Heartbeat: Gynaecology celebrates first birthday!
May 12, 2020
Our Sandwell based gynaecology team celebrated their first birthday in February.
The celebration represented a year since the department moved from Alpha Suite to clinic 6A which is a part of the main outpatients’ area at Sandwell Hospital. The gynaecology unit specialise is addressing, correcting and easing any gynaecological issues our female patients experience.
For some of our patient’s gynaecological issues can have a catastrophic effect on their daily life. With this in mind, the team help patients to rectify these complex issues.
“Thanks to the move we have been able to increase our capacity. It is an exciting time for further growth. We are working hard to modernise one service, in particular, to offer a one-stop clinical experience for women with postmenopausal bleeding,” said Tiffany Jones, Sister.
In addition, the gynaecology team have also been able to commit to achieving faster treatment times for women that receive an endometrial (womb lining) cancer diagnosis.
The special birthday event was attended by colleagues who work within gynaecology, including Dr Abha Sinha, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, CD. Dr Sinha believes the success of the move has been down to all the colleagues who work within the team. Tiffany has proven instrumental to the department, as have her core team made up of Vanessa Wright, Sara Greenaway, Jean Whitehouse, Tracey Law, Jenny Oliver, Charlotte Gordon, Donna Francis, Julie Hill and Cynthia Daly.
The team also benefits from being supported in times of pressure by Paula Bryan and her team from gynaecology outpatients’ in the Birmingham Treatment Centre. She said, “I have to express my huge admiration for Tiffany for her leadership skills, as well as her clinical and interpersonal skills in leading an amazing team. She has worked incredibly hard over the past 12 months to get the unit staffed with the best HCA team. She’s also trained and supported them to develop into band 3-4 roles.”
Raffaela Goodby, Director of People and Organisation Development has been a patient and has participated in multiple board visits to the department. A real advocate of the team and the work they do, she said, “Not many patients can say that their gynaecology visits are like visiting a spa. I can say that my experience as a patient and as a colleague has been zen from start to finish!
“Tiffany and the team calmly and simply explain very intimate procedures and give you assurance and honesty at a very worrying time. When I had treatment last year to have pre-cancerous cells removed, the team explained what was happening and I didn’t feel embarrassed or ill at ease once. That’s an achievement considering the intimacy of the situation.”
She added, “I want to offer my thanks to the team for all they do for patients, and for having that person-centred approach I know they offer to each patient. Thank you for being so open about women’s reproductive health, for openly talking about the importance of smear tests, and for looking after the gynaecological health of Sandwell and West Birmingham with such composure.”