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.
- Pat Broughton, click here to read more
Pat is a Business Support Officer at our Trust and works in our Jubilee Court offices.
“I’ve been in this role for eight years now. A friend suggested I apply for a job on the staff bank, and after six months I was enjoying myself so much I decided to apply for a permanent position.
“It’s my job to support the teams here with technology. I help new members of staff, doing things like setting up their email accounts or devices that they need to do their jobs. I like problem solving – some fixes I can do myself, and others I liaise with teams like IT to help resolve.
“I enjoy how my job means I get to interact with so many people face to face. I like going into work every day – there’s never a day I don’t want to be here! I’m proud to work in a public service, and I feel proud when my family come into our hospitals for treatment knowing that I’m part of the team”.
- Shaun Grady, click here to read more
Shaun is Medical Hair Loss Consultant at St Helens Hospital. Shaun has worked at our Trust for almost 39 years!
“I’m in charge of all hairdressing as well as the wig making and fitting service at MWL. My role is all about supporting patients experiencing hair loss, predominantly those who are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, but also for those with alopecia or burns. I’ve done this job for about 25 years now.
“Our patients come in before they start their chemotherapy, which means that we’re able to replicate the style they have once they’ve begun their treatment. When they come in for their next appointment at the salon we fit their wig, cut and personalise it for them. They have enough going on without having to worry about changes to their appearance – we want to help give them some sense of normality.
“We’re fussy and we want to get it right! Some patients think that because our wigs are provided for free on the NHS that they might be inferior quality, then they are genuinely blown away when they see how high-quality the result is. I’ve been told by patients that their wigs looked so real, their friends haven’t realised they’ve lost their hair! And as their hair grows back we help them with styling it too.
“We’re so fortunate we can do this for our patients, here at the Lilac Centre, in an environment where they trust the staff and feel safe. Their feedback means so much. I just love the job, the best part is seeing the genuine surprise and sometimes even happy tears when our patients see the finished wig”.
- Jess Roberts, click here to read more
Jess is a Laser and Micropigmentation Specialist at St Helens and Whiston hospitals.
“I started working at the hospital straight after college when I was 17! I’ve now been in the department for six years.
“There’s a number of different interventions our team can do to support patients. Using the laser we can help mask the appearance of scarring, which can mean a lot to a patient who might feel self-conscious after surgery for instance. We also do micropigmentation, which is like tattooing the skin – one thing we use this for is to recreate the appearance of a nipple following breast reconstruction surgery after cancer treatment.
“Our patients are always so happy with the support our department offers, after being through something so challenging it can really help them to move past it. My role is really varied and interesting. I see it primarily being about supporting patients to move forward in their lives once their treatment is completed.
“I’m really interested in research. I’ve recently been part of a study looking into the benefits of lasering burns scars earlier for better outcomes for patients. If I was to give advice to someone who was just leaving college, I’d say join the NHS and see if you can get involved in apprenticeships. I’ve been lucky enough to do multiple apprenticeships at the Trust to expand my skills and help me develop. I love it here, seeing so many different patients, and working with staff from lots of different roles”.
- Susie Rickers, click here to read more
Today is National Healthcare Estates and Facilities Day, so what better time to introduce Susie, an Estates and Facilities Administrator at Southport Hospital.
NHS Estates and Facilities teams manage and maintain NHS buildings, grounds, and related services, ensuring safe and functional environments for staff and patients.
Susie has worked at our Trust for almost three years. She explains how her role is essential to maintaining a safe and efficient hospital environment.
"I love working as an Estates and Facilities Administrator. Every day is dynamic and impactful. Whether I'm answering queries, raising purchase orders, or signing in contractors, I know that my role is essential to maintaining a safe and efficient hospital environment.
“Collaborating with a fantastic team, supporting our staff and enhancing the patient experience gives me a real sense of satisfaction and pride in the work I do."
- Kenny Jones, click here to read more
Kenny is a Learning Disability and Autism Practitioner at Whiston, St Helens, and Newton hospitals with over 30 years experience in the NHS.
“Right from the start I knew I wanted to be in a caring profession. When I was growing up, my mum worked with people with learning disabilities and it made me aware of the challenges people can face and the importance of treating everyone as individuals. I wanted to be able to do my bit and be a support to people too.
“I’ve worked at MWL for 5 years now. My role is varied: I spend time out and about across our hospitals supporting patients and their families, I work alongside the multi-disciplinary team to enable reasonable adjustments to be made, and I also train staff so that they know how best to meet the needs of those with a learning disability. My favourite thing about the job is supporting patients who may be anxious or distressed about coming in to hospital – seeing the impact you can have in reassuring someone and helping them to feel comfortable is really meaningful. Getting the feedback that you’ve made a difference is amazing.
“What I love most about MWL is the teamwork and the passion of our staff. I work particularly closely with the staff in A&E, on the wards, and in anaesthetics, but I can go anywhere – dental, x-ray, ophthalmology - wherever I can be of help to our patients”.
- Kev Parr, click here to read more
Kev is an ODP and Clinical Practice Lead for Anaesthetics at Whiston Hospital.
“I started at Whiston Hospital in 2006 as a Sterile Service Technician, a valuable role that involves cleaning and preparing instruments for surgery. From there, I found out about ODPs and the great work they do in Theatres, supporting patient care in surgical procedures. In 2010 I began my three years of ODP training, which is 50:50 practical experience and academic learning.
“ODPs work across three main areas: anaesthetics, surgery, and recovery. I see the role as being one of great responsibility but also great privilege – ODPs are the last people our patients see before their operation, and the first they see when they wake up after surgery. Being in Theatres is our day job but for our patients it might be the biggest day of their life, and it’s so important we do all we can to help them to feel safe and supported.
I’m really passionate about the ODP role and recently I’ve been going to careers fairs in schools to let kids know about the huge range of roles there are for a future in the NHS. Over the last 18 months I’ve taken on the role of Clinical Practice Lead for Anaesthetics, meaning I’m now particularly focused on the education and training of my colleagues in Theatres which I really enjoy. Working in Theatres has an overwhelming feeling of teamwork and every staff member plays their own important role”.
- Kerri Bowness, click here to read more
Kerri is a Paediatric Research Nurse at Ormskirk and Whiston hospitals. She’s passionate about working in clinical research and contributing to future healthcare for young patients.
“I originally spent 11 years working on the general paediatric wards as a staff nurse. I really enjoyed my time on the wards, working with newborn babies all the way up to teenagers. Whilst I was there, I started to get involved with research and audit and worked on a clinical audit into the effectiveness of care received by children with epilepsy. After a while I wanted to specialise in my career and make research my main focus.
“Being in research is busy like the wards but it is completely different, it involves assessing the feasibility of new studies, setting up research clinics, screening and identifying patients, there’s always a lot going on. I’ve been fortunate to be involved in various paediatric studies, such as asthma, allergies, and respiratory syncytial virus. At the moment I’m working on a study of a new rice milk formula that could be used for feeding infants with a cow’s milk protein allergy.
“Studies can last for several months and sometimes years. You really get to know the children and their families, build a relationship, and watch them grow up. Depending on the study, we can see symptoms improve and patients getting better which is wonderful.
“If we didn’t do research, nothing would improve in healthcare, there wouldn’t be any new treatments or drugs. That’s why we’re really grateful to the patients who take part in our trials, we couldn’t do any of this without them”.
- Olivia Lynan, click here to read more
This week is Dietitians Week, so what better time to introduce Olivia, a Specialist Diabetes Dietitian at St Helens Hospital. Olivia has worked at our Trust for almost three years.
“I worked on the wards at Whiston before moving to my current role as a Specialist Diabetes Dietitian almost two years ago. Diabetes is an area of healthcare I’m passionate about having been a longstanding volunteer at Diabetes UK. In my current role, we support patients with diabetes to manage their nutrition. We help patients to match their insulin doses with the food they are eating and encourage them to lead happy healthy lives. We take a holistic approach to patient care, thinking about the whole picture of a patient’s life and health – not just their diabetes.
“I work with adults of all ages. Our patients all have different levels of confidence with managing their condition. Some might have lived with the condition for 80+ years but are still keen to learn more and others might be newly diagnosed, and understandably need reassurance about how to look after their own health. I think it’s important we meet patients wherever they are on that journey, and tailor our support to each individual’s needs.
“I really enjoy working with the multi-disciplinary team in the Diabetes Centre. Our team is made up of doctors, nurses, podiatrists, research staff and admin support. It’s lovely to see the impact of our support on patients, whether that’s in their health, confidence, or happiness.
“A role like this is ideal for someone keen to learn and develop. I’m currently doing a masters in sports and exercise nutrition and focusing on the benefits of supporting patients with diabetes to be more active.
I’m from St Helens and working for this Trust feels like I’m giving something back, particularly since I’ve received great care here myself”.
- 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’’