A view from our teams: Caroline Harrison – inpatient therapy clinical manager
As the opening day for our new wards approaches, we’ve been speaking to some of the staff who will be working in the new building to see what they’re looking forward to.
Caroline Harrison is an Occupational Therapist and also Inpatient Therapy Clinical Manager at the Royal South Hants hospital. Her job is to support the therapy team in managing workload, carrying out assessments, treatment planning and discharge. Caroline has been involved in the new rehabilitation wards project since it began, providing feedback on what is most important to patients and staff in the design and construction of the new building.
How will the new building affect what you do?
“In recent years we’ve changed how we work; we’ve broadened the rehabilitation service to be more inclusive and that means we all have had to adapt to different ways of working which has helped us grow as a team and provides a better experience for patients. We have always been flexible and focused on meeting the needs of individual patients, and having these new facilities will enable us to take that a step further.
“The new environment also means we can provide more therapy to patients. First, there’s the practical aspect of having a fully equipped gym only a matter of feet from the ward. Currently, the gym is on the other side of the building at the RSH and the time it takes us to travel back and forth with patients adds up, plus this area is used by other services limiting access to the gym. Having our own dedicated space means we can run group therapy too, which hasn’t been possible at the RSH. We won’t have to make do or manage anymore, we really can provide the best possible service for our patients, and that’s a wonderful prospect.
“Having all teams and patients on one site will bring more career opportunities too. There will be the chance to train in new skills by working more closely with other teams that we simply wouldn’t have had before, and that’s an exciting prospect.”
What have you thought about the new building and the whole project from your visits to the site and involvement in the weekly meetings?
“I’ve really enjoyed using my clinical knowledge as part of the building process, it’s been a new experience for me, and it feels great to know I’ve helped shape the plans for how our services will run in the future. The whole thing has been extremely well thought through from the perspectives of patients and staff – from how we work when on the wards to how patients can easily access the bathroom. All these smaller elements will really make a different to people’s day-to-day experiences.”
What are you most looking forward to when the new building opens?
“The excitement is building as the reality of having this new working environment grows closer. We are all talking about what we can do when we move. To be honest, I can’t quite believe that it’s almost here – we’ve been planning it for so long it seems strange to think we are moving in a matter of weeks!”