Heatherwood Hospital 1993

Calming Op Fears

A new service offering patients health checks and advice before surgery has been launched at an East Berkshire hospital. Heatherwood Hospital Trust in Ascot hopes to ease patients' anxieties and save stress with the pre-admission service. Patients are asked to attend a week or two before operations.
Extract Evening Post 04/01/1993

 

Caring People

Bliss is now raising money for 84 pieces of essential equipment on its priority list, including a £7,300 intensive care system for Eastbourne District General, a £3,500 heart monitor for Grantham General in Lincolnshire and an £11,600 transport incubator for St Paul's, Cheltenham.
TV's Countdown star Carol Vorderman suffered the utter helplessness of watching her baby daughter battle for life after she was born two months prematurely with lung problems.
Katie was placed in an incubator fighting for life at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, where 75 per cent of equipment in the special baby care unit has been bought by charity.
Carol, 32, said: "I was watching her heart monitor and everything seemed to be getting worse.
"There seemed nothing of her, there were tubes everywhere. When she was two days old she deteriorated even further.
"I knew she was borderline, but I was helpless to do anything. I just had to watch the nurses get on with it." Katie is now a thriving eight-month- old and her mum has a daily slot on the new breakfast station GMTV.
But Carol will never forget that terrible time.
She said: "Last May, I virtually lived at the hospital.
"I went back recently to open a fete and took Katie back.
"I met some of the other babies who were born early and they are all now fit and well. How can you ever say thank you."
Judy Ledger, head of the Coventry based charity Baby Lifeline, has no problem getting inspiration when the going gets tough.
She looks out of her office window at the cemetery which contains three very special reasons for going on.
On one sad headstone are the names of premature babies Lisa, Emma and Stuart who all died in two tragic years while she tried to become a mum.
The heartbreak she suffered drove her to a one-woman crusade to give other premature babies a fighting chance of survival.
Her charity has just raised £1 million
Extract The People 10/01/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by four photo's of support from the bliss charity photos.
One photo displayed Carol Vorderman Captioned:"Joy TV's Carol With Daughter"
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.

 

New Hopper For Hospitals

More patients and visitors to hospitals in South Bucks will be able to leave their cars at home thanks to a new hopper bus service.
Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital Trust has proposed the introduction of an inter-hospital bus service to start early this year.
The service would allow passengers to get on or off at the hospitals at any appointed bus stop.
It would operate between the hospital sites at Wexham Park and Upton, in Slough, King Edward VII, in Windsor, Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and Bracknell Town Centre.
Extract The Advertiser 13/01/1993

 

Picking up Problems

A new service which offers patients health checks and advice before they go into hospital for an operation has been launched at Heatherwood Hospital.
A pre-admission clinic has been set up to pick up problems like high blood pressure and anaemia and deal with them before the operation takes place.
As many as one in five patients who come in for booked operations can be found to have problems which prevent the operation going ahead.
Patients attend the clinic a week or two before the scheduled operation date for health checks, advice and reassurance about the operation procedure.
Of 150 patients seen so far in the scheme, there were 29 who had something which would have stopped the operation going ahead if it had not been discovered and treated.
Pre-assessment sister Alison Rivera Valez said: "We can allay their fears and give them a chance to discuss their treatment with us.
"They get a chance to meet the hospital doctor they will see when they come in and we can explain to them the arrangements they will need to make for getting in and out of hospital."
Extract Wokingham Times 14/01/1993

 

Appointed Hospital Manager

A former Kirkcudbright man has been promoted to site manager of a psychiatric hospital down south.
Bill Middleton's health career started at the bottom end of the ladder in Dumfries getting on for 30 years ago. Now, he has been given the job of site manager at Heatherwood hospital, Ascot, in Berkshire.
Bill's parents were the late Mr and Mrs James Middleton, 11 Victoria Park, while his wife Sheila is the daughter of Mr Robert Maxwell, 41 Deacon Road, and the late Mrs Maxwell.
The Middleton's, who live at Sandhurst in Surrey, have a daughter Wendy, who seems to be following in her father's footsteps, while their son Max is pursuing a financial career.
Four years ago, the 'News' reported on a double involvement with royalty for Bill. He met the Princess Royal and went, as a guest of the Dutch royal family, to see how doctors and nurses cared for the mentally ill in Holland.
Extract The Galloway News 28/01/1993

 

Friday, January 22

Bingo at Morgan Centre, Crowthorne, 7.30pm. 50p admission.
To raise funds for Heatherwood Day Hospice-Macmillan appeal.
Extract Ascot & Bracknellamp & Wokingham Times 21/01/1993

 

Cheque is Pure BLISS

An Ascot nurse has be received a boost for her life saving work with premature babies thanks to a special grant from insurers Commercial Union.
Carolyn Morgan was awarded a bursary of £200 towards the English Nursing 405 certificate for the intensive care of new born babies.
The New Zealand born midwife did a full time six month course at the Royal Berks Hospital in Reading and now she is considered a specialist in the care of premature and ill babies.
"I applied to BLISS (Baby Life Support System charity) for help with the course but I didn't really expect to get anything," said Carolyn, who has been nursing for 23 years.
"I'd been working in the neonatal unit for two years and as a midwife I wanted to know more about premature and ill babies.
"The work has its highs and lows, its ups and downs but it's certainly a challenge," she added.
Commercial Union say they are delighted to be able to support such life-saving work and hope that the grant helps Carolyn, who works at Heatherwood Hospital, to continue developing her skills with babies.
Extract Bracknell Times 04/02/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo Captioned:"Carolyn is pictured receiving her cheque from Ian Swankie of the insurance company."
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Nurse Award

Dedicated nurse Carolyn Morgan has been awarded £200 for her outstanding work with new-born babies in Berkshire. Mrs Morgan, a nurse at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, was awarded the money by insurance company Commercial Union.
The cash will enable Mrs Morgan to further her life-saving skills with premature babies through the baby charity BLISS.
Extract Evening Post 04/02/1993

 

Operations 'Will Not Be Cancelled'

Hospital bosses in Berkshire say they have no intention of turning away non-urgent cases to save money.
Thousands of patients are being sent away from hospitals in other parts of the country as bosses try to balance the books.
But Berkshire hospitals say they have managed their money to ensure routine operations do not have to be cancelled.
Alistair Mitchell-Baker, spokesman for the Royal Berkshire and Battle hospitals in Reading, said: "We are contracted to treat 45,000 patients but if the number is three per cent less or three per cent more we will still be paid the same amount.
"At the moment we have treated one per cent more patients, so we are within the target and have no plans to restrict admissions."
The Government dictates the cash limits imposed on hospitals, which means many are being forced to only admit the most seriously ill patients.
Stefan Cantore, director of patient services at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, said there were no plans to restrict admissions.
Phil Jacques, of East Berkshire Health Authority, said £200,000 had been made available to the hospitals last month to enable routine surgery to continue.
Extract Evening Post 11/02/1993

 

Pop Scene

FEAR and Loathing are joined by Cranial Rage and IDK for a benefit gig for the psychiatric unit at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, at Bracknell Football Club on Friday (February 19).
Tickets are £2 on the night with the doors opening at 7.30pm.
Extract Esher News and Mail 17/02/1993

 

Ward Theft

Thieves made off with a video recorder from the maternity ward of Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital. They walked into the ward between 12 noon on February 16 and 7pm on February 17 and stole it from a locker in a classroom.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 25/02/1993

 

Sounds

by Shelley Rister
Crowthorne band Fear and Loathing helped raise £75 for Heatherwood Hospital at a recent charity gig.
Extract Wokingham Times 04/03/1993

 

Woman Dead After Gun Trauma

A mother-of-two, said to have never recovered after being surrounded by 18 armed policemen who mistook her for a gun-toting criminal, has been found dead in a wood.
Police said they are treating the death of Mrs Jean Coburn, 36, as suicide.
Two schoolboys found her body on Monday night behind concrete bollards a few hundred yards from her home in Owlsmoor, near Crowthorne, Berkshire.
She hit the headlines in December after getting lost in Heatherwood hospital, Ascot where she had gone as an outpatient at the same time as a gunman held up a van driver in hospital grounds.
Crack police marksmen surrounded the hospital, believing the suspect was trapped in an office.
Then they burst in and overpowered the "gunman" a trembling Mrs Coburn.
Extract Aberdeen Press and Journal & Shields Daily Gazette 10/03/1993

 

Patients Getting a Better sService

More patients treated, more services on offer and all within the allocated £62 million budget.
This is the proud claim of the Heatherwood and Wexham hospitals trust.
As the trust for the Ascot and Slough hospitals approaches the end of its first year, the mood is very upbeat.
Stefan Cantore, director of patient services, said: "We are very positive because of our good financial management."
Mr Cantore said the trust had been successful in a number of ways in its first year.
The main areas were: Declining patient waiting lists Continued full manning of emergency services No restrictions on admissions.
Also, the trust had developed new vascular and neurology services and it would be spending money on new equipment including patient's beds.
"The success of the first year has fully justified the two hospitals becoming a trust," he said.
There was no question of patients suffering because of delayed operations as reported by some other trusts throughout the country.
Mr Cantore said that most people were seen "within six months". However, he said that there was no room for complacency and the trust would continue to look at ways of improving and expanding services for its customers in East Berkshire.
Extract Ascot &Bracknell Times 11/03/1993

 

£25,000 Needed to Save Lives

The special care baby unit at Heatherwood Hospital has just put out an appeal to raise £25,000 for a life-saving piece of equipment.
Staff say they need to replace their transport incubator, used to move seriously ill babies to other hospitals such as Great Ormonde Street and the Radcliffe at Oxford.
The 12-cot Ascot baby it is constantly busy and the transport incubator is used on a regular basis to help ventilate and monitor babies while they are being moved from one hospital to another. Without it, sick and very premature babies cannot be given the best chance of survival.
But the unit used by the Heatherwood staff is getting old and is being repaired more and more often. Maintenance staff have warned that it could become increasingly unreliable. "It really is a life saving piece of equipment," said Sister Penny Matthews. "We have been fundraising, and have recently received money which has gone on some smaller items.
"But we really do need help with this one. We are going to need to replace the transport incubator soon, the one we have is beginning to cause problems.
"We probably need it around once a fortnight. It's used for the sickest babies and without it we just can't function in the same way."
Anyone who can help with fundraising should contact the special care baby unit.
Extract Bracknell Times 18/03/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo Captioned:"Baby William Brown, from Bracknell, born nine weeks early, now weighs around 3lbs and is pictured in the special care baby unit at Heatherwood."
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Warmer Welcome

Patients arriving, at Heatherwood Hospital's out-patients department now find themselves in a more pleasant environment.
Refurbishment work to the department includes a new entrance boasting double sets of automatic doors. The work was partly funded by the Women's Royal Voluntary Service which donated £10,000 towards it.
Money was also put in by the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Trust, which has also made alterations to the entrance of the accident and emergency department.
In addition to the refurbishment donation, the WRVS has worked unstintingly for the hospital for many years, raising cash through their canteen or tea-bar.
Every week about 40-45 volunteers serve cups of tea and other refreshments to patients, and over the past year the WRVS has donated about £23,000 to buy new pieces of equipment for the hospital and help fund the out-patients refurbishment.
Out-patient department manager Sister Margaret Shepherd, said: "We used to have an entrance with two swing doors about two feet apart which patients in wheelchairs found difficult to negotiate.
"The old doors were replaced by automatic doors incorporating the new entrance. This has made a considerable improvement to the environment and is much appreciated by the patients and staff."
A plaque to commemorate the contribution made by the WRVS to providing the new entrance has been put up between the two sets of doors.
Elspeth Blanford, WRVS canteen organiser, is pictured handing over a cheque to Dr Sunil Liyanage, a member of the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Trust management team.
Mrs Blanford said: "It used to get quite cold and draughty but this has made the out-patients hall more comfortable."
Extract Bracknell Times 18/03/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Taking Special Care

by Sharon Cook
Working on the special care baby unit is the best form of contraception there is according to one of the Heatherwood nurses. Not because it puts you off babies, but because you're always so busy.
Janet Hutchins' comments are echoed by colleagues and with 15 babies to look after including three sets of twins when the TIMES visited in a 12-cot unit you can appreciate what they mean.
Yet the staff clearly love what they do and freely admit that one of the nicest things about the job is when former patients come back to visit.
"Most of the babies we have here are premature but we do also look after sick babies," said Sister Penny Matthews.
"The staff here are specially trained, a lot have neonatal (the medical term for new-born) training but the work is emotional and when it's busy it can be stressful."
Add that to the constant high temperatures on the ward and you may begin to appreciate the work is much harder than giving plenty of tender loving care to tiny babies let's say it takes rather more than a large dose of that mythical quality, maternal instinct.
The smallest baby anyone can remember looking after weighed in at just under 800 grammes - that's less than 2lbs.
£25,000 will help in their work
"Routine for us is probably around 1,300 grammes," said Sister Matthews, herself a mother of two teenagers and who has worked on special care units for around 12 years.
"The work is rewarding, you get to see long term positive things and it's lovely when patients come back to visit.
"At Christmas," chipped in Nurse Hutchins, "people bring us pictures of their children and it really is nice to be remembered, you make a lot of friends through this job."
A humble attitude when you consider it is the nurses at the unit who have given these children the best possible start in life.
The nurses themselves point out, with more than just a hint of sadness, that not all the babies actually go home. An event, one feels sure, the staff are by no means immune to.
Parents are encouraged to spend as much time with their new born off spring as they want to. "All parents are different, some only come once a day, some are here all the time," said Mrs Matthews.
"We try to fit the feeds around when the parents are here we're just the caretakers, they're the parents.
"It's lovely to see our patients going home, especially when we've had them for two to three months- we looked after one recently for four months the parents are delighted and I know it sounds corny but it's nice to see them so happy."
Speak to any of the parents who are spending time with their babies on the ward and you can see how grateful they are to be in such friendly surroundings.
"I feel like I've spent a lot of time here," said one young mum, but in the same breath she admitted she couldn't wait to get her child home.
Standing by were two of the nurses, but far from taking the sentiments personally one could almost detect tears in their eyes.
Staff at the Heatherwood Special Care Baby Unit have just launched an appeal to help raise £25,000 which is needed for a new transport incubator.
The vital piece of life saving equipment is used in the transport of very sick babies to other more specialised units such as Great Ormonde Street and the Radcliffe at Oxford.
Anyone who can help should contact the Special Care Baby Unit at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, and ask for Sister Matthews.
Extract Bracknell Times 25/03/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by two photos.
The first photo Captioned:"Nurse Janet Hutchins with 24 day old Alexander Brown."
The second photo captioned:"Nurse Jane-Elizabeth Gee,Sister Penny Matthews and Nurse Janet Hutchins with Dr Anne Blandford."
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.

 

It's Getting Better for Patients

A new rehabilitation unit was opened at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot on Monday.
Around 140 patients a day are expected to be seen at the unit which is fitted with the most up to date equipment.
"We promised to treat local people locally and here is another, much improved facility we can offer," said Nigel Crisp, Chief Executive of Heatherwood and Wexham Parks hospitals trust.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell Times 01/04/1993

 

Hospital Waiting Lists Slashed

Hospital waiting lists in East Berkshire have been slashed dramatically in the last 12 months, health bosses have revealed.
New figures show that less than 300 patients are waiting more than 12-18 months for an operation, compared to 950 at the same time last year.
Not one patient is having to wait longer than 18 months before being admitted for surgery, compared to more than 400 people still waiting in April 1992.
Waiting lists were cut at Ascot's Heatherwood hospital and Wexham Park Hospital in Slough after East Berkshire Health Authority authorised an extra 400 operations.
David Treloar, chief executive of East Berkshire Health Authority, said: "Waiting list reductions are an important priority and the local drive to reduce them is clearly working.
"It is very gratifying to see that our hard work, together with excellent co-operation with our local hospitals, is paying off."
Health chiefs are now aiming to slash a further six months off waiting lists by the beginning of April, 1994.
Mr Treloar said: "We cannot afford to sit back. Our aim for March 1994 is that no patient should have to wait longer than 12 months."
Extract Evening Post 06/04/1993

 

Friday, April 16

Bingo at Morgan Centre, Crowthorne, 7.30pm.
Admission 50p. Proceeds to Macmillan appeal for Heatherwood Day Hospice.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell Times

 

Doctor Challenges Health Report

By Matt Rodda
Plans to cut hospital waiting lists have backfired, it was claimed this week. Dr Owen Lister said he feared that some patients with serious illnesses might have to wait far too long because patients with less serious complaints were getting priority over them.
Dr Lister, a leading member of the British Medical Association in the East Berkshire Health Authority, was commenting on the authority's announcement that the number of people having to wait more than 12 to 18 months for an operation has been cut by two thirds.
In its annual report the authority said no patient was having to wait longer than 18 months before being admitted for surgery.
This compared with more than 400 people still waiting in April 1992.
During the year the authority authorised an extra 400 operations at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, and Wexham Park Hospital, Slough.
Dr Lister said the problem could arise because patients with less serious conditions might take priority over those with more serious illnesses purely because of the length of time they had been waiting.
Dr Lister feared some patients were waiting too long for operations. They included people who needed exploratory surgery to remove growths to see how serious they were.
Cancers could develop, go undiscovered and be operated on only when it was too late.
He said it was difficult to assess the number of patients at risk but he was very concerned particularly for elderly people.
But the health authority insists the figures were achieved without putting long-waiting patients with minor complaints before those with more serious problems.
A spokeswoman said the authority had been given more money by the Government to increase the number of operations.
It had paid for neighbouring authorities and private care to help treat patients sooner.
But serious cases would always be given priority.
David Treloar, chief executive of the authority, said: "Waiting list reductions are an important priority and the local drive to reduce them is clearly working."
Health chiefs are now aiming to slash a further six months off waiting lists by the beginning of April 1994.
They hope that in a year's time, not one patient in the district will have to wait more than 12 months before being admitted to hospital for specialist treatment.
The reductions are being made as part of the Government's Citizen's Charter.
Extract Bracknell Times 15/04/1993

 

Fitness Saved Lennie

Game show host Lennie Bennett survived a major heart attack thanks to his strict health regime, the star's agent said yesterday.
"Lennie was told any less fit person may not have pulled through. He has been a slim, healthy-eating person in excellent health until now," said agent Alan Field.
Lennie (51), whose Lucky Ladders series is running on ITV, suffered a heart attack following a game of golf.
Mr Field said, "He has always been a runner, he used to run up to 12 miles a day until his late 40s and he played squash and golf.
"Obviously there may have to be some curtailment of these activities but I don't see why he can't carry on with the business side of his life."
Lennie has been visited in Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, Berkshire, by his ex-wife Margaret and son Tony.
Mr Field said, "I saw him last night and he was quite bright and chirpy and sitting up. He is out of danger now. "He will certainly be spending a few more days in hospital but he seems to have come through the worst."
Extract The Courier & Advertiser 15/04/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo Captioned:"Lennie Bennett."
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.
The story of Lennie's plight was covered by a range of National and Local Newspapers and Radio.

 

Lennie's Fight After Second Heart Attack

Mr Super fit may have to face big op By Nigel Pauley
Comic Lennie Bennett was fighting for his life again last night after a second heart attack.
Lennie, 54, host of TV's longest-running game show Lucky Ladders, has been transferred to the Brompton Hospital in London.
Last night he was said to be "seriously ill but satisfactory" in the intensive care unit. Doctors are carrying out a series of urgent tests and he could need major surgery.
The latest setback for the superfit, golf loving star came just hours before he was due to be released from the Heatherwood Hospital in Surrey.
A friend said: "Lennie suffered a second attack early on Friday morning and doctors are very concerned. "Now they are carrying out some tests to try and find out what caused the problem.
Boasted
"They are ruling nothing out at this stage. He could face major surgery and they are considering a heart by-pass. "It's a big shock to all of us. Lenny seemed to be recovering well and was really bright and chirpy. "His life is in the balance once again, and we're just all praying he will pull through." Lennie, who once boasted that he was one of the fittest men in showbiz, suffered his first attack a week ago while playing golf at a course in Surrey.
Girlfriend
He broke up with his wife Margaret, 49, 18 months ago. She blamed the split after 29 years of marriage on his obsession with golf.
Lennie is now said to have a new regular girlfriend, a mystery brunette nearly half his age.
The former Punchlines and Celebrity Squares host divides his time between a London flat and a villa in Marbella.
A new series of Lucky Ladders only began its five-week run on Monday. ITV doesn't plan to take it off the air.
Extract Daily Record 17/04/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo Captioned:"Lennie Serious".
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Heart-op Lennie's Life Fight

TV comic Lennie Bennett is fighting for life after a third heart attack in two weeks. The 54-year-old Lucky Ladders game show host had a double heart by-pass operation after the latest coronary on Friday.
Doctors at London's Brompton Hospital said keep fit fanatic Lennie was satisfactory in intensive care. His ex-wife Margaret, his new girlfriend and son Tony were keeping a bedside vigil.
Close friend Max Clifford said yesterday: "Doctors have told us if everything goes to plan there is no reason why he should not recover and live a normal life.
"The fact he has already come through three heart attacks is a testimony to his strength.
"He has always been extremely fit he played squash and golf regularly and is a keen runner. But he is a heavy smoker. "
Lennie, whose show started a new series last week, suffered his first heart attack as he played golf near Ascot, Berkshire, on Good Friday.
He was taken to the nearby Heatherwood Hospital, but suffered another attack there a week ago. He was immediately transferred to the Brompton, where he had the third attack.
Extract The People 25/04/1993

 

Doctor Struggles As Slim Disease Victims Soar

By Dawn Doherty
Specialist eating disorders unit is struggling to cope with a sharp increase in the number of people falling victim to anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
Experts at the Berkshire hospital unit treated 167 sufferers last year almost 60% more than in 1991.
Dr Lalitha de Silva, consultant psychiatrist who heads the clinic at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital, said there were a number of reasons for the increase, including society's pressure on women to be slim.
She said: "Advertisers use women who are slim. Thinness is seen not only as beautiful but also successful and achieving."
Now the unit, which treats people from the age of 15, is battling to improve awareness about the dangers so sufferers are identified at an earlier stage when they are easier to treat.
The clinic runs a special education programme for schools in which a nutritionist talks to pupils about food, healthy eating habits and the relationship between food and feelings.
Dr de Silva said the aim was to target girls aged between 11 and 18 who were often concerned about their shape and size and were vulnerable to eating disorders.
She said society's obsession to look thin began in the 1960s with waif like model Twiggy.
Women who had grown up in that era, who were now mothers, may not have a healthy attitude about food. She said: "When these women's children go through adolescence, the youngsters go through periods of insecurity and look to their mothers for guidance.
"If the mothers themselves have great anxieties about food they are not going to be good role models." Most victims of bulimia and anorexia are cared for in their own homes, with only a small number admitted to the unit for in patient care.
Dr de Silva said the increase in cases being sent for treatment was partly due to growing public knowledge.
High-profile figures such as the Princess of Wales, who is thought to have suffered bulimia, have encouraged sufferers to come forward for help.
Dr Arlene Vetere, a clinical psychologist who works with young sufferers of eating disorders at Paxton House, Reading, said eating problems were often a symptom of other difficulties.
Dr Vetere, who also lectures in family psychology at Reading University, said: "There is a very large number of young women who experience psychological distress and express it through eating difficulties."
Extract Evening Post 29/04/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by two photos.
The first photo Captioned:"Then-Twiggy was the first to make young women feel overweight for modern fashions.Those women are now passing their unhealthy attitude to food on to their daughters".
The second photo Captioned:"Now - Modern images of beauty are no better in portraying slimness as the ultimate goal for young women"
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.

 

Cancer Victim Will Now Help Others

A kind hearted 19-year-old former Bracknell cancer patient is planning to help counsel other teenagers with cancer to help them in their fight with the illness.
Richard Pannett, of Winchgrove Road, Priestwood, is still coming to terms with cancer of the brain and spine which struck him when he was 15.
He was given a 20 per cent chance of survival but won through.
Now he wants to help other teenage cancer patients who will attend the new care hospice at Heatherwood hospital, Ascot, which is due to start being built this Summer.
Richard fought off cancer after a six months of treatment including spells in top London hospitals, but he can no longer do many of the things he used to do.
Richard said he felt terribly frightened and alone during his illness and he wants to talk to other youngsters to help stop them from feeling like he did. This came at a very important time in his life. Through being ill he missed many things teenagers take for granted from socialising to sitting his GSCES. And he said he spent much of his treatment away from other people his age.
Talking about your problems can really help you feel better about them, he said.
Richard says he is no saint, he just wants to help and talking will help him recover as well. Cancer left him with a much poorer memory than he used to have and wasted muscles in his legs, which stop him from running.
Extract Bracknell Times 13/05/1993

 

Walking Means Money

Young and old alike went walking on Saturday to raise money for a Macmillan cancer care hospice at Ascot's Heatherwood hospital.
The walkers stepped out around the grounds of the hospital, covering a mile for the charity.
Organiser Pam Carter said walkers had a pleasant morning of family fun. Around 80 people turned out, mainly from Ascot and Bracknell, and ranged from primary school pupils to a great grandmother.
She hoped the walk would raise around £300 towards building the centre which will cater for people with serious or terminal cancer and would also help pay for two specialist nurses for the hospice.
Mrs Carter said £400,000 has been raised so far but another £350,000 is still needed.
She said the Paul Bevan Macmillan Appeal hope to start building the centre on the hospital site this summer. Anyone who wants to help should phone the appeal on (0344) 875005.
Extract Bracknell Times 13/05/1993

 

Her chosen charity

Having been re-elected Mayor of Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Coun Isabel Mattick plans to raise money for the Paul Bevan Macmillan Appeal to build a cancer care hospice at Heatherwood Hospital.
Coun Mattick was appointed after getting the support of the Conservative group and said she was pleased to be given the chance to serve as mayor again.
She wanted to raise money for the hospice because it should provide a valuable service to cancer sufferers. Building work is due to start on the £750,000 project this summer so far £400,000 has been raised.
Details of fund raising events will be released in a few weeks time.
Extract Bracknell Times 20/05/1993

 

Hospital Installs Cameras

Security cameras are set to be installed at Heatherwood Hospital to increase security for patients, visitors and staff.
The Ascot based hospital gave Thorn Security the contract to supply the cameras and also to provide televisions to show videos to entertain people in waiting areas.
A similar system will be installed at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough.
Twenty two cameras should be placed at strategic points outside the hospital grounds and in public areas inside the complex.
They are intended to act as a deterrent to crime and to record any offences that are committed in the hospital.
Thorn say the cameras should help improve the level of security but they cannot guarantee the cameras will stop crime.
The videos will include a range of good quality family entertainment like cartoons and wildlife programmes. The Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Trust hope advertising on the entertainment videos will generate extra income towards the cost.
General Services Manager Neil Williams said: "With crime rising we wanted to provide a secure environment for our patients, visitors and staff. "Thorn Security's equipment presented us with a solution which should also help reduce boredom in the waiting areas."
Extract Bracknell Times 27/05/1993

 

Neighbourhood News Crowthorne, Sandhurst

The Morgan Centre is the venue for the charity bingo evening starting at 7.30pm this Friday. In addition to the bingo, there will be a bring and buy stall and a raffle. The event is in aid of the Macmillan Day Hospice at Heatherwood Hospital.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell & Wokinghmam Times 17/06/1993

 

Ready To Reach Their Peak

Three Bracknell ambulancemen are planning to climb Britain's three highest mountains for charity.
They hope to raise £7,000 to buy a monitor to keep an eye on babies in Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital.
The trio aim to climb Ben Nevis, Scarfell Pike and Snowdon in a gruelling 24 hour session next weekend.
A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said the men are all fairly fit and wanted help the community the monitor seemed a worthy cause.
Tim Goddard, Mark Millins and Frank Gatfield (pictured left to right) have done a dummy run and climbed the three mountains in less than a day.
But they will be working to a very tight schedule and will only rest when driving between the mountains.
The spokeswoman thanked all the companies and individuals who have sponsored the three. Anyone else who wants to sponsor them should contact Stewart Hookey at Ambulance Service headquarters on (0734) 771200.
The monitoring machine is used to check premature babies' heart rates so that medical staff know how they are progressing.
Extract Bracknell Times 24/06/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Neighbourhood News Crowthorne, Sandhurst

Funds for the Paul Bevan Macmillan Cancer Care Appeal will be raised at a bingo evening at the Morgan Centre, Wellington Road, Crowthorne, on July 23. Organised by Coun Mary Pierce-Jones, chairman of Crowthorne Parish Council, the event starts at 7.30pm and includes refreshments. Admission is 50p.
From 9am-1pm the same day, Mrs Pierce-Jones will run the charity stall at Crowthorne Market. She will be very grateful for any goods donated to sell in aid of the appeal, which helps the day hospice at Heatherwood Hospital.
The last bingo evening raised £58 for the appeal.
Extract Bracknell Times 08/07/1993

 

Neighbourhood News Bracknell &Surrounding Area

Mrs Vikki Foster outlined the duties of the WRVS at the tea bar at Heatherwood Hospital and the various amenities which its profits had provided. The most noticeable of these is the room furnished and set aside for the bereaved families of accident victims. It was hoped that members would volunteer to help at the tea bar.
Extract Bracknell Times 22/07/1993

 

Fetes Fairs

Friday, July 23 Charity stall in Crowthorne Friday Market in aid of Macmillan Appeal for Heatherwood Day Hospice, 9am-1pm. Market is at Morgan Recreation Ground car park
Bingo evening with raffle and bring and buy, Morgan Centre, Wellington Road, Crowthorne, 7.30pm. In aid of Macmillan Appeal for Heatherwood Day Hospice. Admission 50p.
Extract Wokingham Times 22/07/1993

 

Two Hospitals Step up Car Park Security

Television surveillance cameras have. been installed at two Berkshire hospitals in an effort to curb car crime.
Health bosses at Heatherwood in Ascot and Wexham Park in Slough have introduced a number of measures to improve car parking and security.
An extra 250 car parking spaces have been provided across the hospitals, a team- of car park attendants have been employed to patrol the hospital site and closed circuit TV cameras have also been introduced.
A "pay and display" scheme has also been implemented to fund the salaries of the car park attendants. The action was taken after the hospital trust board became concerned about the safety of vehicles and their occupants in hospital car parks.
A spokesman said: "We are confident this car park management scheme will act as a strong deterrent to crime."
Extract Evening Post 27/07/1993

 

Visitors Pay For Parking

Visitors to Wexham Park Hospital will now have to pay for the pleasure of parking.
A pay and display operation has come into force, the latest in a campaign by the hospital trust board to cure parking problems. Visitors will have to pay 50p for four hours although there will be spaces in front of the hospital giving 20 minutes' grace for patients to be dropped off and taken where they need to go by relatives or friends.
Orange badge holders will be able to use spaces at the rear of the hospital reserved for permit holders. The move follows the introduction of 250 new spaces at Wexham Park and its sister hospital, Heatherwood in Ascot. The changes are in response to congestion and fears over car crime. Parking attendants will be on duty all day to help direct drivers, catch fee dodgers and deter criminals. A hospital spokesman said: "The trust is confident that this car park management scheme with the highly visible presence of personnel and the numerous closed circuit TV surveillance cameras recently installed, will act as a strong deterrent to crime."
Extract The Beaconsfield Advertiser 28/07/1993

 

Bus Plan Hopes Dashed

by Matt Rodda
Council chiefs have been blasted for not funding a plan to save sick pensioners from having to make an arduous trek to hospital. A hospital boss and Bracknell's Labour leader attacked Bracknell Forest Borough Council for turning down funding for a special bus service to take patients and visitors to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough.
The "hospital hopper" scheme was proposed last year to collect people from Bracknell town centre every 45 minutes and take them to stops at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and Wexham Park It could have saved people without cars from having to make a long journey during which they would have had to change buses several times, And patients and relatives suffering from the strain of visiting hospital could have benefited.
The scheme would particularly have helped the elderly.
Bracknell Forest did not offer money needed to help get the scheme off the ground earlier this year because it felt it had not been properly costed.
Chris Burke, director of planning for the trust which runs the two hospitals, said he was very disappointed with the council for killing off the scheme.
A survey of what Bracknell people wanted from the trust showed that getting to hospital could be a major problem.
The bus would have been a way around this if the trust had been able to get contributions of £10,000-£15,000 from the council and other bodies to pay to help set it up.
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council had offered funds.
The service would have been non profit making but was planned to break even. The only way to know if it would work was to try it out for a few months as market research could cost up to £25,000.
"We really believed we were doing something for the people of Bracknell and the council failed to fund it." John Tompkins, Bracknell Labour leader, said the scheme could have made an enormous difference to elderly Bracknell people who visited seriously ill husbands or wives at Wexham.
He criticised the council for not doing more to help the elderly.
But Alan Stanton, the council's environmental services officer, said he could not put so much money into a scheme when there were no proper costings.
Other organisations involved had turned the scheme down.
The trust said they would go away and look at the scheme again when they heard the objections.
Bob Angell, leader of the ruling Conservatives on the council, accused Coun Tompkins of trying to make cheap political points. The standard of council services like sheltered accommodation showed its commitment to pensioners.
Extract Bracknell Times 29/07/1993

 

Pay And Display At Heatherwood

By Matt Rodda
Plans to make visitors pay for parking at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, have been sharply criticised.
Patients and visitors claim the proposal will deepen the dis- tress of people visiting friends and relatives in the hospital.
The Trust, which runs the hospital, announced on Monday that it is to introduce a pay and display car park scheme at a cost of 50p for four hours parking.
Charges should be introduced from August 16.
The trust claimed the decision was necessary to pay for improved security in the car park. There will be an area where people can park free for 20 minutes near the entrance to drop of patients.
Drivers with disabled badges will be able to use this area for longer term parking.
Mary Plundell, a 46-year-old patient from Arncliffe, Wildridings, Bracknell, protested that the plan would put extra stress on people when they were already under pressure.
Some people could end up having to pay a lot of money if they were regular visitors such as husbands of expectant mothers.
Graham Tipping, visiting from Windsor, said: "Paying to park is not on! I don't think the hospital should take advantage of people coming to visit relatives."
Another visitor, Louise Cummins, from Blythewood Lane, Ascot, was angry that people were being asked to pay for a public service.
Even people who had some sympathy with the scheme stressed that it would have to be carefully administered.
Visitor Alec Hine, of Saffron Road, Easthampstead, stressed that people must not be penalised if they were unable to renew their tickets because they had to stay at the bedside of a sick relative.
A hospital spokeswoman said the hospital had introduced patrols by security guards and close circuit television cameras to clamp down on thieves.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 29/07/1993

 

Patients Bright Outlook in Cheery Hospital Unit

Health bosses say patients are already reaping the benefits of a newly refurbished hospital department.
The outpatients unit at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot has been extensively redecorated, offering new facilities and a more colourful environment.
Nigel Crisp, chief executive of the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital Trust, officially re-opened the department yesterday.
It was one of his last duties as chief executive before taking up the same post at a hospitals trust in Oxford New facilities at Heatherwood include extra consulting and treatment rooms and additional reception and waiting areas.
Margaret Shepherd, out-patients' manager, said: The children also have a lovely bright area and seem to be much happier.
"The staff really appreciate having a staff room.
The patients love having a bright, cheerful and much less crowded area to come to."
Extract Evening Post 05/08/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo captioned:"Brighter Chief Executive Nigel Crisp and Sister in Charge Margaret Shepherd admire improvements at Heatherwood Hospital"
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Star turn

TV comedian Lennie Bennett will visit Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, on Bank Holiday Monday to open a fete to raise funds for a medical unit.
The event, which starts at 2pm, will be held on the grassed area behind wards one, two and three.
Extract Bracknell & Wokingham Times 26/08/1993

 

Fetes Fairs

Heatherwood Hospital fete, 2pm. To be opened by TV comedian Lennie Bennett Event to be held on grassed area behind wards one, two and three. Attractions include donkey derby, bouncy castle, stalls.
Extract Bracknell & Wokingham Times 26/08/1993

 

Hospitals £17.5M Facelift

By James Elliott
A massive £17.5 million scheme to completely redevelop Heatherwood Hospital has been announced by health chiefs.
The Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Trust which has run Heatherwood since April 1992 claims the seven-year project put an end to "a decade of uncertainty" over the hospital's future.
The move comes as the trust released its first-year figures showing waiting lists slashed by 30 per cent and 12% more in-patients treated.
The trust cut this year's waiting lists down to 6,351 by March, compared to 8,993 the previous April.
Part of the success is put down to new facilities at Heatherwood including a £400,000 day surgery which allows mole, tumour and other minor operations.
Chris Burke, Trust acting chief executive, said the first year had been a great success, but there were even more ambitious plans in the pipeline.
He said: "Our first-year targets were very ambitious so we were very pleased to meet them."
Centralise
Mr Burke said the plans, which are so far only at the discussion stage, will centralise the site and get rid of some older buildings at Heatherwood.
He said: "We aim to start next year and it will be done in stages so none of the services are lost during redevelopment.
"Some buildings at Heatherwood are old and cramped and too far away from each other.
"The plan is to provide new buildings close together and to build them so they can accommodate future developments in treatment methods."
He added the $17 million scheme would help assure that the hospital does have a future.
Since becoming a trust, the range of services at Heatherwood has increased to include ear, nose and throat surgery for the first time.
The Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Trust holds its first annual public meeting tomorrow. The meeting starts at 2.30pm at the new post-graduate centre at Wexham Park Hospital.
Extract Evening Post 24/09/1993

 

Ronnie Kray In Hospital After Heart Scare

Ronnie Kray, the gang land killer serving life, was in hospital last night after suffering a suspected heart attack. Kray, 59, who smokes 100 cigarettes a day, was moved from the high security Broadmoor special hospital to a room on a ward at nearby Heatherwood General Hospital in Ascot, Berkshire, early yesterday.
His twin brother Reggie is in Blundeston prison, Suffolk, where the authorities said he I would be allowed out to visit only if Ronnie was dying.
Blundeston's governor, Stuart Robinson, said: "Reggie has been advised.
Obviously we are monitoring the position in case of deterioration.
"The normal prison rules apply and he would only be allowed an emergency visit to the hospital if the illness was discovered to be terminal." As a Category B prisoner, Reggie would be able to use his phone card to ring the hospital, but arrangements could also be made to allow him access to a prison telephone.
The brothers were sentenced to a minimum of 30 years' jail in 1969 for their part in gangland murders in East London.
Ronnie Kray was convicted of murdering two men George Cornell, shot by Ronnie in a pub in east London, and Jack "The Hat" McVitie, stabbed to death by Reggie in a north London flat. Reggie was convicted of murdering McVitie and being an accessary after the murder of Cornell.
Ten years later, Ronnie who suffered a mental break down in his 20s-was transferred to Broadmoor.
In recent years, his physical health has also caused concern. He has been told his smoking habit is ruining his health.
Four nurses from transferred Broadmoor are acting as an escort at Heatherwood hospital, where he is being kept overnight for observation.
Ronnie was there after complaining of chest and stomach pains. Neil Williams, general services manager, said Ronnie was being kept in a room on a general ward. He had undergone tests and the results were awaited to determine how long he would stay.
Mr Williams said: "He is being treated like any other patient. His condition is comfortable and he is receiving care, but we cannot say any more."
Ronnie was being kept in Broadmoor's intensive care wing after reportedly attempting to strangle another prisoner whose singing got on his nerves.
Senior staff at Broadmoor said he had suffered heart problems at least twice before. Kray's heart condition is known to worry doctors who are concerned that another operation might kill him. He had a lengthy operation four and-a-half years ago to remove a large growth from inside his ear. Surgeons warned then that he might not survive any further surgery.
Extract The Scotsman 30/09/1993

 

Kray Twin In Hospital After Heart Scare

Ronnie Kray, one of the notorious gangland twins serving life for murder, was in hospital last night after suffering a suspected heart attack.
The killer-who smokes 100 cigarettes a day-was transferred from the high security Broadmoor special hospital to a room on a ward at nearby Heatherwood general hospital in Ascot, Berkshire, early yesterday.
His twin brother Reggie (59) is in Blundeston prison, Suffolk, where the authorities said he would only be allowed out to visit if Ronnie was dying.
Blundeston governor Stuart Robinson said, "Reggie has been advised. Obviously we are monitoring the position in case of deterioration.
"The normal prison rules apply and he would only be allowed an emergency visit to the hospital if the illness was found to be terminal."
As a Category B prisoner, Reggie could use his phone card to ring the hospital, but arrangements could also be made to allow him access to a prison telephone.
The brothers were sentenced to a minimum of 30 years' jail in 1969 for their part in gangland murders in East London.
Ronnie Kray was convicted of murdering two men George Cornell, shot by Ronnie in the Blind Beggar pub, in the Mile End Road, east London, and Jack The Hat McVitie, stabbed to death by Reggie in a north London flat when Ronnie was present.
Reggie was convicted of murdering McVitie and being an accessory after the murder of Cornell. Ten years later, Ronnie who suffered a mental break down in his 20s-was transferred to Broadmoor.
In recent years, his physical health has also caused concern. He has been told his habit of smoking 100 a day is ruining his health.
A Broadmoor insider said, "Ronnie has access to a lot of funds which means he can buy pretty well as much tobacco at the hospital shop as he wants."
Four nurses from Broadmoor are acting as an escort at Heatherwood hospital, where he was being kept in overnight for observation. Police are also on stand-by at the hospital.
Supporters of the twins plan to march from London's Hyde Park to 10 Downing Street on October 9 and hand a petition to the Prime Minister as part of the campaign for their release.
Extract The Courier & Advertiser 30/09/1993

Comment:- The story of Ronnie's plight was covered by a range of National and Local Newspapers and Radio.

 

Coffee Drinkers In Bid To Break Record

Local people joined in the national World's Greatest Coffee morning on Friday in a money raising attempt to break the record for the most people taking part in a single event.
Last year's event made it to the Guinness Book of World Records and raised many thousands of pounds for the Macmillan Cancer care nursing service.
The organisers are hoping to improve on that and get another entry in the record books. In Crowthorne coffee-drinkerS raised £240 for a hospice as well as helping the Macmillan appeal. The money was raised at Crowthorne Baptist Church with funds were boosted by a raffle for a big cuddly teddy which was won by Mrs Olive Smith.
The event was organised by Crowthorne Parish Council chairman, Mary Pierce-Jones, and proceeds will go to the Paul Bevan hospice fund at Heatherwood Hospital.

Extract Bracknell & Wokingham Times 07/10/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by three photos.
The first captioned:"The coffee morning at Wokingham's Palmer Court proved a bit of a laugh for the residents there"
Second captioned:" Chris Cowlrick enjoyed her coffee at Crowthorne Baptist Church"
The third captioned:"Ruby and William Penn, both 88, are pictured at Dickens Court they'll be celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary in December".
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.

 

They're Definitely On The Ball

Members of Bracknell's Round Table put their backs into fundraising on Saturday by pushing a seven-foot ball around the town centre. The sponsored ball push was just the latest in a long line of charity events organised by the club. Steve McCarthy, who helped organise the event, said: "We do this sort of thing every year to help raise money for local charities." "Last year, we were able to donate a lot of funds to the hospice appeal at Heatherwood Hospital and we have a list of other charities asking for our help."
Extract Bracknell Times 14/10/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

GP's Gift to Health

A Surrey doctor who retired this week has given his patients the best farewell gift in his power choice of hospital care.
Tim Yacoub, 54, was one of the general practitioners in Egham and Englefield Green who told the North West Surrey Health Authority that they wanted to go on referring cases to hospitals in nearby Berkshire. Now the authority have agreed they can.
When Doctor Yacoub ended his medical career because of his heart condition, he feared that his former colleague and new senior partner at The Grove Medical Centre, Egham, Dr John Elliott would never again be allowed to send patients on to Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot or to Windsor.
"We've had letters, telling us that the contracts are ending," Dr Yacoub told the Herald News after his retirement party on Monday.
But the health authority say that their plan to cut the Berkshire link was "only a suggestion, and because of the outcry from Egham area medics purchasing experts have ruled that some GPS in Runnymede can go on using hospitals other than St Peter's, Chertsey and Ashford, Middlesex.
Tim Yacoub says he enjoyed every moment of his 14 years based at The Grove and his stint in the 1970s at St Peter's.
But he also hit out at so-called reforms to the National Health Service. "I am glad to be out of the turmoil, Dr Yacoub " he said. "Soon doctors here won't even be allowed to refer a case of varicose veins to the hospital," he claimed.
"There will be an ever lengthening list of ailments they will be barred from passing on to a specialist.
Dr Yacoub added: "1 revered the British National Health Service as the best and the cheapest in the world right up until 1990.
Now I think it is on the way to being privatised. I don't believe private medicine should be necessary." The father of three has brought up three high achieving children at his family home in Englefield Green.
He came to England from Iraq in the 1960s.
Dr Yacoub was a childbirth and and gynaecology specialist.
He worked at Hackney Hospital and Bart's in London. Then he moved to St Peter's.
Some of the babies he delivered there became his teenaged patients. Threats of cutback and closure to his home ground make him "sick and saddened, he says.
Extract Sunbury & Shepperton Herald 14/10/1993

 

Chavey Down

THE next meeting of Chavey Down WI is at 7.45pm in St Martin's Church Hall on Monday, October 18.
The preparation of Christmas decorations will be demonstrated by Mrs Ainscough. Members are invited to bring a wartime relic for social time and the competition will be for an arrangement of autumn leaves. Visitors are always welcome.
At the September meeting, Mr Geoff Moss gave a talk on the Paul Bevan Macmillan Appeal. Mr Moss explained that although the Macmillan Fund was started in 1911, the Paul Bevan Appeal was inaugurated in 1982 after the death of Mr Bevan's wife.
A video recording was used to demonstrate the care, comfort, counselling and encouragement given by Macmillan nurses to patients afflicted with cancer or other degenerative illnesses and to their families.
Mr Moss told WI members of the appeal's plans to establish a centre in the grounds of Heatherwood Hospital and of the money required for this venture.
The president of the WI, Mrs Wyn Vickers, presented Mr Moss with a £100 cheque for the appeal fund, the proceeds from the institute's stall at the Ascot Horticultural Society show in July.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 14/10/1993

 

Fetes Fairs

Friday, October 22 Bingo evening and bring and buy, Morgan Centre, Wellington Road, Crowthorne, 7.30pm. In aid of Paul Bevan hospice fund at Heatherwood Hospital.
Extract Bracknell 14/10/1993 & Wokingham Times 21/10/1993

 

Mum Says Special £1,000 Thankyou

A grateful mum has shown her thanks to Heatherwood Hospital by handing over more than £1,000 to their Special Care Baby Unit.
Jacqueline Myall, from Bracknell, had first hand experience of the unit when her daughter Charlotte was born nearly 15 months ago.
Charlotte was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and only the quick-thinking efforts of doctors and nurses saved her life.
Jacqueline said: "Charlotte wasn't breathing when she was born. The umbilical cord was wrapped round her neck three times, so she was rushed to the unit straightaway.
"We were very lucky that everything happened so quickly. I don't know what would have happened otherwise. I don't know if we'd have her here today."
As a gesture of thanks, Jacqueline and her husband Stephen held a fundraising day for the hospital on Charlotte's first birthday.
Friends and neighbours rallied round and managed to come up with the magnificent sum of money, which will go towards the £25,000 needed to buy a portable incubator for the unit.
Jacqueline said: "Stephen and I just felt we had to do something to say a big thank-you to everyone and this seemed like the perfect way to do it.
"The unit needs another portable incubator desperately so it can save the lives of more babies like Charlotte."
Extract Bracknell Times 11/11/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo captioned:"Sister Kay Woolley, Sister Penny Matthews and midwifery manager Julia McClafferty receive the cheque from Jacqueline watched by Stephen and Charlotte"
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.

 

Maggie's ex-aide gets top NHS job

Karen Caines is the new chief executive of a Berkshire health trust. She joins the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals' Trust from London's Guy's and St Thomas's hospitals.
She has previously worked in the Department of Health and was also deputy head of the Prime Minister's efficiency unit under Lady Thatcher.
Ms Caines said: "I am delighted to join the team at the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals' Trust.
"These are clearly two excellent hospitals and I very much share the trust's mission to provide a first-rate service, to strengthen links with the local community and to develop and reward its staff."
Extract Evening Post 18/11/1993

Comment:- The article was also carried by a number of other local papers.

 

Easthampstead

Easthampstead Townswomen's Guild: The Vice-Chairman welcomed three new members and a visitor to the guild meeting At the coffee evening at the treasurer's home a cheque for £304.50 was presented to a representative of the Winged Fellowship, and the Guild were given an invitation to visit the new home when it is rebuilt.
Mr Moss from the Paul Bevan McMillan Appeal gave a talk on the origins of the MacMillan Fund and also the Paul Bevan charity. A video was shown on the invaluable support work of the MacMillan nurses. An update was given on the progress of the appeal for the hospice in the grounds of Heatherwood Hospital. Arrangements were made for the charity bring and buy evening on Tuesday December 7th when the proceeds will be divided between the Imperial Cancer Relief Fund and the new Heatherwood Hospice.
All are welcomed to come the entrance fee is £1.50 with tea/coffee and 'nibbles' provided by the committee members.
The Guild warmly welcomes new members and visitors, anyone interested in attending our monthly meetings at the John Bell Annexe on the first Tuesday in the month please ring 54738 for initial contact.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 02/12/1993

 

Friday, December 3

Bingo evening with bring and buy and raffle at Morgan Centre, Wellington Road, Crowthorne,
in aid of Macmillan Appeal for the Heatherwood Day Hospice. Starts 7.30pm. Admission 50p.
Extract Ascot & Bracknell & Wokingham Times 03/12/1993

 

New Ward Opens

A new ward for elderly people is to be officially opened at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital on Saturday. Dr Brian Smith, chairman of Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Trust, will open Ward 15 at 11am.
The day will continue with a Christmas bazaar to raise funds for the ward and there will be a visit from Santa. A Christmas play and carol service will round off the afternoon.
Extract Evening Post 07/12/1993

 

£12,600 Fundraiser

Four local charities will find themselves more than £3,000 better off after staff at Bracknell's Oracle held their annual Christmas charity fair.
Around 500 guests turned up for the party last Wednesday evening to be greeted by staff from the company's facilities department dressed up in a variety of circus theme costumes.
Oracle's suppliers had rallied to the good cause and provided 85 prizes for the draw. Staff paid £5 per ticket to enter with the chance of winning the star prize-a connoisseur trip aboard a United Airlines flight to the America.
A collection of stalls offered sundry goods such as watches, books, crafts and ceramics while Oracle's own cake stall, with all cakes baked by secretarial staff, was a complete sell-out.
Even Oracle's specialist window cleaners got in on the act, using their abseiling skills to release a net of 500 prize balloons from the glass top of the seven-storey building. The event, which took five weeks'. worth of planning,eventually raised £6,300. The sum was matched by Oracle management. The charities which will benefit are Wokingham's resource and opportunities centre, Heatherwood Hospital's special care baby unit,Binfield Dog Rescue and Age Concern's day centre in Forest Park, Bracknell.
Extract Bracknell Times 09/12/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The photo captioned:"Cliff Hilton (clown) and Mark Blackburn (lion) welcome guests to the Oracle Christmas party"
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Serial Killer Recaptured

A second killer from Broadmoor top security hospital escaped today but was swiftly recaptured.
Multiple murderer Kenneth Erskine, (30), known as the Stockwell Strangler, fled during a visit to Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot today.
He was taken to the hospital, 15 miles from Broadmoor, for an X-ray to suspected broken left index finger.
But he managed to slip two hospital nurses when he went to the toilet.
He ran across the nearby racecourse and into Ascot town centre. The killer was recaptured 20 minutes after he was reported missing to police.
An officer arrested him in Ascot High Street, just 300 yards from Heatherwood Hospital.
Erskine, from London, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1988 for seven murders.
Extract Grimsby Daily Telegraph 16/12/1993

 

Capturing All That Christmas Spirit

The outpatients department at Heatherwood Hospital has a decidedly festive feel to it now, thanks to the efforts of the Windsor District Chamber of Commerce.
President Beverley Williams and Andrew Beresford, Chairman of the Ascot section, presented the hospital with an eight foot Christmas Tree to help bring a festive feel to the surroundings.
Mr Beresford said: "The Chamber was very pleased to be able to donate a tree to Heatherwood this year, as part of our role in arranging for the supply and erection of Christmas decorations in the Ascot area.
"We value the role of the hospital in the local community, both residential and business, and we are planning a significant improvement in the street decorations next year."
Sister Margaret Shepherd, Outpatient Department Manager, said: "My staff and I really appreciate the donation of a new Christmas tree, which enhances the new porch entrance to the main outpatients department.
"It really gives a feeling of the Christmas spirit." Capturing all that Christmas spirit
Extract Ascot Bracknell & Wokingham Times 23/12/1993

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.