Newly appointed Trust Chair abseils into her new role!

Newly appointed Chair of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Rukshana Kapasi OBE has found a novel way to introduce herself to the Trust, after she took on a daring abseil down six storeys of King’s Mill Hospital on Friday 12 June.  

The one-day event took place to raise essential funds for the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity, which exists to improve the lives of patients, visitors and staff by funding projects above and beyond what the NHS can provide. 

Rukshana brings extensive experience from her 30-year career serving across the NHS and charitable sectors and is due to begin her role as Trust Chair on Monday 6 July. She took on the abseil because she knows firsthand the difference our hospitals make, and commented: “Over many years, my family has received excellent care at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and I’ve seen how the small practical things can make a difficult time that little bit easier.  

“As the incoming Chair, I’m very conscious of the trust that people place in us when they come into our care, and I know the vital role our charity plays in supporting both patients and staff. 

“So, I’m being a little brave, because I’m not partial to heights. But I’m nowhere near as brave as our patients, who place their trust in us when they need us the most, or our frontline staff who deliver vital services every day.” 

Rukshana was one of 48 people to take part in the abseil on Friday, with many of the participants really getting into the spirit by abseiling down in fancy dress! 

The last abseil in November 2025 raised nearly £36,000 for the charity’s general fund, and since then the charity has already supported a number of service improvement projects including: 

• A multilingual digital antenatal education programme to help prepare patients for giving birth and what comes after

• A pilot project to help inpatients with administering insulin 

• Updated patient lockers in the Emergency Assessment Unit

• Intercom counter microphone system for the Emergency Department 

• Funding towards equipment for the laser removal of prostate tissue 

• Attendance at the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Conference.   

Helen Conway currently works in the NHS and worked at Sherwood Forest Hospitals many years ago. She is about to leave her current role and rather than have people contribute to a leaving fund, she decided to take part in the abseil and raise money for the charity, instead.  

She said: “My dad has Dementia and he attended the Emergency Department at King’s Mill Hospital a few years ago after he broke his neck, and everyone was brilliant with him and really considered his complex needs. I was so grateful for the care that was given to him at the time and really want to give something back. 

“I see this abseil as closure on my time in the NHS – I’m jumping into a new chapter!” 

On the day, abseilers were supported by volunteers at the hospital, who helped to keep the event running smoothly and contributed to its success.  

Jo Thornley, Community Involvement Manager said: “It has been fantastic to arrange a second abseil event and to bring so many people together in support of our hospitals. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and to our amazing volunteers who supported on the day.

“We are looking forward to working with colleagues to see how the charity can support their service improvement ideas.” 

The second abseil to take place at the hospital, which is part of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was once again made possible due to the expertise of Big Bang Experiences, who have hosted abseil experiences at many iconic locations throughout the UK. They made sure that the event ran smoothly, ensuring that all participants were safe and secure before they made their descent. 

Thank you to everyone who took part in the abseil and all those who took the time to donate. Details of how to support the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity can be found on the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust website.