Summer 2008 - Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS ...

GP NEWSNew EndoscopicUltrasound ServicePATIENTS in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre arebenefiting from a new endoscopicultrasound service at Blackpool VictoriaHospital, which will help in the staging ofcancer.The £240,000 development will allow staging ofoesophageal cancer, gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer.It will also allow imaging of the common bile duct forstone and fine needle aspiration (FNA), which enablestissue samples to be taken from mediastinal or abdominallymph nodes or tumours, which are not accessible forbiopsy through conventional methods.Dr Suhail Ahmed, Consultant Gastroenterologist, said:“This is an essential diagnostic tool, which will really helpto improve patient care.“Previously patients would have had to travel to Liverpoolfor an endoscopic ultrasound so this will be a big benefitto the local population. There is also a reduced waitingtime for patients needing this specialist service, withwaiting times down to within one to two weeks ofreferral.”The development of this service follows on from theopening of the £1.5m Endoscopy Unit in April 2008. Thestate-of-the-art facility has enabled the Trust to increasethe work it carries out and provide a much improvedenvironment for staff and patients.Dr Suhail Ahmed, Consultant Gastroenterologist, with RuthCotterill, Endoscopic Ultrasound Link Nurse and the newendoscopic ultrasound machine.The expanded facilities have also given the Trust thecapacity to carry out the work to deliver the bowel cancerscreening programme for which Blackpool VictoriaHospital is the administrative centre and coordinates thescreening service to the 1.3m catchment population ofBlackpool, Fylde, Wyre, Preston, Blackburn and Burnley.New Alcohol Liaison Nurse SpecialistsTWO Alcohol Liaison Nurse Specialists havebeen appointed at Blackpool Victoria Hospitalto support patients with problems causedthrough drinking alcohol.Jess Wright and Julie Spencer-Bennett have joined thegastroenterology team and will see patients who are admittedto the hospital because of drink.Alcohol related admissions have tripled in recent years andaccount for 60 per cent of all patients admitted through thehospital’s Clinical Decision Unit.Julie said: “A lot of people don’t know they have a drinkproblem until they end up in A&E. By intervening earlyhopefully we can prevent people from becoming dependentdrinkers with serious health issues in the future.”The role of the nurse specialists is to take the patient’s history, look at the patient’s understanding of the problem thedrinking is causing and assess their motivation to address it. They then help patients to set realistic goals and putthem in contact with other local services. The nurses also give advice to other staff in the hospital about dealing withpatients who are alcohol dependent.Jess added: “A big part of our role is education. We will give people information about safe limits and units andadvise on future drinking.”Issue 3

GP NewsDr Jerzy Wojciuk, Cardiology Research Registrar,demonstrating the new device on patient GillianFredericksen (57) from Blackpool.PATIENTS at the LancashireCardiac Centre are the first inthe UK to benefit from a newhigh-tech cardiac device.The ThromboCheck device enableshome-monitoring of heart valveprostheses. With the help of the device,valve problems like blood clots can bedetected early. To date, only patients in Germany and Israel have benefited from this piece ofequipment.Dr Jerzy Wojciuk, Cardiology Research Registrar, said: “This device will really benefit patientsat the hospital.“It will give additional and complementary information to the current devices used and itwill, in the longer term, help to prevent hospital admissions and visits to clinics for patients.It will also greatly increase patient confidence, as patients are able to help with their owncare and monitor their own well-being.”The Trust has purchased five of the devices, all of which will be distributed to patients as partof a pilot scheme devised by Dr Jerzy Wojciuk, Mr Augustine Tang and Dr Ranjit More. Theequipment is placed on the chest by the patient to directly test the valve implant and theresult is clearly shown on the display. The patient will only need to contact the hospital if thedisplay indicates that there is a problem.New state-of-the-art machinefor Eye patientsTHE Ophthalmology Department atBlackpool Victoria Hospital hasreceived a welcome boost thanks to anew state-of-the-art retinal analysismachine.The £50,000 Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)machine, which is the first to be supplied in the UK,will enable a detailed structural picture of theretina. It will allow diagnosis of age-relateddegeneration and other macular degenerationHigh-techCardiac DeviceFirst for UKMr Simon Morgan, ConsultantOphthalmologist using the new OcularCoherence Tomography (OCT) machineon patient Michael McGuiness.diseases, which cause progressive loss of central and detailed vision. It will also be essentialfor monitoring treatment of patients treated with eye injections for macular degeneration.Mr Simon Morgan, Consultant Ophthalmologist, said: “This machine is a fantastic additionto the unit.“It will help us to improve diagnosis of retinal conditions and will be essential in treatingpatients with macular degeneration. It will greatly enhance patient care.”The OCT machine is the first of a generation of 3D scanners. The non-invasive machine willallow diagnosis of conditions that would not have been possible before and it will helpconsultants to plan treatment.The £50,000 piece of equipment, was purchased through the ophthalmic endowment fund,the Trust’s charitable fund.News in briefNHS 60CelebrationsSTAFF from BlackpoolVictoria Hospital starred innumerous TV programmesto celebrate the 60thanniversary of the NHS.Areas including infectionprevention, catering,cardiac, day surgery,ophthalmics and SCBUfeatured in the programmesincluding BBC 1’s The OneShow, BBC North WestTonight and ITV GranadaReports. You can view all ofthese clips via our websitewww.bfwhospitals.nhs.ukHepatitis C ServiceMIKE Rolland the HepatitisC Clinical nurse specialist, isoffering a talk to all GPsurgeries covering variousaspects of Hepatitis C,including transmissionroutes, assessment fortreatment, management ofpatients on treatment,response rates and posttreatment care. If yourequire a talk or would likeadvice about Hepatitis C,call Mike Rolland on 01253303459.Raising CancerCashCONSULTANTHaematologist, Dr PaulKelsey, and Blood ScienceManager, Mark Wrigley, aretaking part in the 700kmChina Cycling Challenge inSeptember to raise funds forMacmillan Cancer Support.If you would like to supportthe event, donations can bemade online by visitingwww.justgiving.com/paulkelseyAnnual ReportTHE Trust’s Annual Reporthighlighting ourachievements over the pastyear is now available on ourwebsiteww.bfwhospitals.nhs.uk. Ifyou would like a hard copyof the Annual Report,please ring Judith Oates,Trust Board Secretary, on01253 306856.Design & Production www.marketingforhealth.co.uk 01282 877929 [ref 36628 - 08/08]Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Issue 3