Press releases & statements

Increasing rates of COVID infections in younger age groups means that from 6 August, we will require evidence of a negative test result within the last 24 hours

The COVID-19 pandemic and increased demand has disrupted our services, but we are now starting to see and treat patients with less urgent, but important healthcare needs

Patients, visitors and our staff must continue to follow guidelines, including wearing a face covering and complying with social distancing and hand hygiene guidance as before

Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E department resumes its night-time nurse-led service on 30 June in line with plans to restore the service to its pre-pandemic status

Gloucestershire Hospitals has approved clear face masks, to help health and care workers to communicate with people with conditions such as hearing loss, autism and dementia throughout the pandemic.

Armed Forces Day is a chance for everyone to show their support for the people who make up the Armed Forces community; from currently serving troops to Service families, veterans and cadets.

Some media reports today incorrectly state that Gloucestershire Royal Hospital has been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ by the CQC. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital continues to be rated as ‘Good’ by the CQC, however Urgent and Emergency Care has been changed to ‘Requires Improvement’ following a recent CQC inspection.

As part of our ongoing commemorations marking the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to remember the lives lost and reflect on the many changes that it has brought to all our lives.

Clinicians are welcoming the public back to Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E department as part of a two-step plan to restore services as we emerge from the pandemic.

Saturday 29 May marked a year since we began offering serology testing for COVID-19 at our Chemical Pathology laboratory at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

There's a new way to book your first midwife appointment in Gloucestershire

A Medical Ophthalmologist from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been named as a finalist at the prestigious Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP) Excellence in Patient Care Awards.

From Monday 24 May 2021, birth supporters will be able to attend all antenatal appointments, including ultrasound scans, and continue to support you during labour and birth. An additional supporter may also be present during labour, and we are extending visiting on our postnatal ward.

Hospitals in Gloucestershire are easing visiting restrictions further from Monday 17 May.

We are delighted to announce the phased re-opening of Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E department next month (June) in response to the continued reduction in community transmission of COVID-19 and low hospital admissions

Designated teams of midwives will care for women at all stages throughout their pregnancy, birth and in the early days following birth in a Continuity of Carer scheme being launched in Gloucestershire at the end of April.

With transmission rates continuing to reduce, the successful vaccination roll out in full swing and the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown continuing on track, the NHS in Gloucestershire has reviewed arrangements for visiting in the county’s hospitals.

The learning technology team at Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GHNHSFT) has been named Learning and Development Team of the Year, at the fifth Our Health Heroes Awards, for their rapid delivery of an eLearning package that helped ensure more staff had the skills to care for people with respiratory problems, within days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As part of our commemoration marking a year of COVID-19, we will be remembering the lives lost to the pandemic and thanking our colleagues for everything they have done and continue to do.

Gloucestershire Hospitals have confirmed their intention to reinstate Cheltenham A&E to pre-COVID-19 arrangements (24/7 A&E nurse led 8pm to 8am) no later than 1 July in response to the continued reduction in community transmission and falling hospital admissions.

As part of healthcare science week, Gloucestershire Hospitals is running a virtual Q&A, to showcase and celebrate the vital work of healthcare science and allied health professionals in our Trust.

Over 75% of apprentices at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust go on to find permanent work there, according to the latest figures.

From Monday 1 February, birth supporters will be offered rapid COVID-19 tests when they attend inpatient maternity services

The UK has left the EU and a trade deal has been announced. At Gloucestershire Hospitals, our key priority is to ensure the safety of patient care.

Our hospitals are and remain extremely busy and colleagues at both our hospitals have been working hard throughout the festive period to care for our patients

As we come to the end of 2020, we would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your outstanding dedication, in what has been one of the most difficult years we have ever experienced as an NHS trust.

Royal Visit: the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today paid a visit to our Covid-19 Vaccination Hub in support of the recent vaccination roll-out programme. This follows The Prince and The Duchess’s visit to the hospital in June, following the end of the first lockdown.

GPs and community NHS teams in some areas of the county will start COVID-19 vaccination of priority groups, for example the over 80s, from mid-week (pending vaccine delivery) with other areas following very soon.

Health and care leaders in Gloucestershire are urging people to approach the festive period with 'great caution' as they warn of rising hospital admissions and a potential third COVID-19 wave in January.

In pictures: view our photo gallery showing the COVID vaccination roll out in Gloucestershire

In Gloucestershire, the biggest and most highly anticipated immunisation campaign in history will begin at a hospital hub in Gloucester today before the scope of the programme is widened via an innovative community vaccination model.

The NHS will begin vaccinating patients against coronavirus at dozens of hospital hubs from this week at the start of the biggest immunisation programme in history.

Fit for the Future is part of the NHS in Gloucestershire’s vision for specialist hospital services at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals.

As England enters national lockdown tomorrow, the NHS in Gloucestershire is introducing some new visiting restrictions in the county’s hospitals.

Gloucestershire Hospitals has appointed its first ever Admiral Nurse to help coordinate care and provide expert guidance for dementia patients, their carers and families.

Join us for our Annual Members' Meeting

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been revalidated for the prestigious Gold award as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2020. It is one of only 14 NHS trusts in the country to receive the gold award.

Today the nursing and midwifery teams at Gloucestershire Hospitals take an important step in delivering a key component of our nursing and midwifery excellence programme. The establishment of our Nursing and Midwifery Excellence (NaME) Collective Leadership Council brings shared decision making to life.

The NHS in Gloucestershire is easing some of the restrictions around visiting hospitals as part of the next phase of COVID-19 planning.

Exciting plans to transform Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals as part of a £39.5m investment have taken a step forward after planning applications were submitted.

Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have today visited Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and met staff working in health and social care throughout the county.

In line with Government guidance, the NHS in Gloucestershire is asking hospital outpatients and visitors (who are not affected by current visiting restrictions) to plan ahead and have face coverings available for when they attend hospital from 15 June.

Temporary changes to services at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals will help ensure better and safer care for patients as we move into the next phase of the pandemic, clinicians have said.

DadPad is an information pack in digital form developed by dads, for dads to help fathers of all ages in Gloucestershire prepare for family life.

Staff at Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital are marking its Staff Advice and Support Hub’s first birthday today (Thursday 14 May) with a rainbow-themed day.

Gloucestershire Hospitals will be lighting up both hospital sites in a spectacular way this evening (12 May) in recognition of International Nurses Day and to coincide with the 200th birthday anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

Two thirds of COVID-19 patients who received intensive care at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals have been discharged.

This week is Dying Matters awareness week. The theme for this year’s Dying Matters week is 'Dying to be Heard', which aims to encourage people to listen to their loved ones if they want to talk about death.

Gloucestershire Hospitals will be lighting up its buildings in a spectacular way this evening (5 May 2020) to mark International Day of the Midwife.

The NHS in Gloucestershire is urging local people to continue to seek urgent medical help if they have symptoms of a potentially serious illness or health condition.

The NHS in Gloucestershire has today come together to launch the ‘Every Name a Person’ campaign.

In response to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the NHS in Gloucestershire has taken a number of temporary measures to help ensure it can continue to provide safe patient care.

Deborah Lee, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:

Deborah Lee, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:

Deborah Lee, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:

From Monday 9 March until Saturday 14 March, Gloucestershire Hospitals will be celebrating its healthcare scientists and the role they play in making a difference to patients’ lives as part of national Healthcare Science Week.

As part of our work to achieve our vision of providing the Best Care for Everyone, we want to start a conversation with children and young people.

Gloucestershire Hospitals is running an open day event for nurses on Saturday 7 March at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Eight out of 10 apprentices at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust go on to find permanent work there, according to the latest figures.

Focusing on health, information and choice in maternity care

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been chosen to pioneer a ground-breaking tissue donation initiative in England.

An independent Citizens’ Jury will meet for the first time on 20 January in Brockworth to begin its work and look at how specialist hospital services in Gloucestershire could develop in the future.

Opening hours for our cafes and restaurants for patients and visitors this Christmas

For the first time this year, we are live broadcasting our awards ceremony

Scientists have developed a pioneering new technique that can detect and diagnose one of the most common types of cancer within seconds - using light.

Gloucestershire Maternity and Neonatal teams are taking part in the Maternal and Neonatal Health Safety Collaborative (MNHSC), to increase the number of babies discharged to a smoke-free home.

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has appointed a leading orthopaedic surgeon from the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to work as a clinical ambassador in its London hub.

Following media coverage today about the future of Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E department, we are pleased to have had the support today of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in communicating our message that there are no proposals to close Cheltenham A&E.

An independently chaired Engagement Hearing will be held in public on Thursday 24 October 2019 offering people an opportunity to share their ideas and views on developing urgent and specialist hospital care in Gloucestershire in the future.

We want to say thank you to all our Allied Health Professionals for their dedication to delivering outstanding patient care.

Members of the Trust can now vote in our 2019 Governor Elections.

NHS leaders in the county say they want Gloucestershire to be ‘at the leading edge of healthcare’ as they resume a public discussion on ideas for how community urgent care and specialist hospital services could be provided in the future.

Exciting new opportunities in research in Gloucestershire are being explored thanks to the launch of a new research arm of the county’s Integrated Care System (ICS).

Join us at our Annual Members’ Meeting on Thursday 12 September 2019

This World Hepatitis Day, our specialist hepatology (liver) team are spreading the message that hepatitis C is curable using new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).

Scalp cooling treatment can be used to combat chemotherapy induced hair loss and we are looking for volunteers.

The event is aimed at celebrating Armed Forces Day as well as raising awareness about how we are improving NHS care for veteran, reservist and serving members of our armed forces and their families.

We are launching a new initiative which enables us to demonstrate how we offer our patients, their families and our staff open, non-judgmental and inclusive care and support regardless of how people define themselves.

Find out more about learning disability needs of patients an acute setting

We have been named a Veteran Aware hospitals trust in recognition of our commitment to improving NHS care for veterans, reservists, members of the armed forces and their families.

New Hub supports staff through the pressures of work and modern life

Wards 4B and 8B at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital are currently restricting visiting as a precautionary measure due to patients on those wards having flu-like illness and diarrhoea and vomiting.

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated Radiographers who are looking to gain experience in all aspects of general radiography, trauma, orthopaedics, and digital fluoroscopy.

We appeal to smokers to take their cigarettes well away from our buildings and grounds

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is taking the opportunity to highlight apprenticeship at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals throughout the week.

A better career starts here at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Make a difference and become a healthcare scientist! During Healthcare Science Week we are inviting year 11s and above to meet our teams, take a tour and take part in interactive sessions.

We are delighted to announce that the CQC has rated Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHNHSFT) as ‘GOOD’ overall, following a comprehensive inspection of services last autumn.

A new powerful county-wide campaign launches today highlighting the need to keep Gloucestershire’s two Accident and Emergency Departments clear for real emergencies.

We're reducing the reliance on external agency nurses through our virtual winter ward.

It has been agreed that the provision of X-ray services in Gloucestershire will be revised on an interim basis to ensure that the most specialist services can continue to be provided safely. The temporary changes are a response to the high levels of radiographer vacancies being experienced in Gloucestershire.

This year's winners were announced on 29 November

Armed Forces Champions launching on Armistice Day

British actress Emma Samms MBE has officially launched a new cancer support service at GRH

S.H.E.D is a new group for fathers of babies who start their life at Gloucester’s neonatal unit

We are working with GlosFire this week to promote home fire safety

We are pleased to announce that Kier will be our partner for the £39.5m capital project

Volunteer therapists wanted to work with cancer patients

Members of the public will have an opportunity to glimpse hospital life through the eyes of a clinician as part of this year’s Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM).

We were highlighted by NHS England earlier this year as one of the Trusts that has seen the greatest improvements in identifying and treating sepsis.

We are looking for volunteer hair dressers and nail technicians to help cancer patients

Staff at the hospitals will be celebrating National Breastfeeding week by taking their specialised support services out on the road from 21st June.

We're looking for people to join our experienced team of volunteer therapists

The Gloucestershire Chest Fund has kindly donated 6 non-invasive ventilators

Concerned about allergies? Why not come along to a support group?

You are invited to Gloucestershire’s first ever DiAthlete Event run by Gavin Griffiths

Where to turn if you’re struggling with becoming a parent

Over Easter, local charity ‘Feed the Hungry’ donated around 1,500 chocolate eggs for our inpatients, our volunteers and our staff.

Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals have been awarded £39.5m of capital funding to modernise hospital buildings, transform services and deliver even better patient care.

Our Chief Executive has been named one of the top 50 CEOs in the NHS in The Health Service Journal.

We are incredibly grateful to our staff for the continued commitment and professionalism that they’ve shown throughout the winter months.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published has published the National Maternity Survey and the results reveal the responses from women who had given birth in February 2017.

We appeal to smokers to take their cigarettes well away from our buildings and grounds, and hope that they will consider others before they light up.

Six year old Thomas was the first patient at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital to be part of Harvey’s Gang when he visited our pathology labs with his brother Lewis and mum Lorraine on 20th December.

Panto actors dressed in bright and colourful costumes brought some festive cheer to children at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Women suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) can now be looked after as day cases following an innovative move by the Trust designed to improve patient experience.

We are looking for new volunteer massage therapists to add to the team working in our Oncology Centre at Cheltenham.

It is Occupational Therapy Week between 6th - 12th November and we are taking the opportunity to promote the ways in which the OT profession improves the lives of our patients and service users.

Visitors to our sites this week will notice eye-catching new signs requesting that patients refrain from smoking on our sites, including in the grounds.

Learn more about your hospitals

A team of local hospital staff, led by their Chief Executive Deborah Lee, will face up to an epic army challenge on Exmoor this weekend to raise vital funds for local cancer patients.

We are proud to announce that we will be working with local family company Pulham’s Coaches to provide its newly revised 99 shuttlebus service.

We are currently working on a project looking at the experience of women using our maternity service.

An independent review into financial governance arrangements at our Trust has been published and shows that we are making good progress in returning the organisation to financial balance and ensuring that it is soundly governed.

Midwives at our Maternity Units are introducing initiatives to improve information for parents-to-be on the importance of being aware of their baby’s movements as we embrace national guidelines about reducing rates of stillbirth.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report has praised staff for their compassion, kindness and overriding commitment to patient care.

Now you have the opportunity to ask your own questions of a prestigious panel of decision makers in our county, and get some answers.

Staff at our hospitals are celebrating National Breastfeeding Week this week as well as their success in achieving the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation once again.

The Muslim Community in Gloucester has raised over £8000 for a new high-tech birthing bed for use in the Women’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

We're pleased to be supporting this year’s Open Studios art trail which once again links together 73 different exhibition venues.