Lady Forsyth-Johnson, actress, model and wife of Bruce Forsyth, paid a special visit to St. Peter’s Hospital on Tuesday 30th May to officially open a new area of the Intensive Care Unit. Following the time her husband spent on the unit earlier this year, Lady Forsyth-Johnson said they had a special connection to the hospital and spoke of the fantastic care Bruce and the whole family received:
“It’s been a real honour for me to be part of this opening, particularly as it was just two months ago that I was here with my husband. For me the most important thing was seeing all the hard work done by all the members of the team. Although in a hospital all the equipment is really important, for me it was all about the people who work here, it felt like a community. All the emotional support that we had, it was amazing, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The critical care team was thrilled to welcome their special guest, who gave a short speech before unveiling the plaque. They were also joined by the recently appointed Mayor and Mayoress of Runnymede, Cllr Chaudhri and his wife. Councillor Chaudri has chosen to support critical care services at the hospital, along with neonatal intensive care services, as one of his designated mayoral year charities.
Den Hallett, Clinical Services Manager for Critical Care, described the changes made to the unit: “Previously we had nine beds in our main Intensive Care Unit and four beds in a separate High Dependency Unit, meaning our critical care beds were in different locations. Expanding the unit has enabled us to bring all these beds together and provide critical care services in one place. This new facility is much better for our patients and staff as more support is available, particularly in the event of a patient deteriorating.”
Following the unveiling of the plaque, the party moved to another room to enjoy an afternoon tea and celebratory cake with a special theme which cleverly depicted a patient in an ICU bed, complete with monitor and drip-stand.
Suzanne Rankin, Chief Executive, closed the event by thanking all who attending, saying: “It’s been great to be part of today’s event and I’d like to thank Lady Forsyth-Johnson for taking the time to join us and be our special guest. I’d also like to thank Mayor of Runnymede, Cllr Chaudhri, for coming along with the Mayoress, and for their support of our critical care services. The team here do a fantastic job looking after some of our sickest patients and it can be a very tough environment – clinically and emotionally – to work in. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to make these positive changes to our Intensive Care Unit, which will provide a much better environment for both patients and staff.”
