14 minute read
TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE SERVICES
Private patients will now benefi t from the combined expertise provided by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Private Healthcare and Royal Brompton & Harefi eld Hospitals Specialist Care
Royal Brompton & Harefi eld Hospitals' merger with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in February 2021 formed one of the largest and strongest healthcare organisations in Europe. Since 2017, Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Royal Brompton & Harefi eld NHS Foundation Trusts have been working together, and with colleagues across King’s Health Partners, to develop plans to transform care for adults and children with heart and lung disease.
The merger of the two NHS foundation trusts means the creation of a newly expanded Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, with Royal Brompton and Harefi eld forming a new Clinical Group within the Trust. This means our clinicians and teams continue to build on the partnership work established over the last three years, working more closely together, and generally providing services to the same patients and in the same places as they do now. With our combined expertise, clinical and academic teams are now unparalleled and will continue to deliver exceptional care to patients, as well as drive research forward into new and better treatments. The merger of the two Trusts provides a once-in-ageneration opportunity to combine leading specialist cardiothoracic services and transform heart and lung care on a national and international stage.
Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, comments, “I am looking forward to taking the next step on our exciting shared journey, both with our new colleagues and our clinical and academic partners.”
Clinical excellence in the heart of London
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is one of the world’s most prestigious and respected teaching hospitals, with a proud history of high-
quality care, clinical excellence and innovation that dates back more than 900 years. The Trust is also part of King’s Health Partners, an Academic Health Sciences Centre that pioneers health research and provides highquality teaching and education.
The Trust’s research expertise has resulted in life-saving innovations, such as the first blood transfusion in 1818, and the world’s first mitral heart valve replacement on a beating heart in 2014.
Across all our hospitals, world-renowned consultants and specialist staff, with experience across multiple clinical services, provide outstanding clinical care using cutting-edge technology and advancements to transform patient care.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Private Healthcare
Private patients will now benefit from the combined expertise provided by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Private Healthcare and Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Specialist Care with greater access to our world-leading expert heart and lung care, the latest technology and innovations.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Private Healthcare provides a unique combination of world-class complex care and medical services for adults and children, offering lifelong care for the whole family. With consultant-led care, and support from multidisciplinary teams, private patients are in safe and caring hands. Conveniently located in central London, patients can enjoy the comfort of a private facility and
1 International patients are supported by dedicated teams throughout their stay
in hospital (PHOTO: GUY’S AND ST THOMAS’/ ROYAL BROMPTON & HAREFIELD HOSPITALS)
2 Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals' specialist heart and lung centre is worldrenowned for its expertise, standard of care
and research success (PHOTO: GUY’S AND ST THOMAS’/ ROYAL BROMPTON & HAREFIELD HOSPITALS) modern inpatient rooms that provide stunning views across the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament, and many of London’s iconic landmarks.
Our complex care services include cardiology, respiratory, thoracic and vascular surgery, and we have the largest adult and children’s renal transplantation programme in Europe. We also have a comprehensive range of services in paediatrics, fertility, maternity, gynaecology, general surgery and medicine.
Evelina London Children’s Hospital
Evelina London, as one of only two specialist children’s hospitals in London, provides a comprehensive range of services and outstanding specialist care for babies and children who require complex multidisciplinary treatment. The hospital is honoured to have the Duchess of Cambridge as Patron of Evelina London.
We have a long and proud history, particularly in the field of paediatric and congenital cardiology. Our innovations include the establishment of Europe’s first fetal cardiology unit and fetal cardiac catheter intervention. At Evelina London we performed the first cardiac surgery for children in the UK.
We continue to pioneer new techniques in advanced cardiac imaging with a worldleading fetal cardiac MRI programme to identify pre-birth heart issues, lead the first 3D echo programme, and develop the use of artificial intelligence in advanced cardiac imaging and cardiac research.
Our comprehensive cardiac surgery programme offers the full spectrum of complex procedures for children with congenital heart disease, with published outcomes well above the national average. Specialist consultants and multidisciplinary teams offer the highest quality of care and expertise in the management of congenital heart surgery. The teams are equipped with access to advanced imaging, technology, interventional
cardiology, cardiac surgery and paediatric intensive care facilities.
We have made significant investment with the opening of a new ambulatory unit, combined interventional catheterMRI suite, and a brand new cardiac and critical care unit on Sky ward. The facility offers private cubicles and a modern welcoming environment for children and families. Our future ambitious plans will transform children’s services with a new day surgery unit and hospital building with designated facilities for private and international patients.
Women’s health
Our expertise in women’s services covers the full breadth of treatment for common and complex conditions in fertility, gynaecology and maternity.
The Assisted Conception Unit at Guy’s Hospital is known worldwide as an innovator in fertility treatments. It is one of the leading providers of assisted conception techniques in the UK. A wide range of fertility treatments have been pioneered at the unit, including our pre-implantation genetic diagnosis service, which is now one of the largest in the country.
We pride ourselves on the highest standards of personalised care and offer all common assisted conception techniques, including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), donor treatments and fertility preservation (including ovarian tissue cryopreservation) for cancer patients. Our highly experienced teams of consultants, nurses, embryologists and counsellors are experts in investigating, assessing and treating infertility and provide dedicated support throughout the patient’s fertility journey.
We provide a comprehensive range of gynaecology services, from routine check-ups to assessment, diagnostics, and treatment. Our renowned team of consultant gynaecologists perform low-risk procedures to complex surgery and provide services for reproductive medicine, recurrent miscarriage, uterine fibroid management, endometriosis, pelvic pain and urogynaecology.
The Westminster Maternity Suite has been offering private maternity services for over 25 years. As part of one of the UK’s most comprehensive and highly regarded NHS teaching hospitals, our highly skilled team expertly manage a range of pregnancies with access to full intensive care facilities should the need arise.
The co-location of maternity and paediatric services at Evelina London means women and children receive a comprehensive private healthcare service with a full spectrum of worldleading medical and surgical care at one location. Our obstetric consultants work closely with fetal and paediatric clinicians, supported by experienced multidisciplinary teams to provide complete care for mother and baby at every stage.
Renal services and transplantation
Our renal and transplant service has been a leader in kidney care since the 1970s, and is internationally recognised as one of the largest and most established renal units in the world. We have a long history of providing comprehensive live donor transplantation and a special interest in complex transplant cases in adults and children, which attracts referrals from around the UK and internationally.
Our services include the UK’s largest antibody incompatible transplant programme for adults, and the only such programme for children. It was the first service in the UK to offer robotic transplantation and also routinely performs robot donor nephrectomy. We also care for renal failure patients with urology problems and have specialist expertise in complex transplant urology reconstructive surgery.
Other specialist services include all aspects of renal care, including comprehensive diagnostics and treatment with subspecialist clinics including vasculitis, lupus, polycystic kidney disease, tubular disorders and other rare renal diseases. We have a large and successful haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis programme and can offer a comprehensive service to accommodate overseas patients.
Cardiovascular health
Guy’s and St Thomas’ has one of the largest cardiovascular centres in the country, providing comprehensive cardiology, cardiac and vascular services. Our history of innovation includes the first congenital heart disease interventions, coronary bypass grafting surgery and the world’s first transcatheter mitral valve replacement procedure which was performed at St Thomas’ in 2013.
Our unit is at the forefront of pioneering cardiovascular treatment, leading the way in a number of procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We continue to pioneer with a multidisciplinary specialist valve clinic to improve patient outcomes by integrating care pathways to deliver expert care, accurate diagnosis and timely referral for intervention. Our consultants lead in research, developing new imaging and technical solutions to otherwise complex clinical problems.
Specialist respiratory services
Our unique respiratory service offers life-changing treatment for patients with acute severe heart or lung failure with a variety of life support technologies, including basic and advanced conventional ventilation, as well as extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.
Our intensive care unit (ICU) provides full multiple organ support to patients with a variety of medical and surgical problems and accommodate in-ICU rehabilitation as part of their stay. Care is provided by an experienced multidisciplinary team with significant expertise in all forms of acute lung pathology, combining novel treatment approaches with rehabilitation on ECMO that has enabled many patients to survive.
Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Specialist Care is based across three convenient London locations. Private patients can choose to be treated at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, Harefield Hospital in Middlesex, or at our dedicated outpatients and diagnostics facility in the Harley Street Medical Area.
In 2020, we were awarded as the leading ‘specialist international patient centre’ in the world by the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ). The award was given to us for being the specialist centre that demonstrated the greatest success in attracting and serving international patients globally.
3-4 Patients benefit from state-of-the-art technology and the expertise of specialist
teams (PHOTOS: GUY’S AND ST THOMAS’/ ROYAL BROMPTON & HAREFIELD HOSPITALS)
Dedicated heart and lung care
Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Specialist Care is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK. Our hospitals are known throughout the world for their expertise, standard of care and research success. From our diagnostic specialists, to our doctors and nurses, every member of our multidisciplinary team has dedicated themselves to a lifetime of advancement in this field. Their knowledge and experience in cardiothoracic care is second to none.
Our team of expert consultants can provide support in:
• cardiology • cardiac surgery • intensive care • respiratory medicine • thoracic surgery • vascular surgery • paediatric care • diagnostic services and outpatients clinics • comprehensive clinical support
As a large post-graduate teaching centre, Royal Brompton & Harefield hospitals can offer the very best care, 24 hours a day, with the benefit of on-site support services. Every patient can be confident that each decision made for them is founded on the most cutting-edge research available. We provide access to the most comprehensive range of advanced surgical, medical and diagnostic facilities. No matter where a patient’s treatment journey takes them, our worldleading experts and multidisciplinary team remain close by their side, reassuring and guiding their complete journey of care – as we have been for over 100 years.
Royal Brompton Hospital
Nestled in the heart of Chelsea, Royal Brompton Hospital was founded in the 1840s and is at the forefront of advancing heart and lung care. In its first decades, the hospital was supported by kind benefactors, including the Royal Family and the author Charles Dickens. Royal patronage has continued and the main building, Sydney Wing, was opened in 1991 by Her Majesty the Queen. In the same year, the hospital was granted a Royal Charter.
The hospital has an international reputation for the treatment of lung disease – the result of over 170 years’ experience. It is also an international leader in the treatment of heart conditions, with large research trials leading to significant developments. The development of a brand-new, state-ofthe-art imaging centre will provide the very latest imaging technology to patients.
On Royal Brompton Hospital’s private Sir Reginald Wilson Ward, dedicated staff care for cardiothoracic surgery patients, cardiology and respiratory patients in 28 spacious single-occupancy, en-suite rooms. “We have access to some of the most advanced diagnostic equipment and medical devices in the world,” explains general manager Fred Sendaula.
Harefield Hospital
As a centre of excellence, Harefield Hospital has offered expert heart and lung care for many years. It has a long history of treating international patients. In fact, it was originally established in 1915 to treat injured soldiers from Australia and New Zealand.
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub established the largest heart and lung transplantation programme in the world at Harefield Hospital. The current hospital building is a late Art Deco design, opened in 1937 by the Duke of Gloucester. Over the years, the hospital has increased in size and been completely refurbished with state-of-the-art facilities.
Harefield Hospital boasts modern private inpatient and outpatient areas with diagnostic suites. Juniper Ward is the dedicated private inpatient ward, offering 16 modern rooms with en-suite bathrooms. “We can arrange same-day or short-notice appointments with our respiratory and cardiac consultants. Our rapid diagnostics service offers MRI, echocardiography, CT, lung function and non-invasive tests,” explains Gerri Hamer, general manager for private patients.
77 Wimpole Street outpatients and diagnostics
Based in the renowned Harley Street Medical Area, the Wimpole Street facility is Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Specialist Care's central hub, offering outpatient and diagnostic care for patients with heart and lung conditions. In addition, practicing privileges are offered to other physicians and physiotherapists, who are not normally based at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
At 77 Wimpole Street, private patients are offered a range of advanced diagnostic tests on the same day as their appointment with our experts, ensuring maximum convenience in their care. Zohreh Palmer, general manager, ensures 77 Wimpole Street is a top location for patients: “We have the leading cardiac and respiratory specialists working here, and we recently welcomed colleagues from Guy’s & St Thomas’ to provide comprehensive women’s health services at the centre.”
Services offered include: • same-day consultations for respiratory and cardiac conditions;; • the latest imaging scans, MRI,
CT and PET-CT, including
Rubidium cardiac imaging; • non-invasive cardiology, including cardiac monitoring, exercise tolerance tests and ECG; • other diagnostic tests, such as echocardiography, lung function, chest x-ray, and sleep studies.
International patients
Across our hospitals, dedicated international patient teams are available to help by providing tailored support for each patient.
The team of international patient coordinators are fluent in Arabic, and help ensure that the patient’s cultural, religious and language needs are met. If other languages are required, a professional interpreter is present; if there are any queries, international patients can depend on the team for support.
The teams regularly liaise with embassies and international contacts and advises on referrals – such as which consultant is most appropriate for a patient’s needs – and also provide support with arranging appointments and admission to the hospital.
Each hospital also offers support for the religious and spiritual needs of patients, their relatives and friends. A multifaith prayer room offers quiet spaces to pray or reflect, with prayer mats and a male/female divider available.
RB&HH Education – developing expertise
We want every patient to access the latest heart and lung care available, wherever they are in the world, and we believe the key to achieving this is professional development. That’s why we have created our new website – rbhh-education.co.uk – a one-stop resource with all our educational content and training opportunities.
Healthcare providers across the globe can access:
• Events – run by Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, as well as all external events that relate to heart and lung care, such as virtual study days and conferences;
• Expert Talks – online webinars delivered by our world-leading specialists on the latest treatments, innovations, surgical techniques and treatment guidelines;
• Courses – a range of in-depth online courses developed by our experts, from cardiac imaging to surgery and medico-legal training;
• Bespoke training opportunities – including our clinical fellowships, clinical observerships, consultancy and collaboration opportunities, visiting doctor programme and mentoring programme.
Our overseas partners can access intensive clinical education programmes to further develop their expertise in certain interventional specialities. Programmes are designed to help training clinicians integrate into the team so they can maximise their learning outcomes and meet development needs.
To find out more about our specialist services, contact us:
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Private Healthcare T: +44 (0)20 7188 5197 E: privatepatientenquiries@gstt.nhs.uk www.guysandstthomasprivatehealthcare.co.uk
Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Specialist Care T: +44 (0)20 3553 3180 E: privatepatients@rbht.nhs.uk www.rbhh-specialistcare.co.uk
