SCC and Croydon NHS: Transforming Training Spaces, Elevating Care
A Partnership Making a Difference
In August 2025, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust (CHS) celebrated the transformation of Shirley House at Croydon University Hospital, a project that showcases the power of partnership, community spirit and volunteering.
Croydon NHS serve nearly 400,000 people across South London and face significant funding challenges while striving to deliver high quality care.
From Tired Rooms to Modern Learning Hubs
Shirley House is at the heart of staff induction and training for CHS. However, the training facilities had become tired and were suffering from a lack of investment. Recognising the importance of a positive learning environment, SCC volunteers used their company-funded volunteering days to redecorate the seminar rooms, which included filling holes, sanding walls and painting them in NHS blue.
The transformation was further elevated by the installation of a state-of-the-art interactive screen, generously donated by Lenovo and delivered by SCC. This replaced an old projector to enable modern, engaging training sessions which supported online learners.
Voices from Croydon NHS
“If we don’t have high quality training in high quality spaces, our patients can’t receive high quality care. SCC’s support has given us a beautifully repainted space so that staff can have a nice environment, a professional environment, in which to embark on training and also have some fantastic facilities so that they can get the information that they need to develop the right skills, knowledge and behaviour to provide outstanding services to our patients.” – Catherine Bailey, Head of Skills, Learning and Development
“We now have a facility to be proud of. The environment is stimulating for our learners and makes teaching much easier.” – Esther Mukeme, Practice Educator
“All the rooms are now in our trust value colours, which is great. We’ve now got an amazing kit based on the interactive screen, touch screen, from SCC and Lenovo – this is something we’ve not had before, something we’ve needed.” – Yvonne Nelson, Senior Learning and Organisation Development Practitioner
Celebrating Success
The official opening event brought together senior leaders from Croydon NHS and SCC, including Chief Executive Matthew Kershaw and Chief People Officer Simon Haben, to celebrate the transformation and discuss its positive impact on staff morale, training quality and community pride.
“Improving the environment for learning is super helpful. People come in with a different mindset and are more keen and able to learn because of that environmental change.” – Simon Haben, Chief People Officer
The Ripple Effect of Volunteering
This project has changed perceptions of CHS demonstrating how suppliers like SCC can deliver value beyond technology. The partnership has attracted much-needed investment and created a space that staff and the wider community can be proud of.
Catherine Bailey captured the wider impact:
“That space is now an area where we could bring a live experience facilitator into. Therefore, more people in the borough can receive that training. Therefore, you’re more likely to encounter somebody who has had the right training to deal with a patient in the right way. Therefore, that patient is more likely to get the support that they needed, the medical intervention they required at the right time, and therefore their quality of life and life expectancy is significantly improved. And all of that started with SCC’s decisions to hold a volunteer day to come and paint a room.”
This story demonstrates how a simple act – like painting a room – can spark a chain reaction, improving staff morale, training quality and ultimately, patient care. SCC and Croydon NHS show that when organisations work together, the benefits can go far beyond the walls of a hospital.