Royal Surrey marks NHS's 77th birthday with outstanding year-long achievements | News
Royal Surrey marks NHS's 77th birthday with outstanding year-long achievements
As the NHS celebrates its 77th birthday this weekend (Saturday 5 July), Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust reflects on an exceptional year of achievements that exemplify the very best of healthcare innovation and patient care.
A year in numbers
In the latest figures (April 2024-April 2025), the trust’s teams delivered outstanding care across all services:
Emergency and urgent care:
- 90,000 patients treated in our Emergency Department
- More than 17,000 patients supported through the Minor Injuries Unit
Planned Care and Diagnostics:
- 504,000 people cared for in outpatient clinics
- 14,275 surgical procedures performed
- 70,000 CT and MRI scans carried out
- 3,267 babies delivered
Specialist Cancer Services:
- More than 8,000 patients treated at our specialist cancer centre
- 4,800 chemotherapy patients provided with care
- 3,800 radiotherapy sessions delivered
Outstanding care and leadership
The trust received the highest possible rating from the Care Quality Commission – Outstanding – following an intensive inspection. Speaking about this achievement, Group Chief Executive of Royal Surrey and Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts, Louise Stead, said: “This is a proud moment of recognition for the entire Royal Surrey family.”
The June 2025 announcement was hot on the heels of news that Group Chief Executive Louise was ranked among the top 50 NHS leaders for the third year running, particularly notable this year as she expanded her leadership role to include Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Major infrastructure developments to boost care
Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre: Construction progressed significantly on the £41.5m development, which will provide operations for up to 7,000 extra patients annually.
Cancer Centre redevelopment: A £6m Cancer Centre redevelopment was completed and officially opened, with Paralympic gold medallist Erin Kennedy OBE cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
Community Diagnostics Centre: The trust also opened the door of its new Community Diagnostics Centre in Milford. Once fully operational, this new state-of-the-art facility will offer:
- An additional 11,000 MRI and 9,500 CT scans per year
- Faster diagnosis of illnesses such as cancer and heart disease
- Services closer to home for patients
Care innovations and milestones
AI-powered emergency care: Royal Surrey joined a select group of trusts to implement an AI tool in urgent and emergency care to assist reading chest X-rays. This cutting-edge technology is benefitting patients visiting the Emergency Department (ED), helping medical teams diagnose urgent conditions quickly and accurately.
Advanced cancer treatment: During the 77th year of the NHS, Royal Surrey treated its 500th rectal cancer patient using a cutting-edge radiotherapy technique. It is one of only four centres in the UK offering treatment with the contact brachytherapy Papillon machine, specialist equipment delivering targeted radiation directly to the tumour and minimising damage to healthy tissue.
Men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer are also benefitting from treatment advancements that mean fewer doses of radiotherapy treatment – eligible patients can now receive five high-dose treatments across two weeks, instead of up to 37 sessions spread over several weeks.
Specialist dental imaging: There was good news for patients needing complex dental imaging. Thanks to the Radiology team, the trust acquired a specialist machine – a Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scanner – that uses X-rays and a computer to produce 3D cross sections of jaws and teeth.
A touch of heart
Wedding bells on the ward: Long-term couple Margaret Green and Tony Howard tied the knot on the trust’s Albury Ward, surrounded by five of their six children and ward staff. The couple praised the team for making their wedding a beautiful and special occasion.
Heart-warming endorsement: High-profile, respected healthcare leader and independent NHS reviewer Donna Ockenden gave high praise to staff on the trust’s Clandon Ward, who had cared for her father, providing them with a winning nomination for the Royal Surrey Patients’ Choice – Team 2024 award. She said:
“I have spent my life since 1986 in and around the NHS and I visit a lot of hospitals. Clandon Ward was the best led and most patient-focused environment I believe I have experienced in all of this time. They cared for my dad with the very highest level of respect and care, and did all they could to maintain his dignity.”
Moving onto year 78
As the NHS enters its 78th year, Royal Surrey's achievements demonstrate that the founding principles of healthcare free at the point of use continue to drive innovation and excellence across Surrey and beyond.