We’ve been celebrating 3,855 years’ service, 220 graduates and our 10 staff award winners!

At our Long Service Awards (on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 July) 230 colleagues were presented with certificates recognising their combined 3,855 years’ service at our Trust.

Six of them have worked in our hospitals for 40 years, including Juliette Samuel (pictured above right, with her sister), who started as a midwife and is now a clinical skills facilitator in our Maternity Education team.

Juliette, our longest serving midwife, said:

The reason why I’ve been here for 40 years is because I love what I do.

Being recognised is an experience I’ll always remember and it was lovely to have my family with me. It’s been a wonderful experience.

 

Staff were also recognised for 30, 20, 15 and 10 years’ service at the event, which included performances from Bollywood dancers, steel drums (below), the Pfizer Chiefs, a staff band including our Chief Executive Matthew Trainer and Alan Wishart, our Director of Workforce and founding member of 80s Scottish rock band Big Country, and the BHRUT choir.

On Monday (8 July) 220 colleagues donned their graduation cloaks and mortar boards to celebrate completing a range of education and training programmes, including degrees, apprenticeships, professional and clinical development training, and management, improvement and research courses.

Among those giving speeches to congratulate them were our Chief Nurse Kathryn Halford, Martin Griffiths, Barts Health consultant and clinical director for violence reduction at NHS England, and Nichole McIntosh, London Regional Head of Nursing and Midwifery at Health Education England.

Nichole, who also trained at King George Hospital, said:

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2024. They’ve shown great determination and dedication to achieve academic excellence.

I reminded them that representation matters, however, if you can’t see it, be it!

And on Friday 5 July we held our staff awards, recognising teams and individuals who have gone above and beyond. A full list of winners is below.

Emma Beard, who along with her colleagues, the Emergency Department matrons, won the CEO team of the year award, said:

What this Trust does for staff is amazing. This is a great place to work, you get such support.

Awards were presented by Matthew Trainer.

Teams of the year:

• Corporate: Safeguarding, Learning Disabilities and Autism and Dementia team
• Cancer and Clinical Support: Mortuary team
• Frailty, Acute Medicine and Emergency: Emergency Department, King George Hospital
• Medicine: Tuberculosis Nursing team
• Surgery, Critical Care and Anaesthetics: Endoscopy team
• Women and Children: Maternity Day Assessment Unit.

Patient partner or volunteer of the year

Louise Hulbert, who, as well as being a patient partner volunteers on our stroke ward. Having had a stroke 10 years ago herself, Louise recently raised £900 for stroke rehabilitation.

CEO team award

Emergency Department matrons, who were recognised for their work to keep patients safe and well cared for despite the pressures on our A&E departments.

CEO individual award

Pravin Ghadge

CEO individual special mention award

Uchechi Igbokwe.

Both the individual and special mention CEO awards recognised colleagues who have been instrumental in improvements our Radiology team has made, reducing a backlog of 11,000 scans awaiting results in January 2023, to zero.

These were part of our ‘Celebrating BHRUT’ events, which started last week with a two-day career festival, inviting 1,300 primary and secondary schoolchildren from across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge to come to Queen’s Hospital and find out more about NHS careers.