Queen Mary’s Hospital Family Fun and Open Day Event

Families from across the borough of Bexley joined in the fun as well as many former members of Queen Mary’s staff. The event, which was organised by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, offered activities for the whole family including health and wellbeing advice from local health organisations and charities, football with Charlton Athletic Community Trust plus talks and an exhibition on the history of the hospital.

Watch a video filmed on the day:

A highlight of the day was the official re-opening of the hospital which has undergone a multimillion-pound facelift. Local MP Rt Hon James Brokenshire cut the ribbon to open the new entrance along with Peter Reader, Mayor of the London Borough of Bexley. James Brokenshire welcomed the development and said he was delighted to be at the centenary event. “This has been a great team effort from everyone at Oxleas and all of the other NHS organisations,” he said. "Thank you to all the incredible NHS staff for delivering high quality care for people in Bexley and beyond and for making Queen Mary’s future look bright and positive."

Over recent months, there has been a huge amount of development on the site including the opening of new services offering cancer and kidney treatment and a new urgent care centre. Further plans are in place to continue improving facilities at the site to benefit local people.

Also during the day, Bexley Care, the partnership between Oxleas and Bexley Council to join up health and social care in the community, was formally launched. Teresa O'Neill, leader of the London Borough of Bexley, Ben Travis, Chief Executive of Oxleas and Dr Nikita Kanani, Chief Clinical Officer of Bexley Clinical Commissioning Groups welcomed the new approach which aims to streamline care for local residents.

One of the most popular aspects of the day were visits to parts of the hospital that are not normally open to the general public. Guided tours of the new Guy's Cancer centre and kidney treatment centre, both run by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and to some of the operating theatres ran throughout the day and were extremely well attended. Also, Dr Andrew Bamji, former consultant at Queen Mary’s and author, signed copies of his book Faces from the Front which describes the fascinating story of the surgical work that took place in the hospital.

The day, which was supported by many local organisations including Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group, London Borough of Bexley, Hurley Group, and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, was enjoyed by all.  The Friends of Queen Mary’s Hospital, OCS and Galliford Try were also thanked for their support.

Ben Travis, Chief Executive of Oxleas, said: “It has been an absolutely fantastic day brought about by hard work between all the partners in Bexley. I’m really pleased with what we have achieved together.”