Wow……The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

I am at present in London with my grandchildren visiting my youngest daughter who is presently expecting a baby. London, a city with so much to offer… and of course we have visited all the usual sights,  Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and so on………but here I want to introduce another gem…..a hospital…. the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Grandchildren with Big Ben, first time in England.

I am thankful that I have medical insurance in Peru, where I reside, which enables me to have treatment in private hospitals and clinics. It is a sad reality, that many people in Peru do not enjoy such a privilege.

My knee operation in the “Clinica San Pablo” – making sure they operate on the right knee….. no…… the left knee!

The Peruvian state system does not have the resources to meet the most basic needs of the people. This is true for many of the people living in the capital city, Lima,  However, the situation is far worse in the provinces. This is one of the reasons Peru suffered so many deaths  during the COVID epidemic.

Dr. Fernando Polanco and my good friend Martin. Attending me for a gash on my leg in the “Posta Medica” of the Ashaninka Community,  Pampa Michi, Chanchamayo.

We always look at the example of the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK and the offering of quality free treatment for all, with great envy.

However mis-management and  lack of government funding has severely weakened this wonderful institution.

Understaffed, and with increasingly long waiting lists, the dedicated nurses and doctors soldier on.

In the last few years I have seen the interior of a few hospitals in the UK, and despite longer waits for programmed operations, attentions in the Emergency units and for ambulances, the service is still doing its very best to serve the needs of its patients.

Whipps Cross Hospital, East London. Remembering regular visits to this hospital some years ago.

However, in this present visit, I was in for a pleasant surprise as I  walked into the NHS hospital in  Chelsea, London. The original Westminster Hospital was founded three hundred years ago and moved to its present site in 1993 with a modified name, the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital,

As always the friendly and helpful nature of all staff was comforting and reassuring.  However, what made a real impact was the atmosphere created by the  the facilities and design features of the buildings,

The building is impressive, tall, but full of natural light between the towers which are adorned with  large sculptures.

On the ground floor one is surprised to see an enormous glass  aquarium with a large and varied population of fish swimming lazily around,

The walls of the hospital are plastered with works of art. Indeed I spent quite a time just viewing this enormous gallery of impressive work.

My daughter – four months pregnant.

An unusual addition to the hospital is a piano.. On my first visit, a pianist was busy playing Chopin. In a conversation, the pianist explained that he was an intern. He felt it was an important  way for making the hospital less intimidating thus making patients and visitors more at ease.

I thought this was perhaps just a one off experience, but returning another day, another pianist was busy playing some Mozart. Beautiful!

Caring for patient well-being seems to be given great importance. Cinema nights are arranged with volunteers helping patients down to the viewing area.

Volunteers, mainly retired people,  give a helping hand in many ways. These two ladies help to run  a book service for patients. The books are donated and can be bought by patients at a minimum token cost.

I have not seen so much art and design in the other hospitals I have visited in London, but friendliness and caring has always been present in each one.

Volunteers in Kingston Hospital, welcoming and guiding patients as they arrive.

Are other London hospitals as equally special. I cannot tell as I have only seen three….or….. is it because Chelsea is in  a more affluent area of London  than Whipps Cross Hospital in the East End. Certainly Whipps Cross was functional….. but without the art!

Both are NHS hospitals providing free service to all who need help. What indeed, in a society,  can be more important than that!

I trust that the government will see the light, and save this wonderful institution, the NHS, for the system is one of the Wonders of the World,

(From the  Evening Standard)

With proper funding, the present understaffing, the long wait lists, the intense pressure on existing staff will be alleviated…… but how long will this take?

And in Peru…….?   As with many countries, the possibility of medical care for all is not even on the horizon.  It really hurts for me to compare these grand difference between the two countries. All things  are relative and even in crisis the NHS remains a jewel to be appreciated by all those lucky enough  to use its wonderful service.