Our group of hospitals provide a huge range of clinical services to people in east London and beyond.
We operate from four major hospital sites (The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s, Whipps Cross and Newham) and a number of community locations, including Mile End hospital. Around 2.5 million people living in east London look to our services to provide them with the healthcare they need.
Barts Health NHS Trust has a long history of serving the population of East London, we are proud that Edith Cavell as a pioneer of modern nursing and a heroine of the Great War trained and worked at the Royal London Hospital from 1896-1901.
Edith’s memory continues to inspire us, Senior Sister Tosh Denholm of our outpatient department reflects “Edith Cavell’s legacy to the nursing profession is her inspirational example. She went that extra mile by not only nursing soldiers in WW1 but also by helping them to escape back to Britain. It was long ago but every day I see nurses that I work with, doing that little bit more and going beyond what is expected of them. I would like to think that I would have been as brave as Edith; she must have been very courageous. It is a privilege to look after our patients and Edith set an extremely high bench mark with her expectation of high standards for compassionate care”.
There are occasions when the nurses and midwives who care for others, require support themselves, sometimes it can be hard to reach out to managers and ask for assistance, that’s why a range of support is needed for the staff who continue to care for the population of East London and beyond.
Why have Barts Health NHS Trust joined ‘Working with’?
“We are proud to be working with Cavell Nurses’ Trust especially in this International year of the Nurse and Midwife, it’s been 100 years since Edith’s statue was erected outside the National Portrait gallery in London and our nurses are proud to remember her legacy by laying a wreath there each October, this collaboration with Cavell Nurses’ Trust strengthens our commitment to Edith’s memory and to supporting nurses and midwives when they need it most”
Caroline Alexander, Group Chief Nurse, Barts Health NHS Trust.
“Demonstrating compassion to staff and showing that they matter gives a clear message that we promote staff wellbeing in our organisation. When we care for staff and provide a range of support mechanisms such as our connection with Cavell Nurses’ Trust which provides access to guidance and financial support at times of hardship, we demonstrate that we are living our values not only to the patients, families and carers that we serve, but also to the staff who are the life force of our organisation”.
Lucie Butler, Director of Nursing at the Royal London Hospital.