Heatherwood Hospital 1986

Road Closed

Police have warned motorists using the A332 Kings Road Ascot that a section of the road will be closed between 7am and 7pm on February 23
The closure will be caused by work to demolish a chimney at Heatherwood Hospital
Access will be restricted to residents and emergency vehicles only.
Extract Crowthorne & Wokingham Times 20/02/1986

 

Laser Boost For Hospital

A Berkshire hospital is to get the latest laser thanks to the efforts of hard-working volunteers.
The Charitable Association Supplying Hospitals has raised £11,500 for a laser and has promised other donations towards the laser and convinced health chiefs to put up the rest of the money.
The £40,000 laser will be installed at the gynaecological unit at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, in March.
Women from all over East Berkshire will now be able to benefit from the laser which means that certain conditions can be treated without surgery, leading to a much shorter stay in hospital.
CASH says the laser treatment was available in other parts of the country and a laser was needed desperately in East Berkshire.
The fund was started last Easter.
The CASH trustee, Christine Callund, said: "We are relieved and delighted to know the laser will be here, ready for use, within 12 months of our starting on the drive to get it.
"Women in other parts of the country have had access to this form of treatment for some time.
Women here have a right to this treatment too."
Extract Evening Post 21/02/1986

 

Expert Advice

Experts from Sotheby's will be holding an antiques advisory day in the Luncheon Room at Ascot Racecourse's Royal Enclosure on March 10, in aid of the Heatherwood Hospital Laser Appeal.
Extract Staines & Egham News 27/02/1986

 

Big Freeze Leaves Hospitals in Crisis

Hospitals in Berkshire are in a state of crisis as the cold weather pushes resources to breaking point.
The number of people needing treatment has increased dramatically. and combined with sickness among staff, hospitals have been forced to turn away patients.
Only last week Reading's Battle Hospital was put on red alert and accepted emergency cases only for three days.
The hospital has now cancelled 20 operations since last Thursday because there are not enough beds.
Emergency cases need priority and beds have to be kept free to deal with them. Non-urgent cases have been postponed and all the patients have had to be Informed.
Treat
Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, the major accident and emergency hospital for East Berkshire is facing similar problems.
Despite cancelling non-urgent operations by Wednesday afternoon there were no beds free in the hospital. This meant the hospital had to shut its doors to emergency cases because there was nowhere to treat them. Emergency cases now face being taken from East Berkshire to hospitals in West London, Ascot or Reading
Deputy administrator of Wexham Park Hospital Charles Burke said: "We do not have any beds free and so we have had to stop accepting emergency ambulance cases.
"The shortage of beds has been made worse by sickness among the medical staff.
"This has been brewing over the last 10 to 12 days and we have already cancelled operations but we still do not have any beds free. "The severity of the cold weather could be adding to the problem by giving us more patients."
Pressure
The situation will be reviewed next week and East Berkshire could be left without any emergency care.
The remaining accident and emergency unit at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital is due to be shut down for six weeks while a new air conditioning system is installed in the general operating theatres.
Any extra pressure put on the emergency units in West Berkshire will certainly not be welcomed. Battle Hospital is already cancelling operations to keep beds free for emergency cases. And the accident and emergency unit at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has had many problems in the past with long waiting times for treatment.
Extract Evening Post 28/02/1986

 

Site Theft

Copper and brass fittings worth £8,000 were taken from the Tilbury building site at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital.
Extract Evening Post 05/03/1986

 

Management Shakeup to Help Patients

by Tim Allan Health Reporter
A major shake-up of Berkshire health service managers was launched yesterday. Hospitals and clinics across East Berkshire will soon have completely new management structures, designed to improve the care of patients.
The detailed plans were approved by East Berkshire Health Authority yesterday and will come in over the next two or three months.
Brian Mackness, the authority's director of support services, said: "The objective is to introduce general management rather than management by profession and make the system more responsive to patients' needs."
The plans were drawn up by the four unit managers appointed last year.
The four units which make up the authority are Heatherwood Hospital/King Edward VII Hospital; Wexham Park Hospital, Slough; community health; and mental handicap services.
Mr Mackness could not say what impact the changes would have on jobs, but thought more managers might be appointed in some areas, and fewer in others.
Nurses
One immediate impact on the mental handicap unit will be changes in the number of sisters and charge nurses working at Church Hill House Hospital, Bracknell. The aim is to have one senior nurse for each ward during the day, instead of two now.
The move has already been condemned by the health service unions, because the number of senior posts will be cut and existing charge nurses and sisters will have to compete for the new posts.
In the detailed plans the unit manager, Nigel Crisp. said the changes would be achieved by redeployment and natural wastage. The full management structures will be working as soon as new staff are recruited, but Mr Mackness stressed that the structure was not cast in stone.
He said: "We will be looking at the way the system works regularly and if changes are needed they will be made."
Extract Evening Post 03/04/1986

 

Health Authority's £37 Million Plan

Health chiefs are being asked to approve a £37 million spending Regional plan.
Oxford Health Authority plans to spend £13.7 million on major new capital projects this year - and some of the money will come to East Berkshire. The regional health authority is due to approve the plans at its meeting tomorrow.
Part of the multi-million pound project work includes a £2 million extension to the rehabilitation department at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough.
A new hydrotherapy pool and facilities will be provided for patients from Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Ascot and Bracknell. Work is due to start in November and should be completed by August 1988.
Community
Smaller schemes in the area include a £346,000 update to the telephone exchange at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot. Engineers will move on site in June and finish by next March.
Already under way are projects at Heatherwood, Wexham and Earley. They include work on the 75-bed provision at Heatherwood Hospital for mental illness and elderly mentally ill patients, due to be open in a year's time at a cost of more than £4 million.
There are also plans for modifications to the new x-ray, pharmacy and pathology laboratory facilities at Wexham Park (£3,290,000); boiler house and residence improvements at Heatherwood and Wexham. respectively costing £770,000 and £1,685,000 and £352,000 scheme in Earley, Reading, to integrate hospitalised patients back into the community.
Future schemes include the health centre in Lower Earley, due to start in December, 1987, at a cost of £231,000.
The authority says regular reviews will be needed on its capital programme to take into account increases in costs as schemes are changed in design and contents and as available money changes.
A health authority report notes that the region is to receive less Government money than originally anticipated but schemes are costing more.
Extract Evening Post 03/04/1986

 

Money Shortage May Hit Plans

By Tim Allan Health reporter
Major building plans could be threatened by cash shortages, health chiefs were warned. Members of the authority approved plans to spend more than £160m on hospitals, clinics and equipment over the next four years.
Over £37m will be spent this year alone. on projects like the Wexham Park Hospital extension at Slough,
Heatherwood Hospital's telephone exchange, and improvements in the service for the mentally ill in East Berkshire.
But vice-chairman Janet Thomas said she had already been told of one clinic which cannot be built in Northamptonshire because the local health authority does not have the money to run it.
Treasurer David Edmundson said no project would be built if it could not be opened, but it was vital to keep planning.
If one project was delayed, another had to be added to the list to make the authority spent all the money it had available.
Even now the officers do not expect to get all the money they need for the next four years' building. Their spending plans already stand at £163m between now and 1990, but they only expect to get £141m for capital expenditure.
Extract Evening Post 07/04/1986

 

Fun-Packed Fair

Barkham Village Hall will take on the look of spring next Saturday when the Barkham Wives hold their annual May Fair.
A fun-packed day will begin at 2.00pm with a procession for the traditional May Queen.
The lucky lady will then be crowned by Mr Mike Warren, deputy administrator of Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot before a display of country dancing
All proceeds of the day will go to Heatherwood Hospital and the Samaritans
Extract Crowthorne Times 08/05/1986

 

Village Crowns its May Queen

Barkham'S new May Queen did not have quite such a long drive to claim her crown for this year's May Fair.
For instead of a regal procession, along Barkham Street from the site of the old Barkham village hall to Church Lane, 10-year-old Lucy Ann Heath found herself whisked just a hundred yards of so from nearby St James' church to the new village hall nearby.
But the shortened procession to the crowning ceremony, made necessary by the closure of Barkham Street for roadworks, did not dampen the spirits of hundreds of visitors to the Barkham Wives' annual May fair who flocked to enjoy bagpipe playing, country dancing, stalls, sideshows, raffles, a tombola and of course the May Queen crowning.
Money from the successful annual event is to split between the Bracknell and District Samaritans and the special baby care unit at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital.
The introductory bagpipe salute came from Mr Don Maclean and his 10-year-old son Mark who has just come first in the south east region competition of the Scottish Pipe Band Association, held at Stoke Manderville hospital last month.
The 1st Barkham guides performed country dancing displays and the 1st Barkham Scouts transformed dozens of grimy cars in the car park into gleaming transports of delight for just 50p a wash.
Around the edges of the field were games including a Bowl for the Pig and a putting challenge. The May Fair was revived by the Barkham Wives about 23 years ago and always attracts a good turnout. Mr Michael Warren, deputy administrator at Heatherwood, thanked the organisers of the fair for pledging money to improving facilities for weak, anaemic or premature babies at the hospital, He said: "The machines we have now were probably put in when the unit was built and they now cost about £6,500 each, but our target is half a dozen for the unit."
Extract Crowthorne & Wokingham Times 15/05/1986

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by two photos.
The first showed A Walter Gabriel in the making? Leyton Dawkes, aged three, joins the fun.
The second showed a happy May smile.(Young Child Smiling) Pictures: Adam Pensotti
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photos here.

 

Blast Probe Goes On

An Electricity Board inquiry into the freak Bracknell explosion that left an engineer badly burned is continuing.
Mr Mike Lennard was taken to Heatherwood Hospital and later transferred to the burns unit of Slough's Wexham Park after the accident at a sub-station at Ranelagh School.
Discharged four days later he may still need skin grafts to his head and face.
Immediately after the incident, Southern Electricity launched an inquiry to determine the cause of the explosion that showered the engineer and two colleagues with burning oil. Mr Laurence Cooper, a district engineer, said: "We are going through what happened with the individuals who were on site, but it is not easy.
A lot of the evidence could well have been destroyed."
Extract Evening Post 15/05/1986

 

Players' Tribute to Jean

ST Jude's Players are to hold an evening of poetry, prose and music on Friday, May 30, at 6.30pm in the Church of the Assumption, Harvest Road, Englefield Green, in memory of their late colleague, Jean Gordon, who died in February.
Jean was a talented actress in all aspects of drama, from serious roles to high comedy. Well known to the congregation at the Catholic church, Jean also took a keen interest in their "Care" organisation.
There will be a collection at the end of the evening, and proceeds will donated to the Radiography Unit at Heatherwood Hospital,Ascot, where Jean had worked as a radiographer.
Extract Staines Informer 22/05/1986

 

Player's Tribute to Jean

Evening of Poetry, St Jude's Players. Prose and Music, in memory of Jean Gordon. Will be held in the Church of the Assumption, Harvest Rd.,Englefield Green, at 8.30pm.
There will be a collection plate and all contributions donated to the Radiography Unit of Heatherwood Hospital.
Extract Staines Informer 29/05/1986

 

Tribute To A Fine Actress

An Egham drama group will pay tribute to a former member tomorrow night (Friday), with an evening of poetry, prose and music.
Jean Gordon, of St. Jude's Players, died in February. She was a member of the Church Of The Assumption, Englefield Green, and the Care organisation.
"Jean was a talented actress," said Jo Curran, of the players. "It's not going to be a miserable evening - she was a tremendous laugh.'
The entertainment starts at 8.30 p.m. in the Church Of The Assumption, Harvest Road, Englefield Green. A collection will be taken for the radiography unit at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, where Miss Gordon worked.
Extract Berks & Oxon Advertiser,
Staines & Egham News,
Surrey Herald 29/05/1986

 

It's Chips For The Sick

A children's ward has been given a TV and video games by a Bracknell firm.
Members of British Aerospace Sports and Social Club Atari Section presented the colour television and Atari video game equipment with 65 programs to Heatherwood Hospital.
The Atari Section disbanded recently and thought children in the local hospital could make good use of the equipment which is valued at £1,200.
Extract Evening Post 30/05/1986

 

Watchdogs Serve Hospital Ward

A Berkshire hospital ward has been saved from closure after pressure from from health watchdogs.
Helena ward at Windsor's King Edward VII Hospital will now take day surgery patients.
The decision comes after months of discussion between the authority and East Berkshire's community health council, which represents the public.
The authority had wanted to shut the former gynaecological ward completely, transferring all its services and patients to either Heatherwood at Ascot or Wexham Park at Slough.
The aim was to save £120,000 a year, and eventually re-open Helena as a geriatric ward.
But the CHC was so angry at the decision to close, it urged the authority to think again, even if it meant saving less money.
To help pay for keeping Helena open another ward at King Edward VII will have to close at weekends - the urological Stern ward.
Extract Evening Post 19/06/1986

 

Rag Week Riches Grow to £4,000

Bracknell students have presented more than £4,000 to charity-the proceeds of this year's rag week appeal.
The students gave £1,200 to the Thames Valley Hospice, the National Kidney Research Fund and the special care baby unit of Heatherwood Hospital. Ascot, with £401-90 to Action Research for the Crippled Child.
Extract Evening Post 21/07/1986

Comment:- The above article was accompanied by a photo.
The picture showed Seen here collecting the donations at the college are (left to right): Anne Munn (Action Research), Barry Southon (rag secretary), Janet Jobling (kidney), Jo East (kidney), Lindsay Jobling (kidney), Major Dickerson (hospice), Lee Rimmer (student president) and Michael Warren (Heatherwood).
Copyright prevents us from displaying the photo here.

 

Plan to Close Hospital and Slash Beds

By Tim Allan
Radical plans for health services across East Berkshire could close one hospital and cut the number of beds at another.
If the scheme goes ahead Old Windsor Hospital will close, and Heatherwood Hospital at Ascot will lose more than 30 beds.
The aim is to save East Berkshire Health Authority up to £1 million in 1987-88. Brian Mackness, the authority's director of support services, explained: We have a programme of projects we want to see carried out next year, and have worked out how much these will cost.
"Working out realistically how much we are likely to get from the Government shows that we will be about £1 million short of what we would like to have.
"We have a range of choices, which run from leaving things much as they are and hardly doing anything from our programme to something more radical."
The radical plan suggested by John Neate, the Heatherwood King Edward VII unit manager, is now being discussed by his staff.
Proposals
He is due to meet the consultants today and has already had meetings with the nursing and financial staff.
Mr Mackness said: "The plans are still at a very early stage, and if the proposals are supported they will go before the authority in 1 September.
There will then be a period of public consultation before they go ahead it would not make sense to have the public consultation before we had fully examined the proposals ourselves."
Geriatric
The full plans would shut the 90-bed Old Windsor geriatric hospital; redesignate 54 medical beds in the Heatherwood King Edward VII unit as beds for the elderly; and transfer 32 medical beds from Heatherwood King Edward VII to Wexham Park Hospital, Slough.
Mr Mackness said the aim was to put the beds for the elderly where they were needed, instead of at Old Windsor which was very difficult for relatives to get to.
If the savings were made the authority could press ahead with plans for the mentally handicapped, the mentally ill, the elderly and keep up with developments in the acute services.
Extract Evening Post 05/08/1986

 

Double Celebration as Hospital is Reprieved

Iver Cottage Hospital has been granted a stay of execution to the delight of victorious supporters.
The news that East Berkshire Health Authority now has no immediate plans to close Iver gives staff a chance for a double celebration, as the hospital is now in its 50th year.
An authority spokesman said last week that plans to axe the hospital had been postponed. Instead Old Windsor Hospital could face the chop, with nearby King Edward and Heatherwood Hospitals possibly losing more than 80 beds.
He said: "Currently the position is that we have no immediate plans to resurrect the proposal to close Iver. But I would not want that to be construed that we would not consider closing it in the future." The authority faced a cash shortage of nearly £1m, and if other cuts did not prove feasible, then the future of the Iver hospital could be reconsidered.
The changes could mean a gain for Wexham Park Hospital, which is expected to get 32 extra beds in the shuffle. A delighted Stella Hastings, chairman of the Friends of Iver Cottage Hospital, said she felt closure plans had been pushed aside.
She said: "I am particularly happy, considering the authority was really going to close it down. We have proved to them that it was cheaper to keep patients in Iver than in any other hospital."
Mrs Hastings said Iver Horse Show, in aid of the hospital, had raised more than £1,000. She hoped such events would continue and help to prevent any closure.
Extract Buckinghamshire Advertiser 06/08/1986

 

Beds May Go In Hospital Option

By Luke Bosdet
East Berkshire Health Authority may have to axe 86 beds general medical beds at Heatherwood and King Edward, VII hospitals in an effort to avoid a £1million debt from new medical programmes.
The list of options drawn up by the authority's general management group also includes the possible closure of the Old Windsor Hospital.
Officers in the group say reorganisation along these lines would provide a more realistic service tailored to the medical requirements of the area.
The options being considered are re-designating 54 general medical beds in Ascot's Heatherwood and Windsor's King Edward VII Hospitals as beds for the elderly and transferring another 32 general medical beds from those hospitals to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough These changes are designed to make substantial savings without drastically affecting acute services
Health authority spokesman Brian Mackness said there would still be acute service beds in Heatherwood and the reshuffle would restore the balance of general medical beds throughout the area in line with levels of population. "Generally we have too many beds in the south and too few in the north. There would not be an overall reduction in the number of beds in the district," he said. "There will still be general medical beds at Heatherwood.
The majority of general medical beds there are occupied by older people anyway." Mr Mackness said the redesignation of beds for the elderly at Heatherwood would be beneficial to Bracknell people as original geriatric services were a long way from the town.
"The effect of the options would be to close Old Windsor Hospital to redesignate them," he said. "The elderly at Heatherwood will really want to be receiving the care of a geriatrician."
Mr Mackness anticipated some changes in staff, but not a reduction in ancillary levels. He suggested more beds might be added at Heatherwood. "We are looking to squeeze a few more beds into the site," he said.
The need to find £1million arose with the health authority's decision to implement new developments in the East Berkshire health service.
Mr Mackness said the large number of planned developments presented possible financial problems for next year and money had to be found.
He said the authority could make do with the small amount of money from the government each year. "But we took the view that we cannot take that approach. We need to try to create annual funds," he said. "To do that we need to review services for the most efficient and economical manner."
Amazed
At the moment the general management group is discussing the options, before putting them before the medical consultants in the hospitals this week
In September the results of the investigation into the money-saving options will be brought before the public at a health authority meeting
Mr Alex Rennie, area officer for the National Union of Public Employees, said he was amazed at the options, but said it was very difficult to say what decisions might be made.
He was concerned that these decisions might be made by the officers without proper consultation.
Mr Rennie was wary of making any direct comments about the options for fear of sounding alarmist, but he was worried about their effect on teacher facilities and long-term plans.
"A minimal loss now could lead to a much greater loss later," he said. Mr Rennie said the union was preparing itself in the event of an adverse decision.
"We have already started the ball rolling as far as we are concerned. We will make a large number of people aware of the results of the decisions and obviously try to influence them," he said.
Juliet Mattinson, Secretary for the East Berkshire Health Council, said Bracknell stood to gain if the options were put into action. "Bracknell loses out badly in the disposition of services to the elderly," she said. "It just depends how they go about it,"
Extract Ascot Times 07/08/1986

 

Staff Hope To Grab Hospital Cleaning

Plans for widespread privatisation of cleaning services for hospitals and clinics across East Berkshire are set to go ahead.
And already in-house tenders have undercut the best offers from private firms.
Three schemes will be discussed by health authority chiefs at a special meeting today.
They cover domestic services at King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor: Old Windsor Hospital; and for community clinics and health centres across the district.
They are just the first in a string of privatisation plans due to go into action this autumn.
Contract
Tenders are soon to go out for domestic services at Church Hill House Hospital, Bracknell; Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot; and the laundry services for the whole East Berkshire district.
The cleaning contracts for the two Windsor Hospitals are worth together more than £250,000.
The cheapest offers for both have come from the existing staff, beating the best private offers by thousands.
At King Edward the in-house tender was £184,259, while the price from the only private firm to tender was £350,070. At Old Windsor the in-house staff offered £71,408, more than £100,000 less than the only private company to quote a price. Clinics
Six firms tendered to clean the community clinics and the health centres, but the authority meeting is being recommended to accept the most realistic.
The report recommends accepting a quote of £57,769 from Victoria Window and General Cleaning Services. All the figures go before today's meeting for final- approval.
Extract Evening Post 13/08/1986

 

Workshop For Communication

Pin back your ears, for next Friday the Bracknell Community Group will try a unique method of improving members' communication skills, by holding a workshop with a psychologist.
The workshop plans not only to help members gauge feelings and reactions of people they meet daily, but also to encourage understanding and confidence between various members of the community group.
"It is a first for us, and if it goes well it would be good for us to do it once a year," said workshop organiser Jo O'Farrell.
The session will be led by Senior Psychologist Mrs Barbara Williams, from Heatherwood Day Unit in Ascot, who has taught professionals from the social services, schools, personnel and health agencies.
Community
"Good listening is a powerful tool for supporting and comforting people, and in enabling them to get themselves together," said Mrs Williams Members will learn to identify and prevent their emotions and opinions from tainting advice they offer to people.
"Listening skills are a pre-requisite for effective helping," said Mrs Williams At one point it was doubtful whether enough support could be drummed up for the workshop, but many participants will be interested professionals, who can provide a pool of experience for volunteers to glean knowledge and tips on community work
Extract Ascot & Crowthorne Times 18/09/1986

 

Staff Crisis Shuts Hospital Casualty Unit

Tim Allan reports from East Berkshire Health Authority
A major Berkshire hospital's emergency unit was forced to close three times this summer because there were no doctors to staff it.
The accident and emergency department at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital closed each time at short notice.
Brian Mackness, director of support services for the authority, said after the meeting: "The unit closed three times because of a shortage of junior doctors.
"We have seven doctors to run the units at Wexham Park Hospital, Heatherwood and St Mark's Hospital, Maidenhead.
"If there are staff shortages, St Mark's closes first and then Heatherwood."
He blamed holidays and a shortage of locums for the problems, but claimed no patients had been put at risk.
He said: "Each time it happened we contacted the ambulance service immediately and they took patients to other hospitals." On one evening a locum failed to turn up for the night-shift at 5pm and the hospital chiefs were left with no choice but to close the unit.
Mr Mackness said the authority had traditionally employed many foreign doctors to cover the summer holiday period, but tighter Government restrictions had virtually closed that source.
He doubted the problems would reoccur now the peak holiday period was over.
Extract Evening Post 18/09/1986

 

Crash Nurse Had Just Passed Exams

Student nurse Miss Diane Jebbett, a former pupil of Guthlaxton College, Wigston, who died after a road accident at the weekend, learned that shortly before the tragedy she had passed her final hospital exams.
Miss Jebbett, aged 22, whose parents live in Milton Gardens, Brocks Hill, Oadby, died after her car was involved in a collision with another car on the A47 at Guyhirn, between Peterborough and Wisbech.
She had just completed her finals at Peterborough District Hospital, where she was a student nurse for three years. She was due to take her final State Registered Nurse exams in March.
Miss Jebbett completed her basic training at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, Berkshire, before moving to Peterborough. She was described by her father, Mr. Michael Jebbett, as a cheerful and happy person who was dedicated to her job. Her mother. Mrs. Dorothy Jones, who has remarried, lives in South Africa and is due in England next week.
Extract Leicester Mercury 21/10/1986

 

Mental Health Group's Appeal

A group aiming to start a Bracknell branch of the mental health organisation MIND is appealing for support. An initial public meeting will be held at Easthampstead House council on Tuesday.
And anyone interested in lending their ideas or time to the project are invited to attend the meeting, which starts at 8.00pm in the council chamber.
MIND is a national charity, which promotes good mental health, providing a range of services that include informal drop-in centres, support groups and self-help projects.
MIND groups also take on more ambitious schemes such as work experience projects and providing accommodation for sufferers.
The organisation aims broadly to combat prejudice and increase public understanding and sympathy of mental illness and pioneer new ideas and projects.
Problems
It campaigns for improvements in the mental health services, while complementing what is already on offer from the DHSS. Chairman of the MIND in Bracknell steering group Mickie Banks explained the need for a branch in Bracknell.
"There is a current national emphasis on community care, she said. "The Psychiatric Hospital, St Bernards, will soon close, although there will be short stay unit at Heatherwood. There is a growing number of patients who have been discharged and need extra care in the community."
She said the nature of Bracknell presents additional problems. "Bracknell is a new town without roots and with a constant influx of new people coming in all the time. I think there is a great it sense of isolation among people."
Speakers at the public is meeting, to be chaired by Bracknell Mayor Coun Eddie Thompson, will e include consultant psychiatrist of East Berks Health Authority Dr Gall and national representatives of MIND. It is hoped that the meeting will lead directly to the formation of a local association, which will then affiliate to National MIND at the end of the first year while remaining an independently registered charity. The mayor has nominated MIND as his charity of the year He said there are many groups for the physically disabled in the area but few concerning mental health.
"A Bracknell branch of MIND will balance the social requirements for the area." he said.
Extract Ascot Times 30/10/1986

 

999 Unit Faces Axe Over Jobs

Cost of living in South hits hospital recruitment
By Dominic Hart.
An emergency casualty department in a Berkshire hospital could be forced to close because it cannot recruit enough doctors.
The East Berks Health Authority will have no option but to axe the unit at St Mark's in Maidenhead unless more staff can be found.
This is just one problem in a catalogue of crises which is threatening the health service in East Berkshire.
Nearly all hospitals are finding it impossible to recruit enough staff because of the high cost of living in the South.
There are problems in recruiting all types of worker, from clerical staff and nurses to specialist doctors and pharmacists right across the region which covers Bracknell, Ascot, Windsor and Slough as well as Maidenhead.
Already this year St Mark's has been forced to close for periods of up to three weeks making patients travel to Slough or Windsor.
Weighting
The crises were highlighted at a joint meeting of the East Berkshire Health Authority, the Community Health Council and the Berkshire Family Practitioner Committee last night.
Health chiefs fear the situation will get worse unless Berkshire and the rest of the South East can get pay weighting similar to the system in London.
Already the casualty and emergency unit at Ascot's Heatherwood Hospital has been forced on occasions to close overnight because of the doctor shortage.
Juliette Mattinson, health council secretary, said St Mark's had been threatened with closure for some time because most patients could be treated by GPS.
Dimension
But she added: "Staff has not been a major problem before this has added a completely new dimension." David Treloar, East Berkshire district general manager, said the authority cannot get enough junior doctors to specialise in emergency and casualty work.
He revealed the department at St Mark's has already been closed for up to three weeks at a time this year because of staff shortages. He said: "It is not a local problem but a nationwide one.
"The shortage of junior doctors means they can pick and choose the bigger casualty wards to get more all-round experience so they can become consultants."
Extract Evening Post 05/11/1986

 

Man Aged 84 Dies After Hospital Blood Mix-up

An elderly man died in a Berkshire hospital after being given blood of the wrong type, an inquest was told yesterday.
Frederick Goodwin, aged 85, died of kidney failure on November 11 after the mix-up of blood samples at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot. But death was caused by natural causes, the coroner said.
Newly-qualified doctor Paul Unwin admitted he made the blunder that led to the elderly patient being given A positive instead of O group blood.
Suffering
The young houseman put a sample of Mr Goodwin's blood in a bottle marked with the name of another patient, East Berks coroner Robert Wilson was told during the inquest at Bracknell.
Dr Unwin explained that he had trained in an area with a high immigrant population where doctors were taught to identify samples using the date of birth because of the risk of confusion over similar sounding names.
But in this case Mr Goodwin's neighbour in the Ascot hospital ward was also born in November 1900 leading to the fatal error.
Another doctor on duty at Heatherwood on November 4 took Mr Goodwin off the drip, after only a quarter of the pack had been given, because the patient was obviously suffering ill effects.
But Dr Unwin said the mix-up over blood samples was not discovered for three days.
Paul Goodwin of Tudor Close. Wokingham, said his father, who lived at Broom Acres, Sandhurst, had gone to Heatherwood for a hip replacement operation.
He said: "He was looking forward to the operation because he thought it would give him a new lease of life."
He added that apart from the pain in his hips, his father had always seemed healthy man for his age. Failing
Shortly before his operation however, doctors discovered that Mr Goodwin had an irregular heart beat. A post mortem showed the man's heart was twice the normal size and two of the arteries were reduced to the size of a pinhead.
The elderly man also had cancer of one lung and his kidneys were failing.
Pathologist Dr Edmund Hemsted said the wrong blood transfusion had been "the crowning blow".
He said that even without the transfusion, Mr Goodwin's kidneys would have failed within a few weeks of being sent home from hospital.
The coroner said death was due to natural causes, but added a rider that death was aggravated by lack of care, and he spoke of negligence by the hospital.
He also criticised the long hours doctors had to work. He said: "Dr Unwin works a 12-hour day interspersed with a couple of nights a week and every other weekend. That is a burden he carries because he likes his profession. But it must take its toll."
Extract Evening Post 12/12/1986