In this month's issue:

• Ascot celebration for class of 2022
• Pupils enjoy taste of medical career
• New app gives NHS traffic light guidance on childhood illnesses
• Stay well this winter
• Support your local hospital do the Jingle Jog
• Every day matters at Frimley Health
• What our patients say
• Tell us what you think

Ascot celebration for class of 2022

Aptly named the ‘COVID Cohort’, more than 40 Frimley Health graduates celebrated their achievements at a special event held at Ascot racecourse. The graduates recently completed their two-to-three-year degree courses for careers in a range of roles including allied health professionals, midwives, nurses, nursing associates and operating department practitioners.

At the evening celebration each student was presented with a certificate and commemorative badge to mark their graduation. In her speech, Chief of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorna Wilkinson, spoke about the “unprecedented pressure” the graduates had faced and their “fantastic achievement of qualifying for a career in health in the middle of a global pandemic”.

Many of the students had their first Frimley Health placement in April 2020, at the height of COVID. They also had their university education disrupted having to switch to online learning and completing practical training in sim suites. All the graduates, who have divided their time between university learning and on-the-job placements, have chosen to take up permanent roles within the Trust and have either started their positions, or will be in post during the next few weeks.

Director of Clinical Education, Pippa Skippage, said: “We are so proud of how our students have risen to the challenge of studying during the covid pandemic. We are also incredibly grateful to all the trainers, educators and mentors who have guided them throughout their journey. The support from the Education Team has been exceptional.”

Pupils enjoy taste of medical career

School pupils enjoyed a hands-on taste of a hospital career during a recent visit to Frimley Park. About 20 young people from Salesian College in Farnborough were welcomed to the simulation and digital suite in the postgraduate education centre. The pupils, aged 11 to 18, had all expressed an interest in pursuing a medical career.

Learning, simulation and digital services technologist, Paul Wilder, presented on healthcare simulation and was joined by Trust colleagues to oversee simulated medical scenarios for the pupils to practise on manikins. These included CPR, surgical procedures, general diagnoses, intubation and emergency techniques.

Mrs Cardona, Head of Careers at Salesian College in Farnborough, said: “this is a fantastic opportunity for the students who all have a desire to go into medicine. Many of our students who have attended previous Taste of Frimley Health events, have gone on to careers within the NHS, and one student who is now a consultant, has arranged to come and talk to the students about his career path, starting with the Taste of Frimley event”.

New app gives NHS traffic light guidance on childhood illness

It can be a worrying time for any parent, grandparent or carer when a child falls ill. You may appreciate some advice or guidance if you’re unsure of the child’s symptoms or what action to take. Now, thanks to Frimley Healthier Together, there is a new easy-to-use NHS app which gives simple, traffic light guidance on a range of childhood illnesses.

The app shows what signs to look out for, where to seek help if required, what to do to keep a child comfortable and how long the symptoms are likely to last. You can also use push button notifications to monitor the child’s condition against red and amber symptoms on the phone the app is registered to. For further information visit the Frimley Healthier Together website You can download the app either on the website, or from any app store, by searching “Healthier Together”.

Stay well this winter

Winter is coming so now is the time to start thinking about keeping healthy as the weather turns. We all know that cold weather can make some health problems worse and even lead to serious complications, especially if you are 65 or older or have a long-term health condition.

There is specific NHS guidance on staying well during winter - with common-sense advice about making sure you get your flu, COVID booster or pneumococcal vaccines (if applicable), keeping stocks of your regular medication. It could also be preparing different ways of staying warm at home and remembering to look in on vulnerable neighbours and relatives throughout the colder months.

It’s also important that you know what options you can take if you do feel unwell. You can help us to help you by accessing the right service for your healthcare needs. Unless it’s an emergency remember there are a lot of alternatives for you to use:

• Visit your local pharmacy
• During the day contact your GP practice via an online consultation or phone
• Contact NHS 111 online, www.111.nhs.uk or dial 111. If you are calling NHS 111, please be patient
• NHS 111 may advise you to contact your GP or its out-of-hours service or attend the Bracknell Minor Injuries Unit. For minor injuries, such as sprains and strains, suspected broken limbs, minor head injuries, visit the Minor Injury Unit at Brants Bridge in Bracknell – open 8am-8pm 7 days a week. X-ray available Sunday to Friday. You can also visit the High Wycombe Urgent Treatment Centre
• Anyone with a life-threatening condition should call 999

Support your local hospital and do the Jingle Jog

Frimley Health Charity’s renowned Jingle Jog is now open for registrations and anyone in the local community can sign up to jog, run or walk the festive 5K trail. The seasonal fundraising event will take place on Sunday 11 December at 9am.

Participants have the option of turning up in fancy dress to truly get into the Christmas spirit. All runners will receive a finishers medal, Santa hat, jingle bells, a mince pie and a drink as part of the entry fee - as well as lots of festive cheer at Frimley Lodge Park and out on the route. To register for the Jingle Jog, click here for further details about the race visit the Frimley Health Charity website.

Every day matters at Frimley Health

At Frimley Health we understand that every day matters when you’re in our care. None of us want to be poorly or want to spend longer within a healthcare setting than we have to. To ensure the best outcomes and experience for you, we want to ensure you are encouraged and feel confident in playing an active role in your care and treatment with us. That's why we've focused our next health information event on just that - the role you can play in your health care and how are we working with you to support you in doing that.

If you would like to hear more, join us via MS Teams on Tuesday 22 November from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. We will send more information in due course, but please register for the event Members Health Event, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Please also email fhft.membership@nhs.net with any topics that you would like us to hold virtual health information events on for us to consider.

What our patients say

As a valued Frimley Health member, we wanted to share with you some of the feedback we’ve had from patients during this last month. We’re always humbled and delighted at some of the comments we get, particularly as they reflect the compassionate care provided by our wonderful staff.

We're so proud of...

• Dr Subodh Tote, Anaesthetist and Intensive Care Lead on being named a finalist in the HSJ Awards in the Clinical Leader of the Year category – the award ceremony takes place on 17 November.
• Frimley Park, Heatherwood and Wexham Park being named a National Joint Registry ‘Quality Data Provider’ for fourth year.
• Our Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (Wexham Park Hospital and Royal Berkshire Hospital) meeting all 11 national standards in first quarter of 2022 (only matched by two others in the region).
• Our SleepEx service, which completed its first 12-week cycle and the second has just started - Read more.
• Our PrehAb Cancer Treatment (PACT) programme aimed at getting lung cancer patients fitter and better prepared for treatment, which recently launched at Wexham Park and Frimley Park hospitals.

Tell us what you think

We would love to know what you think of the monthly email, and what you would like to see in it. Please email your feedback to: fhft.membership@nhs.net