Consultant is first in county to use new method for treating gallstones

4:00pm Tuesday 10th April 2012 in Bradford By Claire Lomax

a doctor in Bradford has become the first in Yorkshire to use a new technique to shatter gallstones in patients.

Gallstones are stones, usually made of cholesterol, that form in the gallbladder. In most cases they do not cause any symptoms. however, in a small number of cases, gallstones can become trapped in a duct, which leads to a range of symptoms, including a sudden intense pain in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting and jaundice.

Risk factors include obesity and age, with older people more likely to develop gallstones.

Women are also two to three times more likely to develop gallstones than men.

Traditionally, patients needing treatment for gallstones, many of them elderly, have faced major surgery and hospital stays of up to ten days, or frequent visits to hospital for treatment to put in stents.

Health bosses in Bradford have now invested £50,000 in new equipment called SpyGlass from a company called Boston Scientific.

it consists of a baby endoscope – a tiny flexible tube and eye piece to see inside the body – which can pass up a standard endoscope and into the bile duct to directly visualise abnormalities.

tiny forceps can then be used by the doctor to take a biopsy, to aid diagnosis and management of disease or a lithotripter – a device which emits electrohydraulic shock waves – can pass up the baby scope to shatter gallstones.

it will be used on patients who have stones which can’t be removed surgically or using standard endoscopic techniques.

Dr Conrad Beckett, a consultant gastroenterologist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was the first to use SpyGlass, making Bradford one of only eight other centres in the country carrying out the procedure.

Dr Beckett, who has 18 years experience, trained in the technique in Aintree, Liverpool.

He said: “It is a procedure which is lower risk for the patient and can be done as a day case. it takes about an hour-and-a-half for a big stone and because it is not comfortable for the patient it is done under general anaesthetic.

“The first procedure went very well and we crushed a big stone nicely. hopefully the patient won’t have to come back again.

“We are talking about doing a couple of cases a months and will start with the backlog of our own patients and will then be happy to take referrals from across Yorkshire.”

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999 operator rapped over fatal error

10:00am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in News by Jennifer Bell , jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk

THE grieving brother of a York man said he was “shocked” and “angry” after the 999 operator who failed to send him an ambulance avoided being struck off.

Retired hotel manager John Barker, of Acomb, rang 999 in severe pain, but Yorkshire Ambulance Service nurse Alan Thomas Haugh overrode a computer system which would have triggered an immediate response by paramedics.

instead, Mr Haugh, a father of three, told the 65-year-old that his condition did not appear life-threatening, and classed him as a Category C patient rather than Category A.

But Mr Barker was found dead the next day from severe pancreatitis.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council tribunal this week heard it was the latest in a series of blunders.

The hearing yesterday issued a five-year caution but did not strike off Mr Haugh, meaning he can continue practising as a nurse.

Mr Barker’s brother, Richard, called the decision “lenient”. He said: “My initial feeling is one of anger.

“I am shocked that the picture has been painted of a man who has learned from his mistakes and posed no continuing risk to patients and the public.

“It was very clear that he was not fit to practise and he admitted that. I am not sure the decision is adequate, and it has been harrowing to hear that there was a sequence of cases and there was no intervention sooner in getting him out of the control room.”

Had Mr Barker been classed as a Category A patient, an ambulance would have been dispatched.

Mr Barker had outlined his history of heart pain, but Mr Haugh phoned him back and told him to see his doctor and take painkillers.

it was one of four errors between 2005 and 2007 by Mr Haugh, who is in his early 40s and from York, and who now works at Moorlands Care Home in Strensall.

All four saw him overlooking crucial critical symptoms and choosing not to send an ambulance when patients called.

At the tribunal, Mr Haugh, who previously worked for full Sutton Prison and York Hospital, apologised for letting down the patients’ families. He said the role was not suited to his skills.

He had previously been disciplined after ignoring computer system prompts and failing to send ambulances to a caller who he assumed was hungover when he had actually suffered a skull fracture, to a young girl who burst a Persil liquid capsule over her face and to a woman with abdominal problems who he decided had back trouble. Mr Haugh also admitted speaking to a member of Mr Barker’s family in an unprofessional manner when his actions were challenged.

He said he was better suited to “one-to-one” nursing, and said; “I feel I can be a good nurse again.”

Moorlands manager Helen Lewis told the tribunal Mr Haugh was “confident and experienced”, liked and respected by staff, and would be missed if he was struck off. Christie Brown, representing Mr Haugh, said: “He is somebody who has learned from his mistakes and I submit he is still an asset to the profession.”

Mr Barker’s brother said: “Some of the things said about the way YAS was operating at the time were shocking, but nothing excused him as a professional who did not give the right level of care.

“The family has been left for a long time for the case to come to a consequence, and I think if it had happened immediately after the 2005-2007 period, Haugh would have been struck off and it would have been the right decision.”

The tribunal found Mr Haugh’s fitness to practise was impaired due to malpractice.

Panel member Michael Cann said he failed to uphold YAS’s reputation and provide the duty of care expected of him.

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Campaign to raise awareness of dementia symptoms

7:56am Friday 8th April 2011

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ONLY 43 per cent of people with dementia in our region have been formally diagnosed, according to a new study.

The research, conducted in people over 40 in the Yorkshire and Humber region, show that many do not know how to spot the early signs of dementia.

More than half of those questioned (55 per cent) admitted they would not know the difference between the signs and symptoms of the disease and the normal signs of ageing.

Nicki Dyson, Yorkshire and Humber area manager for the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Being aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia is the essential first step needed to seeking a diagnosis.

“Signs can include a range of changes in behaviour, including finding it hard to follow conversations or programmes on TV, repeating things or having problems with thinking and reasoning.

“With an ageing population dementia is a real health concern, and we must ensure that as many people as possible get advice from their doctor if they are worried about the signs.”

The findings come as the NHS launches a campaign urging people to talk to loved ones if they suspect they, or someone close to them could be showing signs of the illness.

The campaign wants everyone to be able to spot the early warning signs, though in Yorkshire and The Humber, 87 per cent of people said they would bring up the subject with a loved one if they were seeing signs of memory loss.

Professor Alistair Burns, national clinical director for dementia, said: “It is crucial that people do talk about their concerns as early as possible and don’t wait until a crisis situation forces them into it.

“The sooner someone is diagnosed with dementia the sooner they can access the treatment and support to help them live well with the condition.”

For further information about spotting dementia, visit nhs.uk/dementia

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