The dedicated Endocrine and Diabetes Centre operates from the north wing at Russells Hall Hospital. The centre assists in the long-term management of patients with diabetes and endocrine conditions.

Diabetes

Patients can benefit from services such as:

• Specialist diabetes service during hospital stay
• Multi-disciplinary support for intensive insulin therapy
• Pre-conception and antenatal care
• Adolescence care
• Hybrid Closed Loop Insulin pump treatment
• Carbohydrate counting courses
• Specialist foot clinic
• Optimisation of diabetes control ahead of elective procedures.

We are also a research active unit and conduct clinical trials as well as real-world studies.

We are a centre for the ADDRESS-2 study, which invites patients with type 1 diabetes diagnosed in the last 6 months to join. Further information is found here: ADDRESS-2 type 1 diabetes – Supporting type 1 diabetes research

Endocrinology

The endocrinology department offers a wide range of services, including:

• General endocrinology
• Pituitary
• Growth
• Adrenal
• Thyroid
• Calcium and metabolic bone disorders

In addition, we have a reproductive endocrinology service which also includes management of:

• Subfertility
• Endocrine disorders during pregnancy
• Gonadal disorders

The endocrine service is multi-disciplinary and supported by a dedicated endocrine nurse specialist.

We also offer for our primary care colleagues, consultant-led e-referral advice and guidance system, as well as practice-based diabetes MDT review. The quality of our services have been commended nationally and by peer review via the Getting It Right First Time Programme.

The Disability Support Team offers a Case Management service to people with acquired complex or severe physical and cognitive impairment to help them achieve a full and purposeful life. The service is available to people who:

• Are aged 16-64 years or are in receipt of working age benefits.
• Have a complex/severe physical and/or cognitive needs.

OR

• Have a progressive medical condition e.g. MS, MND, Parkinson’s Disease,  complex need.

OR

• Have an Acquired Brain Injury.

Patients are allocated to a Case Manager who will discuss issues that the patient has identified as being important to them. The Case Manager will use their expertise, extensive contacts, knowledge of the services available and a problem-solving approach to establish agreed and shared goals. This often runs alongside therapy input and allows patients to focus and maximise their rehabilitation therapy interventions during therapy sessions, knowing that Case Managers can support with the other complexities that can affect day to day life.

Case Managers also have experiencing in supporting individuals with Acquired Brain Injury and can provide skilled intervention to address the needs of their ‘hidden’ disability.

The Disability Support Team is a community-based service and therefore patients are usually seen in their homes and supported in the community. Case Managers support with issues such as disability related benefits, housing, education, return to work, getting back out into the community, accessing services and liaising with professionals.

The Orthotics team supply devices which are externally fitted to the body. Such as ankle, leg and hip braces, foot orthotics and custom-made footwear, and spinal braces that are used to correct physical instabilities or improve mobility and function.

The team supports a wide range of services including: paediatrics, orthopaedics, rheumatology, diabetes, rehabilitation, vascular & maternity.

The Orthotic team are:

• Louise Collins, administrator
• Chander Joshi, assistant administrator
• Donna Smith, hosiery practitioner
• Orthotists

The orthodontic and dentofacial service centres around three main areas:

• Treatment of irregularities of the teeth
• Treatment of jaw disproportion
• Congenital deformities of the head

Joint clinics are held with other specialties including maxillofacial surgery.

The department does not undertake routine dental treatment such as fillings, denture work or the treatment of gum conditions.

The Trust has two orthodontic assistants supporting two specialist orthodontists, who are appropriately qualified and registered with the General Dental Council to treat all orthodontic conditions.

Minor problems are generally referred back to your dentist with a treatment plan.

General medicine/elderly care includes a general medical ward, and rehabilitation facilities. There are consultants specialising in areas such as stroke, orthogeriatrics, acute elderly care and rehabilitation.

Outpatient clinics are held at Russells Hall Hospital and Corbett Hospital Outpatient Centre.

The rehabilitation department host some of the latest rehab machines that can help with the patients’ progression to walking again at an earlier stage. The whole body is strapped in and helps balance the weight of the patient while stimulating the body to walk again.

Occupational therapy offers both inpatient and outpatient facilities. The Occupational Therapist for rheumatology is Helen Robertson.

Inpatient services

It aims to help you regain the ability to undertake everyday tasks like getting yourself in and out of bed, getting washed and dressed, preparing hot drinks and meals, all things that you may find difficult following an illness or surgery.

We will also discuss with you about your home environment as you may need some adaption’s to your home or some specialist equipment to help you undertake everyday tasks as independently as possible.

We undertake specialist exercise programmes to help you regain movement and coordination. It is helpful if you have clothes and well fitting shoes with you in hospital. We may undertake the following assessments:

• Washing and dressing
• Transfers on and off – bed, chair, toilet, etc.
• Kitchen activities
• Feeding assessments

Outpatient services

The outpatient services offers:

• Hand therapy rehabilitation
• Rheumatoid arthritis

The hand therapy rehabilitation is to help people who have suffered a hand injury or who have had hand surgery. This will include an assessment of your hand movements and treatment may include an exercise programme and specialist splinting.

For our patients who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, we aim to educate and advise you on how to manage your condition. This may include specific information about preventing deterioration of your joints, use of specialist equipment or splinting.

Outpatient appointments are via referral only by a consultant or rheumatology clinical nurse specialist.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology provides acute and elective services to patients from Dudley and neighbouring boroughs.  Services are mainly based at Russells Hall Hospital but general gynaecology clinics are run from Corbett Outpatient Centre and also Hume Street Clinic in Kidderminster.

Our specialist combined clinics like Obstetrics/Diabetic/endocrine, Obstetric clinics for vulnerable women and combined clinics with Haematology take place on a regular basis.

Our Gynaecology specialist clinics include colposcopy, diagnostic & therapeutic hysteroscopy, postmenopausal bleeding clinics, rapid access gynaecology oncology clinics, specialist endometriosis and specialist urogynaecology clinics.

We have recently been awarded the status of accredited endometriosis centre providing advanced surgical treatment to endometriosis patients.

Our ultrasound services are provided by trained sonographers in both obstetrics and gynaecology.  We have three foetal medicine consultants providing specialist obstetric ultrasound scanning for foetal anomalies. We do not provide amniocentesis or chorionic villous biopsy.

Twelve consultant obstetricians lead the care of women with high risk pregnancies, while community midwives manage the care of the women deemed to be low risk.  Intrapartum care for all deliveries is provided by midwives based in the Maternity Department.  We deliver approximately 4200 babies per year.

The maternity unit has a total of 45 beds: 33 single ensuite rooms and 12 beds located in three, four-bedded bays.

The maternity unit has close links with the paediatric service for the provision of neonatal care and the anaesthetic team for provision of pain relief and management of women with serious pregnancy complications. The service also comprises a full community midwifery service.

There is a dedicated team who support new mothers with breastfeeding in and out of hospital. We provide smoking cessation services to our antenatal patients and regarded as one of the top trusts providing this service efficiently in West Midlands.

We provide teaching and training to medical students from Birmingham University and St George’s University Grenada.  We provide excellent training opportunities to postgraduate trainees.

We operate a protected mealtimes policy at lunchtime between 12pm and 1pm every day.

The aim is to provide a protected period of time where ward activities are reduced to a minimum so that full focus is on patients’ nutritional needs. This gives patients the time to eat their meals comfortably.

The RED tray system is used to highlight patients who nursing staff have assessed and identified as requiring some level of assistance with eating. These may include patients with physical/dexterity weakness, cognitive impairment or those requiring specialist support e.g. speech language therapy or those needing specific dietary support prescribed by dieticians.

By protecting the lunchtime meal and providing supportive measures, a better mealtime experience will be promoted. This is expected to encourage patients to eat more food and therefore improve their nutritional intake.

The Trust currently has approximately 30 volunteers who undertake the role of mealtime assistants. This involves preparing the patient for his/her meal, assisting the patient to choose an appropriate meal option from the menu, cutting up food or assisting with feeding .

Each ward has its own individual menus for the type of patients it is catering for. We also offer options for patients with special dietary needs, such as coeliac, vegetarian or halal. For more information, please speak to a member of staff.

If you would like to assist with your relative’s meal or have any queries, please speak to the nurse in charge. Arrangements can be made for patients with special dietary needs to discuss their requirements with a Dietician, Catering Manager or a Speech and Language Therapist if modifications are required due to swallowing difficulties.

The neurology department is one of the smaller teams at the Trust and is made up of three consultants and two clinical nurse specialists in Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s.

The department has two main arms to its work:

• Providing an outpatient service for neurological patients
• Providing acute neurological consultations for inpatients being admitted to hospital through the emergency department – by diagnosing impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles

The Trust does not have inpatient facilities for patients with neurological conditions at present. Patients who are diagnosed with severe and complex neurological conditions in outpatients or in hospital are transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Neurosciences Centre in Birmingham.

Clinic times

Russells Hall Hospital

• Morning – Morning
• Wednesday – Morning
• Thursday – Afternoon

Guest Hospital Outpatient Centre

• Monday – Afternoon
• Tuesday – Morning
• Wednesday – Morning
• Thursday – Morning and afternoon