We were fortunate enough to be allocated £100,000 worth of funding to support a new ‘Patient Entertainment System’ within the Trust in order to help entertain patients as well as connect them with their loved ones and help limit loneliness during their hospital stay.

We are excited to announce that we will be working with Parity Medical on a bespoke integrated smart solution to be implemented across all inpatient wards in the hospital.

This project will be rolled out in Spring/Summer 2022. 

This completely free solution will help to support patient connection and engagement through patient information videos, surveys and calling facilities as well as entertainment through TV, streaming apps, newspapers and games.

The number of people treated for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions is increasing. Lower back and neck pain are the greatest cause of years lost to disability, with chronic joint pain or osteoarthritis affecting over 8.75 million people in the UK. Over 30 million working days are lost due to MSK conditions every year in the UK and they account for 30% of GP consultations in England. Associated with their physical condition, these patients are also facing challenges with mental health, long-term health conditions and isolation. This has been further exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. Many patients will face longer waits for treatment and intervention, and undoubtedly this will affect their quality of life.

The MSK ‘Early Intervention’ Project has three main aims:

Access: To provide improved access to self-management tools for patients who are waiting for treatment, providing them with tailor made support as they face ongoing challenges with their physical and mental health

Streamlining pathways: To implement simpler pathways for patients, so that they can access the right service for their condition without delay

Social Prescribing: To design and deliver training to clinical staff across Birmingham & Solihull in ‘social prescribing’ so that patients can be signposted to additional support services, having all of their needs met rather than just one

This project is being delivered in partnership with Birmingham Community Healthcare to support those living in Birmingham and Solihull. It is an exciting, ambitious project that will enable us to take specialist MSK skills & advice out into the community, and truly make every contact count.

‘Tom’s Wellbeing Room’, named after Sir Captain Tom Moore, was officially opened at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in September 2021. Sir Captain Tom made headlines across the world last year when he raised almost £40million for the NHS by walking around his garden 100 times ahead of his 100th birthday.

The main purpose of the room is for all ROH staff to have a quiet space to unwind and reflect whenever they need it.The space has been designed to support colleagues to relax, as well as to encourage communication and meditative practice. This is part of the Trust’s long-term plan to prioritise the wellbeing of staff and become ‘The Wellbeing Hospital’.

The space was designed after a survey of staff showed they would like an indoor space dedicated to looking after their wellbeing. A small focus group made up of staff from across the organisation was put together to ensure the space was fit for purpose. A £14,000 grant from NHS Charities Together was utilised in order to support the room, which is part of a wider initiative supporting both indoor and outdoor wellbeing spaces across the hospital.

Once the funding was secured, staff were surveyed again to see what they would like in the room. There are comfortable sofas and a reading corner to help staff unwind for a few minutes, and mood lighting to help create a calming environment within the busy hospital. All staff are able to utilise the facility at any time of day. The room will also help to provide space for group mindfulness and mental health first aid sessions for all colleagues.

Laura Tilley-Hood, Engagement and Wellbeing Officer at ROH, said: “As the Wellbeing Officer for the Trust I am thrilled to see the transformation of Tom's Wellbeing Room. It is a calming, relaxing space for all colleagues, to enable them to have ten minutes out of their busy day to unwind. Teams across the ROH have worked incredibly hard together to create this much-needed space and I hope everybody has the opportunity to use the room to focus on their wellbeing.”

Young adults (aged 16 – 24), have the added pressure of transitioning between child and adult services, as well as receiving sometimes life-changing treatment.

The transition between services is different for every individual, but can cause an immense amount of added anxiety towards being in hospital, for both the patient and their family.

In order to support young adults in the best way we can, we have developed bespoke young adult rooms throughout the hospital.

The rooms are designed and supported with patients in mind. We consulted young adult patients and their loved ones with all elements of the space, from the colour scheme to the entertainment available.

These colourful rooms are equipped with smart TVs, books, board games and games stations to help patients enjoy their stay with us. 

We know that being distracted can help with the anxiety of visiting hospital, and we hope that the elements in the room do exactly that.

Our Oncology service at the ROH sees over 2000 patients every year for either overnight or day case surgeries. Our specialist nature means patients travel from all over the UK, often with their families to undergo specialist procedures.

We appreciate that these patients and their families will feel some element of worry and fear for their time in hospital, especially when 72% of the overnight stay patients stay with us for over a week. Our role as a charity is to make their journey as comfortable as possible.

Care packages are given to all overnight stay oncology patients with a few ‘added extras’ to make them and their families feel more welcome. We’ve liaised with patients, staff and families to fill this pack with useful items that will also brighten their day.

Each trial pack costs just £9.00 and will includes items of distraction like games for all the family to play.

Each ward at ROH has been given bespoke 1:1 nursing boxes filled with items to support patient engagement and communication. These items are used to support those with anxiety, confusion, dementia or learning disabilities.

With the nature of the surgery we conduct, we often care for patients with additional needs when they visit us. Each ward now has a large array of equipment available to help distract and support patients throughout their stay. 

Boxes include music from different eras, puzzle books, cards, colouring and ‘fiddle’ items.

Based on the latest evidence from around the world, the JointCare programme is setting new standards for NHS hip and knee replacement surgery in England. JointCare is based on a model of ‘wellness’ focussed on movement and recovery. Since the introduction of this programme we now regularly see patients discharged just 24 – 48 hours after their surgery. Here’s how the charity has supported this amazing new pathway:

Therapy chairs: these specialist chairs support physio exercises to be completed safely and effectively. The chairs fully recline and are easy to manoeuvre, ensuring all patients can be cared for appropriately. These are above and beyond what the NHS would usually provide and significantly enhance the recovery of patients.

Enhanced physiotherapy equipment: this specialist equipment is intended for each patient to use whilst in group therapy sessions. They support independence and help meet the range of needs presented by different patients.

Wellness room mural: the wellness room is designed to feel very different to a clinical environment. We want patients to recover in a bright and positive space and the mural helps to set this tone. We worked with a local artist to develop a mural – it looks fantastic and patients love it!

After evaluating the feedback of 50 patients following these changes being implemented, we achieved a 100% satisfaction rate. This is a great example of how our charity supports The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital to deliver world-class care and amazing patient outcomes.

New gymnasium equipment was funded by your donations, which give a much more professional look to the gym. The new state-of-the-art equipment has been purchased in order to offer patients an enhanced physiotherapy service during their rehabilitation. 

The new state-of-the-art gait/biomechanical analysis equipment, provides a detailed assessment of how our patients perform daily tasks, i.e. walking or running and has been really successful so far. Before, assessments were completed by our therapy staff manually, meaning they would simply watch and assess. 

Two of the previous wheelchair stores have now been converted and is a safe private space for patients and therapists to perform rehabilitative massages and exercises.

A range of new weights were purchased meaning there are now more activities available for patients to get involved with, both individually as well as in group rehabilitation.

The equipment purchased and changes to the space has significantly improved patient experience and has enhanced the recovery process for patients.

Many of the surgeries we perform are done under a local anaesthetic which means that patients remain awake as they are operated on. As you can imagine this can be an uncomfortable and anxious experience.

We have made iPads and headphones available to patients undergoing small joint surgery in order to alleviate this anxiety. This allows individuals to listen to music or watch their favourite TV programmes with minimal distraction for the surgical team conducting their operation.

When requesting feedback from the surgical teams and patients involved in this initiative the feedback was overwhelming. Patients felt less anxious, had a better experience and recommended that this equipment was made available for future patients.

We’re also looking at how we can offer this service to other specialities in the hospital.

Every year our Learning and Development team put a bid in to Charitable Funds to support and enhance learning opportunities for our staff. Whether this be a nursing degree or an advance apprenticeship opportunity, any member of staff can get involved if they need to. The trustees are always keen on using funding to help our workforce excel, so please speak to us if you are interested in applying for funding.