4 July 2023
Art installation and digital exhibition
Tomorrow on 5 July 2023, the NHS will celebrate its 75th birthday! NHS organisations across the UK will all celebrate the creation of an organisation of which we’re all so proud.
Just outside the UHS Pharmacy in Southampton General Hospital’s main entrance you’ll find our ‘75’ art installation. This bespoke piece of art commissioned by Southampton Hospitals Charity, was created by local artists Joe Ross and André Lewis and features UHS in photographic form over the last 75 years.
Joe is a community artist and facilitator; who specialises in collaborative and co-created art works and projects, while André has immersed himself in art since a young age, indulging in the graffiti movement and traditional art drawing and painting.
Together they have created a work of art that “brings together so many memories and experiences into one collaborative artwork, which marks the remarkable history of Southampton General Hospital”.
Beneath the artwork you’ll find a digital exhibition where we look back at some of the key moments in the history of our Trust and celebrate those who made those moments happen. It’s a heart-warming and thought-provoking reminder of just how far we, and the NHS, have come.
So, if you’re coming in to see us during the month of July, why not stop for a moment to take a look?
Here are just a few close up of some of the memories…
I have very fond memories of the hospital. I trained as an Enrolled nurse from 1983 -1985 and was on the combined course between Southampton General Hospital and Lymington Hospital.
I remember the new West Wing being built during this time and recall the day we moved from Lower St Michaels ward in the old hospital to E6 in the new wing!
In 1989 I did the conversion course, and then became a ward sister on E6 between 1990 – 1997 when I then left to have a family.
Suzanne Currie (nee Humphrey)
Our daughter, Sophie, was born prematurely at 23+4 weeks and spent four months in hospital at the end of 2021/beginning of 2022.
This photo was taken in Nursery One of the Neonatal Unit when Sophie turned 100 days old.
The nurses made a lovely card and decorated Sophie’s cot area to celebrate. It was just such a lovely thing for these busy and hard-working nurses to take the time to do.
We really appreciated something so simple, and it made us all feel so cared for.
Sarah Harding
I wanted to share the photos from our wedding on 7 April 2021. Our son Romeo was a long-term patient on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
We were due to get married in the February but had to cancel so Chaplain Sue Pitkin spoke to the Archbishop of Canterbury to arrange a special license so that she could marry us in the hospital chapel to allow our son to be there on the day.
All the staff in PICU, friends of PICU and the hospital charity went above and beyond to give us a special day with memories to last a lifetime.
We are forever thankful to them, and Southampton hospital will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Suzie Small
I have photos from when I started my Nurse training April 1979 and lived in the Old Nurses Home where some of these photos were taken, including some of the operating equipment and anaesthetic machine from the old theatres from that year.
I completed my training and worked in Neuro until 1983, left nursing for 26 years, and returned to the hospital in 2009. I now work in for the Research team as a Clinical Research Coordinator.
Amanda Smith
Staff on Paediatric High Dependency Unit gave me 17 weeks with my son before he passed away. He was born with such a rare condition that no-one knew how long he was going to live for.
Here are some of the pictures of Harrison with the nurses while they worked so hard to give us extra time with him.
Katie Keeling
