2009

December 2009

31st

• Chief Executive receives New Year's honour

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s Chief Executive Heather Lawrence has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to Healthcare.

22nd

• Chelsea FC brings Christmas cheer to children

  Chelsea players including Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien visited the children’s wards at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Tuesday 22 December to spread a little festive cheer.

18th

• Staff recognised at Christmas Cheer Awards

  Doctors, nurses and other staff at Chelsea and Westminster were the winners at the hospital’s Christmas Cheer Awards on Thursday December 17.

• Hospital staff spread festive cheer

  Staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital are spreading some Christmas cheer to patients who unfortunately have to spend the festive season in hospital rather than at home by adorning their wards and departments with colourful decorations.

16th

• Triplet parents donate £250,000 to baby unit

  The parents of triplets born 3 months early have raised more than £250,000 to thank staff at a London hospital whose expertise saved their babies' lives.

8th

• New look website

  More than 35,000 people already use our website each month to find out information about Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its services.

1st

• New look for Assisted Conception Unit

  Staff from the Assisted Conception Unit showcased their newly refurbished facilities at the UK’s first ever Fertility Show which was held at Olympia in early November.

• Staff and patients celebrate opening of admission lounge

  Patient Patricia Rowley had the honour of unveiling a plaque to officially open the Fry Surgical Admission Lounge at a ceremony held on 30 October.

• 56 Dean Street shortlisted for top design award

  56 Dean Street, the Trust’s HIV and sexual health centre in Soho, was recently shortlisted for a top international design award.

• Christmas Cheer—nominate your favourite staff member

  The Christmas Cheer Awards are an opportunity for patients to recognise the contribution of an individual staff member or a team by nominating them for an award.

• World AIDS Day

  The St Stephen’s Volunteers who provide information and support for patients with HIV/AIDS at Chelsea and Westminster, together with St. Stephens AIDS Trust who lead pioneering research into the disease, held a fundraising event in the hospital to mark World AIDS Day on Tuesday 1 December.

November 2009

30th

• Chelsea and Westminster named among safest hospitals in England

  An independent healthcare survey published today (Monday 30 November) has named Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as one of the best performing hospitals in England for patient safety.

27th

• MRCPCH Clinical Course—Chelsea Clinical Course

  Applications are now open for the Chelsea Clinical Course for clinicians preparing to sit the MRCPCH Part 2 Clinical Examination or DCH Clinical Examination.

October 2009

26th

• Hospital staff encouraged to get swine flu vaccine

  Doctors, nurses and other frontline clinical staff at Chelsea and Westminster are being urged to get vaccinated against swine flu to protect themselves, their patients and staff colleagues.

• Acid attack survivor pays tribute to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

  A model and aspiring TV presenter who was the victim of a vicious acid attack has paid tribute to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital staff who saved her life and who are now helping to rebuild her face.

15th

• Chelsea and Westminster is ‘Excellent’ in NHS performance ratings

  The Care Quality Commission, the independent health watchdog in England, published ratings for all NHS trusts in England in October 2009—every trust was given 1 of 4 possible scores ranging from ‘Weak’ (worst) to ‘Excellent’ (best) for both Quality of services and Quality of financial management.

August 2009

17th

• Sainsbury’s chooses hospital Charity as Local Charity of the Year

  Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity has been selected as the Local Charity of the Year by the Sainsbury’s stores on Beaufort Street/Fulham Road and Cromwell Road.

• Annual Members’ Meeting

  Several hundred Foundation Trust members, including many staff, attended Chelsea and Westminster’s Annual Members’ Meeting on Thursday 16 September.

• Paediatrics team shortlisted for major national award

  Congratulations to the Paediatrics team at Chelsea and Westminster who have been shortlisted in the Patient Centred Care category of this year’s Health Service Journal Awards.

• Children’s nurse wins top award

  Lin Graham-Ray, Nurse Consultant for Looked-After Children, has won the Child Health category of the Nursing Standard Nurse Awards 2009.

July 2009

29th

• Swine flu—advice for patients and the public

  Patients are being asked to follow official NHS advice if they experience the symptoms of possible swine flu.

8th

• Support the neonatal and paediatric units

  Join the Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity London Duathlon on Sunday 13 September in Richmond Park, and help to raise money for the neonatal and paediatric units at the hospital.

• Research & Development Open Day

  The Trust’s annual Research & Development Open Day was held on 24 June with more than 200 visitors taking part.

• Infection control inspection passed with flying colours

  Chelsea and Westminster has been given a clean bill of health by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an unannounced inspection in May to assess whether the Trust adequately protects patients, staff and others from infections.

• The 25 Year Club

  Nine employees from Chelsea and Westminster have celebrated becoming official members of the 25 Year Club which recognises and rewards long service.

3rd

• Got flu? Stay at home

  Patients are being asked to follow official NHS advice if they experience the symptoms of possible swine flu.

June 2009

12th

• Loraine meets Health Minister to back campaign

  Loraine Pearce, Maternity Bereavement Facilitator, met Health Minister Ann Keen MP to discuss the Why 17? Campaign which aims to reduce the number of preventable deaths—17 babies die every single day in the UK.

• Stroke services among best in the country

  The latest National Sentinel Stroke Audit has ranked stroke services at Chelsea and Westminster as the third best in the country—congratulations to all staff who help provide such excellent care to stroke patients.

• Research & Development Open Day—Wednesday 24 June, 10am–4pm

  The annual Research & Development Open Day is an opportunity for staff, patients and the local community to find out how patients’ lives are being improved by research at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

• The future of children’s services is at Chelsea and Westminster

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is set to become the lead centre for neonatal and specialist paediatric surgery in North West London following a recommendation by the North West London Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts.

May 2009

• Bringing Sexual Health Services into the 21st century

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital's new state-of-the-art sexual health centre named and located at 56 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 6AQ, was officially opened by Lord Darzi, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health, today.

11th

• Sophie Ellis-Bextor opens hospital maternity unit

  Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor opened The Kensington Wing—the newly expanded and revamped private maternity unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital—during the hospital’s annual Open Day on Saturday 9 May.

April 2009

28th

• Hospital school receives glowing report from Ofsted

  The Chelsea Children’s Hospital School has been rated as outstanding in its efforts to promote equality amongst students, following a recent Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) inspection.

• Swine flu preparedness—important information for patients and the public

  The NHS is working with the Health Protection Agency to monitor the current situation in Mexico, and any risk to the UK - for the most up to date information and advice please visit www.hpa.org.uk.

• Fundraise for your hospital!

  It’s that time of year again! The Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity London Duathlon is open for registration and the Charity needs your help to make the 2009 team a fundraising success.

• Trust launches DVDs to help children prepare for hospital

  Chelsea and Westminster has developed two DVDs for children and young people to watch before they come to hospital to show them a little of what to expect and help them prepare for their visit.

27th

• Plans to expand children’s services unveiled

  The Trust has submitted an application for planning permission to build an extension which will help create a brand new centre for children’s services.

2nd

• Join our Patients’ Panel—give us your views on your hospital

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is launching a Patients’ Panel to ensure that the views of our patients about their hospital are heard loud and clear.

March 2009

3rd

• Support our stroke services—BACK THE BID!

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is launching a major public campaign urging patients and members of the public and staff to back our bid to be a specialist ‘hyper-acute’ stroke unit (HASU) as well as a local stroke unit and a TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack) centre.

• Parents donate £10,000 in memory of baby son

  A couple whose baby son lost his brave fight for life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital have raised £10,000 for the unit to thank the staff who cared for him.

• Spring Seasonal Working Conference—Friday 27 March

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Seasonal Working Conferences enable staff working across the hospital to hear about new developments to improve patient care—and to share their experiences and ideas.

• Our very own Children’s Champion

  Denise Watson, Paediatric Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Practitioner at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, has been shortlisted for a News of the World Children’s Champion Award.

• New sexual health centre opens

  The Trust’s new sexual health centre—56 Dean Street—opened its doors to patients for the first time on Monday 2 March.

February 2009

20th

• Relocation of David Erskine & Edgar Horne wards Important information for patients and visitors

  David Erskine Ward (4th Floor, Lift Bank D) and Edgar Horne Ward (4th Floor, Lift Bank C) are swapping locations to improve the quality of care provided for patients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

13th

• Hospital heroes honoured

  London’s heaviest snowfall in almost 20 years may have stopped the capital’s buses in their tracks but Chelsea and Westminster Hospital maintained urgent and emergency services thanks to the determination and dedication of staff.

11th

• Maternity services at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

  Women and their families may have seen recent media coverage about the temporary closures of maternity units at NHS hospitals due to a shortage of staff or beds—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was mentioned.

3rd

• Update—disruption to services due to severe weather conditions

  Due to the severe weather conditions we are not able to operate all our services as normal although we expect to be fully operational tomorrow.

• 56 Dean Street—Chelsea and Westminster’s new sexual health centre

  The Victoria Clinic for HIV and Sexual Health, currently located at the South Westminster Centre for Health, 82 Vincent Square, SW1P 2PF, will be moving to new, larger state-of the-art premises in Dean Street, Soho on Monday 2 March 2009.

2nd

• Disruption to services due to severe weather conditions

  Due to the severe weather conditions and the effect on services at the hospital we are concentrating on treatment for emergency and urgent patients.

January 2009

22nd

• Trust announces education and research partnership

  Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has established a new education and research partnership with the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London and the Faculty of Health at London South Bank University.

20th

• Former stroke sufferer supports patients

  Amanda Pitt-Brown knows only too well the devastating impact that a stroke can have on someone’s life.

• Sexual health DVD shortlisted for national award

  A sexual health DVD involving staff from the Trust’s West London Centre for Sexual Health (WLCSH) has been shortlisted for the UK Sexual Health Project of the Year Award.

• Godfrey says thank you for son’s ‘excellent’ care

  Some of the hospital’s youngest patients received some surprise Christmas presents thanks to a special fundraising event organised by a grateful parent.

13th

• Don’t go to A&E unless absolutely necessary

  Following advice from the Health Protection Agency, NHS Kensington and Chelsea is asking patients not to go to the Emergency Department (ED) unless absolutely necessary.