Volunteers make a big difference to our hospitals and Volunteers Week has been a great opportunity for us to highlight a couple of people who dedicate their time to help others.

Congratulations to Khadiza Siddika, who has been awarded Student Volunteer of the Year by the University of Westminster. Khadiza has spent time helping others at both Queen’s and King George hospitals, from directing people to different wards, screening patients during the pandemic and on one occasion, acting as a translator for a patient.

People choose to give back for different reasons and I was heartened to read Michael Tarbuck’s story, who recently joined us after seeing what a difference volunteers made to his own experience during his lung cancer treatment.

Volunteers like Khadiza and Michael are highly valued at our Trust. If you or someone you know may be interested in a voluntary role, please visit our website.

Young Person’s Forum launched

People of all ages use our services and I want our patients to know they can make a genuine difference at our hospitals.

To help ensure younger people have their say, we’ve launched a Young Person’s Forum for 15 to 18-year-olds and we are looking for more people to join.

The forum will be a great way to make friends, provide a voice for younger patients and also learn how we review services. The role can also be added to CVs and personal statements.

The Platinum Jubilee at our hospitals

It was great to see so many people celebrating the Platinum Jubilee across our communities and I hope you were all able to enjoy some downtime.

Although our hospitals were busy, our staff and partners made sure patients were able to enjoy the celebrations.

Our children’s ward enjoyed a Royal-themed arts and crafts session, Jubilee-themed choices were available in our restaurants and a special menu was prepared for patients with food options from the 1950s, recognising when the Queen was crowned. Staff who worked also enjoyed a sweet treat, thanks to our partners Mitie and Sodexo.

Celebrating Pride

June is Pride Month and I’m delighted that our LGBT+ Staff Network received a coveted national award at The Bank of London Rainbow Honours, which is one of the UK's biggest LGBT+ awards events.

Pride is a fantastic opportunity to educate ourselves about LGBT+ issues and show support to our colleagues because we must make sure all LGBT+ staff feel welcome and included.

It’s crucial that our Trust is an inclusive place to work and our LGBT+ network is organising a number of events for all staff to enjoy throughout the month.

Have a good weekend.

Best wishes.

Matthew Trainer
Chief Executive