407260LBH Health Matters.indd - London Bridge Hospital

New ServicesLondon Bridge Hospital IntroducesLondon’s First Private Fracture ClinicWinter and summer months bring on a whole new spectrum of injuries. A multitudeof fractures and injuries can be sustained during the skiing season, ranging from thesimple sprain to the complex fracture. Indeed, not all of these injuries are sustainedabroad, many injuries occur at one of London’s many outdoor ice-rinks!Often it is very difficult for a General Practitioner to arrange for these new patients tobe seen at short notice. Sometimes, patients are just requesting that they be followed-upin the City for convenience to work and to avoid the delays of treatment in their localNHS fracture clinic. They may be wishing for the reassurance of seeing a ConsultantOrthopaedic Surgeon.To meet this rising demand, at London Bridge Hospital we have pioneered London’sfirst Private Fracture Clinic under the leadership of Mr Sam Singh, a ConsultantOrthopaedic and Foot and Ankle Surgeon from Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS FoundationTrust. We have full plaster and imaging facilities and, in the majority of cases, we can seepatients within 24 hours of referral. If surgery is required, we have rapid access to thecomprehensive Orthopaedic sub-specialists at London Bridge Hospital.Mr Singh reports, “Several General Practitioners have told me that they find it difficultto advise on fractures when they have not seen the X-ray or do not have the facilitiesto remove the plaster. Often the injuries have been sustained abroad and the patient istold they will require surgery and, sometimes, will already have had the operation butrequire follow-up. We hope this void will now be filled by the London Bridge HospitalFracture Clinic.”Summary Points• Rapid access and evaluation of fresh injuries and fractures.• Follow-up for patients who have already had treatment at other hospitals or abroad.• Patients are usually seen on the day of referral.Referral to the clinic could not be easier. All that is required is a call to GP Liaison on:020 7342 2120/2009/2094 and the rest will be arranged by us.Mr Sam SinghConsultant Orthopaedicand Foot and Ankle SurgeonBalloonSinuplasty:A New TechniqueFor SinusitisSufferersSinusitis affects approximately 16%of Londoners and is one of the mostcommon health problems in the UK. It hasas great an impact on the quality of lifeof sufferers as diabetes and asthma, andaccounts for a considerable amount oftime lost from work.The mainstay of treatment for thesepatients remains a combination of eithermedical or, ever-increasingly, less invasivesurgical techniques. However, about 20%of sinusitis sufferers do not fully respond tomedical treatment, but may not be suitablefor surgery or patients may in some cases,not wish to have the necessary ‘downtime’associated with endoscopic surgicaltechniques. These patients, therefore, enter amedical merry-go-round where they receiverepeated courses of medical treatment fortheir symptoms, which never fully resolve.Balloon Sinuplasty offers an additionaltool for sinus surgeons that may helpa proportion of these patients. BalloonSinuplasty is a minimally invasive technique,based upon balloon catheter technology.A small flexible balloon is used to open upand enlarge the natural drainage channelsfrom the three main sinus systems, restoringnormal sinus drainage and function.There is no surgical dissection, minimalinstrumentation of the nose, the sinus liningis preserved and there is no need for nasalpacking. It can be carried out as a day-caseprocedure and patients can return to workin 1 or 2 days.This technique has been approved by theFederal Drug Administration in the UnitedStates and has been registered with ‘NICE’for assessment in the UK.The London Bridge Hospital is currently theonly hospital in London offering this servicevia its City Sinus Clinic.Tel: 020 7234 2120/2009Email: gpliaisonlbh@hcahealtcare.co.ukDr Peter K ThompsonEmergency Medicine Consultant, King’s College Hospital14Dr Peter K Thompson is a specialist inEmergency Medicine and is accreditedfor specialist practice across thespectrum of urgent and unscheduledclinical presentations.He is a Consultant in the EmergencyMedicine Department at King’s CollegeHospital and supports hospitals withinthe HCA group.Dr Thompson is available for RapidAccess for clinical, general and emergencymedical assessments, which support thespecialist practices across the hospital. Heis able to provide this complementaryclinical service to both inpatients andoutpatients and their relatives.Dr Thompsons’ specialist interests includepoint of care diagnostic assessments andbrief intervention clinical practice. He canbe contacted directly for referrals on 07734999520, or through the contact details below:PA Irene Balch: 0203 299 1584Mobile: 07768 456 777Pager: 0203 299 9000 A/C 804465Email: peter.k.thompson@kingsch.nhs.ukirene.balch@kingsch.nhs.ukpkthompson@mac.com