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The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust has received Centre of Excellence status after delivering outstanding fully endoscopic spinal surgery to patients in Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales.

The award, given by RIWOspine, the manufacturers of the innovative fully endoscopic equipment, comes after the Trust’s charity funded the project in 2020. Gaining Centre of Excellence is a gold standard, making the hospital one of only a handful to achieve the status.

Consultant Spinal Surgeon Mr Narendra Rath, one of few surgeons in the country who can perform this type of surgery, said: “I am delighted and so proud of the team here at The Walton Centre. It’s been an extraordinary two years, but the team has worked hard to bring this service to patients who need it.

“Fully endoscopic spinal surgery has provided us with skills to tackle spinal problems in various ways and it is not only about discectomy procedures. Being keyhole, the procedure causes minimal tissue damage and can improve patient rehabilitation. It’s a pioneering branch of spinal surgery, practiced in only few centres across the world, and has a potential to transform future spinal surgery.”

“Everyone has come together, staff, the charity, our patients and their families to make this service a reality and I can’t thank them enough.”

The procedure is used to treat spinal conditions such as sciatica due to disc bulges and spinal stenosis, along with other ever evolving newer surgical indications. As part of the recovery process for some of the procedures, patients can be up and walking around merely hours after the surgery. In many cases, patients can go home the same day if they have recovered enough.

Patients like 26-year-old Ciaran Rooney from Wirral. He started to have trouble with his back a couple of years ago. Mr Rath operated on Ciaran towards the end of last year [2021] and was able to go home the same day. He said: “Mr Rath assessed and got me in for the operation quickly. Before that I was in an incredible amount of pain, I was limping it was that severe. Hours after the procedure the team got me up and about walking to see the progress I was making. I couldn’t believe it and I feel so lucky to have had the surgery, it’s got me back on my feet – literally!”

The Walton Centre’s Chief Executive Jan Ross said: “It’s testament to Mr Rath and his hardworking team that the Trust has been awarded Centre of Excellence status. This minimally invasive procedure can mean shorter hospital stays and better recoveries for many patients. I’m proud of the dedication they have displayed and it shows in the fantastic outcomes we’ve seen so far for Walton Centre patients.”

The innovative endoscopic equipment, made by RIWOspine, involves keyhole technology, which allows the Trust to deliver precision spinal procedures. The tools are paired wirelessly with high definition 4K monitors to enable safe procedures with minimal invasion, which may reduce the length of time patients need to recover in hospital. The funding of this technology was made possible thanks to a significant legacy left to The Walton Centre Charity in 2019.

Andy Singh, Head of RIWOspine UK said “We are very pleased to announce this Centre of Excellence award for The Walton Centre. The staff at the hospital have worked closely with us, and their hard work and professionalism has resulted in this award. This latest generation of full endoscopic spine surgery, allowing the interlaminar surgical approach has meant many more patient pathologies have been treatable, where once, these patients required open surgery. The stories of happy patients, such as Daniel, make this all worthwhile”.

-Ends-

 

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 Specialist spinal service receives Centre of Excellence award…

Congratulations to Dr Andreas Goebel, Consultant in Pain Medicine at The Walton Centre, who was one of the lead authors of new guidelines for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The new guidelines were recently launched at the Royal College of Physicians in Liverpool. These are the first UK guidelines for the condition and will have a significant impact on patients.

Fibromyalgia syndrome is common yet as symptoms vary, are commonly multiple and can fluctuate, a diagnosis can be difficult.

Patients may be diagnosed inaccurately with alternative conditions, only receive an FMS diagnosis after years of delay, or sometimes be inaccurately diagnosed with FMS.

The new guidelines aim to support clinicians in the diagnosis of FMS, without the need for rheumatology referral, preventing unnecessary surgery, enable patients to be placed on the appropriate treatment pathway earlier and empower patients to be more knowledgeable about their condition. 

The Walton Centre offers a variety of pain management programmes tailored to individual needs. In fact, the first Pain Management Programme (PMP) in the UK was developed at The Walton Centre in 1983. Since then, we have continued to develop our service and remain at the forefront of pain management treatment. We offer programs specifically for young patients, or those with particular chronic pains. PMP treatment is the backbone of management for patients with severe FMS, and these patients form a large part of our patient group.

Dr Goebel said: “The team of multidisciplinary professionals who worked on these guidelines included representatives from general practice, surgery, nursing, occupational health, rheumatology, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and physiotherapy as well as patients diagnosed with FMS.

“We hope the guidelines will lead to more effective and efficient diagnosis of FMS and therefore enabling more patients to access the right treatment and management of their condition, at an earlier stage.”

For more information on the new guidelines, visit: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/guidelines-policy/diagnosis-fibromyalgia-syndrome 

Read New guidelines launched for fibromyalgia syndrome…

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust has rolled out a new service using cutting-edge treatment for people living with Essential Tremor – a neurological disorder that causes an uncontrollable shake or trembling in a part of the body.

The UK’s first specialist neurosciences hospital won the contract to deliver the new service at the end of 2021, which will make it the first centre in the north of England, second in the country overall, to offer an incisionless treatment for the condition. Called Trans-cranial MR-guided Focused Ultrasound, or Focused Ultrasound for short, it involves thermal tissue ablation, targeted at the key areas of the brain causing the tremors.

With over one million people living with Essential Tremor in the UK, around 25% are severely disabled by their tremors (https://tremor.org.uk/).

Maureen Greenough had been living with Essential Tremor for several years before being the first to be offered this innovative treatment at The Walton Centre. The procedure was a complete success and she no longer has tremors in her right hand-side.

She said: “I couldn’t believe how immediate the change was. As soon as I left the treatment room I noticed that my right hand had stopped shaking, it was like the team at The Walton centre had flipped a switch! Before this my writing was terrible, I couldn’t hold a cup without using both hands. I felt a lot of embarrassment and I didn’t feel comfortable eating in front of people. Now that’s all changed. We’re planning a holiday this year and we have a wedding in the summer to go to – I now cannot wait! The treatment The Walton Centre provides is excellent, and I will be forever grateful to the team for helping me.”

Eligible patients get one Focused Ultrasound treatment to reduce the tremors on one side of their body. Current regulatory approvals demonstrate good clinical durability, with tremor relief maintained at three years.

Medical Director Dr Andrew Nicolson said: “We consider this treatment a game-changer for our patients with Essential Tremor. Those eligible will be able to have the treatment and see their symptoms on one side of their body essentially disappear. Usually to achieve this effect in Movement Disorders, it would require much more invasive surgical intervention. It’s been an incredible team effort and the first treatment today marks the start of an invaluable service we can offer our patients.”     

Mr Jibril Osman Farah, Consultant Neurosurgeon and one of the lead clinicians for this project, hopes that the waiting list can be reduced significantly now The Walton Centre can offer the treatment. He said: “Those patients in the north of England waiting for this treatment can now come here to Liverpool, rather than have to wait to be treated in London, which can be difficult to get to. Focused Ultrasound is a groundbreaking treatment for patients with Essential Tremor. To test how effective the treatment is we ask patients to draw spirals before, during and after, and the results are so striking. Before it was a scribble, and after it is a clear spiral, the tremors are drastically reduced. I’m so proud of the team and how we’ve pulled together to bring this treatment to patients here at The Walton Centre.”

The innovative technology was developed and implemented by Insightec, who have worked closely with The Walton Centre to deliver this new treatment to patients in the North of England.

Maurice R. Ferré MD, Insightec CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors said: “We are deeply committed to continuing to transform patient care with minimally invasive, innovative surgical procedures. The Exablate system will help support a better quality of life for people diagnosed and living with Essential Tremor.”

-Ends-

 

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.

Read First Walton Centre patient receives groundbreaking treatment for Essential Tremor…

In 2015, third year medical student Dan Pearson began to notice tremors in his hands when doing working with his hands. After a GP referral to The Walton Centre, Dan’s diagnosis of Essential Tremor was confirmed. 

Essential Tremor is a neurological disorder that causes an uncontrollable shake or trembling in a part of the body, which can be disruptive to everyday life for up to a million people in the UK each year (https://tremor.org.uk/).

Dan said: “I was doing a lab project as part of my studies and noticed when I was pipetting samples that my hands were shaking. They started to get worse as the year progressed and that’s when I wanted to see experts at The Walton Centre. They knew immediately it was Essential Tremor and gave me a range of treatment options, mainly medication to start with.”

But after a few years of medication, the 28 year old from Rainhill noticed that the symptoms were coming back. It was at this point that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) was suggested. DBS involves implanting electrodes in certain areas of the brain, which are causing the tremors, through which electrical impulses are then delivered to regulate brain activity. Dan was referred to Mr Jibril Farah, a Consultant Neurosurgeon specialising in DBS here at The Walton Centre.

Dan continued: “Mr Farah was brilliant at giving me options and the space to decide what is best for me as an Essential Tremor patient and a medical student. I went away and read some literature he suggested, but ultimately decided to go ahead with DBS procedure.

“During testing the electrodes in my head they turned them on and my symptoms disappeared. I couldn’t believe it. I was so emotional. I knew I’d made the right decision.”   

Following further appointments with the DBS team to get the calibration right, Dan has progressed his medical career and is now considering which area to specialise in. He said: “Having the DBS procedure was definitely the right choice. I went from barely able to hold a pen to paper, to now writing coherently. More importantly it’s given me my options back career-wise. Where surgical options would’ve been out of the question, I can now consider these without my condition being a big contributing factor. I can’t thank The Walton Centre enough for that.

“I think everyone needs a greater understanding of Essential Tremor. Too many see people’s symptoms and jump to conclusions.” 

-Ends-

 

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 Essential Tremor patient can pursue dream career thanks to an implant fitted by The Walton Centre…

Leading clinicians in rehabilitation have come together to write a new book on the interdisciplinary team (IDT) approach to complex physical rehabilitation.

‘A Practical Approach to Interdisciplinary Complex Rehabilitation’ is a comprehensive, practical, evidence-based guide to complex rehabilitation from an IDT perspective, exploring the dynamic and diverse roles and challenges of the team. The fifteen chapters are written by clinicians who are highly experienced across a range of disciplines and settings, from early acute rehabilitation to community rehabilitation.

The book has been developed by Drs Cara Pelser, Helen Banks and Ganesh Bavikatte from The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network (CMRN). Together with a wide range of medical, nursing, AHP and psychology colleagues from the CMRN they have captured each discipline in a user friendly, easy-read format covering topics which are underrepresented in current literature such as vocational rehabilitation and socioeconomic factors.

The CMRN is hosted by The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust. It is the UK’s only specialist rehabilitation clinical network commissioned from hyper acute to community services and NHS Foundation Trusts.

Dr Ganesh Bavikatte, consultant at The Walton Centre in Liverpool and clinical lead for the CMRN, and one of the editors of the book, said the text will be an invaluable resource for all healthcare staff working in rehabilitation.

“Whether you work in medicine, nursing, dietetics, neuropsychiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, rehabilitation coordination, speech and language therapy, or vocational rehabilitation therapy, there is something to learn and take from this book.

“Most importantly, the book looks at the team approach, which is critical for the benefit of the rehabilitation patient and their personalised goals.

“I am delighted to see it in print and be able to share the work of the staff from the Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network with our colleagues across the country and the world.”

Dr Cara Pelser, Clinical Psychologist, said: “'The book demonstrates the hard work and sheer dedication of NHS staff who, during a pandemic, have continued to successfully collaborate to develop and produce a piece of work everyone should be proud of.”

The Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network is a clinically-led network responsible for 103 inpatient beds and community services across the region. It provides high quality specialist rehabilitation across a coordinated pathway from hyper-acute to community services based on a patient’s needs not diagnosis.

It operates on a hub and spoke model, with the hub at The Walton Centre, where there are 10 inpatient beds in the Hyper Acute Specialist Rehabilitation Unit, providing early specialist assessment and supportive rehabilitation for patients who have typically stepped down from Critical Care, High Dependency Units or Major Trauma Centres and 20 inpatient beds in the Complex Rehabilitation Unit to provide supportive rehabilitation for patients with complex medical, nursing and therapy needs. Active rehabilitation is provided in the spoke units at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, and Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and extended rehabilitation at Oak Vale Gardens, Priory Care.

 

Read New book released on team approach to complex rehabilitation…

The Walton Centre is pleased to announce the appointment of Max Steinberg CBE as the Chairman of The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

Max has extensive experience across business, innovation and industry, most recently eight years as Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision where he oversaw award-winning participation in the World EXPO Shanghai and was instrumental in securing the first UK International Festival for Business, in Liverpool in 2014. He was also Chair of the Festival in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Born and bred in Liverpool, Max was awarded the OBE in 1997 for services to Housing and Regeneration on Merseyside and the CBE for services to Business and the Community in 2013. He was awarded a Doctorate at Liverpool University in 2019 and commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant in 2020.

He has served on a number of other boards, including Liverpool John Moores University European Institute of Urban Affairs. In August 2015, Max was appointed Chairman of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and in December 2018 Chair of the Board of The ACC Liverpool Group.

Jan Ross, Chief Executive, The Walton Centre, said: “Max’s breadth of business experience, his personal commitment to public service, and his extensive experience at board level will be of immense value to The Walton Centre. I look forward to welcoming him as Chairman of the Trust.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Seth Crofts, who has been Acting Chairman and has provided the Walton Centre with stability and has personally supported me through a very difficult six months. Seth has been an exceptional and committed Non-Executive Director, Deputy Chair and Acting Chair in his time at The Walton Centre, and we cannot thank him enough for stepping up when required.”

Max, who will take up his position in April, said he was delighted to be taking up the role at The Walton Centre.

“The Walton Centre is one of the jewels in the crown of healthcare providers, not just in Liverpool but in the UK. As the son of a Liverpool GP, and the father of two NHS professionals, the opportunity to work for this fantastic institution was something I was very interested in.

“I have enormous pride in the city of Liverpool, and making the institutions of the city the very best. I am looking forward to working with all the staff at The Walton Centre to ensure it continues to provide the very best treatment and care to its patients and their family and friends.”

 

Read New Chairman announced at The Walton Centre…

When Matthew Brooks woke up one morning with a headache, he knew that what he was experiencing was unusual. He went to Whiston Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, and later investigations revealed that Matthew had an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM).

An AVM is an incredibly delicate tangle of arteries and veins which can form in the brain, causing a range of problems including seizures, bleeding and headaches.

“It was like a switch in my head had been flipped and I was in immense pain,” Matthew said, “My wife took me to Hospital and they found a bleed on my brain. My memory of that time gets hazy after that, all I remember is waking up in intensive care.”

Matthew was quickly transferred to The Walton Centre, where an AVM was found to be the cause of the bleed. Matthew had problems with his eyesight afterwards, but recovered enough to begin more treatments such as embolisation (a procedure used to stop the blood flow to a certain part of the body, in this case the AVM in the brain) to combat the condition.

Matthew said: “It made me quite anxious at first. It felt like it could get worse at any time! I was just so glad that The Walton Centre was able to help despite the risks of it bleeding again, which of course it did in 2014.”

During an emoblisation procedure a year into his treatment, Matthew had another more serious bleed on the brain, which caused paralysis to his right-hand side, to the point where he needed help breathing.

The 38 year old from St Helens continued: “I knew another bleed was a risk as the likelihood increases after each new instance. The hospital was fantastic in supporting me through my rehabilitation. In about a month they had me walking and breathing on my own again. All the staff involved were friendly and professional.”

After further treatment, including radiotherapy in 2015, and follow up embolisation procedures, the final one being in 2020, Matthew was told the good news that the AVM had disappeared completely – which can happen following successful treatment.

Matthew said: “I couldn’t believe it. I had an angiogram just before Christmas 2021 and they were fairly confident that it had disappeared! I was amazed. I’ve been living with AVM for the best part of a decade and I can’t describe the relief that I feel knowing it’s gone. Because of the support from the hospital, I’ve been able to continue working and now we’re planning a family - I can’t wait for what the future holds.”

Clinical Lead in Interventional Neuroradiology Mani Puthuran said: “I am really proud to be part of the team leading these minimally invasive endovascular treatments for brain AVMs at The Walton Centre. We have a very high success rate in the UK and in particular with the very few handful of institutions in the world offering this treatment. I also want to extend my wishes to Matthew and the leaders at The Walton centre for the continued support in help us develop these cutting edge treatments that benefit patients.”

Deputy Medical Director and Consultant Neuroradiolologist Sacha Niven said: “AVM’s are all different in position, size etc and therefore treatment has to be planned for each one individually, indeed in some cases they are considered incurable. The modern thinking is that treatment should aim to completely obliterate the AVM, though on occasion a particular high risk feature might be targeted when the AVM cannot be completely cured. There are three main treatment options and these can be combined: surgery, targeted radiotherapy and embolisation. Our interventional radiologists here at The Walton Centre have developed the skills to treat highly complex AVM’s in adults and it is pleasing to hear that in some cases treatment can be so successful!”

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Notes to editors

For photos of the garden further information, or to arrange a visit contact the Communications Team on 0151 556 3397 or email wcf-tr.waltoncentre.communications@nhs.net.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. It has twice been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. 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.

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 Potentially life-threatening brain condition gone thanks to treatment at The Walton Centre…

Seven years ago, in 2015, the Home from Home accommodation at The Walton Centre opened, following a successful fundraising appeal spearheaded by David Fairclough and family in memory of his wife Jan. The appeal was generously supported by individuals and organisations from the local community and beyond and donations to The Walton Centre Charity continue to fund the facility to ensure it can be provided to families free of charge.

The centre provides a place for relatives to stay while their loved ones are undergoing urgent or emergency treatment, rather than having to travel back and forth to their homes, sometimes at a moment’s notice and distressing and emotional times in their lives. 

One of the first families to stay was Lee and Noah Hawksworth – while Noah was just a few weeks old.

Maria Hawksworth was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015 while 33 weeks pregnant and delivered Noah three weeks later as the tumour was dangerously close to her carotid artery. Two months after that, the tumour was removed in a 15-hour operation at The Walton Centre.

Her husband Lee and baby son Noah stayed on site in the brand-new Home from Home accommodation while Maria recovered from surgery.

Maria said: “Sometimes in the morning when I was a bit down I’d say to the nurse ‘can I ring my husband to come over a bit sooner’ and she’d say ‘yes, no problem’ and he could just run over with Noah and I could have a few minutes with them.

“Without Home from Home it would have meant that Lee was travelling three hours each day to see me.

“The Home from Home gave Noah and Lee somewhere to rest and just knowing they were on site made me feel tonnes better.

Lee added: “We had Noah with us and Maria’s mum and we had the opportunity to sit in the Home from Home lounge and have a cup of tea, watch the television, just take our minds off things, being near was really important - but we didn’t have to wander the corridors for 15 hours.

The accommodation was opened the same year by HRH Princess Anne, pictured right, meeting Noah and mum Maria. Noah is now seven years old, and the family still remembers those days at The Walton Centre.

Lee continued: “It brings back a real mixture of feelings. On the one hand it only feels like yesterday and then the other it feels like a lifetime ago! The genuinely kind nature of the staff in Home from Home and ITU is the one thing that really stands out – their humanity made everything easier.

“I can’t imagine how we’d have coped without Home from Home. For me and Noah to be literally 200 yards away from Maria was fantastic. It should be standard practice across the NHS!”

“We thank the Walton Centre from the bottom of our hearts.”

-Ends-

 

Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange a visit contact the Communications Team on 0151 556 3397 or email wcf-tr.waltoncentre.communications@nhs.net.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. It has twice been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. 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.

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 Home from Home celebrates seven years of supporting relatives of patients…