Children's hospital staff honoured at Royal Garden Party

Four staff members from Evelina London Children's Hospital were nominated to attend a Royal Garden Party in recognition of dedicating the majority of their working lives to the NHS.

Between them, they have contributed over 90 years of service to caring for children, young people and their families at Evelina London.

The colleagues include orthopaedic surgeon Martin Gough, pharmacy operations manager Pat Hayes, medical secretary lead Shawmine Donaldson, and Vaishali Patel, senior sister on the neonatal intensive care unit.

The Royal Garden Party was hosted at Buckingham Palace with His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester in attendance to greet guests, alongside Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips.

Despite the wet weather attendees enjoyed a wonderful event.

Pat Hayes has been part of the pharmacy team since 1998 and is one of the most experienced pharmacy technicians within the Trust. Her dedication to patient care has seen her involved in many innovative projects within pharmacy and at Evelina London. She is also involved nationally in developing and promoting the role of the pharmacy technician.

Senior sister Vaishali Patel has worked in the neonatal intensive care unit for over 17 years. She cares for some of the sickest babies across the region, especially those with complex heart conditions. Vaishali also took along longstanding colleague and fellow neonatal intensive care nurse, Sue Stroud.

Martin Gough has worked at Evelina London since 1998. He supports children from across London and the south east affected by orthopaedic problems due to neuro-disabilities like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and spina bifida. Martin and the team have gained national and international recognition for their expertise.

Shawmine Donaldson, lead medical secretary, has worked for Evelina London for over 25 years. Her colleagues describe her as being an integral part of the "backbone" of the children's spinal and orthopaedic team.

Gubby Ayida, Chief Executive of Evelina London, said: "We are really grateful for the opportunity for our staff to attend the Royal Garden Party. It was a fantastic occasion to celebrate their hard work and dedication, and to show our appreciation for their commitment to Evelina London."