Latest news with #SherwoodForestHospitals
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Digital imaging service slashes waits for skin cancer checks
Digital imaging of suspected skin cancers has dramatically cut waiting times for diagnosis and treatment in photographers in parts of the county now see patients referred by GPs typically within a couple of days, rather than them having to wait what used to be sometimes weeks to see a consultant for just an initial appointment. The imaging includes using artificial intelligence (AI) smartphone software, which then sees pictures sent to a consultant dermatologist to assess, without needing to meet the Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the approach was freeing up specialists' time to focus on surgery. Fiona Hayward-Lyon, from Farndon in Nottinghamshire, is one of nearly 2,000 patients seen by the trust with suspected skin cancer who have benefitted from faster access to diagnosis. The service was fully introduced in June 2024 and one year on, has been described as a "big success" by the trust. Mrs Hayward-Lyon had become concerned about a lesion on her 63-year-old's appointment for photographs was arranged within three days of seeing her GP, and it took just over four weeks to get the surgery, which took place in October."I'd had a red blemish on my forehead for a while and I suddenly noticed it was getting raised," she said.A dermatologist then examined her images three per cent of patients under the trust's care require a face-to-face follow-up appointment after the initial photography, and some like Mrs Hayward-Lyon go on to require surgery. In her case, a basal cell carcinoma - a type of skin cancer - was diagnosed needing removal. She said: "I didn't expect to be seen so quickly. I can now move on and be a little more careful in the Sun." Consultant dermatologist Dr Ritu Singla, who treated Mrs Hayward-Lyon, said the photography service allowed medics to reassure patients sooner if they did not have cancer."We can rule out lots of benign [non-cancerous] lesions, which are the bulk of cases," she said."It also enables us to start treatment sooner for those patients where cancer has been diagnosed." Dr Singla said: "Patients are more aware of skin cancer these days, [but] at the same time in the aftermath of the pandemic we had long waiting lists. "We prioritised but some patients were waiting months for treatment." There is a national NHS target for 96% of skin cancer cases to treated with 31 days of a decision to treat. Prior to the introduction of the photography service, the trust achieved 72% in the first quarter of 2023-24. Latest figures show 100% of patients in February 2025 were treated within the target time. Clinical photographer Jason Randall says he uses a special polarised light, a device called a dermatoscope, to help produce high-resolution images. He said: "It enables the camera to see into the first layer of the skin not clearly visible to the naked eye and crucially the edges of the lesion." Greater use of technology is one of the themes of the government's new NHS 10-year plan, which looks to improve efficiency, productivity and outcomes for patients.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A&E wait times reduced by 'Dragon's Den' idea
Waiting times in accident and emergency at Sutton-in-Ashfield's King's Mill Hospital have been reduced by moving some less seriously ill people to chairs instead of trolleys. Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's executive board met on Thursday to discuss the effectiveness of a plan called Fit2Sit, which was introduced in January to tackle overcrowding and improve the flow of patients. It involves medics identifying which patients need assessment but do not need to be lying down on a trolley while they wait, with a separate room set aside to hold 19 patients. Julia Rose, lead nurse at King's Mill's A&E, said the staff-suggested idea had "dramatically reduced" overcrowding. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the meeting was told the waiting time for non-admitted patients to be seen in A&E had dropped by about 40 minutes since the change – down from 196 minutes to 150 minutes. Meanwhile the average number of patients within the department's majors area, where patients need more intensive treatment, has dropped from 61 to 35. A total of 89% of patients are now offloaded by ambulance crews within 30 minutes of arrival, compared to 80% in December 2024. Richard Kemp, divisional director of nursing for urgent and emergency care at the trust, told the board: "We can keep our clinicians in consulting rooms [and] keep patients due an assessment in a private area. "If necessary with ongoing investigation, a patient can return to the waiting room while that happens, whereas all of those patients would have been in the majors space previously, contributing to the crowding in that area." About £12,600 was spent on Fit2Sit from money raised by the trust's Daffodil Volunteers fund, including £5,000 awarded from a "Dragon's Den" initiative, which involves hospital staff pitching their own ideas to managers about how to solve problems. Board chairman Graham Ward said: "The biggest positive is this came from our staff, their idea, their approach to how we can improve our patient experience." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Local Democracy Reporting Service Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Diagnostic centre construction delayed by asbestos
The opening date of a new diagnostic centre in Nottinghamshire has been delayed because of asbestos, an NHS trust has said. Mansfield Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is being constructed on the site of a former hospital with an original completion date of December 2025. However, Sherwood Forest Hospitals said that the formal opening had been changed to April 2026 because of "challenges" refurbishing an old structure. A spokesperson for the NHS trust said there was "more asbestos in the [former] building than anticipated". Following the demolition of the former Victoria Hospital last summer, construction has progressed and the project has now reached a key moment with the completion of the building's steel frame. This milestone was marked with a traditional topping out ceremony on site, where colleagues, contractors and partners came together to sign the final beam and tighten the last bolt in celebration of the progress made. Described as a "one stop shop" diagnostic centre, it will offer earlier access to services including MRIs, X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans. The site was originally used for the Mansfield Workhouse, then the Victoria Hospital, and a permanent display in the new building will highlight this history. The trust said due to the size of the project, the target date was "always provisional and has the potential to move". The formal opening has been changed to April 2026 due to "challenges posed by working to refurbish a 1950s structure for modern purposes". The new CDC building is now set to open in April 2026, with construction progressing on-site, a spokesperson added. Dr James Thomas, the clinical lead for the project at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: "With any large-scale project, particularly when it involves the refurbishment of an old building such as this, there are often unforeseen challenges that only become clear once construction work is under way." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Work on diagnostic centre 'progressing well'
