Welcome to the latest edition of UCLH Magazine.
After what has felt like a long winter, I’m sure, like me, you’re looking forward to brighter days, warmer temperatures and the sense of possibility that comes with spring.
Looking forward and innovating is something we do a lot of here and, in this magazine, we’re showcasing a new mobilehealth clinic built into an ‘eco-tricycle’ that’s getting much-needed healthcare to homeless people. Also featured is our UCLH@Home service, which is helping patients like 80-year-old Margaret Stone continue their recovery in their own home under the care of their hospital team.
Our world-class research is key to allowing us – and the health sector more widely – to innovate and improve. On page 8, we’re shining a light on one such exciting programme of UCLH research – the first UK trial to test the benefits of proton beam therapy for certain patients with breast cancer. Helping us to stay at the cutting edge of healthcare are generous donations that come to us from UCLH Charity. Among the wonderful projects that the Charity has supported recently is our research into long COVID (when people experience long-term symptoms following infection from COVID-19). As you can read on page 16, this work is a ray of hope for those suffering from this debilitating and often life-limiting condition.
While we work hard to improve care for our patients – indeed, ‘improving’ is one of our four core values – we’re also constantly looking at how we can make UCLH a better place to work for our staff. Our values also include ‘kindness’ and ‘safety’, both of which underpin our new campaign to remind patients and visitors that all our staff deserve to be treated with kindness, and that violence and aggression are unacceptable. As well as posters around our hospitals, including the picture of ward sister Jezreel Jordan who is featured on the cover, UCLH is delivering training and support for staff to help de-escalate tense situations. Read more on page 4.
If you’re wondering what our fourth value is – it’s ‘teamwork’, and this issue reminds us that alongside our paid staff, we also benefit from the generous support of others who help us to provide the best experience possible for our patients. One of these teams is our volunteers, whose precious time, kindness and compassion can make such a valuable contribution to the healthcare we provide for our patients (page 14). And, we look at the role of our governors who provide a vital service in representing the communities we serve. As lead governor, Pam Peers tells us, becoming a governor is a rewarding way to ‘give something back’ and we’re recruiting this year. If you’re interested, find out more, and how to put yourself forward, on page 15.
UCLH launches campaign calling for kindness in hospitals
UCLH has launched a ‘Treat me with kindness’ campaign to make our hospitals a nicer place for everyone.
As record numbers of people attend healthcare settings, this can sometimes cause frustration for patients and their loved ones.
Members of the public will see posters at UCLH hospitals reminding everyone that healthcare staff are people trying to provide them with the very best care possible.
David Probert, UCLH chief executive, said: “It is a privilege to care for our patients and support their loved ones.
“We know that accessing healthcare during peak times can sometimes feel frustrating. We want to remind everyone that our staff are doing their very best to help you and that everything moves along more quickly and comfortably when everyone acts with kindness and courtesy.”
Jezreel Jordan, ward sister at UCLH’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, who is featured on the front cover, said: “Coming to hospital can be stressful and scary and we understand that. We think all our patients and staff will have the most positive experience possible if we all act with kindness."
"Seeing anyone being treated unkindly is hard for everyone who witnesses it even if it temporarily vents frustration, it usually makes things worse for everyone. That is why I was so happy to be part of this campaign supporting kindness, it is the lifeblood of a happy caring environment."
As well as the posters, UCLH is delivering training and support for staff to help de-escalate tense situations. UCLH is also asking staff to report all incidents so that appropriate action can be taken. While in the short term this might lead to an increase in recorded incidents, it will also help us to develop better solutions.
The campaign is supported by UCLH Charity.
The UCLH@Home service is helping patients like 80-year-old Margaret Stone to continue their recovery in their own home under the care of their hospital team.
UCLH@Home is a nurse-led ‘virtual ward’ that is run in partnership with Whittington Health NHS Trust. The service enables clinically stable patients to go home from hospital and complete the remainder of their acute care in the community, while remaining under the care of UCLH. This may include patients who need regular intravenous antibiotics, or heart-failure patients requiring ongoing monitoring after returning home.
For Margaret Stone, who has been an inpatient at UCLH many times in recent years for her lung conditions, being cared for by UCLH in the comfort of her own home was a really positive experience.
“Although I’ve had wonderful treatment when I’ve had to stay in UCLH, I much prefer to be in my own home with my own things. When my lung problems recently took a turn for the worse and I needed to be looked after by the hospital team, I was really grateful to be given the option to be cared for at home,” Margaret said.
“The nurses from the UCLH@Home service made sure I was well cared for. They visited me at home every day for four or five days, to give me my medication and make sure I was getting better.”
Nigel Steventon, UCLH@Home matron, explains some of the benefits of the service: “Patients often tell us they prefer to be looked after in their own home and we acknowledge that a prolonged stay in hospital is not always the best thing for them. “Virtual wards like UCLH@Home have a key role to play in freeing up hospital beds for those that need inpatient care, while providing safe, home-based care for stable patients.”
First UK proton beam therapy trial for breast cancer
The first UK trial to test the benefits of proton beam therapy compared to traditional radiotherapy for certain patients with breast cancer has begun at UCLH.
Every year in the UK more than 30,000 people with breast cancer receive radiotherapy following surgery as part of their treatment.
Standard breast cancer radiotherapy uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. As well as lowering the risk of cancer coming back, radiotherapy can increase survival rates. However, there can be a very small risk of radiotherapy leading to heart problems much later in life (less than one per cent of people treated).
Now, a new trial will compare proton beam therapy – which can target radiotherapy beams more precisely – with standard radiotherapy for patients who are at greater risk of long-term heart problems after treatment.
The trial, called PARABLE, will enrol 192 patients with breast cancer across 22 sites in the UK. Patients predicted to have at least a two per cent or more potential lifetime risk of heart problems from radiotherapy will be invited to take part. Around 500 out of every 30,000 people who receive radiotherapy for breast cancer fall into this category.
Trial participants will receive either standard radiotherapy or proton beam therapy. Those allocated to receive proton beam therapy will be treated at either UCLH’s PBT centre or The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. The trial will measure radiation dose delivered to the heart as an early predictor of possible heart problems.
Patients in the trial will also report their experiences using questionnaires so that researchers can assess side effects including skin reactions, breast pain and swelling, as well as other symptoms.
Joanne Marle, 54, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2022 and, following chemotherapy, was accepted onto the PARABLE trial, as some of her lymph nodes that were to be targeted by radiotherapy are close to her heart.
“It’s quite exciting to be on the trial – it’s nice to feel like you’re a part of something that might help others who could be at risk of heart damage from standard radiotherapy,” said Joanne.
Sairanne Wickers, consultant therapeutic radiographer and principal investigator for PARABLE at UCLH, said: “We hope PBT will be able to offer more tailored treatment for patients in future, and we are excited to launch this trial at UCLH.”
Lara Lawrence, senior trials radiographer at UCLH, said: “This is just the beginning of a number of comparative trials that will help lead the way for proton research. It is a very exciting to be involved in such novel research, which may help change the landscape of treatment for different cancer patient groups.”
A mobile health clinic built into an eco-tricycle has landed in London to nimbly treat homeless patients in a new bid to combine personalised care and environmental concern in the city.
UCLH’s Find and Treat team screens tens of thousands of vulnerable homeless and high-risk people each year. The team tests for and treats serious illnesses, which helps prevent onward infection and improves public health. Now the team’s agile prototype eco-tricycle will allow access to parks, hostels, soup kitchens, and be able to arrive under bridges and other outreach locations. The team will screen for blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, as well as providing vaccinations and much more.
London’s population health is closely linked to environmental conditions – high levels of pollution and poor air quality hospitalises approximately four Londoners daily and contributes to around 109 early deaths a year in Camden alone.
Professor Al Story (pictured), who is the founder and clinical lead of Find and Treat, said: “Air pollution harms the health of all Londoners, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. For the people we serve, who are forced to live on the street, clean air isn’t an option. This new, low carbon e-bike fits perfectly with our mission to help the most vulnerable, protect the air we share and promote better health for all.”
Designed with an aerospace electrician, the bespoke tricycle features remote temperature control, allowing safe storage of vaccines and medicines, while a solar panel provides an independent, climate-friendly charging option. The tricycle service is being delivered in partnership with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and dovetails with UCLH’s net zero strategy to beat national targets for carbon reduction by years.
Tasnim Huda - Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician
Tasnim tells us about her experience training with the Pharmacy team at UCLH and how their support has encouraged her to pursue this career.
What is a pharmacy technician?Pharmacy technicians are responsible for the day-to-day management of medicines, such as checking and ordering stock, as well as preparing and supplying medicines. Pharmacy technicians can also go on to work in patient-facing roles on the ward, where they directly manage a patient’s medication, in clinical trials or in non-clinical roles, such as in procurement.
I’m currently on a two-year apprenticeship to qualify as a pharmacy technician. The training is broad and involves a mixture of shadowing, virtual classroom learning and rotations at UCLH’s different hospitals.
What does a typical day involve? At the moment, I’m based in the inpatient dispensary, so in the morning I usually visit the wards to check their medicine stock levels and expiry dates.
This is to make sure they have the appropriate supply and order more, if needed. After this, we rotate across different duties – these could be making up and supplying medicines for inpatients, preparing ‘to take away’ (TTA) medicines for patients being discharged, or monitoring and recording the pharmacy stock.
Why did you choose this career? I was a recent psychology graduate when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it made me realise I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare and do something where I could make a difference. One of my friends, who was already studying on the course, recommended it as a way of starting a career in pharmacy. That’s one of the things I love about the team here – there are people with lots of different backgrounds.
What is the best part of your job? I love the support and encouragement of the team – they are so enthusiastic when it comes to helping and training me and it’s been great for my development. I appreciate their support and it feels nice knowing that they want to help me succeed.
What skills do you need? Good communication skills are useful – you must be able to speak to a whole range of people, from nurses and doctors to patients. Time management and attention to detail are also essential, as you must be able to prioritise competing duties while remaining accurate in your work.
Celebrating our amazing volunteers
Volunteers’ Week is 1-7 June and we’re celebrating the amazing contribution our volunteers make every day across our hospitals.
Volunteers are an important part of the team at UCLH. We have some 360 volunteers – people of all ages and backgrounds who are willing and able to help out in our hospitals.
They provide a range of services, from greeting people and helping them find their way, to shopping for inpatients, or simply sitting and talking to patients as they recover and get well enough to go home.
Remi Balogun worked as a nurse before she retired in 2019. She now volunteers at University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street – which is one of the places she worked!
“I love volunteering, serving patients and spending time with them – it’s like a continuation of the job I loved before I retired,” said Remi.
Last year, Remi and her fellow volunteers at Westmoreland Street completed more than 200 shopping requests and gave more than 450 hours of their time.
There are lots of reasons people volunteer. Some, like Remi, are retired and want to use their extra time to do something worthwhile. Others want to get experience for a career in healthcare or to gain confidence.
The volunteers’ service is supported by the UCLH Charity.
All our volunteer roles are different, and we offer full training and support before you start. For most of our roles you don’t necessarily need prior experience as the key things we are looking for are great people skills and the ability to give us a regular commitment.
Could you be a UCLH governor and help shape our future?
We are looking for eight UCLH members to join our Council of Governors and represent the patients and communities we serve.
A simple, self-nomination process will open in May, with voting in June and results declared in July. Successful candidates will take up their seats from 1 September for a three-year term.
Lead governor Pam Peers said: “UCLH is a great group of hospitals which is always looking for ways to improve and governors can help with this in several ways.
“You do not need any qualifications, just an interest in making life better for patients. There’s plenty of support and training for new governors and successful candidates will join a friendly and dedicated team.”
We are committed to making sure our Council of Governors is representative of our membership, so we encourage candidates from a range of backgrounds to put themselves forward for election.
Learn more
Join our prospective governors meeting to find out more on Wednesday 3 May, 5-6pm at the UCLH Education Centre, 250 Euston Road. To attend the event, or to arrange an informal conversation with an existing governor at an alternative time, please email uclh.governors@nhs.net or call 020 3447 9290.
UCLH Charity is the official charity of UCLH and provides around £10m of funding a year to support patients, staff and research. The Charity funds ‘over and above’ what the NHS can realistically provide and initiates projects that can sometimes become part of what UCLH delivers as standard.
Recently, charitable funding has enabled clinical research into long COVID at UCLH thanks to a generous £100,000 donation from the Howard de Walden Estate in 2020. The grant has funded two part-time research fellows, which has translated into helping hundreds of patients suffering with long COVID and contributed to a successful application for NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) funding.
The post-COVID service at UCLH is the lead provider for North Central London and has treated 4,200 patients since May 2020. “We currently review more than 100 patients each week, 40 of which are new referrals. Long COVID is a complex and long-lasting condition for some people,” said Dr Melissa Heightman, clinical lead for the service, and national speciality adviser for long COVID.
Recently, UCLH Charity has also awarded Dr Heightman a grant to employ an additional full-time consultant and a part-time occupational therapist so more patients can be treated over the next two years. This will enable UCLH to provide additional care for patients and develop a bespoke service for NHS staff affected by the condition.
“An estimated 2 million people across the UK are suffering from long COVID and, although we have made a lot of progress in terms of treatments, more research is needed,”added Dr Heightman. “This additional support from the UCLH Charity is therefore fantastic news for the service and our patients."
There are lots of ways you can support UCLH Charity. You can donate directly or use one of our ‘tap to donate’ machines in our hospitals, do a fundraising challenge or leave a legacy in your Will. Whatever you do, every single donation makes a difference. Find out more by visiting www.uclhcharity.org.uk or call the fundraising team on 020 3447 7737. Follow us on Facebook (@TheUCLHCharity) and Twitter (@uclhcharity) for the latest news, updates and more.
Upcoming events
Board of Directors
Thursday 25 May, 2.30pm, virtual – Microsoft Teams - email uclh.directors@nhs.net for joining instructions
Annual Members Meeting
Monday 24 July, 12.00-1.30pm, venue to be confirmed. Email uclh.members@nhs.net to register an interest in attending.
Council of Governors
Monday 25 July, 4.30-6pm, virtual – Microsoft Teams. Email uclh.governors@nhs.net for joining instructions.