April-May-2011

Daily Mail – May 31
How warming up your kidneys can treat heart failure
High energy waves used to heat up the kidneys are being employed in a new research trial as a potential treatment for a weak heart, the Daily Mail reported.
Trust cardiologist Dr Darrel Francis, whose team is helping to conduct the trial alongside Imperial College London, described the case of a patient who had severe heart failure, was unable to walk more than 200 yards before the treatment. Within two weeks, she could walk up to a mile.
Daily Mail

Daily Mail – May 29
Will revolutionary new skin patch cure thousands of deadly peanut allergy?
Top paediatricians have developed a revolutionary new skin patch that may cure thousands of people suffering from deadly peanut allergies, the Daily Mail reported.
St Mary’s Professor Gideon Lack, one of the UK’s leading nut allergy experts, is advising the company developing the patch.
He said: “It is a clever approach to dealing with the problem and there is a reasonable prospect of success.”
This story also appeared in The Daily Telegraph. 
Daily Mail

Westminster Chronicle – May 27
Care of elderly patients is praised
This story describes how the care of elderly patients at St Mary’s Hospital was praised in a Care Quality Commission report.
The service was found to be meeting the essential standards of both quality and safety in its treatment of older people.
Director of nursing Janice Sigsworth said: "We were very pleased with the report, but in my experience you can never sit back and think everything is fine.
“When I started in this job, we launched a big campaign to make sure elderly patients were nursed in single sex bays and I'm very pleased we've been able to deliver that.
"I was also pleased that relatives and patients found our staff polite.”
The Westminster Chronicle
This story was also featured in the Nursing Times.

Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle – May 27
Hospital to get priority on cancer treatments
Hammersmith Hospital is one of 13 hospitals around the UK to get access to new life-saving drugs for blood cancer patients, it was reported.
It is taking part in the Tomorrow’s Treatments Today scheme set up by the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity.
Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle
This story also appeared in the Kilburn Times. 

The Daily Mirror – May 21
I had a stroke at 28
This feature tells the story of a woman, Kay Afsharmehr, who had a stroke at the age of 28 and was successfully treated at Charing Cross Hospital.
The Daily Mirror

Westminster Chronicle – May 10
15-minute test for HIV at St Mary’s
This article describes a new service being offered by the Jefferiss Wing sexual health clinic where patients can now have a rapid, 15-minute HIV test.
This story was also featured in the Brent and Willesden Times.
Westminster Chronicle

BBC London – April 19
New MS pill
Consultant neurologist Dr Richard Nicholas spoke about a new daily pill for multiple sclerosis (MS) which is now available in the UK.
Charing Cross Hospital was one of four centres in the country to conduct clinical trials for the drug.
The research found that the pill, named Fingolimod, halved the number of disabling relapses in MS patients and slowed the progression of the disease. 

Nursing Times – April 13
Three nurses to sit on health bill review panel
The Trust’s Clare Leon-Villapalos, an intensive care nurse, will sit on the NHS Future Forum.
The independent panel will review the government’s health bill and report their feedback on the proposed reforms.
Nursing Times 

BBC – April 13
Benefits of bariatric surgery
Consultant bariatric surgeon Mr Ahmed Ahmed gave a series of interviews about the UK's first large-scale study on the impact of weight-loss surgery.
The National Bariatric Surgery Registry found type 2 diabetes fell by 50 per cent and on average patients lost nearly 60 per cent of their excess weight a year after surgery.
BBC News at One and Six, BBC News 24, ITV News.

Daily Mail – April 10
'Mummy's little miracle': The second woman in Britain to give birth after pioneering surgery for cervical cancer
This piece featured Caroline Lister who is one of only two women in Britain to have given birth after pioneering surgery for cervical cancer.
The procedure, known as radical abdominal trachelectomy, was developed at Hammersmith Hospital and the Lister Hospital.
The Trust’s Richard Smith, who is a consultant gynaecological oncologist, was one of the three specialists who developed the procedure and is quoted in the article.
Daily Mail

h&f news – April 5
Delivery service loses some of its best-known midwives
This story describes the retirement celebrations of three midwives and a healthcare assistant who retired with 80 years of maternity experience between them.
Neela Abbott, Iffy Nwoye, Alice Lintin, and Virginia Rullan were pictured at their retirement party at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital.
H&F news

New! – April 4
Babies born at this stage do well
Consultant in fetal medicine and obstetrics Dr Sailesh Kumar was interviewed for a story about Kym Marsh’s baby which was seven weeks premature.
“The survival rate for babies born at 33 weeks is very good – more than 95 percent,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph – April 2
Arthur's story: How one child survived against the odds
Journalist Becky Pugh spoke about her experiences after her son Arthur was born with fluid on the brain.
Arthur was born at St Mary’s Hospital and treated on the Winnicott Baby Unit.
The Daily Telegraph