Pupils from St Michael’s Church of England (CofE) Primary School in Bishop’s Stortford, visited The Princess Alexandra Hospital last week (Friday 8 May) for an interactive behind‑the‑scenes tour, arranged by the Patient Panel, as a thank you for the creative displays they produced last year for the Patient Panel’s British Legion Poppy Appeal at the hospital.
Led by their teacher, Jonny Hays – who volunteers with Harlow Hospital Radio – the group of 32 children (aged 8 to 9 years) explored a range of departments including the Children’s Emergency Department; the Pharmacy, where they saw the new robot in action; Radiology Unit to learn about bones and injuries; and the Hand Therapy Team where they had the opportunity to try specialist equipment. The visit ended with some refreshments in the Alexandra Restaurant.
The visit gave the young people first-hand experience of an acute hospital trust and some of its daily operations; as well as the chance to ask questions about the different types of roles they came across during the tour.
Hosting the visit was Ann Nutt, Chair of the Patient Panel, who said: “It’s wonderful to welcome young people into the hospital and help them understand the many roles that support patient care. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and visits like this help strengthen our connection with the local community.”
Thom Lafferty, Chief Executive, met the young people during their visit. He said: “I was delighted to meet the young people on their visit and to showcase the incredible work our dedicated teams carry out day in day out. Visits like this might help inspire the next generation by giving them a glimpse into life at an acute hospital trust.”
Jonny Hays said, “Our visit to the hospital was an incredibly enriching experience for the pupils. The staff were so welcoming, knowledgeable and inspiring and the pupils gained a real insight into the amazing work that takes place at The Princess Alexandra Hospital every day.
“We are hugely grateful for the kindness, time and hospitality shown to us throughout the visit – it was a memorable experience that the pupils will be talking about for a long time. A massive thank you to Ann Nutt, Linda Ranger and all the Patient Panel staff and volunteers for making it a memorable day.”