Issue Number 6Spring 2011

GP

In this edition of GP Update we are highlighting some of the children’sservices we offer and the benefits of offering specialist care closer tohome. The Jenny Lind Hospital for Children was founded in 1854 one year

after Great Ormond Street and has provided a highstandard of services for the children of Norfolk and itsborders ever since.

Over the last few months we have been planning tobuild greater awareness of the Children’s Hospitalwithin the main hospital site. Hannah Giffard, theartist whose artwork inspired the refurbishment of the children’s areas in2009 has been instrumental in designing the new logos and signage whichwill aid us in increasing our profile amongst patients and stakeholders.

“Close to home where possible, transfer when necessary” was themessage from the 2004 NSF for Children.Over the last 15 years in paediatricswe have made strategic appointments in specialities such as neonatology,paediatric gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, rheumatology, diabetesand cancer care, together with all aspects of surgery for children.

These services are in turn supported by expertise in the laboratory,radiology and anaesthesia, and enable us in both the elective and emergencysetting to provide a level of highly specialist care closer to home. WithinNetworks we are keen to support local and secondary providers and havemade successful joint appointments between ourselves and neighbouringTrusts.

Krishna Sethia, Medical Director, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals

NHS Foundation Trust

WAITING TIMES for Radiology have

reduced considerably and the main

modalities are currently booking as follows:

CT scans Urgent as soon as possible (up to

2 weeks), routine within 3 weeks

MRI Urgent scans up to 2 weeks, routine

scans 6 -7 weeks (average 35 days)

Ultrasound Urgent scans 2 weeks.

Routine scans 5 - 6 weeks (average 34 days)

X-ray Routine within 3 weeks

DEXA Routine 3 - 4 weeks (average 20 days)

NEWS FROM

UpdateCARING FOR CHILDREN CLOSE TO HOME

FUNDRAISING ROLE Beth Coley, our new

fundraising manager, joins

us from Norfolk County

Council where she worked

as a Development Manager

in Children’s Services. Beth commented:

‘My work with the Friends of NNUH charity

will mean I can help bring new fundraising

opportunities to the hospital and support our

charity appeals.

• For more information contact

fundraising@nnuh.nhs.uk

Radiology waits

FROM SPONSORED runs to parachute

jumps, from concerts and auctions to a black

tie ball ... the race is on to raise funds for

our £500,000 Cots for Tots Appeal.

The aim is to equip four new cots for our

extended Neonatal Intensive care Unit’s

(NICU) giving more local families the

option of life-saving treatment for their

babies close to home. Events planned include

a charity ball and raffle on 9 April and a Live

Aid Concert in North Walsham on 16 April.

• To contribute to the appeal go to

www.justgiving.com/norwichnicu

TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARYThe NNUH is ten years old this year and we

are holding a celebratory Open Day and Fete

on 18 June when there will be attractions for

all the family. All proceeds will will go to the

Norwich Cots for Tots appeal.

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE NNUH has been chosen to take part in a

£2 million research study to find out how

to prevent the three most common accidents

among the under fives: falls, poisoning and

scalding.

The study,

“Keeping Children

Safe at Home”, is funded by the National

Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and

led nationally by the University of

Nottingham.

Families of children attending A&E are

being invited to fill in a questionnaire

describing the accident, their home

environment and any safety measures in the

home. By comparing this information with

questionnaires from other families in the

community, they hope to identify the most

effective measures to prevent accidents.

Cots for Tots appealnow tops £30,000

WAITING TIMES for adults with age-

related hearing loss have been significantly

reduced thanks to a direct-referral system

in audiology.

Patients who are over 60 and who met the

direct referral criteria, can be referred

directly to the audiology clinic at NNUH for

a hearing test. GPs are urged to use the

available proforma to avoid unnecessary

referrals to ENT.

Waiting times for direct referral to the

audiology clinic are around two weeks

compared to 12-weeks to see an ENT

consultant.

GP UPDATE SPRING 2011KEY CONTACTS

Screening benefits deaf children

Norfolk and Norwich UniversityHospitalColney Lane Norfolk NR4 7UYWebsite: www.nnuh.nhs.uk

On-call: For emergencies tel: 01603 286286 andask to be transferred to the appropriateon-call teams: • Surgical: SpR. (bleep 0080) • Medical: via the Emergency Assessment

Unit (EAU) on bleep 0002• Medicine for the Elderly: ext. 6509

There is also an on-call general (GI) andvascular consultant available via theswitchboard.

Norwich Community HospitalBowthorpe RoadNorwichNR2 3TUTel: 01603 776776(Also Breast Screening, Pain Management)

Norwich Contraception and SexualHealth ClinicGrove RoadNorwichNR1 3RHTel: 01603 287345

PharmacyMedicines information line: 01603287139

Pathology

Clinical Biochemistry andHaematology 01603 286929 / 286932 / 286959

Microbiology01603 288587 / 288588

Knowledge Norfolk website:

http://nww.eastern.nhs.uk/scripts/index.as

p?pid=73450&id=95975

GP UPDATEGP Update is edited by RebeccaPerry and produced by the NNUHCommunications team If you haveany questions, comments orcontributions please contactRebecca on 01603 289989 or byemail: rebecca.perry@nnuh.nhs.uk

THE CHILDREN’S cancer team at NNUH is

being strengthened to provide more support

for children with cancer. It follows a review of

shared cancer services for children in the

eastern region. A second paediatrician with a

special interest in children’s cancer,

Dr Archana Soman, has been appointed to

work alongside Dr Jo Ponnampalam, while a

second specialist nurse, Kate Stanton, will join

the nursing team led by Rosie Larkins.

A psychologist will be appointed to help

families cope with the psychological aspects of

living with a cancer diagnosis and the

multidisciplinary team will have the regular

support of a co-ordinator, Pam Kent. We will

continue to provide chemotherapy for local

children and monitor their progress on a

regular basis.

“The recommendations mean we now have

an expanded specialist team who can provide

an even better service for children with

cancer,” says Dr Jo Ponnampalam, lead

paediatrician for children’s cancer services at

NNUH.

MORE THAN 30,000 babies

have been screened since the

Newborn Hearing Screening

programme was introduced

at NNUH in 2006. Of those

tested, 70 have been

diagnosed with permanent

hearing impairment.

The screening procedure

involves the use of a hand-

held computer wired to an

earpiece which is placed inside the baby’s ear.

When hearing is normal, the cochlear

produces an echo in response to a sound

played into the ear and the echo is picked up

by a microphone inside the earpiece.

If there is no clear response the baby is

referred to our audiology team for diagnostic

tests. Babies can be fitted with a hearing aid

from around two months of age and they

continue to be monitored regularly by our

multidisciplinary team made up of

paediatric audiologists, technicians, speech

and language therapists and sensory support

specialists.

Research shows that children whose

hearing is screened soon after birth have, on

average, better language and reading abilities

at eight years of age than children who had

not been screened.

If hearing loss is severe they may need a

further boost in the form of a cochlear

implant, an electronic device

that turns sounds into

electrical signals. This

specialist procedure is carried

out at Addenbrooke’s Hospital

although the children receive

follow-up care at NNUH.

For those who cannot wear hearing aids –

perhaps because their ears are damaged or

deformed – a bone-anchored hearing aid

(BAHA) may be appropriate. NNUH

introduced this service for adult patients in

2002 and it has now been extended to

children who meet the necessary criteria.

Our audiology team has set up a quarterly

clinic where teenagers can continue to get

help and advice as they make the transition

from children to adult services.

Dr John Fitzgerald, clinical director of

audiology at NNUH explained: “As children

they get a lot of support but this does not

automatically continue when they become

adults. We aim to provide practical advice

and encourage young people to seek extra

support if they need it when entering college

or the workplace.”

Screening is quick and painless

but provides an early warning

for children with hearing loss

Boost for children’s cancer team

From children to adults

GO DIRECT FOR A FASTER SERVICE