St Mark’s completes a ‘remarkable journey’ marked by unveiling of plaque by Sir Tom Troubridge
By Christopher Browne – Roar! Editor
It’s official! St Mark’s at London’s Central Middlesex Hospital is finally open for business.
Actually, it’s been open for business and operating as the new St Mark’s (sharing duties and departments with the ‘old’ St Mark’s at Northwick Park, Harrow) for almost three years.
However, last week all the key figures behind the move held a buoyant, good-humoured opening ceremony at this clean, clinical ultra-modern hospital site in central London’s Park Royal.
The new St Mark’s consultants, surgeons, research specialists, doctors, nurses, support staff, former patients and support groups mingled with distinguished St Mark’s consultants from the past and several guests headed by the local MP Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East, and the Labour peer Baroness Pilkeithley.
In her introduction, Pippa Nightingale, CEO of the London North West University Healthcare Trust, praised the activities of the Red Lion Group, comments that were greeted with a flurry of applause from the audience. Then several speakers reviewed the hospital’s achievements of the past three years, which Sir Tom Troubridge, Chairman of the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, referred to as a “remarkable journey”.
(See below for full details of Speakers)
Suddenly the mood changed when we were invited to lunch. Most of us have our own take on hospital food, but this time it was different – a lavish spread that would do credit to anything from M&S (perhaps some of it came from there!).
The good humour was spreading and the by-now cheerful throng was divided into groups for a series of guided tours of the hospital’s new departments, some of its streamlined, recently-installed equipment – and many admiring glances at the building’s radical design features.
Finally, we all assembled in the main atrium where a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Sir Tom Troubridge.
See Pictures from event below.
Speakers in details :-
- How and why St Mark’s Hospital Moved
Professor Omar Faiz – Medical Co-Director St Mark’s Hospital - What has been Achieved in the last three years?
Miss Carolynne Vaizey – Medical Co-Director St Mark’s Hospital - What does the future hold?
Professor Siwan Thomas Gibson – Incoming Medical Director, St Mark’s Hospital & Mr Ian Jenkins – Incoming Deputy Medical Director, St Mark’s Hospital - A Remarkable journey
Sir Tom Troubridge, Chairman of the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation.