Reserve Forces Day
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) celebrated Reserve Forces Day (Wednesday 24th June) by paying tribute to staff who combine their duties of contributing the very best patient care, whilst also serving the UK Reserve Forces.
Reserve Forces make up approximately one sixth of the country’s Armed Forces personnel. These men and women balance their civilian lives with a military career to ensure that should their country require them, they would be ready to serve as part of the military.
Major Lisa Tierney, from 208 Field Hospital, is also the Theatres Manager at LHCH – the country’s largest single site specialist heart and chest hospital - where she oversees nine operating theatres providing emergency and planned surgery for cardiac or thoracic patients, as well as those requiring pacing and endoscopy procedures.
The most recent of her three operational tours came in 2010, when she spent three months over Christmas and New Year helping to run the British military hospital at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, treating injured soldiers and civilians.
Lisa said: “When people find out that I’m a Reservist and that I’ve served overseas, they are often curious to know what it’s like to go from one of the best hospitals in the country with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, to a military hospital in the middle of a desert.
“However the challenges that you experience are just different from those you face on a day-to-day basis and the way in which you respond to those challenges is key.
“Working as a Reservist has been enormously rewarding. Learning how to tackle these different challenges and developing strong relationships with a broad range of other health care professionals has been particularly worthwhile.”
When not working as a Ward Manager at LHCH, Gina Aldous is a sergeant with the Air Cadets, 617 Squadron, based in Cheshire. After joining the Air Training Corps as a civilian instructor in 2013, she was appointed as a non-commissioned officer in March this year.
She said: “Delivering the highest quality of care and best experience possible to patients on our ward with cystic fibrosis or those awaiting surgery, as well as looking after their families on a daily basis, is just what we do.
“Although I’ve not served operationally, working alongside other reservists has been beneficial in many ways. It has helped me to develop new skills and learning, as well as building my leadership abilities, which I’ve been able to bring back into the hospital setting.”
Whilst LHCH’s approach to delivering patient and family centred care has been recognised nationally, Gina highlighted further support is also now available for patients and families connected with the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces.
She added: “By working alongside the Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS), we’re now able to put our patients and families in contact with independent and confidential support that is specifically tailored to the Armed Forces Community.
“Service personnel and their families face a unique set of challenges, often very different from those in civilian life, so it is only fitting that they receive unique care and support – that is what DMWS is able to provide.”
Outside of his day-to-day responsibilities as a hospital porter at LHCH, providing calm and friendly reassurance to patients as they are transported between wards and departments, Corporal Jeff Murphy, from The Duke of Lancaster Regiment, has been a Reservist for the last 30 years.
Having signed up as a 19 year old, he has served operationally in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also spent many years as the Physical Training Instructor for the assault course activity on ITV’s Krypton Factor.
He said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Reservist and learned so much that has helped me provide better care for our patients and families here at the hospital.”