West Suffolk Hospital promises AGM with a difference!

Time:          2pm-5pm

Date:           Friday, 26 September

Venue:         Education Centre, West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds

Members of the public are invited to attend West Suffolk Hospital’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, 26^th September.

The AGM will be very different from previous years, featuring interactive displays, demonstrations, and a chance for the public to meet and talk to Trust staff. 

People will also be given the opportunity to learn how to take blood, resuscitate someone who has stopped breathing, and move patients using the latest equipment. Staff will use mannequins to demonstrate life-saving techniques and new technology.

Consultant surgeon Mr Matthew Porteous will talk about his work and how the new Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, currently being built, will improve services at the West Suffolk Hospital.

A presentation involving all members of the multi-disciplinary team will follow a typical patient’s journey through the hospital as they undergo hip replacement surgery. This should be especially informative for anyone who is going to have a hip replacment in the future.

The Infection Control team, who have been responsible for reducing the rate of MRSA infections at the West Suffolk Hospital, will be on hand to talk about how they prevent the spread of disease. They will test the hand-washing skills of those present to see if they meet their approval!

People will also be able to visit a mock operating theatre, examine surgical instruments and talk to theatre staff about their role.

“This year’s AGM promises to be an exciting and informative event, and I hope that people will turn up in their droves to discover more about their local hospital,” said John Parkes, Trust chief executive.  “At the Trust we see ourselves as operating in partnership with the local community, and we want to encourage local people to get involved in the work of the West Suffolk Hospital. To this end we decided to make our AGM this year interactive and hopefully interesting, to give people a better understanding of the work that we do.”

Light refreshments will be available.  For more information, please telephone 01284 712 780.

16 September, 2003