Guy’s and St Thomas’ win 2 national honours at the HSJ Awards

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating 2 major wins at this year’s HSJ Awards, recognising outstanding clinical leadership and pioneering sustainability work across the organisation.

Both winners are based at Royal Brompton Hospital, the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom.

Rasleen (Ras) Kahai, highly specialist respiratory dietitian at Royal Brompton Hospital, was named Clinical Leader of the Year. This is the first time a dietitian has ever won the prestigious award. Ras works with patients across the full range of respiratory conditions and led the first known research into dietetic care for malnourished patients with interstitial lung disease.

As a wheelchair user she led the creation of her hospital’s first disability staff network and is currently leading the capital projects accessibility bid, while also campaigning for more accessible local bus and tube services to the Trust’s hospitals. 

Ras Kahai said: “I’m delighted that HSJ has appreciated the work of frontline dietetic staff. 

“While it’s lovely to be recognised and acknowledged by this award, I do feel it really belongs to all the great people at Royal Brompton and Harefield who have supported me over the years. From cleaners to consultants, they have made such an impact on me and my work, and I am eternally grateful. I wish I could split the award up, all of them deserve a piece of it! 

“I would also say it will take effort to make our hospitals accessible for all and I hope my colleagues will continue to support this. I look forward to continuing to work on this agenda directly with my Chair Simon Friend and Chief Executive Richard Grocott-Mason.” 

The Royal Brompton catering team also won the Towards Net Zero Award, recognising their ambitious and practical approach to sustainable hospital catering.

The team recently installed a new bio-waste processor on site, enabling food waste to be transformed into compost within 24 hours. The compost is used across Royal Brompton’s green areas and made available for staff and residents. The processor reduces the volume of food waste by up to 80%, cutting carbon emissions by removing the need for off-site transport and processing. The team have also introduced more seasonal, vegan and vegetarian dishes and cut down on the use of ingredients with a heavy carbon footprint, like beef and lamb, by 30%. 

Nuno Matias, catering service manager, said: “Winning this award is a really proud moment for all of us. It reflects our complete dedication to having a positive environmental impact while still providing high-quality meals for all our patients, staff and visitors. Sustainability is not just a goal; it’s a responsibility we all embrace every day. 

“It also underscores our hospital’s broader commitment to sustainability, and I hope sets a benchmark for healthcare catering services nationwide. We plan to build on this by exploring zero single-use plastics, further carbon reduction strategies, and community engagement.” 

The catering team has a strong track record in sustainable practice, having previously won the Public Sector Hospital Catering Award (2023) and achieved the Soil Association’s Silver Food for Life accreditation, renewed this year. Their menu innovations have helped reduce food waste by 40% in 18 months. 

Guy’s and St Thomas’ finalists recognised across multiple categories 

Guy’s and St Thomas’ and partners were also shortlisted for several other categories this year, highlighting the Trust’s leadership in digital transformation and modernising diagnostics. Finalists included: 

• Digitising Patient Care - Guy’s and St Thomas’ FT & King’s College Hospital FT: Digitising Patient Care at Scale - the UK’s largest shared Epic EPR implementation and optimisation. 
• Modernising Diagnostics Award - Guy’s and St Thomas’ FT & King’s College Hospital FT: Digitally Enabled Pathology Optimisation: A collaborative approach. 
• Provider Collaboration of the Year - Guy’s and St Thomas’ FT & King’s College Hospital FT: Apollo - A Shared Digital Future for South East London’s Health System. 
• Innovation and Improvement in Reducing Healthcare Inequalities Award - South East London ICB, South London Office of Specialised Services - Addressing Inequalities Through Enhanced Community Sickle Cell Services in South East London.