A very special 100-year-old Solihull woman who has dedicated much of her life to her hometown hospital was on hand to officially open a new clinical area which has been named in her honour.
Millie Skinner has volunteered at the Lode Lane site ever since the Friends of Solihull Hospital (FOSH) was founded 61 years ago and has helped the group raise over £1 million in that time. She still attends monthly committee meetings despite turning 100 in October and is as passionate as ever about Solihull Hospital and healthcare in the town.
The Millie Skinner Transfer Hub, based on Ward 10, aims to improve care for complex patients by supporting their pathway through the hospital and signals an exciting opportunity to proactively manage patients’ ongoing health and social care needs from within Solihull Hospital.
Today Millie was joined by family, friends from FOSH and senior managers at Solihull Hospital to officially open the hub and unveiled a plaque dedicating it in her name to mark her 100th year and in honour of her tireless and continued dedication to the hospital.
Dr Rex J Polson, associate medical director at Solihull Hospital, part of the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, spoke at the ceremony and said he was delighted to honour Millie’s ‘massive contribution’ to the hospital for so many years.
He said: “As a hospital we were so keen to honour Millie in some way in this, her 100th year, to show our appreciation for all the work she has done for Solihull Hospital both through her work as a nurse on the old hospital site and for the FOSH group which has made a huge difference over the years.
“Millie has always been committed to supporting the work the hospital does for its community and it is fantastic that this new area, which is already making a really positive difference to our patients’ care pathways, will carry her name.”
Millie’s daughter Joan Lowery said her mother was ‘immensely proud’ to have been given the honour by the hospital that she has supported all her life.
She said: “It was a wonderful gesture for the hospital to dedicate the transfer hub to my mother and when she was told she was really proud and honoured. She has always had a strong affiliation with the hospital and even at 100 she is as keen as ever to know what is going on at the hospital and support staff and patients in any way she can.”
Millie started working at the hospital site when it was still the Workhouse, before the war in 1939 meant it became an emergency hospital and she began working there as a nurse. In 1953 Millie’s brother founded FOSH and Millie has been a committee member ever since.
