Written by our clinical people, for our clinical people
Edition eight Spring - summer 2024
Blood transfusion team recognised for patient safety in top ten hospitals nationally
New surgical era at PAHT
Medical director hosts new consultant development course
Medical education team share the latest updates
Consultant organises instructional course
Hosting a regional study day for trainee surgeons
Practice development team achieve quality recognition
New specialty tutors welcomed by the medical education team
Clinical trials data manager sees success with new system
Neonatal Intensive Care team present at regional network
Welcome
We are pleased to share the eighth edition of Our Journal
Our Journal includes the below, with reference to the articles in this edition:
y Clinical transformation updates: new surgical era at PAHT; clinical trials data manager sees success with new system
y Awards/clinical recognition: blood transfusion team recognised for patient safety in top ten hospitals nationally; practice development team achieve quality recognition; colleagues celebrate success at Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) dinner; bereavement midwife wins special award
y Conference and event reviews/updates: medical director hosts new consultant development course; medical education team share the latest updates; consultant organises instructional course; hosting a regional study day for trainee surgeons; new specialty tutors welcomed by the medical education team; Neonatal Intensive Care team present at regional network
y Clinical leadership successes: Team present digital health lectures
y PAHT 2030
y Research updates
y Quality and safety agenda
y Focus features on clinical issues/improvements and the impact on patient care
y Input from external contributors
y Summary of research contributions and papers published by PAHT clinicians
Our Journal provides an amazing opportunity for us to showcase the wonderful work we do – please share it widely and let the communications team know which developments we can profile in the next edition of Our Journal at paht.communications@nhs.net
Best wishes
Dr Fay Gilder Medical director
Sharon McNally Chief nurse and deputy chief executive
Dr Fay Gilder
Sharon McNally
Blood transfusion team recognised for patient safety in top ten hospitals nationally
By Luke Groves, transfusion laboratory manager
I am proud that our blood transfusion team has been recognised as 9th nationally for patient safety.
The NHS Blood and Transplant informatics team have compiled data from national comparative audits to determine this achievement; which has been made possible thanks to the hard work and commitment of our transfusion department team, particularly over the past 18 months.
This indicates that for patients
at PAHT, the transfusion process is among the safest in the country. All aspects of the blood transfusion process were analysed, from sample collection, blood specimen receipt to processing, blood provision and transfusion of blood and blood components.
Our blood transfusion team are focused on a high degree of governance and oversight of all transfusion processes, and a comprehensive training programme.
Our team issue over 9,000 blood and blood components yearly, with approximately 170 per week. We have eight core team members, supported by colleagues across the hospital including laboratory staff,
doctors, nurses, midwives, porters and more.
In February, our department also had confirmation of UKAS accreditation for ISO15189:2012, another representation of the high quality standards achieved.
The recognition of this achievement has validated the team’s hard work and determination to provide the safest journey for our patients. Thank you to all of the team for your ongoing commitment.
For more information, please contact me at lukegroves@ nhs.net.
Pictured: The blood transfusion team.
New surgical era at PAHT
By Fay Gilder, medical director
A new surgical era is underway at PAHT following the introduction of a state-of-theart surgical robot.
The advanced robotically assisted surgical tool, called the Da Vinci Xi, made its debut to perform the first gynaecological surgery on 21 May
We are delighted that robotic assisted surgery has arrived at PAHT to revolutionise patient care and experiences. The cutting-edge technology marks a significant advancement in the provision of specialist surgical care for the people and community that we serve.
Our highly-skilled surgeons, who have received extensive training on how to use the surgical robot, sit at a console to control the robotic arms in the same way they would when carrying out open or laparoscopic surgery or conventional surgical methods – at no risk to the patient. The difference is that the robot has four arms which carry the camera and surgical instruments.
Colleagues added:
Ms Vardhini Vijay, consultant colorectal surgeon and clinical lead for the robotics steering group, said: “Robotic surgery allows surgeons to perform many types of procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than is possible
with traditional methods. The robotic system also allows for better 3D visualisation, giving surgeons the ability to perform delicate and complex procedures that may be difficult or impossible with other methods.
"Lengthy surgical procedures when performed through open surgery or traditional methods can also be physically demanding for the surgeons. With robotic surgery, longer and more complex surgery can be performed with less discomfort.
“The Da Vinci system has more than 20 years of patient outcome data with benefits including reduced complications, reduced requirement for intensive care stay, reduced blood loss and reduced length of hospital stay.”
Mr Ajay Sooknah, operations lead for the robotics steering group, said: “The successful delivery of robotic surgery has been a multidisciplinary effort over the last 18 months
with input from the sterile services team, IT department, theatres and clinicians. We are excited to offer this innovative surgical technique for general, colorectal and gynaecology patients, with the aim of introducing other specialities.”
Ms Jyothi Rachna, clinical director for obstetrics and gynaecology, said: “I am excited to be performing the first robotic assisted case at PAHT. This technology will be of great benefit to our hysterectomy patients.”
Mr Adam Hussein, clinical lead for colorectal cancer, said: “Robotic surgery will be a significant benefit for colorectal cancer resections as it facilitates precision oncological surgery and provides enhanced views deep in the pelvis.”
Pictured: The surgery team with the new surgical robot.
Medical director hosts new consultant development course
By Dr Fay Gilder, medical director
The inaugural consultant development course was held for 22 consultants who joined PAHT in the last three years. I devised and led the programme, organised in partnership with Margaret Short, medical education liaison lead.
The programme was delivered as six full days over a period of six months, commencing in November 2023. A range of subject matter experts from both within PAHT and externally provided the opportunity for introductions, interactive discussion and debate, exploration of case studies and the practical application of leadership skills.
The opportunity to network with consultant colleagues was core to the interactive programme, which enabled participants a regular opportunity to reflect on the impact of their personal leadership skills in delivering and improving clinical services, as well as deepening understanding of PAHT’s approach to delivering safe, high quality care.
The course closed on 23 April with a celebration dinner for participants and subject matter experts.
Feedback from the 22 consultants has been positive :
y "A fantastic course –much needed mentorship and guidance; I wish it could continue. It has been fabulous making new friends from the consultant body."
y "I am so grateful I got the opportunity to do this course. It will be of great value to me moving forward and for those we employ in the future."
y "A brilliant course, really useful. I loved making the contacts."
y "I appreciate the investment in our development."
Thank you to all involved. We look forward to repeating the course for the next cohort of new consultants, planned for autumn 2024
For more information, please contact margaret.short@nhs. net
Pictured: The attendees.
Medical education team share the latest updates
Our medical education team has hosted a wide range of events since the last edition of Our Journal
These have included:
• Schwartz Round, “Great minds don’t think alike – neurodiversity at PAHT", Wednesday 24 April, Kao Park, 12pm-1pm
• General Medical Council (GMC) trainee survey completion event with lunch, Friday 26 April, 12pm-3pm
• Orientation to Clinical Practice Day, Tuesday 30 April, Learning and Education Centre, 9am-4pm
• Staff Associate Specialist (SAS) Doctors' Day CESR Workshop, Thursday
2 May (all day), lecture theatre, Learning and Education Centre, The Princess Alexandra Hospital
• Specialty and Specialist (SAS) Doctors' Day - Medical Ethics and Law session, Thursday 16 May (all day), lecture theatre, Learning and Education Centre, The Princess Alexandra Hospital
• Tutors, Clinical and Educational Supervisors' Away Day, Friday 17 May (all day), Down Hall Hotel, Bishop's Stortford
• Foundation Doctors' Careers Event, Friday 24 May (all day), lecture theatre, Learning and Education Centre, The Princess Alexandra Hospital
• Foundation Training Programme Update – Tuesday 4 June, 1pm-4pm, Training Room 1, the Learning and Education Centre at The Princess Alexandra Hospital
• Dragons' Den, Wednesday 5 June, 1pm-2.30pm, for clinicians and physician associates
• Breaking Bad News Workshop - for all healthcare professionals, Monday 10 June, 1pm-4pm, Learning and Education Centre, The Princess Alexandra Hospital. At this session, highly skilled actors portrayed patients in familiar clinical settings; existing good practice was highlighted; and the 'patient' stayed in role throughout, giving feedback and commentary
Upcoming events include:
• General Practice Specialty Trainee (GPST) Bite Size Sessions for GPST clinical supervisors, 25 June and 2 July 12pm-2pm. To book, contact anita. upton@nhs.net
Thank you to everyone involved. For more information, please contact margaret. short@nhs.net and judith.butcher@nhs.net.
Consultant organises instructional course
As part of his role as chair of the educational committee for the British Hip Society (BHS), Satish Kutty, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, (pictured right) organised an instructional course that was held in Belfast on 1 March.
The BHS instructional course was set up with the aim of providing a comprehensive, FRCS (Orth) syllabus and evidence-based update on topics related to hip surgery; this year’s theme was ‘trauma and revision’. The course was very well attended and received some very positive feedback on social media.
Hosting a regional study day for trainee surgeons
Congratulations to Miss Das Mohapatra (Mitty), consultant colorectal surgeon. Miss Mitty organised a regional study day for the East of England Surgeons at the Learning and Education Centre at The Princess Alexandra Hospital last winter (4 November). The event was supported by Ms Sarah Downey, training programme director for East of England, surgical trainees, Dr Preethi Gopinath, director of medical education, Ms Gita Langham, ST4 surgical registrar, and the medical education team.
They have now reflected on their success to plan for the future. The day was well attended, with 12 internationally renowned speakers. They each presented the latest advances in their area of expertise, with insightful takeaway messages for all attendees. The vast range of topics covered included MRI for rectal cancer, robotic surgery and anal rectal conditions. This study day is a landmark for the surgical department and PAHT, which attracted 6 continuous professional development (CPD) points from the The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland (ACPGBI). Great feedback was received from the faculty who enjoyed the day thoroughly. The plan is to make this an annual event at the Trust.
Practice development team achieve quality recognition
Congratulations to our practice development team who have been awarded the National Preceptorship Interim Quality Mark for the preceptorship programme run here at PAHT. The preceptorship programme is delivered to all newly registered nurses, nursing associates, allied health professionals and operating department practitioners, to support them with the skills and knowledge they need as they transition into their new role.
The Interim Quality Mark (IQM), which is valid for two years from 31 January 2024, is a national gold standard awarded to organisations that meet the criteria outlined in the IQM. Well done team, keep up the good work.
New specialty tutors welcomed by the medical education team
The medical education team are pleased to share that the new specialty tutors appointed for this academic year are:
• Dr Rishi Gupta - emergency medicine
• Dr Anuvidya Reddy – anaesthetics
• Dr Adam Hussein – surgery (joint role with Miss Vardhini)
• Dr Anna McCorquodale and Dr Nicola Ray – paediatrics
• Miss Rahat Khan - undergraduate associate dean and sub-clinical dean for Queen Mary University of London and Anglia Ruskin University School of Medicine
Meet some of the new specialty tutors:
Miss Rahat Khan, undergraduate associate dean and sub-clinical dean for Queen Mary University of London and Anglia Ruskin University School of Medicine
Miss Rahat Khan (MBBS, MRCOG, FRCOG, FRSPH) has been a substantive consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at PAHT since 2011. She has always been very passionate about excellence in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. She is an approved General Medical Council (GMC) educator. Her previous NHS roles include clinical services group lead, Labour Ward and Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) lead. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented papers in various national and international conferences.
Dr Anna McCorquodale, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Queen Mary University, London
Anna said: "I have a clinical paediatric background spread across the High Dependency Unit (HDU), Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), paediatric transport, emergency and cardiology and continue to work in all of these areas locally. I hold an external education post with paediatric emergency medicine website Don't Forget the Bubbles as a module lead in their new format virtually delivered MSc. As well as medicine I like being active, being outside, socialising and travelling (ideally simultaneously). Recently I have been challenging my own educational standards by returning to language learning and taking up Spanish."
Thanks to the outgoing tutors for all their hard work, who have led their training programme so well:
• Mr Suneil Ramnani – emergency medicine
• Dr Perumal Tamilselvan – anaesthetics
• Dr Neha Khanna – paediatrics
• Dr Lucy Evans – undergraduate sub clinical dean for Queen Mary University London and Anglia Ruskin University Medical School
Clinical trials data manager sees success with new system
Well done to Donna Foster, trials data manager, who has dedicated time to understanding the newly-introduced and comprehensive EDGE 3 system.
EDGE is a global clinical research management system, embedded into the clinical research infrastructure across 80% of the NHS. The EDGE programme offers a unique approach to the management and conduct of research through purpose-built software and provides research professionals with fast access to real-time data.
EDGE promotes collaboration throughout its software and improves methods of working, ultimately resulting in better patient care and treatments.
By becoming an experienced user of the system, Donna has found funding for both commercial and non commercial clinical trials, that otherwise we would not have been aware of, which could potentially save the trust up to £70,000.
Donna (pictured, above) only joined PAHT in November, but is aready deemed a superuser, to the point that she has been asked to co-present at the EDGE user conference.
Neonatal Intensive Care team present at regional network
In March, Rita Mahey, family integrated care (FICare) lead, and Minu Chalapuram, repatriation link nurse, from our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team presented at the east of England neonatal operational delivery network to share their experiences of introducing the regional repatriation framework (pictured, right).
Repatriation (moving) of babies between neonatal units ensures that they are receiving optimal care for their needs and determines the best location of care, as close to their home as possible.
The framework aims to enhance safe and effective clinical decision-making and communication between clinicians.
This was a fantastic opportunity for the team to showcase their hard work, the newly-established repatriation nurse link role, and their commitment to supporting poorly babies and their parents/carers.
Colleagues celebrate success at Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) dinner
By Dr Dev Dutta, consultant in anaesthesia and critical care medicine
Colleagues celebrated success at the Medical Advisory Comittee (MAC) dinner on 20 April at Down Hall Hotel, Hatfield Heath, Bishop's Stortford.
There were more than 70 attendees, including Hattie Llewelyn-Davies, chair, Dr Fay Gilder, medical director, Michael Meredith, director of strategy and estates, with current and retired consultants. During the event, Ann Nutt, chair of the Patient Panel, and Diane Deane-Bowers, vice-chair of the Patient Panel, presented awards to consultants for their outstanding contributions. The awards were chosen by the Patient Panel and were based on patient feedback.
I was delighted to receive the Partnership Award, for which the citation from the panel read: "With much gratitude in recognition of his ongoing support of the Patient Panel. A unique partnership leading to positive impacts on patient care (anaesthesiology and critical care)."
Congratulations to my colleagues who were recognised:
The Aldam and Allen Orthopaedics Award For expertise and commitment that has given a new direction to patient care and orthopaedic practices.
Award for orthopaedic services awarded jointly this year
y Mr Dennis Kosuge, consultant orthopaedic surgeon
y Mr David George, consultant orthopaedic surgeon
Patient Panel award recipients
y Dr Faris Al Refie, consultant haematologist and lead doctor, vice chair, LNC
y Dr Preethi Gopinath, consultant histopathologist and director of medical education
y Miss Shrabani Das Mohapatra, consultant colorectal surgeon and lead, pre-habilitation program
y Mr Vernon Sivarajah, consultant colorectal surgeon (locum)
y Dr Roberto Verdolini, consultant dermatologist
y Dr Rajamani Sethuramen, consultant anaesthetist and lead doctor for anaesthesia
It was a great night - thank you to everyone involved.
Team present digital health lectures
Our clinical digital medical team, consisting of Miss Helen Pardoe, chief clinical information officer, and clinical digital fellows, presented digital health lectures to students at Anglia Ruskin University on 15 April.
The students, who are in their third year, had the opportunity to learn more about concepts in digital healthcare, artificial intelligence (AI) and FemTech, which is a technology company that focuses on solutions for women’s health needs. Our team also shared their experiences of starting a career in digital health.
The day was well-received by the students and the team have plans to present further lectures to medical students in other year groups.
This is a great example of how our people are passionate about inspiring future healthcare professions and working collaboratively with partners.
Bereavement midwife wins special award
Congratulations to Kate Boxall, specialist bereavement midwife, who has won a Mariposa Trust Award (Saying Goodbye Charity) in the category of Bereavement Midwife of the Year (pictured, right).
The awards aim to commend professionals who have gone above and beyond in the care and support they have provided for people who have experienced baby loss.
Kate won the award for the sensitive holistic care and emotional support that she provides to parents and their families following the sad loss of a baby, at any stage of pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.
We are extremely proud that Kate has received this recognition for her dedication and commitment to supporting parents and their families.
Articles and publications - our #PAHTPeople...
Take a look at some examples of the range of articles published and publications contributed to by our people since the last edition of Our Journal - a fantastic achievement. Full information of authors and articles are available from the library team: paht.lib.desk@nhs.net.
y Aggarwal, M. and Lau, C. (2023) "P030 A rare case of metastatic head and neck basal cell carcinoma’, British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery", 61(10), p. e41.
y Aras, C. et al. (2024) ‘"Invivo generated autologous plasmin enzyme assisted vitrectomy, partial circumferential-oral retinotomy, silicone oil injection in patients with chronic retinal detachment without posterior vitreous detachment", Graefe’s archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes archiv fur klinische und experimentelle ophthalmologie [Preprint].
y Aras, C. et al. (2024) "Preoperative coapplication of bevacizumab and tissue plasminogen activator in vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy", Arquivos brasileiros de oftalmologia, 87(2), p. e20230001.
y Bai, B.Y.H. et al. (2024) "Baseline Expression of Immune Gene Modules in Blood is Associated With Primary Response to AntiTNF Therapy in Crohn’s Disease Patients", Journal of Crohn’s & Colitis, 18(3), pp. 431–445.
y Dragonas C. et al. (2023).
"Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty vs reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in patients over 70-a systematic review and meta-analysis." JSES International, 7(5), 2064.
y Fraser-Govil, S., Foster, K. and Patel, A. (2024) "Side Effects Limit Uptake and Use of Breast Cancer Chemoprevention at a Family History Clinic", European journal of surgical oncology, 50(1).
y Gkeka, K. et al. (2023) "Recurrent miscarriage and male factor infertility: diagnostic and therapeutic implications. A narrative review", Central European journal of urology, 76(4), pp. 336–346.
y Hanna, D. et al. (2024) "Real world study of sacituzumab govitecan in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in the United Kingdom", British journal of cancer [Preprint].
y Ho, G.C. et al. (2024) "Enhancing personalised care on a lower GI 2ww pathway by a frailty pilot programme", European journal of surgical oncology, 50(1).
y Jebamani, J., Ivanov, B. and Ejtehadi, F. (2023) "A rare case of femoral hernia containing a strangulated appendix: a case report, operating techniques and literature review", Journal
of surgical case reports, 2023(7), p. rjad387.
y Kamourieh, S., Rozen, T. and Anderson, J.M. (2024) "Status migrainosus’, Handbook of clinical neurology", 199, pp. 413–439.
y Leal, G.C. et al. (2024) "Crop filling: A pipeline for repairing memory clinic MRI corrupted by partial brain coverage", MethodsX, 12, p. 102542.
y Lerner, A. et al. (2024) "A Multicentric, Retrospective, Real-world Study on Immune-related Adverse Events in Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancers Treated with Pembrolizumab Monotherapy", Clinical Oncology [Preprint].
y Light, A. et al. (2024) "A0672 - Focal HIFU and cryotherapy for prostate cancer: A HEAT and ICE analysis of 15-year usage trends in the United Kingdom", European urology, 85, pp. S1622–S1623.
y Liu, Y. et al. (2024) "Work Patterns and Intensity of Chinese Surgical Residents- A Multicenter Time-and-Motion Study", Journal of surgical education, 81(1), pp. 76–83.
y Mattan, F., Ozyurt, N. and Lau, C. (2023)
"P060 A Technique of maintaining the anatomical appearance following excision of more than one cutaneous malignancy from the pinna", British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery, 61(10), pp. e51–e52
y Modi S, Kiverniti E (2024) "Actinomycosis of the middle ear mimicking cholesteatoma: a case report and literature review." Cureus 16(2): e55014.
y Muhammad, R. et al. (2024) "The Prognostic Value of Low HER2 Expression on Treatment Outcomes in Metastatic Hormone Receptor-positive Breast Cancer Patients Treated with CDK4/6 Inhibitors and Endocrine Therapy", Clinical oncology, 36(4), p. e110.
y Pan, X. et al. (2024) "The artificial intelligencebased model ANORAK improves histopathological grading of lung adenocarcinoma", Nature cancer [Preprint].
y Sewpaul, Y. et al. (2024) "Non-steroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs and Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors Do Not Affect
Healing After Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis", Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, 40(3), pp. 930–940.
y Sharma, D. et al. (2024) "Teaching, assessment and best practice in undergraduate psychiatry education in the UK: cross-sectional survey", BJPsych bulletin, pp. 1–7.
y Veli, M. et al. (2024) 145P "Impact of immunotherapy addition to dose density of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triplenegative breast cancer: A retrospective, realworld study from multiple centres in London (UK)", ESMO Open, 9.
y Waseem S., Pearse R., Lebe M. & Leivadiotou D. (2023). "A systematic review of outcomes following pyrocarbon hemiarthroplasty of the shoulder." JSES International, 7(5), 1955.
y Winter, H., Parker, R. and Sekhon, N. (2024) "Breast surgery preassessment; reducing the unnecessary tests", European journal of surgical oncology, 50, p. N.PAG.
Showcase your work in the next edition of Our Journal
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the first eight editions of Our Journal. It has been excellent to showcase your work, with a broad range of articles. Please contact us at paht.communications@nhs.net to feature in the next edition - publishing in August 2024.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QX 01279 44 44 55
