The Diamond Jubilee weekend will be celebrated in style at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. On Tuesday 5 June, all inpatients will be given celebratory cupcakes served with union flag serviettes as part of the day’s afternoon tea service. The cakes were baked in-house by Plaza Restaurant chefs.

The Dignity in Care team, led by the Trust’s Activities Coordinator Darren Pratley and hospital volunteers, also organised a Jubilee afternoon tea party for patients, relatives and volunteers on Friday 1 June.

A room was set aside where tea and homemade cakes were on offer and the room was decorated with bunting made by patients. Invitations were sent to wards and departments so all patients who were able were included in the celebrations. There was a small cinema in one area of the room showing films of the Queen’s celebrations over the past 60 years, including the Coronation and previous jubilees. Claire’s Accessories were very generous in donating tiaras, crowns and other accessories. There were celebrations on wards 410, 514 and 516.

There were also performances on the wards and in the main atrium of the hospital by Cathouse Theatre Company. The Company comprises third year BA (Hons) Community and Applied Theatre and Dance Theatre students from Birmingham School of Acting, part of Birmingham City University. Over the past 12 weeks, Cathouse Theatre have been running workshops at QEHB and collecting stories, memories and dance moves from patients which formed the basis and inspiration for the performance, which included drama, dance, singing and puppetry.

A royal connection

• Building the Queen Elizabeth Hospitals began in 1933 with the Prince of Wales laying the first stone
• The official opening took place on the 1March 1939; it was attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who delighted the local crowds by giving her name to the hospital unannounced
• On the 1 April 2002, The Centre for Defence Medicine was given approval by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and given Royal status and re-named to The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine
• Their Royal Highnesses Prince William and Prince Harry made a private visit to Selly Oak Hospital in 2009, to visit injured military personnel and to meet nursing staff
• Over the past three years, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent and Sophie, Countess of Wessex have visited the hospitals
• The Prince of Wales is a regular visitor to the hospitals. His most recent visit was in December 2011 where he spent three hours talking to military patients.
• In April 2012, the ground breaking ceremony for Fisher House took place HRH The Duke of Gloucester turned the ceremonial first sod, marking the project's official start on site