Ealing Hospital has held a Gingko tree planting ceremony to recognise NHS staff who have committed suicide.
Having been used to film scenes to turn Adam Kay’s book This Is Going To Hurt into a BBC television drama, Adam came to Ealing Hospital to help plant the tree named Shruti, in memory of NHS staff who have killed themselves.
The tree was named after the character Shruti Acharya, a student doctor who took her life in the television series.
Adam Kay said: “Suicide among healthcare workers has long been a taboo subject which has been ignored and brushed under the carpet. I will be forever grateful to the BBC for allowing me to bring this crucial topic to the attention on millions of viewers. I have no doubt that talking more openly about mental health will save lives. My thanks go to the hospital trust for being wonderfully supportive of the first UK memorial to healthcare workers who have died by suicide.”
Ealing Hospital, is part of the London Northwest University Healthcare Trust (LNWH Trust) which also includes Central Middlesex Hospital and Northwick Park Hospital.
Pippa Nightingale, chief executive of LNWH Trust, said: “I started my career as a midwife so am aware of the pressure front line staff can find themselves under. I think the NHS has learnt a lot from the pandemic and the importance of providing better mental health and well being support to staff. It is tragic that the people who care for us sometimes don’t feel they have someone to turn to themselves.”
Others who attended included the Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Mohinder Midha along with representatives from Doctors in Distress and the Laura Hyde Foundation, both groups which have campaigned and raised awareness of mental health issues among NHS staff.
