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Welcome to the second edition of our new-look newsletter - read on to find out more about the latest developments at MTW!
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Two new emergency facilities have been officially opened at our hospitals, as part of our ongoing commitment to ensure patients get the fastest access to treatment.
Our Surgical Assessment Unit is located in a new modular building next to the Emergency Department (ED) at Tunbridge Wells Hospital. The unit is open seven days a week and sees patients who have been referred by their GP or from ED because a surgeon needs to assess their condition and treatment.
The unit was opened by The Rt Hon Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells, alongside MP for Chatham and Aylesford, Tracey Crouch and MP for Tonbridge and Malling, Tom Tugendhat. As part of the visit, they were also shown around our new Children’s Emergency Department at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, which provides a child-friendly environment with facilities for parents, carers and children.
In what has been a busy time at the Trust for opening up new services, at Maidstone Hospital, our new Oncology Outpatients Suite has now opened at the Kent Oncology Centre.
The Suite has nine new clinic rooms and means patients can see consultants, registrars, cancer nurse specialists and radiographers in a ‘super clinic’ where multi-disciplinary teams work together to provide smooth and quick care.
Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald, opened the building, alongside Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, who has received care from staff within the Kent Oncology Centre, and also joined us for the opening of these new facilities for cancer patients.
Both MPs, alongside the Mayor of Maidstone, Derek Mortimer, received a tour of the new suite before the official unveiling of a commemorative plaque.
The new suite is the latest in a number of developments in cancer care at MTW, where we provide some of the fastest access to treatment in the country and continued delivering all cancer treatments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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From dress-up and play to chief nurse
An interview with MTW's Jo Haworth
When she was a little girl Jo Haworth used to dress up as a nurse and get her grandad to be her patient. Today she is our chief nurse, leading a 3,000 strong team of talented nursing and midwifery staff at one of the top-performing trusts in the country, providing care for around 760,000 people every year.
Jo said: “My memories of nursing training include the very high standards which were instilled in us from the start.”
Since joining MTW Jo has been overwhelmed by how welcoming, kind and friendly everyone has been: “There really is something special about the MTW family. A lot of people have worked here for a long time, moved away and then come back. That says something about this trust.
“Throughout my nursing career I was offered opportunities to grow and reach my potential. What I really love about my chief nurse role is that now I can support the education and development of a new generation of nurses."
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Nicki and Zena sing on Britain's Got Talent
Huge congratulations to MTW's Nicki Pointer, Clinical Site Manager and Zena Bailey, Emergency Medicine Doctor who, along with their singing peers representing frontline workers from health, social care, police, fire and education in the Frontline Singers, made it through to the live TV semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent!
At the semi-final the group sang a new song One step behind to rapturous applause but sadly they just missed out on a place in the final.
Nicki said: “Music taps into every emotion and especially those raw emotions of this pandemic which has been, and still is, the most challenging time that we have all been through.
Nicki continued: “In a nutshell performing with the Frontline Singers on BGT has been the most overwhelming, amazing and once in a lifetime experience!”
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Dad to run 60km in aid of Neonatal Unit |
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The father of a patient who received care at the Trust is to run 60km on 2 July to raise money for our Neonatal unit at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and for Great Ormond Street Hospital.
To thank the hospitals for the care they gave to his son Thomas who very sadly passed away in 2019, William O’Shea and friend Darren Reeves launched the running event ‘Hospital 2 Hospital, Home 2 Home’ and will run the 60k distance between the two hospitals.
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MTW staff party at the palace
Two lucky MTW staff joined other NHS colleagues and keyworkers outside Buckingham Palace at the weekend to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Party at the Palace.
Speaking afterwards, Richard Flood, Senior Radiographer at Maidstone Hospital and Debbie O’Reilly, Lead Orthoptist at Tunbridge Wells Hospital told us: “It was an unbelievable honour and privilege to represent MTW at this event. It was a day neither of us shall forget. The atmosphere was electric and the roar of the crowd echoing down The Mall was incredible.”
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Celebrating our volunteers
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK by freely giving their time, skills and expertise to help and support others.
Here at MTW our team of volunteers work across the Trust doing everything to help our patients and staff from taking patients to the correct places to assisting medical staff with taking samples to the labs. They bring a wealth of experience and smiles to our hospitals.
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