Mary Haines is the modern matron for Lind ward.  She is responsible for three key areas: day care respiratory assessment; inpatient diagnostic beds; and the modern investigative bronchoscopy unit and recovery suite.

How did you get into nursing?

I come from a long line of nurses in the family and had a calling to follow them from a young age.  In order to train as a nurse, I had to leave behind my small home town in Ireland to train in the big smoke, which was a frightening experience.  I was initially shocked by the diversity of such a multi-cultural city, but now feel very at home in London.

Can you tell us about the work done in your area of the hospital?

Our area of expertise lies with the assessment of chronic respiratory diseases, but we particularly champion patients with interstitial lung disease and immunology conditions.

Our work varies from the assessment of a patient’s disease to planning their long term care.  We value working as a multi-disciplinary team and there is a lot of cross over in areas such as preparing and monitoring patients on the transplant list, pastoral care and assisting patients in learning to cope with and manage their conditions.

What are the main concerns of your patients?

In no particular order, these things are regularly commented on: timeliness; catering; cleanliness; the attitude of staff and customer care.

What are your views on the modern matron role?

I was previously working as a senior sister and was delighted and honored to be made a modern matron.  I am very passionate about the areas covered by modern matrons and have strived for many years for the role to be recognised in this way.  I have always said to my team that you should treat your patients with the same care and respect that you would expect to be given to your own family members in hospital.

What else are you passionate about?

I am fanatical about cleanliness and challenging my team to provide the world class service to our patients that they have come here to receive and expect.

What are the best and worse things about your job?

The ability to have an influence and say on the direction the Trust takes with regard to patient care.  I am also lucky to have a fantastic team of junior colleagues who have supported me for many years.

Retention of staff is always a little frustrating as there can be a high turnover in London hospitals.   As a trust we need to find new ways to recognise individuals who are essentially the backbone of this organisation and have provided an outstanding service over the years.

What is the most important thing that can be done to prevent the spread of infections such as MRSA?

Education. Education. Education!

Hand washing. Hand washing. Hand washing!