Barts Health Chief Information Officer photographed by Rankin for NHS birthday portrait collection | Our news

A powerful portrait of the Chief Information Officer from Barts Health NHS Trust has been captured by acclaimed photographer Rankin, as part of collection unveiled today to celebrate the NHS anniversary.

Sarah Jensen was selected to be photographed for the collection, which will be showcased at local bus stops, roadside billboards as well as iconic pedestrian areas including the world-famous Piccadilly Lights in central London this week to mark the 72nd anniversary of the NHS.  

In a mark of respect and thanks to the NHS, the renowned photographer, who has previously shot the Rolling Stones, Kate Moss and the Queen, offered to take portraits of 12 people across the country playing a vital role in the NHS response to COVID-19.

Sarah Jensen said: “I was very surprised and flattered to be chosen – to be at the forefront of the coronavirus story was not something I was expecting. I feel privileged to be representing my profession, as working for the NHS provides such a rewarding career. I feel very strongly that we set a good example and help get messages into schools with the younger generations who are experiencing this and run grass root campaigns to recruit and show people at a young age what is possible.”

British photographer, director and cultural provocateur, Rankin, said, “As the coronavirus pandemic began to unfold, I was moved by the incredible efforts of people across the NHS and I wanted to document who they are and their role in fighting this disease. Taking a portrait is a unique and intimate experience, even with social distancing in place. Everyone had their own inspiring story which to them was just doing their job. I hope these images portray the resilience and courage they show every day in the face of real adversity.”

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: “This has been the most challenging year in the NHS’s history, with our amazing staff providing care to almost 100,000 hospitalised Covid patients, and many more in the community. Nurses, doctors, physios, pharmacists, cleaners and countless others have pulled together, bolstered by thousands of former NHS staff who came back to help, alongside a new generation of students who stepped up. As we approach the NHS’s anniversary, these striking portraits pay tribute to all NHS staff and their extraordinary dedication. On July 5th we also want to say thank you to those from all walks of life who have played their part in helping the NHS and our communities deal with this unprecedented health emergency.”

Alongside her portrait, Sarah has shared her own personal story from the frontline, providing a unique and touching insight into the lives of the people who are battling this pandemic and saving lives. 

All portraits are being donated by Rankin to the NHS as an ongoing legacy for years to come. Advertising space to display the portraits has also been donated.

Sarah's story

I’m originally from South Korea, which is the world’s largest exporter of babies and I’m one of them. I was placed in an orphanage until I was adopted by a family on the west coast of the US.

As one of six children, we didn’t have lots of money and relied on elements of social services to help, and I always knew I would try a job in the public sector for some length of time when I got older. 

Initially I worked in finance and then moved to the UK after my brother died from muscular dystrophy – so I’m no stranger to healthcare settings. It was time to rethink what I wanted to do, and so I switched to healthcare IT before being approached to work in the NHS.

I embrace and feel a cultural identity with being Korean, and deliberately chose to work in north east London because of the high ethnic diversity there, which I find comforting. 

The NHS is the hardest job I have ever done. COVID-19 crept up on us, and our earliest challenge was to support staff remote working.

You may have heard of the challenges with accessing PPE but trying to get laptops was equally challenging. When the outbreak started 1,000 out of 20,000 staff were able to work remotely, but after six weeks we had been able to increase this to over 5,000 of our staff. 

When I was asked to support IT for the NHS Nightingale Hospital London, I didn’t hesitate because I instantly knew my team could do it. We had a meeting at 8am that morning, and by 10pm the team had an articulated lorry dropping off all the network kit.

We were about to replace the network in two of our hospitals, so we emptied our warehouse of that kit and asked all our suppliers to send teams to help.

Within five days, we had set up a new secure network and connected devices from scratch to support the first group of patients - over 26km of cable, 500 switches, hundreds of PCs and more. 

It doesn’t feel like we ever stood back and truly reflected on what we had done; we were just going flat out for several weeks - no weekends, no breaks and no leave. The NHS is the best thing about the UK, hands down.

Everyone pulls together in times like this and it’s the one place people know they can rely on for help, no matter what their status or background, because that’s what is was created for and that’s what we do.

The full selection of portraits and their stories can be found here.

There was widespread coverage of the project with pieces in the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Times, Sky News, ITV News, Harper’s Bizarre, GQ, CIO and the Newham Recorder.