“I’ve been with Transform Hospital Group for four months now, and I’m based at The Pines Hospital in south Manchester.
In a relatively short period of time, we’ve implemented a number of very positive changes in our theatres here. Having come from the public sector, I’ve seen what burnout can do to people, and I understand how important the health and wellbeing of our nurse colleagues is.
I’m passionate about making sure that everyone in my team is able to have a good work/life balance, and we’re continuing to build on a number of very positive improvements we’ve made in the last few months. It can be very easy for nurses to decide to work through their breaks, for example – but at The Pines, we do insist that they take a proper break. And it’s even more enjoyable when you can look forward to a freshly cooked and subsidised hot meal in the on-site canteen!
We know that rigid shift patterns can restrict the people in our team – we all have responsibilities outside work – and so we’re as flexible as possible. There are minimal night shifts at The Pines as we’re mainly a day case facility, and the hospital has a planned closure at Christmas, so our nurses are able to spend more quality time with their families, which they see as a real bonus.
The Pines is a relatively small facility – we have two operating theatres and 22 beds – and the team is close-knit and very friendly. And because of our size, there’s more scope for members of the team to branch out and take ownership of their own projects, seeing them through to completion. That’s something that’s not always possible in larger healthcare settings.
Continued professional development is central to life at The Pines. We now have a Clinical Education Facilitator for our theatres, and they’re incredibly enthusiastic about nurse education and development, from contributing to the induction programme for new team members to ensuring that mandatory training and competencies are completed.
Like any organisation, there’s always more we can do to make working life a smoother, more enjoyable experience for everyone. But we’ve listened to colleague feedback and used it to make these key improvements in a short timeframe – with more positive changes planned in the coming weeks and months!”
