Today, accompanied by Martin Hindle, the Chair of the University Hospitals of Leicester Trust, I had the honour and privilege of meeting with staff, patients and visitors of Glenfield Hospital.
It gave me particular pleasure to return as Lord Mayor to a venue where I once worked as a medical records clerk, and where a significant number of New Parks residents, including my colleague Steve Corrall, are still employed.
The first stop on our tour was the ECMO (Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) unit. It was the first of its type in the UK to treat both adults and children, and is acclaimed as the most successful of its type in the world, treating patients from all over the country, and occasionally from other parts of Europe.
We next visited the paediatric intensive care unit, where parents told us first-hand of the incredible support given at the Hospital to them and their children, some of whom can stay as inpatients for many months. The number of thank-you letters displayed on the wall of the unit was evidence that this opinion of the quality of care provided is widely shared.
This was followed by a tour of the Leicester Bone Bank, which stores and supplies bones and other tissues to transplant surgeons all over the United Kingdom. It is now the largest NHS hospital-based tissue bank in the country.
Though thousands of lives are saved every year with the help of donated organs such as heart and kidneys, many people are not aware that donated tissues such as bone, heart valves, corneas and skin can dramatically improve the quality of life for recipients and even save lives.
Although organs need to be retrieved quickly after death, tissues can be retrieved up to 48 hours afterwards, so it is often possible to donate tissues even if organ donation is not feasible. Many more tissue donors are needed in order to maintain this supply of tissues and protect the Hospital's position as a national centre of excellence.
Martin and I then visited the newly-opened Biomedical Research Unit, where we heard details of the research currently being done at the Hospital which may lead to a reduction in the number of deaths from heart disease in the future.. This is yet another area where the Hospital may emerge as a national, even European, pioneer.
The final stop was the Glenfield Support Shop, situated in the Hospital car park, where I was delighted to receive a cheque for £10,000 towards my Forget-me-not Appeal.
Thanks to everyone that Martin and I met during our visit, all of whom were extremely welcoming and supportive, and who work so hard on a day-to-day basis to make sure that Glenfield Hospital remains a jewel in Leicester's crown. I hope that the community can rally behind the hospital to ensure that its range of outstanding services can be retained, and developed further, in the future.
Next year the Hospital, which was opened in March 1986, celebrates its Silver Jubilee. Let's make sure it can do this in style!
Note: The views and opinions expressed within this blog are entirely those of its author and do not represent, nor should be construed as representing, the views of either the Labour Party or Leicester City Council.
