Thousands of Frimley Health staff will be working hard around the clock on Christmas Day to keep our patients and communities safe.

Up to 3,000 people will be on duty at Frimley Park, Wexham Park and Heatherwood hospitals and several satellite sites to make Christmas Day as special as possible for the hundreds of patients who are too unwell to be at home.

In our emergency departments at Wexham Park and Frimley, teams of professionals will be spending time away from their families on Christmas Day so they can be ready for the hundreds of sick and injured people expected to need urgent care. 

Medical and clinical teams will be helped by support teams such as cleaners, catering teams, IT and estates professionals, porters, security specialists, receptionist, volunteers, and many more who keep our hospitals running 24/7, 365 days a year. 

In addition to busy emergency departments, urgent care facilities and inpatients wards, our community teams will be supporting people in their own homes over the festive period. And while Santa prepares to deliver presents across the world, our maternity teams will be helping to deliver babies around the clock – with between 10 and 20 new arrivals expected tonight (Christmas Eve) and Christmas Day.

Catering teams will be busy in hospital kitchens preparing 1,000 full Christmas lunches – including all the festive trimming - for staff, and up to 1,500 more for patients.

The Christmas cheer has once again been boosted by the Frimley Health Charity’s Golden Christmas Appeal’s to provide presents for patients on Christmas morning, festive treats for teams and free meals for staff as a thank you from the community.

James Clarke, Chief Strategy Officer at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our teams have been exceptional this year, once again rising to the challenge of treating increasing numbers of patients.

“But nothing illustrates the incredible professionalism, dedication and teamwork of Frimley Health and the NHS more than Christmas time.

“We are so grateful for everything they do and for all the other brilliant people across our communities who sacrifice their own time with loved ones to ensure that the rest of us can remain safe at this special time of year.

“We are also thankful for the amazing people who have contributed to this year’s Golden Christmas Appeal, whose generosity will ensure that our staff and patients know that they are not forgotten over the next few days.”

Frimley Health is advising the public who need healthcare during the festive period to choose the right service for their needs. People should use NHS 111 online first and only use emergency departments or dial 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.