Content originally from Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
| New international midwives set to help patients We are working hard to recruit additional staff to ensure our patients receive the best possible care.This is why we are so pleased to welcome the first four of twelve new international midwives to our Trust, coming from Ghana and Zambia. This cohort will work at Basildon Hospital, with four more at each of Broomfield Hospital and Southend Hospital in the coming months. Howard ‘Howie’ Katyamba, 30, from northern Zambia, said: “I can’t wait for my first day. It will be amazing to work in such a welcoming and diverse team. I want to give the best that I can, but also give our own perspective to the maternity team from our experience working in Zambia.”Once they have gained their Nursing and Midwifery Council PIN and UK registration, they will be on a year-long programme to give them additional support, as with all newly-qualified midwives.Read more |
| Full steam ahead for new urology procedure We have started to perform a new procedure to help our patients with enlarged prostates recover more quickly. Surgeons at Basildon Hospital’s urology department have treated their first patients using the ‘Rezūm’ procedure, which involves passing a telescope through the urethra and injecting steam into the prostate tissue, shrinking it over three to six months. Naeem Sheikh, a consultant urological surgeon who performed one of the first cases alongside fellow consultant Hani Ertemi, said: “With traditional methods, patients would have to stay over two nights. However, with this virtually bloodless procedure, we can treat this as a day case and the patient can resume work the next day if they wish.” Mr Sheikh will be training his colleagues so that patients treated at any of our hospitals will benefit. Read more Maternity triage system now available across our hospitals We now offer an emergency triage system across all our maternity departments, ensuring that women and birthing people can be seen for their initial assessment in as little as 15 minutes. The Birmingham Symptom-Specific Obstetric Triage System (BSOTS), where patients will be seen in order of priority using a traffic light system, is now running at Broomfield Hospital’s Day Assessment Unit. This system, first introduced in 2018 at Basildon Hospital and available since 2019 at Southend Hospital, reduces waiting times and stress for hundreds of birthing people and their families. It also means midwives can safely manage their workload effectively and have full knowledge of who is waiting to be seen. Georgina Stickings, Head of Midwifery and Gynaecology, said: “Since Covid, we have seen a huge surge in people visiting our department with pregnancy-related worries and concerns. When there is a long queue, BSOTS has really helped us bring women and birthing people through quickly who need to be seen first. “It hasn’t reduced the number of women and birthing people needing to see us, but it has had a great benefit in helping them feel safer and more relaxed by being fully informed of their priority.” Please get in touch to find out more Project helping local people gain skills shortlisted for national award A scheme that supports people in deprived areas to gain new skills and access healthcare jobs in Southend has been shortlisted for a national award. The Southend 2050 Ambition project, led by our Trust, has been helping eligible people in Southend to get the skills they need to secure the jobs they want. The project is up for the Place-based Partnership Award category in the Health Service Journal Awards. The project, which is part of our Anchor Programme, has supported almost 150 local people this year, with over 60 starting new careers. Charlotte Williams, our Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer, said: “We have always been there to provide care to our local residents, but through the Southend Anchor Programme we recognise how our organisation can go further and help people gain new skills and support them with their careers. The Awards will be decided at an event in London in November. Read the full story |
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