When we reflect on the things that make St Mark's unique, we think about how each generation of the hospital's medical professionals has imparted its expertise to the next. This solidarity can be seen amongst the multi-disciplinary teams working across St Mark's specialist units. We are delighted to introduce you to some of them, and in their words, our patients express the depth of their gratitude.
COMPLEX CANCER
This team sits within the St Mark's Complex Cancer Centre, one of the largest such centres in the world; its research is improving outcomes for bowel cancer patients. Lived experience is valued, so patients like Natalie are important allies of our research and our commitment to deliver person-centred care. Natalie underwent major surgery for advanced, recurrent cancer at St Mark's during the pandemic. She says,
St Mark's was my last hope for living, they take on cases when nobody else can. Without my specialist cancer nurses I would have felt totally alone, they were a lifeline for me
STOMA & POUCH CARE
Stoma surgery may be necessary to control or manage active Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and also in cancer patients. During the Covid-19 pandemic, stoma and pouch nurse specialists from this team and the team's Consultant Nurse have co-authored a book to empower patients and guide them to independently care for their stoma.
Advanced, recurrent cancer survivor, Natalie, now has a permanent stoma. She describes the book as brilliant and a must-have for anyone with a stoma. Recalling an appointment with this specialist team, she observes,
I am not sure nurses truly know how life changing they are to patients. Feeling seen and like someone cares has such a huge impact on our mental health.
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE NURSING
This team is the cornerstone of the IBD service at the hospital. IBD patients can develop intestinal failure; they can also have an increased risk of bowel cancer. Andrea developed ulcerative colitis-associated bowel cancer and is now in remission. She says,
My team is my safety blanket, always there to get me through a flare up, a hospital stay and answer my questions. I'm so grateful
INTESTINAL REHABILITATION
The Lennard-Jones Intestinal Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) at St Mark's is a specialist centre dedicated to the assessment and management of patients with intestinal failure. During the pandemic, the opportunity to deliver its specialist clinical services from another hospital within the same NHS Trust as St Mark's has protected its ability to provide ongoing care to individuals like Eloise. Eloise explains,
I've had a long journey with my health, including misdiagnoses. Being referred to St Mark's was the start of my journey back to good health. The IRU has given me back my life
INHERITED CANCER
The Polyposis Registry sits within this team and the majority of its patients have a family history of bowel cancer.
The specialist team behind the Polyposis Registry has been looking after Hilary for more than three decades; her mother and brother died of bowel cancer within weeks of each other. Screening saved Hilary's life.
Multi-disciplinary team working between the Polyposis Registry and St Mark's Endoscopy Department is extremely important; endoscopic screening is a vital tool for cancer prevention in families like Hilary's. Hilary's affected family members continue to be monitored. She says,
Thanks to St Mark's, I have enjoyed thirty bonus years of happy marriage and experienced the joy of seeing different generations of my family grow up in good health
Natalie, Andrea, Eloise and Hilary represent what we strive to achieve for all our patients with complex bowel diseases. The most meaningful expression of gratitude we can hope to receive is seeing them live full lives.
Nothing makes us happier than our patients having a chance to find their joy, whether that is through dance, celebrations with friends, walks with four legged-friends or time spent with loved ones.
In this future:
1. All bowel disease patients, not just St Mark's patients like Natalie, will be involved in research that improves their quality of life
2. Improved understanding about cancer development in IBD will lead to earlier detection and prevention of the disease in patients like Andrea. St Mark's is undertaking research in this area
3. The loss of bowel due to disease or trauma will be treatable with tissue engineering, helping patients like Eloise avoid lifelong intravenous administration of nutrition. St Mark's is an important contributor to collaborative research in this area
4. Bowel disease research will attract the funding it needs, not the tiny proportion of medical research funding currently awarded to this area:
Thank you sincerely, St Mark's Hospital Foundation
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