Faces of the NHS

District Nurse, Community

“I am a District Nurse based in the East of York, managing a team comprising of six staff that cover a large and busy geographical area, visiting patients in their own homes.

“I have worked for the Health service for 16 years and before coming into community my background was in renal medicine and transplantation, working in the regional centre in Leeds and as Transplant Sister in Bradford. I also have experience of vascular and general surgery.

“Thanks to my vocation I have also had the opportunity to work abroad, spending four years in the Netherlands. The experience was both enjoyable and hard work, having been required to learn Dutch too which saw me inadvertently keep patients amused with many comedic mispronunciations! Despite the difficulty, it was great fun and a hugely rewarding experience.

“I know from my time in the Netherlands that the NHS is much respected and revered, predominantly because of its founding principles of being free at the point of access considering healthcare in the country is insurance based.

“District nursing is a really important piece of the healthcare landscape and every day I feel a huge sense of pride in being able to provide totally holistic care and support for patients and their families within their own homes and communities, enabling them to stay well and maintain independence at home.

“The most rewarding element of my work is the privilege I have of nursing those who are nearing the end of their lives and who have chosen to die at home surrounded by loved ones. This element of palliative care is where I feel the district nursing and the community palliative care teams are exceptional, it is extremely humbling and certainly puts things in perspective.

“The work we do is extremely varied and often challenging with many scenarios requiring us to work alone and make decisions quickly in acute situations. With a lot of travel involved and patients with complex health, social and mental needs, no two days are the same, which means the job is always interesting.

“District nursing has changed so much over the years as advances in medicine & technology have developed, and with that the ability to support and maintain people at home with widely experienced district nursing staff, it’s certainly not all tea and cakes – a popular historical view of community nursing!

“There is a great sense of camaraderie and humour within nursing, particularly within community nursing, and it’s these bonds of friendship that are the glue that binds us together through both good times and bad."

Consultant Anaesthesia and ICM, Scarborough Hospital

“I am a Consultant Anaesthetist, Intensivist and Associate Medical Director for Humber Coast and Vale Operational Delivery Networks.

“I trained as a doctor having grown up in Harrogate and found an interest in medicine through initial resuscitation training as a pool lifeguard whilst doing A-levels.

“I joined the trust in 2014 moving back to my home county of North Yorkshire, having trained in several other trusts around Nottingham and then the South Coast.  I anaesthetise patients - i.e. keep them asleep - for operations at the trust’s Scarborough and Bridlington sites and also look after patients on the Intensive Care Unit at Scarborough.

“When I joined the trust I took over local leadership of the major trauma services at Scarborough.  Both trust main hospital sites at York and Scarborough are designated as trauma units and see major trauma victims with injuries not requiring Major Trauma Centre (MTC) care or those requiring stabilisation prior to transfer to a MTC - something which is often needed in the relative geographical isolation of the Yorkshire Coast.

“From this local role I moved on to become the network lead clinician for the North Yorkshire and Humberside Major Trauma network.  The trauma network leads the development of major trauma services in the area - across two ambulance services, six main hospitals and three acute hospital trusts.  The network has been responsible for building education programmes for staff including the Trauma Immediate Life Support (TILS) course and rehabilitation education days, which between them have now trained around 500 clinical staff in our region.  The network has also facilitated work around the referapatient software, which has improved communication with specialist teams in our region.  I’ve also been involved in developing regional plans to deal with mass casualty incidents and also testing our own local major incident plans at the trust during the LIVEX18 exercises in July this year.

“In the last few weeks I’ve taken on a new job while still keeping my clinical time in Scarborough, providing clinical leadership to several Operational Delivery Networks in the Humber Coast and Vale Region - including major trauma, critical care, rehabilitation, cardiac, plus the local maternity system.  These networks and care systems, some of which are new, will continue to develop care across the whole region, particularly where aspects are delivered centrally at a single site - for instance reopening heart arteries in heart attack patients - ensuring there is equity of access for all patients regardless of where they live.

“The greatest change I’ve seen in the NHS is the realisation that NHS trusts as unique organisations work better together, rather than in direct competition.  This has seen trusts work together to develop care pathways for patients, with care being delivered in the best place for that patient including a shift to both direct access to specialist care but also rapid repatriation for care closer to home.

“I absolutely love the portfolio of work I’ve been able to develop both within and outside the trust.  I live in a beautiful location, get 1:1 patient contact time each week and still get to have a significant role in bigger regional projects that can have a significant impact.

“That brings me back to the best piece of advice I was given which is ‘You don’t have to be on the clinical front line to have a big impact on patient care’.  Everyone in Team NHS I meet has a key role to play, be they nurse, porter, manager, cleaner, midwife or director.  It’s only by getting the very best out of all our staff that the NHS will continue to make advances in joined up care and resulting mortality reduction and quality of life improvements we have seen in the last few decades.”

Lead Groundsperson, Trust-Wide

“I am the lead Groundsperson for the Trust, a position I have held for the last three years.  Day-to-day I lead a small team of gardeners who perform general maintenance and carry out reactive work to the exterior of our trust’s various sites.

“Before working here, I was site manager at Deverell Barracks with the Ministry of Defence.  I joined the NHS following redundancy and very much landed on my feet in coming to this trust.  I was attracted to work for the NHS because the values that the organisation have in general are unique, always available and very much reflective of my own.

“As a groundsperson, it is especially rewarding to know that each day I am helping to create a vision for staff, visitors and patients. This will usually come from a design or a plan that I alone manage, often with limited or no resources.  Thinking outside of the box in order to create a sanctuary for others makes this job a particularly varied and interesting role.

"The team I work with is a small one, just the three of us, known as the three musketeers - who make working here all the more enjoyable.  I’m proud to be able to call the gardening team my friends.

“What really strikes me about our work is that what we do is evident and apparent.  Our work is the first point of contact for staff, patients and visitors and a pleasing environment can be the difference between how a person might receive news or a colleague might approach work - appearances really do matter!

“The impact our work has on the environment is extremely humbling and you would be forgiven for thinking an army of people has been in, rather than just the three of us.  This makes the job all the more satisfying.  It’s that sense of satisfaction being an NHS employee gives that makes it an easy organisation to recommend to anyone considering joining the service.

“I feel very honoured to be working for an organisation that does so much for so many, and it always fills me with a great sense of pride to be able to tell people that I work for the NHS.

“While there may be difficult times ahead with uncertainty seemingly all around, I believe it has never been more important to keep smiling and keep doing what we do”.

Head Biomedical Scientist, York Hopsital

"I am Head Biomedical Scientist and overall manager for the Histology, Cytology and Mortuary departments of York Hospital where I have been for the last 18 years.

"These are the departments which process and provide a diagnostic report on any cellular diagnostic pathology that is needed by the hospital. This includes any biopsies or tissue resections (for instance breast, bowel or skin) and also the cervical cytology service which is the single is the regional laboratory for all of North Yorkshire, Hull and East Riding and for North Lincolnshire and Goole. Our mortuary (one at York and one at Scarborough) provides both a hospital and a public mortuary service for the deceased of both communities.

"I have worked for the NHS for 37 years, working at Newcastle and several hospitals in London prior to joining York in 2000.  While I have always worked as a laboratory technician, I originally moved into the NHS to undertake research, eventually moving into diagnostic work as I enjoyed the fact that you are directly helping patients and public rather than working for a company which is just benefitting its shareholders.

"I’m fortunate to be in a job where the days always fly by. The variety and hugely diverse nature of all the departments that I manage mean that no day is ever the same and it is always very busy. No matter how you plan ahead, you are never sure what may come through the door on a daily basis meaning you might be required to drop everything to go and sort out a particular issue at a moments notice.

"The biggest changes I’ve seen in my time with the NHS are the massive technological advances that have been made in medicine and treatment. When I first started we used special dyes to stain the tissue we work on, now we use DNA targeted molecular markers for some cancer diagnosis which results in much better treatments for patients.

"To me, the NHS is perhaps the single most unique and precious thing that is still nationally freely available to everyone in the UK, and it is something I passionately believe in."

Audio Typist, York Hospital

“I am an Audio Typist based in the Child Health directorate (Paediatrics).  I joined the Trust in October 2008, initially working on the Estates Helpdesk and ID office, before moving to a few different departments and latterly joining paediatrics in 2016.  I work with a colleague to provide typing and admin support to a team of approximately 10 secretaries and around 15 consultants and specialist nurses.  I love the huge variation of clinics in paediatrics - I can be typing letters about epilepsy and diabetes one day, and bowels and bladders the next!  The most challenging part of the role was getting to grips with all the medical conditions and medication.

“Having spent most of my childhood in and out of Great Ormond Street Hospital and St Thomas’ in London, due to complications from a genetic disorder, I have seen from an early age the fantastic work the NHS staff do, day in, day out.  I was later to be thankful again for the great work NHS staff do, after my son, Reece, was born in 2000 and it was clear he also had the same genetic condition as me.  He was referred to my now colleagues in the Child Development Centre and seemed to be doing well, until 2004 when we were given the bombshell that he had cancer.  He subsequently spent a few months receiving treatment at St James’ Hospital, Leeds.  Fortunately he is now doing well, with no major long term health problems and will turn 18 at the end of the month.

“In 2015, almost 11 years to the day of Reece’s diagnosis, life dealt us another cruel blow.  I too was diagnosed with a rare cancer and transferred to St James’s.  Again I got to witness the amazing, caring and compassionate work done by NHS staff.  Having had such vast experience of being on the ‘other side’ of care, has helped me have a good understanding of how our patients and families may be feeling.

“I don’t remember a huge amount from my time as a patient at Great Ormond Street, but my parents often tell me how one orthopaedic consultant ran the ward in a very strict ‘old fashioned’ manner - even in the early 80’s.  No parents or visitors were allowed on the ward during ward round and instead had to wait in the playroom whilst he discussed with nursing staff the plans for each patient.  The nurses would then feedback this information to each parent once the doctor had left the ward.  I couldn’t imagine that happening now and much prefer how patients and families are involved in the decisions about care.

“The best piece of advice I have been given or heard is “Don’t worry about something you have no control over”.  I try and I have a positive outlook on life, even with all the challenges I have faced - but that’s not to say that I don’t have the odd day when I think “why me?” I often think that no matter how much I have had to deal with there is always someone worse off somewhere.

“The NHS often receives criticism, but I hope it’s here for a long time to come - and hope that we can celebrate its 100th and even 150th birthday, even if I’m not around to see the 150th!”

Neonatal Outreach Sister for the Special Care Baby Unit, York Hospital

“I am one of two Neonatal Outreach Sisters for the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at York Hospital.  My job is to visit preterm or poorly babies who have been discharged home and provide emotional and practical support to the families.

“I have been working in the NHS for nearly 40 years and the last 35 years have been at York Hospital.  I did my nurse training in Leeds and after a little spell as a theatre nurse, I came to York to do my midwifery training.  At that time the maternity unit was based at Fulford, where the Designer Outlet is, and then it moved to York Hospital in December 1983.  Whilst training as a midwife I had a six week allocation to SCBU and fell in love with the unit and the work.  After 33 years I have never looked back and have spent most of my adult working life on there, with the past 15 years as neonatal outreach.

“I feel I have an amazing job, caring for sick and vulnerable babies, watching them grow, get better and then discharged home. It is a privilege to visit the families and their babies at home, to watch how well they do once home, and to be able to support and empower the parents as they finally start to be a family after what can sometimes be a long time on the unit, and quite a rollercoaster of emotions.

“Over the years there have been many changes with our approach to caring for these babies and their families.  Not only the type of care and treatment they receive, but also how we involve the parents in caring and decision making.  When I first started at Fulford, there were set visiting times for the parents to come to the unit and they had to wear gowns when holding their babies. Nowadays, we have open visiting and our approach is as partners in care with the parents - getting them involved from the moment their baby arrives on SCBU and helping them to make the decisions they want to make for their babies.

“I am proud to work for the NHS, even in these turbulent times.  At the end of the day it is all about the patients and their families and the greatest gift we can give is to care about them, and to care for them for the best possible outcome.”

F1 Junior Doctor, York Hospital

“I am a junior doctor working York Hospital. I qualified as a doctor from the University of Sheffield aged 21, apparently beating the previous record for the youngest doctor to start work in the country ever. I knew I was the youngest in my year, but I had no idea I would be the youngest ever!

“I always wanted to be a doctor and from an early age I was fascinated by how the human body worked. I was lucky enough to get this opportunity to study medicine, fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor and doing something positive with my life.

“I was born and brought up in India where I went to school until I was 13 and then moved to France with my family. Coming to the UK to study medicine and working for the NHS is a whole new experience as I got to see how this wonderful organisation worked.

“I’ve worked for the Trust for almost a year now and already learnt so much. All my three rotations (urology, elderly cardiology and anaesthetics) have been extremely fun and the departments have made sure I felt welcomed and helped me become a better foundation doctor. All my consultants and supervisors have been very helpful and supportive no matter what, especially in my first urology rotation. They all made me feel like I was a crucial part of the team and helped me get used to the hospital life.

“The best part of my job is to meet new, interesting patients every day and helping them manage their conditions. During my last year of work, I have met so many patients and feel like have made some sort of difference to people’s lives by helping to alleviate their pain and suffering. It is a hard job with new practical and intellectual challenges every day, but also it is a rewarding and satisfying knowing that you’re helping these people. Not a single day has passed in the last year where I wasn’t excited to come to work!

“The NHS is a part of British life, providing employment to more than 1.5 million people and treating around 1 million people every day. It is one of the best healthcare systems in the world and feel privileged being a part of this unique organisation. With all the current pressures on the system, people sometimes forget about the positive aspects of the NHS and the wonderful staff who are doing their best to provide the best healthcare in the world. I feel very proud of having worked for York Hospital for the last year and looking forward to many more years to come.”

Art and design development manager, Trust-Wide

"I’m the art and design development manager for the Trust and have worked for the Arts Team for nearly two years.

"I’m fortunate to be in a role as varied as this and one that affords patients, staff and visitors with a different kind of therapeutic experience. The Arts Team might be putting up exhibitions in the corridors, creating art and music in the wards or working with artists and designers. As a team we work across all the Hospitals over our four key areas – Exhibitions, Art in the Environment, Music and Participatory arts.

"Here at the Trust there is a great established programme of arts, exhibitions, participatory arts and music and I was attracted to developing this programme working with national initiatives and current evidence in the field of arts in healthcare. It’s a particularly exciting time for Creative Health as we are working with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing moving forward on recommendations from their enquiry report from 2017.

"I’m passionate about how art connects and engages people in their everyday life. My creative practice has been about setting up programmes and projects within Galleries, Museums and the Heritage sector to engage community groups with arts, science and well-being – ranging from pop-up gallery spaces, to festivals to a catwalk show!

"I love seeing how the arts transforms environments, changes people’s perceptions and how they can be acknowledged as sustainably improving our place to work. Seeing staff, patients and visitors engaged with the artworks and creating the artworks is an absolute bonus – as is working with specialists in the field of Arts, drama, spoken word and design. I love the chance to work alongside some amazing individuals and learn more about the care given to patients.

"There’s also the wonderful feedback – for example we run a weekly arts participatory session in the Cancer Care Centre where you hear stories, laughter and the groups shared experiences developing into friendships – working with a professional artist encouraging and guiding – creating flowers, poems, exhibitions and even decorated spoons! The Arts Team also had the pleasure of going to see a patient in the Renal Unit to let her know she had ended up selling one of her artworks of Robin Hood Bay that she had created and exhibited here at the Hospital. We were all delighted!

"I feel proud to work for the NHS and very lucky to work and meet so many inspiring individuals who work within the healthcare system. The arts offer creative, credible approaches to healthcare, working alongside patients, staff and visitors. Our Arts Team are part of the National Network for Arts in Hospitals and it is inspiring to hear of the great work that is going on across the country in NHS Hospitals. I’m an advocate of the NHS and in particular the Arts in the healthcare system. The impacts of the arts can sometimes be small and incremental, but they can also be dramatic and profound."

Upper gastro-intestinal clinical nurse specialist, York Hospital

“I am an upper gastro-intestinal (GI) clinical nurse specialist and I provide support to both the patients and their carers at many points of their cancer journey. The upper GI covers cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas and liver including primary and secondary liver cancers, bile duct and gall bladder.

“As the key contact for patients I am at the centre of their care and help improve the cancer experience for them. I coordinate care services, providing the relevant information and appropriate liaison between other professionals and agencies and provide clinical advice to patients, as well as practical advice when they have financial and employment issues.

“I completed my BSc in Nursing in 1998 in the Philippines and took up a nursing post in Belfast from 2001 – 2003. I then decided to join the NHS and moved to York to work as a staff nurse on the haematology and oncology ward. When York Hospital created the specialist unit in 2008, I became a deputy ward sister and in 2012 I was appointed as Upper GI clinical nurse specialist.

“I wanted to work in a hospital environment because it provides opportunities for me to expand my knowledge with training and by working alongside experts. I also planned to grow within my nursing career, so I wanted to work in a facility where I could progress to higher levels of nursing care and responsibility.

“Being a nurse is not a profession for the faint-hearted and not everyone is cut out to be a nurse. Nurses deal with life, death, and everything in between. But the job is also considered to be one of the most satisfying and all-encompassing jobs in healthcare.

“There’s no such thing as a routine day in our work as cancer nurse specialist. We have a wide range of responsibilities and tasks that we are continuously prioritising. Our patients’ cancer journey can be a complex and disjointed pathway, sometimes our patients are being cared for over 2-3 weeks in the hospital and can deteriorate quickly. Despite the complex disjointed journey, the clinical nurse specialist is there to provide seamless communication between hospital sites and other health care professionals.

“We help reduce patients’ anxiety, for what is already a very stressful time in their lives. Working together and good communication are vital. We provide our patients and their family with support at many points of their journey – from diagnosis to end of life or survivorship.

“The camaraderie among the nurses and other healthcare professionals make tough days easier, and good days even greater. I enjoy the sense of teamwork. I have a great job and I get to make people’s lives a little better. For most part, I’m treated with respect, and I work with a great group of people.

“The NHS is a wonderful place to work. It values its employees and encourages them to learn, grow, and innovate inside the organisation. Employees happily work here for many years and there are plenty of ways to advance your career if you are willing to work hard.

“Despite the challenges and negative publicity the NHS faces on a regular basis, it continues to move forward as a result of advanced medical technology and science. People now live longer as a result of medical advancement. There are more treatments available for patients that were not available in the NHS ten years ago, which leads to positive patient outcomes. Additionally, we have seen the evolvement of specialist nursing roles such as mine to cope with changed patient demand. Overall, my job is challenging but rewards far outweigh the negatives and the opportunity to make a positive impact makes it all worth it.”