Press releases


Naaz Coker to step down as chair in October

St George’s Healthcare chair, Naaz Coker, has announced that she will be stepping down when her second four-year term comes to an end in October of this year. Speaking about her decision Naaz said: “Chairs and non-executive directors can be appointed for two four-year terms and under special circumstances, for …
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13 May 2011 | Tags: Naaz Coker


Community services information and advice day announced

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust has joined with Tooting Safer Neighbourhood team (Metropolitan Police), Wandsworth Adult Social Services, Wandsworth Carers Centre and South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and other voluntary sector agencies to pilot a community services advice day in Tooting. This free drop in …
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12 May 2011 | Tags: community services advice day


St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief executive announces decision to step down

David Astley has announced his decision to step down as chief executive of St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust in south west London. Since he joined St George’s Healthcare in December 2006 the trust has become a major trauma centre, a hyper-acute stroke unit and, in October 2010, successfully integrated with …
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6 May 2011 | Tags: chief executive David Astley


Record low infection rates at St George’s Hospital

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust has achieved the lowest infection rates it has ever recorded for MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C.diff) at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, and the Wolfson Neurorehabilitation Centre, Wimbledon. Acquiring only nine MRSA infections and 83 C.diff infections during 2010/11, the trust remained within its mandatory performance …
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5 May 2011 | Tags: Clostridium difficile infection rates MRSA


Spring issue Membership Matters out now

The spring issue of Membership Matters, the quarterly publication for St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust’s members, is out now. The latest issue contains information about the trust’s foundation trust plans, its corporate social responsibility framework, a report on the benefits to patients of hourly ward rounding and a feature about how …
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4 May 2011 | Tags: Membership Matters


St George’s Healthcare invests in new trauma facilities

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust’s commitment to provide new and improved facilities for patients is continuing with work to expand the A&E resuscitation department on the main hospital site in Tooting. The works will provide eight new resuscitation beds. Each bed space will be larger than at present, allowing staff …
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27 Apr 2011 | Tags: trauma facilities


First community open day for St George’s

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust and St George’s, University of London will co-host a community open day at their shared main site in Tooting on Saturday 18th June. The day, which will run from 10:00 to 15:00hrs, is free to attend and will offer visitors the chance to gain an …
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20 Apr 2011 | Tags: community open day


C. difficile increases risk of death six-fold in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Patients admitted to hospital with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face a sixfold greater risk of death if they become infected with Clostridium difficile, a new study has found. The researchers say IBD patients should be screened on admission to protect them from serious illness. IBD, consisting of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative …
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20 Apr 2011 | Tags: Clostridium difficile IBD inflammatory bowel disease


Partnership working combats crime

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust is helping local police ‘fill in the blanks’ of assault crimes in a bid to reduce violent offences in Wandsworth. The initiative, part of a Home Office and Department of Health joint project for safer communities, has been rolled out nationally over the past five …
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13 Apr 2011 | Tags: CDRP The Wandsworth Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership


A touch of magic comes to St George’s Hospital

Mickey and Minnie Mouse brought smiles to the children on the paediatric wards at St George’s Hospital on Wednesday, 6th April. Rosie Littleboy, lead play specialist, said: “the visit was kept a big surprise from the wards until the day and the children absolutely loved it. It was great to …
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12 Apr 2011


Foundation Trust delay will ensure quality and safety

The board of St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust agreed at its meeting held on March 31st to delay the timeline for its Foundation Trust (FT) application to April 2013. In taking this decision the board acknowledged that, while the trust had successfully met the clinical and governance standards …
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8 Apr 2011


Mixed sex accommodation declaration of compliance online

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has published its mixed sex accommodation of compliance online. The declaration includes details about the work St George’s undertakes to deliver mixed sex accommodation as well as the escalation procedure and action plan.

5 Apr 2011 | Tags: mixed sex accommodation


St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announces £55m savings target

St George’s Healthcare has today announced to staff that it is planning to save £55 million during 2011/12. The figure made up of a £40 million cost reduction programme (CRP) and £15 million related to quality, innovation, productivity, prevention (QIPP) targets. The £40m cost reduction target is linked to NHS …
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17 Feb 2011 | Tags: cost reduction programme CRP


Enhancing the healing environment at HMP Wandsworth

Thursday 27th January 2011 saw the unveiling of the newly refurbished central health unit at Wandsworth Prison. The unit has been completely overhauled, with what was formerly considered a grey, soulless, drab and depressing environment replaced by a vibrant and comfortable setting which has helped to encourage inmates to access …
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1 Feb 2011


Local children say hello to the national year of communication with balloon launch at Wandsworth Museum

The St George’s Healthcare community speech and language promotion and prevention team launched Hello, the 2011 national year of communication campaign, with a star studded ‘words will take you far’ balloon launch at Wandsworth Museum on 28th January 2011. The balloons were released by children from local day and community …
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31 Jan 2011 | Tags: national year of communication


Healthy eating event feeds public interest

More than 200 local people attended St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust’s first member event on Wednesday 19th January entitled Nutrition in a nutshell – how to eat healthy and live longer by Catherine Collins, principal dietitian. This was the first in a series of special member events aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles. …
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27 Jan 2011 | Tags: Catherine Collins principal dietitian


St George’s Hospital combat winter flu pandemic with new one hour test

St. George’s Hospital is coping well under the enormous pressures of the winter flu season thanks to a new rapid test that has enabled the microbiology and virology laboratories and the infection control team to offer round-the-clock services. The Xpert Flu test, which runs on Cepheid’s GeneXpert System, simultaneously detects …
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14 Jan 2011 | Tags: winter flu


St George’s commended for emergency training innovation

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust has been commended by the London Deanery for a pioneering initiative that has seen a major trauma manikin introduced in an emergency environment. A new simulation room has been located in the accident and emergency department at St George’s Hospital, Tooting. The new facility, the …
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7 Jan 2011 | Tags: emergency training innovation pioneering initiative simulation room


New Associate Non-Executive Director appointed

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust Chair, Naaz Coker, has announced Sarah Wilton will be joining the trust as Associate Non Executive Director on 1 January 2011. Sarah is joining St George’s Healthcare from NHS Wandsworth, where she had been non executive director since April 2007. At NHS Wandsworth, Sarah was …
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22 Dec 2010 | Tags: Associate Non Executive Director Sarah Wilton


Warm reunion as ‘home away from home’ celebrates fifth year in Tooting

It was a warm reunion as staff and guests celebrated the five-year anniversary of Ronald McDonald House in Tooting this week. Ronald McDonald House staff were pleased to welcome back the Stone family, who stayed at the house in February 2010 when their nine-day-old baby, Sarah, was admitted to St …
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17 Dec 2010 | Tags: Elizabeth Stone Ronald McDonald House Sadiq Khan warm reunion