“When the COVID lockdown was announced, we were very fortunate to be offered the chance to continue major cancer surgery as we are closely linked with the Southampton University Hospital Trust. We had many admissions during the last lockdown and this lockdown, we have all gained experience, and I have felt very honoured to provide care to Hampshire and parts of Dorset.
Celebrating 50 years in Nursing This month one of Spire Southampton’s experts is celebrating 50 years as a registered nurse. Lin started Nursing in 1971 at Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital in Alton. Now closed The Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital in Chawton Park Road, Alton, was threatened with closure in the 1970s, but survived to serve the community until 1994. Recently interviewed for a “Care Heroes” segment Spire Southampton’s Surgical Sister has been at the forefront of patient care at Southampton since 2004. “When I put on my uniform and was introduced to the ward I would work on I realised that Nursing was the career for me and it has never ceased to provide me with new experiences every day. When I first started, nursing student nurses were seen but not heard and even as a junior Registered Nurse, the Ward Sister was approached only through a senior nurse. Matrons were very much in attendance and would wander the wards trying to catch staff out by questioning them about their patients.” A year ago, Spire Southampton committed to support to the NHS in tackling the pandemic and put its colleagues, facilities, services and equipment at the disposal of the University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust. Since then, it has provided urgent care for cancer and critically ill patients. Supporting the Chemotherapy and Haematology Service as well utilising Spire Southampton’s critical care facility for critically ill cancer, cardiac and thoracic patients. Most of these patients visit received care on the surgical ward under Lin’s leadership.
As a team, we have welcomed the challenge to be able to provide this type of care and I am sure Spire Healthcare are proud of the whole team at Spire Southampton for stepping up to the challenge.” “We were able to reduce the length of stay for major urinary surgeries; we have received positive feedback from the Trust. All our staff are aiming to motivate our patients from operation day to help them recover safely which enables us to reduce the patient’s length of stay. We have also had to provide other holistic support to our patients as no visitors were allowed. The staff have almost become surrogate families to the patient in for long spells and that was special to see.” Spire Southampton is now fully open again to private patients, who are either self-paying or insured. It will also continue to provide care for NHS patients and help reduce waiting times and the size of the overall waiting list. Thankfully, Lin will remain a big part of Southampton’s future “I have no plans for retirement yet but who knows what the future may hold. I now have a wonderful team of Nurses who support me as much as I support them. My Consultants have developed a mutual trust with the team and me; this helps us provide a level of care that helps the patients recover in a comfortable environment. It takes time to create but it is a rewarding place to be.” Spire Healthcare is a leading independent hospital group in the United Kingdom, with 39 private hospitals and eight clinics across England, Wales and Scotland. Working in partnership with around 7,500 experienced consultants, Spire Healthcare delivered tailored, personalised care to almost 750,000 in-patients, outpatients and daycase patients in 2020, and is the leading private provider, by volume, of knee and hip operations in the United Kingdom. The Group’s well located and scalable hospitals have delivered successful and award-winning clinical outcomes, positioning the Group well with patients, consultants, the NHS, GPs and Private Medical Insurance (“PMI”) providers. 90% of Spire Healthcare’s hospitals are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC (or the equivalent in Scotland and Wales). In recent months, the Group has placed its facilities at the disposal of the NHS to support efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn more, visit www.spiresouthampton.com For further information contact 023 8077 5544
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