by Kelly Newell | Aug 16, 2019 | Uncategorized
A couple have raised more than £1,600 for Love Your Hospital, the trust’s dedicated charity, to thank staff on the neonatal unit at St Richard’s Hospital for the care provided to their premature twins.
Initially planned to be born at St Richards, Poppy and Jessica Jennions arrived 10 weeks and 1 day early on 25th August 2018, prompting a change of venue to the Queen Alexander Hospital in Portsmouth.
At ten days old, the twins were strong enough to be transferred for specialist care at St Richard’s Hospital for a further 40 days, where they were treated for chronic lung disease and anaemia before finally going home. They then spent a further seven weeks on oxygen under the care of a St Richard’s outreach nurse.
Parents Lauren and Philip from Havant wanted to find a special way to support both neonatal units involved in the twins’ care and arranged an 18 mile charity walk on 20th April, starting at the Queen Alexander and ending at St Richard’s Hospital.
Philip said: “We decided to raise money for both neonatal units that cared for Poppy and Jessica helping them to come home. As the girls started at QA and then went on to St Richards, we thought we would follow in their journey on foot.”
The couple were joined by 18 friends and family on what was then the hottest day of the year. Lauren’s social media posts promoting the walk attracted members of the local community, who had also experienced care on both neonatal units, to join the walk too.
The Brookfield Hotel in Emsworth kindly provided complimentary refreshments and bacon sandwiches for the group part way through their walk.
Lauren said: “With the amazing help from all the NICU nurses, we learnt how to tube feed the girls, bathe them, and eventually move on to bottle feeds. All of the nurses were so friendly and not only cared for our babies, but for us too. It made our time on the unit at St Richard’s Hospital a bit less stressful.”
On Friday 26th July, Lauren, Phil, Poppy and Jessica came back to visit the neonatal team and present a cheque for £1650. A total of £1650 was also donated to the neonatal unit at the Queen Alexander.
Katherine De Guzman, a neonatal staff nurse who cared for the twins said: “We don’t often get to see how our babies are developing after they leave the unit, so it was overwhelming to see the girls again! They were really tiny when they arrived at St Richard’s and went through a lot so it was rewarding for the team to see them looking so healthy. Donations like this allow us to improve patient care so we’re really grateful to Lauren, Phil and everyone who took part in the walk to support us.”
by Kelly Newell | Mar 29, 2019 | news, Uncategorized
To celebrate the 10th Birthday of Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the following local businesses have gifted an exclusive discount for all Western Sussex staff and volunteers across St Richard’s, Worthing and Southlands Hospitals as a “thank you” for all their hard work and dedication over the last decade…
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10% Discount on Food and Drink |
15% off per month on the billing fee, T&C's apply, this cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Contact Love Your Hospital for code |
10% Discount on services and MOT's for all makes and models until April 2020 |
20% off food at Zizzi Chichester until April 2020
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10% Discount |
18% discount from £29 no contract membership & 22% discount from £44.99 membership no joining fee on presentation of email |
10% Discount |
10% Discount on Sunday night stays |
10% Discount off all purchases |
10% Discount |
10% Discount until April 2020 |
10% food discount from the á la carte, early evening Aqua set menu, with breakfasts for early birds |
10% Discount |
10% off valid until 30 April 2020 on tiles, adhesive, grout, trims and accessories. Excludes any product in the sale or clearance, natural stone. Discount not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Chichester Store only |
10% Discount during 2019 |
10% Discount on Full Price items, subject to availability, excluding Special Offers and Sale lines. Using Code AF-NHS-AF Only valid with NHS ID Card |
10% Discount on Full Price items, subject to availability, excluding Special Offers and Sale lines. Using Code AF-NHS-AF Only valid with NHS ID Card |
10% Discount on Full Price items, subject to availability, excluding Special Offers and Sale lines. Using Code AF-NHS-AF Only valid with NHS ID Card |
No joining fee and no contract, full gym access £10 per month paid by direct debit or cash and discounted classes, a full timetable is available at the gym. Only valid with NHS ID Card |
10% Discount on Full Price items, subject to availability, excluding Special Offers and Sale lines. Using Code AF-NHS-AF Only valid with NHS ID Card |
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*Please show your NHS badge to benefit from these discounts
**Please note that providers should be contacted for their individual terms and conditions relating to discounts offered.
by Kelly Newell | Mar 1, 2019 | Uncategorized
Pictured (l-r): Alan Simmonds, Ian Pettie (Club President), Norman Lee, Michael Martin, Gordon Catt and Ron Stevens.
Six members of Bognor Golf Club have raised more than £1900 for local hospital services… by growing moustaches.
The golfers ditched their razors to support an appeal launched by hospital staff to improve urology care in West Sussex.
Paul Carter, Consultant Urological Surgeon for Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Chichester Nuffield Hospital, was delighted to receive the unexpected cheque in the post.
He said: “We are absolutely thrilled with this donation from the Bognor Golf Club. We have already raised a significant amount of money for Love Your Hospital, the trust’s dedicated charity, and are keen to use these funds raised by the members specifically to improve equipment used in our multi-disciplinary team meetings where we discuss our local cancer patients.”
The club members were inspired to grow their facial hair after learning that urology consultants were due to take part in the 100-mile Vélo South bike ride before it was cancelled due to severe weather conditions. The cyclists went on to arrange their own 100-mile cycle challenge and to date have raised over £30,000 of their £80,000 fundraising target.
For more information on how you can donate, please contact Janet Francis [email protected]
by Kelly Newell | Feb 28, 2019 | news, Uncategorized
A hospital suite designed to give parents a safe haven to stay in after the loss of a baby has been officially opened on the maternity unit at Worthing Hospital on Wednesday 27th February 2019.
The Maple Suite offers a home-from-home environment with a private entrance away from the delivery suite, with its own delivery bed, bathroom, sofa bed, television and kitchenette.
Joined by maternity staff, Love Your Hospital, the Trust’s dedicated charity and local families who had fundraised to support the suite’s development, the Mayor of Worthing cut the ribbon and expressed his heartfelt thanks to all involved.
He said: “We are delighted to be able to open a space within our hospital’s maternity department and it is certainly lovely to see our local families assist with the funding of such a personal space and to see them here with us today.
“On behalf of myself and the Mayoress, we hope that the families that use the space, albeit under emotional and upsetting circumstances, can find the suite homely and as comfortable as possible.”In 2017, one in every 225 births in the UK ended in a stillbirth. On average, nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK, making it 15 times more common than cot death.
For parents, parting with a stillborn baby is the first step in a long and difficult grieving process. A device called a Cold Cot, also available in the suite, provides a temperature-controlled mat placed at the base to keep babies cool and allow parents to spend more time with them.
Juliette Phelan, Maternity Matron for Worthing Hospital said: “Experiencing a stillbirth is so distressing for families and the staff involved. Our vision as a maternity team was to create a quiet, homely and dignified space to enable couples to spend quality time with their baby without being disturbed by the hustle and bustle of our busy labour ward.
“Sadly, the room is in regular use, but we’ve already had some incredible feedback from families who have said it has made such a difference.
“We now have a beautiful space in which we can provide support and care to parents going through a difficult time. I’d like to say a special thank you to everyone who has made the Maple Suite a reality.”
Shelley Kyte, a Clinical Systems Trainer at Worthing Hospital, raised more than £3,500 with her partner Mark towards the suite in memory of their baby girl, Rosie, who was born sleeping on 11 June 2015.
On what would have been Rosie’s first birthday, the couple completed a 100-mile run to provide funds for a new cold cot.
Shelley said: “The day Rosie arrived was also the day our world came tumbling down. After her birth, we stayed with her for a while, but unfortunately could not stay the night which broke our heart.
“We were surrounded by the sound of babies crying in the delivery suite and the happiness of other families as we left hospital without our angel.
“A few months later, we reflected on the care and space available to us and decided to take on a fundraising challenge so other families didn’t to have the same heart-breaking experience we did.”
Brighton-based company, Paxton Access, where Shelley’s partner Mark is an employee, raised more than £4,700 towards the refurbishment.
Paxton CEO, Adam Stroud, said: “A big thanks to Love Your Hospital and to the maternity department for all their support during this period.
“It is fantastic to see the suite opened and we hope that future families that will use it can hold memories of their child that can last forever.”
by Kelly Newell | Jan 24, 2019 | news, Uncategorized
Pat Davies was admitted to Worthing Hospital A&E after falling seriously ill with sepsis, a serious and life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. “I was moments from death when I arrived at A&E,” said Pat. “The diagnosis came after I was transferred to Castle ward and it was there that I received the most amazing care.”
After receiving intravenous antibiotics to stabilise her condition, Pat gradually regained her full strength, and although she’s made an amazing recovering, it’s taken a while to get back to normal. To show her heartfelt
appreciation to the Castle ward team, Pat arranged a singathon event in January in the Penguin Foyer at Worthing Hospital. With the help of friends, family, local choirs and children from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Chesswood Junior School, Pat raised the roof for patients, staff and visitors – and raised more than £1,165. “It was a celebration of song, but of life too,” said Pat. “My life was saved and I wanted to show my heartfelt appreciation to the nurses and doctors who gave me a second chance.”
by Kelly Newell | Jan 20, 2019 | news, Uncategorized
When Chris Sloggett’s son Jasper was born on 13 April 2017 at Worthing Hospital, both he and his wife Gayle were looking forward to going home and starting life as a family. However, after a relatively straight forward birth, Jasper became very unwell before they were discharged and stopped breathing while still on the ward.
After being rushed to the special care baby unit next door, nurses carried out emergency tests and discovered he had a serious infection. Jasper spent two and a half weeks on the unit and further investigations found he also had an abnormal lump on one of his heart valves.
Chris, 37, a teacher at Felpham Community College, said, “He was monitored 24 hours a day and underwent an exhaustive array of treatments and tests, but he received outstanding care and treatment from all the fantastic staff. The support given to my wife at a difficult time was second to none.”
It was this life-saving care that inspired Chris to raise money for the unit. No stranger to running, he had already taken part in no fewer than nine marathons already, however, this time round, he decided to take on the big one and embarked on a rigorous training regime to get ready for the 2018 London Marathon.
Setting a target of £300, Chris was amazed to see the pounds roll in and within just 48 hours of launching his JustGiving fundraising page, he’d raised more than £600. With support from him running club, the Henfield Joggers, Chris ramped up his training getting up a 4.30am in the morning and clocking in five runs a week.
On the day of the run, all Chris’s hard work came into its own when he crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 41 minutes and 42 seconds and a fantastic fundraising total of more than £1,560.
“Jasper is now a happy and healthy boy, something at the time we never thought would happen,” said Chris. “This has been a wonderful opportunity for me to say a big thank you to all the staff on the special care baby unit who helped to save his life.”
(Chris, Gayle and Jasper Sloggett)
