I am delighted to say that Lance McCarthy, our new Chief Executive, joined the Trust this week.
Lance has 30 years’ experience in operational management and Board leadership roles within the NHS, most recently as Chief Executive for The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) in Harlow.
During the interview process, and through informal visits to the Trust since he was appointed, Lance has shown that he is an inspiring, compassionate and inclusive leader who will put the needs of patients and staff at the heart of everything he does.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Caroline Hutton for her exceptional leadership as interim chief executive since Neil Dardis left in March. During this time, Caroline has not only covered all aspects of the chief executive role and its statutory accountabilities, and she has also increased our focus and drive on transformation and improvement through the establishment of a new transformation board.
Many of you will get the opportunity to meet Lance in person next month at this year’s Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM), being held on Tuesday 26 September at our fantastic Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot. For further details on the AMM agenda, see the article below. I look forward to seeing many of you there and, of course, welcoming any new members to the Frimley Health team.
I hope you have been able to enjoy some holiday time this summer. We have lots planned for the months ahead and we are busy preparing for the challenges that winter brings.
Bryan Ingleby
Chair
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
New Frimley Park Hospital update
In July, the Government announced a full and comprehensive review of the national new hospital programme and said that it is undertaking this review while continuing to deliver the most advanced and most urgent hospitals to a realistic timeframe.
We are working closely with national and regional partners to understand more about what, if anything, the review might mean for our new hospital programme. We will update you as soon as we have received additional clarity and understanding.
While this review is ongoing, our work to build a new Frimley Park Hospital will continue to progress at pace. Over the last few months, we have been developing the detailed technical, legal and planning due diligence on our preferred sites. At the same time, we have been preparing the necessary business and planning cases to purchase a new site.
While we develop and build our new Frimley Park Hospital, we will also continue with our extensive RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) maintenance programme to keep our hospital, patients, and staff safe. The need to remove all RAAC from hospitals is the driving force behind the new Frimley Park Hospital timeline.
Hearing from the public and staff around our new hospital is crucial for ultimately improving our community’s health and increasing staff morale. Sign up to receive our latest news and updates, and be amongst the first to hear about the latest engagement opportunities.
Annual Members' Meeting - just over a month to go
The countdown is on for the most important date in our yearly members’ events calendar the Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM), taking place on Tuesday 24 September from 5-8pm. This year the event is even more unique as it is being held at our very own Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot.
The event will begin at 5pm to give members the opportunity to browse the range of informative health stands on offer, before heading up to the building’s impressive first floor for the formal part of the meeting. Staff from across the Trust will be on the stands covering everything from cardiology and cancer services to Frimley Health Chairty and the New Hospital Programme.
The AMM itself will take place between 6.30-8pm with a welcome from Chair Bryan Ingleby followed by a review of the year from new chief executive Lance McCarthy. Chief financial officer, Kish Sidhu will present the financial accounts and lead governor, Sarah Peacey will share an update from our governors. You will also be given the latest news on the new Frimley Park Hospital, and an interesting closing presentation from orthopaedic surgeon, Mr Rakesh Kucheria, about the successful performance of Heatherwood as a dedicated planned care facility.
There will be free refreshments for all and lots of opportunities to meet different staff, fellow members and catch up on all you need to know about our Trust.
Update on our £49m Diagnostic and Inpatient Unit
Exciting progress is being made on our new 74-bed inpatient and diagnostic unit at Frimley Park Hospital, designed to meet growing patient demand and alleviate winter pressures. Scheduled to open in early 2025, this state-of-the-art facility is taking shape quickly.
In March, the first 179 modules arrived on site, marking a significant milestone. Since then, rapid progress has been made, including the installation of the plant room and generators, and the addition of external cladding. Work on the MRI rooms has commenced, and the new building has been connected to the existing hospital structure.
This month, we are focusing on completing the floors, installing lifts, and ensuring the building is fire safe. Additionally, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing works are set to begin, keeping us on track for the planned opening.
Welcome to our new intake of resident doctors
More than 80 newly qualified doctors started their jobs at Frimley Health this month following a week-long induction to the Trust.
After five years at university medical schools, the doctors, known as FY1s (Foundation Year Ones) began work on the wards at Frimley Park and Wexham Park Hospitals as part of their two-year foundation training. The 88 doctors had a week-long induction including attending a special event called SIMley Health where hundreds of staff, volunteers and patients came together at Heatherwood Hospital to simulate a normal working shift.
This type of induction event is unique to Frimley Health and gives the doctors the opportunity to familiarise themselves with IT systems, write prescriptions, escalate cases, and interact with their clinical colleagues in a safe environment. During the event, the doctors carried bleeps, responded to simulated calls, and performed typical duties expected of an FY1 doctor.
Dr Anson Wong, who graduated from Birmingham University, started her role in the Acute Medical Unit at Frimley Park Hospital said: “I’ve felt very supported by the people around me since I started. I did a ward round first thing and the consultant guided me through and was very understanding. SIMley Health was really useful, and it’s helped me to feel more prepared for going on call.”
Governor Elections nominations close today
The deadline for completed nomination forms for our 2024 Council of Governors election is 5pm today (Friday 23 August). If you would like to stand, you can still apply last minute online using this link.
A reminder that the elections are for public governor vacancies in the following areas: Guildford, Waverley and Woking (one seat), Hart and East Hampshire (two seats), Surrey Health and Runnymede (one seat), Rushmoor (two seats), South Buckinghamshire (one seat), Slough (one seat).
Voting will be open from 16 September – 10 October. For further information about the role of governor, see our website.
Biggest ever audience attends Members' health event
Last month’s online health event saw a record number of attendees with 215 people joining to hear the latest on Parkinson’s disease.
More than 1,200 patients with Parkinson’s are cared for at Frimley Health every year and Dr Stern sees more than 100 new cases himself each year.
Consultant neurologist Dr Jeremy Stern gave a fascinating presentation on the disease, which affects around 153.000 people in the UK – covering everything from the increase in cases, to the most common symptoms and recent advances in treatment.
The next event will be held in November on COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and community services presented by respiratory consultant, Dr Gareth Roberts. The link to register will be sent nearer to the time.
Patients give thumbs up to MyFrimleyHealth Record
MyFrimleyHealth Record, our online patient portal, has been receiving great reviews from users. The dedicated app, which helps you to manage your care while at home or on the go, currently scores 4.5 stars out of five on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
More than 208,000 people have already signed up to MyFrimleyHealth Record, which is also available on a website - myfrimleyhealthrecord.fhft.nhs.uk. It enables you to manage your appointments (and accept offers of earlier ones), attend online consultations, message your care team, view medications and test results, and much more.
One of the reviewers who gave MyFrimleyHealth Record five stars on the Apple App Store wrote: “I really like being able to access clinical letters and details of appointments before they are sent out in the post… A big thanks for this app!”
Another five-star review stated: “Hats off to the team that launched this incredible app. It is so helpful being able to view my messages, test results and appointments all in one place… It’s easy to navigate around. I can’t say enough good things about it.”
We want as many people as possible to use MyFrimleyHealth Record and see the benefits the technology brings.