She was a trainee nurse. He was an apprentice chef. They’d been childhood sweethearts but drifted apart until one day their eyes met … over a hot lock on Ward 11. A heated kitchen trolley steaming with suet puddings might not be the most romantic of locations but, for Rachel Burr, her parents’ courtship and… Continue Reading When love blossomed over the catering trolley on Ward 11
Teams from across Blackpool Teaching Hospitals have been shortlisted for major awards recognising safety, culture and experience in patient care. The HSJ Patient Safety Awards has the ambition of helping “drive improvements in culture and quality across the NHS”. The annual awards recognise and reward the teams and individuals who strive to deliver improved patient… Continue Reading Trust shortlisted for major awards recognising patient safety
Blackpool’s first known black nurse Alison Bennison was one of tens of thousands of people from the Caribbean islands who became known as “the Windrush generation”. The SS Ormonde had docked in Liverpool in 1947 with 108 Jamaican islanders but it was the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury docks in Essex that became… Continue Reading Windrush migrant who was hospital’s first black nurse
When Darren Cadwell started work as a trainee in the kitchen at Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s, he couldn’t even peel an onion “I really couldn’t, I had to be shown!” he says – but it didn’t stop him rising through the ranks. “I did so well in the kitchen that I came off the training scheme… Continue Reading Darren finds recipe for success in hospital kitchen
The grounds maintenance team have got into the spirit of the 75th birthday of the NHS with blue and white flower beds at the entrance to Blackpool Victoria Hospital. It was one of the projects seen by North West in Bloom judges, led by chair Bernard Pendleton. Last year, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals received a Gold… Continue Reading Birthday blooms mark 75 years since founding of NHS
National Pathology Week 19 – 25 June 2023 National Pathology Week (NPW) is an annual celebration of pathology, when we highlight the important contribution pathologists make to healthcare. Pathology is the study of disease and is central to diagnoses made in the NHS. The work of pathologists and scientists is vital for efficient and effective… Continue Reading Celebrating the world of Pathology
Wife and mum Sarah Dickinson who only started work three years ago as a medical laboratory assistant has been named Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Learner of the Year. She received her award in the 2023 Celebrating Success awards from Executive Director of People and Culture Louise Ludgrove. Sarah joined in 2020 but in that time she… Continue Reading Biomedical scientist Sarah is Learner of the Year
Second-time dad Imran Dickinson has been sharing his experience of fatherhood at a Saturday Dads’ Club backed by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals. Imran, 32, has two children, Marlo, aged three, six-month-old Zaria who were both born at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. “We had a smooth birth with both our children. There were a few more hospital visits… Continue Reading It’s Father’s Day every week at the Saturday Dads’ Club
The Covid emergency severely disrupted healthcare – not least stopping many patients attending hospital for routine appointments during the early months of the pandemic. As the pandemic progressed, NHS teams had to come up with new ways of giving patient care. One of them was audiology at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals. “Audiology activity came to a… Continue Reading Pandemic challenges help transform services for hard of hearing
The NHS owes a huge debt to colleagues who left their homes thousands of miles away to join the service from overseas. Nurses from the Caribbean were the first significant waves of recruits in the 1960s and then from the Indian sub-continent in 1960s. Nationally, they now make up a fifth of nurses and… Continue Reading A Blackpool embrace for Filipino nursing community