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Couples urged to check health this Valentine's Day

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A couple who fell in love after surviving cancer are encouraging people to check the health of their partners this Valentine’s Day in a bid to boost cancer survival rates.

Rita Middleditch and her partner Graham said the most romantic day of the year was perfect timing for people to discuss their health.

Rita said: “I was fortunate enough to survive breast cancer before meeting Graham, who’d been successfully treated for throat cancer, four years ago.

“Once you’ve been sick, you never take your health for granted again so we are both vigilant about our wellbeing and check in with each other regularly to make sure everything is ok.

“People need to visit their GP if they have a symptom or concern that just won’t go away, like a cough that lasts for longer than three weeks or a swelling under your breast or arm.”

Rita is an ambassador for the ‘small c’ NHS health campaign aims to save thousands of lives annually through early cancer detection. It’s been proven that most cancers can be successfully treated if caught when they are small.

The first phase of the campaign is targeting breast and lung cancer, the two most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer, affecting almost 90,000 people a year in the UK.

Rita said: “It may not be the traditional Valentine’s present that springs to mind, but an honest conversation and health check with your partner is just as thoughtful as a bouquet of roses or diamond ring.

“It could save your life which is the best present of all to give a loved one.”

Barts and The London NHS Trust Consultant Clinical Oncologist Paula Wells echoed the calls for people to visit their GP if they detected a worrying sign or symptom.

“It’s very easy for people to become so caught up with life that it’s tempting to ignore concerns because you’re too busy to visit your GP.

“However, the longer you leave it, the longer it has to potentially develop into something that is much harder to treat.

“Visiting your GP straight away helps catch serious diseases like cancer when it’s small and easier to treat”.

Symptoms to watch out for while spending time with your loved one this Valentine’s Day include:

For breast cancer:
•   Lump which may not be seen but can be felt
•   Changes in skin texture e.g. dimpling/puckering
•   Changes in appearance or direction of nipple
•   Nipple discharge
•   Rash or crusting

For lung cancer:
•   A cough for more than three weeks or if a cough has changed or got worse
•   Shortness of breath
•   Coughing up phlegm with blood in it
•   Hoarse voice
•   Unexplained weight loss

If people spot any of the following symptoms they should visit their GP without delay:

                                                                         - ENDS -

Notes to editors

The ‘small c’ campaign
The ‘small c’ campaign is alerting people to the warning signs of cancer and the need to go to the doctor without delay. Spotting cancer early saves lives, and the ‘small c’ campaign is designed to help people recognise symptoms when the cancer is still small and more vulnerable to treatment. Research shows that up to 10,000 deaths in the UK each year could be avoided, primarily through earlier diagnosis when the disease can be treated more successfully.

The first phase of the campaign is targeting breast and lung cancer, the two most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer, affecting almost 90,000 people a year in the UK.

The first phase of the campaign is being funded by the Department of Health through the National Awareness and Early diagnosis Initiative. The initiative is a partnership between NHS East London and the City, NHS Waltham Forest, Barts and The London NHS Trust and the North East London Cancer Network.   Other partners are Barts Cancer Centre, Homerton, Newham and Whipps Cross University Hospitals, as well as local GPs, pharmacists and community groups.

Visit www.smallc.org.uk for more information.

Barts and The London is one of Britain’s top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life – to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives. Barts and the London is preparing to merge with Newham and Whipps Cross University Hospitals to create the biggest Trust in the NHS that would bring multiple benefits to patients by sharing the best of the talent, technology and facilities across the three trusts. Subject to a final approvals process, the new trust would become operational from 1 April 2012.

Temporary Paediatric Phlebotomy and Labour Ward Closures during moves into new Royal London Hospital

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

As a result of the ongoing relocation of services into the new Royal London Hospital, a number of short-term temporary service closures will be needed on the days the moves take place. Please note the following two closures:

Paediatric Phlebotomy Services – closed at 1pm on Thursday 9 February 2012

The Paediatric Phlebotomy Service on the 1st Floor, Fielden House at The Royal London Hospital will close at 1pm on Thursday 9 February 2012.

The service will re-open at 9am on Monday 13 February 2012 in Clinic 4, Paediatric Outpatients’ Services, 7th Floor, North Tower, in the new Royal London Hospital.

There will be no paediatric phlebotomy services available in the afternoon of Thursday 9 February and all day on Friday 10 February during the move.

The opening times for the Paediatric Phlebotomy Service (now and in its new location) are Monday-Friday, 9am-4.30pm.

The service will continue to be offered, as it is currently, on a drop-in basis (no booking necessary).

If you have any queries about the temporary closure, please contact Cynthia Grant, Phlebotomy Manager, on tel 020 7943 1397.

Labour Ward – closed from 6am on Thursday 23 February to 6am on Friday 24 February 2012

The Royal London Hospital labour ward (also known as Marie Celeste) will close at 6am on Thursday 23 February 2012 and re-open at 6am on Friday 24 February in our Delivery Suite in the new hospital building on the 6th floor. There will be no operational labour ward at The Royal London Hospital during this 24-hour period.

While our labour ward is closed, the maternity unit at Newham University Hospital will accept all our women in labour.

During the closure period, expectant mothers who:

think they are in labour
have heavy bleeding

should call Newham University Hospital on 020 7363 8765 for the midwife to organise their admission. Directions to Newham University Hospital can be found on the Newham University Hospital NHS Trust website at: http://www.newhamuniversityhospital.nhs.uk/main.cfm?type=HOWTOGET#NewhamGeneralHospital

All women who would be 36 weeks and over in the week beginning Monday 20 February and registered to have their baby with Barts and The London Maternity Service have been contacted about the closure period. Information is also being handed out at relevant clinics, MFAU, Triage and Children’s Centres. A flyer is available on the Trust website, with full details of all moves taking place as part of the maternity unit relocation into the Women’s Centre in the new building from Monday 20 February 2012.

If you have any concerns or queries about the temporary labour ward closure, please contact Carol Murray, Senior Midwife, by email to Carol.Murray@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Biochemistry reference range harmonisation and result action limits

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Clinical Biochemistry Department has reviewed its telephone action limits for markedly abnormal biochemistry results in adults and paediatrics, in order to reduce the number of unnecessary calls to its users. These changes will align Barts and The London with the Royal College of Pathologists recommendations for out of hours reporting of urgent laboratory results to primary care¹.

The department has also altered some of its adult reference ranges, in order to align its practice with the recommendations of Pathology Harmony², an initiative to increase comparability of pathology results between laboratories. The recommendations implemented by the laboratory are endorsed by the Royal College of Pathologists and other professional associations. National harmonisation of units and reference ranges facilitates comparability of results between centres, aiding interpretation and patient care and safety. Standardisation of reference ranges, test names and units reduces the risk of errors and mismanagement, especially with junior doctors, but also patients, moving so frequently between services. Note that only adult reference ranges have been harmonised, and there are currently no changes to paediatric reference ranges.

The table here gives the new harmonised reference ranges (adults only) and the updated phoning limits for primary care. These changes will come into effect from 1 February 2012.

Please note the change in valproate units, meaning that all reported values will change by a factor of approximately seven, and the units for phenobarbitone – to convert to the old units, please multiply by 4.31 (see table).

If you have any queries, please contact Dr Fiona Riddoch PhD DipRCPath, Principal Clinical Biochemist, on 020 324 60263 or at fiona.riddoch@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or the duty biochemist (bleep 1221) for further information.

References

Out-of-hours reporting of laboratory results requiring urgent clinical action to primary care: Advice to pathologists and those that work in laboratory medicine, Dr Danielle Freedman, of behalf of the College’s Specialty Advisory Committee on Clinical Biochemistry, November 2010
Harmonisation of Reference Intervals, Pathology Harmony Group, Clinical Biochemistry Outcomes, January 2011.

New integrated service for patients receiving non-surgical lower back pain care

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In line with feedback from GPs and patients, we are making some improvements to the Barts and The London Orthopaedic Spinal Service. A new integrated service combining the two separate services that previously provided non-surgical lower back pain care has been devised and will come into effect from February this year.

The new Non-surgical Spinal Pain Service is interdisciplinary in nature (as supported by several guidelines and professional bodies) and consists of a team of doctors (pain, orthopaedic and rheumatology), physiotherapists, nurses and psychologists, all of whom specialise in spinal pain. It aims to ensure that patients see the most appropriate clinician at the appropriate time.

Outcomes may include investigation, help with medication, spinal injection, a course of treatment with one of our therapists or joining a group for a course of exercise and education sessions.

The ultimate aim will be to give patients the support they need to manage their own condition.

Advantages

For patients

Appropriate care from the first visit
No confused messages from different clinicians
No duplication of treatment and services

For referrers

Ease of access
Bookable via Choose and Book (Non Surgical Spinal Pain Clinic). This will be piloted in two GP practices prior to roll-out.
Service based on guidelines NICE, BPS, reports from other providers

The Orthopaedic Spinal Service will shortly be writing to patients currently on a spinal orthopaedic non-surgical pathway to inform them of the changes in the way the service will be delivered. If you or your patients would like any more information about the changes or would like to discuss them with the department, please feel free to contact Matthew Hardwick, General Manager, Musculoskeletal & Anaesthesia CAUs, at matthew.hardwick@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or Jayne Gallagher, Lead Pain Consultant, at jayne.gallagher@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or on tel 020 7377 7000 ext 3082.

More GP visits to stop cancer spread in new year

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and The London Consultant Oncologist Dr Thomas Powles has urged thousands of Britons to make a New Year’s resolution they can actually keep and visit their GP in 2012, as part of the ‘small c’ campaign to boost cancer survival rates.

His message was issued in a press release to the media about the importance of making health a priority in the coming 12 months, which gained coverage in East End Life and on LBC Radio, BBC Radio London 94.9, and BBC London Television.

Dr Powles suggested people make it a New Year resolution to make an appointment to see their GP in 2012 if they spot any possible cancer symptoms. He said this simple action would be much easier for many people to keep than more conventional resolutions such as losing weight or giving up smoking.

He said: “Visiting your GP if you have a niggling health issue like a cough that lasts for longer than three weeks or a rash on your breast is easy to arrange and helps catch serious diseases like cancer when it’s small and easier to treat”.

The ‘small c’ campaign, launched last summer to help local residents in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham and Waltham Forest, aims to save thousands of lives annually through early cancer detection. It’s been proven that most cancers can be successfully treated if caught when they are small.

The first phase of the campaign is targeting breast and lung cancer, the two most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer, affecting almost 90,000 people a year in the UK.

Dr Powles said: “The earlier cancer is spotted, the better the survival rate. The majority of cancers cause symptoms in people that can easily be checked out at their local GP.

“It’s very common for people to feel silly about visiting their doctor simply because they have a hoarse voice or a shortness of breath but these are common symptoms of lung cancer.

“This kind of New Year’s resolution could just save your life in 2012.”

Information for GPs
Resource packs containing campaign materials were distributed to all GP practices across the four boroughs at the start of the campaign. The packs also contain copies of local referral guidelines for suspected lung and breast cancers, which all GPs are asked to follow. These are also available on the small c website, which contains a dedicated section for healthcare professionals, at www.smallc.org.uk/health-professionals/referral-advice

Public health strategists in each area have been working closely with participating practices to involve GPs and practice nurses in the campaign. It is expected that you will see an increase in the number of patients presenting with suspected lung and breast cancer symptoms as a result of the continuing campaign. Please also acknowledge any patient referrals to the campaign, and reference any campaign materials they may bring with them.

Further information
For more details about how the campaign is running in your area, please contact your local public health strategist:

Tower Hamlets - Judith Shankleman email: Judith.Shankleman@thpct.nhs.uk
City and Hackney – Anna Garner email: Anna.Garner@chpct.nhs.uk
Waltham Forest – Yaccub Enum email: Yaccub.Enum@wf-pct.nhs.uk
Newham – Sarojini Ariyanayagam email: Sarojini.Ariyanayagam@newhampct.nhs.uk

An opportunity to tell us what you think

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

You will shortly be receiving an email with a link through to an online survey. The survey, which will take no more than 10 minutes to complete, is being conducted on behalf of the Board of Barts and The London NHS Trust, and will ask for your views on how we can improve our services for you and your patients.

Your views are important to us, and as with previous surveys, your comments will help us to shape the services we deliver in the future.

If you have not received an email, can you please contact Mark Mann, Communications Department, on 020 7480 4837 or email mark.mann@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

New 'How to refer to us' page on Trust website

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A new How to refer to us page has been developed on the ‘For clinicians’ section of the Barts and The London website, to provide clear directions for clinicians on how to refer patients to services at the Trust.

Depending on the urgency, and in some cases the specialty, there are different routes to follow for referring patients, as outlined in the referral routes flowchart provided. The preferred method is Choose and Book. Therefore, wherever possible, to ensure your referral is dealt with swiftly, please use Choose and Book. However, for urgent cancer referrals, written referrals and dental referrals, you should click on the relevant links on the page. For the few remaining ‘exception’ services, guidance on where to send your referrals is provided.

The new page complements the recently launched How to contact us page which lists the full range of contact options available for GPs and other clinicians considering referring patients to us, but who require advice – both urgent and non-urgent – before doing so.

To access the new 'How to refer to us' page, please go to www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-refer-to-us

To access the new ‘How to contact us’ page, please go to www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-contact-us

Outpatient improvement programme update

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Our programme to transform the experience of patients attending outpatient appointments in our hospitals continues to make good progress, with many tangible improvements in place and more expected in the coming months.

Launched a year ago, the programme aims to tackle head on areas of concern raised by GPs, patients and other stakeholders.

The programme is underpinned by 24 standards that define the level of service that patients can expect at each stage in their pathway – from making an appointment, their time in the clinic itself, through to discharge and follow-up with their GP.

These standards were developed by listening to what our GPs and patients have said was needed to deliver a more responsive service, consistently across the Trust.

As a number of outpatient (and inpatient) services move into the new hospital at The Royal London, we will be monitoring our performance closely to ensure that we continue to meet the standards. This will be followed by a review of the standards to ensure continuous improvement in our outpatient services.

Highlights of the programme to date include:

Improved facilities

Refurbishment to the entrances, reception and transport areas of the Outpatients building at The Royal London is now complete, giving patients a more modern and pleasant environment in which to wait for their appointments.

A number of outpatient (and inpatient) services have moved or will be moving to the state-of-the-art facilities in the new building at The Royal London, where patients will benefit from an exceptional environment for the delivery of their care.

Appointment reminders

More and more patients are receiving text reminders to help them remember their appointments. If the appointment is no longer needed or is not convenient, patients can respond to the text and a member of our Central Appointments Office will call them back.

Since text reminders were introduced for outpatient services in August 2010, there have been 6,563 fewer missed appointments from August 2010 to July 2011 compared to August 2009 to July 2010.

While this is helping, it has not completed resolved the problem of patients not attending their appointments – approximately 12% of our patients still do not attend (DNA) – so more work will be needed to help reduce this rate.

Patients can opt out of the reminder service by calling the Central Appointments Office on 020 7767 3200 (Mon-Thurs 8am-6pm and Friday 8am-5pm).

Speedier referral and discharge arrangements

Most teams now review outpatient referrals electronically, speeding up the time it takes for first appointments to be booked. In addition, we are introducing voice recognition (VR) software for the dictation of outpatient letters. After appointments, GPs and patients are normally sent letters summarising the appointment and the next steps in the patient’s care. The VR software reports electronically, helping to ensure a faster turnaround for sending out these letters and that no letters are missed.

Improved communication options for GPs and other referrers

To improve access for GPs and other referrers to clinical advice from our medical teams, all our services now offer advice and guidance via either Choose and Book or generic nhs.net addresses, with a commitment to respond to all queries within five days. The list of the nhs.net addresses can be found on the How to contact us page. Referrers needing emergency admissions and urgent clinical advice should still contact our on-call medical and surgical doctors through the Barts and The London GP hotline on 020 7377 7461.

Improved feedback mechanisms

To supplement the feedback mechanisms already in place in our hospitals, including real-time touchscreen monitors and our Tell us what you think leaflet, available in wards and departments and also as an online form, we have introduced comments cards in outpatient areas. Patients are invited to answer 10 quick questions about their appointment, including whether they have been seen on time, what kind of welcome they received, and whether they would recommend our care to their family and friends. In December 2011, 96% said that they would recommend our care.

Moving forward with our merger plans

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In December 2011, we moved a step closer to becoming one trust with Newham and Whipps Cross university NHS trusts, when our three trust boards, two commissioning clusters (NHS East London and The City and NHS Outer North East London) and NHS London independently approved the Full Business Case (FBC) for the merger. To read the FBC or any of the papers submitted for approval, please visit the merger website here.

Next steps in the approval process

The FBC will now be submitted to the Department of Health Transaction Board on 9 February 2012 and then to the Secretary of State for Health for his final approval. Subject to these approvals, the new merged organisation will come into being from 1 April 2012.

NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP)

The NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP), which considers mergers from the perspective of choice and makes independent recommendations to the Department of Health, published their draft recommendations on our merger in late December 2011. These can be read here.

The CCP is expected to publish its final report shortly before submission of the FBC to the Department of Health Transaction Board, which will then consider the CCP report, the FBC and a range of other documentation.

Appointment of the new executive team

NHS London and the Appointments Commission have recently announced Mr Stephen O’Brien (the current Chair of Barts and The London NHS Trust) as Chair, in principle, of the proposed new trust, following an independent recruitment process.

In his new role, Stephen will be responsible for leading the new merged trust’s board, which will oversee the organisation’s strategic direction. His team of non-executive directors is currently being independently recruited and will be announced in due course.

One of Stephen’s first responsibilities as Chair was to lead a selection panel comprising a non-executive director, NHS London, commissioners and primary care representatives to recruit the chief executive of our proposed new trust. The role was advertised externally in December 2011 and Mr Peter Morris, currently Barts and The London Chief Executive, has been appointed Chief Executive (designate).

These two appointments are key milestones in the integration plans for the merger and will be followed by the appointment of a new board for the merged organisation ahead of 1 April 2012.

Benefits of the merger

The proposed merger provides us with a unique opportunity to tackle the major health inequalities of our diverse and changing population, which has some of the most health-deprived communities in the country. Our vision is to create resilient, world-class healthcare services for local people, and by creating a new trust we have a real opportunity to help change the lives of people in east London.

Clinicians believe that, as a merged organisation, we would be able to provide higher standards of care for our patients and the local community through:

A healthcare system that is committed to preventing ill health as well as providing excellent healthcare
Locally accessible, excellent quality, sustainable and comprehensive health services that are focused on each individual’s needs
Better access to high-quality specialist care when it is needed

More information

There are a number of ways you can find out more about the proposed merger, including:

Merger website: www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/proposed-merger
Merger team: if you would like to give your views on the merger, you can contact the merger team at merger@elca.nhs.uk or on 020 7092 5287.

Moves into the new Royal London Hospital continue

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Moves into the new state-of-the-art hospital at The Royal London continued over the Christmas and New Year period.

In total, more than 3,000 staff members will relocate into the new hospital from buildings across The Royal London site and St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts).

The first moves into the new hospital got underway on 6 December 2011 and moves will continue until 28 February 2012. The new hospital fully opens on 1 March 2012 and a series of arts and community involvement events will be held during this month to celebrate.

The new hospital will transform the experience of patients, staff and visitors, with outstanding new facilities and an exceptional environment for the delivery of patient care. London’s leading trauma and emergency care centre moved in on 14 December and by the end of February the new hospital will include one of Europe’s largest renal services and a dedicated Women’s Centre and Children’s Hospital.

What has already moved into the new building

Adult medical wards
Adult theatres
- Ambulatory Care and Diagnosis Unit (ACAD) – read more on this below
- Emergency Department, including the Urgent Care Centre and London’s Air Ambulance
- Endoscopy
- Haematology Day Unit
- Imaging
- Inpatient Pharmacy
- Ophthalmology
- Outpatients – including Dermatology, Cardiac and ECG, the Fracture Clinic, Lung Function, Neurophysiology and Therapies.

Ambulatory Care and Diagnosis Unit (ACAD)

The new ring-fenced elective facility for daycare and short-stay surgery, the ACAD, opened on 9 January. The unit is for elective surgical day case patients and those needing admission for up to 48 hours. The provision of a dedicated ACAD is an important part of the Trust’s strategy for treating patients in separate areas based on acuity and length of stay.

Moves into the new hospital restart on Wednesday 8 February

Following the move of the Inpatient Pharmacy on 14 January, a planned break in clinical moves is now taking place until 8 February.

During this break, the second part of the building, which has now been handed over to the Trust from our construction partners Skanska, is being further prepared for use and training and orientation for staff moving in during February will commence.

Further moves taking place in February include surgical wards, Women and Children's Services, as well as Renal and Urology services.

Multifaith Chaplaincy and Patient Support Services

On 26 January, the Multifaith Chaplaincy will open in the heart of the new building. The centre provides a space for patients, visitors and staff who wish to pray or seek a quiet space for reflection. It includes the chapel, Jewish community room and male and female Muslim prayer rooms.

Patient support services will be located next to the Multifaith Chaplaincy and include cashiers and fares, the bereavement office and the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

Important information on service changes linked to the moves

As a result of the moves into the new hospital building, there have been a number of changes to services, including:

Closure of the Walk-in Centre – the Walk-in Centre building closed on Wednesday 14 December. Physiotherapy and dressing clinic services previously provided by the centre will be provided through the Trust's community health services. Urgent care of patients will continue in the new building’s Emergency Department and Urgent Care Centre.
New Emergency Dental Service location – the Emergency Dental Service is now located in the Dental Hospital on New Road. The entrance to the Emergency Dental Service is on Newark Street. The service can be contacted by phone on 020 7377 7031.

More information

A timetable of the main moves is provided in the New Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians which you can download in pdf format from the Trust website at New Royal London Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians.

The guide has been produced to familiarise GPs and other referrers with the new Royal London Hospital and help you respond to any questions you may receive from your patients. It contains details about the move into the new hospital, key services in the new building, making referrals into the new hospital and essential information you need to know about the new building.

Printed copies of the guide have also been sent out to GP practices in East London and The City and Outer Northeast London. If you would like to order further copies, please email your request with your name and full postal address to newhospitals@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

We are also planning tours of the new hospital for GPs who would like to see the new facilities. More information on these will be published shortly.

NHS London announces Chair designate for proposed merged trust

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Appointments Commission has approved the appointment in principle of Mr Stephen O’Brien as Chair of the new trust which will be established should the merger of Barts and The London NHS Trust, Newham University Hospital NHS Trust and Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust be approved by the Secretary of State for Health. This appointment will become substantive when the new organisation is established.

Professor Mike Spyer, Chair of NHS London said: “I am confident that Stephen’s wealth of experience, skills and attitude will prove an asset if the proposed merger goes ahead. I look forward to working with Stephen to deliver world-class healthcare for Londoners.”

Mr O’Brien has been the Chair of Barts and The London NHS Trust since March 2010 and previously Chair of NHS Tower Hamlets. He is Vice President of Business in the Community and a former Chairman of London First, the influential business campaign group which works to support and shape London’s future. Mr O’Brien has lived and worked locally for 25 years.

This appointment in principle has been made by the Appointments Commission in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.

All non-executive appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Mr O’Brien has no declared political activity. He currently holds one ministerial appointment as Chair of Barts and The London NHS Trust, which will conclude with the authorisation of the new trust.

Notes to editors

The proposed merger of Barts and The London, Newham and Whipps Cross University Hospitals, would create a single, joined-up organisation – which would be the biggest Trust in the NHS – bringing multiple benefits to patients throughout the new catchment area through the sharing of the best of the talent, technology and facilities across the three trusts.
Subject to an extensive approvals process, the new trust would become operational from 1 April 2012.
Barts and The London is one of Britain’s top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life – to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives.
Our world-renowned hospitals – St Bartholomew’s (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green – have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.
Our £1 billion new hospitals programme is set to transform healthcare facilities locally. When completed the new hospital at The Royal London will be the biggest new hospital in the country, while the new buildings at Barts will house a brand-new cancer hospital and cardiac centre.

London Chest Professor leads largest-ever heart attack trial

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The largest trial of adult stem cell therapy in patients has received funding from the European Union. 3000 patients suffering heart attacks will be recruited into the trial throughout the European Union to test whether stem cells administered shortly after the heart attack will prolong life. Stem cells offer the promise of revolutionary treatment for human disease. However, a definitive test of whether they work or not in this specific case of heart treatment has been lacking. This study will provide the answer.

This is the largest trial of its kind, and it is hoped that it could increase survival rates by a quarter among patients having heart attacks. The study (BAMI) has been made possible thanks to a €5.9 million award from the European Commission. The BAMI study will involve 21 partners in 11 European countries. The results will be announced in five years and is designed to test whether stem cell therapy will save lives.

Globally, more than 17m* people died from cardiovascular diseases last year – more than from any other cause. This landmark trial is being led by Professor Anthony Mathur and colleagues from Barts and the London NHS Trust and Queen Mary, University of London NIHR Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit.

Trial Chief Co-ordinator, Professor Mathur, said: “This is the biggest and most comprehensive trials of its kind in the world.”

“Our studies will tell us if adult stem cells in bone marrow can repair damaged hearts and, if so, how these cells should be administered to patients.”

Three thousand patients will have their own stem cells taken from their bone marrow and injected into their heart within five days of suffering a heart attack.

Professor Mathur said: “This study will determine if adult stem cells can save lives in heart attack patients across Europe.”

Professor John Martin (University College London) a partner in the trials said:   “This trial brings together a powerful partnership of European doctors and scientists to solve a fundamental problem of importance to all people. It will give an answer about whether adult multi-potential stem cells in their natural environment can treat human disease.”

The new BAMI trial is much larger in size and scope, building on their previous work in this field.

The BAMI project has been funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP7).

                                                                          - Ends -
Notes to Editors:

1.) Interview requests should be directed to Angela Boon in the Barts and The London Press Office on 0207 480 4843 or email: angela.boon@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk
2) The full project title is ‘The effect of intracoronary reinfusion of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) on all-cause mortality in acute myocardial infarction.’ (Project Acronym: BAMI)
3)* Cardiovascular diseases are the world’s largest killers, claiming 17.3 million lives a year. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include raised blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity. World Health Organisation, Sep ‘11
4.) The 21 partners in BAMI are QMUL, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt Am Main, Institut Catala de la Salut, EURAM Ltd, University College London t2cure GmbH, Cardiovascular Research Center Aalst VZW, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Fakultni Nemocnice BRNO (University Hospital BRNO), Region Hovedstaden (Rigshospitalet University Hospital Copenhagen), Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Catholic University of Rome), King’s College Hospital NHS Trust, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny w Katowicach (Medical University of Silesia), Universitaet Rostock (Rostock University), Cardio3 BioSciences S.A, Itä-Suomen yliopisto (University of Finland), Oslo Universitetssykehus Hf (Oslo University Hospital), Servicio Madrileno de Salud, The University of Exeter
5) Existing heart stem cell trials at The London Chest
The REGENERATE (Heart Stem Cell) Trial at Barts and The London NHS Trust runs for four years and is made up of three randomised-controlled studies:
•   The REGENERATE-IHD Study involves 300 patients with heart failure caused by ischaemic heart disease (IHD) or a previous heart attack. Patients are randomised into three groups. The first group receive injections of G-CSF, a growth factor that stimulates bone marrow, once a day for five consecutive days. Those in the second and third group receive these injections and undergo a procedure to have stem cells extracted from bone marrow in their hip. These cells are ‘purified’ in the Trust’s stem cell laboratory to separate them from serum also found in bone marrow. Within the second group, half of patients have their stem cells injected into their major coronary arteries via a catheter in a minimally invasive operation while the other half have their serum injected into their major coronary arteries. Within the third group, half will have their stem cells injected directly into their heart muscle while the other half will have their serum injected directly into their heart muscle.
•   The REGENERATE-DCM Study involves 200 patients with heart failure caused by idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Patients are randomised into two groups. The first group receive injections of G-CSF in their arm once a day for five consecutive days. The second group receive these injections and undergo a procedure to have stem cells extracted from their bone marrow in their hip. These cells are ‘purified’ in the Trust’s stem cell laboratory to separate them from serum also found in bone marrow. Within the second group, half will have their stem cells injected into their major coronary arteries via a catheter while the other half will have their serum injected into their major coronary arteries.
•   The REGENERATE-AMI Study involves 100 patients with recent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack. Patients have stem cells extracted from bone marrow in their hip shortly after undergoing a primary or emergency angioplasty to clear the blockage that triggered their heart attack. These cells are purified in the Trust’s stem cell laboratory to separate them from serum also found in bone marrow. Half of patients will have their stem cells injected directly into their major coronary arteries via a catheter while the other half will have their serum injected into their major coronary arteries.

Heart Cells Foundation
The Heart Cells Foundation is a registered charity (No. 1101727). It was set up in January 2004 to raise money to fund research into stem cells for the treatment of heart disease. Its trustees are Jenifer Rosenberg, Professor Anthony Mathur (advisor), Professor Martin Rothman, Professor John Martin, Sir Bernard Rix, Mrya Waiman, Stephen Sampson and Stephen James.

Additional information

Barts and The London NHS Trust
Barts and The London NHS Trust is one of Britain’s top teaching hospital trusts. Over 500,000 people from the City, East London and further afield are treated at the Trust every year. The Trust is made up of three hospitals - Barts in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green.

Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is one of the UK’s leading research-focused higher education institutions with some 16,000 students and postgraduate students.

Amongst the largest of the colleges of the University of London, Queen Mary’s 3,000 staff deliver world-class degree programmes and research across three faculties: Science and Engineering; Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

One of the rising stars in the UK higher education, Queen Mary was ranked 11th nationally in the last Research Assessment Exercise, and was rated as one of the world’s elite universities in the 2010 Times Higher Education’s Top 200 World University Rankings (120th place).

The College has a strong international reputation with around 23 per cent of students coming from over 130 countries.

Queen Mary has an annual turnover of £300m, research income worth £70m, and a yearly impact on the UK economy of over £750m.

Queen Mary, as a member of the 1994 Group of research-focused universities, has made a strategic commitment to the highest quality of research, but also to the best possible educational, cultural and social experience for its students. The College is unique among London’s universities in being able to offer a completely integrated residential campus, with a 2,000-bed award-winning Student Village on its Mile End campus.

Non-urgent clinical advice and guidance for GPs via nhs.net email addresses

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you need non-urgent clinical advice and guidance from Barts and The London specialties, you can get this either via Choose and Book or more commonly via the new nhs.net email addresses set up by most Trust specialties in recent months. Please check the website for the most up-to-date list of these email addresses, available at http://www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-contact-us/#3

Please ensure that patient-identifiable information is used only if you are also using an nhs.net account; otherwise please use NHS or hospital numbers. Services will respond to queries within five working days.

The email addresses are part of a new ‘How to contact us’ page developed on the ‘For clinicians’ section of the Trust website. The page lists the full range of contact options available for GPs and other clinicians considering referring patients to Barts and The London NHS Trust, but who require advice – both urgent and non-urgent – before doing so.

The full range of contact options on the 'How to contact us' page is as follows:

Urgent clinical advice
Urgent cancer referrals
Non-urgent advice and guidance
Outpatient clinic appointment bookings and cancellations
Confirming planned admissions
Appointment Issues Resolution Service (AIRS)
Pathology results
Feedback from GPs
Bi-lingual Health Advocacy Service / interpreting
Non-emergency patient transport
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Comments suggestions and complaints from patients
Ward telephone numbers

Work continues on developing a ‘How to refer to us’ page, outlining the referral routes for GPs and clinicians who wish to refer a patient to one of the Trust’s services. Current advice on referring via Choose and Book is available at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-get-the-best-from-choose-and-book-advice-for-gps/

To access the non-urgent specialty advice and guidance email addresses and telephone numbers, please go to http://www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-contact-us/#3 . For the full range of contact options, go to http://www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-contact-us/

Breastfeeding at Barts and the London gets global approval

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and the London NHS Trust has won international recognition for the support it gives new mums to breastfeed.

The Trust’s community health services are the first in London to achieve Baby Friendly accreditation after winning approval for every aspect of their breastfeeding support programme.

The Baby Friendly initiative was set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to improve care for mothers and babies with a special focus on ensuring that mothers receive high-quality support to enable successful breastfeeding.

Barts and The London NHS Trust community breastfeeding coordinator, Claire Davis, said up to 72% of mothers in Tower Hamlets continue breastfeeding 6–8 weeks after birth, compared to the national average of 48% - a clear illustration of the good work being done.

Claire said: “We are thrilled to receive this status after working hard for three years to achieve the various accreditation stages.

“Since 2008 UNICEF has assessed our staff’s skills, knowledge and systems, and for the final stage interviewed more than 50 mothers and expectant mothers about the care they received.

“Research consistently shows that breastfeeding helps mothers’ and babies’ health in numerous ways, so we aim to provide the best care to help mothers continue to breastfeed for as long as they wish.”

There are approximately 4000 births in Tower Hamlets every year with each new mother offered a home visit from a breastfeeding support worker from Barts and the London’s Community Health Services, in addition to care from their health visitor.

UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, Sue Ashmore said: "We are delighted that Barts and the London NHS Trust’s community health services has achieved full Baby Friendly status.

“Surveys show us that most mothers want to breastfeed but don’t always get the support they need. Mothers in Tower Hamlets can be confident their health visitors and breastfeeding team will provide the highest standard of care.

New mother Anna Patel praised the support she has received from the service since giving birth to baby Kushal at the Barkantine Birth Centre six weeks ago.

Anna said: “There’s no way I could have persevered with breastfeeding Kushal without the advice from Claire’s team.

“I struggled initially but within the first week I received a home visit from a breastfeeding support worker. I also attended one of the breastfeeding groups and it was fantastic to share stories with other new mums about our experiences.

“Once you get the hang of breastfeeding it’s fine, but getting to grips with it can be tricky, particularly when you’re already so exhausted from labour.

“I was determined to breastfeed as I knew all the benefits it would give my son but I think I would have switched to bottle feeding by now if it weren’t for the support available.”

                                                                     - ENDS -

Notes to editors

•   The Baby Friendly accreditation was jointly awarded to the Trust and Tower Hamlet’s Children Centres.
•   As part of the joint work to achieve full ‘Baby Friendly’ status, Tower Hamlets Public Health department commissioned Women’s Health and Family Services to implement a Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme that has resulted in 130 public places including cafes, libraries, hairdressers, shops and pharmacies displaying signs encouraging breastfeeding.
•   Barts and the London’s community health services division employs a team of 14 Breastfeeding Support Workers who speak the main community languages of Tower Hamlets. In addition, a team of 20 volunteers who are registered breastfeeding helpers and supporters with The Breastfeeding Network support the scheme by teaching antenatal classes about breastfeeding, helping mothers on the postnatal ward at Royal London and running some of the breastfeeding clinics.
•   Barts and The London is one of Britain's top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life - to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives. Our world-renowned hospitals - St Bartholomew's (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green - have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine.

Baby Friendly Initiative
The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies. In the UK, the initiative works with health professionals to ensure that mothers and babies receive high-quality support to enable successful breastfeeding. The Award is given to health facilities after an assessment by a UNICEF team has shown that recognised best practice standards are in place.
www.babyfriendly.org.uk

Christmas at the Royal London

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Staff at The Royal London always do their very best to make Christmas an extra special time for their young patients and this year is no different, with a panto, a party and a special visit from Santa.

At their annual Christmas party, magician Andy Clockhouse conjured up a series of magic tricks, watched by spellbound youngsters.

Hospital play specialist Catrina Fleming explained the importance of making sure children don’t miss out on the festive spirit.

She said: “Parties and special events mean a bit of normality for kids, especially for the ones who have been with us since they were babies.

“There are also the youngsters with complicated conditions who need to stay in hospital throughout the Christmas period. They miss out on an awful lot and this is our way of trying to make things as happy as possible for them.

“The kids love this time of year and they are really appreciative of the fact that someone has come to visit them especially.

As well as today’s party, children have a special visit to look forward to when Santa drops in later in the week.

Around half of The Royal London’s 85 paediatric patients will be allowed home for Christmas, even if it is just for the day.

The children’s charity, Starlight, an all-year round supporter of the children’s hospital, paid for the party and also donated arts and crafts sets and toys to the children’s wards.

Last week the London Rotary District Governor, Trevor Johnson and Rotarians from Tower Hamlets Rotary also made their annual visit to the children's ward and donated over 70 Christmas presents.

Paediatric Clinical Director, Dr Siobhan Carr said: “We provide a full service throughout Christmas, but try to make it possible for as many of our children as possible to go home even if it is just for a few hours.

“Many of our patients have long-term conditions, such as gastric or breathing problems, so have only known the hospital environment, which is why events like today’s party are so important.”

Mum, Jane Fitzgerald, from Hackney, whose son Art, 5, has been in hospital for three months with a long-term gastric condition said:   “All of the activities the hospital has put on are great – it gives Art such a lift and takes his mind off being sick. He’s so used to having to deal with the negative part of being in hospital that to experience something really nice like today’s party is a massive boost to him and all the other kids.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

•   With 130 beds for children - including premature baby cots - and London’s biggest paediatric Accident & Emergency department, we are one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK.
•   We care for more than 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe. Wherever you live, our aim is to provide the best possible clinical and personal care.
•   In February we will be moving into our brand new Children’s Hospital with state-of-the art facilities, spacious indoor and outdoor play areas, and 40% of rooms single-occupancy.

More GP visits to stop cancer spread in new year

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A leading consultant is urging thousands of Britons to make a New Year’s resolution they can actually keep and visit their GP in 2012 as part of the NHS’s ‘small c’ campaign to boost cancer survival rates.

Barts and the London NHS Trust Consultant Oncologist Dr Thomas Powles said this simple action would be much easier for many people to keep than more conventional resolutions such as losing weight or giving up smoking.

He said: “This time of year traditionally sees people across the country making well-intentioned but very ambitious goals to improve their health.

“While it’s fantastic for people to make these kind of resolutions the failure rate can be quite high as it can be hard to maintain the significant lifestyle changes that are usually required for success.

“Visiting your GP if you have a niggling health issue like a cough that lasts for longer than three weeks or a rash on your breast is easy to arrange and helps catch serious diseases like cancer when it’s small and easier to treat”.

The ‘small c’ NHS health campaign aims to save thousands of lives annually through early cancer detection. It’s been proven that most cancers can be successfully treated if caught when they are small.

The first phase of the campaign is targeting breast and lung cancer, the two most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer, affecting almost 90,000 people a year in the UK.

Dr Powles said: “The earlier cancer is spotted, the better the survival rate. The majority of cancers cause symptoms in people that can easily be checked out at their local GP.

“It’s very common for people to feel silly about visiting their doctor simply because they have a hoarse voice or a shortness of breath but these are common symptoms of lung cancer.

“This kind of New Year’s Resolution could just save your life in 2012.”

Frances Clarke is a case in point. She is preparing to celebrate the eighth anniversary of her breast cancer diagnosis and said she is a classic example of someone who would have preferred to ignore the symptoms.

She explained: “I found my lump just before Christmas in 2004 and my first reaction was to ignore it.

“I had a full and busy life, I didn’t feel ill and I didn’t want to make a fuss over something that turned out to be a false alarm.

“I’ve since learnt that many people automatically try to ignore the symptom when they first notice it because we don’t want to hear any bad news.”

“Luckily I forced myself to visit my GP and I was referred to Barts Hospital where tests showed the lump was cancerous.

Frances underwent a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and attributes her positive recovery to her swift reaction.

“Visiting my GP straight away meant I was able to have the cancer removed before it could spread around my body.

“Now I’m looking forward to celebrating the festive season and welcoming 2012 with my three children.”

                                                                         - ENDS -

Notes to editors

The ‘small c’ campaign
The ‘small c’ campaign is alerting people to the warning signs of cancer and the need to go to the doctor without delay. Spotting cancer early saves lives, and the ‘small c’ campaign is designed to help people recognise symptoms when the cancer is still small and more vulnerable to treatment. Research shows that up to 10,000 deaths in the UK each year could be avoided, primarily through earlier diagnosis when the disease can be treated more successfully.

The first phase of the campaign is targeting breast and lung cancer, the two most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer, affecting almost 90,000 people a year in the UK.

If people spot any of the following symptoms they should visit their GP without delay:

For lung cancer:
•   A cough for more than three weeks or if a cough has changed or got worse
•   Shortness of breath
•   Coughing up phlegm with blood in it
•   Hoarse voice
•   Unexplained weight loss

For breast cancer:
•   Lump which may not be seen but can be felt
•   Changes in skin texture e.g. dimpling/puckering
•   Changes in appearance or direction of nipple
•   Nipple discharge
•   Rash or crusting

The first phase of the campaign is being funded by the Department of Health through the National Awareness and Early diagnosis Initiative. The initiative is a partnership between NHS East London and the City, NHS Waltham Forest, Barts and The London NHS Trust and the North East London Cancer Network.   Other partners are Barts Cancer Centre, Homerton, Newham and Whipps Cross University Hospitals, as well as local GPs, pharmacists and community groups.

Visit www.smallc.org.uk for more information.

Community Links
The ‘small c’ campaign is being led in Newham by Community Links, in partnership with the local NHS. If anyone would like to know more or would like to get involved please contact frances.clarke@community-links.org or contact 0207 473 9642.

Largest ever heart stem cell studies get underway

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Two linked clinical studies that will show whether stem cell therapy can save the lives of heart attack patients are now underway in London, following the award of €11.7 million funding from the European Commission.

Professor Anthony Mathur (Queen Mary, University of London and Barts and The London NIHR Cardiovascular Biomedical Research unit) and Professor John Martin (UCL and University College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) have received the combined funding to establish the two international trials, which will be led by their respective institutions in London.

The first study (BAMI) is a definitive 3,000 patient trial that will involve patients having their own stem cells taken from their bone marrow and injected into their heart within five days of suffering a heart attack. This trial is an expansion of a smaller clinical study performed at Barts and UCLH that demonstrated the safety of this technique. BAMI is much larger, involving 21 partners in 11 European countries. The results will be announced in five years and will demonstrate whether this treatment saves lives.

The second study (BIOMAGSCAR) involves eight partners in five countries and aims to build a new lining of the artery in the heart after heart attack by using a novel stent. Stents are artificial tubes inserted into a natural passage in the body to prevent or ease constricted blood flow. This new stent is magnetised and designed to dissolve once it has attracted the patient’s own stem cells to create a new lining of the artery.

Commenting on the BAMI trial, the Chief Investigator Professor Mathur said: “This is the first study that will allow us to measure whether stem cell therapy means the difference between life and death for heart attack patients. A number of smaller trials have already shown promising results by restoring cardiac function in heart disease patients by using adult stem cells to replace damaged heart cells. Now we want to take research to the next level and measure the two year survival rate following stem cell injections.

“We hope to prove that stem cell injections will reduce the number of people dying from heart attacks by 25% across Europe. After 15 years of research in the stem cell field this is the next step and could lead to life-saving treatments for millions of heart patients.”

Commenting on the BIOMAGSCAR trial, Professor Martin said: “Over 1.5 million stents per year are currently used in Europe and although they have improved patient outcomes, stents still fail.

“The novel concept we propose is the use of a biodegradable magnetised stent with the ability to attract the patient’s own stem cells, which have been ‘tagged’ with iron nanoparticles. The cells will then multiply and form a new artery lining. We believe this technology could save over 66,000 people from unnecessary suffering, as well as saving the European healthcare system €275 million a year.

“We hope that both these new trials will offer new hope to sufferers of heart disease, a condition that affects more than 50% of the population during their lifetime.”

Professor Mathur and Professor Mathur already lead three other clinical trials of stem cells in the heart which are funded by the Heart Cells Foundation, the UK Stem Cell Foundation and the charitable foundation of Barts and The London NHS Trust. The new trials announced today are much larger in size and scope, building on their previous work in this field.

Response to media coverage about orthopaedic surgery services at The Royal London Hospital

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A number of newspapers carried articles about orthopaedic surgery services at The Royal London Hospital earlier this month. This followed an item on BBC London News, relating to a leaked email correspondence which included comments by a number of Trust surgeons and others, which might have caused concern to staff, patients and the general public about some aspects of these services.

In response to this media coverage, we wanted to provide you with some information about this issue.

We have an excellent safety record at Barts and The London, as evidenced by one of the best clinical safety records in the NHS, and the second lowest SHMI mortality rate in England (SHMI is the new hospital-level indicator which uses standard and transparent methodology for reporting mortality at hospital level across the NHS in England).
In addition, the NHS Litigation Authority recently awarded us its highest rating in recognition of the thorough procedures we have in place to ensure patient safety.
At The Royal London Hospital we have an excellent, and a very high volume, major trauma service with great outcomes for life- and limb-threatening conditions.
There have, however, been some aspects of our orthopaedic care at The Royal London Hospital that have fallen short of our high standards.

These include some delays where patients have waited too long for their surgery, affecting non-life-threatening or non-limb-threatening trauma, mainly in orthopedics and plastic surgery. We are very sorry this has happened and over the past year we have put measures in place to address issues raised by members of our orthopaedic surgical team.

For further reassurance, we have also sought independent advice and have invited the Royal College of Surgeons to undertake a review.
The majority of the concerns raised in the email relate to the challenges of delivering 21^st century healthcare in outdated, awkwardly configured facilities that date back to the 18^th century.

In particular, the pressure placed on our operating theatres by a significant rise in trauma cases. In these circumstances, we have had to prioritise patients whose lives are at risk, which unfortunately means delaying some less urgent operations.

The move into our new hospital will increase the number of operating theatres we have to 23, including 25% more emergency theatre capacity.
Concerns were also raised in relation to our sterile services. Our decontamination partner, Synergy, is currently providing a service to the Trust with a defect rate of 0.07%, which is significantly within the tolerance threshold set by the National Decontamination Programme of 0.25% for all defects. In October 2011, out of nearly 11,000 trays for surgery, 27 were found to have potential defects. Where failures have occurred in the reliability of our sterilised services system, these have been escalated to the top of the organisations concerned, and we have been working with our sterile services partner to resolve these issues. We now have a new surgical instrument decontamination facility that connects directly with our theatres.

If patients or others express concern to you, based on what they have seen in the media, please reassure them that the safety of our patients is at all times our top priority as part of our commitment to delivering outstanding clinical care. This is supported by independent ratings of hospital trusts (SHMI) that show we are one of the safest trusts in the country.

Moves into the new Royal London Hospital get underway

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The first moves into the new state-of-the-art hospital at The Royal London got underway on Tuesday 6 December and will continue through February.

More than 3,000 staff members will relocate into the new hospital from buildings across the existing hospital and at Barts.

The Diagnostic Imaging Department was the first of 110 Trust wards and departments to transfer into the world-class facilities, followed closely by ITU. Others will continue moving into the brand new 16-storey building over a period of 12 weeks until the hospital opens fully on 1 March 2012. A month of events is planned during March to mark the opening, and GPs will be invited to tour the new hospital in the following months.

The opening of the new hospital will transform the experience of patients, staff and visitors, with outstanding new facilities and an exceptional environment for the delivery of patient care.

It will be home to a range of specialist centres, including London’s leading trauma and emergency care centre, one of Europe’s largest renal services and a dedicated Women’s Centre and Children’s Hospital.

What has moved (as at 20 December 2011)

Emergency Department and London’s Air Ambulance
The Trust’s Emergency Department moved to its new premises on the ground floor of the new building on 14 December. Three times bigger than the Emergency Department in the old hospital, it has a full range of services dedicated to the care of emergency and trauma patients, including a dedicated imaging facility and lifts linking it directly to the helipad for London’s Air Ambulance, which also began operations from its new base on 14 December.

Closure of the Whitechapel Walk-in Centre
The Whitechapel Walk-in Centre building closed on 14 December and is not being relocated to the new hospital. Physiotherapy and dressing clinic changes previously provided there will be provided through the Trust’s community health services. Please ensure that all staff in your practice are aware of the centre closure and that they should no longer be directing patients to the walk-in centre.

Community walk-in clinics are available at:

The Barkantine Practice
121 Westferry Road
London
E14 8JH

St Andrew’s Health Centre
1-3 Birchdown House
Devons Road, Bow
London E3 3NS

The Trust’s Minor Injuries Unit at Barts is unaffected by these changes.

Urgent Care Centre opens
An Urgent Care Centre also opened as part of the new Emergency Department. Open seven days a week, 12 noon – 10pm, the centre will see patients with minor injuries and illnesses after assessment within the Emergency Department. This assessment will be by a GP, Emergency Nurse Practitioner, or hospital doctor. Prior to this, patients will be assessed to see whether their care is more appropriately provided by their local GP.

The GP out of hours service is also based in the Urgent Care Centre and will by appointment only. After liaising with the relevant on-call team, local GPs and out of hours doctors can direct patients to the Acute Admissions Unit (formerly the Medical Admissions Unit), the Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) and the Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU).

Other moves completed (or begun) to date include:

The majority of imaging
Endoscopy
Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU)
Acute Admissions Unit (AAU)
Adult wards for Elderly Care and Elective Orthopaedics
The majority of medical wards
Fracture Clinic
Outpatient Imaging
Stroke Unit
Adult Theatres (phased transfer has begun)

Next moves

Late December

Surgical Admissions Unit (SAU)
Neurosciences inc OMFS, ENT, Head & Neck Cancer
Urology will temporarily move from Barts to Milward Ward at RLH

Next month – January 2012

The new ring-fenced elective facility for short-stay surgery (ACAD) opens on 9 January.
Outpatient services:
- Ophthalmology (from both Barts and RLH)
- Dermatology
- Neurophysiology
- Cardiac Investigations Unit
- Lung Function (Adult)
- Haematology Day Unit

The majority of moves will take place in February, when surgical wards, paediatrics, Women’s Services, Renal Services and Urology will move in.

A timetable of the main moves is provided in the New Royal London Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians, which you can download here.

More information
A New Royal London Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians has been produced to familiarise GPs and other referrers with the new Royal London Hospital and help you respond to any questions you may receive from your patients. It contains details about the move into the new hospital, key services in the new building, making referrals into the new hospital and essential information you need to know about the new building.

You can download a pdf of the New Royal London Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians here. Copies of the guide have been sent out to GP practices in NHS East London and The City and Outer Northeast London. If you would like to order further copies, please email your request with your name and full postal address to newhospitals@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Barts and The London is one of the top trusts in the country for patient safety

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The new Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) report, published this month by the NHS Information Centre, shows that Barts and The London has the second-lowest rate of patient deaths – a significant indicator of high standards of patient safety.

The SHMI is the NHS's new system of recording mortality rates in hospitals in England, based on the monitoring of all patient deaths, including those occurring 30 days post-discharge from hospital. It replaces the old Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) and is said to offer a more comprehensive picture than before, by including more causes of death as well as deaths among patients who have recently left hospital.

Barts and The London Medical Director, Dr Steve Ryan, said he was delighted with the Trust's rating. "This result reflects the very high standard of treatment our patients have the right to expect. Staff at Barts, The Royal London, The London Chest and Mile End hospitals have made this result happen and it clearly shows their dedication and commitment."

More information can be found on the NHS Information Centre website at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/services/summary-hospital-level-mortality-indicator-shmi.

Proposed merger: approval by three trust, cluster and NHS London Boards

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Over the past two weeks, the Full Business Case (FBC) for the proposed merger of Barts and The London, Newham and Whipps Cross has now been independently approved by the three trust boards, the commissioning clusters – NHS East London and The City and NHS Outer North East London – and NHS London.

The FBC was approved, subject to transitional funding requirements. To read the FBC, or any of the papers submitted for approval, please visit the merger website at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/proposed-merger/about-us/approval-process/

We are also developing a summary of the business case which will be available online shortly.

The next stage is for the FBC to be submitted to the Department of Health Transaction Board in early 2012, before final approval will be required by the Secretary of State for Health. If we receive final approval, we expect to form the new organisation on 1 April 2012.

As part of the recent decision meetings, the three trust boards and commissioning clusters endorsed the proposed new trust name: Barts Health, which describes our ambition to create a world-class leader in research, teaching and clinical services. Under the proposed new trust, each of the hospitals (i.e. Whipps Cross, Newham, The Royal London, The London Chest and Barts) will retain their individual names as it is extremely important to us to reflect our local community, patients and history.

More information is available on the merger website here: www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/proposed-merger. Details of future engagement opportunities, which will include an update on finance, will also be on the website in the new year.

NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP)

The NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP), which considers mergers from a perspective of choice and acts as an advisory body to the Department of Health, has been undertaking a review of the proposal to merge the three trusts and on the 15 December issued their draft findings. These are available to view here.

The CCP are now seeking views from interested parties on their draft remedies and any written observations should be received by 6 January 2012.

The trusts will continue to work with commissioners, NHS London and our many supportive stakeholders to ensure the CCP understands the advantages of this merger and the consequences of not merging prior to their final report which is to be issued in the week beginning 16 January.

The Full Business Case (FBC) for our proposed merger has now been independently approved by the three trust boards, the commissioning clusters – NHS East London and The City and NHS Outer North East London – and NHS London.

More information

There are a number of ways you can find out more about the proposed merger, including:

Merger website: www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/proposed-merger
Merger team: if you would like to give your views on the merger, you can contact the merger team at merger@elca.nhs.uk or on 020 7092 5287.

Choose and book update

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An up-to-date list of services directly bookable through Choose and Book is available on the Choose and Book section of the Trust website.

As some outpatient services begin to relocate to the new Royal London Hospital, please ensure you check the service name of the clinics for those being discontinued in their current location. These will have the prefix #donotuse#.

The preferred method for referring patients to our hospitals is Choose and Book, with a few exceptions.

If you need any advice before referring urgent and non-urgent patients to Barts and The London, there is a range of contact options available. These can be found on the Trust’s website at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-contact-us.

Clinical trial of new care model for homeless people admitted to The Royal London

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A trial of a new approach of providing enhanced care for homeless people admitted as inpatients began at The Royal London hospital on 5 December. The London Pathway is a model of integrated healthcare designed for hospital patients who are street homeless, live in a hostel or a squat, bed and breakfast, or are what is known as sofa surfers.

The 12-month project – which is being conducted as a clinical trial with funding from the National Institute for Health Research – aims to assess the effectiveness of the enhanced care model in improving the health of homeless patients.

Ward staff who identify any inpatients as homeless or insecurely housed will refer them to the Pathway Homeless Team. Baseline data will be collected and then each patient will be randomised into either ‘standard care’ which is what is happening now or ‘enhanced care’ with the Homeless Team. Patients in the ‘enhanced care’ group will be seen by the Homeless Healthcare Nurse, visited by the Homeless Ward Round (including the GP), their needs assessed and a Homeless Care Plan started.

Complex cases will be discussed at the weekly multidisciplinary team. The primary objective of the trial is to determine whether ‘enhanced care’ reduces the length of stay in hospital for homeless patients. Important complementary objectives include gauging re-attendance rates in A&E over the three months after discharge, re-admission rates over the three months after discharge, patient satisfaction whilst in hospital, patient quality of life six weeks after discharge, and the cost-effectiveness associated with health care for this episode of care and overall.

For more information about the new model of care, please visit the London Pathway website at www.londonpathway.org.uk or contact Jeflyn Musariri-Nzara, Senior Sister, by email to Jeflyn.MusaririNzara@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or Dr Peter Buchman, Clinical Lead, Pathway Homeless Team at The Royal London Hospital (and GP at Health E1-Homeless Medical Centre) by email to Peter.Buchman@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

Temporary suspension of Rapid Access Heart Rhythm Clinic

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Rapid Access Heart Rhythm clinic run by the Barts and The London Arrhythmia Nursing Team has regrettably been suspended with immediate effect for between nine months and a year due to staffing shortages.

In the interim, any referrals to the Arrhythmia Service should be made through Choose and Book or by writing to the relevant consultant. The waiting time for a first appointment with an electrophysiologist consultant is approximately five weeks at present so it is unlikely patients will have to wait much longer than they presently do for the nurse-led Heart Rhythm clinic.

If you have any questions or concerns about the short-term change, please do not hesitate to contact either Michael Ashton, Service Manager for Cardiology and EP, by email to Michael.ashton@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or Dr Sporton, Consultant Cardiologist, on 020 3465 6732.

Urine-free catecholamines service is replaced with urine metanephrines

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Following a review of published evidence, the Trust has discontinued its urine-free catecholamines (uCATS) service used for the detection of phaeochromocytoma. This is now being replaced with urine metanephrines (uMETS) testing, with immediate effect.

Indications: a single urine metanephrine sample should be done to exclude a phaeochromocytoma in those patients who are resistant to multiple medications and who have worsening hypertensive symptoms.

Benefits of urine metanephrines testing include:

Only a single 24-hour urine collection is needed.
uMETS are stable at room temperature for seven days without any preservation. uCATS required urine collection into acid.

The online T-quest form has been updated with the new service so GPs can request the test electronically and have the results transmitted back to them when ready.

If you have any queries, please contact Dr Les Perry, Principal Clinical Scientist, on tel 020 3246 0380 or the Duty Biochemist on bleep 1221 via the Trust Switchboard on 020 7377 7000.

Guidelines on the management of patients with suspected giant cell arteritis

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Trust rheumatologists would like to raise awareness among GPs of the Trust's guidelines on the management of patients presenting with suspected giant cell arteritis. This follows a recent re-audit carried out by the team to assess adherence by clinicians to the guidelines, which were developed in conjunction with ophthalmology, vascular surgery and A&E colleagues.

The guidelines recommend the use of temporal artery biopsy (TAB) and ultrasound in suspected cases, but the team only found a small number of cases to re-audit, as was also the case in the previous year. They are therefore interested to find out whether GPs are treating some patients without initial referral for a TAB or an US, rather than referring them to Rheumatology in accordance with the guidelines.

The guidelines aim to improve the recognition, initial investigation, management and ongoing care of patients with suspected giant cell arteritis. You can download them here: The Management of Suspected Giant Cell Temporal Arteritis. If you have any questions or feedback on their use, please contact Dr Stephen Kelly, or Dr Nurhan Sutcliffe, Consultant Rheumatologists, via Rheumatology reception on Tel 020 8223 8868 or by e-mail to Stephen.kelly@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or Nurhan.Sutcliffe@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Barts and The London tops list for energy efficiency

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and The London is in the top sixth percentage of organisations nationally based on our energy efficiency performance, according to figures released by the Environmental Agency in November.

More than 2,000 organisations across the UK were ranked in performance league tables as part of the CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) Energy Efficiency Scheme that aims to help organisations cut emissions and save money on energy bills.

The result is testament to a groundbreaking environmental programme has resulted in the Trust saving more than £800,000 and removing the equivalent of almost 2,000 cars off the road each year.

Initiatives ranging from encouraging staff to cycle to work and increasing recycling have helped the Trust to reduce its annual carbon emissions by 6,000 tonnes and lowered its energy costs from £7.2 million to £5.8 million over four years.

The Trust’s achievements were also highlighted in a report released by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum that investigated how the public sector can raise the productivity of its workforce by using buildings differently.

The Trust has received a number of awards for its environmental efforts including the Mayor of London Green 500 award for most progressed site, Silver Status for the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code and securing the Carbon Trust Standard for the whole organisation.

Now the aim is to keep achieving a 3% year-on-year reduction for the Trust’s carbon emissions in order to reach the NHS and government carbon reduction requirement of 80% by 2050.

Haven sexual assault awareness film wins four awards in 2011 British Advertising Awards

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An awareness-raising film commissioned by the Haven sexual assault centre won four awards in the 2011 British Advertising Awards – Best Overall Production, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Actress – beating many high-profile commercial campaigns. The 'Where is Your Line?' film was produced to raise awareness of sexual assault issues among people aged 18-25 years, following research that showed that many young people did not have a clear understanding of what constituted rape, with men and women answering quite differently to some of the questions.

The film shows a group of young people at a party and follows one particular young woman. It is interactive and the viewer can stop the film whenever they feel that a line has been crossed (hence the title, 'Where Is Your Line?'). For example, if you stop the film as the woman gets progressively more drunk, you would see that 48% of men aged 18-25 do not think it is rape if the woman is too drunk or 'out of it' to know what is going on. If the viewer watches the film all the way to the end without clicking on the screen, the titles reveal they have crossed the line and if there is no consent, it is rape.

The film also won a Cannes Lion award in June 2011. The Haven Team has now developed a resource pack to accompany the film as an educational package for further education colleges. This includes information about the Haven centres and how young people can access the service. While it was developed as a resource for London, there is now significant interest from around the country.

You can view the film at http://www.youtube.com/thehavenscentres.

The Haven White chapel, based at The Royal London Hospital, offers a confidential service for victims of sexual assault, with a dedicated team of specially trained NHS doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals including counsellors and psychologists. It offers forensic examinations and full aftercare services for women, children and men. People can use the Haven's services whether or not they are planning to report an assault to police. People who report a sexual assault directly to police will be taken to a Haven by an officer from Project Sapphire. People are also welcome to refer themselves to the Haven without police involvement. They can also be referred to the Haven by other professionals.

The centre can be contacted on tel 020 7247 4787 or by email to: haven@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

More information can be found on the Haven website here.

Barts and The London’s Adult Cystic Fibrosis Team wins first prize

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Trust's Adult Cystic Fibrosis Team has been awarded first prize in the 2011 Pan-London Clinical Audit Event, which was held at Barts on 1 December. The award was made in recognition of a project entitled 'Meeting the physiotherapy needs of adults with cystic fibrosis in a challenging time'. The competition was judged by Liz Smith, HQIP, and Kirsty Maclean Steel, NICE, who praised the project as an example of excellent collaboration between clinical audit professionals, clinical staff and patients by teams from major London hospitals.

The project, which was based on national standards of care, was designed by physiotherapists Charlotte Dawe and Pamela Isherwood who commissioned the Clinical Effectiveness Unit to conduct telephone interviews with patients. The aim was to engage patients and involve them in the direction and growth of the service. The team said that 'at time of great change and financial pressure in the NHS it is essential to evaluate our services, streamline processes and be innovative with resources to satisfy all stakeholders'.

The findings clarify how patients' needs vary with their disease severity and socio-economic circumstance. The team successfully used findings to support business cases for equipment and developing new facilities. A number of changes in practice based on patient feedback were also made. Outpatient appointment times were extended to 8am-6pm and local criteria for home visits or remote support were developed. The team has also started to use different media formats to provide information to patients, which has also resulted in improved communication to commissioners and other health care providers to support patients across the patient pathway.

Lord Mayor’s Appeal 2012 supporting Barts and The London Charity and the Trauma Unit at The Royal London Hospital

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The newly elected Lord Mayor for the City of London, David Wootton, has selected Barts and The London Charity, on behalf of the Trauma Unit at The Royal London Hospital, as the main beneficiary of his 2012 Lord Mayor's Appeal.

The annual Lord Mayor’s Appeal is a high-profile fundraising mechanism, which is strongly supported by many of the organisations based in the City of London.

The Trauma Unit at The Royal London, which is the UK’s flagship trauma and emergency centre, is planning to use part of the money raised from the appeal to purchase a revolutionary mobile scanner, which will be one of only three in the UK.

The Rowing Foundation, London Youth Rowing, Fields in Trust and Futures for Kids will also benefit.

To find out about our six exciting appeal events and to get involved visit www.lordmayorsappeal.org

New non-executive director at Barts and The London

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and The London NHS Trust is pleased to announce that Professor Richard Trembath has been appointed to serve as a University-nominated Non Executive Director of the Trust Board.

Richard Trembath, F Med Sci, took up the post as Vice Principal and Executive Dean (Health) of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London in September 2011. Prior to this appointment he was Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Head of the Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at King’s College London.

He is an Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics at the Genetics Centre at Guy’s Hospital. He is also a Senior Investigator for the NIHR, a Director of UCL Partners Limited, a former Clinical Academic Group Lead within King’s Health Partners and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Trembath serves on Advisory and Editorial Boards and Committees of numerous national and international journals and academic societies. He is also a past President of The British Society of Human Genetics.

Stephen O’Brien, Chairman of Barts and The London, said: “I am delighted that Richard is joining the Board at such an exciting time for the organisation as we prepare to open the new Royal London Hospital, take up membership of the UCL Partners Academic Health Sciences System and continue to progress plans for a merger with Newham University Hospital and Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trusts”.

One of Europe's biggest hospital moves gets underway

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the largest hospital moves ever undertaken in Europe will take place Tuesday 6 December when the first of more than 3000 employees and 11,000 boxes move into the new Royal London Hospital.

Years of planning by a specialised logistics team will come to the fore as the Diagnostics and Imaging department becomes the first area to settle into the world class facilities in Whitechapel.

Barts and the London NHS Trust Medical Director Dr Steve Ryan said other wards would continue moving into the brand new 17 storey building over a period of 12 weeks until the hospital opens fully on 1 March 2012.

Already a striking addition to the London skyline, the new hospital’s world class facilities will be home to London’s air ambulance, the UK’s leading trauma and emergency centre and a highly-acclaimed children’s hospital.

Dr Ryan said: “We have a team of experts who have been working around the clock to organise the logistics involved for transporting employees, equipment and hundreds of patients over three months.

“A specialist Move Management Centre has been setup for a dedicated team of 30 staffers to coordinate the move and will be a hive of activity.

“Given it’s the first time the Royal London Hospital has moved from its current premise since 1757, it’s a significant challenge and the beginning of a brand new chapter in our Trust’s history.”

52,000 pieces of new furniture and equipment have already been installed in the new hospital, along with more than 1000 toilets and 23 large theatre rooms.

More than 12,000 keys are ready to unlock the hospital’s doors and 75,000 bedsheets, 28,000 towels and 3000 new pillows are prepared for the first patients.

This will be the 26th hospital move that David Grey from business removals company Harrow Green has project managed over the past 11 years in the United Kingdom.

Mr Grey said: “Moving a hospital is always a challenge as there is zero room for error when very expensive medical equipment and sick people are involved.

“Planning and organisation are key but we also need to be flexible. For example, we won’t know how many people need to move in a ward until 24 hours beforehand because it depends on the ward’s capacity.

“Moving house is meant to be one of the most stressful things a person can face so you can imagine the details involved with moving an entire hospital.”

The new Royal London hospital will provide the people of east London – among some of the most deprived communities in the UK - with one of the best-equipped and most comfortable hospitals anywhere, reflecting at last the outstanding clinical excellence of staff.

More than 40% of the ward accommodation will be provided in single rooms with en-suite facilities, with the remainder as roomy four-bedded bays, also with en-suite bathrooms.

Theatres are a third larger than in the current hospital and patient accommodation is on the outside of the building to maximise light and views.

Wards will have separate treatment rooms for minor procedures and there will be increased isolation facilities, including negative and positive pressure rooms.

Facts and figures for the new Royal London Hospital:

6000 rooms
727 beds
52,000 pieces of new furniture and loose equipment
75,000 bedsheets
28,000 towels
3000 pillows
12,000 keys
More than 3000 staff to move
Approximately 300 patients to move
Occupies an area equivalent to 40 football pitches
97% of materials from demolished buildings are recycled
The tallest building is 284ft, the same height as Big Ben
The building has used 7000 km of metal reinforcement (the distance between London and Miami), and 175,000 tonnes of concrete.

- ENDS –

Statement from Dr Steve Ryan, Medical Director, Barts and The London NHS Trust

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Response to media coverage about orthopaedic surgery services at The Royal London Hospital and leaked email correspondence, which included comments by a number of Trust surgeons and others.

At Barts and The London, the safety of our patients is at all times our top priority as part of our commitment to delivering outstanding clinical care.

At The Royal London Hospital we have an excellent, and a very high volume, major trauma service with great outcomes for life and limb-threatening conditions. The delay to theatre problem concerns non life or limb-threatening trauma mainly in orthopaedics and plastic surgery, where patients have waited too long for their surgery. Undoubtedly there have, therefore, been some aspects of our orthopaedic care at The Royal London Hospital that have fallen short of our high standards. We are very sorry this has happened. Prior to Mr Goodier’s resignation, plans were already in place to address the issues raised by our orthopaedic surgical team, and for further reassurance, we have sought independent advice and have invited the Royal College of Surgeons to undertake a review.

The majority of the concerns raised in the email relate to the challenges of delivering 21st century healthcare in outdated, awkwardly configured, facilities that date back to the 18th century, and in particular the pressure placed on our operating theatres caused by a significant rise in trauma cases. In these circumstances, we have had to prioritise patients whose lives are at risk, which unfortunately means delaying some less urgent operations.

In a few days we start our move across to our new hospital. This will increase the number of operating theatres we have to 23, including 25% more emergency theatre capacity. Already in place and operational is a new surgical instrument decontamination facility that connects directly with our theatres.

It would be wrong to infer that this email reflects a trust-wide safety issue. We have an excellent safety record at Barts and The London, as evidenced by one of the best clinical safety records in the NHS, and the second lowest SHMI* mortality rate in England.

*Our high standards of patient safety and clinical excellence continue to be recognised by external verifying bodies. The NHS Litigation Authority recently awarded us its highest rating in recognition of the thorough procedures we have in place to ensure patient safety. SHMI is the new hospital-level indicator which uses standard and transparent methodology for reporting mortality at hospital level across the NHS in England. The SHMI monitors all patient deaths including those occurring 30 days post-discharge from hospital.

New Non Executive Director at Barts and The London

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and The London NHS Trust is pleased to announce that Professor Richard Trembath has been appointed to serve as a University-nominated Non Executive Director of the Trust Board.

Stephen O’Brien, Chairman of Barts and The London NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted that Richard is joining the Board of Barts and The London at such an exciting time for the organisation as we prepare to open the new Royal London Hospital, take up membership of the UCL Partners Academic Health Sciences System and continue to progress plans for a merger with Newham University Hospital and Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trusts”.

The appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. All non-executive appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Professor Trembath has declared no political activities.

Professor Trembath will receive remuneration of £6,096 a year. He has declared no other Ministerial appointments. His term of office runs from 20 October 2011 to 19 October 2015.

- ends -

Notes to Editors:

For a photo of Richard Trembath please contact the Press Office.
Barts and The London is one of Britain’s top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life – to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives.
Our world-renowned hospitals – St Bartholomew’s (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green – have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.
Our £1 billion new hospitals programme is set to transform healthcare facilities locally. When completed the new hospital at The Royal London will be the biggest new hospital in the country, while the new buildings at Barts will house a brand-new cancer hospital and cardiac centre.

Barts and The London has second highest survival rate in country

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and The London NHS Trust has the second-lowest rate of patient deaths across the whole of England it’s been officially announced

The impressive result was published by the NHS Information Centre as part of its new system of recording mortality rates.

The measure – known as the summary hospital-level mortality indicator (SHMI) - is a significant indicator of patient safety and replaces the old Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR).

The SHMI is said to offer a more comprehensive picture than before, by including more causes of death as well as deaths among patients who have recently left hospital.

Barts and the London NHS Trust Medical Director, Dr Steve Ryan, said he was delighted with the Trust’s rating.

He added: “Clinical care is at the heart of everything we do and this result reflects the very high standard of treatment our patients have the right to expect.

“Staff at Barts, the Royal London, London Chest and Mile End hospitals have made this result happen and it clearly shows their dedication and commitment.”

The SHMI results will now be published each quarter by the NHS Information Centre for all non-specialist acute trusts.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “"This new measure will help ensure patient safety by acting like a smoke alarm to prompt further investigation.

“Alongside other data, this will help the NHS in future to spot and act on poor care as soon as possible.”

ENDS

SHMI is the new hospital-level indicator which uses standard and transparent methodology for reporting mortality at hospital level across the NHS in England. The SHMI monitors all patient deaths including those occurring 30 days post-discharge from hospital. Visit http://www.ic.nhs.uk/services/summary-hospital-level-mortality-indicator-shmi for more information.

Barts and The London NHS Trust

Barts and The London is one of Britain's top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life - to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives. Our world-renowned hospitals - St Bartholomew's (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green - have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

St Paul’s to host service of remembrance

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The annual service of remembrance organised by Barts and the London NHS Trust will take place at St Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday 20 November at 6pm.

The service is designed to honour and remember patients who have passed away and is organised by the Trust in collaboration with NHS Tower Hamlets and St Joseph’s Hospice.

Organisers are keen to ensure as many people as possible know that it will go ahead as normal despite the ongoing Occupy London protest outside the Cathedral.

Relatives, friends and colleagues of any patients from Barts and the London or St Joseph’s Hospice are all very welcome. For more information please contact chaplains@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or phone the chaplaincy office on 020 346 55682.

Royal London surgeon shares stories to save lives

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A trauma surgeon from Barts and The London NHS Trust has shared his experience of the increasing number of teenagers requiring treatment for stab wounds in a City Hall forum designed to reduce knife crime.

Mr Duncan Bew, a specialist registrar in vascular and trauma surgery spoke to 90 teenagers from 30 secondary schools across London at the ‘Future Leaders: Young London Voice’ forum as part of an initiative to find solutions for youth violence in the Capital.

He is involved in developing and delivering a programme of education delivered to schools about the myths and realities of gang violence called: “Growing against gangs and violence” (GAGV).

Mr Bew, who says he is seeing a growing number of teenagers with violent injuries, explained: “Teenagers have a perception that the human body is very resilient and robust and are used to playing video games where people bounce back after getting shot, stabbed or blown up.

“The reality is that human life is very fragile and unfortunately not everyone survives in real life.

“People can literally bleed to death within seconds of only being stabbed once. If that knife hits a main artery you’re in trouble.”

Mr Bew also spoke to students about the long-lasting consequences a patient could face if they do survive.

“Sometimes victims can be left paralysed, without an arm or leg, or need to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of their life if their bowel has been damaged.

“There is no such thing as a minor injury – all injuries have physical and psychological impact and can dramatically change a person’s life and future.”

Mr Bew also compared his work in London to his recent experience working in Cape Town, South Africa.

“Six months ago I was working in South Africa where the gangs are well organised and regimented and members often sustain horrific injuries.

“We are very lucky to be living in London where the pre-hospital and hospital medical facilities are well equipped to deal with trauma. But no matter how prepared your healthcare system is to deal with these incidents there are still people with devastating injuries who cannot be saved”

“If I have managed to change only one person’s mind about how they act in the future that is invaluable because we don’t want to keep seeing the same number of teenagers come through A&E and ending up on our operating table

- ENDS -

Notes to editors

Barts and the London Trust cares for patients across the UK through the Royal London Hospital, St Bartholomew’s and London Chest Hospital. The Royal London Hospital treats more complex trauma cases than any other centre in the UK and is home to London's air ambulance. Most of the Trust’s 784,554 annual attendances are patients living locally and covers Europe's most diverse communities – from the wealthy financial districts of the City and Canary Wharf to some of Britain's most deprived areas.
The ‘Future Leaders: Young London Voice’ forum is part of the Metropolitan Police’s Corporate Children and Young People’s Strategy for 2011-14, which focuses on creating a safer London for children and young people in a coordinated approach with partners.
“The growing against gangs and violence”: This was endorsed in the cross bench report published by the home office last week highlighting the governments plan to tackle youth crime and violent injuries and is to be implemented in schools across the country.

Barts and the London tops list for energy efficiency

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Figures released today by the Environmental Agency lists Barts and the London NHS Trust in the top sixth percentage of organisations nationally based on their energy efficiency performance.

More than 2000 organisations across the United Kingdom were ranked in performance league tables as part of the CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) Energy Efficiency Scheme that aims to help organisations cut emissions and save money on energy bills.

The result is testament to a groundbreaking environmental programme has resulted in Barts and the London NHS Trust saving more than £800,000 and removing the equivalent of almost 2000 cars off the road each year .

Initiatives ranging from encouraging staff to cycle to work and increasing recycling have helped the Trust to reduce its annual carbon emissions by 6000 tonnes and lowered its energy costs from £7.2 million to £5.8 million over four years.

The Trust’s achievements were also highlighted in a report released by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum that investigated how the public sector can raise the productivity of its workforce by using buildings differently.

Trust Environmental Manager Fiona Daly said the change began back in 2007 when the Trust board committed to reducing their carbon emissions by 10% in four years.

She said: “In this period we blitzed our initial estimate by achieving a 43% reduction and this encouraged people to realise that genuine savings could be made.

“We have invested £1.2million in a range of projects such as refurbishing boilers, burners, steam traps and air-conditioning plants and ensuring that any leaks or damaged insulation are repaired or replaced.

“It’s amazing how even small leaks or faulty machinery can result in massive energy losses.

“Energy efficient lighting has been installed in a number of areas and we have reduced water consumption by 9% with special water saving devices.”

The Trust has also made it easier for staff to cycle to and from work by building specialist shower facilities, installing additional bike racks and encouraging staff to cycle between hospital sites for meetings as part of a drive to improve health, encourage sustainable transport and support the Mayor of London’s cycle strategy.

A programme for 100% of domestic waste to be taken from landfill and either reused or recycled has been introduced, along with specialist projects to reduce all kinds of waste on-site at Barts, The Royal London, the London Chest and the Trust’s corporate offices.

The sustainable programme has also extended to construction with the new Royal London Hospital boasting a range of environmentally friendly credentials.

Due to open in December 2011, the new Whitechapel building has been installed with efficient medical equipment, including heat recovery systems, to reduce the amount of waste heat.

The new building’s wards are light and airy with large windows and glass atrias allowing natural light into the building, thus reducing the need for lighting.

Non-toxic and water-based substances such as vinyl floor adhesives were also used indoors to avoid air pollution and the new hospital has thicker insulation, external shading and solar control glazing to reduce the need for cooling in the summer. Efficient ventilation fans and low-energy lighting has also been installed.

Fiona said the biggest challenge was getting people to change their behaviour so employee communications was a significant focus.

She said: “Getting people to change how they use technology or to consider what can be recycled always involves significant staff engagement.

“We recruited 40 Environmental Champions and made the most of internal communications such as the intranet, posters and workshop and even developed an e-learning tool to spread the word.”

The Trust has received a number of awards for its environmental efforts including the Mayor of London Green 500 award for most progressed site, Silver Status for the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code and securing the Carbon Trust Standard for the whole organisation.

Now is the aim is to keep achieving a 3% year on year reduction for the Trust’s carbon emissions in order to reach the NHS and government carbon reduction requirement of 80% by 2050.

ENDS

Notes to editors

•   The CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) Energy Efficiency Scheme is a mandatory scheme aimed at improving energy efficiency and cutting emissions in large public and private sector organisations. These organisations are responsible for around 10% of the UK’s emissions.
•   The first CRC Performance Table published by the Environment Agency ranks participants in terms of their early action to manage their energy. The table is available at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/pollution/134754.aspx

•   Leaner and Greener II: Putting Buildings to Work is the result of an eight month parliamentary inquiry chaired by Matthew Hancock MP and conducted by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum.

•   Barts and The London NHS Trust
Barts and The London is one of Britain's top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life - to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives. Our world-renowned hospitals - St Bartholomew's (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green - have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Classical music to help heal Barts cancer patients

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Cancer patients awaiting therapy will be treated to the sounds of Mendelssohn and other classical music when members of the world’s oldest symphony orchestra perform at Barts Hospital on Friday 4 November.

The Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig will perform in waiting areas and treatment lounges 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.

Hailing from Germany, the orchestra is one of the world’s leading ensembles and headed by highly acclaimed chief conductor Riccardo Chailly. The orchestra is visiting London this autumn as part of an international residency at the Barbican.

Clinical Nurse Specialist Jacky Jones said the music would provide patients with a welcome respite from their daily treatments and care.

She said: “Patients waiting in these rooms often experience many emotions including anxiety so a music performance such as this will be a welcome distraction for many.

“Research has shown that music has a very calming and therapeutic effect on patients and can actually help their bodies respond more positively to treatment so I think this is a wonderful initiative.”

The project is part of the Barbican’s aim to come out of its halls and into the local community. Since Barts is only five minutes from the Barbican, the concerts give the organisation a chance to engage with local people and use music as a tool for wellbeing.

The musicians will interact with patients before the concert and give people who might not otherwise have the chance to see a performance an opportunity to experience it in a very personal context.

Rachel Louis from Vital Arts is hoping the concerts will be the first of many thanks to Vital Arts’ new partnership with the Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning Department.

She said: “This is the beginning of an exciting new partnership. We hope to host performances and events from artists from across the Barbican’s artistic programme.

“The Barbican attracts a high calibre and eclectic mix of artists from all over the world and we are delighted to introduce an international orchestra to our music programme.

“Performances like this transform the hospital environment and offer patients a chance to be somewhere else. Many patients are unable to visit the concert hall so these concerts provide an opportunity for them to listen to live music of the highest quality.”

Members of the orchestra will perform a selection of well known favourites including Mendelssohn's String Quartet Op 13 in two concerts on Friday. Mendelssohn was the Orchestra's music director from 1835 until his death in 1847.

Notes to editors

Vital Arts
Vital Arts is the arts organisation for Barts and The London NHS Trust, charitably funded to deliver arts projects for the well-being of patients, staff and the wider hospital community. Collaboration and participation are at the heart of our work.

Vital Arts was founded in 1996 and has grown into one of the UK's leading arts and health organisations, with an international reputation for producing pioneering arts programmes that transform the experience of being in hospital for patients and staff. We commission artists, musicians and performers to help improve the hospital environment for patients. We manage two art galleries which 'bring the outside in,' and an extensive contemporary art collection. We forge links with the hospital community through our diverse programme of artists' residencies, public art commissions and arts education projects.
www.vitalarts.org.uk

Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig
A major highlight of the Barbican’s 2011–2012 Classical Music season is the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig’s residency in October and November, together with its acclaimed music director Riccardo Chailly. This marks the start of a series of much-anticipated residencies with three of the Centre’s International Associates: the New York Philharmonic’s residency takes place in February 2012, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam’s residency follows in April–May 2012. These residencies involve symphonic and chamber music concerts, family events, new commissions, educational and outreach work. The residencies also allow the Barbican to take its own music programming more directly to communities in East London

The Barbican
The architecturally renowned Barbican Centre is one of the world's leading arts centres, founded and run by the City of London Corporation. It encompasses dance, film, music, theatre, visual arts and creative learning who work together in creating the model of tomorrow's international arts and learning centre. Committed to providing a world-class programme, which inspires, challenges and amazes its audiences, the Barbican is also home to Resident Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Associate Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Associate Producer Serious and a range of Artistic Associates. For more information visit www.barbican.org.uk.

Barts and The London NHS Trust
Barts and The London is one of Britain's top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life - to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives. Our world-renowned hospitals - St Bartholomew's (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green - have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Winner of new Bringing Excellence to Life GP Award announced

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

For the first time, Barts and The London invited Inner North East London (INEL) GPs and practices to nominate outstanding teams working at the Trust for a special award in its annual Celebrating Success Awards.

The new Bringing Excellence to Life GP Award recognises and rewards a team (clinical or non-clinical) that has delivered excellent patient care and developed good relationships with GP practices over the past year. The award celebrates and rewards staff who demonstrate the Trust's PRIDE values – Passion, Respect, Innovation, Delivery and Education – through their work.

Practices from all three INEL consortia were invited to nominate teams and the final decision was made by a panel with clinical representatives from each INEL borough.

Bringing Excellence to Life GP Award Winner – the Renal Team
And the winner was... the Trust’s Renal Team, which was selected for demonstrating excellent communication with GPs and referrers, using clear letters and summaries. The team was praised for being responsive and easy to reach by email and/or telephone. They have taken part in numerous educational events and developed an innovative Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic in Hackney, working closely with GPs and practices.

The award was announced as part of the Trust's annual Celebrating Success Awards at a dinner reception ceremony on 25 October.

Highly commended
The following teams were highly commended:

Breast Unit
Emergency Gynaecology Unit
Haematology Team
On-call medical consultants
Navigators in A&E streamers
X-ray secretaries

Tuesday evening sexual health clinics at the Ambrose King Centre

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On 1 November, the Ambrose King Centre (Barts and The London’s Sexual Health Centre in Whitechapel) opened a new Tuesday evening service. The new clinic is open between 4pm-6pm and is available to all clients.

People wishing to use the service must reserve a slot by text and can do so after 7pm on the evening before attending the clinic.

Men should text “AKC evening” to 07786 207713

Women should text “AKC evening” to 07786 207714

This is not a walk-in service, and only patients who have reserved on the previous evening will be seen.

Our sexual health clinics in the city and east London provide free and confidential sexual health services, including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and free contraception. We provide fast test results, some on the same day.

For more details about our sexual health services, please visit our website at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/sexualhealth Our full opening times for the Ambrose King Centre can also be found on our website here.

Hand therapy service move

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Tower Hamlets Occupational Therapy MSK Hand Therapy service merged with Barts and The London Hand Therapy Service last month (September).

Now known as ??the Barts and The London Hand Therapy Service, the new merged service [I presume, or are you just referring to the Tower Hamlets Occupational Therapy MSK Hand Therapy service here?] is available to all Tower Hamlets GPs for the assessment and treatment of any musculoskeletal hand condition. Such diagnoses commonly seen include tenosynovitis, wrist pain, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis affecting the hand. Treatments include splinting, home exercise programmes, including strengthening, and work station advice/assessment.

Referrals for neurological hand conditions should be made to the Disability Options Team at Mile End Hospital. Conditions requiring steroid injection should continue to be referred to the hand clinic within the Clinical Assessment Service. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients should continue to be referred to the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) clinic within the Clinical Assessment Service. General Occupational Therapy assessments for patients in the community should continue to be referred to Social Services OT at Gladstone Place.

The Barts and The London Hand Therapy service [what are you referring to here? The new merged service or the previous BLT service?] is an occupational therapy service provided within The Royal London Hospital for patients referred from Plastics and Orthopaedics departments. Patients referred into this now merged service will be assessed and treated by one of the six hand therapists available. Patients are prioritised based on clinical need and urgency with the aim of assessment and treatment being initiated within between two-to-four weeks of receipt of referral.

Please use the attached referral form to make referrals. For more information, please contact Debbie Pipe, Clinical Lead for Hand Therapy [has left – awaiting new contact person] on 020 7943 1367.

Queen Mary and Barts and The London join UCL Partners to create world's largest Academic Health Science System

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On Wednesday 19 October, Barts and The London NHS Trust and Queen Mary, University of London joined UCL Partners (UCLP) to create the largest Academic Health Science System in the World.

Academic Health Science Systems (AHSS) are clusters of healthcare organisations and academic institutions that align education, research and clinical practice to maximise the health of the populations they serve, and to speed the development of new diagnostics and treatments into clinical practice in both communities and hospitals.

Alongside Queen Mary University of London, our partners in UCLP include University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Moorfields, The Royal Free Hospital and University College Hospital.

"By joining with UCL Partners, we are creating one of the most important centres of clinical discovery and innovation anywhere in the world," said Barts and The London's Chief Executive, Peter Morris. "We have a tremendous opportunity to deliver major advances in health and healthcare through translational clinical research that will transform the life prospects of the population we serve.

"We look forward to making a major contribution to the AHSS through our significant additional scale and expertise in key areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, trauma, stroke and human genomics, together with our particular focus on tackling the health inequalities that arise from the high levels of social and economic deprivation in north east and north central London."

Update on the move to the new Royal London Hospital

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The final stages of preparation for the new hospital at The Royal London have now begun, in anticipation of departments starting to move in from 6 December.

Training sessions are currently being held for staff to help them orientate themselves around the new building, and to learn how to use new pieces of equipment. This will be crucial for preparing staff for the new environment and different ways of working.

The Trust's Central Appointments team is sending letters to patients who have appointments booked after their service moves into the new hospital, informing them of the new location of their appointment in the new building.

Clinical moves into the new hospital will be phased between December 2011 and February 2012. A&E and supporting services, such as imaging and critical care, will transfer into the new hospital first, while the final departments to move in will be women’s and children’s and renal.

Clinical evening for GPs - Thursday 24 November 2011
An informal clinical evening to discuss the new hospital will be held for GPs at 6.30pm-8.30pm on Thursday 24 November 2011 in the AE Clark-Kennedy Lecture Theatre, Lower Ground Floor, Queen Mary Bioenterprises (QMB) Innovation Centre, 5 Walden Street, London E1 2EF. The event will be hosted by Steve Ryan, the Trust's Medical Director; Dr Shera Chok, Director of Primary Care; and Toby Lewis, Deputy Chief Executive. It will be an opportunity to:

Discuss the service improvements we wish to achieve for patients
Describe some significant changes we will be making to how we organise clinical services in the new year.
Explain how the new hospital will work and how we are maintaining safety during the three-month move period from 6 December 2011 to 28 February 2012

RSVP by telephone or email to Moji Owie, Communications and Wayfinding Support Manager, New Hospitals Team, on tel 020 7480 4700 or at moji.owie@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

For more information about the new hospitals programme, please visit the new hospitals section of website at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/new-hospitals/

Update on Barts and East London Healthcare – the proposed merger of Barts and The London, Newham and Whipps Cross NHS trusts

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Following the approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) by the three trust boards and NHS London, the Full Business Case (FBC) for the proposed merger of Barts and The London, Newham and Whipps Cross NHS trusts continues to be developed.

The FBC, due to be published in November 2011, will be subject to an extensive approvals process, including the three trust boards, NHS London and the Secretary of State for Health. A detailed assessment from the NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel will also be provided in November 2011. If we receive approval to merge, the earliest time for establishing a new merged organisation is 1 April 2012.

We are committed to ensuring GPs have the opportunity to debate and feed back on our integration plans. We are attending local GP meetings where we have gathered very helpful feedback to include as we move forward and we are hosting a series of events to gather your views.

GP colleagues should have received formal invitations (via the clusters) to the events, the next of which is outlined below. To register your place at the event, email merger@elca.nhs.uk or telephone: 020 7092 5287.

Stakeholder event: Corporate Workstreams and Clinical Academic Service Groups (CASGs)

Thursday 3 November 2011, 2.30pm – 7.30pm, West Ham United Football Club

Corporate Workstream session – 2.30pm-4.30pm
To meet and debate our integration plans with colleagues from the corporate workstreams. The corporate workstreams cover HR and Organisational Development, Finance and Procurement, Estates and Facilities, Quality Governance, Informatics and Communications and Engagement.
Clinical Academic Service groups (CASGs) session – 5.30pm-7.30pm
To meet and debate our integration plans with colleagues from the eight Clinical Academic Service Groups (CASGs). The CASGs cover Ambulatory Care, Cancer Services, Cardiovascular Services, Children’s Health Services, Clinical Support Services, Emergency and Acute Care Medicine, Surgery and Women’s Health (including Maternity).

A vision of future healthcare for local people – prospectus

A summary document entitled A vision of future healthcare for local people has more information about the proposed merger and the benefits it will bring to patients, staff, GPs and other stakeholders. Copies have been sent to all GP practices and it is available to download from our website at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/about-us/proposed-merger/ . To request a printed copy or a copy in easy read format, other languages, Braille, audio or large print, call 020 7092 5287.

Timetable of key milestones

Milestone	Deadline
Outline Business Case (OBC) sign-off by the boards of each of the three trusts	July 2011
OBC sign-off by NHS London	4 August 2011
Full Business Case (FBC) submitted for approval by three trust boards	November 2011
Assessment from the NHS Co-operation and Competition Panel	November 2011
Submisson of the FBC to NHS London for approval	December 2011
Submission of FBC to Department of Health Transaction Board and Secretary of State for Health for approval	January 2012
Proposed merger	1 April 2012
Foundation trust application	2013
Foundation trust authorisation	2014

Details of future events will be posted on the merger website at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/about-us/proposed-merger/. However, if you would like to be kept informed on a regular basis, please send an email to the merger project team at merger@elca.nhs.uk. You can also send in your views or ask any questions by emailing merger@elca.nhs.uk, writing to the Merger Project Team, Aneurin Bevan House, 81 Commercial Road, London E1 1RD or calling us on tel 020 7092 5287.

Improved contact and advice options for GPs considering referrals to the Trust

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A new ‘How to contact us’ page has been developed on the ‘For clinicians’ section of the Trust website.

The page lists the full range of contact options available for GPs and other clinicians considering referring patients to Barts and The London NHS Trust, but who require advice – both urgent and non-urgent – before doing so.

In response to feedback from GPs, all Barts and The London specialties, including Gynaecology, Gastroenterology, Respiratory and Pain Services, are setting up non-urgent advice and guidance nhs.net email addresses (or in some cases telephone numbers) for use by GPs and other referrers. The majority of these are already in place and can be used; the remainder will be available shortly.

These aim to give referrers improved access to specialty clinical advice and communication with consultants. Services will respond to queries within five working days. Please ensure that patient-identifiable information is only used if you are also using an nhs.net account; otherwise please use NHS or hospital numbers.

The full range of contact options on the How to contact us page is as follows:

Urgent clinical advice
Urgent cancer referrals
Non-urgent advice and guidance
Outpatient clinic appointment bookings and cancellations
Confirming planned admissions
Appointment Issues Resolution Service (AIRS)
Pathology results
Feedback from GPs
Bi-lingual Health Advocacy Service / interpreting
Non-emergency patient transport
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Comments suggestions and complaints from patients
Ward telephone numbers

Work is in progress to develop a ‘How to refer to us’ page, outlining the referral routes for GPs and clinicians who wish to refer a patient to one of the Trust’s services. Current advice on referring via Choose and Book is available at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-get-the-best-from-choose-and-book-advice-for-gps/

To access the new ‘How to contact us’ page, please go to www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/for-clinicians/how-to-contact-us

98% of patients would recommend our outpatient services

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Comments cards in our outpatient departments have been used to get ideas for improving our services since January 2011. The latest data, for August 2011, a sample of around 5% of all attendees in the month, showed that 98% of patients would recommend our outpatient services. Many patients also gave individual comments, praising particular members of staff for their kindness and help. This information has been fed back to those involved.

Feedback cards	August 2011
Total comment cards processed	2,325
% of patients seen on time	76%
% of patients who said staff greeted them and introduced themselves	94%
% of patients who said they were well treated	99%
% of patients who understood what was said to them at their appointment	99%
% of patients who would recommend us	98%

"These results are reflective of considerable work that has been made by clinical teams to improve our outpatient services over the past few months and the personal efforts of individuals to provide a supportive experience for our patients. Although it is a team effort, the individuals praised for going the extra mile truly deserve our thanks" said Dr Alistair Chesser, Divisional Director of the Circulatory, Respiratory and Metabolic Sciences Division.

Chief Operating Officer, Toby Lewis said: "These figures and the personal comments praising staff show that the commitment of individuals to provide a high quality service is widely appreciated. We are not complacent and know that there is still work to do. We must make sure that all of our patients are introduced to those looking after them. But to have such high overall satisfaction numbers is a tribute to those involved."

Highest ever PEAT satisfaction scores

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An annual inspection of healthcare facilities across England has revealed that Barts and The London’s hospitals are cleaner and tidier than ever before.

The Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) audit inspects the standards of food, cleanliness, infection control and the patients’ environment and inpatient facilities.

Organisations are scored from one (unacceptable) to five (excellent) for standards of privacy and dignity, environment and food.

Chief Operating Officer, Toby Lewis said: “We are delighted that we have seen such a substantial improvement in the last year.

“All parts of our Trust are rated either good or excellent for the first time in our history. This is a tribute to our staff and to staff from our PFI partner and their suppliers.

“Our patients and local residents have the right to expect excellence. On four of the nine measures that is what we are now delivering.

“We are working very hard to make that nine out of nine, and we would hope that our new facilities will help us to make more progress.”

For the first time, PEAT results from each healthcare facility are now available online at http://data.gov.uk.

Barts and The London NHS Trust’s 2011 PEAT audit was conducted in February 2011 and the inspection team included a patient representative member of the Tower Hamlets LINk.

NIHR awards Barts and The London £6.5 million for a Cardiovascular Disease Biomedical Research Unit

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded Barts and The London NHS Trust and the School of Medicine and Dentistry £6.5 million for a Cardiovascular Disease Biomedical Research Unit. The funding will be split equally on an annual basis over five years from 1 April 2012.

The success of the joint Barts and The London team in achieving NIHR Biomedical Research Unit designation and funding was based on its ability to meet rigorous selection criteria, demonstrating international research excellence; plans for increasing research capacity and ability to undertake experimental research; the relevance of research to patients and the public; its record of translating biomedical research into clinical research, and the strengths of its strategic partnerships.

More than 180,000 people die from cardiovascular disease each year, which equates to one in three deaths, making it the UK's biggest killer. The award builds on major investment at Barts and The London in cardiovascular translational research in the new £25 million William Harvey Heart Centre, which complements the new hospital at Barts.

Smoking and drinking leads to increase in women with kidney stones

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A rise in habits such as smoking and drinking is behind the dramatic increase in the number of women getting kidney stones, according to Urology Consultant Mr Noor Buchholz.

The findings were revealed at the recent European Section of Urolithiasis (EULIS) Stone Conference held at Barts, where Mr Buchholz said the number of women undergoing kidney stone surgery at Barts had doubled compared to five years ago.

He added: “Five years ago, we treated 400 women a year for kidney stones – in the last year that figure increased dramatically to 800.”

Barts and The London NHS Trust is one of the few trusts able to treat kidney stone patients without delay using lithotripsy, a fast-working treatment that uses shock waves to break up stones.

Kidney stones can be caused by a number of factors including a diet of too much meat and salt, having a sedentary lifestyle and smoking and drinking excessively.

Forty years ago, men used to be three times more likely to require kidney stone treatment than women.

But since then, there has been a seven-fold increase in the number of women undergoing treatment – a fact which many experts attribute to the rise, which began in the seventies, in women picking up the same bad habits as men including smoking and drinking.

Mr Buchholz said: “One in eight people in this country will develop kidney stones at some point. Traditionally they were seen as a man’s disease, but that is no longer the case with women fast catching up with men.”

Barts team breakthrough against pancreatic cancer

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An international research team, including Barts and The London clinicians, has made a major breakthrough in the search for a cure for pancreatic cancer. The project, led by Barts Cancer Centre surgeon Mr Hemant Kocher, has identified a link between vitamin A and the disease – which is currently one of the most difficult cancers to treat, killing around 7,500 people in the UK each year, and 250,000 people worldwide.

The four-year joint project with the University of Cambridge and the Hubrecht Institute in The Netherlands has shown that, by raising levels of vitamin A in the non-cancerous cells surrounding the malignant ones, the cells’ structure changed from facilitating cancer growth to inhibiting it.

This focus differs considerably from the current approach for treating pancreatic cancer, which only targets the actual cancer cells.

“We found that paying attention to the non-cancerous tissue surrounding the seed of the cancer is as important as focusing on the cancer itself,” said Hemant. “It’s a very significant milestone in the ongoing battle against this insidious disease and the findings should lead to different treatment types and better survival rates.

“Vitamin A is just one example of an agent that could be added to alter the nature of these cells. Our research could also be applied to a wide variety of other cancers, including liver, colon and blood cancers. So this is really opening up a whole new field of research and possibilities for new treatments.”

Further testing of the current findings will be carried out through clinical trials with patients at Barts Cancer Centre.

Dental Hospital appointments now through Central Appointments – new phone number

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

All appointment enquiries for the Dental Hospital are now being managed by the Central Appointments Office. As a result, the telephone number for Dental Hospital appointments has changed from tel 020 3465 6600 to tel 020 7767 3203. This number applies to appointment enquiries for all dental departments as shown in the table below:

Department	Old number	New number
Restorative	020 7377 7053	020 7767 3203
Paediatric	020 7377 7059	020 7767 3203
Orthodontics	020 7377 7059	020 7767 3203
Oral medicine	020 7377 7053	020 7767 3203

A divert is in place from the old number to allow time for patient letters and information leaflets to be updated with the new number. Once this has happened, the divert will be removed and replaced with a message asking callers to redial to the new number.

Opening times
The Dental Hospital Appointments Office is open 8.30am-5pm, Monday - Friday.

School vision screening for pupils with special needs

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A team of Barts and The London orthoptists and optometrists have completed their second successful year of vision screening for pupils at the three special education schools in Tower Hamlets. The service was commissioned on behalf of Stephen Hawking, Beatrice Tate and The Phoenix schools by the former Tower Hamlets PCT as part of its Children’s Vision Screening Programme.

The orthoptists assessed students for visual acuity, ocular movements and binocular function, as well as alignment of the eyes for the detection of strabismus. The optometrists assessed cycloplegic refraction and undertook a fundus and media examination.

Any child who was found to have an ophthalmic problem such as a strabismus or refractive error was referred to the Children’s Eye Service at The Royal London Hospital for further assessment and management. Children who had a normal screening result will be re-screened next year – in line with recommended guidance that all children have an ophthalmic exam every year.

In 2010, 122 of the 254 children enrolled in the three schools were screened. There were 64 children already under the care of the Children’s Eye Service, so, in total, 73% of pupils from the three schools had an up-to-date eye test. Of the children screened, 48% were found to have an ophthalmic abnormality and were referred to The Royal London for further testing and management. Twenty-eight children had a strabismus and 46 children had an uncorrected refracted error, both of which could have a major impact on the children's ability to learn if left untreated. Joe McQuillan, Acting Head Orthoptist, said: ”More than 85% of what we learn is thought to be received by sight so it is paramount that children with learning difficulties have access to the appropriate eye care as early as possible to ensure vision is not a barrier to their learning."

The 2011 screening programme is nearly complete and the uptake has increased again on the previous year.

Barts and The London speech and language therapists warn of risks of poor communication

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Trust speech and language therapists 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.

Research shows that up to 50% of children from socially deprived backgrounds, such as Tower Hamlets, have lower speech and language skills than would be expected for their age on entering school.

One study found that a third of young offenders were found to have communication difficulties.

At a conference in October, speech therapists highlighted the importance of early intervention, as well as showcasing the options and treatments available to help youngsters acquire good language skills.

Corinne Moffatt, Acting Head of the Service for Children’s Speech and Language Therapy, said: “If we can intervene early before a child starts school, then there is a much better chance of that youngster being able to catch up and go on to enjoy a positive academic career and a productive future.”

Corinne and her team work with children with a range of different communication disorders, including autism, hearing impairment, speech difficulties such as stammering, and eating, drinking and swallowing disorders.

The team currently treats around 2,500 children with around 80-90 new referrals per month.

Trust speech therapists are working increasingly with children’s centres and schools to train educational staff both to spot and support communication issues that often result from deprivation rather than physical problems.

Corinne explained: “Poor communication skills are a particular problem in socio-economically deprived areas like Tower Hamlets. There is strong evidence that these skills are delayed in around half of pre-school children.

“This is often connected to a lack of opportunities for children to interact and to have experiences which help them to learn new words. For example, depression, linked to a lack of money or opportunities, can play a big role in preventing parents from playing as active a role as they might in their child’s speech and learning development.”

One solution to this kind of challenge are the Chatterbugs sessions held by Trust speech therapists and staff at children’s centres throughout Tower Hamlets. These involve parents learning how to interact with their youngsters through play to improve conversation and language skills.

For children with specific communication difficulties such as those associated with autism, language disorder or stammering, the best results are achieved by working closely with the parents and staff in nursery and other educational settings.

Corinne explained: “One three-year-old I saw recently presented with a stammer and his parents were extremely concerned that this could lead to bullying later at school.

“I worked closely for five months with the child and his parents until he became fluent and he’s now doing very well. This is a good example of how early intervention can really turn things around for a family”.

Barts Cancer Centre signs up to Service Pledge for Breast Cancer

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Former BBC Woman’s Hour Editor Sally Feldman

Former BBC Woman’s Hour Editor Sally Feldman who was successfully treated for breast cancer at Barts Cancer Centre has thanked its “spectacularly good” staff for saving her life.

Sally praised her treatment on the day Barts signed up to a breast cancer Service Pledge, formally agreeing to ensure every patient receives gold standard care based on an explicit, written set of promises.

The pledge scheme is part of a pioneering project run jointly with the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity.

The promises that make up the Barts Service Pledge booklet are based on specific feedback from breast cancer patients about their diagnosis and care, with the focus on treating each patient with care, dignity and professionalism.

Clerkenwell-resident, Sally, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in August, last year, had a mastectomy followed by weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

She said: “A lot of things in the Service Pledge were happening at Barts already when I had my treatment last year, but it is wonderful that these are now in the form of written promises to reassure women who have just been diagnosed.

“It is thanks to the breast cancer unit that I am here at all. The staff are spectacularly good. Not only did they save my life, but they did so cheerfully, professionally and with kindness throughout. I was so lucky to be treated in a specialist centre like Barts.”

Under one of its key pledges - Communication and Consultation - Barts promises to introduce every patient personally to the staff members who will be involved in their care throughout; encourage patients to bring a relative or friend to their consultations; allow them the time to make notes during their consultation and to make sure, whenever possible, that a diagnosis is given in person with a breast care nurse present.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer Chief Executive, Chris Askew said: “The Barts service pledge has real integrity and insight at the heart of it.

“It’s absolutely clear that patients do far better when they are fully involved and consulted about their treatment – that is the absolute ethos of this pledge.”

Clinical Nurse Specialist, Jacky Jones, who helped draw up the Barts Service Pledge, said: “What the Service Pledge does is set out in a really clear way, in black and white, what will happen to new patients when they come to the clinic and what they have the right to expect in terms of their care and treatment.

“Hopefully, it will also answer a lot of the questions they may have, as well as encouraging them to ask other questions at any stage and also get written information if they need it.

“It’s not a frightening booklet – rather it aims to give patients reassurance about the standards of care they can expect to receive.”

- ENDS -

Notes to editors:

The Barts Service Pledge

The Service Pledge project is an innovative and pioneering project based on setting standards of care and implementing service improvement through patient involvement. Breakthrough Breast Cancer works closely with individual hospitals to develop their own ‘Service Pledge for Breast Cancer’.
This booklet is given to all patients diagnosed and sets out the standards of care they can expect to receive throughout their treatment and the goals that the hospital has set for improving their service. The template was developed in consultation with healthcare professionals, patients and policy experts.
St Bartholomew’s Hospital is the fourth of the fourth round of pledge sites to launch their Service Pledge. They were one of 25 hospitals to sign up to the Pledge in 2010.
Clinical Nurse Specialist Jacky Jones has led the project at the hospital.
A questionnaire was handed out to patients and interviews conducted to gain information on how St Bartholomew’s Hospital can improve their breast service. The questionnaire was given to 143 patients treated in 6-12months previously.

Barts Cancer Centre

The nine-storey extension of Britain’s oldest hospital boasts some of the most up-to-date diagnostic and treatment facilities anywhere in the world – all in a stunning environment.
As well as offering the latest minimally invasive surgical procedures, cancer drugs, stem cell and gene therapies, Barts Cancer Centre has an impressive array of state-of-the art imaging, radiotherapy and radio-surgery technology.
It includes five RapidArc linear accelerators only available in a select number of hospitals in the UK. These machines, made by Varian, are capable of delivering radiotherapy eight times faster and with pinpoint precision to more tumour sites than ever before.
They are also able to wrap the radiotherapy dose around the exact shape of the tumour, minimising damage to surrounding tissue.
Barts Cancer Centre is the first hospital in London to meet new NHS space, infection control and privacy standards, with 25% more space per patient.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer

For more information visit: www.breakthrough.org.uk

Queen Mary and Barts and The London create world's largest Academic Health Science System

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Queen Mary, University of London and Barts and The London NHS Trust have joined UCL Partners (UCLP) to create the largest Academic Health Science System in the world. The two new founding partners bring to UCL Partners - one of five accredited Academic Health Science Systems in the UK - significant additional scale and expertise in key areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, trauma, stroke and human genomics. Based in east London, the two organisations also bring a focus on health inequalities arising from the area's high levels of social and economic deprivation.

Queen Mary and Barts and The London join other world-renowned healthcare providers and academic institutions within UCLP, including UCL, UCLH, Great Ormond Street, Moorfields and The Royal Free Hospitals.

Professor Simon Gaskell, Principal of Queen Mary, University of London said: "At QM we look forward to making a major contribution to the expanded Academic Health Science System, to the benefit of the communities of north east and north central London, and more broadly to the enhancement of healthcare through the translation of discoveries in clinical research."

Peter Morris, Chief Executive of Barts and The London NHS Trust said: "We are creating one of the most important centres of clinical discovery and innovation in the world to transform the life prospects of the communities we serve.”

Professor David Fish, Managing Director of UCL Partners added: "This is a tremendously exciting opportunity to deliver step change advances in health and healthcare through this new partnership with major providers of clinical care and academic excellence. Beyond our primary service to the local and national communities it will enable a real powerhouse for global competitiveness, supporting the crucial role of London in healthcare innovation and the associated economic benefits."

-Ends-

BARTS SPEECH THERAPISTS WARN OF RISKS OF POOR COMMUNICATION

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

EMBARGOED TO 00.01 FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER ‘11

Venue: Mile End Hospital Education Centre Time: 9.45am Date: Friday 14 October ‘11

Interviewees available Friday – please contact Press Office

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.

Research shows that up to 50% of children from socially deprived backgrounds, such as Tower Hamlets in east London, have lower speech and language skills than would be expected for their age on entering school.[1]

One study found that a third of young offenders were found to have communication difficulties.[2]

At a conference on Friday 14 October, Barts speech therapists will highlight the importance of early intervention, as well as showcase the options and treatments available to help youngsters acquire good language skills.

Corinne Moffatt, Acting Head of Barts Service for Children’s Speech and Language Therapy said: “If we can intervene early before a child starts school, then there is a much better chance of that youngster being able to catch up and go on to enjoy a positive academic career and a productive future.”

Corinne and her team work with a range of different communication disorders, including children with autism, hearing impairment, speech difficulties including stammering and those with eating, drinking and swallowing disorders.

The team currently treats around 2,500 children with around 80-90 new referrals per month.

Barts speech therapists are working increasingly with children’s centres and schools to train educational staff both to spot and support communication issues that often result from deprivation rather than physical problems.

One solution to this kind of challenge are the Chatterbugs sessions held by Barts speech therapists and staff at children’s centres throughout Tower Hamlets. These involve parents learning how to interact with their youngsters through play to improve conversation and language skills.

As well as supporting the children’s workorce in creating a good communication environment for children whose communications skills might be delayed due to deprivation, Barts speech and language therapists also work directly with children who have more Specific communication difficulties such as those associated with autism, language disorder, speech sounds or stammering

Again, the best results are achieved by working closely with parents and staff in nursery and other educational settings with such youngsters, according to Corinne.

She explained: “One three-year-old I saw recently presented with a stammer and his parents were extremely concerned that this could lead to bullying later at school.

- ENDS -

Note to editors

Barts and The London’s Children’s Community Speech and Language Therapy Service works with children aged 0-16. The service is run by Barts and The London NHS Trust after community health services became part of The Trust in July.

Children are referred by health visitors, GPs and schools as well as by their parents.

Assessment and therapy is offered in a range of locations including community clinics, specialist resource provisions, Children’s Centres, mainstream and special schools.

2011 is the “Year of Communication” with two simultaneous campaigns running aimed at highlighting the need for speech therapy . The first is: “Giving Voice” www.givingvoiceuk.org led by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to ensure the profile of speech therapy is maintained during the current financial climate.

The other is ”Hello” www.hello.org.uk which aims to raise awareness of speech, language and communication needs among children following the government-commissioned Bercow report 2008 which found there was a need for greater access to speech therapy and earlier identification and intervention to avoid later problems. The government set up the Communication Council as a result of the Bercow report to drive through its recommendations.

[1] 50% of children in some socio-economically disadvantaged populations have speech and language skills that are significantly lower than those of other children of the same age. Bercow DCSF 2008a

[2] Home Office studies have found that around 35% of offenders have speaking and listening skills at a basic level. Davies K. et al(2004). An Evaluation of the Literacy Demands of General offending Behaviour Programmes Home Office Findings 233

Award winning poet performs at Royal London for National Poetry Day

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The power of poetry will be used to entertain sick children when award-winning writer Lemn Sissay MBE performs at The Royal London Children’s Hospital on National Poetry Day this Thursday 6 October.

Millions of people across the UK will engage with poetry through a range of live events and poetry competitions.

Lemn, who has been working with young patients over the past six weeks in his role as poet-in-residence at The Royal London Children’s Hospital, will give a special recital to mark the day.

Lemn from Clapton in East London is the first commissioned poet for the London Olympics and chose to work with the Royal London Hospital because he believes in the healing power of creativity.

He said: “In my own life and many others, creativity helps the healing process and I wanted to share how reading and writing poetry can be both rewarding and helpful.

“Poetry is everywhere in life, even inside get well soon cards, but working with children in a hospital setting to create it has been an unreal experience.

“The children have blown me away with their creations. Their imagery has been original, their stories fascinating and I think part of this is because they are cooped up inside a ward and their imaginations are desperate to run free – whereas the body has its limitations the imagination is limitless.”

On Thursday Lemn will perform a range of original poems he wrote himself before leading a poetry workshop for young patients.

Lemn was appointed hospital’s Poet In Residence by Vital Arts – the arts organisation for Barts and The London NHS Trust, charitably funded to deliver art programmes to enhance the well-being of patients, staff and the wider hospital community.

Vital Arts project manager Rachel Louis said: “Poetry can instantly transport people to another place or time and is a brilliant distraction that allows patients to focus on something positive instead of their illness.

“Numerous studies suggest that art interventions can reduce pain and anxiety levels and help speed patient recovery times. Lemn’s workshops aim to improve the hospital experience for patients.

Poems written by youngsters attending Lemn’s workshops will be posted across the new Royal London Children’s Hospital when it opens next February. Lemn will work with internationally acclaimed graphic designer Morag Myerscough to bring ward spaces to life with children's words and poems.

Notes to editors

Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay MBE is an award-winning British author and broadcaster who has read his poetry on stages throughout the world. He was born in 1967 of Ethiopian parents. Fostered as a baby, he was sent to a children's home at 11. His first collection of poetry was published when he was 20, and his plays have been produced by Contact Theatre and Radio 4. Sissay was recently writer in residence at the South Bank Centre and he is the first poet to have been commissioned for the London Olympics. Sissay was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.

Royal London Children’s Hospital
The Children’s Hospital will move to its new home in February 2012 as part of the brand new Royal London Hospital. Its state of the art facilities will include dedicated theatre suites, an outdoor rooftop garden and London’s biggest paediatric Accident & Emergency department. The hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK and treats 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe.

Vital Arts
Vital Arts is the arts organisation for Barts and The London NHS Trust, charitably funded to deliver arts projects for the well-being of patients, staff and the wider hospital community. Collaboration and participation are at the heart of its work. Over 700,000 people attend Barts, London Chest and The Royal London Hospital every year, looked after by 8,000 members of staff. The charity sees these buildings as ideal places to introduce a new audience to the transformative power of art.

Vital Arts was founded in 1996 and has grown into one of the UK’s leading arts and health organisations, with an international reputation for producing pioneering arts programmes that transform the experience of being in hospital for patients and staff.

They commission artists, musicians and performers to help improve the hospital environment for patients. They manage two art galleries which ‘bring the outside in,' and an extensive contemporary art collection. They forge links with the hospital community through a diverse programme of artists’ residencies, public art commissions and arts education projects.
For more information and ways to support Vital Arts visit: www.vitalarts.org.uk

50 schoolgirls check into Barts for cancer cause

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts Hospital will host a visit on Friday 30 September for 50 schoolgirls who it hopes will become ambassadors for the NHS’s ‘small c’ cancer awareness campaign.

The ‘small c’ NHS health campaign looks to save thousands of lives annually through early cancer detection by showing that most cancers can be successfully treated if caught when they are small and easier to treat.

Breast cancer is a primary focus as research shows nine out of ten women with breast cancer survive providing the disease is diagnosed at an early stage.

The 16 year old students from the Plashet School in Newham will learn how to spot cancer early with learning tools, including a chicken fillet which has been stuffed with olives to replicate a breast lump.

They will also be shown the latest mammography, MRI and ultrasound equipment, used for diagnosing breast abnormalities in the state-of-the-art Barts Cancer Centre.

Barts Hospital Clinicial Nurse Specialist Anne Brewer said: “We want these 16-year-olds girls to spread the ‘small c’ message to friends, mums, sisters, aunties, grandmothers, stressing the importance of taking responsibility for checking their breasts and seeking immediate medical advice if they spot anything unusual.

“95% of the Plashet School’s pupils are Asian, and research has shown that women from this community, as well as many other communities in East London, have lower awareness of breast cancer symptoms than women from elsewhere in London, and England as a whole.

“Asian women are more likely than Caucasian women to report that embarrassment, a lack of confidence in talking about symptoms and worry about what the doctor might find could put them off visiting their GP.”

For breast cancer, women are urged to be breast aware and adopt the ‘TLC’ approach: Touch – feel for a lump or other changes, Look for changes in shape and texture, and Check with their GP if they find any changes. These changes could include any of the following:
•   Lump which may not be seen but can be felt
•   Changes in skin texture e.g. dimpling/puckering
•   Changes in appearance or direction of nipple
•   Nipple discharge
•   Rash or crusting

The Community Links charity has helped organise The Plashet School’s visit to Barts as part of their ongoing commitment to raising awareness of the warning signs of cancer.

Community Links project coordinator Frances Clarke knows all too well the importance of catching cancer early after surviving breast cancer herself.

She said: “Luckily I caught the lump quite early, visited my GP straight away and I’ve been fortunate enough to make a full recovery.

“There are so many treatments now for cancer. But we can't benefit from these medical advances if we don't get help quickly.

“My experience has made me determined to share this message with other women and there is no better place to start than with our younger generation.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

The ‘small c’ campaign
The ‘small c’ campaign is alerting people to the warning signs of cancer and the need to go to the doctor without delay. Spotting cancer early saves lives, and the ‘small c’ campaign is designed to help people recognise symptoms when the cancer is still small and more vulnerable to treatment. Research shows that up to 10,000 deaths in the UK each year could be avoided, primarily through earlier diagnosis when the disease can be treated more successfully.

The first phase of the campaign is targeting breast and lung cancer, the two most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer, affecting almost 90,000 people a year in the UK.

Lung cancer symptoms to watch out for include:
•   A cough for more than three weeks or if a cough has changed or got worse
•   Shortness of breath
•   Coughing up phlegm with blood in it
•   Hoarse voice
•   Unexplained weight loss

The first phase of the campaign is being funded by the Department of Health through the National Awareness and Early diagnosis Initiative. The initiative is a partnership between NHS East London and the City, NHS Waltham Forest, Barts and The London NHS Trust and the North East London Cancer Network.   Other partners are Barts Cancer Centre, Homerton, Newham and Whipps Cross University Hospitals, as well as local GPs, pharmacists and community groups.

Visit www.smallc.org.uk for more information.

Community Links
East London charity Community Links is running a special project at Plashet School that was inspired by research carried out in North East London which found low rates of breast cancer awareness.

Community Links’ unique approach is in seeking to reach mothers through their daughters. They have run weekly lessons in the school sharing information with the girls about the possible signs and symptoms of breast cancer, about the need to carry out regular breast self examination and seeking to build confidence to go to the doctor if there are any concerns. The goal is to establish habits for life for the girls as well as asking them to take this information home to their mums.

Central & East London Breast Screening Service (CELBSS)
CELBSS provide breast screening services to women living in Central & East London. Women aged between 50 & 70 are routinely invited for breast screening every three years.

The service, based at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, seeks to actively engage with the community it serves, providing training and education opportunities to, amongst others, organisations such as Community Links.

The visit to St Bartholomew’s hospital will complete the overview of breast cancer and breast awareness that Community Links have been teaching the students in recent months. The chance to see what happens at hospital, after a woman has been referred with suspected breast cancer, will hopefully dispel myths and fears, empowering the girls to talk confidently about better treatments and the outcome benefits of them.

Famous author visits Royal London with stories for sick children

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the world’s best-known children’s authors will visit young patients at The Royal London Hospital at the start of a UK-wide project to help sick youngsters recover through literature.

Tony DiTerlizzi, who writes The Spiderwick Chronicles, will drop in on children on Grosvenor A Ward on Thursday 22 September.

He will read extracts from his new book The Search for WondLa to around ten children aged between 5-14 years and also help them create their own stories and illustrations.

The visit is part of a nationwide initiative called Starlight Storytellers that has been organised by publishers Simon & Schuster and Starlight Children’s Foundation, which creates entertainment in UK hospitals and hospices and grants once-in-a-lifetime wishes for seriously and terminally ill children.

The exciting programme of Starlight Storytellers events will see authors and illustrators visiting young patients in hospitals and hospices around the UK to bring books to life for sick children, helping to entertain and distract them from their illnesses.

Tony said: “I am absolutely passionate about the lifelong important of using your imagination – you’re never too old to create a new world, adventure or companion in your mind.

“For children that are suffering from illness, storytelling can offer an escape from their pain and fear which in turn can help them to get better more quickly.

Royal London Hospital play specialist Catrina Fleming said creative activities like storytelling helped take children’s minds off their illnesses and in many cases sped up their recovery time.

She said: “Our patients have enjoyed musical therapy and pantomime performances in the past but interactive storytelling from a famous author is a first for the hospital so we’re very excited to be a part of this.”

“Encouraging imagination in children helps with pain relief and provides a welcome distraction from their hospital bed.”

Tony became a supporter of Starlight which champions the benefits of play therapy in the treatment of children when he was frequently in hospital with his daughter who suffered from seizures at a young age.

Neil Swan, Chief Executive, Starlight Children’s Foundation added: “Starlight is always looking for innovative ways to bring entertainment and distraction to children’s wards across the country.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Today’s launch at the Royal London kicks off an exciting programme of storytelling events in hospitals around the country where other presenting authors include Sue Hendra, author and illustrator of Barry the Fish With Fingers and Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell, Claire Freeman author and co-creator of Aliens Love Underpants, and author of the Stunt Bunny series, Tamsyn Murray. Best-selling author Cathy Hopkins of the series Million Dollar Mates and award-winning author of Girl, Missing Sophie McKenzie will also participate.

About Barts and The London NHS Trust
Barts and The London Children’s Hospital has 130 beds for children – including premature baby cots – and London’s biggest paediatric Accident & Emergency department. The hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK and treats 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe.

About Tony DiTerlizzi
International bestselling author and illustrator, Tony DiTerlizzi, has been creating books with Simon and Schuster for over a decade. From his fanciful picture books like, Ted, G is for 1 Gzonk and the critically acclaimed The Spider and the Fly to older fiction like his new novel, The Search for WondLa, Tony always imbues his stories with a rich imagination. His best known series, The Spiderwick Chronicles (created with Holly Black), has sold millions of copies, been adapted into a feature film, and has been translated in over thirty countries. Tony lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his wife, Angela, and their daughter, Sophia.

About Simon and Schuster UK
Simon & Schuster UK Children’s Publishing was founded in 1998. Since then it has published numerous popular and bestselling titles and series, including The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black, work by multi-award winning author Sophie McKenzie, The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies winner of The Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2010, Yuck by Matt and Dave, Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, Olivia by Ian Falconer, Dora the Explorer, bestselling paranormal romance Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, and work by LJ Smith and Robert Sabuda. Simon & Schuster was highly commended in the Bookseller Industry Awards 2011, Children’s Publisher of the Year category.

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and non-fiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

About Starlight Children’s Foundation
Starlight grants once-in-a-lifetime wishes for seriously and terminally ill children, restoring the magic and fun of childhood and giving the whole family happy memories to share, whatever the future holds. It also creates entertainment in every hospital and hospice throughout the UK. Sick children go to Starlight parties, laugh their way through pantomimes, go out on Starlight Escapes, play games and watch films on the Starlight Fun Centre, and enjoy the toys and puzzles of the Starlight Distraction Box. Happy children respond better to treatment and Starlight helps children to forget about their illness and simply have a bit of fun.

To refer a child or to make a donation, please go online at www.starlight.org.uk. For every £1 you donate, over 91p goes towards helping Starlight’s very ill children.

Olympic athlete mentors kids to get fitter, healthier and happier

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Families in Tower Hamlets are being offered free healthy lifestyle programmes to help them get fit and healthy while having fun.

The lucky families who attend the fun course will also get to meet Olympian and Commonwealth gold medallist swimmer Adam Whitehead who will mentor them during the 10-week programme.

Adam Whitehead launched the new healthy lifestyle programmes for 2-11 year olds at a special event at Mile End Leisure centre today.

MEND’s fun, free programmes are available to children aged 5-11 who are above a healthy weight and their parents. Programmes are also available for families with children aged 2-4 years.

On the MEND programme, families learn about nutrition and how to maintain a balanced diet. This is followed by fun games and activities to get the children moving while their parents talk about health in a supportive environment.

The Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust has provided Adam as an athlete mentor. He will mentor over 20 children on the MEND programme, helping them to make gradual changes to the food they eat and to their levels of exercise. He will also share his experience with the families and talk about his professional life of training, overcoming obstacles and trying to stay motivated.

Over a quarter of 10-11 year olds living in Tower Hamlets are overweight or obese - this is the third highest in the country. Thirteen per cent of children starting school in Tower Hamlets are obese.

The launch of the free healthy lifestyle programmes in Tower Hamlets is part of the Building Powerful Communities partnership between Public Health Tower Hamlets, Barts and the London NHS Trust, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Bupa and MEND, that aims to empower children and adults living in the borough to lead healthier lifestyles and become more active.

Run by Barts and the London’s Weight Management Service for Children and supported by Bupa volunteers, the MEND programmes aim to help about 900 children and their families in Tower Hamlets by March 2013.

Families can sign up to one of the following MEND programmes today by calling Arlene Van Tonder, MEND programme manager on 020 8223 8485:

MEND 2-4

Where: Overland Children Centre, 60 Parnell Road, Bow, London, E3 2RU

When: 10:00- 11:30, every Tuesday for 10 weeks, starting 27^th Sept 2011.

Where: Meath Gardens Children Centre, 1 Smart street, London, E2 0SN

When: 13:00- 14:30, every Thursday for 10 weeks, starting 29^th Sept 2011.

MEND 5-7

Where: William Davis Primary School, Wood Close, London, E2 6ET

When: 15:30- 17:00, every Tuesday for 10 weeks, starting 27^th Sept 2011.

Where: Stebon Primary School, Burdett Estate, Wallwood Street, Poplar, London, E14 7AD

When: 15:30-17:00-every Wednesday for 10 weeks, starting 28^th September 2011

MEND 7-11

Mile End Park Leisure Centre, 190 Burdett Road, London, E3 4HL, starting 27^th September.

When: 17:00-19:00pm, every Tuesday and Friday

Globe Primary school, Gawber Street, London, E2 0JH starting 27^th September.

When: 15:45-17:45pm, every Tuesday and Wednesday

Manorfield Primary School, Wyvis Street, London, E14 6QD, starting 4^th October.

When: 16:30-18:30pm, every Tuesday and Thursday

Notes to editor

About Building Powerful Communities

Building Powerful Communities is a partnership between Public Health Tower Hamlets, Barts and the London NHS Trust, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Bupa and MEND to empower children and adults in Tower Hamlets to eat more healthily and be more active.

About Barts and The London NHS Trust

Barts and The London Children’s Hospital has 130 beds for children – including premature baby cots – and London’s biggest paediatric Accident & Emergency department.
The hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK and treats 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe.
Tower Hamlets Weight Management Service – Children and Maternity is part of the Trust and based at Mile End Hospital. It also provides services from Mile End Leisure Centre, schools and other locations.
The Weight Management service provides healthy lifestyle programmes for children aged up to 18 years and their families. The service is funded by Public Health in Tower Hamlets as part of its local Healthy Borough Programme which is leading the fight to tackle obesity in Tower Hamlets.
The Trust’s full portfolio of specialist centres includes the country’s biggest heart attack centre, leading edge cancer specialties and a highly successful fertility centre.

About MEND

MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition...Do it!) is the leading provider of free healthy lifestyle programmes for families in local communities.
MEND works with public, private and third sector partners to provide a range of healthy lifestyle programmes for families with children aged between two and 13 years (MEND 2-4, MEND 5-7 and MEND 7-13).
Since it was founded in 2004, MEND has helped over 25,000 families across the UK to become fitter, healthier and happier by providing information about healthy eating and how to keep active.
Developed in partnership with child health experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the University College London’s Institute of Child Health, independent research shows that the MEND 7-13 programme helps children lose weight and improve their fitness and self-esteem.
www.mendcentral.org

About Bupa

Bupa’s purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives.
A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.
With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare. We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.
Employing nearly 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.
For more information, visit www.bupa.com.

GP hand therapy service move

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Tower Hamlets Occupational Therapy MSK Hand Therapy service is due to merge with The Bart's & The London Hand Therapy Service from Monday 12th September.

The service is available to all Tower Hamlets GPs for the assessment and treatment of any musculoskeletal hand condition. Such diagnoses commonly seen include tenosynovitis, wrist pain, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis affecting the hand. Treatments include splinting, home exercise programmes, including strengthening and work station advice/assessment.

Referrals for neurological hand conditions should be referred to the Disability Options Team at Mile End Hospital. Conditions requiring steroid injection should continue to be referred to the hand clinic within the Clinical Assessment Service. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients should continue to be referred to the CTS clinic within the Clinical Assessment Service. General Occupational Therapy assessments for patients in the community should continue to be referred to Social Services OT at Gladstone Place.

The BLT Hand Therapy service is an Occupational Therapy service provided within The Royal London Hospital for patients referred from Plastics and Orthopaedics departments. Patients referred into this now merged service will be assessed and treated by one of the six hand therapists available. Patients are prioritised based on clinical need and urgency with the aim of assessment and treatment being initiated within between two-to-four weeks of receipt of referral.

Please use the attached referral form to make referrals. For more information please contact Debbie Pipe (Clinical Lead for Hand Therapy) on 020 7943 1367.

Smoking and drinking leads to increase in women with kidney stones

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A rise in bad habits such as smoking and drinking is behind the dramatic increase in the number of women getting kidney stones according to a leading expert from Barts Hospital.

As the European Section of Urolithiasis (EULIS) Stone Conference begins today at Barts, Urology Consultant Mr Noor Buchholz said the number of women undergoing kidney stone surgery at Barts Hospital had doubled compared to five years ago.

He said: “Five years ago, we treated 400 women a year for kidney stones – in the last year that figure increased dramatically to 800.

“We’ve had to expand our services to cope with the number of people requiring treatment and it doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.

“New research and technology means we have been able to develop better surgery for patients that eliminates the stones more quickly and reduces patients’ recovery time.”

Barts and the London NHS Trust is one of the few trusts able to treat kidney stone patients without delay using a special, fast-working treatment called lithotripsy that uses shock waves to break up stones.

Kidney stones can be caused by a number of factors including a diet of too much meat and salt, having a sedentary lifestyle and smoking and drinking excessively.

Mr Buchholz added: “There is no doubt in my mind that the increase in poor lifestyle choices including smoking and drinking among women is the key reason we are treating so many more of them.”

Forty years ago, men used to be three times more likely to require kidney stone treatment than women[1].

But since then, there has been a seven-fold increase in the number of women undergoing treatment[1] – a fact which many experts attribute to the rise, which began in the seventies, in women picking up the same bad habits as men including smoking and drinking.

Mr Buchholz said: “One in eight people in this country will develop kidney stones at some point. Traditionally they were seen as a man’s disease, but that is no longer the case with women fast catching up with men.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The European Urolithiasis Section of the EAU conference will be held at Barts Hospital until 10 September 2011.

More than 400 delegates from over 55 countries will meet at the EAU conference to discuss the increase as well as the best ways to prevent and treat stones.

Kidney stones are largely preventable and the following steps will help women reduce their risk:

Drink plenty of water.

Eat a varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables to aid digestion. Foods rich in magnesium and potassium such as spinach and bananas are ideal.

Drink alcohol in moderation – women should not drink more than three units per day.

Exercise daily.

Quit the cigarettes. Smoking can cause a build of toxins in kidneys which may contribute to stone formation.

[1]Kidney International (2006) http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v69/n4/full/5000150a.html

"Bringing together scientists and surgeons” – EULIS Meeting Chairman Mr Noor Buchholz

Barts and the London achieves highest ever satisfaction scores

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An annual inspection of healthcare facilities across England has revealed that Barts and The London NHS Trust hospitals are cleaner and tidier than ever before.

The Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) audit inspects the standards of food, cleanliness, infection control and the patients’ environment at inpatient facilities.

Organisations are scored from one (unacceptable) to five (excellent) for standards of privacy and dignity, environment and food.

Deputy Chief Executive Toby Lewis said: “We are delighted that we have seen such a substantial improvement in the last year.

“All parts of our Trust are either rated good or excellent for the first time in our history. This is a tribute to our staff and to staff from our PFI partner and their suppliers.

“Our patients and local residents have the right to expect excellence. On four out of nine measures that is what we are now delivering.

“We are working very hard to make that nine out of nine, and we would hope that our new facilities will help us to make more progress.

“This success is all about paying attention to what matters most to the people we serve. Everyone involved in our organisation should be proud of these results.”

For the first time ever, PEAT results from each healthcare facility are now available online at http://data.gov.uk.

Barts and the London NHS Trust’s 2011 PEATs audit was conducted in February 2011 and the inspection team included a patient representative member of the Tower Hamlets LINk.

ENDS

PEATs were established in 2000 to assess NHS hospitals. Under the programme, every inpatient healthcare facility in England with more than 10 beds is assessed and rated annually. The PEATs consist of NHS staff including doctors, nurses, matrons, catering and domestic service managers, executive and non-executive directors plus patients, patient representatives and members of the public.

Barts and the London 2011 PEAT inspection results

	Privacy and Dignity		Food		Environmental
	2011	2010	2011	2010	2011	2010
Royal London	Excellent	Good	Excellent	Good	Good	Acceptable
Barts	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
London Chest	Excellent	Good	Excellent	Good	Good	Good

EastEnders storyline could help cancer survival rate

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Doctors at Barts and The London NHS Trust expect a rise in the number of patients receiving treatment for cervical cancer as a result of a dramatic new storyline in the BBC 1 soap EastEnders.

Mum-of-three, Tanya Jessop (Jo Joyner) receives the bombshell news that she has the disease following a routine smear test.

Over the coming months, viewers will see the mum-of-three courageously come to terms with the diagnosis as she undergoes treatment.

The storyline has been painstakingly researched by the soap’s scriptwriters with experts and cancer charities to ensure it is as accurate as possible and that it highlights the importance of women having regular smear tests.

Barts Cancer Centre Gynaecological Oncologist Mr Arjun Jeyarajah said he fully expected to see more women coming forward for treatment once the EastEnders storyline aired tonight.

He said it could have a similar effect to the rise seen two years ago following the illness and death from the disease of Big Brother star Jade Goody.

He said: “Soaps like EastEnders can do an awful lot of good in highlighting the importance of women looking after their health and having regular check-ups including smear tests.

“Women lead very busy lives and often put their partner, children or work first so their personal health ends up sliding to the bottom of the pile.

“Cervical cancer is very treatable if detected early so it’s important to have a cervical smear every three years and keep follow-up appointments at hospital if further tests are needed if the smear is abnormal.

“The disease carries few warning signs so the smear tests are invaluable because they pick up subtle abnormalities which do not cause symptoms but if left undetected, could become cancerous.

“The sooner the cancer is detected the better the outlook with the survival rate in excess of 95% for women diagnosed with Stage 1 cervical cancer.”

Barts Hospital is a regional referral centre for a unique procedure called a trachelectomy that can be offered to women with early stages of cervical cancer. The trachelectomy involves removing the cervix and preserving the corpus of the uterus which enables some women to go on to have children.

Cervical cancer survivor Tina Brown, who was treated at Barts, knows first-hand how early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.

She was a happy go-lucky 29 year old looking forward to marriage and children when she was told that her regular smear test result was abnormal.

Tina said: “After more tests, I was told that I had cervical cancer and would have been dead in less than three years if it had been left untreated. If I had missed my smear test I would not have known until it was too late.

“The cancer diagnosis threw my world upside down especially when I was told the only way to treat my cancer was to have a radical hysterectomy, meaning no chance of going on to have kids.”

A few days before the date for her hysterectomy operation, Tina heard about the tracheletomy procedure at Barts and was told she would be a suitable candidate.

Following the surgery she was given the all-clear and only 15 months later fell pregnant, giving birth to daughter Scarlett, now aged 11.

“My daughter and I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for the early screening tests and groundbreaking surgery done at Barts so I can’t stress enough how important it is for women to be vigilant about their health,” Tina said.

ENDS

Notes for editors

More than 800 women were referred with an abnormal cervical smear, unusual cervical appearance or symptom to the Colposcopy Clinic at Barts Hospital in the last year.
Each year approximately four million women are screened for cervical cancer in England[1] with more than 2000 women being diagnosed with the disease[2].
Of all the women diagnosed with cancer of the cervix approximately 68% will live for at least 5 years[3].
Research suggests that screening is saving 5,000 lives each year in the UK by preventing cervical cancer[4].
Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that is preventable because pre-cancerous cell changes can be picked up before they have a chance to develop into a cancer. Cervical cancer screening has been available in the UK since 1967.
All women between the ages of 25 and 64 are eligible for a free cervical screening test every three to five years.

[1] NHS Cervical Cancer Screening Programme 2008-09 http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/about-cervical-screening.html

[2] Profile of Cervical Cancer in England 2011 http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/profile-cervical-cancer-england-report.pdf

[3] Cancer Research UK 2010 http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/cervical-cancer/treatment/cervical-cancer-statistics-and-outlook

[4] Cancer Research UK 2010 http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/cervical-cancer/treatment/cervical-cancer-statistics-and-outlook

Barts and The London NHS Trust and Barts and The London Medical School partnership secures DoH funding of over £6.5m for cardiovascular research

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A joint award of over £6.5m has been awarded following open competition to Barts and The London NHS Trust and Barts and The London Medical and Dental School by the Department of Health from their partnership’s successful application for National Institute for Health Research Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit designation and funding.

This builds on major investment at Barts and The London in cardiovascular translational research in the new £25m William Harvey Heart Centre which complements the new hospital at Barts. This has been greatly assisted by the support of NIHR through our existing Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit which has established a Centre for Advanced Cardiac Imaging. This will enable new award accelerated translation of concepts at the bench into patients over the next five years from 1 April 2012.

The Trust and School’s joint application fulfilled selection criteria on the basis of international research excellence; plans for increasing research capacity and ability to undertake experimental research; the relevance of research to patients and the public; its record of translating biomedical research into clinical research, and the strengths of its strategic partnerships.

Peter Morris, Chief Executive of Barts and The London NHS Trust said in 2009 more than 180,000 people died from cardiovascular disease which equates to one in three deaths, making it the UK’s biggest killer.

“This award of £6.5 million will significantly help researchers find better ways to treat cardiovascular disease.

“With the country’s biggest heart attack centre located within Barts and The London our specialists deal with the human cost of heart disease on a daily basis.

“Barts and The London NHS Trust has a long history of pioneering new research and I look forward to seeing the new therapies, better drugs and potential cures that could potentially result from this generous research grant.”

Professor Mark Caulfield, Director of the William Harvey Research Institute, who led the application on behalf of Barts and The London said: “This investment by the National Institute for Health Research is a major endorsement of Barts and The London’s research strategy to accelerate the progress of new therapies for heart disease and stroke into patient care in North East London”.

- Ends -

Tower Hamlets CHS transfer already bringing benefits for patients

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

East London residents now have access to better, more tailored health care following the transfer of services from Tower Hamlets Community Health Services to Barts and The London in July.

After leaving hospital, patients will automatically get follow-up appointments with specialists as part of their long-term treatment plan instead of having to go back to their GP for referrals.

More than 1,200 employees from the Tower Hamlets Community Health Services transferred across to form a new Community Health Services Division. They include nurses, doctors, therapists, dietitians, social workers and psychologists working in a wide range of community settings, including patients' homes, schools, residential homes, drug and alcohol centres, and community venues.

The transfer will enable us to improve the health of patients, service users and the wider local community, by providing more integrated care across all settings, both within the Trust's hospitals and in the community.

Barts and The London Chief Executive Peter Morris said: “The transfer provides more treatment options for patients as it means they can receive services like speech therapy in the comfort of their own home instead of just on a hospital ward.

“The transfer will strengthen partnerships between hospital, community and GP teams, making it easier to provide patients with more integrated care pathways and services.”

The Trust is committed to working closely with local networks of GP practices, supporting the virtual ward concept and focusing on improving health outcomes in the major public health priority areas.

Patients likely to benefit the most from the new division include those who require urgent or long-term care and need to visit a variety of clinicians for treatment.

Services for vulnerable older people will also improve as different clinicians are often required to treat a number of health problems ranging from osteoporosis to cataracts that traditionally affect an ageing population.

“Ultimately this transfer of services will benefit everyone in the east London community and it is part of our long-term action plan to effectively use our resources,” Mr Morris said.

Barts and The London GP refresher course – 19-21 October 2011

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The annual Barts and The London GP Refresher Course will take place on 19-21 October 2011. This popular course has been running for 10 years and is attended by local GPs, graduates of Barts and The London School of Medicine and colleagues from outside London.

The course integrates theoretical and practical aspects of topical issues relevant to all working general practitioners. A team of invited speakers of acknowledged expertise in their areas discuss medical issues of national importance and highlight clinical and research developments at the Medical School and more widely.

At the end of each course, delegates suggest topics they would like discussed in the future. In this way, the organisers are able to put together a relevant and comprehensive programme for the following year.

Topics we hope to include this year:

Diabetes
End of life care
Gynaecology
Dementia
Commissioning
Tinnitus and vertigo
Vitamin D deficiency
Managing atrial fibrillation
Caring for preterm infants
Mental health in migrants
Personality disorders
Obstructive sleep apnoea

The 2011 course will be held in the state of the art Innovation Centre on the Whitechapel campus. The costs are as follows:

One day £180
Two days £330
Three days £450

The full programme will be available shortly on the Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science website at http://www.icms.qmul.ac.uk/gprefresher.

For further information, contact Professor Robert Walton at r.walton@qmul.ac.uk or Fariha Afgan at f.afgan@qmul.ac.uk or tel 020 7882 2541.

Update on the proposed merger of Barts and The London, Newham and Whipps Cross NHS trusts

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On Thursday 4 August, NHS London approved the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the potential merger of Barts and The London, Newham and Whipps Cross NHS trusts. This follows approval by the boards of the three trusts the previous week.

The trusts are now preparing the Full Business Case (FBC) for the merger. The FBC will require approval by all three trust boards later in the year, together with a number of external approvals, including the Department of Health and Secretary of State for Health, before a final decision to merge is taken.

A 12-page prospectus entitled A vision of future healthcare for local people provides further detail about the proposed merger, the benefits it will bring to patients, staff and stakeholders and how to give us your views. This prospectus is available to download here.

All GP practices in north east London should have received hard copies of the prospectus. If you would like to receive any more copies, or you have any views or questions on the proposed merger, please email the Merger Project Team at merger@elca.nhs.uk

Stakeholder event - Thursday 15 September
GP colleagues are also invited to join a stakeholder event at 10am-12 noon on Thursday 15 September at West Ham United Football Club to review and debate the proposal to become a single organisation. The event will provide local stakeholders with an opportunity to find out more about the merger and the next steps, ask questions directly to the senior clinical and managerial teams from the three trusts and provide suggestions on how the local community wants to continue to engage with us over the coming months. For further information, and to register, please email the Merger Project Team at merger@elca.nhs.uk or call 020 7092 5287.

Appointment Issues Resolution Service (AIRS) expanded

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Trust's Appointment Issues Resolution Service (AIRS), our dedicated helpline for patients and GPs experiencing difficulties accessing our outpatient or admissions services, has been expanded to cover Tower Hamlets Community Health Services, which transferred to the Trust in July.

AIRs offers patients and GPs a fast and effective route for resolving all booking and scheduling issues, strengthening, supporting and complementing existing Trust resources. The Trust has committed to responding to the patient and/or GP within 24 hours and making the best endeavours to resolve the issue within five working days, by liaising with the relevant Trust teams and individuals. AIRS communicates with both the patient and the GP surgery to ensure that all interested parties are regularly updated with developments and resolutions. The AIRS helpline is on tel 020 7377 7074.

New hospitals update

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Preparations are continuing on track for the move into the new hospital at The Royal London in less than four months’ time. The bed configuration for the new hospital has now been determined and key pieces of clinical equipment, such as CT scanners, have started to be delivered to the site so that they can be commissioned in time for the new hospital opening in December.

Clinical moves into the new hospital will take place in phases between December 2011 and February 2012. A&E and supporting services, such as imaging and critical care, will transfer into the new hospital first, while the final departments to move in will be women’s and children’s and renal.

Main moves into the new building at The Royal London

Early to mid December 2011 – A&E and supporting services, including diagnostic imaging, some theatres, critical care and some adult wards
Late December 2011 – some adult wards and outpatient departments move to The Royal London from Barts
Early January 2012 – some outpatient clinics, some theatres and ACAD
Mid to late February 2012 – renal and urology, women’s and children’s, inpatient pharmacy and remaining adult wards

Patients and GP practices will be kept fully informed of any changes to services affected by the moves. There will be further updates in future issues of Barts and The London Link.

Barts Phase Two

Demolition has now been completed to make way for construction of the second half of the new hospital at Barts. Construction of the new building will begin in autumn this year and will be finished in time for the building to open in 2014, to house cardiac services. Together with the state-of-the-art cancer centre which opened at the hospital in March 2010, this will create a cancer and cardiac centre of excellence at Barts.

Deployment of new Millennium CRS functionality postponed until 2012

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The implementation of new Millennium CRS functionality, originally planned for late September this year, has been postponed to 2012. This will allow the Trust to concentrate its resources fully on the move into the new hospital at The Royal London. The Trust Board has decided that the risk of moving wards at the same time as upgrading our main clinical database's software is too great, and the implementation date is now being re-planned for spring 2012.

Extended support for families of sick children

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A new extension was opened in July at Stevenson House, the Sick Children’s Trust charity’s ‘Home from Home’ at The Royal London Children’s Hospital.

Stevenson House offers high quality free accommodation for families whose children are seriously ill and being treated at the hospital. It is one of seven ‘Homes from Home’ run by the charity at major hospitals around the country.

The extension at Stevenson House has created an additional four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate communal area, kitchen/dining room and a lounge. It will allow them to accommodate an extra 150 families every year.

Barts and The London Medical Director Steve Ryan said: “The Sick Children’s Trust provides an invaluable service to families who live outside the city by removing the stress of having to find accommodation in an expensive city like London.

“Children tend to recover much more quickly and have a more positive attitude to being in hospital when their families are close by. Family support is an important part of the healing process for every child and we are grateful the Sick Children’s Trust and its donors for providing these extra bedrooms at Stevenson House to make a difficult situation for patients and their families that much easier.”

Faecal occult blood testing service to be discontinued

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With effect from 30 September, Barts and The London will no longer be offering a faecal occult blood (FOB) testing service. This follows a review of the testing service, in the light of current national guidelines and evidence, and is in line with many other pathology services. In summary, the evidence against the use of FOB testing is as follows:

NICE guidelines for Referral for Suspected Cancer (CG27¹, sections on upper and low gastrointestinal cancer) state that when referring, no examinations or investigations other than abdominal and rectal examination and full blood count are recommended as they may delay referral.
Detection of occult blood in faeces is both insensitive and non-specific in the investigation of colorectal cancer. It can give rise to:
- False negatives (with the risk of false reassurance, and potentially a delay in diagnosis), caused by:
  - ‘Sampling error’ e.g. intermittent GI bleeding
  - High doses of vitamin C
- False positives (risk of unnecessary patient anxiety, and over-investigation), caused by:
  - Presence of animal haemoglobin and myoglobin in the stool due to diet
  - Presence of plant peroxidase activity in stool due to diet e.g. horseradish, turnip
  - Iron tablets
  - Other causes of GI bleeding e.g. bleeding gums or gastric ulcer, drugs (aspirin, NSAIDs, corticosteroids
British Society for Gastroenterology Guidelines for the Management of Iron Deficiency Anaemia² state that FOB testing is of no benefit in investigation, being both insensitive and non-specific.
Screening of appropriate groups of asymptomatic individuals is now offered through the UK Bowel Cancer Screening Programme³.

A recent survey of requests for FOB testing in 2010-2011 revealed that clinical reasons for testing fell into four main groups:

Investigation of iron deficiency anaemia
Investigation of GI symptoms e.g. change in bowel habit, bloating, diarrhoea
Investigation of a patient reporting blood in stools
Querying cancer e.g. weight loss, family history

These clinical indications are all covered by the above guidelines, and therefore we feel that discontinuation of the service is justified.

References

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, Clinical Guideline 27. Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer http://www.nice.org.uk/CG027niceguideline 2005
Goddard, FA et al. British Society of Gastroenterology. Guidelines for the Management of Iron Deficiency Anaemia, 2005.
http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel

If you have any comments or queries about this change, please contact Dr Fiona Riddoch DipRCPath, Principal Clinical Biochemist, by email to fiona.riddoch@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or on tel 020 3246 0263. Alternatively, contact the duty biochemist (bleep 1221) via the GP Hotline on tel 020 7377 7461.

Change of format for prolactin test results in the diagnosis of hyperprolactinaemia

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The format of prolactin (PRL) results issued by Barts and The London's Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory has been changed with immediate effect. In future, only true prolactin (the clinically relevant form) will be reported, together with a comment confirming the absence or presence of macroprolactin, which can result in misdiagnosis. Previously, a detailed report on methodology (PEG precipitation and % recovery) to remove macroprolactin (inactive prolactin) was also included.

Increased serum levels of prolactin are characteristic of pathological hyperprolactinaemia, a relatively common endocrine disorder which also causes symptoms of menstrual irregularity, infertility and galactorrhoea in women, and impotence and loss of libido in men. Measurement of serum prolactin is therefore a key investigation used to identify those patients with hyperprolactinaemia and is a basis for further investigation and treatment.

Prolactin circulates in three major molecular forms:

monomeric (or ‘true’) prolactin – biologically active form and if raised can cause symptoms in patients.
Dimeric prolactin
macroprolactin (big-big prolactin/IgG bound prolactin) – biologically inactive form.

Macroprolactin is not relevant clinically but cross-reacts in most prolactin assays giving spurious hyperprolactinaemia. This can lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary follow up.

In our laboratory we identify the presence of macroprolactin by screening all samples with serum prolactin level > 700 miu/L for macroprolactin. This involves treating serum samples with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to precipitate the macroprolactin and then re-analysing the sample to measure the remaining monomeric prolactin (true prolactin). As well as reporting the true prolactin, a comment confirming the absence or presence of macroprolactin will also be provided.

Interpretative comments for prolactin results for different scenarios will be as follows:

Scenario 1: Sample with true hyperprolactinaemia

Our comment – true hyperprolactinaemia after removal of any clinically insignificant macroprolactin. Suggest investigate cause of raised prolactin.

Scenario 2: Sample with macroprolactin giving spurious hyperprolactinaemia.

Our comment – normal prolactin level. Higher prolactin level reported earlier was due to clinically insignificant macroprolactin which was removed before this measurement.

Scenario 3: Sample with true hyperprolactinaemia along with presence of some amount of clinically insignificant macroprolactin.

Our comment – true hyperprolactinaemia. Suggest investigate cause of raised prolactin. Higher prolactin level reported earlier was due to co-existing clinically insignificant macroprolactin which was removed before this measurement.

Scenario 4: Sample with equivocal prolactin results after removal of clinically insignificant macroprolactin.

Our comment – this prolactin result is equivocal and needs clinical correlation and endocrine opinion.

If you have any questions about the change of results format, please contact Dr Manisha Sharma by email to manisha.sharma@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

Open Day at The Royal London Hospital – Wednesday 14 September

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This year's Open Day will be held at The Royal London Hospital on Wednesday 14 September from 12 noon to 3.30pm. The event is an opportunity for patients, staff and the general public to find out more about the specialties and services available in our hospitals.

Highlights include:

Preview of the new hospital at The Royal London
Healthy living and lifestyle information
Careers fair to promote careers in healthcare

If you would like any more information, please contact Kelley Marriage, Head of Corporate Events, on 020 7480 4710.

Dr Nipa Bavishi begins her Darzi fellowship at Barts and The London

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Nipa Bavishi began her one-year Darzi fellowship at Barts and The London this month. A graduate from King's College London's School of Medicine, Dr Bavishi joins us from a GP practice in Streatham where she has just completed her ST3 (registrar) year.

Her post as Darzi Fellow is one of a number of fellowships set up and funded by NHS London and the London Deanery, in collaboration with the King’s Fund. This is the second year of the scheme, which offers junior doctors a 12-month ‘out of programme experience' in acute, foundation, mental, health or primary care trusts.

Mentored by their medical director (or nominated deputy), fellows lead on a variety of priority service change projects within their trusts.

Dr Bavishi will focus on three key areas of work for Barts and The London: reducing unnecessary admissions, improving discharge arrangements and improving communications with primary care, in conjunction with the Trust’s Director of Primary Care, Shera Chok. Alongside this, she will be doing GP clinical sessions at Limehouse practice.

Dr Bavishi said: "I am really excited about undertaking projects designed to improve patient care and service delivery both at Barts and The London and in the community. Most Darzi Fellows are based in either primary or secondary care, so my post is unusual in this respect. It's a great opportunity to get involved in the community on a wider level by bridging the gap between both sectors."

Like all Darzi Fellows, she will also participate in a bespoke leadership development programme that aims to help fellows develop the organisational and leadership skills necessary for their future roles as consultants and clinical leaders.

Newham and Whipps also have fellows starting soon, and Dr Bavishi will collaborate with them over the coming months.

If you have any comments or feedback for Dr Bavishi, please contact her by email to nipa.bavishi@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or on tel 020 7377 7422.

Choose and book update

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Barts and The London NHS Trust now offers 177 directly bookable services on Choose and Book, including 23 Two Week Wait services. For Two Week Wait referrals, please complete and attach the referral letter on the day you refer to help prevent any delays in the patient’s pathway.

Many entries in the Trust’s Directory of Services (DoS), including Paediatric Ophthalmology and Orthopaedics, have been updated recently to include clinic referral criteria, so please do make use of this resource.

Please note the Trust no longer offers new orthopaedic spinal appointments at The Royal London site. This clinic is being moved to Barts, so please book patients into the Barts service instead.

The General Dermatology service run by Barts and The London NHS Trust at Newham has been reduced in size so please select the General Dermatology service at The Royal London Hospital to ensure your patient is seen as soon as possible.

For all numbered clinics e.g. General Cardiology 1 and General Cardiology 2, please select every relevant clinic as this will reduce the chance of an ‘appointment slot issue’ (ASI) and help the patient be seen quicker.

Download the latest Choose and Book clinic list.

For any Choose and Book enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Peter Nicholson, Choose and Book Lead, by email to peter.nicholson@bartsandthelondon.nhs.nk

Better, faster access to health care for East Londoners

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

East London residents now have access to better, more tailored health care after Barts and the London Trust merged with Tower Hamlets Community Health Services.

After leaving hospital, patients will automatically get follow-up appointments with specialists as part of their long-term treatment plan instead of having to go back to their GP for referrals.

Barts and the London Trust Chief Executive Peter Morris said this was a big win for patients. He said: “The merge has already started saving patients’ time and hassle.

“For example, a person requiring physiotherapy to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident can now automatically see a specialist for an appointment once they leave hospital without having to visit their GP first.”

More than 1200 employees from the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust have transferred across to form a new Community Health Services Division.

A range of staff in the division including nurses, doctors, therapists, dieticians, psychologists, and support workers now provide care in schools, drug and alcohol centres and other community centres in addition to the patients’ own homes.

Mr Morris said: “The merge provides more treatment options for patients as it means they can receive services like speech therapy in the comfort of their own home instead of just on a hospital ward.

“The transfer will strengthen partnerships between hospital, community and GP teams, making it easier to provide patients with more integrated care pathways and services.”

Patients likely to benefit the most from the new division include those who require urgent or long-term care and need to visit a variety of clinicians for treatment.

“Ultimately this transfer of services will benefit everyone in the East London community and it is part of our long-term action plan to effectively use our resources,” Mr Morris said.

“Strengthening our healthcare partnerships across East London is one of our biggest priorities and in addition to welcoming the transfer of our new staff, we are currently moving forward with proposals for the creation of a merged organisation with Whipps Cross and Newham NHS Trusts which we hope will come into effect from April 2012.”

ENDS

Children's nurse clocks off after 30 years of service

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Children’s nurse Maureen Pollex who has dedicated three decades to caring for youngsters at Barts and the London Children’s Hospital will hang up her uniform for the final time on Friday 29 July.

Maureen, who joined the Trust as a junior sister in 1982, said: “Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to become a nurse and I chose paediatrics as I love children.”

Her career highlights are numerous, from meeting Princess Diana through to setting up the capital’s first hospital protection suite for abused youngsters.

Maureen explained: “The Hatfield Suite was initially set up as an experiment to provide children who were the victims of abuse with a more comfortable, secure environment to undergo medical examinations and interviews with police.

“It was a great success and it’s very rewarding to have been part of the team that pioneered the concept which led to similar suites being replicated across the city.”

Maureen still works in the suite and as an Accident and Emergency Liaison Sister to help children and teenage patients return to normal life once they get out of hospital.

She has seen a revolution in the clinical treatment of children since she began her career, witnessing huge advances in many areas.

She explained: “Thirty years ago, children born with cystic fibrosis died at a very young age, whereas now patients diagnosed with the condition live well into their 20s and 30s.

“Children with broken legs used to spend six weeks in traction - now they can just have a pin inserted during surgery and go home within a couple of days.

“I’ll be sad to say goodbye to my colleagues and young patients next week but I’ve got so many happy memories to look back on”.

Other memorable moments include the time the fire brigade turned up after she accidentally set off fire alarms with a special Bonfire Night cake decorated with sparkler candles.

Other cherished memories include meetings with members of the Royal family, including Princess Diana, the Queen Mother, Princess Anne and the Duchess of York

But, said Maureen: “In the end, though, nothing compares to all the little patients and wonderful colleagues I’ve met over the years”.

She says she will really miss hospital life, but has a busy retirement planned, including trips abroad and indulging her love for classical music.

Colleagues organised a special farewell party for Maureen where they presented her with a surprise gift to commemorate her 30 years of service at Barts and The London NHS Trust.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Barts and The London Children’s Hospital has 130 beds for children – including premature baby cots – and London’s biggest paediatric Accident & Emergency department. The hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK and treats 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe.

• For more information on a career at Barts and the London Children’s Hospital visit www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/work-for-us/

Duo to run that extra mile for London’s Air Ambulance

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

LAA Pilot and Doctor will run 8 marathons in 6 days in Jordan

London’s Air Ambulance pilot, Captain Neil Jeffers, and doctor, Dr. Tom Konig, are soon to complete the ultimate endurance test, seeing them run 8 marathons in 6 days through the deserts of Jordan, in a bid to raise money for the charity.

On 3rd September 2011 the London’s Air Ambulance duo will be running 200 miles (360 km) through Wadi Rum, a protected area covering 720 square kilometres of dramatic desert wilderness in the south of Jordan, and will finish at Petra.

Not only are 8 consecutive marathons a feat in itself, the average heat in the Wadi Rum desert is 32°C. Stamina will be tested and emotions will run high but the duo are hoping to raise over £10,000 for their efforts and are enlisting the support of Londoners.

The pair, who have been training at every opportunity, have military backgrounds, which being fit and able to cover long distances on foot is a vital part of. Tom has also run the Virgin London Marathon twice before.

Tom and Neil have been training separately, however on the 16th August they intend to run the equivalent of a marathon at London’s South Bank.

Support their text campaign. To donate TEXT LAAM26 £ (1, 5, 10) to 70070

For further information and to support Neil and Tom please visit www.laajordanultra.com

Commenting on Jordan Ultra, Captain Jeffers said: “I work at the forefront of the service but it always shocks me how little people know about us and the fact that we are a charity. I know first hand what a vital service this is to London and the chance to raise money in support of LAA is fantastic. Tom and I consider ourselves relatively fit but this challenge is a massive one.”

Dr Tom Konig added: “This venture provides a perfect opportunity to raise money and the profile of this service which is a vital part of trauma care in the Capital. LAA is a world leader in trauma care and is an example of the very best team at work. We hope to continue that effort in the austere environment of the Jordanian desert.”

END

Notes to Editors

About London’s Air Ambulance (www.londonsairambulance.co.uk)

London’s Air Ambulance (Registered Charity no. 801013) is London’s only helicopter emergency medical service, which provides pre-hospital care to victims of serious injury throughout London - serving the 10 million people who live, work and commute within the M25.

Based at the Royal London Hospital and founded in 1989, the service is unique in that it operates 24/7, with the helicopter running in daylight hours and rapid response cars taking over at night. The Team, which at all times includes a Senior Trauma Doctor and a specially trained Paramedic, attend an average of seven missions a day.

London’s Air Ambulance has an international reputation for clinical excellence and delivers pioneering procedures which have been adopted across the world.

About JordanUltra (www.jordanultra.com)

After the huge experience of running the Jordan 10 the team have decided to set up the Jordan Ultra as an annual event to allow others to experience the immensity of the Jordanian landscapes while traversing them. In this first annual event we will be taking on 50 runners to run either 8 marathons in 6 days or 4 marathons in 3 days to cross through Jordan’s historic sites, dramatic wadis and sample the southern tip of the country. It is an awe inspiring place and an unrivalled location to participate in an ULTRA.

An extended support for families of sick children

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

TV presenter Jeff Brazier joined The Sick Children’s Trust today to open the new extension to its ‘Home from Home’ Stevenson House in East London.

The extension has created an additional four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate communal area, kitchen/dining room and a lounge, for the charity, which provides free, high-quality ‘Home from Home’ accommodation for families whose children are seriously ill and being treated at the Royal London Children’s Hospital.

The charity’s £305,000 fundraising appeal was launched last year, he said:

“Spending time with some of the families here today, you really do get a feel for just how important it is for them to be close by to the child during their illness and likewise for the sick child, having their family around, really does comfort them and help with their emotional wellbeing. If my children, god forbid, had to go into hospital you wouldn’t catch me anywhere but by their side, so I can really appreciate the value of this charity.
I personally know a family who has used the house here and it is a cause which is close to my heart.”

The Woodhouse family, who stayed at Stevenson House for nearly two weeks at the end of March 2010 when their 16 year old son, Leon, was being treated for Cushing’s disease, was there to celebrate the opening. Mum, Lucy said:

“Leon was admitted to the Royal London Hospital to undergo tests to see if he did have Cushing's disease and was in for two weeks, during which time he had no end of blood tests. With our home in Norwich, my husband Paul and I were concerned that our only option would be to commute to London everyday to see Leon or bring the rest of our family down to London and pay for private accommodation – something we couldn’t really afford to do.

“When we called Stevenson House to inquire about staying there, the relief when Joan the house manager said they had spare beds was unbelievable. It took what would have been one of the hardest choices out of my hands and meant our family could stay together and support Leon.

“Leon himself has said that having us close by helped him no end. Knowing we were just five minutes away and that the ward had a direct line to our room gave him, and us, such peace of mind. He was also able to come over to the ‘Home from Home’ and spend time there with us away from his hospital bed – this raised his spirits so much, just being in the warm and welcoming environment of Stevenson House.”

The hospital, one of the largest acute children’s hospitals in the UK, is currently undergoing a huge expansion which will see an increase in paediatric intensive care beds from seven to 10, neonatal intensive care unit cots from 36 to 46 and a new six bed trauma rehabilitation unit.

Joan Coker, house manager at Stevenson House said: “Since we opened the doors in 2003 the house has helped over 2,000 families and is one of our charity’s busiest, with an average occupancy level of 95% and a waiting list most nights. It is very exciting that we now have this new extension as it is heart breaking to have to turn families away as we don’t have the room to accommodate them. Now however, the extension will allow us to help an additional 150 families every year which is brilliant news.”

Barts and the Royal London Medical Director Steve Ryan said many of The Royal London Hospital’s child patients required lengthy stays and this could place a great deal of strain on families.

He added: “The Sick Children’s Trust provides an invaluable service to families who live outside the city by removing the stress of having to find accommodation in an expensive city like London.

“Children tend to recover much more quickly and have a more positive attitude to being in hospital when their families are close by. Family support is an important part of the healing process for every child and we are grateful the Sick Children’s Trust and its donors have provided these extra bedrooms at Stevenson House to make a difficult situation for patients and their families that much easier.”

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About The Sick Children’s Trust
The Sick Children’s Trust was founded in 1982 by two paediatric specialists Dr Jon Pritchard and Professor James Malpas. They believed that having parents on hand during hospital treatment benefited a child's recovery. Today we have seven ‘Homes from Home’ at major hospitals around the country where families can stay free of charge, for as long as they need whilst their child is undergoing treatment. There is a growing demand for our ‘Homes from Home’ as children must increasingly travel long distances to get the specialist treatment they need. Over the years we have provided more than 35,000 family stays.

Online survey on glucose tolerance tests - deadline extended to Friday 29 July

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The deadline for completing the Barts and The London online survey of current practice in performing/interpreting glucose tolerance tests for the diagnosis of diabetes has been extended to Friday 29 July. Thank you to those of you who have already completed the survey.

We would be most grateful if you could encourage all staff within your practice who carry out glucose tolerance tests and have not already completed the survey, to do so, using the link provided here.

Similar surveys performed in other trusts have shown the guidelines are not always followed properly when performing/interpreting the test. Since the test leads to a diagnosis of diabetes, it is essential to carry it out correctly. If the survey suggests the guidelines are not being followed, the Trust will develop protocols for primary care professionals and, if needed, literature for patients to explain the test.

The results of the survey will be communicated to GP practices as soon as they are available.

If you have any queries about the survey or use of the data, please contact Kate Maclagan in Clinical Biochemistry, either by telephone on 020 3246 1038 or email to kate.maclagan@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

International research team find breakthrough in fighting the deadliest cancer

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An international research team from Barts Cancer Institute (BCI) has found that Vitamin A could hold the key to beating pancreatic cancer which has the lowest survival rate of all cancers, claiming a quarter of a million lives worldwide each year.

The research showed that by raising levels of Vitamin A in the non-cancerous cells surrounding the malignant ones, the cells’ structure changed from facilitating to inhibiting cancer growth.

Mr Hemant Kocher, a consultant pancreatic and liver cancer surgeon at Barts and The London NHS Trust and researcher from BCI, led the team during a four year joint project with the University of Cambridge and the Hubrecht Institute in Holland.

Mr Kocher said: “The findings should lead to better survival rates and different treatment methods for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of cancer that annually kills almost 7,500 patients in the UK.”

Alex Ford, Chief Executive at Pancreatic Cancer UK, commented: “This research into the benefits of injecting Vitamin A into the healthy cells surrounding malignant ones is interesting. Treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients are limited so Pancreatic Cancer UK welcomes any research into how the disease can be treated more effectively.

“Greater focus on the causes and most effective ways of diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer is critical if we are going to improve poor survival rates for the disease, which have hardly improved over the past 40 years.”

Mr Kocher explained his team took a very different approach and thought outside the box to demonstrate a new way of tackling cancer.

He said: “We found that paying attention to the non-cancerous tissue surrounding the seed of the cancer is as important as focusing on the cancer itself.

“Our research is based on the seed and soil theory for targeting cancer that was originally proposed by Barts surgeon Stephen Paget in 1889.

“Dr Paget studied why breast cancer prefers to spread into certain organs like liver and the bone over other areas of the body. He believed those organs provided a more fertile environment for the cancer to seed itself in.

“We took his theory a major step forward by testing the effect of Vitamin A – which influences the way cells behave – in samples from pancreatic cancer patients.”

Across the world 250,000 people die from pancreatic cancer every year including one of the disease’s highest-profile victims, film star Patrick Swayze, who died in 2009.

People with pancreatic cancer are deficient in many vitamins as the secretion of digestive juices from their pancreas and liver into their bowel is blocked. Patients are routinely very deficient in Vitamin A, a common vitamin found in a range of food sources such as carrots and broccoli.

Mr Kocher’s team were delighted to find restoring normal amounts of Vitamin A in non-cancerous cells (the soil) surrounding the cancer seed changed the cells from facilitating to inhibiting cancer growth.

“Vitamin A is just one example of an agent that can be added to successfully alter the nature of the soil,” Mr Kocher said.

“Other vitamins and medicines could further change the soil’s structure so this is really opening up a whole new field of research and possibilities.

“The finding also means it’s likely that different drugs will be used to treat pancreatic cancer as current chemotherapy only targets the actual cancer cells.

“Pancreatic cancer has some of the bleakest survival rates so new methods for treating this cancer are urgently required.

“Once diagnosed with pancreatic cancer most patients do not survive more than a year and less than 20% who have surgery and chemotherapy may survive more than two years. It is rare for pancreatic cancer patients to survive more than five years.

“Our research could also be applied to a wide variety of cancers including liver, colon and blood cancers so it’s a very significant milestone in the ongoing battle against this insidious disease.”

Further testing of the research will occur in clinical trials at Barts Cancer Centre.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Barts Cancer Centre offers the very latest cancer care with world-class facilities in a safe, welcoming and healing sanctuary in the heart of the City of London. Pioneering cancer research combines with leading-edge treatment and technologies to ensure patients are some of the first to benefit from new therapies.
Barts Cancer Institute, by bringing together world‑class research and clinical delivery, aims to better understand cancer and so push forward laboratory discoveries into benefits for patients. This work continues a long tradition of discovery at Barts, where researchers pioneered the use of many surgical procedures and the use of radiotherapy to treat cancer. Its goal - to prevent cancer and develop better diagnostic techniques and treatments - will ultimately improve patient survival and enhance the quality of life for those with long-term disease.
Visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk for more information on pancreatic cancer.

Update on the Barts and East London Healthcare merger project

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The outline business case (OBC) for the proposed merger between Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust, Newham University Hospital NHS Trust and Barts and The London NHS Trust is being finalised.

The merger proposal aims to radically improve patient care in the three trusts and enable the proposed merged hospital trust to reach foundation trust status by April 2012.

After careful evaluation of the available options, the boards of the three organisations agreed on a merger as the preferred option for change.

The OBC will be discussed with key stakeholders and decision makers, with a view to preparing a full business case for publication and a formal decision later this year.

A summary of the OBC will be available to all stakeholders shortly, including GP practices throughout north-east London.

Some meetings have already been held and more are planned to give GPs and other stakeholders the opportunity to meet with clinicians involved in the proposed merger and contribute to the process.

About the merger

The proposed new trust would provide community, secondary and tertiary services, with a workforce of around 15,000. From our earliest discussions, the three organisations have shared the same clear ambition: to improve the health, wellbeing and life expectancy of the people of east London. We are excited by the potential the merger offers to not only improve access to care for those most in need, but also to set new standards of care for our patients.

We believe that the creation of a single trust, sharing the best of the talent, technology and facilities across all three organisations, can only be beneficial to the people of east London and beyond.

The merger proposition requires significant internal and external regulator approvals and it is proposed that day one of operations for the new organisation would be 1 April 2012.

No decision to proceed with the merger has yet been taken.

If you would like any further information, please contact Jo Lobban, Stakeholder and Communications Manager, on 020 7092 5398 or by email to jo.lobban@elca.nhs.uk.

Tower Hamlets Community Health Services transfer to Barts and The London

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On Friday 1 July, Tower Hamlets Community Health Services (THCHS) – previously part of Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust – transferred to Barts and The London NHS Trust, becoming the Trust's new Community Health Services Division.

Benefits of the transfer of community services
The transfer will enable us to improve the health of patients, service users and the wider local community, by providing more integrated care across all settings, both within the Trust's hospitals and in the community, as well as enabling us to make the best use of resources to improve the efficiency and value for money of health services.

By removing organisational boundaries and working as a single entity, the transfer will strengthen existing partnerships between teams. It will also make it easier for other teams to build partnerships that haven't existed in the past, enabling them to develop more integrated care pathways and services.

How community services will fit within the Trust's structure
All CHS staff and services will initially sit within the new Community Health Services Division, with the exception of staff from THCHS corporate services (other than those individuals that will be part of the divisional team), who will assimilate on day one into their respective professional functions. However, this will be an interim structure that will evolve over time to truly integrate teams across patient pathways wherever this makes sense.

Services within community health services
The Community Health Services team provides a wide range of community-based services for local people, with staff in a wide variety of functions, including nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation support workers, therapy assistants, dieticians, social workers and psychologists. They work in a wide range of community settings, including patients' homes, schools (primary and secondary), residential homes, drug and alcohol centres, and community venues.

Services for children, families and young people:

Children's Community Nursing Service
Occupational Therapy Children Services (integrated with local authority)
Physiotherapy Children's Service
Children's Centre Services
Specialist Children's Services
Speech and Language Therapy Children's Service
TH Contraceptive and Sexual Health Services

Corporate services:

Advocacy and Interpreting Services
Safeguarding Children's Services

The team is also responsible for developing public health in Tower Hamlets, working closely with colleagues across the NHS, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the voluntary sector and other organisations. This includes the development of local strategies to improve health and reduce inequalities in health by tackling major causes of ill health, such as smoking, obesity and lack of physical activity.

GPs who previously had access to NHS Tower Hamlets intranet
Relevant content on the NHS Tower Hamlets intranet is being moved across to Barts and The London’s intranet. GPs who had access to the NHS Tower Hamlets intranet will be able to view the same and updated content via the following link http://bltintranet/A-Z/CHS/home.aspx. There is a news bulletin from the home page about the transfer of services at http://bltintranet/newsandevents/News/Bulletins2011/743/chs.aspx.

Improving outpatient services - progress update

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The programme to improve the experience of patients attending outpatient appointments in our hospitals is nearing the end of its first phase. The programme tackles head on key areas of concern raised by GPs, patients and other stakeholders and we hope that you are starting to notice the improvements.

Building works on the ground floor of The Royal London Outpatients Department have now been completed. The works have updated an old building, making the environment more open and welcoming for patients, and more practical for staff. The changes include better signage and a central reception area, helping patients to find their way more easily. The Phlebotomy area has been improved, with a lower reception desk and a dedicated waiting area with new chairs. The main outpatient clinics now each have one larger reception desk.

Services have also been working towards providing a more consistent and responsive service to patients before, during and after appointments. The majority of services will now receive and vet new referrals promptly to allow patients to book their appointments within 10 days of referral. Many services are now offering all their follow-up appointments within 12 weeks of a patient’s first appointment, although it is recognised that some clinics are still booking well past 12 weeks. Services are also reporting that the bulk of clinic letters to GPs will be dictated, typed and sent out within five days of the appointment.

The Trust is aware that some services that have not yet achieved these standards, but measures are in place to support them to do so in the coming months. This includes helping them to address the capacity of their teams, re-profiling clinics, and the introduction of voice recognition software for clinic letters in the autumn.

One of the goals the Trust had set itself was of ensuring that all diagnostic appointments are sent out within seven days. This has now moved on and the goal is that all patients who require a follow-up appointment and/or diagnostic appointment should leave the hospital with them booked. This gives patients greater choice, will help keep patients on track towards diagnosis and treatment and eliminates the need to mail out further appointments. It is a challenging target, which is currently only being achieved in some areas, but work is in place to ensure this is met across the Trust. Future updates on this and how we are doing against other outpatient standards will follow.

Choose and book update

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

To access the latest list of clinics available on Choose and Book:

Download Choose and book service list - 17 June 2011.

Please use the following link to access up-to-date information and guidance on choose and book:

/for-clinicians/choose-and-book/

New name and service arrangements for community-based Dermatology Care Service

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With immediate effect, the community-based dermatology care service for Tower Hamlets residents will be known as the Dermatology One Stop Service. The service, which is managed by the new Community Health Services division of Barts and The London NHS Trust, is not a follow-up service, but will assess patients, and formulate a diagnosis and management plan for them, enabling GPs to provide the appropriate ongoing care. It will not prescribe medications but, where necessary, will hand patients a headed letter with suggested medications to take to their GP to prescribe.

What sort of patients should the one-stop service be used for?

Cases that should be referred direct to secondary care dermatology include:

Children under 16 years old
Patients with suspected two week wait cancers
Patients taking immunosuppressant medications or requiring phototherapy
Patients requiring patch testing
Patients with dermatological emergencies eg erythroderma, bullous skin disorders, etc

What’s new?

Referrals into the Dermatology One Stop Service will be triaged and given an appointment with the most appropriate clinician or, if appropriate, the referral will be redirected back to the GP, with advice on further treatment.
Dermatology consultant sessions will be held as part of the one-stop service, initially on the first and third Friday afternoons of the month.
Dermatology clinical nurse specialist sessions will be held as part of the one-stop service, to provide advice and support on the management of dermatological conditions.
Direct referrals can continue to be made into secondary care if necessary but GPs are encouraged to directly refer only when they are certain that secondary care input is required. Secondary care consultants will triage and may redirect referrals to the Dermatology One Stop Service or back to the referring GP if they think these are more appropriate for the patient’s management.
GP referral management champions will be available within each GP network to give advice and support on making referrals using the new pathway.

The service will initially be based at Mile End Hospital. Please refer patients via Choose and Book wherever possible. This service is for Tower Hamlet residents only.

Feedback from GPs and patients is strongly encouraged. Please use the following contact details: Dermatology One Stop Service, 2nd Floor, Red Zone, Bancroft Road, London E1 4DG. Tel: 020 8223 8274/75/76 Fax: 020 8223 8279

New name and service arrangements for Musculoskeletal Clinical Assessment Service (MSK CAS)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With immediate effect, the Musculoskeletal Clinical Assessment Service (MSK CAS) for Tower Hamlets residents will be known as the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Community Service, and will be available on Choose and Book.

The MSK Community Service will assess and diagnose patients with all musculoskeletal conditions, excluding patients who require emergency treatment, children or patients with suspected cancer.

What’s new?

Referrals into the MSK Community Service will be triaged and given an appointment with the most appropriate clinician, or, if appropriate, the referral will be redirected back to the GP, with advice on further management.
Patients will not wait longer than four weeks for an appointment.
The service will consist of an expanded team of GPs with a special interest (GPwSIs) and extended scope physiotherapists (ESPs), with direct access to physiotherapists, Pain Service clinics, secondary care rheumatologists and trauma and orthopaedic clinicians for advice and support.
Patients requiring surgical management will be investigated as fully as possible before seeing the orthopaedic surgeons so that their journey is shortened and they don’t have to attend as many outpatient appointments before their surgery.
Direct referrals can continue to be made into secondary care if necessary but GPs are encouraged to directly refer only when they are certain that secondary care input is required.
Secondary care consultants will triage and may redirect referrals to the MSK Community Service or other community services (such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry or back to the referring GP) if they think these are more appropriate for the patient’s management.
GPs are encouraged to use Choose and Book for all their referrals (both to the community and secondary care services) as this will facilitate quicker electronic triage of patients to the appropriate clinician.
GP referral management champions will be available within each GP network in Tower Hamlets to give advice and support on making referrals using the new MSK clinical pathways that are under development, and assist in the audit and analysis of referral patterns.

The service will initially be based at Mile End Hospital and is for Tower Hamlets residents only.

Feedback from GPs and patients is strongly encouraged so that the service adapts and changes according to their needs. Please contact the MSK Community Service, Mile End Hospital, 2nd Floor Red Zone, Bancroft Road, London E1 4DG. Tel: 020 8223 8274 Fax: 02082238279.

Barts and The London team wins prestigious Medical Futures Innovation Award

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A team from Barts and The London NHS Trust and Queen Mary, University of London has been named overall winner in the Respiratory Innovation category at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards, Europe’s leading showcase of early-stage innovation in healthcare.

The award, presented at a high-profile ceremony in London on Monday 6 June, recognises the invention of nitric oxide-generating technology for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care patients. Although still at an early stage in development, the technology has the potential to significantly shorten patients’ stay in intensive care and could save many lives. The system works by replacing the natural defence molecules, which are critically low in these patients, and protecting them against infection. It is able to penetrate into the body’s tissues, and kills a wide variety of infective agents, including MRSA and E Coli.

A Medical Futures Innovation Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious healthcare and business accolades, rewarding innovative ideas from frontline clinicians, scientists and entrepreneurs.

Dr Art Tucker, a Senior Clinical Scientist at Barts and The London and one of the leads on the team, said: “The nitric oxide team – a collaboration between Queen Mary, University of London and Barts and The London NHS Trust – is delighted to have won this award, which recognises the strength of medical innovation within our Institutions and the commitment of the team. The invention and development of the nitric oxide system has been the product of 10 years of intensive research. The technology has broad potential in a range of medical and non-medical applications, such as wound care and infection control and we hope that the recognition of this award will encourage external investment and collaboration that will allow us to take it forward.”

Annual Public Meeting – Wednesday, 20 July 2011

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We would like to invite you to the Annual Public Meeting of Barts and The London NHS Trust, which will be held on Wednesday 20 July 2011 at 6pm. The meeting will highlight our hospitals' achievements during 2010/11 and will be combined with our next 'Medicine for Members' event, focusing on Barts and The London Skin Centre, one of the largest dermatology departments in the UK.

Venue: Perrin Lecture Theatre, on the ground floor of the Medical School’s Blizard Building at 4 Newark Street, The Royal London Hospital, London E1 2AT.

Time: 6pm start. The combined APM/Medicine for Members event will end by 7.15pm and light refreshments will be available afterwards.

Contact: Please let us know if you would like to attend this event by contacting our Corporate Events team on 020 7480 4735, or by emailing: richard.lee@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Barts and The London GP refresher course – 19-21 October 2011

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Topics we hope to include this year:

Diabetes
End of life care
Gynaecology
Dementia
Commissioning
Tinnitus and vertigo
Vitamin D deficiency
Managing atrial fibrillation
Caring for preterm infants
Mental health in migrants
Personality disorders
Obstructive sleep apnoea

The 2011 course will be held in the state of the art Innovation Centre on the Whitechapel campus. The costs are as follows:

• One day £180

• Two days £330

• Three days £450

20% discount if you book before 31^July.

The full programme will be available shortly on the Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science website at

http://www.icms.qmul.ac.uk/gprefresher.

For further information, contact Professor Robert Walton on r.walton@qmul.ac.uk or Fariha Afgan on f.afgan@qmul.ac.uk, 020 7882 2541.

Launch of ‘small c’ campaign to improve cancer survival through early presentation with symptoms

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On 15 June, a major NHS campaign was launched to alert patients to the warning signs of lung and breast cancer and the need to present to their GP without delay.

Pictured: Small c campaign materials

Over 80 people attended the launch event at The Royal London Hospital to hear how the ‘small c’ campaign aims to help local residents in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham and Waltham Forest to recognise and present with symptoms when the cancer is at an early stage and more responsive to treatment.

Engaging local GPs in the campaign

Resource packs containing campaign materials such as posters, leaflets with illustrated advice on how to check for breast changes, and lung cancer symptom checker cards are being distributed to all GP practices across the four boroughs. The packs also contain copies of local referral guidelines for suspected lung and breast cancers, which all GPs are asked to follow.

Public health strategists in each area will be working closely with participating practices to explain the role of GPs and practice nurses in the campaign. The level of involvement varies across the boroughs and may include GP training sessions, one-to-one talks with practice nurses, and writing to high risk patients with a breast leaflet or a lung symptom checker card to encourage them to present if they have any of the symptoms listed.

Pictured: health professionals section of the small c website

The campaign website includes a dedicated section for healthcare professionals with referral advice and the evidence base for the campaign. Please visit www.smallc.org.uk/health-professionals

Referral guidance

It is expected that you will see an increase in the number of patients presenting with suspected lung and breast cancer symptoms as a result of the campaign. Please review the NICE cancer referral guidelines on breast and lung cancer, and local referral guidelines that are available from the small c website: www.smallc.org.uk/health-professionals/referral-advice

Please also acknowledge any patient referrals to the campaign, and reference any campaign materials they may bring with them.

Further information

For more details about how the campaign is running in your area, please contact your local public health strategist:

Tower Hamlets - Judith Shankleman email: Judith.Shankleman@thpct.nhs.uk
City and Hackney - Anna Garner email: Anna.Garner@chpct.nhs.uk
Waltham Forest - Monica Hill email: Monica.Hill@wf-pct.nhs.uk
Newham - Sarojini Ariyanayagam email: Sarojini.Ariyanayagam@newhampct.nhs.uk