UCLH - University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

24/07/2025

“I'm very happy to have enjoyed the career I have, and I hope I'll still be here for a while to come.”

This year, Carole Jordan, senior staff nurse in Endoscopy, is celebrating an incredible milestone – 60 years’ service as a nurse. Carole’s nursing career began in 1965, following training at what is now the Royal London Hospital.

“I managed to train in both adult and paediatric care, which is unusual now. This meant I was able to move around early in my career, experiencing different hospitals and environments. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such variety as a nurse, and to have supported and cared for so many different people.”

Over Carole’s career, she’s never stopped learning, completing a nursing degree at King’s College and a postgraduate diploma in medical ethics. She continues through sheer passion for her patients.

“I still love to be with the patients, even as a sister. I always feel if you are hands-on as a sister, you can see and feel what is going on.

Read more here: https://buff.ly/5nIMmNT

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23/07/2025

Doctors at UCLH and UCL have developed a digital decision-making aid, MENO.pause, to help clinicians manage symptoms in the best way for individual patients’ health conditions.

MENO.pause also supports women who have complex health conditions, providing treatment options for those going through cancer treatment, which may cause early menopause, and for women who have a genetic variation which puts them at higher risk of .

Dr Shibani Nicum, honorary medical oncologist at UCLH, and founder and project lead for MENO.pause, said: “We are committed to providing the highest quality menopause care across the country and are delighted to have launched the MENO.pause App, which transforms national menopause guidance into clear, step-by-step decision-making support.

“With up to 13 million women currently going through menopause in the UK and too few trained specialists, the MENO.pause app helps to meet the need for improved access to high quality advice by providing information on a wide range of treatments in one place."

Read the full story here: https://buff.ly/g26zomQ

21/07/2025

In 2022, Ben (pictured) was the first patient in the world to undertake a novel immunotherapy trial to treat , an aggressive form of brain cancer, prior to standard treatment. Today, Ben is doing well with no active tumour present on scans.

UCLH is now recruiting patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma to get involved with the same trial.

Ben said: “I am delighted that this new trial, with the same immunotherapy drug I received, is going ahead and others will have the opportunity to take part.

"It will give people newly diagnosed with glioblastoma some hope.”

Read more: https://buff.ly/OX1B6YN

17/07/2025

Last week, the UCLH Lung Cancer Screening Team were at Chapel Market, Islington raising awareness in the community about lung health checks. We want to thank Cllr Jason Jackson, the Mayor of Islington, who popped down to meet the team and show support.

The team was joined by Breathe, giving smoking cessation advice and Healthwatch Islington, offering free blood pressure checks. It was a fantastic collaborative effort and great opportunity to connect with local stall holders and the general public. Thank you to everyone who stopped to talk to us and find out more.

Lung Cancer Screening is offered to anyone aged 55-74, who smokes or used to smoke, and lives in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. If you, or someone you know, meet this criteria, find out more at www.lungchecklondon.org

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16/07/2025

New research shows that a standard imaging tool used in cancer can be safely used in selected pregnant women with breast cancer, offering crucial information to guide treatment decisions without compromising foetal safety.

The analysis was led by Dr Karen DeSouza, Consultant Medical Oncologist, and Dr Stefan Vöö, Consultant Nuclear Medicine Physician, who both work across UCLH and Whittington Health NHS Trust.

Dr DeSouza said: “For carefully selected patients, PET imaging can provide vital staging information that directly influences treatment, including the timing of surgery and administration of chemotherapy. In this small series, we saw no short-term harm to the foetus and meaningful clinical benefit to the mother. These findings offer much-needed reassurance to both clinicians and patients navigating cancer care during pregnancy.”

Dr Vöö said: “By significantly reducing the dose and using optimised imaging protocols, we were able to keep foetal radiation exposure well below levels associated with any known risk. These results show that PET imaging, when used judiciously, can be both safe and clinically impactful during pregnancy.”

Find out more: https://buff.ly/1Hdsped

15/07/2025

Earlier this month, over 700 people joined us at UCLH to celebrate Research Open Day. From students to local residents, the event included 53 interactive stalls, tours of hospital sites, and researchers delivered educational talks to local community groups and school children.

The day highlighted opportunities for people to get involved in research, through UCLH and UCL’s research networks and via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Be Part of Research campaign.

“It was great to see so many people – from all parts of our community – attend on the day. The event was inclusive and brought in groups which are less often involved in research. This is thanks to our past efforts to take research directly into these communities. It was clear that, if we present research in an accessible way, there is huge interest in research among the public and our staff.”, said Professor Karl Peggs, Director of Research at UCLH and BRC Director.

Read more: https://buff.ly/u3m8kEk

11/07/2025

For the first time in the UK, specialists from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at UCLH - University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Department of Developmental Neurosciences at UCL Institute of Child Health Great Ormond St Hospital London have visualised the effects of cutting-edge gene therapy on the brain using pioneering F-DOPA PET scanning. This provides concrete evidence of changes in neurotransmitter activity, pre and post treatment.

This milestone was part of a life-changing intervention for Gunreet, a toddler with AADC deficiency, treated at GOSH with the newest gene therapy available on the NHS. The scans offer unprecedented insight into how gene therapy alters brain chemistry.

- First NHS-commissioned brain-delivered gene therapy.
- Visualised therapeutic impact using advanced PET imaging.
- Youngest UK patient to receive this treatment.
- Real-world evidence of neurological improvement.

Read the full story: https://buff.ly/WKdbBxe

NHS England
Great Ormond Street Hospital and Charity

10/07/2025

Our UCLH Arts team are excited to welcome all to a free, open viewing of their new exhibition 'Where the Sky Meets the Sea' tonight, from 5.30pm - 7pm at the Street Gallery, University College Hospital.

The creative exhibition features a group of contemporary artists exploring sea, sky and land.

Learn more and sign up here: https://buff.ly/D4I69zV

Images in order:
Kite in an oak - Simon Gazzard
Kingsdown, Hero's Welcome - Simon Gazzard
Love Comes in Waves - Bench Allen
Solace of the Sea - Sue Bridge

08/07/2025

“Seeing members of Proud@UCLH and the wider UCLH community come together to celebrate and march at Pride in London was incredible."

On Saturday, our PROUD@UCLH staff network joined the event on their first Pride bus.

PROUD@UCLH works to promote equity, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, influence change, and promote good practice. It acts as a safe space and point of contact for staff who may have questions or concerns about LGBTQIA+ issues.

Ashir Shah, co-chair of Proud@UCLH, said: "Each year, UCLH and Proud@UCLH have grown in presence, but the real beauty lies in witnessing the reactions of those taking part, especially those experiencing Pride for the very first time.

"It was a truly emotional and powerful moment. Thank you to everyone who took part and made it such a memorable day.”

💙🌈

04/07/2025

27/06/2025

UCLH is supporting a new UK-wide health and care research registry, as part of the nation’s biggest-ever recruitment drive to clinical trials.

Be Part of Research is a free online registry set up by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) which matches participants to suitable studies based on their interests, location and demographic data, such as age, s*x and ethnic group.

Jayne Townley, the mother of research participant Max spoke about their experience as part of the NIHR campaign. Jayne noticed that her son Max was having mobility issues when he was just three. Max also struggled with fatigue and was sent home from school every day after just two hours. Finally, at the age of 12, he was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare neurodegenerative disease.

Jayne’s research led her to an international trial for an experimental treatment at the CRF based at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She secured Max a referral, and he signed up when he was 16.

Max said: “It's nice to know that by taking part in a trial I've indirectly helped other people. It's a good way to get my contribution cemented in history.”

Jayne said: “The medication significantly improved Max's speech, dexterity, and overall quality of life. His fatigue has lifted so much that he regularly goes to the gym. Max has got his life back.”

Read more: https://buff.ly/OmlHCcO

20/06/2025

This weekend, the UK celebrates the 77th anniversary of the Windrush generation’s immigration. The Windrush generation is usually taken to refer to migrants who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1971, mainly from the Caribbean. Egla Aitkens, a senior research nurse whose parents were part of the Windrush generation, shares a poignant poem reflecting on her journey from Jamaica to the UK.

Earlier this year, Egla performed the poem at an event to celebrate the international nursing community. She performed wearing a replica of the uniform she had worn as a student nurse back in Jamaica. “It’s almost identical to what I wore as a student nurse in Jamaica from 1983 to 1986. The nursing school is now part of the University of the West Indies, but the uniform remains unchanged.”

Egla hopes sharing her journey can inspire others. “Even if it encourages one person, then it’s worth sharing.”

Learn more: https://buff.ly/hxoK6pX

Photo: Philip O'Brien