Frimley Park Hospital

History

Frimley Park Hospital opened in 1974 to provide a full range of district general hospital services for North East Hampshire and West Surrey, a catchment population of about 365,000. The hospital consists of many departments including an accident and emergency department (A&E) a Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and multiple operating theatres. The Hospital was one of five selected in 1995 by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to host a Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit, and this was established in February 1996. Military staff are integrated into the hospital workforce and treat both military and civilian patients. Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust took over running of the hospital from Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October 2014. It is now part of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Frimley Park also has links with Farnborough Sixth Form College with several of its students working as porters and healthcare assistants, and gaining work experience placements there.

Events

It was the birthplace of the two children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, and Rugby Union World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson. The actor Derrick De Marney died at the hospital in 1978, as did actor and comedian Arthur English in 1995.

In 2015 Frimley Park hit controversy when it emerged it was charging patients £2,552 for cataract surgery, triple the actual cost for the treatment, which is available for free on the NHS.

Performance

After an inspection in August 2015 the hospital was one of only three in England rated "outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission.