Wave goodbye to…

After well over four decades in in the NHS, Bridget Pennington-Wilson, heath visitor will be retiring.

Bridget first came to the UK in 1975 where she started orthopaedic nursing at St. Gerard’s Hospital in Coleshill. A couple of years later, she moved to Dudley Road Hospital (now know as City Hospital) in January 1977 as a student nurse.

“After gaining my nursing qualification, I worked in coronary care for around 12 months,” said Bridget.

“I then started my Midwifery training at the same place in 1982 where I worked until 1984 which when I moved to work as a staff nurse at Victoria Health Centre, supporting the health vsiting team.”

Following the move to the health centre, Bridget embarked upon training to become a health visitor in Sandwell. After qualifying in 1986 she continued to work as a health visitor in Sandwell, and she has carried on in this role for the last 33 years at Glebefields Health Centre.

During her 33 years as a health visitor specifically, Bridget has faced many challenges.

“It can at times be difficult to work autonomously and with other professionals to ensure the heath and welfare of children is safeguarded but nevertheless, I have been glad to work as a health visitor for SWB as it has been very fulfilling for me, particularly working with families in the area.

“Seeing families turn their lives around is particularly rewarding, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else. Growing up in a farming family in rural Ireland where it was always ingrained in me to look after others, I always wanted to give back and working in healthcare was the obvious choice.”

Bridget has learnt a lot working from working with different families across the community. When asked about the piece of advice she would give to her younger self she said: “If I was to give any pointers to anyone just starting out in a similar role to me, it would simply be: if you have an urge to help people respond to it and do not be discouraged by others.”

Casey Oglesby, Gaynor Roberts and Arlene Hubbard, all fellow health visitors, have worked alongside Bridget and know she will be missed. They said: “Bridget is a caring and compassionate nurse, health visitor and above all, friend. She is loved by everyone, staff and families alike, she is kind and goes the extra mile for families.

“Bridget is a true professional and amazing work colleague. She has always been passionate about the NHS and believes in providing the best quality care to all our Sandwell clients, and is loved by the families she served. She is a perfect role model and friend.”

Nicola Ingram, Health Visitor Team Leader echoed these thoughts and said, “Bridget is one of the most conscientious members of staff who gives 100 per cent and always goes the extra mile for the families in her care and for her team members. She is irreplaceable in my opinion: both her colleagues and the families she supports have great respect for her.”

As part of her retirement Bridget plans to enjoy more time with her recently retired husband, taking pottery lessons together, and to spend more time with her grandchildren. She also planning a holiday to Australia in 2023.

Happy retirement Bridget!

Is dairy-free a possibility?

Dear Heartbeat,

I work at City hospital and like to pop to Coffee Culture on the main spine to get a caffeine fix. However, I’m lactose intolerant and the café doesn’t serve any non-dairy milk. I’m sure there are plenty of people who work at City and don’t consume cow’s milk for many reasons, from dietary choices to intolerances, who are limited in terms of choice. I know they serve other options at BTC but it’s a trek for me and many others. The americanos at Coffee Culture are lovely but it would be great to have another option! Can the Trust look into providing some dairy free choices at the coffee shop?

Kind regards, Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your letter. Recommendations from the local authority say all customers who make it known they have a food intolerance or allergy can only be served bought in prepacked food and beverage items. Due to the nature of the catering practices employed within the department, we cannot guarantee the content of products prepared in our kitchens or cafes are free from allergenic cross contamination. We display notices in all of our retail area asking customers to inform us if they have a food allergy or intolerance so that we only serve them items that we know will not be at risk from cross contamination and are safe and will not cause them any harm.

In relation to offering alternative milk options, we have two different types of Costa machines: automatic machines (at Coffee Culture and Arches) and traditional machines (at Boaters and BTC). The traditional machines allow the Costa drinks to be made manually with a separate hot milk frothing arm where different milk options can be used. The automatic machines dispense the coffee and milk together within the machine as a premade drink with one milk option. We have discussed the possibility of the automatic machines dispensing a black coffee to then allow alternative milk options to be added separately however the milk would be cold not hot. We are going to try this option should a customer request an alternative milk option. However, it should be noted that even if we offer the alternative milk options in Coffee Culture and Arches, we would not be able to serve any customers who made us aware they had a food allergy or intolerance to ensure we only serve items that are safe to be consumed.

Kind regards,

Jane Owen Head of Catering Services