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2 times patient
'amazed' at changes in surgery
PATIENTS who once stayed in
hospital for 2 weeks or more following cancer surgery are now going
home after as little as 2 days. Consultant surgeon Tarek Hany
is achieving the remarkable results using evidenced-based enhanced
recovery techniques for patients at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital
NHS Trust who need bowel cancer surgery.
Mr Hany
said:- "For many years surgeons and other health professionals
have used unproven methods for treating patients who need bowel
surgery," said "This has included starving
patients before and after surgery, using pain control methods that
actually delay recovery, and prescribing routine bowel preparation
that caused unnecessary discomfort to patients."
The enhanced recovery model encourages patients to eat and drink up
to a few hours before surgery and immediately afterward which helps
bowel function return much earlier.
Mr Hany added:- "We also use 'keyhole' surgery as
standard on the majority of patients which ensures a smaller
incision and quicker recovery."
More than 50 patients have benefitted from the new surgery technique
since it was introduced a year ago. The oldest patient was
92 years old and went home just 6 days after surgery.
Mr Hany allso commented that:- "After 1 year, the scheme is as successful as anywhere in
the country. The welfare and needs of patients are at the
heart of this new standard of care. They are closely followed up
after surgery and told whom and where to call if they need help
24/7."
Below is a case study that might
interest our readers:-
 "I was out of bed and walking around within
hours"
Ian Whyte is well placed to
comment on the enhanced recovery model in bowel surgery. 59 year old
Ian underwent surgery to remove a tumour in 2005, leaving Southport
hospital after 10 days and with an 11 inch scar across his abdomen.
In May 2012, a further tumour was discovered in his colon during a
routine check-up and he underwent a 2nd operation using the new
techniques. Ian, from Aughton, near Ormskirk said that:- "I
had no complaints about the 1st operation, but this time I was out
of bed and walking around in a matter of hours; and this time with
only a 3 inch scar thanks to the 'keyhole' surgery. I am amazed how
the surgery and post-operative recovery process has changed for the
better. I was admitted on Wednesday, the operation took place on
Thursday and I was back at home, fully mobile eating normally by
Sunday lunchtime. Being able to eat normally, so quickly, coupled
with no real loss of mobility was a very welcome surprise. Overall
it was less invasive and less painful." Ian, who is a former
director of refrigeration and air conditioning engineering
companies, has been married to Linda for 40 years and they have a
grown-up son... |
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Faith and City
leaders hold cuts summit
FAITH and Council leaders
from England's biggest cities are meeting in Liverpool on Friday, 18
January 2013, to discuss how to tackle Government cuts in the fairest
possible way. The event; titled:- "Come Together"; will
be led by Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and the Bishop of
Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones. It is being held at
the BT Convention Centre and attended by representatives of other
major UK cities including Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle
and Sheffield.
Mayor Anderson said:- "These are the toughest times ever for
local government with unprecedented reductions in funding which will
change forever the way in which we deliver services. Nobody will be
left untouched by the scale of cuts.
Big cities have been hit the hardest, and in Liverpool we have lost
more than half of our controllable government grant spending. By
2017 we estimate we will have lost £289 million a year since 2010.
Those who say we should just not implement the cuts fail to realise
that we have no choice, as the Government will come in and do it for
us; without applying the compassion or the fairness that we can.
However, we have a duty to our residents to protest to the
Government in the strongest possible terms about the impact their
cuts are having here and across the rest of the country and get them
to sit up and take notice.
We are demanding the Government listens, not just to the
politicians, but to our faith representatives who witness the damage
being done in our communities every day as a result of the cuts, and
that they take notice of the dire situation we are in. We will be
highlighting how their policies are jeopardising the core services
we provide to the most vulnerable in society."
The representatives attending from other cities will be:-
► Birmingham – Council Leader Sir Albert Bore and Bishop David
Urquhart
► Bristol – Mayor George
Ferguson and Dean of Bristol, the Very Reverend David Hoyle
► Manchester –
Council Leader
Richard Leese
► Newcastle -
Council Leader
Nick Forbes and Dean of Newcastle Chris Dalliston
► Sheffield –
Council Leader
Julie Dore and Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham Martyn Snow
The conference will hear from civic leaders from each City, giving a
response to the messages and conveying a strong collective argument
as to how the cuts are being felt across communities.
The Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, highlighted
the issue in the House of Lords before Christmas, when he described
the cuts as "draconian".
During the debate, which took place in the Houses of Parliament on
29 November 2012, Bishop James said:- "I do not deny the need to be
financially prudent or the need to live within our means. I also
understand how difficult it is for the Government to be pressed
persistently to fund all the demands on the public purse. The
question I want to press is not whether there should be cuts to the
budget but, rather, how assured the Government are that the
financial settlement across the nation is fair. The City of Liverpool is expected to reduce its
[government grant] spending by 52% over the next 4 years. For people
to be able to accept such drastic measures there has to be a sense
of fairness across the country. There is genuine fear in the City
over the impact of 25% cuts in adult social care over the next four
years and 25% cuts in children's services. It is demoralising to
analyse the statistics across the country and discover that, far
from there being a level playing field, there are staggeringly steep
differences in funding across the nation, which makes the pain of
applying these cuts even more severe." There will also
be the launch of a parliamentary e-petition calling for a debate in
the House of Commons urging the Government to urgently rethink its
policy, and to apply the cuts more fairly across the country,
protecting those most in need. It can be found
online.
Arising from the conference, the Bishop of Liverpool intends to lead
a high-profile delegation of faith leaders to the Government to put
forward the arguments for fairness. |
