Daily Mail  – circulation 2m  –  3 May ‘11
The £20 blood test that could have shown my bloating was cancer

A woman whose ovarian cancer was diagnosed by GPs too late for her to avoid a full hysterectomy praised the care she received at The Royal London where she eventually referred herself as an emergency and was subsequently treated.

Daily Mirror – circulation 1.1m – 3 May ‘11
Why the NHS is more in sickness than in health

The piece reported that NHS cutbacks would be “at least 50% higher than the £20billion already imposed.”  It said that the cuts meant more lost jobs and reduced services to patients.  It then listed the salaries of NHS Chief Executives whose Trusts are at the forefront of the jobs cull, including our own.

Public Service. co.uk website – 3 May ‘11
650 NHS heads “paid more than the PM”

Following up on similar reports last week, the website reported that 650 NHS Chief managers in England were paid more than the Prime Minister, including our Trust Chief Executive.

Childhood Eye Cancer 

Last week was Childhood Eye Cancer Week and, as one of only two Trusts in the UK capable of treating the condition, we received many interview requests for our experts, including Consultant Opthalmologist, Ashwin Reddy.

The following outlets carried substantial interviews with Ashwin, explaining how to spot the condition and what treatment is necessary, with the following media outlets:    ITV London Tonight – viewers 200,000 – 2 minute news package;  BBC News online – 14m unique users a week

7/7 Inquest and Findings – Friday 6 May

The story dominated Friday’s news coverage following Lady Justice Hallet’s delivery of the verdicts and findings.  We set up an interview for ITV London Tonight  - 200,000 viewers - with Trauma Consultant Alastair Wilson.  He spoke about the medical improvements that would make a difference in the event of another similar major incident.  They included:  more dustmasks, a better, single triaging system,  and better communication with the emergency services underground.

The Sky News website, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mail and The Times were among the media outlets which carried the inquest recommendations including that:

• our Trust should work with London Ambulance Service to review multi-casual triage and
• there should be a full-scale review of how the London Air Ambulance is funded

The Daily Telegraph – circulation 631,000 – Monday 9 May
Caught early, the cancer in a baby’s eye

The paper ran a lengthy feature on six month-old Darcey Fryer-Bovill who was successfully treated for eye cancer at The Royal London Hospital by Consultant Eye Surgeon, Ashwin Reddy.  We set up an interview with Mr Reddy who explained, in detail, the treatment Darcey required and the importance of spotting the symptoms.  He stressed:  “If you can increase parental awareness, you can pick up the cancer earlier, so we may be able to save a child’s eye”.  

The Guardian  – circulation 265,000 – Tuesday 10 May
NHS chiefs’ pay up by 2.5% despite cuts

The paper reported that new research has found that 69% of medical directors of NHS organisations received packages worth more than £150,000.  The newspaper listed the hospitals with the four highest-earning chief executives as Guys, UCLH, Barts and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

Evening Standard – circulation 700,000 – Tuesday 10 May
Three London hospital  chiefs earn salaries of £260,000 plus

The paper reported that bosses at three London hospital trusts are the highest paid NHS managers in the country with salaries of at least £260,000.  The paper went on to name Sir Ron Kerr at Guys, Sir Robert Naylor at UCLH and our Trust’s chief executive adding that we are “to axe 635 positions”. 

Top News – New Zealand website – Tuesday 10 May
Basic pay of NHS chiefs up by 4.5% despite cuts

The website reported that pay analysts,  Incomes Data Services, showed the average pay “of seven out of 10 medical directors in England was £150,000”.

The Daily Telegraph – circulation 631,000 – Tuesday 10 May
NHS pay: bosses ignore calls to curb pay rises

The paper reported that health service chief executives have seen pay jump to almost £160,000 despite calls for restraint.   It said the Coalition’s health reforms could drive up managers’ pay further by giving executives more control over salaries and that health service chiefs “had routinely ignored pay guidance”.  The paper listed the salaries of three chief executives including Guys', UCLH's and Barts'.  

‘Hospitals face £665,000 fines for putting men and women on same wards
Daily Telegraph – 630,000 - Monday 19 May 2011

‘More than 2,500 patients suffered the indignity of sleeping in beds near members of the opposite sex or being forced to share bathroom facilities with them last month …   Barts and The London NHS Trust, which runs three hospitals, faces the highest individual penalty of £108,250 after reporting 433 breaches.  Earlier this year, it announced plans to cut more than 600 posts as part of efficiency savings.’

The newspaper did not contact us for our statement. 

‘Hospital beds go in in NHS efficiency drive, memo reveals’
Daily Telegraph – 630,000 - Monday 19 May 2011

‘England’s biggest hospital trusts are cutting up to 10% of their beds as NHS managers try to meet tough efficiency targets.  Some are reducing bed numbers by more than 100, while also cutting headcounts to reduce their pay bills …. Barts and The London NHS Trust, which hopes to make savings worth £42 million, expects to lose 100 beds over two years.’

The newspaper did not contact us for a response.

‘Dramatic’ fall in NHS mixed-sex accommodation
Health Insurance and Protection website – Tuesday 24 May ‘11

‘The NHS is celebrating a significant reduction in the number of patients staying in mixed sex accommodation.  But some hospitals are continuing to breach the ban. Barts and The London NHS Trust reported a breach rate of 51.3 compared to a national average of 1.9’.  No approach made for our statement.

‘Death in custody’ family plan march on Limehouse police station
East London Advertiser - Tuesday 24 May ’11 – circulation 24,000

‘The family of Michael Sweeney, the 38-year-old scaffolder who died in police custody in hospital handcuffed to a trolley, plan a march on Limehouse police station in London’s East End’.

This story has received extensive coverage and updates in The East London Advertiser.  The focus has been the IPCC investigation following complaints from Mr Sweeney’s family that he was “cuffed to a hospital trolley face down with seven officers on top of him”.  

Hospital thief stole wedding ring of sick widow
Evening Standard - circulation 700.000 – Monday 23 May ’11
‘A grandmother says her wedding ring was stolen from her finger while she was fighting for her life in hospital.’

The paper ran part of our statement saying we were ”very concerned to learn of the disappearance of the rings and wheelchair and apologised for the distress concerned’.  

Channel Five News - audience 700,000 – Friday 27 May ‘11

We set up an interview with Consultant Paediatrician Fathima Mahomed from the Children’s Hospital about the tenfold increase in the number of measles cases.  She explained the need for immunisation and the potential serious consequences of the disease, including brain damage.

Sky News – audience 200,000 – Thursday 26 May ’11

The daughter-in-law of an elderly patient gave an interview in which she described how her mother-in-law was regularly left untended, and without food or water while receiving treatment at The Royal London.  We issued a statement in which we expressed concern and promised to contact the family to investigate – a process which is now underway. 

Specialist nurses boost care for lung cancer patients
Nursing Times – circulation 31,000 – Tuesday 24 May ‘11

‘Lung cancer patients who see a specialist cancer nurse are more than twice as likely to receive active treatment for the disease as those who do not, a major study has shown’.

The report said that there was a six-fold difference in the proportion of lung cancer patients receiving potentially life-saving surgery – with 31.4% at Barts and The London NHS Trust compared with just 5.3% of patients at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

The Socialist Party – Wednesday 25 May ‘11
NHS demo in London needs to be a step towards united national strike action

‘Two thousand people marched with London ‘Keep Our NHS Public’ on Tuesday 17 May.  Several NHS trusts across London have announced big cuts.  For example, Barts hospital and the London hospital in the East End plan to cut 635 jobs’.

Brentwood woman battles cancer twice to fence in European contest  
London24 website – Friday 27 May ‘11

‘A Shenfield woman who has battled breast cancer twice, will be competing in a fencing European championship next week – exactly a year after being diagnosed with the disease’.

The paper said Mariette Mason was now fundraising for Barts and Macmillan Cancer Support.  She described staff from both as:  “a source of invaluable advice, sensitive support, guidance and comfort  …. Raising money for these two fantastic organisations is a way of saying a very sincere thank you”.