Welcome to your latest newsletter. I hope you’re all looking forward to the spring bank holiday weekend.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who attended our latest online health event earlier this month. It really was a brilliant presentation from our urology consultant Simon Bott, covering all the latest news on prostate cancer. It was informative, candid and very interesting. Once again, we had great attendance, and I don’t think we have ever had a meeting with so many questions from our online audience.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement this week, we have had to postpone our next online health event, which had been scheduled for 2 July. This will now be held after the General Election on 4 July. We will send your next membership newsletter at the end of July.

In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy reading this edition – we have a great article about another first for Frimley Health with eye consultant Tom Poole and his team performing the first operation using an artificial cornea in the NHS. And I was very touched to read about Sarah Stevens, one of our booking team staff who has retired from the trust after 37 years working at Heatherwood. Hers is a role that doesn’t get as much public attention as others, but we could not operate or care for patients without her and her colleagues. We hope you enjoy many happy years of a well-deserved retirement, Sarah. It is people like Sarah who are the heart and soul of Frimley Health.

Bryan Ingleby
Chair
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

First artificial cornea transplant performed at Frimley

The country’s first commercial transplant using an artificial cornea has been performed by our ophthalmology team at Frimley Park Hospital. The ground-breaking eye operation could give hope to patients currently on the national waiting list for human corneal transplants.

The procedure is a type of corneal transplant called endothelial keratoplasty which involves removing the abnormal inner lining of the cornea (endothelium), and replacing it with an artificial cornea, rather than a donated human one.

Consultant ophthalmologist, Mr Thomas Poole, together with his consultant colleague Miss Hanbin Lee, have successfully performed the procedure on four patients in the last two months and initial results have shown an improvement in vision.

Patient Cecil Farley, 91, from Chobham in Woking said: “I’m really glad I had the procedure as I had no vision in my right eye at all. I’d previously had a human graft which failed so I was very happy to be the first patient to receive an artificial cornea.”

Tom Poole, consultant ophthalmologist, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “There is a delay in patients getting treatment because of the national shortage of available corneas. In selected cases, artificial corneas could be used giving patients quicker access to treatment and therefore improved sight.This is a very exciting step forwards in improving the vision of some of our patients with corneal disease who might otherwise face a long wait for a human cornea.”

High praise for informative prostate health event

More than 130 people attended this month’s online health event with many praising consultant urologist Mr Simon Botts’ engaging presentation on prostate cancer. Mr Bott gave an interesting and educational talk packed with helpful information on everything from the type of diet that could help to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, to the latest advances in scanning, diagnosing and treatment. If you missed the event, you can view the recording here.

The next online health event will be with Dr Jeremy Stern talking about advances in treating Parkinson’s disease. It was due to be held on 2 July, however as this now falls within the pre-election period we are in process of arranging a new date, which we will share with you as soon as possible.

Bookings team bid farewell to colleague retiring after 37 years

“It’s simple, I like what I do!” said Sarah Stevens, who retired recently after doing the same job in the same team for the last 37 years. The Frimley Health veteran joined Heatherwood’s Trauma and Orthopaedics and Plastics bookings team in 1987 liaising with patients to book appointments for foot and ankle procedures.

“It was very different when I started. There were no computers and each consultant had their own book which was much more time consuming. We used to sit down during Royal Ascot week as there were no appointments when the races were on and manually go through the pages of the book for a whole year!” explained Sarah.

More than 30 of Sarah’s colleagues gathered in Heatherwood to mark her last and nearly four decades of services to the Trust.

Sarah said: “The people I have worked with over the years have been fantastic, a lot of them are friends rather than colleagues. The bookings team have an important role to play, we are often the first people patients speak to so we can shape their perception of the NHS and make their experience at the Trust as good as it can be.”

Stroke research transforms rehab sessions for patients

May was Stroke Awareness Month. It saw the Trust as the top recruiter in the UK to a research trial called Avert Dose. The trial is looking into the effects of early mobility training to lower post-stroke disability.

A variety of mobility sessions provided by physiotherapists and nurses are monitored as part of the trial, taking into account the abilities of individual patients and providing pages of daily data. It is the first Trust study to have a physio, Bryony Skelton, as the principal investigator.

“It has been a really positive experience having physio-led research happening,” she said. “It has already led to practical changes on the ward, following the guidance of a previous trial. We now see patients in the first two weeks after their stroke for two shorter sessions rather than one longer one each day, and we don’t mobilise patients with haemorrhagic strokes or severe ischaemic strokes in the first 24 hours. The original trial showed that patients had improved functional recovery and fewer complications if this guidance was followed.”

A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. A haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding into the brain tissue. Ischaemic strokes, the more common type of stroke, happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

The Avert Dose study aims for a “rehab ethos” on the ward, encouraging the nursing staff to help patients be more active. Bryony said the aim was to make that ethos the general practise on the ward for all patients, whether they were part of the trial or not.

“We have introduced laminated sheets over each patient’s bed with visual illustrations of what the patient can do functionally, such as having a wash standing up rather than sitting, having meals sitting in the chair rather than in bed, and promoting patients getting dressed into their own clothes,” she said. “All of these things are really important for recovery and optimising function after a stroke.”

Valerie from Esher was about to head home after spending almost two weeks on the ward. To begin with, she only felt comfortable walking while holding on to other people, but said the team at Frimley Park had given her huge support. “The help I’ve had here has really made a difference,” she said. “All the exercises with the staff, plus the balancing work I’ve done with the physios in the gym. I can walk on my own without using the stick, if I choose. I feel much more confident.”

The Avert Dose study will finish this year. The results will help shape the future treatment of stroke patients.

Free NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme

It was Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week last week, a great opportunity for our local health and care system to raise awareness of Type 2 diabetes and to help people identify their risk and take action to reduce it.

Diabetes UK reports that there are estimated to be more than 4 million people living with type 2 diabetes in the UK, and millions more are at risk of developing the condition. An increasing number of these people are under 40.

The NHS is now offering a free Diabetes Prevention Programme which provides tailored, personalised support to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. You’ll have the chance to learn about making small changes to encompass healthy eating, achieving/maintaining a healthy weight and becoming more active. This combination of lifestyle changes is proven to help prevent the disease.

To find out if you could be at risk of type 2 diabetes, you can complete this survey. For more information about the prevention programme, see the Frimley Health and Care website.