Update GP
Issue Number 6 Spring 2011
NEWS FROM
Cots for Tots appeal now tops £30,000 FROM SPONSORED runs to parachute jumps, from concerts and auctions to a black tie ball ... the race is on to raise funds for our £500,000 Cots for Tots Appeal. The aim is to equip four new cots for our extended Neonatal Intensive care Unit’s (NICU) giving more local families the option of life-saving treatment for their babies close to home. Events planned include a charity ball and raffle on 9 April and a Live Aid Concert in North Walsham on 16 April. • To contribute to the appeal go to www.justgiving.com/norwichnicu
TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY The NNUH is ten years old this year and we are holding a celebratory Open Day and Fete on 18 June when there will be attractions for all the family. All proceeds will will go to the Norwich Cots for Tots appeal.
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE NNUH has been chosen to take part in a £2 million research study to find out how to prevent the three most common accidents among the under fives: falls, poisoning and scalding. The study, “Keeping Children Safe at Home”, is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and led nationally by the University of Nottingham. Families of children attending A&E are being invited to fill in a questionnaire describing the accident, their home environment and any safety measures in the home. By comparing this information with questionnaires from other families in the community, they hope to identify the most effective measures to prevent accidents.
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CARING FOR CHILDREN CLOSE TO HOME
n this edition of GP Update we are highlighting some of the children’s services we offer and the benefits of offering specialist care closer to home. The Jenny Lind Hospital for Children was founded in 1854 one year after Great Ormond Street and has provided a high standard of services for the children of Norfolk and its borders ever since. Over the last few months we have been planning to build greater awareness of the Children’s Hospital within the main hospital site. Hannah Giffard, the artist whose artwork inspired the refurbishment of the children’s areas in 2009 has been instrumental in designing the new logos and signage which will aid us in increasing our profile amongst patients and stakeholders. “Close to home where possible, transfer when necessary” was the message from the 2004 NSF for Children.Over the last 15 years in paediatrics we have made strategic appointments in specialities such as neonatology, paediatric gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, rheumatology, diabetes and cancer care, together with all aspects of surgery for children. These services are in turn supported by expertise in the laboratory, radiology and anaesthesia, and enable us in both the elective and emergency setting to provide a level of highly specialist care closer to home. Within Networks we are keen to support local and secondary providers and have made successful joint appointments between ourselves and neighbouring Trusts. Krishna Sethia, Medical Director, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
FUNDRAISING ROLE Beth Coley, our new fundraising manager, joins us from Norfolk County Council where she worked as a Development Manager in Children’s Services. Beth commented: ‘My work with the Friends of NNUH charity will mean I can help bring new fundraising opportunities to the hospital and support our charity appeals. • For more information contact fundraising@nnuh.nhs.uk
Radiology waits WAITING TIMES for Radiology have reduced considerably and the main modalities are currently booking as follows: CT scans Urgent as soon as possible (up to 2 weeks), routine within 3 weeks MRI Urgent scans up to 2 weeks, routine scans 6 -7 weeks (average 35 days) Ultrasound Urgent scans 2 weeks. Routine scans 5 - 6 weeks (average 34 days) X-ray Routine within 3 weeks DEXA Routine 3 - 4 weeks (average 20 days)
KEY CONTACTS Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Colney Lane Norfolk NR4 7UY Website: www.nnuh.nhs.uk On-call: For emergencies tel: 01603 286286 and ask to be transferred to the appropriate on-call teams: • Surgical: SpR. (bleep 0080) • Medical: via the Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) on bleep 0002 • Medicine for the Elderly: ext. 6509 There is also an on-call general (GI) and vascular consultant available via the switchboard.
Norwich Community Hospital Bowthorpe Road Norwich NR2 3TU Tel: 01603 776776 (Also Breast Screening, Pain Management)
Norwich Contraception and Sexual Health Clinic Grove Road Norwich NR1 3RH Tel: 01603 287345
Pharmacy Medicines information line: 01603 287139
Pathology Clinical Biochemistry and Haematology 01603 286929 / 286932 / 286959 Microbiology 01603 288587 / 288588 Knowledge Norfolk website: http://nww.eastern.nhs.uk/scripts/index.as p?pid=73450&id=95975
GP UPDATE GP Update is edited by Rebecca Perry and produced by the NNUH Communications team If you have any questions, comments or contributions please contact Rebecca on 01603 289989 or by email: rebecca.perry@nnuh.nhs.uk
GP UPDATE SPRING 2011
Boost for children’s cancer team THE CHILDREN’S cancer team at NNUH is being strengthened to provide more support for children with cancer. It follows a review of shared cancer services for children in the eastern region. A second paediatrician with a special interest in children’s cancer, Dr Archana Soman, has been appointed to work alongside Dr Jo Ponnampalam, while a second specialist nurse, Kate Stanton, will join the nursing team led by Rosie Larkins. A psychologist will be appointed to help families cope with the psychological aspects of
living with a cancer diagnosis and the multidisciplinary team will have the regular support of a co-ordinator, Pam Kent. We will continue to provide chemotherapy for local children and monitor their progress on a regular basis. “The recommendations mean we now have an expanded specialist team who can provide an even better service for children with cancer,” says Dr Jo Ponnampalam, lead paediatrician for children’s cancer services at NNUH.
Screening benefits deaf children MORE THAN 30,000 babies have been screened since the Newborn Hearing Screening programme was introduced at NNUH in 2006. Of those tested, 70 have been diagnosed with permanent hearing impairment. The screening procedure involves the use of a handheld computer wired to an earpiece which is placed inside the baby’s ear. When hearing is normal, the cochlear produces an echo in response to a sound played into the ear and the echo is picked up by a microphone inside the earpiece. If there is no clear response the baby is referred to our audiology team for diagnostic tests. Babies can be fitted with a hearing aid from around two months of age and they continue to be monitored regularly by our multidisciplinary team made up of paediatric audiologists, technicians, speech and language therapists and sensory support specialists. Research shows that children whose hearing is screened soon after birth have, on average, better language and reading abilities at eight years of age than children who had not been screened. If hearing loss is severe they may need a further boost in the form of a cochlear
Screening is quick and painless but provides an early warning for children with hearing loss implant, an electronic device that turns sounds into electrical signals. This specialist procedure is carried out at Addenbrooke’s Hospital although the children receive follow-up care at NNUH. For those who cannot wear hearing aids – perhaps because their ears are damaged or deformed – a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) may be appropriate. NNUH introduced this service for adult patients in 2002 and it has now been extended to children who meet the necessary criteria.
From children to adults Our audiology team has set up a quarterly clinic where teenagers can continue to get help and advice as they make the transition from children to adult services. Dr John Fitzgerald, clinical director of audiology at NNUH explained: “As children they get a lot of support but this does not automatically continue when they become adults. We aim to provide practical advice and encourage young people to seek extra support if they need it when entering college or the workplace.”
GO DIRECT FOR A FASTER SERVICE WAITING TIMES for adults with agerelated hearing loss have been significantly reduced thanks to a direct-referral system in audiology. Patients who are over 60 and who met the direct referral criteria, can be referred directly to the audiology clinic at NNUH for
a hearing test. GPs are urged to use the available proforma to avoid unnecessary referrals to ENT. Waiting times for direct referral to the audiology clinic are around two weeks compared to 12-weeks to see an ENT consultant.