New Milton Advertiser 16th Oct 2020

12 · Friday 16th October 2020

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News

First hugs thanks to ‘cuddle curtains’

Hospital trusts’ £147m merger finally complete

Man admits attacking woman A NEW Milton man who pleaded guilty to attacking a woman has been ordered to go on a Building Better Re - lationships course by a judge at Southampton Crown Court. Stephen Kyte (37), of Jow - itt Drive, admitted causing actual bodily harm on 7th May this year, for which he was handed an 18-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, as well as an 80-hour community service order. He was also given a re - straining order for five years and ordered to carry out 15 days of rehabilitation. He was also told to pay costs of £156. Youth police group invitation YOUNG people aged 14-25 are being invited to join a special organisation which helps inform and support Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner (PCC). The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Commission is seeking new members. PCC Michael Lane, said: “The youth commission works so well because it is about young people talking to, and hearing the voices of, other young people.” Visit www. hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/join Fire rips through town workshop MORE than 25 firefight - ers battled a blaze which ripped through a workshop in Fordingbridge last Friday morning. The alarm was raised around 7.40am as flames engulfed workbenches and engines at a commercial site in Ringwood Road. Equipped with breathing apparatus, the fire crews from the town, Ringwood, Eastleigh, Ferndown and Westbourne spent just under an hour containing the emer - gency. A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said the building had been deemed “saveable” and that an investigation into the inci - dent was not required.

will see the buildings at both sites revamped. To mark the merger, a virtu - al celebration was held for staff and public, hosted by Mrs Flem - ing and trust chair David Moss. There were also good wish - es from former colleagues and supporters and famous faces including actor Guy Henry, pa - tron of the Poole Hospital Can - cer Treatment Trust, and local resident and former football manager Harry Redknapp. UHD will employ more than 9,000 staff and has an annual turnover of more than £630m. It has promised the move will ensure both hospital sites and the university “benefit from significant future investment” which it said will satisfy “the trust’s ambitious capital pro - gramme”. The merger, which it first announced back in 2011, has had a bumpy ride. After for - mally proposing it in 2013 – the first between two UK hospital trusts – the idea was refused by the Competition and Markets Authority. The CCG pursued the merg - er again later but that sparked protests against Poole’s sug - gested downgrade to an urgent treatment centre and the loss of its A&E department. Opponents took their fight to the High Court in 2017 and 2018. But judges rejected their claim and ruled in favour of the CCG’s desire for the merger, which was ultimately supported in a pub - lic consultation. The merger was finally grant - ed approval in April this year by the Competition and Markets Authority. It said collaboration was a “better way” to meet in - creasing care demands. ing serious injury by dangerous driving. All three have been released under investigation. A second silver Skoda Fabia was reportedly seen in the area at the time, but was not in - volved in the collision. Police want to hear from res - idents in Salisbury Road with CCTV footage of the two Skod - as between 1.45pm and 2pm. They are also appealing for motorists with any dash cam footage. Contact Hampshire police on 101, quoting incident reference number 44200394740.

THE two trusts which run Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals have for - mally merged as part of a trans - formation in the way health - care is delivered in Dorset. Costing about £147m, the move has been nine years in the making and survived a gov - ernment rejection, protests, criticism from Care Quality Commission inspections and the departure of a chief exec - utive. While both hospitals will re - tain their own names, the trust will become University Hospi - tals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD) and link with Bournemouth University. Trust chief executive Debbie Fleming said: “University Hos - pital Dorset NHS Foundation Trust will be a stronger, more re - silient organisation, whichmeans we will be able to deliver much improved services for our pa - tients. “Today marks a watershed moment for acute hospital care in this area.” The merger has been driven by the Dorset Clinical Commis - sioning Group (CCG), which organises and plans healthcare for Dorset and whose members comprise senior retired and currently practising medics and the 81 GPs across the county. The move ratifies an over - haul of the way care is deliv - ered in Dorset which will see the Royal Bournemouth Hos - pital become the main emer - gency care centre and the host of updated maternity and pae - diatric services for the county. Poole will become the hub of planned care for patients who need treatment and non-emer- gency operations. The changes THREE men were arrested af - ter a cyclist was badly hurt in a collision with a car in Calmore. The incident involved a silver Skoda Fabia at the junction of Hill Street and the A36 Salis - bury Road just after 2pm on Sunday. The rider, a man in his 40s from Totton, was taken by am - bulance to hospital with serious injuries. Officers detained the trio, a 21-year-old from Holbury, a 19-year-old from Wood - lands, and a 19-year-old from Totton, on suspicion of caus -

Family members able to embrace thanks to sailmaker’s invention

BY ROZ WATERS

RESIDENTS at New Forest care homes have embraced loved ones for the first time in the pandemic thanks to Cov - id-safe “cuddle curtains” donat - ed by a Lymington sailmaker. The fully reusable kits, which have been designed and manu - factured at Sanders Sails, have been donated to Forest Oaks in Brockenhurst, St George’s in Milford and Little Haven in Dibden Purlieu. Peter Sanders launched the business in a small loft 45 years ago and now employs around 20 staff. During the pandem - ic the workforce have divided their time between making PPE equipment and sail-making. He said: “As a business mod - el I probably wouldn’t recom - mend it, but it is incredible feel - ing to be able to help out. “It is actually quite addictive – when people got in touch to ask for equipment or PPE, we always want to be able to say yes.” After donating PPE to For - est Oaks care home, Peter was asked if he could design a reus - able cuddle curtain that would enable residents to embrace their loved ones without the risk of transmitting the corona - virus. Faced with the task of creat - ing a cleanable curtain, Peter and his team designed the top section using clear material used for spray hoods and the bottom section with arms made out of a washable laminate ma - terial used in surgeon’s gowns. Peter said: “Each curtain has to be made in a bespoke way to fit a frame so it is quite a task. We have also designed them with six arm holes so the curtains can be raised up – en - abling visitors to cuddle the

Arrests after cyclist injured

Family members are finally able to hug at Forest Oaks care home in Brockenhurst

He said: “We have had some generous donations towards the cost of materials and as a company we have covered the labour and manufacture costs ourselves. “Everything we give is free to the recipients. As long as it will be used and appreciated we are very happy to do it.” Since the beginning of the pandemic Sanders Sails has donated to the NHS 25,000 PPE gowns; 1,500 sets of scrubs;

1,800 scrub bags and 1,600 face visors, as well as other bespoke equipment. The contribution earned the firm a 2020 nomination in the British Yachting Awards for outstanding achievements. To vote for Sanders Sails in the British Yachting Awards visit www.britishyachting awards.com To donate towards material costs visit www.sanders-sails. co.uk

residents standing up or sitting down. “Many of the residents in care homes have been unable to have contact with their loved ones for months, and you can - not know how long they might have left.” Despite the cuddle curtains being expensive and time-con - suming to make, Peter hopes that other care homes will now come forward asking for dona - tions to support the project.