'Some staff do double shifts but not one of those people stops smiling'

“YOU never hear about anyone talking about the NHS from within the NHS. Some staff do double shifts but not one of those people stops smiling throughout the day.

- By JOEL MOORE

“They work so hard. It’s a shame that no-one sees it.”

Roy Brooks-Porter, an 85-year-old award-winning NHS volunteer, is eager to shift the attention away from himself and on to his thousands of colleagues slogging away at Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre.

“There's dedication, empathy - there’s masses of it. Patience, consideration, toleration. The response to anyone poorly over the odds is stunning,” he continued.

“They work like badgers and I’ve never heard a complaint.”

Roy is chatting to me over a cup of tea in his Mapperley back garden. His humility is undoubtedly a key reason he was named Nottingham University Hospitals’ (NUH) volunteer of the year last year. He's even had a bus named after him.

Roy started at the City Hospital after retiring as a driving instructor aged 74.

He began collecting files for oncology, which involved darting from department to department. Then technology came in, the files were digitised and Roy was asked if he wanted to volunteer on a ward.