Welcome to 1977, the year which saw a wealth of engineering talent and experience came together to form Platts & Nisbett!

Here are some other interesting events which were taking place at the time…
January – The world’s first personal computer, the Commodore PET, is demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago.
February – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom opens the New Zealand Parliament.
March – The government reveals that inflation has pushed prices up by nearly 70% within three years.
April – Optical fibre is first used to carry live telephone traffic.
May – The HMS Invincible is launched at Barrow-in-Furness by Queen Elizabeth II.
June – Jubilee celebrations are held in the United Kingdom to celebrate 25 years of Elizabeth II’s reign.
July – Led Zeppelin plays their last U.S. concert in Oakland, CA at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
August – Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll dies in his home in Graceland at age 42. 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for this funeral.
September – Car industry figures show that foreign cars are outselling British-built ones for the first time. Japanese built Datsuns, German Volkswagens and French Renaults are proving particularly popular with buyers, although British-built products from Ford, British Leyland, Vauxhall and Chrysler UK are still the most popular.
October – The last natural smallpox case is discovered in Merca district, Somalia.
November – British Airways inaugurates regular London to New York City supersonic Concorde service.
December – The Queen opens a £71million extension to the London Underground which runs to Heathrow Airport.

The NHS was born out of a long-held ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth. So, how did it all start?

• Aneurin Bevan, founder of the National Health Service was born in 1897.
• Bevan left school at 13 and began working in a local colliery.
• He became a Trades Union Activist and won a scholarship to study in London. It was during this period that he became convinced by the ideas of socialism.
• In 1929 he was elected as a Labour Member of Parliament.
• After the landslide Labour victory in the 1945 general election, Bevan was appointed minister of health.
• On 5 July 1948 the NHS was formed, and there was free diagnosis and treatment for all.

As with any issue which affects so many people, we all have our own views on the NHS. How should it be run? Should we be able to opt in or out? Will there even be an NHS in 10 years time? What do you think?

Sixty Years of the National Health Service.

The 60th anniversary of the National Health Service provides an excellent opportunity
for us to look back with pride on our achievements, as well as to the future.

Throughout its 60 years, the NHS has continuously evolved to meet the changing
needs of the public. Medical progress, coupled with the hard work and skill of
dedicated staff have continually driven up the standards and quality of care, making it the
envy of the world.

NHS Firsts

• The oldest person in the world to have a hip replacement was a 101-year-old lady who was treated at Good Hope Hospital in the West Midlands. More than 89,000 hip replacement operations were carried out in 2006/07.
• When 13-year-old Sylvia Diggery (nee Beckingham) was admitted to a Manchester hospital with a liver condition in 1948, she became the first patient to be treated by the NHS.
• Britain’s first sextuplets were born to Sheila Thorn at Birmingham Maternity Hospital in 1968.
• There was nothing ordinary about the birth in Oldham of Louise Joy Brown on July 25 1978. She was the world’s first test-tube baby. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment is now common and since then, more than a million test tube babies have been born worldwide.
• The first heart transplant in the UK took place on May 3 1968 at the National Heart Hospital in Marylebone, London. By December 2007, 5,328 heart transplants had been carried out in the UK.

“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.”
John Ruskin

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”
Henry Ford

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”
William A.Foster

Quality is everything, and something which must never be compromised. Since the formation of our Company over thirty years ago, we have strived to produce only the highest quality surgical instruments. We work hard to train our staff, and teach them that quality really does come as standard at Platts & Nisbett.

Unfortunately these values do not appear to be shared by some companies, who may be supplying surgical instruments which are of inferior quality. As the market has been flooded with poor quality instruments over the years, many hospitals are now seeing trays which contain instruments that are failing.

As many surgical instruments are Class 1 devices, these products can be self certified by the manufacturer (the person placing the device on the market). This means there is currently opportunity for any person selling these instruments to apply a CE Mark to the products, without taking serious responsibility for what it means. As Class 1 devices are deemed the lowest risk, it is not something which is audited by an external body on a regular basis. The fact that a Company is registered to a Quality Management System is a great start, however in reality all this means is that the Company is operating a system to ensure that a consistent quality of product is supplied. It does not ensure that the quality of the product is high. This can be quite misleading to potential customers. It is not currently mandatory for a lot number to be marked on to an instrument, although this is something we would definitely recommend. All Platts & Nisbett branded instruments are fully laser marked with our name, CE, part number and lot number. This ensures instruments can be traced back via manufacturing records, which show the material composition of all components used, and all staff who were involved in producing the instrument itself. We are passionate about the quality of our workmanship, so choose to operate a system which is over and above the legal minimum requirements. It is essential that patients are never put at unnecessary risk, which may happen if the equipment is not of the highest standard.

It pleases us greatly when we see NHS Trusts beginning to implement systems which ensure only the best quality instruments are accepted. Barts and the London NHS Trust have developed a Surgical Instruments Service after the clinical physics department found faults with a number of newly procured instruments. They now carry out comprehensive quality assurance checks on newly purchased instruments entering the Trust. Any faults are entered onto a database along with statistical data, to allow comparisons to be made between suppliers. They are urging other Trusts to follow their lead in implementing stringent quality assurance processes, to ensure newly purchased instruments are fit for purpose. This should urge all suppliers to improve their performance, which in turn will give better value for money and improve patient safety.

If you would like to find out more please refer to the articles below.

The clinical risk of using poor quality surgical instruments

Quality of surgical instruments

Surgical instruments have evolved over thousands of years, allowing advancements in surgical techniques to save millions of lives. Small copper knives dating back to 3000BC are believed to be some of the first surgical instruments on record.

The ancient Egyptians recorded surgical procedures as early as 2500BC. The earliest written representation of surgery is that found in Egyptian ruins and early papyri. A number of minor procedures are noted, including the practice of circumcision, which is the only surgical procedure referred to in the Bible. Knives with stone blades were used, as flint or obsidian edges could be sharpened easily. Later on the Egyptians fashioned sharper instruments with a new metal which was copper. They designed special tools to remove the brain from the skull when preparing bodies for mummification.

When metal instruments were finally used, cauterisation was often performed. In some procedures the blade was heated until it glowed red, and then used to make incisions. This made a cut and sealed the blood vessels which limited bleeding.

The Edwin Smith Papyrus, which was discovered in 1862 is probably one of the most important Egyptian medical documents found to this date. It was written in about 1600BC, and reflects medicine practiced as far back as the thirtieth century BC. The papyrus contains information regarding 48 individual cases describing medical examinations and procedures, and the surgical instruments used. It shows in detail the suturing of non-infected wounds with a needle and thread.

In recent excavations close to the pyramids, the city of the craftsmen (the builders of the pyramids) was found. The remnants of their skeletons show simple and multiple limb fractures, with signs of complete healing with good realignment of the bone. This indicates they had been set correctly, possibly with a splint. Two skeletons show amputations with healed bone ends, also suggesting a successful surgery.
In the temple of Sobek there are reliefs of medical instruments, notably bone saws, knives, retractors and chisels, with a collection of 37 instruments being engraved on a wall in the temple of Kom-Obo.
A collection of surgical instruments including scalpels, scissors, copper needles, probes and forceps can now be viewed in Cairo Museum.

BMA calls for an end to child labour in surgical instrument industry (issued by BMA Scotland Monday 22 Feb 2010) The BMA has today [Monday 22 February 2010] highlighted the dangerous working conditions in Pakistan that lie behind the manufacturing of surgical instruments purchased by the NHS. At the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight, the BMA is calling on the NHS in Scotland to adopt new guidance on ethical purchasing.

The BMA’s Medical Fair and Ethical Trade group has just launched an information campaign telling doctors about the dangerous working conditions and child labour evident in the production of NHS medical supplies. The BMA has been working with the NHS in England to produce guidance on ethical purchasing which will soon be published. The BMA is now calling on the Scottish Government to adopt similar guidance in Scotland.

Speaking at the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight, Dr Mahmood Bhutta, advisor on the BMA’s Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group said:
“There is evidence to suggest that many supplies used in the NHS are produced in unhealthy, unsafe and unfair working conditions. Workers in the developing world are poorly paid and are exposed to hazardous conditions where they risk serious injury and even death. For example, many surgical instruments are made in Pakistan where workers work twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Some suffer serious injuries due to poor standards of health and safety. There is also a use of child labour, with some workers as young as seven. It seems perverse that labourers around the world are risking their lives to supply us with equipment to save British lives.”

He added:
“We want to work with the NHS and the industry to make positive changes. Fair trade is not just about the products we purchase, it is also about things that are purchased on our behalf.”

Reference: NHS Evidence

ap∙pren∙tice

“one who is learning by practical experience under skilled workers”

The system of apprenticeships was first developed in the Middle Ages, and came to be supervised by craft guilds and town governments. Master Craftsmen employed apprentices who were an inexpensive form of labour, in exchange for providing food, lodging and formal training. Apprentices usually began at 10-15 years of age and would live in the Master Craftsman’s household until the completion of their contract. Most apprentices aspired to becoming Master Craftsmen, and were required to serve seven years before being allowed to practice a trade themselves.

The mainstay of training in industry has been through the apprenticeship system. The highest levels of apprentice recruitment were between the mid 1960’s and 1970’s, but even then only 15% of school leavers took up apprenticeships. Traditional apprenticeships reached their lowest point in the late 1970’s.

In 1986 NVQ’s were introduced, in an attempt to revitalise vocational training, but still by 1990, apprenticeships took up only two-thirds of 1% of total employment. In 1994 the Government introduced Modern Apprenticeships which are an excellent way of gaining qualifications and workplace experience.

Although Modern Apprenticeships are ideal in many sectors, it is the Traditional Apprenticeship route which is used at Platts & Nisbett. There are great similarities with the methods used by the old Master Craftsmen. Since the formation of the Company in 1977 we have always trained our own apprentices, in an effort to avoid skills gaps and shortages in the future.

All our apprentices are assigned a mentor, and receive specialist one to one training from surgical instrument makers with over thirty years experience. They learn how to use traditional tools and manufacturing methods to produce surgical instruments of only the highest standard. During their apprenticeship, which lasts between five and six years, it is instilled into them that quality is everything. Although it is a time consuming and labour intensive process, the time spent teaching them is an investment for the future. As apprentices progress, they are gradually assigned jobs of a higher difficulty. Only when competent can the apprentice move on to the next level, and work with slightly less supervision. Once they are qualified and begin to gain experience they then take on the additional responsibility of teaching an apprentice themselves. This continuous cycle is vital in order to protect a trade which would otherwise disappear.

We have recently dedicated a workshop specifically for our apprentices and their mentors, which is already proving to be a great success. It provides an excellent teaching environment, where apprentices learn not only the vital skills, but how to work as part of a team.

We look forward to producing the next generation of skilled surgical instrument makers who can produce items worthy of carrying the Platts & Nisbett name.

On the 24th August 79AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted explosively, burying Pompeii under a crust of volcanic ash. For the next seventeen centuries the city would remain lost, forgotten and preserved, sealed in a time capsule. Since excavations began in 1748, Pompeii was gradually revealed – street by street, building by building, room by room, providing an unparalleled record of life in the Roman Empire.

During this time, literary records tell us that the head of the household was often responsible for the physical health of his family, and as such would have his own set of surgical instruments. These usually consisted of scalpels, forceps, speculums and hooks.

The House of the Surgeon, which was so named because of the materials that were recovered there, had one of the best surviving collections of surgical instruments. Items such as bone levers, bone forceps, speculums, surgical shears and hooks were typical examples of instruments at a surgeon’s disposal in ancient times.

It is thought that bone levers were used for levering fractured bones into position, as well as extracting teeth.

Bone Forceps were used to remove pieces of bone after the skull had been opened. Two skulls recovered from Pompeii show that trepanation had been carried out, which was often done to relieve pressure or release evil spirits. The skulls had healed, which shows that the patients survived the operation.

The vaginal and rectal speculums found did not show the same level of destruction as some of the finer instruments. However as they were made of bronze they were few and far between as they may have been subject to more recycling.

Surgical shears were used mainly for the cutting of hair, which was treated as a surgical procedure. It was frequently referred to as a therapeutic measure. Possibly the ancients found it difficult to create an edge sharp and smooth enough for surgical procedures, so there are few references to the use of shears for cutting tissue.

Many sharp and blunt hooks were found, and these probably served similar purposes as in the modern day. They acted as probes or were used to dissect and lift pieces of tissue. Many instruments were double ended, making it quicker for the surgeon when time was of the essence, as the patient was at risk from bleeding to death.

This collection of instruments is typical of surgical practice for nearly a millennium. In fact, the technology of some tools did not change significantly until the 20th Century.

The surgical instruments found in the House of the Surgeon are now shown in the Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Michael Debakey, the pioneering cardiac surgeon was born 7th September 1908. His parents were Lebanese immigrants who influenced his choice of career from an early age. He was inspired to undertake medical training after listening to conversations in his father’s pharmacy, and during his career he later went on to credit much of his surgical success to his mother, for teaching him to sew and knit as a child.

Michael Debakey attended the Tulane University, in New Orleans. Whilst still in medical school in 1932 he invented the roller pump, which was used to transfuse blood directly from a donor to a patient before blood banks came about. The significance of this was not recognised until twenty years later, when it was adapted and became a component of the heart lung machine, making open heart surgery possible. This was only the start of a lifetime of innovation; throughout a career which spanned seventy five years Michael Debakey invented over fifty surgical instruments. These include items such as blood transfusion needles, suture scissors and cardiovascular forceps. The cardiovascular forceps have atraumatic teeth, which stop the flow of blood during surgery without damaging the vessel itself. The surgical instruments and procedures which Debakey developed were wonders of the medical world, and today they are common place in most hospitals.

Debakey helped to develop modern treatments for arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and pioneered the surgical removal of blockages in the neck arteries as a treatment for stroke patients. He was at the forefront of the development of artificial arteries and coronary bypass surgery, and in 1958 performed the first successful patch graft angioplasty to reverse arterial narrowing. In 1964 he performed the first heart bypass operation, using a transplanted leg vein to route blood around blocked coronary arteries.

Michael Debakey was amongst one of the first surgeons in the U.S to perform transplant surgery. Initially death rates were high due to the recipients rejecting the organs, but the advent of a new anti rejection drug gave new impetus to organ transplants in the 1980s. In 1984 he performed his first heart transplant in fourteen years.

His work added decades to the lives of his patients, and by 1992 he had performed more than 50000 procedures and trained hundreds of cardiovascular surgeons. This was to be of benefit to him, as in 2006 he became the oldest patient to undergo surgery for a damaged aorta, at the age of 97. This was a procedure he had devised some fifty years ago, and it undoubtedly saved his life. The procedure was carried out by surgeons trained by Debakey himself.

Michael Debakey died 11th July 2008, aged 99 years but his legacy still remains. A large range of Debakey Atraumatic Forceps can be viewed on our website.

The BBC has discovered that poor quality surgical instruments which are not fit for purpose are being supplied to the NHS. Panorama has found that this imported substandard equipment can put patients at risk, by causing life threatening infections and injuries. Faults include rough edges, steel burrs, and corroded metals – any of which will have serious implications if used in an operating theatre. Poor quality surgical instruments have been identified as a likely cause of MRSA infections, as instruments with rough edges have caused microscopic holes in surgical gloves, and badly made instruments which harbour body tissue and fluids are another possible source of infection.

The problem has become so worrying that one NHS Trust has taken matters into their own hands. Tom Brophy now heads up inspection at Barts and the London NHS Trust, and carries out detailed inspections on all equipment received. Documenting all faults found, this trust now rejects almost 20% of equipment as unsafe for use. A worrying statistic when you consider these implements could compromise patient safety if they were to be used.

So how and why do these instruments find their way into NHS Trusts? The problem stems from companies in the UK buying imported ranges, usually from Sialkot in Pakistan. During their investigations, Panorama collected nineteen samples from Sialkot, twelve of which were found to fail inspection in London. NHS Trusts may believe their instruments are being manufactured in the UK by reputable British companies, but sadly this is often not the case. A significant number of British supply companies are outsourcing their manufacturing to Pakistan, with 100 million instruments being made in Sialkot every year. These imported ranges are usually made using inferior quality steel, which is regularly passed off as being “German”. The instruments are made in unethical conditions, sometimes by children working for £2 per day. These instruments are then sent to the UK, complete with the British company’s name and CE Mark, with the end users being totally unaware of their real origin, and safety implications. For CE Marking purposes, the manufacturer is deemed as the person placing the instrument on the market, this is not necessarily the company who have physically made the product. Therefore, the NHS Trust has to rely on this company to take responsibility for procuring a high quality instrument if they have not actually made it themselves. Unfortunately this is where money sometimes comes before quality.

Click here to view the BBC’s Panorama episode, “Surgery’s Dirty Secrets”.

As one of the few UK manufacturers, Platts & Nisbett has always put quality at the forefront of everything we do. We are hopeful that the recent feature on the BBC will help to raise awareness, and highlight problems at procurement level within some NHS Trusts. We strongly believe that all manufacturers and suppliers of this type of equipment should be subject to quality checks – not just of paperwork but of the instruments themselves. Without mandatory inspections how can patient safety be properly protected?

If you are responsible for the purchase of surgical instruments, you should already have the relevant paperwork from a company, such as ISO certificates, but please don’t be afraid to ask questions of the company you are buying from. Any reputable company should be able to answer questions such as the following: -

1. Where are the instruments made?
2. Where is raw material sourced from? Ask to see copies of material certificates upon receipt of the instruments to validate this.
3. To prevent corrosion, what methods are used to passivate instruments?
4. How do you ensure there are no burrs?
5. What type of finishes are available, to ensure smooth edges?
6. How is traceability maintained?
7. What marking is on the instrument? There should be a Company Name and CE Mark at the very least. A Part Number and Lot Number are highly recommended in addition to this. Instruments which are only etched with Stainless CE should not be accepted.
8. Can you supply instructions for reprocessing?
9. Is training available to demonstrate how instruments are used, cleaned and maintained?
10. Ask to see sample instruments to evaluate quality before placing your order.

These are just a few basic questions, but if you would like to find out more you could ask if they offer a factory tour. This way you can see how the instruments are made, and find out more about what you are actually getting for your money. If companies are doing what they say, there should be no problem with you paying them a visit.

A short film showing the manufacture of our instruments in Sheffield is available to view at www.plattsnisbett.com.

1960, First kidney transplant

An Edinburgh doctor, Michael Woodruff, performs the first UK transplant involving an identical set of twins.
The first UK transplant takes place at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on October 30 and involves a set of 49-year-old twins. The procedure is a success, with both donor and recipient living for a further six years before dying of an unrelated illness. Kidney transplants, which for many are a welcome alternative to a lifetime of regular dialysis, now enjoy a high success rate but demand outstrips supply due to an ageing population meaning an increased incidence of renal failure, while the number of donor organs available has fallen.

1962, First hip replacement

First full hip replacement is carried out by Professor John Charnley in Wrightington Hospital.
Charnley begins to devote his energies to developing full hip replacements from 1958 and moves to the Wrightington Hospital where the first full hip replacement takes place. He asks his patients if they mind giving back the hip post-mortem. Apparently 99% of them agree, so his team would regularly collect the replacement hips to check wear and tear, and aid research. He improves his design with a low-friction hip replacement, and in November 1962 the modified Charnley hip replacement becomes a practical reality.

1968, First NHS heart transplant

A 45-year-old man becomes the first Briton to have a heart transplant on 3 May.
Surgeon Donald Ross carries out Britain’s first heart transplant at the National Heart Hospital in Marylebone, London. Ross leads a team of 18 doctors and nurses to operate on the man in the seven-hour procedure. The donor was a 26-year-old labourer called Patrick Ryan. The British operation is the tenth heart transplant to be undertaken in the world since Christiaan Barnard carried out the first in Cape Town, South Africa, in December 1967. The patient dies after 46 days and only six transplants are carried out over the next 10 years.

Sheffield, named after the River Sheaf which runs through the city, was described as the “Great Industrial Powerhouse”. It became well known for its heavy steel and cutlery industries, with the earliest records dating back to 1297 when a tax return belonging to Robert the Cutler was filed.

Sheffield’s natural assets meant it was ideally suited to this type of industry. The valleys with streams gave access to water power, the crags provided grit stone for producing grinding wheels, and the availability of iron ore provided the basic raw material.

From its early success as the centre of metal working in the 16th century, Sheffield emerged as a leader in the growing cutlery industry during the 17th century. This thriving trade, producing cutlery and agricultural tools was formalised by the formation of the Company of Cutlers in 1624. Many goods were produced for markets outside the immediate vicinity; hence the growth of Sheffield’s reputation for quality products supplied to markets worldwide.

Throughout the 19th and 20th century, Sheffield was at the forefront of technological advancement of steel production. The discovery of the Crucible and Bessemer processes, and the numerous alloys and metals it produced meant that Sheffield had an advantage over other regions of the world. The majority of Crucible Steel made its way to the USA, whilst rail tracks produced by the Bessemer process were used all over the world.

This period saw the growth of large firms producing heavy steel, but competition eventually came from places such as France, Germany and the USA. Exports began to fall, and Sheffield Steel makers had to find other means of making quality and unique steel to ensure continuing success. The discovery of Stainless Steel in Sheffield gave the city the economic boost it needed, and it was in full production by 1915.

Made in Sheffield is a term which has become synonymous with quality and craftsmanship, and is a brand which still has a strong reputation around the world.

Over the last few months we have received a number of calls from people to ask our advice on corrosion issues. The best advice we can give would be to ensure that any surgical instruments are only purchased via reputable companies. However, it is also useful to understand the processes which are involved in their manufacture. To protect surgical instruments from corrosion, it is essential that a documented passivation procedure is followed by the manufacturer. To find out more about how Platts & Nisbett surgical instruments are passivated, please read on…

What is passivation?
Passivation is the removal of iron compounds from the surface of the steel, by means of a chemical treatment. A Nitric Acid solution is used, which removes any surface contamination and forms a protective passive layer. The layer itself is very thin, typically 30 to 50 micron (µ) for stainless steel.

Why is passivation important?
It is essential that a protective passive layer is formed on the instrument during manufacture, to ensure the integrity of the metal does not become compromised. The presence of a well adhered passive layer will substantially increase the corrosion resistance of the steel, meaning that the instruments will last longer and be able to withstand regular cleaning and reprocessing. A porous or non-existent passive layer will dramatically lessen the lifetime of the product, and could cause rust to develop which may in turn contaminate other instruments in the tray.

How is passivation carried out?
Prior to passivation all surgical instruments are thoroughly cleaned and any mineral oils, polishes or organic substances are removed. Passivation is not a cleaning process and will not remove these substances from the surface of the material.

The surgical instruments are placed in baskets, and then loaded into a series of tanks. These tanks contain Nitric Acid, Water, and Copper Sulphate (which is used to corrosion test all our products). The three variables that must be controlled within the passivation process are time, temperature and concentration. To ensure the effectiveness of the process, daily checks are performed and the results are recorded.

When is passivation done?
At Platts & Nisbett, passivation is done twice during the manufacturing process, both before and after laser marking. Many manufacturers only passivate once during manufacture, but we believe it needs to be done at these two stages to ensure it is fully effective. The laser marking process can have a detrimental effect on the the material, as it contaminates the surface by causing inconsistencies in the passive layer already formed. By passivating again after laser marking we can guarantee that the protective passive layer is left intact. All laser marked surgical instruments should be subjected to a subsequent clean and passivation process to remove surface contamination and promote corrosion resistance.

How can I be sure passivation has been effective?
As the protective passive layer is so thin, it cannot be seen by the naked eye. Corrosion testing is carried out on all our surgical instruments during the passivation process, which ensures they are fully corrosion protected when they leave our factory.

How do I maintain the passive layer on my surgical instruments, and ensure they stay corrosion free?
Always refer to manufacturer’s instructions / recommendations for cleaning and sterilising.

Ensure that instruments are cleaned as soon as possible after use, and do not overload baskets entering washer / disinfectors. It is essential that instruments are completely dried during the washer disinfector process, and that all soil / proteins are removed. Check all instruments for damaged areas which could cause corrosion or deem the instrument to be unsafe for use. Always isolate an instrument that shows sign of rust / corrosion, and never mix with other instruments as these will be contaminated.

The inventor of Stainless Steel, Harry Brearley was born in Sheffield in 1871. He was the son of a steel melter, and left school at the age of twelve to begin work in a laboratory washing bottles. In his own time he undertook private study and attended night school, becoming an expert in the analysis of steel and its production. After establishing a reputation for solving metallurgical problems, Brearley was given an opportunity to set up the Brown Firth Laboratories in 1908. This was financed by two leading Sheffield steel companies, and was a revolutionary idea for its time.

In 1912 Brearley was asked to help a small arms manufacturer, who was encountering problems during manufacture. The internal diameter of rifle barrels was eroding away too quickly, so he was looking for a steel with better resistance to erosion, not corrosion. He decided to experiment with steels containing chromium, as these were known to have a higher melting point than ordinary steels.

Firstly, he used the crucible process, then more successfully an electric furnace, producing a number of different melts of 6% to 15% chromium, with varying carbon contents. The first true stainless steel was melted on 13th August 1913. It contained 0.24% carbon and 12.8% chromium.

During this time table cutlery was silver or nickel plated. Cutting knives were made of carbon steel which had to be thoroughly washed and dried after use, and any rust stains would have to be removed using carborundum stones. Brearley immediately realised that this discovery could revolutionise the cutlery industry, one of the biggest employers in Sheffield. He had knives made at a local cutlers, and to begin with referred to his invention as “rustless steel”. This obviously then became better known as stainless steel.

Within a year of Brearley’s discovery, Krupp in Germany were experimenting by adding nickel to the melt. Brearley’s steel could only be supplied in the hardened and tempered condition, but the Krupp steel was more resistant to acids, was softer and therefore easier to work. These two inventions saw the “400” series of martensitic and “300” series of austenitic stainless steels being developed prior to the First World War.

The war itself generally put a halt to the development of stainless steel, but in the 1920’s a variety of chromium and nickel combinations were tested. Once these materials had been accepted, the race was on to find cheaper ways of mass producing them. Most of the standard grades were invented between 1913 and 1935, and are still in use today.

It’s that time of year again, and Companies from all over the world are looking forward to their annual trip to the Medica Trade Fair. At Platts & Nisbett we are busy finalising the last minute details and putting the finishing touches to our busy schedule. The trip itself is an ideal opportunity to catch up with friends, colleagues and distributors both old and new, and also learn about exciting new products and opportunities.

Here are some interesting facts about Medica, the world forum for medicine…

1. The first Medica was held in 1969.

2. Medica is held at the Messe in Dusseldorf, Germany.

3. Medica has become a meeting point for over 137000 trade visitors every year.

4. Over 4000 exhibitors attend to showcase their products.

5. Hotel ships are moored along the River Rhine, to help cope with the huge demand for accommodation by trade fair visitors during Medica.

6. It is a business platform for worldwide contacts to share their knowledge and expertise, with new products and techniques being developed every year.

7. 50% of the products on display are less than 3 years old.

8. Visitor groups range from the medical industry, to doctors, nursing staff, hospital managers and students. Some 10000 doctors use 150 seminars to refresh their knowledge and obtain the latest information on new techniques and patient care.

9. The sectors covered by Medica include Surgical Instruments, Orthopaedic Technology, Operating Tables, Medical Furniture, Laboratory Equipment, IT Systems and many more.

10. More than 1000 journalists visit Medica, with various PR tools reaching 35 million contacts in the world’s media.

If you are interested in finding out more, why not take a few days to visit Dusseldorf and attend the event for yourself? The whole Medica experience is one that should not be missed!

More information can be found at www.medica-tradefair.com

Buyers in all sectors recognise the importance of managing an effective supply chain. Companies are working harder than ever to keep costs down, whilst at the same time ensuring that the all important quality standards are met.

This is particularly important in our industry, the manufacture of Medical Devices. At Platts & Nisbett we recognise the importance of quality, and our surgical instruments speak for themselves. On paper our ISO13485 Certificate proves it, but is this the case with all your suppliers?

It may come as a shock to learn that not all ISO Certificates are what they seem. This is because not all companies with an ISO Certificate have been issued it by a UKAS accredited body. UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the only accreditation body in the field of Quality Management Systems which is recognised by the UK Government.

The certification companies which are not accredited to UKAS are not doing anything illegal however – they often offer a package that combines consultancy with certification. Many offer to provide their services on a “no certificate – no fee” basis, but in reality a certificate is rarely if ever refused. It is invariably received together with a generic Quality Manual, which may not reflect the activities of the Company. There are no rules, regulations or minimum standards to comply with. This practice is contrary to the requirements of the international standard with which UKAS accredited bodies are required to comply.

The only way to minimise risk is to look for suppliers whose certification is done by a UKAS accredited body, which combines technical knowledge and expertise with commercial impartiality. UKAS is the only accreditation body recognised by the Government to assess certification bodies against internationally recognised standards, ensuring the certification body is fit for purpose, and your ISO Certificate is valid.

So, how do you know whether your supplier’s ISO certificate is UKAS accredited? That’s the easy part. Companies who are certified by a UKAS accredited body are the only ones who may display the Crown and Tick logo on their certificate and publicity material, so that is the first thing to look out for. The UKAS Crown and Tick symbolises the independent regulation of the certificate, and each accredited body will have a unique number. This is displayed underneath their UKAS Logo. If you would like to check if a QMS certification body is UKAS Accredited, please click here.

Another thing to check is a Company’s Certificate Number, which can be verified by the issuer if you are concerned of its validity. It is also a good idea to check the issue and expiry date of any certificate.

By using a UKAS accredited certification body, suppliers can give reassurance that their Quality Management Systems comply with international standards, sending a clear message about the high standards that are maintained.

For more information, please visit www.ukas.com.

The Sheffield Steel industry is famous around the world, with its factories being vital to Britain’s wartime success. During both World Wars, women were drafted in to keep the steel works running, doing jobs which had previously been carried out by men. When the men of Sheffield were called up to fight it fell to the women of the city to keep the steel mills working, with thousands balancing family life with working in heavy industry. The work they undertook was both back breaking and dangerous, and many women risked their lives. Some of these women still bear the physical scars from accidents caused by molten metal. The role played by these women has largely gone unrecognised, but without them our wartime effort would have ground to a halt. During the war Britain needed steel in order to keep the forces armed, and these women worked on as the bombers targeted Sheffield. Without their effort there would have been no planes, tanks or bullets.

During the First World War women travelled day after day to make shell casings. The work was hard and the air was filled with sulphurous fumes that affected the lungs and coloured their skin yellow. They were sometimes known as ‘The Canary Girls’.

One woman recalled her experience, “We didn’t go to the air raid shelters when the sirens went…we had to keep working. It was scary but you got used to it. If they were pouring molten metal the whole place went red and you could see it miles away, but there was only one occasion we went to the shelters. That time we just had to take our chance and run…”

When wartime came to an end it signalled the end of their careers, as they were unceremoniously fired from their jobs in the factories. It left a bitter taste as the crucial part they played was never recognised until recently. A campaign initially started by The Sheffield Star, a local newspaper, has now received backing from the government, and in January 2010 four of the women attended Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister and gain official recognition for their services. More than 120 women, all aged between 83 and 101 now have their name on the roll of honour. They are delighted that action has finally been taken to recognise their efforts in the steel and munitions industries of more than sixty years ago.

A commemorative plaque has recently been unveiled in Sheffield by four of the Women of Steel, along with a female apprentice from Sheffield’s Steel industry and local dignitaries. The plaque is to honour and respect these women for the crucial contribution they made to the war effort. Sheffield City Council now has plans to work on a longer term project for a Women of Steel statue in the city centre.

February 2012 sees Platts & Nisbett celebrate 35 Years of British Manufacturing excellence. Quite an achievement considering the difficult times the manufacturing industry has faced over the years.

During recent times we have seen the complete migration of some industries to the Far East, particularly those involving high volume products. Foreign competition means that low cost commodities can no longer be produced in the UK, however high quality merchandise can still be made here. The demand in the lucrative export market is very high for the prestige brands where price is not the issue.

There are many successful British manufacturing companies who have spent years perfecting their products, and are now choosing to move their manufacturing processes overseas. Whilst these decisions are dictated by profit margins and are understandable, it is a shame for the British economy and the country itself. Perhaps there is a need to educate the public to buy British wherever they can, helping our economy to grow and use manufacturing (which is the third largest sector in the UK) to help drive us out of the recession. There was a time when ‘Made in Britain’ was a very proud statement for manufacturers, and it gave consumers confidence that they were buying a quality product.

There have been many ‘Buy British’ initiatives over the years. Perhaps the most famous was the ‘I’m Backing Britain’ campaign in the late 1960’s. It began in December 1967 when five secretaries at a heating company volunteered to work an extra half hour each day without pay to do their bit for a flagging economy. Their idea took off and gathered momentum with other companies soon following suit. Union Jacks started to appear everywhere, the government endorsed the campaign and popular newspapers threw their weight behind it.

Lord Sugar has recently given his support to the manufacturing industry, suggesting that the government should consider a new initiative to encourage people to ‘Buy British’.

In 2011 some large British Retailers have joined the cause, with John Lewis being amongst the first to launch a campaign to champion British manufacturing. A ‘Made in UK’ Logo will now appear to highlight their British made products.

Stoves, the Merseyside cooker company, has also launched a ‘Made in Britain’ campaign and is inviting British Manufacturers to get on board. They have called for a standard ‘Made in Britain’ marque to be applied to all products manufactured in the UK. This came after research uncovered widespread confusion amongst consumers about ‘Made in Britain’ goods. The findings revealed that 67% want an official seal of approval to show products made in Britain, and 52% think British brands should bring their manufacturing back to the UK. To date the campaign has received national press coverage, as well as backing from prominent MPs and UK manufacturers.

The UK could have a niche role in the manufacture of higher value products, but if we are to carry this forward then the government must help to assist employers with providing training and apprenticeships. Over the years we have spent thousands of pounds teaching our apprentices the skills they require to manufacture our surgical instruments, however the true value of manufacturing cannot be purely measured in economic terms. It is difficult to value it in terms of the skills you would lose and the difficulties in replacing them if manufacture was moved abroad.

The next time you look at buying a surgical instrument, just ask yourself where it was made and how confident you are that it will perform as well as it should. These decisions should not be purely based on cost, but also take the quality into consideration. Patient safety must come first and foremost.

Please give your support to the ‘Made in Britain’ campaign, and here’s to another 35 years!

A college dedicated to specialist technical industries is to open its doors in Sheffield in 2013. The Sheffield University Technical College (UTC) will offer teenagers specialised learning within the engineering and digital sectors.

The government funded college, which will be supported by the city’s businesses and universities, will specialise in advanced engineering and materials, as well as the creative and digital industries. It will educate students with a specialist trade, alongside GCSE’s including maths and English. It is due to open in September 2013, with up to 600 places available to young people. It aims to boost the skills of 14-19 year olds entering the advanced engineering and manufacturing sectors. The curriculum will be employer led, meaning that any training will be relevant and supports the needs of local businesses. The staff will include trained teachers and those from technical backgrounds. The working day will start at 8.30am and finish at 5.30pm, with five eight week terms a year.

As well as delivering full time courses, it is anticipated that the UTC will be at the heart of a growth in apprenticeship provision. This can only be good news for Sheffield as it will bring significant investment to the region and provide local businesses with new opportunities. Companies who are looking to expand their workforce and avoid any future skills gaps could be provided with skilled people who are trained to meet their industry’s needs.

Former steel worker Steve Medhi is to submit plans for a forty metre ‘Man of Steel’ sculpture to be built, overlooking the city of Sheffield. The piece is planned for a former landfill site near to the M1 Motorway and Meadowhall Shopping Centre, close to where the Tinsley Towers used to stand. This ambitious proposal is for the first of three giant sculptures which could stretch across the Don Valley. It is hopeful that this sculpture (which is twice the height of the Angel of the North in Gateshead) will become a well known landmark, a gateway to the South Yorkshire region.
The ‘Man of Steel’ itself will be made from stainless steel and be housed on a coal coloured plinth, symbolic of the area’s industrial past. The piece of art will pay tribute to the generations of workers who have worked in the industry and made Sheffield famous today. Mr Medhi hopes that the sculpture will be used to promote education about the city’s industrial past, and encourage enthusiasm amongst school children wishing to pursue a career in engineering.
The £3 million project which has been privately funded by various companies, as well as Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, should be complete by 2013. This will coincide with a global manufacturing festival, and also spearhead celebrations marking the centenary of Harry Brearley’s invention of stainless steel.

There is something about buying a product with a Lifetime Guarantee that instils confidence in the consumer. However, when you take a closer look at the small print is it really that straight forward?

Although the term Lifetime Guarantee may offer a certain amount of peace of mind, there are usually limitations as to what is actually covered. In the case of surgical instruments this kind of warranty only covers any manufacturing defects; typically faulty materials or workmanship (it would not cover fair wear and tear or misuse). You would have to consider that surely any manufacturing defects of this nature would be detected during the first twelve months of use anyway, possibly even after the first decontamination and sterilisation cycle? Therefore, these problems would also be covered by any reputable manufacturer as part of their standard guarantee, be that twelve months or five years. Is there really any value in offering a Lifetime Guarantee or is it just a marketing gimmick?

The term ‘lifetime’ is quite ambiguous, as this period cannot be clearly defined. The life of a reusable surgical instrument is difficult to establish, as the quality of the products on offer vary so much. The quality of the instrument in the first place is the determining factor as to how long it will last. The materials which are used and the skills of the manufacturers and their processes have an enormous impact on the quality of the finished product. As does the frequency and nature of use, and how they are maintained once they are in operation. All these contributory factors mean that as a manufacturer it is difficult to answer the question as to what the lifetime of a product actually is.

At Platts & Nisbett we are passionate about quality. In fact we are so proud of our workmanship we guarantee it for Five Years. In addition to this we offer a Free Lifetime Sharpening service on many of our orthopaedic instruments – that is how confident we are. We stand by the quality of our surgical instruments and our guarantee is clear.

However, there is nothing to stop a company refusing to replace a faulty instrument that has a lifetime guarantee if they tell you it has exceeded its lifetime. As mentioned before, it is so difficult to ascertain what its lifetime is. If a consumer is misled into buying a substandard surgical instrument purely because it comes with a lifetime guarantee then surely this is wrong? It is however not illegal, but maybe unethical? In the long term it is false economy to buy equipment that may continually fail and then have to be replaced at your expense. When thinking about how to spend your ever decreasing budgets, please consider what kind of warranty you are actually being offered and the quality of product and service that comes with it. When something seems too good to be true it usually is!

More than 150 surgical instruments belonging to the Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz have been found in a nearby house in Oswiecim. The gynaecological instruments were found in a house that was located inside a strictly closed zone surrounding Auschwitz during the war.

The surgical instruments had probably been used by Carl Clauberg, a gynaecologist and member of the Nazi SS who experimented with methods for the mass sterilisation of women. This method of mass sterilisation was done under the guise of a gynaecological examination, and consisted of the introduction of a chemical into the female’s reproductive organs. These procedures were carried out in a brutal fashion and often caused complications in the form of peritonitis and haemorrhage, which lead to high fever and general sepsis. Hundreds died due to the procedures performed whilst they were being held prisoner, others were killed in order to carry out autopsies.

Upon fleeing Auschwitz and escaping the Red Army in January 1945, Clauberg moved to the notorious Ravensbrueck women’s concentration camp near Berlin, where he continued his experiments. He was taken prisoner by the Russians later that year and was sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment. Seven years later he was pardoned and returned to Germany, but after survivor groups protested he was rearrested in 1955. He died in 1957, shortly before his trial would have started.

The London 2012 Olympics began in spectacular style with Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony being watched by millions of people around the world.

It paid homage to the National Health Service, which was featured as one of Britain’s proudest achievements during the £27m extravaganza. More than 600 real life nurses were amongst the 10,000 people who had volunteered to take part. Boyle said that the volunteers who came from the NHS were “proud people” that “work for something that they truly, truly believe in.” He added, “One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country. We believe, as a nation, in universal healthcare. It doesn’t matter how poor you are, how rich you are, you will get treated…it is an amazing thing to celebrate.”

During this amazing scene the children were tucked up in bed, spelling out the words ‘NHS’ and ‘GOSH’ (Great Ormond Street Hospital). The 300 luminous beds contained special LED bedding, batteries and wiring, which will now be removed by a team of fifteen volunteers over the course of three days. This will transform them from imaginative showpieces into fully functioning hospital beds which can be used to treat patients.

These ‘NHS Hospital Beds’ will be donated to charity, where patients in the Tunisian Hospital Habis Burguiba De Medenine and Hospital de Taouine will receive the vital care they need.

Business Secretary Vince Cable has recently visited the Science Museum in London, opening the Make it in Great Britain Exhibition which takes place for six weeks during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is the culmination of the Government’s Make it in Great Britain campaign which is run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The campaign and exhibition aims to show young people the rewarding career opportunities available in British Manufacturing, dispelling the myth that the UK ‘doesn’t make anything anymore’. The exhibition features businesses of all sizes, including iconic brands like McLaren, Mars and Rolls Royce, as well as displays from up and coming inventors.

Manufacturing is a vital part of the UK’s economy, employing 2.5 million people and generating £137bn each year. The government is running campaigns like this in order to attract the new talent which is needed to support the industry in the long term. An essential strategy, as jobs would almost certainly be moved abroad in the future if we cannot provide a skilled workforce.

The good news for British Manufacturing is that 40% of companies are now bringing production back in-house. A report published by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation cites reasons such as recession and natural disasters to be amongst some of the influences behind these decisions.

This gives Britain a real window of opportunity to build the manufacturing industry back up, which would aid in generating some of the sustainable growth needed to pull us out of the recession. The manufacturers surveyed had already reported seeing benefits that included reduced costs and improved flexibility.

If we can encourage our young people to consider careers in manufacturing, attend college courses or look at the various apprenticeships on offer then Great Britain could flourish in this difficult economic climate.

For more information, please visit http://makeitingreatbritain.bis.gov.uk

England and the NHS is facing the biggest baby boom in 40 years, just as cutbacks in maternity budgets hit our hospitals. More than a quarter of UK Heads of Midwifery reported that their budget has been cut in the last 12 months, and the Royal College of Midwives has warned that this is putting NHS Maternity Services under enormous pressure.

New figures suggest that more than 700000 babies will be born in England this year, the first time such a level has been reached since 1971. Birth rates have been rising for the last decade, principally due to immigration, with the number growing by 12000 per year.

According to the Office for National Statistics there were 688120 births in England in 2011; however the baby boom is reaching record levels in 2012. Executives at the Royal College of Midwives have said that today’s midwives have never seen anything like it, and go on to say that NHS Maternity Services are on a knife edge.

The demand being placed on the NHS is huge, and the lack of midwives is now becoming apparent. The Royal College of Midwives has expressed their concerns that 89% of midwives feel that they are not able to give women all the care and support they need. They have carried shortages for years; however with the number of births increasing they are now at the limit of what they can safely deliver. Student midwife numbers are still being cut, and newly qualified midwives are unable to find jobs. Despite the Government’s promise that another 3000 midwives would be provided, only 900 have been employed. One third of new midwives are still currently unemployed. The Royal College of Midwives is understandably frustrated that the midwives are being trained but not recruited, saying it is a sad waste of time and effort, as well as taxpayer’s money too. They also argue that another 5000 midwives are needed to keep up with the rising birth rate.

In response, a spokesman for the Department of Health has said that they are working closely with the Royal College of Midwives to ensure that the supply of midwives matches the current birth rates. Also the Minister for Health has recently announced that an extra £25 million would be released if “there is evidence that women have been asked about the changes they want in local areas”. He has since written to all NHS Trusts, urging them to take advantage of the money which has been made available, particularly to improve maternity facilities to support parents when things don’t go to plan.

The Royal College of Midwives said that the cash was “a welcome and positive step”, but a small one in the context of the £2.5 billion maternity budget.

An American soldier who lost all four of his limbs has successfully undergone a rare and complicated double arm transplant. Brendan Marrocco, 26, was hit by a roadside bomb in 2009, and was the first soldier to survive quadruple limb loss from the war in Iraq.

While Mr Marrocco is not the first person to undergo a double arm transplant – he is the seventh – surgeons at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, where the operation took place, say his was “the most complicated one” so far.

For nearly four years he had waited for the transplant, before finally learning that two donor arms had become available on December 16th – less than two months after his Staten Island home, which had been specially converted to accommodate his disability, was badly flooded during Hurricane Sandy.

His transplants, which took place on December 18th, involved the connection of bones, blood vessels, muscles, tendons, nerves and skin on both arms. He also received bone marrow from the deceased donor of his arms; a therapy intended to help his body accept the new limbs with minimal medication.

While the early signs are positive – he wrote on Twitter after the surgery that his new limbs “already move a little” – doctors say it could be some time before the full functionality of his arms will be known.

His surgeon says it will take more than a year to know how fully Mr Marrocco will be able to use the new arms.
“The maximum speed is an inch a month for nerve regeneration,” Dr W P Andrew Lee, who led the 13-hour surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, told a news conference.

It is, however, hoped that his new arms will allow him to support himself on prosthetic legs and walk unaided for the first time since he was wounded. Other patients who have undergone similar transplants have ultimately been able to tie their shoelaces and use chopsticks, doctors said.

Mr Marrocco spoke for the first time about the procedure, saying that he felt like himself again. He said, “I hated not having arms,” he said. “Not having arms takes so much away from you. You talk with your hands, you do so much with your hands. When you don’t have that, you’re kind of lost for a while. I just want to get to the point where I can be completely on my own and just get back to enjoying life,” he added.

The Nascar enthusiast was asked what he was most looking forward to doing with his new limbs.

“Driving,” he replied immediately. “Absolutely, driving. I used to love to drive. It was a lot of fun for me so I am really looking forward to getting back to that.”

He added that he wanted to “become an athlete again” telling reporters that he was a keen soccer player in his youth. He said: “Obviously I will not be playing that again. Right now I’m going to focus on hand cycling.

While Mr Marrocco’s surgery carried inevitable risks, he said that he had never wavered in his desire to go through with the operation. “I have overcome so much in the past four years and really the worst case scenario was…I go back to the way I was.”

Inevitably Mr Marrocco’s story will give hope to other war veterans who lose limbs in battle

Asked if he had a message for those in a similar position, he said: “Not to give up hope,” before adding: “I still thought of myself as being normal. I hated the word handicapped. I never really looked at it like that and now I’m just looking forward to doing everything I was doing four years ago.”

2013 marks the centenary of Harry Brearley’s invention of Stainless Steel. This development revolutionised the modern world, and put Sheffield on the map as the “Great Industrial Powerhouse”.

Sheffield is famous around the world for its contributions to the steel industry, and now celebrates by hosting a series of events to mark the anniversary.

Exhibitions and events confirmed as part of the 100 Years of Stainless Steel programme so far include:

• Designed to Shine exhibition, the Millennium Gallery, 16 Februray-13 October 2013
• Rustless- The Harry Brearley Story, Kelham Island Museum, 1 April-17 November 2013
• Cutlers Hall Open Day 23 March 2013
• BSSA & SMEA Conference and Exhibition, Sheffield University, 11-13 June 2013
• David Mellor Exhibition, Sheffield Hallam University, date TBC
• Women of Steel Concert, Sheffield City Hall, November 2013
• Industry visits and tours, dates TBC

After unveiling the plans, Master Cutler Neil MacDonald said these events would cover, not just Harry Brearley’s discovery, but also the entrepreneurial spirit which saw him realise its huge potential.

“It’s a chance to blow our own trumpet and tell everyone about it,” said Neil.

Many projects and initiatives are still being developed as part of the year long celebrations, and will be announced throughout 2013.

The Month of March sees the people of Sheffield take part in “The Great Pie & Peas Up”, in aid of St Luke’s Hospice.

Events are being hosted in homes, workplaces and communities in an effort to raise much needed funds for a new In Patient Unit. This facility is urgently needed to provide the best possible specialist care for Sheffield people who have life limiting illnesses.

Many thousands of lives have been touched by St Luke’s. People who are patients themselves, or have a friend or relative who has been cared for at St Luke’s know at first hand the value of what this charity does.

St Luke’s helps people with illnesses such as Cancer, Motor Neurone Disease, HIV and end stage heart, lung and kidney conditions. Sometimes patients are admitted to the hospice for a short time and are discharged home once their symptoms are under control, thanks to the expert care they receive.

Around 600 unpaid volunteers help 170 staff deliver these services. Every year St Luke’s helps 1400 patients, plus their families and carers – about 5000 people all told.

In 2013-14 St Luke’s will need to raise more than £4.5 million of the £7.5 million it costs to keep running. Government funding via the NHS Sheffield Primary Care Trust covers a declining proportion of the operating costs – currently 31%. It costs £850 per hour to run the hospice, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If this income was to cease then St Luke’s could only continue for six months.

To help a worthy cause, why not take part in “The Great Pie and Peas Up”.

To find out more please visit www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/pieandpeasup

Sheffield has long been recognised for its iconic steel industry and its vital role in the war effort during both World Wars.

During World Wars I and II, whilst the men of Sheffield fought for their country, thousands of women were conscripted into the steel factories of Sheffield. The women, often in their twenties, left behind their normal lives of running homes and raising children in order to contribute to the war effort and keep the factories running.

In the noisy, challenging and often dangerous surroundings the young women worked tirelessly under the threat of air raids to ensure the iconic steel factories of Sheffield carried on running smoothly, churning out world class artillery and armour to keep up with the demand.

By the end of the war, instead of being celebrated and congratulated, the women were simply dismissed from the factories as the men returned from war to work. The Women of Steel returned back to their normal lives of running homes and raising children and for years their outstanding effort went unrecognised.

The people of Sheffield now want to celebrate this special group of women by raising money in aid of a new statue in their honour.

Martin Jennings has been commissioned to design and craft the sculpture. His most celebrated piece is the statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras station which is now recognised as an iconic London landmark. Jennings said, “I want the statue to represent both the camaraderie that helped these young women triumph over the exceptionally difficult task allotted to them and the pride they felt in achieving expertise in an industry that was traditionally the preserve of men. I have modelled a welder and a riveter to stand for the many roles required of them. They are jauntily marching along arm in arm with their heads held high. At the end of the war the women were dismissed from their work in the steel industry with little thanks. Now, by erecting this statue within the lifetimes of the surviving Women of Steel, we all have an opportunity belatedly to record our gratitude. There are countless war memorials to men. My hope is that this statue will help us never to forget these women, without whose courageous endeavours victory in two world wars would have been very far from assured”.

The statue will be unveiled in Barkers Pool, the heart of the city centre and where the infamous Blitz struck Sheffield in World War II. The statue will be bronze in colour and human scale, celebrating the work and lives of Sheffield’s Women of Steel.

If you would like to contribute you can donate by visiting the Just Giving page.

Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov was a Soviet physician, who became famous for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus for lengthening limb bones. Ilizarov was born in Poland to a Jewish family from the Russian Empire. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Azerbaijan, where he grew up. He then went on to graduate from Derbent Medical Rabfac (an educational establishment set up to prepare workers and peasants for higher education) and also Crimea Medical School.

In 1944 he was sent to a rural hospital in Siberia, where he worked as a general practitioner. In 1946 he organised a workshop for the development of medical instruments, in order to treat the injured soldiers returning from the war. It was during this time that he began working on his earliest prototypes of what would become the Ilizarov External Fixator (a metal framework consisting of rings, threaded rods and pins).

Ilizarov discovered that by carefully severing a bone without severing the periosteum, it was possible to separate the two halves and then fix them back in place using his apparatus. His framework was put in place with pins through the bone, and worked by separating the bone by a small amount over a period of time. As the framework was adjusted the bone would then re-grow to fill the gap, resulting in the lengthening of the limb.

Despite his successes, his method was not widely accepted in the Soviet Union until he successfully treated Valery Brumel (the Soviet Olympic Gold Medallist High Jumper in the 1964 games), who had a non-union and shortening of the lower extremity. Following acceptance in the USSR the method was introduced to the rest of the world, and is still used today.

The Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics is now the leading hospital in the world that uses his apparatus to lengthen or reshape bones. Every year over 9000 people from all countries and age groups receive treatment.

Ilizarov died in 1992, at the age of 71. His accomplishments were extraordinary considering where he lived and worked. He developed a whole new field of biology and clinical orthopaedics, and his methods have helped innumerable patients around the world.

The NHS will be 65 years old this week, and celebrations have already begun taking place nationwide. Despite some criticism over the last 65 years, the NHS has certainly come a long way. Although free healthcare is something that people take for granted these days, the birth of the NHS was a major milestone when it began in 1948. NHS founder, Aneurin Bevan believed that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth, and it was a remarkable achievement considering that the nation was still recovering from the Second World War.

This system has continued for over six decades, with recent government figures showing the NHS treats one million people every thirty six hours. Of course, the system is not without its flaws, and NHS Trusts are under increasing pressure to minimise their spending. The general public do not always realise how much their care can cost, and the following figures may come as a surprise: -

• Cataract operation (1 eye): £700-£900
• Hip Replacement operation: £5000+
• Tonsillectomy: £1000+
• Cost of patient attending A&E: £50-£190

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt must now plan how the NHS can save money by looking at various options. One way being considered is by ensuring that “Health Tourists” pay their way. Last year it was identified that foreign nationals had cost hospitals £33m, and the NHS was forced to write off £12m of this sum.

Although the NHS has seen many changes ahead of its 65th birthday, the general public opinion is that it is still something to be proud of, and hospitals all over the country are now getting involved in various different ways. The first NHS hospital, Trafford General which is now under threat, is planning a birthday party to mark the anniversary. Local campaigners are planning a ‘hands around the hospital’ demonstration of support; they will march to Golden Hill Park where they are to stage a 50’s themed party. All this takes place whilst the Health Secretary decides the future of the hospital. Nuneaton’s George Eliot Hospital has also stepped back in time, holding a 1940’s tea party to mark the occasion, whilst other hospitals are planning their own ways of joining in. NHS Lanarkshire will gift commemorative photograph frames to all babies born at Wishaw Hospital on 5th July, and other trusts are creating giant birthday cards to celebrate the NHS reaching retirement age.

The fact that the NHS has survived for over half a century shows the strength and commitment of all its staff, who continue to work under considerable pressure to care for millions of patients. Hopefully this determination will see the NHS begin to flourish again in the coming years.

UK manufacturing is “booming again”, according to the latest survey conducted recently. The sector has seen its strongest growth in over two years, with five consecutive months of expansion.

Output and new orders rose at British factories at their fastest rates for nineteen years, with rising demand from domestic customers being accompanied by a return to growth of the euro zone.

The only weak point in the outlook was a marked upsurge in cost of inflation at the manufacturers. The month on month leap in input prices was the second biggest in the survey’s history, as commodity prices continued to increase.

Lee Hopley, chief economist at the manufacturer’s organisation EEEF said, “We’re seeing a consistent and positive trend across UK manufacturing and today’s data reinforces the view that the sector is back on the road to recovery. Both the UK and overseas markets are supporting growth.”

Manufacturing still remains about 10% smaller than before the recession, but now seems to be showing signs of improvement.

A record number of people are now also applying for apprenticeships within the manufacturing sector, with companies also being given access to Government Funding as an incentive to grow their workforce through apprenticeship schemes.

From the bestselling author of The Queen’s Knickers and Father Christmas Needs a Wee, comes a brand new picture book written by Nicholas Allan, in association with the International Children’s Heart Foundation.

The BIG-Hearted Book, recently published by Hodder Children’s Books, is a wonderful celebration of friendship that will touch anyone affected by illness. The idea for this book came about following very special personal circumstances, to find out more click here.

Bryan Artiles, Director of Marketing and Specialty Fundraising for the International Children’s Heart Foundation said, “The BIG-Hearted Book is emblematic of ICHF’s global mission. It takes a big heart to perform this work. We would like to think there is a string of hearts connecting all our Babyheart missions. The International Children’s Heart Foundation is very proud and happy to have benefited from Nicholas Allan’s talents. As an organization we fix children’s hearts, this book touches children’s hearts.”

The BIG-Hearted Book was published in the UK in paperback on 1st August 2013. Click here to purchase the book and support the work of the International Children’s Heart Foundation.

About the International Children’s Heart Foundation:

The mission of the International Children’s Heart Foundation is to bring the skills, technology and knowledge to diagnose and care for children with congenital heart disease to developing countries. One per cent of the world’s population is born with heart disease, making it the most common birth defect. Many congenital heart defects can be repaired with one surgical intervention, some require staged repairs.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh(RCSEd), the UK’s oldest surgical Royal College, has recently announced that it has been awarded a grant to extend and redevelop its Surgeons’ Hall Museum.

Originally developed as a teaching museum for students of medicine, it has been open to the general public since 1832, making it Scotland’s oldest medical museum. It contains the UK’s largest and most historic collection of surgical pathology artefacts, including anatomical specimens and surgical instruments.

The Museum charts the transition of medicine from perceived ‘witchcraft’ through to recognised science. The collection includes a letter from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle crediting Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Fellow, Dr Joseph Bell, as the main inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes.

The Lister Project will transform Surgeons’ Hall Museum into a modern, public museum by using its internationally important collections, amassed since the 15th century, to tell the history of medicine.

It will be the first time that the building has been radically altered since 1908. The funding will allow redevelopment work to create new displays and galleries, thus doubling the number of items which can be put on display.

The enhanced Museum will also boast a 17th century dissecting theatre, and a dedicated education suite will increase opportunities for learning for schools, families and special interest groups.

By the end of this month, every household in England should have received a leaflet from the NHS entitled “Better information means better care”. The leaflet contains important information regarding our medical records, and represents the biggest proposed change in the way they are handled.

The NHS proposes to share this confidential information extracted from GP surgeries, and make it available to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). Once loaded onto this database, medical records will be available to third parties such as researchers or private pharmaceutical companies.

Although there will be no names attached to the data itself, there will be plenty of other information still readily available. Details will include NHS number, date of birth, postcode, gender, ethnicity and a variety of medical information such as referrals, screening tests and alcohol habits.

Advocates say the collation of data plays an important part in medical research. They say sharing data will make medical advances easier, because it will allow drugs research and ultimately save lives. Leading charities including Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation are launching a campaign to highlight the importance of allowing the notes to be shared for the advancement of medical science.

However, privacy experts warn there will be no way for the public to know who has their medical records and for what purpose. Doctors have promised that patients will remain anonymous, but data protection campaigners have warned that individuals risk being identified. Patients could be re-identified because companies may be able to match their own data to the official records.

At first the Government had intended the programme to be compulsory, however given the sensitivity of the reform people will be allowed to opt out. While the leaflet does explain that people can speak to their GP if they are not happy for their information to be shared, this is not prominent on the leaflet.

Board papers drawn up by health officials warn that proposed EU regulations to harmonise rules on data protection would not allow such a system. This would mean the national scheme and other large research projects already under way would have to be scrapped. The documents also disclose that the initiative would cost the taxpayer at least £50 million and the scheme has yet to be approved by the Treasury.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Games sees Great Britain send one of its largest ever teams, with athletes from Yorkshire at the heart of the nation’s medal challenge. Eleven athletes from Yorkshire are amongst the squad of 56 which are representing Team GB in Sochi this month.

From Thirsk in the north to Sheffield in the south, the White Rose County will be represented by snowboarders, free skiers and biathletes in the Black Sea Resort in Russia from 7th February.

Yorkshire’s Olympians are:

Freeski

• JAMES WOODS (born in Sheffield, lives in Sheffield) (Ski Slopestyle)

• KATIE SUMMERHAYES (born in Sheffield, lives in Sheffield) (Ski Slopestyle)

• JAMES MACHON (born in Sheffield, lives in Sheffield) (Ski Halfpipe)

Snowboarding

• ZOE GILLINGS (born in Isle of Man, lives in Leeds) (Snowboard Cross)

• JAMIE NICHOLLS (born in Bradford, lives in Bradford) (Snowboard Slopestyle)

• DOM HARINGTON (born in Leeds, lives in London) (Snowboard Halfpipe)

• EMMA LONSDALE (born in Settle, lives in Settle) (Ski Halfpipe)

Skeleton

• KRISTAN BROMLEY (born in Waterfoot, lives in Sheffield)

• SHELLEY RUDMAN (born in Wiltshire, lives in Sheffield)

Bobsleigh

• JOHN BAINES (born in Middlesborough, lives in Thirsk) (GBR2 4-man)

Biathlon

• LEE JACKSON (born in Stockton-on-Tees, lives in Stockton-on-Tees and Italy)

UK Sport have set Team GB a target of between and seven medals, which even at the bottom end of the scale is three times as many as this country traditionally wins.

The National Apprenticeship Service, in partnership with 20 local colleges and training providers, is challenging local businesses to increase the number of Apprenticeships in Yorkshire and Humber over the next 100 days.

The ‘100 Days Apprenticeship Challenge’, launched on 31st March 2014 is encouraging as many employers as possible to get involved before 8th July 2014.

The National Apprenticeship Service is the driving force behind this regional campaign and is delighted to have the support of many local partners.

This significant new initiative, which can be for new recruits and existing staff, supports businesses to find the right Apprenticeship for their needs and puts them in contact with a Training Provider that will work in partnership with them.

Apprenticeships have been going from strength to strength in the Yorkshire and Humber region, with over 60,000 apprenticeships starting in the last year. They are vital to the economy and help businesses grow their own talent by developing a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. Skills shortages and recruitment difficulties are just some of the barriers businesses have to overcome, however apprenticeships offer a route to finding fresh new talent, with the relevant skills and qualifications required. 82% of employers who employ apprentices rely on their apprenticeship programme to provide the skilled workers they need for the future. Also, 81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices.

Anthony Knowles, head of employer accounts for the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with so many colleges and training providers on this exciting new campaign. The support of local businesses is vital if we are going to grow the skills base of our regional economy.

It will provide some much needed new opportunities for young people and by agreeing to take on an apprentice, employers are not only supporting their local community but they are also making a good business decision to grow their own talented workforce.

I would urge all employers to look at their current and future recruitment needs to see if there is somewhere they could take on an apprentice.”

An Apprenticeship is a way for young people and adult learners to earn while they learn in a real job, gaining a qualification and a promising future in their chosen career. Last year over 500,000 people started an apprenticeship in over 200,000 workplaces.

If you are an employer interested in offering an apprenticeship place, please visit www.apprenticeshipchallenge.co.uk

“I can see the Tour in their hearts, and in their eyes. For that, I say thank you to everyone in Yorkshire who has made this Grand Depart so very, very special.”

These were the words of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme, who described Yorkshire’s Grand Depart as the “grandest” in the 111-year history of the race.

An estimated 2.5m people lined the route over the weekend as ‘Le Tour’ took in some of the most famous sights and landmarks in Yorkshire. Riders sped through narrow country lanes in the Yorkshire Dales, past the imposing shadow of gothic cathedral York Minster, before ending in the former industrial heartland of Sheffield, with Prudhomme hailing a weekend which was “beyond his wildest imagination”.

“When you said you would deliver the grandest Grand Depart it was the truth, you have raised the bar for all future hosts of the Tour de France,” he added.

After a procession through the streets of Leeds, the 198 Tour riders were met with a warm Royal welcome at 255 year old Harewood House. The Duchess of Cambridge cut the ribbon to officially start the race, against the backdrop of French national anthem La Marseillaise. God Save the Queen then followed as the tour began to feel distinctly ‘Yorkshire’.

The biggest climb of the opening stage was given a Gallic twist as Buttertubs Pass became Cote de Buttertubs, and fans packed the hillside as they do on the mountain climbs of the Alps and Pyrenees. While it may only be an ascent of 4.5km to a height of 532m, the sight of 10,000 spectators crammed onto the tight road led Prudhomme to say, “I think the Buttertubs climb can now call itself the Alpe d’Huez of Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire people took the French naming of their hills to heart, and even renamed some of their pubs and restaurants. The Black Horse became Le Cheval Noir, The White Swan was renamed Le Cygne Blanc, and The Crossed Pipes became Les Pipes Croisees.

From a racing point of view, the biggest story of the weekend was Mark Cavendish’s crash on the opening stage. With thousands of people in his mother’s home town of Harrogate willing him on to victory, the Briton went for a gap in the sprint finish that he later admitted wasn’t there and hit the tarmac. With his Tour over he pedalled forlornly over the finish line to a bigger reception than stage winner Marcel Kittel.

Thousands of fans gathered again on Sunday for the second stage from York to Sheffield. Holme Moss, a moor on the border between West Yorkshire and Derbyshire, saw extra stewards drafted in as an estimated 60,000 spectators descended on the remote spot.

Sheffield, also known as the Steel City for its rich engineering heritage, was where Le Tour waved farewell to Yorkshire. With the finishing line situated in the heart of South Yorkshire’s once-thriving steel industry, it was Italian champion Vincenzo Nibali who showed nerves of steel to burst clear of the pack to win stage two.

Following the huge success of the Grand Depart in Yorkshire, MP’s are now calling for the Welcome To Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity to be honoured. They say that Mr Verity should be recognised in the next honours list and called for a House of Commons debate on the success of the Tour.

To see more of this event please visit www.letour.yorkshire.com

The number of new cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone has jumped dramatically, putting paid to any hopes that the infection rate is slowing.

Official figures released by the minister of health and sanitation show there were 111 new cases registered on Sunday, the highest daily rate since the ministry started publishing figures in August.

The figures come days after warnings by the UN that Ebola cases in Sierra Leone are being underreported by up to 50%.

It is thought that some patients are still not attending hospital over fears that they will be turned away because there are no beds, or that they will die isolated from their families.

An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Britain would mean patients from across the country being transferred to Sheffield for treatment.

The Royal Hallamshire Hospital is one of four hospitals nationwide where patients would be treated if a UK outbreak happens.

The Royal Free Hospital in London will treat anyone infected in a UK outbreak, with plans in place to transfer patients to Sheffield, as well as hospitals in Newcastle and Liverpool, if there is a national surge in cases.

The Royal Hallamshire Hospital has been selected as it has an infectious diseases unit with 33 dedicated beds, more than half of which are isolation rooms.

Dr David Throssell, medical director for Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The risk of Ebola arriving in the UK remains very low and it can only be caught through direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

“The Royal Free Hospital, in London, is the lead centre for the management of any cases of Ebola in the UK. The Royal Hallamshire Hospital is designated as one of three other hospitals which are on standby to support the Royal Free Hospital if needed.

“Our Infectious Diseases Unit is a recognised specialist centre and therefore is well prepared with the equipment, facilities and specialists to deal with any cases of Ebola appropriately and safely.”

Key facts

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks
• The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in West Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
• Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation.
• Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
• There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.

The first orthopaedic framework agreement in the health service has been established by the NHS’s cross-hub group, the Collaborative Procurement Partnership.

Developed in collaboration with clinical experts, the NHS Total Orthopaedic Solutions framework agreement aims to both simplify procurement and avoid the duplication of purchasing effort that was outlined in the Department of Health’s 2013 Report Better Procurement Better Value Better Care.

It will introduce buying power across a number of regions covered by the NHS for procurement in relation to orthopaedics. Lots include orthopaedic hip arthroplasty, orthopaedic knee arthroplasty, orthopaedic extremities, trauma, implants, spine, arthroscopy/sports medicine, bone preparation, power tools, regenerative technology and generic orthopaedic instrumentation.

This is the second framework agreement for clinical purchasing to come to fruition for the Collaborative Procurement Partnership, which comprises four hubs – NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC), NHS London Procurement Partnership (LPP), NHS Commercial Solutions and East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub (EOE CPH).

“We have awarded a total solutions framework agreement that for the first time sees contract coverage across the hubs’ membership including product areas not previously taken to market,” said LPP’s medical, surgical and supply chain senior workstream lead, Marc Osborne.

“Our priority will be to deliver benefits and solutions for our respective hub members but we have structured the framework agreement so that it can apply nationally, further simplifying procurement in this category.”

David John, chief executive of EOE CPH added combining national buyers power with strong regional and local engagement enables “highly competitive agreements that really meet the needs of the NHS, of suppliers and above all of patients”.

For more information please visit http://www.noecpc.nhs.uk/contracts/total-orthopaedic-solutions

Made in Britain, a not for profit organisation supporting British manufacturing has launched a new initiative, #1000Makers, to find and recruit a further 500 British manufacturers by December 2015.

The #1000Makers campaign will target British manufacturers from all fields, from independent businesses to multi-national corporations. It will also include clothing manufacture in the fields of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear.

The campaign will lend manufacturers the official Made in Britain marque, designed to identify British-made products and raise brand awareness. The move comes after a survey of British consumers showed 67% of people said they wanted an official seal of approval to determine UK-made products. Using a country of origin label can also benefit British brands abroad.

John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain, says, “The Made in Britain campaign is a community of amazing makers, from specialist craftspeople to corporations employing thousands. The goal we all share is sustainable economic growth and the creation of manufacturing sector jobs. With twice as many members, we can increase the impact we have when lobbying buyers and specifiers around the country, highlighting this diverse range of businesses, products and people.

“Our membership is growing fast,” he continues. “We’ve recently passed the milestone of 500 manufacturers and we aim to reach 1,000 ready for January 2016, when we’ll also be engaging with the general public and businesses through retail promotions and online stores. With a little more than 12 months to go until the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, there has never been a better time to be shouting about British made products and championing the UK’s amazing manufacturing sector.”

www.madeingb.org

Orthopaedics is the branch of surgery concerned with the skeletal system, treating injuries or diseases affecting bones, muscles, joints or ligaments.

The literal meaning of “Orthopaedics” is “Straight Children”, as it was originally concerned with correcting birth deformities of the limbs of children.

Nicholas Andry was a French physician and writer who played a significant role in the early history of both parasitology and orthopaedics. He coined the word Orthopaedics; derived from the Greek words “orthos” meaning “correct” or “straight”, and “paidion”, meaning “child”. In 1741 he published Orthopédie: or the Art of Correcting and Preventing Deformities in Children. Aimed more at parents than physicians, the book presented a theory of human anatomy, skeletal structure, and growth, along with instructions for correcting deformity. Though the book was read and cited extensively in the period, its main lasting influence in medicine has been its title, which became the name of the field devoted to skeletal and related injuries and ailments (later modified to “orthopædics” and “orthopaedics” or, in American spelling, “orthopedics”).

Many developments in orthopaedic surgery have resulted from experiences during wartime. On the battlefields of the Middle Ages the injured were treated with bandages soaked in horses’ blood, which dried to form a stiff but unsanitary splint.

Jean-André Venel established the first orthopaedic institute in 1780, which was the first hospital dedicated to the treatment of children’s skeletal deformities. He developed the club-foot shoe for children born with foot deformities and various methods to treat curvature of the spine.

Advances were made in surgical technique during the 18th century. John Hunter’s research on tendon healing and Percival Pott’s work on spinal deformity steadily increased the range of new methods available for effective treatment. Antonius Mathijsen, a Dutch Military surgeon, invented the plaster of Paris cast in 1851.

However, up until the 1890s, orthopaedics was still a study limited to the correction of deformity in children. One of the first surgical procedures developed was percutaneous tenotomy. This involved cutting a tendon, originally the Achilles tendon, to help treat deformities alongside bracing and exercises.

In the late 1800s and first decades of the 1900s, there was significant controversy about whether orthopaedics should include surgical procedures at all.

It is always a challenge to collect the right amount of blood to meet patient’s needs over the festive period, so with Christmas falling on a weekend this year and creating an extended bank holiday, it needs some careful planning. From 23rd December there has to be a steady supply of all blood groups to treat many types of conditions. As we head into the cold winter months, blood stocks tend to decrease as people stay indoors and are distracted by the festivities over Christmas and the New Year. Although this time is precious, NHS Blood & Transplant is urging more people to donate.

Blood’s main components are red cells, plasma and platelets. These are used to treat many different illnesses and conditions. They have a short shelf life, so it is essential that the supply is constantly maintained. Red blood cells can be stored for up to 35 days, platelets can be stored for up to 7 days, and plasma can be stored for up to 3 years.

All blood groups are important; however NHS Blood & Transplant is appealing particularly to O-neg, B-neg and A-neg donors to make an appointment, and those with rare blood types. O Rh negative blood is rare but essential because it is the only blood type that can be given to anyone, regardless of their blood type. Donors with the blood group B Rh positive are more often found in Black and south Asian minority ethnic communities. There is still a long standing shortage of black and Asian donors, who are more likely to have rarer blood types.

With the New Year fast approaching, NHS Blood & Transplant is asking all loyal blood donors to encourage a family member or friend to pledge to give blood in 2017. New Year’s Resolutions are typically about giving up; however they would like more people to give. Men can give blood every 12 weeks and women can give blood every 16 weeks. Committed donors are already aware of the value of giving blood and platelets, but just three per cent of the eligible population actively give blood. This means that there are not enough new donors coming forward to provide the right mix of blood to match patients’ needs, and to replace people who can’t donate anymore.
For more information or to find your nearest session please visit www.blood.co.uk.
You can also download the app by searching ‘NHSGiveBlood’ in the app store.

Platts & Nisbett has been hand making our surgical instruments in Sheffield for 40 years (1977 – 2017).

Here are some facts about the number 40.

1. Platts & Nisbett has been manufacturing surgical instruments for 40 years.
2. There are 40 spaces on a monopoly board.
3. A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks.
4. 40 years of marriage is celebrated with rubies.
5. 40 is the atomic number of zirconium.
6. It took chemists 40 attempts to develop the spray known as WD-40. The full name is Water Displacement 40th Formula.
7. It takes Venus 40 years to cross our sky and return to its starting point.
8. -40 degrees is the unique temperature where Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures match up.
9. The Roman numeral for 40 is XL.
10. Ancient people used three joints and the tip of each finger to signify 40.
11. The word ‘quarantine’ comes from the Italian word for 40 (quaranta), because incoming ships were isolated for 40 days in European harbours during the Bubonic Plague.
12. The word ‘forty’ is the only number in the English Language that is in alphabetical order when spelled out.
13. Ronald Reagan was the 40th President.
14. 40 is the highest number ever counted to on Sesame Street.
15. 40 is the calling code assigned to Romania.
16. 40 in binary is 101000.
17. In horse racing, the maximum permitted number of runners is 40.
18. In tennis the number 40 represents the third point gained in a game.
19. The expression “40 winks” means a short sleep.
20. A rainbow can only be seen in the morning or late afternoon – this phenomenon can only occur when the sun is 40 degrees or less above the horizon.

In late 1895, a German physicist, W. C. Roentgen was working with a cathode ray tube in his laboratory. Working with tubes similar to our fluorescent light bulbs, he evacuated the tube of all air, filled it with a special gas, and passed a high electric voltage through it. When he did this, the tube would produce a fluorescent glow.

Roentgen shielded the tube with heavy black paper, and found that a green coloured fluorescent light could be seen coming from a screen sitting a few feet away from the tube. He realised that he had produced a previously unknown “invisible light,” or ray that was being emitted from the tube; a ray that was capable of passing through the heavy paper covering the tube. Through additional experiments he also found that the new ray would pass through most substances, casting shadows of solid objects on pieces of film. He named the new ray X-ray, because in mathematics “X” is used to indicate the unknown quantity.

In his discovery Roentgen found that the X-ray would pass through the tissue of humans, leaving the bones and metals visible. One of Roentgen’s first experiments was a film of his wife’s hand with a ring on her finger. He later realised that a number of objects could be penetrated by these rays, and that the projected image of his own hand showed a contrast between the opaque bones and the translucent flesh. He later used a photographic plate instead of a screen, and an image was captured. In this way an extraordinary discovery had been made; that the internal structures of the body could be made visible without the necessity of surgery.

The invention of the x-ray created an amazing step forward in the history of medicine. For the first time ever, the inner workings of the body could be made visible without having to cut into the flesh.

The news of Roentgen’s discovery spread quickly throughout the world. Scientists everywhere could duplicate his experiment because the cathode tube was very well known during this period. In early 1896, X-rays were being utilised clinically in the United States for things such as bone fractures and gunshot wounds.

By 1896 an x-ray department had been set up at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, one of the first radiology departments in the world. The head of the department, Dr John Macintyre, produced a number of remarkable x-rays; the first x-ray of a kidney stone; an x-ray showing a penny in the throat of a child, and an image of a frog’s legs in motion. In the same year Dr Hall-Edwards became one of the first people to use an x-ray to make a diagnosis – he discovered a needle embedded in a woman’s hand. In the first twenty years following Roentgen’s discovery, x-rays were used to treat soldiers fighting in the Boer war and those fighting in WWI, finding bone fractures and imbedded bullets. Much excitement surrounded the new technology, and x-ray machines started to appear as a wondrous curiosity in theatrical shows.

It was eventually recognised that frequent exposure to x-rays could be harmful, and today special measures are taken to protect the patient and doctor. By the early 1900’s the damaging qualities of x-rays were shown to be very powerful in fighting cancers and skin diseases.

In 1901, Roentgen received the first ever Nobel Prize in Physics. This was a true acknowledgement of his remarkable discovery which was going to be highly beneficial for mankind in the coming years. His discovery revolutionised the entire medical profession and set the foundation for diagnostic radiology.
Wilhelm Roentgen died on February 10, 1923 in Munich at the age of 77, and had his lab notes burned after his death.

On 22nd February 1944, eight year old Tony Foulds was scuffling with a bunch of fellow schoolchildren in Endcliffe Park in Sheffield when a US bomber plane, a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed ‘Mi Amigo’ came crashing out of the sky. It crashed into the hillside little more than 100 yards away, killing all 10 airmen on board.

Badly damaged whist trying to bomb the Luftwaffe military airbase at Aalborg in Nazi occupied Denmark, ‘Mi Amigo’ had been limping home to its base in Northamptonshire when its engines failed, forcing its pilot to crash-land in Sheffield.

The bomber had been flying so low that the schoolchildren could see the pilot waving at them to try to usher them out of harm’s way. Horrified at what he had witnessed, Tony vowed to honour the fallen airmen.

For more than six decades he has visited the crash site in Endcliffe Park to clean the memorial that was installed there in 1969, and to plant flowers and sweep away dead leaves. Tony, now aged 82, visits the memorial at least three times a week. He has to take three buses to reach the park and often spends three or four hours there maintaining the memorial, before taking another three buses back home.

Tony has continued his silent memorial to the crew of ‘Mi Amigo’, going completely unnoticed to all but a small number of local residents. But now, following a campaign launched by BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, who met Tony while walking his dog in Endcliffe Park last December, it has been announced that Tony’s dream of a fly-past to honour the airmen will take place on the 75th anniversary of the crash.

The fly-past to mark the 75th anniversary of the ‘Mi Amigo’ crash will take place on the morning of 22nd February. Broadcast live on BBC Breakfast, the fly-past will feature aircraft from both the US Air Force and the Royal Air Force.

Major Sybil Taunton, chief of public affairs at 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, said “As American Airmen serving here, we’re really excited and honoured to be able to show our appreciation for all of the wonderful people that have been tending to US war memorials across the UK, by supporting this flyover request.

“While final participation will be driven by weather and mission requirements, we are anticipating a pretty incredible variety of aircraft from US Air Force and Royal Air Force installations, including RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Coningsby. Due to airspace regulations, these aircraft will not fly in one combined formation together but will still put on a fantastic show of airpower in tribute to the fallen crew of the ‘Mi Amigo’”.

There is sure to be a great turnout in Sheffield, and it will be an emotional day for Tony Foulds who has shown such dedication.