SPRING 2015

SETTING THE STANDARD FOR NEONATAL CAREAT THE CUTTING EDGE OF PATHOLOGY

EAR, NOSE AND THROAT CARE AT THE LINDO WING

At Imperial Private Healthcare, everyone is committed to the continuous improvement of our nursing care and focusing on the experience of our patients.

We are implementing processes that will enable nurses on the ward to deliver the highest quality, patient-centred care. For example, we have developed a template for all meetings to make sure that we are focused on addressing how we deliver safe, caring, effective and well-led services.

As part of our commitment to excellent care, we are only recruiting talented and dynamic individuals who demonstrate a kind, compassionate approach to nursing and have the clinical aptitude to manage our patients’ complex care needs. Broadening the diversity of skills in our team is important for improving the quality of our care, demonstrating what Imperial Private Healthcare can do and reassuring patients and consultants that our nurses are capable of caring appropriately for a wide range of conditions.

In this issue of Inside Private Health, our new director Kerensa Heffron shares her thoughts on how we can expand our offering and improve the patient experience (see page 4).

One important development is the Arabic advocacy service (page 10), which assists patients from the Middle East during their time with us.

This issue also features some of our teams who are providing a world-class service, like our large neonatal unit, which offers specialist treatments such as cooling for babies born with asphyxia, and MRI scans on newborns (pages 6-7).

Our ear, nose and throat experts are at the forefront of their fields, able to carry out the most complex of cases and constantly looking for innovative ways of doing so (pages 8-9).

Within pathology, our team, in partnership with Imperial College London, is translating research into clinical practice to enable rapid and accurate detection of cancer and other diseases (page 5).

I hope you enjoy this issue.

Kate Gardiner

“ I am excited to be part of an expanded nursing leadership team that is developing a forward-looking strategy.”

WELCOME

KATE GARDINER

This publication is produced by the communications directorate at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

For feedback, suggestions or further information regarding this publication, please contact the editor: Julia Elmer +44 (0)7768 965 657 julia.elmer@imperial.nhs.uk

Lead nurse, Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals

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News in brief 3

In the spotlight: Kerensa Heffron 4

At the cutting edge of pathology 5

Setting the standard for neonatal care 6

Continuing a long tradition of ENT expertise 8

Advocacy service launches for Arabic-speaking patients 10

How to find us 11

CONTENTS:

New sperm test is exclusive to Europe The Trust’s andrology service – the biggest in London – has started offering a test to detect damaging molecules in sperm that is not available anywhere else in Europe. Researchers have developed the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) technique, which looks for highly reactive molecules that attack other molecules within sperm. Identifying ROS may help initiate appropriate treatments that improve fertility. The andrology team supports patients through IVF, chemotherapy or other fertility issues, and can help those who require sperm storage.

Imperial Private Healthcare attends global healthcare event A senior team raised Imperial Private Healthcare’s global profile by exhibiting at a major

healthcare event in Dubai. Director of private healthcare Kerensa Heffron, head of nursing Karen Powell and head of operations Tracey Howson attended this year’s Arab

Health, where they met global healthcare professionals and referrers looking for premium services. Over the coming months, the team will build these

relationships, with a view to reaching more overseas patients.

New website launches with improved consultant search facility Imperial Private Healthcare has launched a new website that enables users to

search from a directory of over 350 consultants. The redesigned website includes updated information about each of the hospitals and greater detail about the

services offered and what to expect before, during and after treatment. Users can search for consultants by name, specialty and gender,

meaning patients can handpick the right consultant for their needs. Visit the new website at www.imperialprivatehealthcare.co.uk

New partnership will deliver genome study to help treat diseases Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has been designated a Genomic Medical Centre (GMC) in partnership with The Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Known collectively as Imperial College Health Partners NHS GMC, these four trusts will help contribute to the 100,000 Genome Project, a national initiative to sequence the genomes of 100,000 participants. By building up a bank of patients’ data, GMC staff can understand the role genes play in cancer and rare diseases and what treatments will work best.

NEWS IN BRIEF

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As the new director of Imperial Private Healthcare, Kerensa Heffron is leading changes that will improve the patient experience, through smoother administrative processes and an expanded clinical offering.

Before joining Imperial Private Healthcare in 2014, Kerensa was the director of private practice at specialist cancer hospital, The Royal Marsden. “Having previously worked in a specialist hospital, I like the variety of services at this Trust,” she says. “We have some world-class clinical services here that are very exciting. And we can offer all that you would expect from private care in terms of premium facilities and tailored service while also being part of a major hospital with a full range of urgent and acute care services should we need to call on them.

“Some patients and embassies aren’t aware of everything we can do and we have potential to offer more.”

A strategy for improvement As part of the wider executive team, Kerensa is leading the development of a long-term strategy to develop private healthcare within the Trust.

“The profits from our private practice are invested into NHS services, so that we can buy the latest equipment

and improve services for all our patients.” she explains. “My role is to help people understand the vision for private healthcare and show that what we are doing will benefit the NHS, rather than detract from it.

“I want to increase our financial contribution by maximising the use of our private facilities. I also want to extend the scope of our private practice to make the breadth of expertise that this Trust has available to private patients too.”

Preferred provider for consultants and patients Reflecting on what success looks like, Kerensa says “I would like us to exceed patients’ expectations of a private facility. Also, our consultants are one of our biggest assets. I would like to ensure we offer them the capacity they need, and improve our administrative processes so that we become their preferred provider.

“I’ve seen that private and NHS healthcare can co-exist to the benefit of all concerned – the NHS, which will benefit from our profits; and private patients and consultants, who have access to a vast range of back-up services and state-of-the-art equipment. If I can bring out the benefits that I know work, that relationship will be hugely powerful.”

If you have any questions about Imperial Private Healthcare, get in touch with our customer relations manager on +44 (0)20 3311 7700.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

KERENSA HEFFRONImperial Private Healthcare director Kerensa Heffron shares her thoughts on how private and NHS services can work side by side to the benefit of both.

“ My role is to help people understand the vision for private healthcare and that what we are doing will benefit the NHS, rather than detract from it.”

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30million

The team’s research is carried out in partnership with Imperial College London. Mr Stephen Snewin, who heads the team, says; “We offer standard and specialist pathology services, and have the scientific expertise to carry out tests and interpret the results accurately. That attracts investment for further research.”

It also attracts leading medical talent, with many Imperial College London staff contracted to deliver services within the Trust. “Their work taps into what is happening in the field, translating research from the lab straight into clinical work.”

Accurate detection methods This pioneering approach has been in place at the Trust for decades. Professor Sir Stephen Bloom discovered several gut hormones in the 1980s. He adapted the immunoassay technique – which accurately measures miniscule amounts of substances such as hormones or tumour markers in low concentrations

of blood and urine – to enable the first ever such test of the gut. This is now used worldwide for the early diagnosis of cancer.

Recent advances in mass spectrometry technology – the separation of molecules by size and charge using powerful electrical fields – enables the measurement of multiple substances simultaneously, in low concentrations and within a microsecond. These techniques will accelerate the diagnosis of cancers and allow physicians to predict the risks of developing diabetes.

Pathology’s future is in personalised medicine, says Stephen. “We are developing an Institute of Precision Medicine with Imperial College London. That will tie all our pathology services into one facility and allow us to determine what a clinically excellent pathology service should look like in the future.”

Innovative technologies developed within Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s pathology department are detecting diseases early and rapidly.

AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF

PATHOLOGY

A close relationship between researchers and medical staff is enabling the pathology team to quickly detect and diagnose diseases.

The number of tests the Trust’s pathology department runs every year, looking for abnormalities in bodily fluids. This amounts to five per cent of the UK’s total pathology services.

For further information, please contact Dr Tricia Tan, consultant in metabolic medicine and clinical chemistry at t.tan@imperial.ac.uk, or visit www.pathology.imperial.nhs.uk

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A highly trained medical team, a wealth of complementary services, and a combination of clinical and research activities have put Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust at the forefront of neonatal care.Every year, the Trust cares for hundreds of sick and premature babies, using the innovative techniques and specialist skills that have given its neonatal unit a world-leading reputation.

As a specialist NHS service on site, the unit provides reassuring back up for all babies born privately within the Trust. The team treats women who have had complications during their previous or current pregnancies and newborns requiring specialist medical support. The unit is one of the UK’s largest and is based across Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital – a unit caring for babies born as early as 23 weeks gestation – and St Mary’s Hospital.

Staff are well equipped to respond to emergencies. For instance, babies born with asphyxia are treated using innovative cooling equipment to minimise the impact on the brain.

They are placed on special mattresses that reduce their temperature and slow their metabolism, giving the brain time to recover.

“Cooling is gentle and non-invasive, but highly effective,” says consultant neonatologist Dr Sunit Godambe. “Very few London centres have the experience to offer it. Research into this technique originated at the Trust through Professor Denis Azzopardi.”

Brain injuries in newborns are an ongoing focus for the neonatal research team. “It’s important to review and understand the effect of cooling,” says Dr Sudhin Thayyil, who leads the team. “We use magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopies to measure chemical levels in the brain, which reveal the extent of damage or recovery.”

SETTING THE STANDARD FOR

NEONATAL CARE

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In-house scanning expertise The unit has in-house scanning capabilities that cannot be found in most other hospitals. It pioneered the world’s first dedicated neonatal MRI scanner. Only a few hospitals worldwide have this sophisticated technology and the proficiency to carry out non-invasive scans of newborns’ hearts, brains and other organs, and identify conditions and causes.

Neonatal neurologist Dr Nigel Basheer relies on the MRI scanner for his work on brain, muscle and nerve issues, while Dr Alexander Rakow is skilled at using the echo scanner for neonatal cardiac scans.

“It’s rare to have those specialist skills on site,” says Sunit. “It’s a huge advantage to not have to call upon, and wait for, external experts. Early diagnosis of heart problems, for instance, is critical to the care of babies.”

Progress for the future Late last year, the team carried out its first neonatal organ donation – on the UK’s youngest organ donor. The process, carried out on babies less than 28 days old, is complex, says Dr Godambe. “It’s not commonly done. It is due to the parents’ generosity, multidisciplinary team support and close collaboration between our neonatal experts and the NHS blood transfusion and organ donation teams that we were successful.

“Being able to carry out this procedure will help some of the many babies in the UK waiting for a transplant,” says Dr Godambe.

Small ideas are making a big difference. Noise-cancelling headphones allow parents to stay with their babies during medical rounds without hearing confidential information about other patients in the room. And a new group has been launched to support discharged patients whose babies were treated within the Trust’s neonatal units. Next Steps gives parents an opportunity to share concerns with other parents on issues such as feeding or weaning.

Parents’ gratitude makes the team’s work rewarding, says Dr Godambe. “When you make a poorly baby better, you build a lifelong relationship with the family.”

If you have any questions about our neonatal expertise, get in touch with our customer relations manager on +44 (0)20 3311 7700.

“ It’s rare to have so many specialist skills on site. It’s a huge advantage to not have to call upon, and wait for, external experts.” Dr Sunit Godambe

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Among the team working out of The Lindo Wing is consultant ENT surgeon Mr Kalpesh Patel, who has worked at St Mary’s Hospital for 20 years. He has vast experience of carrying out ENT procedures, particularly rhinoplasty (nasal reconstruction for cosmetic and functional purposes), and in managing conditions such as voice disorders and nasal allergies.

Professor Tony Narula and Mr Abhi Parikh are both well-known otologists, treating the full range of ear diseases. Fellow consultant Miss Romana Kuchai has trained in adult and paediatric care in particular ENT symptoms

A breadth of specialist knowledge and a drive to push boundaries have given Imperial Private Healthcare a reputation as leaders in ear, nose and throat (ENT) care.

The team of recognised experts treats the full spectrum of ENT disorders – from common ear, nasal and sinus infections, to complex cases, such as cancer and reconstructions.

The busy ear, nose and throat team based at The Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital has the experience and ability to treat the most complex of conditions.

CONTINUING A LONG TRADITION OF

ENT EXPERTISE

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affected by allergy and chronic inflammatory disorders. At The Lindo Wing, Miss Kuchai also works with Mr Patel in treating private rhinoplasty patients, carrying out complex reconstructive procedures.

The team also includes experts in associated fields, such as ENT allergies and auto-immune diseases.

Rhinoplasty expertise Mr Patel is the president of the British Society of Rhinoplasty Surgeons and a lecturer and researcher on the subject – all of which helps keep Imperial Private Healthcare at the forefront of ENT expertise.

“I often treat patients who have had three or four previous nasal surgeries that haven’t had the desired outcome,” says Mr Patel.

Because of the unit’s international reputation, many patients travel from overseas to The Lindo Wing for treatment. One recent patient, a man who had suffered a serious facial trauma during conflict in the Middle East, had his nose rebuilt using rib cartilage.

Other departments within Imperial Private Healthcare also refer patients to ENT – for example, neurologists who have seen someone with dizziness, or respiratory physicians who have patients with persistent cough.

A modern environment State-of-the-art technology in a modern environment helps the team get accurate diagnoses rapidly and allows consultants to perform a range of outpatient procedures. For example, a high-tech operating microscope and imaging system enables endoscopic examinations of the nose, throat and voicebox, while advanced neurological otology equipment is used to diagnose inner ear diseases, such as dizziness and tinnitus.

The Lindo Wing’s recently refurbished theatre allows consultants to carry out the most complicated ENT procedures. Ongoing research and investment in equipment means some surgeries can be performed using robotic equipment, resulting in minimal scarring and quicker recovery for patients.

There is an extensive research programme too. Currently, the team is evaluating methods of assessing patient outcomes in rhinoplastic surgery, reviewing the biomaterials used in the reconstruction of the nose, and looking at ways of assessing nasal airflow dynamics.

Vast expertise on site Miss Kuchai explains why The Lindo Wing has a long-standing tradition of excellent consultant-led ENT treatment.

“The main difference between us and other private hospitals is we have a large teaching hospital with back-up services next to the private wing,” she says. “If a patient has an unexpected complication, we have all the required diagnostic facilities such as an intensive care unit on our doorstep.

“We manage a huge volume of cases – both straightforward and complex. Being treated by well-established doctors at the forefront of their fields is very reassuring for patients.”

“ We manage a huge volume of straightforward and complex cases. Being treated by a team well-established of doctors at the forefront of their fields is very reassuring for patients.” Romana Kuchai

If you have any questions about our ENT service, get in touch with our customer relations manager on +44 (0)20 3311 7700.

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Sue Kdher and Salem Nofal

A service to assist Arabic-speaking patients throughout their treatment has been set up at Imperial Private Healthcare.

The new team of Arabic advocates is supporting patients, their families and the multidisciplinary team managing their care. Together, Sue Khder, who has been an Imperial Private Healthcare translator for 11 years, alongside Satiaa Hadbai and Salem Abu Nofal, who were recruited in late 2014 and have worked extensively in UK private hospitals, are ensuring visitors from this region receive an outstanding level of service.

They provide support by coordinating all aspects of patients’ administration and ensuring the clinical team communicate effectively with the patient. For continuity, patients liaise with the same advocate throughout their stay, with a female advocate assigned to a female patient where preferred.

Reassurance and local guidance The number of Arabic-speaking patients being treated by Imperial Private Healthcare is increasing.

“It can be stressful to travel to a country with a different culture and language,” says Satiaa. “We offer reassurance and local advice on issues such as transport and accommodation.”

The team liaises with embassies and third parties sponsoring treatment, and assists with administrative and financial requirements, such as obtaining medical records or letters of guarantee, and arranging supporting letters for visa applications.

Building relationships Many patients understand basic English, but speaking with someone in their own language is comforting. The advocates speak many Arabic accents fluently and members are trained to translate and interpret medical terms.

“We chat through patients’ concerns and try to understand their needs,” says Salem. “It’s about building relationships, so that home doesn’t feel far away. Sometimes, patients just want a friendly chat. One told me he felt like he was dealing with a brother.”

Satiaa also gives presentations to staff on Arabic culture, educating and advising them on everything from food and religion to the value of having Arabic TV channels in rooms.

“Some patients stay overnight, but some can be here for six months,” says Satiaa. “We want to deliver the best and most professional service and continue to improve so we exceed patients’ expectations.”

A new team is ensuring Middle Eastern patients receive exceptional levels of support during their stay at Imperial Private Healthcare.

The Arabic advocacy service, including interpreting and translation, is available to all Arabic-speaking patients. For more information, contact our customer relations manager on +44 (0)20 3311 7700.

ADVOCACY SERVICE LAUNCHES FOR

ARABIC-SPEAKING PATIENTS

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Tel: +44 (0)20 3311 7700 Email: private.healthcare@imperial.nhs.uk

The Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Lindo Wing, St Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street, London W2 1NY

Charing Cross The Thames View, 15th Floor, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF

Western Eye Western Eye Hospital, 153-173 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5QH

Hammersmith Robert & Lisa Sainsbury Wing, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS

Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Sir Stanley Clayton Ward, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS

HOW TO FIND US

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With over 350 consultants covering every medical, diagnostic and surgical specialty, we care for our patients whatever their healthcare needs.

Our partnership with Imperial College London means that many of our consultants are involved in cutting-edge research, which in turn allows us to provide the most up-to-date treatment for patients.

All funds generated by Imperial Private Healthcare are reinvested in Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, to

support and enhance both NHS and private clinical services for the benefit of all our patients.

For more information on our private healthcare services, please contact our customer relations manager on +44 (0)20 3311 7700 (09.00 – 17.00 GMT) or email private.healthcare@imperial.nhs.uk

For more information about our consultants please visit www.imperialprivatehealthcare.co.uk

At Imperial Private Healthcare, our patients experience the best of both worlds: our world-class consultants provide care in modern private facilities within the reassuring setting of some of London’s most trusted NHS hospitals.

EXPERIENCE

WORLD CLASS CARE