Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Our governors and non-executive directors learnt more about the amazing research taking place at the Royal Free Hospital. They visited our Clinical Research Facility and Ian Charleson Day Centre to hear about the difference research is making to our patients. Clinical research is a key part of our trust’s mission, and you can find out more on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/ecDvYCXq

To celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth some amazing colleagues from Barnet Hospital's Rainbow Ward performed a traditional Ghanaian dance. ❤️ The dance of the Ga Adangbe people is a celebratory dance, often used to celebrate the Homowo Festival, and was greeted with cheers by all the colleagues who attended. 👏 Huge shout out to our brilliant colleagues at Rainbow Ward for sharing this fantastic tradition! We are incredibly proud of our diverse workforce who deliver world class care to all of our patients. How are you celebrating #BHM24?

We are pleased to announce that Palmer Winstanley has been appointed as chief executive of Chase Farm Hospital and group clinical services. He has been the acting chief executive at Northampton General Hospital for the past year. Previous to this, Palmer worked at King’s College Hospital before moving to Northampton General Hospital as the chief operating office and deputy chief executive. Before joining the NHS, he served in the military. Peter Landstrom, group chief executive of the Royal Free London, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Palmer to the Royal Free London."

On the 3rd anniversary of the Pears Building, a new film has been launched celebrating the word of the scientists who work there. Watch the film on our website below and read more about incredible research happening at the Institute of Immunity and Transplantation 👇 https://lnkd.in/eJWZWivr

We are pleased to announce that two new non-executive directors have been appointed to the Royal Free London board. Professor Wendy Reid, chair of Manx Care, the Isle of Man’s integrated care system, and non-executive director on the board of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, joined the trust this month. A respected national leader, Wendy was the medical director and interim chief executive of Health Education England, and also served as vice president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Previously she was a dean of postgraduate medicine in London and an advisor to the Department of Health. Vivek Ahuja is a senior business leader, with over 30 years of global finance experience, and joins the RFL on Tuesday 1 October. He is a non-executive director at the FTSE 250 company PZ Cussons plc and a non-executive director at NatWest Markets plc, in addition to his role as a council member of King’s College London. He was most recently the chief executive officer of Terra Firma Capital Partners, a private equity firm. For many years, Vivek was a senior executive at Standard Chartered plc, serving latterly as their deputy group chief financial officer, and various senior global and international finance roles. Vivek is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Wendy said: “I’m delighted to join the Royal Free London board and am looking forward to bringing my experience of medical leadership to this role - supporting the trust in its ambitious five-year clinical strategy.” Vivek added: “I’m very pleased to be joining the Royal Free London board and excited to be supporting the trust in the next chapter of its extraordinary journey - helping to ensure patients across the trust can continue to receive the very best care.” Mark Lam, trust chair, said: “I’m so pleased to welcome Wendy and Vivek to the board. They both have a huge amount of experience in, respectively, healthcare and finance, and I’m sure they will prove very valuable additions to our team of non-executive directors. I look forward to working with them both.”

“I must do what I can” For Martha Myers, this year’s organ donation week will be a particularly poignant time – the first she has spent without her ‘remarkable’ husband David who sadly died this summer. In previous years David, who fearlessly campaigned on behalf of Royal Free London (RFL) patients, helped lead the charge locally to raise awareness of organ donation. Now, in his absence, Martha says she feels compelled to support the NHS Blood and Transplant and the RFL’s campaign this week to encourage people to make a difference by signing up to the organ donation register, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. Martha said: “There is no way I could begin to step into David’s shoes but I feel passionately he would want me to take this opportunity to urge people to sign up to the organ register and make their wishes known in event of their death. I must do what I can.” David was the chair of the RFL organ donation committee and life president of the Royal Free Hospital Kidney Patients Association (RFHKPA). He previously chaired the RFHKPA for many years. David spent eight years on dialysis before receiving his first kidney transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in 1998. He then received a second kidney transplant in 2017, as part of a three-way paired and pooled kidney transplant exchange. As part of this, Martha donated one of her kidneys to a stranger so that all the operations could be successfully completed. At the age of 21 David opened his own advertising business but life took an unexpected turn when he faced the formidable challenge of kidney failure. Martha said: “This diagnosis could have easily overshadowed his spirit, but instead, it ignited a new path for him. Rather than succumbing to despair, David redirected his talents and discipline toward understanding and addressing health issues. He immersed himself in research and collaboration, dedicating countless hours to develop plans and initiatives that aimed to improve the lives of those facing similar health challenges. His ability to transform adversity into a driving force for good exemplified his character and resilience.” Martha added: “David approached each day with dignity and courage, finding joy in the little things and inspiring those around him to do the same. His infectious laughter and positive outlook served as a beacon of hope not only for himself but also for countless others who were touched by his journey.” She said: “Each setback for David was met with the same tenacity and grace that had defined his life thus far. He harnessed his experiences to advocate for awareness and support for those battling similar illnesses, proving that even in the face of immense suffering, one can still make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.”

Missed our annual members’ meeting? Groundbreaking research and education took centre stage at this year’s Royal Free London (RFL) annual members’ meeting. Members of the public, as well as staff and patients, packed into the Sir William Wells Atrium at the Royal Free Hospital (RFH) for the event. Attendees heard from Professor Alan Salama, consultant nephrologist, and Nicole Matthew, a RFH patient. They discussed how Alan’s research into a vaccine that protects kidney transplant patients against urinary tract infections (UTI) has made a real difference to Nicole’s life. Shortly after receiving her new kidney, Nicole began experiencing recurrent UTIs and was admitted into intensive care. After joining the research trial last year, the number of UTIs Nicole faced dropped significantly from six each year to one or two. She said: “My quality of life has improved immensely. I had accepted I would be in and out of hospital for treatment, but since being vaccinated, it’s just not the case.” The event was chaired by lead governor, Sneha Bedi, who was joined by group chair, Mark Lam, and group chief executive, Peter Landstrom. Sneha discussed how the Council of Governors had carried out their statutory duties, such as engaging with members and providing feedback to the trust’s board. She shared their highlights of the year, which included helping to develop the trust’s new public website. Mark and Peter reflected on the recent unrest across the country. Mark said: “This shocked us all and I would like to reassure our staff, communities and those of you with us this evening, that we stand together against any form of discrimination, including Islamophobia, antisemitism, or racial hatred of any kind. Peter added: “I have been in the NHS for 22 years - the racism that we saw is the absolute antithesis of what our NHS is about – caring for patients regardless of their skin colour, their beliefs, their gender, or their sexuality." Discussing our trust’s new five-year clinical vision, Peter said: “We’ve done a lot of thinking on our future direction of travel as an organisation and earlier this year we launched our clinical vision – an ambitious plan which will support our staff to deliver the very best of the NHS. “It is designed with the needs of our local populations in mind to ensure we deliver the best possible health outcomes.” Attendees were also able to ask our executive directors questions and share their views. The final message from the speakers was one of appreciation for the trust’s staff. Peter said: “We have fantastic equipment and amazing developments, but none of it would be possible without our staff – they are the life blood of the Royal Free London.” You can watch a recording of the event on our website here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eGgARstp

A new garden which provides patients with a calming space away from the hospital has opened. The Roy Bard Rare Diseases Hub Garden is a dedicated area where patients visiting the Royal Free Hospital’s rare diseases hub, chemotherapy lounge and planned investigation treatment unit can pause and reflect. Designed by the award-winning landscaper Kate Gould, the garden is a beautiful resource for our patients who often need some time away from the hospital setting when they are visiting us. Staff including porters, domestics, administrative colleagues, doctors, and nurses who work in these areas are also welcome to visit the garden. Andrew Symes, senior immunology clinical nurse specialist, and lead for the project, said: “A huge thank you to all my colleagues who helped create this space. We are incredibly grateful to the Roy Bard Charitable Foundation, immunology patient support group and Renate Shoshanah Hoffman, who is a supporter of the Royal Free Hospital, for their generosity." Steve Spoerry, interim chief executive of the Royal Free Hospital said: “I am extremely grateful to Andrew Symes and the team for their commitment and for making this garden a reality. Patients visiting these areas often spend a large amount of time in the hospital and therefore, the environment that they are in makes a real difference to their experience. This space is somewhere they can go with their family and friends for a break.” Jon Spiers, chief executive of the Royal Free Charity said: “The Royal Free Charity works hand in hand with donors, and the Royal Free London to make a transformational difference to the experience of patients and staff, helping the NHS go further, faster than it could alone. “We are thrilled to support this beautiful resource for patients, which will support their wellbeing, and give them a valuable space to pause, reflect, and take a breath during their treatment." Our trust is one of the largest providers of cancer care in the UK and cancer is a key pillar of our clinical vision.

Our governors had the chance to see the North London Breast Screening Service during a recent visit to Edgware Community Hospital. They met with our dedicated staff who manage the service and saw first-hand the state-of-the-art technology that is helping to diagnose breast cancers earlier and improve outcomes for our patients.

Congratulations to our ophthalmology department who were highly commended for the best use of integrated care and partnership working in the Health Service Journal Patient Safety Awards! 🏆 The single point of access pathway in collaboration with Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, North Central London - Integrated Care System and others means community optometrists and GPs can now send referrals for direct centralised triage, which is then sent on to the patient’s preferred hospital for management. The collaboration includes targeted optometrist education and referral feedback, and dynamic digital modelling to improve access to hospital resources. Pictured are Radhika Rampat, consultant ophthalmologist, and Rohit Jolly, clinical service lead for ophthalmology at the Royal Free London. Thank you to our ophthalmology teams who are supported by Caroline Hagard and Leana Cedeno, to name a few.