91Ó°ÊÓ

91Ó°ÊÓ NHS Foundation Trust has been granted permission to name the building that will be housing its new Imber Ward, the Elizabeth Building, in honour of the late Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II. In a poll of staff the names Eilzabeth and Imber came out on top.

Long-time Stars Appeal benefactor Sir Christopher Benson has passed away. Sir Christopher and his late wife Lady Benson (pictured above) were very generous and highly-committed supporters of the charity. In 2013, their donation enabled the creation of the Benson Suite at our hospital, which provides a 'place of peace' for local families who tragically lose a baby at birth.

91Ó°ÊÓ NHS Foundation Trust and Coventry University Group are supporting the expansion of health education in Wiltshire thanks to a new collaboration.

The staff at 91Ó°ÊÓ NHS Foundation Trust have chosen a name for the new ward under construction. By popular vote, they have opted for Imber, chosen as a tribute to the village taken over by the miliary to train American troops ahead of the Liberation of Europe in 1943, the same year as the US Army Field Hospital opened on Odstock Road. This new £14m building will provide 24 additional beds in a state-of-the-art ward, incorporating a mixture of four-bed bays and side rooms, in which clinical teams have been heavily involved in designing. It will be an environmentally sustainable building. Imber Ward is scheduled led to open in Spring 2024.

Paediatric Consultant Dr Chris Anderson won this year’s Patient Experience Award. This award is chosen by members of the community and was presented at 91Ó°ÊÓ NHS Foundation Trust’s Staff Awards ceremony, held last week. He won the award for often going above and beyond, and his ability to effortlessly coordinate with his team whilst maintaining the dignity of and respect for his patients. This is a special award with nominations from patients and other members of the public for hospital staff who have made a significant impact upon improving the patient experience, either for an individual patient in their work department or for the wider Trust.