The Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, and local MP for Weston-super-Mare John Penrose, visited Weston General Hospital on Wednesday 2 August to hear first-hand from staff about their passion for patient safety and the improvements
This was part of a series of informal private visits the Secretary of State for Health is making to hospitals across the country to set out his vision for patient safety and to talk to staff about their work.
During his visit to Weston General he met with a representative cross-section of staff including nurses, doctors, Allied Health Professionals and those from non-clinical roles. Dr Peter Collins the Medical Director of the Trust also gave a short presentation to the Secretary of State.
Speaking about his visit, the Secretary of State for Health Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP said:
“I was delighted to meet staff at Weston General Hospital. It was impressive to hear first-hand the improvements the hospital is making to patient safety. I know there is some way to go to make the improvements we all want to see – however I’m glad to see the Trust facing these challenges head on and I’m confident you’ll continue to provide high quality care for patients in Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset.”
Chief Executive of Weston Area Health NHS Trust James Rimmer said:
“We were delighted to welcome the Minister and John Penrose MP to Weston General Hospital and for them to hear directly from staff about our journey of improvement and the significant progress we have made in the last few years. Our staff spoke to the Minister, they were a true credit both to the hospital and our local community here in Weston. I was extremely proud of them.
We always strive to do our very best for patients and it was very encouraging to hear Mr Hunt’s positive comments about our work and to hear him express his thanks to staff for their hard work and dedication.”
John Penrose MP for Weston super Mare said:
“‘Improving patient safety is central to the hospital’s work. The staff and management are working hard and things have improved already, but recruitment is still the underlying long-term issue which, as we know, has led to the temporary overnight closure of A&E.
“The good news is that Jeremy gets it, and wants to see the new plans build firm foundations for Weston’s future. I’ll be working hard to support this.”