Southend University Hospital

Southend University Hospital was originally established in 1887. Builtt a cost of £1,287 4s 6d, Southend Victoria Hospital was opened in May 1888. The new building was officially opened by the Rt. Hon Earl of Iveagh in 1932. In 1948, when the hospital was taken over by the Ministry of Health under the newly formed NHS, there were 24 consultants and 11 resident medical staff. Southend Hospital now has 157 consultants, and provides services to an area with a population of about 350,000. The CQC is yet to inspect Southend University Hospital.

Consultant speciality interests

• Sleep
• Lung cancer
• Pleural disease

Meetings

• Weekly lung cancer MDT/radiology meeting
• Monthly ILD MDT
• Weekly respiratory teaching

Bronchoscopy

• Adequate bronchoscopy experience although increasingly replaced by EBUS
• 3 lists per week, 1 bronchocopy and 2 EBUS
• Not much endobronchial biopsy experience and transbronchial biopsies rare

Clinics

• Daily general clinics depending on which consult and attached to – trainees will do 1-2 per week
• 2 sleep clinics per week
• Weekly lung cancer clinic (not done by trainees)
• 2 Pleural clinics per week

Typical week

• 1-2 clinics per week
• Consultant ward round twice per week
• One of Pleural or bronchoscopy list per week
• Heavy on referrals
• 2 busy wards and acute respiratory care unit (NIV/tracheostomies) – up to 70 respiratory inpatients

Procedures (estimated per year done by each Resp SpR)

• Chest drains: 100 (IPC 1-2)
• NIV initiation: 50+

Pleural USS

• There is an ultrasound machine for the respiratory department
• Respiratory SPRs are expected to provide US drain/aspiration service for the hospital so on average will do >100 in 1 year
• Trainees will definitely be signed off for level 1 with 2 pleural clinics per week where are observed

NIV

If you have information on the Resp SpR experience of NIV at Southend please get in touch. 

GIM

• On call commitment is 1 in 4 weekends, with 4 weekday and 3 weekend nights every 3 months, 1 week of lates every 3 months and approximately 1 long day per week. A typical take will see 70 admissions.

Teaching

• Weekly respiratory departmental teaching
• Weekly grand round

Management/leadership

• Trainees run the teaching rota

Specialist training opportunities

• Southend is a good place for general Respiratory training.
• In addition there are opportunities to do sleep reporting and advanced pleural procedures such as IPC insertion

Research

• No specific research opportunities, but support for QIP

Stage of training best suited to this rotation

• ST3/4

 Recent trainee comments:

“Extremely busy job with late finishes and lots of referrals but very good experience especially at earlier level of training.”

“A good busy DGH experience with lots of general clinics and procedures.”

* Very good consultant support; a really supportive team. Good experience at any level of training.”