LAST week, Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow was invited to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Patients Panel. Commenting on the visit, Halfon said, “It was a pleasure to meet the Panel again, and to celebrate with them their tremendous achievement of winning the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services.”

The award-winning Patients Panel support patients and people across the hospital, from everything to complaints, to departmental services, and for surprising teams with their famous special cakes in recognition of the incredible work that hospital staff undertake every day. 

Robert Halfon said: “It is always an honour to meet groups like the Patients Panel who do so much to support Harlow residents and the heroic staff at Princess Alexandra Hospital. 

“I want to pay a special tribute to the Panel’s Chair, Ann Nutt. Her passion, enthusiasm and drive to support everyone she meets is truly special, and she is a fantastic asset to the incredibly important work of the Panel which puts patients at the heart of everything they do. 

“To be awarded ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, and to receive the Queen’s Award is a brilliant achievement, and every member of the panel should feel proud of all they have achieved. As we look to the future, and the construction of our new state-of-the-art healthcare campus for Princess Alexandra Hospital, I am excited to continue to support their important work for patients and staff across the whole hospital estate. Indeed, I have written directly to the CEO of Princess Alexandra Hospital in support of the ideas we discussed including a permanent receptionist at the main entrance, regular representation of their work at internal board meetings and for the Patient’s Panel involvement in the design and development of our new hospital.”

Chair of the Patients Panel, Ann Nutt said:

“It was wonderful to welcome Robert to our meeting last week, and I am deeply touched by his tribute to my work. But it is not just about me, it is about all of us on the panel, and most importantly, the patients. 

“Our panel was established ten years ago to act as a critical friend to the hospital; to ensure that the patient voice is heard. We hold an annual conference open to the public on a range of subjects and next year, we will be looking at the ways that digital technology has benefitted patients. Over the next few months we will be out and about in Jackson Square and the Harvey Centre to hear your views about the hospital and its services. 

“The voices of patients are so critical to our work to help improve the services in the hospital, and for anyone wishing to get in touch, or join us as a member, please do get in touch with me on [email protected].”