Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

Could filtering blood remove a toxic substance and protect the kidneys during surgery? Mr James Bennett, a clinical perfusion scientist at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, has received a Kidney Research UK Allied Health Professional Fellowship award. He will look at developing a special type of filter to remove a substance toxic to the kidneys released by red blood cells during some types of surgery. “I hope that my fellowship shows the importance of researching this area of surgery further so that future studies can find ways of preventing patients from developing AKI after aortic surgery. This could mean that patients would be able to go home quicker after surgery and will reduce the likelihood of spending weeks or months on dialysis.” 𝐌𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭. Read more of James’s work here: https://bit.ly/4o9pjyQ

We are delighted that Kenny Christian, B7 Cath Lab Nurse, has recently been elected on to the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) Society’s AHP Council. This is not only great news for Kenny, but great news for LHCH as a centre as we now have, for the first time, a representative in BCIS who is helping to shape nurse/AHP education nationally. It also allows for future opportunities of engagement between BCIS and LHCH which is very exciting. Kenny said: “I’m a CTO Lead Nurse and Practice Educator at LHCH with a passion for advancing AHP education and building collaborative, high-performing Cath Lab teams. Over the past few years, I’ve worked closely with the BCIS AHP Working Group, contributing to national conferences and leading initiatives that spotlight the vital role of nurses, physiologists, and radiographers in interventional cardiology. "Being selected as a member of the BCIS AHP Working Group is a real honour and a natural progression of my journey in AHP leadership. This role gives me the opportunity to represent the incredible work happening at LHCH on a national platform, while also shaping the future of AHP education, innovation, and professional growth across the UK. My vision is to build stronger cross-site networks, champion learning and wellbeing, and ensure that every AHP voice is heard, supported, and empowered to lead.”

We're really proud to share our NHS Staff Survey journey here at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital – Becoming the best, sustaining the best. It reflects the commitment, compassion, and leadership across our Trust – and how listening to our people helps us deliver exceptional, person-centred care every day. You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eT85yEPN #NHSLeadership #PeoplePromise #TeamLHCH #PatientCare  Rachael McDonald MCIPD TAP.Cert

We're delighted to share that Dr Rebecca Dobson, Consultant Cardiologist and Cancer Lead at LHCH, has been awarded the ‘Women Making a Difference’ Award, sponsored by Merseyrail, at the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2025. Dr Dobson spoke of her award: “I’m honoured to have received this award and to be recognised for my role in establishing the Cardio-Oncology Service, a collaboration between LHCH and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, which started back in 2019. It’s a privilege to work with such an amazing team of people who are all striving to make a difference to patients living with cancer and heart disease. I’m so proud of the service, and the team, for the difference we have made to our patients and their families. A big thank you to everyone who voted and supported my nomination – it means such a lot to me.” Congratulations Rebecca for this phenomenal achievement. #TeamLHCH is very proud!

Yesterday at LHCH we held our very first Advanced Surgical Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Audit Day. The brilliant event included interactive drop in sessions where colleagues could engage in a dynamic hands-on learning experience, informative presentations, simulation practice and so much more. Kate Lambe, Divisional Director of Nursing for Surgery said: “The day was a huge success and enjoyed by so many of our colleagues. It was great to be able to give people a glance into the work of our Advanced Surgical Nurses and Allied Health Professionals. We can’t wait to go bigger and better next year.” Well done to everyone involved and thank you to the organisers, sponsors and all involved in supporting this fantastic educational event and making it happen! #TeamLHCH #NHS Medtronic Terumo Medical Corporation Ethicon, Inc. AtriCure, Inc. Rocket Medical

We are proud to share that members of our Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) team were invited to visit No.10 Downing Street this week! Darren McGuinness, Change Programme Manager and Michelle Woods, Matron for Lung Cancer Screening service were both thrilled to represent LHCH as a partner organisation of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. The charity marked its 35th anniversary with the event and shared the message that lung cancer screening is saving lives. The Lung Cancer Screening programme, which originated here in Liverpool, aims to improve early lung cancer diagnosis by use of mobile scanning trucks to visit local communities. More than 10% of cancers found through the programme have been detected in Cheshire and Merseyside after a successful roll out over the past few years. Darren spoke of the visit: "It was amazing, it was such an honour to be recognised for the work we do here at LHCH and the lives we have saved. It was great to see patients at the event that had been through our programme and been cured from lung cancer as a result!” Michelle said: "It’s humbling to know that our team has contributed to such an important cause, and the difference that Lung Cancer Screening makes to our participant's and families.  Most importantly it demonstrates that the Lung Cancer Screening is working, and we are saving lives. A good story to tell my future grandkids!" 

We're delighted that Dr Ahmed Kharabish, LHCH Consultant Radiologist, has been appointed as the e-Learning Specialty Lead for Cardiac Radiology with the The Royal College of Radiologists. This appointment reflects Dr Kharabish’s outstanding contribution to cardiac imaging and commitment to radiology education. The post is part of the RCR’s initiative to expand and enhance eLearning provision, ensuring access to high-quality educational resources for trainees and consultants across the UK. As e-Learning Cardiac Specialty Lead, Dr Kharabish will play a central role in developing and curating educational content for the RCR learning platform, and his work will directly influence the training and continued professional development of radiologists nationally, with a specific focus on cardiac imaging. Congratulations Dr Kharabish - we know your leadership and expertise will be a huge benefit to the wider radiological community.

Such a great session at LHCH today with Diane Rogers, PCC, CPXP helping to inspire colleagues to harness the strengths and magnificence of people, to achieve higher levels of organisational performance and individual engagement. Stimulating conversations and insightful interaction with clinical and non-clinical teams, who went away challenged and inspired. Diane is the founder and president of Contagious Change and is best known for her breakthrough programs for healthcare organisations, where she has long been a trusted coach. Thanks so much for visiting us at LHCH

We are proud to announce that Dr Rebecca Dobson, Consultant Cardiologist and Cancer Lead has been named as a finalist for the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2025. Since joining LHCH in 2019, Rebecca has established the groundbreaking Cardio-Oncology Service which is a collaboration between LHCH and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. The service cares for hundreds of people living with heart disease who have developed cancer or who have cancer, or those who are at risk of heart disease due to the high toxicity of their chemotherapy treatments. Professor Jay Wright, Director of Research and Clinical Lead for Heart Rhythm said: “I’m delighted that Dr Dobson has been shortlisted for this year’s Merseyside Women of the Year Awards. It’s extremely well-deserved recognition for Rebecca who, thanks to her expertise and the skill of the team she has developed, has made a hugely positive impact on the quality of life for our patients and their families. I would like to encourage patients and colleagues to support Rebecca with their vote.” You can get behind Rebecca and vote for her via https://lnkd.in/eYAWDTxB

To mark this year’s International Clinical Trials Day, we thought we’d give you a little more insight into research here at LHCH. Did you know: 🔹 LHCH recruited 750+ participants throughout 2024/25 🔹LHCH performed 55 open studies throughout 2024/25 🔹670+ sets of participants samples were processed by our labs in 2024  🔹At LHCH we have a multidisciplinary research team of Doctors, Nurses, Labs, Pharmacy, Audit, Governance, PPIE and many more  🔹LHCH had 270 PubMed journal articles listed in 2024/25  🔹Lung Cancer rates in Merseyside are 59% higher than national  average. We are running the Target Lung study and have recruited our 700th participant so far Fancy learning some more and seeing how you can become a part of research at LHCH? https://lnkd.in/ebGVFTG5 #ClinicalTrialsDay #Research #NHS