Film, theatre and television actress Maureen Lipman CBE officially opened the event and took part in an interview on Hospital Radio for those patients that couldn't be involved in the festivities on the day.

Particular highlights included tours of Pluto, our brand new £1million robot for keyhole surgery on babies and children, the ever popular teddy bear hospital, on the spot health tests and the career zone for budding NHS workers.

In photos

• Patient constituency—one seat
• Public constituency—one seat from each of the following constituencies:
• Hammersmith and Fulham area 1
• Kensington and Chelsea area 1
• Staff constituency—one seat from the following class:
• Management

The deadline for Foundation Trust members to nominate themselves for election is 24 May.

Ballot papers will be posted to members registered in these constituencies on 13 June. The deadline for completed voting papers to be received by the Returning Officer is 4 July with the results published on this website on 8 July.

Chairman Professor Sir Christopher Edwards said: “The Council of Governors is a vital decision making part of our organisation, helping us make sure that the decisions we make around care reflect the health and well-being needs of the communities we serve.

“Being a Councillor is not a time consuming role but the impact you could make as an involved and active member of the Chelsea and Westminster team could be tremendous for your community.

“If you are interested then I’d encourage you to read the Governors Pack we have prepared especially for this election to give you a better insight into the role that you could play in helping to shape healthcare at your local hospital.”

For any queries relating to election process, please contact Vida Djelic, Interim Foundation Trust Secretary, on 20 3315 6716 or vida.djelic@chelwest.nhs.uk.

Chelsea and Westminster's M@D project won the Improvement in Patient Safety award.

'Improving Medication Reconciliation at Discharge—Closing the Loop' project is a quality improvement initiative lead by a core team of Chelsea and Westminster patients, consultants and pharmacists and involves a wider multidisciplinary team. M@D is jointly supported by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research (CLAHRC) North West London.

Poor communication about medication changes when patients leave hospital and move into the community care can cause significant harm. At Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, improvement in the quality of discharge information about medication changes has improved patient safety, reduced medication errors and improved patient experience.

Dean Street at Home, an HIV home testing service pioneered by 56 Dean Street, Chelsea and Westminster's HIV and sexual health clinic in Soho, won the Transforming Patient Care Using Technology award.

Dean Street at Home is a collaboration between 56 Dean Street, the social networking website Gaydar and the online medical service DrThom. 56 Dean was the first NHS clinic to offer HIV home testing.

Gaydar sends an instant message to 800 of its 120,000 registered users in the Zone 1 Travelcard area each day. Users complete an online pre-test discussion and are then offered a free HIV home testing kit from DrThom via the dedicated website.

Patients who test negative get a text message from DrThom giving them the good news while patients whose results indicate a possible positive are contacted directly by the expert team of health advisers at 56 Dean Street for further tests and advice.

Saturday 11 May marks the 7th open day and last year more than 2,000 people attended the event—we hope to encourage more people than ever to come and take part.

Not to be missed activities taking place from 11am-3pm include:

• The teddy bear hospital where children can bring their teddies for a check over by junior doctors
• Other children’s activities including face painting, making plaster finger puppets and the giggle doctors who will bring magic and laughter to children on the day
• Health MOTs including measuring BMI levels, glucose levels, carbon monoxide testing for smokers and blood glucose tests
• A career zone to give recruitment advice about how to join the NHS team
• Live music entertainment
• Quizzes with great prizes to be won
• Behind the scenes tours of the hospital, including our new treatment centre and the Chelsea Children’s Hospital
• An exclusive look at our brand new robot for keyhole surgery on babies and children. The state-of-art surgical robot, which cost over £1 million, was bought thanks to the Children's Hospital Trust Fund Charity's Pluto Appeal fundraising campaign

Tony Bell, Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to be opening our doors to people and families from across the Boroughs which allows us showcase the excellent services our dedicated staff provide to patients each day.

“The day is a really fun way for families to spend a Saturday but also learn more about their health (and that of their teddies)! By providing tests and advice we hope to support people in taking more responsibility for their health and, by diagnosing problems early, help prevent complications that could lead to avoidable hospital care. We encourage as many people as possible to come along and get to know one of the most friendly and high performing hospitals in the country.”

Maureen Lipman said: “The last time I opened something at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital it was a machine for zapping kidney stones into smithereens. Just think, in those ten years, how many men have been spared the nearest thing to the pain of childbirth. Today we show our gratitude for this and so many other features and improvements to celebrate in this great local, London hospital.”

Photo (above):

Photo (right): Mr Munther Haddad at the controls of the da Vinci Surgical System

The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund has purchased the UK’s first surgical robot to be used solely for surgery on babies and children.

The state-of-art surgical robot, which cost over £1 million, was bought thanks to the charity’s Pluto Appeal fundraising campaign. The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund has kindly donated the robot to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, which sees 85,000 babies and children from all over South East England through its doors every year.

Babies and children at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital will benefit from having the most advanced surgical technique in the world—the da Vinci robotic system. The da Vinci robot will allow surgeons at the hospital to perform intricate surgery on babies and children with greater precision, quicker recovery times and smaller scars. Robotic surgery is much less invasive than traditional surgery and also achieves quicker patient recovery and shorter hospital stays for patients.

There are currently 300 hundred da Vinci robots in the USA and The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund hopes that by giving Chelsea and Westminster Hospital the surgical robot it will lead the way for other hospitals in the UK. The da Vinci robot will enable Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to secure its position as a leading paediatric centre, training and research hospital and to become a national and international training and teaching centre for paediatric robotic surgery.

Mr Munther Haddad, Chair of The Children's Hospital Trust Fund and Senior Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital said: “We are delighted to be bringing this cutting-edge technology to children in the South of England.  The benefits of having surgery performed using the da Vinci robot for our young patients will be immense. Buying the robot is the first step as we still need to buy additional equipment. The charity will continue to raise money—donations can be made at www.theplutoappeal.com.”

Munther Haddad continues: “Our vision is to expand our existing programme of minimally-invasive surgery in children. We are looking to establish a centre of excellence at Chelsea Children’s Hospital for minimally-invasive surgery, innovation and robotics which would provide world-class education, research and simulation training for paediatric surgeons globally.”

Tony Bell, Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are honoured to be the only hospital in the UK to be able to perform robotic surgery with equipment tailored to the unique health needs of babies and children. On behalf of the 85,000 children we see each year I’d like to thank The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund for their tireless fundraising work that has made this happen.”

“The robot is one of the major investments being made to our children’s service which includes the Chelsea Children’s Hospital. We look forward to providing our patients with the most advanced surgical care, which we believe will improve their results and give families a better hospital experience. We are looking to develop our training and research endeavours relating to children’s robotic surgery and hope to share our experience with clinical colleagues in the future.”

Rebecca McLoughlin of The Children's Hospital Trust Fund said: “We are really proud to be part of such an historic event for London and of the role we have played in enabling Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to become the first centre in the UK to offer robotically-assisted surgery exclusively for babies and children. We are extremely grateful to all our donors who have done so much to make this become a reality.”

Global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline supported The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund’s Pluto Appeal with a £500,000 donation in 2012. Katie Pinnock, Director of UK Corporate Contributions, said: “We are thrilled to have been able to help The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund bring the da Vinci robot to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. We are committed to supporting innovations in healthcare, particularly those using the latest scientific advances to improve the quality of care for patients.”

Jason Bradbury, (The Gadget Show), Patron for The Pluto Appeal said: “Helping to buy Pluto the Robot is the most important project I’ve ever been involved with and so I'm thrilled that it’s now become a reality and many children and babies will have a better surgical outcome as a result.”

As well as national awards for patient safety, quality of care and data quality, CHKS celebrates excellence amongst its clients across the UK. The 40Top award is based on the evaluation of 22 key performance indicators covering safety, clinical effectiveness, health outcomes, efficiency, patient experience and quality of care.

Jason Harries, managing director, CHKS said: “We are delighted that Chelsea and Westminster  is one of our 40Top Hospitals for 2013. These awards recognise outstanding performance in 22 areas which we believe are critical to delivering good patient care.”

Patients on the Nell Gwynne stroke unit are benefiting from therapy of a different kind.

Every Wednesday Humphrey, the standard long-haired Dachshund, spends the morning in the day room where patients can visit him for a therapy session.

Humphrey belongs to Chelsea and Westminster volunteer Amanda Pitt-Brown, who has been a patient on Nell Gwynne herself.

Amanda joined the Pets As Therapy (PAT) charity, who organise animals to visit hospitals, nursing homes and special needs schools, among others.

Amanda decided to register Humphrey as there is such a long waiting list for PAT animals.

To become a PAT dog Humphrey's temperament and personality had to be tested.

Testing included seeing how Humphrey coped with loud noises, objects being thrown near him and even having his tail pulled.

Humphrey's visits are run through the Therapies department.

Therapy assistant Kristy Monkhouse had always known about PAT and on joining the stroke rehab team thought it would be especially suited to those recovering from a stroke.

Kristy says: "Animals don't judge and give affection unconditionally. Humphrey can help with speech and language rehab generating conversation and automatic responses, as well as physical rehab through stroking and brushing him.

"One of the most important benefits is the emotional wellbeing Humphrey brings our patients, as they can become depressed following a stroke and animals can help.

"Humphrey picks up on the emotion of our patients."

Patients complete different exercises with Humphrey depending on their needs.

For example practicing saying 'sit' and 'come here' or clipping on his lead for dexterity.

Kristy concluded: "We are very lucky to have Amanda, it has worked out perfectly with Humphrey."

Russ Hargreaves (Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Manager) has been humbled while looking back at the centre’s achievements: “The centre has not only survived but has thrived through the enormous generosity of a small number of dedicated volunteers. These people turn up week in and week out, offering their valuable time and skills to cancer patients and their relatives.

During this time, the centre has been awarded a Quality Environment Mark and was the recipient of one of the first Governors’ Quality Awards for making a significant improvement in patient care.

Russ Hargreaves continues: “We have welcomed thousands of visitors, regardless of whether they are a patient of Chelsea and Westminster. Indeed, many of our service users come to us from the Royal Marsden and Charing Cross Hospitals.

“Wherever someone has been affected by cancer, be they a patient, carer or member of staff, we have always tried our best to relieve some of the enormous stresses and strains of a cancer diagnosis”.

We have also established a busy Welfare and Benefits Advice Clinic and have secured more than £36,000 in grants for patients.

As one visitor put it: “The team helped and continues to help me and my partner through counselling and complementary therapies. The service is a valuable and much-needed part of my life following my partner’s death 18 months ago. I wouldn’t be so brave if I didn’t have your support.”

The centre continues to grow and develop, expanding its counselling services and branching out with a new room on the newly built Kobler Daycare unit, ensuring we reach as many cancer patients as possible.

There were nearly 1000 nominations across the 19 categories this year. Fifteen of the award categories were nominated by staff, one category was chosen by patients and there were two special awards selected by the Council of Governors and the Chief Executive.

Katie gave an inspirational speech ahead of the awards which struck a chord with everyone present and described how important every member of staff is and the difference they make to patients.

The most emotional category of the evening was the Chief Executive's Special Award. Chief Executive Tony Bell chose an individual and a team to receive an award this year. The individual winner was Edgar Horne Ward Manager Sian Davies, who nearly missed the ceremony as she had stayed late on her nursing shift to care for a patient who needed extra attention.

The Chief Executive's team award went to the A&E and Patient Flow team who ensure patients are treated quickly and effectively in A&E, are cared for on the right ward at the right time and are discharged efficiently.

The Chief Executive announced on the night that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was the best performing Trust in the country for meeting the 4 hour A&E waiting time target during 2012/13 so there was extra reason for celebration.

The 2013 Star Award winners were:

Staff Choice awards
Healthcare Assistant of the Year Ashley Wynne-Sutton	Educator/Mentor of the Year Dawn Grant, Lead Nurse for HCA Development
Volunteer of the Year Rita Spackman, Friends Patient Support Volunteer	Researcher of the Year Marcela Vizcaychipi, Consultant (Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine)
Diagnostic and Allied Health Professional of the Year Barry Crane, Physiotherapist	Support Services Star of the Year Matt Guilfoyle, Workforce and ESR Manager
Facilities Services Star of the Year Joaquim Pereira, Cleaner (Saturn Ward)	Manager of the Year Sarah Buckland, Service Manager (Medicine)
Midwife of the Year Mog Hunter	Nurse of the Year Emer Bouanem, Clinical Nurse Specialist (Trauma & Orthopaedics)
Senior Nurse of the Year Gary Artiss, Charge Nurse (Palliative Care)	Doctor of the Year Dr Stefano Maccario, Paediatric Registrar (collected by colleague Rachael Welsby)
Outstanding Leadership Award Melanie Guinan, Matron (Children's Services)	Improving the Patient Experience Award Dr Iñaki Bovill, Consultant, Elderly Care in Medicine and General Internal Medicine
Team of the Year Mercury Ward

Patient Choice Award	Council of Governors Special Award
Dermatology Team	Joseph Mutesva Technical Engineer (Clinical Engineering)

Chief Executive's Special Award
Individual Sian Davies, Ward Manager (Edgar Horne Ward)	Team A&E Target/Flow Team

Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted for an award and to the very worthy winners. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination for this year's Star Awards and making the judging very tough.

Thank you to our sponsors

A huge thank you to our main sponsors Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity who made this event possible.

We would also like to thank the following companies, contractors and organisations that have generously sponsored prizes for our individual and team award winners:

• Being given privacy when being seen in the A&E department
• Being involved in decisions made about care and treatment
• Having questions about their operation answered
• Receiving all doctors letters throughout the course of treatment
• Being given information about on-going care after leaving hospital

There are areas where the survey results suggest we could improve and this year we will focus on making sure that specific information about possible complications is given to all patients upon discharge.

Since the survey took place last September we have already focused on improving the support that nurses provide to inpatients by introducing comfort rounds on wards, where patients are asked by a nurse whether they need any support or assistance every two hours or less. We believe that this positive development will be reflected in the 2013 results.

Chief nurse Thérèse Davis said: “We are committed to using patient feedback to ensure all patients receive an excellent service from the Chelsea and Westminster team. In addition to the annual inpatient survey, we measure the number of patients recommending the hospital to friends and family on a monthly basis and the latest results show that 95% of patients would recommend Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a place to receive excellent NHS care.

“It’s heartening that patients are telling us through these annual survey results that we provide a good standard of care and experience to them, but we can always do better.

“There are areas where we need to improve and these are being addressed through an action plan, monitored at Trust Board level. We believe that investments we will make this year to both facilities and clinical staffing will show even greater improvement in the 2013 results.

“We would like to encourage those given the opportunity to participate in the survey to do so as a larger response rate will provide us with more representative feedback that we can use to improve the service we deliver to future patients.”

One of the most advanced virtual training systems has arrived at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

The new £90k LapSim Haptic System is one of the first of the new generation of haptic simulators (simulators that provide touch feedback) to be used in the NHS in England.

The simulators enable trainees to carry out virtual operations on their own and ‘feel’ the organs.

Mr Simon Clarke, Paediatric Surgery Lead, says: “The new virtual reality system will initially be used to teach paediatric surgical trainees laparoscopic surgery.

“In future it is likely to be extended to other surgical specialities as more and more software is added.

“The system has validated courses built in where progress can be monitored, as well as videos of actual procedures.

“The simulated operations then can form part of a scenario in theatre and allows us to explore some of the complications that, thankfully, we rarely see, but are so essential to training.”

Jan Boe, Business Development Manager from LapSim manufacturer Surgical Science, says, “The whole point is to train younger surgeons so they can get up to the required skill levels faster, and keep training away from live patients.”

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is the centre for paediatric surgery for North West London and provides simulation training for London and the South East.

The system is part of the London Deanery’s and NHS London’s Simulation and Technology-enhanced Learning Initiative (STeLI) which promotes the use of powerful educational technologies.

Following an options appraisal process, West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust Board have agreed that Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust are the preferred bidder to explore a potential partnership to achieve Foundation Trust status.

In February West Middlesex announced that under NHS North West London’s Shaping a Healthier Future programme it has been chosen to become a major hospital. As a major hospital the Trust can look forward to significant investments in facilities and staffing, expanding a number of existing services including accident and emergency and its award winning maternity service. This is good news for the long term future of the Trust.

In a joint statement Chief Executive Dame Jacqueline Docherty and Chairman Tom Hayhoe said: “Over the coming months we will work closely with Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust to submit a Strategic Outline Case to the NHS Trust Development Authority for approval to develop a Full Business Case. This is a significant step in securing a vibrant future for the West Middlesex site as a major provider of services to our local residents.

“Ahead of any formal approval of this process, we remain committed to delivering high quality clinical services whilst the partnership option is explored.  This includes delivering the recommendations of the Shaping a Healthier Future programme in conjunction with our commissioners and local health and social care providers.  We also look forward to continuing our long standing collaborative relationship with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with whom we share many joint clinical appointments.

“On behalf of the Trust Board, we would both like to thank everyone who has been involved in our journey to date and we hope that through this partnership we will secure a bright future for our hospital and the community.”

Tony Bell, Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am delighted that Chelsea and Westminster has been selected as the  preferred bidder. Both organisations are passionate about innovation and enhancing services for patients. A future partnership offers the potential to build on the high quality care that we currently deliver and develop our services in an innovative and integrated way for our patients. I look forward to working with the West Middlesex team to take the proposals to the next stage and conducting a further analysis of the opportunities.”

Mark Davies, Chief Executive at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We fully support the decision by West Middlesex to choose Chelsea and Westminster as their preferred partner moving forward. The process used to make this decision has been both rigorous and fair, and we are grateful to West Middlesex for their honesty and professionalism throughout.

“We would like to take this opportunity to wish West Middlesex and Chelsea and Westminster every success as they move forward with this partnership and look forward to working with them in the future.

“Imperial has been providing highly specialist care with excellent outcomes for West Middlesex’s patients for a number of years. We look forward to working with Chelsea and Westminster to ensure West Middlesex’s patients continue to receive these high levels of care.”

Dr Nicola Burbidge, Chair of Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “Hounslow CCG will continue to support West Middlesex University Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster as they develop a case to determine whether a partnership can deliver further improvement in healthcare for local Hounslow residents and secure Foundation Trust status for the site. We are delighted that West Middlesex has been designated a major hospital and this will provide a firm foundation on which this partnership can develop.”

Andrew Smith, Chair of Richmond CCG, said: "Richmond CCG is keen to work with the West Middlesex and Chelsea and Westminster to explore how partnership may secure a high quality, safe and effective future for the West Middlesex to achieve Foundation Trust status and continue to support the care needs of the residents of the borough of Richmond."

Chelsea and Westminster’s Female Genital Mutilation service won the Brook Adult Sexual Health Service of the Year award at the 2013 UK Sexual Health Awards.

The entry was submitted on behalf of the West London Centre for Sexual Health in partnership with the West London African Women’s Service.

56 Dean Street, our sexual health clinic in Soho, also had two services shortlisted in the same category—Dean Street at Home, the HIV home testing service, and CliniQ, the sexual health clinic for people from the Trans community.

West London African Women’s Service has since been shortlisted for a 2013 Care integration Award in the ‘Women’s Health’ category. Winners will be announced in July.

The meeting will be held in the Hospital Boardroom, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust,
369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH.

Details of the agenda can be viewed here.

On Mother’s Day, Kiehl’s and The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund honour some of London’s bravest mothers.

The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund witnesses on a daily basis the most inspiring, bravest and loving of mothers by their children’s bedside at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. This is why they are making sure these mums are not forgotten this Sunday and are giving them gift bags of toiletries donated by luxury cosmetics brand Kiehl’s.

A Kiehl’s spokesperson said: “We are delighted to be making this possible and hope that this small token will make the mothers realise how much they are appreciated, especially at such a difficult time.”

Rebecca McLoughlin from The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund said: “Having been through the experience of having a child ill in hospital myself, I know how difficult it is to make time for yourself.  We hope that the Mother’s Day gift from Kiehl’s will provide mums with an opportunity to take some time out from this very trying time.”

For more information on the work of The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund, visit www.chtrustfund.org.uk. To contact the charity call 020 3315 8956 or email chtf@chelwest.nhs.uk.

The trust scored 3.87 from a possible score of five which puts the trust among the top five of London’s acute trusts.

From the survey responses, the percentage of staff reporting good communication between senior management and staff was the highest nationally for the second consecutive year.

More than 66% of staff responded to the survey which was the highest response rate of all acute trusts in London.

Of the 28 key findings, the Trust scored among the top 20% of trusts nationally for 14. These included the number of staff who were willing to recommend the Trust as a place to work or receive treatment and the percentage of staff feeling satisfied with the quality of work and patient care they are able to deliver.

The report is structured around the four national pledges to staff in the NHS Constitution and two additional themes of staff satisfaction and equality & diversity.

She will take over from Dr Mike Anderson who steps down from the role of Medical Director after 10 years in post.

Miss Penn is currently Divisional Medical Director for Women, Neonatal, Children & Young People, HIV, GUM & Dermatology Services and is a Consultant Obstetrician by background. She has been a consultant with the Trust for 17 years, during which time she has held a number of positions including Clinical Lead for Gynaecology and Clinical Director for Women and Children’s Services.

Chief Executive Tony Bell said, “This is a high profile role within the Trust which attracted a large number of candidates. I would like to congratulate Zoë on her appointment and wish her every success. The Trust has a strong reputation for high quality care and Zoë has demonstrated through her longstanding commitment to the organisation that she is capable of meeting all the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Mike for his significant contribution as Medical Director. Mike will continue to work as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Trust.”

Photo: Dr Iñaki Bovill and Shirley Kuo

On 27 February Chelsea and Westminster held the second Medicine for Members event of 2013.

The seminar, on ‘Managing your medicines’, was presented by Dr Iñaki Bovill (Consultant in Medicine for the Elderly) and Shirley Kuo (Clinical Pharmacist).

The topic proved popular with 33 people attending with many questions from the audience after the presentation.

Feedback from those who attended was very positive with 100% of respondents ‘agreeing’ or ‘strongly agreeing’ that they found the event useful.

The Medicine for Members schedule for the rest of 2013 is currently being agreed. Please check back for details.

Moving forward, the Friends and Family Test will use a new scoring system which was introduced by the Department of Health to demonstrate the ‘very best’ achieving hospitals in England.

The score calculates a proportion of patients who would strongly recommend the hospital minus those who would not recommend it, or who are indifferent.

Hospitals will score between -100 and +100 and a score greater than zero means that patients would recommend the hospital (the higher the score the better).

Chelsea and Westminster’s score for January was 13.

It was a full house for the Medicine for Members seminar on End of Life Care, which took place on Tuesday 19 February.

Chelsea and Westminster Palliative Care Consultant Dr Sarah Cox gave a sensitive presentation covering a variety of aspects about end of life care. The evening concluded with an active question and answer session.

Feedback from attendees showed that 93% people found the seminar useful and 91% would recommend future Medicine for Members events. There were also some very positive comments including:

• “Dr Cox’s dealing with questions was brilliant—she is obviously an outstandingly, caring and empathetic doctor.”
• “Dr Cox was excellent at answering questions and putting our fears to rest.”
• “I found Dr Cox’s presentation very clear, reassuring and informative. Can she please be in charge for me and my family.”

The next Medicine for Members seminar is on ‘Managing your Medicines’ and takes place at 5:30pm on Wednesday 27 February. There are a handful of places still available on this seminar—if you would like to reserve a place please email medicine4members@chelwest.nhs.uk or call 020 3315 6829.

Sheena Patel (Specialist Anticoagulation Pharmacist), Dr Helen Yarranton (Consultant Haematologist) and Mr Amer Raza (Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist) were awarded the ‘Best Obstetrics Venous Thromboembolism Prevention' on 4 February 2013 at the National Lifeblood VTE Awards.

Lifeblood, the thrombosis charity,and its awards partners, the All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group and the NHS Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention Programme, understand the challenges in delivering sustainable improvements in VTE prevention and believe that the most innovative, impactful initiatives and individuals deserve to be recognised and rewarded.

Lifeblood recognised the team’s multifaceted approach and exemplary leadership, dedication and ambition to strive for excellence and improve patient safety within the Obstetrics department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and their aim to reduce venous thromboembolism events.

Some of the changes and innovations undertaken by the team included:

• An electronic VTE risk assessment specific for pregnant women with pop-up alerts and a training video on how to complete risk assessments
• A comprehensive obstetrics anticoagulation pocket guide covering VTE management
• Awareness and best practice in the use of anti-embolism stockings via posters displayed in clinical areas on the measuring, application and monitoring of anti-embolism stockings
• Specific patient information on VTE for pregnant women and how they can reduce their chance of developing blood clots
• Obstetric VTE ward rounds with summary reports circulated to the department on findings and improvements

The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT)—which consists of North West London PCTs, Camden PCT, Richmond PCT and Wandsworth PCT—voted on Tuesday 19 February to go ahead with Option A following a meeting held in public on NHS North West London's Shaping a healthier future recommendations.

Proceeding with Option A means Chelsea and Westminster Hospital will continue as both a major and local hospital with a full 24/7 A&E department with emergency surgery.  It also enables the hospital to provide a comprehensive service to patients including the delivery of complex medicine and surgery, intensive care beds, maternity unit, inpatient paediatric services, urgent care centre, outpatients and diagnostic services.

As well as Chelsea and Westminster, the other four major hospitals in North West London will be Northwick Park Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital, West Middlesex Hospital, and St Mary's Hospital.

The JCPCT agreed with all 13 recommendations on the future of health services including investing more than £190m on out-of-hospital care. More details on the decision can be found on Shaping a healthier future website. The final report and recommendations are also available.

The reconfiguration plans will be developed over the next five years.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign. The results of the public consultation were announced on 28 November 2012—63% of people who responded to the consultation supported Option A. That figure rose to 83% with your responses and demonstrates the difference you made.

• View the full Ipsos MORI report on the public consultation (PDF)

ISS says every step has been taken to ensure the integrity of its food chain and it will be maintaining a high level of contact with all of its suppliers who are working closely with the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

There are three suppliers of beef products to the hospital. All have given the following assurances over their products.

• Catering company Apetito—the hospital’s supplier of ready meals for patients—has carried out DNA tests on its products and all test results were clear. It is carrying out extensive and ongoing DNA testing of beef raw materials and finished products.
• Food firm 3663—which supplies ready meals for our restaurant—has confirmed that it does not stock any Findus meat products or trade with companies named as sources of the horse meat.
• Maple Fine Foods—­which supplies our Halal dishes—says none of its products have been affected by the use of horse meat. Its supply chain is audited and continuously monitored to ensure complete traceability of all meat.

Two runners are taking on the challenge of the London Marathon in April to raise money for The Pluto Appeal—a fundraising drive by the Children’s Hospital Trust Fund to buy London's first robot to perform delicate and complex operations on children and babies.

Both runners have personal reasons for taking part—Will Sherwood is a consultant paediatric surgeon at Chelsea and Westminster and will be one of the surgeons trained to use the new robotic surgical system. James Kelly is a parent of a child who needed surgery at the hospital, and his wife Jacqui is a paediatric nurse at the Trust.

Together they have already raised more than £4,500 for the Pluto Appeal and are keen to raise more to help reach the target of £1.5m to buy the system.

To make a donation please visit their Just Giving pages:

• James Kelly
• Will Sherwood

You can also show your support by attending a fundraising event at the Hollywood Arms, Hollywood Road, SW10 on Thursday 21 February at 7pm. There will be live music and you can hear Will’s thoughts about Pluto and why he’s taking on the challenge of the London Marathon.

The Pluto Appeal has raised more than £1m to date and another £470,000 is needed.

Women living with HIV are often underrepresented in patient forums. To address this on the 6 February the HIV Patient Forum held its first open evening for women living with HIV in London. The aim was to provide information on a range of women’s health topics and to engage women in the development of our future services so they better meet their needs.

A diverse group of 28 women of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences came from across London and the neighbouring counties. They attended three workshops, run by health professionals from Chelsea and Westminster—Dr Sara Day, Ms Zoe Sheppard, Dr Naomi Low-Beer, Ms Sarah Dermont and Ms Jane Bruton, and Ms Angelina Namiba from Positively UK. The workshops addressed issues of conception, pregnancy planning, sexual health and the menopause.

The evening was a great success. Perhaps the biggest achievement was the degree of interaction and warmth shown by the women, a large proportion of whom have tackled this stigmatising disease alone for many years. Feedback from the women who attended was extremely positive:

• “Many thanks for organising this really useful and informative event”
• “It was all very interesting and helpful even if not directly applicable to my current situation. PLEASED, you made me go through all three workshops—I would have missed out otherwise!”
• “It was very informative—it exceeded anything I thought. I enjoyed it and hope to come again. I learned about new methods and other health advice that I will implement in my lifestyle to further improve my health and well-being.”
• “Absolutely brilliant—you were all fantastic! So interesting and informative. Nice that something is done for women.”
• “Educational and informative. Clear, funny, interactive. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleased with this forum.”
• “I didn’t know what to expect. I worried perhaps some of this wouldn’t apply to me after looking at the poster (I’m past having babies) but I’m so glad I attended.”

The majority of the women felt the evening met their expectations, with their main criticism being not having enough time!

The women felt that all sessions provided them with information they didn’t previously know, which was helpful to everyday living. The women also gave suggestions for other topics they would like to learn more about.

Almost all women said they would want to attend more events similar to this one and were keen to maintain contact with one another.

The women’s enthusiasm and desire for further events has highlighted the importance of the HIV Patient Forum. Not only as a provider for women’s health and information needs, but also as a much needed social resource to provide emotional support for HIV positive women facing similar challenges in their lives.

Vivien Bell (Head of Maternity) submitted a bid in December and it was announced at the end of January that the Trust has been successful in securing £274,000.

The environments in which women give birth can have a big impact on the overall experience for both mothers and fathers. The funds will go towards building ensuite bathroom facilities in the Birthing Unit room and Postnatal Ward.

There will also be improvements made to the bereavement facilities on the unit making the bereavement room more homely and comfortable for families.

The funding will also go towards purchasing birthing pools for the new midwifery-led unit. Birthing pools are an increasingly popular method of pain relief so the additional pools will allow more women access to use them during labour. Better facilities will also be provided for new fathers and birthing partners to support them at this intense time.

The funding is due to be released to the Trust before the end of March and work will begin on the improvements to the Maternity Unit straightaway.

Jane Bruton, HIV Nurse Consultant, and Zoe Sheppard, Advanced HIV Nurse Practitioner, at Chelsea and Westminster ran a very successful one-day workshop on nurse management of HIV with a group of 13 Moroccan nurses in Marrakech.

The workshop was sponsored by JUSTRI, a small charitable organisation committed to sharing HIV knowledge and expertise with those working in HIV in the resource poor countries of the Middle East, North Africa and South Eastern Europe.

Jane Bruton says: “In Morocco only 7,000 people have been diagnosed with HIV leaving an estimated 26,000 unaware of their positive status. HIV in Morocco is deeply stigmatised which makes people very reluctant to test for fear of rejection by friends and family.”

The workshop covered all aspects of HIV care and treatment. The Moroccan nurses were eager to share their experiences as they have to manage very difficult situations every day and often face stigma themselves for working in HIV.

Jane adds: “Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the session was providing a safe space for the nurses to speak freely about the stresses and strains of working with very sick and frightened patients, whilst themselves receiving little support and supervision. Their appreciation of the workshop was overwhelming and heartfelt.”

Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity has two new arts partnerships for 2013—the Royal College of Music and Rambert Dance Company.

Rambert Dance Company

From February, Rambert Dance Company will be delivering dance workshops for patients at the hospital.

On 14 February, in honour of Valentine’s Day, the lunchtime concert will be replaced by a dance session in the main atrium of the hospital for staff and public to take part in.

Everyone is welcome to come along from 1–1:20pm to learn a few of the moves from Rambert’s latest repertoire, ‘Labyrinth of Love’. The session will be led by one of Rambert’s own dancers. Absolutely no experience necessary.

Free dance classes—recruit your patients to take part!

Rambert are providing 10 weeks of simple dance classes for patients aged 50+. Sessions include a gentle warm-up followed by fun movement exercises to music. They provide a wonderful support to hospital treatment or rehabilitation.

These are free of charge to any patients linked with the hospital. No experience is necessary and participants can remain seated throughout. Refreshments will be provided. Relatives and carers are welcome.

Sessions are on Fridays from 10.30am–12 noon in the Restaurant on the Lower Ground Floor of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Course 1
22 February and 1, 8, 15 & 22 March

Course 2
12, 19 & 26 April and 3 & 10 May

Patients can book their place by emailing daisy.fancourt@chelwest.nhs.uk or calling 020 3315 6618. Posters and leaflets are available to wards and departments to pass on to patients. For more information about taking part or referring your patients to the classes, please contact Daisy Fancourt on the number above.

Royal College of Music

Beginning on Thursday 31 January, one lunchtime performance a month will be provided by musicians from the prestigious Royal College of Music. This is a fantastic opportunity to welcome some world-class performers to take part in our weekly lunchtime concerts.

The partnership will be launched with a concert from international violinist Joo Yeun Sir. Joo Yeun has won over 40 awards in the last eight years so her performance promises to be unmissable.

Our lunchtime performances take place from 1pm–1:45pm every Thursday in the main hospital atrium and are free to attend.

Chief Executive Tony Bell said: “There was a competitive interview process and David was appointed from a very strong field of candidates. I would like to congratulate David on his appointment and wish him every success in his new role.”

The process of appointing to the roles of Director of Human Resources and Medical Director is underway after Mark Gammage announced that he is leaving the post of Director of HR and Dr Mike Anderson decided to step down after almost 10 years as Medical Director, although he will continue to work as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Chelsea and Westminster.

Debbie Richards is leaving her role as Divisional Director of Operations (Medicine & Surgery) at the end of February to take up the post of Associate Chief Operating Officer for Integrated Medicine at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

Chelsea and Westminster was lower than expected for three measures including:

• HSMR (Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio)—an indicator of healthcare quality that measures whether a hospital’s death rate is higher or lower than expected—HSMR is based on 56 conditions that account for 80% of deaths
• SHMI (Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator)—based on all conditions, this measure of mortality includes deaths in hospital and deaths in the 30 days after discharge from hospital
• Deaths after surgery—patients who die after developing complications following surgery

Chief Executive Tony Bell said: “I want to thank every member of staff at Chelsea and Westminster who has played their part in helping us to earn this independent recognition of our commitment to quality and safety.

“I welcome the publication of the Dr Foster Hospital Guide because we are not complacent and we know that there is always room for improvement. The Guide provides us with national benchmarks to measure our performance.

“Being more open and transparent is a priority for us at Chelsea and Westminster which is why the Transparency section of our website includes information about not only mortality rates but also infection rates, waiting times and financial information.”

Want to know more?

More information for patients and the public about how Chelsea and Westminster is performing is available by visiting our website at
www.chelwest.nhs.uk/transparency

Thank you to our patients and staff who nominated a star! All shortlisted nominees will be invited to attend an award ceremony at Chelsea Football Club on 18 April 2013 and winners will be announced afterwards.

The awards are:

• Patient Choice Award
• Staff Choice Awards:

• Healthcare Assistant of the Year
• Midwife of the Year
• Senior Nurse of the Year
• Nurse of the Year
• Doctor of the Year
• Diagnostic and Allied Health Professional of the Year (eg therapists, dieticians, pharmacists, radiographers)
• Facilities Services Star of the Year (eg ISS and Norland staff)
• Researcher of the Year
• Support Services Star of the Year (eg clinic clerks, receptionists, HR, finance)
• Manager of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Educator/Mentor of the Year
• Outstanding Leadership Award
• Improving the Patient Experience Award (teams/departments)

• Council of Governors Special Award (nominations will come from our Council of Governors)
• Chief Executive Award (Chief Executive Tony Bell will select the winner of this award eg an outstanding team or member of staff)

We would like to thank the Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity who has sponsored this year's Star Awards.

Patients are asked whether they would recommend their care or treatment to friends and family.

96% of inpatients who completed the Friends and Family Test (excluding maternity) would also recommend Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.  

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is one of the pilot Trusts for the Friends and Family Test, which is due to be launched nationally in April 2013. If you have been an inpatient or treated in A&E, you can ask for a Friends and Family test to complete.

Experts from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital are featured in 2 TV documentaries on Monday 14 January.

Weight loss surgery team get a visit from Dr Christian

TV doctor Dr Christian Jessen visited Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in December to meet Patience Willoughby who is being cared for by our multi-professional weight loss surgery team.

Patience’s story will be featured in the Channel 4 series Embarrassing Fat Bodies at 9pm on Monday 14 January.

The obesity epidemic continues to affect patients’ health, quality of life and has a wider impact on society. Obesity is associated with serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis and complications in pregnancy.

For patients who meet the selection criteria, weight loss surgery can be an effective treatment to lose weight and to improve or cure the diseases associated with obesity.

Chelsea and Westminster has earned a reputation as a centre of excellence for weight loss surgery—we have been providing this specialised service since the hospital first opened in 1993.

We are a ‘preferred provider’ of weight loss surgery for patients living in London, the South East and East of England, which means that we have been identified by an independent group of experts as one of the best hospitals to carry out this specialist surgery.

When plastic surgery goes wrong

Chelsea and Westminster surgeons Mr Niall Kirkpatrick, Mr Richard Young and Mr Jonathan Collier will feature in a two-part Channel 5 documentary series highlighting how the NHS picks up the pieces when cosmetic surgery goes wrong .

Botched Up Bodies, which starts at 10pm on Monday 14 January on Channel 5, shows the three surgeons, and their colleagues at other NHS hospitals and private clinics, working to rectify the results of people's disastrous cosmetic plastic surgery procedures.

Their efforts in many cases are urgently required to address serious health issues created by botched up plastic surgery as well as the more cosmetic and aesthetic considerations.

Michelle Chappell of Channel 5 said: “Botched Up Bodies highlights a growing problem faced by today’s cosmetic surgery industry in correcting procedures that have gone drastically wrong. Some of the cases are truly horrifying and these surgeons are turning lives around.”

Jazz Gowans of independent TV production company Transparent Television, who made the series for Channel 5, added: “We are thrilled to have been able to work on these programmes with such a brilliant team of respected surgeons at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.”

The second part of Botched Up Bodies will be shown at 10pm on Monday 21 January on Channel 5.

Photo: Santa pictured with Gemma Blackie and her children Maudie (7) and Montie (4)

The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund put smiles on the faces of 80 children at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by organising for the charity’s Chairman and Senior Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Mr Munther Haddad, to play the part of Santa and surprise the children with gifts provided by local businesses.

The children loved meeting Santa and were delighted with presents generously donated by Waterstones and Emma Bridgewater.  Christmas can be a difficult time for all members of the family when loved ones are in hospital which is why mothers were also included in Santa’s rounds on the wards and received luxury beauty products kindly donated by Elemis.

The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund’s Pluto Appeal is currently raising money to buy £1.5million for a ‘da-Vinci’ surgical robot to perform life-saving operations on babies and children at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital—£1,030,000 has been raised to date.

The charity hopes that with the help of the local community and families the remaining £470,000 will be raised in 2013—see www.theplutoappeal.com to find out how to donate.

Annabel was nominated by Irra Khi for the exceptional care she provided before, during and after the birth of Irra’s daughter, Myla, in December 2011.

Irra explained: “Annabel is an incredibly special person. She really took time understanding me and her expertise helped me choose a natural birth.

“She fully deserves this award for her heart of gold and incredible effort. She gave our family the best start in life and I cannot speak highly enough of her.”

Annabel Bryant said: “My aim is to ensure that all women have a positive birth experience so they are able to have the best possible start to their family life.

“I feel extremely honoured to have been nominated for this award by Irra. It was an absolute pleasure and privilege during her pregnancy, birth and postnatal period.”

Annabel will receive her award at the Royal College of Midwives Annual Awards ceremony on 24 January from TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky.

End of life care seminar

Tuesday 19 February

We have organised a seminar on the topic of end of life care following recent extensive media coverage of the use of the Liverpool care pathway for patients who are dying.

Foundation Trust members can come along to hear our experts talk about different aspects of end of life care for patients and support for their families both in the last days of life and in their bereavement.

Confirmed speakers include Dr Sarah Cox (Palliative Care Consultant), Dr Richard Morgan (Consultant Physician) and Russ Hargreaves (Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Manager).

This seminar will be held at 5:30pm on Tuesday 19 February in the Postgraduate Lecture Theatre on the Lower Ground Floorof Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, SW10 9NH.

Managing your medicines seminar

Wednesday 27 February

This seminar promises to be of particular interest to older patients who may be taking medication for a number of different medical conditions.

Foundation Trust members can come along to hear our experts talk about how you can manage your medicines to improve your health.

The speakers will be Dr Iñaki Bovill (Consultant in Medicine for the Elderly) and Shirley Kuo (Clinical Pharmacist).

This seminar will be held at 5:30pm on Wednesday 27 February in the Postgraduate Lecture Theatre on the Lower Ground Floorof Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, SW10 9NH.

How to book your place

Foundation Trust members can book their place for this event by emailing medicine4members@chelwest.nhs.uk or phoning 020 3315 6829/2767.

Directors’ Den encourages staff to be innovative and suggest ways in which they can improve their own services—the ‘carrot’ for the winning entries is that they are given funding to turn their ideas into reality.

Shortlisted applicants will be announced in early 2013.

Directors’ Den panellists including the then Trust Chief Executive Heather Lawrence, Chief Nurse Therese Davis, Director of Human Resources Mark Gammage, Non-Executive Director Sir Geoff Mulcahy and Health Service Journal Editor Alastair McLellan allocated funding of more than £200,000 to five projects when the successful applicants to the first round of Directors’ Den were announced in April 2012:

• Annabel Bryant (Midwifery Development Lead) & Shereen Jones (Intrapartum Matron)
  Two linked proposals to promote natural birth:
• ‘The Nest’, an area where low risk women can establish their labour in peace with the reassuring presence of a trained peer supporter (doula)
• Training to enable midwives to incorporate complementary therapies into their midwifery practice
• Laura Hoare (Paediatric Inpatient Administrative Co-ordinator) & Noel Palmer (Jupiter Ward Manager)
  A new website for patients of the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster to make it a fun, interactive resource for children, young people and their families.

• Carol Dale (Learning & Organisational Development Manager)
  A mandatory training video for all non-clinical staff working in the Trust which could be accessed at work or at home via the Trust website, incorporating a questionnaire to be completed as evidence that staff have done their training.

• Cherry Brennan (Interim Maternity Inpatients Matron, Zoe Macgrath (Interim Postnatal Ward Lead) & Lena Karam (Antenatal Ward Lead)
  A 'campaign for peace' in Maternity to make it easier for women to speak to staff who are responsible for their care by replacing the current noisy and inefficient call bell system with a new system of communication fobs which women can activate to request assistance.

• Sophie Graeme-Baker (Specialist Registrar, Radiology)
  Improving the training of staff in ultrasound-guided biopsy skills in Radiology by purchasing ultrasound simulators which allow trainees to practice on dummy patients.

This event aims to attract applications for a Band 3 Paediatric Physiotherapy Assistant vacancy in the team based at the school.

Interested candidates will be given an opportunity to have a tour of the school and listen to a presentation by the physiotherapy team. Attendees will also be asked to complete a brief pre-screening exercise.

Jack Tizard is a day school for 2–19-year-olds with learning difficulties and medical needs. The school is a friendly environment with a strong commitment to multidisciplinary working.

An established team of physiotherapists and assistants works closely with school staff to develop students’ full potentials, and support their physiotherapy programmes and participation in school activities.

For further information about the recruitment open afternoon and the job role please visit www.jobs.nhs.uk (job ref 289-AP-005279).

For further information about the role please contact Deryn Watts, Acting Paediatric Therapy Lead, on 020 3315 1615.

If you are interested in attending the event please email natalie.wraith@chelwest.nhs.uk to register your attendance.

The players and manager Rafa Benitez took time out of their busy schedules to make the surprise visit and help bring a little festive cheer to children and young people being cared for at the hospital.

Everyone at Chelsea and Westminster would like to say a big thank you to Chelsea Football Club for their support and for making a huge difference to the lives of some of their youngest fans.

Mikel and Victor Moses with a young patient on Mercury Ward	Frank Lampard with a family on Neptune/Jupiter Ward
Mikel, Ashley Cole, Victor Moses and Frank Lampard with youngsters on Neptune/Jupiter Ward	Petr Cech and David Luiz with a father and his child on Mercury Ward

Photo:

The Peter Jones snowman, as featured in this year’s John Lewis Christmas TV advert ‘The Snowman’s Journey’, has been donated to Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

The snowman has made its home in the Peter Jones store at Sloane Square during the festive season and will be coming to Chelsea Children’s Hospital on Christmas Eve.

It will be touring the wards from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, giving children who are in hospital over Christmas the chance to have their photo taken with the snowman.

Tony Wheeler, managing director at Peter Jones, said: “The snowman has been a real hit with customers, children and adults alike, and we are delighted to donate it to such a good home in time for Christmas. We wish the patients, families and staff of Chelsea Children’s Hospital a very happy Christmas.”

Laura Conti, a nurse in Chelsea Children’s Hospital, said: “We are so excited to have the snowman on our wards. It is a way of bringing magic and fun to children and their siblings, especially those in hospital on Christmas Day.”

Second place went to the Burns Unit and the Neptune/Jupiter Ward was awarded third place.

Hospital staff adorn their wards and departments with colourful decorations and their efforts are judged. The Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital generously support the competition by sponsoring cash prizes of £100, £75 and £50.

This year the competition was judged by representatives of the Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, HR Director Mark Gammage, Chief Executive Tony Bell and Non-Executive Director Karin Norman.

The Friends of Chelsea and Westminster also sponsored the annual Christmas Cheer Awards which recognise staff for their contribution to the life of the hospital and patient care—read more.

Staff from Rainsford Mowlem Ward	Staff from Burns Unit
Staff from Neptune/Jupiter Ward

We ask for your co-operation to ensure that we can deliver safe care.

If you have had diarrhoea or vomiting in the last 72 hours you should not visit a patient under any circumstances. You may still be infectious.

If you are visiting please clean your hands before contact with your relative and before leaving the ward.

Visitor restrictions:

• General Wards: Limited to two visitors per patient.  In the event of an outbreak of D&V visiting will be restricted further.
• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) / Burns ICU and High Dependency Unit (HDU): Immediate family only
• Children’s Wards and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Child’s parents only
• Maternity: Mother’s partner or other named support person only

These measures are temporary but will be in effect until further notice to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our patients and visitors.

If you have had D&V in the last 72 hours and need to reschedule your outpatient appointment at the hospital, please contact us on 020 3315 6666 and we will arrange another appointment date with you.

We do not take this decision to restrict visiting lightly—we know it causes upset for the family and friends, and the patients themselves who look forward to seeing their loved ones.

Please be assured that our patients have been informed that visitors have been restricted and there is a phone by every bed so that you can either speak or leave a message for patients.

If you would like to discuss this further, please speak to the nurse in charge by calling our switchboard on 020 8746 8000 and asking for the ward where your relative is being cared for.

Thank you for your co-operation at this difficult time.

Therese Davis
Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Flow and Experience

This year we received 324 nominations for teams and individual members of staff. The winners included one overall team winner, two team runners-up and 26 individual members of staff who all received three or more nominations.

The Team award went to the Healthcare Assistants on David Erskine Ward who were nominated by 18 of their colleagues who said “An incredible team of healthcare assistants who work so very hard throughout the year, always with the biggest smiles on their faces. Agy, Jean, Lystra and Samjana are described by our patients as superstars.”

The team runners up were the Acute Assessment Unit and the Security team.

Ward Clerk on Nell Gwynne Ward, Angela Honan, was nominated for a Friends Christmas Cheer Award by 20 of her colleagues.  They described Angela as “unfailingly helpful, approachable and willing to assist with any task, no matter how small or trivial. Angela is always friendly, smiling and unassuming.”

Other Friends Christmas Cheer Award winners included:

• Anthony Viegas, Housekeeper
• Paul Clifton, Radiographer
• Frederico Gonzales, Decontamination Services
• Dr Alessia Della Pria, Cancer Services
• Idrisa Sesay, Security
• Sharon Almeida, Receptionist in Lower Ground Floor Outpatients
• Hwee Leng Lim, Senior Staff Nurse on the Intensive Care Unit
• Shashi Liyanage, Housekeeper in Verney House
• Natasha Thomas, Sonographer
• Mr Stuart Evans, Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Jamil Quamina, Gynaecology Admin Team
• Dr Olivera Potparic, Anaesthetics & Pain Team
• Saowanit (Sue) Kampinij, Senior Nurse on the Intensive Care Unit
• David Clarke, Finance
• Gerry Sexton, St Stephen’s Volunteers
• Lisa Fuller, Reception Supervisor, West London Centre for Sexual Health
• Ciara Callen, Sister in the Treatment Centre
• Kul Gharti, Porter
• Cynthia Conquest, Finance
• Lesley Sinclair, Matron, Ron Johnson Ward/Kobler Daycare
• Katie Randall, Project Manager, CLAHRC
• Dee Piergiovanni, Facilities
• David Goodair, Physiotherapist, Stroke Team
• Kerry Estick, Information Team, HIV/GUM
• Mr Tushar Agarwal, Colorectal Surgeon
• Anisa Abdul, HCA, Ultrasound

A huge thank you to the Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital who generously sponsored the awards again this year and ISS, Norland and HATs who also donated prizes for the awards.

Anisa Abdul, HCA, Ultrasound	Shashi Liyanage, Housekeeper in Verney House
Angela Honan, Ward Clerk, Nell Gwynne Ward	Mr Tushar Agarwal, Colorectal Surgeon
Healthcare Assistants, David Erskine Ward	Katie Randall, Project Manager, CLAHRC

The Department of Health’s Friends and Family Test is now in use on all adult inpatient wards (excluding Maternity) and in the A&E department at Chelsea and WestminsterHospital.

The Test is based on the net promoter score survey used by commercial companies. The aim is to place a greater emphasis on patient experience by enabling NHS trusts to pinpoint areas of both excellent and poor patient satisfaction and to use patient feedback to address issues.

Patients being discharged home from an adult inpatient ward or from A&E are given a postcard asking them if they would recommend Chelsea and Westminster to their friends and family based on their experience in the hospital—this question has a range of possible answers from ‘Extremely likely’ to ‘Extremely unlikely’.

Chelsea and Westminster is an ‘early adopter’ of the Friends and Family Test—it was launched in the hospital in November 2012 and of those patients who completed it in November, 96% said they were ‘Extremely likely’ or ‘Likely’ to recommend the hospital to their friends and family. The full results are available on the Friends and Family Test page.

From April 2013 the Friends and Family Test will be extended to adult inpatients and A&E patients in all hospitals in England. From October 2013 it will also cover women using maternity services and it will then it will be extended to all patients using NHS services both in hospital and other care settings.

The Government’s mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board, published in November 2012, states: “Hospitals with good scores on the Friends and Family Test will be financially rewarded. By 2015, a further part of this objective is to increase the proportion of people across all areas of care who rate their experience as excellent or very good.”

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital celebrated the festive season with a special Christmas event on Monday 17 December. Christmas at Chelsea and Westminster was a new event for the Trust for 2012 and was an opportunity to celebrate Christmas with our local community.

The event opened at 5pm when special guests the Chelsea Pensioners turned on the Christmas tree lights. This was followed by two hours of festivities including Santa’s grotto, gingerbread decorating, Teddy Bear Hospital and Christmas tree decoration making. Our hospital charities also had stands at the event and the giggle doctors were on hand raising smiles.

There were carols and Christmas songs performed by the All Saints Putney Junior Singers and music from Dick Laurie’s Elastic Band.

Photo gallery

Dick Laurie’s Elastic Band	All Saints Putney Junior Singers
The Friends Christmas raffle	A young visitor at the Teddy Bear Hospital
Christmas decoration-making with the Hospital Play Team	Santa’s grotto
Gingerbread decorating	One of the winners of the children’s art competition

Dr Bull, who will take up his post on 1 April 2013, has a wealth of experience both in the NHS and private sector healthcare.

He started his medical career by serving for 6 years in the Royal Navy before continuing as an epidemiologist and Public Health consultant in the NHS.

He has been the Medical Director of an NHS trust and held senior executive positions at PPP Healthcare, Carillion and Humana.

Since 2008 he has been Chief Executive of Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Adrian Bull says: “I am delighted to be joining Imperial College Health Partners.

“I look forward to working with colleagues in academia, local government, healthcare and industry to create new solutions to the complex challenges of delivering optimum health and care for the population of North West London.”

Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, Chairman of Imperial College Health Partners, says: “I am pleased to confirm Imperial College Health Partners’ decision to appoint Dr Adrian Bull as our first Managing Director.

“Adrian has an outstanding reputation as a clinician, a senior manager in the commercial healthcare sector and most recently as the successful Chief Executive of Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.

“I very much look forward to working with him and I know the partnership will benefit from Adrian’s experience and expertise.”

Sir Keith O’Nions, President and Rector of Imperial College London, says: “Imperial College London is excited by the ambition and potential of Imperial College Health Partners to foster and deliver healthcare innovation throughout North West London and we are very pleased that Dr Adrian Bull has accepted appointment as its first Managing Director.”

About Imperial College Health Partners

• Imperial College Health Partners, a company that aims to improve the health and care of the population of 1.9 million people living in North West London, was formed on 19 June 2012
• It brings together healthcare providers in North West London, including acute and specialist hospitals, mental health and community care services, in partnership with Imperial College London to drive practical improvements to the quality of healthcare delivery and to foster the creation of wealth in health-related industries
• By co-ordinating the adoption of innovation, the partnership aims to bring benefits to the health of the local population and, through the dissemination of best practice, extend these more widely within the UK and beyond
• With access to a population of 1.9 million people, the partnership presents opportunities to operate at a large and meaningful scale, including for clinical trials, and become involved in commercial ventures to broaden the reach of its activities
• Imperial College Health Partners is working towards designation as an Academic Health Science Network by the Department of Health and is seeking to build strong relationships with primary care providers, commissioners, local Health and Wellbeing Boards as well as other research organisations

Members of the Board of Imperial College Health Partners

• Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
• Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Imperial College London
• North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
• Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
• West London Mental Health NHS Trust
• West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

Consultant Physician Dr Richard Morgan has received a prestigious award after being nominated by patients of his multi-disciplinary specialist spina bifida and hydrocephalus clinic at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

He was chosen as this year’s recipient of the Shine Professional Award, in recognition of the work of the clinic as well as the time he has given Shine (formerly the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus - ASBAH) over many years, speaking at study days and conferences to share his expertise.

Shine said that many of their members attend the clinic at Chelsea and Westminster and tell them how valuable they find it, and the difference it makes to their quality of life.

The clinic at Chelsea and Westminster is a centre of excellence which cares for approximately 500 patients a year from a wide geographical area. It provides a ‘one-stop’ health check-up for patients living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, drawing on the expertise of a range of multi-disciplinary staff.

Shine—which stands for Spina bifida • Hydrocephalus • Information • Networking • Equality—is a registered charity which was originally formed in 1966 to help families and individuals affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Today the charity is a community of 75,000 individuals, families, friends, and professionals who share achievements, challenges and information on living with hydrocephalus, or spina bifida, and related issues.

The Times

The doctors who made the prestigious list include:

• Dr Ed Abrahamson—lead consultant in the increasingly popular Children’s A&E department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital which treats more than 30,000 children every year
  
  
• Kate Barnard—head of the largest paediatric dental team in North West London and a passionate campaigner for improving children’s oral health
  
  
• Mr Simon Eccles—craniofacial surgeon and clinical director of the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital and a volunteer surgeon for the charity Facing the World which brings children from the developing world to the UK for life-saving treatment for disfiguring conditions
  
  
• Professor Neena Modi—she leads Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s pioneering neonatal medicine research unit and her pioneering research includes a study of how nutrition during pregnancy and early infancy may influence long-term health
  
  
• Mr Munther Haddad—service director for paediatric surgery in the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital, he is a pioneer of paediatric laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery and also chairman of the Children’s Hospital Trust Fund, a charity that is raising £1.5 million to buy a hi-tech precision surgery robot called Pluto

The ‘Britain’s Top Children’s Doctors’ supplement published by The Times on Saturday 15 December also featured the story of Ali Hussein, an Iraqi teenager seriously injured in an American airstrike in 2003 when he was only 7-years-old.

Ali’s face has been rebuilt by Chelsea and Westminster surgeon Mr Niall Kirkpatrick and his team through the charity Facing the World which brings children to the UK for life-saving treatment.

Praising the work of Mr Kirkpatrick and his colleagues, The Times columnist Melanie Reid said: “If the child’s injuries became a global symbol of the awfulness of that war, then maybe his rebuilding is a metaphor of redemption for us all.

“For this we must thank the silky hands and kindly soul of Niall Kirkpatrick ... who through the auspices of the charity Facing the World has spent the past 8 years rebuilding Ali’s face. His nose and palate were reconstructed, a prosthetic eye fitted. Operation still follows operation, with steady, remarkable results. A life, a human being, is gradually being rebuilt.

“Dr Kirkpatrick would probably hate me saying it but he understands a kind of magic. ‘It’s an area where you’re working with people’s personalities. And face and personalities go together. That’s what’s always drawn me to it,’ he says.”

Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise which means that the traditional methods of communicating messages about safer, better sex aren’t getting through.

TheGayUK with 56 Dean Street have created an online sexual health clinic so readers can submit their sexual health-related questions confidentially to one of the country’s most advanced clinics.  A selection of questions will then be answered via the online magazine.

“I really feel strongly about sexual health matters,” says Jake Simpson, co-founder of The Gay UK.

“There are too many new STI diagnoses in the UK, including HIV which has seen the biggest new infection increase since the 80s. The message isn’t getting out. We wanted a creative, new campaign to build an online column so anyone who has access to a computer, Smartphone or tablet can get the information they really need, 24 /7.”

Jake Jenkins, Nurse Specialist at 56 Dean Street says: “Some people may find it difficult or embarrassing to ask questions or come to a sexual health clinic. That's why 56DS and TheGayUK have come together to provide free, confidential advice. Everyone deserves a safe and enjoyable sex life. We are here to help not to judge.”

The online sexual health clinic was launched on Saturday 1 December to coincide with World AIDS Day.

Readers are asked to go to www.thegayuk.com/sexualhealth and fill in the confidential form, which allows space to describe symptoms and even upload a photograph.

TheGayUK is the number 1 online features and listings magazine for the gay, lesbian, bisexual community in the UK, with over 250,000 pages served a month.

56 Dean Street is an HIV and sexual health centre in Soho—the popular centre, which is run by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has won numerous awards for its services which include outreach clinics in bars and other venues.

They offered free, instant and confidential HIV tests—as well as tests for other common sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—to promote HIV awareness and reduce the stigma that still surrounds the condition.

Our staff took Chelsea and Westminster's community health bus to Notting Hill, Hammersmith and Soho to provide testing and raise awareness.

The team from the John Hunter Clinic, who are usually based in the St Stephen's Centre adjacent to Chelsea and Westminster, offered HIV tests on Thursday (29 November) at the junction of Portobello Road and Lonsdale Road in Notting Hill.

Lee Watson, John Hunter Clinic Manager, said: "We tested 45 people for STIs including HIV, Syphilis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea. Our location was great and the event proved very popular."

Their counterparts from the West London Centre for Sexual Health at Charing Cross Hospital followed suit on Friday (30 November) with a testing event in Lyric Square, Hammersmith, supported by two local charities—Opportunity for All and Youth Projects International.

Stephanie McMillan, Nurse Practitioner for Young People & Outreach, said: "The clinic was very successful, we saw 33 patients and there was always a queue of people wanting to get tested."

And on World AIDS Day itself on Saturday 1 December, staff from 56 Dean Street, Chelsea and Westminster's HIV and sexual health centre in Soho, broke their own world record for the number of HIV tests given in a single day—745 people were tested in just eight hours at G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street.

Dr Alan McOwan, Lead Clinician at 56 Dean Street, said: "We are thrilled that so many people chose to come and get tested on World AIDS Day to support our efforts to promote HIV awareness, reduce stigma and make history."

56 Dean Street	John Hunter Clinic
West London Centre for Sexual Health

The vaccination programme began on 1 October and staff have been encouraged to get vaccinated by the ‘Have you had yours?’ poster campaign featuring doctors, nurses and other frontline clinical staff,

By having the vaccination staff can play a vital role in preventing the spread of flu this winter, not only reducing the risk of vulnerable patients contracting the flu but also protecting themselves and their friends and family at home.

They tested 745 people in just eight hours at the G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street to smash their own record of 467 tests on World AIDS Day last year.

A total of 6 people tested positive for HIV. They were taken to 56 Dean Street for tests to confirm the diagnosis and to provide them with medical and emotional support.

56 Dean Street’s world record attempt was supported by Prime Minister David Cameron who said last week: “That is what World AIDS Day is about: taking practical action. Let us use World AIDS Day to spread the message about education, testing and early diagnosis. People need to know it has never been quicker or simpler to get tested.”

Dr Alan McOwan, Lead Clinician at 56 Dean Street, said: “We are thrilled that so many people chose to come and get tested on World AIDS Day to support our efforts to promote HIV awareness, reduce stigma and make history.

“This was a really positive day because we need to take action to reach the 1 in 4 people with HIV in the UK who remain undiagnosed. Reducing undiagnosed HIV is really important because 80% of HIV is caught from someone who is unaware they are infected themselves. Testing early adds, on average, 16 years to someone’s life.

“I would also like say a special thank you to Jeremy Joseph, owner of the G-A-Y Bar, for hosting the event and generously donating £10 for every test to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. We couldn’t have done it without his support.”

The HIV testing was provided by the friendly, expert team from 56 Dean Street using the world’s fastest antibody test which provides a result in just 60 seconds.

We will be tweeting live during the programme as our junior doctors look back at the last 12 months—what they have learned, how they have changed and how they coped with some of the biggest challenges of their lives.

With previously unseen footage, this programme adds extra insight into what was a very eventful year.

On average more than 2.5 million people watched the six one-hour episodes of the BBC3 documentary series Junior Doctors: Your Life in Their Hands which were shown earlier this year.

The series followed the lives of eight junior doctors at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as they adjusted to taking the giant leap from medical school to their first jobs in the NHS.

Chelsea and Westminster was lower than expected for the following 3 measures:

• HSMR (Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio)—an indicator of healthcare quality that measures whether a hospital’s death rate is higher or lower than expected—HSMR is based on 56 conditions that account for 80% of deaths
• SHMI (Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator)—based on all conditions, this measure of mortality includes deaths in hospital and deaths in the 30 days after discharge from hospital
• Deaths after surgery—patients who die after developing complications following surgery

Tony Bell, Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, says: “I want to thank every member of staff at Chelsea and Westminster who has played their part in helping us to earn this independent recognition of our commitment to quality and safety.

“I welcome the publication of the Dr Foster Hospital Guide because we are not complacent and we know that there is always room for improvement. The Guide provides us with national benchmarks to measure our performance.

“Being more open and transparent is a priority for us at Chelsea and Westminster which is why the Transparency section of our website includes information about not only mortality rates but also infection rates, waiting times and financial information.”

Examples of recent initiatives to improve further the quality and safety of services at Chelsea and Westminster include:

• The piloting of ‘comfort rounds’ for patients on a medical ward halved the number of pressure ulcers suffered by elderly patients and also reduced the number of falls—every 2 hours nurses go round and speak to every patient to ask them how they are and whether they need extra support, for example something to eat or drink, more pain relief or help going to the toilet. ‘Comfort rounds’ are now being rolled out to all adult inpatient wards in the hospital.
• A focus has been put on reducing the unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics which can make patients more susceptible to some infections—there were only 2 MRSA cases at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 2011/12 compared with 6 in 2010/11 and 10 in 2009/10.

More information for patients and the public about Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is available in the Transparency section of our website www.chelwest.nhs.uk/transparency.

Everyone is welcome to join in the conversation with clinicians available to answer questions about HIV and sexual health.

• Go to the web chat

More than 80% of people responding to the Shaping a Healthier Future public consultation about proposed changes to NHS services in North West London have supported Option A to designate Chelsea and Westminster as a major hospital with a full A&E service.

More than 80% of people responding to the Shaping a Healthier Future public consultation about proposed changes to NHS services in North West London have supported Option A to designate Chelsea and Westminster as a major hospital with a full A&E service.

Ipsos MORI announced the results of the consultation, which took place from July to October this year, at a public meeting last night (Wednesday 28 November).

According to their analysis of the public consultation results, 83% of respondents supported Option A which proposes there should be five major hospitals in North West London—including Chelsea and Westminster.

More than 11,000 people completed a postcard to register their support for the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign which was run by Chelsea andWestminster during the public consultation to encourage patients, local residents and staff to vote for Option A.

More than 6,500 people also signed an online petition in support of Option A which was set up by Chelsea and Westminster Foundation Trust Governors—elected representatives of patients, members of the public and staff.

Tony Bell, Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, says: “I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E at Chelsea and Westminster.

“The number of patients, local residents and staff who got involved in the campaign, and the important role played by our elected Governors, demonstrates how much Chelsea and Westminster Hospital means to the people who rely on our services.

“The results of the Shaping a Healthier Future public consultation demonstrate that their voice was heard and made a real difference to the outcome of the consultation.”

Final recommendations put forward by NHS North West London are expected to be considered in February 2013.

The full Ipsos MORI report on the public consultation results is available online at www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk.

Microsoft’s search engine, Bing.com, is today handing over its daily homepage to The Pluto Appeal, which aims to raise £1.5million for a ‘da-Vinci’ surgical robot to perform life-saving operations in the Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

Enabling the charity to tell its story to Bing’s 12.7 million UK users, Bing is running an exclusive image that celebrates the charity, as well as providing in-depth information about The Pluto Appeal, which was chosen by the British public as part of Bing’s ongoing Help Your Britain campaign. The campaign is all about encouraging the public to do more for charitable causes.

The new surgical system would give thousands of children and babies in London and the South of England access to the benefits of robotic surgery, which allows for quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays, smaller scars and less chance of infection. The ‘da-Vinci’ robot would be the first advanced surgical system dedicated solely for children and babies in Southern England and London—the only other robot in the country being in Leeds.

Jason Bradbury, patron for The Pluto Appeal and Gadget Show presenter, said: “Helping to buy Pluto the Robot is the most important project I’ve ever been involved with. It's great to know that Bing is recognising the importance of the technology that Pluto brings to children's surgery through their fantastic support.”

Hot spots on the homepage will provide users with additional information about how The Pluto Appeal is helping to raise funds for this exciting and important project. Users can also watch a behind the scenes video about the charity by visiting www.bing.com/helpyourbritain. To find out more information about the charity, including details by making a donation, go to Bing’s Help Your Britain page.

Mr Munther Haddad is Chairman of the Children's Hospital Trust Fund which is running The Pluto Appeal and Senior Consultant Paediatric Surgeon in the Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

Mr Haddad said: "We are very excited that Bing is supporting the Children’s Hospital Trust Fund to help raise money for much-needed surgical equipment. The charity has come a long way with The Pluto Appeal but there is still a long way to go. We hope that the charity’s coverage on the Bing homepage will be the voice needed to raise awareness of the important part Pluto the Robot will play in revolutionising paediatric surgery for babies and children in the UK.  Even a minimal donation of £1 enables minimally invasive robotic surgery and maximum results.  Pluto is helping small people live a big life.”

Peter Maxmin from Bing says: “The Pluto Appeal is a truly inspiring cause, and with six of the nine trustees being doctors at the hospital, they are acutely aware of where help and financial support is needed the most. Their great work at The Pluto Appeal is all geared towards increasing funding, which is why we’re delighted to be showcasing the charity as part of Bing’s Help Your Britain campaign.

“The Pluto Appeal is the ninth user-nominated charity to feature as part of Bing’s ongoing Help Your Britain campaign, and follows an encouraging level of interest from our users, all wanting to do great things by nominating causes that are close to their hearts that are making incredibly valuable contributions to communities across Britain.

“There are more than 187,000 registered charities across Great Britain with a story to be told, many of which will never be heard due to the lack of resources at their disposal. Bing is shining the spotlight on these unsung British heroes, enabling the British public to nominate the charities they would like to see featured on the homepage via www.bing.com/helpyourbritain.”

Prime Minister David Cameron is publicly supporting 56 Dean Street’s attempt to break their own world record for the number of HIV tests given in a single day this Saturday 1 December to mark World AIDS Day.

Staff from Chelsea and Westminster’s popular HIV and sexual health centre in Soho tested 467 people in just eight hours at the G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street on World AIDS Day last year.

They are doing it all over again at the G-A-Y Bar from 12 noon–8pm on Saturday 1 December. G-A-Y will be donating £10 for every test to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Writing in this week’s Boyz magazine, David Cameron says: “People need to know it has never been quicker or simpler to get tested. In fact to demonstrate just how quick it is, this year the sexual health clinic 56 Dean Street is attempting to set a new world record for the number of people tested in one day.

“That is what World AIDS Day is about: taking practical action. Let us use World AIDS Day to spread the message about education, testing and early diagnosis.”

Jake Jenkins of 56 Dean Street says: “Come along to G-A-Y on World AIDS Day to get a free instant and confidential HIV test and support our attempts to promote HIV awareness, reduce stigma and make history.

“The testing will be provided by the friendly, expert team from 56 Dean Street using the world’s fastest antibody test which provides a result in just 60 seconds. Testing early can add, on average, 16 years to someone’s life.”

• You can find out more on 56 Dean Street’s Facebook page
• A live web chat will take place from 1–2pm on Saturday 1 December with clinicians available to answer questions at www.chelwest.nhs.uk/livechat

Next year's Star Awards will be presented at Chelsea Football Club from 6:30pm onwards on Thursday 18 April.

Details of how patients and members of the public can nominate staff for the Patient Choice category of the Star Awards will be publicised on this website in January 2013.

The Star Awards are made possible by funding from Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity—we thank them for their support.

The programme followed the lives of eight junior doctors at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as they adjusted to taking the giant leap from medical school to working in busy wards and departments.

Our junior doctors were filmed from August-November last year for the original series and so now the BBC cameras have returned to catch up with them and find out how they have progressed since filming ended a year ago.

In a new one-hour episode to be shown at 9pm on BBC3 on Monday 3 December, our junior doctors look back at the last 12 months—what they have learned, how they have changed and how they coped with some of the biggest challenges of their lives.

With previously unseen footage, this programme adds extra insight into what was a very eventful year.

Join us on Twitter as we tweet live during the episode—and tweet us your thoughts as you watch. You can follow us @ChelwestFT.

Governors work with the Board of Directors as a 'critical friend', helping to shape the way the Trust develops its services.

There are 34 Governors and a Chairman including 10 patient Governors, 8 public Governors (2 each from the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and City of Westminster) and 6 staff Governors drawn from all areas of the hospital. It also includes 10 Governors nominated by partnership organisations.

Results of the Council of Governors elections November 2012

Elections were held in November 2012 to the following constituencies of the Council of Governors:

• 6 Patient Governors
• 3 Public Governors
  Hammersmith & Fulham Area 2
  Kensington & Chelsea Area 1
  Wandsworth Area 2
• 4 Staff Governors
  Allied Health Professionals, Scientific & Technical
  Contracted
  Management
  Medical & Dental

Members registered in these constituencies were invited to nominate themselves to stand for election.

The following constituencies were uncontested and the results were as follows:

• Public: Wandsworth Area 2
  Steve Worrall (elected unopposed)
• Staff: Allied Health Professionals, Scientific and Technical
  James Dennis (elected unopposed)
• Staff: Contracted
• Julie Armstrong (elected unopposed)
• Staff: Medical & Dental
• Professor Brian Gazzard (elected unopposed)

The results in constituencies where elections were contested were as follows:

• Patient Governors
  Walter Balmford
  Thomas Church
  Alan Cleary (re-elected)
  Susan Maxwell (re-elected)
  Wendie McWatters (re-elected)
  Tera Younger
• Public: Hammersmith & Fulham Area 2
  Christine Blewett (re-elected)

No nominations were received for the following constituencies:

• Public: Kensington & Chelsea Area 1
• Staff: Management

Staff from 56 Dean Street, the Trust’s HIV and sexual health centre in Soho, were shortlisted in the ‘Health and Wellbeing’ category of the Public Relations Consultants (PRCA) Awards which were announced on Tuesday 13 November.

They were recognised for their hugely successful event on World AIDS Day 2011 to set a new Guinness World Record for the number of HIV tests given in a single day—467 people were tested in just eight hours at the G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street.

The 56 Dean Street team will be doing it all over again in an attempt to break their own world record at the G-A-Y Bar on World AIDS Day this year—the event will be held from 12 noon–8pm on Saturday 1 December. G-A-Y will be donating £10 for every test to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Jake Jenkins of 56 Dean Street said: “Come along to G-A-Y on World AIDS Day to get a free instant and confidential HIV test and support our attempts to promote HIV awareness, reduce stigma and make history.

The aim of the World Aids day event is to normalise HIV testing. One in four people with HIV are unaware that they are HIV positive, which is a risk to their health and the health of their partner. Early diagnosis saves lives and increases life expectancy; diagnosed HIV can be treated as a manageable chronic health condition.

The event will run in a way that ensures people are safe, well supported and able to make informed choices. Most people will attend the event during the walk-in HIV test clinic, but some people may prefer to choose to have their test in another location.

Jake continues: “The testing will be provided by the friendly, expert team from 56 Dean Street using the world’s fastest antibody test which provides a result in just 60 seconds. Testing early can add, on average, 16 years to someone’s life.”

There will be an expert team on hand who will only test people who were able to consent, understand the implications of testing and are able to handle the result. The health bus (with private rooms) will be available for people who have questions or would like to have further discussion. No-one will be pressured into having a test.

People will receive support from the 56 Dean Street team, whatever their result. If they receive a negative result they will be given advice about other STIs and to how to stay negative in the future. If they receive a positive result they will be given support immediately (at the clinic on the day) and help them to access HIV care services.

You can find out more on 56 Dean Street’s Facebook page. The event will be run with partner company GMI.

The last of our Medicine for Members events for 2012 took place on Wednesday 21 November with a seminar on Dementia by Dr Richard Morgan.

This is the second time we have run the Dementia seminar with Dr Morgan this year, having been hugely popular when the event first ran in May. Last night it was a full house once again.  

Dr Morgan talked about advances in the diagnosis and management of dementia.

The event was introduced by Foundation Trust Governor Susan Maxwell who also chaired a question and answer session at the end of the presentation. Dr Morgan answered a huge variety of questions from members of the audience.

Feedback from members who attended included:

• ‘Very clear and easy to follow, and very comprehensive.’
• ‘Very well worthwhile.’
• ‘Fantastic lecturer.’
• ‘Very good presentation—Q&A session also useful and well handled by Dr Morgan.’

Planning is now underway for the 2013 Medicine for Members events. Please check the ‘Members’ events’ page of our website and the January edition of Trust News for details.

‘Show us the way’ is a major new project to help make it easier for patients and visitors to find their way around Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

The Trust has made good progress in developing its plans to improve signage in the hospital, taking into account the feedback from the consultation exercise, and this Friday 23 and Saturday 24 November we will be carrying out some user testing with a range of people of different age groups and backgrounds to test out these plans.

We will be testing a number of routes to different clinics which means that on these days patients and visitors will see some areas of the hospital with temporary signage, and people wandering around with clipboards observing the test users and taking some photos.

The Trust’s wayfinding strategy will be approved by the Board of Directors before the plans become reality in 2013 as Chelsea and Westminster Hospital gets a major revamp to mark the 20th anniversary of the hospital opening in 1993.

More information about the ‘Show us the way’ project will be publicised early in the new year once the plans have been finalised.

What is wayfinding?

Wayfinding is not just about direction signs in the hospital, it also includes:

• Ensuring that the names we call departments are simple and easy to understand
• Providing maps at key points around the hospital
• Making sure that appointment letters are clear and consistent with the signs
• Using new technology such as electronic patient information screens
• Providing high quality information on the Trust website

World Diabetes Day on Wednesday 14 November was marked at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by the latest in our popular series of free health seminars for Foundation Trust members—‘Medicine for Members’.

Dr Michael Feher (Clinical Lead for Diabetes) and his colleagues Miranda Greg (Senior Diabetes Dietitian) and Emily Northover (Diabetes Specialist Nurse) were the guest speakers.

The speakers were introduced by Foundation Trust Governor Susan Maxwell who also chaired a question and answer session at the end of the talks.

Feedback was extremely positive with comments including “It was reassuring to know more about the disease and advances in treatment”, “Very good talk” and “This has been a very useful seminar”.

Professor Bell is in the running to win the ‘NHS Quality Champion of the Year’ category of the NHS Leadership Recognition Awards 2012.

He is also Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for Northwest London.

The winners of the NHS Leadership Recognition Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on 10 December.

They are in the running to win the ‘Efficiency’ and ‘Costing’ categories of the HFMA Awards.

The ‘Efficiency’ award looks to showcase best practice in improving efficiency whilst maintaining or improving quality with a particular focus on the Finance team’s role. It also recognises projects that have tackled efficiency in an ongoing and sustainable manner.

The ‘Costing’ award focuses on improvements in costing processes and costing information that have led to better information for organisations to use when make decisions about service delivery.

The winners of the HFMA Awards are due to be announced at a ceremony on 6 December 2012.

• 6 Patient representatives
  
• 3 Public representatives
  • Hammersmith and Fulham Area 2
  • Kensington and Chelsea Area 1
  • Wandsworth Area 2
• 4 Staff representatives
  • Allied Health Professionals, Scientific & Technical
  • Contracted
  • Management
  • Medical and Dental

Members registered in these constituencies were invited to nominate themselves to stand for election. The deadline for Foundation Trust members to nominate themselves for election was Monday 15 October.

The following members have nominated themselves to stand for election:

If you are a Foundation Trust member registered in these constituencies, you can have your say on the future of your hospital when ballot papers are posted out on 1 November. The deadline for voting (when completed voting papers must be posted to the Returning Officer) is 22 November. Election results will be published on this website on 23 November.

For any queries relating to election process, please contact Vida Djelic, Foundation Trust Secretary, on 020 3315 6716 or vida.djelic@chelwest.nhs.uk.

The new workstations, which are used in the Paediatric High Dependency Unit in the Chelsea Children’s Hospital, were inspired by Lead Nurse Neil Williams and staff and designed in vibrant colours to help allay anxiety of children and parents. They enable staff to record detailed observations and are equipped with medical supplies so that nursing staff have to spend less time away from the bedside.

The workstation is the first of its kind having been designed with paediatric patients in mind and has now been launched nationally.

This is a prestigious award to win and is a credit to all who have contributed to the development of the new workstation. BIFM is the leading facilities management body in the UK and the awards recognise excellence in facilities management.

• Further information

The series, which was originally shown on BBC3 earlier this year and watched by an average audience of 2.5 million viewers per episode, will be shown in six one-hour episodes at 8pm on BBC3 on Monday nights.

A new one-hour ‘catch-up’ episode, which updates viewers about what our junior doctors are up to now, will be shown at the end of the series.

The programme follows the lives of eight junior doctors at work and at home as they adjust to taking the giant leap from medical school to the fast pace of some of the busiest and most challenging wards and departments in one of the country’s leading hospitals

Filming took place at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital from August to November 2011.

Thank you to all staff and patients who took part.

Photo: A&E staff support the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign

The Shaping a healthier future public consultation about changes to NHS services in North West London finishes today Monday 8 October.

Thank you to more than 11,000 people who have registered their support for keeping a full A&E service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by completing a ‘Safe in our hands’ postcard.

Patients, local residents and staff have all joined the campaign to ensure that Chelsea and Westminster retains its status as a ‘major hospital’ with a full A&E, Maternity Unit and other life-saving services during the Shaping a healthier future public consultation about changes to the NHS in North West London.

The postcards have been submitted to NHS North West London as evidence of public support for safeguarding services at Chelsea and Westminster.

More than 6,500 people have also signed a petition set up by elected representatives of patients, members of the public and staff on the Council of Governors.

NHS North West London is due to make a decision about changes to NHS services in early 2013.

In the first four days 353 members of staff from all different areas of the hospital have had their flu vaccination.

It is important for staff to have their winter flu vaccination to help protect patients from contracting flu and also to protect their families and friends at home.

By having the vaccination staff can play a vital role in preventing the spread of flu this winter.

Due to the popularity of these events, 2 seminars on topics of interest will be held in November.

Early booking is advisable. Email medicine4members@chelwest.nhs.uk or phone 020 3315 6828/9 to reserve your place—please specify which seminar you are booking for.

Diabetes seminar

Wednesday 14 November

Dr Michael Feher (Consultant in Diabetes & Clinical Pharmacology) will be our keynote speaker at this seminar which is taking place on World Diabetes Day.

Dr Feher will be joined by a specialist nurse and a dietitian from the Beta Cell Diabetes Centre which is based in the new Lower Ground Floor Outpatients Department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

It will be held at 5:30pm on Wednesday 14 November in the Postgraduate Lecture Theatre on the Lower Ground Floor of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, SW10 9NH.

Dementia seminar

Wednesday 21 November

When we held a dementia seminar earlier this year, it proved so popular that we are repeating it—priority booking has been given to members who wanted to come to the seminar in May but who we were unable to accommodate because the event was full. However, a limited number of places are still available.

The keynote speakers are Dr Richard Morgan (Consultant Physician, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital) and Dr Claudia Wald (Consultant Psychiatrist, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Memory Services).

Come along to hear our experts talk about advances in the identification and treatment of dementia, as well as the services and support available for patients and carers.

It will be held at 5:30pm on Wednesday 21 November in the Postgraduate Lecture Theatre on the Lower Ground Floor of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369 Fulham Road, SW10 9NH.

Numbers are strictly limited so Foundation Trust members are advised to book early by emailing medicine4members@chelwest.nhs.uk or calling 020 33315 6828/9 to book a place.

Ryan Arya's eye-catching image (right) was chosen by judges of The Community Campaign which invited people to submit their ideas for an innovative advertising campaign that will make an impact in reducing rates of HIV infection or increasing education about sexual health.

Stephen Fry launched the competition in June. He said: "With one in seven gay men on the London scene now living with HIV, it's never been more important to develop new ways to reach and engage people with a safe sex message."

Competition winner Ryan (left) says: "HIV is a virus I was conscious and afraid of as a teenager. My fear has decreased over the years as I have learned a great deal about it and the medication available.

"It was always an aim of mine to work on an awareness advertising campaign, which is why I put my heart and soul into this competition."

Ryan explains the concept behind his winning competition entry. "The idea behind the campaign is to convey ordinary life with a sinister undertone. The electric chair is used as a metaphor to represent the unknown HIV status, the emphasis here is that it's the unknown that is the real danger.

"However, there is a lighter tone to the campaign as it clearly states that early diagnosis can lead to a near-normal life expectancy. This is a shock tactic advertising approach that will hopefully emphasise the importance in knowing not only your status, but also the status of the people you are sleeping with."

Dr Alan McOwan, Service Director at 56 Dean Street, says: "We wanted to create a voice for the gay community to actively design, vote on and react to their own advertising because, if we can all get involved, together we can make a difference."

Ryan Arya's concept is being professionally designed and should hit the newsstands this month.

Murray Macaulay, Director of the Art Fair, explains: "The Charity's integrated approach to the healing process is reflected in its vibrant performing arts programme and in the commissioning and acquisition of contemporary
visual art.

"We are honoured to be able to support the Charity's Chelsea Children's Hospital appeal through its presence at the Fair."

Katherine Mellor, Arts Director for the Charity, says: "We are grateful to Christie's for giving us this opportunity to highlight the vital work we do as the official NHS charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital."

Multiplied is the only art fair of its kind in the UK, showcasing the very best contemporary art in editions by leading artists. It brings together 41 galleries from around the world and features work by artists including Peter Blake, David Hockney and Damien Hirst.

The event runs from 12–15 October, is free to enter, and prices start from £100. More information is available at www.multipliedartfair.com.

Photo: This limited edition print, Our Adventure, by Rob Ryan is being raffled to raise funds for Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity at the Multiplied Art Fair. We are grateful to TAG Fine Arts for donating it. For more details please visit www.chelwestcharity.org.uk.

A group of 10 young people took part in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital's new work experience programme INSPIRE in August.

INSPIRE aims to engage young people from our local community to consider a career in medicine and healthcare.

From 21–24 August the students were given the opportunity to spend a week in the hospital, listening to career talks and observing professionals at work in a range of different areas including surgery, therapy, radiography and nursing.

The group also undertook training around Basic Life Support and participated in a careers workshop to support them with their next steps in education.

Qubekani Moyo, a 17-year-old student, said: "I am thrilled by the prospect of a career in medicine and I wanted to learn more about working in healthcare. The INSPIRE work experience programme gave me a realistic and exciting view of not only medicine but also life in a hospital."

The week was organised in partnership by Libby Wingfield (Volunteer Services and Work Experience Manager) and Staff Governor Maddy Than.

They would like to thank staff who gave up their time to either give career talks or organise observation sessions for the students including Thérèse Davis, Dr Jonathan Handy, Diane Samuels, Emma Low, Meeta Jethwa, Everlee Talactac, Caroline Evans, Heesook Lee, Maureen Fortier, Dr Kevin Haire, Andrea Blay, David Bushby, May Wesley, Anton Ivanic, Neil Bedford, Katie Dawson and Lou Depalo.

For further information about INSPIRE contact Libby Wingfield by emailing libby.wingfield@chelwest.nhs.uk.

The West London African Women's Service has been shortlisted for the Health Service Journal Awards in the 'Patient Centred Care' category.

The team was shortlisted for their unique service, which spans both the hospital and community care to meet the needs of women with female genital mutilation (FGM).

FGM is when the genitals have been cut for non-medical reasons and is illegal in the UK—an estimated 24,000 children are at risk of FGM. The service provides a range of care and treatment for women with FGM and the care is delivered by an all female team.

The team is made up of a number of different professionals including health advocate/language facilitator, obstetrician and gynaecologist, specialist midwife, genitourinary medicine doctor and a sexual health advisor.

The Health Service Journal Awards received the highest number of entries in their 31 year history this year.

The judging is taking place on Thursday 25 October and the winners will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 20 November.

The Chelsea and Westminster Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team has been shortlisted for the Nursing Times Awards 2012 in the ‘Emergency and Critical Care’ category.

Their nomination is “Using Customer Journey Mapping to improve the experience for relatives and patients in critical care”.

Elaine Manderson, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Intensive Care, said: “We wished to bring patients’ and relatives’ stories to life, with the aim of improving satisfaction.

“In the Intensive Care Unit this can be difficult to do, as many of the patients are sedated and unable to engage in traditional feedback mechanisms, so we used Customer Journey Mapping (CJM).”

CJM is a process of tracking and describing all the experiences that people have as they use a service, taking into account not only what happens to them, but also their responses to their experiences.

The benefits of using CJM means it allows staff to deliver information, messages and services at the most appropriate time and make sure they are getting things right when emotions are highest or needs are greatest.

This allows the team to provide a seamless, streamlined service.

Jane-Marie Hamil, Head Nurse for Critical Care, comments: “From undertaking this process we have gained a greater understanding of what it is like for our patients and relatives using our service.

“We have also highlighted areas for future work including further work on delirium in ICU, communication skills training, rehabilitation and discharge from ICU.”

The insights gained have helped shape strategy and policy, for example through the development of new information booklets, a new induction strategy and communication training for staff.

Overall the Nursing Times Awards received more than 1000 entries from 96 different organisations and the ICU team have made it down the final nine in their section.

The ceremony is taking place on Wednesday 31 October at the Hilton Hotel in London.

We wish all the team in ICU the best of luck!

The coffee morning was part of the national event to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support charity.

The team raised more than £1,100, their highest amount to date for a World’s Biggest Coffee Morning event at the hospital.

Thank you to everyone who came along for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake to support the event.

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On Thursday 27 September, Dr Jeremy Lewis (Consultant Physiotherapist) presented a Medicine for Members event on the Management of Shoulder Pain.

The evening was very popular with Foundation Trust members with nearly 50 people attending the event.

Dr Lewis opened with a broad overview of shoulder pain and then focused specifically on the condition known as “frozen shoulder”.

The event closed with Dr Lewis answering a lot of questions from the audience and talking about a wide range of shoulder pain complaints.

Feedback was extremely positive with comments including “learned a lot”, “I found Dr Lewis an excellent speaker” and “very, very interesting”.

The next Medicine for Members events will be advertised on these web pages and through the members’ e–newsletter.

The Trust was up against some of the biggest organisations in the UK—BT and the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) were also shortlisted for the award.

Chelsea and Westminster was also shortlisted in the ‘Best for Flexible Working’ category and named in the Top 30 employers for working families.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs more than 3,000 people. The Trust was aware that its workforce included staff who were caring for others but did not define themselves as carers as they did not recognise their own, sometimes gradual, transition to becoming a carer.

The Trust decided that it would take a proactive approach to reach all carers and to ensure that they received the best support and advice available.

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust already had a well developed flexible working policy, and this is available for carers to use. In addition, guidance has been produced for carers which covers subjects like defining who a carer is, how to talk to your manager about caring responsibilities, guidance on emergency leave for carers, and different types of working patterns which might be suitable.

The Top Employers for Working Families Awards 2012 recognise organisations across the UK that do the most to support work-life balance and career development for working parents, carers and flexible workers.

Founded by the work-life charity, Working Families and sponsored by Computershare Voucher Services, Top Employers for Working Families recognises innovation and creative thinking in designing family-friendly and flexible policies.

Sarah Jackson, Chief Executive of Working Families, says: “Our awards finalists have developed inspiring workplace policies to support their working parents, carers and flexible workers.

“These progressive employers clearly recognise the links between flexibility, employee engagement, wellbeing and high performance.”

This is further proof of Chelsea and Westminster’s status as an employer of choice:

• The Trust was named as the best employer for carers in the UK in the Top Employers for Working Families Awards 2011
• Chelsea and Westminster was the best acute hospital trust nationally for good communication between senior management and staff, as well as commitment to work-life balance of staff, in the latest NHS National Staff Survey

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has not had any mixed sex accommodation breaches since April and has only recorded two breaches in total in 2012 so far.

All organisations that provide NHS care are expected to eliminate mixed sex accommodation except in situations where it is in the best overall interest of the patient or if it is the patient’s choice. Patients who have been admitted to hospital should not have to share sleeping areas with people of the opposite sex and bathroom and toilet facilities should also be separate.

• Further information on the Department of Health website

The study, published in the British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease, highlights that patients with cancer are at significant risk of complex problems in glucose control and demonstrates the need for diabetes input into oncology units across the UK.

Cancer rates are increased in people with diabetes and there is evidence to show that outcomes from cancer treatment are worse in patients with diabetes. Diabetes management can be complex in many patients who are being treated in hospitals who don’t have access to specialist diabetes teams.

Knowing this, The Royal Marsden, in partnership with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, has offered specialist support for diabetes since 2009.

In a bid to improve outcomes and tailor resources and treatment better, there has been a need assess the prevalence of diabetes in cancer patients and this study was run to look at this relationship. It looked at the prevalence of diabetes and hyperglycaemia amongst inpatients at The Royal Marsden as well as specific diabetes referrals within this patient group.

The study’s results showed that 11% of inpatients had either diabetes or hyperglycaemia, showing them to be common problems. But the study also revealed that not all patients with elevated blood glucose were recognised immediately as being diabetic. This can lead to complexities of care for patients undergoing surgery or experiencing nutritional difficulties or treatment side effects, such as vomiting all of which can impact on glucose levels.

These findings show that not only is diabetes a common problem for cancer patients in hospital  but that medical and nursing staff require adequate and specialist training in recognition and diagnosis of diabetes in order to administer the best form of treatment, for what can be complex diabetic needs.

Dr Daniel Morganstein, Consultant at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and lead author of the study said: “For the first time we have we have been able to show the prevalence of diabetes amongst cancer patients in hospital and what this means for their treatment and care. As a common problem, staff must be trained to recognise the signs and as a result, we will see an improvement in patient outcomes.”

The study concluded that patients with diabetes and cancer require access to diabetes specialist care and recommended the input of specialist diabetes teams into oncology units.

Professor Martin Gore, The Royal Marsden’s Medical Director and one of the study’s authors, said: “Cancer patients can often have other health complexities. This study shows how important it is for there to be a linked up approach to patient care between specialist diabetes teams and oncology units.”

Ben Allin, Lucy Hollingworth and Andy Steval have teamed up again to raise money for the Appeal to bring a da Vinci robotic surgical system to the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

Ben says: “I am starting my training to become a paediatric surgeon and fully appreciate the many advantages that a robot-assisted system would give to the surgeon and patient.

“The system gives the surgeon precision beyond that capable of traditional operating methods and so the patient benefits from smaller scars, quicker recovery and ultimately going home sooner. We’re all thrilled to be doing our bit to support Pluto.”

If you’d like to sponsor them there is a team page www.justgiving.com/benallin.

Pluto will be the first robotic surgical system available for children and babies in London and the South of England if the Appeal raises £1.5million to purchase this state-of-the-art equipment.

The Royal Parks Half Marathon is run through four of central London’s Royal Parks. Around 12,500 runners take part every year.

The CQC found the Trust to be meeting all the essential standards of quality and safety inspected at Chelsea and Westminster.

A number of patients were extremely positive about their experience of the hospital. One patient told the inspectors that the hospital “saved their life” and another said “I cannot tell you how much I respect them for what they have done for me”. One patient told the inspectors that she “she loved this hospital and that this hospital loved her”.

Thérèse Davis, Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Experience and Flow, said: “I am delighted with the report published by the CQC following their visit this summer. We received extremely positive praise from patients and I am particularly pleased with the feedback regarding respect and involving people who use our services. Our staff work very hard and it is always uplifting to hear that the care we are providing is meeting patients’ needs and expectations.”

The CQC inspectors reviewed five standards of care at Chelsea and Westminster as part of a series of routine reviews assessing whether older people in hospitals are treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs are met:

• People should be treated with respect, involved in discussions about their care and treatment and able to influence how the service is run
• Food and drink should meet people’s individual dietary needs
• People should be protected from abuse and staff should respect their human rights
• There should be enough members of staff to keep people safe and meet their health and welfare needs
• People’s personal records, including medical records, should be accurate and kept safe and confidential

The full report is available in the Transparency section.

Tony Bell has over 30 years of experience in the NHS and joins Chelsea and Westminster Hospital from Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital where he was Chief Executive since 2007.

Tony Bell says: “I am extremely proud to be joining the team at Chelsea and Westminster. The Trust has a reputation as one of the best hospitals in the country and I am looking forward to building on that reputation, continuing to improve our services and providing the highest quality care for our patients.”

Tony Bell joins Chelsea and Westminster Hospital at a pivotal time for the Trust. The hospital is currently in the midst of the ‘Shaping a healthier future’ consultation run by NHS North West London which will designate ‘major hospitals’ with full A&E services.

Tony Bell continues: “I am delighted to be here at Chelsea and Westminster. The strong link between Chelsea and Westminster and the community we serve has never been more important than at this time when the future of the hospital is at stake.”

Aside from the Shaping a healthier future consultation, there are many exciting projects underway at the hospital including the building of a new Diagnostic Centre to bring together key diagnostic services in the hospital and a new Midwifery-Led Unit in Maternity which will enable an additional 1,000 women a year to have their babies at Chelsea and Westminster.

• Read more of Tony Bell’s thoughts about joining Chelsea and Westminster on his first Chief Executive’s Blog entry

The Trust is up against some of the biggest public, private and not-for-profit organisations in the UK—American Express, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland are also shortlisted in the flexible working category and BT and the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) are also shortlisted in the carers and eldercare category.

The Top Employers for Working Families Awards 2012 recognise organisations across the UK that do the most to support work-life balance and career development for working parents, carers and flexible workers.

Founded by the work-life charity, Working Families and sponsored by Computershare Voucher Services, Top Employers for Working Families recognises innovation and creative thinking in designing family-friendly and flexible policies.

Sarah Jackson, Chief Executive of Working Families, says: “Our awards finalists have developed inspiring workplace policies to support their working parents, carers and flexible workers.

“These progressive employers clearly recognise the links between flexibility, employee engagement, wellbeing and high performance.”

This is further proof of Chelsea and Westminster’s status as an employer of choice:

• The Trust was named as the best employer for carers in the UK in the Top Employers for Working Families Awards 2011
• Chelsea and Westminster was the best acute hospital trust nationally for good communication between senior management and staff, as well as commitment to work-life balance of staff, in the latest NHS national Staff Survey

More than 3,000 people work at Chelsea and Westminster including staff employed directly by the Trust, Facilities staff employed by contractors, and hospital volunteers.

The third Medicine for Members event focused on proposed changes to NHS services in North West London.

The free event was open to all patients and members of the public who have joined our Foundation Trust as members—nearly 30 members attended.

Guest speaker Dr Susan LaBrooy (Medical Director, Hillingdon Hospital and a Medical Director of the Shaping a healthier future programme) presented to the group and then held a Q&A session.

Feedback received from members who attended the event was positive with the majority saying it was useful, easy to understand and that they would recommend future ‘Medicine for Members’ events to friends and family.

• Support the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E at Chelsea and Westminster
• Attend a public consultation in your borough

Chelsea and Westminster was the first hospital in London to offer routine HIV tests to A&E patients in a bid to save lives by reducing the number of cases of undiagnosed HIV.

All patients aged 16-65 attending the A&E department at Chelsea and Westminster are offered the 30-second test.

The Health Protection Agency estimates that 86,500 people are living with HIV in the UK—26% of whom are unaware of their condition—and the number of people in London diagnosed with HIV acquired in the UK has doubled in the last 10 years.

In London 28,000 people are living with HIV and the virus is a particular threat in the gay community - one in 10 gay men in London has HIV, while one in seven gay men on the London gay scene has the virus.

Speaking last year, Dr Sullivan said: “People whose HIV is undiagnosed are not only more likely to die from the virus but also infect other people while they are unaware of their condition. If diagnosed early, HIV can be successfully treated and people with HIV live to near-normal life expectancies. Successful treatment has also been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.

“Our pilot study demonstrated that routine HIV tests in A&E not only detect undiagnosed cases but also are seen as acceptable by the vast majority of patients. The impact of routine HIV testing in antenatal clinics shows the potential benefits of extending routine tests to A&E. Since its introduction in 1999, 95% of pregnant women take the test and the proportion of newborn babies at risk of infection from HIV has decreased.”

More information about tonight’s BBC Radio 4 ‘Inside Health’ programme—also repeated at 4:30pm on Wednesday (5 September)—is available on their website.

All telephone and fax numbers for the ward remain the same during its temporary relocation.

Before the Olympics period, the same process was followed to revamp Annie Zunz Ward and David Evans Ward is next on the list for an upgrade.

The charity, which was established in 2005, funds projects which have an immediate and demonstrable positive impact upon the health, welfare and educational prospects of young people and adults. Support is provided through fundraising and grant-giving to organisations that fulfil their charitable objectives.

Path to Success’ flagship campaign “60 for 60” Wheelchair Appeal aims to provide 60 wheelchairs for 60 NHS hospitals in England to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The charity has been able to donate 48 wheelchairs since January 2012 and has raised funds for another 40 to be donated to NHS Hospitals by end of this year.

Anita Choudhrie, founder of Path to Success, says: “We are aware of the great work that the NHS is doing to help cover patients’ requirements across the UK and we wanted to collaborate with hospitals and help some patients by providing these wheelchairs.”

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has received the donated bariatric wheelchair and greatly appreciates this generous donation. The hospital is a centre of excellence in the field of bariatric (weight loss) surgery.

Scenes were filmed in the hospital in June as part of the programme which follows a wide range of characters during a dramatic night including helicopter pilots, a choirboy and a radio DJ.

More information about the programme is available at http://www.itv.com/tvguide/.

Photo: Brave Pollyanna Hope is a keen ballet dancer, despite losing her leg in a horrific accident

The mother of a little girl who lost her leg when she was hit by a London bus will carry the Paralympic torch today.

Sarah Hope and her daughter Pollyanna were both treated at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by surgeon Simon Eccles following the crash in April 2007 which also killed Sarah’s mother, Elizabeth Panton.

Nothing could be done to save Pollyanna’s lower right leg but, now aged seven, she wears a prosthetic limb and is a happy little girl who loves ballet.

Sarah Hope says: “Simon Eccles treated both me and Pollyanna at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after the accident and he has continued to do so ever since.

“He is a wonderful surgeon and I would never go anywhere else for treatment. Simon is kind, funny and however low I have felt walking into his clinic, I have never walked out at the end of an appointment feeling down.”

Sarah will be carrying the Paralympic torch today as an ambassador for Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope, the charity she helped to set up in memory of her mother who died in the bus crash.

Sarah says: “We set up the charity to provide prosthetic limbs to amputees in developing countries. It became unacceptable to my sister and myself that thousands of children in the world do not have access to prosthetic limbs like Pollyanna my daughter.”

• More information about the work of the charity can be found at www.elizabethslegacyofhope.org

The Governors are elected by Foundation Trust members - patients, their carers and members of the public who have chosen to become members of the hospital – to represent their interests and to ensure that the voice of those who rely on the hospital’s services is heard.

The petition is sponsored by 13 Governors who are calling for Chelsea and Westminster to retain its status as a major hospital with a full A&E Department, as recommended by the Shaping a healthier future public consultation about changes to NHS services in North West London.

The Governors warn: “If Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is downgraded to a local hospital without a full A&E department, it would also loose its maternity and many other services, including children’s, and its future would be under threat.”

Go to http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/cwaepetition to sign the Governors’ petition to keep A&E and other life-saving services at Chelsea and Westminster.

Signing the petition is just one of the ways in which you can support the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign, you can also:

• Complete the public consultation response form voting for Option A to keep A&E at Chelsea and Westminster – a weblink to the online response form and suggested answers to complete the form in support of Chelsea and Westminster are available at http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/safeinourhands
• Tick the box voting for Option A on a ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign postcard – hard copies are available from Main Reception at Chelsea and Westminster or you can complete an online postcard at http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/safeinourhands/support-the-campaign/your-vote-counts

See www.chelwest.nhs.uk/safeinourhands for more information about the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has launched the campaign in response to a public consultation that threatens the future of A&E and other key services such as maternity and paediatrics.

The Shaping a healthier future consultation on NHS services in North West London drawn up by GPs, hospital doctors and other health experts proposes that all 9 acute hospitals in North West London should continue to provide local hospital services, but only 5 of these will be ‘major hospitals’ providing a full A&E service, emergency surgery, maternity and paediatric services.

While retaining Chelsea and Westminster as a major hospital is the preferred option (Option A), this is currently subject to public consultation and the campaign seeks to encourage support for Option A in this process.

Daley Thompson said: "Chelsea and Westminster is a great hospital with fantastic staff who do a great job caring for more than 300,000 people every year. I have had personal experience of the excellent standards of care provided at Chelsea and Westminster when my partner had our baby here.

“It would be a travesty if the hospital lost its A&E Department which would also mean the loss of the Maternity Unit and many other life-saving services. I would encourage as many people as possible to support the ‘Safe in our hands’ campaign to keep A&E at Chelsea and Westminster by completing the consultation form voting for Option A at www.safeinourhands.info.”

Acting Chief Executive and Medical Director, Dr Mike Anderson said:

“Losing A&E at Chelsea and Westminster would be catastrophic for the Trust and the communities we care for so we must continue to promote the consultation and encourage all of our supporters to complete the survey and vote for Option A to keep A&E here.”

Today (Monday 20 August) Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is launching a new work experience programme called INSPIRE.

It is the brainchild of Libby Wingfield (Volunteer Services and Work Experience Manager) and Staff Governor Maddy Than.

The new programme aims to engage and inspire young people from our local community to consider a career in medicine and healthcare.

This exciting opportunity will introduce local youngsters to a clinical environment, give them the chance to meet healthcare professionals at work, and listen to seminars on a range of different healthcare careers.

Libby says: “We want to reach out to our community by providing programmes such as INSPIRE which support young people in their career choices and raise the aspirations of those who may not have otherwise considered a healthcare career.”

Maddy Than, a Staff Governor who works as an administrator in the clinical engineering team, also feels strongly that the INSPIRE programme can open up career pathways to a diverse range of young people.

She explains: “INSPIRE is a really positive new initiative for the Trust. We want to engage our local young people and say to them ‘These careers are within your reach, you can do it too!’ because this initiative is all about supporting these youngsters to fulfil their potential.”

The INSPIRE work experience programme is a full-time, five-day course which combines career talks, workshops and shadowing/observation sessions in various clinical areas of the hospital. The programme is aimed at young people aged 16+ who are in full-time or part-time education.

Further information is available from Libby Wingfield on 020 3315 6864 or via email libby.wingfield@chelwest.nhs.uk.

This is part of the ongoing development of the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster.

Consultant Physotherapist Dr Jeremy Lewis will be the keynote speaker at our Management of Shoulder Pain seminar at 5:30pm on Thursday 27 September in the Postgraduate Lecture Theatre on the Lower Ground Floor of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Our first two ‘Medicine for Members’ events, on the topics of bowel cancer awareness and dementia, proved popular with members who attended.

How to book your place

Places for the shoulder pain seminar on 27 September are available to Foundation Trust members on a first come, first served basis.

Numbers are strictly limited so you are advised to book early – please email matthew.akid@chelwest.nhs.uk or call 020 33315 6828 to book a place.

Everyone is welcome to attend this popular annual event which will take place at 5:30pm on 13 September in the Restaurant on the Lower Ground Floor of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Refreshments will be served at the end of the meeting.

Tony Bell has worked in the NHS for 30 years, having trained and worked as a nurse for many years before moving into management.

He joins Chelsea and Westminster from Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust where he has been Chief Executive since 2007. He was also previously Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

Tony Bell says: “I am looking forward to working with so many talented and dedicated staff who have helped make Chelsea and Westminster one of the best NHS trusts in the country.

“I aim to lead the Trust to continued success so that we provide the best possible care for all patients.”

Other speakers at the Annual Members’ Meeting include Susan Maxwell, who is a Patient Governor, Trust Chairman Professor Sir Christopher Edwards and Finance Director Lorraine Bewes.

Following these speeches, there will be an opportunity to quiz the Board of Directors during a Question and Answer session about Chelsea and Westminster’s performance in the 2011/12 financial year and our future plans.

Frontline clinical staff will then give presentations on initiatives to improve the quality of patient care at Chelsea and Westminster.

Lesley-Anne Marke, Sister on David Erskine Ward, and Cherry Brennan, a senior midwife who is our Maternity Inpatients Matron, will talk about the new ‘wellbeing rounds’ which have been introduced to meet the needs of our patients in a timely way.

Professor Derek Bell, Director of Research & Development and Acute Medical Physician, will talk about improvements in the care of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

• The Trust has published its 2011/12 Annual Report & Accounts and Quality Account – copies of both documents will be available at the Annual Members’ Meeting and they are also available to read online or to download at lhttp://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/about-us/our-performance/annual-reports
• An Annual Review summarising the Annual Report & Accounts is available at  published in this edition of Trust News http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/about-us/our-performance/annual-reviews

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Chelsea and Westminster Hospital staff who took part in Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening ceremony for the London Games have been reliving their amazing experience.

Lauren Eve, Physiotherapist on Edgar Horne Ward, said: “It was incredible to be part of such a prestigious event.

“I was one of the industrial revolution drummers so got to work closely with the composer Rick Smith, who made us all feel valued as individuals even though we were 1 of the 10,000 strong cast!”

Darren Brown, Specialist Physiotherapist for Infectious Diseases, Oncology and Palliative Care, agreed: “This once in a lifetime experience was absolutely brilliant.

“I felt so proud to represent the NHS and physiotherapy. Danny Boyle was very involved in all our rehearsals and therefore everybody felt included, important and part of the Olympic family.

“This was an unforgettable experience.”

Other Chelsea and Westminster staff who took part in the opening ceremony included:

• Simon Clarke (Consultant Paediatric Surgeon)
• Pat Garner (Midwife)
• Katie Lee (Occupational Therapist, Trauma and Orthopaedics)

Congratulations to all these staff for playing their part in making the opening ceremony such a huge success.

Hazem El-Refaey, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, is starring in a major new public art project initiated by The Photographers’ Gallery to coincide with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

His photograph is now emblazoned across a large-scale poster on Oxford Street at the culmination of the project which set out to commission 204 photographic portraits of 204 Londoners, each originating from one of the nations competing at the London Games Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mr El-Refaey was born in Egypt and, after graduating from Cairo University, he has spent all his working life as a doctor in the UK.

Photographer Paul Floyd Blake says: “I was asked to participate in the project and chose Egypt because of family links.

“My partner’s father grew up in Egypt and he told us about this extraordinary doctor and his political involvement in trying to change things in Egypt, as well as his groundbreaking medical research which has benefited many people around the world.

“It was a delight to meet and talk with him, visit him at work and at his home and I feel that I have made a real friend into the bargain.”

Brett Rogers, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery said: As London’s premier institution for photography, we are proud to have initiated a project that engages with the cultural diversity of London at the same time as celebrating photography as one of the most powerful visual mediums of the 21st century.

“Commissioning such a variety of photographers has offered us an unrivalled opportunity to highlight the creative potential of the portrait genre.”

Photo: Dr Abdulcadir in a treatment room at John Hunter Clinic

A sexual health doctor at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has been sharing his expertise with the Somali community.

Dr Mohammed Abdulcadir, a long-serving Associate Specialist at John Hunter Clinic for Sexual Health, is a passionate advocate of community education and has recently been giving talks on Hepatitis B, HIV, Syphilis and sexual health awareness to the Somali community in his spare time.

Dr Abdulcadir says: “I feel this is important because the Somali population has one of the highest Hepatitis B infection rates (between 10% and 20% of the population).

“My advice is for everyone to have a test before having any relationships so that they are aware of the how this infection is transmitted, sexually and by other means.”

• Find out more about John Hunter Clinic or book an appointment

Video

Watch a video of one of Dr Cadir’s talks (in Somali):

As the cyclists raced past Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, our staff worked hard to keep things running smoothly despite the road closures and challenges to accessing the site, including assisting some patients who were well enough to watch the action from the sidelines.

Dutch rider Marianne Vos won gold in the race, and Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya the bronze.

Over the weekend:

• 15 women gave birth in our Maternity Unit
• more than 500 patients were treated in A&E
• 99% of patients were seen and treated within 4 hours (most were seen much more quickly)
• 65 patients were admitted to inpatient wards
• 28 patients were taken home by Patient Transport drivers

Dominic Clarke (2012 Olympic Lead) says: “Thanks to the efforts of staff from all areas of the hospital we were able to maintain our services for patients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, despite access to the hospital being much more difficult than usual.

“I would like to thank all staff who went the extra mile to ensure our patients have continued to receive the best possible care over the weekend.”

The hospital’s Emergency Planning team and frontline clinical staff worked alongside local authorities to ensure that women in labour, parents of sick children, and relatives of other seriously ill patients were able to get to the hospital without delay.

On Saturday 28 July:

• 9 women gave birth in our Maternity Unit
• 260 patients were treated in A&E
• 99.2% of these patients were seen and treated within 4 hours (most were seen much more quickly)
• 32 patients were admitted to inpatient wards
• 19 patients were taken home by Patient Transport drivers

Dominic Clarke (2012 Olympic Lead) says: “Thanks to the efforts of staff from all areas of the hospital we were able to maintain our services for patients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, despite access to the hospital being much more difficult than usual.

“I would like to thank all staff who have gone the extra mile to ensure our patients have continued to receive the best possible care—in particular Catherine Sands (Head of Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity) and Trevor Post (Operations Logistics Manager) for their meticulous planning in advance of this weekend.”

These are major Olympic road events which will travel along Fulham Road and will pass Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on both the outward and homeward bound legs. As a result, there will be extensive road closures in place over the weekend and barriers will be in place along the route. Fulham Road will be heavily marshalled with designated vehicle and pedestrian crossing points.

The hospital will continue to run as normal—including our Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department—however access to the hospital is likely to be more difficult.

Road closures will be in place from 3am on Saturday 28 July and the full route will not be opened until 8am on Monday 30 July. While the closures are in place, there will be no vehicle access to the hospital except for emergency services vehicles and those requiring urgent care. Barriers will be in place along the route and there will be designated vehicle crossing points along Fulham Road.

The front entrance to the hospital will remain open, however the footpaths are likely to be very congested with spectators. There will be barriers in place along Fulham Road, with limited pedestrian crossing points which will be managed by Olympic volunteers who will only allow crossing when it is safe to do so. There will be two crossing points directly opposite the hospital and these will be clearly signposted.

Important information for pregnant women

We have written to all pregnant women who are due to have their baby at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on or around Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 July advising them of arrangements which will be in place during the weekend.

If you go into labour, or you have any concerns regarding you or your baby’s welfare at anytime during the weekend, please contact our Labour Ward on 020 3315 7841 immediately.

Our midwives will undertake a telephone assessment and either advise you to come to the hospital via a pre-determined marshalled checkpoint, or go to a designated place outside the traffic congestion zone for an assessment.

If you are in labour you may be asked to leave home much earlier than normal, as traffic congestion in the local area is likely to lengthen your journey.

When you call you will be required to give us a contact number so we can keep in touch with you whilst you are on your journey.

Other important information for patients and visitors

The hospital car park will only be available for those requiring urgent access—for example women in labour and their partners—and in exceptional circumstances. It will be access-controlled by a security guard and those requiring access will need to arrange this in advance—please speak to your nurse or midwife.

The car park will be completely closed and no cars will be allowed to enter or exit at these times:

• Saturday 28 July: 8–10:45am and 12:30–4:30pm
• Sunday 29 July: 10:30am–12:45pm and 1–2:30pm

More than 60 bus routes will be affected and diversions will be in place—including the 14, 414 and 211 buses which pass the hospital. Night buses will continue to run along Fulham Road until 7am on Saturday 28 July. All overground train and tube services will be much busier than usual.

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates this weekend

We will be providing regular updates over the weekend on our Twitter feed—follow us @ChelwestFT.

Photo (top):

Photo (right): Anna runs with the Olympic torch

A grateful mother who helped raise £250,000 for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to thank the doctors and nurses who saved the lives of her prematurely born triplets carried the Olympic torch along the Kings Road in Chelsea today.

Anna Collier was nominated to carry the torch by hospital staff to thank her and husband Andrew for their amazing fundraising efforts.

Anna and Andrew co-founded the 3 Little Miracles Fund to buy incubators, ventilators and other vital medical equipment to help save the lives of other sick and premature babies cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Their triplets, identical twin girls Isabel and Emily and their brother Ben, were born 3 months early in January 2006. They all weighed less than 3lbs at birth and spent more than 100 days at Chelsea and Westminster fighting for their lives but are now happy and healthy 6-year-olds.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is designated as a Level 3 centre which means it provides the very highest level of medical and surgical care for more than 500 sick and very premature babies from all over London, the South East and further afield every year.

Anna says: “To carry the torch through Chelsea, close to the hospital where the triplets were born, was humbling and incredibly emotional for me and my family.

“Carrying the Olympic torch through the streets of London, my home town, was an amazing honour and something I will always cherish.”

Dr Gary Hartnoll, the Consultant Neonatologist who treated the triplets during their 3 months on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, says: "Anna and Andrew’s incredible fundraising efforts enabled us to buy state-of-the-art medical equipment to save the lives of more babies.

"For example, the 4 new incubators we were able to buy enable our surgeons to carry out surgical procedures without taking the baby out of the incubator which reduces the risk of infection and other complications."

The 3 Little Miracles Fund has had high profile celebrity support from the likes of its patron, former British Lions rugby star Tim Rodber, and BBC sports presenter John Inverdale who hosted a gala ball which raised more than £115,000 alone.

Having raised the initial £250,000 for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the charity has gone on to raise a further £100,000 to purchase life-saving incubators for other hospitals.

• See www.3littlemiracles.com to find out more about Anna and Andrew Collier’s charity

Following the success of the lunchtime exercise class in the hospital on Workout at Work Day in June, when Olympic legend Daley Thompson put more than 100 staff through their paces, another session took place at lunchtime today at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Physiotherapist Barry Crane led the exercise class with Olympian (and local resident) Clifford “Snowy” Brooks, who represented Barbados in the decathlon at the 1972 Games.

More than 50 staff, patients and local residents took part in the lunchtime exercise class to gear up for the start of the London Olympics this Friday.

With only two days to go before the Olympics we caught up with Dr Claire Emerson (Consultant, A&E Department) who will be leading the team of doctors and physiotherapists who treat athletes who get ill or injured while competing.

Dr Claire Emerson (Consultant, A&E Department)

How are you involved in the Olympic Games?

My official title is “Field of Play Recovery Team Leader” at the North Greenwich Arena. Basically I’ll be leading the team of doctors and physiotherapists who run on and treat athletes who get ill or injured while they’re competing. The sports I’ll be covering are gymnastics, the basketball finals, and trampolining. When competitors are injured in trampolining, it tends to be rather hairy!

Why did you choose to sign up?

I’m very keen on almost all Olympic sports and have been lucky enough to go to several Olympic Games as a spectator, so I definitely wanted to be involved as soon as I knew the 2012 Games were coming to my home town! I’m hoping to use all my experience in Emergency and Sports Medicine to do my little bit to make the Games a fantastic success.

Have you done anything like this before?

Yes—I did a Masters in Sports Medicine while I was an Emergency Medicine Registrar and since then have done a lot of work with the British gymnastics team, travelling as the team doctor to such glamorous places as Azerbaijan and Bulgaria (by coach because it was during the Icelandic volcano!).

I’ve also done field of play cover at two previous gymnastics events at the North Greenwich Arena (as the O2 will be known during the Games)—the 2009 World Championships and the Olympics test event at the start of this year—which I’m sure will prove to be very valuable experience.

Last summer I was one of the GB team doctors at the World University Games in China, which is the second largest multisport event after the Olympics, so I have some experience of sports events on a massive scale. At that event I had to resuscitate one of the GB football team after she had a respiratory arrest during a match, with very little equipment, in the middle of nowhere and without being able to communicate with anyone at the venue.

I’m very much looking forward to the London Ambulance Service being on standby and some excellent NHS hospitals being nearby for these Games!

What are you most looking forward to?

Just being part of the Games Maker workforce. There are 60,000 volunteers and the amount of enthusiasm, pride and dedication on display at the various training events I’ve been to has been overwhelming.

I can’t begin to imagine how much that will be amplified when it comes to actual Games time—I can’t wait!

This is the third year in a row that Chelsea and Westminster has achieved a triple ‘Excellent’ rating which is based on a rigorous assessment by a team of inspectors.

PEAT inspection teams consist of patient representatives and staff who look at levels of cleanliness, aspects of infection control (such as hand hygiene), the quality of the environment (such as decoration, maintenance and lighting), and the standard of food offered to patients.

Each hospital is given a score of ‘Excellent’, ‘Good’, ‘Acceptable’, ‘Poor’ or Unacceptable’ for the three areas of Environment (including cleanliness), Food and Privacy & Dignity.

Therese Davis, Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Experience and Flow, says: “I would like to thank all staff including those employed by our cleaning and catering contractors ISS Facility Services Healthcare who provide an excellent environment for patients and visitors to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

“We are not complacent and so later this year we will be launching a major programme of improvements to make it easier for patients and visitors to find their way around the hospital.”

Susan Maxwell, a patient representative on the PEAT inspection team at Chelsea and Westminster who is also an elected patient representative on our Council of Governors, adds: “I am not surprised that the hospital has achieved a triple ‘Excellent’ rating for the third year running.

“I am continually impressed by how our clinical, cleaning, maintenance and infection control staff work together to make the hospital a clean and safe environment for patients.”

NHS Heroes is your chance to nominate someone who always goes the extra mile to provide exceptional care to ensure that patients receive the very best treatment.

Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS, says: “I am sure you do not need reminding that there are a vast number of amazing people throughout the NHS who are doing great things every single day.

“NHS Heroes is a celebration of care at its very best. We are encouraging staff, patients and their families to nominate their own personal NHS heroes.

“It will recognise the efforts of local staff whose expertise, passion for care, concern and everyday kindness indelibly touches the lives of patients and their families.”

If you would like to nominate a member of staff or a team as your NHS Hero, please complete the nomination form at www.nhsheroes.com.

• Download a poster (PDF)

You will be asked some questions to assess your symptoms, given advice and directed to the local service that can help you best—this could be A&E, an Urgent Care Centre, an out-of-hours GP, walk-in centre, emergency dentist or a late opening chemist.

Dr Tim Ladbrooke, Medical Director at the London Central & West Unscheduled Care Collaborative which is providing the service, says: “When you call 111, you will be assessed straightaway. If it is an emergency, an ambulance will be despatched immediately without the need for any further assessment.

“For any other health problems, the NHS 111 call advisers will be able to direct you to the service that is best able to meet your needs. For minor illnesses and injuries, the 111 service will be able to provide appropriate home management advice.”

If you do need an ambulance, one will be sent just as quickly as if you had dialled 999.  For less urgent health needs, you should still contact your GP or local pharmacist in the normal way.

Calls to 111 are free, including from mobiles. For more information see www.nhs.uk/111.

The Dermatology and Plastics Department is located on the 1^st Floor of the hospital and is accessible via either the escalators from the Ground Floor to the 1^st Floor or via the lifts at Lift Bank D from the Ground Floor to the 1^st Floor – the department is at Lift Bank D which is at the far end of the hospital building from the main entrance on Fulham Road.

The works are now almost complete and so Annie Zunz will move back to its usual location on the 3^rd Floor this Friday 13 July.

After the Olympics period, the same process will be followed to revamp 2 other wards—David Erskine and David Evans.

• Annie Zunz Ward

Mr Simon Clarke (Consultant Paediatric Surgeon)

How are you involved in the Olympic Games?

I'm part of the cast who will perform in the Opening Ceremony, but I am in no way special... there are literally thousands of us, so thank God you won't recognise me!

Film director Danny Boyle (who directed Trainspotting, The Beach and Slumdog Millionaire) is directing the ceremony, which involves over 120 hours of rehearsals at night and at weekends.

Why did you choose to sign up?

I applied for event tickets on the first round last year and missed out, so I thought if I can't watch I may as well try and be in it! I ended up to going to two sets of auditions (including some rather vigorous, impossible dancing!) and unsurprisingly was put into the non-dancing (mime and movement) group.

Have you done anything like this before?

I've been in some local amateur dramatic productions at the Putney Arts Theatre. However the normal audience at Putney is 150 people, whereas the estimated audience for the Opening Ceremony is one billion people... gulp.

What are you most looking forward to?

Revealing all on 27 July... (though not literally)!

The ICP’s success came in the ‘Diabetes Care’ category of the Care Integration Awards 2012—winners and highly commended entries were announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday 4 July.

These awards are organised by Health Service Journal and Nursing Times magazines to recognise, promote and reward the outstanding efforts of staff throughout the country to achieve more integrated pathways of care to meet the needs of patients with long-term conditions.

Alastair McLellan, Editor of the Health Service Journal, said: “The NHS faces a decade of financial austerity which could threaten the huge advances made in patient safety since the 1990s. Some of those advances are reflected in the outstanding achievements of tonight’s award winners, many of which have set new standards in patient safety. We hope and believe the example of our award winners will be beacons of excellence to inspire others in making sure that patient safety remains a priority whatever financial pressures the NHS has to endure.”

The ICP won the ‘Managing Long Term Conditions’ of the Health Service Journal Awards 2011 for its work with not only diabetes patients but also patients aged 75 and over. It is clinically led by GPs, hospital doctors and community care professionals working in partnership.

You can download walking maps (PDF format) below which show 5- and 15-minute walking distances from Chelsea and Westminster:

5-minute radius from Chelsea and Westminster

15-minute radius from Chelsea and Westminster

For further information about how we have prepared for the Olympics please see the Olympics section of our website.

The Annual Report & Accounts includes an Executive Summary which provides a snapshot of the key achievements of the past year and personal statements from Trust Chairman, Professor Sir Christopher Edwards and outgoing Chief Executive, Heather Lawrence.

It also includes a wealth of information about Chelsea and Westminster including key facts such as the fact we treated more than 360,000 patients in 2011/12 and saw increased demand for specialist services such as Maternity, Paediatrics and HIV & Sexual Health.

Download the Annual Report (5.2mb PDF):

All providers of NHS services in England have a statutory duty to produce an annual report to the public about the quality of services that they delivery—this is called the Quality Account.

Chief Executive Heather Lawrence says: “This Quality Account sets out the approach we are taking to improve quality at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and how we are translating this into improvements in patient care and clinical outcomes.

“We promote a safe environment for patients and staff and we aim to be a learning organisation.

“At a time of financial constraints on the NHS, we must ensure that the quality of our clinical services and patient care is not compromised by the need to work more efficiently.”

You can download the Quality Account by using the link below:

• Quality Account 2011/12 (2.7mb)
  
  

He will be covering the period between Heather leaving and the arrival of new Chief Executive Tony Bell OBE who will take up his post on Monday 3 September.

Dr Anderson, who is a Consultant Gastroenterologist, has been Medical Director of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 2003.

The 7-week programme of works will be split into 2 phases—before the Olympic Games start on 26 July and after the Paralympic Games finish on 9 September.

It includes the refurbishment of male, female and disabled public toilets in the public areas of the hospital on the Ground Floor, staff shower and toilet facilities on the Lower Ground Floor, an ‘assisted’ shower and toilet for patients on the Acute Assessment Unit on the 4th Floor, and 2 ‘assisted’ shower and toilet facilities on Annie Zunz Ward on the 3rd Floor.

Photo: Chelsea and Westminster nurse Eimear Murphy with Viet

Chelsea and Westminster craniofacial surgeon Niall Kirkpatrick features in Channel 5 documentary ‘The Baby With a New Face’ at 9pm this Thursday (28 June).

Mr Kirkpatrick and his team performed life-changing surgery on Viet, an 18-month-old boy from Vietnam with severe facial deformities, who was brought to the UK by children’s charity Facing the World.

The documentary also features a number of other Chelsea and Westminster staff including eye surgeon Naresh Joshi who all volunteered their expert services for free to help the charity’s mission.

Facing the World was established by surgeons from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to provide reconstructive surgery to children from the developing world.

The documentary follows Viet’s amazing journey from his fishing village in Vietnam to London for transformation surgery carried out by one of the world’s leading craniofacial surgeons.

Facing the World depends upon charitable donations to treat Viet and other children like him—without this support their potentially life-threatening conditions would go untreated.

If you would like to donate to Facing the World, go to www.facingtheworld.net/donate.

If this goes ahead, it is likely to cause disruption across the bus network tomorrow (Friday 22 June) and in the early hours of Saturday 23 June.

TfL is also advising that bus passes will be accepted for reasonable alternative routes on London Underground and London Overground which will be working normally.

All patients and visitors are encouraged to allow for more time when travelling to Chelsea and Westminster and our other sites—56 Dean Street, John Hunter Clinic and West London Centre for Sexual Health. 

Patients and visitors may wish to visit the TfL website www.tfl.gov.uk/buses for the latest information and to re-plan their journeys.

As part of the exercise, the hospital’s Evacuation Plan will be tested to rehearse how the hospital would work together with other organisations—for example, police, fire and ambulance services—in the event of a real major incident.

The hospital will continue to provide a full service as usual and visitors should experience little or no disruption.

During the exercise, emergency vehicles will be located outside the hospital on Fulham Road and they may also be parked in Hollywood Road (adjacent to the hospital).

Please do not be alarmed or concerned—it is all part of the training exercise.

For further information about the training exercise, please contact Catherine Sands (Acting Emergency Planning Lead Officer) on 020 8746 8000 and ask for bleep 6729.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has put plans in place to minimise any impact of this industrial action on our services for patients.

All urgent and emergency services—for example, A&E, Maternity, Intensive Care and urgent or emergency surgery—will be provided as usual.

If non-urgent or more routine services are affected by doctors taking industrial action, patients have been contacted directly to rearrange these appointments.

We apologise to patients for any inconvenience this will cause.

Photo:

Patients in a central London borough will benefit from a new partnership between one of the best performing NHS trusts and the largest independent provider of community musculoskeletal (MSK) services to the NHS.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Connect Physical Health will provide the Kensington and Chelsea Community Musculoskeletal Service, the first fully integrated community MSK service to be provided by an NHS trust and an independent sector provider working in an equal partnership - it is due to be launched to patients on Monday 3 September.

The service will be led by a consultant and will include specialist physiotherapists and osteopaths, all working together to care for patients with musculoskeletal pain, including neck, back and shoulder problems.

The partnership brings together Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s expert specialist staff with Connect’s proven track record in delivering high quality services to the NHS for the last 18 years.

Karen Robertson, Divisional Director of Operations for Clinical Support Services at Chelsea and Westminster, says: “We will have a network of clinics in both hospital and health centre settings so that patients can access the new community MSK service close to where they live.

“All patients living in Kensington and Chelsea will be no more than a 10-minute bus or car journey from a centre providing our new service.”

Andrew Walton, Chief Executive of Connect Physical Health and a physiotherapist by background, adds: “Not only will we be able to provide care close to where people live but also patients will be able to choose how they access the service.

“This partnership will transform the way that services are delivered by improving access for patients to a highly skilled and talented workforce of specialist physiotherapists, osteopaths, doctors and other staff.

“The first point of contact for patients who are referred by their GP is that within 48 hours a physiotherapist will call them to discuss their problem and give advice. If a face-to-face consultation is required, the patient will be offered a choice of times and locations across the borough, there and then.”

The Kensington and Chelsea Community Musculoskeletal Service was commissioned by NHS Kensington and Chelsea following a competitive bidding process.

Local GP Dr Naomi Katz says: “As GP MSK Clinical Lead I am absolutely delighted that Chelsea and Westminster and Connect Physical Health have won the contract to provide our community musculoskeletal service.

“This presents a unique opportunity for our patients to have the excellent quality of care that Chelsea and Westminster staff already provide along with the PhysioLine which all patients will have access to within 48 hours of being referred by their GP.”

Dominique Kleyn, a patient representative from Kensington & Chelsea Local Improvement Network (LINk), was also involved in the commissioning of the new service.

She says: “I found the mix of people on our project was very effective with patients working alongside a clinical expert and procurement professionals. The process was inclusive and as a result we managed to combine choice for patients with a cost-effective service specification.”

MSK factfile

• 1 in 4 adults in the UK are affected by longstanding MSK problems
• MSK conditions are responsible for up to 30% of GP consultations
• Up to 60% of people on long-term sick leave cite MSJ problems as the reason for their absence from work
• The NHS spends more than £4 billion a year on MSK services, making it the fifth highest area of NHS spending
• Advances in physiotherapy, exercise and medications mean that there is an opportunity for services to be provided in the community, through the introduction of primary care commissioning of MSK services

The partnership, which is a limited company, brings together healthcare providers in North West London, including acute and specialist hospital, mental health and community care services, in partnership with Imperial College London to drive practical improvements to the quality of healthcare delivery. By coordinating the adoption of innovation, the partnership aims to bring benefits to the health of the local population and, through the dissemination of best practice, extend these more widely within the UK and beyond.

Collaborations to identify and share innovations that will make an impact on healthcare will draw on the nationally and internationally recognised expertise of individual partners in clinical service, research and education. The partners will work closely with the planned North West London Local Education and Training Board to embed new practices through the training and education of healthcare workers. With access to a population of 1.9 million people, the partnership presents opportunities to operate at a large and meaningful scale, including for clinical trials, and become involved in commercial ventures to broaden the reach of its activities.

Members of the Board of Imperial College Health Partners, who hold equal voting rights, are drawn from the senior executives of the following institutions:

• Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
• Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Imperial College London
• North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
• Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
• West London Mental Health NHS Trust
• West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

The foundation of Imperial College Health Partners follows the announcement in November 2011 of plans to establish an Academic Health Science Partnership.  Imperial College Health Partners complements the existing Academic Health Science Centre between Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which focuses on the early translation of research into patient care. Both institutions have joined the partnership as separate members, each with its own vote.

The partnership is working towards designation as an Academic Health Science Network by the Department of Health later this year, and is seeking to build strong relationships with primary care providers, commissioners, local Health and Wellbeing Boards as well as other research organisations.

Professor the Lord Darzi, Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London and formerly Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, developed the proposal to establish an AHSP and is appointed Chairman of Imperial College Health Partners. He said:

“I am honoured to be asked by the founding institutions to be the first Chairman of Imperial College Health Partners.  The rationale for establishing the partnership is strong. Each partner brings unique and distinctive capabilities to the wider collaboration, and through our inclusive partnership we can make an impact on a wider population. Bound together, every partner has a stake in raising the performance of one another and the approach unlocks new opportunities for research and teaching. Our shared mission is to ensure that as many patients as possible benefit from innovations in healthcare.”

Speaking on behalf of the partners, Professor Sir Christopher Edwards, Chairman of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are delighted that Lord Darzi has agreed to be the first Chairman of Imperial College Health Partners. He is the ideal person, given his professional and academic background, political reputation and focus on improving the quality of patient care. His leadership will help the partnership to make a real, lasting difference to healthcare practice.”

Heather Lawrence, Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, says: “We are delighted to be founder members of Imperial College Health Partners. This new partnership is good news for the 1.9 million people who live in North West London and for NHS staff because together we can develop innovative solutions and translate research into practice to improve the quality of healthcare and health outcomes for patients.”

The process to appoint a Managing Director of Imperial College Health Partners is underway. Anyone interested in this opportunity should contact Mark Gammage (Director of HR, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust) by emailing mark.gammage@chelwest.nhs.uk.

He visited the hospital as part of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's national 'Workout at Work Day', which aims to encourage staff to be more active and have healthier working habits.

Daley Thompson said: "Rising obesity is a major problem in this country and participating in regular exercise is a key way to combat this.

"Happy, healthy NHS staff provide the best care for patients and exercise can help them achieve this, so it is great to be part of this event."

The class also formed part of Chelsea and Westminster's Olympic legacy programme, which aims to encourage staff to incorporate exercise into their day and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that come with regular exercise.

Almost 100 staff are currently participating in the Fitbug 'London to Rio Challenge' by wearing a pedometer and competing to be the first team to complete 8,000 miles in steps.

After the Olympics period, the same process will be followed to revamp 2 other wards—David Erskine and David Evans.

• Annie Zunz Ward

More than 150 people had their say by completing the consultation survey or attending a focus group. ‘Show us the way’ is a new project to help make it easier for patients and visitors to find their way around our hospital.

Wayfinding is not just about direction signs in the hospital, it also includes:

• Ensuring that the names we call departments are simple and easy to understand
• Providing maps at key points around the hospital
• Making sure that appointment letters are clear and consistent with the signs
• Using new technology such as electronic patient information screens
• Providing high quality information on the Trust website

The Trust’s wayfinding stategy will take into account the results of the consultation exercise.

The strategy is due to be approved by the Board of Directors on 28 June and changes recommended by the strategy implemented before the end of this year.

Chelsea and Westminster has been named as an Exemplar Centre for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention by the NHS VTE Exemplar Centre Network for its work in preventing blood clots.

This is national recognition of the work done by many clinical staff to reduce the risk of patients developing blood clots either while they are in hospital or soon after they return home following a hospital stay.

We have  introduced an electronic risk assessment tool to identify patients at risk of blood clots when they are admitted to hospital so they can be offered preventative treatment and the ‘No more clots’ campaign has raised awareness of the issue among patients and staff.

The Trust’s designation as an Exemplar Centre for VTE prevention followed an assessment visit from Dr Roopen Arya, Clinical Director of the NHS VTE Exemplar Centre Network, and colleagues.

Dr Arya, who is also the Director of the Thrombosis Centre at King’s College Hospital, said: “Following my visit to Chelsea and Westminster I could see the commitment to VTE prevention as well as the quality of VTE services which was highly impressive.”

Dr Helen Yarranton, Consultant Haematologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said: “Thank you to all staff involved in the assessment visit in April including the teams on Lord Wigram and Josephine Barnes wards and in the Urgent Care Centre.

“I would also like to thank the pharmacists for carrying out monthly audits to check whether the electronic risk assessment tool is being used when patients are admitted to hospital.”

Heather will be leaving her post as Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after 12 years on 28 June. She will take up post as Non-Executive Director at Monitor from 1 July.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “I am delighted to announce Heather Lawrence’s appointment as a Non-Executive Director of Monitor. She has a breadth of frontline NHS experience which perfectly equips her for this challenging role. Her knowledge of the NHS will offer Monitor’s Board insights that will help Monitor in the development and delivery of its duty to protect and promote the interests of those who use healthcare services.”

Chair of Monitor, David Bennett said: “Heather is a very welcome addition to the team of Non-Executives at Monitor. She brings with her over 40 years of frontline NHS experience from being a nurse to running one of the most high profile and successful trusts in the country. Her expert knowledge of and contribution to the NHS will give our Board a perspective that is directly relevant to our future role.

“Heather’s achievements and expertise have benefited many leading organisations and policy makers during her distinguished career and I am delighted that we will have the opportunity to make good use of them in developing our new functions and fulfilling our duty to protect and promote the interests of those who use healthcare services.”

Monitor authorises and regulates NHS foundation trusts and supports their development, ensuring they are well-governed and financially robust.

The Trust was shortlisted in the ‘Communicating Efficiency’ category for the Fit for the Future internal communications campaign.

The campaign has informed and involved staff in the ongoing challenge to maintain and improve quality of services while making significant cost improvements. Last year the Trust achieved a cost improvement of £19.7 million.

The Trust was also shortlisted in the ‘Efficiency in Procurement’ category for the Fulham Road Collaborative project to establish a joint contract for services including catering, portering and cleaning at not only Chelsea and Westminster but also the Royal Brompton and Royal Marsden hospitals.

He will succeed Heather Lawrence OBE who leaves Chelsea and Westminster on Friday 29 June after 12 successful years as Chief Executive.

Tony Bell has 30 years’ experience of working in the NHS and a strong clinical background, having trained originally as a nurse. He is currently Chief Executive of Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, a major university teaching hospital and was previously Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

During her 12 years at the helm at Chelsea and Westminster, Heather Lawrence has led the Trust to achieve financial stability, Foundation Trust status and a reputation as one of the best performing NHS trusts in the country.

Dr Mike Anderson, the Trust’s Medical Director, will act up as Chief Executive during July and August to cover the period between Heather Lawrence leaving and Tony Bell joining the Trust.

This evening of music and delicious food in a beautiful London square will be held on Friday 22 June from 7–11pm.

Local estate agents John D Wood & Co are sponsoring the event, The Chelsea Wine Company are providing the wine, and medical students from Imperial College London have volunteered to help out on the night.

Tickets are only £8 in advance via the website www.plutoappeal.com or £10 on the night—entertainment includes operatic performances from the baritone Samuel de Beck Spitze, jazz from Jo Doolan, wine tasting, and a raffle with fantastic prizes generously donated by local businesses.

The capital is expected to be particularly busy on Sunday 3 June for the River Pageant on the Thames and on Tuesday 5 June for the Service of Thanksgiving, carriage procession and balcony appearance.

Due to these and many other events taking place over the Jubilee weekend, patients and visitors coming to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital may find it more difficult to get to and from the hospital—you are advised to plan your journey carefully and allow extra time as required.

The following travel advice is intended to help you plan your transport arrangements.

Road closures—Sunday 3 June

Transport for London announced on Wednesday 30 May that there will be a large number of road closures in central London on Sunday 3 June (the date when the River Pageant is taking place on the Thames). The following local roads will be closed from 7am-10pm on Sunday 3 June:

• Edith Grove
• Redcliffe Gardens
• Earl's Court Road south of Cromwell Road
• Beaufort Street south of King's Road
• Old Church Street south of King's Road

Parking restrictions—Saturday 2 June

Please note that there are parking restrictions on these routes from 7pm on Saturday 2 June.

General travel information

• There will be road and bridge closures across central London
• Public transport will be busier than usual.
• If you are travelling by car, visit TfL for traffic news
• If you are travelling by public transport, visit TfL for up-to-date information

Saturday 2 June

• All Tube lines will run a normal Saturday service with no planned engineering works
• Many roads around central London will be closed to traffic and some buses will be diverted or stop short of their normal destinations

Sunday 3 June—River Pageant on the Thames

• Road access from south of the Thames to north of the Thames will be limited from 7am- 10pm
• All London bridges will be closed by 3pm
• The following bridges will be closed to traffic and pedestrians from 7am–9pm—Albert Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge and Tower Bridge
• The following bridges will be closed to traffic and pedestrians from 3–5:30pm—Waterloo Bridge, Southwark Bridge, London Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge
• Battersea Bridge and Chelsea Bridge will be open for pedestrians only throughout the day but they are likely to be very busy
• The bridge closures and large number of spectators will mean a significant number of bus routes will be diverted or will not run their full routes—bus services that usually cross the river between Battersea Bridge and Tower Bridge will not do so from 7am–9:30pm
• All Tube lines will run a normal Sunday service but some stations near the Thames will be very busy and you are advised to avoid them—these include Fulham Broadway, Putney Bridge and East Putney

Monday 4 June—Bank Holiday

• All Tube lines will run a normal Saturday service with no planned engineering works

Tuesday 5 June—Service of Thanksgiving, carriage procession and balcony appearance

• Public Holiday but 'business as usual' for the Trust
• All Tube lines will run a Saturday service
• Many roads around central London will be closed to traffic
• Buses will be diverted or stop short of their normal destinations

The Trust also met a challenging national target to treat 95% of outpatients and 90% of inpatients within 18 weeks of GP referral in the 2011/12 financial year which ended on 31 March.

New statistics just published show that staff at Chelsea and Westminster achieved these excellent results for patients despite treating more patients than ever in 2011/12:

* Number of individual patients treated as outpatients not number of attendances in Outpatients (eg if an individual patient attended Outpatients on eight separate occasions, this is counted as one patient and not eight attendances)

** The Urgent Care Centre (UCC) is a ‘walk-in’ service, developed with GPs, for patients who come to A&E with minor illnesses and injuries that require attention but are not critical or life-threatening

In particular, there was increased demand for our specialist services:

• 10% increase in demand for sexual health services in 2011/12 compared with 2010/11 at our three main centres - John Hunter Clinic for Sexual Health at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, West London Centre for Sexual Health at Charing Cross Hospital, and 56 Dean Street in Soho

• 7,053 people living with HIV on our caseload in 2011/12, compared with 6,623 in 2010/11

• 5,915 deliveries in Maternity in 2011/12, compared with 5,738 in 2010/11—these figures include both NHS and Private Maternity Unit deliveries

• 80,299 children treated in 2011/12 as inpatients, outpatients, in Paediatric A&E or as day case patients, compared with 74,876 in 2010/11

The ICP is shortlisted in the ‘Diabetes Care’ category of the Care Integration Awards 2012 – winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 4 July.

These awards are organised by Health Service Journal and Nursing Times magazines to recognise, promote and reward the outstanding efforts of staff throughout the country to achieve more integrated pathways of care to meet the needs of patients with long-term conditions.

Integration between healthcare provided in hospital, community settings and GP surgeries is essential to providing flexible, efficient and responsive services.

The ICP won the ‘Managing Long Term Conditions’ of the Health Service Journal Awards 2011 for its work with not only diabetes patients but also patients aged 75 and over. It is clinically led by GPs, hospital doctors and community care professionals working in partnership.

Photo above: Dr Sean Perera performs one of the first HIV tests of the day on G-A-Y Bar owner Jeremy Joseph

Photo right: (56 Dean Street staff unless stated otherwise) Back row (l-r): Stefen Schacht, Klaus Johansen, Eroll Meyers, Jake Jenkins, Francisco Serrano (Boyz magazine) and Paul Tanner (90TEN). Front row (l-r): Marcos Fonseca, Emine Huseyin, Jenna Thomas and Rob Dean (Boyz magazine)

Congratulations to staff from 56 Dean Street, our hugely successful HIV and sexual health centre in Soho, who won the Health Communication Campaign of the Year category at last night’s British Medical Journal Group Improving Health Awards.

This is the latest accolade for 56 Dean Street’s HIV testing initiative at the G-A-Y Bar in Old Compton Street on World AIDS Day last December.

Leading figures in healthcare joined celebrities including TV doctor Christian Jessen and Alastair Campbell, who spoke on behalf of the mental health charity Mind, were at the awards evening to honour those who have made outstanding contributions to healthcare.

For the past four years the awards have recognised and celebrated excellence in healthcare across the UK.

56 Dean Street’s campaign to encourage people to have an HIV test on World AIDS Day was run with healthcare communications agency 90TEN.

It has also been shortlisted in the Low Budget Campaign category of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Awards—winners will be announced on Monday 28 May.

Mr Lansley toured the new purpose-built children’s hospital, located at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, which has been designed to suit the needs of young patients and their families.

He was shown one of the four new dedicated children’s operating theatres, the new day surgery ward, the Paediatric High Dependency Unit and facilities including a special ‘sensory room’ which is designed to help calm young patients.

Mr Lansley said: “I was delighted to meet staff and patients in Chelsea and Westminster’s wonderful new children’s hospital.”

The visit coincided with an announcement by the Secretary of State about new proposals aimed at giving patients more choice about where, when and how they receive treatment in the NHS.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is the lead centre for specialist paediatric and neonatal surgery in North West London which means that we carry out the most complex surgery on babies and children.

We also support children to be treated closer to where they live and work closely with families to ensure they receive the best care in the most appropriate location.

Chelsea Children’s Hospital is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

More than 2,100 people attended the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Open Day 2012, setting a new record for this increasingly popular annual event.

Television personality Anne Robinson officially opened the event, which featured regular favourites such as the Teddy Bear Hospital, live entertainment free health checks and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of the hospital, but also some new attractions which proved popular with visitors.

The Trust’s new values—which were chosen following our ‘Who do you think WE are?’ consultation in February—were officially launched on the day and visitors were able to contribute to a graffiti wall which was turned into an original piece of art during the event. 

Also popular was the Careers Event which attracted almost 350 young people who were interested in finding out about what careers are available in the NHS and the different ways they can get started.

• Check out the photo gallery from this year’s Open Day and send us your comments

Video: Watch how the graffiti wall developed over the course of the event