We are UHB: Paula Hann

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust runs Good Hope, Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals, the Birmingham Chest Clinic, and Solihull community services.

I have worked at Good Hope Hospital for over three decades, having trained here for three years from 1988 to 1991. I moved from Bromsgrove to live on-site in student accommodation and have stayed in Sutton Coldfield ever since. I have been described as someone who has ‘been around forever’ and I understand why - I retired for 48 hours when I turned 55 and came straight back!

Good Hope feels like home, and I have never wanted to leave. I realised that I loved my job, I loved the hospital and that I had so much experience, which not only benefits patients, but also the team around me. I enjoy nurturing our newly qualified nurses and passing on what I have learnt over decades working within acute medicine.

I would describe Good Hope as ‘friendly’, ‘supportive’ and ‘nurturing’ – we look after our own and it’s a great hospital at which to start your career, as I did.

I enjoy working in acute medicine and have always worked in this specialty. Despite the acronyms (EAU to AMU, with many variations in between!) and the ward locations changing, this cohort of patients has always interested me. Every day is different and I like to think that even though I have been a qualified nurse for 32 years, I come across new and challenging things each shift. I like the comradery within the team; we all have each other’s backs and look after each other.

I work with many of our newly qualified nurses and I often compare their experience to mine back in the 80s. As student nurses, we all lived and trained together in small groups – I have many tales to tell about those times! It was fun, but importantly it led to such a brilliant group bond and you really had the support of your peers. I think we need to try and build this back in and I do my best to offer a positive and supportive training environment on our wards.

My motto would be ‘just do it’ – get on with things and try to have as positive an outlook as possible.

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