Friends of Fareham Community Hospital
Friends of Fareham Community Hospital

            News 2019

The Friends of Fareham Community Hospital were mentioned in a Health debate in the House of Commons on 14 May 2019. The full text of the debate is available at https://www.theyworkforyou.com/divisions/pw-2019-05-14-415-commons

 

Suella Braverman MP stated:

I want to speak about Fareham, where there are definite challenges when it comes to health services, such as with the mental health services provided by the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. I want to put on the record my gratitude to the Secretary of State for meeting me on behalf of some of the families who have been affected by Southern Health’s issues. When it comes to social care, I have met many relatives of elderly residents for whom the system has not worked well, a subject that I discussed in the Chamber some weeks ago.

 

Notwithstanding those challenges, I want to talk about a fantastic facility in my constituency called Fareham Community Hospital, and I am using my speech to launch a report that I have prepared about a future vision for how we can use the hospital better. When I was first elected in 2015, the No. 1 issue was how to make better use of Fareham Community Hospital. It is a relatively small, relatively new facility in the heart of the constituency, but it remains underutilised, according to several footfall surveys we have conducted. Rooms are frequently booked by various health trusts but still lie vacant, at considerable cost to the taxpayer. Complex lease arrangements render the release of space time-consuming and bureaucratic. There is no coherent public information system or public-facing management to signpost services for local people.

 

Random and sporadic services are offered. Most recently, phlebotomy and blood testing were removed, much to the disappointment of many residents and to Friends of Fareham Community Hospital, which plays a vital role in co-ordinating volunteers who want to support this asset. In short, the hospital is at risk of becoming a wasted opportunity and a wasted asset.

I set up a Fareham Community Hospital taskforce in 2015 to bring together many of the health providers: the local CCGs; Hampshire County Council; Solent NHS Trust; Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust; Friends of Fareham Community Hospital; Community Health Partnerships Ltd; Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust; and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. The sheer number of organisations reflects the complexity of how the hospital is run.

 

Last year, I ran a constituency-wide survey on how the community would like to see the hospital run better. I am grateful to the many hundreds of people and all the organisations that participated. I am pleased to launch the “Fareham Community Hospital Future Vision” report, which can be found on my website. The report compiles the survey, and it makes seven recommendations.

First, the report welcomes the new primary care same-day access scheme run by local GPs at the Jubilee, Whiteley and Highlands surgeries for the past 18 months, which is a reflection of the historic £4.5 billion commitment at national level for primary and community health. The scheme has been welcomed by the community, and it is working effectively. There is a call for it to be expanded to other GP surgeries. I put on record my thanks to Dr. Tom Bertram for leading the initiative.

 

Secondly, the report recommends that more consideration be given to other clinical priorities. Scanning facilities and using the hospital as a diagnostic centre could be viable options for the future. Thirdly, public health functions should be considered at FCH. A public health hub could support patients with clinical obesity, depression, anxiety and other conditions. Lastly, accessibility is a key theme running through the responses. We need a bus stop at the hospital and a method to enable elderly and ill patients to get to it more easily.

 

Fareham Community Hospital is a great example of how a local asset is available to a community and how local health providers can come together to make it more responsive to local needs. I am pleased to launch the “Fareham Community Hospital Future Vision” report today, and I hope it provides a starting point for future work.

 

Senior Citizens' Fair

A Senior Citizen's Fair was held at the Genesis Centre on Friday 17 May between 10.00 am and 1.00 pm. Hosted by Suella Braverman,  MP, the Fair provided advice and guidance on support services that are available in the Fareham area.

 

The Fair was well supported with numerous information stands and many visitors. Our FFCH stall was well attended and some pictures of the event are shown below.

 

It is obvious from walking around the Fair that there is a significant amount of information/support available to us senior citizens, FFCH does provide a detailed directory of support services which is available at the information desk at the hospital, just have to ask.

 

 

Discussion meetings at the Hospital.

Future dates, topics to be confirmed:

 

10 July              2019    Watch Your Step

11 September   2019    Strokes. Symptoms & Care

13 November    2019    Lumps and Bumps

  8 January        2020    Managing your medication

11 March          2020    Blood & Organ Donation

 

Wednesday 8 May 2019 at FCH

6pm.

 

Dr. Edd James PhD, Assistant Professor, Immunology Department, Southampton General gave an educational and entertaining presentation on The Awakening of the Immunology System to an appreciative audience of some 54 people.

Wednesday 13 March 2019 at FCH

6 pm.

 

Mental Health Triage Service

 

 

John Smith, Clinical Manager for Mental Health, described a new service being trialled to assist people of all ages.

 

The service is available in the South of England and can be accessed by dialling 111. The operator asks a series of questions after which you will be put in touch with a mental health specialist who will determine how best to help you.

 

If the trial is successful, it is intended that the service will gradually be provided to other areas of the country.

 

Wednesday 9 January 2019 at FCH

6 pm.

 

Paramedics advice on CPR and use of Defibrillators

 

After a lively presentation and discussion with our Paramedics in September, they return in January 2019. This time they will be providing instruction on the use of the new defibrillator units which are being installed at locations across Hampshire plus guidance on the application of CPR techniques.

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Charity Reg 1144072 . Site update 11 March 2024