Choose Lewisham
This page gives ten good reasons to choose Lewisham Hospital. Scroll down to read comments from nurses, support staff and others. Click on the pictures in the right hand margin to view full size posters for each point.
We Want YOUR Views
We are here to provide the best possible service to our patients but we know that we are not perfect and can only improve by hearing what people think of us.
Jeanette Chattington, Chair of Lewisham Hospital Patients Forum
Our Patient Forum is the public's eyes and ears in the hospital. We're here to make sure that the hospital takes into account the views of the patients. We're also here to monitor its work on important issues like infection control and the patient environment. We inspect the wards.
If you would like to join us as a forum member, please take the leaflet situated near this stand.
A Respected Teaching Hospital, With High Standards of Medical Care
Each year we treat:
- Over 110,000 people in A&E
- Over 55,000 are treated on our wards, and 140,000 as Outpatients.
- Over 3,000 babies are delivered at our hospital each year
To reduce the time that our patients need to spend in hospital, more and more operations are being performed as day surgery, which doesn't require the patient to make an overnight stay. Last year, we treated over 13,000 people as day cases. We have recently started undertaking hernia and gall bladder removal operations in day surgery.
Lewisham is one of the only NHS hospitals in the country that performs pioneering laser treatment for varicose veins, which avoids the need for what can be a painful surgical incision. The absence of incisions into the skin eliminates the risk of wound infection.
Dr Naheed Mir, Haematology Consultant
I, together with my team, treat people with anaemia, leukaemia, sickle cell disease and run the anticoagulation service (warfarin clinics). Anticoagulants inhibit the formation of blood clots.
I do ward rounds, see patients in the outpatient clinics and work with the laboratory where blood samples are tested. We also train laboratory staff and Specialist Registrars
I am also in charge of co-ordinating cancer services for the Trust to make sure that we meet the cancer targets, such as ensuring that all patients with a suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks. We are achieving this and it has made a tremendous improvement to the treatment of cancer
Working in an area with a diverse population like Lewisham's is a real challenge but also very interesting for a haematologist because of the wide variations of blood diseases that we treat
Our Staff Are Our Own, Working in the Interests of Patients
Our hospital is one of only a few in the country not to have privatised its cleaning, catering and portering services. Our staff are Lewisham Hospital employees committed to the values of the National Health Service of providing the best patient care, free at the point of use.
Conroy Lawrence, Maintenance team
My main job is maintaining the electrics and lighting in the hospital. Today, there was a problem with the nurse-call system which we have fixed. On occasions, there might be a power failure and we will have to get the generator going.
The challenge is to respond to a job at a moment's notice. Most electrical failures in a hospital are a potential emergency and we can't take any risks.
I love the work and the sense of purpose you get from working for the NHS.
We Keep the Hospital Very Clean Using a Combination of Traditional and Innovative Techniques
Claire Rayner, President of Patients Association, March 2005
If anyone wants to know how to clean, come to Lewisham Hospital to learn.
Our cleaners are NHS employees, part of the hospital and are all designated and integral members of the ward teams. We have pioneered new cleaning methods including the use of disposable mops and innovative cleaning agents. We have consistently scored very well each year in the national cleanliness inspection and we now have regular monthly inspections from our Patients Forum.
Mr Singh, Cleaning supervisor
I am in charge of the cleaning team. Cleaning includes scrubbing, buffing and infection control cleaning. Every day, I check every ward to make sure it is clean, including the curtains, the lockers, under the beds, and that the floors are shiny.
I love the job and take real pride in it. Keeping a hospital clean depends on a combination of having the right materials, and hard work. Keeping a large ward with 24 patients clean requires a lot of hard work. We have a really good team here. They are NHS employees, which means they are permanent, know the place and where everything goes, and most importantly, take real pride in their work.
One of Lowest MRSA Rates in London
Cases of MRSA infection rates have been falling at this hospital and Lewisham Hospital now has one of the lowest MRSA rates in the whole of London. We have committed everything to bringing down MRSA rates, pioneered the now national Clean your Hands campaign and were also the first hospital and still one of only a handful that screens all adult patients for MRSA on admission as an inpatient to the hospital.
National Patient Safety Agency, June 2006
Lewisham Hospital has long been a leader in hand hygiene improvement.
Debbie Flaxman, Consultant Nurse, Infection Control
Our Infection Control Team is responsible for the surveillance, monitoring and control of infection within the hospital. We visit wards every day to monitor and advise on reducing the risk of cross-infection. We also ensure the collection, interpretation and feedback to practitioners of relevant surveillance data so we know how we are doing and where there may be problem areas.
I can honestly say that my job is never boring, with new and different challenges presenting themselves every day
This is a Top-rated Children's Hospital
The prestigious Dr Foster / Times newspaper's Good Hospital Guide ranks our children's services as being in the top ten in the whole country. We provide specialist children's services for the whole of the South of England, including paediatric and neo-natal surgery.
We have one of the few 24 hour specialist Children's A&E departments in the country and our pioneering use of play specialists has been praised by the national children's commissioner.
Professor Al Aynesley-Green, National Children's Commissioner, April 2004
It's obvious you've got something special here at Lewisham. It's light years ahead of other places in having play specialists in all children's areas of the hospital. The work here is setting a benchmark.
Nigel Rose, Children's A&E, Staff Nurse
My job is to make sure that the children are well-treated, suffering as little pain as possible and that they are seen in the shortest time. We assess the children when they come in, so that we know whether they need to be seen immediately by a doctor. The nurses can prescribe medicines and put on dressings while the children are waiting to see the doctor.
Having a separate A&E for children makes a massive difference. It is a much better environment, with specialist facilities, which makes the overall experience for children much better.
A High Street Hospital - Easy and Accessible for Everyone to Reach
Fewer hospitals are remaining on the main high streets of towns. Our high street site has excellent bus and train links and its central location makes the hospital an important focal point within the local community. Each year, there is a national staff attitude survey, and Lewisham Hospital comes near the top in the country for staff loyalty. There is a strong link between our employees and the area and this is partly because the hospital has one of the highest numbers of staff members in the country that live locally to their hospital.
We Are Opening One of the Best New Hospital Buildings in the Country
Our new seven storey Riverside building for adult patients offers the most modern and attractive ward accommodation on offer in any hospital. The wards in the new block all provide spacious single rooms or four-bedded bay accommodation with excellent views out across Ladywell Park.
Its innovative design and use of solar panels to partially power the building makes the new Lewisham Hospital building simply one of the best in the country.
Ines Banton, Riverside Project administrator
I manage the communications and administration between the Trust and contractors and between all of the different hospital departments involved in the building project. As a local Lewisham resident, I am very proud to have been so involved with this building, especially as I was born at Lewisham Hospital.
Part of This Community for Nearly 200 Years
Lewisham Hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in the country, and it started its life in 1817 as the parish workhouse.
The hospital was partially destroyed in 1944 during one of the fiercest bombing raids of WW2. One of our nurses, Eileen Crouch, was killed by a second explosion while trying to rescue patients from the rubble.
Our hospital integrated Sydenham's Children Hospital in 1991 and opened a brand new Women and Children's building in 1995. In 1997, Hither Green Hospital closed and its elderly patients re-located to this site. In November 2006, our adult and elderly wards will move into the new Riverside building.
Sue Pinkham, Midwife
I work on our post-natal ward, Maternity Ward 5. The most important job is to assist mums with their new babies in the many new things that they will be experiencing, such as help and encouragement with breast feeding. The midwives' role is to make sure that the post-natal ward is a safe and comfortable place for new mums and their babies to recuperate in the days after delivery.
It is extremely rewarding, helping a new mum to have that confidence to go out and do it for themselves.
Our Hospital, Serving the People of Lewisham
The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust is a teaching hospital for the University of London which obtained University status in 1997 because of the role it plays in undergraduate education and research. In addition to most of the services of a traditional general hospital, it also offers specialist services in Paediatric and Neonatal Surgery, Neonatal intensive care, Cystic Fibrosis and Ear, Nose and Throat services. With over 2,500 members of staff, it is one of South East London's largest employers.
Sarah Carver, Matron A&E Department
I am a Matron with responsibility for leading the 100 strong nursing team in what is now one of the busiest A&E departments in the whole of London. It is a very demanding but rewarding role. You never know what is going to happen next. People often come into A&E when they have nowhere else to go for help which means you have to deal with all situations, from domestic crises, mental health problems, straightforward accidents and of course critical ones. The area is very diverse with people from many different backgrounds living next to each other. This mix is a strength of the area and makes it a very interesting place to work
The Education Centre
