Well Christmas is almost upon us at Liverpool Women’s and the hospital is already looking lovely and festive. Thank you to everyone involved with putting up the decorations!
A massive thank you to our staff on the Neonatal Unit and to the parents involved in the making of Miracle Babies. I am sure everyone would agree that it demonstrated very well the fantastic care that is given to babies on our Neonatal Unit. We watched the final episode with some of our staff and some of the parents and babies featured on the programmes which was a lovely way to close the series. It was really moving to see how delighted the parents were to see the staff who’d cared for their babies.
Filming of One Born Every Minute is in its final days. A big thank you to all of the staff and families who have taken part. We understand that the programmes will be on TV in the Spring of 2015 and look forward to again seeing the hospital looking amazing on TV.
The Charity 'Wellbeing of Women' recently announced that it has chosen University of Liverpool and Liverpool Women's Hospital as the recipient of a £1 million grant to pioneer vital research into premature birth. This exciting development is made possible through the personal generosity of Lord and Lady Harris of Peckham who have supported the women's health charity for 30 years. Their hugely-inspiring donation will be made available over the next five years and will enable the opening of a new Harris/Wellbeing of Women Centre for Pre Term Birth Research at Liverpool Women's Hospital. We’re really excited to get this project started!
This week the Trust recognised some of our longest serving members of staff at our annual ‘Long Service Awards’. It was brilliant to have the chance to recognise individuals for the contribution they have made during their time at the Trust.
We’re currently looking for two new additions to our Board of Directors. The position of Non-Executive Director offers a really exciting opportunity to play a significant role in contributing to our future development. You can find out more about what’s involved here.
I have met this morning with the Lord Mayor of Liverpool who has confirmed that she will join me on Christmas morning to welcome the Christmas Day babies and also to personally thank our staff who will be working throughout the festive period. This is something that I do each year but to have the Lord Mayor with me will make this year extra special!
Speaking of long service, we're really sorry to say that Jan Walton will be retiring from her position as manager of the Newborn Appeal this Friday. Jan has given 23 years' service to the charity and has raised well over £2.5 million in that time, an astonishing amount! From myself personally and all at Liverpool Women's, I'd like to wish Jan a fantastic retirement and hope that she enjoys the extra time she'll be able to spend with her new granddaughter.