29 staff dedicate more than 725 years of service to NHS

Staff who have dedicated the majority of their working lives to the NHS have been honoured for their commitment at an awards ceremony at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

The Trust's long service awards, funded by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, saw 29 staff who have each contributed at least 25 years of service receive awards at the celebratory event.

Staff given the award have varied roles at Guy’s and St Thomas’ including housekeeping assistants, matrons, radiographers, researchers, and surgeons.

Martin Gough is a children's orthopaedic surgeon who has worked at the Trust since 1998. Martin is part of a team at Evelina London Children’s Hospital who support children from London and the south east affected by orthopaedic problems because of neuro-disabilities like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and spina bifida. Martin and the team have gained national and international recognition for their expertise.

Martin said: "It's about seeing children as people and thinking about the child and the family, and how they view things. The only way you can do that is by staying quiet and listening. Then we can see what we can do to help.”

Judith Hall is a physiotherapist and head of the community rehabilitation and falls service, and has worked in the NHS for 27 years. The team offer exercise programmes to improve strength, balance and confidence when walking, in a variety of settings including leisure centres.

Judith said: “I’m in my 50s and as you get older, and your parents age, you realise that although you may appear older to people, we all have so much more to offer. I want to keep people as fit as possible so they are able to contribute and participate in work and social activities for as long as is possible.

But the way I put patients first is by putting my staff first. We create a good team environment which really allows staff to flourish and we consistently get good feedback.

Michael Connolly has been an ambulance care assistant and staff shuttle bus driver at the Trust for 29 years. Working with patient transport services, Michael would collect patients from their homes across south east London and Kent and transport them to and from hospital. Some patients, like people receiving treatment for kidney problems, visit the hospital several times a week.

Michael said: “Patients recognise me in the shops, because I’m a local lad from the Old Kent Road. I pride myself on manners and politeness. That’s what is important. Be calm, listen to the patients, talk to them nicely. And don’t hurry them.”

Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’, read out the citations at the ceremony which highlighted the skills and dedication of those who reached the quarter-century milestone.  

He said: “These are challenging times for the NHS. But it is colleagues such as the 29 staff honoured at our long service awards that can make a difference to the lives of our patients and to their colleagues. Thank you for your continued compassion, dedication and extraordinary commitment to our Trust.”

Each staff member was presented with a gold badge.

Colin Kinloch, Director of Funding at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity said, ‘We’re proud to continue funding the long service awards in recognition of staff like Martin, Judith and Michael who have all made such extraordinary, long-term commitments to the NHS.

“Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity exists to support the incredible staff and exceptional healthcare provided by Guy’s and St Thomas’, and backing these awards is a key part of our long-term focus on staff wellbeing.

“We take particular pleasure in the fact that these awards celebrate positive contributions across clinical and non-clinical staff alike. Well done to all this year’s recipients.”