A ‘committed and caring’ 16-year-old NHS Cadet has received an award for his dedication to creating hundreds of bags filled with activities for hospital patients.
NHS cadet Jamie with Dr. Amos Ogunkoya | Photo courtesy of St John Ambulance
Jamie Burton, from Bath, helped to lead more than 20 other young people in the project, which involved packing bags for both children and adults staying at the Royal United Hospital.
The bags, which were handed out over Christmas, included various arts and crafts, as well as knitting equipment, to help occupy patients during their hospital stay.
The NHS Cadets programme was launched in 2020 in partnership with St John Ambulance and NHS England.
It aims to encourage diverse careers in the NHS and targets underrepresented 14 – 18-year-olds, including those growing up in care, refugees, or those caring for a loved one at home.
To date, NHS Cadets has helped over a thousand young people gain experience in healthcare and the skills needed to set them up for future careers, with workplace experience to enhance their CVs.
Jamie, who hopes to become a paramedic, said: “It’s been great to hear from some of the patients on how it helped them pass the time and made their stay in hospital a little bit better – which is exactly why we did it.”
The award was presented to Jamie by Dr. Amos Ogunkoya, an NHS doctor and star of BBC One’s ‘The Traitors,’ at a ceremony held at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol.
Chez Mundeta, St John Ambulance NHS Cadets Project Lead, said: “Small acts of kindness, when multiplied by many, can transform the world.
“Our NHS Cadets’ hard work and dedication creating these activity bags for the patients was a true testament to this. I am so proud of the positive impact that they made, bringing joy and comfort to those in need.”
The NHS Cadets programme operates at over 100 NHS Trusts, secondary schools, and academies across the country, with each programme lasting 36 weeks.
The young people enrolled take part in 90-minute sessions delivered by experienced youth leaders, allowing them to work on different activities to develop their healthcare knowledge.
They also have opportunities to volunteer at their local NHS Trust and to learn more about the 350 different career choices available in the NHS, beyond clinical careers.
Hugh McKinney, Learning and Development Lead and Trust NHS Cadet Lead at the RUH, added: “With the help of Jamie and his fellow NHS Cadets, we were able to provide more patients than ever before with an activity pack last Christmas.
“This made such a huge difference to the people we care for, and we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the NHS Cadets for making this possible.”
