Stunning New Exhibition Captures Diverse NHS Heroes Who Worked During The Pandemic

A stunning new photographic exhibition, celebrating the diverse teams who work for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, has opened at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Picturing our Workforce: One NHS Family has been inspired by a real desire to acknowledge and see the diversity of NHSGCC’s workforce family and celebrate their contribution, two years on from the first national COVID lockdown.

Opening at the GRI’s link corridor, the exhibition can be seen by staff, patients and visitors to the historic hospital, before going on tour to other sites across the health board area. An online exhibition will shortly be available to provide access for the wider public.

Clinical Photographer, Lisa Miller, has led the work capturing the portraits of NHS colleagues, with the support of the staff within Medical Illustration Services. Lisa was recently nominated for the National Portrait Gallery’s ‘Hold Still’ award and published in the recent Rankin’s Hold Still 2020 book which shows photographs of the national NHS Family at work during the pandemic.

Lisa said she was ‘over the moon’ with the results and added: “I want those being portrayed to get a sense of pride and achievement when they look at their portrait and feel like they are a truly valued member of our NHS team.

“It’s been a brilliant project. I would never have been able to meet these people and hear their stories unless we had done this work and it’s great to see the results.”

Kate Ocker, a research nurse who looks after patients on clinical trials and is Chair of the Staff Disability Forum, and is featured in the exhibition, said: “Everybody in the NHS needs to know how important they are and the exhibition, with so many different people shown, I hope helps people to realise just how important they are.

“It also recognises all of the important things they have achieved over the last few years. The portraits are absolutely beautiful and done with so much care, helping to make staff feel as though they matter.”

Jackie Sands, Arts and Health Co-ordinator at NHSGGC said: “I’m incredibly pleased with the exhibition. It shows the people who make up the NHS, across all of the jobs involved, and the diversity of the people who work in what we call our One NHS Family.”

Ayesha Bains, Workforce Equality Project Officer, Human Resources and Project Lead for the exhibition, said: “As the biggest employer in one of the most diverse populations in Scotland, we are keen to ensure that our workforce is representative of the diverse patient community we serve.

“I think the exhibition looks absolutely fantastic – every single person involved has done a great job and we’re grateful to all of them.

Neil McCallum, Director of the North Sector opened the exhibition. Neil, who also features in the show, said: “It’s wonderful to celebrate the diversity of our workforce. I look at the fantastic photographs and it makes me proud to be part of a group of people from different backgrounds who all bring so much to our NHS family.

“The way that people have pulled together over the last two years, working during the hard times, with good grace and supporting each other is something we can all be proud of. This exhibition is a celebration of the people who are the backbone of the NHS – everyone is a crucial part of the health service machine and without any individual part, none of it works.”

Anne MacPherson, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, said: “Our One NHS Family Campaign has been developed as part of NHSGGC’s ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion as we continuously work towards building a Better Workplace. The One NHS Family campaign was established to raise awareness of our commitment to acknowledging, supporting and celebrating our diverse workforce and I’m thrilled to see this fantastic exhibition which does just that.”

The exhibition will remain at the GRI for the next four weeks, before moving on to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital/Royal Hospital for Children on 4^th May 2022. The exhibition will then rotate at 4 week intervals across following the sites: Royal Alexandra Hospital, Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Vale of Leven, Gartnavel Campus, New Victoria Hospital and Stobhill Hospital. It is hoped that the online exhibition will be launched by mid-May 2022.