We celebrate our excellent staff at 14 Meet the team using artificial - Issue 8 / 2019 - Issue 8 August 2019

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We celebrate our excellent staff at 14 Meet the team using artificial - Issue 8 / 2019 - Issue 8 August 2019
MAGAZINE

           Issue 8 / 2019

           08   	
                 We celebrate our excellent staff at
                 annual awards ceremony

           14   	
                 Meet the team using artificial
                 intelligence to improve healthcare
We celebrate our excellent staff at 14 Meet the team using artificial - Issue 8 / 2019 - Issue 8 August 2019
2

                                                                           MEET THE TEAM

    Contents                                                                Produced by:
                                                                            The UCLH

                                         
                                                                            communications team

    03 
       Welcome
       From our chief nurse
                                      10   ‘Like being stabbed in
                                           the face’
                                                                            Front cover photo:
                                                                            Daminee Seetannah,
                                                                            sepsis improvement
                                                                            nurse and Celebrating
                                           Clinic helping those             Excellence winner.
                                           experiencing extreme

    04 
                                                                            UCLH Magazine is
                                           facial pain                      published by UCLH

                                      12 
       Life-changing new                                                    (University College
       cancer treatment                                                     London Hospitals NHS
                                           A day in my life                 Foundation Trust) for
       Reprogramming our
                                           Clinical microbiologist          patients, visitors, staff
       immune systems to                                                    and UCLH members.
                                           Shanom Ali
       fight cancer                                                        CONTACT US

    06 
                                                                            If you have any
                                                                            information you would
       Unwelcome holiday                                                    like included in UCLH
       souvenir                                                             Magazine, contact:
       How I got a flesh-                                                   Communications Unit,
                                                                            2nd Floor Central,
       eating parasite                                                      250 Euston Road,
                                                                            London NW1 2PG
                                                                            Email:
                                                                            uclh.communications@
                                                                            nhs.net
                                                                            Tel: 020 3447 9118
                                                                            Visit: uclh.nhs.uk
       Photo credit: Peiman Zekavat
                                      14    ealthcare of the
                                           H
                                           future                                  @uclh

       
                                           Artificial intelligence
                                                                                   @uclh
                                           transforming
    08 And the winners
       are…
                                           healthcare                              uclhnhs
       TV personality Adrian
       Chiles presents staff
                                      16  What’s on
                                           Key dates for your
                                                                                   uclhvideo

       with their awards                                                   Photographs by Adam
                                           diary                           Scott

                                                         Highly commended at:
                                        Supported by
We celebrate our excellent staff at 14 Meet the team using artificial - Issue 8 / 2019 - Issue 8 August 2019
3

WELCOME
Welcome to the latest edition of UCLH Magazine.

What an exhilarating, if            We should all be proud of the        our staff can come up with
challenging, few months we          work being done across UCLH          such brilliant ideas and as an
have had at UCLH since the          to care for our patients. At our     organisation we will always
launch of Epic, our electronic      best, the collaborative work of      support our teams as much
health record system. This is the   everyone, from allied health         as possible to put these into
most ambitious transformational     professionals to administrators,     practice. Read more on pages 10
change programme in the Trust’s     pharmacists to porters, nurses       and 11.
history and I send a huge thank     to the doctors, will enable us to
                                                                         It is fantastic to be able to
you to our inspirational, loyal     shift from good to outstanding,
                                                                         celebrate these achievements
and caring staff. They have         ensuring our patients receive the
                                                                         and I know that there will be
really pulled together to make      standard of care we would wish
                                                                         many more to follow. In the
it happen and, on behalf of the     for those we care about.
                                                                         meantime, I hope you had a
executive team, our gratitude to
                                    In this edition of the magazine      good summer and managed
them all is enormous.
                                    we showcase staff who enable         to have some time to rest and
Given the huge efforts our          us to take part in fantastic,        recuperate during the holiday
teams have been making              life-changing trials, such as CAR    season. If you did not manage
this year, it was wonderful to      T-cell therapy, which you can        some time away, I hope you
attend our annual Celebrating       read more about on pages 4           are able to get some rest or
Excellence Awards, where the        and 5. This revolutionary way        endeavour to build relaxation
whole organisation was able to      of treating cancer could impact      into part of your weekly routine.
recognise contributions of some     on thousands of lives and            I am still working hard to
of our outstanding individuals      was featured in a recent BBC         achieve this!
and teams. The event is all         documentary called War in the
                                                                         Finally, I really appreciate all that
about bearing witness to, and       Blood.
                                                                         our staff do every day.
saying thank you to, staff and
                                    We also share the stories of staff
volunteers for their hard-work,
                                    who establish clinics, such as
innovation and dedication.
                                    the facial pain team, who have
All the winners embodied our
                                    created an innovative service
Trust values of safety, kindness,
                                    for patients with severe facial
teamwork and improving.                                                                  Flo Panel-Coates
                                    pain. It is amazing to see how
                                                                                         Chief nurse, UCLH
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    “It’s like having an
    army in my blood”
    – pioneering cancer
    treatment being
    trialled at UCLH
    Immune cells are being used as an         CAR T-cell therapy is created by
    army to hunt and kill cancer cells        taking a patient’s T cells — a key
    in ground-breaking trials by UCLH         part of their immune system — and
    clinicians and UCL scientists.            genetically modifying them so they
                                              produce special structures called
    CAR T-cell therapy, in which a
                                              chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs,
    person’s immune system is “re-
                                              on their surface.
    programmed” to recognise and
    destroy cancer cells, provides a          When these CAR T-cells are infused
    more efficient and less toxic way of      back into the patient’s bloodstream,
    treating cancer.                          the new receptors can recognise the
                                              proteins on the cancer cells’ surface
    The pioneering therapy is now being
                                              so they can then kill them.
    offered to adults at UCLH. The trial
    involves ten patients and is led by       Although the treatment is
    Dr Martin Pule, a clinical scientist at   revolutionary, it can have extreme
    UCL Cancer Institute, and Dr Claire       side effects, ranging from fever and
    Roddie, a consultant haematologist        breathing issues to heart problems
    at UCLH.                                  and neurological damage so severe it
                                              could be fatal.
                                              Dr Roddie said: “As a team, we’ve
                                              given these patients another crack
         CAR T-cell therapy                   at life, and they’ve given us the
     is a revolutionary new                   extraordinary opportunity to learn
                                              what we could have done better.
     approach in treating
                                              “We’re incredibly close now to being
     cancer                                   able to target all cancers and that
                                              keeps me going.”
                                              Results from the trial won’t be
                                              available until next year and there
    Dr Pule said: “CAR T-cell therapy can     will need to be a bigger study before
    result in long lasting remissions in      treatment can become available on
    patients with blood cancers which         the NHS.
    have failed all standard treatments.
                                              The new therapy has appeared in a
    “CAR T-cell therapy is a revolutionary    BBC Two documentary called War in
    new approach in treating cancer.”         the Blood.
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                                                                          Teamwork vital in supporting trials

                                                                          The trials taking place have been the result of a multi-
                                                                          disciplinary team which has enabled UCLH to become
                                                                          one of the largest CAR T-cell centres in Europe.
                                                                          One such team member is Leigh Wood, a clinical
                                                                          trial practitioner, who, along with his team, provides
                                                                          professional, clinical and administrative support to
                                                                          ensure the smooth running of the clinical trials.
                                                                          Leigh said: “Working on these trials has given us
                                                                          the fantastic opportunity to offer treatment that is

                                                                                       Working on these
                                                                                    trials has given us the
                                                                                    fantastic opportunity to
                                                                                    offer treatment that is
                                                                                    otherwise unavailable

                                                                          otherwise unavailable. We are offering CAR T to
                                                                          patients that may have run out of other options and
                                                                          it is great to be able to give them the chance to be
Emma Morris consultant haematologist, Martin Pule, clinical               cancer free.”
 scientist and Claire Roddie, consultant haematologist (L-R)
                                                                          Gavin Cooper, nurse educator in adult inpatient
                                                                          haematology, was also involved in the trials along
                                                                          with a team of ward nurses. He was responsible for
                                                                          ensuring that as many nurses as possible were trained
      CAR T-CELL THERAPY WAS A LIFELINE                                   in looking after the patients and identifying worrying
                                                                          side effects.
      Patient Scott Davies said        College Hospital in London.        He said: “We know that chemotherapy works for
      his whole life turned                                               many people, but as ward nurses we are more likely
                                       “For me, it was a lifeline, and
      upside down when he was                                             to see the patients for whom it doesn’t work. So
                                       I didn’t think for more than a
      diagnosed with an aggressive                                        for us it is exciting to see a completely new type of
                                       second before accepting.
      form of blood cancer                                                treatment that can cure when chemotherapy can’t.
      called acute lymphoblastic       “Once they were in my
      leukaemia.                       bloodstream, the CAR T-cells       “People having CAR T-cells require nursing care
                                       would track down the cancer        tailored to the specific risks they face. So many
      He said: “I was told that my                                        hours have been spent training staff on the wards,
                                       cells and kill them. It’s like
      chance of being alive in two                                        PERRT and ITU to make sure everyone has the right
                                       having an army in my blood
      years was down to 20 per                                            knowledge to safely care for this growing group of
                                       24/7, chasing down these
      cent, which was absolutely                                          patients. Every week Leigh and I get calls and emails
                                       baddies and taking them
      devastating.                                                        from nurses across the country asking for advice
                                       out.”
      “But in the next breath I was                                       about CAR T-cells. UCLH is widely considered the
                                       Against the odds, Scott is still
      offered a chance to join the                                        premier hospital for this emerging therapy.”
                                       cancer-free three years on.
      CAR T-cell trial at University
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    IT HAPPENED TO ME

                        Photo credit: Jon Williams
We celebrate our excellent staff at 14 Meet the team using artificial - Issue 8 / 2019 - Issue 8 August 2019
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Sand fly bite left me with flesh-
eating parasite after travels
An unwanted souvenir from once-in-a-lifetime experience for explorer Pip.

Adventurer Pip Stewart was                   “The treatment was really                    nearest hospital would be weeks
expecting to come back from                  brutal – worse than kayaking the             away by boat.”
kayaking along South America’s               Essequibo,” she said.
                                                                                          Although leishmaniasis is the
third longest river with fantastic
                                             “It left me feeling so tired and stiff.      second biggest parasitic killer
memories, amazing photos and
                                             My partner had to lift me out of             after malaria, there have been no
new life-long friends. What she
                                             bed in the morning as I couldn’t             significant treatment breakthroughs
didn’t count on was bringing home
                                             get up.”                                     since the 1940s.
an unwanted souvenir: a flesh-
eating parasite.                             While the bite has now cleared up,           Pip is now campaigning to get the
                                             she will have to go to the clinic            disease more widely recognised
Pip was part of the first team
                                             regularly over the next two years            and encourage research to find a
to kayak the 100km length of
                                             to make sure the parasite has been           more effective cure.
the Essequibo river in Guyana.
                                             killed and doesn’t return.
However, shortly after returning                                                          Her consultant Dr Steve Walker
to her London home she noticed a                                                          added: “At the Hospital for
sand fly bite which “just wouldn’t                                                        Tropical Diseases, we usually see
go away”.                                               It has really                     about 30 patients a year with
                                                                                          leishmaniasis affecting the skin.
“When I was told it was                           opened my eyes to                       They have travelled in central or
leishmaniasis, I had a panic,” Pip
recalls.                                          how lucky we are in                     South America, like Pip, but others
                                                                                          acquire the condition in North
“I searched online and there was
                                                  this country                            Africa, the Middle East and even
so much misinformation about                                                              countries in the Mediterranean
the disease. However, I really must                                                       such as Spain.
praise Dr Steve Walker and the
                                                                                          “Leishmaniasis is a neglected
team at the Hospital for Tropical            She explained: “Although the
                                                                                          tropical disease because it is
Diseases for putting me at ease.”            whole ordeal has been awful, it
                                                                                          complex and it also tends to affect
                                             has also been the best thing that
Pip attended the hospital’s walk-in                                                       impoverished people in the poorest
                                             has happened to me. It has really
clinic and was diagnosed following                                                        countries. Newer treatments with
                                             opened my eyes to how lucky we
a biopsy. Her treatment involved                                                          less adverse effects would be
                                             are in this country. In some of the
being injected with a variety of                                                          welcome.”
                                             remotest parts of Guyana, the
drugs every day for three weeks.

FACT FILE
  •   Leishmaniasis is spread through         •   It can be found in 98 countries –       •   To avoid being infected keep
      bites of infected sand flies                predominantly in Latin America and          covered up as much as possible,
                                                  Africa                                      use a bed net at night and wear
  •   There are three forms of
                                                                                              insect repellent. You can buy some
      leishmaniasis                           •   The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
                                                                                              products from the Hospital for
                                                  runs a travel clinic, offering up-to-
  •   Every year, about 700,000 to 1                                                          Tropical Diseases’ Shop: https://
                                                  date, clear and comprehensive pre-
      million people are infected with the                                                    thehtdshop.org/
                                                  travel advice. Discounts are offered
      parasite
                                                  for staff. Call 020 3447 5999 for
  •   Between 26,000 and 65,000                   more information and to book an
      people die annually                         appointment
We celebrate our excellent staff at 14 Meet the team using artificial - Issue 8 / 2019 - Issue 8 August 2019
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    CELEBRATING OUR EXCELLENT STAFF
    At UCLH, we are proud of all our staff and the fantastic work they do every day. This year
    more than 700 were nominated by colleagues and patients for going ‘above and beyond’ in
    their daily working lives. The winners were honoured at our annual award ceremony and
    presented with trophies by TV presenter Adrian Chiles. Here are some of their stories.

    Excellence in education                Patient-nominated                       Allied health
    winner                                 living the values                       professional and
    Daminee Seetannah, sepsis              winner                                  pharmacy colleague of
    improvement nurse                      Mustansir Alibhai, consultant           the year winner
    Every year, hundreds of thousands of   Breaking bad news to patients and       Charlotte Betteridge,
    people are diagnosed with sepsis, a    their loved ones is always difficult.   occupational therapist team lead
    serious complication of an infection   But one family appreciated the
    which can be fatal. However, thanks                                            Organising tickets to a basketball
                                           “kindness and compassion” shown         match for a young patient and
    to the hard work of Daminee, those     by Mustansir Alibhai.
    who come to UCLH have a better                                                 creating individual story books and
    chance of survival. She has worked     They praised him for his “hope          teddies to help children understand
    tirelessly to raise awareness about    and positivity” and “exceptional        complex operations: Charlotte was
    sepsis: more than 1,000 staff have     kindness and behaviour”.                voted a winner for being “one in a
    undergone training on how to                                                   million”.
                                           Another nominee said: “Mr Alibhai
    recognise the warning signs so swift   shows great humility, kindness and      Her nominee added: “Without
    action can be taken.                   his natural gentle nature typifies      exception, each child loves her and
    According to her nomination,           what delivering world-class health      she always brings a smile to their
    Daminee has a “professional but        care should be like.”                   faces.” The nominee also described
    approachable style and she has been                                            her as being “unfailingly cheerful”.
    an asset to the team and a pleasure
    to work with”.
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                                                                                        ALL THE WINNERS (IN NO
                                                                                        PARTICULAR ORDER)
                                                                                        • Safety award: the matron team at
                                                                                          Queen Square
                                                                                        • Kindness award: David Chal (general
                                                                                          manager, emergency division)
                                                                                        • Teamwork award: Radiotherapy play
                                                                                          team
                                                                                        • Improving award: Henry Wilson (head
                                                                                          of programme, admin transformation)
                                                                                        • Nurse or midwife leader of the year
                                                                                          award: Linda Huggins (clinical practice
                                                                                          facilitator/nurse educator)

Junior doctor or dentist                   Outstanding admin and                        • Top quality patient care award: facial
                                                                                          pain multi-disciplinary team at Eastman
of the year winner                         support contribution                           Dental Hospital
Jonathan Coppel, anaesthetics              award winner                                 • EHRS champion of the year: Alexa
specialty registrar, emergency             Shirine Yasse, events and                      Coombes (clinical systems designer,
division                                   education centre manager                       electronic health record system)
Jonny’s nomination read: “He is a          Organising more than 2,000 vital             • Contribution to world–class research
brilliant colleague who has taken          Epic training sessions across 35               award: REGAIN team
his rotation in acute medicine in his      rooms and nine locations is no easy          • Volunteer of the year award: Sheila
stride. He is a junior doctor who          feat, but Shirine approached the               Saunders
values patient safety and experience,      task with a “highly commendable,
is kind to staff and patient groups        can-do attitude and resilience”.             • Apprentice of the year award: Manisha
at all levels, and is always striving to   Shirine has worked many long days              Bhogal (staff experience team)
improve the quality of care patients       and weekends to achieve this, going          • Chair’s achievement award: the fetal
receive.” Jonny is well-liked by his       above and beyond expectations.                 surgery team
peers and has made a real effort           Shirine received three nominations
to boost morale by organising                                                           • Chief executive’s leadership award:
                                           which proves how thankful everyone
after-shift charity yoga sessions. His                                                    Natasha Phillips (chief nursing
                                           is to her in helping ensure the staff
behaviour and attitude reflect the                                                        informatics officer)
                                           experience during Epic training was
values of the trust and he is always       a positive one.
willing to go the extra mile for
patients and colleagues.

                                           “IT’S AN HONOUR TO BE HERE”
                                           TV and radio presenter Adrian Chiles          He was invited to the ceremony after he
                                           hosted the event and presented the            wrote an article in the Guardian about his
                                           awards to the winners.                        friend’s positive experience of undergoing
                                                                                         radiotherapy at UCLH.
                                           He told staff gathered at the awards
                                           ceremony: “Your pride in your                 Marcel Levi, chief executive, said: “It’s
                                           organisation is amazing.                      fantastic to be able to celebrate the
                                                                                         achievements, hard work and dedication
                                           “It’s great to come and pay tribute to you
                                                                                         of so many of our brilliant staff.
                                           all. From the porters to the profs, it’s a
                                           great honour to be here.”                     “I am proud of every single one of you.”
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     “I cried every day for a year”– how an
     innovative clinic is helping those with
     extreme facial pain
     An cutting-edge clinic is helping those who suffer with   team includes clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, a
     sudden and excruciating facial pain which can feel like   clinical nurse specialist, neurosurgeons, oral physicians
     electric shocks.                                          and dentists. This approach means that often patients
                                                               can manage the condition through a combination
     Trigeminal neuralgia, a rare neurological condition
                                                               of drugs, physiotherapy and psychological support,
     which sends sharp shooting pains to the face, drives
                                                               meaning they do not need to have invasive, and often
     some patients to the brink of suicide.
                                                               very complicated, surgery.
     Patient Alison Glenn said: “It was awful. It got to the
                                                               Alison, who has been pain-free after undergoing
     stage where I was having flare ups every 20 minutes
                                                               surgery to the nerve in her skull, added: “When I
     and I cried every day for a year.
                                                               was referred to Joanna, she knew I had trigeminal
     “I couldn’t talk, eat, wash my face, brush my teeth       neuralgia within five minutes.
     or go outside as the wind would set it off. It was
                                                               “It was such a relief to be told what it was after two
     like being stabbed in the face. You do become quite
                                                               and a half years of not knowing.
     depressed and isolated as you don’t want to go
     outside.”                                                 “I don’t know where I would be without Joanna and
                                                               the clinic.”
     Prof Joanna Zakrzewska, UCLH consultant in facial
     pain, has been a specialist for 25 years. She decided     Prof Zakrzewska said: “The clinic has been a great
     that radical action was needed to improve the way the     success and it has really helped patients. They no
     condition is treated.                                     longer have to go to A&E when they have flare ups as
                                                               they can come to the clinic and get the treatment and
     She said: “Because it is a rare condition not many
                                                               support they need.”
     people know how to manage it. One suicide is too
     many as we believe it can be managed.”                    The clinic was nominated for a British Medical Journal
                                                               Clinical Leadership Award. It was shortlisted out of
     Prof Zakrzewska established a multi-disciplinary team
                                                               350 entries – a fantastic achievement for a fantastic
     and a holistic approach to treating the patient. The
                                                               team!

        WHAT IS TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA?

        • The pain can be caused by everyday activities
          such as touching your face or eating. Or it can
          happen at random with no obvious cause.
        • It is rare. 10 people in 100,000 in the UK
          develop it each year. Women tend to be
          affected more than men, and it usually starts
          between the ages of 50 and 60. It’s rare in
          adults younger than 40.
        • It’s usually caused by compression of the
          trigeminal nerve, which is inside the skull and
          transmits sensations of pain and touch from
          your face, teeth and mouth to your brain. The
          compression can be caused by a blood vessel
          pressing on the nerve, multiple sclerosis or a
          tumour.
11

Thank you to Amarino for the ice cream
12

     Dr Shanom Ali
     Clinical microbiologist
     at the UCLH Environmental
     Research Laboratory
13

                                                                                     A DAY IN MY LIFE

                                           Dr Shanom Ali and his team
 I am passionate                           aim to prevent the spread of
about trying to make
the world safer                            infection.

     My day starts...                    On another day I may be trying         What do you love about
     With porridge and a cup             to bring C. difficile spores back      your job?
     of tea at my home in rural          to life from inside a 400-year         I am passionate about trying
     Northamptonshire, around 100        old mummy that was found               to make the world safer and
     miles north from London. I take     perfectly preserved in the Korean      turning an idea into something.
     the train into London every day.    Permafrost.                            For example, we are in the race
                                         I also enjoy teaching students/        to find new antibiotics. We are
     What does a                                                                working to find new medicine
                                         trainees from nearby UCL, where
     microbiologist do?                                                         and develop new ways of
                                         I am associate professor of
     In a nutshell, our team tries to    microbiology and I also lecture        delivering antibiotics so they
     capture and identify microbes       at the London School of Hygiene        are more effective in healing
     that may cause infection and        and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).         infection. Microscopy is so
     then suggest ways to prevent                                               fascinating; I rather like studying
     and control its spread to others.   What might surprise our                fungi infections – they are quite
     We focus on the “patient            readers?                               spectacular when looked at
     environment” – i.e. drinking/                                              under the microscope, full of tiny
     bathing water, air quality,         The design of everyday objects         detailed structures!
     everyday surfaces that we           like basins, taps, showers, toilets,
     touch, medical instruments etc.     bedrails and everyday surfaces
                                         can really help stop infections
     The job draws on skills from        spreading. They can be a hotbed
     many disciplines: physics,          for microbes. The shape of a hand
     chemistry, biology, medicine,       basin or the intensity of a toilet
     healthcare…essentially problem      flush can minimise the risk of
     solving.                            contaminated water splashing on
                                         a person and spreading disease,
     What does a typical day             for instance.
     entail?                             Over the past ten years, I have
     One day I might undertake           worked on prototypes with
     diagnostic work to test water       academic colleagues and private
     samples to ensure there are         manufacturers to bring new
     no signs of legionella or           products to the market. These
     pseudomonas. The next I             have varied from developing
     could be researching which          plasma gas jet-streams that
     types of bed rails or keyboards     disinfect hands to self-cleaning
     have the most effective anti-       glass for iPad tablets; introducing
     microbial properties against        robots that disinfect patient
     MRSA and E.coli and which           rooms; and using ultra violet to
     cleaning strategies to employ.      keyboards that self-clean when
                                         exposed to daylight.
14

     Artificial intelligence revolutionising healthcare

     When it comes to developing artificial intelligence that will      patients. For example, a teenager may be more likely to
     help transform the way patients experience our hospitals,          struggle with early morning appointments, or someone with
     neurology professor Parashkev Nachev and colleague Amy             visual disability may prefer an appointment during daylight
     Nelson are out in front.                                           hours.
     They are part of the team identifying how complex                  Amy Nelson, a former junior doctor at UCLH and
     computational modelling – now often referred to as AI or           computational neuroscientist, agrees that this is “just the
     artificial intelligence – can help solve everyday challenges,      beginning”.
     including cutting down on the number of missed
                                                                        She said: “Instead of painting in black and white you have
     appointments and making sure we roster enough staff to
                                                                        a whole palette of colours to paint a much richer picture of
     cover the busiest shifts in A&E.
                                                                        what is going on. AI is the future.”
     Dr Nachev, whose post is funded by biomedical research
     charity The Wellcome Trust, was one of the first AI healthcare
     pioneers ten years ago.                                              Patient confidentiality is protected
     He said: “The overarching question is: How can we use                UCLH follows stringent legal rules and guidelines to
     these computational models to help our hospitals serve our           protect patient confidentiality when using data for
     patients – and not the other way round? We have to capture           research. UCLH is creating an infrastructure securely
     patients’ individuality, accurately predict likely behaviour and     inside the digital boundaries of the hospital, operated
     focus on what is relevant to them.”                                  by UCLH staff, which will further protect patient
                                                                          confidentiality.
     A team from the National Institute for Health Research UCLH
     Biomedical Research Centre created an algorithm to predict
     which patients are most likely to miss their appointments.
     They looked at routine admin data including a wide array of          AI offers improvement in care
     variables that can influence attendance, such as appointment
     day, number of previous scans, and how far from the hospital         Once it undergoes rigorous testing, AI can also be used
     the person lived. UCLH plans to roll out a new system that           in clinical settings offering huge improvements in care
     intelligently tailors reminder phone calls to the likelihood of      for patients. For example, it is currently helping to track
     non-attendance.                                                      the way the brain responds to the treatment of multiple
                                                                          sclerosis, potentially improving the care of those
     Missed NHS appointments have been estimated to cost the
                                                                          suffering from the condition. You can read more about
     health service around £1 billion a year (NHS Digital).
                                                                          this in the news section of our website
     In future, more complex algorithms could help automatically          www.uclh.nhs.uk/news
     predict the best appointment times to offer individual
15

UCLH Charity, the official charity of UCLH, invests nearly
£10m every year to improve and enhance patient care. The
charity funds research, specialist equipment, improvements
to the environment, service innovations and training and
development for staff to help UCLH provide high quality
care.
With the imminent opening of the new Royal National ENT
and Eastman Dental Hospitals, we are funding four state-
of-the-art virtual reality phantom heads to give therapy
students from the Eastman Dental Education Centre the best
possible start to their careers. The simulators can also be
used for recruitment and assessment.
The high-tech kit (see photo) means students can hone their
skills by performing dental treatments like fillings, root canal provides an exact feeling of the objects and materials being
and crowns in a 3D virtual environment. The phantom heads worked on. The heads come with an extensive library of
are about as close to real life as you can get.                  tooth and instrument models which will enhance our training
Tim Hodgson, divisional clinical director at the Eastman         programmes and potential for research. The new equipment
Dental Hospital, said: “Patient scans can be imported so         will enable us to maintain our position as one of Europe’s
students can work on real life cases, and the drill hand piece leading dental education providers.”

    The new Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals opens in October 2019. It brings
    together two world leading centres of excellence in a nine-storey building in Huntley Street.
    As well as providing dental treatment, the new facility provides specialist care for conditions
    relating to ear, nose, throat, hearing, speech and balance. It includes a floor dedicated to the
    care of children and young adults.
    The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital on Gray’s Inn Road will remain open after
    October 2019 for wards, theatres and sleep diagnostics. All services provided by the Eastman
    Dental Hospital will move to the new facility on Huntley Street, and the old site on Gray’s Inn
    Road will transfer to its new owners, UCL. Visit www.uclh.nhs.uk/ENTandDental

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
  • Make a Will Week 7-13 October - write your will assisted by a solicitor in return for a donation to UCLH Charity
The fundraising team is on hand to support you should you wish to raise money for UCLH. Contact us:

       @UCLHcharity                  TheUCLHcharity                 020 3447 9360                 uclh.enquiry.charity@nhs.net

                                        www.uclhcharity.org.uk / Registered charity no. 1165398
WHAT’S ON
Listening event a
great success
Young patients and their carers and family members were given
the opportunity to share their views and opinions on our upcoming
Proton Beam Therapy Centre at our most recent Listening Event.
More than 35 people attended and gave feedback on the waiting
areas, the interior design and the activities available for young
patients while they are waiting for their appointments.
To make the event extra special, there were face painters, cake
decorating classes, magic shows and poem writing. The event was
a lot of fun, but most importantly helped us understand the young
patient’s journey and how we can meet their needs within the
hospital.
If you would like to take part in future listening events, workshops
or involvement events, please contact the Patient and Public
Involvement team on uclh.ppi@nhs.net

ANNUAL MEMBERS’ MEETING
Date: Wednesday 25 September, 5pm-8pm                            To register, email uclh.members@nhs.net, call 020 3447
                                                                 9290 or register online at
Venue: Education Centre, 1st Floor, 250 Euston Road,
                                                                 www.uclh.nhs.uk/MembersMeet.
London, NW1 2PG
Speakers: Professor Anna David talking about fetal surgery        If you receive your copy of UCLH Magazine via post
in babies with spina bifida and Professor Emma Morris             and you wish to unsubscribe, please contact
on bone marrow transplants to treat adults with immune            uclh.members@nhs.net or 020 3447 9290
system disorders.

                                               Save the date
                                               Come and see how UCLH Charity is supporting services for patients at UCLH
                                               – and how you can make a difference – at this year’s festive open event. Save
                                               the date, Thursday 5 December, 4:30pm-6:00pm.
                                               Join us in the University College Hospital atrium for festive cheer, mince pies,
                                               music and the Christmas tree light switch on from a special guest. See you
                                               there!
                                               For more details email: uclh.enquiry.charity@nhs.net
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