News and media
Media enquiries and information for journalists
The Trust’s Communications team provides a dedicated service for journalists and the media.
We can help you with:
- Enquiries about West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and the services we offer
- General enquiries about health care and specific health conditions
- Finding experts to speak to on a wide range of health care and clinical issues.
- Enquiries and requests for filming and photography across our hospital sites
Media Enquiries
All media enquires should come through the Trust’s Communications Team. This is to:
- Protect the rights of our patients and staff to privacy and confidential treatment
- Maintain the Trust's reputation within the community and the confidence our patients have in the quality of our services
- Help promote the achievements of our dedicated staff
- Ensure our staff and the Trust follow through the right to reply to any potential negative media coverage
- Support our staff when they are dealing with a media enquiry.
Directions To Our Hospitals
Please see the ‘Travelling to our hospital sites’ webpage in the first instance.
Filming & Photography
Selected areas of the Trust's hospitals have, from time to time, been photographed or filmed for a variety of purposes, including live news broadcasts and locations for documentaries or dramas.
In most instances, if you are coming to one of the Trust’s hospitals to interview one of our staff or to carry out photography or filming, you will usually be met by one of the Communications team.
Please note that certain conditions and charges may apply. Photography and filming is not allowed in some areas of the hospitals, as patient care is always a priority and we have a duty to protect the confidentiality of our patients.
In addition, a number of our staff who are leading experts in their field have been approached for filming or photographic purposes, and have accumulated significant broadcasting experience.
If you would like to use any of our sites as a location or a member of staff for photography or filming or have any questions, please contact the Communications Team on 01923 436284, or by email at westherts.communications@nhs.net.
* Please note that anyone who is found to be filming or photographing at our hospitals without the permission of the Trust’s Communications Team will be asked to leave immediately, and footage and photographs may be confiscated.
Patient Condition Checks
We are not able to give out any patient information or details of their care, without the patients or their next of kin’s informed consent.
Hertfordshire Constabulary operates a patient condition check system when investigating an incident, for example a road accident. This allows us to give the media basic condition checks on these patients, while at the same time protecting their right to confidentiality.
Useful background information
Please visit the About the Trust section for more information, including links to board members, Annual Plans and Reports.
