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A message from Martin Earwicker, Chair
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As we move through the first quarter of the year, I’m proud to see the momentum building across Hampshire Hospitals and the constructive approach to the challenges we face. We’ve seen teams, such as maternity, being recognised for excellent care and compassion, some positive and helpful results from our annual Staff Survey, as well as progress in some large scale programmes of work, such as the purchase of land as an option for the New Hospital Programme. All of this work is the result of dedication, collaboration, and a belief in our shared purpose. The start of this year also saw our teams work hard to support University Hospital Southampton following a fire in their hospital. I want to recognise the significant effort and agility this required from our teams, who were outstanding in such unexpected circumstances. Looking ahead, from July we'll be welcoming our new Chief Operating Officer, Frances Woodroffe, and we'll also be publishing a new Trust Strategy, which will guide our direction and the decisions we make over the next five years. Thank you for your continued support.
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“Kind and compassionate” maternity care celebrated in new CQC survey
Women giving birth at Hampshire Hospitals report high levels of confidence, trust and “kind and compassionate” care, according to a new national maternity survey. The results of the 2025 Maternity Survey, part of the patient survey programme co-ordinated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), sees Hampshire Hospitals rank 6th out of 55 organisations who took part in the survey with the same provider. The survey asked those who gave birth between 22 April and 15 July 2025 to answer questions about their experience of the care and treatment they received.
Overall, the Trust also ranked 9th nationally for score improvement compared with the 2024 CQC maternity survey, reflecting significant progress across multiple areas.
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Celebrating the official opening of the new Orthopaedic Outpatients Department
We have recently celebrated the official opening of a new Orthopaedic Outpatients Department facility, further improving access to orthopaedic care for residents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Modern clinical spaces are a key feature of the new state-of-the-art outpatient building, located at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, with seven consultation rooms – including a designated room for dressings – a co-located plain film x-ray service, four fracture clinic assessment booths and an adjacent plaster room all housed within. Since the Orthopaedic Outpatients Department opened in early December, almost 1,500 patients have already attended and had the opportunity to experience care in the facility.
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Staff Survey shows strong team spirit and pride in patient care
A shared commitment to putting patient care first and strong teamworking continue to shape culture at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as shown in the national 2025 NHS Staff Survey results published today. A record number of individuals across the Trust, took part in the survey, providing valuable insight into staff experience and what it’s like to work at the organisation. Hampshire Hospitals has improved or maintained its scores against the previous year in seven of the nine theme areas, scoring highest in compassion and inclusivity. When compared to the results of other similar NHS Trusts, Hampshire Hospitals has scored above the average in every theme area.
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100th surgical procedure using pioneering state-of-the-art robotic system
Surgeons at Hampshire Hospitals have completed the 100th surgical procedure using the cutting-edge robotic-assisted da Vinci 5 surgical system, marking a major milestone less than six months after it became the first NHS trust in the UK to introduce the new technology. The robotic-assisted surgical system, based at our Basingstoke hospital, brings significant technological advances to improve patient outcomes, reduce recovery times, lower complication risk, and allow greater consistency in minimally invasive procedures. The milestone strengthens Hampshire Hospitals’ long-term vision to expand robotic-assisted surgery and aligns with the government’s wider 10 Year Health Plan and strategy to increase access to minimally invasive care across the NHS.
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Welcoming our new Chief Operating Officer Frances Woodroffe
We are pleased to share that Frances Woodroffe will join Hampshire Hospitals in July as our new substantive Chief Operating Officer (COO). Frances is currently the COO at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, where she is responsible for the day to day running of hospital operations, emergency preparedness, and analytical oversight. She joined Medway on secondment to support performance recovery and operational redesign and has overseen improvements across urgent and emergency care, elective recovery, and organisational governance. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Dr Tahir Akbar, who has been leading our operations as our Interim Chief Operating Officer since July. Tahir will remain in his post until Frances joins us.
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First Hampshire Hospitals patient receives treatment in groundbreaking prostate cancer trial
Hampshire Hospitals has successfully treated its first patient in a groundbreaking research trial exploring Aquablation therapy for localised prostate cancer. Our Trust is one of only five hospitals in the UK to recruit participants into this major global study, marking a significant milestone in the Trust’s contribution to prostate cancer research. So far this financial year, the Trust has recruited 2,818 participants into more than 65 research studies across over 20 clinical specialties. More than 55% of current studies at the Trust involve innovative new drugs or medical devices, giving local patients early access to cutting-edge treatments while helping drive improvements in care across Hampshire Hospitals.
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Land purchased to secure option for future new hospital
Hampshire Hospitals has purchased land at Junction 7 of the M3 to ensure the site remains an option on which to build a new hospital in the future. Whilst the land, situated south of Basingstoke, has been secured, a decision on the location for a new hospital has not been made. Bought with ringfenced national New Hospital Programme funds, the purchase helps avoid risks such as future cost increases or the site becoming unavailable. For the foreseeable future, the land purchased will continue to be farmed. Hampshire’s new hospital is in Wave 3 of the national New Hospital Programme, with construction of a new hospital expected to begin between 2037 and 2039.
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Growing stronger, together - a story for World Cancer Day 2026
On World Cancer Day, Hampshire Hospitals shined a light on a project that is playing a positive role in supporting women living with gynaecological cancers. Since 2021, patients being treated at the Trust with cancers including cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar, are invited to attend a peer support group taking an uplifting and wholesome approach. Led by Cassandra Atkinson, Gynae-Oncology Cancer Support Worker, the group is based at an allotment in Winchester, with the environment providing an opportunity to deliver specialist support in a unique setting. This World Cancer Day, we celebrated our patients and dedicated staff who continue to drive this project forward, cultivating not only agriculture but an environment for wellbeing too.
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Working together and celebrating our people
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Becky Toms, a Community Nurse Leader at Hampshire Hospitals has been recognised with the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse! These awards celebrate contribution to patient care, leadership and professional excellence. Huge congratulations Becky! Read more here or watch about Becky's journey here.
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On 16 March we celebrated National Cancer CNS day. Karen Carver, one of our Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists, has been supporting cancer patients for over 20 years. Drawing on her extensive experience, she now plays an important role in mentoring and supporting new CNS colleagues, helping them settle in their roles. Watch the video.
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11 March was No Smoking Day! Did you know that if you smoke and are in hospital with us, you can ask the team caring for you at any time about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to help manage cravings and support your journey to smokefree? Read more here.
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For National Apprenticeship Week, we heard from George Grinham, who joined us back in 2018 as a Nursing Apprentice. Now, George is the Clinical Lead for our Basingstoke Diagnostic and Treatment Centre as well as the Equipment Manager for Theatres across the Trust. Hear from George here.
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Our incredible Nick Jonas Ward team have been awarded at the Mayor of Winchester's Community Awards 2026! Our Nick Jonas team specialise in oncology, haematology and palliative care, including chemotherapy and systemic anti cancer treatments and were nominated by a patient who received treatment over two years with us. Read more here.
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During Healthcare Science Week at the start of March, we heard from our talented and dedicated researchers about the role of science and evidence in improving patient outcomes. Read more from our Microbiology Principal Clinical Scientist Stephen Kidd here.
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Congratulations to Nurse Associate Enya who has been awarded Graduate Apprentice of the Year at University of Winchester's apprenticeship award ceremony! Enya joined Hampshire Hospitals back in 2021 as a Healthcare Assistant and has been continuing to progress her career with us ever since. Well done Enya!
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We recently celebrated International Women's Day! Radhika began her career as a staff nurse at our Winchester hospital in 2007, two years after moving to the UK from India. Despite many obstacles along the way, Radhika never gave up. Today, Radhika is one of our Deputy Divisional Chief Nurses. Watch the video here for more about Radhika’s incredible journey.
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Our Dietetics teams have recently been championing good nutrition and hydration practices for inpatients, supporting staff and reinforcing the importance of optimising hydration, protected mealtimes, regular drinks and snacks and implementing recommendations.
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Steve Turner, Governor for Mid and East Hampshire
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I became a governor to represent the views and concerns of Hampshire residents. I am always looking to learn from, and give voice to, the patient experience, which is essential to improving services and outcomes. In particular, I am committed to promoting the idea that people and clinicians work together as equal partners to decide the best course of action, something the new NHS 10 Year Plan also promotes.
I take every opportunity to encourage the Trust to take advantage of the knowledge accrued from decades of experience as a lecturer, psychologist, CEO and leadership consultant that I bring to the role.
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Did you know? You can make contact with your Governor easily to ask questions, discuss challenges you face within your communities or make suggestions for them to put forward.
Email governors@hhft.nhs.uk
Please tell us which Governor you would like your query to be directed to. If no name is given, our Lead Governor, Daughne Taylor, will respond. |
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Speaking up, feeling safe and creating change together
Patient and staff safety is at the heart of everything we do, and day-to-day, we work hard to foster an environment where colleagues feel supported and listened to when something doesn't feel quite right. In this article Ashley shares more about how we're embedding psychological safety within our organisation, building support networks to support speaking up and how valuable honest feedback is to driving improvements.
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Charity funded state-of-the-art robotic system performs 100th surgical procedure
Surgeons at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have completed the 100th surgical procedure using the cutting-edge robotic-assisted da Vinci 5 surgical system, marking a major milestone less than six months after it became the first NHS trust in the UK to introduce the new technology. The da Vinci 5 system was purchased following a major charitable fundraising collaboration between Hampshire Hospitals Charity and the Hampshire Medical Fund. Your kindness is transforming care in our hospitals and we cannot thank you enough.
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Will you support Hampshire Hospitals Charity's current appeals?
Each year, Hampshire Hospitals Charity funds a range of projects across our hospitals so support our patients and staff. Their current focus is around supporting expectant mothers by providing upgraded CTG machines that use the most advanced technology available, helping our maternity teams spot signs of distress early, especially in high-risk pregnancies. They’re also working to provide full refurbishment of vital rest space for our theatres team to create a comfortable, communal area where our valued staff can truly rest and recharge.
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Colour Run
Saturday 1 August
Our popular Colour Run returns in 2026, and we’ll be back painting Harewood Forest a variety of bright colours, all in support of your local hospital. This fun, vibrant run (or walk) through the forest in Wherwell will be taking place on Saturday 1 August 2026 and your t-shirt and finishers medal are all included in your entry fee.
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Party at the Pavilion
Saturday 1 August
After our popular Colour Run, we’ll be welcoming the community to our Party at the Pavilion - a free event giving the community the chance to come together and celebrate 100 years of Andover War Memorial Hospital caring for local people.
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Upcoming events and meetings
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6 May | 2pm - 5pm Council of Governors meeting
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4 June | 10am - 1pm Board of Directors meeting
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If you have any questions or would like further information on Trust meetings, please email company.secretary@hhft.nhs.uk
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Did you know? Hampshire Hospitals members can now access hundreds of discounts and high street offers! Register today with Health Service Discounts via the link below. |
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Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Andover War Memorial Hospital
www.hampshirehospitals.nhs.uk
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