Man sues London NHS trust over ‘failed penis cancer detection’
Daily Telegraph – 630,000 readers - Thursday 16 Feb ’12 

‘A roofer whose genitals had to be partly amputated after he developed cancer of the penis is suing an NHS trust for more than £300,000 over accusations doctors failed to uncover the disease.’  The newspaper carried our comment, (with the patient’s permission), that we were unable to comment in any detail “without the patient’s explicit consent”.

The story was also carried in the Metro (779,000 readers) and on the website of solicitors, Russell, Jones and Walker.

I donated a kidney to help my husband
Southend Standard – 40,000 readers – Thursday 16 Feb ‘12

‘A devoted wife took the old adage “marriage means sacrifice” to the extreme by giving one of her kidneys to save her husband.  Basildon Hospital nurse Rachel Crisp’s generosity means husband Graham, 50, won’t have to spend his life hooked up to a dialysis machine.  The mum, 41, underwent the transplant procedure at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel in December 2010’.

The story was also covered in the Brentwood Weekly News and Basildon Evening Echo and Pick Me Up magazine (10,000 readers).

Call the ‘real’ Midwife 
The One Show – 5m viewers - Wednesday 15 Feb ‘12

Barts and the London midwife Miriam Martin was the focus of a film about a day in the life of a 21 century midwife following the success of the new BBC One 1950s drama ‘Call the Midwife’. We set up filming of Miriam performing a range of duties, including cycling to visit new mums at home and carrying out post-natal appointments at the Barkantine Birth Centre.

Health trust merger bid wins support after new safeguards are drawn up
Newham Recorder – 10,000 readers – 15 Feb ‘12

' The Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP) has agreed safeguards to protect quality of service for patients following the proposed merger of Barts and The London NHS Trust, Newham University Hospital Trust and Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust ' .

The largely positive piece included a separate sidebar reporting that “health bosses at Newham, Barts and Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trusts have welcomed the CCP recommendation”.  It went on to quote Steve Ryan, Mike Gill and John Gills, jointly supporting the merger from a clinical point of view.  Also included was a positive quote from Dr Andy Mitchell, NHS London medical director and Peter Morris as Chief Executive in principle of the new Trust.

Nine NHS London trusts seek electronic record system for £400m
Computer Weekly – 135,000 readers – 15 Feb ‘12

‘An electronic patient record system and patient administration system worth up to £400m is sought in a collaborative tender between nine NHS trusts,’ (including Barts and The London NHS Trust) ' .

The story was also covered the same day in the Guardian (264,000 readers) and Computer World magazine (120,000 readers).

Bone gives some heart healing
BBC News website – 1.8m users – Wednesday 15 Feb ‘12

‘Bone marrow stem cell therapy offers "moderate improvement" to heart attack patients, according to a large UK review of clinical trials’.  The article added that Professor Anthony Mathur, from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, who is leading the UK’s largest stem cell therapy trial for heart attack victims, expected the results “quite quickly.”

New proposals to increase organ donations
Al Jazeera TV – 130 million homes – Wednesday 15 Feb ‘12

Following a BMA report into the need for more organ donors, we organised for Trust Nephrologist, Dr Martin Raftery, to do an interview with Al Jazeera in which he spoke about the different ways in which organ donation could be increased.  We also set up an interview with Royal London patient Tasleem Patel about how a heart and kidney transplant would transform her life.

New Royal London festival
East End Life – 70,000 readers - Monday 13 Feb ’12 

A special month long festival of music, dance, visual art and performance will mark the opening of the new Royal London Hospital on 1 March.  Bengali dancers, Bollywood music, a sound installation capturing the sounds of the African savannah and a poetry wall designed by patients are just some of the highlights of the Vital Arts festival.

NHS advisory panel reverses decision on London trusts merger
The Guardian -  264,000 circulation - Friday 10 February ‘12 

‘The merger of Barts and The London, Newham University Hospital and Whipps Cross University hospital trusts has been given the go-ahead by the Co-operation and Competition panel, despite the body’s previous concerns about the move’. 

The article carried the joint statement from our medical directors saying that the move would “improve the health of local residents, make services more accessible and raise the quality of care available in each hospital”.   

Patient fears as three hospitals set to merge
Evening Standard - 1m readers - Friday 10 February ‘12

“The merger of three London hospitals was given the go-ahead today despite concerns over the effect on patient care … but campaigners warned that hospital mergers would lead to closures.  Geoff Martin from London Health Emergency said:  ‘Mergers lead to closures.  It’s a finance driven merger. It will effectively impact on patient care at the end of the day.’” 

The newspaper did not contact us for a comment, but later agreed to carry our statement on its website, saying:  “The recommendation to merge came from clinicians wishing to improve care for patients”.

MP slams cancer treatments ‘lottery’
Hartlepool Mail – Friday 10 February ‘12

“Easington MP Grahame Morris has slammed the “shocking” difference in cancer treatments available in the north-east compared to London”.  The paper reported that one of his constituents is due to start cyberknife treatment shortly at Barts Cancer Centre.  Mr Morris told the paper: “Is it not a scandal that he has to travel 260 miles to do so?” 

Positive thinking for cancer patients
BBC Radio 4 World Service  Newshour programme - 24 million listeners - 9 February ‘12

BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight hosted a discussion about the merits of positive thinking for people who have been diagnosed with cancer.  The Trust’s Head of Nursing,  Cancer Services, Claire Murrell, who joined the studio panel, agreed there could be benefits, but warned against the risk of making things worse for patients who did not feel particularly positive.

CCP recommends biggest acute merger go ahead despite ‘reducing patient choice’
Health Service Journal - 80,000 circulation - Thursday 9 February ’12  

‘The Co-operation and Competition Panel has recommended England’s biggest hospital merger should be allowed to go ahead – but only because there is no alternative’.  

Whipps Cross:  NHS panel backs hospital merger
This is Local London - Wednesday 8 Feb ‘12

‘Whipps Cross Hospital has overcome a potential stumbling block in its bid to merge with two other health trusts.   The CCP is now recommending the merger goes ahead.  The Secretary of State for Health will make a final decision on the merger later this year’.

  

Revealed:  all but six of London’s non-FT hospital trusts unviable by 2014-2015
Health Service Journal - 80,000 circulation - Monday 6 February ‘12

‘Only six of London’s 18 non-foundation hospital trusts will be viable in their current form in 2014-2015’.  The HSJ reported that the Sustainable and Financially Effective (SAFE) review showed that the Barts and The London would ‘slip into the red’  by 2014-2015.   The journal did not contact us for a comment.

The BBC One Sunday evening series, Call The Midwife, has prompted a lot of positive coverage for the Trust and The Barkantine Birth Centre.  The programme features on the lives of midwives in Poplar during the fifties and many media have been in touch to talk to their present-day counterparts working at the Barkantine Centre and The Royal London.  We set up the following coverage:

The Daily Mirror – 1.1m readers - Saturday 4 Feb ’12         

We set up a shadow-shift for the journalist who followed another midwife, Amelia Carroll, for the day.  The resulting double-page picture spread referred to the high standard of facilities at the Barkantine and The Royal London.  It included positive feedback from new parents about the “incredible” care they received from Barkantine Centre staff.

The BBC’s The One Show is filming with our midwives today at the Barkantine and we’ll keep you posted about a broadcast date.    

Whipps Cross:  Key report on hospital merger due
Waltham Forest News – 12,000 readers - 6 Feb ‘12

An NHS advisory body is set to publish its final verdict on a proposed merger between Whipps Cross Hospital and two other health trusts – Barts and The London and Newham University Hospital - after previously criticising the plan.

Social workers took my baby over ‘abuse’.  I believe she has brittle bones
Sunday Express – 500,000 readers – Sunday 5 February ‘12

A mother accused of abusing her baby hopes new medical evidence will reunite her with her child who is in care after it was deemed that her injuries were intentionally caused.  The article quoted Trust consultant Dr Jeremy Allgrove who backed the parents’ belief that their child’s multiple fractures were caused by rickets, rather than abuse.  He said:  “I have seen Vitamin D-deficiency rickets, albeit very rarely, in white-skinned children”.

Twelve London hospital trusts ‘not financially viable’
BBC News London website – 3 February ‘12

Only six out of 18 hospital trusts in London trying to gain Foundation Trust status would be “financially viable” in three years an NHS London study found.  The article, which was referring to the “Sustainable and Financially Effective” (Safe) report, added that our Trust “would need more than three years to be viable”.

Hospital plans criticised over lack of shop for patients
East London Advertiser – 12,000 readers - 2 February ‘12  

‘Hospital chiefs who decided the layout of the new Royal London have come under attack for not incorporating a shop into the plans’.  The article included our statement explaining that a trolley service, selling many items, was available to inpatients, and there was also the shop in the outpatients department.

Air ambulance executive director has high ambitions to step up fundraising
East London Advertiser – 12,000 readers – 2 February ‘12

‘The new executive director of London’s Air Ambulance has urged Canary Wharf firms to help fund a second aircraft in time for this summer’s Olympics.  Dr Julian Thompson, who was appointed last month, said:  “London has just one helicopter to attend 2,000 trauma victims every year, compared with other world cities with smaller populations that have up to five helicopters”.’  

BBC London Radio 94.9 – 500,000 listeners - DVT death

The Trust was mentioned in a brief report about a settlement reached with the family of a man who died from undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis.