The magazine of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the UCL Institute of Child Health
February 2014
Five top ti ps for beatin g the winter blu es, page 23
GOSH has the X Factor! Meet some of the X Factor stars who have visited the hospital, page 12
Welcome from the Interim Chief Executive
Contents Regulars In the news 4 GO Create! 5
Julian Nettel
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At the time of writing I am in my first month as the Interim Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be here and what a privilege it is to work for an organisation with so many talented and dedicated staff. I come to GOSH with more than 30 years’ experience in the health service in London – almost all in the acute sector. I am sure many of you would have googled me and seen that I was Chief Executive at Ealing Hospital for five years, at St Mary’s for eight and spent 18 months at Barts and the London. What I learnt while undertaking these roles is the importance of being a consistent and transparent leader. You should know that my values and opinions are not going to change. I also believe that all efforts in an acute hospital should be driven by a desire to optimise the relationship between the patients – in our case the children and their families – and the clinical teams. I am pleased to see this guiding principle in action in an article in this edition of Roundabout on page 17. It details how the Neuromuscular team worked alongside patients, parents and advocacy groups to improve the pathway for young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The results are impressive, with waiting times plummeting and better information to patients and their family about care plans. I hope you find time to read it and to enjoy the rest of this edition.
Learnabout 16 Transformation 17 GOSH revealed 18 Charity page
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Features GOSH, it’s changed 6 We chat to Christine Godber, Principal Dental Nurse, who has worked at the hospital for 42 years I have arthritis 8 Twelve-year-old Joe, who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, explains how his life has been transformed by a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Patient Christmas parties at GOSH 10 Photos from the 2013 patient Christmas parties GOSH has the X Factor 12 In celebration of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity being nominated as one of two charities to receive proceeds from the 2013 X Factor winner’s single, we take a look at some of the past contestants who have walked through the hospital’s doors A day in the life 14 Follow a day in the life of a Consultant Nurse for Learning Disabilities at GOSH
The copy deadline for the March edition is Thursday 6 February. Please note that submitting articles does not guarantee a place in the next issue. Submissions should be sent to publications@gosh.org Cover image: Sam Bailey, winner of the 2013 X Factor, meets Ward Sister Jo Van Ree on Eagle Ward. Editor Sally Mavin, ext *643042 Email: sally.mavin@gosh.org Designer Sharon Leese, ext *643100 Contributors Mark McKenzie-Ray, Corinne Clark and Abbi Davies Printer Jigsaw Colour, www.jigsawcolour.co.uk Charity logo Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Registered charity no. 235825.
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GO Create! annual staff photography competition
This month’s social media highlights from Great Ormond Street Hospital’s (GOSH) Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The results are in for the 2013 GO Create! annual staff photography competition, and the winning entries are on display in a temporary exhibition.
Many thanks to all those @GreatOrmondSt Koala Ward staff for looking after me and mummy. It’s a very nice hospital and nice nurses x
In the news
Patient Tom with his kidney donor, Roger Sutton
Twelve-year-old Tom Higgs, who developed kidney failure from a rare condition, was the first patient at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to receive an altruistic kidney donation. The kidney was donated by Roger Sutton, a 53-year-old GP from Portsmouth. The two parties met and chose to waive the anonymity that normally surrounds a transplant to highlight the benefit of giving an organ and saving a life. Tom and Roger appeared live on ITV’s This Morning for the final show of 2013. The reunion was also covered by the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Times. Tineke Dixon celebrated the 25th anniversary of her heart and lung transplant by revisiting the hospital that carried out the procedure in 1988. During her visit to GOSH, filmed by BBC London and featured in the Daily Mirror, Tineke met with some of the original transplant team, including current and former GOSH surgeons Martin Elliott, Marc De Leval and Phil Rees, and former Cardiac Liaison Sister Mary Goodwin. LBC Radio recorded its Christmas edition of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s show at GOSH. The show, Call Clegg, featured Headteacher Jayne Franklin and her pupils from The Children’s Hospital School at Great Ormond Street and UCL, along with GOSH nurses and patients from Eagle Ward and intensive care. Highlights from the show were reported in national newspapers, including The Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Mail. Testing of a new stem-cell based treatment for a rare and debilitating skin condition has begun at GOSH. The clinical trial, led by King’s College London in collaboration with GOSH, will recruit 10 children who have recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. GOSH patient Sohana featured in BBC News coverage of the trial. Two-thirds of 13-year-old girls are afraid of gaining weight and more than half avoid certain foods to stop themselves getting fat, according to research led by Dr Nadia Micali, UCL Institute of Child Health. The study was reported in The Telegraph, Daily Mail, ITV News and BBC News.
Today’s my last ever renal appointment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Been going there pretty much since I was born. Going to miss everyone there. They’ve all looked after me so well and I couldn’t have asked for more than what they’ve given me. I’m celebrating a quarter of a century today thanks to GOSH. Ten heart procedures, minor and major, and a whole load of other intricate stuff. Wouldn’t be here today without this great institution. Thank you doesn’t do you justice but, thank you! GOSH = family.
Smile, Zuzana Kissova, Operating Department Practitioner (Special Commendation ‘Open’ category)
Just signed up for my first ever 10k run @BupaLondon10000 raising money for @GreatOrmondSt #determined. @GreatOrmondSt Great to see there are now mats in the Lagoon for immobile children. Makes life much easier. Thank you!
Autumn’s Meadow, Konrad Bednarczyk, Fund Accountant
Now in its seventh year, the competition, which celebrates the creativity, skill and imagination of our staff, attracted over 150 entries, with submissions from all over the hospital and charity.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Cardiac Corridor, Level 2, Cardiac Wing.
Join the conversation Facebook: facebook.com/ GreatOrmondSt Twitter: @GreatOrmondSt
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A Rainy Commute, Jo Casey, Occupational Therapy (Special Commendation ‘Water’ category)
Water 10, Amy Collins, Children’s Research Nurse
GO Create! is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
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GOSH, it’s changed. Christine Godber has worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for a remarkable 42 years. She is described by members of her team as the cornerstone of the dental department, and has gone from being the only dental nurse to leading a team of seven and two hygienists. Here she tells us about her long career, the changes she’s seen and the importance of strong leadership. The never-ending contract “I arrived at GOSH as a fully qualified dental surgery assistant (as then) and was asked to sign a contract for two years because they were struggling to find someone. I’m still here 42 years later!
computer now: path blood forms, X-ray requests, all the patient information. And you’ve got the added thing of emails now, which are endless! I think the computerisationis the biggest change I’ve seen over the years. However, you have to embrace change or you don’t move forward. “I’ve seen a fair few changes in the building structure too. I saw the cardiac building go up – it took 11 years. It was all going on right outside our windows. “One of my favourite moments from over the years is when they wanted to move the chapel out of the old building and they moved the whole thing. They took all the stained glass and chandeliers out, then put it on huge rollers and had Frank Bruno push the whole chapel down the road! It was quite spectacular.” It wasn’t all hard work
“The department was large, with consultants and lots of junior staff, both in orthodontic and paediatric dentistry, but there was nobody else doing my job. If I didn’t tidy up and clean up and make sure all the instruments were sterilised (using a huge old steam steriliser at the time) it wouldn’t have been done. I quickly became attached to the department because I was the only one. I kept it how I wanted to keep it.” Change is as good as a rest “We used to manage all our appointments through a book! I do miss a book. We resisted getting a computer for a long time, and then of course we had to get one. Everything we do is through the
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“We definitely had some fun over the years. We used to do Christmas shows every year, down in the basement of the nurses building. All the staff would dress up in different guises, including the senior house officers and the consultants. One of my consultants ended up being pushed in a pram pretending to be a baby! And of course there’d be a party afterwards.
“We used to have slow cycle races down the side of the building. It became a tradition. We’d dress up in clown outfits, including the consultants, and whoever came in last won the race. It was lovely because all the kids watched from the balconies in the Southwood Building. “We had a Great Ormond Street Hospital Cleft Lip and Palate Association fundraising ball here years ago too. We transformed the canteen into a ballroom, putting balloons everywhere and decorations up. We put boards down for dancing on as well. It was just spectacular. All of the women came in beautiful, long evening dresses and the men wore dinner suits and bow ties. “We even used to let off fireworks from the top of the flats! There was a bit of a raucous side to it all! It was great fun, and it also helped to get on with people and build relationships.” The royal blessing “When you’ve been here as long as I have you meet all the royals, including Diana. She came to the old outpatients area to meet patients. I was speechless, which is a bit unusual for me. I do remember that I said: ‘It’s lovely of you to come,’ and she said: ‘Oh, it’s lovely to be here!’ “I’ve also met the Queen, and Prince Charles! We used to have name badges on our dresses (no tops and trousers) in those days, but when Prince Charles said: ‘And how are you, Mrs Hewitt?’ I was gobsmacked that he knew my name! But then I realised.”
Providing consistency for patients and parents “My specialty has been cleft lip and palate. Some of my previous patients who had cleft lip and palate are now back with their own children who have the same condition. I do think that when you’ve got somebody who’s been in the department for a long time people feel that there’s continuity. “I think that parents and patients feel comforted by having somebody that they know and can depend on. Parents often say that it’s nice to see a familiar face and not have to explain everything again.” Patients make this hospital what it is “So much has changed, but of course the patients are still as delightful as they always were. They’re wonderful – so funny and unpredictable. I think they’ve kept me young too because you have to be silly, you have to get down and play with them in order to examine them. “People ask me if I’ve ever considered leaving, but there wasn’t another job I wanted because the patients and parents make this hospital great. I am really blessed to work with such a superb team of nurses and a great department, which has a good community spirit. “I do more management work than I used to but I still do my patient work, and that brings me back into focus. The child first and always: you do have to focus on that because there are lots of things that will try to take you away from it.”
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I have arthritis Joe from Sittingbourne was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) when he was six years old. He was so ill he couldn’t get out of bed and missed weeks of school. Now aged 12, Joe’s life has been transformed by a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). He tells us his story.
“My first memory of GOSH was travelling up in the taxi from Sittingbourne where we live. I was with my dad and I was very nervous as we neared the hospital. Even though I was only six at the time, I do remember my mum crying when I was diagnosed –
“After being diagnosed, I was put on steroids and methotrexate (a drug that decreases the pain and swelling caused by arthritis, and can reduce damage to joints and long-term disability). Although it helped, there were some bad side effects. For example, I used to get out of breath easily playing football. It was during a trip to the hospital that I was made aware of a new clinical trial, a drug that was still at the testing stage. The new drug was called canakinumab and wasn’t licensed for children in the UK. It was a bit daunting at first, taking part in this new trial, but the alternative involved having an injection every day, so I was eager to try this new option!
I think it was a shock to everyone. I thought arthritis was just something that old people get. When the doctors explained to my mum that this was something without a cure, I think that’s what really upset her. “Although it wasn’t nice being diagnosed, it was good that we at least knew what was wrong with me. At the time I couldn’t walk, play football or go to school. At one point I couldn’t even get out of bed. The bit that upset me the most was missing out on seeing my friends and doing the things that other boys my age were doing. I was off school for about six weeks in total.
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“Eight months after being diagnosed, I started the new trial of canakinumab at the Somers Clinical Research Facility at the hospital. Being on the trial means I visit GOSH once a month for my injection as well as having a series of other tests done. Even
What is juvenile idiopathic arthritis? Arthritis is a painful condition that affects the joints and bones. The tissue lining the joints, like elbows and knuckles, becomes inflamed, making them stiff and swollen. JIA is the most common form of arthritis that affects young people. It is similar to, but not the same as, rheumatoid arthritis that affects some adults. JIA occurs when the immune system, instead of just attacking infections, attacks the tissues of the body as well.
though we’re there for most of the day, the time passes quite quickly. They have play specialists to entertain us and TVs to stop us getting bored. Everyone is so nice to me there. Once, the staff surprised me with a birthday cake and singing. I was so embarrassed I didn’t even look up from my drawing, but it was a lovely thing for them to do. “The difference the drug has made to my life is amazing. Beforehand I could barely walk, now I hardly notice I’ve got arthritis. I’m pretty close to 100 per cent health wise – I get the odd cold more than most people, as my immune system is supressed, but I can do everything someone my age normally does. From being jealous of my friends playing football when I was diagnosed, I now play for Doddington Village who won the league last year, which was great. I also like playing Warhammer in the garden shed with my dad, I normally beat him! “I’ve been coming to GOSH for half of my life and the doctors and nurses there have made such a difference. Every time I visit I see other children who are really sick. Without the staff working hard to
develop these new drugs and treatments, my life would be very different to how it is now. When I’m older I want to be a footballer or cricketer. Anything is possible now thanks to GOSH.”
In 2012, the world’s first research centre dedicated to understanding how and why arthritis affects teenagers opened in the UK. The £2.5 million centre was a collaboration between University College Hospital and GOSH. Professor Lucy Wedderburn, Head of Rheumatology at the UCL Institute of Child Health and a consultant at GOSH, said: “This is the world’s first centre dedicated to understanding the very specific needs of young people who are growing up with arthritis. By focusing our attention on understanding why and how arthritis is different in adolescence, and what happens as they enter adult life, we hope to dramatically improve treatment and care for young people living with this painful disease.”
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Patient Christmas parties are a hit Christmas came early for hundreds of Great Ormond Street Hospital patients in December as they enjoyed a special festive party. Organised by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, The Snow Ball was a Christmas treat for patients who are currently in hospital or who have been treated over the past year. The magical party featured fun activities including face painting, arts and crafts, cupcake decorating and an appearance from one very special guest – Father Christmas – who flew all the way from the North Pole for the occasion. Guests included Tess Daly, Emma Bunton, Jason Isaacs, Eliza Doolittle, Shane Filan, Alexandra Burke, Lindsey Russell, Matt Johnson, Ade Adepitan, Damien O’Brien, Rachel Wilde and Kirsten O’Brien. X Factor finalists Tamera Foster and Hannah Barrett were also on hand to help everyone get into the party spirit.
The patient Christmas parties are funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
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GOSH has the X Factor Since The X Factor first started airing on our screens, 31 finalists have visited patients at the hospital. In celebration of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity being nominated as one of two charities to receive proceeds from the 2013 X Factor winner’s single, we take a look at some of the past contestants who have walked through the hospital’s doors.
Patient Mia-Olivia met Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of The X Factor in 2005, when he came to visit Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
Leon Jackson was the winner of the fourth series of The X Factor in 2007. In 2008, he met patient Lucy at the launch party of Kiss It Better, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity’s initiative to raise money for research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.
Although Olly Murs was a runner-up in the sixth series of The X Factor, he has undoubtedly become one of its most successful contestants. As well as visiting the hospital alongside the 2009 finalists, he later returned and met patients on Hippo Ward, including Kulsum.
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Series six winner Joe McElderry visited the hospital alongside Olly Murs and other series six finalists. He returned later and paid a visit to Peter Pan Ward, where he met patient Joseph.
Rough Copy and Nicholas McDonald were contestants in series ten of The X Factor. They visited Eagle Ward in December 2013 alongside other finalists Luke Friend and the eventual winner of the series, Sam Bailey. The patients in the ward enjoyed a morning of games and crafts with the contestants. Patient Asad hung out with Rough Copy, while runner-up Nicholas pedalled down the corridors with patient Jack.
The winner of the 2013 series, Sam Bailey, released her single ‘Skyscraper’ in December, which raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Together for Short Lives. It went on to become Christmas number one. ‘Skyscraper’ is the second single from The X Factor that has raised money for the charity – in 2009, the final 12 acts from series seven recorded a cover of the Michael Jackson hit ‘You Are Not Alone’, which also reached number one. You can still buy Sam Bailey’s single ‘Skyscraper’ online as a download or in shops on CD. Syco will donate 100 per cent of its profits from the sales of each CD single and download to be shared equally between the two nominated charities.
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A day in the life of a Consultant Nurse Intellectual (Learning) Disabilities Jim Blair is Great Ormond Street Hospital’s (GOSH) first Consultant Nurse for Learning Disabilities, and currently the only consultant nurse for children or adults with learning disabilities employed specifically to work within a hospital in the world. He works at GOSH three days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and has been here since September 2013. Starting the day
extended appointments or rolling out initiatives like the Hospital Passport – a document with key information about the patient that it is vital for staff to know. This could include their likes and dislikes, how they express pain or how they communicate. All of these things are important to get right so we can support patients with learning disabilities in their journey through our service. Equal treatment doesn’t always mean treatment should be the same.
“I wake up at around 6.45am and have breakfast with my wife and daughter. I have the best commute possible – door to door it’s about 25 minutes. I usually check my work emails on my mobile as I walk or travel on the train.”
“We all need to think differently and act creatively to ensure we always provide what is necessary for each patient in a timely, effective manner.” A varied job “My role is very diverse. It might be that I’m giving a second opinion to a consultant about the care and treatment of a child with a learning disability, I might be assessing the mental capacity of a patient or I might be visiting the wards to explore how we can enhance the environment to improve the care experience for people with learning disabilities. “I provide hands-on care and expert clinical advice, education and training to staff to help them get it right. The whole ethos behind my post is to support, engage and encourage, and to give people the confidence and skills to enhance their practice and make adjustments to the care they provide to meet a person’s needs and requirements. We all need to think differently and act creatively to ensure we always provide what is necessary for each patient in a timely, effective manner.” Improving care “There’s a great deal of poor care going on in the UK for people with learning disabilities, due to what’s called
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‘diagnostic overshadowing’. This is when people put a change or increase in behaviour down to a person’s learning disability, rather than looking for a health reason behind it as they would with others. It is vital to always remember that everybody’s life has worth and quality. “My job is key to shaping and evolving the way that we treat young patients with learning disabilities and building on the excellent work that’s going on at GOSH already, such as the creation of easy-read medical information sheets and research into the needs of patients and their families. I strive to make sure we provide safe, lawful practice and training, and educate staff to work with people of all ages with learning disabilities. We don’t just see children and young people with a learning disability at the hospital – parents who come here may have a learning disability as well. “I’m working to adjust the environment at GOSH to suit patients with particular needs. For example, introducing
“My job is key to shaping and evolving the way that we treat young patients with learning disabilities and building on the excellent work that’s going on at GOSH already.” “There was an excellent response to the recent Learning Disability Awareness questionnaire. The results will shape much of our work going forward and a report will be circulated later this year.” Involving the patients “It’s vital that we work in partnership with the experts – and the experts aren’t people like me, it’s really the children and young people with a learning disability and their families. Approximately 50 per cent of patients who come to GOSH have a learning disability. I am going to set up a group made up of people with learning disabilities and their family members to help shape, guide and develop the service we provide, because without their involvement it will not meet their needs. They will also use real life experience to improve education and training.
“I’m building links with other organisations, such as the British Institute for Learning Disabilities, Mencap and Keele, Kingston and St George’s universities. Our aim is to conduct service evaluation and research activities in order to help drive improvements in care and undertake new research. “Moving forward, we will hopefully improve clinical outcomes and grow our reputation, thereby increasing the volume of patients with a learning disability who are referred to GOSH.” Finishing the day “I finish work at about 6pm but my day doesn’t stop there! I tend to work in the evenings – I’ll be writing articles or reviewing other people’s work. I’m cowriting a book to assist health, social and educational professionals when they first encounter people with learning disabilities. The focus is on how to find practical solutions to challenging issues. I’m also the Health Adviser for the British Institute for a Learning Disability, Clinical Adviser to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman and Associate Professor at Kingston and St George’s universities. “Outside of work, I enjoy going to the cinema and watching sports – I support West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth – as well as laughing and having fun with my wife and daughter.”
The post of Consultant Nurse Intellectual (Learning) Disabilities is funded as a Camilla Nurse by the AlFayed Charitable Foundation
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Learnabout Induction goes online
The central induction programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is now being delivered increasingly online. While a range of topics continues to be delivered face-to-face, subjects that can transfer to an online format have done so. Subject matter experts worked with the GOLD and Learning and Development teams to design and create video clips and interactive online modules. A summary of the main changes is as follows: • Non-clinical staff attend a half-day face-to-face session (reduced from a full day). They attend two hours of moving and handling training later in the week. • Small group training in subjects such as moving and handling, resuscitation and pain relief pumps now take place earlier during induction week. This means that the vast majority of staff will receive all of their face-to-face induction within four days. • A handbook is now sent to all new starters offering additional, helpful information about GOSH. New staff receive this with their course booking confirmation email. • Staff are encouraged to complete the online induction as soon as possible after joining the Trust. They do not need to wait until they attend induction week to complete their online induction.
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Improvements to Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinic pathway
We continually strive to make the induction an informative, useful and welcoming experience for new colleagues. If you would like to know more about the new induction format, please visit the ‘mandatory training’ section on GOLD www.goshgold.org If you have any feedback or suggestions about the induction programme, we would love to hear from you. Contact Abigail Hopewell at abigail.hopewell@gosh.nhs.uk or on ext 0679.
Don’t Forget All staff (including honorary, volunteer and bank/agency staff) must receive a local induction on their first day in the Trust. This must be documented and you must notify Learning and Development that it has taken place by emailing induction@gosh.nhs.uk
GOLD is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
In September 2012, the Neuromuscular team at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) set out to improve the Wednesday young boys’ Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) clinic pathway as part of the Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) Programme with the King’s Fund and the Health Foundation. The project was led by Consultant Paediatric Neurologist Dr Adnan Manzur and Neuromuscular Nurse Specialist Ruth Barratt, with support from Improvement Manager Lisa Byrne. Using a combination of PFCC methodology and the ‘model for improvement’, the team worked closely with all staff involved in the pathway from the outset, alongside patients, parents and advocacy groups. Parent and staff questionnaires, parent interviews and patient shadowing identified several areas for improvement. These primarily fell into three areas: communication, environment and co-ordination. All contributed to increased stress on families, patients and staff. The team tested numerous ideas to improve the pathway and have succeeded in embedding sustainable interventions including: • A new clinic appointments schedule. • Clinic prep packs for consultations. • Volunteers to support the clinic (navigation and play). • A single-page appointment template. • Vitamin D alert email to notify a consultant when results are returned. • New privacy screens in the gym. • An updated hard copy plan for patients. • A text alert system to remind families about appointments.
In a 12-month period patients waiting less than 30 minutes for an appointment increased to 92 per cent from 58 per cent. In addition, families who reported receiving a care plan on arrival increased to 91 per cent from 25 per cent. However, the work is not over, and the team are currently working with parents and staff to produce a service standards and family information and communication pack. Focus groups with families will be held twice a year and the team will also transfer the improvements made to their other clinics. To find out more, contact Lisa Byrne, Improvement Manager, at lisa.byrne@gosh.nhs.uk or on ext 1469. The Transformation project is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
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GOSH revealed
By the Museum and Archive Service
What the Dickens? When the Hospital for Sick Children at Great Ormond Street (now Great Ormond Street Hospital) was founded in 1852, the NHS did not exist, so it relied solely on charitable donations to survive. The hospital didn’t immediately capture the attention of the public, but the writer Charles Dickens soon changed that. In April 1852, he published an article, ‘Drooping Buds’, in his popular magazine, Household Words, which called on his readers for support. Their enthusiastic response helped to keep the hospital open and expand its supporter base. Below is an extract from the article.
of their diseases are peculiar to themselves; other diseases, common to us all, take a form in children varying as much from their familiar form with us as a child varies from a man. Different as the ways are, or ought to be, by which we reach a fault in a child’s mind, and reach a fault in the mind of an adult; so, not less different, if we would act successfully, should be our action upon ailments of the flesh…
child’s hospital in London, through which there should pass yearly eight hundred children of the poor, would help to diffuse a kind of health that is not usually got out of apothecaries’ bottles… When we looked into the dead house, built for the reception of those children whom skill and care shall fail to save, and heard of the alarm, which its erection had excited in the breasts of some ‘particular’ old ladies in the neighbourhood, we felt inclined to preach some comfort to them. Be of good heart, particular old ladies! In every street, square, crescent, alley, lane, in this great city, you will find dead children too easily. They lie thick all around you. This little tenement will not hurt you; there will be the fewer dead houses for it; and the place to which it is attached may bring a saving health upon Queen Square, a blessing on Great Ormond Street!
Drooping Buds The Hospital for Sick Children, lately established and now open, is situated in Great Ormond Street… quite fresh and white; bearing the inscription on its surface, ‘Hospital for Sick Children’…
Of this great city of London – which, until a few weeks ago, contained no hospital wherein to treat and study the diseases of children – more than a third of the whole population perishes in infancy and childhood. Twenty-four in a hundred die during the two first years of life; and, during the next eight years, eleven die out of the remaining seventy-six. Our children perish out of our homes: not because there is in them an inherent dangerous sickness (except in the few cases where they are born of parents who communicate to children heritable maladies), but because there is, in respect of their tender lives, a want of sanitary discipline and a want of medical knowledge. What should we say of a rose tree in which one bud out of every three dropped to the soil dead? We should not say that this was natural to roses; neither is it natural to men and women that they should see the glaze of death upon so many of the bright eyes that come to laugh and love among them – or that they should kiss so many little lips grown cold and still. The vice is external. We fail to prevent disease; and, in the case of children, to a much more lamentable extent than is well known, we fail to cure it…
Crossing a spacious hall, we were ushered… up the spacious stairs into a large and lofty room, airy and gay… The light laughter of children welcomed our entrance. There was nothing sad here. Light iron cribs, with the beds made in them, were ranged, instead of chairs, against the walls. There were half a dozen children – all the patients then contained in the new hospital; but, here and there, a bed was occupied by a sick doll. A large gay ball was rolling on the floor, and toys abounded…
Although science has advanced, although vaccination has been discovered and brought into general use, although medical knowledge is tenfold greater than it was fifty years ago, we still do not gain more than a diminution of two per cent in the terrible mortality among our children. It does not at all follow that the intelligent physician who has learnt how to treat successfully the illnesses of adults, has only to modify his plans a little, to diminish the proportions of his doses, for the application of his knowledge to our little sons and daughters. Some
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There were five girls and a boy. Five were in bed near the windows; two of these, whose beds were the most distant from each other, confined by painful maladies, were resting on their arms, and busily exporting and importing fun… The most delightful music in this world, the light laughter of children floated freely through the place… A sick child is a contradiction of ideas, like a cold summer. But to quench the summer in a child’s heart is, thank God! not easy. If we do not make a frost with wintry discipline, if we will use soft looks and gentle words; though such a hospital be full of sick and ailing bodies, the light, loving spirits of the children will fill its wards with pleasant sounds, contrasting happily with the complainings that abound among our sick adults… A child’s heart is soon touched by gentle people; and a
The Museum and Archive Service is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
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GOSH noticeboard
Free WiFi available for Great Ormond Street Hospital staff Staff can access WiFi in the Institute of Child Health (ICH) library, which is located on the second floor of the ICH at 30 Guildford Street.
Free film show
GOSH staff must register with the library before being issued with a login. Please visit the library enquiry desk for more details and to sign up.
10 February Epic (U) – 6.15pm Gravity (12A) – 8pm
Religious fest ivals
Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Weston House TM
Inaugural Symposium 13 February
RBC Race for the Kids is back!
3–6pm
Sign up to take part in our annual 5k family fun run on Sunday 8 June in Battersea Park
Professor Roz Shafran, Professor of Translational Psychology “The science and practice of psychological treatments:
Visit www.raceforthekids.co.uk to register your interest
Kennedy Lecture Theatre, UCL Institute of Child Health
a love story?’’
Professor Mary Fewtrell, Professor of Paediatric Nutrition “The importance of early nutrition: we are what we ate?”
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Harassment and bullying: what you need to know 6 February 8:30–9:30am Teaching Room 1, Level 1, Weston House
Find out what’s on offer and how we can support you
21 February 12–2pm Teaching Room 1, Level 1, Weston House
18 February 12–2pm The Lagoon (staff side)
28 February 5–7pm The Lagoon (staff side)
Grow promotion
Listen
Taylor Swift: Red Tour The O2 1–11 Feb £30.50 – £97
See
Upcoming Grow events The Grow Network is a support group that aims to empower black and minority ethnic staff to reach their full potential through the offer of education, training and development, and networking opportunities.
Out and about
2 February – Ca ndlemas (Christ ian) 8 February – Pa rinirvana (Bud dhist) 14 February – Valentine’s Da y (secular) 28 February – Maha Shivratr i (Hindu)
Eat and drink Craft Beer Rising Festival 2014 Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane 21–23 February 2014 £15 – £20
Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! Somerset House until 2 March 2014 £12.50
Watch
Do
Read
Imagine Children’s Festival Southbank Centre 10–23 February 2014 Free
The Book Thief Cinemas nationwide 26 February 2014
Stoner by John E Williams Waterstone’s Book of the Year 2013 “The most marvellous discovery for everyone who loves literature.” (Ian McEwan)
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Charity page We need to raise at least £50 million every year to help rebuild and refurbish Great Ormond Street Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research.
Kiss it Better this February The Kiss it Better appeal was launched to fund research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer, and this year marks the appeal’s 10 year anniversary.
In brief
Last word
Efficiency award for Gastroenterology
Top tips for beating the winter blues
Congratulations to the Gastroenterology team at Great Ormond Street Hospital who won a Health Service Journal (HSJ) Efficiency Award for efficiency in the use of diagnostics in September 2013.
during February. For each nail enamel sold, £6 will be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, along with £2 for every Clinique lip product sold on counter in House of Fraser stores.
In celebration of this iconic milestone, Clinique has created the new Limited Edition A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skins in the shade ‘Kiss it Better’. This vibrant shade of hot pink has a beautifully balanced formula, which maintains a high gloss, streak-free finish while being gentle on sensitive skin. The product will be sold exclusively at House of Fraser stores nationwide and online at www.houseoffraser.co.uk and www.clinique.co.uk
1. G o outside Get as much daylight as possible. Midday is the best time, so why not go out for a walk during your lunch break? If you’re limited to staying inside, sit near windows whenever possible.
After being awarded a national contract for diagnosing a rare but potentially fatal gut condition, Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction (CIPO), the team designed a new diagnostic patient pathway. Investigation capacity was increased, waiting lists halved, and admissions streamlined to improve the patient experience. The HSJ awards identify and reward organisations that have delivered tangible improvements in healthcare efficiency and cost savings, while maintaining the highest levels of patient care.
New ward videos available online
Festive fun at the Ideal Home Show at Christmas! Last November Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity was delighted to be chosen as the charity partner for the Ideal Home Show at Christmas. The show raised an amazing £10,000 to help fund family accommodation services at the hospital, helping to keep families together over Christmas.
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It was a weekend packed with festive fun as charity and hospital volunteers spread some cheer with bucket collections, patients enjoyed a special iceskating session on Saturday morning and shoppers were invited to send Christmas messages to patients at the hospital. An ideal partnership!
At this time of year, some people experience a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or ‘the winter blues’, thought to be caused by shortened daylight hours and a lack of sunlight. Geoff Holmes, Clinical Director from the hospital’s staff support service, Care first, offers five top tips to combat the effects of SAD.
The Digital team, in conjunction with patients and ward staff, has completed three new ward videos, each featuring fantastic patient presenters. The latest videos introduce Kingfisher Ward, Peter Pan Ward and Urodynamics Day Care as part of an ongoing project to provide patients and families with helpful and engaging ward information. View the videos on our website, www.gosh.nhs.uk or www.youtube.com/goshcharity
2. Keep active Physical activity boosts the release of endorphins (your body’s feel-good chemicals). You don’t have to join a gym or swim 10 miles a day – take the stairs instead of the lift, or get off the bus or tube a stop earlier to add more activity into your daily routine. 3. Eat healthily A healthy diet will help boost your mood, and remember to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Also integrate oily fish and eggs into your diet – they contain vitamin D, a nutrient lacking at this time of year due to reduced sunlight. 4. Wrap up Use extra layers and/or thicker clothing to keep warm. Consider eating a hot meal for lunch and consuming hot drinks throughout the day. 5. Hang out Get together with your family and friends. If you’re invited to a social event, make an effort to go, if only for a short time. Socialising will help to lift your mood during those dark evenings. For confidential advice, information and counselling, call Care first on freephone 0800 174 319, available to staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For tips and advice on a range of topics including nutrition, fitness, mental health and bereavement, visit www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk and enter the following details: Username: gosh Password: peterpan
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Get fit and be our hero by signing up to one of our amazing challenges. With a range of exciting and tough events, there’s something for everyone!
Run. Bike. Trek.
Visit www.gosh .org/challenges Call 020 7239 3164 Email challeng es@gosh.org
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Registered charity no. 235825.
Hurry – sign up now!