Cascade Summer/Autumn 2012 - Plymouth Hospitals

More documents

Recommendations

Info

cascade_summer_2012_1.5:Cascade_Winter_2011 23/10/2012 13:48 Page 20 20 The big interview... with Steve Slater Steve Slater is a Medical Photographer and Ophthalmic Photographer at the Royal Eye Infirmary. Cascade caught up with him recently to find out more... What is your role at the Royal Eye Infirmary? I produce images of eyes, scanning and photographing people’s eyes front and back, outside, inside, all ways round really. It’s quite a methodical job because it’s such a difficult part of the body to capture, and it’s about trying to get the best out of people, or at least knowing when to draw the line, when you’ve done the best you can. And how long have you worked here? 16 years. Have you always been a medical and ophthalmic photographer? Previously I was just medical with a little bit of ophthalmics, when I joined the Trust I concentrated solely on ophthalmics. And are you a photographer in your spare time? No! I used to be, about 25 years ago, but not now. I did a little bit after college but after spending a few years doing photography all day you don’t really want to go home and carry on doing the same. What’s the best thing about your job? It’s meeting the people, a lot of them are elderly and have really lived. They have a lot to say and a lot of experience to impart. I only get to talk to them for a few minutes at a time but I do see some patients quite regularly so I do get to know them. That’s a really nice part of the job, to get to know them, get to know their lives and their experiences. And what do you like least about your job? The bureaucracy, trying to achieve things can sometimes be like wading through treacle. There used to be a very small room I worked in, which being the REI is not unusual, but because of the way it was configured, the patient chair and the operator’s chair were sometimes the same thing. So for one instrument it would be the patient chair for the next instrument it would be the operator’s chair. One day I sat down in the operator’s chair (that had previously that day been the patient chair) and suddenly realised that I felt really wet… the elderly patient before had had an incontinence problem. I had to go home and have a shower! Also I’ve been sprayed on more than one occasion by the dye we use for retinal angiography. If the syringe isn’t in the cannula properly it lifts. If it lifts, the dye goes everywhere. It’s a bright fluorescent colour and it sprays the entire room which then takes an hour to clear up! I’ve been sprayed seven or eight times, three times by the same person but I try not to take it personally. What do you think of the current facilities at the Eye Infirmary? They do the job but not very well. Are you looking forward to the move up to the Derriford site? I’m looking forward to the new environment, but obviously it’s a longer journey to get there every day. I haven’t had a chance to go up to the new facilities yet, there’s a trip planned but I’m quite busy so won’t be able to go. The move up to Derriford, what do you think the biggest benefit will be for staff and patients? I think the new environment, it’s been designed to maximise use of the space and will make the flow through the department a lot easier. A lot of our patients are elderly and so moving them around this building can be quite difficult, particularly over the two levels. Have you heard any rumours/stories or tall tales about the existing building? No, often I’ve worked late into the night and even as a creaky old building it’s actually quite a friendly old place. It’s going to be hard, actually, driving to work, we’re all planning to put big notices on our dashboards. I know at some point I will end up driving in to the car park here and being the only one around. It’s a friendly place to work, we’re like a family. It’s a small community where we all look after each other. I think that will be retained when we move, I’ve no doubt about that. Who would play you in the film of your life? Oh that’s a good question, that’s difficult because I’m an unusual looking guy… tall and skinny. Jeff Goldblum would be my choice if I’m being optimistic... Rowan Atkinson if I’m being realistic. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I was a scene of crimes officer for the police about twenty years ago, it was horrendously stressful. I was working 14-15 hours a day covering the southern half of Wiltshire, one man one van, and the crime rate had trebled about six months before I started, consequently they didn’t have the staff and it was really quite stressful. I did that for 18 months, it was really interesting and if it hadn’t been for the stress I would have stayed. It wasn’t called CSI back then but that’s what it was. What do you consider your greatest achievement? The thing I’m proud of is a lead climb I did down at Kenidjack near Cape Cornwall. It’s a 150ft single pitch HVS (hard very severe) climb, it’s just off vertical. Tell us something about yourself that no-one else would know… As a child I won first prize in a Pontin’s fancy dress competition, dressed as a King Edward potato. I was about 9, it was form of child-torture really, my parents used to make these costumes and take us to Pontin’s where we’d have to wear them. I have a sister who was equally as abused! There is photographic evidence somewhere but I’m not sharing that! I won third prize as Basil Brush the year before!
cascade_summer_2012_1.5:Cascade_Winter_2011 23/10/2012 13:48 Page 21 21 Joy Turner, Medical Secretary By day Joy Turner is a Medical Secretary, away from Derriford Hospital she becomes a trumpet and cornet player. Joy tells us more… I first started playing in bands at school, a long time ago in 1965! I am a member of Devonport Naval Base Volunteer Band Tuesday and Thursday evenings with concerts and gigs on some weekends and yes, we dress in the Naval Uniform as we are conducted by a trained musician from the Royal Marines. I also play cornet (not the ice cream kind!) with Saltash Town Band on a Friday evening, which is an all brass band and is self-funded so we play as much as possible to raise funds to continue our existence. There’s also a flourishing Junior Band which also selffunded. I also help out in a dance band occasionally which plays at CityBus every month. Joy Turner (front row, second in!) My favourite performance was playing for the Queen in the 1970's and 1980's and 1990's! The bands certainly keep me busy, luckily my husband plays saxophone in two of the bands or we would never see each other, let alone our children and grandchildren who we fit in whenever possible! All the bands would welcome any new players. Kath Tregaskis – Biomedical Scientist I'm a Biomedical Scientist in Combined Laboratories during my working life but on Wednesday nights and weekends I'm a morris dancer! We're a Border Morris group so clash sticks with each other and make lots of noise (no hankies!). There are a few of my fellow members here at Derriford, Dr Tony Golding-Cook has been our squire for a number of years but I have recently taken over leadership from him. It's a load of fun and far removed from our daily work!! I first encountered Dartmoor Border Morris when my husband and I were having a pub meal one evening at The Plume of Feathers in Princetown around 5 years ago. The dancers appeared and I thought it looked really fun and said how much I'd love to do that but still froze in horror when they announced an audience participation dance at the end! My husband egged me on and I took part and thoroughly enjoyed it. I joined them at the beginning of their indoor practice season (October to April) and have been a keen member ever since. My husband has also joined as a musician and has been learning to play the violin to accompany us. Our style of dancing is Border Morris which is quite rough and ready, using sticks and wearing tattered jackets and decorated hats, as opposed to the more stereotypical Cotswold Morris with hankies and breeches etc. It originates from the border counties e.g. Herefordshire and Shropshire and is very vibrant with lots of whooping and shouting! We dance mainly at pubs around Dartmoor on Wednesday evenings from May each year through to September while the evenings are light but we also dance at charity events and folk festivals. One of my favourite places to dance is at the Royal Cornwall Show each year as it's such a great event and we get to meet other morris dancers, sometimes from further up the country. I feel very honoured to have been voted in as Squire this year. I always harboured a secret wish that maybe one day I could be bold enough offer my services but thought I would have to be a member for much longer in order to hold such a position. Also, my husband and I have had two beautiful children during the last three years so we thought our involvement in the Morris would be forced to grind to a halt but we are a very family friendly group and can often be seen with a pushchair or two! My eldest son Harry is now old enough to wear his own hat and tattered jacket and loves coming out 'dancing with sticks' as he calls it! We are always delighted to welcome new members, either as dancers or musicians and anyone who sees us dancing at a village pub should give it a try when we call out for volunteers - like me they will be hooked!! We have a website that includes a diary for the coming year, saying which pub we will be at and when. The address is www.dartmoorbordermorris.com Secret lives
Page 1 and 2: cascade_summer_2012_1.5:Cascade_Win
Page 19: cascade_summer_2012_1.5:Cascade_Win

Cascade Summer/Autumn 2012 - Plymouth Hospitals

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?