The James Cook University Hospital’s Spinal Surgery Unit has become the first in the region to use a one-step technique to fix spinal fractures. The advanced procedure involves using a special instrument to insert multiple screws into the back through the skin with small stab incisions to stabilise the spine. This takes just one hour and most patients are then well enough to go home the next day.
More patients can now have a heart valve fitted while they are awake thanks to experts at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Cardiologists at South Tees have developed a novel way of implanting heart valves using an alternative access point under the collarbone.
When great-grandad Bill Tate had a new heart valve fitted he did not expect to be going home the same day. Most patients need to be monitored for at least one night in case they experience a change in heart rhythm, but Bill’s pacemaker meant this was not an issue.
Every ward across the trust now has supplies of nicotine replacement therapy to offer inpatients instant access to smoking cessation support. The move forms part of the trust’s pledge to become totally smokefree by March 2019.
Patients who suffer from blackouts can often find themselves facing numerous medical appointments and tests to find the exact cause of the problem. But those attending the Friarage Hospital are set to be diagnosed faster in the future thanks to the introduction of a blackout service which will enable people to be assessed by a range of specialists in one place.
Since moving to Symphony, EMIS Health’s urgent and emergency care system, the emergency departments at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have met important targets for waiting times, sepsis screening, and safeguarding vulnerable patients. Consultants say it has ‘transformed’ care in the emergency department.
Maternity teams are celebrating National Breastfeeding Week with events at James Cook Hospital on 20 June (11am to 2pm in the Women and Children’s Conference Room) and the Friarage Maternity Centre Hub (2pm to 4pm) on 26 June. Mothers, breastfeeding supporters and health professionals are invited to come together and share what works well to support breastfeeding in local communities to help create a more breastfeeding friendly culture.
A NHS campaign is urging people to take early action if they start to feel unwell this Easter. The message to ‘be prepared and stay well’ over the holiday period encourages people most at risk, including those with long-term health conditions and the over 65s, to prepare for the Easter holiday period and to know what to do if they get ill.
Patients at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton are now benefitting from a state-of-the-art eye scanner. The £153,000 Heidelberg machine, generously donated by the Friends of the Friarage, will speed up diagnosis and save patients having to travel to other hospitals.
Patients at The James Cook University Hospital can now undergo hand surgery while they are awake. Trauma experts at the Middlesbrough Hospital have been piloting a new hand block service which uses local anaesthetic to numb the nerves so patients can stay awake to watch their operation and chat to their consultant throughout the procedure.