Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

We are aware of a video being projected on to the side of St Thomas' Hospital, and which is now circulating on social media.

While we are appalled by the loss of all innocent lives during conflict, this video was not created by or with the permission of the Trust.

Way to go, Govind! 💙

Govind first took up horse riding aged 5 on the recommendation of his doctor at Evelina London Children’s Hospital to help him strengthen his muscles.

After 6 months of intensive rehabilitation from his shinbone alignment surgery, Govind was thrilled to be back in training at Arrow Riding Club, and make it to the national RDA championships.

Govind said: "Horse riding is one of the things where people like me, disabled people, can participate. You aren’t dependent on anyone, and you’re on top of the world.

As a therapy it is one of the best things you can do, it strengthens all of your muscles and improves your overall condition. Horse riding also helps my mental health and lets me escape from reality. The horse is such a therapeutic animal."

'When I'm horse riding I don't need to rely on anyone' Govind, who has cerebral palsy, is "on top of the world" to be on the Paralympic dressage pathway.

Wishing all those celebrating a Happy Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas!

May the Festival Of Lights bring joy and peace to you and your families.

Meet Govind 👋

Govind, who has cerebral palsy, was the youngest to compete in the 2024 Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) national championships at 16-years-old.

He first took up horse riding aged 5 on the recommendation of his doctor at Evelina London Children’s Hospital to help him strengthen his muscles. Now, he has future dreams of the Paralympics.

Read more on our website: https://www.evelinalondon.nhs.uk/about-us/news-events/news-article.aspx?page=evelina-london-supports-teen-patient-to-achieve-dressage-dreams

Earlier this month Rose Abbott ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon for Evelina London Children's Charity to say thank you to Evelina London, who saved her daughter's life.

Rose's daughter, Molly, was born 10 weeks premature. 4 weeks before her official due date, she contracted a virus, followed by sepsis and had to be put on ECMO - a temporary life support system. At just 2.4kg, Molly was close to the limit of what is possible with respiratory ECMO, however the incredible Evelina London team saved her life with a pioneering special type of respiratory ECMO for small babies.

Now a feisty 3-year-old, Molly loved cheering on her mum at the half marathon finish line.

Read more on our website: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news/mum-runs-hospital-saved-daughters-life

Our dental team have developed a solution to safely remove teeth in cancer patients, offering a vital new treatment option for thousands of people across the UK.

Currently, patients taking certain cancer and osteoporosis medications are advised not to have any invasive dental treatment, such as tooth removal, after starting treatment. These medications affect the jaw bone’s ability to heal, and when paired with surgery, significantly increases the risk of the jaw bone dying.

To avoid triggering this, dentists can be understandably reluctant to remove teeth in these at-risk patients, which may lead to excruciating pain with no viable treatment.

However, our team in the dental oncology service have developed a new protocol with greater than 99% success rate in removing teeth in these patients without causing any death of the jawbone, whilst causing minimum disruption to their cancer care.

Guy's and St Thomas' patient, Cathie O'Neill, has successfully had all her teeth removed using this new protocol after osteoporosis and breast cancer treatment. Cathie, from Camden, said it was "the best thing that could have ever happened" to her.

Read more about this exciting work published in the British Dental Journal on our website: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news/new-hope-cancer-patients-serious-tooth-pain

NHS London NHS England

Are you over 18 and live in south east London?

We'd like to hear your thoughts on planning for end-of-life care and any experiences you’ve had, either for yourself or someone you care about.

To register, visit https://ow.ly/qKNW50TRrVa

The research is supported by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity

We are part of an innovative programme that aims to encourage more Black Londoners to consider living kidney donation to treat their end-stage kidney disease.

Gift of Living Donation (GOLD) has partnered with three London trusts including Guy’s and St Thomas’ to raise awareness in Black communities of the importance of living kidney donation, and to help tackle existing health inequalities.

Through the programme, eligible kidney patients are partnered with a phone buddy. The buddy gives tailored information and dispels myths about organ donation and transplantation. This is to encourage more Black patients to first consider having a kidney transplant over dialysis, and to empower them to ask friends and family to think about being a living kidney donor, hopefully increasing overall rates of transplantation.

Living organ donation can be a difficult concept for many patients, but can be particularly challenging for Black patients due to existing religious or cultural mindsets, taboos and myths about their kidney condition and organ donation. As a result, Black patients with kidney disease are less likely than White patients to even broach conversations about living kidney donation. This can mean their friends and families are not given the chance to donate a kidney.

Eric Douglin, is a phone buddy on the scheme and joined after he had his own living kidney transplant from his wife Mandi in 2010. Eric wanted to help raise awareness of the importance of living donation in Black communities. He said: “There are so many myths out there we need to dispel. I can talk about my experience of receiving a donated kidney and that I’m here to tell the story."

Dr Sumoyee Basu, a renal registrar, has led the pilot project at Guy’s and St Thomas’. Dr Basu said: “Empowering people with tailored information and supporting conversations with friends and family is critical to improving patient health outcomes. We’re really grateful to all the buddies at GOLD for volunteering their time and commitment to help others.”

Read more here: https://ow.ly/xZX050TPwuv

Did you know this October is ?

A gift in your Will helps the exceptional Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust teams stay one step ahead. By supporting us, you’re helping them go beyond what the can provide.

Make or update your Will for free and leave a lasting legacy for healthcare excellence. Our simple Will writing services help you protect your loved ones and support future health initiatives.

Learn more: https://gsttcharity.org.uk/support-us/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/write-your-will-for-free/

Yesterday was World Osteoporosis Day - did you know three million people in the UK have osteoporosis, the health condition that weakens bones and makes them more likely to break. However, many people do not know this until they break a bone.

If you think you may be at risk of having osteoporosis, please speak to your GP in the first instance.

Read some top tips on protecting your bones: https://ow.ly/VQrJ50TPzhK

This month we spoke to Kofoworola Abeni Pratt fellows Sophie Clark, Simone Hesson, Mercedes Miguel and Puja Trivedi.

Established in 2021, the Kofoworola Abeni Pratt Fellowship was created to address the racial disparity of career progression of nursing, midwifery, and allied health professional (AHP) staff from global majority backgrounds. ‘Global majority’ refers to people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been referred to as 'ethnic minorities'.

Find out more in October's eGiST: https://guysstthomashospital.newsweaver.co.uk/test/yhfaccvttedo15fv78pn0o?lang=en&a=2&p=64834376&t=32724998

The October e-GiST is out now!

Highlights include:

- new mural celebrating African women in healthcare
- new dialysis unit in Brixton
- Florence Eshalomi MP visit to our maternity unit
- award winning staff

Read October's e-GiST: https://ow.ly/cAmH50TKCJ0

We're thrilled that Eloise Lawrence has won the prestigious Starlight Children's Foundation Health Play Specialist of the Year Award 👏

She was nominated for her crucial role in our radiology service, preparing young patients for tests and procedures: https://ow.ly/jtew50TNL3u

Thank you to Spread a Smile for brightening our week during Play in Hospital Week!

They've been entertaining children and young people in Evelina London Children's Hospital with songs, bubbles and a special activity session with slime and sensory toys.

Today marks World Anaesthesia Day, and this year is extra special because The Royal College of Anaesthetists has awarded Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust an Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) - a mark of excellence in patient care!

We are among a select few London Trusts to have received this prestigious accolade, which highlights the scale of this achievement and the outstanding quality of service provided by our team in Theatres, Anaesthetics and Perioperative medicine (TAP).

So this World Anaesthesia Day, we would like to say a big thank you and congratulations to our wonderful anaesthetist colleagues. 💜

This evening, our thoughts are with all those affected by baby loss and pregnancy loss. You can join the global Wave Of Light at 7pm tonight by lighting a candle.

Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) assess, diagnose and treat people of all ages to improve their health, wellbeing, and quality of life.

Watch our film to see how AHPs make a difference to your care. www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Rt-YCZITk

It’s AHPs Day, and we are celebrating our fantastic Allied Health Professionals who are a crucial part of TeamGSTT! 💜

To join our team, take a look at our latest vacancies: www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/current-vacancies

Wishing all our Jewish colleagues, patients and families a happy and blessed Yom Kippur.

Mum of two, Sara, smoked 20 ci******es a day but gave up with the support of our expert community team.

She said: “Since I stopped smoking, I’m not even thinking about it, and I don’t have a problem going upstairs or running after the kids.

“My advisor Judith was always supporting me from the side. Even when I wanted to give up she found another way to help me. I put in a lot of effort but she put in a lot of effort too. You can do it, if you need to, and want to do it."

To stop smoking this Stoptober, visit Guy's and St Thomas' website or call our To***co Dependence Treatment service on 0800 856 3409 or 020 3049 5791.

Read Sara’s story at: https://ow.ly/ELnO50TIBh9

This Community Services Week we're celebrating Evelina London NHS Children's Community Speech and Language Therapy. The team have been supporting local nurseries and early years settings to improve the communication development of children under the age of 5.

The Evelina London communication friendly training and audit programme is currently delivered to children's centres in Lambeth and Southwark as part of the community speech and language service's core provision.

Up to 10% of all children in these boroughs will have a communication disorder that needs ongoing support and up to 50% of children may have a temporary language or communication need which, if not recognised, could become more entrenched and lead to challenges in their education and long-term wellbeing. The training is designed to help nurseries identify these children so that they can get the support they need.

Well done team! 💜

Read more about this amazing service: https://ow.ly/FYE150THEnj

Our Safe2GoHome team have supported more than 1000 patients to get home quicker and safer after a hospital stay. 👏

The team clean, remove furniture and declutter homes to reduce falls and fire for patients in Lambeth, Southwark – and as of this month, across Lewisham and Bromley too.

Say hello to Pauline Martin, a patient access coordinator at Evelina London Children's Hospital.👋

• What do you do?
I'm a patient access coordinator in the Lambeth looked after children team. This is part of the vulnerable children's department in Evelina London’s community services.

Before joining Evelina London, which is part of Guy’s and St Thomas’, I was a family intervention practitioner for a local authority. I first joined the Trust as part of the cancer data team. I then worked as a patient access coordinator for the community foot health services. When I saw the advert for my current role in children’s services, I knew my experience as a family intervention practitioner would help me care for young people and their families.

• What are you passionate about?
I'm passionate about my work with vulnerable people. I'm committed to my work and to supporting people to have equal access to health services.

I'm a trained coach and have recently joined the Guy’s and St Thomas’ coaching and mentoring hub. I look forward to helping others achieve their goals.

• What's your favourite part of working in Evelina London’s children’s community services?
I work alongside an incredible team of diverse individuals who are just as enthusiastic as I am. I also have an excellent and supportive management team. We work hard and celebrate each other's achievements.

Learn more: https://www.evelinalondon.nhs.uk/about-us/who-we-are/history/a-history-of-care/what-do-you-do/what-do-you-do-pauline.aspx

We're taking part in the pioneering Generation Study, which will test babies for over 200 rare genetic conditions.

If you're expecting your baby at St Thomas' Hospital, you can enrol into the study.

Find out more: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news/st-thomas-hospital-joins-study-genetic-testing-newborn-babies

As featured on BBC London news we’ve unveiled a mural outside the Nuffield Theatre Suite at Guy’s Hospital, celebrating the contribution of African women in healthcare.

An initiative by Young Historians Project the artwork features 6 pioneering women who represent a range of eras.