Congratulations to two teams at LUHFT who have been shortlisted for the HSJ Awards 2024! The Stroke Emergency Assessment Centre (SEAC) at Aintree University Hospital has been shortlisted in the ‘Acute Sector Innovation of the Year’ category, and the Scouse School initiative has been shortlisted in the ‘Staff Wellbeing’ category.
Stroke Emergency Assessment Centre (SEAC)
The SEAC opened in August 2023, and is the first of its kind in the UK. The £1.5 million purpose-built assessment centre provides 24/7 emergency care for our stroke patients, as part of the North Mersey Stroke Service.
With dedicated resuscitation assessment bays, CT scanner and ultrasound imaging, the SEAC can provide rapid, specialist stroke care for patients, who otherwise would have needed to attend the main Emergency Department first. This includes the delivery of thrombolysis, a treatment for acute strokes which breaks down blood clots, helping to restore blood flow to the brain.
Once stroke patients have been stabilised in SEAC, within four hours they are transferred to the Trust’s Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU), where they can receive further highly specialised care, including therapy support.
Lizi Riley, Head of Operations for Stroke, Medicine for Older People and Rheumatology at Aintree University Hospital, said: “We are delighted for the entire stroke team that their hard work and excellence has been recognised. The SEAC is a critical part of the stroke pathway, making a considerable difference to the care our patients receive from a highly specialised team in a fit-for-purpose environment. We are incredibly proud of the highest standards of care the service provides to North Mersey stroke patients”.
Scouse School
Scouse School was founded in 2023 and aims to support our international nurses, allied health professionals, internationally educated doctors and healthcare assistants, into settling at LUHFT.
The informative and fun-filled event is a safe and respectful environment to learn about Liverpool’s history, culture, accents and food, alongside a chance to meet with other international recruits and local colleagues.
The day also incorporates an afternoon guided walking tour of the city, where attendees get a chance to see all the local sights and sounds of Liverpool.
Founded by Jo Marinas and Tom Southern, and shortly afterwards, Alex Spearritt, a host of LUHFT staff volunteers now support the initiative which has seen over 300 international recruits take part in six sessions. Due to the positive feedback from attendees, LUHFT has now also opened the doors of the school to recruits from neighbouring hospitals.
Jo Marinas, Deputy Director of Nursing Workforce Development, said: “I’m incredibly proud that Scouse School has been shortlisted and recognised for the wellbeing support that it is providing our international colleagues here at LUHFT and beyond.
“Speaking from personal experience, it is very daunting to move to a new country, where you are not familiar with the culture and local quirks. Scouse School aims to try and alleviate some of that worry in a safe, fun environment, where colleagues can have a few laughs alongside learning about their new workplace and hometown. It’s heartening to see how far it’s come, and we are looking forward to developing plans for a reciprocal cultural exchange project to promote greater cultural awareness and appreciation.”
