Working while the world sleeps Tales from the night shift Staff, members and governors’ magazine // November/December 2023 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Bernadette Henderson with her award Andre Borowski after receiving his 40 years of service certificate Follow our X account @RoyalFreeNHS to see what our patients and staff are saying about us Celebrating decades of stellar service Congratulations to the dedicated RFL staff who were recognised at this year’s long service awards. Every year, these awards are given to members of staff who have been at the trust for 25 or 40 years, in recognition of their hard work and commitment. Two members of staff – Bernadette Henderson and Andre Borowski – have achieved 40 years’ service. Chief executive of BH, and acting chief executive of CFH, Deborah Sanders surprised them both with a visit, presenting them with a certificate and voucher along with some words of thanks. Deborah presented the first award to Bernadette Henderson, therapy services governance lead – advanced clinical practitioner, in the Woodlands Unit at BH. Deborah said: “Having worked in many different roles, you have been instrumental in developing and shaping the service and an integral part of our senior team leading on quality and safety. Your compassion and kindness is highly valued by everyone.” Receiving her award, Bernadette reflected: “Barnet Hospital has played a significant part in my life story. I was employed originally as a ‘basic grade physiotherapist’, since then both the hospital and I have been through many changes and evolutions. “Many thanks to everyone and in particular to my team for their support, vision, challenge, humour and friendship, it has been the best of times!” Tamsin Goffee, matron; Nicola Curzon, physiotherapist; Gladys Giwa, emergency care assistant; Alex Risley, emergency care assistant; Lisa Duke, staff nurse; Majed Allam, charge nurse; Brian Hickey, charge nurse; Savitry Sookraj, healthcare assistant; Pat Omaba, phlebotomist; Christine Gracey, specialist nurse practitioner; Patrick McGowan, consultant; Timothy Bull, consultant; Tracey Walton, medical secretary; Deborah Hodge, community practitioner; Rosa Ibrahim, clerical worker; Kerry Neate, specialist nurse practitioner; Nicola Fitzharris-Barton, specialist nurse practitioner; Denise Stanton, clerical worker; Isatou Jobe Essilfie-Quaye, midwife; Kymberly Taylor, midwife; Kelly Upson, clerical worker; Sharon Spaul, clerical worker; Andrew Pearce, senior manager; Utonyok Asuk, clerical worker; Adeola Gbadamosi, clerical worker; Ilidio Dias, domestic assistant; Myrna Doherty, domestic assistant; Shirley Pelaez-Cardona, domestic assistant; Lee Brockwell, porter; Michael Sterling, porter; Anthony Ward, porter; Michael Buttle, clerical worker; Olanike Akinsulire, charge nurse; Salonee Gopaul, radiographer – diagnostic; Kevin Lotzof, consultant; Brian Holloway, consultant; Maria Chysz, clerical worker; Thomas Kelly, clerical worker; Andie David, pharmacist; Nicola Mackulin, technician; Satu Hakkinen, technician; Iye Kargbo, clerical worker; Ailsa Evans, consultant; Duncan Jackson, consultant; Kaveeta Mohun, clerical worker; Andrea Francis, physiotherapist manager; Lorraine Jordan, charge nurse; Millicent Williams, clerical worker; Jacqueline Bodger, officer; Sarah Edwards, specialist nurse practitioner; Filippo Ferro, specialist nurse practitioner; David Stainer, specialist nurse practitioner; Beth Jacobs, receptionist; Margaret Parker, clerical worker; Adenike Adiat, phlebotomist; Irene Wahlberg, specialist nurse practitioner; Asha Chady, specialist nurse practitioner; Janita Feo, healthcare assistant; Rebekkah Sekyi, specialist nurse practitioner; Lucy Twyman, specialist nurse practitioner; Colette Durcan, medical secretary; Mary Dearie, specialist nurse practitioner; Donna Brogdale, clerical worker; Maria Clemente Meoro, consultant; Maureen Cumberbatch, clerical worker; Maame Gyamfuah, domestic assistant; Dawn Smith, senior manager; Rosalind Felton, radiographer – diagnostic manager; Martyn Caplin, consultant; Elizabeth Stubbs, specialist nurse practitioner; Michelle Humphrey, speech and language therapist manager. 3 Deborah also presented radiographer, Andre Borowski, with his award at CFH outpatients X-ray. Andre said: “I came here as an agency radiographer just before Christmas 1983. In March they offered me a full-time job, starting on April Fools’ Day! I remind myself of that date every year. “In those 40 years I have learned a few more modalities like CT and dental work, and I saw the introduction of digital. Lots of changes and experiences overall.” For those celebrating 25 years of service, a personal letter has been sent out from group chief executive Peter Landstrom, including messages of thanks and support from managers and colleagues. See the full list of staff below who have reached this major milestone. Hello and Peter Landstrom Group chief executive welcome to the November/December edition of our staff, members and governors’ magazine. As we enter the festive period, many of us will be looking forward to spending some much needed, and well-earned, time with our family and friends. Given the ongoing events across the world, it feels like that time will this year be more precious than ever. But this time of year, also serves to emphasise the huge sacrifices that so many of those who work in the NHS make for our patients, our colleagues, and our communities. Our choice, to serve those who need us when they are often at their most vulnerable, means we need to keep the show on the road – and that commitment is not taken for granted. Thank you so much to all of you who will be working during the upcoming holidays, I know things aren’t easy at this time of year and I’ve been spending as much time as possible visiting teams and listening to what you have to say, and what your ambitions are as we head into 2024. We must also never take for granted, those amazing colleagues who keep hospitals like ours running, when many of us are at home resting in preparation for the day ahead. In this edition of Freepress you can learn more about the teams who keep our hospitals safe overnight – thank you one and all. I hope that at some point during the festive season you will get the opportunity to take a break and recharge your batteries. I look forward to meeting many more of you next year and working alongside you to deliver the very best of what the NHS has to offer to our patients. Key to abbreviations: Barnet Hospital: BH Chase Farm Hospital: CFH Royal Free Hospital: RFH Royal Free London: RFL Roll of honour for 25 years 2
Six brand new virtual clinic pods have opened at RFH – providing a bespoke private space for 600 remote consultations per week. The sound-proof private pods – which are located in the new telemedicine centre on the ground floor – mean there is more capacity for face-to-face clinics in other areas of the hospital. Paula Moreira, assistant operations manager for outpatient services, said: “Until now, virtual clinics have been carried out in clinic rooms, which isn’t a good use of space. These new pods mean that clinic areas are freed up for face-to-face consultations. “The pods are private and spacious, with natural light, as well as administrative support throughout the day so we hope clinical colleagues will enjoy using this space.” John Connolly, RFH chief executive, officially opened the telemedicine centre. He said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to Paula and the team, who have worked so hard to get the telemedicine centre up and running. It’s an incredible new space and will bring down waiting times for patients by freeing up clinic space in other areas of the hospital. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement.” 5 4 New virtual clinic pods open at RFH Double festive footie cheer Patients and families on our children’s wards were given an ‘incredible surprise’ earlier this month when players from the men’s and women’s Arsenal teams arrived to deliver Christmas gifts. Gunners Martin Ødegaard, Mohamed Elneny, Jakub Kimor and Ben White made a visit to the RFH meeting and taking photos with children, families and staff on 6 north. Joseph Addae, a 14-year-old super fan, said: “Meeting players from the men’s team was a great surprise and it was incredible to see them in person not on the TV! They are great guys and an inspiration.” Keen footballer Nirali, 10, from Woodside Park, was overjoyed to be introduced to her sporting heroes. Her father, Rahul, said: “It was really special. It’s not ideal that Nirali is in hospital and had to miss Christmas jumper day at school but this has certainly brightened her day.” Gunners fans Myles and his dad, Barry, were delighted to see their team in action off the pitch. Myles’s family have had season tickets for longer than he has been alive and he admitted he can’t wait to show off his new Arsenal hat, signed by skipper Martin Ødegaard, to his classmates. Meanwhile at BH Naomi Williams, Teyah Goldie, Laura Wienroither, Gio Queiroz and Kim Little visited Galaxy Ward to hand out presents and sign autographs. Among the patients they met, was Layla who is recovering from a broken arm. The players gave her a Play-Doh set, but she was even more excited to meet the players. Siobhan McCurry, play specialist at RFH, said: “It was great that the players could come and see us. It’s lovely for the children here to get a nice pick-me-up ahead of Christmas and they brought so many smiles to the children and staff on the ward.” Clinicians who would like to book a pod can do so by contacting Paula via paula.moreira@nhs.net or ext 35927. Dr Parag Jasani, consultant haematologist and divisional clinical director for infection, immunity and rare diseases, tests out a virtual clinic pod Opening of the virtual clinic pods “The pods are private and spacious, with natural light, as well as administrative support throughout the day so we hope clinical colleagues will enjoy using this space.” Layla receives her gift from captain, Kim Little Nirali and her parents are thrilled with their signed photos Players from Arsenal’s men’s team get ready to make their deliveries at RFH Myles models his signed hat Sacks of joy - the Gunners women’s team outside BH
6 7 You can’t miss Evans Dampare. He’s worked for the trust for 26 years and at night you’ll find him cleaning the corridors of the RFH on his scrubber dryer machine. The enormous footfall the hospital experiences means Evans spends a great deal of his time perched on the machine. But sometimes he’ll also be part of the rapid response team to deep clean a bed space fast or help out with a cleaning job in the emergency department (ED). Evans said: “Working nights has fitted in with my family so for me that’s a big plus of the job. I take a lot of pride in keeping the hospital clean and getting it ready for each new day.” Doing the same job at BH is Lydio Gloria. Lydio got his hands behind the wheel when a colleague moved on. He said: “I was asked to give the scrubber dryer a go when a colleague left and now it’s second nature.” At BH Issac Donkir is Medirest’s night duty manager, responsible for the domestic, portering and catering services at night. “There’s no less pressure because we’ve got less staff so it’s less easy to reallocate people,” he explained. “The expectation is to turn beds around fast, with a deep clean, because of the heavy demand. Sometimes I’ll step in and support to help get the job done.” Issac started as a domestic assistant and has worked for the past four years on nights in his current role. He said: “You develop a real bond with the people that do this job at night. I’ve built the best team who I can rely on 100%. They will step in if someone is off sick and they’ll always go the extra mile. I don’t call them my colleagues, I call them family.” Yasmin Almond is the staff nurse in charge of paediatrics tonight. Parents and children continually come forward to quiz her about wait times to see the doctor and access to pain relief but Yasmin handles the pressure gracefully. “Tonight the wait time is about two-and-a-half hours so that’s not so bad but it can be much longer and that’s not easy for any of us to deal with,” she acknowledged. Urology registrar Darryl Bernstein, based at RFH, says night shifts are often hectic. Assisting Darryl in the urology team overnight are two junior doctors as well as consultant on call cover. The patients they look after will either be coming in via the emergency department who need a urological assessment or inpatients who have become unwell and need seeing urgently. “There are some cases which require emergency surgical intervention overnight,” he said. “If left untreated, the urinary tract could become infected, which can lead to serious complications. “Effectively we are also looking after every patient in the hospital who could have a urological complication. Sometimes patients are feeling worried about something and need a chat with somebody so we do that as well.” Rebecca Roft, a midwife working in the BH birth centre, chooses to work more nights then days. “I like the autonomy,” she admits. “I always wanted to work in healthcare but my mum’s a nurse and I don’t see midwifery as similar. I didn’t want to look after sick or dying people. As a midwife I feel I’ve got a bit more say in the care of my patient.” Martina Zara, a midwife in the delivery suite, admits it’s her daschund Camilla who calls the shots. She said: “I work mostly nights because Camilla is fine left alone then but doesn’t do so well without me during the day.” Even though no elective caesareans are scheduled at night the ward is still busy. “We get a lot of walk-ins, everything from reduced foetal movement, or bleeding, or abnormal cramping. Or our ante or postnatal ladies could have a whole host of issues from uncontrolled blood sugars, low blood pressure... or the baby being on the small side. We are here for it all.” Beatrice Ubeng, one of the dedicated domestics for the area, mops the length of a corridor where a woman’s waters have broken while she was being wheeled by trolley into a delivery room. It’s all in a night’s work for Beatrice who joined the trust in 2017 but has only been working nights a year. “I’m finding it tough, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it,” she said with a wry chuckle. Shortly afterwards the woman’s screams subside and give way to the loud cries of a newborn baby. Despite how many countless times they’ve heard this noise everyone still smiles. Even in the small hours of the night life goes on. Meet the stars who come out at night! Darren Walker is the band 7 nurse in charge for the night shift at BH’s ED. He’s happy 27 out of the 28 nursing staff are available tonight. He said: “Staffing has been good this past week and the skill mix is strong as well. Tonight feels manageable. Last night we had 202 patients and the department was only built to see 80 but by the end of the night there was only a one hour wait to be seen by a doctor. That’s because beds were available in the hospital. That’s what counts. “All of us are excited about the expansion of our urgent and emergency care. It’s going to make a huge difference in experience for staff and patients. It should help us ease the bottlenecks.” Also on the main desk in BH ED is Sue Reuter whose main role is to record admissions in a timely and accurate way. Sue said: “Working nights suits me because I care for my elderly mother. I worked for the Metropolitan Police for 37 years before I got made redundant and worked for M&S for a couple of years but it wasn’t for me. I wondered who would employ me at 59, but here I am five years later. As well as admissions I also answer calls from relatives and liaise with nursing staff. It’s challenging but I enjoy what I do.” Santa only has to work one night a year but spare a thought for our night shift heroes who work long after most of us are tucked up in bed. Some staff always work the night shift and others take their turn on the rota but one thing is constant – their dedication. Evans Dampare, domestic assistant Martina Zara, midwife “We get a lot of walk-ins... everything from reduced foetal movement, or bleeding, or abnormal cramping. Or our ante or postnatal ladies could have a whole host of issues from uncontrolled blood sugars, low blood pressure... or the baby being on the small side. We are here for it all.”
8 9 Portering, catering and cleaning services have all awarded the NHS ‘exemplar’ status at BH. The hospital, which works in partnership with Medirest for portering, cleaning and catering services, is only the second hospital in the country to have achieved the prestigious status for all three. Inspectors from NHS England visited the hospital to evaluate and review the services and concluded: • the hospital had outstanding leadership and collaboration between the portering team, other facilities teams and clinical colleagues. • there was excellent use of digital technology to shape and prioritise workload, as well as utilising digital tools to enable flexibility in reacting to day-to-day challenges. • there was evidence of positive working relationships at ward level, which showed clear knowledge of the demand on clinical services as well as the ability to flex and prioritise to meet and adapt to this. • there was excellent teamwork and organisation within the catering teams. Team members were extremely proud of their menus and service model, which was evidently meeting the varying needs of patients. The building which comprises three floors, is designed to accommodate approximately 200 staff in purpose-built office accommodation close to the main hospital. As well as general desk space there are also desks designed with privacy screening so that clinical staff can hold virtual consultations, as well as pod seating. There are also a number of meeting rooms, training rooms, break-out areas, outside terraces, as well as kitchens. A large redevelopment of urgent and emergency care (UEC), aimed at improving patient and staff experience, is underway at BH. Once complete, the £6.5m redevelopment will ensure patients are seen and treated in the right place and at the right time, including those arriving by ambulance, and provide an improved working environment for staff. Staff and patients have seen a new entrance is being built between the current adult assessment hub and urology. In addition, refurbishments are ongoing in the Woodlands Unit which will be urology’s new home. In January a new urgent treatment centre – with a larger footprint – will be created in the previous urology department. Urgent and emergency patients arriving by foot will come in via an entrance at the front of the hospital where they will be assessed and transferred to the most appropriate area. If their illness or injury is Making ‘the Hub’ a home Delivery of best-in-class services more serious they can be seen in the emergency department (ED), while those with less serious conditions will be cared for in the urgent treatment centre (UTC). Currently only a quarter of urgent and emergency care patients are seen in the UTC. It is hoped that once the works are complete, 35-50% of patients will be seen there, improving waiting times for patients by creating capacity in the ED. As such ambulance hand over times should also be reduced, allowing paramedics to get back into the community sooner. As part of the redevelopment, there will be a newly refurbished, more spacious area for the paediatric ED, a larger ambulance handover area and more purpose-built mental health rooms will also be provided. Deborah Sanders, chief executive of BH, said: “This is a really exciting development for the hospital. We’re hoping these plans will make a big difference to patient waiting times in our emergency department and will ensure that patients are seen in the most appropriate location for them.” The works are being carried out in three phases, the first of which is due to be completed by March 2024. The entire project is due for completion by the end of 2024. For more detailed information about the project visit Freenet. New look urgent and emergency care entrance Staff from ED’s paedriatric team are looking forward to having more space Official opening of the Hub Medirest staff celebrate their award The best present of all for BH The build took five-and-a-half months and has been welcomed by staff from different divisions who were keen to move from buildings which were no longer fit for purpose. Staff were offered familiarisation tours of the new premises prior to moving. Some of the larger divisions who will be making use of the property include therapies, medicine and urgent care, surgery and associated services and women’s and children. But smaller teams such as legal and quality improvement will also be working out of the building. Deborah Sanders, chief executive of BH, who officially opened the new office space, said: “I know how necessary this new building was and what a difference it will make to staff. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone moving in for their patience coping with the upheaval of the relocation. “I’d also like to thank the staff who helped us to deliver this building for our staff. This new administration space is all part of the jigsaw helping us deliver outstanding care for our patients.” The NHS exemplar recognition acknowledges the delivery of the best-in-class services and that the team will share learnings and experiences with other trusts. Deborah Sanders, chief executive of BH, said: “This is a phenomenal achievement for our domestic, portering and catering colleagues. I am so pleased that they have been recognised in this way, as they work so hard to help deliver excellent care for our patients. They should be incredibly proud of themselves. This award is testament to the wonderful partnership between Medirest and Barnet Hospital – congratulations to everybody.” Staff have been celebrating the official opening of the Hub.
Staff can continue to get their flue vaccines from our peer vaccinators across the trust. The flu vaccination campaign will run until the end of December, having began earlier than normal this year to give as many people as possible protection coming into the winter months. It is not too late to get your vaccine. This time of year, when gatherings and celebrations bring us closer, viruses can spread more easily. Getting vaccinated not only shields us individually, but contributes to patients, family, friends and patients remaining safe and healthy over the festive period. Margaret Sherrif, junior sister in the private patients’ unit at RFH, is one of the peer vaccinators who has been taking part in the campaign. “I think we are supposed to be the model for the rest of society and our patients, and lead by example with getting vaccinated,” she said. “I get the flu jab every year and have never been sick or had to go to hospital, so I really think it has helped my immunity.” Kathleen Riley, ward manager at BH, has also been vaccinating staff throughout the campaign. “We have given out more than 6,000 flu vaccines and we Thank you to all our colleagues who shared their views in this year’s NHS staff survey. More than 6,600 staff completed the survey – at 57% of the workforce that’s 11% higher than last year’s response rate and the first time our trust has reached this number since the survey began. The trust took action based on staff feedback last year and we promise to do so again. Results from the survey will be benchmarked against national data and shared with staff next year to help us improve life here at the RFL. Thank you for taking the time to have your say and help make the RFL the best it can be. 10 11 Governors’ update Looking back at 2023 Our governors are elected to represent the interests of members and to hear the views of staff, patients, and the public. If you would like to get in touch, please email rf.governors@nhs.net Protect your festive plans with the flu vaccine Record-breaking number have their say COVID-19 vaccines For the most up to date information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit the winter vaccines Freenet page. There, you can find details of walk in vaccination sites, festive clinics to protect you ahead of Christmas and links to report vaccines received outside of work. The COVID-19 vaccine offer is due to close after 31 January. continue to promote vaccination to the whole hospital so we can protect our patients and family,” she said. “I would encourage all staff to get their vaccine if they have not already done so.” Julie Hamilton, group chief nurse, also encouraged staff to get vaccinated ahead of Christmas. “By getting vaccinated, we’re making our hospital environments safer when winter months can bring added pressures,” she said. “This season, let’s prioritise the health of our community, friends, family and patients by getting vaccinated against flu.” Visit the winter vaccines Freenet page for more information and resources. FLU The RFL has seen another unprecedented year, with fresh challenges such as industrial action and increasing demand for elective and non-elective services. The Council of Governors would like to extend a huge thank you to all trust staff for their commitment and perseverance to providing world class care for our communities. As staff have been carrying out their duties, the Council of Governors have been carrying out their own statutory duty of holding the trust’s nonexecutive directors to account. There have been a number of highlights and milestones in the past year, including our ‘go-see’ visits and approving the appointment of Peter Landstrom as the trust’s group chief executive. Michelle Wayne (patient governor) Michelle is a life-long local resident and qualified professional tennis coach and nordic walking leader. She is trilingual and has worked in banks and schools. Sean Baine (public governor) Sean has a background in senior management in local government and the voluntary sector. He is concerned about health inequalities and interested in the connections between our hospitals and primary care. Jane Gizbert (public governor) Jane has spent nearly 30 years working within the health and care system and medical research sector. She has an excellent understanding of how the NHS operates and the challenge it faces. Gisela Botelho (public governor) Gisela has extensive experience of working in governance, performance, and quality assurance in both the private and public sectors. She is committed to making a contribution to her community by ensuring people’s voices are represented to inform and improve care and patient experience. Jackie Robinson (staff governor) Jackie is currently working in the private patients’ unit and has previously managed a number of services at the RFH. She is a local resident and cares passionately about local services for local people. Vijendra Ingle (staff governor) Vijendra has been an ear nose and throat (ENT) surgeon at RFL for 15 years and is the specialist, associate specialist and speciality doctors representative for ENT and an appraiser of doctors at the RFH. Paul Phillips (staff governor) Paul works as a security manager at the RFH and has an extensive protective services career. He works closely with the local community, council and Metropolitan police. He helps ensure staff have a safe and happy workplace. Justin Alpha (staff governor) Justin is a dedicated manual handling trainer with knowledge in biomechanics and exercise prescription. He is passionate about health and safety, giving underrepresented voices a platform and promoting equality. Our new governors In addition, elections saw eight new governors welcomed to the council. Find out more about our newest governors below and on our website. We also celebrated the milestone of welcoming trust members, staff and the public to the first in person Annual Members’ Meeting since the pandemic. We’d like to thank all attendees for their support and feedback. Medicine for Members’ events took place throughout the year. This year’s events included topics such as developing a deeper understanding of Type 1 diabetes, and heart failure as a serious yet reversible condition. The latest session explored the incredible work being done in the liver transplant unit to help give patients with end stage liver disease a new lease of life. If you missed any of our members’ events, you can catch up with recordings on our website. Margaret Sherrif
12 Start Well: Share your views Share your views on proposed changes to how and where some maternity, neonatal and children’s surgical services across North Central London could be delivered in the future. These include proposals: • to close maternity and neonatal services at the RFH or Whittington Health NHS Trust • to close the birthing suites at Edgware Birth Centre, while retaining antenatal and postnatal care on the Edgware Community Hospital site • to consolidate some surgery for babies and very young children in centres of expertise at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The aim is to ensure patients get the very best care, in the right place at the right time for many years to come. No decisions have yet been made. The consultation, led by North Central London Integrated Care Board and NHS England Specialised Commissioning, closes on Sunday 17 March 2024. For more information see Freenet. 60 seconds with… Penka Velyanova Penka Velyanova is an operating department practitioner (ODP) at CFH, having recently completed an ODP apprenticeship. When did you first start at the RFL? I started working at the RFL in 2014 as a domestic assistant, before applying for a healthcare assistant role in 2016. How did you find out about the ODP apprenticeship? Details were shared by our matron with referral to a clinical practice educator (CPE) from another department, who helped all interested HCSWs with the application process. I first applied in June 2020 and received support with my application. I then had to attend interviews, I had done some assistant practitioner and functional skills training at the trust so that certainly helped. The process was not very long and I started the apprenticeship in September 2020. Tell us about the apprenticeship The apprenticeship is a degree-level three-year course through the University of Derby, to become a registered healthcare professional specialising in caring for people of all ages before, during and after surgery. I was a full-time employee of the trust, with 20% of my time going to academic study and the rest being training from practice. I was based at CFH for all of it, but I also got to go to BH for other types of surgery such as paediatrics and emergency. That gave me a wide variety of situations to work in. Did you face any challenges during the apprenticeship? One of the main challenges was time management. I had to continue with my work and studies, but also had my family and home life to keep going. Learning in English was another challenge as I am originally from Bulgaria. However the university was really understanding and provided us with lots of help and resources. My mentors at the trust were supportive and knew that I had another focus with studying. I want to express my appreciation to them and my colleagues who gave me guidance when they could. What would you advise others who are thinking of doing an apprenticeship? There is a constant three-way relationship that you need to remain in touch with between yourself, the trust and your university. You need to be honest with yourself about how you are coping, and get help from people when needed. I believe in education and progression, and the RFL has been really important in that journey for me. While it takes commitment and determination, it was a great opportunity for me. When did you finish the apprenticeship? I finished the course in September, and to be honest, I kind of miss the intensity of it! I thought the transition to full time clinical work would be difficult but I have actually found it very smooth. I love seeing patients improve almost immediately after their surgeries. That gives me great satisfaction.
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