The Royal Brompton & Harefield brand features across a wide range of media channels each month. From fundraising sponsored walks to exciting new clinical procedures and research trials, our hospitals are celebrated for their ground-breaking work and commitment to patient care. Here are some examples from 2019-20.
April/May 2019
The Lancet and London Live TV celebrated 10 years of the Trust’s Singing for Breathing programme, describing Royal Brompton & Harefield’s role as being instrumental in the programme becoming established in 70 groups across the UK.
July 2019
The Daily Mail focused on Royal Brompton's ‘specialist respiratory clinic,’ in relation to the diagnosis of irritant-induced laryngeal obstruction. The paper noted that the condition is estimated to affect about 250,000 people in Britain, and is a disorder of the voice box rather than the lungs, although its symptoms resemble asthma. “We think that nerve endings in the larynx may become
over-sensitised to certain scents and irritants,” explained Dr James Hull, consultant respiratory physician, “it triggers a process where the voice box closes as a defence mechanism; trying to protect the airway inappropriately.”
August 2019
The Mail on Sunday covered Royal Brompton’s use of the new NeoChord device, which allows surgeons to mend failing heart valves while the heart is still beating – saving the lives of people deemed too frail for open-heart surgery. When interviewed about the benefits of using the device, Royal Brompton consultant cardiac surgeon Rashmi Yadav explained: “Patients have a shorter hospital stay, they have a faster recovery and they don’t have a big cut in their breastbone’.
September 2019
Harefield patient David Webb was interviewed for a Daily Mirror feature as one of two brothers who both had heart transplants after being born with the same hereditary heart condition (atrial fibrillation). David and his brother Stuart discussed the life-changing impact of their surgeries. “There isn’t a day that Stuart and I don’t think we’re the luckiest brothers on earth”, said David.
October 2019
Under the headline ‘£2.5m trial of AI system to help patients at risk of fatal lung failure’, the Evening Standard and BBC London covered an Imperial College London study, led by Dr Brijesh Patel, honorary consultant at Royal Brompton, to investigate how to increase the chance of survival for patients on life support systems. The trial assesses critically ill patients in the UK, France and Austria who need a ventilator.
Actor and former footballer, Vinnie Jones appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, talking about his late wife. As part of the interview, Vinnie discussed her heart transplant at the age of 21 at Harefield Hospital. Vinnie spoke passionately about the fantastic care that his wife, Tanya, received from the entire transplant team. A significant number of national media outlets carried his comments including The Metro, Daily Mirror, Scottish Sun and Mail Online.
November 2019
Following publication of a report linking a life-threatening lung condition to vaping, Royal Brompton’s consultant paediatric chest physician Professor Andrew Bush was interviewed on Sky News, ITV News and BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland about the dangers of vaping. Professor Bush said: "We simply do not know the long-term consequences of vaping. We don't know what is in these devices and liquids, therefore, how can we possibly say they are safe to inhale into our lungs? They should be kept out of the hands of young people."
Meanwhile Royal Brompton nursing staff were interviewed for the Nursing Standard about the role of clinical practice educators and how they can help nurses achieve their career goals.
December 2019
Royal Brompton Hospital consultant allergy dietician Dr Isabel Skypala contributed to an article about the allergy-inducing properties hidden in some products containing pea proteins, to which many children who suffer from peanut allergies are also allergic to. Dr Skypala discussed a phenomenon called ‘cross reactivity', where allergies to one food make a person more likely to have problems with other similar ones, as in peanuts and pea protein. The story was covered in the Mail Online UK, the Mail on Sunday and the Irish Daily Mail on Sunday.
January 2020
Royal Brompton’s consultant cardiologist Dr Alexander Lyon was interviewed on BBC 2’s Victoria Derbyshire programme about research that concluded hardcore football fans are at greater risk of heart attacks. Dr Lyon recounted the 1998 World Cup quarter-final game that went to penalties and resulted in a surge in heart attacks in the UK. Dr Lyon explained: “As well as heart attacks, there are other forms of ‘heart emergencies’ caused by massive surges in heart stress hormones like adrenalin.”
February 2020
Royal Brompton Hospital’s consultant respiratory physician Dr Jennifer Quint appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Inside Health programme, to discuss air pollution and how it affects health. As part of the piece, Dr Quint discussed a world-first study where the individual air pollution exposure of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients was tracked in real time to find out how toxic air can make their condition worse.
