Upcoming piano performances

Details of upcoming performances can be found in our Online Piano Diary  teamup.com/ksbbce0d9b777a2b21 

At the start of each session, please allow a few minutes for volunteer musicians to arrive and set up.

Contact us at fresh.arts@nbt.nhs.uk to share your feedback.

How to arrange piano access for inpatients currently in our care at Southmead Hospital

Providing there is no infection control restriction, Fresh Arts can provide Piano access to patients.

This is granted on the condition that they are accompanied by a member of their care team at all times when performing. 

Contact fresh.arts@nbt.nhs.uk to request access. We are available to respond to enquiries Monday to Thursday 9am - 5pm, but bookings are possible 24/7 once appropriate support has been put in place.

Arts on Referral

Dance for Parkinson's

Online resources

Dance for Dementia

Resources for patients

Live music

Online resources

Southmead Hospital

Brunel building, Southmead Hospital

Women and Children's Percy Phillips Family Room, Southmead Hospital

Cossham Hospital, Kingswood

Permanent Collection

Fresh Arts is the arts programme managed by North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT).  It was established in 2007. The name ‘Fresh Arts’ represents the coming together of Frenchay and Southmead Hospitals upon the opening of the Brunel building on our Southmead site in 2014. Fresh Arts exists to enhance patient, visitor and staff experience of our hospitals and services, create distraction, provoke thought and improve health and wellbeing. 

We believe that experiencing and engaging in the arts can improve the quality of life and enhance the wellbeing of patients, visitors and staff. It can provide distraction from boredom and pain, increase confidence and self-esteem, enable a greater sense of agency, and provide increased opportunities for social interaction and connection with staff, visitors and other patients as well as with oneself.  

Engaging professional artists and musicians across our programme, and supporting a large team of volunteer musicians, we deliver a programme of arts activity which offers opportunities to enjoy performances and productions by local, national and regional artists as well as providing the benefits of engaging with music, dance, creative writing, visual arts and crafts.   

Fresh Arts activity is made possible by the generous support of donors to Southmead Hospital Charity. 

Planning your discharge

Our top priority is to help you recover and then support you to leave hospital at the earliest appropriate opportunity. 

You will be discharged when you no longer need care that can only be given in a hospital setting. 

It is important that we work together to plan your discharge from as early in your stay as possible. We will discuss and agree with you on the next steps towards your discharge. 

If you live in an area outside of Bristol, North Somerset, or South Gloucestershire, before you are ready for discharge home, you will be ‘repatriated’ back to your local hospital to continue your recovery.

‘Home is Best’

For most people, we know returning to the place you call home is the best thing to help your recovery. We will do all we can to support you. 

Once home, you will be able to do more for yourself and will be more active in your own surroundings. This will have a positive effect on your muscle strength, activity levels, your wellbeing, and increase your independence. 

Being at home, often with the support of family and friends, reduces the risks associated with staying in hospital longer than necessary. These risks can include pressure injuries and infections. You will also enjoy a better night’s sleep amongst your home comforts. All these factors help speed up your recovery. 

We also need to be able to make sure that our hospital beds are available for people who need them, so a timely discharge benefits you and a person who is unwell and waiting to come into hospital.

What if I need extra support once I am discharged?

You may need some extra support to help you recover at home. This will be arranged before discharge. This could include support from community health colleagues such as District Nurses or the Rehabilitation team, voluntary services providing practical help with things like shopping or using the NHS@Home service to monitor your medical recovery. 

If you require more complex care and support, and are unable to return directly home, you will be transferred to an alternative community setting. This will be for a short time to continue your recovery, complete further assessments, and discuss your ongoing needs. These temporary placements are offered when they are available and where they can meet your needs. 

If you are a care home resident, you will most likely return directly to your care home, with any additional support arranged for you.

Discharge planning: what might I expect?

Early conversations

Expected date of discharge

Encouragement to keep active

Here are some ways you can help yourself:

On the day you leave hospital

We like to give you as much notice as possible of your discharge, but this isn’t always possible. As soon as you are advised that you are closer to being ready to leave, we will support you to have your discharge plans in place.

Returning home

Transferring to a community bed

Questions and queries

You may feel worried or apprehensive returning home or being transferred to another location. Please speak with your ward team if you have any concerns. They can put you in contact with our Transfer of Care Hub partners, who can speak with you to provide support and reassurance.

These organisations can also support you once you are discharged:

© North Bristol NHS Trust. This edition published September 2024. Review due September 2027. NBT003451.

The Metabolic Biochemistry Laboratory (previously Biochemical Genetics) at Southmead Hospital provides a regional diagnostic and monitoring service for the investigation of inherited metabolic diseases. Routine analyses performed include urine organic acids (including quantitative methylmalonic acid, if required), bloodspot/plasma acylcarnitines (including free carnitine), plasma/urine/CSF quantitative amino acids, qualitative galactosaemia screening test, plasma free fatty acids and 3-hydroxybutyrate.

In addition, the laboratory provides specialist testing for the investigation of peroxisomal disorders (plasma very long chain fatty acid analysis, including pristanic and phytanic acids), Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (plasma 7-dehydrocholesterol and 8-dehydrocholesterol)

The Metabolic Biochemistry department is a Centre for Galactosemia investigations and offers a variety of tests for the diagnosis and monitoring of disorders of galactose metabolism including:

• first line galactosaemia screens,
• quantitative galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase activity for confirmation of classical galactosaemia;
• urine galactitol for screening and monitoring of galactokinase deficiency or screening for classical galactosaemia if infant has been transfused; 
• galactokinase activity for confirmation of galactokinase deficiency;
• galactose-1-phosphate for monitoring treatment of classical galactosaemia.

The Metabolic Biochemistry Laboratory at Southmead Hospital is a member of the UK National Metabolic Biochemistry Network (MetBioNet). 

The Metabolic Biochemistry laboratory works very closely with the Southwest Newborn Screening Laboratory to aid in the diagnostic testing to support the newborn screening programmes and monitoring of patients identified though the Inherited Metabolic Disease screening programmes. Bloodspot monitoring for PKU (Phenylalanine and tyrosine) and CAH (17-OHP) for known patients and testing for hypothyroidism on bloodspot (TSH)

We provide a comprehensive advisory service and welcome enquiries to discuss appropriate patient investigation and result interpretation. Clinical and laboratory advice is available during working hours, via contacts listed.

Details of Sample Requirements and Transport can be found under “Requesting” and “Test Information” via the menu at the top of this page.

For any urgent analyses or additional testing on samples already received, please telephone the laboratory to discuss.

(Source: CSF amino acid reference intervals from the Cardiff Working Group, MetBioNet)

User Handbook

Request form

User Survey

Useful Links

National Metabolic Biochemistry Network (MetBioNet)
British Inherited Metabolic Diseases Group
Cardiff Porphyria Service

The department of Clinical Biochemistry provide the Newborn Bloodspot Screening service for a large part of the South West Region. Testing is undertaken on filter paper bloodspots which are collected from babies between 5 and 8 days of age. Our UKAS accredited laboratory currently screens approximately 42,000 babies each year for nine conditions:

• Sickle cell disease (SCD)
• Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
• Congenital Hypothyroidism (CHT)
• Inherited Metabolic Diseases:
  • Phenylketonuria (PKU)
  • Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)
  • Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)
  • Isovaleric acidaemia (IVA)
  • Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1)
  • Homocystinuria (pyridoxine unresponsive) (HCU)

Early detection through screening and prompt treatment significantly reduces the morbidity and mortality associated with these conditions.
The newborn screening bloodspot programme is provided in close collaboration with health care professionals throughout the region.

Information for public and professionals regarding the SCID evaluation.

Screening for SCD is provided with the department of Haematology at North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and Cystic Fibrosis with the Bristol Genetics Laboratory

The screening laboratory works very closely with the South West Regional Metabolic Biochemistry laboratory which provides diagnostic testing to support the newborn screening programmes and monitoring of patients identified though the Inherited Metabolic Disease screening programmes. Bloodspot testing for PKU, hypothyroidism (TSH) and a monitoring service for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (17-OHP) is also available.

In early 2014 we began uploading all of our results to the Newborn Blood Spot Failsafe Solution (NBSFS). This is a national web-based solution which allows maternity units, child health record departments, and screening laboratories to verify the screening status of any baby registered in England. It enables easy early identification of those babies who have had no blood spot card received in the laboratory, making it less likely that any babies will miss screening, and also promotes timeliness of repeat sampling.

Laboratory Visits

We offer half-day training sessions to midwives, health visitors, dieticians, nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals involved in the collection of bloodspots. Please contact us to arrange a visit.

Please see below for responses to our most recent user survey

Key Contacts

Dr Helena Kemp
Director of Newborn Screening & Consultant Chemical Pathologist
Telephone: 0117 4148425

Maryam Khan
Principal Clinical Scientist
Telephone: 0117 4148418

Emma Smith-Thomas
Senior Clinical Scientist
Telephone: 0117 4148427

Dr Sophie Otton
Consultant Haematologist
Telephone: 0117 4148359

Grace VanDerMee
Lead Biomedical Scientist - Haematology
Telephone: 0117 4148356

Rebecca Whittington
Principal Clinical Scientist - Genetics
Telephone: 0117 4146175

Katherine Carr
Senior Biomedical Scientist
Telephone: 0117 4148430

Specialist Toxicology, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Trace Metal Service

The specialist and manual techniques section provides specialist analysis of toxic compounds, therapeutic drugs and trace metals.  This is supported by guidance on appropriate test selection and sample requirements.  Interpretative advice on results is always available to clinicians, pathologists and coroners.  However please note we are not able to deal directly with patients or members of the public.

Service Details:

Clinical Toxicology Service

Emergency toxicology analysis is available in cases of suspected acute poisoning, with analysis of ethylene glycol and methanol available on-site. These requests must be discussed fully the Duty Biochemist or on-call consultant out of hours prior to samples being taken.  Subsequent ethanol monitoring can also be arranged if not available locally.

Drugs of abuse testing of urine samples is offered mainly to monitor drug dependency treatment programmes, but is also available for other clinical applications.  Appropriate confirmation of positive results is also available.  If this is required on an urgent basis, this must be discussed with the Duty Biochemist.

Post Mortem Toxicology for Coroners and Pathologists

A non-forensic post-mortem toxicology service is provided to pathologists and coroners within the Southwest region. Measurement of drug levels in blood is carried out using up to date mass spectrometry techniques. Routine analysis includes alcohol and commonly encountered drugs of abuse, with targeted analysis for therapeutic drugs guided by the case information provided.  Biochemical analysis of vitreous humour is also available, for example in cases of suspected ketoacidosis. Each case is reported with a full interpretation; in the majority of routine cases reports are available within two to four weeks.  In more complex cases samples may be referred externally for specialised drug analysis, allowing us to provide a comprehensive toxicology report.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

We also provide a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) service primarily for the immunosuppressant drugs tacrolimus, cyclosporin and sirolimus.  Other TDM assays are available in the biochemistry automated laboratory.

Trace Metal Analysis

Trace metals analysis (including lead, copper, zinc, selenium, cobalt and chromium) is available for clinical applications, environmental exposure and occupational monitoring. This is provided using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS).

Please see below for responses to our most recent user survey

Service Leads

Peter Beresford
Consultant Clinical Scientist
Telephone: 0117 4148415

Nicola Crabbe
Lead Biomedical Scientist
Telephone: 0117 4148450

The department provides First Trimester Combined Screening for Down’s (trisomy 21), Edwards' (trisomy 18) and Patau's (trisomy 13) syndromes for Southmead, St Michael’s and Weston General Hospitals and for the Bath area. 

First Trimester Combined Screening involves ultrasound measurement of nuchal translucency (NT) and laboratory measurement of maternal serum PAPP-A and free beta-HCG.  A statistical risk calculation is performed to estimate the chance of Down’s syndrome and a combined chance of Edward's and Patau's syndromes.

First Trimester Combined Screening is the test recommended by the UK National Screening Committee and may be performed within the gestational age range of 11 weeks + 2 days to 14 weeks + 1 day.

Second trimester Down’s syndrome screening, based on the quadruple test, is also available for women booking too late for first trimester screening.  The quadruple test may be performed within the gestational age range of 14 weeks + 2 days to 20 weeks + 0 days (ideally at 15 to 16 weeks gestation). Samples are referred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Newcastle.

A 20 week anomaly scan is used to screen for Edwards' and Patau's syndromes in the second trimester.

The First Trimester Combined Screening service has been developed by close collaborative working with maternity services of three Trusts and conforms to the standards and recommendations set by the National Screening Committee.

For more information see www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes/fetal-anomaly

Please see below for our latest user survey report: