Newark Hospital not closing, members told

Newark Hospital is not closing. That was the first headline message delivered to Newark Business Club.

The hospital’s assistant chief operating officer, Mr Ant Rosevear gave club members three take-home messages as he spoke about the hospital’s dedication to outstanding care.

“It was a perception that had been growing over the years, but Newark Hospital is not closing,” he said.

“In the last few months, people have stopped saying it.”

The second key message was that engaged and motivated staff deliver safe and effective care.

The third message to members was: Newark Hospital is important to you and your community.

Mr Rosevear said it was important everyone realised the range of services offered at Newark Hospital was growing all the time, and that people should ask if they could be treated there if possible.

To make the point that the hospital was growing, not closing, Mr Rosevear said more than £1m had been invested in the site to upgrade electrical infrastructure and air-handling systems.

With more services and better access being introduced at the hospital more people were going to Newark for treatment, he said.

New consultants, more visiting clinicians, and greater awareness among GPs of what was available at the hospital, was good news for local people, he said.

Work to raise the hospital’s profile was also resulting in more patients from Newark and Sherwood and Lincolnshire accessing its services.

On the subject of staff engagement, Mr Rosevear said Newark Hospital was the 11th best nationally for staff engagement.

“It would be great to be in the top ten, but that is something for us to work towards,” he said.

'About the people who work there and the patients who use it'

In a survey, nine out of ten of the hospital’s staff said they would recommend Newark as a place to receive care.

Engaged and motivated staff deliver safe care, Mr Rosevear said. This was evidenced by the fact the hospital had been free of hospital-acquired infections for more than a year, resulting in safer care, shorter stays and a better experience.

A survey of family and friends of patients showed that 100% of those who responded recommended Newark as a place to receive care.

Mr Rosevear’s final message was that Newark Hospital was important to the community. He said it was the 400-plus staff and more than 200 volunteers who made it the special place it was.

“Newark Hospital is not about bricks and mortar — it is about the people who work there and the patients who use it,” he said.

He urged business club members to share the message that the hospital was dedicated to outstanding care, and encouraged them to ask for Newark when they needed treatment.