No images? Click here
Dear Friend,
Hello and welcome to our Winter Newsletter
We hope that you find it of interest and that it will give you an idea of the breadth of our work and how we make a vast impact on patients’ lives and health.
We are immensely grateful to all of our valued donors, partners, companies, supporters, and participants. Without you, there would be no Griffin Institute.
We extend a cordial invitation for you to visit us, to meet our dedicated members of staff and see our state-of-the art training and research facilities.
Please contact Elaine at: e.abrahams@griffininstitute.org.uk for further information.
FAREWELL FROM
ALISON ROSEN, CEO
After 4 ½ amazing years as CEO of The Griffin Institute, I am leaving for pastures new and fresh challenges within the charitable sector.
During my time at Griffin, I have seen it go from strength-to-strength, expanding its surgical training provision, pre-clinical work and R&D programmes. I look forward to seeing the organisation reach even greater heights in the future!
Did you know?
Over the past 5 years The Griffin Institute has:
* Undertaken 142 research studies
* Held 86 personal licences (surgical & nonsurgical)
* 5 members of surgical staff who possess Home Office Licences / competencies (not including anaesthetists, technicians and other surgical staff)
We have received accredited training centre status from the Royal College of Surgeons England in addition to the existing accreditation from Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh
Our collaboration and links with companies in the surgical field, professional bodies and hospitals ensures a genuine patient-focused approach to all our work. We have a strong partnership ethic, and deliver viable products to work within healthcare systems, through collaborating with other research and academic institutions
We work to ethical standards set by:
* Human Tissue Authority
* Home Office (Good Laboratory Practice)
Fundraising update and opportunities for 2023
If you are interested in helping to organise or participate in any of our events, please contact Ian at: i.tate@griffininstitute.org.uk
TCS London Marathon – 23 April 2023
For the first time ever, this year The Griffin Institute had 4 dedicated runners participating in the TCS London Marathon on 2 October 2022, who raised over £4,000 in vital funds. Thae elation on their faces after completing the gruelling 26.2-mile run was infectious, and we are so grateful for all their efforts. Thanks to RAFT (Restoration of Function and Appearance Trust) Golden Bond allocation, we have six places for 2023, which is excellent news.
Sponsored Walk - Summer 2023
We are looking at the possibility of hosting a walk, in summer next year.
Golf Day – Autumn 2023
TGI is looking to host a Golf Day Golf Day. Event sponsorship is needed to cover costs and there will be a range of opportunities.
Giving Tuesday 2022
Giving Tuesday is a day when people and organisations from all over the world come together to support the causes and communities that mean so much to us all. We have created a social media campaign to highlight reasons to give to The Griffin Institute. Our Campaign name is TGI Tuesdays which incorporates Giving Tuesday which launched on 29 November and is running through to 31 December 2022.
Please support our campaign, no donation is too small: https://givingtuesday.justgiving.com/donate/?charityId=3220696
Surgical Training – Fulfilling a National Need
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), such as laparoscopy, endoscopy, microsurgery and robotic surgery, translates into shorter length of hospital stay, less bed occupancy, less pain and fewer complications, due to the reduction in operative trauma.
However, COVID-19 has had a hugely negative impact on surgical training opportunities. Surveys from the General Medical Council and others have shown that the pandemic has reduced training opportunities by 50% across all specialities. In May 2020 there were 36% fewer treatments than in May 2019. This raises the sobering prospect of a shortage of fully qualified surgeons in the near future to deal with the huge demand of patients with more complex needs.
Investing in advanced surgical training in the UK not only ensures patient safety but also enhances the efficiency of the NHS, contributing to the conclusions of Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT), namely: the reduction of complications and length of hospital stay with training, which will ultimately lead to a reduction in the cost of NHS services.
The Griffin Institute has stepped up to provide advanced surgical training. This year has seen an expansion in the range of training courses offered, together with a marked increase in the number of events delivered. We provided MIS training to 687 surgeons across all specialities, including over 340 participants in Robotic Surgery.
Particular highlights include:
- Intensive, hands-on courses for emergency trauma surgery
- Training for abdominal wall repair to benefit patients with significant hernias or post-operative complications
- A myomectomy course for treatment of fibroids, involving the development of a novel synthetic training phantom
- Endovascular skills training for peripheral artery disease
- Advanced skills coaching for endoscopic submucosal dissection for treatment of gastric cancer
- Expert online demonstrations of surgery for endometriosis
- A series of robotic surgery courses for East Surrey North Essex NHS Foundation trust personnel
- Opportunities for surgeons to gain a ‘driving licence’ in robotic surgery
- Training in laparoscopic total mesorectal excision to benefit patients with rectal cancer
Our forthcoming projects include:
- New flap course for surgeons to learn the anatomy and essential techniques for maxillofacial reconstruction surgery
- Series of modular courses for local surgical trainees, covering the fundamental skills to support their clinical work
- Surgical approaches for craniofacial trauma, with CT scanning to support treatment planning
- Laparoscopic surgical training course in collaboration with the Association of Surgeons in Training
- Training for pelvic exenteration surgery to benefit patients undergoing radical cancer resections, using both the conventional and robotic approach
R&D
We are at the forefront of medical research, developing innovative initiatives which translate into new treatments designed to make a noticeable difference to patients’ lives. Our ambition is to make a positive impact upon people who face significant health challenges through developing and delivering novel medical research projects:
Breast Reconstruction Project:
· Approximately 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, around 40% of whom will undergo a mastectomy
· Current methods for breast reconstruction involve the implantation of synthetic material, which can have serious complications including donor site morbidity, immuno-compatibility and graft/implant failure.
· The Griffin Institute is working to develop non-synthetic breast reconstruction implants using natural proteins present in breast tissue.
Orthopaedics:
· Hip replacements are one of the most successful surgeries in improving patient quality of life.
· Revision hip replacements due to loosening of the implant and bone defects, account for 10% of surgeries, adding extra burden to the NHS and causing adverse impact on the patient’s life.
· The Griffin Institute continues to research methods on regenerating new bone, to improve clinical performance and prevent future problems.
Urethral Strictures:
· These are the most common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms in men, with an estimated prevalence of 10 per 100,000 in men in their 20’s and 100 per 100,000 in men over 65
· These can progress to urinary tract obstruction, urinary retention, infection, stones, and renal failure.
· There is an unmet clinical need for an alternative stricture treatment to improve on stricture recurrence rates and ideally effect a cure.
· We are working on a project to use stem cells to transform the management of urethral stricture disease, with pre-clinical evidence showing that this supports the healing process with reduced recurrent stricture rates.
Wound Healing Solutions:
· Around 4.5% of the UK population will have a wound that needs medical care at some point in their lives.
· The cost of chronic wound care is estimated to consume at least 6% of NHS expenditure in the UK.
· Many are still left with chronic that simply won’t heal using current treatment options causing distress and very poor quality of life
· We are working on would healing solutions to address different clinical needs.
· These various solutions do not require refrigerated transport and storage, which will considerably reduce costs and allow for easier distribution and application.
Preclinical Work Update:
We would like to welcome our new Director of Preclinical Services – Jamil Mahmood who started with us at the end of October.
Over the past year several studies have been successfully completed in various fields of research, these include:
- Orthopaedics: Total meniscus replacement, osteomyelitis, bone regeneration & osteointegration
- Local chemotherapy delivery device to treat pancreatic cancer
- Novel implantable haemodynamic sensor
- Microcatheter blood flow & pressure measurement of coronary artery
- Glaucoma – implantable devices to reduce intraocular pressure
- Robotics studies using human cadaver models
- Biological scaffolds: Tissue engineered oesophagi
Natalie Durkin from the GOSH Team has given great feedback on this preclinical work: “The commitment from your team to consistently go above and beyond to ensure the success of the work has been exemplary throughout, and we are all very grateful”
Our new GLP microbiology lab has also been set up.
Whether you are an individual or an organisation, we would be delighted to hear from you if you are interested in supporting the work of The Griffin Institute.
We are currently raising money for a number of significant projects, and with the generous philanthropy of more supporters, both large and small, we hope to guarantee that the ground-breaking research and training already taking place is sustained and protected for many years to come.
To unsubscribe from emails, please email e.abrahams@griffininstitute.org.uk
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS
