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In April 2022, James from Warrington was struggling down his own garden path to get his neighbours attention, so they could call him an ambulance. James was suffering from a Stroke, which was caused by a massive bleed on the brain. 

James was stabilised in Whiston Hospital and then immediately transferred to The Walton Centre for lifesaving surgery and treatment. After spending weeks in intensive care, James woke up and found that he could only blink and use his big toe to communicate. 

He said: “When I woke up I knew I had been through something lifechanging. For two months I was unable to communicate much at all, but Annie, one of the Speech and Language Therapists, assessed me and found I could do basic communication [using a switch and an alphabet chart]. Working with the amazing team I was able to tell my wife I love her. It was a very emotional time.”  

Working with Annie Newcomen on his rehabilitation journey, James was able to communicate more and more using specialist methods, and finally have visitors.  

For a large part of James’ rehabilitation, he had a tracheostomy (a tube inserted into the windpipe to help him breathe), which unsettled his young children and became difficult to explain. 

James continued: “The kids would come and visit and be upset about all the different tubes and things I had attached to my body. The tracheostomy in my neck was particularly distressing for them and I couldn’t tell them properly that I was ok and it was actually helping. My Speech and Language Therapists, saw this and leapt into action!” 

Speech and Language Therapist Charlotte Lawrence and Therapy Assistant Emma Cottier saw there was a way to support James and his young family – with a teddy bear.  

Charlotte said: “The team had been discussing ways that we could facilitate James’ children coming into the hospital, to support his rehabilitation and make it a less scary experience for them. Emma’s daughter very generously donated one of her teddy bears to the ward. We gave the teddy bear a tracheostomy, similar to that of James’. We also provided James’ wife Claire with some information resources put together by our Rehab Network Parenting Group, so she could sit down and work through these with their children at home.” 

James said: “The tracheostomy ted was a gamechanger. My daughters were less anxious about it because they’d played with the teddy and talked about it with my wife. It meant that we could have proper visits and I could enjoy their company without having to answer loads of questions about it. I was finally able to get some hugs!

“The team at The Walton Centre are amazing. They could see we were struggling as a family and exceeded expectations by creating Tracheostomy Ted and the resources. I honestly think it helped with my rehabilitation too, because it was one less thing to worry about. I can’t thank them enough.” 

Once James’ children felt more confident in coming onto the ward, the multidisciplinary team arranged therapy sessions involving James’ children. The sessions included games and activities that encouraged interaction and play, whilst being tailored to James’ therapy goals. 

The Gilbert family were the first to use Tracheostomy Ted, and as part of the Rehab Network Parenting Group, Charlotte and Emma are working with The Walton Centre Charity to create more resources to help young family members understand brain injury, and be included in the rehabilitation journey. 

 

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611

Read Tracheostomy Ted helps young visitors understand rehabilitation…

Six years ago, Clare Wilson experienced a serious bleed on the brain while she was living near Chester. Clare was rushed to The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust for lifesaving surgery where a coil, which stops the bleeding, was implanted into her brain. Since her first visit, Clare has had several treatments and surgeries to maintain her health.

Ahead of a more complicated surgery here at The Walton Centre, Clare wanted to take on a monumental challenge to raise money for The Walton Centre Charity.

She said: “Honestly, I owe them my life, I couldn’t have paid for a better service. Every time I’ve had to come in for surgery the hospital has been exemplary in their care for me. Initially I spent a lot of time on Dott Ward and the staff were so attentive and supportive. So to thank them properly I just had to do something to raise some money for The Walton Centre Charity.”

An avid runner, Clare decided to set the challenge of doing the equivalent of a triathlon every day for 30 days – with help from her colleagues at Co-Op.

Clare said: “Looking back now I realise it was quite a big challenge! But I knew I had amazing people around me to get stuck in and help. I also wanted to aim high with the fundraising target and set £20,000. Thank goodness we kept a spreadsheet to keep track of everyone’s progress!”

Collectively, Clare and her team ran 5km, swam half a mile and cycled 20km each day for the month of November 2022.

Clare continued: “I couldn’t believe the outpouring of support I received. It really inspired friends, family and complete strangers to donate to our cause. Altogether we raised over £25,000 for The Walton Centre Charity and I couldn’t be happier. Times are hard and it feels amazing to be able to give support back to the hospital like this, and I’m so proud of my colleagues who stepped up and took part in the challenge. We’re looking forward to supporting the charity more in the future!”

Clare’s amazing donation will go towards supporting patients receiving treatment and rehabilitation here.

Anne Hodgson, Community Fundraiser, The Walton Centre Charity, said: “I’m blown away by the fundraising Clare and her team have done for us. This incredible achievement means that unwell patients will have an enhanced level of rehabilitation when they need it most. I will be forever grateful to Clare and her colleagues for the difference this will make to patients.”

If you want to get involved in our charity and fundraise for The Walton Centre, go to www.thewaltoncentrecharity.org.

 

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

 

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611

 

Read Clare triumphs with over £25,000 raised in triathlon challenge for The Walton Centre Charity…

Congratulations to all our winners and nominees of our annual staff awards, held yesterday, Thursday 12 January.

Chief Executive Jan Ross and Chairman Max Steinberg CBE were joined by two Liverpool sporting legends Alan Stubbs and Tony Bellew to present the awards.

Jan said “I was incredibly proud presenting these special awards and delighted to see so many nominees take time out of their day to attend. We received more than 100 nominations, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff demonstrated every single day.”

Huge congratulations to all of our nominees and our 2022 award winners:

·         Above and Beyond: Clinical Award – Terri Park, Sister, Chavasse Ward

·         Above and Beyond: Non-Clinical Award – Rachael Chadwick, Patient Support Assistant

·         Best Contribution to Learning – Neurovascular Multidisciplinary Team

·         Research and Innovation – Dr Heike Arndt, Registrar

·         Improving Patient and Family Experience Overall Winner – Neuro-oncology Multidisciplinary Team

·         Improving Patient and Family Experience Highly Commended – Stacy McGuinness, Physiotherapy Assistant

·         Employee of the Year – Abbie Birch, Staff Nurse, Cairns Ward

·         Good Catch of the Year - Emma Howard, Occupational Therapy Assistant; Stacy McGuinness, Physiotherapy Assistant; Rosie Lawson, Clerical Officer, Neurology; Jenny Gossage, Ward Manager

·         Team of the Year Overall Winner – Theatres

·         Team of the Year Highly Commended – Chavasse Ward

·         Patients' Choice – Jake Jackson, Healthcare Assistant, Lipton Ward

·         Chief Executive’s Lifetime Achievement Award Overall Winner – Judith Dennis, Medical Education Officer

·         Chief Executive's Lifetime Achievement Award Highly Commended – Julie Riley, Deputy Director of Strategy

 

Read Celebrating our amazing staff…

The Walton Centre is pleased to announce Irene Afful has joined the Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director.

Irene has extensive experience working in a multi-agency capacity, spending 25 years with Merseyside Police Service. There, she created and delivered the Phoenix Leadership Programme, a positive action initiative aimed at increasing recruitment of minority groups to the police service. During her career, Irene also became the first black female Detective Inspector with Merseyside Police Service, and took on roles including being instrumental in re-establishing and chairing the Black Police Association and as Female Vice President of the National Black Police Association.

Retiring in 2016, Irene then became an award-winning businesswoman, delivering a coaching and consultancy service, supporting organisations in attracting and retaining under-represented groups in leadership, community engagement and personal coaching.

Chairman of The Walton Centre Max Steinberg CBE said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to appoint Irene to our Board. I’m confident her exceptional experience in the police service, and her skills in organisational change, will be a positive influence on the team and the wider organisation.”

Chief Executive Jan Ross said: “Irene will be a fantastic presence in the team. In particular, drawing on Irene’s vast experience in safeguarding and the equality and diversity agenda will enable us to navigate an uncertain future when it comes to recruitment and retention, a challenge felt across the NHS.”

Irene she said: “I am really excited to be joining the Board at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital provides an outstanding service to its patients and families. I have had personal experience of the excellent service provided to family and friends and I’m looking forward to supporting the Trust with continuous improvement in its services to support patients, families, staff and the wider community.”

 

Read New Non-Executive Director appointed at The Walton Centre…

A new service aimed at reducing the impact of one of the most devastating symptoms of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is being piloted at The Walton Centre, the country’s only specialist neurosciences Trust.

Swallowing problems, known as dysphagia, affect at least two-thirds of all people with MND during the course of their illness. This can either result in choking and chest infections if food, drink or saliva goes backwards, or drooling if forwards.

As well as significant health consequences, the impact of symptoms like drooling can result in considerable quality of life issues.

Mel Taylor (pictured above), Speech and Language Therapist, The Walton Centre, said, “Patients who suffer with poor saliva control resulting in drooling can very quickly lose their confidence in public situations, as they don’t want the stigma of being seen drooling. They can also struggle to make phone calls as the phone gets wet, and it becomes very socially isolating.

“From speaking to our patients it’s the issue that concerns them the most, so we really wanted to be able to tackle it as soon as it becomes an issue for them.”

Previously patients were assessed for three different treatments:

·        Hyoscine patch – prescribed by a GP, this is stuck onto the skin

·        Glycopyrrolate – a drug treatment which needs to be increased through its usage

·        Botulinum toxin – injections into salivary glands to reduce saliva production

Currently, patients have to be offered both the patch and drug treatments before being referred for botulinum toxin injections. Mel said, “It’s a long process, and for many patients those treatments don’t work as well as they would want. Therefore, it just adds to the feeling of social anxiety and isolation for our patients.”

The Walton Centre has developed a new clinic to cut through the three-stage process. Mel explains, “Patients come to the new clinic as soon as they start to suffer from saliva management issues. They’re assessed by myself, a specialist rehabilitation doctor and a respiratory physiotherapist and we carry out tests to check their swallow capability. Then we can make a decision there and then about which is the best option out of the three different kinds of treatment.”

As the only treatment centre for MND in the region, The Walton Centre sees approximately 200 patients a year. The new clinic is currently seeing both newly diagnosed and existing patients who are still suffering from saliva management problems.

Mel added, “We hope this new clinic will make a real difference, to both the quality of life for our MND patients and the reduction of further health complications from these symptoms.”

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611

Read New clinic making a difference for MND patients…

Spinal patients at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust have begun to benefit from a groundbreaking new surgical robotic navigation system – one of the first of its kind to be used in the NHS.

Called the ‘ExcelsiusGPS®’, manufactured by Globus Medical UK Ltd, the new innovation will see patients spend less time in theatre and potentially reduce recovery time after major spinal surgery.

Consultant Spinal Surgeon and Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression Surgical Lead Miss Maggie Lee said: “This amazing piece of technology enhances what we currently have in surgery. The system enables us to operate with a higher degree of accuracy in navigation, so we can progress through the stages of the procedure much quicker. There is also a reduction in X-ray imaging needed during the operation. This means patients will be in surgery for a much shorter time and therefore hopefully have a much shorter stay in hospital.”

The system involves a rigid robotic arm, tracked and fully navigated by a camera, which is then programmed to follow a trajectory pre-planned by our surgeons. This allows them to facilitate placement of spinal screws and interbody cages to an incredibly high level of precision. 

Consultant Spinal Surgeon & Clinical Lead for Complex Spine Mr Simon Clark said: “Research into robot assisted navigation for spinal procedures shows that it’s considerably more accurate than previous freehand methods. This incredible system is not only going to allow us to improve accuracy and therefore clinical outcomes, but enhance patient experience and also improve training the next generation of spinal surgeons.”

Chief Executive Jan Ross said: “This exciting new innovation is going to change the face of spinal surgery here at The Walton Centre and beyond. Our surgeons have already successfully operated on patients with the ExcelsiusGPS® navigation system and are planning to apply benefits of this new tech to many more procedures. The team has worked incredibly hard to get this project across the line, they are pioneering how spinal operations can be modernised for the NHS going forward. This system will mean a more efficient service for our patients.” 

In collaboration with Globus Medical UK Ltd, the Trust will use the revolutionary equipment to deliver robotic spinal services. The Trust will also have the unique opportunity to become a training and education centre for the UK, showcasing the services provided to its patients on a national and international platform.

President of Imaging, Navigation and Robotics at Globus Medical Jay Martin said: “It’s a significant milestone for both Globus Medical and the NHS Trust to collaborate through technology innovation to fundamentally change the future of spine surgery in the UK.”

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611

 

Read The Walton Centre operates on first patients using cutting-edge navigation in complex spinal surgery…

Today, Thursday 29 September, we launched our new three-year Trust strategy, which sets out how we will continue to deliver excellent clinical outcomes and patient experience with our team of dedicated, specialist staff.

The strategy reflects the pace of change in the NHS due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the infrastructure changes brought about by the Health and Social Care Bill 2021.

Chief Executive Jan Ross said “As you would expect, patients, their families and our staff are at the heart of our new strategy as is collaboration with our partners across the region – throughout the health, government, voluntary, education and third sectors.

“The strategy is a dynamic and innovative approach for delivery of the very best care for every patient we treat, and as the UK’s only specialist neuroscience trust we want to ensure we can lead the region and the country in ensuring patients have the latest and leading treatments.

“The strategy focuses on five strategic ambitions: Education, training and learning, research and development, leadership, collaboration, and social responsibility. Through these five areas, we want to deliver excellent clinical outcomes and the very best patient experience.”

Read The Walton Centre launches its new Trust strategy…