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Meet the team in Berwick - Sarah-Jane Gladstone

How long have you worked at/done a clinic at Berwick Infirmary? 

I first came to Berwick Infirmary in 2001 as a Senior Staff Nurse, after a busy six years working on the Trauma Ward in the Chelsea and Westminster in London. I worked in the ward at Berwick for 9 years before becoming a Rheumatology Clinical Specialist Nurse. This did not stop my association with Berwick Infirmary, however, as I did regular clinics there and at Alnwick for the next ten years. Today I still maintain my link with Berwick, training as a Rheumatology Clinical Nurse Consultant, and doing clinics there every two weeks.

Brief career history?

I started my career as a nursing auxiliary in 1988 at Borders General Hospital before starting my student nurse journey in 1992 at Borders College of Nursing. Once I qualified, I spent some time working as a staff nurse, still at BGH, then I moved to London to work at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Following this, I progressed into a senior role in 2001 and moved to Northumbria Healthcare. Since then, I have specialised in rheumatology and become an advanced nurse practitioner.

During my busy career I became a qualified prescriber and gained an MSc in Rheumatology with a Distinction.

Why do you love working in Berwick?

As with many other aspects of Berwick life, working in the Infirmary has a feeling of being on the frontier. The small staff is friendly and you get to know many of the locals over the years which gives rise to a ‘family’ feel. It is also true that working this far from the central hospitals fosters a feeling of self-reliance. 

Can you share a couple of fond memories of working in the infirmary over the years?

I remember Sundays in charge of the ward at Berwick when we would put Steve Wright’s ‘Sunday Love Songs’ on for the patients and have a sing along. We had long, white plastic aprons. We would cut strips off the bottom and wear them round our heads, pretending to be Florence Nightingale and her team. There was so much laughter.

Later, during my time based in Berwick as a rheumatology specialist, I started making and selling jams. Kit and Ethel, two of our domestics, used to meet me in the conference room opposite my office and act as tasters as I produced new batches. They were very discriminating critics!

How do you feel seeing the new hospital being built?

As much as I love the old infirmary, I feel very excited watching such a state-of-the-art hospital being built. I really look forward to seeing inside this purpose-built building with all the new equipment and clinical spaces.

How will the new hospital improve your role?

I am fully on board with Northumbria Healthcare’s sustainability agenda. Innovation, leading to the refreshment of buildings will inevitably lead to a happier, more efficient work force. I think it will be wonderful, particularly for me in my joint roles as a rheumatology specialist and an ANP with the Well Close Practice, working in the same building. I see this as a great opportunity to build bridges between Primary and Secondary care, leading to better outcomes for the patients.

How do you think the new hospital will improve patient care/experience?

Again, it is about a new, bright environment, every bit as much as the improved clinical facilities, leading to improved patient outcomes that is important in this excellent project.

Where were you born, where do you live and what do you do to relax?

I am a borders girl, having been born and grown up in Galashiels. Nowadays I live just outside Berwick at Mordington which means that the Infirmary makes for an ideal commute. I relax by reading, walking, gardening, making jam, playing bridge and interacting with Jinks, the cat who owns my home.