Meet our MWL People
Each week we will be showcasing more of our amazing MWL People, working in a wide range of areas across the Trust, so please stay tuned.
- Philippa Marr, click here to read more
Philippa is Clinical Practice Educator for Therapy at Southport Hospital.
“My first role in Therapies was as a Therapy Assistant. It was such a transformative experience for me, seeing patients who had previously struggled to get out of bed now being able to walk out of the hospital on crutches. My current role is about helping staff with their continuing professional development. This can be supporting preceptees who may be newly qualified, staff who have had some time away, and international staff. It can also be supporting Allied Health Professional apprentices.
“There’s a lot of variety in Occupational Therapist roles, and lots of opportunities to gain professional experience. I think all roles are similar in the aim of helping patients to find purpose if they have been impacted by disability, ill health, trauma, ageing or have a long-term condition. Our work together hopefully helps to make life more meaningful again for them.
“The team are lovely and approachable in Southport. I love the feel of the hospital – getting to know people and being a part of the hospital community. I live locally and it means a lot knowing I’m helping people in my local area”.
- Lily Gray, click here to read more
Lily is a Care Navigator in our Cancer and Clinical Information team.
‘I’ve worked in this team for about 12 months now, and it’s my first role in the NHS. I used to work in admin in schools – I feel it’s really different here, and you can clearly see the impact of what you do.
‘Sadly cancer touches so many peoples’ lives, whether yourself directly or your loved ones. My role is to be a point of contact throughout our patients’ care, a friendly voice down the phone. Calling our patients is my favourite part of the job, our patients are always so lovely, I really enjoy talking to them prior to appointments and hope these calls help lessen any anxiety they may have. We talk through what they might expect when they arrive for their appointments, and I can answer any questions about what might happen or what they might need to do to prepare. Sometimes I make the calls to tell patients that their investigations have ruled out a cancer diagnosis – those are lovely calls, it’s such huge news to deliver, and helps to ease their worries until they get their letter in the post.
‘I also ensure patients appointments and further investigations are booked along with checking for investigation results on the system to send to clinicians. I was a little overwhelmed when I started as there’s a lot to learn, but the team and our clinicians were really helpful and kind explaining things. It’s lovely to be a part of such a wonderful team. Though it’s not really a well-known role, there are great opportunities to develop and I’m really happy to work here!’
- Ragit Varia, click here to read more
Ragit is a consultant in acute medicine, and lead for Same Day Emergency Care, based at Whiston Hospital. He has also been involved in number of successful clinical and digital projects at the Trust.
Ragit says: “I have worked for the Trust since 2012 where I have the pleasure of working with an incredibly talented, hard-working and close-knit team on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU).
“I am particularly passionate about developing systems and services. On AMU, we have set up a digital innovation and sustainability group of like-minded colleagues with work featured recently on the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Green Physician Toolkit and awarded by the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) sustainability group ecoSAM.
“I am the regional Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) lead with Advancing Quality Alliance (AQUA) and am ever so proud of leading the Whiston AKI Team. The expertise of our specialist nurses, pharmacist and nephrologists within a department, grown from scratch at Whiston, has improved the quality of care and experience for our patients significantly.
“Working with diverse, multi-professional and supportive colleagues on my unit and within the organisation and with an Executive Team that has always been supportive, has indeed been a great privilege’’
- Sunil Raveendran, click here to read more
Sunil is a Healthcare Assistant at Southport Hospital and told us about how much he enjoys his job.
“I’ve worked at Southport Hospital for nearly two years now. It’s my first job in the NHS. I help patients with whatever they need, like with personal care, getting washed and dressed, and having their meals. One of the most important things is helping them to mobilise – to get out of bed and move around if they can. It’s good for their physical and mental wellbeing.
“The part of the job I enjoy the most is helping others. I really enjoy working at Southport Hospital and on my ward in particular – I do my best to help them, and they help me. Being part of the NHS is great, I like to support patients. It’s a really challenging time for them being in hospital, so being able to support them through that means a lot to me.”
- Dominique Hazlehurst, click here to read more
Dominique is a Radiographer/CT Specialist at Ormskirk Hospital.
“I’ve been a Radiographer for 8 years now, though I’m quite new here at Ormskirk - I only started in September. I wanted a new challenge and new opportunities.
“I conduct x-rays and CT scans for outpatients, inpatients, and our Accident and Emergency Department. One of the most interesting parts of my job is going up to our operating theatres with a mobile x-ray. By doing scans during procedures, we can assist surgeons with things like the placing of stents, or help guide biopsies.
“The best part of the job is the people. I see people from all walks of life, and I love speaking to them – they make my day. It’s lovely helping my community. I live locally, and I had my baby here. Having always worked with adults before, now that I work at Ormskirk Hospital I get to see our younger patients too, which is really nice, particularly now that I am a mum!”
- Meisha Kirby, click here to read more
Meisha is the Administrator for Sefton Sexual Health, one of our community services.
“My job is being on reception and answering the phone here at Sefton Sexual Health. I’ve been here for a year and a half – and I’m so grateful to have this job! I’ve always wanted to be a part of the NHS and this is my first NHS role.
“I like to think I’m really person-orientated and caring. On reception we’re the first point of contact patients meet in the service. Our patients can be self-conscious and anxious coming for an appointment, it can be daunting for them. I want to set the tone right from the beginning that we’re welcoming and supportive.
“I find it really rewarding getting to support our clinical staff. If someone said they were considering a role in the NHS, I’d say go for it. There’s lots of opportunities to develop and work your way up, and all the roles are important even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse. I definitely want to stay working for this team”.
- Deb Stokes, click here to read more
Deb is a Paediatric Medical Secretary at Ormskirk Hospital.
‘I first came to the Trust about twenty years ago as a clerk typist in the HR Department and I’ve done all sorts of roles since, including admin in the Theatres and Anaesthetics team. I’ve worked in this role for about four years now.
‘I did my secretarial qualifications at night school because I had a full-time job at the time. This gives you the grounding in medical terminology, clinical correspondence and the overall role, as you need to be able to interpret the information you’re dealing with. As well as general paediatrics, we also have specialist clinics and teams for epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, endocrinology, dermatology, allergy - its vast. It’s great to play a part in patients receiving the care they need – some of our young patients are really unwell and have life-changing conditions.
“The best part of the job is working with my colleagues, and with our consultants. Our consultants are really busy, so sometimes I think of myself like a private investigator, gathering all the information they need to make a quick clinical decision! No day is the same in the NHS, and when we’re busy our whole team pulls together. It’s a really great service to work for”.
- Zeeshan Ghouri, click here to read more
Zeeshan is a Staff Nurse at Southport Hospital. He’s had a really varied clinical career, including working in an Intensive Care Unit in his home country Pakistan for 7 years.
“This is my first role in the NHS. I deliver direct patient care, including administering medication and supporting patients whose condition is deteriorating. My ward is acute general medicine for older people – I see patients when they come directly up to our ward from A&E, and some can be very unwell. It’s unpredictable, you never know what to expect each day.
“Every nurse has their own passion and interests. I came to the UK for career progression and to have new experiences. I thought I should see the world! And my dad encouraged me to do it. I’m one of four siblings, and three of us are nurses. My sister came with me to the UK at the same time and is a nurse in another hospital.
“I’m currently working on a six month Palliative Care course through Queencourt Hospice. People are really kind here at the hospital and I have a good professional relationship with my colleagues. When I started I was really supported by the preceptorship team and HR. I absolutely think I made the right choice coming here, as my first hospital in the UK I feel a special connection to it and I don’t want to go anywhere else!”
- Desilyn Alana, click to read more
Desilyn is a Colorectal Nurse Specialist and has been in the role for five years.
“I came to the UK in 2002 from the Philippines. I wanted to come here for personal and professional growth. In the UK nurses can have the ability to work more autonomously, use their training and professional judgement.
“This is my first oncological position – before this I worked in a variety of medical areas including Intensive Care, and I am also a registered midwife in my native land. I actually returned to ICU during the covid pandemic because I wanted to help. I am driven with a deep passion for my work and working collaboratively with a team of other healthcare professions in co-ordinating patients’ care to achieve positive outcomes, which are then reflected with patients’ positive feedback and excellent experience.
“I am most proud of running the Holistic Needs Assessment Clinic which enables individualised care. For our patients with cancer it’s not always just the physical symptoms, it’s how they and their family can be supported in all the different aspects of their journey.
“When I’ve mentored students in the past I’ve always told them that nursing is not just a profession, but a vocation. You won’t get the best results for your patients unless you put in your compassion, your heart.
Our Trust offers many diverse roles for nurses, including training, and many experiences. We provide 5 star care for patients, but we also look after our staff as well. This is the only Trust I’ve worked in in the UK, and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else”.
- Tom Fitzpatrick, click here to read more
Tom is a Senior IT Engineer and Print Solution Manager at our Trust. Tom originally became interested in working in IT in the run up to the year 2000 when there were global worries about the ‘millennium bug’!
Tom said “Digital systems underpin patient care. Fixes can be something really simple, like replacing a mouse to sorting issues with important patient systems.
“It’s a really fast-paced role, but we pride ourselves on providing a high-quality service to colleagues and it is a privilege to support teams across the Trust.
“This place is special to me – I’ve worked here for 19 years and both my kids were born here! And one of my proudest moments will always be winning Employee of the Year in 2013. Back then I was the only engineer on site, but now I’m part of an incredible team and I love working with them.”
- Abbie Cookson-Cliffe, click to read more
Abbie is the System Manager for Community Electronic Patient Records at the Trust and works across Whiston, St Helens, and Newton hospitals.
“My job is about ensuring our staff who work in the community have the digital systems they need to access patient records when they’re out and about. For example, so they can see what medication a patient may have been prescribed and care details from other teams using the system. This involves a lot of work with district nurses, the community frailty team, community matrons, partner organisations and system suppliers.
“I’ve recently been supported to complete an Improvement Practitioner Apprenticeship which has been great. It’s really helped in my day to day role and there has been lots of opportunities for me to use my new skillset to complement my job. It has also helped me to think about ways we can make improvements and enhance the experience of patients and staff.
“I’ve been at this Trust my whole career, since I was 18, and been a patient myself too. I love working with our community teams – they’re amazing. Seeing them do what they do, and seeing the passion they have. It’s such a rewarding place to work”.
- Joanne Bailey, click to read more
Joanne is a Heart Failure Nurse Specialist in our community team. She has been in her role for three years, and loves helping to support people in her local area.
“I work in the community at Fingerpost Health Centre and Newton Hospital, and I also go out to visit patients in their own homes. Being based in the community means that we can be more accessible to patients – heart failure patients can often have real challenges with their mobility or be completely housebound, so us being closer to them is always better.
“I see the most important part of my role being about empowering patients to play as active a role as possible in their own treatment. It’s a partnership: helping patients to manage living with their condition, and to know when they need to contact us for a bit more help. Working in the community means we get to have a longer-term relationship with patients, which I love. Knowing our patients so well also means it’s easier to identify if their condition changes slightly and they might need some support.
“It's a real privilege to be invited into patients’ homes, to get to know their family and life outside hospital. Since I qualified as a nurse this is the sort of role I wanted to be in, and it’s great working in a team and Trust with such strong values”.
- Samantha Chilton, click here to read more
Sam is an Infant Feeding Advisor at Whiston Maternity Unit. She’s worked with us for just under six months now.
Sam says: “My job is all about supporting new parents in those important first days and weeks with their new baby. I provide advice and encouragement around things like helping parents understand how to identify when their baby is getting enough milk, and ensuring feeding is a comfortable experience for mum and baby. Every family’s needs are going to be different which is why individualised support from an Infant Feeding Advisor is so important.
“I love getting to meet different families and their lovely newborn babies. My job means a lot to me – it’s very fulfilling to be part of a team that makes a huge difference to someone’s feeding journey.”
- Hayley Tunstall, click here to read more
Hayley is a Biomedical Scientist at Whiston Hospital. Hayley has worked at our Trust for around six years, working up from Laboratory Assistant to her current position.
“I started at the hospital when I was in the middle of uni doing my Biomedical Science degree. At first I worked as an lab assistant on Saturdays, over time adding extra days and working my way up. I’ve now been fully qualified for two years, and the team has been so supportive helping me train and develop.
“Working in the labs keeps you on your toes and no two days are the same. I can run over 100 different tests in a day! As well as running tests I review results, comparing them to previous records, and update doctors and nurses on the findings. We even know how to perform light maintenance on our testing machines if there are ever problems with them working!
“Our team keeps running tests overnight so that the clinical staff providing hands-on patient care get the results they need quickly, which is particularly important for our emergency department. There’s pressure to be quick and accurate, but I enjoy the responsibility of knowing that my work on a night shift is helping to ensure our most poorly patients get life-saving treatment.”
- Doris Hickey, click here to read more
Doris is a Medical Secretary at Newton Hospital, and started working with us in 1962!
“I started at Newton in 1962 when I was 24 years old – they can’t get rid of me! I love it here, I feel it keeps me active and engaged. The team is fantastic, my supervisor too, I don’t think you could have a better team spirit.
“My job is different everyday which I really enjoy. I do emails, type up dictated letters to patients for the Consultant Paediatrician, and any other typing that’s needed. I feel like I’m doing something useful, and playing a role in the care of our patients from our local community Newton, St Helens, and Whiston”.
- Michelle Hanlon, click here to read more
Michelle is a Linen and Uniform Services Assistant at Ormskirk Hospital and has worked with us for 22 years.
Michelle says: “My job has changed a lot over the years. One of my tasks is to take the linen round the wards and make sure that the cupboards are filled up according to each ward's daily quota. I particularly enjoy this as I get to come out of the laundry and see the lovely staff of MWL, and also get my daily exercise in! I enjoy seeing the wards stocked up and the feeling of having done a good job.
“During the last few years, I have been learning the Uniform Services side of things, including measuring staff for uniforms and placing orders. I have always loved the sense of belonging, I feel working in this Trust and the NHS as a whole - it really feels like you are part of a big team, where every member is included”.
- Barbara Roberts, click to read more
Barbara has been a volunteer with us for over 20 years, starting back in the old Whiston Hospital in the WRVS café.
She particularly enjoys helping out on the children’s ward, greeting families, making drinks for our visitors, and playing with our young patients to provide them with a distraction from being in hospital. Barbara has really kindly continued her volunteering over the Christmas period, doing her bit to support our patients during the festive season!
She’s passionate about her role here saying: “The hospital has been a big part of mine and my family’s lives. I had my children here so I love being able to feel like I’m giving something back. I’m playing a part in my local hospital that looks after our local community”.
Barbara really encourages other people to consider volunteering at the hospital too.
She said: “Definitely consider being a volunteer. If you’re young, it’s a great way of getting experience and gives you an idea of what you might want to do as a career in the future”.
- John Heaton, click to read more
John is our Trust’s Senior Medical Photographer, and manages the Medical Photography Department. He’s a well-known and popular face around the Trust!
John said: “Our team takes medical photos in departments such as burns and plastics, dermatology, urology, and ophthalmology. These images can support diagnosis and are used to provide a visual record of patients’ conditions.
“I’ve worked across the St Helens and Whiston sites for over 35 years. Photography has changed a lot over this time – now of course we use digital systems, but back when I started we used film. Not having to wait for photos to develop like in the old days means that they can be used to support patient care immediately and are easily accessible to clinicians when they’re needed.
“I love my job and working for this Trust. My motto is treating everyone I meet the same as I would like myself to be treated. Being positive and friendly puts patients at ease, and makes for the best working environment”.
- Lisa Chapple, click to read more
Lisa is Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist (OT) for Burns and Plastics. Her role is pivotal in the successful rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a serious burn.
Lisa said: ‘Establishing early movement and daily routines following a burn injury is essential to promote healing, reduce stiffness and swelling, and optimise recovery.
‘I love how my role means that I interact with patients from the start of their time on the ward with us right through to their outpatient appointments when they’re living back at home. OTs focus on the whole person, encompassing the physical, emotional, and social aspects of their injuries. We can build a close connection and understanding, which complements the individualised care we provide.
‘I’m so grateful to the Trust for helping to support my OT training over 20 years ago – I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. Our service has a huge catchment area, including North Wales and the Isle of Man, and we’re really busy, but I am so proud of the work the entire multidisciplinary team does to help patients regain a sense of purpose, improve their quality of life, and return to independent living’.
- Caroline Birtwell, click to read more
Caroline is a Health Play Specialist at Ormskirk Hospital. It’s a really special role, utilising play to support the children and young people accessing our services.
Caroline says “I’ve worked in the Paediatric Department at Ormskirk Hospital for 22 years now. I started my career here as a Healthcare Assistant, and in 2005 qualified as a Health Play Specialist.
“Health Play Specialists are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team. We collaborate with nursing and medical staff to provide holistic care for our young patients – our role is to use therapeutic play to help children understand their illness and support them throughout their treatment.
“I have the privilege of leading our play specialists team. I find my job very rewarding – making a real difference in the experience children and their families have in hospital means so much to me. And working with such amazing people makes coming to work a pleasure.”
- Matthew Taylor, click to read more
Matt is a Specialist Information Analyst in our Service Improvement Team and has worked at our Trust for four years. Matt’s role is to analyse and interpret the data our hospital staff use for making improvements to our services for the benefit of patient care.
Matt said: “I’ve been interested in the value of good data analysis since I read The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy when I was younger! Hospitals are huge and complicated organisations, and data modelling enables us to predict the impact of important operational decisions.
“MWL has a great culture and staff are really open to improvement work and finding ways to make our services run better or more efficiently. Our job in Service Improvement isn’t to come in and tell other teams how to do their jobs, it’s to help facilitate and support them to find their own solutions. The data modelling I do can help test what the potential impact of a change could be.
“It’s really important to remember that behind every number in our data is a patient – my role is to support the great care delivered by my colleagues in the clinical teams. It means a lot to me to be playing my part in the delivery of the best possible care for those in my local community”.
- Erica Isherwood, click to read more
Erica is a well-known face around our hospitals, having worked in our Trust for ten years! Erica’s had a wide variety of different roles, including in paediatrics, research, education, and digital. She’s about to start a new role as Clinical Procurement Matron.
Erica said: “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse - I love interacting with our patients and staff. My career in nursing has been so varied, making it really professionally fulfilling.
“I am very lucky to work with some amazing staff who are my role models, and despite the challenges we face in the NHS they always embody our Trust’s values of being kind, open, and inclusive. I’m passionate about empowering people, whether that is with education or digital technology, and believe with the right tools behind us it can make a big impact on the healthcare we deliver.
“I’m so excited to begin my new role as Clinical Procurement Matron. Our hospitals have to buy in thousands of medical items everyday for patient care, and it's so important that they are safe and effective. My role will be to oversee the procurement process from a clinical perspective, utilising my years of experience as a nurse”.
- Tom Woods, click to read more
Tom is a Physiotherapist at Whiston Hospital. He had an unusual route into healthcare – he originally trained as a dancer, and still performs as part of a touring Jersey Boys tribute act!
Taking up the story he said: ‘While working as a performer I became really interested in Dance for Parkinson’s – a specialised programme for people with Parkinson’s that promotes physical and mental wellbeing. It was from there that I decided to complete my Physiotherapy training.
“I feel that my dance background really complements my role at the hospital. My dance training gave me an initial understanding of how the body moves and how to analyse these movements, and that in turn helps me now when assessing patients.
“I love the variety of my role and knowing I’m making a positive impact in people’s lives. Physiotherapists help guide patients to the correct exercises, but of course the hard work is down to the individual themselves. I’m always so proud of what our patients achieve with our support”.
- Lesley Enwright, click to read more
Lesley is Operational Services Manager for Anaesthetics, Critical Care and Pain Management at Ormskirk and Southport hospitals. Lesley has been working at our Trust for 21 years, and her history with us goes back even further because she was born at Ormskirk Hospital!
Lesley says “My role primarily involves the co-ordination of our anaesthetists across the theatres at both sites. As you’d expect, it’s always a bit challenging being within an emergency and critical care environment. There are a lot of complexities making sure seriously ill patients receive the care they need in the right place at the right time, and so many important details to get right, but the team is wonderful – supportive and dedicated. Everyone plays an essential part, whether you’re a cleaner, a nurse, a consultant, or a manager.
“I genuinely wish I’d known a career like this was out there when I was a little younger! I knew about the anaesthetists in hospital theatres, but I had no idea what a fascinating fulfilling world this was to work in. If I could go back in time, I would start my journey in this department as soon as I could”.
- Professor Greg Irving, click to read more
Greg is a GP based at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre who has a huge interest in promoting clinical research to benefit patients and the NHS and was the driving force behind the development of a brand new research hub at the Trust.
Greg says: “I have worked for the Trust as a GP for about five years and am involved in the day-to-day running of providing medical care in Marshalls Cross Medical Centre which is at St Helens Hospital.
“I am also a Professor of Primary Care and with that hat on do a lot of primary care-based research in the Trust and work in the newly opened research hub which is a massive boost for our patients and the Trust.
“Primary care research has gone from strength to strength in recent years and is really important in terms of improving the quality of care that is delivered and in shaping the future of how care is delivered in the NHS in general.
“I am particularly passionate about taking action on health inequalities and a lot of the research we have done here is focused on that very issue with studies on long term conditions and how they can be best addressed.’’
- Peter Henderson, click to read more
Peter has been a Porter Postman at Whiston Hospital for 20 years. He picks up mail from the local post sorting office and delivers it across all different areas and departments of the hospital. He also sorts through and processes any mail that needs to go out to other areas of the Trust and to the community.
You may have seen him on his travels, as on a typical day he can do around 20,000 steps!
Peter says he works with a great team. He said: “I enjoy my job because everyone works together like clockwork to make the service run smoothly and efficiently. I love all the different types of people I get to meet every day doing my job. I can’t imagine doing anything else”.
- Christine Griffith-Evans, click to read more
Christine has been a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at our Trust for 18 months. Her role is focused on providing staff with a route to raise concerns.
Christine said: “I’ve worked in the NHS for 40 years, firstly as a nurse and then later within patient safety roles. I’m passionate about our health service and ensuring patients receive the best possible care – for me, listening to staff is the way to do this.
“My role embraces the Trust values of being Kind, Open, and Inclusive. I think it’s a privilege to be able to listen to and support staff members, and I am always amazed and humbled by their dedication and motivation to bring about positive change. It is also great to see how managers and leaders respond to concerns, listening and acting, making sure we’re always focused on improving”.
October is Freedom to Speak Up Month. Christine said: “we have a programme of events planned to raise awareness of the role of FTSU Guardians, and to encourage staff to get in touch when they have any concerns”.
- Pam Gore, click to read more
Pam is a Pressure Garment Technician who works within the Burns and Plastics Therapy Team at Whiston Hospital.
Pam's worked in this role for 24 years, making bespoke pressure garments for some of our patients who have had burns injuries, reconstructive surgery and complex hand injuries. Pressure garments help to reduce swelling, flatten scarring, and aid movement and are all individually made on site for each patient.
Pam says she loves working with our patients. She said "No two days are the same. Each pressure garment is unique to each patient and customised to their individual needs. I love the feeling that I'm really making a difference, doing my part in supporting their recovery”.
Each week we will be showcasing more of our amazing #MWLPeople working in a wide range of areas across the Trust so stay tuned.
- Nisin Thonikkara, click to read more
Nisin is a Radiographer at both Whiston and St Helens Hospitals. His day-to-day role involves carrying out diagnostic imaging supporting quality care for our patients.
Nisin really loves what he does. He says: “The part of my job I enjoy the most is ‘making the unseen seen’, and I find the skilled and helpful team I have around me makes my job even better.
“This is my first job in the NHS. I think I have settled in well, and it’s all thanks to my colleagues who have been really supportive. Moving halfway across the world from India was really challenging, and everyone in the Trust who I’ve met has helped me feel really welcome”.
- Carole Nixon, click to read more
Carole is a Healthcare Assistant at Newton Community Hospital, Carole has been a member of the team for two years after making a promise to her late father as she cared for him in his later years with her mum and daughter.
Carole said: “Shortly before my dad passed away, he said ‘you’d be really good at this, promise me you’ll get a job in the hospital’ – and I did! Now I’m so happy that I made that decision.’’
Now Carole says she would encourage anyone considering a job in the NHS to do it: “Go for it,’’ she said.
“I spend my whole day working directly with patients who all have a lot of different needs. It’s really interesting work. I feel a part of the team at Newton, I feel at home.’’