In this section, you can read the news articles published during the year.
January
|
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is moving into the New Year with a good track record of providing high quality, safe care for patients. Consistently meeting all the national waiting targets for emergency care, planned operations and cancer, and in financial good shape, the Trust – which has recently celebrated its second year as a successful Foundation Trust – is proud of its achievements and the quality of care local people can expect.
Published: 03 January 2013 |
|
Avoid long waits - make sure you choose the right health services. Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is recommending local people think carefully about where to get the right help when they are feeling unwell.
Published: 03 January 2013 |
|
The first phase of works to redesign and refurbish the outpatients department at Ashford Hospital has been completed. The department now boasts a new cafeteria, which is located where the old reception desk used to be and surrounded by windows, providing a more modern and bright environment for customers.
Published: 07 January 2013 |
|
The Labour Ward at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey has invested over £50,000 in eight new birthing beds, which can be set-up in several different ways to support women throughout labour.
Published: 07 January 2013 |
|
As the temperature drops and ice and snow are upon us, Orthopaedic Consultant Mr David Elliott, who leads the nationally recognised trauma and orthopaedics service at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals, would like to remind local people, particularly the elderly, to take extra care.
Published: 18 January 2013 |
|
New assessment unit for children needing urgent care at St. Peter’s Hospital |
|
This week saw the opening of a new Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) at St. Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, providing the best environment for children who may need urgent hospital treatment.
Published: 25 January 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s secures £150,000 additional maternity funding |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals’ maternity department is to benefit from an additional £150,000 funding as part of a national £25m fund to improve women’s experience of childbirth.
Published: 28 January 2013 |
|
Heartbeat Woking donates to Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Team |
|
Heartbeat Woking, a local support group for patients who have or are suffering from a heart condition, recently donated £1,684 to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Team at St Peter’s Hospital. The money is being used to buy a new state of the art LifePak 1000 defibrillator, which as well as being used as a normal defibrillator, also has a special screen and monitoring leads so it can be used to look at heart rhythm should someone experience chest pain.
Published: 31 January 2013 |
February
|
Charity Concert raises over £2000 for hospital’s intensive care unit for babies |
|
A couple has raised over £2000 for St. Peter’s Hospital’s intensive care unit for premature and sick babies, by holding a brass band charity concert late last year.
Published: 01 February 2013 |
|
With much of the country’s media focused on hospital care this week in the wake of the Francis Report, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals has taken another important step in its care of older people, launching a new scheme to reach out to patients with dementia.
Published: 08 February 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has acknowledged the publication of the second Francis Report earlier this week and will be reflecting carefully on the report’s findings and recommendations.
Published: 08 February 2013 |
|
Uganda’s Chief Nurse, Enid Mwebaza, came to St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey on Wednesday (February 13) to meet the Trust’s Chief Nurse Suzanne Rankin and members of the nursing staff. She visited several wards and talked to staff about various aspects of patient care.
Published: 15 February 2013 |
|
A local branch of Breakthrough Breast Cancer from the Ashford and Staines area recently donated £1,000 to Mr. Tayo Johnson’s Breast fund at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The money is being used specifically to go towards buying a Surgical Headlamp for the Breast Team.
Published: 15 February 2013 |
|
Avoid long waits - make sure you choose the right health services |
|
As the weather gets colder again and more people are coming to hospital, Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is recommending local people think carefully about where to get the right help when they are feeling unwell.
Published: 18 February 2013 |
|
Then pop into Wolsey Place Shopping Centre in Woking on Saturday 9th March and chat to midwives and obstetricians from Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals and representatives from the local National Childbirth Trust (NCT) branch.
Published: 28 February 2013 |
March
|
Premature Hope’s grateful family raise over £4K for St Peter’s unit |
|
It was Alison Finch’s 40th birthday on Monday, March 4. She celebrated by presenting a cheque for £3,250 to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey. And she asked family and friends not to give her presents but make donations to the hospital’s Early Births Fund instead.
Published: 05 March 2013 |
|
Last week local image consultant Eva Law donated a very impressive £3,000 to the Breast Unit at Ashford Hospital following a successful charity lunch and fashion show held at the DeVere Gorse Hill Hotel in Woking. The lunch was organised by Mrs Law in aid of the Fight Breast Cancer charity set up by consultant Miss Sunita Shrotria at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a thank you to the team for, as she describes it “looking after me during the most difficult time of my life.”
Published: 08 March 2013 |
|
Over 95,000 NHS healthcare professionals across the UK made a pledge to do something differently on Wednesday 13th March. A huge range of pledges have been made for NHS Change Day, from simple promises such as ‘to never ignore a patient or visitor who is lost or in need of a helping hand’, to more complex ideas around service improvements and patient safety.
Published: 15 March 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has signalled its commitment to a sustainable future by joining thousands of other organisations taking part in the national Climate Week campaign, 4-10th March.
Published: 15 March 2013 |
|
This week sees the start of some major new works at St. Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, to improve parking for blue badge holders and refurbish the adjacent ground floor entrance, the main access to the front of the hospital for people with limited mobility.
Published: 22 March 2013 |
|
“We want to hear from you – would you recommend our hospitals to your friends and family?”. That’s the message from Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as the Government introduces its new Friends and Family Test which will be up and running in all hospital trusts by 1st April this year. Publicity material will be going up across the two hospitals shortly to encourage patients to fill in the short questionnaire.
Published: 22 March 2013 |
|
Works to refurbish and modernise the outpatients department at Ashford Hospital are progressing well and the second phase of the project has been completed.
Published: 27 March 2013 |
|
Surgeons and anaesthetists at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals are using some innovative new technology to help get patients back on their feet sooner after their operation.
Published: 27 March 2013 |
April
|
Vanessa Avlonitis, Deputy Chief Nurse at Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust since 2009, retired at the end of March after 40 years in nursing. Just a few years after she qualified in 1976 she went to work in Greece and was resident nurse on the set of the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only with Roger Moore in which she made a brief on-screen appearance.
Published: 03 April 2013 |
|
St Peter’s Hospital to host 2nd ‘Music on the Wey’ Charity Gig |
|
Following on from the outstanding success of their first charity concert last year, Radio Wey’s Martin Clarke and Heather Harrison are proud to announce the line-up for this year’s fundraising event which is raising money in aid of the Neonatal Unit at St Peter’s Hospital and Hospital Radio Wey.
Published: 05 April 2013 |
|
Radio Wey, the radio station run by volunteers for the patients and staff at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals and the local community, has scooped three top awards at the National Hospital Radio Awards 2013.
Published: 10 April 2013 |
|
A team of specialist pain nurses at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals are introducing a new assessment tool for patients with confusion and dementia. Harriet Barker, Lead Pain Nurse, said: “Like every acute hospital, we care for many patients with confusion, dementia and also some with learning disabilities. These conditions can make it much harder for people to vocalise and explain their pain. They may say they do not need any pain killers, but often do not really understand the pain they are in or how the medication will make it better.”
Published: 11 April 2013 |
|
The annual survey of patients that have stayed at least one night at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals shows that they have experienced a significant improvement in nursing care compared with that reported in last year’s survey.
Published: 17 April 2013 |
|
Care of the Elderly Team shortlisted for second national award |
|
A Surrey project aimed at reducing falls and fractures in care homes and preventing emergency admissions to hospital has been shortlisted for the Care Integration Awards 2013, jointly promoted by Health Service Journal (HSJ) and Nursing Times.
Published: 17 April 2013 |
|
Surrey’s Police Commissioner visits hospital to see how young people are helping patients |
|
Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey Kevin Hurley and his deputy Jeff Harris visited St. Peter’s Hospital this week, to see how young people are helping older patients to recover from strokes and confusion.
Published: 19 April 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s in ground-breaking Parkinson’s research projects |
|
The lives of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease could be transformed in the future thanks to four ground-breaking research projects being carried out at Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust and other hospitals around the country.
Published: 24 April 2013 |
May
|
Penmanship is making a comeback in Maternity. The community midwives who work from St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey are having to tackle dodgy Ds, poor Ps and vague Vs as they master writing with the new digipen system, which went live in the department in April.
Published: 09 May 2013 |
|
Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been announced as one of the winners in the CHKS Top 40 Hospitals Awards 2013 in a recent ceremony held in London at Middle Temple Hall.
Published: 13 May 2013 |
|
A Charity Coffee Morning has raised a whopping £1,080 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey.
Published: 21 May 2013 |
|
Over 100 nurses and midwives from Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals attended a Pride in Nursing and Midwifery Day last Friday, to celebrate great care and share best practice across both hospitals through all stages of life from infancy to the end of life.
Published: 21 May 2013 |
|
The High Sheriff of Surrey, Dr. Helen Bowcock DL, visited St. Peter’s Hospital this week, to see how young people are helping patients and families cope at particularly difficult times in their lives.
Published: 22 May 2013 |
|
Radio Wey’s Martin Clarke of The Blues Session and his producer Heather Harrison are proud to announce that they have been able to donate £400 to the Neonatal Unit at St Peter’s Hospital following a very successful charity music concert, run solely by volunteers, which took place at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey on the evening of Saturday 4th May 2013.
Published: 31 May 2013 |
June
|
Trust’s Outstanding Achievement in helping disabled youngsters into work |
|
Continued commitment to the Employment Works Project - which offers a variety of work experience placements to disabled students from Brooklands College - has won Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust an EmployAbility Making a Difference Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Published: 10 June 2013 |
|
Four volunteers from Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (ASPH) attended the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, June 6.
Published: 14 June 2013 |
|
The communal area on Joan Booker, the ward used by women before and after having their babies at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, has received a makeover.
Published: 19 June 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals is one of 18 centres in the country with accreditation for surgical treatment of advanced endometriosis, a debilitating condition that affects the lives of almost 2 million women in the UK, causing pain and infertility. This accreditation is awarded by a leading professional body, the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE).
Published: 21 June 2013 |
|
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, which provides Level 3 (highest level) intensive care for Surrey, is taking part in a national study of the use of probiotics (friendly bacteria) for premature babies. The aim of this study is to see if giving probiotics to babies born very early helps to keep the intestines healthy and fight infections. The researchers particularly wish to see if a serious condition called Necrotising Enterocolitis can be reduced.
Published: 25 June 2013 |
|
Midwives share message “Breastfeeding - every day makes a difference to your baby” |
|
Staff and volunteers from the maternity unit at St Peter’s Hospital organised a huge cake sale on Tuesday 25th June to support National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (23rd – 29th June).
Published: 28 June 2013 |
July
|
National figures from NHS Blood and Transplant reveal that 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant and three die every day because not enough organs are available. Locally, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals are working hard to promote organ and tissue donation and will be supporting Transplant Week, 8th – 14th July.
Published: 03 July 2013 |
|
A dedicated Cancer Support and Information Room, giving cancer patients, their families and carers a relaxed space for talking, reading and reflection, has opened this week at St Peter’s Hospital.
Published: 05 July 2013 |
|
‘Take extra care in the hot weather so you can enjoy it and stay well’ – that’s the message from Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as temperatures start to soar.
Published: 08 July 2013 |
|
The Research and Development (R&D) team at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals stood out this week in their new bright pink uniforms.
Published: 10 July 2013 |
|
Care of the Elderly Team Highly Commended in National Awards Scheme |
|
A Surrey project aimed at reducing falls and fractures in care homes and preventing emergency admissions to hospital has received national recognition in the Care Integration Awards 2013, jointly promoted by Health Service Journal (HSJ) and Nursing Times.
Published: 18 July 2013 |
|
A Muslim community group in Woking has raised £1285 for Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals. Members of the Ham Nawa group, which means ‘Like Minded People’ in Urdu, organise social events every year and choose a local organisation or charity to support.
Published: 22 July 2013 |
|
The new ground floor entrance to St Peter’s Hospital was officially opened today [24th July] by patient representative Christina Candey, who has been part of a working group helping the hospital improve its access for disabled patients and visitors.
Published: 24 July 2013 |
|
The Medical Director of Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust, Dr David Fluck, has confirmed that it is already standard procedure within the Trust for senior clinicians to review all care given to dying patients to ensure how they are being cared for is appropriate and that every patient has a named senior clinician and nurse in their final hours and days of life.
Published: 29 July 2013 |
|
Great response rate to Friends and Family Test at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals |
|
Following the publication of national Friends and Family Test data today, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals has achieved one of the highest response rates in the South East. Since the test was introduced in April, the Trust has heard from almost 1800 inpatients and patients using A&E services.
Published: 31 July 2013 |
|
On Tuesday 30th July, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals staff were delighted to welcome Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing to St Peter’s Hospital.
Published: 31 July 2013 |
August
|
The newly refurbished Jasmine Suite at Ashford Hospital, used for breast and gynaecology outpatients, was officially opened by Cllr Isobel Napper, Mayor of Spelthorne, on Tuesday 30th July.
Published: 01 August 2013 |
|
Have you ever wondered how advances in healthcare come about? Where the research and development work to produce new treatments and cures is carried out?
Published: 14 August 2013 |
|
It is recognised that entertainment and play can significantly improve children and adolescents’ hospital experience and wellbeing and the Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation play service considers play an integral part of a child's care.
Published: 19 August 2013 |
|
Royal Holloway, University of London, has donated £3000 to the breast cancer fund at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The presentation was made at the Egham Royal Show Reception held at the College on Wednesday 14th August by Royal Holloway Principal, Professor Paul Layzell to Trust Chairman, Aileen McLeish and Lead Breast Consultant, Mr Tayo Johnson.
Published: 22 August 2013 |
|
As thanks to the vascular team at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for saving her Mum Wendy’s life, local resident Natalie Bowden has raised an incredible £5,000 for the Trust’s vascular services.
Published: 30 August 2013 |
September
|
The Respiratory Department has been selected to develop new treatments for Asthma and Shortness of Breath (including COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and we are currently looking for volunteers - smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers - to participate in these clinical trials.
Published: 12 September 2013 |
|
The Chairman of Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Aileen McLeish, cut the first turf on Thursday to start building work on a brand-new £1.5 million midwifery-led unit at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey.
Published: 17 September 2013 |
|
Surrey Freemasons visit St Peter’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit |
|
An informative and humbling presentation was given by Unit Manager Gill Ayton-Smith to the Provincial Charity Commission of the Surrey Freemasons earlier this year.
Published: 19 September 2013 |
|
Trust scores well in new patient-led environment inspections |
|
Both Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals have received high scores in new patient-led inspections of hospitals, particularly for standards of cleanliness, quality of food and for ensuring patients’ privacy and dignity. These new inspections of hospitals across the country were introduced earlier this year in a bid to put patients in the driving seat for environmental assessments, with results being published nationally for the first time.
Published: 20 September 2013 |
|
Memorial Service to commemorate the late Dr Sakunthala Seelan |
|
A service of thanksgiving is being held at St Peter’s Hospital for the life of Dr.Sakunthala Seelan, Associate Specialist in Haematology who sadly died earlier this year.
Published: 23 September 2013 |
|
EastEnders’ Nina opens £2.8 million transformation of Ashford Hospital outpatients |
|
Actress Nina Wadia, who played the popular character of Zainab in EastEnders, unveiled a plaque on Thursday to mark the opening of the £2.8 million transformation of the new outpatients department at Ashford Hospital. Nina, who lives in Staines, is a former patient at the hospital.
Published: 27 September 2013 |
October
|
Trust invites new mothers to have their say on maternity services |
|
“We want to hear from you – would you recommend our maternity services to your friends and family?” That’s the message from Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as the Friends and Family Test – introduced into hospitals earlier this year – is extended to maternity services.
Published: 07 October 2013 |
|
Mayor and top cardiologist open St Peter’s new £2.5 million pound Cardiac Unit |
|
The Mayor of Runnymede, Councillor Yvonna Lay and eminent cardiologist, Professor Douglas Chamberlain, cut a ribbon to open the new £2.5 million purpose-built Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories - The Cardiac Unit - at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey on Friday (October 4).
Published: 07 October 2013 |
|
Transforming patient's lives - showcasing our therapy services |
|
Over 100 therapists from Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals attended a Therapies Showcase this Tuesday (8 October) to celebrate the vital contribution they make to patient care.
Published: 11 October 2013 |
|
Woking Children’s Centre Manager Sandra Scott and Administrator Sunita Kaur recently visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey to donate a cheque for £350.
Published: 14 October 2013 |
|
Researchers from Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Ann Gallagher, Reader in Nursing Ethics at the University of Surrey, are collaborating with Prof K Ota, Nursing Professor and Public Health Doctor, from the University of Nagoya in Japan in a research study designed to validate an International Patient Dignity Scale. The study is sponsored by TearLab Corporation.
Published: 17 October 2013 |
|
All six of the public and staff restaurants at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals have been given the top five-star food hygiene rating following inspections by local Environmental Health Inspectors.
Published: 17 October 2013 |
|
A new standing aid is bringing benefits to patients and staff on Holly Ward at St Peter's Hospital. When hospital volunteer Melanie Cumper heard Ward Manager Helen Young comment how useful it was to have a SARA STEDY standing aid for patients, she decided she was going to raise the money to buy one for the ward.
Published: 24 October 2013 |
|
Self-check-in for their appointments has become a reality for outpatients at Ashford Hospital and it will soon be introduced at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey too.
Published: 24 October 2013 |
|
In a report published today (24th October) by the Care Quality Commission, Ashford and St Peter’s has been rated in the lowest (i.e. best) ‘risk’ band for a number of important quality indicators. This report is based on a new process for monitoring quality in hospitals which relates to five key questions the CQC is asking all services as part of their new inspection regime – are they safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?
Published: 24 October 2013 |
|
A family from Ashford visited St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey to say a special thank you for the care provided by the neonatal team to their two children. Lucy and Tom Moore returned to the unit with their children Poppy, 3, and Harrison, 20 months, with a cheque for £2000 – raised by Tom’s adventure cycling from London to Paris over 3 days in July.
Published: 28 October 2013 |
|
Doctors at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are actively promoting the national ‘blood in pee’ campaign to local patients and the public.
Published: 31 October 2013 |
November
|
Last week, Trust Chief Executive Andrew Liles cut the ribbon to officially open Ashford Hospital’s new Tennyson Unit, bringing many of the Trust’s orthopaedic and therapy services together in one place for the benefit of patients. The new unit also represents a further regeneration of another part of Ashford Hospital, and brings together a number of experienced members of staff who between them have a long, shared history of working together at the hospital.
Published: 04 November 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals has just begun a 10 year programme to maintain and upgrade its imaging and x-ray facilities, bringing real improvements for patients and staff. The first step has been to refurbish one of the x-ray rooms and provide a brand new state-of-the-art C-arm fluoroscopy unit – which enables moving images inside the body to be projected on-screen to assist in surgical procedures - which was opened at the end of October by Trust Chairman Aileen McLeish and Chief Executive Officer of Philips Healthcare Deborah DiSanzo.
Published: 07 November 2013 |
|
A £1.7 million capital injection from the Department of Health’s Energy Efficiency fund will allow Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to make significant improvements to building management systems and give better ventilation and lighting in a number of areas at both hospital sites.
Published: 08 November 2013 |
|
The St Peter’s Hospital League of Friends have donated 450 special green bracelets to the breast care team to promote awareness of lymphoedema, which is a chronic (long-term) condition characterised by oedema or swelling of the arms or legs. It is caused by damage or disruption to the lymphatic system – for example the removal of lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery can put a patient at risk of developing lymphoedema in the affected arm.
Published: 14 November 2013 |
|
County visitors see how young offenders’ good work helps bereaved parents and stroke patients |
|
Mary Angell, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Children & Families and Nick Wilson, the Council’s Strategic Director for Children, Schools & Families visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey on Wednesday to see how memory boxes made by young offenders bring comfort to parents who are grieving for the loss of their baby.
Published: 21 November 2013 |
|
Ashford and St Peter’s fill hundreds of boxes with donations for Philippine typhoon victims |
|
There are 246 Filipino nurses at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and so when news of Typhoon Haiyan ‘hit’ the headlines the whole Trust rallied round. In under a week 225 large cardboard boxes were filled to capacity, taped up and individually labelled. Donations included rice, canned goods, toiletries, used and new clothes, shoes, blankets, towels, bottled water and medical supplies which were all checked prior to packaging.
Published: 21 November 2013 |
|
Mayor of Runnymede opens new Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit at St Peter’s Hospital |
|
On Monday 25th November, Cllr Yvonna Lay, Mayor of Runnymede, joined staff at St Peter’s Hospital to open the new Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit (AECU). It is located opposite the Accident and Emergency Department and being used for patients who do not need immediate medical attention and are unlikely to be admitted to hospital, but require further tests or observations before being discharged home.
Published: 25 November 2013 |
December
|
The Dr Foster Good Hospital Guide 2013, published this weekend, once again confirms low mortality rates at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. And this year the Trust has been named by Dr Foster as being one of the top performing hospitals for having low mortality rates including at the weekends.
Published: 09 December 2013 |
|
Results of a national survey published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) confirm that women are receiving a high standard of care at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals and that many aspects of the service have significantly improved since the last survey in 2010.
Published: 12 December 2013 |
