Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust

Congratulations to all our nominees and finalists in our 2024 Patients’ Choice award 🏆

We’re very grateful to our patients, their families and carers who took the time to nominate teams and individuals who had a positive impact on their care at Royal Surrey 💙

Joss Bigmore, Chair of the Trust says the nominations from our community were inspiring. He said: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate for an award this year. Reading through the nominations was humbling. We were reminded of the exceptional work and dedication of our staff across the Trust; their strength of purpose and team spirit and the multiple ways in which these colleagues make a difference to peoples’ lives every working day.”

Our finalists will be invited to attend our awards ceremony in November. Find out who they are: https://ow.ly/nACQ50TrxoC

Let’s hear it for our Integrated Frailty Team who provide vital support for elderly patients in our community.

There are 50 people in the team, working across our virtual ward Hospital at Home and providing urgent community response services. The team includes nurses, allied health professionals, community rehab practitioners, advanced clinical practitioners, administrators, doctors and a pharmacist.

Working closely together, they provide assessment, guidance and support to individuals living in their own home or in a care home.

They recognise people who may be becoming frailer, help them manage this as far as possible and help the patient, their families and carers to plan for the future.

When visiting patients at home, our team performs clinical assessments such as vital signs observations, bloods, ECGs, functional and mobility assessment and equipment interventions, as well as a falls assessment.

We’re saying a massive thank you to our brilliant research community on day 🙌

Colleagues wore red in honour of the huge team effort that research takes to drive new, improved treatments and ways of diagnosing and preventing serious conditions so people live better and for longer.

Doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and administrators across our Trust support a wide range of studies, recruiting hundreds of patients contributing to research studies that are essential for finding new ways to advance care for patients in our Trust and beyond.

Please join us in giving a big shout out to our research community today 👏

Join us at our Annual Members' Meeting next week to hear about our achievements during the last year, plans for the future and how we’re continuing to improve care for you and your loved ones as members of our community.

Date: 26 September
Time: 5.30pm
Location: Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, GU2 7XX

After the meeting, you’ll be invited for refreshments in our newly refurbished Royal Surrey Cancer Centre to chat with our senior leaders and clinical teams to find out how we are delivering life-changing treatments.

Find out how to attend: https://www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/amm2024

We’re giving a big shout out to three of our fantastic surgeons who have raised more than £6,000 for the charity Second Chance Head and Neck, which is a vital resource for many of the patients they care for.

Head and neck surgeons Emma Molena, Stephen Derbyshire, and David Walker took part in the Surrey Half Marathon earlier this month to raise funds for the local charity which supports patients during and after treatment.

The terrific trio finished together in just under one hour and 50 minutes 👏

On this World Patient Safety Day, we’re proud to celebrate the high-quality care at our hospital that ranks us among the best in the country for patient safety.

Statistics published by NHS Digital show life-saving treatment at Royal Surrey saw 315 more patients than expected returned to their loved-ones last year, putting our Trust in the top ten performing Trusts across the country for patient safety.

We’re highlighting this safety record with artwork using individual home-made hearts to represent each of the 315 extra patients returned to their loved-ones ❤️

Our Chief Nurse Jo Mountjoy (pictured) said: “It’s wonderful to know that we have provided high levels of care for these patients, nursing them back to health and helping them have more time with their friends and families.”

This achievement reflects the dedication of our teams who always put patients first 👏

Read more: https://ow.ly/mWYc50TpijB

Your next poo could save your life. If you’re sent a bowel cancer screening kit, put it by the loo. Don't put it off.

➡️ http://nhs.uk/bowel-screening

Congratulations to our midwives who have completed their preceptorship this week 🎉

The preceptorship programme supports the transition from student, or internationally educated professional, to an autonomous practitioner in the NHS 🏥

Preceptorship Lead Hollie Desoisa commended our colleagues on their hard work. She said: “I’m really proud of how much they’ve achieved with tireless and endless energy in such a short amount of time. We’re all look forward to working with them – they’re a great asset to the team.”

We wish you all the best in your career 👶

Meet Charlie Piercy, one of our dedicated clinical research practitioners investigating new ways to improve care.

To mark today’s World Sepsis Day, we’re shinning a spotlight on his studies that hope to gain a better understanding of how a type of cell found in blood vessels changes over time in patients with sepsis.

He said: “The projects will one day lead to new treatments and improved outcomes for patients with life-threatening emergencies as seen in disorders such as sepsis.”

Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs, with the immune system going into overdrive.

Read more about Charlie’s research: https://ow.ly/V2Uu50TmEuI

You’re invited to our Annual Members’ Meeting on Thursday 26 September 🏥

Join our Chief Executive, Louise Stead, and Chair, Joss Bigmore, as they reflect on our Trust’s highlights from the last financial year. Then stay for refreshments in our newly refurbished Cancer Centre to find out how our clinical teams deliver life-changing treatments.

Find out more: https://www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/amm2024

Well done to everyone who ran in the Run Thorpe Park event last Sunday 🏃

Participants raised more than £2,800 for our Royal Surrey Charity, which funds projects that support the exceptional care we deliver.

Erica Morrison, Team Leader Physiotherapist at Royal Surrey, ran the 10k route. She told us: "I really appreciate the work Royal Surrey Charity does for our patients and staff, so this is just a little something from me to say thank you and to also hopefully inspire others to raise funds for our local NHS."

“Get some hands-on experience. It helps you understand all about how the system works and about the environment, if you’re excited by it and can see yourself working in it in the future.”

Wise words from 18-year-old Prahlad Prabu who says his volunteering at Royal Surrey ‘sealed the deal’ on a future as a doctor.

He’s been part of our Student Volunteer’s Programme which runs once a year at the hospital. It gives anyone interested in a healthcare-related career the chance to get face-to-face experience.

Prahlad spent most of his time on Bramshott ward chatting with patients and helping with some practical care:

“Doing volunteering and getting hands on, helping patients and talking to health professionals about their work, gave me an insight into how medicine would actually be as a career. I spoke to lots of junior doctors, they loved their job and I enjoyed seeing them at work.”

Prahlad began volunteering at the hospital in his first year of sixth form, and says being able to draw on first hand examples helped in his university application:

“In terms of my interview it definitely gave me an advantage to have the confidence to talk about my own personal experiences of volunteering on Bramshott, I would recommend it to anyone thinking about an NHS career.”

Prahlad is now a week away from starting a medical degree at Leeds University 💙

Good luck Prahlad!

“Being able to deliver treatments using the EchoLaser equipment is of huge benefit to our Trust and will help us reduce our waiting lists and expand our service,” – Wissam Abou-Chedid, Urology Consultant.

We’ve launched a pioneering treatment for benign prostate enlargement, which affects around 50 per cent of men aged 50 and over.

The ground-breaking treatment uses laser light transmitted by optical fibres to create cavities that help shrink the size of the prostate. This reduces the compression on a patient’s bladder to relieve urinary problems and improve quality of life.

A generous donation from the Prostate Project means we are one of few UK NHS Trusts offering EchoLaser treatment for patients with benign enlarged prostates.

Read more: https://ow.ly/Hfs450Tj0ki

“Each and every member of the team is enthusiastic, compassionate, supportive of each other and keen to make a difference. I’m really, really proud of them and how much they achieve on a daily basis,” – Katie Salmon, Matron for Bramshott Ward.

Bramshott ward is a 28 bedded Elective Orthopaedic and Trauma ward and cares for patients’ undergoing both pre-planned Elective Orthopaedic surgeries and also those having sustained traumatic injury and admitted through the A&E department.

Staff on the ward include a matron, senior sister, four sisters/charge nurses, plus 18 nurses and 15 healthcare assistants.

Let’s show some love for our Bramshott team 💙

“Since introducing this way of providing anaesthetic medication for our patients, we’ve found that is has helped significantly where procedures are found to be painful for them,” - Osama Abughazza, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.

We’ve introduced our gynaecology patients to a new pain relief medication, thanks to the collaboration between our Gynaecology Outpatients and Anaesthetic teams. The easy-to-use medication is a self-administered painkiller for patients receiving invasive procedures, such as cervical biopsies.

Read more: https://ow.ly/1ppG50ThrOu

We’re super proud of Erin Kennedy, a former patient at our hospital who won a Paralympic gold medal on Sunday as part of the GB rowing team 🥇

Erin is the cox in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four team and regularly talks publicly about her journey with breast cancer.

Some of our colleagues who supported Erin during her treatment travelled to Paris to cheer her on and were lucky enough to witness her take the gold. Among them was Nana Akowuah-Addo, Lead Nurse for our Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Services, who said:

“The team are all so very proud of your achievements. Your determination and resilience since your diagnosis has been incredible and there's no doubt that same resilience has shown through this wonderful achievement.”

Congratulations Erin – you are a true inspiration 🌟

It’s International Day of Charity and we want to shine a light on The Fountain Centre ⛲

Based within our Cancer Centre, the Fountain Centre provides psychological support and complementary therapies to our patients with cancer throughout their diagnosis and treatment.

Volunteers make up a large part of the team and include counsellors, therapists and receptionists who make a huge difference to our patients.

Learn more about The Fountain Centre: www.fountaincentre.org

It’s International Day of Charity 💙

Royal Surrey Charity does amazing work transforming the lives of many patients. From providing state-of-the-art equipment and redeveloping wards, to investing in staff development and funding innovative research, our patients are at the heart of everything they do.

Working collaboratively with medical and support staff, they fund projects that affect the 260,000 people we treat each year – from birth to old age and everything in between.

Visit our charity's website and learn more about the great work they do: https://ow.ly/W1xX50TfwYt

Early detection and prevention play a pivotal role in combating gynaecological cancers.

We work closely with GRACE Women charity, which exists to support women diagnosed with gynae cancers.

Make sure you check out their recent post that shows what symptoms to watch out for 👀

starts today. GRACE exists to support women at every stage of a gynae cancer diagnosis & is committed to enabling more to be symptom aware. Gynae cancer symptoms are not a

Download our symptom awareness poster & join us in helping more women to get an earlier diagnosis:https://grace-charity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/07.24GraceA4awareness.pdf

“This training means if the patients are fit enough to need treatment we can give them the chemotherapy straight away. If they need extra medication we can also help get it prescribed for them more quickly,” - James Albarracin, Oncology Nurse.

Congratulations to two of our oncology nurses, Carlo Vinuya and James Albarracin, who completed training allowing them to assess cancer patients suffering from treatment side effects, so patients can be seen and supported faster.

Thanks to the four-month physical assessment training, Carlo and James are now qualified as specialist nurses so they can support patients in more ways, reducing their waiting times and being qualified to prescribe them medication.

Read more: https://ow.ly/A72q50TcCvl

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause lung infections like bronchiolitis, making it difficult for newborn babies to breathe and causing 20,000 infants to need hospital treatment each year.

Talk to your GP or maternity service to schedule yours from 28 weeks of pregnancy.

“We try to make this anxiety-inducing time better for our patients and being friendly, kind and compassionate is an important part of our role. A smile goes a long way when it comes to putting people at ease,” - John Tenny, Radiotherapy Satellite Centre Manager.

We’re showing some much-needed appreciation to the Redhill Radiotherapy Team, based at East Surrey Hospital who are an essential part of our Trust.

As well as providing radiotherapy at Royal Surrey’s main hospital in Guildford, we have a team working at East Surrey Hospital, bringing specialist cancer treatment to people living in this part of the County.

The team at Redhill sees on average 45 patients a day who receive radiotherapy for a variety of cancers. Those receiving care from the Redhill site consistently provide excellent feedback, saying the staff make a challenging and stressful time as easy and bearable as possible for them.

Our radiographers spend time rotating between the two sites to help build confidence and experience of using the different equipment at each site. The full team includes 14 therapeutic radiographers, four administrative staff, two engineers and two medical physicists.

John praised the team’s excellent care for patients saying: “I’m really proud of the team. They work incredibly hard to make sure that our patients receive the best possible service and are supported well throughout their treatment journey. We believe it’s really important that patients don’t feel as though they are on a conveyor belt and we aim to provide that warmth and human touch to their experience here at Redhill.”

Thank you to the incredible sewers and knitters who create items, such as these heart cushions, and donate them to comfort our patients 💙

If you would like to volunteer your time or skills to support our patients and staff please get in touch with our lovely colleagues at Royal Surrey Charity: https://www.royalsurreycharity.org.uk/volunteer

“Dear Heart 💜 Makers,
A huge thank you to each and every one of you for bringing joy and comfort when I needed it most. I will cherish the gift forever.”

Royal Surrey Charity received this lovely message from Mehnaz Qureshi, a patient undergoing treatment at the Breast Unit at Royal Surrey, after she received a heart-shaped cushion made by our volunteer sewers. These cushions fit right under the arm and provide a great level of comfort for patients undergoing breast surgery.

She went on to say, “I was truly moved by the heart cushion I received just before my surgery. Words cannot express how much it meant to me at that moment—feeling the love and appreciating its practicality was exactly what I needed. My 10-year-old daughter and I have decided that we want to give back and help others who are navigating this life-changing diagnosis.”

Many volunteer knitters and sewers create items like these and donate them to Royal Surrey Charity to provide comfort to our patients. We extend our deepest thanks to all of our volunteers, supporters and the amazing NHS staff for making our patients feel loved and cared for during challenging times.

Please get in touch if you would like to volunteer your time or skills to support our patients and staff.

Pictured above: Katie Downes, Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Breast Unit.

Everyone at Royal Surrey wants to wish our former cancer patient Erin Kennedy MBE good luck as she competes with her team in this year’s Paralympics 🇫🇷

Erin is a world-class rower and will be competing in the opening rounds tomorrow 🚣‍♀️

Find out more about her cancer care at Royal Surrey: https://ow.ly/ahVJ50T9ukM

The Fountain Centre is hosting its annual fashion show next month, featuring current and former cancer patients as models 💃

This fabulous event is organised by The Fountain Centre, a charity that provides our cancer patients with holistic support 💙

Book your tickets: https://thelittleboxoffice.com/fountaincentre/event/view/200165

Congratulations to Lindsey Allan, Macmillan Oncology Dietitian, who has been shortlisted for the Chief Allied Health Professions Officers Awards in the Research Impact category 👏

Read more about her nomination: https://ow.ly/yFMs50T7h6z

“They are a dedicated group of specialists committed to providing exceptional, patient-centred care to our patients,” - Jonathan Tayler, Service Manager for Podiatry

Step this way as we highlight our brilliant Podiatry team 👣

The Podiatry team cares for patients with a wide variety of foot-related issues. Six podiatrists, one podiatry apprentice, three senior podiatry assistants, three podiatry assistants and three admin staff make up the team.

They are heavily involved in the local community running clinics at Cranleigh Hospital, Milford Hospital, Haslemere Hospital and the Jarvis Centre. Currently the team supports over 4,000 patients and can see over 300 in one week.

Emma Cree, Podiatry Admin Lead and Administrator, said: “We are a very experienced team with a wealth of knowledge on all footcare needs... our patients are always pleased with the treatment they receive.”

Fabulous footwork from our Podiatry team

Who will you make strides for this October?

Rally your family and friends to come along to Royal Surrey Charity’s Stride for Cancer sponsored walk on Sunday 6 October.

Choose a distance to suit you (5km, 10km, 15km or 25km) and walk, run or hop to support the future of cancer. Every penny and pound you raise will make a huge difference for our patients and staff.

Sign up for the event: https://ow.ly/bq8v50T2S8n