13 January 2023

A huge thank you to every single of member of staff and all our patients and visitors for making 2022 an amazing year. Below are some key achievements of each month throughout 2022 to remind you of the incredible work that continues to happen despite extreme pressures.

Thank you to all, and we look forward to seeing what Frimley Health can make possible in 2023!

Pioneering pain pumps for breast cancer care

We were the first trust in the UK to use pain pumps for breast cancer patients, allowing for discharges within hours post-procedure. Seventy-three per cent of patients who underwent mastectomies were discharged on the same day compared to 6% before the pumps were introduced. This development helped us become accredited ESRA (European Society of Regional Anaesthesia) as a centre delivering high quality regional anaesthesia and pain management.

Royal appointment for honoured colleagues

Medical Director Dr Tim Ho and head of nursing for critical care Di Dodsworth attended ceremonies to receive their MBE insignias from the Princess Royal. Both were announced among the New Year Honours of 2021, recognising their roles in shaping our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trust reaps benefits of new pharmacy robots

New pharmacy robots were installed at Wexham Park, saving us hundreds of hours of prescription waiting time. The systems in the pharmacy office and the pharmacy stores have been extremely efficient in managing stock across the wards and have streamlined medication access. The robots have also improved out-of-hours medication dispensing.

Heatherwood begins a new era in planned care....

Our new hospital opened on 28 March, promising some of the best planned care services in the country. Boasting some of the latest digital technology, six state of the art theatres and specialised services, the hospital can now utilise the latest treatments and advances in medicine. The £100million building was constructed on land behind the old Heatherwood Hospital that served patients for nearly a century.

... and Heathlands opens

Our 20-bed intermediate care facility opened at Heathlands in Bracknell for patients transitioning from hospital to home. The unit focuses on rehabilitation is part of our wider plans to work collaboratively with our health and care partners -  the other two floors at Heathlands comprise a specialist nursing home for patients with dementia.

COVID research award

Pharmacist Katherine Lee received a prestigious Research Support Award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Networks for her role in helping to recruit patients into COVID-19 clinical trials. Hailed as one of the ‘unsung heroes’ of research, Katherine and her team have played a crucial role in the COVID clinical trials, which have been running since April 2020 to investigate the effects of a wide range of medications. 

MAMAS Line offers 24-hour maternity advice

We launched a 24-hour telephone triage service for women 16 weeks into their pregnancy through to 28 days postpartum. The Maternity and Midwifery Advice and Support (MAMAS) Line was established in collaboration with South Central Ambulance Service, providing a single point of contact for women during and after their pregnancy.

New machines reduce chemotherapy hair loss

We invested in three new scalp cooling machines at Frimley Park that can help to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. The new Paxman devices replace older, bulkier equipment and can treat two patients simultaneously. Scalp cooling decreases blood to the area so that less chemo medication reaches the hair follicles.

Landmark moment as Epic EPR goes live

We launched the biggest change that our Trust has ever undertaken with the introduction of our Epic electronic patient record (EPR) that has transformed the way we work and care. The best-in-class Epic system brought together more than 200 separate systems and turned us overnight into one of the most technologically advanced trusts in the UK. 

ICU nurse consultant is honoured with MBE

Nurse consultant Suman Shrestha was awarded an MBE for his services to critical care as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours. Suman has worked in intensive care at Frimley Park for 21 years and is a professional lead for critical care at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). He he has trained more than 400 redeployed doctors and nurses to help in ICU during the pandemic.

Largest-ever IEN cohort ready to join the wards

Our largest ever cohort of internationally educated nurses (IENs) completed their ‘bootcamp’ before join the wards. The group included 34 colleagues from the Philippines, India, Nepal, Africa and the Caribbean and spearheaded the planned recruitment of 400 IENs over the next year.

Making Money Work

In July we turned our focus to our financial health. Making Our Money Work is a response to the significant financial challenges we face and focuses on efficiency and making our money go further. The Arthroplasty Super Week in September demonstrated that Heathwood is capable of more than doubling the usual number of joint replacement surgeries, our Green Plan is aiming to reduce energy costs and Epic EPR continues to increase our efficiency.

AIR  team gets 'green' across the board

Our adult integrated respiratory (AIR) team of 32 staff was one of only six teams in England and Wales to be awarded ‘green’ across the board in both the National Asthma & COPD Audit programme (NACAP) and the NACAP Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme. The two audits at 72 hospitals assessed how well services are delivered to respiratory patients with asthma, COPD or those attending pulmonary rehabilitation. This team has consistently produced outstanding results since it formed in 2016.

Study examines vaccine uptake in pregnancy 

Frimley Health worked with St George’s University Hospital Foundation Trust to study the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women. Women who are pregnant are three times more likely to be admitted to the ICU with COVID and have a 25% greater chance of dying. The study recommended better communication from trusted professionals such as midwives and GPs about the benefits of the vaccine.

Kelly is 'Queen's Nurse'

Senior community matron Kelly Gray become the first Frimley Health colleague to be awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse. She joined a small number of other community nurses, health visitors and midwives in Hampshire to receive the honour, announced by the Queen's Nursing Institute. The title “provides formal recognition of the nurse’s commitment to improving care for patients".

Every Day Matters

Our new all-staff initiative focuses on helping patients get home safely as quickly as possible by eliminating delays to discharges that are in our gift. Every day matters has been a focal point of our care since October as we aim to release beds, reduce wait times and cancelled appointments, and cut treatment backlogs – all while keeping patients safe and cared for.

Accessible Changing Places toilet opens

A new Changing Places toilet was opened in Frimley Park for people with limited mobility. Available to anyone who needs it, the facility features a hoist and a changing bench, a shower and a movable toilet and sink. A similar facility was included in the design of the new Heatherwood Hospital.

£5m Elm Block provides modern office space

The new £5m Elm Block offices opened at Frimley Park. The modern and spacious environment allows teams to collaborate more easily in fully air-conditioned spaces, with 550 square metres of open plan and single offices and meeting rooms. Teams from adult safeguarding, dementia, learning disability, discharge and Frimley Excellence occupy the ground floor with research and development and military colleagues on the first floor. 

Change Challenge puts innovation to the fore

Eight ideas from frontline staff to improve care were funded as part of our CEO Change Challenge. Money awarded in the Dragon's Den style competition will enable winners to put their innovative plans for improvement into action with guidance from our Frimley Excellence team. The overall winners were Louise Glanvill and Sarita Vamadeva who petitioned for surgical equipment to create a minor procedure room in Wexham Park Hospital’s Plastics Urgent Care Clinic, allowing the team to run a same-day service for certain procedures.

Upgraded ICU reopens in time for Christmas 

Following an extensive upgrade after three and a half years of planning, ICU A opened alongside ICU B at Frimley Park. The ward now has increased bed space, new isolation rooms for highly infectious diseases and a new state-of-the-art air filtration system.