Heartbeat: Fiona says goodbye after 20 years as part of the SWBH family
July 25, 2018
Fiona Shorney retired from full time work at the end of last month, after serving in the combined role as group director, group director of operations and director of therapies over the last few years.
Fiona, who is a physiotherapist by trade, graduated 40 years ago in 1978 and her first role was in Poole, Dorset, before she moved to the midlands in 1980. She worked for University Hospitals Birmingham and Dudley Group NHS Trusts before she arrived at Dudley Road Hospital in 1998.
Fiona told Heartbeat: “I initially joined the Trust as a short term locum, but I have just never left!
“I started as a physio in acute medicine on the City site and I worked my way up the ladder to become associate director of therapies, which then sat within corporate nursing. Shortly after Toby Lewis arrived as chief executive, Sandwell community services formally transferred in to the Trust and that’s when the community and therapies clinical group was first established in October 2013.”
Fiona took on a hybrid role as clinical group director incorporating the therapy lead, group director of operations and group director.
She said: “Since then, the group has grown considerably with the introduction of palliative care services and in April 2017 the group’s name changed to primary care, community and therapies to reflect a number of community facing medical specialties joining us. These services included dermatology, rheumatology, diabetes and endocrinology and the medical infusion unit.
“We now have just under 1,000 members of the PCCT, which is double the size of what we had when we started!”
After so many years at our organisation, Fiona has many memories and proud moments, but what are the ones that really stick in her mind?
“What a hard question!” she said.
“It has been fantastic to be involved in such an amazing journey with the successful integration of so many diverse community services with acute and the creation of a high performing clinical group which has continued to grow and develop colleagues. There is still much to do but I think we’ve made a great start and I have been fortunate to have an amazing senior team and worked with some incredibly talented and committed people across the whole of PCCT and the wider organisation.
“Like most jobs, it’s not what you know but who you know and I have been fortunate to have built a valuable network of friends and contacts across lots of teams and services, it’s these people that I will miss the most!
“I think my stand-out highlights are being involved with the outstanding rating the CQC being awarded for End of Life Care in 2017 – although it is the team itself that deserves the real credit, and being awarded the Chairman’s award at the Star Awards last year, it was a real honour!
So what are Fiona’s plans for her retirement?
She said: “Well, initially I am carrying on for two days a week in the group director capacity until the group director of operations post is recruited to. I will be less operational but offer some support to the wider leadership team and locally to Lydia Jones (Director of Therapies) and Nicola Taylor (Interim Group Director of Nursing) who are both new to their roles.
“I won’t be staying long term, but I’d like to handover to my successor properly and support the team until it’s the right time to step away.”
Fiona does however have a few things on the horizon for the time she isn’t at work.
She told Heartbeat: “My husband and I need to find a new home so I’m sure house hunting will take up a lot of my time initially. I’m also investigating becoming a puppy-walker for hearing dogs so I’m looking forward to that becoming a reality.
“It will also be really great to spend more time with my family. I couldn’t have done my job without their support – these jobs are big and busy and you work some long hours, but they have been incredibly tolerant with me for a long time so I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with them.
“After that who knows?
“I plan to just take a step back for a while and see what comes my way.”