Staff honoured for their long service

Dedicated staff who have been working at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for much of their careers were thanked for their long service in an event at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Some 25 members of staff who have collectively worked at the trust for more than 700 years were celebrated.

Covering a wide range of clinical and non-clinical roles - from nursing to finance, housekeeping, physiotherapy, physicist, receptionists, procurement and more – each member of staff has worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for at least 25 years.

Honouring them, Sir Hugh Taylor, Chairman of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said “We are incredibly grateful to every long-serving member of staff, for giving such dedication and loyalty to Guy’s and St Thomas’ for so much of their careers.

“Each one embodies the very spirit of the Trust’s values, inspiring colleagues to do the same, and helps to provide the best experience and care possible for all our patients.”

Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’, read out the citations which highlighted the skills and dedication of those who reached the quarter-century milestone. Each staff member was presented with a gold badge. The long service awards are funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.

Grainne Walsh is a paediatric advanced nurse practitioner who joined the trust 28 years ago as a post-graduate student. She is now one of the country’s leading nurses for paediatric renal transplantation.

Grainne said: “The children with transplants I look after at Evelina London will be patients for life, a journey I’ve supported them on and shared with them for the last 25-plus years.”

Claire Bluemel, head of nursing, joined the trust in 1994 to work in the intensive care unit, then set up the high dependency unit at Guy’s Hospital. She has worked in a number of senior roles, including Senior Site Nurse Practitioner and was praised for her “compassionate leadership with high standards of care”.

Claire said: “I remain passionate about nursing and have felt supported at Guy’s and St Thomas’ to make a difference to patients, staff and colleagues.”

Therapeutic radiographer Wendy Goldshaker joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ in 1995 and was instrumental in establishing the pre-treatment service in the satellite unit in Sidcup, to help bring radiotherapy treatment closer to patients.

She said: “Working for a trust that values striving to be the best has meant that I have had the opportunity to use the latest technology to develop innovative radiotherapy techniques with some of the most amazing colleagues in the business. This is what I owe nearly 27 years of service to!”

Mike Mackie, chief medical technologist at the Trust, is one of the longest serving members of staff at the Lane Fox respiratory unit since he joined 26 years ago.

He said: “When I started in Lane Fox patients were still using iron lungs for respiratory support. Technology has vastly transformed ventilation of patients, and now they can have a ventilator that can be held in one hand.”

David Clarke has worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for nearly 27 years, and for 22 of those with the patient transport team.

David said: “I put my long service down to knowing as a team we play a very important role in making our patients’ experience of coming to and from the hospital a good and comfortable one, which aids their recovery.”

Carol McCoskery, now head of nursing in cardiovascular, started her career as a trainee nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ 39 years ago and after periods in Papworth and Glasgow she returned to the Trust in 1994. Carol said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Guy’s and St Thomas’, in various roles including ward sister, lead nurse and head of nursing.”

The celebratory event took place on Thursday 2 December.