The year in brief

Achieving excellence for our patients

April 2008

• The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) announces that a four-year grant worth £10 million has been awarded to the partnership of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust and Imperial College London to fund respiratory and cardiac Biomedical Research Units (BRUs) at the Trust. The Units will lead innovative research in respiratory and cardiovascular
  medicine.

• An hour-long documentary about Royal Brompton cystic fibrosis patient Alex Stobbs is broadcast as part of Channel 4’s Cutting Edge series. The documentary, which features several members of staff and follows Alex as he copes with the challenges of teenage life with the chronic disease, is met with critical acclaim and shortlisted for a BAFTA television award.

May 2008

• Harefield Hospital tests its readiness for dealing with a major emergency in a large scale simulation. Staff are joined by colleagues from the London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, Hillingdon Hospital, Primary Care Trust and Borough Council, the Health Protection Agency, London SHA and other agencies to test readiness for a fire in the hospital. A total of 60 firefighters attend the scene and the exercise is structured to simulate the effects of unexpected developments in a real emergency. A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade comments, “The exercise was an enormous success from the London Fire Brigade’s perspective”.

June 2008

• Prime Minister Gordon Brown officially opens Royal Brompton’s new £2.2 million magnetic navigation catheter laboratory – the most advanced of its kind in Europe. He offers his congratulations to all at the Trust. The Prime Minister also hosts a specially convened health research summit at the Trust to commemorate 60 years of health research in the NHS. At the summit, the Prime Minister confirms that health research is a core function of the NHS.

July 2008

• Official statistics show that residents of north west London, Hillingdon, Harrow and Hertfordshire who are taken to Harefield hospital after suffering a heart attack, get the fastest treatment in the country.

August 2008

• The finishing touches are made to a groundbreaking arts project which documents the experiences of transplant patients at Harefield Hospital. Transplant is made up of a large-scale photographic sound installation, together with an accompanying DVD and book of critical essays.

September 2008

• Patients and staff at Royal Brompton Hospital are the first in the UK to benefit from a new paperless and wireless electronic patient test requesting system. ‘E-requesting’ helps clinicians, phlebotomists and laboratory medicine staff work together more effectively so that patients receive their test results quicker.

• A crew from the BBC 1 documentary series Children’s Rescue begins filming in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The programme highlights the cutting-edge work of the Trust’s paediatric teams and focuses on the close relationship that exists with CATS – the NHS Children’s Acute Transport Services team.

October 2008

• The Healthcare Commission announces that Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust has achieved the highest possible rating of ‘excellent’ for the quality of its services in this year’s annual health check. In recognition of this success, the Secretary of State for Health and the Chair of the Healthcare Commission publicly thank the Trust in writing, stating that: ‘Your organisation has achieved a level of performance that all trusts should aspire to.’

• More than 100 leading heart surgeons from around the world gather at Harefield Hospital for a three-day advanced “Master of valve repair programme” which, over the years, has provided training in mitral valve repair for more than 1,000 surgeons.

November 2008

• Harefield Hospital plays host to Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health, Ann Keen MP. The former nurse takes the opportunity to praise services at the hospital, saying: “It is a privilege and an absolute pleasure to be here. Thank you for everything you’re doing
  – it’s fantastic.”

December 2008

• Staff at Harefield Hospital’s heart attack centre are commended in a London-wide award which recognises innovation and excellent team work. The awards, organized by NHS London in association with the King’s Fund and the Evening Standard, are announced at the inaugural London Health 08 conference.

January 2009

• Sir Robert Finch becomes chairman of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust, bringing significant board experience from both the business and not-for-profit sectors. Sir Robert has a legal background and spent much of his career at the City law firm Linklaters. He is a former Lord Mayor of London and has also been a Church Commissioner.

Sir Robert replaces The Rt. Hon Lord Newton of Braintree, who retires from the post after eight years.

February 2009

• A groundbreaking project which uses singing as a therapy for respiratory patients is launched. “Singing for Breathing” workshops offer patients a fun and informal way to learn more about breathing control and technique. The project is made possible by a special fundraising concert held last year in memory of renowned singing teacher – and Royal Brompton patient – Ian Adam.

March 2009

• Royal Brompton patient and best-selling children’s author Dame Jacqueline Wilson publicly thanks staff at the hospital in her latest book. The book – Tracey Beaker’s Thumping Heart – was written for Red Nose Day and features both the hospital and consultant Dr John Foran in the acknowledgments.