The publishers would like to thank all the advertisers, who by virtue of their kindsupport, have enabled this magazine to be produced FREE OF CHARGE. Without yoursupport this valuable source of fund raising would not now be available.
be allowed without written consent of the publishers.
3
THE LEAGUE OF FRIENDS OF THEWINCHESTER HOSPITALS
Registered Charity No. 275931
Royal Hampshire County Hospital Tel: 01962 824783Romsey RoadWinchesterSO22 5DG
Chairman Treasurer SecretaryMr Geoffrey Cox Mr P Piper Mrs E Harding
In addition to the Chairman and Treasurer, other Management CommitteeMembers who are Trustees of the League are: Mr E Caldwell,Mr R Chisnell, Mr A Clarke, Mr J Colley, Mrs P Haddock, Mrs M Meredith,Mrs H Morgan, Mrs T Spiers and Mrs P Williams.
Once a month we have a Management Committee meeting and, on aquarterly basis, we have a Representatives’ Meeting, which is made up ofthe Management Committee plus ten Representatives.
Our Representatives come from various local organisations such asU3A, Women’s Institutes, the Inner Wheel Club of Winchester, theSoroptimists, Rotary, Winchester Floral Design, Winchester HospitalRadio, the Winchester Association of Women Graduates and localbusiness. Each representative keeps his or her particular organisationinformed of our work, thereby encouraging its members to support thehospital.
At these quarterly meetings we normally either have a speaker or may visita particular Ward in the hospital to formally present a piece of equipment.If you happen to belong to an organisation and would like to join ourcommittee please do not hesitate to contact us for further details.
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CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS 2013
I am delighted to be writing to you again havingbeen elected as Chairman at our Annual GeneralMeeting in October. It is not quite ten years sinceI was Chairman previously and I count it a greatprivilege to be in this position once more.
There have been tremendous changes within thehospital during this time and no more so thanthe merger of Winchester with Basingstoke andthe surrounding areas to form the HampshireHospitals Federation Trust which came into beingin January. There were many who were quitesceptical as to whether this would work and someeven raised the question that the Royal Hampshire County Hospital wouldlose its identity. To my mind, there has been a more focused approach tomanagement and there has been evidence that centres of excellence havebeen set up in both Winchester and Basingstoke which can only continueto improve the quality of services which are offered to the general public.
I am very pleased to report that the League has had another very busyyear and details of this are set out in our Treasurer’s report. We receivemany requests from the hospital departments for funding to purchaseequipment or send staff on some specialised training and it is with regretthat we are not able to satisfy all these needs. We are most grateful to allthose who generously donate money to the League and we know that itwill always be put to good use. In recent years we have benefitted fromreceiving some large bequests and these have enabled us to makesubstantial donations to several departments.
You will find elsewhere in this booklet, details of our fund raising events butas ever we will be continuing to hold these throughout this coming yearand we do hope that you will be able to join us on these occasions.
We have always enjoyed a good relationship with the management of thehospital and I am looking forward to working with Mrs Mary Edwards, theChief Executive, whenever the need arises.
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I should like to take this opportunity to thank all the other Trustees whogive much support for the work of the League but especially Trish Spierswho has just stood down as chairman after completing three years in post.In addition I must also mention our very hard working secretary, LizHarding and our treasurer, Patrick Piper. All three of these people havemade a considerable contribution to the work of the League and we thankthem most sincerely for all that they have done.
Geoff Cox – Chairman
WWW.MORETHANFRIENDS
Liz Harding, our very efficient Secretary , was asked to set up a website forThe League of Friends. She said she wasn’t too sure she could do itjustice, so I suggested that perhaps IT whizz kid, John Colley mightconsider helping her. Several sessions working together and we now havea very impressive site. However, the cherry on the cake from this exerciseis that – they are engaged to be married in the new year!
We are all thrilled for them and offer warm congratulations. A first for TheLeague!
Trish Spiers
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FAREWELL TO THE CHAIRMANJanuary 6TH 2012
Members of the Leaguewere sad to say goodbyeto Chairman of the Trust,Vice Admiral Mike Gretton.
Mike always took an activeinterest in the work of theLeague in attendingpresentations and manyAnnual General Meetings.He will be greatly missed.
Mike shaking hands withDr Chris Gordon
Mr Steve Brine, MPMike together with his wife and David Livermore,
retired Chairman
REPRESENTATIVES MEETINGIN JANUARY
Members of the Representatives, together with the ManagementCommittee were delighted to welcome Mrs Alison Huggett to the meetingin January.
In the new Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Alison is DeputyChief Nurse and Head of Patient Safety and Healthcare Governance. Shegave an interesting review of her nursing background and an explanationof her current role. She also explained various aspects of the neworganisation and answered many questions from members.
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Alison Huggett Geoff Cox Patrick Piper
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Dear Members and Friends,
Hello again and welcome to the latest edition ofour booklet.
Well, haven’t we had a momentous year? I don’tjust refer to the amazing Olympic and ParalympicGames which have served to lift us fromcontinuing gloomy global financial and otherunhappy news. I also refer, more locally andpertinently, to the new Hampshire Hospitals NHSFoundation Trust which was launched in January2012 as a result of the integration of Basingstokeand North Hampshire NHS Trust and Winchesterand Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust. As you willrealise, the new Trust will deliver services through locations throughout theexpanded region.
However, what you may not know is that our own charity “The League ofFriends of the Winchester Hospitals” is an independent organisationand is committed to remaining dedicated solely to assisting the RoyalWinchester Hospital. Hence you can be assured that your support will beused only for this purpose. With the effects of the economic downturn stillbeing keenly felt we do all have to make tough choices to weather thestorm.
We aim to keep you informed through the annual booklet and hope youenjoy reading this copy and find some interesting and inspiring articleswhich might encourage you to join us. Many thanks in anticipation for yourcontributions whether they are as a member or through a single donation.If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Best wishes to you all for 2013.
Elizabeth HardingSecretaryTel: 01962 [email protected] Hampshire County HospitalRomsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 5DG
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PRESENTATION OF A NEWCARDIAC SCANNER
A new cardiac ultrasound scanner was purchased for the Cardiology Unitat the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and installed in March 2012. Thismachine is called the GE Vivid-S, and is made by the same manufactureras the other ultrasound machines across the Trust, and fully compatiblewith the equipment bought with the Doris Green legacy via the League ofFriends in late 2009. The Vivid-S is very compact and easily wheeled todifferent wards and is the principle machine used for ward in-patients forbedside studies. It is also used in the department. A further benefit is thatthe machine it replaces can now go to Andover for use in the new HeartFailure Clinic when it starts.
The department is very grateful for the continuing support from the Leagueof Friends, which has made such a fundamental improvement inEchocardiography over the last two years.
This ultrasound cost £48,000 and was funded with a legacy for £34,000from the late Miss D E Clarke.
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REPRESENTATIVES MEETING
Mrs Susan White, the Bereavement Manager for the Winchester Hospital,was invited to speak at the Representatives Meeting on Tuesday 17th April.She explained that although there were approximately 800 deaths in thehospital last year and a further 500 were brought into the Winchestermortuary from the community, she works alone.
Her week begins at 6:30am on a Monday morning when typically she willhave 25 deaths to deal with and if there are no difficulties, a certificate isusually issued by 10:00am. Unfortunately, contacting the WinchesterRegistrars must be done through the Council switchboard, which can bedistressing for the relatives. Mrs White often has to intercede in thisprocess, though she has been able to get the concession that theswitchboard can be avoided if the deceased is a baby.
Mrs White advises the relatives on how many certificates will be needed ascopies are not usually acceptable. She is also able to give advice on all thetasks that need to be carried out by the relatives and to help investigatethe estate, for instance to check that there is sufficient funds to pay for thefuneral. Mrs White works very closely with the three employees in theWinchester mortuary, and was pleased to report on the installation of themortuary curtains, funded by the League of Friends.
Trish Spiers thanked Mrs White for her talk and for all the extra hours of hertime that she continues to devote to this extremely valuable role.
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MURDER!!!
On Friday 16th March a murder took place atTwyford Village Hall!!!
Approximately 70 brave folk arrived to enjoy an entertaining evening of funand mystery performed by the very talented “Geriactors”. It took the formof a three course meal with an Act in between. The murder took place in aRadio Station which was most appropriate as the Winchester HospitalRadio were present!
A prize for the most original table and best dressed occupants went,without question, to the very enthusiastic Winchester Hospital Radio andthe prize for guessing ‘Who Dunnit?’ went to Trish and John’s table.A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!! It was also thought to be a bargain at£10 a head yet bringing in a profit of over £800 for the hospital.
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TOPCON Eye Scanner
On Tuesday 15th April 2012 the Chairman of the League of Friends, TrishSpiers, made the official presentation of the TOPCON Eye Scanner toMr William Meacock, the Consultant Opthalmologist. Also present wereDiana Adam, the Deputy Outpatient Manager and Sister Jane Bates.
Mr Meacock demonstrated how the scanner can be used to assess theeffect of laser treatment on diabetes patients. Immediately beforetreatment, the layers of the retina are measured and then three monthsafter treatment re-measured to verify the effectiveness of the treatment. MrMeacock explained that patients could be very apprehensive about havinglaser treatment and that seeing the results from the TOPCON scanner wasvery reassuring and made it more likely that the patient would perseverewith the treatment.
Thickness can be measured very quicklyacross the whole surface of the retina,instead of needing multiple scans whichcould take hours. The TOPCON scanner isconnected to the computer network whichmeans that Mr Meacock can also accessthe scan results at his desk or even off-siteat the Andover Hospital. The IT departmenthave provided adequate server space forimage storage.
In addition to being very valuable for theearly detection of Macular Degenerationand for the assessment of the many
Diabetic patients that WinchesterOutpatients deal with, the TOPCONscanner can also be used forstudying the optic nerve of Glaucomapatients.
Mr Meacock thanked Trish Spiers forthis invaluable contribution to eyetreatment in Winchester by theLeague of Friends.
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Would you like to help the hospitals?
The Aims of the LeagueThese are to help to relieve patients at the RoyalHampshire County Hospital and in the community inthe catchment area of the Winchester and EastleighHealthcare NHS Trust who are sick, convalescent,disabled, handicapped or in need of assistance.
Additionally we support the hospital by helping toimprove conditions for both patients and staff withprovision of amenities and equipment.
You can help by:
• Becoming a Member of the League(minimum subscription £5.00 per annum).
• Sending a donation.
• Supporting our efforts to increase our membership.
• Making the League of Friends a beneficiary underyour will.
• Encouraging friends and relatives to make donationsto the League in lieu of flowers at funerals.
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To:
The League of Friends of the Winchester Hospitals –Registered Charity No 275931.
1. I wish to enrol as a friend and enclose my firstsubscription.
Please send me a Bankers Order form for futurepayments, along with the requisite form of declarationso that you can reclaim tax under the Gift Aid Scheme.
or
2. I do not wish to be a member, but enclose a donationof £ ______ which will qualify for Gift Aid if you will sendme the requisite declaration.
(PLEASE DELETE 1 OR 2)
Name _____________________________________________
_____________________________ Post Code ___________
Signed ____________________________________________
Date / / 2013
�
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TALKING NEWSPAPER
Mr John Richards, the Chairman of theWinchester Talking Newspaper, was invited tospeak at the League of Friends RepresentativesMeeting on Tuesday 17th July 2012. The TalkingNewspaper was founded in 1990, has 85volunteers and 110 listeners. They have no paidmembers of staff, and produce a weeklynewspaper and a magazine.
Each Thursday, edited extracts are taken from theHampshire Chronicle and mounted on pieces ofcard. The following day, a presenter and threereaders, both male and female, record theextracts in a one and a half hour session that takes place in their studio inChesil Street. The master recording is then copied onto 110 memorysticks, which are then posted using the free Royal Mail service in special,pre-addressed plastic wallets for delivery on Saturday morning. Thelisteners can then listen to the newspaper on their computers or on are-chargeable player that is provided free of charge. The newspaper alsoproduces a monthly magazine.
Mr Richards explained that the Newspaper's income comes from bequestsand making recordings for other organisations such as the HampshirePolice and Age Concern. The main outgoings incurred by the Newspaperare for the memory sticks and the rental of the studio. The HampshireChronicle gives copyright permission for their newspaper extracts.
Mr Richards hoped that, with 22,000 people registered blind in Hampshire,the Newspaper would be able to increase the number of listeners. TheChairman of the League of Friends, Trish Spiers, thanked Mr Richards and,on behalf of the League, promised to spread the word on the wonderfulwork done by the Talking Newspaper.
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BURGER AND BINGO EVENING
It was a balmy summer evening in August when sixty or so peoplegathered to sample a ‘Bingo and Burger’ evening at the LittletonMillennium Hall. Clutching our drinks there was time for greetings andconversation as we meandered a little to chat with others. Nearby wespied our hard-working honorary chef assiduously preparing our eagerlyawaiting supper. In no time we were invited to collect our salad strewnonion dressed burgers and repaired with them to tables within the hall toeat our meal. With whetted appetites we munched through our succulentfare with great relish and much appreciation.
Then to business! Our bingo cards before us and pens to hand we wereready. For the next hour or so it was with a mixture of necessaryconcentration and some jesting that we found ourselves crossing outinnumerable numbers on the cards as instructed by our ‘caller’ whobrought much humour to the proceedings with his witty and sometimesinnovative number calling. Prizes were awarded to the fortunate winners.Then at 10.00pm time was called and appropriate thanks were given. Wethen left for home feeling well fed and happy to have been part of apleasant way of raising funds for a very worthy cause.
Written by a keen supporter of the League.
This event raised £583 and sincere thanks were extended to Mrs PennyWilliams for organising this most successful fundraiser.
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE
2012 has been a momentous year in many ways; the Queen’s diamondjubilee, hosting the Olympics and bringing together three hospitals to formHampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Hampshire Hospitals was established on 9 January 2012 and broughttogether three hospitals with great traditions – the Royal HampshireCounty (RHCH) with its rich history, the Andover war Memorial Hospitaland Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital. We have had asuccessful first 12 months where we continued to deliver high quality carecombined with achieving a financial surplus for re-investment and deliveryof our key targets. This is all due to the hard work and commitment of our5,000 staff.
At the RHCH we have seen a number of developments including thecreation of a new Outpatient department that will open after the New Yearholiday. Work is well underway to replace the CT and MRI scanners thatwere sadly damaged by fire last December and we hope to have that unitopened in March 2013. Through generous charitable donations we havebeen able to refurbish part of the children’s unit, Northbrook ward. We arealso currently refurbishing the Emergency Department (formerly known asA&E) and creating a short stay ward to improve that service.
Our vision for our services across Hampshire Hospitals is for the servicesto be ‘local where possible, central where necessary ‘for patient safety.Examples of local provision have included a mobile MRI scanner thatmoves around our patch including Andover and Alton, and a mobilechemotherapy unit. Clearly patients living close to Winchester will stillaccess those services at the RHCH but it does mean patients from furtherafield do not always have to travel to the larger hospital. An excellentexample of centralising for safety is the acute stroke service being basedin the RHCH – this is a superb service that is recognised nationally for itsexcellence.
So we have achieved quite a lot in 2012 but we must continue to developand have equally exciting plans for 2013 and beyond.
I must close by giving my heartfelt thanks to all of the members of theLeague of Friends. You all do so much to enhance the care that patientsreceive in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and we are extremelygrateful for your generosity and commitment.
Mary Edwards – Chief ExecutiveHampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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LEAGUE OF FRIENDS OF THEWINCHESTER HOSPITALSTREASURER’S REPORT
IAs many of you are aware the majordevelopment since the turn of the year has, ofcourse, been the merger of Winchester withBasingstoke and the surrounding area thusforming the Hampshire Hospitals FoundationTrust. It is appropriate therefore that I reassureall the League’s members and our supportersthat the League’s role remains to support theWinchester Hospitals. Indeed we areconstitutionally bound to ensure that anyfunding awarded to the Trust is for the benefit ofpatients and staff of the Royal HampshireCounty Hospital and its local services.
As I was pleased to report at our AGM inOctober the accounts for the twelve months to 31st March 2012 reveal abusy and successful year. The League has no employees and the Trusteesgenerously give their time and services free without charging anyexpenses. The result was that £73000 was available to support requestsfrom the Hospital representing over 93 per cent of overall income.
In the twelve months the League was able to support twenty-sevenrequests for financial assistance totalling £104000. We remain a totallyindependent body seeking our own advice in the application of fundingwhilst, at the same time, working in conjunction with the Trust. Awardsranged from £100 to £34000 and since the end of March further funding of£26000 has been agreed. Sadly however many requests have to be turnedaside each year thus emphasising how important the League’s workremains.
Your continued help is vital if we are to maintain support at its currentlevel and our website provides full details – have a look at –www.winchesterlof.btck.co.uk
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Periodically generous gifts and legacies are received but it is theday-to-day income of subscriptions, donations, sales and support offundraising activities which remain the League’s prime source of funding.
My role as Honorary Treasurer continues to be made so much easier as aresult of the support of fellow Trustees and especially Trish Spiers who hasjust retired as Chairman and our secretary Liz Harding who works sotirelessly.
To our supporters I extend a huge thank you for your continuinggenerosity.
Patrick J Piper – Hon. Treasurer. 12/11/2012
BIDS AGREED IN JUNE 2012Equipment Ward/Dept. £
Mounted Opthalmoscope Freshfield 900.00
Life Fitness 95c Achieve Lifecycle Exercise Bike B/Waltham Physio Clinic 2,413.45
Ados Kit Paediatrics 4,287.60
2 x Thermoflash Contactless Electronic Nightingale Theatres 660.00Thermometers
20 Telecare falls sensors/100 bed mats & Medicine 9,000.00100 chair mats
Digital Macroview Otoscope ENT Outpatients 876.00
Paediactric Plaster Saw Orthopaedics 1,348.00
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THANK YOU!
Having agreed to fund many grants this year for various departments inthe hospital, here are a few of the ‘thank you’ letters we have received:
Thank you for our Digital Otoscope to use in ENT Outpatients Department.
We use it every day and it’s a great benefit to our patients.
Jacky and AndreaNurse Practitioners, ENT
Thank you very much for accepting our bid for two thermoflashthermometers, which we have now received and are using regularly withinthe theatre department.
Before we had these thermometers we had to rely on a little bit ofdisposable plastic popped under the patient’s arm. This was satisfactoryfor most patients but for breast surgery patients many elderly and certainlychildren it was very difficult to get a thermometer to stay put making therecording of an accurate temperature very difficult. Not only was this aslow process but if the patient was particularly cold the thermometerwould not give a reading at all.
Thanks to the thermoflash thermometers we can accurately and quicklyrecord a patient’s temperature and rapidly respond if the patient’stemperature is too high or too low. The thermoflash is also non-invasive sothere is minimal disturbance to the patient this is especially importantwhen looking after children as too much interference can make them veryagitated.
Once again we offer our sincere thanks for your help and support and youracceptance of our bid means we can continue to improve the standard ofcare we offer to our patients.
Alistair Snell, Staff Nurse and Julie Johnson,Clinical Lead/Theatre Matron
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THANK YOU!
I am writing on behalf of the Bishops Waltham Physiotherapy Clinic tothank the League of Friends for their very kind donation to purchase anexercise bike for the physiotherapy clinic. We have recently taken deliveryof the bike and have put it to good use already. The exercise bike is beingused with patients on a one to one basis to support their rehabilitation andduring the various exercise classes that we run at Bishops Waltham. Manyof our patients will greatly benefit from using the bike, as it can be usedfor so many different conditions, for example, improving movementand power following a knee replacement or ankle injury and improvingcardiovascular fitness in a de-conditioned patient following a long termillness or injury.
We will continue to use the exercise bike on a daily basis with our patientsand are extremely grateful that you have given us the opportunity to do so.
Hannah Smithson, MCSP, Band 7 Physiotherapist
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The League of Friends of the Winchester Hospitals held their 57th AnnualGeneral Meeting on Tuesday 30th October, attended by the WorshipfulMayor of Winchester Cllr. Frank Pearson and his wife Anne, and the ChiefExecutive of the Hampshire Hospitals Trust, Mrs Mary Edwards. Themeeting marked the completion of Trish Spiers term as chairman of theLeague of Friends.
The incoming chairman, Mr Geoffrey Cox, thanked Trish for al the hardwork she had put in over the past three years, and especiallycongratulated her on the numerous and very enjoyable fund raising eventswhich she had organised; they had contributed considerably to the levelof equipment funding that the League had been able to provide for theWinchester hospital during her term as chairman.
The meeting concluded with a talk by Mrs Mary Edwards on theconsiderable progress that was being made in establishing the HampshireHospitals Trust as an efficient and profitable entity. She told the meetingthat she was very aware of the work that the League of Friends was doingand hoped she had been able similarly to convey a sense of the strongcommitment that the new Trust had to providing the best possiblehealthcare for the people of Winchester.
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“DICKENS’ CHARACTERS”
Members and friends were treated to a repeat performance at St. Faith’s Hall ofChester House Productions’ version of “Dickens’ Characters” – a miscellany ofmemorable characters in scenes from some of his well-loved novels.
This event celebrated the 200th anniversary of Dickens with this mixture of funnyand poignant scenes from Pickwick Papers, Bleak House, David Copperfield,Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectations.
This evening raised £402 for League funds.
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CHRISTMAS 2011CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS MARKET
We were most grateful to the Cathedral, forthe second year, for allowing the HospitalLeague of Friends, together with theWinchester Floral Design Society, the use ofthe Charity Chalet for a day on SaturdayNovember 26th.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet andchat with many local people some of whomare not even aware of the work that we dofor the hospital.
We displayed a range of tea towels,Christmas cards, home-made jams andchutneys together with many beautiful floraldesigns. The day raised £319.60 for Leaguefunds. Many thanks to all those people whosupported us.
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SNIPPETSNew for 2012 is our Website, which has been painstakingly created by theexpertise of Mr John Colley over the last few months. Please do have a look andif you would like to make any comments, positive or otherwise, we would be veryhappy to hear from you. The address is www.winchesterlof.btck.co.uk
Our sincere thanks go to Mrs Sheila Roberts, past Chairman and ManagementCommittee member for almost twenty years. Sheila brought her skills as aPhysiotherapist to the League and took an active role in photography, publicityand of course fundraising. Although Sheila has resigned from the ManagementCommittee we are very pleased to report that she will remain on theRepresentatives Committee in order to keep in touch and help out when she can.
We were most grateful to the Cathedral, for the third year for allowing the Leaguethe use of the Charity Chalet for a day, together with the Winchester Floral DesignSociety, on Sunday 2nd December.
Our grateful thanks go to Mrs Penny Williams for organising a bring & buy coffeemorning in September for friends and neighbours. This small event made thegrand sum of £150. Very worthwhile!!
If anyone reading this Booklet can organise a Fundraising Event, we would bevery grateful and will happily give you whatever support you need; coffeemornings, sales, lunches for a few friends, bridge matches or anything youmay wish to do, however big or small, they are all very worthwhile. So do thinkabout it.
Once again we wish to stress the fact that Horizon Publishing produces thisbooklet for us each year absolutely free. We hope you will agreed that this glossypublication is of superb quality which we feel very proud of. Thank you Horizon.
Our sincere thanks go to the wonderful ladies on the Butterfield Desk who sogenerously help us to sell some League items in order to raise more funds.
Last but by no means least, please look out for our new, more secure collectingboxes dotted around the hospital together with some more attractive advertisingmaterial. Our sincere thanks go Mr Alan Clarke for organising this project and tothe Trust for putting the boxes and literature up for us.
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57TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGMrs Mary Edwards, the Chief Executive of the HampshireHospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was the guest speaker atthe League of Friends Annual General Meeting on Tuesday30th October 2012. She explained that she came from anursing background and that she had been Director ofNursing and then Chief Executive of the Basingstoke andNorth Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust. She went on to saythat integration of the three hospitals that comprise the newTrust had been managed successfully and that they now
operated as one group of hospitals. The clinical leaders were in place, the Trust was aheadof the surplus plan, being £2.1m in profit, all clinical targets had been met and they werecontinuing to deliver quality services.
The strategy of the new Trust was to introduce a clinical model which delivered services atthree levels. At the first level, access was provided at the local level, providing consulting,diagnostics and simple treatment. For example, they were acquiring a building in Eastleigh,they had leased a mobile MRI scanner and in the future they would be providing a mobileX-ray machine.
At the second level, the District Hospitals in Winchester and Basingstoke provided AcuteAssessment Units. Winchester hospital was equipped with state-of-the-art CT and MRIscanners and would also have a cardiac MRI scanner when the right machine could befound. Existing services would continue to be provided and ninety five percent of plannedsurgery would be conducted at this level.
At the third level, a new hospital would be built between Winchester and Basingstoke toprovide care for the fifteen percent of sickest patients suffering from heart attacks, strokesor major trauma. This new critical treatment hospital would have a thirty bed ITU, onlytrained doctors on standby and would treat patients who currently go outside the Trust.Major surgery, including tertiary levelsurgery which can require up to fourweeks in ITU, would be cateredfor and patients would arrive byambulance under the care ofparamedics. The hospital would takebetween three and five years tocomplete.
Mrs Edwards said that she was totallyaware of all the support and help thatthe League of Friends provided andhoped that the League would beproud and impressed by the efforts ofthe new Trust.
