There have been a lot of superstars helping our hospitals in recent months – including an amazing team of 160 Oxford medical students.

The students, all part of The University of Oxford Medical School, have taken on a wide range of supportive roles across the Trust, from helping with staff testing, to aiding patients to talk to their families.

So our NHS Trust and the charity joined together to thank these amazing young people who have been doing so much in our hospitals, writing to thank them for their dedication and hard work during this complex time, and presenting them with special thank you gift boxes.

Professor Meghana Pandit, Chief Medical Officer at the Trust, said: “On behalf of the entire Trust Board at OUH, I would like to thank all the medical students who stepped in to help us care for our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They took on numerous roles, such as helping with donning and doffing PPE, distributing meals, enabling conversations between patients and families digitally and staff testing, among other things. They did this without hesitation and always with a smile. Their enthusiasm and willingness to help was superb.

“Some of the main qualities of a ‘good doctor’ are compassion and effective communication and they have demonstrated this in heaps during their interactions with both patients and staff.

“We are very proud of them all and wish them all the very best for their future careers.”

Alex Tough, a fourth year medical student, has been helping in the hospitals since March. He said: ‘It’s been amazing to be here during this time – to be able to do something so positive and useful.

‘I’ve mostly been helping in Intensive Care with the ‘donning and doffing’ which is the term for carefully and safely helping staff when they are putting on or taking of the PPE.

‘But the thing that will really stay with me is how during the busiest days we would sometimes sit and hold the hands of patients, so there was someone by their side. With those that were well enough I had some really lovely conversations, with some it was all about reassuring them if they were a little distressed and for others it helped provide comfort to their families.

‘I feel so privileged to have done this – it is a time I will never forget and I know it will be with me throughout my future career in medicine.’

Madeleine Oliver, also a fourth year medical student, added: ‘There are so many memories I will never forget from this time – it has been incredible training for all of us and also so rewarding.

 ‘Students have helped out in non-medical roles in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care, the laboratories, pharmacy – wherever we could be of use. I am also really pleased that we were able to support the hospital charity – we got to see first-hand the difference the charity makes to staff and patients, so I am delighted we managed to raise some more funds for them.’

Hazel Murray, Head of Programme at Oxford Hospitals Charity added: ‘We heard so much about how amazing the medical students were and the extraordinary efforts they were going to – so we wanted to ensure they all got a proper thank you before they resumed their studies this summer.

‘We feel so lucky to have had them working by our side during the past few months, and the fact that they also managed to find time to fundraise on our behalf shows what an incredible and energetic bunch they are.’

Some of the students have also taken part in fundraising activities, raising over £17,000 for Oxford Hospitals Charity and See Saw, the child bereavement charity. 

Please join us in thanking this amazing bunch of superstars.

To find out more about how Oxford Hospitals Charity makes a difference across the wards and departments of your local hospitals, get in touch with the team via the methods below.  Tel: 01865 743 444 Email: [email protected]  MAKE A DONATION NOW     FIND OUT MORE

Oxford Hospitals Charity (registered charity no 1175809) is the official charity supporting Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. www.hospitalcharity.co.uk