Honouring 725 years of dedicated NHS service

Twenty nine staff who have dedicated decades of their working lives to the NHS have been recognised in a special event at Guy’s and St Thomas’.

The Trust’s Long Service Awards saw staff from a range of roles honoured including a critical care ward sister, a deputy chief allied health professional, a dental stock controller, an audit manager and a consultant rheumatologist. All of the recipients who attended the ceremony have worked for the Trust or in the NHS for 25 years or more.

The event, which is funded by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, celebrates staff from all 5 hospitals and community sites. Awards were presented by the Trust’s Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard and Chairman Charles Alexander.

Facilities manager Negash Aboneh has worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for 25 years and will be retiring in March this year. Negash, who joined the Trust as a team leader for housekeeping and has worked his way up to management, leads 160 housekeepers, food services assistants and teams leaders. Negash said: “It’s a great place, Guy’s and St Thomas’! Throughout there are opportunities to learn. Not only to work but to progress.

“I’ve been able to motivate a lot of staff who came up like me. Some of them have gone further than me actually. My team are crucial because they look after the environment for the patients and the staff – keeping it clean and safe and maintaining standards and infection control.

“I’ve worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for a quarter of a century and retiring means I will not be active, but I’ll still be part of the Trust all my life, as a Guy’s and St Thomas’ veteran!”

Hannah Sanchez, discharge and internal flow manager and clinical lead at the Trust, received recognition at the ceremony for her “outstanding expertise, determination and genuine care”.

Hannah has 33 years of nursing experience and now leads a multidisciplinary team of senior nurses, occupational therapists, administrative staff and Transfer of Care Navigators.

Hannah said: “The Discharge Hub works closely with internal partners and external organisations across England — and internationally when required — to support patients aged 18 and over with highly complex needs.

“Much of this work happens behind the scenes, involving extensive communication, negotiation, and problem‑solving to ensure safe, well‑coordinated discharges, with the patients' best interests at the centre.”

Paediatric ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) lead nurse Jenny Budd received recognition for consistently supporting critically unwell children and their families in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Evelina London.

Jenny’s citation noted that she has “gone above and beyond through long commutes, countless hours on the ward, and leading in times of challenge. Jenny always places children and her team at the heart of everything she does.”

Chairman Charles Alexander said: “Our Long Service Awards enables us to celebrate and say thank you to our long standing staff for their outstanding commitment to Guy’s and St Thomas’ and the NHS. We thank them for their considerable support and dedication throughout the years.”