Next year, Barts Hospital in the City of London celebrates its 900th anniversary. A phenomenal milestone!
Ahead of International Nurses Day, Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster had the pleasure to meet Angela Robinson, Director of Nursing and Governance at Barts Hospital and pay special tribute to the amazing nurses working day in, day out to care for people across our neighbourhoods.
During Nickie's visit to Barts, she caught up with Chief Executive, Professor Charles Knight, for a tour of the hospital and heard about the hospital’s plans for the future to remain at the forefront of health innovation. Plans include a state-of-the-art dedicated centre for breast surgery, bringing together surgery and post-surgery care in one place.
Nickie also met Will Palin, Barts Heritage Chief Executive, and learnt more about the rich history of the North Wing which was founded in 1123 and has stood the test of time to provide care in the City of London. No other hospital in the country matches its record of continuous service on the same site.
Nickie heard from James Moon, Clinical Director for Cardiac Imaging who demonstrated progress in cardiac MRI. Did you know that artificial intelligence has improved detection rates so much that heart disease can now be detected in 20 seconds? An outstanding feat compared to the 13 minutes it takes under the existing system for a doctor to manually check scans. After a successful pilot at Barts, the test is being rolled out across the NHS. Incredible work and research led by our Barts team!
Jeremy Cordingley, a consultant in intensive care medicine, was on hand to update me on what it was like to work on the frontline in the intensive care unit during coronavirus. In January 2021, Nickie caught up with Jeremy for her podcast and heard about the impact of the pandemic on frontline services and on staff and services. It was good to speak with Jeremy again, especially following the Omicron wave earlier this year.
A brilliant visit to Barts, made even more special by their View Day celebrations. On View Day, the hospital opens its doors to the community and showcases what’s happening in the heart of the country's oldest working hospital.
