It’s time for a weekly round-up, featuring a new weight management service at North Yorkshire CCG, a new President for the British Heart Valve Society, and a burns and scar monitoring machine for Mid and South Essex FT, plus much more.
Read the stories down below to get the latest updates from across the world of health and care…
North Yorkshire CCG launches new weight management service
North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has launched a new weight management service for people in the North Yorkshire area.
The specialised service provide a more tailored intervention for patients who have tried other weight loss support available through the NHS or North Yorkshire County Council, such as low calorie diets, diabetes prevention, or digital health sessions.
On the new service, Dr Charles Parker, Clinical Chair, North Yorkshire, CGC, said: “I am delighted that patients across North Yorkshire can now access this new multi-disciplinary service.
“We know that for some patients, particularly those with severe obesity, general weight loss programmes do not provide enough tailored and intensive support.”
James Paget University Hospitals introduces new Family Liaison Officers
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has introduced new Family Liaison Officers (FLO) to support patients and their families during their hospital stay.
The Family Liaison Officers aim to ‘improve the experience of care’ for patients, and support communication and connection between inpatients and their loved ones.
Additionally, the Officers will support wards in providing compassionate care and offer patients the time for conversation, as well as put them in contact with their loved ones.
Within the James Paget statement, the Officers said: “As a team we feel privileged to be able to facilitate contact between family members. As people become familiar with our role, patients are understanding that we can sit and talk to them whereas other staff are very busy and may not have the time.”
Royal Papworth FT Consultant Cardiologist elected President of British Heart Valve Society
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Dr Madalina Garbi has been elected as the next President of the British Heart Valve Society (BHVS).
Dr Garbi, Consultant Cardiologist echocardiography and valve disease at the trust, will begin her three-year term later this year, following a unanimous vote from the Society’s council.
Dr Garbi said of her new role: “It is an honour and a privilege for me to have the opportunity to serve as the next BHVS President and work towards further endeavours of the society.
“The society aims to provide a forum for the entire team involved in the care of patients with heart valve disease, including cardiologists with expertise in heart valve disease and echocardiography, cardiac surgeons, physiologists, and specialist nurses to support the development of heart valve centres of excellence.
Mid and South Essex FT launches new burns and scars monitoring machine
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new £28,480 machine that can monitor how well scars and burns are healing.
The Cutometer, which was donated to the Burns Department at Broomfield Hospital, improves the service for patients by providing specialists with a ‘quicker’ and ‘better’ idea of how burns and scars are healing, the trust says.
Rachel Wiltshire, Lead Therapist for Burns, Plastics and Hand Therapy, said: “It’s called a Cutometer and works in seconds by using a pen-like probe to measure the general thickness and elasticity of people’s skin, giving us a reliable measure of scar improvements for patients.”
