Hospice nurse likes to travel
Name: Margaret Black. Role: Staff nurse, Sunflower Centre. Organisation: East Cheshire Hospice. How did you become a nurse: I’ve been a nurse for more than 30 years after training at 18. What do you enjoy most about this role?: It’s such a happy place with fun and laughter and meeting lovely people who are dealing with quite a difficult time in their lives. A lot of nurses nowadays are rushed but here we have time to sit and talk to people and hopefully make a difference to them at a time when they’re struggling greatly with what’s happening in their lives. What are your funny or memorable experiences while you have been doing this?: Last year staff did the ice bucket challenge with patients watching. A patient did it herself when she got home. What are your highlights of doing this?: Amazing patients and families and great team mates. The Sunflower Centre is split into traditional day care, a Living Well programme supporting people though peer support and education from the point of diagnosis, and a dementia carer well-being service. What is your favourite place in Macclesfield?: Walking along the Bollin Valley towards Wilmslow with my cocker spaniel dog Max. He loves the water and if we can take in a pub that’s good as well. Ideally how would you spend every day?: With family and friends, working, socialising, shopping and going on holiday. What was the best holiday you’ve been on?: I’m known at work as a holiday queen for the number of times I go away and one of my favourite memories was going to Cape Town when our children were teenagers and it was the first holiday when neither child moaned about doing things. It was so good we went back the following year. If money were no object what would you do?: I would give a significant amount to charities close to my heart, particularly East Cheshire Hospice and Epilepsy Action, plus cancer charities. I’d also travel the world with family and friends. What piece of advice would you give?: I’m a very smiley person so always have a smile on your face. What was your first job?: Packing football kits for Christmas at the Umbro factory in Macclesfield before I started nursing training. What is your favourite TV show?: A tricky one because I’m a big telly fan but probably Homelands. What are you reading at the moment?: Just finished a wonderful book called Still Alice about a professor in America who gets diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. It’s her story and journey and I highly recommend it. What’s your biggest inspiration?: Those I’m working with now. Every day I come across people with difficult challenging situations, not just for them but their families as well. I go home and tell myself not to worry about trivialities and moan about things that aren’t important and just be thankful I’m fit and well. Who would you like to invite to dinner?: My mum and dad who I lost nearly nine and 10 years ago. I’d love to share a final meal and catch up with them. practice.
As a result, the nature of GP contracts is to change to ensure that practices are funded equally for the services they provide and that patients get the same high level of care wherever they live.
The national contracts do not define what ‘core’ general practice is, but our CCG wishes to not only maintain the level outlined above, but make it a reality for every local resident.
This understandably requires investment, transparency, honesty and consistency across all our local practices.
Over the past six months, our practices have constructively engaged in a process to pool the available funding to ensure anyone, from Congleton to Disley, Holmes Chapel to Bollington, will receive a level of general practice that supports people to the same standards.
With greater expectation and demand on the NHS and more GPs retiring early, we need to ensure this sector of the local health system receives the support needed.
That’s why I was delighted to see the CCG governing body agree last week to a £2million investment to ensure that, in this area at least, general practice will still hit a gold standard, even if many of us didn’t actually realise it.
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