Surjeet Kaur is senior nurse and modern matron for the recovery unit at Royal Brompton Hospital. She is also service manager for adult critical care services and paediatrics. She joined the National Heart Hospital – which subsequently merged with Royal Brompton – in 1980 as a sister on the intensive care unit, gained promotion to senior sister, and then took on her current role.
Tell me about your role as modern matron.
The main aim of my work as a modern matron is to ensure that our patients receive safe care of the highest possible standard and that, when they leave hospital, they are satisfied with the care and attention they received. To promote the delivery of a high standard of care, education and training of staff is seen as a priority, and staff are encouraged to participate in further training to facilitate the high standards of care expected from a centre of excellence. I also monitor the environment to ensure that it is safe and clean for the delivery of a high standard of care to patients.
It is a demanding and sometimes stressful role, but one that I really enjoy. And if you are interested in cardiothoracic (heart and lung) nursing, Royal Brompton & Harefield is the place to work. We are a specialist centre with a worldwide reputation in the field.
What does an average day entail?
An average day always involves making sure that the units are running smoothly – that we have enough nurses and resources to manage all the patients we are expected to care for each day. I start early, meeting the night staff to get an update on how all the patients have been doing overnight and then briefing the day staff. Throughout the day, I will meet with a range of my colleagues, always aiming to ensure that our patients are receiving the best possible care.
What aspects of your role do you find challenging and rewarding?
It is challenging to find critical care nurses in the London area but we run a very good unit and I’m proud of the expert medical and nursing expertise and care we provide.
One of the real strengths of this unit is that people work well together and that everyone has a “can-do” attitude. Our ethos is that we do not cancel any cases. During the major fire at the Royal Marsden, for example, [in January 2008] we had to be extremely flexible and make important decisions on the spur of the moment. They had patients that needed to be evacuated and brought into our ward. We did extremely well under those circumstances because we took all their critical care patients and yet we had no cancellations from our own list. I was very proud that all the staff stepped up to the challenge.
What are the dynamics of the team here?
The most important issue is that we all have mutual respect for one another. The care of our patients is a collaboration between doctors, nurses, support staff and administrative staff. It is only by working together that we can make sure our patients receive the best possible care in the best possible environment.
What kind of patients do you deal with?
We care for the most unwell patients at the hospital: those who need really close care and monitoring. We are a tertiary referral centre (that means that we take referrals from doctors at other hospitals) and often care for patients who could not be looked after anywhere other than our specialist unit.
Why do you think the Trust has such low rates of MRSA and other hospital acquired infections?
Throughout the Trust, there is an absolute commitment to cleanliness and to preventing and controlling infection. Through regular training, everyone is very familiar with the Trust policies on infection prevention and control and we all endeavour to always follow these carefully. An important part of this is screening patients for infection when they come into hospital. If a patient is identified to have, say, MRSA during this screening, we can nurse him or her away from other patients, so reducing the risk of the infection spreading.
