'Injustice and strong curries keep me awake at night'

Why did you decide to become a nurse?

I liked the idea of caring for others, but I don’t think I really knew what it involved. At 18, I felt unprepared for the trauma of caring for people at such significant times and left to study for a degree in history.

Where did you train?

Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.

What was your first job in nursing?

Staff nurse on a female medical ward at the old Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Whom have you learnt most from in your career and why?

Patients and their families who taught me to slow down, the importance of “the little things” for a good patient experience and that compassion matters. Several formidable ward sisters and other great nurse role models who showed me that attention to detail and persistence on behalf of patients is everything.

What advice would you give someone starting out in the profession?

Look for good influences and find support in other students or colleagues, and ignore those who try to make you compromise your values. Also essential is a good sense of humour.

What keeps you awake?

Injustice or a strong curry.

What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

Passing on knowledge to both students and policy makers. When I get the chance, making patients feel more comfortable

What’s your proudest achievement?

Getting my son George the surgery he needed (in Australia) for a rare neurological mass - a hypothalamic hamartoma. And getting my doctorate in nursing in 2004.

What do you think is likely to change nursing in the next decade?

Telemonitoring and patients speaking directly to nurse pagers may mean remote nursing becomes the norm. The financial climate means registered nurses will become fewer and a new care workforce will take on more nursing work.

What would you have done if you hadn’t become a nurse?

I did consider a career in history, but nursing in the Women’s Hospital in Melbourne lured me back to gynaecological oncology.

If you could change one thing in healthcare, what would it be?

To humanise healthcare for staff as well as patients and make it truly patient centred - so inpatients don’t feel so vulnerable and at times so invisible.

What would your ideal weekend involve?

Good food, great friends, a trip to the beach, lots of chocolate and a film.

If you could spend an hour in someone’s company, who would it be and why?

Nobel Peace Prize winning Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi to learn more about compassion, forgiveness and political struggle.

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