Amunpreet’s journey across 20 years of change at NUH | Latest news

As Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) marks its 20th anniversary, the trust is celebrating the staff whose careers reflect the organisation’s journey over the last two decades. One of those is Amunpreet Boyal, a programme manager in NUH’s Programme Management Office (PMO), whose personal and professional story is deeply rooted in the trust, from being born at City Hospital to becoming a staff nurse in 2005 and then returning almost 20 years after the merger that created NUH.

Amunpreet, a programme manager at NUH, has spent many years working at the trust and described her return in 2023 as “coming home”. While some aspects of the trust felt familiar, Amunpreet said the changes over the last 20 years were clear. She highlighted developments in staff networks, as well as significant progress in staff diversity, wellbeing and inclusion.

Born at City Hospital and raised in Nottingham, Amunpreet trained as a nurse at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London and began her career at Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust. After gaining experience in a large London teaching hospital, she returned to her home city to work across both Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital, rotating through acute medical roles.

Amunpreet joined NUH in 2005, just ahead of the merger that formally brought QMC,  City Hospital and Ropewalk House together. She recalls a period of mixed emotions among staff, with enthusiasm for change balanced by understandable uncertainty.

“There was a lot of apprehension at the start,” she said. “QMC and City had very different cultures.

“QMC felt faster‑paced and more acute, while City had a different rhythm. People were anxious about how that would all come together.”

Despite those concerns, Amunpreet said the integration proved smoother than she expected, as teams began working together across sites and services gradually aligned.

“Once things settled, it felt less daunting,” she said. “People adapted and services came together more.”

Shortly after the merger, Amunpreet stepped away from NUH to continue her professional development. With changes to training budgets at the time, she funded a master’s degree in Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham. This led to more than a decade working in national roles across healthcare, research and leadership, including positions at the University of Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS FT and before returning to NUH her last role was as national Research and Safe Staffing Lead at Sue Ryder.

During this time, she gained wide‑ranging experience in national programmes and projects, patient safety, and organisational leadership, as well as leading equality, diversity and inclusion work as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff network chair at palliative and bereavement support charity, Sue Ryder.

In February 2023, Amunpreet returned to NUH, which she described as ‘really special’.

“Coming back felt really special,” she said. “I was able to bring everything I’d learned nationally back to support local programmes, particularly around quality and patient safety and making a difference closer to home.

“Twenty years ago, staff networks weren’t widely visible, and the areas I worked in felt much less diverse,” she said. “Now there are established networks, better collaboration between them, and wellbeing support is far more visible and accessible although still on a journey”

Since returning, Amunpreet has become co‑chair of NUH’s Reach Staff Network, having initially attended meetings before stepping into a leadership role. Drawing on her previous experience, she supports equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives and encourages intersectional working across networks.

For Amunpreet, NUH represents far more than an employer. With her own life beginning at City Hospital and her career now coming full circle, she speaks of a strong sense of belonging and purpose.

“This organisation really does feel like home,” she said. “My motivation comes from serving the local community and seeing the impact of the work we do. That makes it incredibly meaningful.”

As NUH celebrates 20 years as a trust, Amunpreet’s story reflects not only how the organisation has evolved, but also the deep personal connections that continue to shape its future.