These new buggies provide greater comfort and convenience for patients and visitors travelling around the hospital with staff and the local community choosing their names.
At the official launch event today (23 December), CEO Alice Webster welcomed the long-awaited all weather vehicles saying, ‘we’re pleased to welcome Hopper and Swifty as Team QEH’s newest members.’
In her speech she expressed her gratitude to the League of Friends Charity who generously funded the new buggies, which are worth £15,000 a piece, and thanked them for their continued support of the hospital and our patients.
Earlier this month QEH appealed to staff and the local community to help name the new buggies, and more than 200 names were put forward to the judging panel which was made of up staff, Governors’, patients and representatives from the League of Friends Charity who funded vehicles.
The panel selected their favourite from the staff suggestions – Hopper – and selected their top three from the public suggestions which went back out to a public vote in which Swifty was the winner.
Penny Hipkin, Chair of the League of Friends Charity was among the judging panel. She said: “There was so many great names put forward and it was so difficult to choose.
“A huge thank you to everyone who got involved and put forward their suggestions – it’s great to see so many people taking an interest in the hospital.”
The winning names will be printed onto the two buggies in the new year along with the names of those who suggested them.
Lucie Jankauskiene, 23 from King’s Lynn, selected the winning name – Swifty – in the public competition but wasn’t able to attend the launch event. She said: “It was so lovely to win, and I was quite surprised when I found out. My mum and I decided on the name and submitted it – we didn’t think we would ever win.”
Attending on Lucie’s behalf was proud mum Lisa. She said: “It was such a privilege to be invited to the unveiling. The name actually came from memories of our holidays in Florida – we used to get the on a similar buggy and we remember it being quite ‘swifty’, the next thing you know Lucie submitted the name idea.”
Christina Lam, who works in the Trust’s Radiology department, was the winner of the staff competition.
Since the patient buggy service was introduced in September 2023, patients have had nothing but high praise for fantastic team of volunteer drivers, with some calling it our ‘best ever idea’ for patient experience and a service that ‘takes the dread out of the hill’.
The two new buggies will also be operating on an extended route around the hospital site between 9am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday and will improve accessibility for both patients and visitors.
Ends. Notes to editors; For media enquiries only, please contact Communications Team, media.enquiries@qehkl.nhs.uk or 01553 613216. For all other enquiries, please contact QEH Switchboard on 01553 613613.
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