We are working hard to ensure as many staff as possible get their flu jab to protect themselves, patients and their families. More than 5,000 staff received their vaccine in the first three weeks of our campaign and we are well on the way to beating last year’s achievement of vaccinating 77% of our frontline teams.

Sam Douthwaite, Consultant Virologist and Clinical Flu Lead at Guy’s and St Thomas’, says: “In a bad flu season we have to treat more than 100 patients a week for flu. Having the flu vaccine is one of the best ways we can protect ourselves from the flu and stop us passing it on to our colleagues or patients.”

The NHS offers free flu vaccinations to a number of at risk groups, including people who are 65 or over and pregnant women. Contact your GP to find out if you are eligible.

The work of staff at the Trust was celebrated at The Sun’s inaugural Who Cares Wins awards in October.

The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) team were finalists in the ‘Ultimate Lifesaver’ category. Sophie Royce, 25, nominated the team for saving her life when she was struck by meningococcal septicaemia five years ago.

Meanwhile Evelina London Advanced Transplant Nurse Practitioner Grainne Walsh was a finalist in the ‘Best Nurse’ category. She was nominated by William Menzies, 11, for the support she provided throughout his dialysis treatment, transplant and recovery.

A King’s Health Partners initiative to identify and treat mental illness in people with physical conditions is running in more than 50 local hospital clinics.

More than 20,000 patients have been screened for anxiety or depression alongside their physical health needs at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital. The initiative is running in services ranging from limb reconstruction and rheumatology to eczema and kidney transplant clinics.

People with mental and physical health problems are often less able to manage their conditions properly, negatively affecting their health. The IMPARTS (Integrating Mental and Physical Healthcare: Research, Training and Services), programme at King's Health Partners is making sure that all of a patient’s needs – both mind and body - are being met.

Star of stage and screen, Guy Henry, spread a little magic when he opened St Thomas’ Hospital’s Low Vision Day event in October.

The actor, best known for his roles as Pius Thicknesse, the Last Minister for Magic in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Henrik Hanssen in Holby City, opened the annual event.

Low Vision Day raises awareness of the support available to people who have low vision, even with the aid of glasses, contact lenses or surgery. For more information call 0207 188 4569 or visit www.southlondonvision.org 

England footballer Dele Alli surprised children at Evelina London Children’s Hospital when he dropped in to join an activity day. Tottenham Hotspur star Dele helped children build bears, decorate biscuits and colour in decorations to jazz up their bedsides, bringing fun and distraction.

Amongst the children were 17-year-old Billy, who is currently living with hypertension. Billy says: “I’m a huge footy fan and have seen him play at my local football club, Middlesbrough. We had a great chat about football. It was nice to spend a bit of time off the ward and take my mind off things, it’s an afternoon I’ll always remember.”

The activity day, held to celebrate National Play in Hospitals Week, was organised by Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity with the Evelina London play specialist team. 

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity has launched a campaign that highlights how Trust staff have made fantastic improvements across our sites thanks to charitable funding.

Donations and charitable funds are available for employees to improve the care and experience of our patients. They can also support staff’s welfare and professional development.

Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of Guy's and St Thomas', said: “Donations make an enormous difference at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and allow us to provide world-class care. Our Charity is here for all of us, and I’d love to see more staff applying for support to bring their brilliant ideas to life.”

Eleanor Smith, MP for Wolverhampton South West, was among the guests celebrating the contribution of black staff in the NHS.

The MP's parliamentary seat was once held by Enoch Powell, who was infamous for his “rivers of blood” speech about immigration. She said:  “I have worked in the health service for 40 years and as a theatre nurse. I understand and believe in the NHS and I will fight for it. We should not take the NHS for granted because it keeps us and our families safe.”

Other speakers included Trust Chairman, Sir Hugh Taylor and Eddyna Danso, Chair, Black Asian Ethnic minority (BAME) Network.

Do you want to give the gift of a smile to patients at Evelina London and Guy’s and St Thomas’?  We want to make sure there are toys for all the children spending Christmas at Evelina London. And we want to bring Christmas joy to our adult patients who live alone.

Through our new Christmas Smiles Appeal anyone can make a donation which will go towards gifts such as toys, board games, arts and crafts sets or toiletries.

For more information or to make a donation or buy a gift please visit the fundraising website.

Join us for our annual carol concert, Carols by Candlelight, at the beautiful St George’s Cathedral on Monday 11 December from 7pm – 8.15pm. 

Come along and enjoy this wonderful evening of carols, inspiring stories from our supporters, and some outstanding and joyful performances.

For more information or to book tickets please visit the fundraising website.

A survey of thousands of people who used urgent and emergency services provided by trusts in England has shown positive results for many aspects of care.

The survey published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reveals the responses of patients who attended A&E departments during September 2016.

It found that Guy’s and St Thomas’ is performing as well as other trusts overall. Areas where we are performing particularly well include feeling safe, privacy when being examined or treated, and staff explaining test results clearly. Areas for improvement include waiting times, emotional support, and communication when leaving the department.

Most patients who completed the Friends and Family Test questionnaire in September would recommend the care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ to their loved ones:

• 95% of inpatients and day case/surgery patients
• 93% of women receiving maternity care
• 96% of patients using our community services
• 91% of outpatients
• 85% of A&E patients
• 88% of patients using our transport service

Channel 5 News interviewed a girl who became the youngest person in the UK to receive a middle ear implant.

Charlotte Wright was born with microtia and atresia, which meant one of her ears had not formed properly and she was partially deaf. She had the pioneering procedure at Guy's and St Thomas'.

Her mother Sophie explained how her speech, behaviour and progress at school had improved since the surgery.

Sky News interviewed Dr Jude Oben, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’, for a debate on whether pre-diabetes patients should be referred to weight planning organisations such as Weight Watchers.

Dr Oben highlighted that pre-diabetes patients should consider weight management as a key part of treating their condition. He explained that obesity can cause a range of other conditions including arthritis, heart disease and liver failure.

The Sun covered the visit of England star Dele Alli to Evelina London Children’s Hospital as he joined Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity for an activity day. 

The event was held to celebrate National Play in Hospitals Week. Dele said: “I had a great afternoon with Rays of Sunshine at their Activity Day at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. It was a pleasure to meet such amazing families and children.”

Last year more than 7,000 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer in the UK. Join us for advice on the importance of early detection, prevention and good oral hygiene.

For more information on how to keep your mouth healthy visit us on:

• Friday 10  November, the main entrance at Guy’s Hospital
• Wednesday 15 November, the main entrance at Guy’s Hospital
• Tuesday 21 November, Birdsong Corridor, St Thomas’ Hospital

Email Beverley Banton on beverley.banton@gstt.nhs.uk for further details.