STAFF at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) have celebrated a milestone by marking its first birthday.

Elizabeth Padmore, chairman of HHFT, and members of the board celebrated with patients and staff across the trust’s three hospitals in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover. HHFT was formed on January 9, 2012, when Basingstoke hospital chiefs took over the running of the Andover War Memorial Hospital and the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester.

Deputy chief executive Donna Green said the trust had largely overcome the challenges presented by amalgamating three hospitals.

She said: “There have been challenges, especially with staff having to move between sites, but they have been very supportive.”

In the coming year, the trust hopes to open a private patient ward at Basingstoke, as previously reported by The Gazette, refurbish several wards, and possibly open a fracture clinic at Basingstoke hospital. Mrs Green said the trust is also moving forward with big plans for the next few years, including creating a multi-million pound critical treatment hospital and a cancer centre.

She said: “We would not have been able to fund these plans before. The three hospitals coming together means we are able to do more for patients and receive more funding.”

Mrs Green joined Mrs Padmore and members of the board of directors for a whistle-stop tour of the three hospitals last Wednesday, enjoying some celebratory cake with patients and staff at the three sites. Mary Edwards, chief executive of HHFT, said she is pleased with what the trust has achieved in its first year. She said: “We have achieved a great deal in our first year.

“We are very proud of our staff’s commitment to providing high-quality care for our patients and we will do more in the year ahead to improve facilities, keep on improving the quality of care and provide services for our local communities.”