Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Congratulations to the 6 Kofoworola Abeni Pratt fellows who recently received their fellowship certificates at a celebration event: Caroline Chinondo Sophie Clark Lyncia Downer Simone Hesson Mercedes Miguel Puja Trivedi The Kofoworola Abeni Pratt Fellowship is a leadership programme for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who identify as being from a global majority background. The programme aims to improve diversity in senior leadership by challenging the barriers and biases that have negative effects on career progression. At the event we heard from the fellows about the projects they have worked on during the programme, and listened to their personal reflections. Speaking about her experiences as a fellow, Caroline Chinondo said: "I have contributed to shaping the future in a meaningful way. This sense of pride comes not from the belief that the work is finished, but from knowing that I have actively participated in laying the groundwork for ongoing progress." Róisín Fitzsimons, Deputy Director of Nursing for Culture and Strategy said: "I am extremely proud of the achievements of the Fellows and the impact the Fellowship has had across the organisation. The Fellowship has challenged structural inequalities and personal perceptions, leading to a commitment from all to active learning and participation in culture change." Staff interested in applying for the fellowship can find out more on the intranet. #TeamGSTT #Leadership #Inclusion #Diversity

A new total-body scanner that is quicker for the patient and produces higher quality images for faster and earlier diagnosis and treatment of illnesses like cancer and heart conditions was unveiled at St Thomas’ Hospital. The new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner is one of three becoming operational in the UK. It is up to 5 times more sensitive for single organ studies and up to 2-4 times faster than standard PET-CT scanners, meaning quicker diagnoses and a more detailed reading of the patient's whole body. It is co-managed by King's College London’s and Imperial College London at St Thomas’ Hospital. Sarah Corfield was the first person to use the new scanner at St Thomas’ Hospital. Sarah has stage four melanoma and has been a patient at Guy’s and St Thomas’ since 2018. She has received regular PET scans as part of the diagnoses and treatment for her cancer. Sarah said: “I have had so many PET scans, so I’m very used to the experience. Previously, the scans would take 30 minutes, the bed was quite hard and the scanning table would move in and out, capturing the different images. It could be quite noisy too. The new scanner was a good experience – it felt open, and not at all claustrophobic. It was much quicker – I was done in 15 minutes, and they told me the images were much higher quality. It was very smooth. I just lay there, like on a sun lounger, thinking of my little dog Maggie." The new total-body PET scanner will also give researchers insights into human biology that ultimately leads to better healthcare. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning is an effective, non-invasive imaging technique that can detect diseases earlier in their development, supporting faster diagnosis. PET scanners work by detecting the radiation given off by a substance injected into a patient’s arm, called a radiotracer, as it collects in the body. By analysing the areas where the radiotracer does and does not build up, medics can work out how certain body functions are working. The total-body scanners work at greater speed to scan the whole body without the need for a patient to be repositioned multiple times. The higher sensitivity also allows patients to be exposed to significantly less radiation. Both mean that more people, including children, can access the power of total-body PET. The scanners have the potential to scan 50% more patients per day than standard PET scanners, and can reveal subtle, early signs of multiple types of cancer as well as neurological, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditions. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/dfDweCnv #TeamGSTT #PETscanner #CT

Each year at least 12,000 military personnel leave their roles in the armed forces, with many of them looking to switch career after completing their service. We're working with NHS England and a number of universities to recruit serving and retired armed forces personnel, and their families, into 14 allied health professions. Allied health professionals (AHPs) help treat, rehabilitate and improve the lives of patients. Meet AHP Alex Oliver. 👋 Alex joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ in 2019 as an operating department practitioner, after having served 12 years in the Royal Navy. He joined the Navy at 17 and served as an able seaman and moved into logistics. He said: “I was reasonably academic at school and probably would have ended up going to university, but I got a bit of wanderlust. I thought the Royal Navy looked quite interesting – it goes to a lot of places around the world.” Alex changed careers after getting married, wanting a more settled life at home after having been deployed to 56 countries and territories across the globe. Alex said: “We trained as level 3 first aiders in the Navy. I originally thought about doing nursing and did a year of nursing at King’s College Hospital. But one day I went to an operating theatre at Guy’s Hospital for a patient follow through and I thought, ‘wow!’. This is a completely different atmosphere. It’s more dynamic and more suited to environments I’d been to in the past.” He transferred courses and completed a three-year operating department practice degree, and eventually joined the main theatres at St Thomas’ Hospital. Alex put his military background to good use during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: “The pace changed and suddenly we were responding to an emergency. But in terms of organisation and putting new policies and procedures in place, that was stuff I’d done before. I got involved in trying to implement the cleaning routines without cross contamination, which was similar to the Navy and their chemical and biological warfare routines.” “The communication is very similar in the operating theatre and a place like a warship and a military establishment. There are a list of aims that need to be achieved for the day, each person has a fundamental role, or they wouldn’t be there. And because of the pace, you have to be direct, you have to have confidence in your team and in your own skills." Fiona Sandford, a consultant physiotherapist and clinical lead of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Armed Forces Programme, said: “As an Armed Forces spouse I know the resilience, adaptability and dedication of the Armed Forces community. “These are just the transferable skills we are looking for in the NHS and I would encourage anyone from the Armed Forces community to consider joining us as an AHP. Your experience and knowledge will be invaluable.” Join our open days to find out more about allied health professions. To register, email: armedforces@gstt.nhs.uk #AHPS #NHScareers #ArmedForces

#OnThisDay in 1983, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, former cardiothoracic surgeon at Harefield Hospital, performed Europe's first ever heart and lung transplant. 🎧 Listen back to the pilot episode of our podcast 'More Than A Hospital', where Professor Yacoub reflects on this incredible medical milestone which contributed to the life-saving transplantation work of today: https://lnkd.in/e8cQbH8d #Transplant #NHS #OrganDonation

We have partnered with fitness coach Joe Wicks to release exercise videos for people who are waiting for surgery, to help them recover quicker. The two 10-minute online routines have been designed for people with different activity levels and are particularly suitable for older people. Patient Daphne Gichuru, 82, is waiting for back surgery and took part in the fitness session recording with Joe at Guy’s Hospital. Daphne said: “I would encourage everyone, no matter their age, to try these short exercises to keep fit and prepare them for surgery.” Specialist occupational therapist Abbie Gallant advised on the best type of exercises for the videos and joined in the fitness session recording with Joe and Daphne. In the videos, Joe talks to Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, consultant geriatrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’, about the importance of increasing fitness levels before surgery. Prof Dhesi, who is also President of the British Geriatrics Society and deputy director at the Centre for Perioperative Care, said: “Doing any exercise or even just walking more before an operation will really help reduce complications, help people get better faster and importantly get back to their own homes quickly. “Use whatever time you have before your surgery to get yourself as fit as possible – try to eat well, stop smoking, reduce drinking and importantly build as much movement as possible into your day.” The videos were produced in partnership with Guy’s and St Thomas’, the Centre for Perioperative Care and the British Geriatrics Society. Watch the videos on the Bodycoach YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eSk_THdi https://lnkd.in/eMeg6Ji2 #Exercise #Surgery #Geriatrics #Prehabilitation

Say Hello To Nordeya Gilbert, matron for nursing associate education. 👋 If Nordeya looks familiar, you may have seen her face on screen. She is part of the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity Christmas appeal and recently appeared on digital screens at London Bridge station. She is currently in a charity TV advert being screened to TV viewers in south London. As soon as they met her, the team from the charity knew that she was the right person for the job because she is naturally friendly and approachable. On the day of filming Nordeya arrived to find a small film crew of 3 with camera, lighting and sound equipment, and was given a script to read. "I struggled on my first take, I knew I wasn't being me," she said. After that I just did it as myself and it was much more natural." The filming was on a strict 2 hour schedule to fit in around Nordeya, who said “Every time an ambulance went past the filming had to stop and start again once the siren had faded way. Despite this, they managed to record my part just in time before my next meeting”. Nordeya has shown the advert to her friends and family around the world, and some have already made donations to the appeal. Nordeya said: "It was a privilege to represent all of my colleagues in this advertisement. Since getting involved with the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity it's really opened my eyes to the breadth of work they support around our hospitals and community. It's been a pleasure to be part of their first ever TV advert." Guy's & St Thomas' Charity support us to develop new treatments, back our world-leading research and help us shape innovative approaches to healthcare. They also help to support the health and wellbeing of our staff so that they can continue to provide the best care possible. Watch the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity advert: https://lnkd.in/dQENpAW6 #TeamGSTT #Fundraising

Last week, we saw the unveiling of our new and improved restaurant at Royal Brompton Hospital - now called the 'Brompton Flavours'! 🍽️ Our award-winning catering team and rb&hArts team worked together with artist Melissa Hartley to produce new bold designs, as well as a new concept, for the hospital's restaurant, which centred around fresh ingredients and diverse flavours. Nuno Matias, catering services manager at Royal Brompton, says: "At Royal Brompton, we provide our patients with freshly prepared meals every day. We encourage them to dine in the day rooms on the wards, but we also invite them to visit our restaurant with their families to enjoy a change of scenery. "Our vision was to make the restaurant a more welcoming space where patients, staff and visitors can feel at ease and enjoy their meals in a pleasant environment. "We are thrilled with the results, as staff, patients, and visitors have been praising the transformation of the restaurant over the past two years." #Catering #NHS

Congratulations to the Evelina London Patch children's community nursing (CCN) team for winning the Reducing Inequalities and Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People Award at the HSJ Awards 2024. The HSJ (Health Service Journal) Awards are held every year to highlight exceptional work in healthcare. The Patch CCN team provides an early intervention service for children and young people in Lambeth and Southwark. They won for their proactive work to identify and support children and young people who may have asthma, eczema or constipation, offering holistic treatment to those with uncontrolled symptoms. 90% of patients who are seen by the service with uncontrolled asthma are much better able to control their symptoms. Find out more about the work of the team: https://ow.ly/P86f50Ui7fY #EvelinaLondon #TeamGSTT #CommunityNursing #HSJawards2024

This week was our Annual Research Showcase! Now in its 18th year, the showcase is a staple of the research calendar at our hospitals and is an opportunity to celebrate some of the incredible research undertaken by staff across adult and paediatric heart, lung and critical care research. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pacemaker dependence, and dietetic interventions were just some of the many fascinating topics highlighted at the showcase. Congratulations to this year’s winners: ⭐ Rachel Buchan, genomics research associate - ‘Most innovative’ ⭐ Rasleen Kahai, respiratory dietitian - ‘Greatest patient benefit’ ⭐ George Edwards, research practitioner - ‘Early career researcher’ ⭐ Christian Wise, cardiac physiologist - ‘Staff favourite’ ⭐ Irene Berrar Torre, asthma clinical nurse specialist – ‘Director’s choice’ Read more about the annual research showcase and this year’s winners: https://lnkd.in/e7PzgsJm

75 years ago today Sir Harold Ridley, an ophthalmologist at St Thomas’ Hospital, undertook the first lens removal surgery for a patient with cataracts. This was followed by the first successful lens implant operation on 8 February 1950. Modern cataract surgery has saved the sight of more than 200 million people. Sir Harold made his pioneering discovery after treating a Spitfire pilot who had Perspex in his eye following the Second World War. He noticed that, unlike most foreign bodies, the eye did not reject Perspex. He used this discovery to create an artificial lens made of Perspex, called an intraocular lens, to replace the lens in patients’ eyes. There are reports of cataract surgery dating back to 1000 BC to remove the cloudy lens. However, up to 1950 there was no replacement for the lens, and patients needed to wear powerful thick glasses instead. At the time Sir Harold’s invention was considered a radical concept, which was initially resisted by much of the medical profession. There was a 3-month recovery period between the removal of the cloudy lens and the implantation of the artificial one. By the 1980s it had become a routine procedure but involved a small incision, stitches and a 2-week recovery. Today, it is the most common eye operation in the world and takes only 15 to 30 minutes per eye. It requires a tiny incision of just 2mm, no stitches, and patients are discharged within 4 hours. Some patients may even have no need to wear glasses afterwards. Dr Sancy Low, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “It is incredible to reflect on how many lives have been changed over the last 75 years thanks to Sir Harold Ridley’s pioneering work. “At St Thomas’, we continue his legacy and support patients from across the country, carrying out almost 3,000 operations a year. Our specialist unit treats complex patients needing cataract surgery that cannot be undertaken in independent treatment centres.” Following in Sir Harold’s footsteps, St Thomas’ is also the leading centre for cataract research in the UK. What are cataracts? Cataracts are when the lens, a small transparent disc inside your eye, develops cloudy patches. Over time these patches usually become bigger, causing blurry vision and eventually blindness. Common causes include ageing, diabetes, steroid use, trauma and inflammation of the eye. #HistoryCorner #Ophthalmology #Cataracts