NHS staff from across Hampshire will be showcasing their talents in the NHS Got Talent show this summer, in aid of Winchester Hospice.
Following on from last year’s successful event, 12 performers from a range of professions across the NHS from Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust will swap scrubs for sequins as they try to impress the judges at NHS Got Talent on Saturday 8 June at the Theatre Royal, Winchester. 
The public event will celebrate the hidden talents of NHS staff who usually spend their time caring for patients on the wards and behind the scenes, and raise money to convert Burrell House, on the site of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, into a much needed hospice for the local community.
Winchester Hospice will be there to support patients and their families by providing local, specialist palliative and end of life hospice care. As well as delivering inpatient care, the hospice will act as a hub for specialist palliative care in the community through outpatient services, therapies and caring for people in their own homes.
Staff taking part include a nurse associate practitioner, a medical secretary and a maternity support worker, who are all hoping to dazzle the judges and audience with a variety of acts from musical performances to mind-bending illusions.
Steve Erskine, chairman of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which runs hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester and will run Winchester Hospice, will be joined on the judging panel by chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, Alex Whitfield, president of Winchester Rotary Club, Less Haswell, and special guest judge Joe Blunden, deputy director of marketing and patient experience at NHS Elect, who led the successful campaign to get the NHS to the Christmas number one spot in 2015.
The fifth judge, the audience, will also have their say on the night as they vote for their favourite act to be crowned the audience winner.
Host Wayne the Weird will also be on hand on the night to introduce the acts and the Manton’s hospital band, made up of senior doctors at Hampshire Hospitals, will be supporting the show.
Steve Erskine said: “We are all looking forward to what I am sure will be a memorable night celebrating our talented staff and raising important funds for Winchester Hospice.
“The NHS is made up of exceptionally skilled people, and it will be fantastic to see some of these staff showcasing their other talents on the night in aid of such an important cause for the local residents of Winchester. The most difficult part will be choosing just one winner!”
The event is also being supported by comedian Russell Howard, who has generously donated two exclusive meet and greet tickets to his stand up world tour at SSE Wembley Arena to one lucky ticket holder attending NHS Got Talent.
Visit https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/nhs-got-talent/ or call the Theatre Royal Winchester box office on 01962 840 440 to book your tickets to this night of unmissable entertainment.
