60 seconds with…Catherine Le-Mar
Last week, Catherine Le-Mar started as the new matron for children’s services on Rainbow ward. We caught up with her to say hi, learn a bit about her and hear how she’s getting on.
Where did you work before starting at Newham Hospital?
“For the last year, I’ve been at Queen’s Hospital, which is part of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust. And prior to that, I was at Great Ormond Street Hospital for over 12 years. There, I was a clinical site practitioner, which involved a lot of running around and assisting with the management of deteriorating patients, as well as hospital site issues.
“At Queen’s hospital, I was the clinical manager for a new children’s and young person’s assessment unit. Setting this up was such an amazing experience as I learned so much. My clinical background meant that I was well equipped to map the patient journey and make improvements to patient flow and in turn, improve patient experience within the acute children’s service.”
What will your role as matron for children’s services at Newham Hospital involve?
“A big part of my job will on Rainbow ward will be to work with Jo the ward manager and our divisional director Sherry to make sure things are running smoothly, both for patients and for staff.
“I’m really interested in clinical standards and governance. As I’m an advanced nurse practitioner I’ll also be working with the ward doctors to see what services we’re offering on Rainbow, what potential new ones we might offer and what might benefit from changes to improve patient experience.”
What are you most excited about in this new role?
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to work in a borough as diverse as Newham, which also has a fast growing population and a youth boom. Because while these distinctive features of Newham Borough and Newham Hospital can bring challenges, I think they can also bring opportunities. We can look to work even closer with local communities to ensure that – in my case – the children’s services we’re providing as a hospital as meeting their needs.
“I’m also excited about identifying areas where we can do even better – like patient flow and managing capacity as this is always especially difficult, particularly in winter. And I’m very excited to work with and learn from a new team of brilliant professionals.”
How has your first week gone?
"Like any first week, there’s been a lot to learn. But all of that has been made easier by the fact that everyone has been so friendly and welcoming to me. It’s made starting this new job less daunting that I thought it would be!
“I’d still love to meet more people so if you see me out and about, stop me and say hi. Or you can drop me an email to catch up or pop in to Rainbow ward and say hi.”
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