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As England goes back into lockdown to limit the spread of Covid-19, those experiencing, or at risk of domestic abuse, can find themselves isolated. Adult safeguarding lead nurse specialist Anoushka…
Dr Dagmar Tapon is a genetic counsellor at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital’s Centre for Fetal Care. As a successful scientist, Dr Tapon became interested in psychology and decided to combine…
Anna Bokobza, integrated care programme director, and Toby Hyde, deputy director of transformation, explain how we have listened to and learned from primary care, the voluntary sector, local…
Over the past two years, the Trust has been looking at how we can improve the service we provide for young people. A key part of this has been the weekly ‘Big Room’ meetings, which generate ideas…
Lara Ritchie, improvement programme manager, explains how we’ve approached learning from the experiences of staff during the first wave of Covid-19, so we can improve things now.
Having to wear a mask is a sometimes uncomfortable necessity during the pandemic. But, for the significant number of patients and staff with hearing loss, who often rely either partly or wholly on…
As Black History Month draws to a close and as we publish this year’s workplace equality, diversity and inclusion annual report, our chief executive, Professor Tim Orchard, reflects on what we are…
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Hannah Fontana, strategy, research and innovation programme manager, explains how we’re approached learning from the experiences of our patients and communities during the first wave of Covid-19, so…
Kate Sendall, frailty clinical programme manager at the Trust, and Dr Niki Lang, director of public health at Hammersmith and Fulham Council, explain how Covid-19 has accelerated closer partnership…
Covid-19 raises important questions on health inequalities and the disproportionate impact it may have had on Black Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people.
Dr Bob Klaber is a consultant paediatrician and the Trust’s director of strategy, research and innovation. Alongside Dr Fran Cleugh, he has led the Trust’s efforts to develop a Covid-19 testing…
Dr Ellie Crook is a specialist registrar in genito-urinary medicine and HIV at the Jefferiss Wing at St Mary’s Hospital. In a post originally published as an RCoA blog, she writes about how she felt…
Esme Blyth is the lead nurse for general and vascular surgery. She shares her praise for teams adapting to life on newly-created coronavirus cohort wards.
BBC News went behind the scenes at Charing Cross and St Mary’s hospitals to interview staff during the coronavirus pandemic, demonstrating the amazing responsiveness of the NHS as we expand capacity…
Living with the symptoms of an undiagnosed condition can lead to significant anxiety for patients and make it difficult to plan for what feels like an uncertain future. Neurogenetics clinics…
Sammi Fuller is a staff nurse in oncology at the Trust and a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) steward. She is also deaf. Here, she shares her advice on making reasonable adjustments at work and…
Lewis Thomas, general management trainee in site operations, explains how implementing a digital command centre has helped hospital staff manage bed capacity during the busy winter period.
By introducing flexible working patterns, an audit programme and new training opportunities for her team, ultrasound services manager Suzanne Beattie-Jones helped bring down the vacancy rate from 53…
Dr Bob Klaber, consultant paediatrician and director of strategy, research and innovation, explains the value of kindness in delivering great care and how we’re cultivating kindness across our trust.
Layla Bolton is a pre-doctoral research fellow at Charing Cross Hospital. Earlier this year she was awarded a £65,000 research fellowship from Imperial Health Charity to support her research into…
Chloe Norton, senior improvement analyst, explores what life is like at the Trust as a disabled person and shares her excitement about the Trust’s new network for persons with disabilities.
Almost 90 per cent of flu tests run across our hospitals see results within six hours thanks to improvements implemented by North West London Pathology. Paul Randell, consultant virologist and part…
Intensive care nurse Abigail Goodwin explains how she and her colleagues set out to improve delirium management in the our intensive care units through training, support and hands-on experience.
Miss Mandish Dhanjal, clinical director of maternity and a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, explains the CQC report that rated our maternity services 'outstanding', and what our services…
Dr Anne Kinderlerer is a consultant acute physician and rheumatologist at St Mary’s Hospital. Here, she answers some common questions and shares facts about flu.
Trust maternity risk management support midwife Suzy Ridley shares her natural birth experience at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital and explains why she believes our maternity services offer the…
Lactation consultant Karen Platonos and clinical speech and language therapist Annie Aloysius of the neonatal service at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital on helping improve care for preterm…
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Guestblogger Steve Hubbard, marketing and advertising manager at NHS Creative talks about his experiences of interviewing 20 members of staff in A&E
Throughout June and July, London enjoys a host of events celebrating the LGBT+ community – culminating in the London Pride parade on 6 July. This year is the Pride Jubilee, which commemorates the…
It's well known that the UK population is getting older, and with this demographic change, health needs are growing more complex. The recently unveiled NHS Long Term Plan has set the course for how…
In September 2018, the Lillian Holland ward staff room at St Mary’s Hospital was given a makeover, thanks to the initiative of former ward manager Nadia Tavernier-Gustave, and the expertise of…
Jo James, specialist dementia nurse at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, shares some practical tips to help people with dementia feel more at ease
Nurses Day is celebrated internationally on 12 May each year. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on and show appreciation for the work nurses do. This year we’ve brought together a senior,…
One of the many ways that midwives support women postnatally is by supporting them to start breastfeeding their baby, as this carries a huge number of benefits for babies and mothers. New mums can…
Sunday 5 May is the International Day of the Midwife, a day to celebrate midwives all over the world and the vital work they do. Louise Frost, screening lead and matron for fetal medicine and the…
Ismalia de Sousa, clinical nurse specialist, reflects on the history of the race equality standards in the NHS and what we can do to bring about culture change.
The high intensity users’ service, which started at Charing Cross hospital and has expanded to St Mary’s, exists to support patients who have complex health and social care needs. Here, Emma…
Although many living donors know their recipients, some people donate a kidney altruistically. Last year Eric McFarland, 41, became an altruistic donor and gave his left kidney away to a stranger.
Dominique Allwood and Francesca Cleugh are two consultants at the Trust who share the role of associate medical director (AMD) for quality improvement (QI).
Consultant research physician Dr Sonya Abraham talking about her 20-year career at the Trust in rheumatology
Chief executive Professor Tim Orchard on the implications of the NHS Long Term Plan
Consultant geriatrician Dr George Peck explains how we’re ensuring better care for elderly patients in our major trauma centre, and how trauma medicine is evolving to meet changing needs.
Jenny Erisman is a clinical practice educator. She trains and assesses nurses on surgical wards, working with them on a one-to-one basis to help them provide the best care they can. She also plays a…
Julie Beckerson, specialist haemato-oncology dietitian at Hammersmith Hospital, explains how a £50,000 fellowship from Imperial Health Charity to conduct research into nutrition among people having…
Winter is always a challenging time at our hospitals. As we head into the festive season, urgent and emergency care departments are set to be under significant pressure once more, with knock-on…
Becky Johl, lead nurse in oncology and chemotherapy at Charing Cross Hospital, tells us about her experiences of working on the wards at Christmas, and shares Macmillan Cancer Support’s top tips for…
In a time when student debt is a genuine concern for many young people looking to develop their careers, an apprenticeship (where you earn as you learn) can offer a real alternative. Apprentice…
As the flu season gears up, we talk to Professor Peter Openshaw about the importance of the flu vaccine for NHS staff. It’s not just for the vulnerable few, but for all of us. Peter is professor of…
Julian Jeyasingh-Jacob leads a team of occupational therapists and physiotherapists at the Trust and was once a flu-jab sceptic. He tells us what changed his mind and why he now makes time to have…
Tania Hadimadja, 16, is one of Imperial Health Charity’s patient engagement volunteers at Hammersmith Hospital. To mark #iwillWeek 2018, young people taking part in social action, Tania shares her…
Dr Soma Banerjee and Dr Kyriakos Lobotesis on how the Trust's new mechanical thrombectomy service helps stroke patients get the latest gold standard treatment.
Annabel Ashalley-Anthony is an administrator in the education centre at Hammersmith Hospital. She is also a sickle cell disease (SCD) sufferer receiving treatment from the haematology team on the…
As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charing Cross Hospital during the month of October, Frances Bowen, interim divisional director for medicine, explains what Charing Cross means to her, our…
Project SEARCH is a programme where employers provide supported placements to young people with learning disabilities, which can lead to full time work. Sherrane Clarke, clinical theatre manager at…
Senior sister Shirley Dowden is the longest serving BAME staff member at the Trust with a career at St Mary’s Hospital spanning 46 years. As part of Black History Month, Shirley talks about the…
Since 1982 Professor Jonathan Weber has conducted extensive research into HIV and AIDS. The development of an effective treatment for HIV infection through combining anti-retroviral drugs came as…
Roy Palmer has multiple sclerosis. After a decade in a wheelchair a stem cell transplant at Hammersmith Hospital gave him the ability to walk again. Here Roy talks about his experience.
Ann Mounsey is chief pharmacist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Thursday 5 July marked 70 years of the NHS – and Ann’s 30th year at our hospitals. She reflects on how pharmacy has evolved…
Dr William Frankland, aged 106, has helped transform our understanding of allergies during his long career in medicine. A pioneer in the field, Dr Frankland popularised the pollen count to help…
Professor the Lord Ara Darzi talks to us about his career, how the NHS can respond to the changing health and social needs of our population and the technological innovations he sees as having the…
Professor Averil Mansfield spent over 20 years as a vascular surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital. In 1993, she became the first female professor of surgery in the UK and used her profile to encourage more…
Hugh Millington, consultant in emergency medicine, reflects on his long career at Charing Cross Hospital to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS, and his 50th anniversary as an NHS doctor.
Rachael Brown, clinical nurse specialist at St Mary’s Hospital, has set up support groups for adolescents and their parents living with sickle cell disease.
Sam Morris is head of volunteering at Imperial Health Charity, which manages a growing community of dedicated volunteers across Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. To celebrate Volunteers’ Week…
Sue Burgis is head of practice development and innovation at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and has worked for the NHS for over 40 years. In the NHS’s 70th anniversary year, she reflects on…
Dr Anne Kinderlerer, clinical coach for the Trust’s sepsis big room, explains how the big room approach has helped harness digital technology to improve sepsis care at our hospitals
To celebrate International Day of the Midwife, Denise O’Donnell, matron for inpatients at St Mary’s Hospital, explains why she loves her career and why she is proud to call herself a midwife
Mr Jeremy Crane and Dr Christine Hall founded Save Your Vein – a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of vein preservation, especially for people who require dialysis or have diabetes.
Dr Luke Howard is a pulmonologist and treats patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) – a rare and potentially fatal heart and lung condition that is often misdiagnosed. With symptoms…
Professor Tim Orchard, Trust medical director, reflects on the issues raised from the tragic death from sepsis of six-year old Jack Adcock at Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2011
How a 19-year-old university student and an 90-year-old retired solicitor are using their experiences to improve how we care for and communicate with patients.
Stroke clinical nurse specialist Ismalia de Sousa explains how she uses quality improvement to help other nurses make improvements for patients.
Emma Garlick explains how a grant from Imperial Health Charity's Hardship Fund supported her family while her son was in hospital.
Dr Alison Sanders, clinical director of urgent care and emergency medicine, on how we're working together to prepare for possibly our toughest winter yet.
8 November 2017 is World Radiography Day, which celebrates the work of radiographers around the world. Radiographers use a range of different imaging techniques (or types of scan) to produce images…
The Care Information Exchange provides patients with online access to their health records so they can view them anywhere, including when out and about from their mobile phone. Patients can also…
Linda Batten manages Witherow ward at St Mary’s Hospital – a ward dedicated to the care of older patients, where patience, flexibility and good conversation are all part of a day’s work.
Artist Fay Ballard volunteers at Hammersmith Hospital as part of Imperial Health Charity's arts engagement programme. Here, she blogs about her experience.
Senior occupational therapist in neurology Fazeela Chharawala explains how she supports her patients to leave hospital and return to their normal lives.
Female genital mutilation (or FGM) is a serious global issue that causes long-term health problems for a number of women in our local community. In this blog post, Juliet Albert, specialist FGM…
Episode four of Hospital series two explores how staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are developing new models of care and pushing the boundaries of what's possible technologically, while…
Here Dr William Oldfield, deputy medical director and respiratory consultant, explains how we want to continue to evolve our services to ensure the latest advances deliver better results for patients.
Waiting times for people with a mental health problem attending one of our A&E departments are steadily rising. Like most acute NHS trusts, we don’t provide mental health services directly. Instead,…
Dr Colin Mitchell, consultant physician and geriatrician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, explains how acute trusts like ours need to take a new approach to care in the coming years to…
The role of private healthcare within the NHS has never been without controversy. And increasingly, as episode two of the latest series of BBC Two’s Hospital shows, the choice between NHS and…
The NHS funds a variety of proven treatments for cancer. But in some cases, patients may wish to explore paying for drugs or treatments that are not available on the NHS. Here Dr Catherine Urch,…
Mr Shehan Hettiaratchy, trauma lead and consultant plastic, hand and reconstructive surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, explains why advances in major trauma care and plastic and…
Dr Alison Sanders, the Trust’s clinical director of urgent care and emergency medicine, explains what happened when a major incident was declared at St Mary’s, one of the capital’s four major trauma…
Being admitted to hospital can be a confusing and stressful experience for a person who has dementia, so ward staff need to work together to provide the extra support they need. At Imperial College…
Paediatric allergy and immunology consultant Dr Claudia Gore worked with young patients and their families to create the video series "Terrific Teens," which stars young people with severe allergies.
Through research, scientists and healthcare professionals seek new ways of making faster, better diagnoses and decisions for patients. The new neuro, emergencies and trauma (NET) research team at…
Michael Newton, a patient at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Here Michael and Ros, his wife and primary carer, explain how they navigated an…
During Healthcare Science Week our medical director Dr Julian Redhead talks about how the science of genomics is laying the ground for individual healthcare in the future, in his role as the…
Professionals at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are working to implement a package that supports patients with traumatic brain injuries and their families to manage recovery after discharge.
This week we have a guest blog post from Lisa Burnapp, lead nurse for living donation at NHS Blood and Transplant. Here Lisa explains more about living kidney donations and how a special type of…
Dr Simon Nadel, consultant paediatrician, head of specialty and lead clinician on our children's intensive care unit, explains how the unit has grown since it opened in 1992 and what an expanded…
In this week’s blog post, Dr Arindam Kar, consultant stroke physician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, explains how the Trust’s stroke service works and why we helped to consolidate…
While our care is always provided on the basis of clinical need, for some patients, the delivery of that care will be followed by the delivery of an invoice, as you see in episode four of Hospital…
Professor Jonathan Weber, director of Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, explains how we work and reflects on our most innovative and far-reaching achievements to date.
To provide high quality and safe care we must work closely with our patients, their families and our partners – primary, secondary and community healthcare providers – in order to navigate and…
Sister Alice Markey has been with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for 25 years. As a discharge nurse, Alice ensures that patients are fit to leave hospital and that the right support is in…
Professor Tim Orchard, director of division of medicine and integrated health, features in episode one of BBC Two’s documentary series Hospital. Here, he argues that it’s really important for us all…
As the trailer hits screens for BBC Two’s new television series featuring our hospitals, Trust director of communications Michelle Dixon explains why we became one of a growing number of NHS…
Consultant radiologist Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc explains why he advocated bringing the latest MR-guided focused ultrasound technology to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as part of a…
Clinical director of central outpatient services Dr Frances Sanderson explains how the Trust's outpatients improvement programme is beginning to deliver real benefits for patients.
This week is Antibiotic Awareness Week and Mark Gilchrist, consultant pharmacist at our Trust, is leading efforts to educate staff and patients about the safest, most effective ways to use…
The number of cancer diagnoses in the UK is increasing every year. In this blog post, Rebecca Johl, senior nurse for oncology and lead chemotherapy nurse, explains how we’ve achieved big…
CKD education nurse Lynn Dahri and clinical lecturer Dr James Tomlinson explain how a new model of integrated care builds a bridge between hospital specialists at our Trust and community…
Integrated care programme director Anna Bokobza explains how an ‘accountable care’ approach – where health providers come together to take responsibility for the quality and cost of care for a…
Post-mortems are a vital medical tool to identify exact causes of death, promote medical innovation and help train junior doctors and pathologists. Mike Osborn, pathologist at Imperial College…
Pressure ulcers can be a serious problem for patients who cannot move easily or are wearing medical devices. In this blog post, Sue Burgis, head of practice and innovation in the nursing directorate…
NHS charities play a vital and growing role in the NHS But each NHS charity has a unique relationship with its partner organisation, so it can be difficult for NHS charities to measure impact.…
In 2014, the NHS England committed to delivering a ‘paperless’ NHS by 2020. At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, we’ve moved to mostly digital patient records over the past six months. We’re…
St Mary’s Hospital at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is home to the UK’s oldest allergy clinic. The clinic provided the first allergen immunotherapy treatment in 1911 and since then has…
The UK’s European Union referendum result has led to political uncertainty and left many EU citizens living in the UK with questions about their futures here. In this blog post, Trust director of…
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is first in the UK to offer baby boxes and access to Baby Box university to new parents. Consultant obstetrician Miss Karen Joash explains why she wanted to…
Dr Chris Baker is proposing changes to enable faster access to Hammersmith’s heart assessment centre for patients with chest pain so that more people can benefit from quick access to specialist care.
Laparoscopic bariatric surgery – minimally invasive weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass – has many medical benefits, but it also means profound lifestyle changes for patients. In this blog…
In this week’s blog post Dr Aubrey Cunnington, honorary consultant in paediatric infectious diseases, outlines why medical professionals are not in the position to recommend or encourage ‘vaginal…
Faith Wray is a master’s student at the Royal College of Art and co-founder of Paper Birch, an organisation which develops creative workshops to engage and stimulate people with dementia. Faith and…
Though we have very good cancer outcomes, many patients with cancer have reported feeling bewildered and even lost throughout their journey with our services. Patients told us they struggled to get…
Each year, over 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK, making it the second most common cancer in men. Surgical removal of the prostate is a common treatment for prostate cancer,…
Schwartz Rounds support healthcare professionals and acknowledge how intense and emotionally challenging their work can be.
Major surgery is like running a marathon – that’s why the PREPARE for Surgery programme ‘trains’ patients for major surgery and recovery.
We need to be ready to deal with a major incident whenever it happens – whether it’s a bomb blast or bus crash. It's vital there are plans in place to ensure we can carry on providing safe,…
Helen Rice, memory nurse specialist at Charing Cross Hospital, explains how research is vital to help us identify new treatments for dementia and how to get involved in research at the Trust.
Paediatricians at St Mary’s Hospital understand a visit to hospital can be very daunting, especially for children. That was one of the main drivers for developing Connecting Care for Children (CC4C)…
What if we could customise the treatment we provide to patients to match their unique genetic make-up? Jeremy Levy, consultant nephrologist, talks about the growing reality of personalised medicine…
Professor George Hanna and his team have devised a breath test which can diagnose oesophageal cancer quickly and effectively, without the need for an endoscopy.
A 15-year old Trust patient, Nadir El Tahir, explains how he copes with diabetes with the help of his clinical nurse specialist, Roshni Vadher.
Ian Lush, Chief Executive of the Imperial College Healthcare Charity, writes about why hospitals have charities supporting their work, what our charity does, and how you can get involved.
Anne Kamale is a British Red Cross service coordinator at the Trust. Anne works for the Trust, but is part of a service delivered by the British Red Cross which provides practical support to…
Plenty of fluids and a bit of what you fancy is commonly dispensed health advice to the sick – alongside a healthy dose of home-made chicken soup. But many patients with dementia who are in hospital…
One of our biggest achievements last year was developing a quality improvement (QI) programme that we are embedding across our organisation.
Like many NHS Trusts, we have been struggling for some time to meet the national standard for 95 per cent of people attending emergency departments to be assessed, treated and admitted, or…
With a fundraising appeal underway to raise money for an extensive refurbishment of St Mary’s Children’s Intensive Care Unit, Scott O’Brien, modern matron, tells us about what it’s like to work there.
For many years, integrated care has been seen as the NHS’s holy grail – providing high quality care, tailored to the individual, seamlessly and efficiently. It’s a key element of NHS England’s Five…
With a growing body of evidence that effective patient and public involvement actively drives improvement in health care, chief executive Dr Tracey Batten sets out an ambitious plan to make it…
As winter approaches, it is elderly people who are most at risk of ill health. The older we get, the less able our bodies are to fight the simple infections and minor illnesses we barely noticed in…
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