NUH News Issue 2

NUH Together ISSUE 2

A Jubilee for QMC!

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Contents Tiffany Jones Director of Communications and Engagement Tiffany.Jones@nuh.nhs.uk Suzie O’Neill Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement Suzanne.O’Neill@nuh.nhs.uk Grace Dawson PA to the Director and Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement Grace.Dawson@nuh.nhs.uk Rosie Huckle Head of Communications and Engagement - Tomorrow’s NUH Rosie.Huckle@nuh.nhs.uk Lizzie Norris Awards and Recognition Lead Elizabeth.Norris@nuh.nhs.uk Natalie Hewing Communications Co-ordinator Natalie.Hewing@nuh.nhs.uk Ian Kingsbury Communications Manager Ian.Kingsbury@nuh.nhs.uk Catherine Hancock Senior Communications Officer Catherine.Hancock@nuh.nhs.uk Karen Shale Communications Officer Karen.Shale@nuh.nhs.uk Anna Tyler Communications Officer Anna.Tyler@nuh.nhs.uk Craig Stanley Communications Officer Craig.Stanley@nuh.nhs.uk

Welcome

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A decade of saving lives

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£1.7m brings digital revolution to maternity services

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Mum Jade: all my dreams have come true

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45 years: QMC remembered

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A wait off their mind

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The NHS is in my blood

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TeamNUH Awards

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Tomorrow’s NUH

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“I feel privileged when people trust me”

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Spotlight on dementia carers

NUH staff star in research-based opera Take Care

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“The touch of a hand, a smile… go such a long way.”

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A welcome from our Acting Chief Executive Rupert Egginton

Ex-patients thank staff at The Major Trauma Centre

Nottingham set to receive digital improvements grant

First Mother’s Day with Harley and Harry

A look back over our hospital’s history

Thousands get a scan sooner thanks to innovative project

Meet Nick Carver, new chair of NUH Trust

Check out the latest award winners and the highly commended

Your chance to help shape the future of Nottingham’s Hospitals

Call for interpretation volunteers

Divisional Nurse Sharon Saunders retires after 41 years

AI tool detects lung cancer faster

Nottingham is one of seven Trusts piloting an AI tool

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Rachel Kouijzer Recruitment Communications Officer Rachel.Kouijzer@nuh.nhs.uk

International Women’s Day

20&21

Nancy Smith-Mitsch Digital Communications Lead Nancy.SmithMitsch@nuh.nhs.uk

VROOM…Nottingham is leading the way

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James Stephenson Graphic Designer James.Stephenson@nuh.nhs.uk

Life-saving treatment - in the air

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Charlotte Andrews Digital Communications Officer Charlotte.Andrews@nuh.nhs.uk

Nottingham Hospitals Charity helps get blood supplies on board the Air Ambulance

Ward Round

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Dr Elizabeth Calderbank reflects on her NHS JOURNEY

Nottingham leads the way on Covid-19 research project

A glance at what’s been happening across our hospitals

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Introduction

Introduction from our Acting Chief Executive

Rupert Egginton, Acting Chief Executive

Welcome to the second edition of NUH News.

This packed edition offers a glimpse of the great work that is going on in and around our hospitals. In April we welcomed our new Chair, Nick Carver.

Nick says he was hooked as soon as he joined the NHS as an 18-year-old and says he cannot imagine doing anything else. We look forward to working with Nick.

We are equally delighted to announce the appointment of Anthony May as our new Chief Executive.

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Anthony joins us from Nottinghamshire County Council and brings his extensive knowledge of the issues faced by the system, a proven commitment to partnership working and a strong track record in the provision of excellent services that are accountable to the public.

Anthony May

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A start date for Anthony is still to be agreed, but we are working towards early autumn and will be sure to feature him in the Autumn edition of this Magazine!

This year we celebrate two milestones; the first is that it is 10 years since we opened the Major Trauma Centre in April 2012. At the official opening, a journalist asked if we could cope with the number of patients we were expected to see and treat – 17,000 patients later, I think we have shown that we can. Read more on pages 4 and 5.

The second milestone is the opening of the Queen’s Medical Centre 45 years ago, something we are celebrating in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year. On pages 8 and 9, Deputy Sister Sue Palmer – who has been at QMC since day one – recalls being part of the guard of honour to welcome the Queen to the official opening. An estimated two million people have been treated at QMC since it opened.

Nottingham is one of seven Trusts piloting Artificial Intelligence to diagnose lung cancer much faster – Professor David Baldwin explains how on page 19.

I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work and dedication; Nottingham Hospitals Charity for its continued support; all our volunteers, like Merryl on page 25. And thank you to you, the public, for helping us to help you.

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to announce the winners of this quarter’s Team NUH Awards on pages 12 and 13; congratulations to them all for their achievements and recognition. The awards are a great reminder of our values and the respect and admiration shown by colleagues and the people of Nottingham in the nominations is heart-warming.

Rupert Egginton Acting Chief Executive

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FeatureStory

A decade

of saving lives When the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre opened at the QMC 10 years ago, a journalist asked: could the hospital cope with all the extra work?

Fast-forward to 2022 and the answer is a resounding yes. More than 17,600 patients have been admitted to the centre since it opened in 2012: thanks to the extraordinary skills and expertise of the team many patients are still alive today.

With a catchment area of 4.5m people, Nottingham is the busiest in the country and has the strongest clinical outcomes nationally. It is part of a national network of specialist centres which concentrate expertise and resources to give the best possible care, including intensive care and brain surgery.

Plans for the Major Trauma Centre had been in the pipeline for some time before they were publicly announced in 2009.

When it first opened, ambulance crews were trained to bring the most seriouslyinjured patients by land or by air to the centre rather than take them to their local Emergency Department. Around 20% more lives can be saved if a patient is taken to a Major Trauma Centre rather than their nearest hospital, and chances of disability are reduced.

With serious car crashes, life-threatening illnesses, stabbings and shootings, the team works around the clock using advanced skills and interventions on patients who would otherwise not be expected to survive. They care for these patients and support them on their journey, right through to rehabilitation.

Staff are drawn from across the hospital;

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the Emergency Department, critical care, radiology, theatres, the Major Trauma Unit, Major Trauma case managers and rehabilitation.

Adam Brooks, MTC Clinical Director, said: “Since the centre opened in April 2012 it has gone from strength to strength and we are immensely proud to be celebrating our 10th anniversary.

‘‘We are committed to doing everything we can to improve the outcomes for our patients.. ’’ “We are committed to doing everything we can to improve the outcomes for our patients and as well as this, we will continue working with our partners on injury-prevention programmes within the community, which is something we are passionate about.”

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NewsBites

Thank you for saving my boy He was taken to United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and, after an emergency CT scan he was transferred to the QMC. “A surgeon told me they needed to keep an eye on Logan for a while as his kidney had been severed and they were unclear as to the possible further damage,” said mum Shamaine Elms.

Logan Dack was 17 when he severed a kidney and ruptured his pancreas in an accident taking part in Parkour in Lincoln.

“They told me he would be going up to Ward C30. I had no idea what this was.

I got upset when I saw the Major Trauma Unit sign.

‘‘Everyone had been so calm, caring and professional.

“Logan spent three weeks in C30 with a stint post-surgery in Critical Care. He had major surgery to remove some of the damaged pancreas.

“The care and professionalism of all the staff was amazing. Despite Covid-19, the communication was fantastic. I saw the massive range of patients and injuries and personalities that they dealt with. It was humbling – thank you for saving my boy.”

The staff were

amazing

Paul Dickens outside C30 Major Trauma Unit

Father-of-four Paul Dickens was treated by staff in the Major Trauma Centre after he broke his shoulder, collarbone, seven ribs and suffered a punctured lung in a mountain-biking accident.

“I’d like to say how amazing the staff were,”said Paul. “They looked after me so well. They were caring, funny, supportive and committed to making me better.

Dr Adam Brooks with his surgical team

“Believe it or not, I still ride my bike. I think my poor wife had a heart attack when I first went out again. I’m still doing the same jumps but slower and a little more cautious! I hope to be back up to full speed as the weather gets better though.”

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FeatureStory

£1.7m funding brings a digital revolution to maternity services

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) is set to receive its share of funding to support digital improvements in its maternity services and to improve patient care.

It will also improve the way maternity services access and use digital records to improve care for women and families.

Nottingham and Nottingham Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) has been awarded £1.7m to support digital improvements at NUH, ongoing investment at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and to replace the Maternity Information Systems across the county.

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The award, from NHS X via the Unified Tech Fund - is the largest successful bid in the region. It demonstrates the commitment to improve maternity services and will see a move away from paper records to digital.

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This investment will support:

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Improvements to the digital system at NUH, with new electronic observation devices and better working with other digital systems and care providers across the county. This will free up staff to spend more time with women rather than duplicating record-keeping.

Investment in devices and equipment at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, including laptops, mobile work stations and phones;

this will make it easier for staff in the hospital and the community to connect with each other.

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A new, end-to-end, digital maternity system that comes with patient-held records, transforming the way staff work and enabling patients to make informed decisions.

Staff, service-users and stakeholders will be able to have an input into these developments.

If you want to know more, or make suggestions for the future maternity system, please contact: Adam Wisdish on Adam.Wisdish@nuh.nhs.uk or Claire Madon on Claire.Madon@nhs.net

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FeatureStory

A dream come true ‘‘We’re doing great and loving life at home.’’

Harry and Harley hit the headlines!

Harry and Harley leaving hospital to go home

It was a Mother’s Day that she thought she’d never have for Jade Crane.

Sunday 6 March and Harley followed on Monday 14 March.

But a tiny cry from a tiny baby signalled a miracle. After an 11-year IVF journey, twins Harley and Harry were born at the QMC on 26 October 2021.

Jade’s smile says it all. “We’re doing great and loving life at home. We carried on with their routine that they’d had for their whole life and they’ve settled in.

At just 22 weeks and five days old, they are thought to be the UK’s most premature surviving twins. QMC is a teaching hospital, and so doctors intervene with babies born from 23 weeks to learn about premature births. Jade, 39, was 30 hours away from the 23-week mark - but the medical team sprang into action when Harley showed signs of life.

“We celebrated my first Mother’s Day, which was so lovely - one that I thought I’d never see. To have both of our babies home for this special day was more than I could have asked for! Literally all my dreams have come true. “

“I remember saying I couldn’t hear Harley cry and one of the nurses said I wouldn’t because she was far too early but then I heard this little cry – it sounded like a tiny kitten,” said Jade.

“The twins have started smiling (not just wind) and they love to play with their sensory toys as well as time in their bouncers.

“They are weaning down on their oxygen already so we’re hopeful that it will be gone in a few months.”

Harley weighed just 500g (1lb 10oz), while Harry, who arrived an hour after his sister, weighed 520g (1lb 15oz).

She added: “I think they’ve got a bigger purpose and I think they carry a message that 22-weekers can and do survive.”

Jade stayed with her babies from the minute they were born and finally got to hold them when they were four weeks old.

Dad Steve, 52, is full of praise for the team at QMC.

She says the family have had a long, daunting journey, and admits there were times when she didn’t think the twins would make it home. Harry went home on

“The absolutely stunning doctors, nurses and surgeons have all been part of the making of this moment,” said Dad Steve.

“It’s hard to say goodbye to them but I hope I never see them again.”

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CoverStory

45 years of the QMC HRH unveils a plaque at QMC, 1977

In July, the QMC will turn 45. Her Majesty, The Queen, opened the hospital in 1977. A year later, the first patients were admitted and in November 1981, the first baby was born there. Since then, it’s estimated more than 2 million patients have been treated at the hospital.

Sue puts her 45-year-long career down to her patients and her team.

Deputy Sister Sue Palmer has worked at the QMC since it opened. As a student nurse, she was asked to form part of the guard of honour to welcome the Queen.

“Being quite tall, I was on the second row but I still got a good view,” said Sue. “Being so close to the Queen was a lifetime memory; you see her face all the time and you can’t quite believe this person is so near. I don’t think she spoke to anyone, but she waved.”

Local historian Paul Swift fell in love with the history of Nottingham’s hospitals when he was a boy. He remembers going into work with his mother in the Medical Records office at the Children’s Hospital before its move to the QMC in the winter of 1978/79.

Now working in clinical nutrition,

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“Two days are never the same and I’m always learning, even 45 years on - that’s exciting. My advice to new nurses would be to embrace change, to work as a team and to be kind to others.”

“As a small boy I remember looking out of the window and seeing the ebb and flow of life: ambulances coming in and going out, people walking in and walking out. It would not be too bold to say I knew more

about how a hospital functioned at the age of seven than I ever did about my schooling life!”

Those early experiences helped shape Paul’s career, spending thirty years in the NHS as a porter and in the supplies department. The writer and archivist has spent years plotting the QMC’s history, saying many thought the hospital was too big when it was built.

‘‘Now we can’t do without it - it’s a world leader!’’

“It was the done thing at the time to not like the QMC. You can draw a

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CoverStory

QMC Timeline

1977 – The Queen opens QMC

2006 – Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust formed

1978 – First patients admitted

2012 – East Midlands Major Trauma Centre opens

1981 – First baby born

2015 – Tram stop opens

1989 – Kegworth Air Disaster casualties treated

2017 – Tram bridge opens to mark 40th birthday

1990 – Prince Charles has threehour surgery after a polo injury

2022 – QMC celebrates 45th birthday and Queen celebrates 70th Jubilee

parallel with Nottingham’s tram network.

When the tram first came into operation in 2004 and later when lines two and three were opened, people would say they’d never use the trams. In a similar way that’s what they used to say about the QMC. “This is because it was purpose-built, whereas people liked the character and architecture of Nottingham’s former hospitals (that later became part of the establishment of the QMC). It was built for what it is, a huge medical metropolis! Now we can’t do without it - it’s a world leader!”

HRH waves to staff outside QMC, 1977

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NewsBites

A wait off their mind A significant number of patients are getting scans quicker, leading to earlier diagnosis and intervention and cutting waiting lists exacerbated by Covid-19.

The project - Making Every Minute Count: Optimising Scanner Utilisation – is now a finalist in a national health awards scheme.

“This is fantastic news for anyone awaiting a scan at NUH,” said David Campion, general manager of NUH Clinical Support Division.

NUH launched Making Every Minute Count in late 2020, with the aim of increasing the number of patients scanned each day.

Consultant radiologists, radiographers and sonographers, and staff from NUH teams covering booking, service improvement, IT, data and informatics, worked with experts to develop a new, smart booking process.

The impact of the new process was instantaneous and hugely positive: in the first three months, an extra 1,781 patients had a CT, ultrasound or MRI scan. Without the new process, these patients would have had to wait longer, delaying their diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

“We have seen a remarkable increase in the number of patients getting their scan, considering the constraints imposed on us

by Covid-19,” added David. “Our teams have moved from continual firefighting mode to a planned delivery of services.”

The backlogs for CT and general ultrasound scans quickly reduced, and the booking process was streamlined, freeing up staff time and capacity.

Making Every Minute Count is a finalist in the Best Elective Care Recovery Initiative

A place to reflect Nottingham has had two benches donated by Netflix and a suicide prevention charity as a legacy to Ricky Gervais’s After Life TV show.

The benches were commissioned with CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably – and just 25 have been installed across the UK. “Park benches provide opportunities to reflect, talk to someone, sit shoulder to shoulder with someone and get things off your chest, said Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM. “We’re delighted to team up with Netflix to put benches in parks across the country - inscribed with that crucial line from the show - ‘Hope is everything’ - to help people have those conversations and to show it’s normal to have those feelings.”

The bench has a QR code, with the words: “Life can be tough, but there’s always hope. Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is by your side.” Scanning the QR code takes you to CALM’s website.

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Ricky Gervais said: “We hope the benches will create a lasting legacy for After Life, as well as become a place for people to visit, and we are thrilled to be associated with CALM and the great work they do.”

Nottingham’s second bench is at the Arboretum.

category in the HSJ 2022 Partnership Awards, for its proven results in significantly reducing the diagnostic scan backlog at NUH and its contribution to earlier diagnosis and intervention for many patients.

Jenny Lewis is a healthcare analytics expert at PA Consulting, who worked on the project. She said: “It’s been a pleasure working with the NUH team.

“Together we have demonstrated the huge transformation for patient care that can be delivered in just three months through innovative investment in new technologies.”

It is hoped that in the future patients will be able to view and book their own diagnostic appointments.

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NewsBites

The NHS is in my blood Nick Carver, the new Chair of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, says looking after people is in his blood. He began his career as a cleaner and porter, and then became a nurse and more recently, a Chief Executive.

Nick’s earliest memory of a hospital is when he had his appendix out at the old Worcester Royal Infirmary at the age of nine.

Aged 18, Nick started his nurse training but admits it wasn’t something to which he’d given much thought. But once he’d joined the NHS, he was hooked.

“It became addictive and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I think those of us that work in health care have a mission and a purpose. Short of defending our fundamental freedoms, there is nothing that should be given a higher priority than providing free health care to the people of the UK.” Nick has two children with his wife Alison, a civil servant; his son is an officer in the Royal Navy and his daughter is an Emergency Department nurse.

His biggest influence was a nurse called Madge Ellis, his former boss at Morriston

NUH Radiologist next RCR President Dr Kath Halliday has been elected as the next President of The Royal College of Radiologists. Kath is a Consultant Paediatric Radiologist and Radiology Clinical Director at NUH.

Nick Carver speaks to a member of staff on a ward visit

Hospital in Swansea, who recently died.

“She was great fun but she was somebody who had the highest standards. If she saw something that was wrong, she’d intervene but she did it in a way that built people up, rather than diminishing them.

She was deeply inspiring.

“She was also a great laugh! Quite often I’d go home with my collar wet from tears of laughter. She was bilingual and taught me how to work out if people were being rude to me in Welsh - with Welsh in-laws, that’s been invaluable.”

Nick spends his spare time in the outdoors.

“The only downside of a life in the NHS is being inside all the time. I love green spaces. So on my day off, my wife and I will be out, even if it’s chucking it down.

I’m going to the Scottish Highlands soon

with a mate, walking. Getting out is crucial for me.”

‘‘I love green spaces. So on my day off, my wife and I will be out, even if it’s chucking it down’’ And his first two months in the job? “I’ve loved it! People have been incredibly welcoming. To wander around and talk to people about their ambitions for their patients has been inspiring. I’m having a whale of a time!”

As Chair of the British Society of Paediatric Radiology from 2010-2016, she led the working group for the updated guidance for imaging in cases of suspected physical child abuse.

Dr Halliday said: ‘I am honoured to have been elected and delighted. Thank you so much for the faith you have placed in me – I promise to give it my all.’

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FeatureStory

We’re pleased to announce some of the winners and highly commended staff so far in our Team NUH Awards programme.

Staff from across our hospitals in a variety of roles have been awarded, including nurses, physiotherapists, doctors and meal-time assistants to name a few.

Trust category – Dr Ankit Rao, Consultant Oncologist “Staff love to work with Ankit. It’s very noticeable that those working with him appear to be more happy and motivated. His behaviour encourages others to be reliable, respectful and kind.”

Empower category – Ruth Sturt, Clinical Specialist Stroke Physiotherapist “Every time colleagues work with her they learn something. Her commitment to her staff and patients goes above and beyond to ensure patients get the best possible outcomes.”

Ambitious category – The Orthotics Workshop (Spencer Chou pictured on behalf of team) “This team volunteered to make memory casts of the hands and feet of babies and children that have sadly passed away. This allows families to still be able to hold and touch their baby’s hands and feet and the impact on these families are immeasurable. They provide an outstanding service to families.”

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Mindful category – Tabitha Rae, Interventional Radiology Staff Nurse

Honest category – Sarah Henstock, Occupational Therapist

“She will sit with patients, before and after procedures, giving them time to talk about whatever is going on that may be troubling them. She rejoices in other people’s good news and she makes sure that people are heard.”

“Sarah is a hard-working team member who puts our patients at the heart of all she does.

She takes time with patients to listen and supports them towards their discharge. She is a role model for junior therapists on the team who carry the values she has instilled in them to other areas of the Trust.”

Nurturing category – Ami Wass, Food Service Assistant “On our ward we look after elderly patients who are often frail and have smaller appetites. Ami spends a lot of time trying to find out what the patients like to eat and ensuring we have it for them, making sure they get the extra calories they are desperate for.”

Public Nominated category – NUH Life “I have been with the fertility unit for around a year. The staff at the fertility unit have supported me so well so far.

Although I have not fell pregnant yet, the team have provided such amazing support and made me have hope through a tough time.”

United category – Prioritisation of Cancer and Urgent Surgery Group (POCUS) (Dr James Catton pictured on behalf of team) “Formed in the pandemic, clinical and admin staff from all divisions (and representatives of the Ethics of Clinical Practice Committee) work for the benefit of patients needing urgent surgery, and in support of staff required to work differently.”

Did you know that both pa tients and st can nominat aff e someone fo r a Team NU Award? Follo H w the QR co de to find ou t more, or visit www.nuh.n hs.uk

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FeatureStory

Awards spotlight…

A nomination in all eight categories receives a high commendation from the judging panel. For January, the high commendations are given as follows: Trust category high commendation Carolyn Mayo – Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner Empower category high commendation Elizabeth Hendron – Librarian Ambitious category high commendation Catharine Warren – Gynaecology Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist Mindful category high commendation Dr Cathrine Vincent – Palitative Care Consultant Nurturing category high commendation Dr Jeremy Lewis – Acute Medicine Consultant United category high commendation Toni Hall – Facilities Team Leader

Play Specialist Julie

Meet Julie, a Children’s Play Specialist at our hospitals. She makes the hospital experience that bit brighter and less daunting for children.

Born and bred in Nottingham, Julie has worked for our hospitals for more than 40 years, and was one of the first to take the national course to become qualified in her role. She works closely with clinical teams to engage young patients with activities to help them relax and to distract and prepare them during their time in hospital.

Julie supported the family of little Larsen, who sadly passed away in late 2019 due to a rare brain tumour. He had a highgrade medulloepithelioma (MEPL), a highly aggressive embryonal tumour that is so rare, there are fewer than 10 known cases in the world.

Holly, Larsen’s mum, nominated Julie because she advocated for Larsen to have radiotherapy without general anesthetic, which meant that he could spend considerably more time at home, allowing the family to make more memories

together. It also meant that Larsen could go to school every day, something he was desperate to do.

Holly said: “I will never - in my life - meet as incredible people as I did when Larsen was ill. We will forever be grateful.”

Larsen’s parents launched Larsen’s Pride in late 2021, in Larsen’s name. It raises money for children with brain tumours and funds research. It is named after Larsen’s love for big cats, his bravery, and his family as his “pride”.

Larsen’s gran bought him Snowy - a giant Jellycat snow tiger – when he was diagnosed, and Snowy never left his side, even going into the scanners with him.

The charity raises money through people buying the cats, which are donated to Ward E40 in our Children’s Hospital, and handed out by Julie and her team when a child is diagnosed. The hope is the cuddly cats bring the child the same comfort that Snowy brought to Larsen.

Honest category high commendation Lucia Rosa – Estates and Facilities Business Partner Public Nominated category high commendation Julie Roberts – Children’s Hospital Play Specialist There are three rounds of judging over the year. All winners and highly commended staff from those three rounds will be invited to a celebration in the autumn, where an overall winner will be selected by an external judging panel.

There will also be a category dedicated to our volunteers at the celebration event. Nominations are open all year round and nominations are included in the nearest round of judging.

We wish to thank all of those who have submitted nominations so far. We invite the public to submit a nomination on our website to celebrate and recognise those that consistently demonstrated high-quality clinical care, compassion and kindness to thier loved one.

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NewsBites

An opportunity to engage with plans for the future of our hospitals Tomorrow’s NUH is an exciting opportunity for us to make our QMC and City hospitals fit for the future.

NUH is one of the Trusts identified to receive funding after 2025 through the Government’s New Hospital Programme – a commitment to provide significant investment in new NHS hospital buildings by 2030.

We have been working with our partners across the local health and care system to develop some initial proposals for how and where we would like to deliver our services in the future and, as part of their wider Reshaping Health Services in

Nottinghamshire Programme, our local Clinical Commissioning Group carried out a four-week programme of public engagement during March to seek feedback on the proposals.

Their findings will be shared on their website: nottsccg.nhs.uk/get-involved.

A full public consultation on the proposals is planned for autumn, so look out for further information in the coming months to see how you can get involved.

Full details of our journey so far are available on our website www.nuh. nhs.uk/tomorrows-nuh

Rainbow clinic comes to QMC QMC has launched a Rainbow Clinic next month to provide specialist support to parents who have lost a baby during a previous pregnancy or shortly after birth.

Being pregnant after such a loss can be an especially anxious and emotional time. Rainbow Clinics are there to help reduce the anxiety and fear, and help families through what can often be a very stressful journey.

You can be referred via your community midwife or GP from 16 weeks onwards and will be seen at the clinic until your baby is born.

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RecruitmentNews

Call for interpretation volunteers NUH’s Interpreting and Translating Service is appealing for volunteers to help patients communicate with doctors and nurses.

difference in patient experience within a clinical environment,” said Renata Towlson, Interpreting and Translating Service manager.

A 73-strong team already offers help in more than 50 languages – with face-toface interpreting, telephone interpreting and written translation. The team wants to expand its support to other languages, including Somali, Romanian, French and Tigrinya.

“Connecting non-English and limited English-speaking patients and clinicians is a privilege and honour in the service of facilitating accessibility to healthcare for all.”

“I am seeking expressions of interest from people interested in helping to make a

Volunteers support patients while they work towards the Level 3 in Community Interpreting qualification needed to work professionally. Student Aurum Lai has been a Cantonese and Mandarin translator at NUH since July 2020.

“The thing I enjoy most about this job is when patients share their life stories,” said Aurum.“Knowing people’s stories has helped me grow to become a more understanding person.”

“About a year ago I translated for a gentleman at the Radiotherapy Centre at City Hospital. Despite his age, he had a young and cheerful soul and loved talking – he talked about his family, his life in the UK, and gave me a couple of life lessons.

“When we went into a consulting room, the patient communicated with near fluency - I barely had to do any translation other than for some specific terms. I was surprised and asked why he needed a translator and he said he simply wanted company. I was moved by the fact that my presence alone could make a difference, and have since become even more motivated to interpret for patients in need.”

Syeda Majid, who speaks Urdu and Pubjabi, said: “I feel privileged when people trust me and share their problems with me to interpret for them. ”I’ve gained lots of confidence while working as interpreter by talking to people at all levels.”

If you’d like to get involved, please email Renata.towlson@nuh.nhs.uk

Syeda Majid

Preceptorship Midwife Dorothy

Fancy a career in midwifery?

Fancy being a midwife? There are many different areas within midwifery and it attracts a range of people.

“I became a midwife because I love working with women and wanted to support women during their most vulnerable time,” says Dorothy, a Preceptorship Midwife.

“I chose NUH because they have a very supportive and well-structured preceptorship programme of 18 months that allows you to rotate through all the maternity settings in the hospital.”

Jo has been a midwife for 21 years and has made some really good friends. “We support each other not only in work, but outside of work too.

She was nominated for a Daisy Award by a couple she helped. “For them to show their appreciation of what I did, it felt amazing – that the care you’re giving is actually doing something. It felt fabulous and a massive honour but very humbling at the same time.”

Sharon Wallis, Director of Midwifery, said: “We employ more than 400 midwives and support staff and deliver 8,000 babies a year and we have two level 3 neonatal units, which is the sickest babies, the smallest babies that we provide support to with our neonatal colleagues.

“We are a very specialist unit – a tertiary unit – so we care for women who have problems in pregnancy, either with themselves or issues with their babies.

“We have a fantastic team of doctors, midwives, anaesthetists and neonatal that work to provide the best care that we can to our mums and babies.”

Find out more here: www.youtu. be/_7__sbLPSows

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FeatureStory

Opera turns spotlight onto dementia NUH staff have starred in an opera at Lakeside Arts at the University of Nottingham as part of an extensive research project into dementia care.

Dr Ruth Willott, Emma Poynton-Smith, and Martin Orrell, consultant psychiatrist with Rapid Response Liaison Psychiatry, as paramedics in the final scene of Take Care.

Take Care centres on Katie, a new carer, and her clients: Myrtle is well-off but lonely, troubled and confused by her relationship with her daughter; Joyce, often irascible, who used to feel great love towards husband Harry, but now hardly recognises him; Harry, ex-coalminer, lamenting his growing physical frailty and his wife’s decline; and Eileen (represented by a puppet), in the late stages of dementia and at the end of life, but calm and content.

Justine Schneider, Professor of Mental Health and Social Care at the University of Nottingham, commissioned the opera.

She said: “The purpose is to portray the highs and lows of caring for someone with dementia, to create a greater understanding and appreciation of that role, both in carers themselves and in the wider community.”

In the Broadening Our Understanding of Good Homecare (BOUGH) project - funded by the NIHR for Social Care Research researchers followed home care in six households over 11 months. Care workers kept diaries and relatives, care workers and their managers were interviewed.

Librettist Cindy Oswin and composer Douglas Finch used these notes to devise an opera that combines humour and pathos, moving from comforting refrains of ‘tea and toast’ to frightening loss of identity, confusion, frustration and loneliness, and capturing the often chaotic emotional contrasts and moments of insight and love in a carer’s life.

“We wanted to engage carers themselves with a heightened representation of dayto-day care for people with dementia,” said Professor Schneider.

During lockdown, four professional singers were recorded performing the 90-minute opera, thanks to a grant from the Economic & Social Research Council’s Impact Accelerator Account (ESRC IAA).

Further support from the ESRC IAA, Arts Council England and the National Lottery, allowed the same cast to perform the stage production earlier this month.

The chorus members were chosen to reflect the diversity of dementia carers, as well as for their voices. They included Emma Poynton-Smith, a junior doctor who helped care for her grandmother after she was diagnosed with dementia; Dr Ruth Willott, who specialises in the care of older patients, particularly those with dementia, and sings with Nottingham Harmonic Choir; and Jonathan Waite, a consultant psychiatrist for older people in Rushcliffe from 1984 to 2010, then consultant at QMC and dementia lead for NHS East Midlands until 2017.

“It’s been fantastic on a personal level to get involved in singing again and to

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challenge myself outside of work, and everyone’s been lovely,” said Emma. “On a professional level it’s great to be able to use the opera to explore individuals’ lives in a way we don’t see as healthcare professionals: the struggles faced by the characters are very typical, and yet being emotionally involved through the opera is very different to being generally aware as a doctor.

“I hope everyone who attended the opera will take away that every ‘patient’ with dementia is a person with their own rich background and their own individual life and character, even if their condition may look the same on paper - everyone is affected differently.

“The work done by carers on the ground in the community cannot be emphasised enough - carers make huge amounts of effort and personal sacrifices with resultant positive impacts on people with dementia’s quality of life.”

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FeatureStory

Human connection and communication are key At a training day in December 2021, one of the speakers – Professor Justine Schneider – described her work using art and music therapy.

Her lecture concluded with an overview of a future project: an opera based on someone caring for people living with dementia. The production team wanted a chorus made up of people who had daily experience of looking after people with dementia to work alongside professional opera singers, musicians, directors and backstage staff.

I qualified as a doctor in 2010, began to specialise in Geriatric Medicine in 2014 and qualified as a consultant in 2020.

Before that, I was a research scientist. As someone who has sung since school days, choral works are familiar territory, but I have never been involved in the theatre.

After an audition and a rehearsal, a stolen season began where I had a sneak insight into a world that on the surface was so

Everyone is affected differently “It’s been fantastic to get involved in singing again and to challenge myself outside of work - everyone involved in the project was lovely.

I hadn’t been on stage for a long time (thinking back to school plays, unless singing in Christmas Concerts counts), and it took some time to get used to stage directions and remembering everything to do on top of the singing itself.

counter to my everyday. My compatriots on this journey featured singers from diverse backgrounds: fellow medics, therapists, carers for family members.

The stories were humbling to hear – people who, on a daily basis, contribute immensely and often creatively, to the welfare of family members and the local community, often while also working full time.

The opera provided vignettes into the lives of people with dementia. The libretto was taken from research provided by ethnographic participant observation.

Researchers worked as carers and kept extensive notes relating the lived experience of carers, thus an integrity permeated the script and focused a light on human values and connections that might be overlooked amongst the everyday and mundane.

and communication are key within both professions. I enjoy theatre, however, in the past, I have relished the façade of a polished production with scant regard to the frenetic activity behind the scenes.

Fifty individuals worked on the opera and each was indispensible. We talk about teamwork as a key feature of healthcare and this mirrors the collaboration demonstrated in the theatre.

‘‘This was a very rewarding experience and an opportunity to do something very different...’’

This was a very rewarding experience and an opportunity to do something very different and yet represent the challenges that many of my patients and their families face.

There are many ways in which theatre and medicine are similar: human connection

DR RUTH WILLOTT

On a professional level it’s great to be able to use the opera to explore individuals’ lives in a way we don’t see as healthcare professionals: the struggles faced by the characters are very typical, and yet being emotionally involved through the opera is very different to being generally aware as a doctor.

I think this is the main thing I took away from the experience (other than the fun of singing): an awareness of the home lives of patients I see.

‘‘The struggles faced by the characters are very typical’’

I would hope that anyone attending the opera will take away that every ‘patient’ with dementia is a person with their own rich background and their own individual life and character, even if their condition may look the same on paper: everyone is affected differently. And the work done by carers on the ground in the community cannot be emphasised enough - carers make huge amounts of effort and personal sacrifices (as shown in the opera) with resultant positive impacts on the quality of life of those living with dementia.”

DR EMMA POYNTON-SMITH, FY2 (JUNIOR DOCTOR)

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FeatureStory

Sharon Saunders

“The touch of a hand, a smile… go such a long way.”

“In my 41 years, there’ve been amazing technological and medical advancements. But the fundamentals of caring haven’t changed,” says Sharon Saunders.

on was the right thing to do; we were in the middle of the pandemic, I knew the division, the division knew me, and it gave the division stability at a really difficult time.”

“Patients want to be cared for, have their basic needs met, be treated with dignity, respect and compassion, and to be talked to and kept updated – that’s the be-all and end-all. We mustn’t forget that.”

Nursing has gone from strength to strength; from clearing a trolley after a doctor performed a procedure, to having a seat on the board.

Sharon, Divisional Nurse for Surgery, retires this month. “I’ve had a really good career.

I’m really privileged that I’ve been able to do it. It’s a long time – but it’s flown by.”

She started in 1981 in St George’s Hospital in Lincoln. Her first day was on a respiratory ward. “It was a baptism of fire but you soon settled in. I made the best friends – friends for life.”

Since she came to City 36 years ago, Sharon has worked in renal, thoracics, general surgery, urology and vascular, nutrition, colorectal, orthopaedics, gastro… she’s climbed from staff nurse, to senior staff nurse, to Ward Sister, to Matron, to Lead nurse for Orthopaedics to Deputy Divisional Nurse for surgery, and now Divisional Nurse.

She became the Divisional Nurse just over a year ago, in the middle of the pandemic, after five years as deputy. “I was able to step up because I’ve had a really great team around me.

“This job is a lovely end to my career. Even though I knew I was retiring, taking it

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“We are an all-degree profession now, evidence-based; we are in a position to check and challenge and feel that we can do that. We have a really strong voice – the majority of staff are nurses so that’s important.”

And her advice to anyone starting out?

“Get out of your comfort zone and give things a go.”

She acknowledges that for all the excitement of retiring, it is a wrench to leave. “I’d like to thank all my colleagues for doing such a great job – I will miss them all.”

Sharon is looking forward to family times; holidays with husband Steve, becoming a grandma, helping her daughter do up her house, and being the Mother of the Bride.

Oh, and a few lie-ins.

“My team will laugh – I might bake some cakes and make some jam. Then again, I might not. I haven’t baked a cake in 40 years. I was going to make jam when I had my first child; she’s 32 now.”

Consultants

carved the turkey “When I was Ward Sister on Simpson 2, an elderly lady had no family so ended up staying for Christmas Day. Other people on the ward were poorly and she was full of the joys of spring.

She was a character, really lovely. I cooked breakfast for the staff – we had a fry-up – you’d never do that now! The consultant carved the turkey, and the lady had a sherry. It was lovely – I’ll never forget her.

There was a lovely gentleman on EoL care who got really poorly really quickly. I spent a lot of time with his family - that’s a real honour and a privilege.

Those final moments, the family will remember forever - it’s about compassion. He was my first patient who died, and that’s hard.

Some of the little things for patients mean so much - the touch of a hand, a smile – they go such a long way.”

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FeatureStory

Multi-million pound AI tool detects lung cancer faster Delayed diagnoses due to the pandemic has seen people coming to the hospital with very advanced cancer - we must do everything we can to improve this situation.

Nottingham is one of seven NHS Trusts piloting a multi-million pound artificial intelligence project which detects lung cancer faster.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the UK, accounting for 18% of all cancer deaths in any one year. Early, accurate and fast diagnosis is critical to improve outcomes. If diagnosed at an early stage, about 80% of people in the UK will survive for five years or more, compared with only a few when the disease is at the latest stage. Currently, around 65% of UK lung cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage.

Professor David Baldwin is a Consultant at NUH, Chair of the UK’s Clinical Expert Group for Lung Cancer and Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, and will lead the clinical team in the Qure.ai project.

“Speed of diagnosis is critical to achieve the best outcomes in lung cancer and to reduce stress and worry for patients,” said Professor Baldwin. “AI solutions should improve the pathway logistics by flagging abnormalities on chest x-rays as soon as they are undertaken, helping patients to progress rapidly through to CT scanning.

“This will also help our incredibly busy workforce. This exciting study will show us just how useful a well-validated AI solution is in our NHS. “Delayed diagnoses due to the pandemic has seen people coming to the hospital with very advanced cancer and we must do everything we can to improve this situation.”

The NHSE workforce is under unprecedented pressure; AI should improve the efficiency and accuracy of diagnostic tests, with less clinician time needed, which will help get through the backlog.

more accurate diagnosis on the same day.

For patients that don’t have cancer, the tool means many would be given the allclear within a few hours.

The £3.2m funding came from SBRI Healthcare, in partnership with the NHS Cancer Programme and the Accelerated Access Collaborative.

The project brings in lung cancer expertise under the clinical leadership of Professor Baldwin, Dr Richard Lee, National Institute for Health Research Specialty Lead Screening, Prevention and Early Detection, Dr Neal Navani, Senior Clinical Lead, UK National Lung Cancer Audit, and Dr Nick Woznitza MBE, Consultant Radiographer from University College London Hospital NHS Trust and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Qure.ai identifies suspicious lung nodules on x-rays within minutes and assigns them a malignancy-risk score. Patients can have a more detailed CT scan and receive a

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CoverStory FeatureStory

Speaking The NHS is full of up for inspirational women equality We should celebrate our contribution - no matter how small or large - as we make positive contributions every day.

We held a series of talks and Q&A sessions to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 in March, and celebrated women’s achievements throughout the week.

The theme was #BreakTheBias, emphasising the need to act against bias and gender inequalities, while celebrating how far women have come.

The majority of our workforce is women; many of our senior leaders are women; and women are achieving fantastic things across our organisation. Women from BAME backgrounds are being recognised in the Queen’s Honours and being held up as national role models for careers.

Scan the QR code to read more about IWD at NUH.

In my 35 years in the NHS, there are a few people who I reflect on who stood out for their contribution; my mum for encouraging me ‘never to give up and go for what you want in life as nothing is out of reach’; my first ward sister, Bridget Smith, who nurtured me - she had over 40 years’ NHS experience; Dr Kathy Teahon, a whirlwind who taught me to have vision and drive throughout my career, and to never forget our patients in all that we set out to achieve; and Amanda Kemp, who provides amazing humanity.

1986 at Nottingham School of Nursing – and they have worked for the NHS since that day. They all work with in differing elements of the NHS and are driven to provide the best for patients. Like all of us, their personal lives have impacted on them and their work, but still they strive to do their best at home and at work. To me, they should be celebrated. I’d like to honour their contribution to the NHS and their friendship over the years, thank you Kathryn Higgins, Tracy Sentence, Adele Jackson and Kristy Turner - you are all inspirational women.

On a more personal level, the most inspirational women I know I met in

‘‘Pragmatic, professional and well connected’’ Pav Bahra, Inpatient Matron at City Hospital Maternity was nominated by patient El Forward.

“Pav is my hero - pragmatic, professional and well connected… but also woman-centred, caring and empathetic.”

After a traumatic first birth, she was instrumental in supporting us through a more positive pathway, going out of her way to help me process some of the residual trauma, advocating for us and checking in on us postnatally too.

She must have a huge workload but nothing was too much trouble

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Bel Nicholson and midwives Jayney (City Hospital) and Becky (Sherwood and Bestwood community) also deserve a special mention for being stars.

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FeatureStory

We still live in a world that is not equal “Remember - be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.”

Dr Elizabeth Calderbank came to the UK from Cuba in 2005. She’d graduated as a doctor in Havana in 1994 and as a 1st grade specialist in Family Health in 1999. Despite barriers, bias and setbacks, sheer grit and determination got her to her current position - BAME Strategy Project Manager for NUH. In her eight years at NUH, Elizabeth has worked tirelessly for the betterment of staff and patients from BAME backgrounds. She’s coached colleagues across all disciplines and witnessed and supported their progress.

“International Women’s Day has a huge significance because it showcases our achievements. It highlights not only the contribution women make to our society but most importantly the contribution international women like myself and many others make in the UK - particularly in the NHS. On the other hand, it emphasises on the need to act on issues women still are facing in the 21st century on a daily basis, such as the gender pay-gap and gender inequality. We must keep fighting for women’s equality.

“As a woman and BAME, I’m at a great disadvantage by default. No matter how far we have come or how hard we are fighting, we still live in a world that is not equal. I have applied for certain positons in the past where bias towards male candidates was very prominent. My ethnicity and country of origin has also set me back. Coming from Cuba has been a huge political barrier that stopped me from obtaining a licence to practice as a UK doctor, bringing my medical career to a painful end.

“This barrier had huge implications mentally, emotionally and financially, as a result, I felt lost for a long time. I never gave up; I applied for positions and joined countless training opportunities, and did

lots of research and worked hard to build a professional network.

Dr Elizabeth Calderbank

“There have been lots of challenges and very difficult moments but also there have been great opportunities that I have embraced.

‘‘There have been lots of challenges and very difficult moments but also there have been great opportunities I have embraced’’

“I hope that by the time today’s little girls grow up, they will have the opportunity to live in an equal world and won’t have to endure the bias and inequalities of today.”

“Let’s keep doing all the brilliant work we women do on a daily basis. Juggling a family, a career and work is not easy but we are more than capable of doing it.

We need to keep on trying, and keep on fighting for what you feel is right for you; don’t put up with any nonsense and keep educating yourself. Knowledge is power!

“And always remember be strong enough to stand alone and smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it”.

#BreakTheBias Read more about Elizabeth’s story, and NUH’s work for the betterment of our female colleagues, in the Latest News section of our website or by scanning this QR code.

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ResearchUpdates

Lifeline to families across the UK For children with a rare and lifelimiting neurodegenerative condition and their families, the Children’s Clinical Research team at the QMC is a vital resource.

NUH is the only centre in the UK delivering the ATTeST Open Label study for children with Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T), a rare, inherited disorder which affects the nervous system, immune system, and other systems, and is characterised by progressive difficulty with co-ordination.

Rhian Warman, Children’s Research Practitioner and co-ordinator for ATTeST, was one of several staff recognised in the Covid-19 Research Hero Awards, run by the Research & Innovation department.

Rhian said: “The children and their families are so grateful to have the opportunity to be involved in research and I feel very proud to be a part of delivering it.”

Participants visit the QMC once a month to be given the study drug. The ATTeST study is collecting information on the long-term safety and efficacy of the treatment and treatment method. There is no cure for A-T; it is hoped that this treatment will alleviate some of its symptoms.

The ATTeST research was not suspended during the pandemic due to the seriousness of the condition. The pandemic presented considerable challenges to the Children’s Research team – as it was for other research teams – but they found ways to work safely and continue supporting patients to complete their vital research.

“My main memories are of everyone pulling together and supporting each other through very difficult times,” said Rhian.

“There were definitely weeks when morale was low and people were working outside of their comfort zones, but everyone did their best to support their colleagues.”

Rhian added: “My focus at the moment is to continue to deliver research to children and their families. I like knowing that I am contributing to novel treatments for the next generation.”

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Rhian Warman

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ResearchUpdates

VROOM…Nottingham is leading the way

Getting your InSights into data Research InSight is a conversation about using data in research to improve health. This could be your data as a member of the public, as a patient, or as a family.

It could also be how you use data as a researcher, or how data can be used differently to advance scientific discoveries.

VROOM team

Nottingham is leading the way on finding answers for millions of people who have been shielding because they are at high risk from Covid-19.

The Vaccine Response On-Off Methotrexate (VROOM) trial aims to establish if people on long-term immunesuppressing medicines could mount a more robust immune response to Covid-19 booster jabs if they interrupted their treatment for two weeks after vaccination.

The Rheumatology and Dermatology research delivery teams at NUH had recruited 70 patients by early February more than 20% of the total number of participants enrolled nationally across more than 24 other hospitals.

This work has been done in the last four months by teams led by NUH Principal Investigators Dr Ira Pande (Consultant Rheumatologist) and Dr Ting Seng Tang (Consultant Dermatologist) which include nurses, practitioners, scientists and managers from the Research & Innovation department at NUH. Professor Abhishek Abhishek, Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Nottingham and Consultant Rheumatologist at NUH is the Chief Investigator for the trial.

He praised the teams’ efforts and described the trial as a “vitally important project”.

He said: “VROOM is so important because people with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and skin diseases such as psoriasis face a daily battle dealing with painful and troubling effects of their illness.

“This can leave them unable to carry out daily tasks independently and at the same time, they face a double-edged sword of being more vulnerable to Covid-19, while potentially unable to mount the strongest possible immune response to vaccines against Covid-19, to protect them from the virus following their jab. This leaves many of them still fearing the virus.

“We hope to find out whether they can safely take a break from medications for their inflammatory conditions and an improved protection from the booster jab, without the risk of a flare-up of their long-term illness which affects their daily lives so heavily.”

The VROOM trial will take up to two years to complete and has received £900,000 of funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which funds and supports research by the NHS, public health and social care - and the Medical Research Council through the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme.

VROOM is being delivered in partnership with Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU), Oxford University, and is running in over 25 hospitals in the UK including NUH, supported by the NIHR’s Clinical Research Network (CRN).

It could be about finding the right analytical tool, or the right dataset for your research.

Whatever you think about data in research, we want to hear from you and for you to talk to each other.

What difference will a conversation make?

Data InSight will help to do the following things:

•

open conversations about data in clinical research - and keep the conversation going

•

bring together local people, patients and researchers to share views, ideas and influence decisions about clinical research happening now and in the future

•

help to improve the infrastructure, safety and accessibility of data for clinical research

•

be open and honest about what works and what doesn’t work for you and your data

Tell us what you think by visiting the Data InSight website

More information on the study ‘VROOM: Vaccine response on/off methotrexate’; Does temporarily suspending methotrexate treatment for two weeks enhance COVID-19 vaccine response? A randomised controlled trial’ is available on the study website.

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CharityNews

Helping to provide life-saving treatment Staff wellbeing is receiving a boost from Nottingham Hospitals Charity, thanks to a £363,000 project to introduce new psychological support.

Nottingham Hospitals Charity is helping to provide life-saving treatment for patients suffering from dangerously heavy blood loss.

The charity, which supports the City Hospital, QMC and Ropewalk House, funded a blood fridge and blood plasma freezer which will help patients being brought to the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre by air ambulance.

The blood products stored in the fridge and freezer will enable air ambulance staff to treat patients with life-threateningly heavy blood loss on board, rather than them having to wait for arrival at the Major Trauma Centre, which is based at the Queen’s Medical Centre.

This will give patients with heavy blood loss the best possible chance of survival and recovery.

Barbara Cathcart, Chief Executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “We are extremely pleased to have funded this

blood fridge and blood plasma freezer to enable the storage of vital blood products for patients being treated by The Air Ambulance Service.

“We hope that this will enable patients suffering from heavy blood loss to be treated as soon as possible, before their arrival at hospital, giving them the best possible chance of recovery. This donation was made possible thanks to our generous donors from across the Midlands.”

The funding is part of a move by The Air Ambulance Service to enhance its lifesaving work through the introduction of blood and plasma on board its helicopters and critical care cars.

This development allows the service’s medical crews to provide pre-hospital emergency blood transfusions to patients who have life-threatening bleeding from medical conditions or severe injuries predominately sustained through road traffic collisions or stabbings.

The charity wants to thank everyone who donated to help make this possible.

To find out more about Nottingham Hospitals Charity, or to make a donation, please visit www. nottinghamhospitalscharity.org.uk

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@NUHCharity

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CharityNews

Take on “I truly love helping others” the Big QMC Abseil in 2022!

Merryl Berridge

I retired from a police civilian role after 30 very happy years and started to look for volunteer opportunities to get out and about.

Did you know that Nottingham Hospitals Charity gives around £390,000 each year to Hayward House, the palliative care centre at Nottingham City Hospital?

The Big QMC Abseil is back for 2022 – and places are filling up fast!

Nottingham Hospitals Charity’s annual abseil is popular with staff and supporters alike.

On Saturday 17 September, dozens of daredevils will brave the 100ft descent to raise money for their chosen areas of Nottingham’s hospitals.

Last year’s event raised more than £26,000, with 91 people taking part!

Why not take on the Big QMC Abseil

I volunteered in many areas, including Citizens Advice Bureau, helping to run a friendship group for female refugee/ asylum-seekers, at a food bank, and finally at the QMC, after an appeal for volunteers on the new tram platform (before the bridge was built).

I truly love helping others and hope to continue my volunteering for many, many years to come.

To sign up, please visit www.nottinghamhospitalscharity.org. uk/hikeforyourhospitals

I then moved to the ENT entrance for a meet-and-greet role; it was very rewarding being able to support visitors.

In March 2020, Covid-19 restrictions meant I could no longer volunteer inside the hospital. I kept busy by helping in the QMC garden and working at the Friends of QMC charity shop, where I also secured funding to buy picnic tables for the garden.

On 4 June 2021, I returned to the QMC in a new role in the children’s clinic in East Block -“queue managing” - a bit of a challenge but I love it and all members of the department have been so kind and helpful.

Merryl Berridge

Get involved

Nottingham Hospitals Charity has an area on its website dedicated to Team NUH? You can use the site to find out more about how to apply for a grant, how to get involved in fundraising for your chosen area of the hospitals, or sign up to the NUH staff lottery to be in with the chance of winning up to £1,000!

Find out more at www.nottinghamhospitalscharity.org. uk/team-nuh

NottinghamHospitalsCharity

0115 962 7905

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d r a W H U N d n u s Ro f thing

o n w o d UH N s s A run o r ac g n i n e happ

International nurses bring wealth of experience and valuable skills to deliver excellent patient care.

In February, Duncan Burton, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for Engalnd welcomed a new cohort of international Nurses arriving at Heathrow Airport.

The group, from India and the Phillipines, make up part of a cohort of 80 nurses who will be working at Nottingham Hospitals, East Suffolk and North Essex NHJS Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals.

Duncan said: ‘‘Our international colleagues are an integral part of our NHS workforce and we are lucky and thankful that these colleagues want to come to live and work in England.

“I am so happy to welcome you to the UK, and I wish you all the best in your new roles.’’

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Lifetime Clinical Achievement Engineer Award for Clinical prese nted Engineer

Professor Dan Clark OBE, our Head of Clinical Engineering, has been presented with a Chief Scientific Officer’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to engineering.

Read more at www.nuh.nhs.uk or by scanning the QR Code here:

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Do you have a question you would like to submit to the Board?

Send it through to nuh.communications@nhs.nuh.uk

Tweet Tweet!

Here’s what some of our staff, patients and public had to say on Twitter.

We #StandWithUkraine Like many of you, we have been watching, and have been upset by, the events unfolding in Ukraine.

Our hearts go out to those across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire who have family and loved ones who are affected.

We want you to know, that whilst we cannot fully comprehend the hurt and

distress you might be feeling, we are thinking of you.

Betty Matear, Chaplain, said: “Our prayers are with all involved, who fear for each day and who feel so powerless. On a bigger scale we pray for peace, compassion, action and effective decision-making from leadership.”

Follow us on social media: Twitter: @nottmhospitals or @TeamNUH Instagram: @nottmhospitals Facebook: /nottinghamhospitals or /TeamNUH

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