This year is the International Year of the Nurse and we are celebrating just some of our amazing nursing staff across the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Heartlands Hospital, Good Hope Hospital and Solihull Hospital.

Ann Bocock, Nurse on the Older People's Wards at Solihull Hospital

Ann Bocock is a Nurse on one of the older people wards at Solihull Hospital and does so much to make days in the hospital more comfortable for her patients.

Along with her nursing duties, Ann puts on afternoon teas and service days for the older patients to get involved with and stay engaged and active where they can.

The staff on the ward all get together to provide their patients with an afternoon tea to enjoy whilst on the ward, it gives patients something to look forward to and makes sure they are engaging in conversation with other people.

Not only do the staff get their patients some sweet treats, they also dress up in 1940s clothing to reminisce about the old days! For some patients, it can be hard to understand where they are and why, so the staff always aim to sit and have a chat with them and getting dressed up can make it easier for the patients to talk about something they enjoy!

You can donate to help bring Dementia Engagement Leads to our hospitals here.

Gemma Chance, Urology Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Good Hope Hospital

In 2019, Gemma Chance, a Urology Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Good Hope Hospital, took on amazing triple challenge to help raise money for cancer patients at the hospital.

Gemma enlisted her friends and family to help her out on the challenges and climbed Mount Snowdon, abseiled down the Wesleyan building in Birmingham and ran the half marathon all to raise and incredible £3,108 for the patients that she treats at the hospital. 

Talking about her challenges, she said: “The patients I treat every day were the inspiration behind doing this fundraising. As a Urology Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, I see the day to day struggles patients with cancer face. I am honoured and proud to play a part in their treatment and care and would like to be able to contribute something more to make them more comfortable throughout their journey.

“If you’re thinking of raising money for the hospital charity, please do it! Every penny you raise goes towards funding things for patients at the hospital, and we wouldn’t be able to get some things without the help of the Charity.”

Jodie Causier, Family Integrated Care Lead at Heartlands Hospital and Good Hope Hospital

Jodie Causier is the new Family Integrated Care Lead across Good Hope Hospital and Heartlands Hospital, a position which is being funded thanks to your generous donations to our Newborns in Need appeal!

Jodie works on the Neonatal Units to bridge the gap between parents and their babies. When a baby is born prematurely, or is poorly, they have to spend a long time in special incubators and there is a lot of machinery involved and parents can find it scary to be involved in their baby’s care.

Jodie spends time with parents to teach them the skills they need to look after their babies on the unit, and when they are at home with their baby, helping to empower parents and improve their experience on the unit.

You can find out more, and help to support our Family Integrated Care Scheme, here.

Katherine Ahlquist – Research Sister, Strokes

Katherine Ahlquist works as a Research Sister within the stroke team at QEHB, and her position is funded thanks to the generous donations that you make to the hospital charity!

Katherine helps to conduct wide-ranging research into strokes, in particular hyper-acute stroke trials. She said: “When patients come into A&E who have had a stroke, they could potentially be eligible to get involved in our study that is testing a new clot-busting medication that might be better than the current treatment!”

This research has the potential to improve patient care in the immediate aftermath of a stroke, which could help to reduce the impact that a stroke has on the brain, as well as the impact on speech and cognition.

Alongside their work on hyper-acute strokes, Katherine and the team are also working on a long-term study into rehabilitation after a stroke, looking at speech, cognitive and mental impairments. 

Read more about the work that Katherine and the team undertake here.

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