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Friday, January 3 2014 Brighton & Hove Independent 9
@BrightonIndy
Hospital chief pays tribute to the unsung heroes Frank le Duc @BHcitynews The chief executive of Brighton and Hove’s main hospital trust has paid tribute to the unsung heroes among his staff. Matthew Kershaw, who runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital, said he wanted to mention “a few individuals and teams whose roles are perhaps less obvious than our doctors, nurses and other frontline clinical staff but are still fundamental to providing the best care we can for our patients”. Mr Kershaw, the chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “My point in mentioning a few people is not to single them out as more important but to acknowledge and pay tribute to the essential contribution of everyone who works here.” Those mentioned in Mr Kershaw’s Christmas message included: ■ “Our service managers are more often than not the “go to” people when things go wrong but, I think it is fair to say, rarely get the credit when things go well. They need to be master of all trades and their role is
fundamental to the effective and efficient running of the hospital; ■ “Our switchboard operators, the voices at the end of the phone when people call, who are there every minute of the day and night and who, in a 24-hour period, deal with around 7,000 calls at the County and 2,500 at the Princess Royal Hospital (in Haywards Heath); ■ “Nicky Rogerson and her staff in our payroll department who ensure over 7,000 people get paid on time each week or month and that we all got paid early this month which is a massive logistical challenge (and I am sure extremely welcome); ■ “The small army of people who don’t get paid for their time, effort and expertise – our volunteers, Leagues of Friends, other fundraising organisations like Rockinghorse and the Sussex Cancer Fund, and the relatively new Sing to Enjoy Choir whose carol concert I had the pleasure of attending; ■ “The team in Medical Records at Freshfields, who store, distribute and keep track of over two million sets of clinical notes. ■ “Tony Scott, runner-up Cleaner of the Year in the Hospital Star Awards, who always stops for a chat when I see him and
The Book Doctor
Laura Lockington @bookloversupper
The Medici Mirror, by Melissa Bailey I’ve often felt that buildings have a secret hidden life of their own; some histories must surely linger in the bricks and mortar. When I see that a Victorian hospital has been converted into luxury apartments, I know with certainty that I could not live there. The walls would whisper their tragic stories to me late at night and I could not be happy there. So, when an architect is asked to re-design a long-abandoned shoe factory and discovers a secret room in the basement, with a 16th-century Venetian mirror in it, I knew that I was going to settle down to a story of hidden histories and surprises. Johnny Carter, the architect, has a new girlfriend in his life and the pair of them start
to explore the mystery of the mirror. They discover that it once belonged to Catherine de Medici: betrayed wife, occult practitioner, and mistress of all things dark and devilish. It seems to start to destroy their own relationship and soon they are engulfed in jealousy and obsession. They discover that the past holds great power over the future and that love alone is sometimes not enough. This is a wonderful book that will haunt you long after you finish it. The story wraps you in secrets and twists and turns, and is very clever in blending history with the present day. A word of warning: if you are perhaps living in a re-modelled Victorian factory, and have ever wondered about the room in the basement that never seems warm, even on a summer day, this book is not perhaps for you!
speaks with passion and pride about his part in enhancing the clinical care and the experience of patients in the areas he cleans.” Mr Kershaw added: “I want to thank all staff for your dedication, compassion and hard work throughout the year. My particular thanks to those of you who are working over the festive season and my sincere good wishes for Christmas and the new year.
Matthew Kershaw runs Royal Sussex County Hospital