Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

We're proud to be part of this research trial at Hammersmith Hospital with Imperial College London, helping people like Sarah 💙

Sarah had an extremely rare medical condition which caused her to faint when she ate, but was successfully treated using a cutting-edge medical procedure as part of this trial supported by British Heart Foundation and the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre.

Read more of Sarah's powerful story below and here: https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2026/june/every-time-i-ate-a-meal-i-feared-my-heart-would-stop-beating

Every time Sarah ate, she feared her heart might stop beating.

Sarah Hall’s heart stopped beating properly 12 times in a single day, triggered simply by her swallowing. Mealtimes frequently ended in her fainting or losing consciousness, leaving her terrified to go out for dinner with friends in case she collapsed and hit her head.

The 50-year-old had a condition called cardioinhibitory swallow syncope, of which there have only ever been fewer than 150 reported cases worldwide. This is a type of vasovagal syncope, the medical term for fainting caused by a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure.

Sarah’s fainting episodes did not respond to conventional treatment and so she was given a cutting-edge procedure called cardioneural ablation (CNA) in a medical trial. She joined a research project led by Imperial College London, which is being presented at the annual conference of the British Cardiovascular Society in Manchester and supported by us. She has not fainted once since receiving the treatment.

Dietitians turn nutrition science into simple, clear advice. 🍽️

Meet Alice, a senior specialist head and neck cancer dietitian this Dietitians Week.

She supports patients through big changes in eating, weight, and treatment – ultimately helping people feel heard, informed, and supported.

“Dietitians play a key role in supporting patients with difficult conversations around food and nutrition. We are here to help guide compassionate, patient-centred care. Ensuring that patients have access to reliable, evidence-based dietary advice and resources."

Read our blog with Alice: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/blog/alices-journey-of-turning-nutritional-science-into-care

Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic penicillin at St Mary's Hospital in 1928. This hospital is now home to the Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, which is open to the public to visit for free.

Discover how you can drop by to explore the museum and meet some of our wonderful volunteers: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/what-we-do/fleming-museum

One of our less-known volunteer roles are our wonderful museum volunteers, who provide guided tours of the Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum at St Mary’s Hospital.

This free museum displays Alexander Fleming’s restored laboratory and documents how he discovered the antibiotic penicillin, a scientific breakthrough that revolutionised medicine and earned him a Nobel Prize.

Ruth, one of our museum volunteers, said:

“I love watching the faces of visitors when they first step into the laboratory and realise that they are in the exact spot where penicillin was discovered! As a museum guide, I can help to bring Fleming’s story to life.”

Next time you’re at St Mary’s Hospital, stop by for an informative tour! Details and opening hours for the museum can be found here: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/what-we-do/fleming-museum



Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

We’re setting up a new patient and carer group, and we’re looking for local people who want to help improve how we communicate. If you’ve ever found a hospital letter confusing, a leaflet hard to follow, or information unclear, this is your chance to help change that.

You don’t need any specialist knowledge. What matters is your lived experience. Ideally, you’ll have been a patient or carer at our Trust in the last two years. We welcome people from all backgrounds and communities.

Taking part is flexible. Most of the time, you’ll be asked to review materials around twice a month and share your thoughts by email, phone or online. Occasionally, you may be invited to visit our hospitals to give feedback on things like signage or facilities.

Apply by Sunday 6 June: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=slTDN7CF9UeyIge0jXdO48eCpTutGuhGoowJjjZnF6RUM0c1Nk0xMlRETldTOFM4QVlWU0pFMlBITC4u&route=shorturl

Our monthly newsletters are a quick and easy way for you to keep up to date with everything happening across our hospitals. This month includes a beautiful heartwarming story of Hema who shared her experience of pregnancy after baby loss.

Catch up today: https://imperial-nhs-uk.newsweaver.co.uk/membersupdate/166w7o4s6eg?lang=en

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re saying a huge thank you to our amazing volunteers 💙

Over 1,100 volunteers gave 40,000+ hours last year – supporting patients, families and staff with kindness, care and a friendly face when it matters most.

We’re also incredibly grateful to Imperial Health Charity for leading and supporting our volunteering programme every day.

To all our volunteers – thank you. You make a real difference.

Interested in volunteering for our hospitals? Find out more: https://www.imperialcharity.org.uk/volunteering

RMT strikes on the Tube are currently planned on Tuesday 2 June (tomorrow) and Thursday 4 June.

There will be disruption to London Underground services and this may impact your travel to and from our hospitals.

If they go ahead, please check before you travel: https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes

Read our news story: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/news/tube-strikes-june-2026

Strike action next week may affect your travel to our sites.

Please plan your journey ahead of time if you have you have an appointment at our hospitals between Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June.

For the latest information and to plan your journey, please check the Transport for London website: https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes

Tackling antimicrobial resistance ( ) needs patient and public voices. That’s why the Fleming Initiative is looking for patients and members of the public to join their new public advisory group.

This is a paid opportunity, open to UK residents aged 18+, and we’re keen to hear from people with all levels of experience – whether AMR is something you know well or are just curious about. The deadline for applications is 17.00 on Thursday 4 June 2026.

Find out more and apply: https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d0eQVio1j3A33XU