Much-loved Peterborough City Hospital volunteer Paul honoured with posthumous award

The family of a much-loved Peterborough City Hospital volunteer, who died while doing the job he loved, has accepted a posthumous Outstanding Achievement Award in his honour.

As a volunteer at PCH and at the nearby Cancer Wellbeing Service for 10 years, Paul Watts was known by colleagues, patients and visitors alike for his desire to help.

Paul passed away while on shift in late November 2023 after collapsing in the hospital’s main entrance, just weeks after performing CPR on a patient he spotted in difficulty at the same location.

Noticing the elderly man was not breathing, Paul placed him on the floor and commenced CPR before alerting colleagues to put the cardiac arrest call out.

Paul was nominated for the award by Critical Care Outreach Practitioner Helen Gillies, part of the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust’s cardiac arrest team – who also attended the incident as a rapid responder.

She said: “It is well known that early identification and commencing CPR quickly is a vital part of the success of CPR and Paul’s actions were very quick.

“As a volunteer, Paul showed an immense amount of courage and quick thinking to commence CPR. This is something that is not an easy decision to make even as a medical professional.”

A special get-together was held recently at Peterborough City Hospital, attended by Paul’s widow Jet – also a volunteer at the Trust – and their daughter Clare, supported by colleagues and other volunteers.

Making reference to Paul’s ‘caring, compassionate nature’, Chief Nurse Jo Bennis presented Jet with the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteer of the Month’ in his honour.

Jet said: “If Paul was here, he would have been very proud, but would have said that was only doing what he had to do.”

Among his many duties as a volunteer, Paul was instrumental in attending the staff vaccination clinics during the Covid pandemic and beyond, ensuring they ran smoothly.

Paying tribute to Paul, Trust Head of Volunteering, Carol North added: “Paul was one of the few volunteers that contributed hundreds of hours when we needed it most.

“We remember Paul as a cheeky chap who always looked ahead, helped wherever he could; always with a sense of humour and loads of heart. The team misses him greatly.”

Donations in Paul’s memory have already raised £500 for the Cancer Wellbeing Service.