The successful move of administration teams into offices at the Civic Centre building at St Albans, named in honour of a beloved colleague, has been celebrated by West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Diane McLaughlin Administration Centre was officially opened on Friday 25 October in the presence of her son Dan, councillors from St Albans District Council and Trust executives. This newly refurbished area within the Civic Centre houses and unites teams who were spread across other Trust sites. More team members are set to move in before the end of the year.
This is the first Trust building or service to be dedicated to a non-clinical member of staff. Diane McLaughlin worked for West Herts for nearly 40 years dedicating her career to outpatients administration.
St Albans City Hospital Director Nuala Littlechild said: “Diane was a caring, kind and much-loved colleague who encapsulated everything good about the Trust. She brought an unparallelled commitment to her work and I can’t think of a more fitting tribute than naming the centre after her.
"She always made time to help, never saying no. In short, she was one in a million and is greatly missed."
Bringing the outpatients contact centre, booking, and digital health records teams into one location will be a boost to efficient working and better collaboration while staff will also benefit from modern facilities and an enhanced working environment.
Nuala said: "We believe that having everyone together in this new space will strengthen our team; enhancing our adaptability, giving the teams better opportunities to learn new skills and supporting the Trust with a more centralised administrative team."
The moves will allow the Trust to re-purpose vacated space into clinical areas and will provide space for redevelopment at St Albans City Hospital.