Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust

Panel Chairman Maurice Cohen says that despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of healthcare in Surrey both Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals provide a significant and sometimes undervalued service to the local community. 

“Over the last year and previous years we have been able to see Ashford and St. Peter’s improve and maintain health services for local people.   As a group of local residents and sometime patients, our part in that process has been to contribute to the Trust in a number of areas and speak up on behalf of patients.”

Over the last year the Panel has:

·         Discussed with the Trust Chief Executive about the future of Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals;

·         Supported the development and piloting of new Patient Comment cards for use within the Trust which will enable the Trust to receive immediate and improved feedback from patients about their experiences.

·         Been involved in the Trusts arrangements for infection control and reducing the incidence of mixed sex bays.

·         Discussed with the Director of Nursing issues around nursing, the patient survey and the restructuring of the Trust during 2006.

·         Contributed to planning the arrangements for cleaning, catering, transport and parking managed by the Facilities Department.

·         Received an update from the Trust Chairman on the national and local political and economic issues surrounding the development of healthcare in Surrey; and

·         Contributed to the development of the systems for handling complaints and reviewed the development of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

“We are not just a ‘talking shop’,” continued Mr Cohen.   “We like to get out and about around the two hospitals meeting staff and voicing our opinions.   Panel Members have been involved in a number of action groups including inspections which look at the environment in which patients receive their care – the facilities, the food and other services.  In addition to this our Panel Members sit on a number of committees to ensure that patient views are heard.  With the recent announcement by the Trust of a possible merger with Frimley Park Hospital we will be watching this development closely and I welcome the commitment by the Trust to keep the Panel fully involved in the discussions over the coming months.”

The committees and groups that Patient Panel members contribute to include:

·         Research & Development

·         Infection Control

·         ‘End of Life Care’

·         Communications

·         Transforming Chronic Care

·         Patient Food

·         Clinical Governance

Speaking on behalf of Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust, Head of Customer Affairs Jill Down said: “The contribution the Patient’s Panel and it’s members make to the operation of Ashford and St. Peter’s is significant.   Panel members bring their own personal experience to bear and an external eye on what the Trust is doing and planning to do.   A measure of how important we believe their contribution to be is the fact that their Chairman has a place on the Trust Board.”

Membership of the Patient’s Panel is open to patients and carers or local residents living in the Trust’s catchment area.   If you are interested in becoming involved please contact Jill Down, Head of Customer Affairs on 01932-722631.