A HOSPITAL chaplain dedicated to spreading good news stories is throwing a party to celebrate his message reaching more than 100,000 people.

Rev David Southall, chaplain for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, took his first steps into the realm of online blogging with his “good news blog” earlier this year.

He was first inspired to share positive stories about the NHS while during conversations with patients on his regular rounds of the wards at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

He saw an opportunity to spread the word of their positive experiences, but by his own admission had no idea that the blog would prove so popular or take off in the way that it has.

Despite only uploading his first post at the end of March, Rev Southall’s blog has now attracted well over 100,000 hits.

He is also a Worcester News columnist, writing each week for our Your Health supplement which appears on Mondays.

To celebrate and thank pat-ients, staff and the public for their support, he will be holding a special celebration in the main foyer of Worcestershire Royal Hospital between 10am and 4pm on Thursday, November 7.

Rev Southall hopes as many people as possible will pay a visit and help him celebrate his good news.

“The preliminary results of a survey show that the blog has had an impact on staff morale, an impact on the community, and an effect on the way that patients, staff and community have related to the hospital,” he said. “There is still a long way to go with the blog and some major developments are in hand.

“I do all of this in my spare time, along with my day job as chaplain. It’s a great time to be part of the acute trust and the team of staff and managers who make a difference day on day.

“It would be great to have people join me for this event, to hear some of the remarkable stories and spend some time celebrating the great work that goes on every day in our hospitals.”

A similar event will be taking place at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital on Tuesday, November 19.

To read or contribute to Rev Southall’s blog, visit revdavidsouthall.com.