Content originally from Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Specialised centre caring for children with sickle cell disease
Simi Omolabi, 16, from Laindon and his mother Victoria
Children and their families are receiving better care for sickle cell disease thanks to the efforts of our hospitals.
Our children’s department has developed a specialised sickle cell service for young people, while hiring additional staff and educating NHS colleagues about the disease.
Specialised consultants Dr Eva Tsouana and Dr Kilali Ominu-Evbota provide round-the-clock support and have helped to boost public understanding of the disease through interviews and blog articles. This comes amid calls for more blood donors to help those in need.
Nikki Tuffin, Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “We have run bitesize training sessions for other staff at our hospitals, to teach them about the symptoms of sickle cell disease, how to identify a crisis, and what medications and treatments are available.”
Families including Simi Omolabi and his mother Victoria have spoken positively about the care that they have received.
Hear from Simi Omolabi and his mum Victoria
Future pharmacists trained using virtual-reality technology in local first
Pharmacy trainees using the new virtual-reality device
Future pharmacists trained using virtual-reality technology in local first
The next generation of pharmacists are among the first to use cutting-edge technology as they prepare for work in local hospitals.
Pharmacy trainees have been using virtual-reality (VR) headsets to develop their skills at Basildon Hospital and help them to understand the needs of patients better.
The trainees meet ‘virtual’ patients, interact with them, and then work out how to respond to different scenarios. This prepares them under safe conditions to care for patients in the real world.
The training course was arranged by Health Education England (HEE) to build on traditional teaching offered for trainee pharmacists. While VR is increasingly used in medical and clinical training, it is the first time that this has been applied to a simulated pharmacy in Essex.
First Community Diagnostic Centre for mid and south Essex receives funding
Thurrock has been chosen as the first place in mid and south Essex to receive a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), which will be placed on the Thurrock Community Hospital site.
The centres are part of a national initiative to support faster diagnosis and access to tests and scans closer to home. The centre, which is due to open in 2024, will provide a CT scanner, X-ray, blood tests, ultrasound, MRI scans and also heart and lung diagnostic tests.
The CDC is the first of several planned for wider mid and south Essex.
Last Christmas for nurse who has dedicated 50 years to helping patients
Val Adams
A nurse who has worked for 50 years is hanging up her scrubs one final time after her last shift on Christmas Day at Southend Hospital.
Val Adams, 68, from Benfleet, has enjoyed her whole career as a nurse, whether it was training on the wards or working in specialist units in Post Op and in Critical Care. She recalls those initial steps into the new world of nurse training in 1972 just like they were yesterday.
Val said: “It was New Year’s Eve 1972, I was 18 and I’d gone to a party with my mum and dad and the next day we drove over to Rochford Hospital, which is where I lived for the first four years of my nurse training.
“I can’t explain how I feel. It has certainly been a bit emotional, and I know it will be even more so on my last shift on Christmas Day.”
Christmas gifts for new parents at Broomfield Hospital
Amanda Dixon, Matron and Lead Midwife for Inpatient Services, and Su Poole, Post Natal Ward Team Leader
Christmas gifts for new parents at Broomfield Hospital
Newborn babies taking their first steps into Christmas at Broomfield Hospital this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will all receive a gift from the team on the ward.
New mums and dads may not be getting any silent nights anytime soon, but staff are hoping to bring a little comfort and joy to those being born this festive season.
Each year, Amanda Dixon, Matron and Lead Midwife for Inpatient Services, and Su Poole, Post Natal Ward Team Leader, organise and pay for a gift for those needing to stay in hospital between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day night.
SWF Health & Social Care Group 
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