Two NHS staff members in London have been awarded winning entries of the Fujifilm photography competition for NHS staff and volunteers to mark 75 years of the health service.

The five overall winners were unveiled on Tuesday 4^th July at the FUJIFILM House of Photography in Soho, London.

The national competition, run by NHS England in partnership with Fujifilm, saw hundreds of the health service’s staff and volunteers from across the country enter photographs that told their unique stories of what the NHS means to them.

The five winners, including two from London, represent a broad range of professions across the health service and were picked from a shortlist of 75 photographs across five different categories. Their photographs will be displayed at the NHS 75th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday 5th July.

All of the 75 shortlisted images will also be displayed in an exhibition titled ‘Our NHS at 75’, held at the FUJIFILM House of Photography in Covent Garden, London, and are open to public viewing from the 5th July 2023, exactly 75 years to the day that the NHS was established.

The winners include a portrait of a nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital who has been looking after patients for 47 years. Senior Nurse Emmanuel Espiritu took the image, entitled ‘Dedication’, which took the prize for the Our People category and depicts a nurse affectionally named ‘Mother Obe’ who is renowned for sharing nearly half a century of expertise as a mentor to new nurses.

Emmanuel Espiritu said:

“I’ve been working in theatres as a senior anaesthetic nurse for 22 years and work as a freelance photographer in my spare time covering events such as weddings, birthdays and also taking portraits.

“My wife works day in day out with Mother Obe and I was asked by my wife to take her portrait as a retirement gift. I took inspiration from the “Monalisa” in creating her portrait.”

The winning entry in the Our Partners category was from Jenny Brodie and Mary McConnell, from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Free Charity. This category celebrates the crucial role partnerships play in helping us deliver the best possible care for patients.

Entitled ‘Paul and Flo’, the picture captures the caring interaction between Flo Blackett, a freelance hairdresser funded by the Royal Free Charity to visit patients weekly, and patient Paul Lederman.

Jenny Brodie, who took the winning photo said:

“I think the image captures something special that we often hear from patients about the services we provide – for a brief time, they aren’t defined by their illness or condition. For those few moments, they are simply themselves.”

Dr Chris Streather, Medical Director for the NHS in London said:

“I want to offer my personal congratulations to London colleagues who submitted shortlisted and winning entries in this competition, as we mark the 75^th anniversary of the NHS.

“It is inspiring to see, in photo form, the care and dedication of our staff that we value so greatly as these images mark the outstanding achievements our of health service and celebrate the talents of our staff.”

For the full list of winners and shortlisted photographs, please visit the Fuji Website.