We need people like you to help us do what we do.

Members make a hugely valuable contribution to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), either through donating their time or giving their thoughts on how to improve services for the benefit of our patients.

Julie Liddle is among more than 17,000 patient and public members who support Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB). She chose to get involved to say thank you to the hospital and you can too.

Membership is free and there are lots of benefits to become a member of our hospitals too like free health talks, regular updates and access to Health Service Discounts.

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Julie Liddle

The most important people in her life are Julie Liddle’s reasons for volunteering and becoming a member at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

In 1971 Julie was pregnant. When her unborn daughter stopped breathing during her labour, an emergency caesarean saved her life. This traumatic experience - which thankfully had a positive outcome - was the first but sadly, not the last of her experiences of Selly Oak Hospital, which was run by the same NHS trust as QEHB.

In 1984, at the age of 37 and suffering with heart disease, Julie’s husband Brian underwent a triple bypass. Over a decade later in 1998, Brian had another bypass.

After working in banking for almost 50 years, Julie retired in 2009. Feeling fortunate to still have those that she loved around her, Julie decided she want to do something for the hospital.

“I felt I needed to pay back something to the NHS for keeping my family safe for all those years,” explained Julie, who now plays an active role at the hospital.

Julie serves on the Nutrition and Hydration Committee, the Equality and Diversity Committee and the Volunteer Committee. She also gives her time and energy going “back to the floor” on visits with the hospital’s matrons to help address any issues that arise.

Julie believes her previous career, in which she came face to face with a vast variety of different people, has helped her hugely with achieving so much. In her quest to give back to QEHB, she has also joined a patient and carer council and has adopted three oncology wards where she carries out surveys and gets feedback from patients.

In 2011, Julie herself was taken seriously ill and was treated at QEHB. Since then she has been offered the opportunity to work with the Dignity team and is now a dignity champion for patients, in particular the elderly.

She said: “Volunteering is so incredibly rewarding and gratifying; these hospitals saved the lives of the people I love dearly and I love every moment I here.

“My staff and colleagues here are so supportive, the other volunteers are so friendly and helpful, and it feels good to be giving back and helping to do good.”