Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Did you know we are the only NHS trust in London to offer a dental nursing apprenticeship? The apprenticeship provides a unique opportunity for aspiring dental nurses to earn a nationally recognised qualification alongside receiving on-the-job training, all whilst being paid. The programme takes in 10 new people every 2 years. During the 18-month course, apprentices learn key skills across paediatric and adult dentistry care, working alongside qualified dental nurses with specialist knowledge and skills to support patients. After completing the course, apprentices come away as level 3 registered dental nurses, and are offered available employment opportunities at the Trust. Salamatu AbdulRahman recently qualified as a dental nurse after completing the apprenticeship. Since her 3 children have grown up, Salamatu decided to move into the career she always wanted, with day-shifts that worked around her schedule. Salamatu, who lives in north London, said: “I am a practical learner so focused on looking for an apprenticeship rather than applying for a degree. “I hadn’t been in education for a while so at first I thought, can I even do it? But we practised in the clinic, and I had so much support. It was so interesting, and it pushed me every day.” Since qualifying, Salamatu is enjoying her new role. She said: “I love being there for my patients. Every time I help someone I feel happy in myself, and in the team’s work.” Salamatu has also applied to be a clinical mentor, to support the next generation of apprentices. She said: “My advice to future apprentices – be open minded when you start, and don’t be discouraged. There is no question too silly, and there is always support to help you in the clinics.” 40% of dental nursing apprentices go on to develop their career further, including going into senior nursing roles and becoming clinical nurse specialists. Samantha Salaver, head of nursing for dental services, helped set up the apprenticeship 7 years ago. She said: “It is fantastic to see how successful the dental nursing apprenticeship programme has been, and how our students are thriving. The programme allows us to nurture homegrown talent and open up more doors to dental nursing.” #TeamGSTT #Aprenticeships #Dental

Congratulations to Isla Veal who has been honoured with a Macmillan Professionals Excellence Award. Isla, a highly specialist physiotherapist, won the ‘Whatever it Takes’ category in recognition of her work in patient and staff education, which has included delivering live webinars and tailored exercise programmes. Talking about how exercise can improve cancer outcomes for patients, Isla said: “As well as reducing the risk of reoccurrence, physical activity can be the difference between someone being able to finish their cancer treatment or not.” #TeamGSTT #Physiotherapy

Earlier this month we announced the winners of our Allied Health and Psychological Professions (AHPP) Awards. Allied health professionals (AHPs) and those in psychological professions play a vital part in treating, rehabilitating and improving the lives of patients. The awards are an opportunity to recognise their dedication and achievements. Congratulations to the winners 🏆 Research impact award - Gareth Jones and Jill Massey AHP support worker/clinical assistant award - Lolly Short Other allied health or team, individual or collaborative partners award - Willis Atherley-Bourne Podiatrist of the year - Sara Vautier Innovation or digital practice award - Ryan Strother Orthoptist/eye practitioner of the year - Prianka Gandesha Speech and language therapist of the year - Emily Hanks Dietitian of the year - Amy Staite Psychological professional of the year - Paul Weldon Therapeutic radiographer of the year - Andrew Obiako Occupational therapist of the year - Siobhan McDiarmid Prosthetist/orthotist of the year - Beth Robinson Physiotherapist of the year - Mathew Fuller Operating department practitioner of the year - Abegail Salvana Equality, diversity and inclusion award - Saadiyah Hussein Rising star award - Ana Luque Sayago Diagnostic radiographer of the year - James O’Sullivan Quality improvement award - Tony Harland Contribution to sustainability award - Nutrition and dietetic green team AHPP leader award - Rashida Pickford Placement innovation award - Gemma Stanford Local education champion award - Linda Athroll Outstanding education team award - Ruth Williams, Rachel Johnson, Wendy Walker (Speech and language student working group) #TeamGSTT #AlliedHealthProfessions #PsychologicalProfessional #AHP Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals

Members of staff from Evelina London Children's Hospital were invited to attend a special Royal carol service at Westminster Abbey, in recognition of their significant contribution in caring for children and young people. The Princess of Wales, who is a patron of Evelina London Children's Hospital, hosted her fourth ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service on Friday 6 December. Supported by the Royal Foundation, this event aimed to highlight individuals across the UK who have gone above and beyond to support their local communities through acts of ‘kindness and empathy’. Felicitas Kanu, a health visitor for community services, was nominated to attend the carol service in recognition of her compassion and dedication in helping vulnerable children and families across Lambeth. She said: "I nearly cried when I found out that I would be attending the carol service. Our team is such a diverse group of people who are all committed to helping vulnerable families. It felt incredible to have my hard work in supporting these families recognised." Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eS_ygici #TeamGSTT #EvelinaLondon #Christmas

Congratulations to the 6 Kofoworola Abeni Pratt fellows who recently received their fellowship certificates at a celebration event: Caroline Chinondo Sophie Clark Lyncia Downer Simone Hesson Mercedes Miguel Puja Trivedi The Kofoworola Abeni Pratt Fellowship is a leadership programme for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who identify as being from a global majority background. The programme aims to improve diversity in senior leadership by challenging the barriers and biases that have negative effects on career progression. At the event we heard from the fellows about the projects they have worked on during the programme, and listened to their personal reflections. Speaking about her experiences as a fellow, Caroline Chinondo said: "I have contributed to shaping the future in a meaningful way. This sense of pride comes not from the belief that the work is finished, but from knowing that I have actively participated in laying the groundwork for ongoing progress." Róisín Fitzsimons, Deputy Director of Nursing for Culture and Strategy said: "I am extremely proud of the achievements of the Fellows and the impact the Fellowship has had across the organisation. The Fellowship has challenged structural inequalities and personal perceptions, leading to a commitment from all to active learning and participation in culture change." Staff interested in applying for the fellowship can find out more on the intranet. #TeamGSTT #Leadership #Inclusion #Diversity

A new total-body scanner that is quicker for the patient and produces higher quality images for faster and earlier diagnosis and treatment of illnesses like cancer and heart conditions was unveiled at St Thomas’ Hospital. The new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner is one of three becoming operational in the UK. It is up to 5 times more sensitive for single organ studies and up to 2-4 times faster than standard PET-CT scanners, meaning quicker diagnoses and a more detailed reading of the patient's whole body. It is co-managed by King's College London’s and Imperial College London at St Thomas’ Hospital. Sarah Corfield was the first person to use the new scanner at St Thomas’ Hospital. Sarah has stage four melanoma and has been a patient at Guy’s and St Thomas’ since 2018. She has received regular PET scans as part of the diagnoses and treatment for her cancer. Sarah said: “I have had so many PET scans, so I’m very used to the experience. Previously, the scans would take 30 minutes, the bed was quite hard and the scanning table would move in and out, capturing the different images. It could be quite noisy too. The new scanner was a good experience – it felt open, and not at all claustrophobic. It was much quicker – I was done in 15 minutes, and they told me the images were much higher quality. It was very smooth. I just lay there, like on a sun lounger, thinking of my little dog Maggie." The new total-body PET scanner will also give researchers insights into human biology that ultimately leads to better healthcare. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning is an effective, non-invasive imaging technique that can detect diseases earlier in their development, supporting faster diagnosis. PET scanners work by detecting the radiation given off by a substance injected into a patient’s arm, called a radiotracer, as it collects in the body. By analysing the areas where the radiotracer does and does not build up, medics can work out how certain body functions are working. The total-body scanners work at greater speed to scan the whole body without the need for a patient to be repositioned multiple times. The higher sensitivity also allows patients to be exposed to significantly less radiation. Both mean that more people, including children, can access the power of total-body PET. The scanners have the potential to scan 50% more patients per day than standard PET scanners, and can reveal subtle, early signs of multiple types of cancer as well as neurological, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditions. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/dfDweCnv #TeamGSTT #PETscanner #CT

Each year at least 12,000 military personnel leave their roles in the armed forces, with many of them looking to switch career after completing their service. We're working with NHS England and a number of universities to recruit serving and retired armed forces personnel, and their families, into 14 allied health professions. Allied health professionals (AHPs) help treat, rehabilitate and improve the lives of patients. Meet AHP Alex Oliver. 👋 Alex joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ in 2019 as an operating department practitioner, after having served 12 years in the Royal Navy. He joined the Navy at 17 and served as an able seaman and moved into logistics. He said: “I was reasonably academic at school and probably would have ended up going to university, but I got a bit of wanderlust. I thought the Royal Navy looked quite interesting – it goes to a lot of places around the world.” Alex changed careers after getting married, wanting a more settled life at home after having been deployed to 56 countries and territories across the globe. Alex said: “We trained as level 3 first aiders in the Navy. I originally thought about doing nursing and did a year of nursing at King’s College Hospital. But one day I went to an operating theatre at Guy’s Hospital for a patient follow through and I thought, ‘wow!’. This is a completely different atmosphere. It’s more dynamic and more suited to environments I’d been to in the past.” He transferred courses and completed a three-year operating department practice degree, and eventually joined the main theatres at St Thomas’ Hospital. Alex put his military background to good use during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: “The pace changed and suddenly we were responding to an emergency. But in terms of organisation and putting new policies and procedures in place, that was stuff I’d done before. I got involved in trying to implement the cleaning routines without cross contamination, which was similar to the Navy and their chemical and biological warfare routines.” “The communication is very similar in the operating theatre and a place like a warship and a military establishment. There are a list of aims that need to be achieved for the day, each person has a fundamental role, or they wouldn’t be there. And because of the pace, you have to be direct, you have to have confidence in your team and in your own skills." Fiona Sandford, a consultant physiotherapist and clinical lead of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Armed Forces Programme, said: “As an Armed Forces spouse I know the resilience, adaptability and dedication of the Armed Forces community. “These are just the transferable skills we are looking for in the NHS and I would encourage anyone from the Armed Forces community to consider joining us as an AHP. Your experience and knowledge will be invaluable.” Join our open days to find out more about allied health professions. To register, email: armedforces@gstt.nhs.uk #AHPS #NHScareers #ArmedForces

#OnThisDay in 1983, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, former cardiothoracic surgeon at Harefield Hospital, performed Europe's first ever heart and lung transplant. 🎧 Listen back to the pilot episode of our podcast 'More Than A Hospital', where Professor Yacoub reflects on this incredible medical milestone which contributed to the life-saving transplantation work of today: https://lnkd.in/e8cQbH8d #Transplant #NHS #OrganDonation

We have partnered with fitness coach Joe Wicks to release exercise videos for people who are waiting for surgery, to help them recover quicker. The two 10-minute online routines have been designed for people with different activity levels and are particularly suitable for older people. Patient Daphne Gichuru, 82, is waiting for back surgery and took part in the fitness session recording with Joe at Guy’s Hospital. Daphne said: “I would encourage everyone, no matter their age, to try these short exercises to keep fit and prepare them for surgery.” Specialist occupational therapist Abbie Gallant advised on the best type of exercises for the videos and joined in the fitness session recording with Joe and Daphne. In the videos, Joe talks to Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, consultant geriatrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’, about the importance of increasing fitness levels before surgery. Prof Dhesi, who is also President of the British Geriatrics Society and deputy director at the Centre for Perioperative Care, said: “Doing any exercise or even just walking more before an operation will really help reduce complications, help people get better faster and importantly get back to their own homes quickly. “Use whatever time you have before your surgery to get yourself as fit as possible – try to eat well, stop smoking, reduce drinking and importantly build as much movement as possible into your day.” The videos were produced in partnership with Guy’s and St Thomas’, the Centre for Perioperative Care and the British Geriatrics Society. Watch the videos on the Bodycoach YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eSk_THdi https://lnkd.in/eMeg6Ji2 #Exercise #Surgery #Geriatrics #Prehabilitation

Say Hello To Nordeya Gilbert, matron for nursing associate education. 👋 If Nordeya looks familiar, you may have seen her face on screen. She is part of the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity Christmas appeal and recently appeared on digital screens at London Bridge station. She is currently in a charity TV advert being screened to TV viewers in south London. As soon as they met her, the team from the charity knew that she was the right person for the job because she is naturally friendly and approachable. On the day of filming Nordeya arrived to find a small film crew of 3 with camera, lighting and sound equipment, and was given a script to read. "I struggled on my first take, I knew I wasn't being me," she said. After that I just did it as myself and it was much more natural." The filming was on a strict 2 hour schedule to fit in around Nordeya, who said “Every time an ambulance went past the filming had to stop and start again once the siren had faded way. Despite this, they managed to record my part just in time before my next meeting”. Nordeya has shown the advert to her friends and family around the world, and some have already made donations to the appeal. Nordeya said: "It was a privilege to represent all of my colleagues in this advertisement. Since getting involved with the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity it's really opened my eyes to the breadth of work they support around our hospitals and community. It's been a pleasure to be part of their first ever TV advert." Guy's & St Thomas' Charity support us to develop new treatments, back our world-leading research and help us shape innovative approaches to healthcare. They also help to support the health and wellbeing of our staff so that they can continue to provide the best care possible. Watch the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity advert: https://lnkd.in/dQENpAW6 #TeamGSTT #Fundraising