s, was the cover story that month, and the first paid-for advert, promoting Eagle Star insurance, was included to offset production costs.
The first issue also trumpeted the launch of the Merger Information Hotline, a service where staff could voice questions and concerns about the merger, by leaving a voice message on an answer machine. By the end of that first November, Merger Bulletin had doubled in size to a whopping eight pages, heavily laden with merger updates, new structure charts, and replies to the hotline messages, which sometimes ran to two pages. This was a period of significant speculation as to the fledgling Trust’s future, and each issue’s questions and answers were eagerly awaited.
The full-colour revolution and completely redesigned Bulletin took the Trust by storm in November 2005, allowing photos of staff and events to be seen in their full spectrum for the first time.
In January 1999 the word merger was dropped from the masthead, and by September came the first modest design innovation - the introduction of staples and slightly higher quality paper. It was not until December 2000, however, that Bulletin took on a much more professional look, being printed on gloss paper and fully designed for
Since then, Bulletin has gone through several design changes, updating its look to keep in step with the times, but always maintaining a focus on staff achievements and exciting news from across the organisation. Bulletin is currently produced at no cost to the Trust, with advertising revenue supporting the design and print costs, and remains a key means of updating staff across the organisation, especially those with limited access to a computer.
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Celebrating 150 years of the Leeds General Infirmary The General Infirmary at Leeds dates back to October 1767 when an Infirmary “for the relief of the sick and hurt poor within this parish” was set up in a private house in Kirkgate, close to where Leeds Market is today. The General Infirmary’s first purposebuilt home opened four years later in 1771 close to City Square and that small building began a process of almost continual expansion to try and keep pace with the growth of the township of Leeds during the Industrial Revolution. This culminated in a move to an impressive new site on Great George Street in 1869, which included a Winter Garden, designed on the advice of Miss Florence Nightingale by renowned architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, famed for St Pancras Station and London’s Albert Memorial. Located on Great George Street and
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Recognising Maurice Ellis Leeds is widely recognised as the birth place of Emergency Medicine. An unveiling ceremony has been held to celebrate the installation of a Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque commemorating Mr Maurice Ellis, who became the first A&E consultant in the country at the LGI and set up the Casualty Surgeons Association which later became the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Dr Taj Hassan, the current president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and consultant in emergency medicine unveiled the plaque outside the Great George Street entrance, where A&E was first located.
featuring a grand entrance, the Gilbert Scott building originally opened for its first six months as an art gallery to raise funds towards the cost of the building. In celebration of this impressive milestone, an exhibition has been held and a Pott’s of Leeds Clock, created to mark the opening of the hospital 150 years ago, has been restored and returned back home where it is now proudly displayed at the top of the
grand steps. The exhibition was part of a year of celebration which began in October 2017 for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the original Leeds General Infirmary. A timeline of the history of the hospital is permanently situated in the blue link corridor between the original part of Leeds General Infirmary and the Jubilee Wing, the newest part of the hospital.
In the past all hospitals had Casualty departments that were staffed by the most junior doctors and a nursing team. Following the establishment of the NHS, attendances at Casualty departments began to grow. Recognising the need for senior medical leadership, LGI was the first hospital in the country - and possibly the world - to appoint a senior doctor, Maurice Ellis, to be in charge of their Casualty Department. He was subsequently appointed to be the first consultant in Casualty in 1952.
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Going Live from A&E: the team’s perspective By Steve Bush, Clinical Director for Emergency and Specialty Medicine What possessed us to agree to broadcast live to the nation on primetime television from a busy emergency department? Here in Leeds we love a challenge; we certainly weren’t going to let the prospect of a bit of additional pressure from stopping us create a landmark event in TV history When the idea was first pitched I must say our feelings were an equal mixture of fear and fascination. Here we were, in the throes of one of the hardest winters we’d ever experienced talking to a TV crew who wanted to bring in cameras to capture all the activity and complexity of a large urban emergency department in all its unadulterated glory. On the other hand, with the offer of a ‘safe space’ in the national media - as part of the NHS’ 70th birthday celebrations - to openly celebrate the triumphs of emergency medicine, we thought we may just have a shot at sharing important messages and correcting some of the misconceptions about one of our most used hospital services. Knowing what we do about our emergency and trauma teams, we were confident that if anyone could pull it off
it would be our Trust. And so, A&E Live was born! Why Leeds? I hear you say. Why not one of those big London hospitals? Or the Midlands? Well, the decision - I was told - was an easy one. The production team, Optomen Television, made an early visit to scope out the possibility of the project and fell in love with our culture and ethos; the friendly and caring nature of our
staff and surefire knowledge that they’d never fail to get our patients’ life stories from them. We are an open book and wear our hearts on our sleeves. A combination that makes for television gold, I came to learn. Leeds is also the heartland for ITV with more viewers up North than one can shake a stick at and not to mention we are also the home of emergency medicine (a fact that we did manage to mention - several times actually!) It was six months in the planning, and the research and production of the programme was meticulous. There was a real team effort from departments across the whole Trust and involved ensuring production staff were DBS checked and security-cleared, had infection prevention and IG training, and Safeguarding measures were in place. Consent protocols were agreed by lawyers to ensure they were watertight with the primary aim of protecting our patients and staff. The logistical challenges of getting 125 extra people, some mammoth-sized vehicles, and a bunch of cables and cameras in place were met head on and with steely determination to find solutions. No stone was left unturned in ensuring that every facet of the programme was safe, appropriate and would bring out the best practice from the world of emergency and specialty medicine.
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Feature
As you can imagine, there would never be an occasion where a seriously-injured or unconscious patient would be filmed live on telly so we had to be a bit artistic with the “live” nature of the show. It was vitally important to show this part of what we do or we would be in danger of appearing as an urgent care centre rather than the major trauma hub of West Yorkshire that we really are. Six weeks of pre-recording was undertaken at both St James’s Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary to reflect the bigger picture and ensure that viewers at home would get a sense of the scale and nature of our work. If you watched the programme you will have seen an appearance by our Frailty Unit at St James’s which has truly caught the nation’s attention as a fantastic and innovative approach to supporting older people’s care. Our colleagues in the Trauma CSU came up with the goods too and undertook some amazingly insightful work to save numerous patients’ lives. All in a day’s work but something quite extraordinary to see for the viewers at home. The live shows came round in the blink of an eye. For three consecutive nights we were joined by Davina McCall -television host, personal trainer and allround bundle of energy and enthusiasm - who really embraced the Leeds Way and formed a bond with Leeds that will never be broken. Davina was warm and empathetic - she often arrived early or just popped in for a chat with patients and many of our staff were on the receiving end of what she called her “mega hugs”!
For all the planning and preparation, in those last few moments before going live with the director counting down from five on his fingers, I can tell you that our nerves were definitely on edge. How could they not be? Nearly three million people across the country were about to see the ins and outs of our department in ultra-high definition with all the action, as it happened. Of course, we didn’t need to be worried. The team continued to take it all in their stride and cool as cucumbers they got on with caring for patients, not at all fazed by the cameras.
an honour and a privilege to be able to showcase their amazing care, clinical expertise and compassion to more than three million people. Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this project. It will come as no surprise to you that the collaboration and team work needed to pull this off strayed way beyond our virtual CSU boundaries and was undertaken with bundles of true Yorkshire wit, enthusiasm and commitment. You are all my NHS heroes!
The live shows themselves went in a flash - it is almost surreal knowing your family and friends are sitting at home watching you on the telly as you are standing in your workplace chatting to Davina McCall about what you do for a living. It’s an experience I know I will never forget. For our emergency departments it was back to business as usual almost as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. But, I like to think that by opening the doors to ITV we may have made a tiny but real impact on the nation’s perception of what our emergency services are really for. Everyone involved has benefited from the experience. The ED team, our colleagues throughout LTHT and also the paramedics working with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service have had a real boost in the wider appreciation of the difficult and rewarding job that we all do. I am delighted that the nation got to share with me the immense pride and admiration I have for them. It was
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News
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Leeds Major Trauma Centre Turns Five Our Major Trauma Centre (MTC) is celebrating its fifth birthday following an official launch in April 2013. MTC sees a variety of patients and is designed to be the first port of call for adults and children in West Yorkshire suffering major trauma. Through the West Yorkshire Trauma network, the MTC serves patients across the region from incident to rehabilitation.
Paul Tobin invited to garden party at the Palace Paul Tobin, one of our porters at St James’s, was invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace as part of the NHS 70 celebrations. The invite was in recognition of Paul’s work setting up the UK’s first ‘Porter Safety Huddles’ and winning ‘Operational Services Support Worker of the year’ at the national Skills for Health awards. Paul and his wife Andrea, who works as a staff nurse at Chapel Allerton Hospital, attended the event in May and said it was ‘an absolutely unique occasion’.
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When it opened in 2013 the MTC was managing approximately 900 severely injured patients - now that number is over 1600 each year. A further £8million
“To celebrate our fifth year with some fantastic achievements is something to be really proud of.” investment from the Leeds Teaching Hospitals board has enhanced facilities over the years, including the creation of a dedicated MTC ward, dedicated MTC theatre and enhanced staffing. It is now the second largest MTC in the country. The centre has consistently remained in the top three, nationally, for outcomes.
Over the last three years, Leeds MTC has been leading the way nationally in the management of major limb trauma requiring combined plastic and orthopaedic surgery - a huge achievement. David Berridge, Deputy Chief Medical Officer commented on the anniversary: “I am really proud of the centre and it’s great to celebrate our fifth anniversary with some fantastic achievements. To see how much the centre has grown and how many patients we are helping day-in, day-out really means a lot.” Nik Kanakaris, Clinical Lead for Major Trauma added: “To celebrate our fifth year with some brilliant achievements is something to be really proud of. Our teams work together to help and support patients through what can be a very daunting time and what can in some cases be the worst time of their lives.” Leeds MTC is one of 22 centres in England providing around-the-clock life-saving treatment for seriously injured patients. Around 79 per cent of people living in Yorkshire and Humberside can access the Leeds Major Trauma Centre within a 45 minute road journey and the catchment area when traveling by air ambulance significantly increases.
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News
Children’s Clinical Research Facility launches In May the Trust officially opened its brand new Children’s Clinical Research Facility. Two years in the planning, the facility is situated within the Leeds Children’s Hospital. It houses six beds in total, providing a separate area where children who are taking part in clinical research will have access to specialist equipment and medication, whilst being cared for by a team of dedicated professionals. Professor Adam Glaser, Research Lead at Leeds Children’s Hospital said: “Leeds Children’s Hospital is a leading recruiter to national and international clinical trials. The new Clinical Research Facility offers a dedicated age-appropriate state
of the art research unit. This will support us to continue to increase, year on year, the number of young people who can participate in research, which we know they want to do and we know improves clinical outcomes”. The facility has been made possible thanks to the generous donation to Leeds Cares from Dr Maurice Benard and Mrs Asneth Benard in loving memory of their grandson, Jeremy Neil Allen. Julie Moody, Director of Communications and Income Generation at Leeds Cares said: “We are enormously grateful for the generous donation from Dr and Mrs Bernard, without whom this facility would not be possible. Their personal connection to this project is very moving and we
are very proud to be a part of this. The impact that this facility will have is clear but we cannot make this difference to the world of research without the ongoing generosity of our donors.” The Leeds Children’s Hospital Research Team supports a range of specialities in the Children’s Hospital to increase research activity. Historically, this activity has taken place within wards and outpatients, however, it was recognised that there was a need for a dedicated research facility area following an increase in activity. The brand new paediatric site is now an integral part of the wider Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust NIHR Clinical Research Facility.
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My Job
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Betty Smithson What have you been involved with since your retirement? I am the lead patient for Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE), I’ve been a judge on the Trust’s Time to Shine awards, and a patient advocate helping provide a fresh pair of eyes for wards. I’m a member of the Food Group and help taste and choose meals for inpatients - this can be a pleasant activity, at least until you’ve tried the thirteenth tapioca pudding! I’m a member of Healthwatch, which looks at the healthcare environment in hospital and community settings, where I help with inspections and surveys. I also speak about my career in nursing at events such as this year’s Nursing Times Conference.
Betty Smithson was a nurse in Leeds between 1946 and 1990, where she became Assistant Director for Nurse Education at St James’s. Since then Betty has remained an active and committed member of patient advocacy in Leeds hospitals.
Tell us about your career as a nurse I started my nurse training in 1948 at the LGI. After completing, my first post was on the Children’s Surgical Ward. From there I became a night Sister at Seacroft Hospital, and then went into the School of Nursing to teach, where I received my Sister’s Tutor certificate from Bolton College in 1970. From 1974 I was Assistant Director for Nurse Education at St James’s until I retired in 1990.
How were things different when you first started? Nursing was very different when I started there were very strict rules we had to follow, and during my training we had to live in a nurses’ home for two years. We were allowed no boyfriends, and had to make our own amusements - we were given one ‘late’ pass a month, which meant we could stay up past curfew for an entire half an hour!
What is your favourite memory from your nursing career? I have to say I don’t have any single favourite memory of my time as a nurse - I’ve enjoyed everything, I feel like I’ve had a very fortunate life.
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Have you had any particular highlights in this line of work? Having lunch with Prince Charles and speaking at the House of Commons were certainly stand-out moments. It’s always a pleasure when I see my old students during my ward visits - nowadays they are matrons and sisters, of course, but they still remember me and the things I used to tell them! Most of all it’s been a pleasure being able to continue working in a healthcare environment, and I hope I’ve helped in some way to improve the experience of patients.
Do you have any advice for nurses starting their career today? I’ve had a wonderful career, and I’m extremely proud of the training I received and the work I can do now because of this. For anyone considering a nursing career and for those just starting out - I honestly can’t think of a better choice in life. Enjoy your training and always remember the patient comes first.
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News
Donations Colorectal team regaled by City of Leeds Pipe Band
TV donated to Neonatal Unit
The colorectal team at St James’s were presented with a cheque for £1,000 by grateful former patient Andrew Tasker. The cheque was delivered with much pomp, and included a visit from the Lord Mayor of Leeds whilst regaled by the City of Leeds Pipe Band - of which Andrew is a member.
Thank you to Sarah Russell who has kindly donated a TV for one of the rooms on our neonatal unit! Sarah’s son Alfie was born early and spent 12 days on the unit earlier this year, he is now doing really well at home with his big sister looking after him too. Sarah used one of the rooms on the neonatal unit to stay for a few days while preparing for discharge home. She noticed that the remote for the TV in there was missing so kindly donated a new TV that can be used by future parents. Sarah is pictured with Alfie and Sister Rebecca Reyes.
Shirley Evans’s handmade driver bags
Buff Lodges donate to Neonatal Unit Thank you to the Wharfedale & District Province of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) who have generously donated £4,741 to the Neonatal Unit. The total was raised at various “Buff Lodges” in Wharfedale, Airedale, Lancashire and Sunderland. Pictured are Lead Nurse Anne Harrop and Lead Clinician Dr Sharon English with members of the group.
A big thank you to Shirley Evans who, at 83 years old, never tires of making driver bags to send in for patients, often sending in 80 at a time for use by patients on breast ward J23. A committed seamstress, Shirley’s work can sometimes be seen for sale at stalls across the Trust.
Huge response to Syringe Driver bag appeal Neurovascular donation The neurovascular team are extremely grateful for a donation of £2,211 from a former patient who walked the Yorkshire Three Peaks with a group of friends. Scott had a brain haemorrhage in August 2017 and following emergency treatment he has made a remarkable recovery and is now getting back to life as a dad, partner and self-employed builder. The money raised will go towards purchasing a specialist ultrasound machine which will
be instrumental in the care of others who suffer from this form of brain haemorrhage.
A huge thank you to everyone who has donated syringe driver bags following our appeal! Syringe drivers are small, portable pumps that deliver a regular flow of medication, helping to reduce pain for palliative patients. Our palliative care team and patients are all very grateful for the donations - the bags really help to improve the patient experience. Thank you to everyone.
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Farewell
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A fond farewell to our long-serving staff Angela Westoby
Iain Thackrah
Angela Westoby retires after 24 years’ service to the paediatric and adult Haemophilia Services in Leeds. She has dedicated her career to the care of patients with inherited bleeding disorders and has had a huge impact on service delivery. Angela moved to Leeds and gained a position as a nurse specialist on the paediatric unit, whilst representing haemophilia nursing on a national level through her work with the Haemophilia Nurses Association. Many patients can’t remember a time when they didn’t know Angela as she provided care for them both as children and within adult services. Patients and colleagues will certainly miss Angela and wish her a fond farewell.
Iain Thackrah, Payroll Team Leader, retired from his post on 3 June having spent over 45 years working in the health sector. He started his career working for the West Riding County Medical Officers department in 1973. In 1978 he moved to the Payroll Department at Leeds Area Health Authority where he later progressed to the role of Payroll Team Leader, which he held through to his retirement. Iain is looking forward to spending more time with his family and to celebrate will be jetting off to Paris. Friends and colleagues recently gathered to wish Iain a very happy and wellearned retirement.
Debbie Hughes Debbie Hughes retired from the Trust at the end of March, where she has worked as a midwife at St James’s since 1987. She has worked in all maternity areas but her keen area of interest has been in antenatal care. Debbie retires from her position as Team Leader in the antenatal clinic and antenatal day unit. She oversaw many changes and was pivotal in the development of the day unit, whilst reducing patient length of stay on the antenatal ward. To celebrate her retirement, Debbie is looking forward to a cruise holiday to somewhere hot!
Peter Foy Avice Cosgrove Avice Cosgrove retired at the end of May after devoting 26 years to the Trust. This was originally as a Health Care Assistant on a general medical ward at St James’s. Having always wanted to be a nurse, Avice fulfilled her dream and qualified in September 2005. She has worked in many different departments but has devoted the last 10 years to oncology - working on J95, within the research department, and on the day unit. She will be greatly missed by colleagues and patients alike. Avice and her husband have decided to spend their retirement abroad in Bulgaria.
Tina Bevan Tina Bevan, HR Manager retired in June after 20 years working for the Trust. Tina started in 1998 as Assistant Personnel Manager for the Yorkshire Heart Centre. In 1999 Tina became Personnel Manager for Labs, Radiology and Pharmacy at LDI until she became a Senior HR Advisor. More recently, Tina has been HR Manager for the Adult Critical Care and CardioRespiratory CSUs. Alison Wilkinson, Senior HR Manager said: “I am very lucky to have worked with Tina for over 10 years. Tina is very supportive and caring toward not only her HR colleagues but to all the staff she has supported in the CSUs over the years. Tina will be greatly missed within the HR Team and the wider Trust.” Tina hasn’t got any imminent plans to relax during her retirement and is looking forward to completing a self-build project and the arrival of her first grandchild.
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Peter Foy has worked for the Trust for 35 years and in that time has been responsible for all areas of security within the Trust, including operational response, strategic work, royal and VIP visits, and security advice. Pete helped facilitate many road shows that have involved partnership agencies including West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Fire Service, the Home Office, and many others. Pete has excelled in collaborative working, especially with West Yorkshire Police, which was recognised this year when he was presented with the District Chief Superintendents Award. Pete’s colleagues wish him the best of luck for the future and will certainly miss him.
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Farewell
Geraldine Thackray
Liz Holder Liz Holder, Senior Sister J24, retired from the trust in May. Liz has been with the Trust since she started her training in 1980. Her first post was as a staff nurse on the renal unit ward 32, before going on to work on Ward 53 in the Clarendon wing in 1986. Three years later Liz became a Sister. Liz has spent most of her career working in gynaecology. She has a great passion for improving the pathway in women’s health and has played a major role in developing and setting up the Leeds Centre for women’s Health. Liz is approachable, friendly and has a cheeky sense of humour. Her colleagues wish her a very happy retirement and know that her future endeavours will continue to be embraced with a smile.
Geraldine Thackray joined the Trust in 1992 providing secretarial support to the Chaplaincy Service, before joining the medical education team at the LGI in 2001. She later became centre manager in the Postgraduate Education Centre at the LGI, before moving over to St James’s in 2012. More recently, Geraldine has done a sterling job in the role of Operations Manager for Medical Education, becoming a central part of the team that has transformed medical education in Leeds. The team in Medical Education will deeply miss Geraldine - for her wise counsel, her calm approach to problem solving, her sense of humour and for the way she deeply cares about trainees and students.
Lynda Garbutt Lynda, Research Support Worker at the Clinical Research Facility in Bexley Wing retires after a lengthy career. Lynda started with the Trust in 1974 in the laundry room at the LGI and later moved to Cookridge as auxiliary nurse and HCA, before joining the world of clinical research in 1999. She then moved to St James’s when Cookridge closed. Her colleagues wish her all the best for the future and a happy retirement.
Ian Thackray Ian has worked for the Trust for 36 years. He first joined the Leeds Western Health Authority in April 1982 as a Joiner. In 1990 Ian became Building Supervisor and in the same year Ian became Building Officer. During his time in the role Ian completed his HNC and in 2003 he became Estates Manager Specialist which he served until 2010.He then became Trust Building Manager and stayed in this role until his retirement in April.
Patricia McClean Paddy McClean retired from her role as Consultant Paediatric Hepatologist at the end of May. Paddy qualified as a doctor in Belfast, and came to Leeds as a Consultant in 1992. She rose to the challenge of setting up the Children’s Liver Unit in Leeds when it was commissioned by the Department of Health in 1999 to join King’s and Birmingham as the third National Specialist Service. Since then, the unit under Paddy’s leadership has gone from strength to strength, and earned an international reputation. Paddy will be remembered not just for her professionalism and devotion to children with liver disease and their families, but as an inspiration to her colleagues and to trainees, and for engendering a spirit of team working that will be an enduring legacy. Her colleagues, patients, and friends wish Paddy a happy retirement, filled with travel, music and gardening.
During his retirement Ian will be carrying on with duties at Wortley football club as grounds man. He is also spending time in his caravan near Pickering. Ian is an avid Leeds United supporter and can be seen in the East Stand at most home fixtures. He also likes watching Leeds Rhinos. More importantly with Ian retiring it means that his tools have come out of retirement. At the moment he is helping his Brother-in law build an extension to his house. We wish Ian a long and happy retirement.
Pat Wallis The Ophthalmology department at St James’s wish Pat a long and happy retirement. Pat has worked for the NHS for 45 years and for the Trust since 1982. During her career she specialised in ophthalmology, embracing new technology and change as it occurred. Pat retires as a much-loved and respected senior sister whose depth of skill and knowledge will be sorely missed. She has played a key role in the development of the Ophthalmic Day Unit and has helped to build a strong team. Pat will be missed by all - not only as a colleague but as a friend.
Carol Skerrett After 43 years working in the Trust and its predecessor bodies Carol Skerrett, Senior Payroll Officer, retired at the end of March. Carol’s NHS career started in August 1975 in the Cashiers Office at Seacroft but it was only a matter of months before she would try her hand at Payroll, a role she has continued in ever since. Carol is looking forward to spending time during her retirement holidaying with her
husband Dave. She is pictured here with her colleagues and friends who organised a farewell lunch to celebrate her time at the Trust. Best wishes go to Carol for a very enjoyable retirement.
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News
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Nurses and Midwives celebrate their professions Staff from across the Trust took part in this year’s International Nurses Day and Day of the Midwife. Nursing staff went all out in celebrating their profession, with teams and departments taking part with afternoon teas, cake stalls, and decorations. Helen Christodoulides, Director of Nursing - Corporate, and Anna EdgrenDavies, Director of Business Development for the Charitable Foundation, visited various wards and departments at the LGI on Friday morning, speaking to nursing staff and delivering a huge donation of chocolates from Leeds Cares. In the afternoon, Suzanne Hinchliffe, Chief Nurse/Deputy Chief Executive, visited teams at St James’s along with Lorna Johnson, Head of Nursing, and David Welch, CEO of Leeds Cares. Suzanne and David were delighted to relaunch J81 with a ribbon-cutting for the unit’s tenth anniversary and to celebrate the installation of new wall art. In the Emergency Department Suzanne took time to contribute to their stationary bike challenge - where they were competing with ED at the LGI to rack up
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as many miles as possible over the course of the day. The Trust’s new Nursing, Midwifery and AHP strategy for 2018-2020 Caring the Leeds Way - Our Professional Commitment, was also launched. This new set of objectives builds on the Trust’s previous commitments from 2016-18 that have collectively been implemented across the organisation.
International Day of the Midwife was also celebrated with a special awards ceremony. Midwives, MSWs, and Student Midwives past, present and future were all in attendance, joining colleagues from around the world in celebrating their work and the important difference they make to the lives of mothers throughout their pregnancy as well as during and after birth.
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News
Tenth anniversary of TAVI procedure celebrated TAVI, or Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Implantation, allows the aortic valve to be replaced without the need for open-heart surgery. This has enabled many patients who could not have such major surgery to be treated, while many others can now have a new valve under local anaesthetic and be home within one or two days, enjoying a new lease of life. The first Leeds TAVI was done in 2008 and the Leeds team have performed more procedures than any other centre in the UK, with well over 1000 patients having benefitted from this revolutionary treatment. One of the very first patients to undergo the TAVI procedure at Leeds General Infirmary was Mohinder Punglia, 85, from Huddersfield, who needed a new valve, but in whom open heart surgery in Sheffield could not be performed. Mohinder’s wife spoke of her grateful thanks to Dr Blackman and the team for providing this life-saving surgery. She said: “It was quite an overwhelming time but I knew the operation would be the best chance to improve Mohinder’s quality of life. After the open heart surgery was unsuccessful, Dr Blackman
said TAVI might work. It’s amazing what they can do and we are so grateful to the team for everything, without it my husband might not be here today.” Dr Dan Blackman, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist and TAVI lead for LTHT, said: “TAVI is still a relatively new procedure but offers major benefits over more traditional open heart surgery. It is great to be celebrating ten years of TAVI with the team and Mr Punglia and his wife as the NHS celebrates its 70th anniversary.” Over the course of ten years the TAVI
procedure has evolved considerably, with new valve technology, shortened procedure times, and the introduction of nurse-led sedation so that procedures can be performed without an anaesthetist, with patients wide awake but entirely comfortable throughout. These developments have led to major improvements in outcomes and seen hospital stays reduced from seven to ten days to just two or three. Mr Punglia said: “The whole team have been absolutely wonderful and I can’t thank them enough for everything they have done for me.”
Think Drink March saw the first launch of the Think Drink project which is aimed at reducing excessive fluid fasting, which increases dehydration risk and other adverse effects to our adult surgical patients. Think Drink was started at Nottingham University Hospitals where it proved to be an incredible success. The NICE guidelines are a fantastic advancement to our fluid fasting protocol. Fasting fluids from midnight is obsolete and elective patients can drink water up to 2 hours before their surgical procedure which can dramatically improve patient experience and outcome. The project is led by Clare Hutton and Laura Francis from our Theatres and Anaesthesia CSU. Funded and supported by Leeds Cares,
the launch took place at Chapel Allerton Hospital and has now been rolled out across Wharfedale Hospital and David Beevers Day Unit with significant results, over 50% reduction in fluid fast times! The project is now at St James’s and will be at the LGI later this year.
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60 seconds
60 seconds | www.leedsth.nhs.uk
Margaret Jackson
1944 at 17 years old when I started the pre-nursing experience at the Ida and Robert Arthington Hospital in Cookridge where people were sent to convalesce. There were adults and children’s wards. I also worked at Castleford and District Hospital which was taken over by the Leeds General Infirmary - I remember we saw a lot of mining accidents! I trained for four years at the LGI - three years for state registered nursing and one year for the hospital certificate which was and extra accolade offered to those of us who trained at prestigious hospitals such as the LGI.
Margaret is a retired nurse who trained in Leeds from 1944 to 1949. Margaret worked at both the LGI and St James’s and as a health visitor was involved in pioneering Diabetes work. What did you want to be when you were growing up? I thought about that and realised how influenced I was by the Second World War. I was 12 and my grandparents came to stay with us. My grandmother was quite healthy but the anxiety of the bombings triggered her epilepsy and this meant she was very poorly and was sick quite a lot - I used to hold her head and help her and I learned to control my feelings of revulsion when cleaning up after her and my parents said I would make a good nurse! When did you start your training and what did you train to do? I actually began my training in
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I went on to train as a midwife in Harrogate and later on after completing a course at university I worked at St James’s as a health visitor. I was asked to work with adults and children with diabetes and started the home stabilisation of patients helping them to continue working where possible. How did it feel to be a nurse when the NHS was created? We were hoping that our salaries would increase but unfortunately our accommodation deductions went up as well so we were rather disappointed! However, there were hopes for better equipment and we saw improvements from then on, it was a great place to work!
and stopped the bleeding he saved his life! It was the very first blue baby operation to be carried out at the LGI and was very important for the consultant to get it right. About a year later I was in the outpatient department when I was given a hug by a little boy - the registrar came out of the room and introduced him to the person who saved his life turns out that was me! Back in those days penicillin had just been discovered. Nowadays it is given very easily but back then it was an injection into the muscle given by the senior night sister - it was quite ceremonial when we set up the trolley for the first ever one at LGI! What do you think has changed the most over 70 years? I’d have to say it’s the modern equipment! I remember when I was a nurse and they were short-staffed in the theatre. I took a patient down and was supposed to simply report back with what was needed for further treatment. The next thing I knew I was in a gown and surgical mask standing on a stool by the head of the patient holding a lamp over them - focusing on the eye as it was one of the early cataract operations. The next thing I knew I was in the corridor being given a hot mug of cocoa by the theatre runner in an attempt to bring me round after I passed out! Not my finest hour!
What’s your favourite memory?
Any advice for nurses today?
I was observing a young boy after his operation and noticed his breathing wasn’t right. I sent for the night sister and the registrar came
Always do your best - it’s easy to get distracted by modern technology but most of the time patients just want a friendly smile and someone to talk to.
Suspension
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