‘Gang culture being tackled by pioneering project involving medic describing the traumatic and life-changing injuries inflicted by young teenagers.’
Docklands and East London Advertiser – 12,000 – Thursday 24 November ‘11

The newspaper ran a double-page picture spread about Dr Bew, describing his work talking to young people about the myths and realities of gang violence. 

Click on following link to read the piece on pages 16/17:  http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=8k1ZE03acB05&PBID=9818a089-581b-4a32-aca3-057ae08b1168&skip

Ten trusts identified for surgery failures
Health Service Journal – 70,000 readers - 24 November ’11

The hospital trusts which do not follow evidence-based processes for fast recovery from surgery have been named by Dr Foster Intelligence.  The company asked all trusts whether they followed seven processes which make up the “rapid recovery pathway” which has been demonstrated to reduce length of stay and improve care. Our Trust was listed as one of ten which does not. We were not approached for a comment by the HSJ.  

ICU Psychosis
BBC Radio 4 – You and Yours – Thursday 24 November ‘11

Intensive care consultant, Dr Gerlinde Mandersloot, appeared on the programme to discuss ICU psychosis – a recognised, but little-discussed medical condition affecting patients in intensive care.  The symptoms include vivid and terrifying hallucinations which often continue for many days.  She was commenting on the case of Times columnist David Aaronovitch, who wrote about his own recent experience during a week in intensive care.  Dr Mandersloot explained that people were often “petrified” to discuss the condition, once recovered, because of the mental illness connotations.   

Campaigning mum says babies’ lives put at risk under government plans to cut neonatal services
Newham Recorder – 10,000 readers – 23 November ‘11

‘A Canning Town mother is campaigning against frontline cuts to nurses who look after special care babies after her son had to be transferred to a different hospital for nearly two months to receive appropriate care.’

Vicky Gray gave birth in Newham General, but her son had to be transferred to The Royal London as Newham didn’t have the facilities to care for him.  She said she wanted to make the government aware “that they are putting babies’ lives at risk due to cuts in neonatal services”.

Dr Steve Ryan on proposed NHS trust merger
East  London Lines – 23 November ‘11

The website carried an audio interview with Steve, in which he talked extensively about the clinical benefits of merging with Newham and Whipps Cross.  He stressed that patients’ interests would always be the driving force behind any changes to services, rather than cutting costs. 

Click on following link to listen to full interview:  http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2011/11/steve-ryan-on-proposed-nhs-trust-merger/

NICE guidelines on caesarean births

• ITN Lunchtime and Early Evening News at 6.30pm – 2m viewers – Wednesday 23 November ’11
• Five News – 5pm and 7pm bulletins – 400,000 viewers – Wednesday 23 November ’11

It was reported that new NICE guidelines would make it easier for women in England and Wales to choose to have a Caesarean section, rather than a natural delivery.  We organised access to our maternity unit and to Consultant Midwife, Ali Herron, who explained that the Trust already adhered to the guidelines.  She said our priority was always to give women the right help and support to make a fully-informed decision about what was best for them and their baby.

‘People can bleed to death seconds after being stabbed’
East End Life – 70,000 readers – Monday 21 November

‘Trauma surgeon, Duncan Bew, has spoken out to teenagers about the dangers of knife crime, warning how a wounded person can bleed to death within seconds ….  The surgeon, who is based at The Royal London in Whitechapel, is involved in developing a schools programme about the myths and realities of gang violence’.

Daily Telegraph – 630,000 - 17 November ‘11
Patients treated on mixed sex wards ‘on the rise’

‘The number of patients being treated on mixed sex wards has increased for the first time since the practice was banned last year, new data has revealed.  It is the first time there has been a rise since December when it was announced hospitals would be fined for each breach’.  The newspaper reported 288 breaches at the Trust.

UK trials for new blood transfusion protocols
BBC News website – 70m users – 17 Nov ‘11

“Clinical trials are underway in the UK of new blood transfusion procedures for patients with traumatic injuries.”   We put the BBC in touch with Trauma Surgeon, Professor Karim Brohi, to talk about the promising initial results of trials he is conducting into the best way of stopping bleeding in trauma patients.  Air Ambulance Lead Clinician, Dr Anne Weaver, also explained the new Code Red system, designed to ensure exactly the right blood products are ready and waiting the moment the air ambulance touches down with trauma patients.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15741800
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15787730

Free wi-fi ‘would calm down A&E patients’
Daily Telegraph – 650,000 readers – 16 Nov ‘11

‘Offering patients free wi-fi in accident and emergency waiting rooms would cut the number of aggressive and violent incidents, say designers’.  The article, about a Design Council project to re-design A&Es at three hospital sites, included a comment from Trust A&E consultant, Dr David Wise.  He told the newspaper: “Violence and aggression is tolerated in A&E because it has become the norm, and is therefore perceived by some as being just part of the tapestry.  The Design Council project has brought new eyes and minds to the issue.”

Death rates in East End hospitals lowest in England
East London Advertiser – 7,000 readers – 15 Nov ‘11

‘Patients have more chance of surviving after an accident or serious illness in the East End than almost anywhere else as its hospitals have just been named the second safest in England. New NHS figures show mortality rates at The Royal London, Barts and the London Chest hospitals are lower than every other trust in the country apart from the Whittington hospital trust in north London. The result is even more remarkable for Barts and the London because it is a trauma centre which means that patients who have life-threatening injuries are often rushed to its hospitals’.

Click on the following link to read the full photo feature on page 9: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=8k1ZE03acB05&PBID=9818a089-581b-4a32-aca3-057ae08b1168&skip

Cardiac cells ‘heal heart damage’
BBC News – 70 million users – 14 Nov ‘11

Stem cells taken from a patient’s own heart have, for the first time, been used to repair damaged heart tissue, researchers claim.  Professor Anthony Mathur, from the London Chest, commented:  “Caveats very much apply.  It’s a phase one trial so while the early results are great and promising, they need to design a big study to see if the results translate.”  The piece referred to the fact that Prof Mathur is already conducting large randomised clinical trials.

A piece also ran in the New Scientist, in which Professor Mathur was quoted.

Improving patient safety through junior doctor forums
BMJ – 1.6m users monthly - 12 Nov ‘11

Royal London junior doctor Caroline Dodson spoke of her role as a BMJ forum member in enabling junior doctors to meet senior Trust management soon after starting work in order to understand the organisation’s structure and to break down barriers.  She said:  “I wanted an idea of who they were personally, as well as an overview of managerial structure and trust issues.”

Barts and The London and Lord Mayor’s Parade
BBC One –– 2m viewers – Saturday 12 Nov

The Trust was well-represented with staff from the Cancer Centre and the Air Ambulance manning floats during the parade.  Barts and The London Charity is the lead charity to benefit from the Lord Mayor's 2012 Appeal and will be raising money for our Trauma Centre.  Air Ambulance paramedic, Steve Jones was interviewed about the service’s vital role.   

Super-trust ‘will bring benefits to patients’
East End Life – 70,000 readers – Friday 11 Nov

‘A huge transformation in the way healthcare is delivered is underway as three of east London’s NHS trusts get set to merge…. The merger will bring considerable benefits, we want constant improvement in the quality of care we can provide across all three sites,” Dr Steve Ryan, medical director of Barts and The London NHS Trust told East End Life’.

Early action key to speech success
East End Life – 70,000 readers – Friday 11 Nov

‘Speech and language therapists from Barts and The London NHS Trust are calling for earlier treatment of youngsters with communication difficulties to avoid the risk of them failing at school and falling into a life of crime.’   The newspaper devoted an entire column to the work done by acting head of children’s speech and language therapy, Corinne Moffatt and her team.  

11/11/11 Babies
ITV Daybreak – 700,000 viewers – Friday 11 Nov

The ITV morning show focused on the once-in-a-century birth date of 11/11/11 and we invited them to visit our maternity unit that morning.  They interviewed mum, Katie Hughes, who’d just missed the landmark date, having given birth the previous day.  They also spoke to Senior Midwife Alice Chinyama about how many babies were due to be born that day.     

World’s oldest orchestra visits Barts Cancer Centre
East London Advertiser – 7,000 readers – Thursday 10 Nov

‘Members of Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzia visited cancer patients at Barts Hospital as part of the Trust’s therapeutic arts programme’.  The visit, organised by the Trust’s Vital Arts charity, was welcomed by senior radiographer Anne NauthMisr who explained how evidence showed that music could help patients become less anxious, allowing their bodies to respond more positively to treatment’.

Small c television report
Channel S TV – Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 Nov

We set up elements for a three minute-long pre-recorded news package about the small c campaign and its importance.  Consultant Surgeon Shafi Ahmed outlined the campaign messages in full, while a former patient spoke about his successful treatment for lung cancer thanks to his own vigilance and early diagnosis.

Proposals could be approved by next May
Newham Recorder – 10,000 readers – Thursday 10 Nov

‘A proposed merger between Newham, Whipps Cross and Barts hospitals will deliver “better quality, better care” as well as better access to local services according to Mike Gill.   He added:  “The principles that apply to the merger are:  localise where possible, centralise where necessary based on patient need or safety’.  

Small c campaign - how early diagnosis saves lives
Channel S TV – 500,000 viewers – most viewed Bengali TV station in UK -Wednesday 9 Nov

We organised guests for the above discussion which covered all the key messages of our small c campaign.  Barts and The London Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nahar Khalisadar and local GP Dr Liliana Risi both reinforced the need for people to be aware of possible cancer symptoms and consult their GP promptly.

Wards safe as Barts’ merger with two hospital is revealed
East London Advertiser – 12,000 readers – Thursday 3 Nov ‘11

Three east London hospital trusts are to be merged to create the biggest NHS health body in England and Wales, it was announced yesterday. But the merger of Barts and The London with Whipps Cross is “not about closing beds”, a medical diretor has insisted. Dr Steve Ryan said there are no immediate plans to shut any wards and that patients should not expect to be sent further away for uncomplicated treatment.

Click on the following link via browser and go to page 7:  http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=8k1ZE03acB05&PBID=9818a089-581b-4a32-aca3-057ae08b1168&skip

Jigsaw Man – docs fix skull shattered into 30 pieces
The Sun – 2.7m readers – Wednesday 2 Nov ‘11

“A student left for dead by a hit and run driver recovered after surgeons rebuilt his skull –that was shattered into 30 pieces. Leading surgeon Simon Holmes last night described the five-hour operation on Jack Martindale at The Royal London Hospital as ‘a bit of a jigsaw puzzle’. Jack said: “I am eternally grateful to everyone who has helped me. The care I had was incredible”.

There was widespread pick-up of the story following the piece in the Sun and Simon Holmes did a series of live and pre-recorded interviews which were broadcast on the following media outlets:

• BBC Radio Five Live Drive – 6m listeners weekly - Wed 2 Nov ‘11
• BBC London 94.9 – 474,000 listeners - Thursday 3 Nov ‘11
• BBC Breakfast (Television) – 1m viewers – Thursday 3 Nov ‘11

Jack used the interview to thank staff at The Royal London, specifically mentioning Lorna Stanton and her team on Harrison Ward

• BBC Radio Five Live Breakfast show – 500,000 listeners – Thursday 3 Nov ‘11
• BBC Radio York – 94,000 listeners - Thursday 3 Nov ‘11
• Channel Five News (television) – 400,000 viewers - Thursday 3 Nov ‘11

There was further coverage in the following print media

 

• Evening Standard – 700,000 readers - Wed 2 Nov ‘11
• Fox News website – Wed 2 Nov ‘11
• York Press – Thursday 3 Nov ‘11

 

 

Fourteen Trusts rated worst by first official hospital death rate
Health Service Journal – 70,000 readers – 27 October ‘11

The main focus of the piece was the worst-rated Trusts, but it also carried details of the best Trusts including Barts, which was mentioned as having the second best mortality rate in the NHS.

 

Musical interlude for cancer patients

The world’s oldest symphony orchestra - The Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig – performed in waiting areas and treatment lounges at Barts Cancer Centre as part of a music programme organised by Vital Arts, the charitable arts organisation for Barts and The London NHS Trust, in partnership with the Barbican Centre.

Coverage of the concerts included:

BBC London Radio 94.9 - Breakfast Show – 300,000 listeners

Lead Therapy Radiographer, Anne Nauthmisr, was interviewed live about the initiative

LBC Radio – weekly audience 705,000

Heart Radio – weekly audience 7.7m

Classic FM – weekly audience 6.1m

 

Hospital trust faces £10k fine over mixed-sex wards
Sutton Guardian – 12,000 readers – 3 November ‘11

Epsom and St Helier Hospital Trust was the focus of the piece, but the Trust was mentioned as topping the chart for mixed-sex breaches with 260 instances.

 

Will Bigger Be Better?
Health Service Journal – 70,000 readers – 3 November ‘11

The article looked at the future of pathology and commented that it seems to lie in larger efficient hubs. It reported that Professor Adrian Newland, director of the pathology clinical academic unit at Barts and The London NHS Trust, said a panel had looked at provision and concluded that 27 laboratories in the capital were too many.