Celebrating our people

I’m immensely proud of working here. I’ve worked in the NHS for a good number of years, I think since early 2000s, but this is something different. Coming here, I was part of a medical team. Tobacco dependence traditionally has been more based in the community, but this was a real opportunity to develop tobacco dependence for inpatients and outpatients, and working in a team that has continuity of care. We’re following up people, and not just discharging them and sending them home. We’re actually really keen to support them because things like tobacco dependence doesn’t go away. It’s a chronic addiction, chronic condition we’re prone to relapse. So it’s great to be part of that, doing something innovative and helping people. But we’re always pushing the boundary here. That’s what I like about the attitude here. We’re trying to do something different and not just accepting what’s already done. We’re defining new models of care.

I think teamwork here has always been great from when I was a student. I was a Healthcare Assistant, then I was a student, then I was a nurse. And then I would lead the team of specialist nurse, and the whole way through, I’ve just had a great team. I’ve had great leaders who’ve really pushed me and a great team. And that’s probably why communication and teamwork and deciding things together is so important to me because what I’ve had is what I’ve had in the whole nearly 20 years working here. And it’s what I then pass on to my team.

It’s a really great working environment. Everyone’s very friendly and supportive. There’s lots of opportunities, lots of different specialties, and you’ll get to do things that you don’t get to do anywhere else.

It’s pushed me to do better all for patients working here, because the variety of the patients that we see, they’re all completely different from all different parts of the world. London, different backgrounds. I like all the different challenges that can present each day. Each day is a totally different day for us. Yeah.

What I like most about it is the diversity of the patients and just that everyone’s extremely friendly in ED. Everyone’s happy to help out. It’s just a really exciting place, actually.

You can see the work, collectively, that comes in from the trust to try and better outcomes, to try and better positive patient experience, but also for staff as well. And I think King’s has got a real sort of arms round shoulders, let’s look after one another, we’re in it together.

And that from speaking to colleagues that have came from near and far or patients, the one thing they normally say is, “Oh we don’t get this in other hospitals.” And I can’t comment on it because I’ve never worked there professionally, but I think there’s a real strong work ethic. It’s got real good values and it really strives to believe what it’s kind of strategy is and does what it can to give you the tools in your toolkit to make that happen.

We’re the branches. That’s fundamentally King’s, as a trust, as an organization is that tree trunk. And it’s about how you can empower your staff to go out and actually do the better for the sake of the better good for the people within our community and the wider radius that we obviously look after.

What makes me proud is how specialised some of the services are that they provide at King’s, makes me really proud to be part of those. And also the amazing job that the staff here do every day and how hard people work. And all for patients, so making sure that they get the best care that they can.

I think there’s a nice sort of family feel on this site. It’s very nice. I’ve worked here a long time. You kind of feel like it’s like a second home and that’s nice. I would say they all work extremely hard. They’re all highly motivated, and they’re all nice people, got very strong work ethic, which I think is obviously very important.

Once you’re in here, it’s like a family commitment. You’ll have loads of friends and classed as family, really. I like it all.