Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

05/12/2025

This week we have had the pleasure of welcoming some young carol singers to King’s Mill Hospital, who helped to spread some festive cheer and brightened up the days of our patients, visitors and staff.

Thank you to school children from Farmilo Primary School, Heatherley Primary School, Leamington Primary School and Dalestorth Primary School, who have given us a wonderful dose of festive spirit this week.

We look forward to welcoming more schools across our three sites next week.

05/12/2025

Face masks reintroduced in Emergency Areas at Kings Mill Hospital and Urgent Treatment Centre at Newark

From Friday 5 December 2025, face masks are required in the following areas at King's Mill Hospital:

Emergency Department
Emergency Admissions Unit (EAU)
Surgical Admissions Unit (SAU)
Children’s Admissions Unit (CAU)
Transitional Care Hub
Radiology
and
Urgent Treatment Centre at Newark Hospital

This decision follows an increase in respiratory illnesses, including influenza, among patients, visitors, and staff.
What you need to do:
• Wear a mask at all times in these areas. Masks are available at stations near department entrances.
• Wash your hands frequently and use the hand sanitiser provided.
• Do not visit if you have symptoms of illness (cold, flu, COVID-like symptoms) or have had diarrhoea or vomiting in the past three days.
Anyone with symptoms or a confirmed diagnosis should wear a mask in all areas, including after admission.
Rates of infection are kept under constant review and studies indicate that introducing the wearing of masks is one of the ways that we can prevent the spread of infection in our hospitals.

It is vital that we take decisive action to protect our most vulnerable patients, visitors and colleagues to ensure we can keep essential services running for all those that need them over the coming weeks.

04/12/2025

This November we were pleased to be involved in a special concert by Our Dementia Choir at the Civic Centre in Mansfield.

The event was kindly organised by Trust governor Nabeel Khan, and all funds raised were donated to the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity in support of dementia services.

Our Dementia Choir was founded by actress and Line of Duty star Vicky McClure MBE, whose nana lived with dementia. The choir brings together people living with dementia and their carers through the power of music and singing.

The event was truly lovely, and our Specialist Dementia Nurse, Adele Bonsall was lucky to be in attendance. She said: “The choir were outstanding, and their performance was enjoyed by all generations. I attended with my 16 year old niece, my husband, a friend, and the Dementia Team’s intern from Project Search, who kindly stood in for my mum as she was unable to join us. It was greatly appreciated that the occasion was organised to raise funds in support of dementia services at KMH.”

A huge thank you to everyone attended on the night who helped to raise over £1,500 for the charity.

03/12/2025

View your appointment letters, order repeat prescriptions and much more. Manage your health the easy way with the NHS App.

Find out how you can securely view your health records in the NHS App

➡️ https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/patients-and-visiting/nhs-app/

03/12/2025

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and it is also Disability History Month (until 20 December).

As part of our awareness raising of disability and to show our support to our colleagues and members of our community, we are lighting up the towers at King's Mill Hospital purple tonight!

In recent years, the colour purple has increasingly been associated with disability rights campaigns, but also symbolises a positive narrative about the contribution of disabled people in the workforce and the wider community.

03/12/2025

🚫 No Hate Here

Sherwood Forest Hospitals has launched , a new strand of work tackling discrimination, harassment, and abuse across our sites.

This work shines a light on the less visible behaviours that many colleagues, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds, still face.

A special thank you to Aamina, one of our Senior Orthoptists, for bravely sharing her experience and helping drive this work forward.

Her story reminds us why challenging all forms of discrimination matters.

We’re strengthening our zero-tolerance approach, supporting staff to report incidents, educating colleagues, and addressing unacceptable behaviour directly.

Our staff come to work to care, they deserve care and respect in return.

Read more on our website: https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/about-us/latest-news/no-hate-here-sherwood-forest-hospitals-launches-nohatehere-to-tackle-discrimination/

02/12/2025

Please share to help ease the pressure on your local hospital:

Our Emergency Department at King’s Mill Hospital remains extremely busy today with 228 patients in the department.

This is leading to severe overcrowding with all areas over-capacity. There are long waits to be seen as it is taking much longer for us to assess and treat our patients.

Please only attend our Emergency Department if it is an emergency - please consider other treatment choices.

Right now:

• Our Emergency Department is treating almost twice as many patients as it was designed to at any one time and with 43 patients waiting in department over 12 hours
• 41 patients who need to be admitted are still waiting for a bed to become available
• We have over 100 patients in our hospitals who are medically fit to be discharged now they have received the vital care they need from us. That’s around one-in-seven of our beds that – with your help – could be freed-up to help ease pressures in our Emergency Department
• We are taking all precautions to ensure the safety of our patients and their care and comfort
• If you have a serious injury or life-threatening condition, we are here for you - 24 hours a day, seven days a week

If you think you need your NHS but it’s not an emergency, please:

• Think NHS111 first: You can visit 111.nhs.uk online or call 111 for advice on where to go to access the treatment you need
• Your local pharmacist can help, including by suggesting over-the-counter treatments for many less serious conditions. Some local pharmacies are open out-of-hours: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy/
• Contact your GP team during their normal opening hours for all other conditions
• If you have a loved one in our hospital who’s ready to be discharged, please work with our hardworking teams to help get them home as soon as possible.
• Please only attend our Emergency Department if it is an emergency- please consider other treatment choices

01/12/2025

We would like to invite all those affected by the loss of a baby or child to join us for the Sherwood Forest Hospitals' Annual Winter Baby Loss Christmas Memorial Service.

The service will be held tomorrow, Tuesday 2 December, from 7pm for around 45 minutes, at St Philip Neri Catholic Church, 3 Chesterfield Road South, Mansfield NG19 7AB.

This special service provides an opportunity to come together, remember, and honour our babies during what can be a difficult time of year.
The service is mostly non-religious and includes candle lighting, as well as the opportunity to leave a name or message on our Christmas Tree, which will later be displayed in the Faith Centre at King’s Mill Hospital.

Refreshments will follow, with time to talk to other families and members of our Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team, Bereavement Midwives, and Ward 14 staff.

For more information, please contact our Spiritual and Pastoral team on sfh-tr.spiritualandpastoralcare@nhs.net or by telephone: 01623 622515 ext. 3047.

01/12/2025

Today is World Aids Day and we want to reiterate the support that is available to help prevent and treat the condition.

Free and confidential sexual health advice, testing, and preventative methods such as PrEP, PEP and condoms are all available form sexual health services Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Call 03001317010 or visit www.sexualhealthnn.co.uk to find out more.

You can find more detailed advice, guidance and information on the Terence Higgins Trust website: https://tht.org.uk/.

Providing free and confidential sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening, treatment, information and advice on sexual health matters

30/11/2025

There's still time to sign up to our December Coffee and Connect session this Tuesday at 2pm on Microsoft Teams.

Come and join the conversation around future plans for Mansfield Community Diagnostic Centre and give your views on the topic.

Reserve your spot! Simply email sfh-tr.pet@nhs.net or call 01623 672222.

28/11/2025

Spending time in hospital around Christmas can be even tougher for patients and their families than at other times of the year.

With the support of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity, our volunteers, partners, League of Friends (Mansfield & Sutton), Friends of Newark Hospital, and generous members of our local community we’ll once again be bringing some festive cheer to our hospitals.

This year, we’re encouraging anyone who wants to support our patients this Christmas to buy an item from our charity’s Amazon Wish Lists.

Lists have been created with gifts suitable for our older patients, those receiving end of life care or experiencing bereavement, and patients who have additional needs, in addition to children and babies. The majority of patients across our three hospitals are adults, particularly older people, and the selected gifts are well-received and can really help to boost morale.

🎁Check out our Amazon Wish Lists www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/about-us/sherwood-forest-hospitals-charity/amazon-wish-lists/

More ways to support your local hospitals this Christmas:

▪️Take part in our Christmas Jumper and Sock Day on Wednesday 10 December – make a donation to SFH

▪️ Make a donation to our charity instead of sending Christmas cards

▪️Buy tickets for our volunteer-run raffles at King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community hospitals

▪️Visit our Christmas gift stalls, run by our volunteers at King’s Mill and Newark hospitals, where you can buy reasonably priced Christmas gifts and stocking-fillers

▪️Attend one of our School Choir performances and pop some change in a collection bucket. Performances take place at King’s Mill from 1-19 December, at Newark on 11 December, and at Mansfield Community on 9 December.

▪️Play the charity lottery all year round and be in with a chance of winning up to £25,000. www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/about-us/sherwood-forest-hospitals-charity/your-charity-lottery/

▪️ Make a cash donation – even small amounts add up. Donate online, at the Community Involvement Hub at King's Mill or Newark hospitals, or by phoning 01623 676011 to pay by card.

Although the thought is kind, not all patients in our care can eat sweet treats because of dietary and medical issues, which is why we’re asking people to consider options other than chocolates or sweets.

To find out more about how you can support your local hospitals this Christmas, visit www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/about-us/sherwood-forest-hospitals-charity/.

28/11/2025

We have recently taken delivery of 30 new beds that will benefit children and small adults.

The Teddy Beds are safer and more comfortable for smaller patients, reducing the risk of falls or entrapment. They are easier for staff to move and more accessible when providing clinical care.

A total of 22 beds will be available on our children's ward, with four for use in other areas of King’s Mill, two at Mansfield Community Hospital and two at Newark Hospital.

Helen Walker, Paediatric Staff Nurse, said: “Children look more comfortable in the beds and they’re easier to use as adult beds can be a struggle. I like the fact that the side rails come down separately.”

Staff training on using the beds is underway.