The League of Friends
 of Fairford Hospital

First Responders

The team of volunteer first-aiders set up three years ago to attend accidents and serious health incidents before paramedics can get to the scene has had a busy winter. With 18 call-outs in December and 13 by the middle of January, the extreme weather has proved challenging for the Fairford and Lechlade First Responders.

Sponsored by the League of Friends of Fairford Hospital and the Ambulance Service, the team quickly proved its crucial role and has to date saved four lives as well as helping in the recovery of dozens more patients.

The number of call-outs has grown substantially in recent months from around six a month to 18 in December, when volunteers logged over 1300 hours.

Now it is hoped the team can be expanded. It has 24 volunteers at present, and it needs more. Said co-ordinator David Chapman: “We have the equipment and provide training free to all our volunteers.”

New Patron: Sharron Davies MBE

The League of Friends of Fairford Hospital is pleased to announce that Sharron Davies MBE has agreed to become its Patron. David Phillips, the League's Chairman, said he is delighted that such a well known sporting and television personality, tireless charity worker and prominent Fairford resident has wished to become associated with the important work that the League does in the local community.

Top Health Service Rating

A top health service rating has been achieved for the League of Friends of Fairford Hospital by its home nursing service. The Commission for Social Care inspection report on the Friends in the Community Home Nursing Service has rated the service as 3 Star Excellent for both domiciliary care and nursing services.

The inspector noted that:
"Evidence was seen of the agency receiving complimentary letters, cards and donations stating that the care provided was carried out by professional, caring and skilled staff members."

Dr Roger Johnson, Vice Chairman of the League, said: "I wish to congratulate our coordinators and nursing staff for the excellent and committed work they do, and they should be justly proud of this high achievement.

"Nearly 50 people from Lechlade, Fairford and the surrounding villages have been helped so far by our teams in 2009, and this is all made available by the financial support given to the League by our communities, whom we wish to thank too."

December 2009

Chairman’s report to the 2009 AGM

The League of Friends AGM was held at Fairford Hospital on 21st May. Last year was very busy for the League and the key points from the Chairman’s report are detailed below:

House to House Collection

The response to our House to House appeal can only be described as magnificent. We raised £24,000 plus new standing orders of £4,640 making a grand total in excess of £28,500. Excluding standing orders this is an increase of more than £8,000 over the 2008 outturn and I pay tribute to the generosity of all those who contributed. Press coverage has suggested that more than £30,000 has been raised. However, that figure includes possible Gift Aided tax refunds which have not been included publicly in the past.

Clearly the House to House collection would not have been so successful without the help of our co-ordinators and collectors. We are really grateful for all their hard work and will be holding a social gathering shortly which will give the Management Committee an opportunity of thanking them all in person. I would also like to acknowledge the work of our Administrator, Julie Zarczynski, in helping to bring about this excellent result.

Prospect Hospice

In April we signed an agreement with the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton near Swindon for terminal care support for patients of our 2 practices. This provides home assessment, home support, training for clinical teams and admission if needed. This was a 12 month pilot scheme at a cost of £30,000. The Fairford and Lechlade practices both felt that with the closure of Fairford Hospital beds access to sensitive and appropriate terminal care is one of the biggest shortfalls of health care provision locally. The service has complemented the excellent work already being done by the District Nurses and our own Home Nursing Service entirely focussed on the overall benefit to patients.

The results of the agreement have been very encouraging with 35 patients from Lechlade and Fairford practices being helped during the year to 31st March 2009. Of these 17 were from Lechlade and 18 from Fairford. The number of inpatient days has totalled 24 from Lechlade and 21 from Fairford and there were 140 community nursing visits The League has renewed its contract with Prospect Hospice for a further year to 31st March 2010 at a total cost of £50,000. The Management Committee has come to the view, however, that it cannot continue its support indefinitely partly on cost grounds and partly having identified a need we would wish to involve the PCT in this provision of care. We are, therefore, proposing to initiate a dialogue between Prospect Hospice, Gloucestershire PCT and ourselves about how this service can best be continued from next spring.

Home Nursing Service

Friends in the Community Home Nursing Scheme supports those who are very ill or prefer to stay in their own homes with family or friends and supplements the work of the Doctors and District Nurses.

The Home Nursing Service has had a very busy year with 56 new referrals in the past year - nearly 100% more than in recent years. Our team employs 6 nurses regularly and another 2 or 3 on occasions. Since the beds in Fairford Hospital closed we have made huge efforts to work more closely with the District Nurses from whom we get all our referrals. Since the League contracted with Prospect Hospice we have developed strong links with the Prospect team. The team have met all our nurses both in the hospice and here at one of our training meetings. We are now very much linked and are taking part in their training sessions giving confidence to our team and strength to the hospice. We are now in a position to nurse Prospect patients when they are back home with the referrals coming direct from the Prospect at Home team.

We are very grateful to our terrific team of nurses and carers and to Celia Kennedy and her deputy Sally Salter who oversee the day to day arrangements, training and administration.

Thanks to our Volunteers

The League could not operate without its strong band of volunteers. Particular thanks must go to Dr Roger Johnson Deputy Chairman, Jim Barge the Treasurer, our Administrator, Julie Zarczynski and also to Jo Williams who has retired after 10 years on the Management Committee.

League of Friends Update March 2009

The League has started a Foot Care Programme at Fairford Hospital. The service, funded entirely by the League of Friends, offers basic toe nail cutting and care to patients that do not qualify under current NHS rules. Patients can access this service via their General Practitioner. This service operates weekly at Fairford Hospital.

Community First Responders achieve 200 plus callouts. First Responders are group of volunteers that provide emergency support, where appropriate, to anyone calling the 999 service with a medical emergency. The support is designed to help until the ambulance arrives and First Responders are trained to provide oxygen, and where required, cardiac defibrillation. The service started in December 2006 and has now responded to more than 200 emergencies. The local group was entirely sponsored by the League of Friends which provided 12 sets of equipment and all the required training.