Community Hospital Matron

The role of the Matron is a challenging one. Long gone are the days where Matrons are feared but they still are held in high esteem by patients and the public

We have eight Matrons overseeing Community Hospitals in Dorset HealthCare and two for mental health inpatients. Community hospitals are a cornerstone of the NHS. They provide that friendly care in your local area, whether you’ve sprained your ankle, are recovering from a major operation or need on-going therapy support. Dorset HealthCare currently runs 12 community hospitals across the county I asked them a couple of key questions to reflect on and to share their experiences and passion for nursing these will be over a couple of blogs and they are inspiration.

Annette Barrow is Matron at Wimborne Community Hospital. The hospital has a fantastic video on You Tube in celebration of the NHS 70th birthday.

NHS70 Victoria Hospital, Wimborne - The changing face of a community hospital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T_ZUaxud2s

Annette’s favourite quote is by Maya Angelou ‘People will forget what you said and forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel’

Annette what was your inspiration to be a Nurse?

I realised that small things could make a huge difference to people and their experiences. For example, helping someone to have a drink, who is unable to lift a cup, may seem like a small thing, but to the person who is thirsty and dehydrated, it’s a huge thing. I realised that there were lots of things like that that I could do and loved that my actions could help people. I never had much confidence in my abilities academically but I knew that I really cared about others so I decided to make that the basis for my career. A sit turnout, the academic side was ok too once I got the hang of it…

Where did you train to be a nurse?

Bournemouth University, Poole Hospital We talked about what would be Annette’s dream job ‘I’m really not sure, I’ve asked myself time and time again what else would I do if I had the chance and I honestly don’t know…. I always come to the same conclusion; I am happy in my role and love my job, so if it ain’t broke…

What has been your highlight of career so far?

Don’t think I could pick one highlight, I’ve enjoyed every role I’ve held. My current role is great because I get to learn something new every day and I get to be part of such a huge variety of work that positively influence people’s lives.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?

Managing people’s expectations of my role. People have a preconceived idea of what a matron is, or what they think it should be and it’s hard to meet everyone’s expectations whilst fulfilling all that is required of me.

What is the daily life of a Matron like?

Unpredictable, challenging but really rewarding.

What would you tell a future matron?

Prepare to be amazed and humbled everyday by what your team can achieve and prepare to be challenged every day about things you never knew could be problems. Know what your resources are and use them all, there are so many people working in the organisation and they are all prepared to help if you take the time to ask.

Annette is a fantastic Matron she also shared

If plan A doesn’t work, remember the alphabet has 25 other letters…..stay calm!’ – unknown

Well said Annette!!!!