A pioneering study looking to uncover new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been launched at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.
UHCW is taking part in Octopus, a trial funded by the MS Society aiming to find treatments that can slow down, or even stop, progression of disability in secondary and primary progressive MS.
This multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) trial will work up to three times faster than traditional studies.
If a treatment shows potential, it moves on to the second stage which runs for several years and involves more participants. If a treatment doesn’t show promise in the first stage, it can be dropped and new drugs slotted in.
Octopus is testing drugs already shown to be safe, which have shown potential to protect nerves.
Dr Tarunya Arun, Consultant Neurologist and Principal Investigator (PI) for the UHCW trial, said: "We are incredibly proud to run three MS Society-funded trials (Octopus, CHARIOT-MS and MS-STAT2) for progressive MS here at UHCW.
“Treatment for progressive MS is a significant area of unmet need as there are very few licensed treatments available for this form. We are hopeful that through our efforts we will find new treatments."
Tony Sibley, 64, was diagnosed with relapsing MS in May 1990 and now lives with the progressive form.
Before being accepted on to Octopus at UHCW, he was part of another trial which tested if cholesterol drug simvastatin can slow progression in secondary progressive MS.
He said: “Being able to access trials like this gives you so much hope. I’m excited to see what might happen over the next three to five years.
“My wife Gael does so much for me now and I feel very guilty that I must rely on her more and more for my everyday needs.
“My wife and I are so thankful to the team at University Hospital, Coventry – they are brilliant, so supportive and just an awesome team.”
More than 130,000 people live with MS in the UK. Disability progression is caused by degeneration of nerves in the brain – something that happens to all of us as we age, but more quickly in MS and other neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Funded by the MS Society, Octopus is being led by researchers from the Queen Square MS Centre and MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London (UCL).
R/S alpha lipoic acid and metformin were selected by the trial team as the first two drugs to test in the ‘arms’ of Octopus.
There will eventually be up to 30 Octopus sites around the UK. UHCW has been selected as one of four 'hub' sites, giving the region further support to recruit participants.
Dr Clare Walton, Joint Head of Research at the MS Society, said: “We’re delighted the Coventry Octopus site is up and running.
“It's thanks to wonderful participants like Tony that we’re able to say we’re closer than ever before to developing treatments to slow or stop progression for everyone living with MS.”
Patients aged between 25 and 70 with a diagnosis of primary or secondary progressive MS can go to https://ukmsregister.org/octopus to register their interest in taking part in the trial.
Pictured, from left: MS Consultant Dr Sarmad Al Araji, Consultant Neurologist Dr Tarunya Arun, Tony Sibley and Neurology Research Sister Kelly Westwood
Researchers at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust are hoping to increase and widen their range of work thanks to the completion of a new unit.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at University Hospital, Coventry, provides the dedicated facilities, support and expertise required to conduct high quality clinical studies.
An Inpatient Research Unit containing two beds, allowing trial participants to remain overnight, was the final stage of the development and recently welcomed its first patient.
An official opening took place on Friday 8th March with research partners from Coventry City Council, Coventry and Warwick Universities, local NHS Trusts and Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) all taking a look at the facilities.
Professor Harpal Randeva, Director of Research and Development, said: “We know that patients want to take part in research. Having dedicated inpatient research beds means that we can offer more research opportunities to patients across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“We have a great team who continue to enhance our reputation as a leading Trust for research and development and I’m excited to see what new findings they will uncover in the coming months and years.”
CRFs have been involved in some of the world’s most advanced medical innovations, transforming the lives of patients with a wide range of conditions.
They allow researchers and companies to undertake early phase interventional studies and high intensity or high complexity elements of later phase projects.
The facilities in the Inpatient Research Unit, which include an en-suite bathroom, nurse station and access to kitchen facilities, mean the Trust can expand its offering.
The first patient to use the unit was involved in testing a drug for neuroendocrine cancer and other projects are being planned, including one in ophthalmology.
Senior Research Nurse, Susan Coburn, said: “These studies are about trying to improve quality of life for participants.
“We want to push the boundaries of medicine but everything is about patient safety. That is the top priority.”
The CRF also has a Research Treatment Centre, an area for outpatients or day patients comprising six treatment chairs, a participant toilet and nurse station.
Coventry University is set to help the NHS tackle health inequalities in the city centre by becoming the UK's first higher education institution co-located in an NHS Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC).
The university plans to deliver teaching, learning, clinical placements, and research, enterprise and innovation at the new health centre alongside University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.
Once established, the centre will give the two organisations the opportunity to increase their capacity to educate the workforce of the future, giving students and researchers the ability to make a real-world impact on patients and practice.
The centre, which is expected to see about 90,000 patients annually and provide up to 75,000 additional patient tests a year by 2026, will target heart and lung problems and focus on expanding the city's capacity for diagnosing cancers, due to high rates of premature mortality from those health issues in the Coventry area.
Development of the centre, which will be located in the Paybody Building, Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry, is ongoing, with patients in Coventry set to benefit from earlier diagnostic tests closer to home, rather than travelling to University Hospital Coventry, in Walsgrave, when the centre is planned to open in early 2025.
Professor John Latham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University Group, said: “We are delighted to be involved in a centre that will benefit the health of our local community by targeting problems that are impacting our local population and make access to healthcare in the city centre more accessible.
“This collaboration will also give our healthcare students access to hands on NHS learning experiences and placement opportunities in the city centre, enhance our participation in clinical research and patient trials, and support UHCW in growing and retaining their work force.
“I look forward to seeing our students, researchers and staff making a direct impact on our city and creating better futures for themselves and our community.”
The co-location will also support the growth of Coventry University’s research and enterprise in health technology, translational medicine, diagnostics and digital health within the research centres for Health and Life Sciences, Healthcare and Communities, Intelligent Healthcare and Physical Activity, Sports and Exercise Science.
Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive at UHCW NHS Trust, said: “The UK-first collaboration will see UHCW work closely with Coventry University to help tackle health inequalities in the city. As a Trust we are committed to being rooted in our communities and offering more services for the people of Coventry in a convenient city centre location, reducing the need to travel to University Hospital, Coventry.
“The centre will help to achieve earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster and more direct access to the full range of diagnostic tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms. The services offered will also be separate to urgent diagnostic scan facilities, which means shorter waiting times and a reduced risk of cancellation.
“Working in collaboration with Coventry University will provide an opportunity to further develop and grow the future diagnostics workforce.”
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), said: “There are long-standing issues around health inequality in our region which were starkly highlighted in our Heath of the Region report published in 2020.
“Those findings led to partners coming together to deliver on more than 50 commitments set out in the report to help tackle health inequality and improve people’s general wellbeing.
“This collaboration between UHCW NHS Trust and Coventry University is a wonderful example of what can be achieved by working together and I look forward to seeing how it helps improve the health of thousands of local people in the months and years ahead.”
Discover more about the CDC here.
Members of the public are asked to choose the right healthcare service for their needs during the latest round of industrial action.
Junior doctors, who make up around half of all doctors in the NHS, will begin a five-day strike at 7am on Saturday 24th February until 11.59pm on Wednesday 28th February.
Routine appointments and planned operations will face disruption but University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust is focused on providing safe care to all who need it.
If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment. The Trust will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled.
Urgent and emergency services will continue to be provided, although the NHS is asking patients to take simple steps to help ensure care is available to those who need it most.
This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and only using 999 for an emergency.
Gaby Harris, Chief Operating Officer at UHCW NHS Trust, said: “We will be prioritising urgent and emergency care to protect patient safety and ensure those in most need can receive the best possible care.
“It is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases.
“Our staff are working really hard to ensure as many patient appointments go ahead as possible, but there will inevitably be unavoidable disruption and we apologise to anyone impacted as a result.
“We thank people for their ongoing support and patience.”
Consultants and specialist doctors will still be working and GP practices will continue to be open.
For support and advice on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, please click on the relevant links.
A pioneering new approach at the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby, is enabling hip and knee replacement patients to be cared for even more quickly, safely and efficiently.
The Rugby Ambulatory Orthopaedic Service (RAOS), supported by the Friends of St Cross, has seen a wide variety of teams and services join forces to further enhance the experience of those needing hip and knee replacement surgery.
Additional pre-op clinics have been organised in Outpatients to assess patients, undertake blood tests and X-rays, provide information and obtain consent.
On the day of surgery, hip and knee replacement patients now have access to the Cedar Ambulatory Recovery Unit, located on the Cedar Ward. This contains 10 new trolleys, costing £39,000 and funded by the Friends of St Cross, to easily move patients between the ward, theatres and X-ray.
As a dedicated area for Orthopaedics, the unit supports patients to be promptly discharged – where it is safe and practical to do so following thorough assessments – instead of remaining in hospital. This helps avoid unplanned and longer than necessary hospital stays and allows patients to recover in the comfort of their own homes.
Two of the first patients to benefit from the RAOS were Coventry residents Nick Payne and David Kell, who required hip replacements. Both were able to return home on the same day, with follow-up calls and appointments booked in to check on their welfare following successful surgeries.
Mr Payne said: “The care and communication I received throughout the day was really good and I was so pleased to be able to go home on the same day. No one wants to be in hospital longer than they have to and it was nice to be able to recover in familiar surroundings. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to all the staff on Cedar ward and across the hospital who made this possible.”
Mr Kell added: “Everyone I encountered was great – I can’t fault them in any way. I would recommend the service to anyone, I was put instantly at ease and the follow-up care and advice has been fantastic. My hip is getting stronger by the day and this surgery will give me a new lease of life. I would like to thank everyone, including the Friends of St Cross, for making this a reality.”
The RAOS impressed NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme team during the hospital’s recent accreditation as an elective surgical hub in recognition of the high standards of clinical and operational practice it delivers.
Professor Richard King, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, said: “The RAOS represents a major step forward in the way we provide hip and knee replacements and is testament to the dedication and ambition of everyone involved.
“This is brilliant news for us and for our patients and we are hugely thankful for the support from our teams, the Trust and the Friends of St Cross. The feedback has been hugely positive so far and we are confident the service will continue to go from strength to strength.”
The Friends of St Cross offered their backing to the new service after learning about the difference it will make to patients. In advance of the RAOS being launched, volunteers visited the team on the Cedar Ward to learn more about how a knee replacement is carried out.
Doug Jones, Chair of The Friends of St Cross, said: “It has been brilliant to see the transformation of the service and for our donation to be used to such great effect.
“The demonstration also gave me a preview of the procedure that I was to have successfully completed and although this happened prior to the implementation of the RAOS I was still back home on the following day all thanks to the superb work of the Theatre, Ward and Physiotherapy teams!"
A new study has found an on-line rehabilitation programme improves quality of life for adults with long covid.
This is the first randomised trial to show a benefit from rehabilitation for people with long covid, and the first high quality evidence confirming the sustained clinical benefit and lack of harm with rehabilitation programmes for long covid.
It is The Rehabilitation Exercise and psycholoGical support After covid-19 InfectioN’ (REGAIN) trial.
More than one million people in the UK report Covid-19 symptoms persisting beyond 12 weeks, with over 750,000 reporting ongoing symptoms more than two years after infection. Common debilitating symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, pain, reduced physical capacity and poor emotional wellbeing, all of which can profoundly affect quality of life.
Published today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), researchers at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and The University of Warwick have shown that a structured programme of exercise and psychological support delivered live online improves quality of life for people with long covid. Improvements were seen in fatigue, anxiety, depression, pain, and other measures of general health.
The eight-week REGAIN programme consists of weekly live, online, home-based, supervised, group exercise and psychological support sessions. At three months, 17 per cent of the intervention group reported that their overall health was “much better now” compared with eight per cent in the usual care group.
It was also shown to be clinically effective at improving health related quality of life at 12 months compared with usual care.
585 participants were randomly assigned to either the physical and mental health rehabilitation programme or to a control group, who received best practice usual care which involved a single session of advice from a trained practitioner.
Those recruited had been hospitalised with Covid-19 and reported suffering substantial ongoing physical and/or mental health problems more than three months after being discharged.
Gordon McGregor, Professor of Clinical Exercise Physiology & Rehabilitation, said: “There was no precedent for how best to treat people with long covid. We knew that centre-based NHS rehabilitation services did not have the capacity to support the numbers of people recovering from Covid-19, so alternative long-term strategies were needed. We are very pleased that the REGAIN intervention was well tolerated and improved quality of life.
“This programme has the potential to reduce the chronic burden of covid-19. Apart from the direct benefits for those concerned, improving the general health of people with long covid can reduce demand on health and social care more widely and improve economic productivity.”
Martin Underwood, Professor of Clinical Trials, a senior investigator on the trial said: “Supervised on-line rehabilitation programmes such as REGAIN may help widen access to rehabilitation services beyond just long covid”.
The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Covid-19 Recovery and Learning programme.
William’s story
One of those who took part was William, a man in his 50s, who had nearly died from severe coronavirus with multiple respiratory, pulmonary, muscular and psychological problems caused by the virus.
"I literally could not get out of bed after being brought home from intensive care, and spent a year just learning, with great difficulty, to once again walk the short distance to the end of my street, " he says.
"But after a year, I was fortunate enough to take part in the REGAIN programme, which provided my with a solid base and platform, from which to, firstly, address and, secondly, understand my physical and psychological problems.
"As well as the tailored exercise programme, the REGAIN programme gave me the practical tools I needed, to continue my rehabilitation in a measured way at my own pace."
The Hospital of St Cross, Rugby, has been successfully accredited as an elective surgical hub delivering high standards in clinical and operational practice.
The scheme, run by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, assesses hubs against a framework of standards to help hubs deliver faster access to some of the most common surgical procedures such as cataract surgeries and hip replacements. It also seeks to assure patients about the high standards of clinical care.
Surgical hubs, which are separated from emergency services, are part of plans nationally to increase capacity for elective care with more dedicated operating theatres and beds.
The hubs exclusively perform planned surgery and mainly focus on high volume, low complexity (HVLC) surgery across six specialties - ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, ear nose and throat, and urology.
Hubs bring together the skills and expertise of staff under one roof, with protected facilities and theatres, helping to deliver shorter waiting times for surgery. Because they are separated from emergency services, their surgical beds can be kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations.
The Hospital of St Cross was recently visited and assessed by the GIRFT team for accreditation and recognition that the hub is working to a defined set of clinical and operational standards on:
· The patient pathway
· Staff and training
· Clinical governance and outcomes
· Facilities and ring-fencing
· Utilisation and productivity
The Hospital of St Cross is one of 31 hubs to date that have been accredited. There are around 94 hub sites currently in operation in England and the scheme is being rolled out nationally with quarterly cohorts to accredit all hubs over the next two years.
Gaby Harris, Chief Operating Officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, which manages the Hospital of St Cross, said: “As a Trust we are committed to being rooted in our communities and offering more services closer to home for the people of Rugby and surrounding areas.
“This accreditation demonstrates the skill, dedication and expertise of our teams and our commitment to further increasing the provision of planned surgery, as outlined in our Organisational Strategy.
“We are incredibly proud of our staff for this achievement and the hard work and dedication that goes into delivering the highest standard of care.’’
Developments and investments at the Hospital of St Cross include the addition of a newly expanded three suite endoscopy unit, the £1 million Maple cancer and blood disorder Unit, the opening of a specialist breast care unit, a new ultrasound suite in outpatients and the modular build of two new theatres to expand surgical capacity.
Professor Tim Briggs, Chair of GIRFT and NHS England’s National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery, said: “We have been impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the hub teams who are delivering outstanding care.
“All of the sites we accredited are focused on delivering safe and high-quality care, and an excellent patient experience. GIRFT’s focus is on developing surgical hubs with the aim of improving patient flow so that patients have shorter waits for surgery and, for some procedures, will be more likely to be able to go home on the same day.”
Work to create a dedicated labour room for women following the death of a baby has been completed at University Hospital in Coventry.
The room, which has been called the Dandelion Room, is fully soundproofed and the first part of the plans for a bereavement suite offering a private, quiet space for mothers, partners and families.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust carried out the development as part of ongoing efforts to improve bereavement care.
Chief Nursing Officer, Tracey Brigstock, said: “We do all we can to support families when they experience the death of their baby.
“Our staff understand how difficult this is and endeavour to provide empathetic and sympathetic care, empowering and enabling the woman and her partner to spend as much time with their baby as they would like.
“We listened to feedback from patients and know how important this facility will be in us being able to provide the most compassionate care.”
Plans for the rest of the suite, which will be away from the Labour Ward, are being drawn up and costed.
A number of kind-hearted people who have experienced bereavement have helped fund the developments.
They include Neonatal Nurse Emma Fellows, who endured the grief of losing twins Freddie at 22 weeks and Frankie just 13 days short of his due date.
Together with husband Jordan, they raised £18,000 by climbing Snowdon and hosting a fundraising night with the help of midwives and support workers.
Some of the money has been used to buy items such as LED candles, coffee mugs and artificial plants to give the soundproof room a ‘homely touch’.
UHCW Charity Director, Jo O’Sullivan, added: “Everyone at UHCW really appreciates the efforts of fundraisers in helping further improve the experiences of our families.”
More than 5,000 babies are born at UHCW each year and the Maternity Department is a regional specialist centre for difficult or complex pregnancies, with an average of at least one stillbirth per month.
New technology that could speed up analysis of cancer screening samples has been approved by the UK government.
Go-ahead for the use of digital pathology is based on research led by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and The University of Warwick’s Clinical Trials Unit.
It will mean faster reporting of samples, particularly in bowel, breast, lung and cervical cancer.
Lead Researcher, UHCW Consultant Pathologist Professor David Snead, said: “I am delighted that digital pathology is cleared for use in cancer screening programmes.
“It is a big milestone to achieve and we are extremely proud that the work we have led proved so effective in making this change.
“The team would like to thank the pathologists, research fellows, statisticians and laboratory technicians who conducted the study and the technical support received from 3DHISTECH and Philips in providing equipment to make it happen.
“It was a huge task to do, but the data we produced was vital to demonstrate this technology is safe in the hands of our pathologists.
“UHCW can rightly claim to have led the world in the transition to using digital pathology in clinical practice. Doing so enables many benefits to be realised, including the option to use Artificial Intelligence-based tools to support pathologists in their work.”
Histopathology – the examining of cells and tissues under a microscope – is a key step in many major disease pathways, where early detection of cancer plays a crucial role in survival.
Digital pathology is the use of automated slide scanners to digitise the histopathology process, with results reported on computer workstations as opposed to a conventional microscope.
This process makes sharing samples easier, helping to reduce risk of loss or damage of samples. It also mitigates the need for pathologists to be present in hospitals as they can review slides remotely.
Digitising the slides might also allow in coming years for the use of computer algorithms to help improve pathologists’ performance.
Following a consultation by the UK National Screening Committee, the Government has now approved the use of digital pathology for analysing cancer screening samples.
Professor Janet Dunn, lead for the Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, said: “It is great that the UK Government recognise the importance of this research. It was a pleasure to work with Professor Snead on this important study.”
The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Health Technology Assessment Programme.
In total, six NHS hospitals took part: UHCW, The Queen’s University of Belfast, Nottingham University Hospital, Oxford John Radcliffe Hospital, United Lincolnshire Hospital and University Hospitals Birmingham.
Seven months on from his paramotor crashing into the ground at speed, Rodger Towers is already itching to get back in the sky.
Rodger’s story featured in episode two of A&E: Crash Scene Emergency, the 10-part Channel 5 series filmed at University Hospital.
He fractured his pelvic bone and shattered his thigh bone but, thanks to the expertise of medical teams at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, is on the mend.
“Recovery is going really well,” he said. “I have done 12 weeks of hydrotherapy and I’m going into the gym as often as I can and building up my strength.
“I have just been back to University Hospital for a review and they said in hopefully another four months I could be looking at discharge.
“They were worried about whether I needed another operation but they are hopeful that won’t be the case.”
Rodger has sights set on a coast-to-coast trip from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in the North York Moors National Park – and a flight over the pyramids in Egypt next year.
“Life’s too short!” he added. “I’m sure there will be some nerves when I eventually get ready to take off again.”
Rodger, a paramedic with the East Midlands Ambulance Service, returned to work for the first time on the day the programme was aired.
Although he cannot currently return to frontline duties, Rodger is training to work in the control room offering advice to patients.
He is grateful for the care he received at UHCW and the Air Ambulance medics who came to his aid last summer.
“I’m back in Coventry in a few months time so I hope to be able to use that opportunity to say thank you,” he added.
“I found the surgery part of the programme very interesting as that was the missing link of what I went through.
“The bit with the physios was harder to watch because it brought back the amount of pain I was in.”
Rodger’s accident came just two weeks before he and partner Rachel were due to holiday in Tenerife.
They have rescheduled for this summer and are hoping this airborne adventure will prove a happier one.
A&E: Crash Scene Emergency airs on Channel 5 at 9pm each Monday. Catch up on previous episodes at My5.