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BLOG: A royal celebration to mark 34 years

A royal celebration to mark 34 years

When you have two tickets to the Platinum Party at the Palace who do you choose to give them to? Our longest serving member of staff of course!

Today marks an amazing 34 years of our Support Officer Andy Campbell’s dedication to St Luke’s and when we were kindly gifted two party tickets to our frontline workers, we knew exactly who they should go to.

“It was a real honour and privilege to have the opportunity to go,” Andy said. “I feel very lucky to work at St Luke’s and am honoured to be able to look after the patients, families and staff in the way I do.”

When Andy Campbell first joined St Luke’s 34 years ago it was as a Healthcare Assistant, a role he later combined with his job as Support Officer, until five years ago when he decided to focus on the latter, securing the building after the ‘day’ staff have gone home and doing much more besides.

Not only does Andy cover reception duties at Turnchapel during his regular evening shift, taking calls and greeting visitors, he ensures that both individuals and entire families spending time with their loved ones are comfortable, recognising that it’s often the ‘small’ things that can make a big difference to them at such a sad time.

“The key thing I appreciate about working at St Luke’s is having the time to do a job properly,” said Andy. “I can often be with a patient for a whole shift if they need me and give them the time they deserve, which I know would be very different in another healthcare setting.

“Things have changed a lot over the past 34 years, but what has never changed is the approach to the patients. Being thoughtful and kind doesn’t cost us anything, but it can be priceless to the families we help. There’s not many people that can say they love coming to work each day, but I do.”

It was this constant thoughtfulness that made it an easy decision to send Andy up to London to enjoy a night off and celebrate in style at the much sought-after Platinum Party at the Palace.

royal celebration Andy

The event, which took place at Buckingham Palace, featured performances from a wide variety of musicians including Queen and Adam Lambert, Andrea Bocelli, Duran Duran, Diana Ross and George Ezra all performing their biggest hits in a star-studded tribute to Her Majesty’s unprecedented anniversary.

The evening pivoted around global themes that have been born, or evolved, during the breadth of Her Majesty’s reign due to British and Commonwealth contributions including Fashion, Sport, The Environment, 70 Years of Pop Music and Musicals.

Highlights of the momentous evening for Andy were the vocal talents of Andrea Bocelli and Diana Ross.

Steve Statham, Chief Executive of St Luke’s, said: “Andy has given so much to St Luke’s these last 34 years and for that we are truly grateful.

“He has been a constant for so many over the past three decades, especially family members visiting our specialist unit. He goes above and beyond to ensure they are looked after during what can be an extremely emotional time.

“This was the perfect opportunity to thank Andy for all he has done over the years. It is people like him who enable us to continue to support patients and families that need us, helping to make such a difficult time that little bit easier.”

If you are interested in joining the St Luke’s team then check out our current vacancies.