Staff spotlight: theatre practitioner

Eleni Diallo

Eleni is one of the sisters in our recovery team, having started with us as a healthcare assistant before training to be a nurse. She’s worked in our theatres and anaesthetics department since 2002.

‘On a day-to-day basis, I’m in charge of the paediatric recovery wards, monitoring bed situations, staffing levels and pain management for patients. It’s my responsibility to make sure the department runs smoothly. We receive patients from theatres and then help them to get discharged.

‘I love working with my team, we’re such a diverse group of people and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know each of them. We deal with the wider multidisciplinary team as well, with each member collaborating and contributing to the care of our patients.

‘The other thing I love about my job is being able to look after patients. They’re so vulnerable when they come to us – unconscious or semi-conscious – and it’s really rewarding to be part of their recovery or pain management, helping to solve any issues they might have.

‘Sometimes it’s a challenge – we’re always working to keep bed capacity down and ensure that our service runs smoothly for both patients and staff, but it’s not always easy. We have a huge range of patients that we look after and it means that no two days are the same; every single patient is completely unique, and it’s our responsibility to ensure they get the care that they need. But despite the difficulties, I always try to stay motivated. Patient satisfaction is really important to me. I like to leave work every day knowing that if it was me in that position of vulnerability, I’d receive the same level of care as our patients.

‘One thing that makes UHS such a great place to work is the ability to develop. I came here as a healthcare assistant, and the Trust supported me through my training to the position I have now. I am very proud to be working for this Trust because of the reputation we have – for research, careers, our training and development opportunities and everything in between.’

If you’re looking for a nursing role in one of the departments across our Trust, you can find our current vacancies here.