A message from Steve Bellingham, Chief Nursing Officer
It’s my great pleasure to welcome you to the September edition of our consultant newsletter. As the seasons begin to shift, there’s much to look forward to as we approach the end of the year.
Last month, we reached an exciting milestone in our Lexham Gardens extension project, successfully connecting the main hospital to our new outpatient facilities. We’re now in the final stages of construction and look forward to opening our expanded Radiology, Therapies, and Outpatient services in November. This development is key to unlocking additional inpatient bed capacity, helping us meet the growing demand across both medical and surgical specialties.
Our cardiology services continue to evolve with the opening of a purpose-built cardiac cath lab, now co-located within the theatre environment. Alongside the launch of our dedicated cardiac inpatient ward, this enables us to deliver bespoke care for patients undergoing invasive cardiac procedures. Dedicated staffing and support from theatre recovery further strengthen our offering, and we look forward to opening our second cath lab later this year.
We’re also looking forward to welcoming your support teams – including medical secretaries and practice managers – to our Secretaries’ Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday 7 October. This is a great opportunity to connect, share updates, and explore how we can better support your practices.
As part of our commitment to safe, effective care, we’ve made significant investments in our governance and risk management frameworks. Many of you will have met Anthony Fitzgerald, our new Director of Governance and Risk. We’ve expanded the Governance team to enhance support and provide greater assurance around the quality and safety of care delivered at Cromwell.
We’ve also made improvements to the preadmission pathway to simplify access for both patients and consultants. These include direct appointment booking led by the preadmissions team, reducing administrative burden and improving patient preparedness. Feedback has been very positive, and we’re pleased to share that we are actively recruiting a Pre-assessment Consultant Anaesthetist to support our high-risk pathway – more details to follow soon.
Finally, I’d like to thank you, on behalf of myself and the Executive team, for the warm welcome you’ve extended to our first cohort of fifth-year medical students. Their placement is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the quality of care within the independent sector and inspire the next generation of clinicians.
It’s been a pleasure connecting with many of you over the summer, and we remain committed to supporting the growth of your services and practices at Cromwell. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have feedback or need support from myself or any member of the Nursing or Clinical Leadership teams.
Steve Bellingham, Chief Nursing Officer
[email protected]
