Summary

(2:45) Career history

• Her training as a children’s nurse at Temple Street Hospital and her post-graduate studies in adult nursing

• Subsequent leadership and management roles, including ICU Nurse Manager and Directorate Nurse Manager at Beaumont Hospital and Director of Nursing at Temple Street Hospital

• Working in neuroscience, ICU and pediatrics

• Current position as Chief Director of Nursing with the Children’s Hospital Group

(4:25) Pediatric vs non-pediatric hospitals

• Needing to be flexible to help children of different ages

• Explaining things to parents as well as knowing how to give age-appropriate explanations to children

(5:35) Children’s Health Ireland

• Her role as Chief Director of Nursing:

• Leading nursing and professional development in 3 children’s hospitals

• Acting as the executive lead for the clinical integration of the 3 hospitals

• Moving towards a new model of care close to (or in( the home

• The challenge of unifying the different styles, environments and policies of different hospitals

(8:35) Digitally-led hospitals

• The advantage of any GP having access to medical records from anywhere

• The implications of parents being able to access records and book appointments online

• How this allows to move from a paternalistic system to more of a partnership

• Accounting for lack of access to computers

(11:05) A typical day in a COVID hospital

• Daily steering committee meetings to address concerns and plan for the day

• The nurses’ ‘safety huddle’: addressing patient safety, staffing issues, and end-of-life care

• Allowing everyone the opportunity to give feedback

• The importance of ‘visible leadership’: visiting the wards and being on the front line with the nurses

(15:50) New challenges

• The feeling of being in it together, as part of a collective call to action

• How the hospital was managed in the early days of the crisis

• Dealing with shortages when staff started getting COVID

• The high level of fear felt by nurses

(18:05) Life and death decisions

• Having a plan for when resources run out ‘ ‘Thankfully we never got to that place’

(19:15) Leading in crisis

• What integrity means to her

• How to cultivate trust

• The importance of listening and taking feedback

(21:40) Keeping a team focused and motivated

• Having a clear governance structure and communication plan

• The importance of giving positive feedback and talking through mistakes without blame

• Special treats and fun activities

• Empowering team members by facilitating collaboration and asking them for solutions

(24:20) The collapse of child care for front-line workers

• The Mater Hospital’s creche

• Allowing for flexible work hours

(25:35) Patient care

• Not being able to physically comfort patients due to PPE

• Using ‘non-touch compassion’ such as active listening

• The crucial importance of language

(27:10) Post-COVID care

• The problem with patients putting off medical consultations

• Needing to get creative with technology

• Considering 6-day weeks to match peoples’ lifestyle

• Questioning the current state of primary care

(30:05) Preparing for a second wave

• Current emergency room configuration

• Aiming for faster laboratory testing

• Reassessing inpatient configuration

• How to make patients feel safe

(33:35) Necessary changes for the future

• Focusing on prevention and lifestyle choices

• Facilitating care in the community and offering more resources to primary care centres

• Private vs public care: ‘It’s about choice’

• Considering whether doctors are always the best person to see

• How being less status-driven could help the health care and education system

(36:50) COVID and non-COVID patients

• How the two areas are separated

• Isolation in the single rooms of The Whitty Building

(38:18) Practical patient issues

• Laundry exchange service

• Corporate donations of toiletries

• Patient liaison services that allow family members to access information

• Ways for family members to send best wishes to patients

(40:40) Workforce management

• How to manage the lack of staff due to COVID or self-isolation

• Predicting needs based on other countries’ experience

• The redeployment and upskilling program

(43:35) Advice to staff and nurses

• ‘Go back to the facts’ and trust the WHO protection guidelines

• Setting up a counselling service

• The stress of seeing large numbers of end-of-life patients

(45:10) Burnout

• Preparing for the long-term and remembering the importance of taking time off

• Offering free car parking at the hospital

• Supporting staff with visible leadership

• Offering financial support during sick leave

• How team spirit has been strengthened during this time

(49:15) Suzanne’s own self-care

• How her family situation allows her to work long hours at the hospital

• Going for walks and watching Comedy Central

• The importance of getting positive reinforcement and feeling supported by her staff

(50:32) The future of nursing

• Focusing on retention

• The 2 policies that should be fast-tracked:

• Safe staffing policies: providing an accurate number of nurses needed to work safely

• Boosting the numbers of advanced nurse practitioners

(52:45) Advice for future nurses

• The benefits of a career in nursing: variety, constant learning opportunities, and how rewarding it is ‘ ‘It is an immense privilege to care for somebody who is at their most vulnerable’

(53:55) Final words

• Thanking everyone for the hard work

• ‘It’s not over’: why we need to remember to be compassionate, patient and avoid blame