Hertfordshire land agency, Walter Cooper, award the 2023 Walter Cooper Professional Development Bursary to NHS staff

For the second year running, the bursary has funded opportunities for our staff to complete training and gain qualifications which currently sit outside of the NHS remit. The opportunities being funded include those designed to enhance and develop staff’s careers and the level of service they provide within their respective roles.

This year’s bursary amounts to £13,000 with a further £3,000 generously provided by Taylor Wimpey North London Division, courtesy of managing director, Peter Gurr, and land director, Andrew Holloway, for which both Walter Cooper and East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals’ Charity are incredibly grateful.

This funding, coupled with last year’s bursary, has now meant that a total of £27,000 has been awarded to seven Trust staff members in areas such as sports cardiology, management coaching and medical education.

Dr Azad Ghuran, consultant cardiologist at Lister Hospital, received the Walter Cooper bursary in 2022 to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Sports Cardiology at St George’s University, London.

Dr Ghuran said: “Thank you so much to Walter Cooper for this opportunity. I am passionate about cardiology, and I have very high standards. This course is regarded as the best in sports cardiology with participants from all over the world.

“The course provides a comprehensive range of expertise in sports cardiology, including cardiovascular evaluation, cardiac screening, cardiac rehabilitation, exercise prescription, and the management of athletes and individuals with heart disease.”

Managing director of Walter Cooper, Simon Cox, commented: “Once again we are privileged to be able to provide this bursary. The work that Eloise and her colleagues do in the charity makes an incredible difference and we feel lucky that we are able to contribute in this way.”

Eloise Huddleston, charity director, added: “We want to say a huge thank you to Walter Cooper for funding the bursary again this year. It means so much to our staff who can pursue training and development opportunities that they thought weren’t possible. This training helps them deliver an even higher level of care to their patients, so the benefits of the bursary are much, much more than just the training itself.

“By offering these bursaries, Walter Cooper are supporting our wonderful NHS staff and enhancing the care for our patients now, and well into the future.”