Rainbow tribute to emergency staff at Glasgow hospital

THIS rainbow tribute hails every single member of staff in the Emergency Department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

In pride of place on the wall of a busy corridor, it is made of more than 300 handprints, alongside more than 300 names and a simple message – ‘These hands helped, held, healed and honoured … together we were stronger’.

Consultants, porters, nurses, domestics, even the volunteers who gave their time at the height of the crisis – they’re all there, side by side.

This week the Glasgow Times went behind the scenes in the QEUH and saw first hand the pressure staff are under.

Leanne Kennedy and Karen Hughes, both Senior Charge Nurses and Emergency Nurse Practitioners in the department, wanted to make sure staff efforts in the pandemic would never be forgotten.

Leanne said: “Myself and Karen wanted to do something to recognise the efforts that people were putting in when they came to work.

“Covid has been the first big crisis that the department has had to deal with since the opening of the hospital and, once we’re long gone, we wanted to leave something as a permanent reminder of who they were and the amazing work they did.”

In July last year, the finished sign was put up in the corridor used by ambulance crews to bring patients into the department. Staff were thrilled, and Karen and Leanne were delighted to see their dream become reality – a special thank you to every member of the team.

Karen said: “At the beginning we all clapped every Thursday for our NHS.

“But even if we clapped every second, every day, I still don’t think we could do enough to say thank you to the amazing people who work here.”

The tribute also pays special mention for the emergency services who work day in, day out with the Emergency Department, and whose badges also appear.