Welcome to your latest members’ newsletter

In your final newsletter of 2024, I wanted to pay tribute to our incredible teams who have cared for record numbers of patients this year.

Not only have they had to deal with ever increasing demands, but they have done so with amazing resilience and professionalism – always looking to adapt, improve and innovate so we can face our future challenges.

This year alone our teams will have seen over a quarter of a million people in our emergency departments and provided more than a million outpatient appointments, answered 650,000 phone calls through the switchboard, carried our 95,000 planned surgeries and procedures, supported 9,250 births, served over two million meals for staff and patients, and carried out nearly 400,000 portering duties.

And while most of us celebrate at home with our family and friends, nearly 3,000 of our people will be working on Christmas Day to keep our patients and communities safe. I am sure you will join me in thanking each and every one of them.

I also want to thank you for your continued support. We are now approaching what is often one of the most challenging times for the NHS, when illness and frailty peaks over the winter months adding strain to all our services. I am grateful to all of you who are supporting us by spreading the word about the right places to access healthcare when you need it, looking after yourselves by taking advantage of vaccinations available to you and keeping yourselves and loved ones as well as you can be.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in the New Year – perhaps at our first health event of 2025 on 14 January, which will be held online on MS Teams and entitled “FASTer management of stroke”. The event will be held between 6.30pm and 7.30pm and a link will be circulated nearer the time. Let me finish by wishing you all a very merry and peaceful Christmas.

Best wishes

Bryan

Bryan Ingleby
Chair
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

Frimley Health’s festive touches for staff and patients this Christmas

More than 2,800 dedicated NHS Frimley Health staff will be working on Christmas Day to care for patients and keep our communities safe. Most of them will be based at Frimley Park and Wexham Park Hospitals, which both include busy emergency departments, urgent care facilities, maternity units and many inpatient wards.
They will be helping patients spending Christmas in hospital have the best day possible, and they will be ready to support hundreds of people who fall ill or suffer serious injury on 25 December. Teams will also be supporting patients at Heatherwood Hospital, Farnham Hospital, and caring for people at home in our local communities.

Christmas cheer for staff, patients and families is being boosted this year by the Frimley Health Charity’s Golden Christmas Appeal, which raised more than £50,000 in generous donations from local people. This is funding 2,700 presents for patients to open on Christmas morning and hampers for various hospital departments. In addition, more than 5,000 free meals will be served to staff on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as a thank you from the community.

James Clarke, our Chief Strategy Officer, said: “Our teams have cared for a record number of patients this year, showing incredible commitment and professionalism. We’re grateful for their dedication and hope they can enjoy some quality time with loved ones this Christmas. Thanks to the generosity of the public and the hard work of Frimley Health Charity, we can bring festive cheer to those spending Christmas in our hospitals.”

Choose the right service this Christmas

No one wants to be ill during the festive period, but for those people who do need healthcare we are urging the public to choose the right service for their needs. Knowing which service to turn to when you’re not well is important. Using services wisely can help you receive the best care without unnecessary delays.

People should use NHS 111 online first and only use emergency departments or dial 999 if their condition is a life-threatening emergency. For further advice, please see the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust website, or the Frimley Health and Care website.

Families praise upgraded neonatal unit

The neonatal unit at Frimley Park Hospital has been revamped to further support the families of some of our tiniest patients.

The Frimley Health Charity-funded upgrades included 12 new parents’ chairs and chair beds, a transformed family room with a kitchen area, and a new sofa bed so families can feel more comfortable while staying with their babies.

The family room also houses uplifting artwork, which is especially beneficial to families who can spend a long time there. And the unit’s information posters have been improved with clear, elegant designs.

Other improvements include changes to the reception area with a dedicated coffee and water station, air conditioning, and comfortable furniture for the staff room.

The year-long transformation cost £76,000 and was driven by unit staff and Emma Carr, the charity’s arts and creative health manager. The transformation was celebrated on 18 November – the day after World Prematurity Day.

New Year members’ health event on stroke

The first Members’ health event of 2025 will be presented by consultant stroke physician Dr Ottilia Speirs, and stroke nurse consultant Dr Aisla Hutchings talking about ‘FASTer management of stroke’.

Stroke strikes every five minutes and affects more than 100,000 people every year in the UK. There are 1.3 million stroke survivors, each with their own story of rehabilitation and recovery. Our Frimley experts will talk through everything from pre-hospital video triage for stroke to the clot-busting procedure and medications available for patients.

The Teams event is on Tuesday 14 January 6.30-7.30pm, please register using this link. Any questions about the event, or membership generally, please email fhft.membership@nhs.net.

Sign up to MyFrimleyHealth Record

Did you know that you can exchange secure messages with your care team via MyFrimleyHealth Record? It allows you to ask and answer questions ahead of your appointment and get advice – saving you time on the day and potentially avoiding a follow-up visit to hospital. You can send and receive messages 30 days before an appointment or for up to a year afterwards.

And if you are using the MyFrimleyHealth Record app, you can do all this while you’re on the go! More than 243,000 people have now signed up to MyFrimleyHealth Record, which is also available on a website - myfrimleyhealthrecord.fhft.nhs.uk. The platform is transforming how we interact with our patients and it’s freeing up valuable time for our teams.

The app has an overall rating of 4.5 stars out of five on the App Store and Google Play Store. MyFrimleyHealth Record is a real gamechanger for our staff and our patients, and we want as many people as possible to experience the benefits. Download the app today or find more information on our website.

Relocation of Jubilee Ward – Have your say

NHS Frimley and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have been conducting a detailed review of options regarding the relocation of Jubilee Ward, a well-regarded community in-patient ward, currently based within Upton Hospital, Slough.

Jubilee Ward offers essential short-term care and discharge support for patients with diverse needs. Patients on Jubilee Ward are people living with frailty, long term conditions, reduced mobility and those suffering with dementia or confusion. The ward provides post-acute care, helping patients transition from hospital stays to either returning home or moving into further care settings.

Jubilee Ward is currently based on the top floor of Upton Hospital in Slough. The ward's relocation is necessary to ensure that it continues to operate in a safe and accessible way while remaining financially and environmentally sustainable and providing the best care and health outcomes for patients.

To find out how you can share your views and to complete the survey, please see here.

Penguins make a welcome return

Popular penguins Widget and Pringle made a welcome return to Frimley and Wexham this month.

The Humboldt penguins from Heythrop Zoological Park in Oxfordshire visited Frimley Park’s Chapel Garden and Wexham Park’s Sunflower Garden. Children from the trust's nurseries and paediatric departments were the first to benefit from each visit, with staff and patients able to snap a pic and enjoy a cuddle with the perfect pair afterwards.

The loveable penguins were the perfect pick-me-up for everyone who had the privilege to see them.