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Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday this Friday after being opened by the Queen in 1970.

The anniversary comes in an extraordinary year when Northwick Park was at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic.

 

It attracted huge media attention highlighting the work of both clinical and non-clinical teams in caring for patients.

 

The hospital can’t celebrate as it would like to do given the restrictions of social distancing so has taken to social media to champion the contributions of its past and present staff.

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday Harrow Online
Northwick Park Hospital under construction.

This will include an exhibition of 50 employees.

 

Boiler engineer Dave Waterman will be letting some steam off next year when he retires after 40 years at Northwick Park. It’s been a family affair for Dave whose parents worked at the hospital as well as his wife who he met in the social club.

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday Harrow Online
Dave Waterman

 

Nung Rudarakanchana is among a small but growing band of female surgeons working in a traditionally male dominated profession.

The consultant vascular and endovascular surgeon describes herself a ‘human plumber’ helping clear blocked veins and arteries. You wouldn’t want anyone else cleaning your pipes out.

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday Harrow Online
Nung Rudarakanchana

A small army of volunteers help keep our hospitals running including people like Linda Parsley who returned after the first wave of the pandemic to help oversee temperature checks of staff and patients entering the building.  

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday Harrow Online
Linda Parsley

 

Chris Fear got to see how the other half lived when he gave up his career as a funeral director to work as a mortuary technician caring for deceased patients.

Chris and his colleagues provided an extraordinary service during the pandemic as the number of deaths rose. He highlighted the work of redeployed staff who worked alongside him calling them ‘extraordinary.’

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday Harrow Online
Chris Fear

Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Walters has a special relationship with Northwick Park as he was born in the hospital in 1976. James retains a Zen-like calm, however trying the circumstances. He must have been the perfect baby.

Northwick Park Hospital celebrates its 50th birthday Harrow Online
James Walters