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The newsletter for Trust members with an interest in heart and lung care
November 2022
Heart Hospital teaches students vital CPR skills
More than 70 school students attended Harefield Hospital’s annual ‘Your Heart Hospital’ event that aims to educate students about the importance of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, offer an insight into the wide range of careers in cardiovascular healthcare, and enhance an understanding about what takes place in a specialist heart hospital like Harefield Hospital.
Dr Miles Dalby, consultant cardiologist, who launched the event in 2012, said: “Central to our event has been to explain what goes on in a heart hospital like ours. We want to enhance an understanding about the causes, prevention and treatment of heart disease.
Read more here.
"Talking about Black history also means we need to talk about Black futures."
This year’s theme for Black History Month was ‘Time for change: action not words’. Carol Pryce, head of nurse recruitment and co-chair of our hospitals’ multicultural staff network, shares what Black History Month means to her, how to be a better ally in tackling racism with actions not words, and the importance of highlighting the influence of Black communities in shaping the NHS.
Read Carol's blog here.
Using a musical app to help children with asthma
An exciting new research study at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals aims to determine whether a musical device app can help children with asthma.
Led by Professor Sejal Saglani, consultant in paediatric respiratory medicine, and Charlotte Wells, specialist paediatric respiratory physiotherapist, the research study will determine whether the new musical device can improve how children with asthma engage with breathing exercises.
In the UK, asthma is the most common chronic lung disease in children with approximately 1 in 11 affected. The UK also has one of the highest rate of childhood deaths associated with acute asthma attacks in Europe and has high rates of admissions and readmissions for attacks in children.
Find out more here.
Personalised medicine research for lung transplant patients secures funding
A study looking to develop a personalised medicine approach to antifungal treatment in lung transplant patients has been awarded funding by Pfizer and will be led by Dr Anna Reed, consultant in respiratory and transplant medicine at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
Dr Reed’s research will be focusing on developing novel biomarkers to optimise how long antifungal treatment should be in patients who have undergone a lung transplant.
This study will use a personalised medicine approach and will combine detailed genetic information obtained from patient samples alongside other clinical factors. This approach will help clinicians to identify non-invasive blood-based biomarkers to guide clinical decision making about optimal duration of therapy in order to: treat disease effectively, reduce unnecessary drug side effects, and minimise the emergence of drug resistance to therapies.
Read more here.
Career recognition for Professor William Man
Professor William Man, consultant chest physician at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, has been promoted to professor as part of the 2022-23 academic promotions in King’s College London’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine.
Alongside his clinical work, Professor Man leads the Harefield Respiratory Research Group which has developed an internationally competitive portfolio of health services research, and collaborates closely with colleagues at King’s College London, Imperial College, patient advisory groups, charities, industry, and many other NHS and academic centres across the UK.
Read more here.
In the press
London surgeons complete record weeks’ worth of operations in one day
‘Surgeons in a London hospital have performed a week’s worth of operations in a single day, pioneering a technique that could be used to help reduce the NHS backlog. The team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital performed eight robot assisted radical prostatectomy operations in under ten hours, the highest number performed in a single day in the UK in one hospital.’
Read the full article published in the Evening Standard here.
Visiting the belly of the hospital – a shift with the catering team
For a recent blog, Luke Blair, head of Communications for the Heart, Lunch & Critical Care Clinical Group, visited the belly of Royal Brompton hospital where all the nutritional goodness that heals is cooked and despatched.
‘The air is thick with the smell of spices. Pots are boiling, clouds of steam rising, sieves and spoons clattering. The chefs are busy preparing lunch.
It’s the hospital kitchen, in the belly of the building, one of the truly vital services here, a service everyone uses. You are what you eat, and nutrition is fundamentally important to recovery.
It follows that quality of diet is important too, though you would not always think it. Hospitals all over the world are constantly criticised for their food. Horror stories abound and the internet is filled with appalling pictures of terrible meals – tiny misshapen items, congealed substances, shrivelled, unidentifiable things patients are meant to eat.’
Read more here.
Member Events
Join our free
health and wellbeing webinars
Innovations in Fetal Cardiology
Thursday, 17 November
5.30-7.00pm
To register, click here
Our health and wellbeing webinars focus on the latest research, new treatments and new innovations. This is a great opportunity to find out from our experts what we do to improve the life of our patients. There will be three short presentations on different aspects of this topic; after which time has been set aside for speakers to answer any questions members may have.
The presentations will include:
Artificial Intelligence to improve prenatal screening for congenital heart disease
Dr Thomas Day, Clinical Research Fellow, King’s College London & Honorary Consultant
Fetal and Paediatric Cardiologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
The use of extended reality for planning cardiac procedures
Professor John M Simpson MD FRCP, Professor of Paediatric and Fetal Cardiology
Fetal cardiac MRI: research insights and clinical applications
Dr David F A Lloyd, Consultant in Paediatric and Fetal Cardiology and Dr Pushparajah Kuberan, Consultant in Paediatric Cardiology.
Webinar recordings
Catch up on any webinars you may have missed. Access the webinar recordings here.
Charity news
Brompton Fountain
Christmas Appeal
The Brompton Fountain is raising money for seriously ill children and young patients receiving care at Royal Brompton Hospital this festive season. They will be buying toys and funding treats, parties and special experiences for patients, their families and staff.
You can support the appeal by making a donation via Christmas Appeal by following this link.
Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity
Christmas events
With less than two months to Christmas Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity is getting into the festive mood with a series of Christmas events.
Royal Brompton Carols by Candlelight
On Wednesday, 30 November, the charity will be holding a special Christmas celebration at St Luke’s Church, opposite Royal Brompton Hospital. Royal Brompton Carols by Candlelight will feature the beautiful singing of London Oratory Schola as well as readings from staff and patients.
You can get into the Christmas spirit with an evening of carols in this beautiful church, followed by mince pies and mulled wine. Tickets can be purchased from the Charity’s website.
Harefield Carols by Candlelight
Harefield Carols by Candlelight will take place on Thursday, 8 December at St Mary’s Church in Harefield. Join the charity and special guests Singing for Breathing, Harefield Junior School Choir and St Mary's Adult and Youth Choir for a wonderful evening of carols and music. There is no need to buy a ticket in advance. More details can be found on the Charity’s website.
Harefield Hospital Christmas Fayre
The Harefield Hospital Christmas Fayre will be taking place in the Pavillion at Harefield Hospital on Friday, 9 December. There will be cakes, jewellery and gifts to buy. All proceeds will go towards Harefield Hospital.
Please do come along to our Christmas events. All the funds raised will go towards helping patients at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
To learn more about your Trust membership, share your feedback or update your contact details, please contact Nancy Dickinson at [email protected]