A member of staff from Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust swapped hospital corridors for the House of Lords for a day, after being invited to a special reception for NHS staff.
Hayley Connoley, performance manager for the radiology and medical imaging department at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester, was invited by Lord Carter of Coles to a reception on behalf of the NHS National Demand and Capacity Programme. 
The invitation came following her excellent work looking at demand and capacity within the speciality, and how this is reported. By assessing demand and capacity, Hayley and the team can make informed decisions and plans to support timely care for patients who need x-rays and other types of scans.
Hayley has undertaken this project alongside consultant radiologist at Hampshire Hospitals Clive Vandervelde, and together have been recognised as an example of good practice within the NHS nationally.
At the event, Lord Carter, the official sponsor for the NHS Demand and Capacity programme, explained that this modelling is central to addressing some of the issues and challenges currently faced by the NHS.
Lord Carter’s long history with the NHS includes chairman of the review panel examining the future of NHS pathology, being appointed as a non-executive director for NHS Improvement, and in 2015 was crowned the ninth most influential person in NHS England by the Health Service Journal.
Hayley said: “It was fantastic to be part of a prestigious event in such a beautiful building, and I felt proud and privileged to represent Hampshire Hospitals. It was great to be able to share the work we are doing at our Trust with colleagues from other hospitals.
“I had a brief conversation with Lord Carter, who told me to ‘be persistent’, which is something that is already part of my work ethos, so that I can support my clinical colleagues in providing the best possible care to our patients.”
