What a year! £544,000 earned in the cafes! So there was a reward for our glorious volunteers at the Oxford Spires Hotel! Every year we celebrate the volunteers’ efforts by getting together for a tea party in the spring. This year we visited the Oxford Spires Hotel for something a bit special. On a lovely sunny afternoon we had a right good spread! We took the opportunity to recognise the loyalty and hard work of our longest serving volunteer, Dorrie Gethings, whose forty years of dedication have filled our archived photographs (which we will soon publish in an archives page) with smiles. Andrew presented Dorrie with theatre tickets, flowers and a certificate to adorn her mantle-piece. Andrew Bax carries out the Chairman’s happy role.

Our Frank is captivated by Dr Anika Sud and the Optiflow Thrive System we bought for the Anaesthetics department. This is a piece of equipment that administers oxygen via soft tubing through the nose in the time between being anaesthetised and successful intubation.Optiflow is widely used in hospitals throughout the UK, with its use in certain situations recommended by DAS (Difficult Airway Society). It is considered a real game-changer in the management of patients with a difficult airway and those at higher risk of desaturation (reducing oxygen levels), as by providing high-flow oxygenation, it maintains oxygen levels at a safe level for longer, allowing more time for the anaesthetist to secure a patient’s airway. This increases the safety margin when looking after complex patients, by reducing the time-pressure of intubation and potential airway trauma and complications.