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The site team at University Hospitals Plymouth have been working hard to create spaces for staff to unwind, relax and recuperate.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust’s Learning Disability and Autism team were invited, along with DUG (Derriford Users Group) members, to a Parliamentary event in the House of Commons on the 15^th June 2022. The event served as the launch of MENCAP’s latest report: Loneliness, Mental Health and Coronavirus: research findings as well as a good opportunity for attendees from across the country to share their experiences of living with a learning disability during the last few years.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team based at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth have been awarded the Bliss Baby Charter Silver Award. 

This month saw the launch of the new Hospital Passport (HP) app at University Hospitals Plymouth. The app has been created to support people with a learning disability to be able to tell hospital staff what their needs are, what they like and do not like and details that might affect their care. The Hospital Passport has traditionally been a paper document that patients needed to carry around but with today’s technology, it is more practical and efficient to use a phone or portable device, to keep the information safe and readily available. The Derriford User Group  (DUG) (a local group of people with  learning disabilities) has helped design the new digital version. Funding from Plymouth Hospitals Charity has built the app and will support the roll out of this new service.

A series of studies conducted by consultants at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust have revealed that not only are patients who become trapped when involved in a car accident more likely to die, but that there are also significant differences in injuries sustained according to age and sex.

Within the first year, 50% of ICU patients will be readmitted to hospital, resulting in not just greater resource utilisation, but also a greater loss of working and school days for patients and their carers. This was recognised as a public health issue in 2009 by NICE, although surveillance in 2018 noted that only 27.3% of organisations reported any form of post-critical care follow-up of patients, and 6.8% reported the availability of a rehabilitation programme.

UHP have recently welcomed their first Harvey’s Gang patient, Kaston, as a Trainee Scientist for the day. Kaston is currently undergoing a 4-year treatment plan to tackle leukaemia and was interested in learning more about what exactly happens to his blood after his frequent blood tests. 

Parkinson’s UK has today announced three new senior appointments to their Excellence Network Clinical Leadership team. Dr Camille Carroll, Consultant Neurologist at University Hospitals Plymouth, will take up the joint role of Clinical Director, together with Professor Richard Walker, Consultant Geriatrician at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

An amputee patient who received treatment from University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) will be taking on the 2022 GB Row Challenge with her team, Sealegs, in June.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University Hospitals Plymouth have launched an initiative to encourage more parents to have skin-to-skin contact with their babies during their stay in hospital, as part of celebrating International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day this month.