“I am Theatre Manager for Ophthalmology at York Hospital - a position I have now held for nine years, although this is my thirty-eighth year working in the Trust. I originally trained as an Operating Department Practitioner, coming straight from school at eighteen – I had no idea what the role entailed, but felt that as my father had been cared for in the hospital before his death from cancer – it was somewhere I felt I should be.

“After many years working in Main Theatre, I decided on a change in direction as I felt the need to achieve more and develop further – both clinically and managerially – and took up my current post. I thoroughly enjoy the demands of the role. It’s a position which has constructive responsibilities, a greater challenge and the opportunity to address longer term issues - improving the needs of patients, their families and the quality of the services.

“The best part of my job is meeting people – patients, staff and visitors - and for our team it is all about communicating with the patients. Even though I’m a manager, I still have clinical input in my role and patients are at the heart of everything we do.

“We have patients across all age ranges and abilities. For me, it’s giving them your time – five minutes of conversation before they go into theatre for their surgery – it’s precious. Most of our procedures are carried out under local anaesthetic – and pre-op nerves can be a big thing for some. Talking about everyday issues can soon help relax a patient. I appreciate we’re all busy in our roles but the patients are what we’re here for.
“The NHS has reached 70 years through commitment and a desire to serve the public – even though there have been challenges along the way. The NHS means that we all have the chance of treatment for a vast range of illnesses without discrimination.

“The biggest change in the NHS is how treatment has improved through research and greater resources to address conditions where life expectancy was shorter. I think back to my father – we now do heart/lung transplants which weren’t around in 1978.

“There has always been change in the NHS and the workplace and I have been at the forefront of many aspects of this. One thing, however, that has never changed is my desire to be part of an establishment and work with others. We are committed to providing the highest standard of care and experience for every patient that we come into contact with. Creating an efficient working environment that makes the best use of its resources and brings the best out of the team I manage is a vital part of my job. Managing a budget in the current economic climate means teamwork and embracing change so that the end result is an improvement for all parties concerned.

“I am committed to representing our Trust in its values and developing services and ensuring that the NHS will continue serving us in the future.”