Double dose of good news for hospital

Published on 17th May 2007 in News

Pictured on a tour of Goole Hospital last week are Sister Anita Kenny (Minor Injuries Unit Manager), and hospital governors Sarah Camphor, FRCS, and Clifford Woolass. They chatted to patient Barry Hazel (pictured) in the Minor Injuries Unit and other

Staff at Goole Hospital are celebrating two new developments this month, including news that a training ward will be open at the site by the end of the summer.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust is working with Hull York Medical School (HYMS) to create the first ever dedicated inter-professional training ward at the trust.

Operational plans are being drawn up and the doors will open to students from August.

Initially, HYMS final year medical students and nursing students from Hull University will benefit from placements.

However, trainee physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nutritionists and social workers are also expected to make use of the facility, which will operate in the existing Ward Two.

Ward manager Sue Cooper said: "This is an incredibly exciting project for not only the hospital, but also the staff as they will be able to play a part in the training of future healthcare staff.

"The students will work alongside the existing nurses, clinicians and allied health professionals in providing care for those patients who have given their consent to be treated on the training ward."

HYMS Director of the Medical Education Unit Professor John Cookson said: "Large sums of money will be coming to Goole as part of this initiative and it will have a direct impact in patient care."

Meanwhile, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals have been granted permission to become a Foundation Trust.

It means that they will now be controlled by a board of governors and an independent regulator, Monitor.

Members of public are invited to join the trust, which then gives them the right to vote for public governors.

Celebrating the news, chief executive Andrew North said: "I am delighted that we have been licensed to become one of the first NHS Foundation Trusts in our area.

"Being a Foundation Trust will give us greater flexibility to deliver improved services to our patients and to strengthen our engagement with local communities, our staff and the thousands of patients we treat each year."

Anyone interested in becoming a member of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should call 01724 387946, email foundationtrustoffice@nlg.nhs.uk or visit www.nlg.nhs.uk to register online.