‘Hello my name is…’ Have you heard about the campaign yet? #hellomynameis



Hello my name is…

Hello my name is…

The ‘Hello my name is…’ campaign was created by Dr Kate Granger, who at 29 was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Kate is a young hospital consultant from Yorkshire who works in elderly care. Last summer whilst having treatment, Kate became frustrated with the number of staff who failed to introduce themselves to her. Her campaign, started on social media platform Twitter, has inspired many staff from across the NHS to lend their support to the campaign.

The campaign is simple – it is about reminding staff to go back to basics and introduce themselves to patients and their relatives properly. Kate talks about this as “the first rung on the ladder to providing compassionate care” and sees it as the start of making a vital human connection, helping patients to relax, and building trust. Feedback from patients across the country has shown how vital this is to them, saying that the smallest things make the biggest difference.

John Adler, Chief Executive at Leicester’s Hospitals said: “Backing this campaign was an easy decision. We had already adopted it in small ways across the organisation, but working with the Listening into Action (LiA) team and other NHS Trusts will push this to the forefront of everyone’s minds.”

“We want our patients to remind us if we are busy and forget to introduce ourselves when we first meet them. I know how important the patient experience is to my staff and that they will all give their backing to Dr Granger’s campaign.”


“As well as asking staff to tell their patient’s their names, we are also reminding them to introduce colleagues who are taking over an individual’s care following a shift change. That way, our patients and their families will always know who is looking after them, which in turn will help them to relax and feel safe while in our care”.

Kate said: “ I think the main messages from the campaign about high quality communication and always treating our patients as people with respect and dignity. I really hope my legacy will be exactly that, putting compassionate practice right at the heart of healthcare delivery every single day.”

You can see more about Dr Granger’s campaign at http://hellomynameis.org.uk/home and on Twitter #hellomynameis.

Christmas Starts Here – ‘One in a million’ girl with ultra-rare condition is first in line to meet Santa


Bradgate Park Christmas Fair

Bradgate Park Christmas Fair

A five year old girl from Leicester – the only known UK sufferer of an extremely rare condition which causes growths to rapidly develop over her eyes – is to be the first child to meet Santa a Christmas fair on tomorrow – two days ahead of its public opening on Saturday 6 December.

Shinay Godfrey, a patient at Leicester’s Hospitals, was first diagnosed with the condition called Plasminogen Deficiency Type 1 when she was three. She had already endured repeated operations to her right eye to remove the growths.

Richard Gooding, consultant haematologist for Leicester’s Hospitals, explains: “The condition is incredibly rare and difficult to recognise. It is seen in perhaps one in a million people. As is the case with Shinay, the condition tends to cause sticky deposits on the eyes which harden into growths and cause significant problems with vision.”


To keep the condition under control Shinay will need to go to hospital for treatment every two weeks for the rest of her life.

Dr Gooding says: “At present there is no cure but it can be controlled with regular treatment which involves intravenous therapy every few weeks. So far her growths have not returned.”

The rarity of the condition means there is little public awareness of Plasminogen Deficiency Type 1. As a result, Shinay’s mum, Donna Godfrey is concerned sufferers don’t know what they have. She adds: “Raising awareness of this illness is very important to me. Unfortunately there are few people who understand what it is so there are few people I can talk to about it.

“That said, the support we have had from the play specialists and nurses at the Leicester Children’s Hospital has been fantastic. We are eternally grateful for their continued care and treatment.”

Santa’s Woodland Glade Grotto at Bradgate Park will be open to the public from 11am-4pm every weekend up until Christmas. All money raised will go to local charities including LOROS, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Support, Action for Children and the Leicester Hospitals Charity.

Bradgate Park Deputy Head Ranger, Matthew Molesdale, whose team are organising the Christmas Fair and Santa’s visit said: “Our first Christmas Fair last year was a great success and we were pleased to be able to team up with Action for Children to help Santa raise money for them. This year we are delighted to be extending Santa’s stay with us to help more local charities.”

Debbie Adlerstein from Leicester Hospitals Charity says: “It is great for us to be able to work together with another local charity, the Bradgate Park Trust, to help Santa put a smile on children’s faces at Christmas.”

The Christmas Fair takes place this weekend, 6th and 7th December from 10am to 3pm. It will showcase local food producers, artists and craftspeople and will feature entertainment from the Syston Brass Band, local Morris dancers and the Newtown Linford Choral Society.

For more information visit: bradgatepark.org/christmas-fair-6th-7th-december/

The future is here today. How a surgical robot can help cure cancer!

Leicester’s Hospitals hopes its new £2 million surgical robot will make a major difference to the lives of men and women in Leicester and beyond. In doing so it hopes to attract world-class surgeons.

Healthcare and social media

Healthcare and social media

Leicester’s Hospitals hopes its new £2 million surgical robot will make a major difference to the lives of men and women in Leicester and beyond. In doing so it hopes to attract world-class surgeons.

The Robotic Surgical Programme at Leicester’s Hospitals will help patients requiring surgery for multiple forms of cancer, these include prostate, rectal, cervical, liver, pancreatic, bladder and ovarian cancers.

In comparison to keyhole and open surgery, the robot offers a host of benefits such as better cosmetic results, shorter hospital stays for patients, a lower chance of developing complications, less pain after surgery and reduced blood loss during the operation.


Esther Moss, consultant gynaecological oncologist for Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “We are very excited to launch our new robotic programme. Robotic surgery provides a level of surgical dexterity, which cannot be achieved by standard keyhole surgery. It will enable many patients to have keyhole surgery who are not suitable for standard surgery, thereby enabling them to have the associated benefits, especially shorter recovery time.”

Sanjay Chaudhri, consultant colorectal surgeon at Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “We are the one of the largest colorectal units in England and treat over 500 patients with colorectal cancer every year. The robot will allow us to offer keyhole surgery to patients with rectal cancer with improved surgical outcomes.” In addition to major benefits to its patients, Leicester’s Hospitals hopes to attract and retain world class surgeons, while strengthening its position as a teaching hospital.

Paul Butterworth, consultant urologist at Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “The addition of the robot should ensure we become a regional centre of excellence for cancer networks. It will also enable us to continue to be a leading centre for clinical trials.”

He added: “This is really great news for Leicester’s Hospitals and for the people of Leicester.”

Would you buy a copy of your X-ray?


Would you buy a copy of your X-ray?

Would you buy a copy of your X-ray?

Just having returned from a short vacation in Greece I have been forced to look at all the emails I ignored while sipping retsina and eating excellent rabbit cooked with wine and onions.

So I must confess I actually laughed out loud when I read this article from Leicester’s Hospitals.

They said ” It is now easier than ever for patients to buy copies of their x-rays. The Imaging Department at Leicester’s Hospitals has an exciting, new payment machine for patients who want personal copies of their x-ray images.

The new machine has been installed in the x-ray waiting room in the Balmoral building at the Royal. For a flat fee of £10, the images are burned onto an encrypted disc and posted out to patients at home the next working day*.

Colin Ross, superintendent radiographer for Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this additional service to our patients who often ask our radiographers for copies of their pictures. Until now there has not been a quick and straight forward way for us to do this.”


Colin adds: “Although many hospitals in the UK are able to offer patients the chance to purchase ultrasound pictures of their babies, we are not aware of anywhere else that has one of these machines which allows patients to buy personal copies of their x-ray images.”

The new machine allows patients to pay for copies of their x-ray images by cash or card. It applies to all x-rays taken on the day, but does not extend to scans or historic x-rays.”

But then I remembered years ago my sister tried to buy a copy the x-ray taken of her broken arm. And most parents have copies of the ultrasound scan taken of their children. I have.

On the other hand people in the UK may consider it back door to privatisation of the UK’s National Health Service.

So what do you think? It would be great if you could take the poll below to share your views. Feel free to expand upon them in the comments section below.


Thanks in advance!

Have your say on the future of Children’s Hearts services – Find out about New Congenital Heart Disease Review


New Congenital Heart Disease Review

New Congenital Heart Disease Review

I get loads of press releases as part and parcel of running a blog. Normally to be honest they are too boring to read. Especially if they are from any kind of government body.

But in this case I thought it was actually very interesting. Indeed one of those very few occasions where anyone in the healthcare world wants to know what patients actually think.

So here goes!  According to Leicester Hospitals:

“Today marks the start of a three month consultation period of proposed standards for the New Congenital Heart Disease Review. The standards will dictate how congenital heart surgery is delivered by centres in the UK, including Leicester’s Hospitals.

An event will be held by NHS England in Leicester, on Friday 24 October to give supporters of the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre a chance to review the standards and find out how this review is different to the Safe and Sustainable review.

The New Congenital Heart Disease Review, being undertaken by NHS England, aims to drive high quality care for children and adults with congenital heart disease wherever they live. It was launched in June 2013 after the ‘Safe and Sustainable’ Review collapsed.


Giles Peek, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon for Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who supported our service and fought against ‘Safe and Sustainable’, which threatened to leave the East Midlands without a children’s heart surgery centre. Without this support, the new review would not have been commissioned and we might not have the bright future we have now.”

Giles continues, “We welcome NHS England’s up front approach and encourage as many people as possible from across the East Midlands to attend this event in Leicester. It is important that those who have supported our service and fought hard to keep it open understand what NHS England is proposing and how the service will be delivered.”

The event on 24 October will give patients, families and the public a chance to comment and provide feedback to NHS England on their proposed standards. The drop-in style session will take place from 2pm until 8pm and members of the review team will be on hand to answer any questions. The venue is yet to be confirmed by NHS England.

If you would like to register your interest for one of the consultation events or if you need further information, please contact the new CHD review team by:
Email: england.congenitalheart@nhs.net
Call: 0113 824 8232
Address: FAO: New CHD review team, NHS England, Floor 5E58, Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UE