NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group

Meet Alan Brooks, 64, a grandad of six from Kirkby, who thanks to teams at Broadgreen Hospital, has become the first NHS patient to receive robotic assisted knee replacement surgery using a system just introduced to the NHS. 👏 Alan, a retired floor fitter, has lived with chronic knee pain for over a decade. Having previously undergone conventional knee replacement surgery on his left knee, Alan was once again treated by the same orthopaedic team at Broadgreen Hospital, this time with the cutting-edge VELYS™ Robotic Assisted Solution from Johnson & Johnson, which was being used for the first time in the NHS. The advanced robotic technology, which was installed just days before Alan’s surgery, allows for a highly precise, patient-specific approach to knee replacement. By improving implant alignment and placement, the system enhances surgical accuracy, reduces pain and speeds up recovery, meaning patients spend less time in hospital and can return to their daily lives more quickly. Alan, who had been forced to retire due to his knee pain, is now looking forward to enjoying an active lifestyle once again with his family, including playing football with his grandchildren and going on holidays with his wife Carol, a cancer research nurse at Aintree University Hospital, something he has not been able to do pain free for many years.  Alan said: “As a former floor fitter, my knees have taken a lot of wear and tear. I had my left knee replaced a few years ago, and when the pain in my right knee became too much, I knew surgery was the right choice again. “When Mr. Phillipson told me I would be the first NHS patient in the UK to undergo this type of robotic-assisted procedure, I was surprised but really optimistic. “The whole team at Broadgreen Hospital has been fantastic, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had access to this technology. I can’t wait to get back to enjoying time with my family, pain-free. “Having this surgery means I’ll soon be able to get back to playing football with my grandchildren in the park as well as being more mobile on holidays and getting back into swimming.” 😊

The Sunshine Group who support our breast cancer patients throughout their cancer journey, was presented with the King's Award for Voluntary Service at a ceremony in Liverpool this afternoon. Presented by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Merseyside, Mr Mark FW Blundell, this is the highest accolade awarded to volunteers for their contribution to society and is the equivalent of an MBE. Supported by University Hospitals of Liverpool Charity, the group is run by volunteers who arrange social activities and days out, while also being a place to turn to provide advice and support to patients, from diagnosis, during treatment and after. Ann Coffey, herself a breast cancer survivor, has been leading the group for 13 years which has grown from six members to more than 500. Ann said: “It is an absolute honour to receive this award today on behalf of all the volunteers who give their time tirelessly and selflessly to support other women, often at the worst time of their lives. “We could not do what we do without our amazing volunteers offering that wraparound care and support so vital to those undergoing or recovering from their cancer journeys. “We are thrilled to have been recognised in His Majesty’s Voluntary Services Award and very much look forward to continuing to grow, develop and expand our offer to even more women.”

The Neck of Femur Unit and Sefton Suite at Aintree University Hospital have become the site’s first teams to receive Platinum ratings as part of our internal quality assessment process, called Liverpool Hospitals Quality Assessment (LQA) 🌟 This recognises departments that have held Gold ratings for three consecutive years after the quality of care they deliver has been assessed against 14 care standards, including safety, nutrition, infection control and safeguarding. Jenny Taylor, Director of Nursing for Aintree, said: “These two teams are inspiring us all at Aintree and I want to congratulate them both on becoming the first recipients of the platinum LQA status. They both demonstrate how good leadership, effective teamwork and a focus on patient-centred care and continuous improvement helps us deliver the best experience possible for our patients.” ▶️ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/es3RyXEX

This year for Valentine’s Day, our activity coordinator team at Broadgreen Hospital provided themed activities for patients. They provided a morning buffet and afternoon games of Bingo for all to enjoy. Patients also got creative decorating cookies, encouraging them to practise their hand mobility, as well as making Valentine's cards for loved ones whilst having a sing-along.

A new Health and Research Hub has launched, bringing healthcare and research services directly to our local communities 🚑 Developed by NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG) in partnership with EMS Healthcare, the mobile hub aims to break down barriers to participation in health research and provide essential services. Examples of services the hub can offer: • Bowel cancer screening • Medical assessments (eg blood pressure, height, weight) • Blood sample collection in a regulated environment. The hub will travel to community centres across the region, making it easier for people to engage in health research and access vital services, all while contributing to studies that could transform healthcare in the area. Professor Terry Jones, Director of Research and Innovation at UHLG, shared: "This initiative enables us to bring cutting-edge research to local communities, opening up critical studies that will improve health across the region." Jules West, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at UHLG, added: "We’re excited to offer both health services and research opportunities to those who can benefit most, ensuring greater accessibility for all." Supported by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), this hub will play a key role in enhancing health and research opportunities across Merseyside.

This week marks National Apprenticeship Week 2025 and we’re recognising and celebrating over 700 of our outstanding apprentices at UHLG. 👏 Healthcare Assistant (HCA), Susan Millard, works in the Eye Clinic at Aintree University Hospital and being so dedicated to her role, has recently embarked on a learning mentor apprenticeship to further develop her skills. Susan has spent the last eight years providing crucial support to patients and assisting medical staff at the hospital, but being keen to help others and guide trainees, especially those in the nursing field, was encouraged by her manager to pursue this further development. Susan’s passion for mentoring meets her ambition to foster an environment in which trainees feel supported and encouraged. By advancing her own qualifications, she believes she can make a lasting impact on the lives of the nurses she mentors and as a result, improve patient care within the NHS. Susan said: “The course fits around my busy work schedule”. She attends classes just one day a week at Broadgreen Hospital, which allows her to continue working full-time at Aintree University Hospital without compromising her professional responsibilities. Looking ahead, Susan is hopeful that completing the Learning Mentor Apprenticeship will open doors for career advancement. With her newfound skills and qualification, she aims to expand her role within the Eye Clinic and contribute to mentoring future generations of nurses and nursing staff. Susan added: “I hope to put in place a more structured and comprehensive mentoring program, which will allow me to help develop the next cohort of healthcare professionals and give them the tools to thrive in their chosen career”. Photo 📸: Susan [second from L-R] with her colleagues in the Eye Unit at Aintree

To help shorten stays for our patients who no longer require hospital care, we’ve launched Aintree Reablement Unit which supports patients to regain and build up their strength and independence for daily living. Our nurses and therapy team at Aintree University Hospital encourage patients to get dressed, get up and moving and engage in activities. By using bespoke patient-centred care and therapy plans it helps to increase our patients’ muscle strength, mental activity and confidence in day-to-day tasks. This increases their independence and enables patients to regain functionality, such as standing, washing, cooking meals and walking around, so they can be safely discharged back home. The Aintree Reablement Unit team has worked closely with our system partners, Emergency Care Improvement Support Teams (ECIST) and our Department of Medicine for Older People and Stoke (DMOPS), to plan this service redesign. Reablement care focus’ on reducing deconditioning for patients who have functional impairments related to illness, but don’t need to be in hospital. By working closely with local social care and community services we want to provide a seamless patient experience, with the goal of discharging patients back to their usual place of residence.

A Consultant Surgeon at UHLG has been awarded a major £2m fellowship to support groundbreaking research into emergency medicine. Mr Rajarshi (Rishi) Mukherjee, Consultant Surgeon in Emergency General and Major Trauma, will focus his research on life threatening lung injury caused by conditions such as pancreatitis, trauma and sepsis. The £2M Clinical Scientist award, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and GSK, is part of a MRC/GSK Development Fellowship scheme led by the University of Liverpool to support groundbreaking research and develop the next-generation of leaders in medicines development. Mr Mukherjee said: “Receiving this Fellowship is an incredible honour and the result of years dedicated to the advancement of drug discovery for inflammatory diseases.” “These illnesses cause significant suffering to patients and through this research, I’m confident we can achieve transformative change in care, moving towards personalised treatment pathways that deliver far better outcomes.” This Fellowship highlights the growing importance of combining clinical expertise with cutting-edge technology to transform healthcare. Working alongside the GSK AI and machine learning team, Rishi will analyse data from hundreds of patients to understand and treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, a serious condition with high mortality rates. Rishi continued: "AI and machine learning, combined with industry expertise, will give us unprecedented power to fast-track drug discovery. “What once took decades can now be achieved in just a few years. We are standing on the brink of new medicine and it’s an incredibly exciting time to be part of this research revolution."

Congratulations to the Specimen Reception Blood Science Laboratory Team, our latest Team of the Month! 🌟 They were awarded for demonstrating collaborative teamwork and effective partnership working with other organisations. The team at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories work together to efficiently analyse patient samples, ensuring they are tested in an appropriate time frame and results made available for both hospital and community patients to ensure effective treatment pathways can be started. Recently the team, who are based across our Aintree and Royal sites, have also showcased excellent work with partner organisations – with their collaborative efforts making a real difference in supporting timely care for our communities. The judges praised the team, with comments such as: “This nomination shows great team working across the organisation and true networking to support partner organisations - fantastic collaborative teamwork and positive impact on patient care, well done!” 👏

Congratulations to Daniel Storey, who is our latest Employee of the Month! 👏 Daniel, a clinical nurse specialist in the Colorectal surgery department at the Royal, was nominated by a patient who has described Daniel’s support and care as exceptional over the past few months: “Dan has been a constant and re-assuring person for me to turn to, in what has been a very stressful and upsetting time for me. I really don't know how I would have coped without his support. “Dan has provided advice on how I can best manage my condition whilst a firm diagnosis and plan is put in place. He has arranged for the necessary scans and tests to be set up and enlisted support from other specialists as needed. He provides feedback in a manner that is easy for me to understand and is a sounding board for me to share my concerns with. “He goes above and beyond what is expected of him, having contacted me during times, that I am sure are outside of his normal working hours. Dan has provided me with the confidence that I am not alone - and that there is a support team there in the NHS to help me with my condition. “As an unwell patient, it can often be a very scary time, but Dan has provided the re-assurance that there are options and plans that can be explored and put in place to help. He shines some light towards the end of the tunnel and for that I am very grateful. Dan is an absolute asset to his team and the hospital.” The judges praised Dan with comments such as: ”This is lovely patient feedback - Dan has reflected our values in providing reassurance and it shows his approach has led to the development of a trusted long-standing relationship with this patient, and it has clearly had a positive effect on patient experience.” 💙