Top tips for getting the most out of your telephone or video appointment
In line with national guidance, we continue to offer the majority of our outpatient appointments at Kingston Hospital over the phone or via video. To get the most out of your virtual appointment, you may find the following tips useful.
Before your appointment:
• Write down your two or three most important questions
• Write down details of your symptoms, including when they started and what makes them better or worse
During your appointment:
• Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t understand. For example, “Can you say that again? I still don’t understand”
• If you don’t understand any words, ask for them to be explained
• Write things down during the appointment so that you have notes to look at afterwards if you need to
Before your appointment ends:
• Check that you’ve covered everything on your list and that you understand it, for example “Can I just check I understood what you said?”
• Make sure that you know what should happen next and when
• Ask who to contact if you have any more problems or questions
• Ask about support groups and where to go for reliable information and ask for copies of letters written about you – you are entitled to see these
• Keep your notes from the discussion
Your questions answered:
I’m not sure that a video or phone appointment is appropriate for me. What should I do?
If you don’t think a video or phone appointment is appropriate for you, please contact your hospital department to discuss this.
What happens if I need an interpreter?
We can arrange for an interpreter for telephone, video and face to face appointments with your health professional. Please ask a family member or friend to phone the hospital department at least 3 days before your appointment and tell us what language is needed.
What should I do if I can’t attend my appointment at the last minute because I’m ill or something urgent has come up?
It’s very important that you phone the hospital department, even if you need to cancel your appointment at the last minute. We will be able to organise another appointment for you and ensure the health professional you were due to see is aware of this.
Take a virtual tour of our state of the art endoscopy unit
Our CEO, Jo Farrar, meets Endoscopy Team Leader, Victor Bordado, on the opening of our new endoscopy unit
Kingston Hospital's new state of the art endoscopy suite opened to patients on Monday 21 September, relocating the endoscopy service from the Day Surgery Unit to Esher Wing. The unit now boasts the first nurse led transnasal endoscopy suite in London, with seven of the unit’s transnasal scopes funded by Kingston Hospital Charity.
In the following film, Ralph Greaves, consultant gastroenterologist, and Michael Grimes, nurse consultant for endoscopy, give a guided tour of the new unit:
https://youtu.be/48QAzvjxroo
Volunteering: Adapting to the pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our volunteers have been unable to come in to the hospital, but we have been working hard to explore new opportunities for our volunteers who so kindly give their time.
Find out about the ways that volunteering at Kingston Hospital has adapted to the pandemic, in the following film:
https://youtu.be/gf53kzVJ_N4
Fundraising News
100 days in intensive care
After husband and father, Justin, spent 100 days battling COVID-19 in the intensive care unit, the Holker family raised a generous £4,400 for Kingston Hospital Charity, in support of our intensive care team. When he left Kingston Hospital on 24 July, Justin astonished staff by walking out of the rehabilitation ward, unaided.
Hazel Holker acknowledged that the “medical team were the most wonderful, inspiring people you could hope to meet – they cared for him tirelessly, they never gave up on him and they did this while risking their own health”.
Together the family have raised funds to help refurbish the nurses’ room in intensive care to make it as comfortable as possible for well-deserved breaks during long shifts.
Leaving a gift to Kingston Hospital Charity
For many of us, Kingston Hospital is our local hospital, touching our lives and those of families and friends. Some of us, who have a lot to thank Kingston Hospital for, choose to show our appreciation by leaving a gift to Kingston Hospital Charity when making or updating our wills. Such gifts, which are sometimes referred to as legacies or bequests, remain vitally important in helping the hospital to deliver exceptional, compassionate care now and in the future. For example, recent gifts have helped transform the hospital’s elderly care wards, deliver the Maxwell Thorne Haematology Day Unit, and purchase cutting-edge equipment.
Leaving a gift in your will to Kingston Hospital Charity isn’t difficult to arrange. If you would like to talk to someone about remembering Kingston Hospital in your will, please call Rob Aldous on 020 8973 5042 or email [email protected].
Juliet’s daughter, Michele, reflects on her mother’s gift to Kingston Hospital Charity:
“My mum and dad were both very thankful to the NHS for the care they received towards the end of their lives. My father was given only six months after his cancer diagnosis and thanks to the specialist treatment provided, lived for a further four years, enjoying many active holidays and even renovating his bathroom!
“For my mother, her problems really started when she was diagnosed with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2009, after many years of smoking. I attended many appointments at Kingston Hospital with mum throughout her illness and we always found the quality of care second to none. Even when things began to look bleak, the professionalism and care offered by the very busy staff was impressive and made home life less stressful. Sadly, in November 2018, following a routine check, my mother was admitted to hospital for the final time. My brother and I stayed with my mother, in one of the single rooms on the ward, for three whole days before she passed away and the nurses, doctors and support staff were the most caring, compassionate people I have ever been fortunate enough to meet. They brought us food, offered us blessings and even provided us each with a bed.
“We cannot thank Kingston Hospital enough for their support. We thought it very fitting when we discovered that mum had left a gift in her will, as a way of showing her thanks to the staff who’d looked after her so well over several years. She didn’t have much but put aside something to support a charity that mattered to her. Thank you seems so inadequate and we too will be doing our bit to help the hospital carry on providing excellent care for its patients and their families.”
Meet the governor: CJ Kim
CJ Kim has been a governor at Kingston Hospital since 2014. We spoke to CJ about his time as a governor.
Q. When were you first elected as a governor?
I was first elected in 2014 to be a governor representing Elmbridge. I have been fortunate to have been elected twice and I am looking to stand for a final term this year.
Q. Do you live locally?
I have lived in Hinchey Wood for 34 years.
Q. Why did you decide to be a governor at Kingston Hospital?
Back in 1994 I had a heart attack and the first hospital I went to was Kingston Hospital and I received such good care there. After my recuperation, I started my volunteer work. I joined the Cardiac Support Group, where I fundraised and visited patients in the hospital. Whilst doing this work, the Volunteer Service Manager suggested that I stand as a governor so that I could be more involved in the hospital. When I found out that I could represent my community at Kingston Hospital, I was immediately taken with the role and what it represented. Also considering the support I had personally received by the hospital, I knew I could bring a lot to the role of governor. As a former headmaster, I do not shy away from my responsibilities and I am used to supporting the local community.
Q. How does your role as a governor support the hospital, patients and members?
Going into my 26th year of volunteering at Kingston Hospital, I continue raising money for Kingston Hospital, for example to help purchase specialist medical equipment for the cardiology department. In 2019 I set up a charity in conjunction with the hospital with an aim of raising funds for new wards in the paediatric oncology and eye units. In 2020, my focus shifted to supporting the hospital during these trying times and I was able to help facilitate a financial donation, along with 1,000 facemasks.
I initiated the Kingston Hospital staff choir as I wanted to boost both patient care and staff morale. At Christmas we held concerts in Outpatients and the Dementia ward and in the latter, patients started singing, remembering words from their childhood. In addition, to try and help with nurse recruitment, I organised student nurse visits to the hospital. I hope to see good nurse recruitment and retainment. In a further bid to boost morale, I chose the winners for ‘Unsung Heroes’ amongst the staff.
I am active in the hospital open and careers days to meet members of the public and exchange views over the daily running of the hospital. I regularly visit wards and have gained the perspective of patients, their visitors and the staff as well. Having been a patient myself, this year my daughter gave birth in the maternity unit. This all enables me to provide valuable feedback to the Council of Governors.
Q. What do you think have been the biggest successes of the hospital over the last few years?
I think that Kingston Hospital has had many successes over the years, which is a credit to the hard-working staff. During the Care Quality Commission inspections, the hospital was rated ‘Outstanding’. We have also seen improvements in both the Dementia and Cancer wards.
Kingston Hospital was visited twice by the Duchess of Cambridge. She visited the maternity ward, which I believe shows that Kingston Hospital has a fantastic facility. The newly decorated wards help with being a calm environment for deliveries, staffed by the best doctors, midwives and other support staff.
However, it is not just these visible displays of success that show that the hospital is going from strength to strength. I find that when I speak to patients and visitors they feel genuinely supported in their time of need by both staff and volunteers and this is one of the biggest successes of Kingston Hospital.
What do you enjoy the most about being a governor?
I find that as a governor I really have a voice to represent my local community. I work under the slogan of ‘putting the patient first’, and I can support both staff and patients in my role whilst giving back to the hospital. I really care about the hospital and those who to use it, as well as those who work there. Above all, the hospital should provide excellent care for its patients and serve the community effectively. I hope to continue to assist in making this a reality.
The role of governor
With the support of our members, Kingston Hospital’s governors ensure our work is in keeping with our values, meeting the needs of our local residents and supporting all who use our services to make us successful.
Members can elect public and staff representatives to the Council of Governors so that their voice is heard. Members can also stand for election as public governors themselves, to represent their fellow members’ views on the Council of Governors.
Governor elections 2020
Thank you to all our members who have put themselves forward for our Council of Governors elections. Nominations closed on 12 October and as a member of Kingston Hospital, you will receive a voting pack from CES (Civica Electoral Services) via email, on Monday 2 November. Look out for the email and vote to choose who you would like to represent your constituency on the Council of Governors.
500 messages delivered to patients from loved ones
Since May this year, we are delighted to have delivered 500 messages to patients in hospital through our ‘Message to a loved one’ service.
One user of the service said: “I'd like to thank you for everything you are doing, your hospital staff are brilliant and I appreciate how difficult this year must be. This messaging system is a great idea, so thank you so much for going the extra mile to help us get in touch with each other safely.”
We would love to hear from you
Are there are any particular areas you would like to hear more about in future bulletins? Please do let us know.
We would also love to hear your ideas for topics and themes for future talks or webinars for members. Send your comments and suggestions to us at at [email protected]
Keep in touch
Twitter - @KingstonHospNHS
Facebook - Kingston Hospital
Instagram - kingstonhospitaluk
From time to time, the Trust may send you some information about the work of the Kingston Hospital Charity, which helps to raise vital funds for the Trust. This may include its ‘Our News’ newsletter. If you would prefer not to receive information about our charity please contact the Communications Team on [email protected]
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