Hospital staff offered a ‘wizard’ new way to get to work!
Posted: 12 April 2020
Buses provided by Warner Bros Studios, Leavesden and Golden Tours will be conveying key workers instead of Harry Potter fans and sightseers.
Paul da Gama, chief people officer at West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Our workforce has been depleted due to sickness or self-isolation and so it's really important that those staff who are well but have transport issues can come back. They will have a warm welcome and will be able to practise social distancing."
He added: "Whilst we're doing all we can to enable remote working, the reality is that there are still many colleagues who need to be at one of our hospitals to do their jobs. Plus, we are redeploying people into new roles and so we need more staff back on site to pitch in and support our brave and brilliant clinical colleagues.
"A special shuttle bus, which will have strict social distancing rules, is the perfect solution and we are so grateful to Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden and Golden Tours for making this happen. Our staff might not be travelling to exotic locations or seeing behind the scenes of a major movie, but they will be making magic happen in their own way!"
The free service runs hourly between the trust's three sites, with its first journey starting at just after 06:10 and its last drop-off at 22:40. View the timetable for the bus.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden said: "We couldn't think of a better way to use the buses at this time. We are delighted to play a part in supporting our local NHS in its time of need."
Mikesh Palan, managing director at Golden Tours said: "The priorities of the nation have changed completely as people learn to enjoy days in and not days out. But for key workers, staying home is not an option and we're delighted to be able to help by providing a safe and reliable way to get to work and back."
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Notes
- For more information about the shuttle bus service, please see the timetable here or call our COVID-19 Staff Hub on 01923 217342 (8am – 6pm every day) or email westherts.covid19@nhs.net.
- For any media related queries, please contact the communications team at westherts.communications@nhs.net. For out of hours media enquiries please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on call communications manager.
- West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals; Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust sees around 600,000 patients a year and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,000 staff and volunteers.
- For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join our followers on Twitter (twitter.com/westhertsNHS) and find us on Facebook (facebook.com/westhertsNHS).
