NHS Lanarkshire’s Executive Medical Director has praised staff at University Hospital Wishaw, after his first walkround of the site.
Dr Dan Saunders, who joined us earlier this year from the Northern Care Alliance in Manchester, was taken around various departments by Mr Martin Downey, Chief of Medical Services, and Dr Stephan Dalchow, Deputy Chief of Medicine.
After being greeted by Site Director Angela Dixon, the walkround began in the A&E/Medical Acute Care Unit, giving Dan the chance to see first-hand how admissions are handled. He spoke with Clinical Directors Dr Chris Moultrie and Dr Shona McLellan, Lisa Queen, Service Manager – Emergency Medicine, Julie Coyle, Senior Nurse – Emergency Medicine, and Leanne Fowler, Senior Nurse – Medicine.
A visit to the theatres followed, where Dan was welcomed by Clinical Director Mr Gavin Bryce, Ben Mason, Service Manager – Surgical, Tracey Buchanan, Critical Care, and Senior Nurse – Peri Op Theatres.
The group’s next stop was the Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU), with Gavin, Ben, Vicky McDonald, Senior Nurse – Surgical, and Kim Brown, Deputy Chief of Nursing.
After lunch, the group visited Trauma and Orthopaedics (T&O), where they were met by T&O Service Manager Christopher Swallow and Consultant T&O Surgeon Mr Oliver Bailey.
Following this, they had a visit to the Frailty facility, when Clinical Director Dr Ben Adler and Senior Nurse Janice Miles explained the work that they do, with their plans to create a new facility for patients, which are currently in progress.
After his walkround, Dan discussed his visit with Martin and Stephan, and praised the work that is going on in the hospital.
Dan said: “I was very impressed by what I saw. There are clearly some very good ideas for improving health and care in the hospital, and I was particularly impressed by the dedication and hard work from the staff.
“I look forward to working more with the various teams in the future.”
Angela added: “We were delighted to welcome Dan. We were able to give him an extensive look around various departments, giving him the chance to ask questions of senior staff, and witness first-hand the hard-working, dedicated teams that we have here.
“It’s very positive for us as a hospital to see our executive medical director taking a keen interest in the work that goes on, and he asked some good, challenging questions, as well as offering his own personal experiences and insight.
“Staff always value the opportunity to spend time with senior leaders, discuss the realities of delivering care, and share ideas for how services can continue to improve for our patients.
Martin added: “It was a great opportunity to showcase the different departments we have here, and highlight the good work that our staff put in across the site.
“We held good in-depth conversations with each of the teams we met, with Dan asking pertinent and challenging questions, while discussing past and present issues. The teams were also highlighting suggestions and ideas they have to help develop better and safer care for patients in the future. I think Dan was pleasantly surprised by some of the work which is taking place every day.”
