Summer 2013 - Birmingham Women`s Hospital

Birmingham Women’s
Women’s
Charlottes 12 Hour
Swimathon
Charlotte Quirk, from the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit is organising a 12 hour
Swimathon on Wednesday 25th September
(07:30-19.30) at The Morris Centre for the
Tiny Babies Appeal.
This event is open to everyone, of all swimming
abilities. All swimmers will choose the length of
their swim. If you are interested please contact
the Fundraising Office on 0121 623 6874.
..News…News…News..
Stuck for a great gift idea when visiting your
family or friend’s new baby in hospital?
BWH Charity is now selling babywear items in
the WRVS shop in the hospital. Baby vests and
bibs are now on sale with the caption: ‘I was
born at Birmingham Women’s Hospital’.
Sales are going well and all proceeds will go
towards the Trust Charity.
The newsletter for Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
Teachers Support
Tiny Babies in 10k
Two Castles Run
Teachers from Bishop
Challoner Catholic College
in Kings Heath ran out of
the classroom and into their
running shoes as they took
part in the Two Castles Run
between Warwick and
Kenilworth on Sunday 9th
June.
They undertook this 10k challenge
to raise money for Birmingham
Women’s Hospital’s Tiny Babies Big
Appeal. The charity supports over
1000 sick and premature babies and
their families who are looked after
on the unit every year.
The Two Castles run between two of
England’s most beautiful castles has
been taking place for a number of
years now. Bishop Challoner are
great supporters of the Tiny Babies
Appeal and this year they have
already raised over £1,600 with a
number of fundraising events.
Teacher and fundraising organiser at
Bishop Challoner, Sam Caherty
explained, “Each year students, staff
and parents support a local charity
in Birmingham and this year we are
delighted to be able to fundraise for
the Tiny Babies Big Appeal. As a
catholic school we believe it is at
the heart of our community to live
out the Gospel values through acts
of charitable work. The staff team
trained hard in preparation for the
10k challenge and we worked
together as a team to achieve our
best results whilst raising as much
money as we can for the Tiny Babies
Big Appeal”
Fundraising Manager, Eileen Rock
commented, “We are so grateful to
Bishop Challoner’s students, parents
and teachers for their support.
Many students recently took part in
Free Radio’s Walk for Kids in May
and abseiled down our hospital
building in July. Teachers will also be
undertaking the Birmingham Half
Marathon this year. All their
fundraising support will be used to
help the Tiny Babies Appeal to help
buy new equipment for the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”
Vive La France for Tiny Babies
Just off their bikes after cycling from
London-Paris... Congratulations to
Adam Soley and his friends for
undertaking a mighty challenge.
The team raised a fantastic £2,500
to help purchase equipment for the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Congratulations to Jane Peter for
successfully completing this year’s
Paris Marathon.
NHS Foundation Trust
SUMMER 2013
By Royal Appointment
The Volunteers Service at
Birmingham Women’s
Hospital have received
The Queen’s Award for
Voluntary Service. This
has been awarded for the
lifetime of its volunteers.
Janet Morley, Becky Kelly, Pauline Bennett and Julie King
Volunteers Janet, Becky, Pauline and Julie attended the Queen’s
Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in June. Julie King who
has been a volunteer at the Women’s for over two years told WP
about their special day.
“Our Manager, Jenny Manley met us at the station to put us on the
train and wave us off which was lovely. Her last words were to
make sure we publicised the Women’s Hospital and the Volunteers
Service. On the train, I found the manager and asked if she would
make an announcement. As we were coming into London, there
was an announcement that Birmingham Women’s Hospital
Volunteers were on their way to Buckingham Palace and had won a
Queens Award. Everybody clapped and cheered, it was wonderful!.
The Women’s was judged as the
best in an impressive galaxy of
volunteering talent and our
achievements prove that
volunteering is embedded deep
within the organisation.
Jenny Manley commented, “I am greatly honoured and very, very
proud to accept this award on behalf of all the wonderful
volunteers at Birmingham Women’s who give of their time,
enthusiastically and compassionately. It is due to their hard work
and dedication that the Volunteer Service has flourished and for
them to be recognised in this way is magnificent. It is also a
testament to how the staff have embraced the volunteer
programme. I treasure the time I have with these great people and
will celebrate with them and all at Birmingham Women’s.”
As part of the award, the Trust will receive a certificate signed by
The Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal ornament,
presented by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant later this year.
We had to queue to get into the Palace and Ellie Simmonds was
behind us. We walked through the Palace and it was so exciting, it
was a beautiful sunny day, and the grounds were gorgeous.
Jane ran to raise funds
for the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit
after her friend’s baby
daughter, Millie spent
time there.
We saw the Queen, Prince Philip and members of the Royal Family
as they met with various people. Amongst the hundreds of people,
there were plenty of sporting personalities and Olympic gold
medallists and we met the actor Benedict Cumberbatch (TV’s
Sherlock Holmes) and he was lovely!
Jane has raised a fantastic
£3697.75 for the NICU.
It was truly magical day for all of us, certainly one of the best days
of our lives. We just felt sad that Jenny Manley and all the
Volunteers couldn’t be with us. It was a celebration of all our
efforts and Jenny’s especially.”
Well Done and Thank You!
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8
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In Buckingham Palace Grounds
Born
Lifesavers
Welcome to our summer edition of
Women’s Progress. In this issue we
feature a range of good news stories as
well as a focus on our Portering Service,
the eyes and ears of the Women’s. We
celebrate the well deserved recognition
of our wonderful volunteers and we
were also delighted to hit the
1000 milestone for Cord Blood
Donations in June.
FROM THE
EDITOR
And before the NHS...
During June, the Women’s
reached an incredible
milestone as the 1000th
Cord Blood donation was
collected by the Anthony
Nolan Cord Blood
donation Team.
Don’t forget, I am keen to feature your articles and stories in
Women’s Progress. I would also welcome your feedback and
am keen to hear from our members too. So please get in touch.
NHS
The 5th July saw the 65th
Birthday of the NHS; employing
over 1 million people, it is the
most talked about, envied and
successful system in the world.
With best wishes,
Maria Mcleod
Communications Department
T: 0121 623 6984 E: maria.mcleod@bwhct.nhs.uk
Lyndsay Barratt
with baby Eva
This means that as of 19th June, 1000
women had donated their cord blood to
help save someone’s life since the service
began in July 2012.
Our 1000th donor was Lyndsay Barratt who
gave birth to daughter Eva on the 19th
June.
Accredited as
Baby Friendly by
After a baby is born, the umbilical cord and
placenta are usually thrown away as clinical
waste. But the stem cells found inside can
be used in lifesaving transplants for people
with diseases such as leukaemia and
lymphoma.
Trust achieves
Baby Friendly
Accreditation
The Trust received notification
during May 2013 that it had
achieved Baby Friendly
Accreditation Level Three,
winning international
recognition from UNICEF (United
Nations Children’s Fund).
This means that we are trying to do
everything we can to support
Breastfeeding and to strengthen
mother, baby and family relationships.
This is great news for the Trust and
recognises that we have best practice
standards in place.
Infant Feeding Co-ordinator, Helena
Stopes-Roe commented, “We’re
delighted to have become the first
fully accredited Baby Friendly
Initiative (BFI) unit in Birmingham - it’s
been a long time coming! This award
is the first step in enhancing the
mother’s experience of feeding so she
can enjoy the early days nurturing her
baby. Baby Friendly Accreditation
means that staff have been trained to
give mothers the help and support
they need around feeding. The staff
have worked very hard to provide this
support and the information required
to build mothers’ ability and
confidence in caring for baby.
Birmingham Women’s Hospital is one of
five hospitals in the UK where women can
donate their umbilical cord blood to
Anthony Nolan’s public bank.
The Infant feeding team, Sara Tennant,
Karen Herd, Pam Cook and Helena Stopes-Roe
The next step is to embed and build
upon this good practice ready for
re-assessment in September 2014 there’s still a long way to go, bearing
in mind that the Baby Friendly
Standards have developed to
encompass more about the mother
and baby relationship.”
This quote taken from Guidance for
Conversations with Mothers (Baby
Friendly UK 2013) explains: “This
involves finding out what an
individual mother’s needs and
concerns are so that information and
support can be tailored to meet these
needs. Each mother will have
different needs so taking time to find
out what these are will help provide
relevant information and support
rather than a ‘one size fits all’
checklist.”
The Infant Feeding Team would like to
thank all staff for their support and
hard work. All staff will be updated
regarding the new BFI standards.
Onwards and upwards!
One of our trained collectors safely collects
the cord and placenta and extract the
blood. All this happens after a baby is born
and in no way interferes with a mother and
her new baby. In fact, most women tell us
they didn’t even notice it happening!
Midwife and Cord Blood Collection
Co-ordinator, Fatma Hatimy explained,
“Whilst we are delighted that we have
achieved the 1000 milestone and within
the 1st year of collecting, this is more than
a celebration of numbers, it’s a celebration
of the goodwill of women, their families
and the team here at the Women’s that
enable us to collect the cord blood.”
The Cord Blood Collection Service was set
up in partnership with Anthony Nolan, the
Blood Cancer Charity in July 2012. Women
are able to consent to donate when they
receive their antenatal care at the Women’s
Hospital.
For further details about Anthony Nolan
and donating cord blood, please visit
www.anthonynolan.org
2
1948 - 2013
Whilst the NHS celebrates 65 years,
Birmingham Women’s has provided care
for the past 45 years on this site and there
have been dedicated women’s services in
Birmingham for over 125 years.
Did you know…
In 1911 the Health Service in Britain ran an insurance system that gave
benefits to the person paying into the scheme, but not their
dependants.
The Poor Law offered limited support to most struggling citizens. The
Public Health system of the time provided school meals and education
and eventually set up hospitals.
Voluntary hospitals were available but only existed through charitable
donations and quickly ran into trouble during the financial crisis of the
1930s.
Basically, the health systems in place in Britain were inadequate and
limited for the country’s rapidly growing population and economy.
Areas of particular concern were around hospital care and support for
working class families. There was a heavy reliance on self-care, so
illness and births caused major family issues.
1948 Birth of the NHS
The NHS was created with the promise that “everybody, irrespective of
means, age, sex or occupation, shall have equal opportunity to benefit
from the best and most up-to-date medical and allied services available”.
The UK’s National Health Service came into existence on 5 July 1948.
On this date, Health Secretary, Aneurin Bevan, marked the inauguration
with a visit to Park Hospital in Manchester - the first hospital in the world
to offer free healthcare to all.
The demand for healthcare since the inception of the NHS has been
growing. People in 1948 that had learnt to live with pain, illness and
disease came forward for help, knowing they had no financial penalties.
Key facts and breakthroughs
• The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world along with the
Chinese Army, Wal-Mart and the US Department of Defence.
• The NHS employs 1.3 million people across the UK.
• NHS Staff come in contact with 1.5 million patients every day.
• The oldest person to have a hip operation was a 101-year-old
woman at Good Hope Hospital in the West Midlands.
• Britain’s first sextuplets were born at Birmingham
Maternity Hospital in 1968 to Sheila Thorn.
• The world’s first test tube baby was born on 25 July 1978 in
Oldham, since when more than a million IVF babies have been born.
• The average life expectancy has increased by at least 10 years since
the NHS came into existence.
This photo has been unearthed taken sometime in
the early 1940s before the creation of the NHS at
the old Women’s Hospital, Showell Green Lane. The
photo shows a patient and Matron of the Women’s
Hospital as well as the Hospital Vicar and House
Governor with ladies from the Charity, The Greater
Birmingham Licensed Trade Association Women’s
Section.
Before the NHS, companies and charities would
purchase beds for hospitals and paid a yearly
upkeep. This helped patients who couldn’t afford
the full cost of hospital treatment.
Accessing
information
about Genetics
just got easier!
The NHS National
Genetics Education and
Development Centre is now offering a
fast, easy browsing experience
whatever type of mobile device you
might use.
Our www.geneticseducation.nhs.uk site is now
designed to work on a range of devices and
screen sizes. When you browse what you see will
be automatically tailored to the device you have
in your hand. On smaller mobile devices such as
iPhones you will see key material and just in time
information. Whilst on larger mobile devices such
as iPad you will still have access to all the
information from the main website.
On the smaller mobile devices we've made it easy
for you to skim through our database of Genomic
Healthcare, Genetic Conditions, our information
on Taking a Family history and Inheritance of
Conditions.
If you would like to see the new mobile device
information on a larger screen go to
m.geneticseducation.nhs.uk
Depending on the contract you have, certain costs for
accessing the internet on your phone - usually referred to as
data charges - may apply.
7
And it’s goodbye from…
Imogen Morgan
Consultant Neonatologist, Dr Imogen Morgan
retired from the Women’s during June after 26
years with the Neonatal Unit.
During her time she was appointed as the Clinical
Director for the Unit and worked tirelessly to fundraise
for the Tiny Babies Big Appeal which saw Imogen
abseil 80ft down the hospital building in 2012.
Dialysis mum gives
birth to healthy baby
Imogen has been hugely passionate and committed to
the Unit and the Hospital. In her speech Imogen
commented that she had been so glad to work on the
new unit (which opened in 2010), as professionally it
had been the icing on the cake, enabling staff to work
as they would wish to practice, not as they had
previously had to practice.
Christine Roycroft
Christine retired in June at the end of May after 48
years service with the NHS and 28 years with the
Women’s Hospital.
Christine was the Laboratory Manager in
Microbiology. When Christine started at the Women’s
it was just for a 3 - 5 year project. As the Trust was so
specialised, she thought she would move on,
however, over the years she came to realise that small
and specialised is good! As she commented, “There
are a lot more challenges and opportunities if you
look for them”.
Christine thanked her team and said she couldn’t
have achieved what she had without their support,
adding that the Trust had been a lovely place to work.
At the end of May the Trust bade a fond farewell to the
Cytology Department who moved to a new site at Heartlands
Hospital on 1st June.
Cytology is the study of cells and the laboratory’s work consisted of
Cervical Cytology and Body Fluid Cytology.
Ward One Staff receive
Heartfelt thanks
The Staff on Ward One recently received a
very special homemade cake from grateful
parents, Mr and Mrs Ahmed. Maria Ahmed
had spent a number of weeks on Ward One
before the birth of her son. They delivered
the cake to the Ward for the staff which
had the wording
6
Grace discovered she was pregnant
shortly after being diagnosed with
kidney disease. But despite requiring
dialysis treatment on a daily basis, she
was still able to give birth to a healthy
girl at the end of her full-term
pregnancy.
Grace, who was having peritoneal
dialysis at home before commencing
haemodialysis at QEHB last December,
first noticed something was wrong last
summer.
Grace, aged 18, from Lozells,
Birmingham, was under the care of
kidney consultant Dr Clara Day at
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
and Dr Ellen Knox at Birmingham
Women’s, before giving birth to baby
Ava, weighing 6lbs 7oz during April.
Unfortunately, when patients have
kidney disease their fertility is reduced
so becoming pregnant becomes much
more difficult. But as well as being
much less likely to become pregnant,
the pregnancy itself can also be
difficult.
Whilst the department had been based in Norton Court for the
past 20 years, there have been Cytology services on site since
Birmingham Maternity Hospital was built in 1968. The original
department grew as Cytology services from the old Women’s
Hospital and Selly Oak moved over to this site and until recently the
laboratory at BWH was one of the largest in the West Midlands.
Over the years, the department was at the forefront of cytology
advances. In 2004, traditional cervical smears were replaced with a
new sampling method called Liquid Based Cytology and as a result
all sample takers and cervical cytology laboratory staff had to be
retrained. Our Cytology Training Centre organised and carried out
“screener” training for the whole of the West Midlands.
But because Grace dialysed for four
hours, six days a week instead of the
normal three, she ended up with a
normal-sized baby who was born
full-term. This is very rare.”
Dr Day said: “Grace presented out of
the blue last July with kidney failure
and went straight on to dialysis. Then
she found out she was pregnant, which
is pretty rare.
Cytology Farewell
Work performed on this site has played a significant part in the
creation of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in 1988. This
programme is believed to be the best in the world helping to
reduce deaths in Cervical Cancer.
An example of hospitals working in
partnership, the Women’s and the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
recently enabled young mum Grace
Anslow to deliver a healthy baby girl.
In 2012 the department rolled out the reporting of Human Papilloma
Virus (HPV) testing results within Cervical Cytology reports (as
required by NHS Cervical Screening programme).
A great deal was achieved by the Department during their many
years with the Women’s and it is with sadness that they have now
moved on. Wishing all the staff the best of luck in their pastures new
at Heartlands Hospital. They will no doubt continue to provide a
dedicated service for the people of Birmingham and the West
Midlands.
‘A heartfelt thanks to the Ward 1 Team for
the care and treatment from Maria Ahmed’.
The staff were delighted and WP had to get
in quick to take a photo before the cake
was demolished!
Ward One would also like to congratulate
Ward Sister, Rosie Hemming, who recently
got married (and told them after the event
in the Ward Newsletter!) they are so
pleased for her.
Often, when you are a dialysis patient,
you can have a lot of complications in
pregnancy, such as having a very small
baby and giving birth prematurely.
She said: “I had bruises on my legs
which I thought was just an allergic
reaction. My GP referred me to the City
Hospital and they took me straight to
QE.
They had the blood results from the
doctors, so they knew there was a
problem, but I didn’t take it in when
they told me I had end stage kidney
failure. I didn’t feel ill. In fact, it’s only
when it sunk in that I started to feel ill.
I was being dialysed and then I got
pregnant. They told me there was a risk
of premature birth, preeclampsia, and
also the baby having kidney problems.
That made it all sound really scary, but I
was closely monitored at the hospital
all the time through the pregnancy, and
the baby was fine.
Maybe because I am younger my body
could take it better and that’s why I
was able to go full-term. I was on
dialysis six days a week, three days for
me and three for Ava. They were
cleaning her blood as well as mine to
Raising awareness of severe
pregnancy sickness
Grace Anslow with Ava
make sure she was ok during the
pregnancy.”
Dr Day said the successful outcome for
Grace was due to her sticking to a very
tiring dialysis regime with many
hospital visits, and the supporting
efforts of staff at both QEHB and the
Women’s Hospital, including its
antenatal day assessment unit.
She added: “The team on 301 dialysis
unit worked extremely hard to support
and encourage her and give her the
best care and best prospects for a
full-term pregnancy. She was also
watched very carefully in a highly
specialised antenatal joint obstetric
renal clinic with the Women’s Hospital
for women who are pregnant with
kidney disease.
The fact that she managed to do well
and have a healthy, good-sized baby
was the result of an excellent team
effort involving Grace, the Queen
Elizabeth and the Women’s.”
Margaret was treated here. Because she
was treated early, she was able to avoid
being hospitalised.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG is a most
severe form of pregnancy sickness which
can affect thousands of women causing
weight loss and dehydration.
Margaret O’Hara, a former sufferer of this
condition, now represents the Birmingham
branch of Pregnancy Sickness Support, a
charity supporting women with all
severities of pregnancy sickness but
specifically those with HG. They provide
information about how to access services as
well as a network of former sufferers to
provide moral support to women.
Birmingham Women’s is the first Trust in
the region to dedicate a service to HG and
3
Margaret explained, “A lot of women suffer
in silence but they shouldn’t have to put
up with it. My Mum and my sisters suffered
with it too but nothing prepared me for
how bad HG can be. Being referred to the
Women’s was the best thing my GP could
have done.”
The Hyperemesis Day Centre is based in the
Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit at the
Women’s Hospital and women can be
referred by their GP, Midwife or via A&E.
For further information about the charity
please visit
www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk
Women’s host
regional event for
Spotlight
Antenatal and
Radiology
Teams selected
for Independent
Health Care
Awards
Post Mortem Training
Annette Noonan, Lida Debono, Jo McHugo,
Jo Naylor Smith, Angella Singwire,
Nick Reading and Rachel Price
The Trust has been selected
as a finalist in the Laing &
Buisson 2013 Independent
Healthcare Awards. These awards highlight excellence in
quality and innovation in the independent healthcare sector.
We have been selected for our partnership with Diagnostic
Healthcare Limited to provide community based mid-trimester
scanning.
Karen Henson (centre) with Dr Phil Cox,
Dr Beata Hargitai, Sarah Davis, Dr Tamas Marton,
Dr Silvia Planas and Alison Rea
Congratulations to the Maternity Directorate and specifically the
Antenatal and Radiology Teams for this highly successful entry. The
community scanning service has helped to provide better choice for
women for their antenatal care as well as helping to reduce waiting
times.
A Regional Perinatal Post Mortem
Training Afternoon, chaired by Karen
Henson (Bereavement & Spiritual Care
Service Manager) and Dr Phil Cox
(Perinatal Pathologist), was held at the
Women’s on 25th June 2013.
Wishing the teams the best of luck with the awards which take place
in October.
Karen, who has been in her post for seven
years, is extremely passionate about
improving Bereavement Services. One aspect
of her role is to contribute to the facilitation
of Hospital Post Mortems, as both Karen and
her colleague, Alison Rea (Bereavement
Specialist Midwife), spend the most time with
the family - getting to know them, building
trust, and so on.
Stephanie helps women to
Lighten Up
Midwifery Assistant, Stephanie
Worley recently picked up an
award for her role in referring
the most women to the Maternal
Lighten Up Service.
With a number of Trusts using our Perinatal
Pathology Services, Karen and Phil decided to
hold the training afternoon to launch our
version of the new National Post Mortem
form which has been developed by SANDS
(Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity). The
Trusts were represented by a mix of Doctors,
Nurses, Midwives, and Bereavement Specialist
Midwives.
Gateway Family Services are a
regional organisation which work in
partnership with healthcare. They
run the Maternal Lighten Up Service
which helps women to manage their
weight during pregnancy.
The afternoon included presentations on the
Consent Process / HTA requirements, and
individual cases in which the post mortem
was found to be of significant value. Karen
and Alison made a presentation on
‘Discussing the Post Mortem with Families’,
and Sarah Davis, Deputy Mortuary Manager,
discussed the practical aspects of babies
being transferred from other hospitals to
BWH for post mortem.
Although considerable time and effort was
involved in planning the session, it was
deemed very worthwhile as the feedback was
excellent and many commented on how
informative and thought provoking it proved
to be.
Each year Gateway have an event to
mark the achievements of their
Stephanie Worley and
clients and staff. Our organisation
Sister Bev Moore
was nominated as Gateway felt we
worked particularly well with them. The Maternal Lighten Up service
nominated the Weoley Castle Midwifery Team and particularly
singled out Stephanie Worley as she had referred the most women
into the service over the past 12 months. In fact Stephanie referred
more than double the number anyone else had.
Head of Midwifery, Jenny Henry commented, “Over the past year,
numbers of women referred have increased and they are now at a
point where the service is operating at a 40% higher referral rate
than initially anticipated. Referrals are vital to make the service
work, as Weoley Castle is the highest referring team and Stephanie
has made such a huge impact.”
4
on ….
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK
To define what job our Porters do at
Birmingham Women’s is pretty tricky and
that’s because they do so much! As the
eyes and ears of the Hospital, the Porters
are often the first port of call for all
manner of enquiries and they also do their
fair share of helping to deliver babies!
There are 18 Porters who work across 24 hour
shifts on every day of the year. Based at the
front of the hospital, they keep track of the
CCTV and are on alert for the baby tagging
system which alarms if a baby is taken out of
any of the hospital exits. Normal day to day
work may include specimen collections,
pharmacy, waste collection, gas replacement
and moving patients. Not to mention working
at front of house, working closely with
switchboard in times of major incidents as
well as dealing with the challenging behaviour
of members of the public. The role is both
varied and calls for the sort of person who can
deal with all sorts of situations.
Lee O’Neill, who has been a porter for over
five years recently helped a woman who
delivered in the car park, rushing to find
midwives as well as sheets and towels. In fact,
women delivering before they get through the
doors is common and often the porters will
have to react to someone running in shouting
“Nurse Nurse!” It was the Porter’s idea to have
Delivery Packs located by the main doors and
so there are now packs available containing
necessary equipment for when women don’t
quite make it into delivery suite. They are also
used to rushing to the aid of women who
have already delivered in the car park. Not
something that is necessarily in the Porters job
description, but a role that’s taken on
regardless.
There are three Portering Supervisors, Tracy
Fluke, Paul Hickman and Michael Tingley and
they take the lead role over the department,
allocating jobs and dealing with security issues
across the site. Tracy has worked for the
Women’s for the past 23 years, originally
starting as a Housekeeper before becoming a
Porter. On her role she said “We never quite
know what the day is going to bring because
it’s always different, it is a good job and the
variety keeps it fresh. We get a bit of
everything and have to be well used to
dealing with difficult people.” Tracy often
The Porters
works with Dawn who has been a porter for
16 years, as well being colleagues, they are
good friends outside of work.
Portering Supervisor, Paul Hickman is certainly
proud of his black country heritage and feels
that he is able to show his colleagues
(Brummies) how to do their work properly.
He only began working at the Women’s for six
months but that was 14 years ago. He said,
“I really love enjoy what I do, especially the
banter with the lads. There have been some
memorable events, most notably the
paranormal activity in the hospital. I was
locking up one night in the Education
Resource Centre and thought I heard a
vacuum cleaner, but it was a hand dryer in the
disabled toilets which had just switched on by
itself. Another time I was working nights with
Gary Morgan and whilst in the kitchens, a
saucepan flew off one of the work surfaces.
After that I worked the mortuary and he
worked the kitchens at night. When Ward 5
was a day case unit, we would sometimes get
calls at nights from Wards 7 above and Wards
3 below complaining of the noise and that it
sounded like people running up and down the
stairs. When we would get to the ward, all the
lights would be on…” Paul now works days.
day to day jobs but we also deal with
incidents such as when the switchboard went
down and we have to ensure that we let
departments and wards across the hospital
know. Portering is not just about the routine
jobs and there are different challenges every
day.”
We should be proud and grateful to all the
Porters at BWH, their caring attitude and
ability to take on and deal with whatever
comes their way is another example of what
makes the staff at the Women’s special. They
are professional with the public and with
colleagues across the hospital and always
dependable in a crisis.
Tracy and Dawn
Gary Morgan has been a porter for 15 years
and originally joined the Women’s as a
housekeeper. Gary commented, “The job has
its good days and bad days, like most jobs
really. I do feel that the department doesn’t
get the recognition it deserves and people
don’t realise the amount of work we actually
do. Since the A&E has opened at the New
Hospital over the road, we get a lot more
people coming in who have been sent away
for being drunk and disorderly and so they
come over to us! We are a good team and we
work well together, there are always incidents
that we have to respond to so we have to be
ready to deal with whatever comes our way. I
do enjoy the interaction with patients, you
have to work out whether you can have a joke
with them. I have had my fair share of injuries
from fingernails digging into my hands whilst
taking them in to delivery suite as they are
trying to push!”
Ref Callub also started at the Women’s as a
housekeeper and became a Porter over 8 years
ago. Ref enjoys his job and said, “It’s a
combination of mental and physical work, you
have to think on your feet. There are the usual
Maurice and Paul
Gary and Ref
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