Peterborough's Fitzwilliam Hospital plans special celebration for 40 year anniversary

Fitzwilliam Hospital, on Milton Way, Bretton, is celebrating four decades of service its community this month.

The private hospital- part of the Ramsay Health Care Group- first opened in 1983, as an independent hospital, staff and doctors with 41 beds and has cared for thousands of patients since then.

To celebrate this 40-year milestone and to thank all staff and consultants, Fitzwilliam is throwing a Summer Ball at The Haycock Hotel. There will also be a commemorative lead-up week in the hospital with cakes, retro sweets, and balloons.

Carl Cottam, Hospital Director, Fitzwilliam Hospital said: “It’s a real honour to be leading the team and the hospital in its 40th year. Fitzwilliam Hospital has been committed to delivering exceptional care to patients in the local area since its opening in 1983.

“My responsibility is to make sure that our patients always come first as we continue our commitment to providing first-class independent healthcare for the next 40 years.

“Since joining the Fitzwilliam Hospital in 2012, I have been very impressed by the attitude of the staff and the consultants and their desire to develop the hospital. Staff are proud of their hospital and they deliver compassionate, dignified, and respectful care for patients. I am delighted to thank them for their dedication with our planned celebratory festivities.”

Long-serving staff arrived at the hospital in its early years and have seen a lot of changes. Angela Haynes, Theatre Operative, is the longest-serving member of staff at 35 years. Administrators Sandra Lilley and Julie Green and Housekeeper Diane Smith, have all worked at Fitzwilliam for 31 years.

Angela said: “I have so many good memories over my years working at Fitzwilliam. From nurses wearing caps, the day case unit opening and the equipping of our ultra clean air theatre suite. Fitz has a uniquely warm and friendly culture and I’ve always felt like part of the Fitzwilliam family.”

The hospital is situated in the grounds of the Milton Estate and provides services to insured, self-funding and NHS patients. The hospital is an Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence and offers a full range of orthopaedic procedures including spinal assessment. Other procedures include general surgery, cataract surgery, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, gynaecology, cosmetics, weight loss, varicose vein treatment, gynaecology, colonoscopy, ear, nose and throat and urological procedures.

The hospital also provides a Private GP Service and One Stop Breast Service.

The original hospital was opened with three theatres in 1983. Today they are five theatres plus various capital schemes to upgrade the facilities as part of a continual investment programme.

The hospital expanded in 2009 with the opening of The Braithwaite Suite, a new daycase unit for minor operations and endoscopies. It was named after Sir Franklyn Braithwaite, Chairman of local Baker Perkins Holdings Ltd and a treasured patient at the hospital. The Braithwaite Suite was opened by Barry Fry who was the Director of the Peterborough United Football Team and Darren Ferguson along with the Peterborough United players.

Year on year, the hospital supports the Sue Ryder Hospice by staff taking part in the annual Dragon Boat race event. In response to the Ukraine crisis, Fitzwilliam sent donations of items including non-perishable food goods, sanitary products, baby formula, medical supplies, PPE and used crutches to assist with Ukraine’s healthcare provision.

During Covid, Fitzwilliam worked with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust so that the Trust’s surgeons could continue to undertake urgent breast, gynaecological, urological and other cancer surgery and their patients could recover at Fitzwilliam Hospital. This relieved the pressure on beds and freed up some capacity for the local NHS Trust to perform more complex urgent surgery for non-Covid-19 patients.

Fitzwilliam Hospital won the prestigious Patients’ Choice Award 2022 from Private Healthcare UK for the fourth time last year.