Interviewer

So could I ask your name?

Marion Seery

Marion Seery

Interviewer

And which hospital are you talking about today?

Marion Seery

St Oswalds Hospital in Ashbourne.

Interviewer

Thank you. Could I ask how old you are Marion?

Marion Seery

57

Interviewer

So to start with, have you always been a local lady?

Marion Seery

No, I live Uttoxeter.  I moved to England 10 years ago.

Interviewer

And what brought you here?

Marion Seery

A man. My husband, he had a new job in the Staffordshire area and that’s what brought us down to Staffordshire.

Interviewer

And had you always been involved in the NHS?

Marion Seery

Never. Never been involved in the NHS at all.

Interviewer

So what brought you into the current job?

Marion Seery

Well, just before we left Scotland 10 years ago, I had gone back to college, no, not gone back, gone to college, as  I’d brought up my family. I had been a stay at home mum having had no childcare in the area, and  family all living abroad.  But I was a stay at home mum. When my youngest child went to high school, I went to college to study travel and  tourism with a view to working at an airport check in,  that sort of area, then moving towards customs.  That’s what I was training for.  I had just graduated. And then we moved to Staffordshire, and my young son, who was 13 at the time was taken into Queens Hospital in Burton to have his appendix removed. I got speaking to a staff member, I think she might have been a domestic staff member, possibly a Healthcare Assistant. But there was this young girl who was in, and out of his room, and I started chatting to her. I happened to say to her, “oh, I would have loved to work in a hospital, but I had never  known how to get into hospital work.”   And always sort of assumed it was doctors and nurses. Never crossed my mind that there would be other roles. She said to me, “oh,” she says, “why don’t you look on NHS jobs.com?”  Complete revelation, no idea such a page existed. Didn’t have any clinical experience. I had a look on NHS jobs. And there was one job that didn’t require much experience in my area. I wasn’t really sure about driving to Derby, but I knew I could drive from Uttoxeter to Ashbourne. So there was one job for a Housekeeper on Okeover Ward, and I applied for that job, and I found myself in the NHS. So instead of all the training, and college, and everything that I did, part of it did come into use in this role, but I did not ever make it into travel, and tourism. So that’s how I ended up in the NHS.

Interviewer

And has the NHS been like you expected before you came in?

Marion Seery

No.

Interviewer

So tell me, how have you found working in the NHS?

Marion Seery

Well, I found working in the NHS completely different to my expectations, what my thoughts were. I think it’s a bit like in the Wizard of Oz, when you see behind the curtain, I  didn’t know that,  you know, you just do not understand. You do not realise what is involved in patient care, running a hospital, running a ward,. So it was a bit of an eyeopener for me to see a completely different side. So instead of being a patient, I’ve seen the other side of how people try, and manage the NHS

 

Interviewer

So one of the things that we’ve just done is been at the meeting of volunteers. Have you ever come across the volunteers?

Marion Seery

Oh yes. I’ve had quite a few dealings with the League of Friends. I help sell their Christmas cards at Christmas time on my desk. They have been very kind to us on Okeover ward. They’ve purchased many items for patients that have improved patient’s lives on the ward. So I’ve come across them quite a few times. Yes.

Interviewer

Excellent. And if you had one favourite memory of being part of in your current role, what would it be?

Marion Seery

My favourite memory is really, I love all things Okeover  Ward, all things in St Oswalds Hospital and all things NHS. I believe it’s quite a privilege to work for the NHS. I’ve been fortunate enough that when I came to work on Okeover Ward. I started out as the Ward Housekeeper,  and then trained to be a Healthcare Assistant then trained to be the Ward Clerk. So I’ve done quite a few roles in St. Oswalds in Okeover Ward, and I’ve come across, I sort of liaise with lots of different teams on the ward, and in the hospital as a whole, including downstairs, and the community up the stairs. And  my favourite memories, I just love working on Okeover Ward.

Interviewer

Excellent. Love it all. Now, when you knew you were going to be speaking to me,  was there anything you particularly wanted to tell me? You haven’t had the chance to say?

Marion Seery

No, I just wanted to tell you that I just think it’s a real privilege. It was a real privilege when I was in the new clinical role of being Healthcare Assistant. And it was a new privilege to have the opportunity to look after people, to care for people, to try, and help them in any way, in every way that I’ve done. Whether it was Housekeeper, Healthcare Assistant, or as the Ward Clerk. Because the Ward Clerk is not just being a receptionist. I am booking outpatient appointments, I’m liaising with patients to make sure they get there safely, can family meet them there, making sure they’ve got a packed lunch to go with them. So it’s quite a varied role, and I really enjoy all of it.

Interviewer

Thank you. It’s been really inspiring to hear your story today.