The Operating Theatre Journal May 2022

THE THE

THE

SEPTEMBER MAY 2020 2022 2020 ISSUE NO. 360 380 360 ISSN 0000-000X

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SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE NO. 360 ISSN 0000-000X

The The Operating Theatre Theatre Journal

Journal

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THE THE

THE

SEPTEMBER MAY 2020 2022 2020 ISSUE NO. 360 380 360 ISSN 0000-000X

1747-728X


The The Operating Theatre Theatre Journal

Journal

OTJONLINE.COM £2.00

OTJONLINE.COM

£2.00

The The Leading Leading Independent Print Print & Digital & Digital Journal Journal For For ALL ALL Operating Theatre Theatre Staff

Staff


Health and Care Bill granted Royal Assent in

milestone for healthcare recovery and reform

The Health and Care Bill received Royal Assent by Her Majesty The Queen on the 28th April

2022, enacting the most significant health legislation in a decade into law.

• The Health and Care Bill has received Royal Assent, marking a milestone in the recovery and reform of how

health and care services work together

• It will ensure the NHS can rebuild from the pandemic and tackle the coronavirus (COVID-19) backlog,

harness the best ways of working and ensure people are benefitting from more joined-up care

• Long-term plans for recovery and reform are backed by £36 billion over the next three years through the

Health and Care Levy

The Health and Care Bill received Royal Assent by Her Majesty The Queen, enacting the most significant

health legislation in a decade into law.

The act introduces measures to tackle the COVID-19 backlogs and rebuild health and social care services

from the pandemic, backed by £36 billion over the next 3 years through the Health and Care Levy. It will

also contain measures to tackle health disparities and create safer, more joined-up services that will put the

health and care system on a more sustainable footing.

The Health and Care Act builds on the proposals for legislative change set out by NHS England in its Long

Term Plan, while also incorporating valuable lessons learnt from the pandemic to benefit both staff and

patients.

It marks an important step in the government’s ambitious health and care agenda, setting up systems and

structures to reform how health and adult social care work together, tackle long waiting lists built up during

the pandemic, and address some of the long-term challenges faced by the country including a growing and

ageing population, chronic conditions and inequalities in health outcomes.

The health and social care integration white paper published in February will build on the act to ensure

people receive the right care for them in the right place at the right time. It follows the People at the Heart

of Care white paper which set out a 10 year vision for social care funded through the Health and Care Levy,

and the COVID-19 Backlog Recovery Plan outlining NHS targets to tackle waiting lists. Dedicated plans to

tackle health disparities are set to be published in due course.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

“The Health and Care Act is the most significant change to the healthcare system in a decade and will put it

in the strongest possible position to rebuild from the pandemic, backed by our record funding.”

“These measures have broad support and will harness the best ways of working to ensure people are receiving

high quality, joined-up care.”

As part of the measures to deliver more joined-up care, every part of England will be covered by an integrated

care system (ICS) bringing together NHS, local government and wider system partners to put collaboration

and partnership at the heart of healthcare planning.

For example, the existing non-statutory Somerset ICS is already rolling out innovations such as a 24 hours

a day, 7 days a week helpline that directs people looking for mental health support to services across

the voluntary sector, social care and NHS. The scheme brings together doctors, nurses, psychologists, and

charities such as Age UK, Citizen’s Advice, Rethink Mental Illness and others through a shared system for

recovery and care planning, so all professionals involved in the person’s care are able to communicate with

each other. This means that patients are directed to the right service they need first and reduces any time

spent speaking to various services until they find the right one.

Elsewhere, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust rolled out a ‘discharge to assess’ model to improve the

process for patients being discharged from hospital. This included outpatient emergency care, an integrated

community health and social care team, frailty services and early supported discharge. Joint working

between Warwickshire County Council (WCC) and local NHS partners has made sure patients leave hospital

as soon as they are ready, freed up hospital beds and ensured people got the right care in the right place. As

a result the hospital now has zero bed-related elective care cancellations, and is well ahead of the COVID-19

Backlog Recovery Plan trajectories.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown what can be achieved when we work together across NHS teams,

organisations and systems with our partners in the care sector and beyond, and these reforms will help us to

deliver for patients and their families. As the NHS works flat out to recover services and address the COVID-19

backlogs that have inevitably built up during the pandemic, these reforms will accelerate the changes set out

in the NHS Long Term Plan that are already giving people greater choice, better support and more joined up

care when they need it.” (Continues on page 4)

Inside this issue

HSIB welcomes

Royal Assent

P10

Human Factors –

Safer Surgery Checklist

P13-14

Machine learning

outperforms clinical

experts in classifying

hip fractures.

P16

New Operating

Theatre block for

Hinchingbrooke Hospital

P17

Prince Charles meets

Derwent Hospital

Operating Theatre team

P18

Heart Failure

Awareness Week 2022

P19

Greener Operations

Survey

P19

Largest ever study on

Traumatic Brain Injury

P20

Treatment Suite opens

at Halton Hospital

P21

NMC and GMC refresh

duty of candour

guidance

P24

Study sheds light on

the benefits of exercise

in fatty liver disease

P25

Chief Allied Health

Professions Officer

Awards 2022 –

Submissions Open

P26

GMC – good medical

practice consultation

opens to physician

associates

P26

Hepatitis outbreak in

children may be linked

to adenovirus

P28

Find out more 02921 680068 • e-mail admin@lawrand.com Issue 380 May 2022 3

Health and Care Bill granted Royal Assent in milestone for

healthcare recovery and reform.

(Continued from page 3)

The act also introduces measures that will:

• level-up health disparities in oral health and obesity through making it simpler to fluoride to water in more areas across England, and regulating

unhealthy food and drink advertising

• make services safer by establishing the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, an independent public body which will investigate incidents

that have implications for patient safety and help improve systems and practices

• crack down on the use of goods and services in the NHS tainted by modern slavery and human trafficking with a view to ensuring that the NHS

is not buying or using goods or services produced by or involving any kind of slave labour

• ensure our health and social care workforce have the right skills and knowledge to provide informed care to autistic people and people with a

learning disability by making specialised training (the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training) mandatory by law

• support victims of abuse and respond to recent child safeguarding tragedies by committing to looking at information sharing in relation to the

safeguarding of children, and requiring Integrated Care Boards to set out any proposed steps to address the particular needs of victims of abuse

• safeguarding women and girls by banning the harmful practices of virginity testing and hymenoplasty

• introduce regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures and improve the way we regulate medical professions

• address the barriers to joined-up working, by supporting data sharing between health and social care and removing barriers in the hospital

discharge process, reducing unnecessary delays for patients

• remove needless bureaucracy in the system, allowing staff to get on with their jobs providing the best possible treatment and care for their local

populations. It also ensures that the NHS is fully accountable to parliament and the public, while maintaining the NHS’s clinical and day-to-day

operational independence

• explicitly set out the parity of mental health and physical health and ensure transparency around the spending allocated to mental health

support

• support the government’s ambitious adult social care reforms, by creating the right framework for assuring, funding and sharing data on social

care, to enable individuals to maintain their independence for longer

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation said:

“Our members – leaders across the NHS – have been clear that collaboration and partnership working at the local level must be the future of health

and care. This legislation will help to facilitate that.

“We are pleased that government has heeded our calls to put safeguards on the new powers the legislation gives the Secretary of State for Health

and Social Care over local service reconfigurations, which will let local leaders lead.

“We welcome the extent of engagement we and our members have had with the department over the course of the bill process.

“Our members working across Integrated Care Systems look forward to fulfilling their statutory responsibilities from 1 July, working to deliver the

best possible care for the local communities they serve.”

Louise Ansari, National Director at Healthwatch England said:

“Today marks an important milestone in creating an NHS that makes it easier for everyone to get the care they need.

“Integrated care is an ideal incentive for health and social care services, councils and the voluntary sector to work together to design services

that work better and reflect the way people use them. The new structures will work best if people, and in particular those from seldom heard

groups, get truly involved and have a say in planning our health and care. By integrating services across communities, we have a chance to address

delays and gaps in care.

“As a statutory champion for patients’ rights, we look forward to playing our part, supporting the NHS to hear and act on the issues that people

face so that professionals and the public can work together to overcome the current challenges and build a better NHS for generations to come.”

Richard Murray, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said:

“The main thrust of this act is a welcome shift away from the focus on competition between health care organisations towards a new model of

collaboration, partnership and integrated care. The legislation gives the NHS and its partners greater flexibility to deliver joined-up care to the

increasing numbers of people who rely on multiple different services. Now the hard work of implementation begins. Local health and care leaders

will need support, endurance and commitment to turn the opportunity of this act into a reality for local communities.”

The government will continue to build on these strong foundations to ensure services have the long-term resource needed to provide world-class

care. At the heart of this agenda are three key aims for reform – a focus on prevention, a commitment to delivering more personalised care and

continuing to improve healthcare performance.

The next issue copy deadline, Tuesday 31st May 2022

All enquiries: To the editorial team, The OTJ Lawrand Ltd, PO Box 51, Pontyclun, CF72 9YY

Tel: 02921 680068 Email: admin@lawrand.com Website: www.lawrand.com

The Operating Theatre Journal is published twelve times per year. Available in electronic format from the website, www.otjonline.com

and in hard copy to hospitals throughout the United Kingdom. Personal copies are available by nominal subscription.

Neither the Editor or Directors of Lawrand Ltd are in any way responsible for the statements made or views expressed by the contributors.

All communications in respect of advertising quotations, obtaining a rate card and supplying all editorial communications and pictures to the Editor

at the PO Box address above. No part of this journal may be reproduced without prior permission from Lawrand Ltd. © 2022

Operating Theatre Journal is printed on paper sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved paper mills and is printed with vegetable based inks. All paper and ink waste is recycled.

Journal Printers: The Warwick Printing Co Ltd, Caswell Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. CV31 1QD

4 THE OPERATING THEATRE JOURNAL www.otjonline.com

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EBME Expo 2022 Preview - Medical Equipment

Exhibition and Conferences

Dr John Sandham, The EBME chairman, is delighted to share the details of the 2022 EBME Expo, being held in

the Coventry Building Society Arena, on the 28th and 29th of June 2022.

This year, we are excited to be hosting two conferences, the EBME

conference, and the Operating Theatre conference. The 2022 EBME

Expo will be open to delegates for 2 days with the focus being on

innovations in medical equipment technology and maintenance on day

one, and medical equipment management, procurement, and training

on day two.

Operating theatre staff are the largest group of medical equipment

users in hospitals, and therefore we believe they will complement

our current audience. We look forward to welcoming staff such as

engineers, nurses, doctors, buyers, operating theatre staff, and other

healthcare professionals that buy, maintain, train on, or use, medical

technology.

We are also moving to a larger venue, the Coventry Building Society

Arena (Formerly the Ricoh Arena), where we can welcome more

delegates, and a wider variety of innovative and internationally

respected companies in the exhibition hall. This educational event

remains a sponsored event, but is independent of any one commercial

company.

I will continue to Chair the EBME conference hall, and all conference

delegates will be able to choose their preferred topics, in either hall.

Our conference programmes (EBME, Operating Theatre) will feature

fourteen speaker sessions each day, concentrating on understanding

how technology can deliver improved patient outcomes at lower costs.

Besides this, there will be three workshops each day in the break out

areas, and we expect many of our exhibitors will want to provide

technical demonstrations.

The aim of the event is to share knowledge and improve awareness,

thereby assisting healthcare organisations to become safer and more

efficient. The two-day programme will allow delegates to understand

the latest improvements in healthcare technology and management

across a range of professional areas, and offer numerous opportunities

for informal networking.

All qualifying healthcare professionals involved in maintaining, buying,

using or managing medical equipment are welcome to register for

free. Attending delegates typically work in areas such as procurement,

maintenance, user training, and management of inventories.

Rob Brothwood – Operating Theatre conference Chairman

We are delighted to welcome Rob Brothwood, Senior Operating

Department Practitioner at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen

University Hospital, as the Chairman for the additional conference area,

to which we will be welcoming Specialist EBME Technicians, Operating

Department Practitioners (ODP’s), Theatre & Recovery Nurses,

Anaesthetists, Surgeons, plus others.

Rob Brothwood, discusses what to expect:

In the ever-changing landscape of operating theatres, one element

never changes, and that’s the demand for improved, faster more

accurate, safer technologies with which to treat our patients.

For the first time ever the EBME Expo will be incorporating a dedicated

operating theatre conference hall, which will run alongside the EBME

conference hall to offer an exciting and perfect partner for many on

the trade show floor.

I am delighted and honoured to be asked to become the first Chair of

the operating theatre conference. I am very optimistic that the EBME

OT conference will be one of the most inclusive conferences of its type,

this will be showcased by the speakers who will be presenting, we have

surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, ODP’s, NHS England, the Royal Navy

plus many more.

We will be welcoming all members of the operating theatre family to

the conference, as it is vital that we all acknowledge the skills and

responsibilities each individual group brings to the service we provide.

Operating theatres simply couldn’t function without the co-operation

and understanding of the separate individuals and groups who work

together as the ultimate multi-disciplinary team.

Technology simply never stands still, there is always a new piece of

equipment, some new software or a new technique being developed,

for example there has been a welcome and noticeable shift over the

previous years for a ‘greener operating theatre’. The EBME Expo is

uniquely placed to showcase the journey from manufacturing all the

way through to the end user. This year at the City of Coventry arena we

will be delighted to welcome all who have an interest not only in EBME

but also patient care within the theatre complex.

On day one we have some incredibly interesting talks, covering surgery,

technology, anaesthesia and much more, on a personal note I am

delighted to welcome internationally renowned Prof Tony Young OBE

who will be discussing all things innovation including the NHS Clinical

Entrepreneur program which is the biggest entrepreneurial workforce

development programme of its kind, aiming to provide the commercial

skills, knowledge and experience needed to successfully develop and

spread innovative solutions to the challenges facing the NHS for the

benefit of patients, staff and the wider NHS.

Day two promises to be filled with equally interesting and talented

speakers, including education, and the future planning for the

operating theatre environment. A special note must be reserved for

Dr Kate Prior who is not only a consultant in anaesthetics and major

trauma, but is also Surgeon captain in the Royal Navy and also Military

clinical director, joint hospital group (south east), and I’m sure Dr Prior

will deliver a presentation not to be missed.

110 Exhibitors:

A large independent exhibition

from medical equipment suppliers

takes place alongside the

conference programme, showcasing

the latest innovations in healthcare

technology and services.

Sponsorship from the exhibitors

enables the EBME Expo to be

offered free of charge to registered

conference delegates and exhibition visitors.

The EBME Expo showcases the latest innovations in medical technology,

and imparts best practice with regard to asset management, acquisition,

use, and maintenance. It is important to raise awareness of how

improved management of healthcare technology, and connectivity, can

lead to better NHS productivity and lower healthcare costs. Ultimately,

sharing knowledge leads to improvements in best practice, enhancing

patient safety, and helping hospitals to deliver sustainable budgets.

The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for

Health from the ‘Digital Transformation Summit’. (1)

“We must not just look to build back better, but to

build back smarter, drawing on the brilliant advances

that we have made. So many of the announcements

that the Prime Minister and I have made in recent

weeks – when you think about the delivery of the

Elective Recovery Plan, the Integration White Paper,

the Social Care White Paper, and the Living with COVID Plan – have had

technology at their very core.

These are: firstly, making sure the NHS is set up properly for success;

secondly, levelling up across the NHS and social care; thirdly, pursuing

personalisation; and fourthly, making big breakthrough bets on

emerging technologies and data”.

Just as we deploy the most exciting new technologies at scale, we

need to get the right foundations in place: the building blocks that

make digital transformation possible. We are now in the process of

merging NHSX and NHS Digital into NHSE – bringing together all of the

NHS’s digital bodies under one roof for the very first time. Through the

smarter use of NHS data and the adoption of emerging technologies we

can move services from generalised to personalised. As part of this

we will be developing a clear and frictionless pathway for promising

products, underpinned by clear standards to make sure that technology

platforms can talk to each other, so we can get them deployed as

quickly as possible.


New technologies can also help us to offer more dignified and

independent care to people, in their own homes, keeping them out

of hospital if they don’t need to be there. With an increasingly ageing

population – where nearly one in 7 people is projected to be aged over

75 by 2040 – and more and more comorbidities, technology can do so

much to help people to live independent lives and minimise the time

they spend in clinical settings. The remote monitoring that played such

a starring role during the pandemic gave us a glimpse into what could

be done. They monitored huge numbers of people in their own living

rooms, rather than being limited by the capacity of a hospital ward.

We have seen the brilliant use of virtual wards throughout this

pandemic. Norfolk and Norwich NHS Foundation Trust set up their

virtual ward a year ago this month. It’s already freed up over 6,000 bed

days for inpatients – and the initiative has patient satisfaction levels of

99%. I want us to intensify the pace of the rollout of virtual wards so

we can make sure that these services are available across the whole

country, and we’ve made up to £450 million available over the next 2

years to support this.

Dr John Sandham, the EBME conference chairman,

discusses what to expect:

Putting together a programme that meets the needs of a wide range of

attending delegates is always challenging. Due to the growing success

of the event in 2021, the EBME Expo will moving to its new larger venue,

The Coventry Building Society Arena, with a 2-day programme covering

a wide range of technical and management innovations.

On day 1, we have more of a technology focus in the EBME Conference

area, discussing ‘Innovations in clinical technology data management,

so important in todays ‘connected’ environments. Imaging plays

such an important part in diagnosis, so we will find out more about

‘Technological Innovations in Diagnostic Ultrasound & Dedicated MRI,

and their Impact on Clinical Care & Service Improvement’.

There are many other interesting speakers discussing other topics

including:

• A Governance Assurance Toolkit

• A collaborative approach in working towards a net zero NHS

• Patient Monitoring - Early Warning Scoring System (MEWS and NEWS2

systems)

• The Role of Medical Technology in Homecare

On day 2, we have a management focus in the EBME Conference area.

Many NHS Trusts are already committing to using modern technology to

redesign services and create a modern NHS, where outpatient visits are

reduced by a third. Part of this redesign includes ‘Digital technologies

and interoperability: enabling the future of Integrated Care Systems

(ICS)’. We can expect Roy Smith & David Attwell to give us an interesting

perspective on ‘Clinical Engineering in an ICS, including the Pros and

Cons’. It is never easy!

Integrated care systems (ICSs) offer the opportunity to integrate health

and care services across multiple settings including general practice,

mental health and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)

services, primary care, secondary care, community care and social

care. Integrated care benefits both patients and staff; using digital

systems that enable patient information to be shared and accessed

seamlessly across the health and care system will be essential to enable

successful integration. (2)

Other speaker topics being discussed on day 2 include:

• The Role of the CE in the Standardisation and Adoption of Image

Management Solution for Non-Native DICOM Image Sources

• Quality Management Systems for Clinical Engineering

• Fostering a Just, honest, open and learning culture

• Delivering sustainable efficiencies in healthcare

It is FREE to register online, please visit: https://www.ebme.co.uk/

registration-options

Each qualifying delegate that attends the conference will receive an

attendance certificate for their continuing professional development

(CPD) records. Delegates attending the conference will also be

eligible for a prize draw at the end of each day. There are some great

prizes for the lucky delegates that are drawn out.

For further information on the exhibition and conference please visit:

www.ebme.co.uk/seminar or www.ebme-expo.com/

From my own ongoing research, it is clear that many hospitals have

had to adopt a ‘make do and mend’ attitude, prioritising only the most

urgent purchases. This is not a plan, and does not meet the aspirations

of the Secretary of State for Health, or the NHS Executive. NHS Trusts

must align their technology replacement plans with their long-term

operational strategies. Therefore, not investing in technology will

hinder plans to improve care, and ultimately result in higher long-term

costs.

New Larger Venue - The Coventry Building Society Arena

The EBME Expo team are pleased

to announce that we are moving

to a new, larger venue for the

EBME Expo on Tuesday 28th and

Wednesday 29th June 2022.

Situated in the heart of the UK, the

Coventry Building Society Arena

is a world-class exhibition, event

and conference centre based near

the vibrant city of Coventry, just a

20-minute drive from Birmingham

and within easy access of the motorways. This indoor venue allows

plenty of room for both delegates and exhibitors, is within a two-hour

drive of 75% of the population, and has over 2000 parking spaces. Not

only does the Arena also have its own on-site railway station, but with

three train stations within 8 miles, Birmingham International Airport

only a 20-minute drive away, and London Euston a 55-minute train ride

away, the Arena is an ideal destination.

This location is home to the Wasps Rugby Club.

Two seated conference areas

The seated conference areas are set within the exhibition area to

allow easy access to the exhibition stands. Refreshments and lunch are

provided to qualifying conference delegates.

Continuing Professional Development

Each attending conference delegate will receive a certificate for their

continuing professional development (CPD) record. This educational

seminar meets CPD requirements for the NHS knowledge and skills

framework (KSF). Core dimensions: 1 (Communication), 2 (Personal

Development), 4 (Service Improvement), and 5 (Quality).

We have been working with our event partner ‘BtoB events’ to further

improve the experience at this new, larger location. Once again,

attendance is free for all attendees, our specialist registration company

will be on site, and refreshments will be available to purchase for those

who do not have them included.

More information about the 2022 EBME Expo can be found at:

https://www.ebme.co.uk/seminar

References

1. www.gov.uk.digital-transformation-summit-speech. https://www.gov.

uk/government/speeches/health-and-social-care-secretary-sajid-javidhsj-digital-transformation-summit-speech.

[Online] February 2022.

2. Kings Fund. interoperability-digital-enabling-integrated-care. https://

www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/interoperability-digital-enablingintegrated-care#introduction.

[Online] 2021.

28th–29th June 2022 | Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry


Day in the Life of: An Insourcing Theatre Nurse

Theatre nurses able to work at weekends now have a huge range of exciting new work opportunities.

The current focus on the elective care recovery means there are now more surgical insourcing

projects taking place across the NHS than ever before.

What is insourcing?

With surgical insourcing projects, specialist private sector providers use NHS premises (operating theatres) at weekends, recruiting and managing

teams of theatre staff to carry out set lists of patient procedures.

Insourcing roles offer theatre professionals a great opportunity to boost their earnings and build experience in a new and fast-growing area.

Read on to hear from Di, a scrub nurse working within a weekend insourcing team, and learn exactly what the work entails.

How long have you been working on theatre insourcing projects?

This is the first time I have done anything like this, I’ve never worked as an agency nurse before, but I started working on insourcing projects a few

months ago and I’ve worked every weekend since, though sometimes I only work either the Saturday or the Sunday, not both.

Why did you choose to get involved in insourcing work?

The main incentive for me was the extra pay but I am also trying to progress to band 6 so it’s a really good career pathway for me. I was also keen

to learn more about what agency work is like and this has been a great taster. All the shifts I get are based in familiar surroundings - the hospital

I work in full time, so I don’t have challenges like not knowing who to go to or how to use the systems.

What sort of hours does it involve?

On average I’d say my shifts are 10 hours, starting at 7.30am, usually finishing at 6pm. Sometimes the team finish early and sometimes later, but

people work a lot more efficiently so leaving early is more common. I’m also paid £40 per hour for overtime beyond 6pm so I don’t mind that either.

Can you talk us through a typical day?

Like a regular day, we start at about 7.30am and we set up the theatre and anaesthetic room. Tasks include making sure the list we have for the

day’s procedures is all up to date, checking all staff are there and equipment and fluids are ready. We then wait for the Surgeon and Anaesthetist

to come back from pre-assessing the patients, then double-check the list with them again and the first patient is called in.

Patients are always divided into morning and afternoon sessions, and the afternoon ones don’t arrive until 11am. Although that sometimes means

the team have to stop and wait for the next set to be ready, it makes it easier on patients as the later ones don’t have to fast for as long. The team

ethic is really great though, the pay incentives mean we work really efficiently.

Do you get sufficient breaks and are there any concerns about safety?

Breaks are maintained as staff are rotated out so everyone gets one, however the time we take is sometimes shortened by team agreement. It

is hardest for the Anaesthetics Assistant as there is often only one of them, but the system with patients staggered for morning and afternoon

sessions forces a lunchtime break.

Safety is always paramount. Surgeons are more fortunate than theatre staff, because of the turnaround time for patients they get more time for

breaks. Some Surgeons stay and help the rest of the team with mopping up as they want to get their cases done quickly too. Sometimes they also

buy us coffees which is nice!

What skills do you think are important for insourcing work?

Flexibility and adaptability. During an average working weekday there is a bigger resource pool to draw from, we can draft in more help if we need

it and borrow Theatre Support Workers from other teams. At the weekend we don’t have that luxury, so everyone needs to be more flexible and

be prepared to perform other roles if necessary.

Teamworking is important too and good communication, especially with staff in day units so schedules run to plan. Staff there need to be kept

updated so they can make sure the patient is changed and ready to collect.

Do you face any specific challenges as a result of working at weekends?

Fitting my housework in! Making time for family is harder too but the pay compensates for both those. If you already work full time, working at

weekends is the only option.

It is also quite challenging when we get last minute absences in our planned teams. At the moment this is typically because a team’s family

member has tested positive for covid-19 so they can’t come in. In those cases we need to work alongside nurses who are less familiar with the plan

and the team, but this is not just a challenge confined to insourcing projects, it happens on every ward at the moment.

What has your experience with Medacs been like?

So far very positive and I know that’s the same for the whole team. Some people had some payroll delays initially but that was down to paperwork

hiccups and is now fixed. Not many people came forward for the insourcing project initially from within my Trust. Nurses were cautious and didn’t

know how it would affect their tax codes. Now there are lots more signed up .

Medacs being onsite every weekend to support us adds value too. We have someone physically there to go to if we have an issue and they are

great at drafting in reserve staff at the last minute, and advising on paperwork or compliance docs. Personally, I really like the opportunity to ask

questions about the plan. They’ve explained to me how the list is worked out and why certain cases are on there and others are not. The Medacs

out of hours team are really helpful on the phone too.

What advice would you give to those considering surgical insourcing work?

Do it! Especially if you have an opportunity to do it in the same hospital you normally work in. Everyone is so much happier knowing they will

get paid for the weekend just done, the weekly pay really gives staff a boost. Small things like that are very important right now, everyone is so

exhausted after covid and now we’re getting hammered with inflation too. Normally we would have to wait for our monthly pay to get extra for

overtime but now it lands weekly and that really helps. The experience is great too.

Interested in getting involved in insourcing?

If you are a theatre nurse and would like to join Medacs’ insourcing teams, we currently have weekend work available in Yorkshire, the Midlands

and East of England. Equally we can offer standard agency theatre shifts during the week in a nationwide range of locations, with enhanced rates.

All our theatre nurses get support from our dedicated Theatre Booking Team and are encouraged to sign up for long lines of work.

For more information email nursejobs@medacs.com or call us on 01785 256434.


HSIB welcomes

Royal Assent

of Health and

Care Act

The Health and Care Act received

Royal Assent on the 28 April 2022.

This will establish the Health

Services Safety Investigations

Body (HSSIB) as a fully independent

non-departmental public body of

the DHSC in England.

This culminates a journey that

began for us in 2017, when

HSIB was first established. Our

independence was seen as vital

to give full confidence that HSIB’s

purpose is impartial, no blame,

and solely to learn to support

systemic improvement in patient

safety.

HSIB will commence a year-long

transition as a shadow ALB,

during which we will have a chair,

non-executives and executive

team appointed for the HSSIB.

We expect to begin operating as

HSSIB in April 2023. The transition

will also involve transfer of HSIB

maternity investigations to a new

special health authority, to be

established through secondary

legislation and also operating

from April 2023.

Getinge welcomes visitors to attend the inauguration

of a new Experience Center in Frankfurt

Getinge’s new Experience Center in Frankfurt, Germany is part of the company’s continuous strive to interact

with, and support, customers and partners. It will showcase Getinge’s broad portfolio of innovative and

sustainable health care and life science solutions.

The inauguration took place on May 9, 2022 and was hosted by Mattias Perjos, President & CEO, Carsten

Blecker, Chief Commercial Officer, and Josef Hinterberger, President DACH & BeNeLux at Getinge. Getinge

is also happy to announce the participation of distinguished guests such as the Swedish Ambassador to

Germany Mr. Per Thöresson, Dr. Anke Diehl, CTO and Head of the Digital Transformation Unit at University

hospital Essen and Prof. Dr. Claudia Bozzaro, Head of the Medical Ethics Unit at the Institute for Experimental

Medicine at Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel.

The virtual inauguration program will cover exciting presentations of the future and digitalization of the

health care system, sustainability in the medtech business and a virtual tour of the center.

The new Getinge Experience Center is located at Gateway Gardens in Frankfurt, Germany, close to the

international airport, and will be open for visitors on weekdays. The center includes both product exhibition

areas, training facilities and offices.

Read more about Getinge’s Experience Centers. - https://bit.ly/GETINGEOTJ522

When responding please quote ‘OTJ’

Keith Conradi, Chief Investigator

Keith Conradi, Chief Investigator

says:

“I am pleased that we are now at

this final step to becoming HSSIB.

We are grateful for everyone

who has supported this journey

and expressed confidence in

the important contribution that

independent patient safety

investigations can make to

the experience of patients,

families, and healthcare staff and

organisations.”

During the coming year we

will update our website with

information about the transition

to HSSIB and the special health

authority.

We will also engage with

healthcare staff and patient and

family advocates about how HSSIB

will implement the enhanced

powers for national investigations.

www.Operating peratingTheatre heatreJobs.com

A one-stop resource for ALL your theatre related Career opportunities

View the latest vacancies online !

The Second Annual

Operating Theatres Show

THE KIA OVAL, LONDON

11TH OCTOBER 2022

Save 20% with code OTJ20

www.igpp.org.uk/otj

View the agenda today

Theatre Practitioners Recovery Nurses Anaesthetic Nurses ODPs

Scrub Practitioners Nurse Practitioners Medical Representatives

and Clinical Advisers


Theatre staff vacancies

Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton

Competitive salary up to £39,250 dependent on experience

Are you looking to join an energetic and vibrant organisation that truly makes a

difference to people’s lives on a daily basis?

Are you looking to join an energetic and vibrant organisation that truly makes a difference to people’s lives on

a daily basis? if you’re a motivated and dedicated theatre nurse we have some exciting opportunities to join

our theatre team at our highly rated Hospital in the following areas:

• Scrub practitioners • Operating department practitioners

You’ll be working as part of our professional, friendly and compassionate expert multidisciplinary theatre team

supported by our experienced theatre manager, speciality team leads and the senior management team.

Staff are supported to challenge our practices and we actively encourage them to innovate and suggest new

ways of working.

If you are a part 1 registered NMC nurse with experience of being a scrub practitioner in

a theatre, or a HCPC registered operating department practitioner we would like to hear

from you. We offer favourable working conditions giving you more time to do the things

you love doing, with our full-time team working 37.5 hours over four days and part-time

options available. Our focus at all times is on ensuring that our patients receive high

quality treatment quickly, in clean & comfortable surroundings.

When you’re part of the southampton hospital team, you don’t just have a job. You have

a career. We are committed to developing and training our team and support staff to

attend courses and provide appropriate study days. We are keen to offer development

opportunities to our teams such as access to the surgical first assistant course, if not

already obtained. We also have an extensive e-learning portal accessible to all staff. If

you want to move up the ladder, we’ll support you. If you just want to stay in your role,

that’s fine too. We’ll help you be the best you can be.

About Us

Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton creates an exceptional experience for all

NHS and private patients, with real dedication to delivering the highest standards of

quality and safety. Our team delivers a broad range of elective surgery procedures,

consultations and appointments in our departments including five operating theatres,

an endoscopy suite, an oral surgery suite, physiotherapy, diagnostic imaging and

outpatients’ departments. We even have our own sterile services facility.

To apply or find out more about the roles email

rebecca.stevens@practiceplusgroup.com or call 01189 521 902 and quote OTJ.

March 2022 (0293)

Independent study validates HORIBA Medical’s Yumizen

G DDi 2 assay for rapid D-dimer quantification

HORIBA Medical’s D-dimer immunoassay displays excellent analytical performance in independent evaluation study

HORIBA Medical’s D-dimer immunoassay – Yumizen G DDi 2 – designed for its Yumizen G hemostasis analyzer range.

HORIBA Medical announces that its novel hemostatic immunoassay, Yumizen G DDi 2, has been independently validated for the rapid quantification

of D-dimer. Scientists from the Hematology Department, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, have successfully evaluated its analytical

performance [1]. They demonstrated it to detect venous thromboembolism (VTE) with excellent accuracy, reliability and turnaround time on

HORIBA Medical’s Yumizen G800 fully automated hemostasis analyzer.

D-dimer measurement is one of the most commonly requested tests in the hemostasis laboratory and is frequently used to exclude VTE. While

a number of different immunoturbidimetric assays for D-dimer are marketed for routine practice, their reliability and analytical performance

can vary. The independent study compared the performance of HORIBA Medical’s Yumizen G DDi 2 assay, designed for its Yumizen G hemostasis

analyzer range, versus other available immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assays. The evaluation results are now published in Research and Practice in

Thrombosis and Haemostasis [1] and will also be presented at the forthcoming ISTH Congress 2022.

The study analyzed the precision of Yumizen G DDi 2 by running repeat assays with a standardized control sample and found its coefficient

of variation to fall within an ideal range for diagnostic purposes. The lower and upper detection limits of the Yumizen G DDi 2 assay were

comparable to other D-dimer immunoassays tested, and notably it excelled in assay linearity, which was found to be maintained for a broad range

of concentrations. The calculated linear range (up to 32700ng/mL FEU) extended significantly further than that specified by HORIBA Medical (up

to 20000ng/mL FEU). This makes the Yumizen G DDi 2 assay ideal for the direct measurement of most clinical samples without need for manual

dilution steps, therefore decreasing sample turnaround time.

D-dimer immunoassays can often be marred by interference from hemolysis, icterus and lipemia, or heterophilic antibodies such as HAMAs and

RF, and the study evaluated the Yumizen G DDi 2 assay for each. No significant impact of hemolysis was found for hemoglobin concentrations up

to 10g/L, which was greater than other D-dimer assays. In addition, no interference of HAMAs (up to 500ng/mL) and RF (up to 935UI/mL) was

detected. Since RF levels rarely exceed 1000UI/mL in clinical practice [2], the safety of the Yumizen G DDi 2 assay was strengthened further.

HORIBA Medical’s Yumizen G DDi reagent kit is available for its comprehensive range of Yumizen G hemostasis instruments which covers the needs

of any laboratory. The dedicated coagulation portfolio includes the fully automatic Yumizen G800, Yumizen G1500 and Yumizen G1550, as well

as semi-automatic Yumizen G200 and Yumizen G400 analyzers. Using antibody-coated latex particles and measured via the immunoturbidimetric

channels of these Yumizen G hemostasis instruments, HORIBA Medical’s reagent kit delivers D-dimer results consistency and analytical performance

reliability as demonstrated by the recent evaluation study [1].

The lead author of the study, Dr. Laurie Talon, will also present these data at the ISTH 2022 Congress, London, July 9-13.

The link below provides more details:

https://horiba.link/ISTH2022_sympo_pdf

For further information on HORIBA Medical’s comprehensive range of hemostasis reagents and systems, please visit:

https://www.horiba.com/int/medical/products/hemostasis/

References

1. Talon, L., et al. (2022). Analytical performance of a new immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assay and comparison with available assays.

Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 6(1), e12660. https://doi.org/10.1002/rth2.12660

1. Guo, Q., et al. (2018). Rheumatoid arthritis: pathological mechanisms and modern pharmacologic therapies. Bone research, 6,15.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41413-018-0016-9

When responding to articles please quote ‘OTJ’

ODP DAY 2022

14th May

Wishing All our ODP readers all the very best on your National recognised day.

You can be proud of yourself and your Profession and the way your vital role is

progressing - it has been a long time coming!


Human Factors – Safer Surgery Checklist

Across our next three publications, there is going to be an article on

Human Factors in the operating theatre, regarding the use of the

safer surgery checklist. The article is written by Mr Nigel Roberts, who

is the Theatre Lead at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton.

Nigel is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Derby and is

researching the safer surgery checklist. The article will be published

over three issues and consist of the following, May 2022- Introduction

and Background, June 2022 - Literature Review and July 2022 - NHS

England Audit findings.

Author:

Nigel Roberts, MSc, BA (Hons), PGR Student, ODP

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton

Keywords:

Human Factors, World Health Organisation (WHO) Surgical Safety

Checklist, Culture, Leadership, Situational Awareness, Teamwork,

Staff attitude, communication.

Abstract:

This paper is part of a literature review undertaken by the lead author

towards the award of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

This paper addresses information raised as part of an audit of NHS

hospital operating theatres in England.

Introduction and background context:

This review is looking at human factors and behaviours that are

specific towards the use of the safer surgical checklist and the current

three intra-operative never events. As a healthcare industry, working

with technological advances, we remain obsessed with the financial

and technical aspects of delivering tangible care. There is substantial

literature stating that the non-technical skills such as communication,

teamwork and leadership are major contributors to adverse events

in healthcare globally. Weiser and Haynes (2018, p. 927) commented

that ‘the checklist is a difficult safety tool to implement, with

problems in application, fidelity and execution’. Prior to the launch

of the Safer Surgery Checklist (SSC) research by Lingard et al. (2002),

Greenberg et al. (2007), Rosenstein and Regehr (2006) and Kennedy

et al. (2009, all cited in Robertson et al., 2014, p. 1) stated that ‘the

evaluation of team non-technical skills has become important in

research on surgical safety because of the evidence that teamwork

glitches, communication failures, cultural and hierarchal barriers

contribute to safety failure’. Rydenfalt et al. (2013, p. 185) study in

Sweden suggested that the checklist is designed to reduce risk, so the

understanding of ‘risk’ among those conducting the checklist may be

important to implementation. From a safety perspective the checklist

can be regarded as a barrier or a defence against failure. The World

Health Organisation Surgical Safety Checklist was introduced in

June 2008 at the PanAmerican Health Organisations headquarters in

Washington D.C., USA. (Weiser and Haynes, 2018)

To ‘err is human’ (Kohn, Corrigan and Donaldson, 2000) is acceptable,

and we should expect systematic errors, but we must ensure

the systems and processes in place are not fallible, and blame is

not apportioned. The Joint Commission (2017, cited in Nelson,

2017) which is an American organisation, classes the three intraoperative

‘never events’ as ‘Sentinel’. Sentinel events are patient

safety incidents that result in death, permanent harm, (or) severe

temporary harm and intervention is required to sustain life. The

Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (2021) class ‘never events’ as

patient safety incidents that are defined as being wholly preventable.

They are considered wholly preventable because guidance or safety

recommendations are in place at a national level and should have

been implemented by all providers in the healthcare system. The

NHS (2018) class ‘never events’ as serious incidents that are entirely

preventable because guidance or safety recommendations providing

strong systemic protective barriers are available at a national level

and should have been implemented by all healthcare providers. So

why are ‘never events’ still occurring, is it solely down to human

factors? Could the problem actually be at source, the World Health

Organisation (WHO)? They stated that the ‘safer surgery checklist

is not a regulatory device or a component of official policy; it is

intended as a tool for use by clinicians interested in improving the

safety of their operations and reducing unnecessary surgical deaths

and complications’ (2012, cited in Nugent et al., 2013, p. 172).

Bosk et al. (2009, cited in Nugent et al., 2013) stated that it is

important to explain why and how a checklist should be implemented.

Deploying a checklist without building an appreciation for how and

why it works ignores critical sociocultural dimensions of how safe

care is achieved. This is partially supported a few years later by

Levy et al. (2012, cited in Devcich et al., 2016) as they suggested

that disengaged or cynical use of the safer surgical checklist may

actually be counterproductive. Levy et al. (2012, cited in Weiser

and Haynes, 2018) claimed that studies have demonstrated that the

checklist concept may encourage box-ticking without true fidelity to

the communication and process assurance aspects of the checklist.

This leads one to ask, why healthcare workers would disengage from a

process that studies have shown to reduce morbidity, mortality, postoperative

complications, infections and length of stay, to name a few.

Haugen et al. (2013, cited in Nelson 2017) say that the safer surgery

checklist does not resolve every safety issue, it does help to encourage

interaction among team members and promote a culture of safety.

This finding was supported by Nugent et al. (2013) study in Ireland, as

they reported that the safer surgery checklist encouraged a greater

degree of teamwork and a better interdisciplinary communication,

thus a reduction in adverse events.

Weaver et al. (2013, cited in Nelson, 2017) found that promoting

a culture of safety required strong leadership, teamwork, and a

willingness to change behaviours. Ragusa et al. (2016, cited in Nelson,

2017) study suggest that the safer surgery checklist improves patient

safety, it has not been proven to reduce wrong-site surgery. This

finding is still true today, as the NHS’s biggest ‘never event’ is wrong

site surgery (see section 2.7.1, p. 87) The Care Quality Commission

(2018, cited in Koleva, p. 256) stated that ‘never events are wholly

preventable and despite considerable patient safety efforts, serious

preventable surgical events continue to occur’.

Have we, the NHS and other global health care providers, created

a culture of accepted ‘normal behaviour’ and become resistant to

change. Is it that simple, is it just a cultural issue? Along side this

literature review, an audit across NHS England operating theatres will

occur, to ascertain staffs opinion at the ‘coal-face’ as to which nontechnical

skills/ human factors are still causing barriers to the use and

completion of the WHO surgical safety checklist. Afterall, Lingard et

al. (2008, cited in Fowler, 2013) state that the safer surgical checklist

on average only takes between one and four minutes to complete.

The operating theatre is a complex, busy, ever-changing environment,

where complex procedures needing considerable interaction amongst

the multidisciplinary team members take place. Shouhed et al. (2012,

cited in Koleva, 2020, p. 256) supports this as they stated, ‘the

operating theatres are complicated, stressful environments, equipped

with a wide range of hi-tech equipment and multidisciplinary staff’.

Moppett and Moppett (2016, cited in Ferorelli, 2022) say that the

current three intraoperative never events all depend on non-technical

aspects to get them correct. Panagioti et al., (2019, cited in Ferorelli,

2020, p. 2) claims that ‘around one in twenty patients are exposed

to preventable harm, 10% of which are reported in surgery’. Bogner

(2003) and Uramatsu et al., (2008, cited in Kalantari et al., 2021, p. 1)

state that ‘defects in non-technical aspects of performance increase

the chance of medical errors that are important causes of ‘never

events’’. Brunckhorst et al. (2017) and Collins et al. (2018, cited in

Kalantari et al., 2021, p. 1) say that the ‘non-technical skills include

social and cognitive abilities such as leadership, decision making, and

teamwork’. Carayon et al. (2014, cited in Kalantari et al., 2021) found

that human factors are core elements of patient safety improvements.

The Joint Commission (2015, cited in Kalantari et al., 2021) state that

the non-technical skills are component features of human factors.

Fabri and Zayas-Castro (2008), De Silva et al. (2013) and Wahr et al.

(2013, all cited in Koleva, 2020) all support the previous study findings

as they found that data from across the world shows that known

sources of error in operating theatres comprise of human fallibility,

miscommunication, lack of collaboration of team activity, humantechnology

interaction and poor management of the environment.

Kar, Papaspyros and Prasad (2015) study at the Royal Infirmary of

Edinburgh, cardiac theatres initially identified a lack of leadership and

teamwork in relation to the safer surgery checklist. They concluded

that human factors and teamwork training would be of benefit.

Continued on next page


Jones (2016, cited in Koleva, 2020) found that by applying the knowledge

of human factors in clinical practice through an understanding of the

impact on human performance of teamwork, equipment, workplace,

duties, culture and organisation has the potential to enhance clinical

performance and ultimately patient safety. Fann et al. (2016, cited in

Koleva, 2020) suggest that breakdowns in communication, situational

awareness and leadership that are vital to teamwork may lead to

disruption and adverse events. This is supported several years later

by Koleva (2020) as their key findings emphasise that communication

failures, situational awareness, fatigue, lack of healthcare

professionals and surgical case load are common contributing factors

to ‘never events’.

As leaders, managers and healthcare professionals responsible for

the safe and effective delivery of healthcare to patients in either a

primary, secondary or tertiary care setting, we all have a duty, and

a responsibility for encouraging behavioural change and challenging

poor practice. An atmosphere of clear and effective communication,

along with a culture of patient safety, will deliver better patient

outcomes and help decrease both morbidity and mortality, as multiple

studies have evidenced this already. For example, Weiser and Haynes

(2018, p. 928) reported a 30% decrease in mortality with the use of

the checklist.

The first question to ask is, what are human factors? The Health and

Safety Executive (1999, p. 2, cited in Flin et al., 2009) defined human

factors as, ‘Human factors refer to environment, organisational and

job factors, and human and individual characteristics which influence

behaviour at work in a way which can affect health and safety. A

simple way to view human factors is to think about three aspects:

the job, the individual and the organisation and how they impact on

people’s health and safety-related behaviour’.

We are affiliated with Martin Bromiley, an airline pilot whose wife,

Elaine Bromiley, died due to an anaesthetic incident in 2007. Her story

is portrayed in a video ‘just a routine operation’. The video shows how

important it is that everyone is comfortable communicating if they

feel something is wrong (Bromiley, 2012). Bromiley (2008, cited in Flin

et al., 2009) was surprised to find that there was little awareness of

the role of human factors for patient safety.

Moray (2000, cited in Flin et al., 2009) developed a model of the

organisational, human and technical components of sociotechnical

systems.

Flin, O’Connor and Crichton (2008, cited in Mercer, Arul and Pugh,

2014, p. 105) defined human factors as, ‘the cognitive social, and

personal resource skills that complement technical skills, and

contribute to safe and efficient task performance’. Catchpole et al.

(2010, cited in Mercer, Arul and Pugh, 2014, p. 105) defined human

factors as a means of, ‘enhancing clinical performance through

an understanding of the effects of teamwork, tasks, equipment,

workspace, culture, organization on human behaviour and abilities,

and application of that knowledge in a clinical setting’. Thiels et al.

(2015, cited in Tagar, Devine and Obisesan, 2019) stated that human

factors are increasingly understood to play a significant role in patient

safety events.

Human factors in healthcare are just as important as Human Factors

in other industries, such as aviation, motor racing, space exploration

and nuclear. An understanding of their potential impact, along with

that of stress and fatigue, could impact on performance, which in

turn, may result in patient harm. Below highlights an example of

potential harm that could be caused by human factors.

Yule et al. (2006) and Klaas et al. (2019, both cited in Ferorelli, 2020,

p. 2) claim that ‘many surgical adverse events originate from failures

in non-technical aspects such as leadership, situation awareness,

decision making and especially communication and teamwork among

operators’.

The key structures that underpin patient safety in human factors are

the organisation, the environment, the team, and the individual.

These are inter-dependent and to date most developments in patient

safety have concentrated very much on the individual. Without the

appropriate organisational, environmental and team structures the

individual remains at risk and vulnerable. (Renton, Chohan and Tagar,

2020).

Before the current literature is reviewed in more detail, be mindful

of the study by Taifoori and Valiee (2015, cited in Koleva, 2020).

The study asked 170 operating room nurses what the main causes of

errors were in the theatres. The responses were; tiredness (92.8%);

incorrect or insufficient information (89.5%); distraction (88.9%);

impaired concentration (88.2%) and lack of staff (88.2%).

Coming Soon – Cambridge University Press

Fundamentals of Operating Department Practice

2nd Edition

• EDITORS:

• Daniel Rodger, London South Bank University

• Kevin Henshaw, Edge Hill University, Birmingham

• Paul Rawling, Edge Hill University, Birmingham

• Scott Miller, St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust

• PUBLICATION PLANNED FOR: August 2022

• AVAILABILITY: Not yet published - available from August 2022

• FORMAT: Paperback

• ISBN: 9781108819800

Why not recommend The OTJ to your librarian


Reusable instrumentation manufacturer Surgical Holdings

launches company-wide green initiative

British surgical instrument manufacturer Surgical Holdings have

announced the launch of a new company-wide green initiative to

reduce both their and the NHS’s carbon footprint.

This initiative includes launching a new Ethical Duty Smart Repair

service, which actively promotes the repair and refurbishment of

surgical instruments and other medical devices to tackle global steel

wastage.

Customers can now access a unique online customer dashboard,

Surgifix, which allows the whole repair process to be arranged and

processed remotely. Its aim is to support positive efforts to better

global sustainability within the surgical industry.

Currently, most surgical instruments – made of surgical grade

stainless steel, end up in landfill and remain there, with detrimental

environmental impacts. It is recognised that it requires 50% less energy

to refurbish a surgical instrument than to replace it.

To reduce its internal carbon footprint as much as possible, all Surgical

Holdings repairs are carried out in-house and technicians are trained

through an internal apprenticeship programme to manufacture

instruments rather than simply repair them.

This allows all repairs of rigid endoscopes and orthopaedic power

tools to be carried out to an exceptionally high standard, as well as

equipping workers with the necessary skills to ensure a sustainable flow

of surgical instruments in line with the company’s circular economy

approach.

Surgical Holdings is further empowering its staff through ISO14001

certification to better support efforts to eliminate its environmental

impacts.

It has also introduced a Corporate Membership of Ecologi, a charity

dedicated to funding global environmental projects. As a member of

Ecologi, Surgical Holdings have so far funded 1,315 trees, predominantly

to support mangrove restoration efforts in Madagascar, an island

currently undergoing a huge planting project following damning

deforestation and loss of entire animal species, as well as supporting

reforestation projects in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and the UK.

The company has additionally cut its carbon emissions by 92.73 tonnes

– and counting.

Dan Coole, Managing Director of Surgical Holdings, commented: “We

are very happy to announce that we have taken a number of positive

actions towards giving back to our planet, committing to a green

Company Initiative launching this month in support of our theme of

Sustainability.

Surgical Holdings has proudly become a Corporate Member of Ecologi,

alongside the big shot players such as BBC, Tech Crunch, Forbes and

The Guardian, and 11,278 other businesses worldwide.

“Alongside Ecologi, an exciting channel of working green, we look

forwarded to continue taking active steps to reduce our carbon footprint

through the launch of our unique new repair and refurbishment service

to tackle the challenge of unnecessary steel wastage, which remains a

huge problem in healthcare.”

Research shows that the energy required to produce 260kg of stainless

steel for surgical instrument manufacture (approximately 5200 scissors)

could power an average British home for one year. Mining itself is

known to contribute to biodiversity loss, land degeneration, water and

air pollution, while the shipping of stainless steel for new instruments

inevitably contributes to harmful carbon emissions.

The company’s newly-launched ‘ethical duty’ refurbishment service

allows every single instrument on every single tray to be entirely

refurbished to an ‘as new’ condition, instead of replaced. This actively

promotes the recycling of stainless-steel products, preventing the

unnecessary wastage of instruments which usually ends up in landfill

causing soil contamination.

Dan adds: “Rather than incurring spikes in cost as instruments reach

the end of their life, customers can access a complete preventative

refurbishment service at a fraction of the price of manufacturing new

instrumentation through our new refurbishment service. Through our

unique Surgifix dashboard, an online surgical instrument repair portal

exclusive to Surgical Holdings, the whole repair process can also be

arranged and managed remotely, with customers able to track the

status of their instruments in real-time.”

To keep a track of Surgical Holdings’ climate contributions,

visit https://ecologi.com/surgicalholdings.



Machine learning outperforms clinical experts

in classifying hip fractures

Neural networks could improve patient outcomes and reduce

care costs

A new machine learning process designed to identify and classify hip

fractures has been shown to outperform human clinicians.

Two convolutional neural networks (CNNs) developed at the University

of Bath were able to identify and classify hip fractures from X-rays with

a 19% greater degree of accuracy and confidence than hospital-based

clinicians, in results published this week in Nature Scientific Reports.

The research team, from Bath’s Centre for Therapeutic Innovation and

Institute for Mathematical Innovation, as well as colleagues from the

Royal United Hospitals Trust Bath, North Bristol NHS Trust, and Bristol

Medical School, set about creating the new process to help clinicians

make hip fracture care more efficient and to support better patient

outcomes.

They used a total of 3,659 hip X-rays, classified by at least two experts, to

train and test the neural networks, which achieved an overall accuracy

of 92%, and 19% greater accuracy than hospital-based clinicians.

Effective treatment is crucial in managing high costs

Hip fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the

elderly, incurring high costs to health and social care. Classifying a

fracture prior to surgery is crucial to help surgeons select the right

interventions to treat the fracture and restore mobility and improve

patient outcomes.

The ability to swiftly, accurately, and reliably classify a fracture is key:

delays to surgery of more than 48 hours can increase the risk of adverse

outcomes and mortality.

Fractures are divided into three classes – intracapsular, trochanteric,

or subtrochanteric – depending on the part of the joint they occur in.

Some treatments, which are determined by the fracture classification,

can cost up to 4.5 times as much as others.

In 2019, 67,671 hip fractures were reported to the UK National Hip

Fracture Database and given projections for population ageing over the

coming decades, the number of hip fractures is predicted to increase

globally, particularly in Asia. Across the world, an estimated 1.6

million hip fractures occur annually with substantial economic burden

– approximately $6 billion per year in the US and about £2 billion in the

UK.

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The neural networks were trained to recognise hip joints and

classify fractures

As important are longer-term patient outcomes: people who sustain a

hip fracture have in the following year twice the age-specific mortality

of the general population. So, the team says, the development of

strategies to improve hip fracture management and their impact of

morbidity, mortality and healthcare provision costs is a high priority.

Rising demand on radiology departments

One critical issue affecting the use of diagnostic imaging is the mismatch

between demand and resource: for example, in the UK the number

of radiographs (including X-rays) performed annually has increased by

25% from 1996 to 2014. Rising demand on radiology departments often

means they cannot report results in a timely manner.

Prof Richie Gill, lead author of the paper and Co-Director of the Center

for Therapeutic Innovation, says: “Machine learning methods and neural

networks offer a new and powerful approach to automate diagnostics

and outcome prediction, so this new technique we’ve shared has

great potential. Despite fracture classification so strongly determining

surgical treatment and hence patient outcomes, there is currently no

standardised process as to who determines this classification in the

UK – whether this is done by orthopaedic surgeons or radiologists

specialising in musculoskeletal disorders.

“The process we’ve developed could help standardise that process,

achieve greater accuracy, speed up diagnosis and alleviate the

bottleneck of 300,000 radiographs that remain unreported in the UK

for over 30 days.”

Mr Otto Von Arx, Consultant Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon at Royal United

Hospitals Bath NHS Trust, and one of the paper co-authors, adds: “‘As

trauma clinicians, we constantly strive to deliver excellence of care to

our patients and the healthcare community underpinned by accurate

diagnosis and cost-effective medicine.

“This excellent study has provided us with an additional tool to

refine our diagnostic armamentarium to provide the best care for our

patients. This study demonstrates the excellent value of collaboration

by the RUH and the research leader, the University of Bath.”

The study was funded by Arthroplasty for Arthritis Charity. The NVIDIA

Corporation provided the Titan X GPU that carried out the machine

learning, through their academic grant scheme.



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Works starts on new operating theatre block at

Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Construction work has begun on the new purpose-built

operating theatre block at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.

The building will be located on land between the main hospital and the

Treatment Centre and is due to open in autumn 2023. It will replace

the theatres in the main hospital building, which are coming to the end

of their operational life.

The new building will benefit from the latest green energy systems,

such as photovoltaic and air source heat pumps, to ensure a low carbon

impact on the environment. This plan has already been awarded an

‘excellent’ rating under the BREEAM rating benchmark for sustainable

design and construction.

Patients will undergo surgical procedures in one of seven operating

theatres that incorporate the latest thinking on operating theatre

design and technology. There will also be a separate area for children

to be cared for.

Caroline Walker, chief executive officer at the North West Anglia NHS

Foundation Trust which runs Hinchingbrooke Hospital, said: “This is a

major step for our team at Hinchingbrooke who have been keen to

bring to life our plans to modernise our services and facilities.

It is an exciting time for our patients and staff, particularly those

working in our existing theatres, as they have been closely involved in

planning the new operating environment they will be working in.

“This substantial investment by the NHS demonstrates the important

long-term role Hinchingbrooke Hospital will play in the provision of

acute hospital care within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health

system.”

The theatre block development at Hinchingbrooke is the second part

of a three-phase redevelopment scheme which aims to replace the

old hospital building and modernise Hinchingbrooke Hospital, which

opened in 1984.

Hinchingbrooke staff in the current hospital facilities.

Credit: NWAFT

This redevelopment project will be one of the first driven forward by

the new Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System, a

partnership organisation bringing together the local health and care

organisations.

The exterior design was chosen by local residents and hospital staff in

a poll run in February 2021.

The construction of the new theatre block, which started on April 25,

marks the culmination of a two-year process to obtain funding and

planning approval.

Source: The HUNTS Post – Debbie Davies

www.facebook.com/TheOTJ


INTS2022

BERLIN

GERMANY

© Marco2811 - Fotolia.com

15 th International

Neurotrauma Symposium

Improving lives after neurotrauma through research

17–20 July 2022

Pre-symposium-courses scheduled for 17 July

www.neurotrauma2022.com

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Prince Charles meets Derwent Hospital Operating Theatre team

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into The Prince helping of family Wales doctors has visited recognise a new potential operating sepsis theatre and built ensure in record that

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professionals to Covid-19. are supported and equipped to identify and treat sepsis

early. It was initially intended to commemorate two staff members who died

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died over the past two years.

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thing I can describe her, a joy for everyone, a really reliable person.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Sepsis-

‘Lavender was her favourite flower, it has such a calming smell, that’s

Action-Plan-23.12.15-v1.pdf

why it is a lavender garden.’

twitter.com/OTJOnline

Parys spoke to the prince for several minutes during his visit.

Donna Bailey, surgical first assistant and a close friend of Ms Gryga,

said: ‘Just before Anna died, I gave her a bunch of lavender from my

garden, and that’s where the idea for this special space came from.

‘This has since grown into a garden for all staff so we can have a

peaceful place to decompress during difficult shifts, to recharge after a

long day inside, and to reflect on those we have lost.

‘It’s been wonderful to see the garden celebrated by the Prince of

Wales, and for the relatives and generous donors to come together on

this very special day.’

Charles also posed for a photo with a group of nurses and waved to

crowds of people gathered at the windows overlooking the new outdoor

space.

He said to one nurse ‘I don’t know how you do it’, when she told him of

the long hours they worked during the pandemic.

Louise Pennington, lead palliative care nurse, said: ‘I’m unbelievably

proud of all our teams and for all they did during the pandemic to

ensure compassionate and safe visiting for patients at the end of their

lives.

‘We pulled together to focus on what matters most to our patients and

having His Royal Highness here is great recognition of all we’ve been

through.’

Later on Friday, the prince visited the Poundbury housing development,

which is next to the Dorset town of Dorchester and built on Duchy of

Cornwall land.

So far, 2,240 homes have been built on the site, which is designed to

boost the quality of life for those who live there, with a focus on people

rather than prioritising traffic.

The prince met people involved in designing and building a new play

area for children.

Also present were Cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Michael Gove.

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital is currently undergoing further

transformation work.

In 2024, a new hospital building, The Beach Building, is expected to

open and will have a critical care unit, an emergency department,

children’s unit and maternity unit.

wrand.com Issue 316 January 2017

18

7

THE OPERATING THEATRE JOURNAL www.otjonline.com

Source: Newsfeed

Heart Failure Awareness Week 2022

Leading heart failure society launches moving ‘Gogglebox-style’ film - ‘Focusing on Freedom’ - for members

Comments from the healthcare professionals reviewing the video

diaries include:

• Dr Rushabh Shah, General Practitioner, Nottingham:

o “Education is key. Patients need to educate us and come forward to

tell their stories to motivate and help others.

• Teresa O’Nwere-Tan, Heart Failure Clinical Nurse Specialist,

Homerton University Hospital, London:

WATCH THE ~ 1 minute TRAILER HERE

https://bit.ly/HFAWOTJ522

• British Society for Heart Failure launches moving 22-minute

film ‘Focusing on Freedom’ presenting the video diaries of four

individuals living with heart failure

o Snapshotting some of their challenges, triumphs and aspirations

o Reviewed by a panel of clinicians from cardiology, nursing and

General Practice, whilst being filmed themselves (‘Gogglebox-style’)

o A privileged insight into the life of those with heart failure

• Available to download by BSH Members for education and

presentation

o Designed to educate the wider clinical community and patients

• Heart failure is a growing societal issue: at least 1 million people are

affected by heart failure in the UK[[i]] with a further 200,000 newly

diagnosed each year

• ‘Freedom from Failure’ – The F word’ and raise public awareness of

the common symptoms of heart failure to motivate early seeking

of medical advice to improve outcomes - The F Word is Failure

#TheFWord #FreedomfromFailure

Today, 2nd May 2022 the British Society for Heart Failure (BSH), the

professional association for heart failure care in the UK, is launching a

moving ‘Gogglebox-style’ film called ‘Focusing on Freedom’, 22 minutes

in length, looking into the lives of four individuals with heart failure.

Intended for use by all who need to educate on the impact of heart

failure on life. Equally applicable for health care professionals across

healthcare settings, patients, students and for self-education.

Each of the four patients in the film, members of the BSH Patient

Advisory Panel, recorded a video diary capturing moments of the

impact of heart failure on their life which are generally not apparent

inside the consulting room/ GP surgery. These privileged insights were

created into four stories for comment to a panel of four healthcare

professionals from different health settings (cardiology, nursing and

General Practice), who were themselves then filmed in real time in

‘Gogglebox-style’ to produce the final film.

o “Treatments have changed over the last 30 years or so. It is important

for the public to understand that we can take the fear out of the

heart failure journey.”

• Dr Henry Savage, Heart Failure and Devices Cardiologist, Basildon

University Hospital, Essex: “There is a lot of hope in terms of the

treatments available and being with the right healthcare professional

who will take you by the hand and lead you through this. We will do

that.”

• Dr Patricia Campbell, Heart Failure and Echo Cardiologist, Southern

Trust, Northern Ireland:

o “This has been a ‘re-setting’ experience. Seeing how heart failure

impacts people’s lives brings our focus on that the job we are doing

is for the person, the individual, in front of us.”

The film is one of several exclusive resources created for BSH Members.

Also launched this week is the BSH Members Resource Hub - a continually

updated suite of educational items such as case studies, presentation

slide decks, posters, films and patient resources. Produced as part

of the ‘Freedom from Failure – the F Word’ 5-year strategy, these

resources add to a growing repository provided by BSH to make heart

failure a national priority.

At least 1 million people are affected by heart failure in the UK[i]

with a further 200,000 newly diagnosed each year. It must not be

underestimated that the risk of death from heart failure is higher

than for some of the most common cancers[ii] therefore, heart failure

should be recognised, detected and treated with the same urgency as

a disease as malignant as cancer[iii].

BSH Chair, Professor Roy Gardner, Consultant Cardiologist, Heart

Failure Specialist, Golden Jubilee Hospital, Glasgow commented: “With

appropriate management it is possible for people to live well with heart

failure. Outcomes can be dramatically improved through earlier, faster

diagnosis, specialist referral and expediting optimal treatment onto

guideline recommended therapies[iv]. This is an important aim of the

care we provide as Heart Failure Specialists.”

To learn more, please visit: https://www.bsh.org.uk/


Greener Operations Survey

Your views are needed to guide future research and to shape

advances in technology, innovation and service delivery.

In a previous survey, healthcare professionals, patients, their

carers and members of the public were asked what questions

they felt needed to be answered by research. This process

led to the creation of a list of 60 important questions. Your

help is now needed to determine which of these matters

most, by selecting up to 10 of them that are the most

important to you

Follow this link for the survey: https://bit.ly/GOOTJ522



Largest ever study on traumatic brain injury highlights

global inequality in causes and treatment

Neurosurgery experts from

Cambridge have led the largest

ever study examining the surgical

management of traumatic brain

injuries, highlighting regional

inequalities in both major causes

and treatment of such injuries.

The Global Neurotrauma

Outcomes Study, funded by the

NIHR, is published in The Lancet

Neurology and provides data to

assist in decision making and

improving outcome for patients

with traumatic brain injury

globally.

The paper focuses on types of

cases, the way they are managed,

and death rates, and was

compiled using data submitted

by 159 hospitals in 57 countries

to a central database, which the

researchers then analysed. The

researchers stratified countries

into four tiers (very high, high,

medium, low) according to their

Human Development Index (HDI),

which takes account of factors

like life expectancy, education,

and income.

The prospective study determined

that patients in the low HDI tier

were often young and tended

to suffer skull fractures due to

assault but were classified as

‘mild’ traumatic brain injury

(TBI).

In the medium and high HDI tiers,

patients were also young, but

most had moderate to severe TBI

caused by a road traffic collision

and extradural haematoma – a

bleed on the outside of the dura

mater, the membrane covering of

the brain.

In the very high tier, patients

tended to be older and presented

with a moderate or severe TBI

associated with a fall and acute

subdural haematoma - a bleed

on the inner surface of the dura

mater.

Quality of care was generally less

favourable in lower HDI settings,

including delays to surgery and a

lack of postoperative monitoring

equipment and intensive care.

The very high HDI tier had the

highest proportion of operations

in which the most senior surgeon

present in the operating theatre

was a fully qualified neurosurgeon,

while the medium HDI tier had

the lowest proportion. The study

also found significant variations

between hospitals in the outcome

of patients.

Angelos Kolias, Consultant

Neurosurgeon at Cambridge

University Hospitals NHS

Foundation Trust (CUH) and NIHR

Global Neurotrauma Research

Group associate director, said:

“The results show that overall

mortality is low, reflecting the

life-saving nature of surgery for

traumatic brain injuries. Many of

these patients would have died

without an operation. However,

we also need to address deficits

in pre-hospital management and

long-term rehabilitation.”

David Clark, a trainee

neurosurgeon and University of

Cambridge research fellow, said:

“A particularly important finding

is that outcome is influenced more

by hospital characteristics than

country of origin, which raises

the possibility that changing the

systems and processes of care in

individual hospitals might be able

to improve mortality. The paper

sows the seeds for discussion and

change.”

The research was funded by the

NIHR using UK government aid to

support global health research.

Alexis Joannides, Consultant

Neurosurgeon at CUH and NIHR

Global Neurotrauma Research

Group informatics lead, added:

“The contribution of several

clinicians and researchers from

several hospitals across the world

has been possible due to the

infrastructure and collaborations

supported by the NIHR.

“The database and data

management process used in

the study have now laid the

foundation for a global registry

of traumatic brain injuries that

we have established to support

ongoing quality improvement and

research in the field of traumatic

brain injury.”

Peter Hutchinson, Professor of

Neurosurgery at the University

of Cambridge and Director of

the NIHR Global Neurotrauma

Research Group, said: “This is the

largest study in the world looking

at the surgical management

of head injuries and will be of

practical value to clinicians and

others planning strategies for the

future.

“The collaboration across such

a vast number of hospitals and

countries, together with the

support of the World Federation

of Neurosurgical Societies

and continental neurosurgical

societies, has been phenomenal.”

Reference

Clark, D et al. Casemix, management,

and mortality of patients receiving

emergency neurosurgery for traumatic

brain injury in the Global Neurotrauma

Outcomes Study: a prospective

observational cohort study. The

Lancet Neurology; 17 March 2022; DOI:

10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00037-0

OXYGEN GENERATORS SAVING LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Recent figures released by the Philippines health department revealed that over 1,000 people receiving treatment for Covid-19 are severe or

critical cases. As with other hospitalised patients, a continuous flow of life-saving Oxygen is crucial for their recovery but can supply be guaranteed

when ordering traditional cylinders?

To achieve self-sufficiency with this vital gas a growing number of medical facilities in the Philippines are switching to Oxygen Pressure Swing

Adsorption (PSA) technology from Oxair, supplied in the country by distributor and hospital systems specialist Brilliant Metal Craft & Machine

Design (BMC).

PSA systems are high quality, robust medical devices designed to last and deliver consistent, high purity oxygen on tap to hospitals and healthcare

facilities – even in the remotest locations around the world. BMC has now installed almost 40 Oxair PSA solutions in hospitals across the region,

from Isabela to Tagum City, with more in the pipeline.

Australia-based Oxair, a global leader in gas processing systems, offers a simpler, safer alternative to dependence on cylinder-stored medical

oxygen. As it extracts its supplies directly from the atmosphere, PSA oxygen provides better patient care with a permanent flow of high-quality

oxygen.

This system saves room space, offers output pressure and a flow rate to suit the needs of the hospital and is capable of piping oxygen to every

department where it is needed. Many medical centres across Philippine islands now have peace of mind, free from the worries associated with

deliveries of cylinders – thanks to the dedicated work from BMC.

Oxair’s system delivers constant oxygen of 94-95 per cent purity through PSA filtration, a unique process that separates oxygen from compressed

air. The gas is then conditioned and filtered before being stored in a buffer tank to be used directly by the end user on demand. Oxair has expanded

its operations in order to keep up with demand for standalone Oxygen PSA units.

BMC’s Kristine Belle, explained: “PSA systems enable self-generated oxygen so supply for the hospital is secured. No more worries and red tape

associated with deliveries of cylinder-stored oxygen. Handling and storage difficulties are also effectively eliminated.”

The cost to a Philippines health facility generating its own oxygen is a fraction of purchased oxygen, meaning fast equipment investment payback

and great savings in the long term.

David Cheeseman of Oxair added: “We’ve seen terrible consequences from a lack of life-saving medical oxygen, especially when treating Covid-19

patients. Medical facilities in the Philippines can rely on our technology for their oxygen needs as it is tried and tested over many years and the

installations are carried out by BMC to an extremely high standard.”

The covid-19 pandemic is far from over and is continuing to place additional pressure on oxygen supplies. More and more hospitals in the Philippines

are recognising that PSA systems provide almost instant access to vital oxygen supplies under significantly safer conditions.

For further information on Oxair’s products and services visit: www.oxair.com.au

You can find out more about BMC at https://www.brilliantmetalcraft.com/hospital-systems/

Find them at C. Borces St., Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines or call (032) 233-5927 or (032) 231-7684


THE


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New chronic pain treatment suite opens at Halton Hospital

A new Clinical Treatment Suite based in the Nightingale Building at

Halton Hospital has opened which will help to reduce waiting lists for

those suffering with chronic back pain.

A capital investment of £145k, has provided a facility which will allow

patients to be seen and treated without requiring admitting to a ward

or visiting an operating theatre to have their procedure, helping to

reduce waiting lists. This development is part of ongoing plans to

further improve the chronic pain service and to reduce waiting times.

The plan is to treat up to 14 patients a day, Monday to Friday for chronic

back pain; minor vascular procedures for symptomatic varicose veins

and minor urology procedures will also be performed in the facility.

These will be performed under local anaesthetic with the ability to

provide sedation where required. Patients who do require additional

care following their procedures can be referred to the surgical ward,

located on the main corridor from the treatment room, but the majority

will go home within hours of their procedure direct from the Clinical

Treatment Room.

The design of the facility is a walk in/walk out approach to provide

efficiency and allowing more patients to be treated. The focus for

the Clinical Treatment Suite is to treat patients who are experiencing

chronic back pain and to improve their quality of life.

Louise Hughes from Runcorn was the first patient to receive her

treatment in the new facility and commented, “I was very impressed

with the new Clinical Treatment Suite, the fact it was all within one area

provided privacy and dignity, as previously you booked into the ward,

but then had to be transported to Theatres and back. “I particularly

liked the locker facilities, which allowed me to bring my tablet/phone

to look at pre-procedure and then after. I was delighted to be able to

go home within hours of my procedure.

“Having this facility will make a huge difference to those like me

suffering from chronic pain, who have had to wait three years for

treatment because of the delays caused by the pandemic and I am

feeling a lot better after having my radio frequency treatment last

week, it has improved my daily life.”

Guy Hanson, service manager for Theatres explained,

Pictured: Bev Caine, ward manager with patient Louise Hughes and

Rosie McCann, Theatres Manager in the Clinical Treatment Suite.

“The Clinical Treatment Room will provide us with more flexibility

for treating more patients and releasing valuable capacity in our

operating theatres to allow more surgery to take place on the Halton

site. Previously, patients requiring pain injections would book into a

bed space on the main ward and be taken to Theatres to have their

injection, reducing surgery slots.

“Now with this new facility it will enhance our patients’ experience, as

they will book in, be shown to the changing room to get changed into

a gown, then seated in our comfortable bays, whilst they await their

turn for their procedure in our treatment suite. Once they have had

their procedure, they will be cared for in our 2 bedded recovery area,

before returning to the chair bays to be monitored and provided with

refreshments if required, before being discharged.”

The facility will also be used in partnership with The Walton Centre for

chronic pain procedures and Countess of Chester Hospital for vascular

treatment.

Source Halton Hospital


Micromate now available to

use with CT guidance thanks to

planning and navigation station

• Micromate’s capabilities are now available to the much broader CT

guidance market.

• The most recent development to the Interventional Systems’ product

offering was unveiled during last week’s ECIO, in Vienna.

Interventional Systems announced the newest addition to Micromate’s

portfolio: a planning and navigation station that makes its miniature

robot available for use with CT scanners.

Panaxia and Neuraxpharm: First

export of medical cannabis

sublingual tablets to France

The first-of-its-kind export is part of the companies’ participation

in the French government’s program to regulate the medical

cannabis industry

Both companies have previously issued their premium oils to patients

in France

Panaxia Labs Israel Ltd a global pharma company which develops,

manufactures and markets progressive medical cannabis products in

pharmaceutical quality, and Neuraxpharm Group (Neuraxpharm), a

leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the

central nervous system (CNS), announced recently a first export of

medical cannabis sublingual tablets from Israel to France.

The export is a part of a program by the French government and the

French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products

(ANSM) to regulate French medical cannabis industry. It follows the

issue of the companies’ premium oils to patients in France, as part of

the ANSM program.

Micromate, a full-fledged miniature robotic platform for

percutaneous procedures

The new addition to Micromate makes it possible for physicians to rely

on pre- and intraoperative scans to plan the intervention. These planning

capabilities can then be leveraged to navigate and guide instruments to

the trajectory automatically with submillimeter accuracy. All features

fit into a one square meter console, with the robot being maneuvered

from afar, and relying on a miniature, table-mounted camera. This

substantially reduces radiation exposure to physicians and patients, the

number of interoperative rescans, and does not negatively impact the

available space in the room.

“For years, we have been discussing making Micromate the control

panel of the entire medical workflow. This solution is the first step in

that direction”, says Michael Vogele, Interventional Systems’ founder

and CEO. “We have developed this planning and navigation system

while bearing in mind all constraints related to practicality and cost.

Our all-in-one platform integrates seamlessly with the workflow and

allows the use of conventional fluoroscopy, CT, and CT navigation, all

while still being extremely affordable. We are looking forward to what

is to come.”

Dr. Reto Bale, from Medical University Innsbruck, will be one of the

earliest adopters of the technology: “Planning and navigation tools

are fundamental for successful percutaneous procedures and clinical

efficacy depends on them. I’m looking forward to incorporating

the Micromate robot in my practice and further developing new

applications whose outcomes can be improved with robotics”.

A current user of Micromate at the Ordensklinikum Linz BHS, Dr.

Alexander Kupferthaler, adds: “Precise image-driven targeting and

highest accuracy while reducing radiation exposure are the ultimate

goals in interventional radiology procedures. The Micromate all-in-one

planning and navigation station with its intuitive handling and seamless

integration to the angio-suite or CT workflow is a unique platform to

add to patient safety and further perfect my interventions.”

The most recent version of Micromate will become available in Europe

in the second half of this year. For the US market, 510(k) certification is

pending and expected by Q3 2022.

Interventional Systems (www.interventional-systems.com) is pioneering

better patient outcomes by expanding the access to micro-invasive

interventions, in a groundbreaking approach they call value-based

robotics. The company’s miniature robotic platform, Micromate, is the

epitome of this approach, rendering interventions cost-effective while

presenting outstanding results and the utmost quality.

Interventional Systems wants to empower interventional radiologists

and oncologists with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-fledged robotic

platform. The company also aims at amplifying its multimodal

platform’s interventional reach, both through internal R&D and

strategic partnerships.

Interventional Systems is headquartered in Kitzbühel, Austria, and has

offices in Austria, Germany, and Portugal.

Dr. Dadi Segal, CEO of Panaxia Israel: “We are glad of another significant

milestone in the implementation of our strategy. We are proud to be,

alongside our partner, Neuraxpharm, part of the spearhead of the

world’s leading cannabis key-players selected for the ANSM program.

In addition, we are the only company in this program to supply medical

cannabis sublingual tablets. According to our predictions, the French

market is expected to become one of the most advanced medical

cannabis markets in the world, which will be a remarkable growth

engine for Panaxia”.

Dr. Pierre-Hervé Brun, General Manager of Neuraxpharm France: “It is

a great achievement for us, together with our partner Panaxia, to have

been selected as one of the few specialists offering medical cannabis on

the French market under the ANSM program. As the only companies in

the program providing medical cannabis sublingual tablets, we are able

to offer our patients a variety of patient-oriented and more easy-to-use

forms of presentation. Going forward, we will continue to work with

Panaxia to pursue our strategy in the fast-growing medical cannabis

sector and bring more in-demand dosage forms and treatments to

market.”

The sublingual tablets, manufactured by Panaxia under EU-GMP

standard, subject to strict clinical standards with the brand name

Naxiva-Panaxir, will be issued to patients participating in the French

prescriptions program, in hospitals and pharmacies all over France.

Medical cannabis sublingual tablets enable a higher level of absorption

of the active substances into the bloodstream (without initial passage

through the liver) and thus, contribute to the effective and rapid relief

to the patient. The tablets also enable physicians to adjust a more

precise treatment routine to the patients. According to their needs,

the level of the dosage as well as the concentration of the active

ingredients can be adjusted. In addition, it has been proved that the

tablets contribute to a better response to treatment and improved

patient satisfaction, mainly due to the effectiveness of the treatment,

the simplicity and accuracy of the usage.

The ANSM program, which was launched in March 2021, includes about

3,000 patients, who are receiving medical cannabis in France for the

first time. The list of indications compiled by the ANSM includes the

following diseases and treatments: Cancer, certain types of Epilepsy,

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Palliative Care (treatments to improve the

quality of life of patients with incurable diseases), and pain that does

not respond to conventional treatment.

The market potential in France is very significant, considering only last

year the French government approves the regulatory of the medical

cannabis industry. According to the latest estimates, there are currently

between 300,000 and 700,000 patients in France, who meet the criteria

and may be eligible for a prescription for medical cannabis treatment.

To learn more about Panaxia, please visit: https://panaxia.co.il.

To learn more about Neuraxpharm, please visit:

https://www.neuraxpharm.com.

For further information, please contact: yelena@panaxia.co.il


Translumina launches VIVO ISAR, its

Dual-Drug Polymer-free Coated Stent

(DDCS) in International markets

Launch of novel stent technology with 10-year safety and efficacy

data adds further momentum to the company’s global growth

journey

Translumina, a global developer and manufacturer of innovative

cardiovascular medical devices used in interventional cardiology,

announces the launch of VIVO ISAR, its latest generation dual drug

polymer-free coated stent (DDCS), in various International markets

including Europe.

As an organization, Translumina has always been synonymous

with innovation in the field of intervention cardiology and today’s

announcement further strengthens its global cardiovascular portfolio.

Several studies have proven that polymers are pro-inflammatory and

may cause stent thrombosis. However, the use of polymers has been

necessary in current generation DES as they control the release kinetics

of the drug by acting as a carrier for drug loading and release.

VIVO ISAR is the first Dual Drug Polymer-Free Coronary Stent

technology, which brings together a stent with a superior safety profile

without compromising the drug release kinetics. VIVO ISAR is the first

technology that uses Probucol, an antioxidant and lipid-lowering drug,

as a carrier for releasing Sirolimus (an anti-restenotic drug) and thus

creates a polymer-free DES platform with uncompromised safety and

efficacy.

In 2020, Translumina became the only company in the world to publish

10-year follow-up data on its Dual-Drug Polymer-free Coated Stent

(DDCS) VIVO ISAR. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology

(JACC), which is amongst the top publications in the world of cardiology,

with a high impact factor as per Journal Citation Reports, published the

10-year safety and efficacy follow-up data on VIVO ISAR.

“The ten-year outcome of VIVO ISAR is a major breakthrough in DES

technology as it proves that synthetic polymers can be removed from

a DES without compromising the efficacy of the DES. The excellent

safety profile demonstrated in the 10-year follow-up study is especially

notable as it provides a powerful new technology for treating complex

coronary artery disease in high-risk patient subsets. This DES technology

carries the great potential of significantly shortening the duration of

dual antiplatelet therapy,” said Dr Adnan Kastrati, Director, Cardiac

Cath Lab, German Heart Center, Munich and the lead investigator of

ISAR TEST 5, the trial that compared VIVO ISAR to Endeavour Resolute

(Medtronic Inc USA).

Patients with diabetes mellitus present a particular challenge as

the disease is associated with a more diffuse manifestation and

consequently suboptimal clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary

intervention.

In 2021, the Journal of American Heart Association published compelling

10-year efficacy and safety data of VIVO ISAR in a Diabetes subset

highlighting its excellent efficacy and safety profile, with 30% reduction

of MI as compared to Endeavour Resolute. Translumina became the first

company in the world to achieve the longest RCT follow-up with its

flagship Dual Drug Eluting Stent that brings new hope for the high-risk

diabetic subset.

Translumina has launched VIVO ISAR in Italy & Spain and plans to roll it

out in several markets across Europe, Latin America and APAC over the

coming months.

“We are very pleased to be able to provide our premium high-quality

stents to customers across the globe. Cardiologists world over now have

a choice to give a proven and safer Drug Eluting Stent to their patients

who otherwise have poorer outcomes with conventional DES, more so

among the high-risk diabetic subset,” said Gurmit Singh Chugh, MD and

Co-founder, Translumina.

Everstone Capital invested in Translumina in 2019 to further strengthen

its research & development pipeline, scale its manufacturing operations

and expand its global footprint to transform Translumina into a leading

multinational medical devices company.

“We are proud that Translumina is leading the global journey of creating

the highest standards of clinical data that enable physicians to treat

patients with more confidence and certainty,” said Dr. Arjun Oberoi,

Managing Director, Everstone Capital.

Further information: https://translumina.com/in/vivoisar/

Operating Department Practitioner

– New Zealand

Do you want to work at the largest tertiary centre in the South Island?

You will get work-life balance and with adventure never far away from

your doorstep, if you are considering a move, this could well be your

best one yet!

This is your chance to join a health system that truly cares. Our client

is a world leader in the delivery of integrated healthcare, and right now

they have the opportunity for you!

As a highly skilled Anaesthetic Technician, you will be eager to play

a key role in continuing their drive of constant improvement, provide

exceptional care and delivery of service, and enjoy a varied and fast

paced environment.

As the largest tertiary centre in the South Island their service also

encompasses several other sites across Christchurch and houses

state of the art equipment while offering a varied case mix.

The Role: Where you fit in

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Providing professional, technical, and clinical assistance to

Anaesthetists.

• Preparing equipment within operating theatres or areas where

anaesthesia is provided.

• Anticipate problems and exceptional patient care.

• Mentoring trainee Anaesthetic Technicians.

You must:

• Have a recognised qualification within New Zealand or international

equivalent.

• Have registration with the Medical Sciences Council (or eligibility to

obtain) and an Annual Practising Certificate

• Having a minimum of 2 years’ experience is preferable but not

essential.

• Have strong interpersonal skills.

• Be motivated to embrace challenges and change as well as being

able to work in challenging environments.

We can provide the successful applicants with:

• Assistance with registration, immigration, and relocation processes

• Reimbursement of registration fees with MSCNZ and APC

• Contribution towards relocation costs

• Payment for accommodation and flights

For interviews or for any questions you may have regarding this

fantastic opportunity please contact info@accent.net.nz

Free call from the UK 0808 23 444 68 or WhatsApp 006421 403143

Email or call Prudence to enquire NOW:

prue@accent.net.nz or UK Freephone 0808 23 444 68


NMC and GMC

refresh duty of

candour guidance

The NMC and General Medical

Council (GMC) have collaborated

to refresh our professional duty of

candour guidance.

Recently we’ve refreshed our

professional duty of candour

guidance, which sets out

professionals’ responsibility to

be open and honest about what

happened when things go wrong

in health and care. The guidance

is a collaboration between the

NMC and the GMC, and was first

published in 2015.

The refreshed version of the

guidance includes updates about

reporting systems, terminology,

and the support available to

health and care professionals.

However it hasn’t created any

new or additional requirements

for professionals.

The professional duty of candour

applies to all health and care

professionals. Our guidance

supports nurses, midwives and

nursing associates to address

concerns, speak up and reflect on

their actions, helping to promote

a culture of openness.

There are two parts to our

guidance:

1. Nurses, midwives and nursing

associates have a duty to be

open and honest with the

people who use services,

and those close to them. This

includes explaining when and

why things have gone wrong,

and apologising to them.

2. Professionals also have a duty

to report incidents, and be

open and honest with their

colleagues, managers, and

employers. This might include

their health board, trust or

head office, and the NMC.

Professor Geraldine Walters CBE,

Executive Director of Professional

Practice, said:

“It’s vital that health and care

professionals understand their

responsibility to be open and

honest with people who use

services, their employers, and

the NMC. This will help us all to

understand how and why things

went wrong, and avoid similar

incidents in the future.

“The Code and this guidance

will help nursing and midwifery

professionals to understand and

apply the duty of candour. This

will help ensure that people who

use services receive the care

they deserve and have a right to

expect.”

Tessa Sanderson CBE takes the baton as Canon Medical

UK’s Business Ambassador

Six-time GB Olympian and the first black British woman to win Olympic gold champions the role of

diagnostic imaging in sports medicine

Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist for

javelin, Tessa Sanderson CBE, has been re-appointed

as Canon Medical Systems UK Business Ambassador

for 2022. She will be representing the Canon brand

during its role as ‘Official Imaging Supporter’ at the

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, while also

spearheading wider communication of how valuable

sports diagnostic imaging is from her personal and

professional experience.

Tessa has over 26 years’ track and field sporting

experience at the highest possible level and has

gained many accolades and held many business,

trade and sporting roles. These include Vice Chair

of Sports England, Sports Reporter with Sky News

and Commander of the Order of the British Empire

(CBE), the highest-ranking order of the British Empire

awarded by the Queen in recognition of her positive

work.

“The role of medical imaging in sports and exercise

medicine is invaluable today,” states Tessa Sanderson.

“The polyclinics, with Canon Medical imaging systems

inside, at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth

Games will be a fantastic opportunity for athletes

from around the world to have medical imaging

examinations. In some cases, many simply won’t have

access to this sort of care in their home countries.

This will help with understanding injury, rehabilitation

stages and learning more about the impact of sports

on their bodies.”

“When I was injured in 1981 by rupturing my Achilles

Tendon, I was out of action for two years. At that time,

there wasn’t the depth of sports medicine diagnostic

imaging we see today to provide a quick and detailed

diagnosis to get the right treatment. Taking time

out of training and competition is not a good thing

for professional and upcoming sports people. Today,

there is so much more access and innovation through

MRI, X-ray and ultrasound to understand injury,

prevention and rehabilitation to get people back into

their careers as fast as possible. This is so important

in modern sports,” Tessa adds.

Full Conference: £95

One Day: £60

Supported by:

Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold

medallist for javelin, Tessa Sanderson CBE, has

been re-appointed as Canon Medical Systems UK

Business Ambassador for 2022.

Mark Hitchman, Managing Director of Canon

Medical Systems UK states, “Tessa Sanderson’s

re-appointment as Canon Medical UK Business

Ambassador is most welcome for this incredible,

multi-sporting calendar year in the UK.

She brings a unique energy to our organisation that

fuses the important elements of sports, business

and health. Her role will be incredibly valuable to

help us communicate the importance of diagnostic

imaging to both elite and community-based sports

people and clinicians.”

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will

take place from 28 July to 8 August 2022 with

around 6,500 athletes and officials from 72 nations

and territories competing in 19 sports including

eight para-sports across 15 competition venues.

www.infection360.co.uk

27-28 September 2022

Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham

INFECTI


360

N

What's trending in Infection

Prevention & Control

Day 1: SSI, Sepsis, COVID-19 &

other emerging pathogens

Day 2: Healthcare buildings as

a source of air & water borne

infection

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: OPEN

Submission date: 2 August 2022



Discovering the many more pages available online @ www.otjonline.com

Study sheds light on the benefits of exercise

in fatty liver disease

Exercise supports the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by

impacting on several metabolic pathways in the body, a new study from

the University of Eastern Finland shows. Regular HIIT exercise over

a period of 12 weeks significantly decreased the study participants’

fasting glucose and waist circumference, and improved their maximum

oxygen consumption rate and maximum achieved workload. These

positive effects were associated with alterations in the abundance of

a number of metabolites. In particular, exercise altered amino acid

metabolism in adipose tissue. The study was published in Scientific

Reports.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver

disease, affecting approximately 25% of the world’s population. Being

largely asymptomatic, the disease may progress from the accumulation

of fat in liver cells to liver inflammation and liver cirrhosis. NAFLD is

associated with obesity and other characteristics of the metabolic

syndrome, such as type 2 diabetes and abnormal blood lipid

concentrations. The accumulation of fat in the liver can be reduced by

weight loss and a health-promoting diet.

Exercise is an integral part of the treatment of NAFLD. The benefits

of exercise may relate not only to weight management, but also to

alterations in the metabolites produced by the body and gut microbes,

whose role in fatty liver disease remains poorly understood.

Exercise altered metabolism even without striving for weight loss or

dietary changes

In the new study, the researchers comprehensively examined the

effects of exercise on metabolism in patients with non-alcoholic fatty

liver disease. The randomised controlled intervention study involved

46 subjects diagnosed with NAFLD. They were divided into an exercise

intervention group that had a HIIT (high-intensity interval training)

session twice a week, plus an independent training session once

a week for 12 weeks, and into a control group that did not increase

exercise during the study. Neither of the groups sought to lose weight

nor changed their dietary habits during the intervention. In addition

to conventional medical examinations and laboratory tests performed

at the onset and end of the study, the researchers also performed

untargeted metabolomics analyses to identity various metabolites and

their abundance in adipose tissue, plasma, urine, and stool samples.

Based on the results, exercise affected metabolic pathways differently

in different tissues.

Exercise had a beneficial effect on fasting glucose concentrations, waist

circumference, maximum oxygen consumption rate, and maximum

achieved workload. These factors were also associated with many of

the observed alterations in the abundance of various metabolites in

the exercise intervention group. The most significant alterations were

observed in amino acids and their derivatives, lipids, and bile acids.

In particular, exercise increased the levels of amino acids, which

are the building blocks of proteins, in adipose tissue. According to

the researchers, their higher accumulations in adipose tissue may be

associated with improved lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as with

reduced insulin resistance.

The levels of various gut microbial metabolites were altered as a result

of exercise, which is suggestive of changes in the composition of gut

microbes, or in their function. Among these metabolites, increased

amount of indolelactic acid, for example, can strengthen the intestinal

mucosa, immune defence, and glucose balance.

Based on the results, exercise can have a beneficial effect on many

factors contributing to disease in patients with NAFLD, even without

weight loss and dietary changes. Adipose tissue seems to play a key

role in these effects. Exercise improved fasting blood glucose levels

and modified the metabolism of amino acids, lipids, and bile acids.

However, abnormal blood lipid concentrations were not improved by

exercise alone: their treatment requires attention to the quality of

dietary fats.

For further information, please contact:

Professor Ursula Schwab, University of Eastern Finland, Institute of

Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, ursula.schwab@uef.fi, tel. +358 40

3552791, https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/ursula.schwab/

Research article:

Babu, A.F., Csader, S., Männistö, V. Tauriainen, M.M., Pentikäinen,

H., Savonen, K., Klåvus, A., Koistinen, V., Hanhineva, K. & Schwab,

U. Effects of exercise on NAFLD using non-targeted metabolomics

in adipose tissue, plasma, urine, and stool. Sci Rep 12, 6485 (2022).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10481-9


Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Awards

2022 – Submissions Open on the 9th of May

We are excited to announce that this year, we will be holding the Chief

Allied Health Professions Officer Awards virtually on the evening of the

13th October 2022.

We will be opening submissions on the 9th May for six weeks until the

19th June. Submissions will be welcomed from all 14 of the allied health

professions and from all members of the AHP Community including

support workers, assistant practitioners, registered professionals, preregistration

apprentices and students. Submission will be made via

an online platform, where you will be given an option to either make

a written submission or attach a PowerPoint submission. We will be

delivering a webinar on the 18th May from 12:00pm – 12:30pm to go

over how to make a submission, judging criteria and to answer any

questions you may have about the awards. The link for this webinar

will be shared in the coming weeks but for now you can save this date.

The award categories this year are:

o AHP Creative provision of placements award

o AHP Public health champion award

o AHP Digital practice award

o AHP Workforce transformation award

o AHP Innovation and delivery of systems award

o AHP Research impact award

o Greener AHP award

o AHP Leadership for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion award

More information on how to nominate yourself or a colleague for an

award, will be shared in the coming weeks via email, twitter and

on FutureNHS. Last years awards pages give further detail on each

award category, and the attached gives further detail on our two

new categories; the ‘Greener AHP award’ and the ‘AHP leadership for

Equality, diversity and Inclusion’ award. When we open nominations

on the 9th May, our web pages will give further detail about these

new categories as well as some minor amends to category sponsor

information.

We are very much looking forward to receiving submissions from across

the AHP Community this year. Queries regarding the awards can be

directed to england.cahpo@nhs.net

Last years award page for further information:

https://bit.ly/CAHPOOTJ522

We are pleased to accept

clinical articles for publication

within the pages of


Please send for the attention of the

Editor at:

admin@lawrand.com

General Medical Council – good

medical practice consultation

opens to physician associates

The General Medical Council (GMC) has launched a 12-week consultation

on the content of Good medical practice. The updated guidance builds

on the principles of the interim standards for physician associates (PAs)

and anaesthesia associates (AAs) that were published last year and will

replace them when it comes into effect in 2023.

Like the interim standards, Good medical practice (GMP) is written as a

series of high-level principles, which, can be applied flexibly across the

complex, varied, high-demand systems that PAs and AAs work in. It’s

designed to help PAs navigate the professional and ethical challenges

they face throughout their careers.

Throughout the review of the guidance, the GMC has focused on making

sure the principles are relevant to all roles they’ll regulate in the future.

So, in the consultation, PAs will have an opportunity to tell them how

this would work in practice, as a PA or as a supervisor to PAs.

The updated guidance places even greater focus on behaviours between

colleagues and interactions with patients which are compassionate,

civil, inclusive, and fair.

Speaking about the consultation, Mikaela Carey, FPA secretary said

‘This is an opportunity for the GM to function and support the multidisciplinary

team and it’s diverse range of registrants and patients.

Historically, PA skills, knowledge, safety and values have aligned with

GMP, however, our formal inclusion marks a new chapter for PAs.

I hope that the review of the GMP considers the current working

environment, expectations and safety of patients; whilst also looking

to the future to provide assurance for patients and registrants.’

This new guidance emphasises the importance of supporting PAs

to develop leadership skills appropriate to their role, the need to

show respect for the skills of all colleagues, and to listen to their

contributions.

In all, the draft updated Good medical practice runs to 16 pages.

It provides detailed guidance for medical professionals covering

areas including ‘working with colleagues’, ‘working with patients’,

‘professional capabilities’, and ‘maintaining trust’.

The GMC’s consultation on the draft updated Good medical practice

runs until 20 July 2022. Your views are crucial because this guidance

will apply to you when you’re regulated by the GMC, and they need to

ensure it’s going to support you.

Take part in the consultation here: https://bit.ly/GMCOTJ522

www.Operating peratingTheatre heatreJobs.com



Why not recommend The OTJ to your librarian

Theatre Practitioners Recovery Nurses Anaesthetic Nurses ODPs

Scrub Practitioners Nurse Practitioners Medical Representatives


Theatre staff vacancies

Practice Plus Group Hospital, S


Competitive salary up to £39,250 dependent on experi

www.OperatinggTheatreJobs.com



Operating Room

Nursing jobs

Auckland DHB

Nau mai, haere mai ki Te Toka Tumai (Auckland DHB)

At Te Toka Tumai | Auckland DHB we are committed to upholding

Te Tiriti o Waitangi and providing culturally safe care. We value

role modelling manaakitanga as demonstrated by Ngāti Whātua

in the gifting of their whenua on which our hospitals stand. We

aspire to having a workforce reflective of the communities we serve

and achieving equitable outcomes for all.

We are looking for experienced OR nurses to join our dynamic

team of Perioperative service. We invite you to bring your expertise,

knowledge, clinical and cultural skills and join us in making a

difference to the way we approach our mahi to better deliver

optimal and equitable health care to Te Toka Tumai’s diverse

communities. You will already have at least 1 year of recent OR

experience within a large tertiary hospital and are ready to further

develop your practice within the Perioperative environment.

For more information on what we offer, please visit our careers

Theatre Practitioners website Recovery to see staff Nurses benefits. Anaesthetic Nurses ODPs

Scrub Practitioners Nurse

Please submit

Practitioners

your application

Medical

online, outlining

Representatives

your experience

and motivation to apply to this role.


If you have any queries about this opportunity or accessibility

or technical issues with the online process, please contact

Aqeela Razvi, Recruitment Consultant on aqeelar@adhb.govt.nz

to discuss how we can best support your application.

careers.adhb.govt.nz

83 AUDIT REPORT Waitematā District Health Board Annual Report 2018/19

outhampton

ence


Thank you for reading, the extended digital OTJ


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Hepatitis outbreak in children

may be linked to adenovirus

On April 15, the World Health Organization published a Disease

Outbreak News item about an unexpected significant increase in cases

of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in young people in the

United Kingdom. Since then, nearly 200 cases have been reported in

a dozen countries, including the United States, Israel, and Spain. So

far, this has led to one death, and 17 children have undergone liver

transplantation. In a new article, Medical News Today summarizes what

we know so far.

It’s a puzzling outbreak because none of the usual hepatitis viruses

have been found in children with the disease. There appears to be no

link with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, a strain

of the common cold virus, known as adenovirus F type 41, has been

detected in some, but not all, cases.

We spoke with Dr. Anupama Kalaskar, a pediatric infectious diseases

specialist at Children’s Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis, who has

advice for parents and carers about the symptoms to look out for: “Any

child with diarrhea and jaundice [in the absence of fever] should be

seen for evaluation.”

This is a developing story, and it may take time to establish a pattern of

symptoms and causes. If you are concerned, please check MNT’s Health

News page for the latest updates on this outbreak.

In the meantime, to learn more about what we know so far, jump to

“Hepatitis outbreak in children in US and Europe may be linked to

adenovirus.”

Source: Medical News Today Tim Snaith

http://bit.ly/OTJPaperli

Catch-up on some of the

weeks’ Operating Theatre

related News via our page

on Paperli.

Free Subscription,

will keep you in the know!

Spire Yale Hospital starts £11

million investment project

The developments are part of an £11m investment

Spire Yale Hospital has embarked on a multi-million pound investment

programme, with builders moving in on a site purchased by the hospital.

The work that is to be completed is set to convert existing administrative

buildings, close to the main hospital site, into a centre for outpatients

and where people can receive much-needed diagnoses.

The centre will be complete around the end of 2022 or early 2023.

A new, state-of-the-art MRI scanner will be installed in the new centre,

which will enable more patients to be scanned for a range of conditions

in a more comfortable environment. Which in turn, will speed up the

time it takes for patients to receive a diagnosis.

Previously, the hospital’s MRI scanner was located in a mobile unit

meaning that some patients with mobility issues had difficulty accessing

it. The new unit is fully accessible for all.

The main hospital building will be upgraded to create a new modern

outpatient operating theatre and recovery suite, with additional

bedrooms for inpatients.

y begun at the site.

Car parking facilities at the hospital will also be expanded.

The new developments will total around £11 million of investment.

It is hoped the developments at the new centre will aid in easing

current waits for healthcare across North Wales.

Sue Jones, Hospital Director at Spire Yale Hospital, said: “Here at Spire

Yale Hospital, we are absolutely committed to making sure our patients

can have fast access to diagnosis and treatment. Investing in stateof-the-art

facilities, like our new scanner and increased theatre and

bedroom capacity enables us to do this.

“In addition, the expansion of services at Yale Hospital, already

supported by our consulting and diagnostic suite in Abergele, means

that patients will have more access to a greater range of treatments at

the Spire hospital most local to them. In this way, we can enhance our

support for the local community and help address rising waiting lists in

North Wales and the surrounding area.”

SOURCE: THE LEADER BY JACK HARRISON


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The Operating Theatre Journal May 2022

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