16 March 2022
They usually work behind the scenes at Shropshire’s two acute hospitals but healthcare scientists are crucial to the NHS and often offer life-saving care.
As part of National Healthcare Science Week (14 -20 March), The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford is celebrating the outstanding work of its healthcare scientists.
Science and technology is vital in modern patient care and changes lives for the better. Healthcare Science Week raises awareness of the diverse careers in healthcare science and its aim is to inspire the scientific workforce of the future.
There are more than 300 healthcare science staff working across a range of specialisms at SaTH including audiology, medical physics, medical engineering, pathology and fertility.
Their work includes developing cancer treatments, helping to create families, diagnosing what is making a patient ill, repairing vital medical equipment such as kidney dialysis machines; and matching blood against the clock to provide a life-saving transfusion.
Jason Kasraie, a Consultant Clinical Embryologist and Andrologist at SaTH and also the Trust’s Lead Scientist, said: “Many healthcare scientists may never be seen by a patient but they can be working in the background ensuring that our patients receive the best possible, often life-saving, care. In other areas healthcare scientists deliver direct clinical care and diagnosis to patients.
“Healthcare Science Week is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the fantastic work of our healthcare scientists at the Trust and show the vital role they play in patient care, diagnosis and treatment.
“Healthcare scientists can start as school leavers who begin at associate and practitioner level to graduates who can come in as bio medical scientists, or post graduates who can come in on a training scheme which can ultimately lead to them becoming a consultant clinical scientist. There are a huge variety of careers and paths to follow.”
Meet some of our Healthcare Scientists:
Helene Cloete is a Clinical Embryologist at The Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Centre. She is involved in most aspects of looking after embryos and deciding on the treatment path with patients once their IVF cycle has started. Part of her role also involves the freezing and preserving of sperm, eggs or embryos for patients who would like to preserve their fertility, for example patients undergoing treatment for cancer.
“Medicine was always something I always wanted to do growing up and I had an affinity to the maternity and pregnancy route.
“I came across embryology and it seemed the perfect fit – being witness to the origins of life and amazement that we can help patients who struggle to conceive naturally, and that great balance between a patient-facing role and working away from that quite clinically and methodically.
“There is the huge satisfaction of seeing people fall pregnant and come back with their babies. It really appealed to me to be part of their journey.”
Helene is from South Africa and came to Britain in 2008. She studied for a Masters in Reproduction and Development at Bristol before discovering the Scientist Training Programme the day before applications for the next cohort closed.
She successfully gained a place on the Reproductive Sciences branch of the Programme and started working in Shrewsbury. She has now been part of SaTH for 10 years.
Helene’s role also involves looking at key performance indicators which include pregnancy and embryo survival rates.
She added: “I would encourage anybody who is interested to follow this route. It is an empowering line of work to go down.”
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George Southall-Brown is a Trainee Clinical Andrologist. He specialises in male fertility looking at diagnostics and treatment at The Shropshire and Mid-Wales Fertility Centre. He is halfway through a three-year Scientist Training Programme.
He said: “I studied Biological Sciences at the University of Birmingham and found the human side and the science behind it really interesting.”
“In my final year I chose a project on the reproductive system. I linked up with a medical school in Birmingham and looked at sperm and developing a new technique for IVF. I thought it was interesting and the subject that I wanted to progress in.
“During my project I was working with an IVF clinic at Birmingham, which is where I found out about this role and the programme itself.
“A lot of people see science as in the lab doing research constantly, but here the Clinical Science side of it is really interesting. It’s using the knowledge that those research scientists have gained and actually applying it.
“We do get involved in the IVF work so when you can see that somebody has become pregnant because of that treatment you can say that you have made a difference.”
George said that they also work in other departments during their training – genetics, histology and cytology. In their third year they may have the opportunity of going to a clinic in another country.
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Sam Bunn is a Consultant Healthcare Scientist – Maxillofacial Prosthetist and Laboratory Manager. She reconstructs the facial features of patients who have had, or are going to have surgery for head and neck cancer or trauma, such as ears, eyes, noses and partial facial prosthetics. In addition to the facial prosthetics part of her role, Sam also plans some Head and Neck Cancer and trauma patients surgery.
“I loved art and science at school and my role has allowed me to continue using these two areas in my day-to-day work. Don’t feel intimidated at the thought of training, it can be enjoyable, opens new opportunities, and you’ll meet like-minded people who will become great work colleagues and friends.
“My first role in the NHS was a trainee Dental Technician. I was employed by Bristol and Avon Healthcare Trust on a four-year contract, to attend University of Wales in Cardiff to gain my ONC in Dental Technology. During university holidays and for work placements I then worked at The Bristol Dental Hospital.”
Sam left Bristol in October 1992 to become a Junior Orthodontic Technician (MTO2) in the Dental Technology Laboratory at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. She later gained advanced qualifications in Advanced Orthodontics and Maxillofacial Prosthetics and trauma during a three-year course at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Sam said: “As the laboratory grew, and the department started to recruit more consultants, I was fortunate enough to start helping the Maxillofacial team using the skills I was learning at Manchester. I shadowed the Laboratory Manager and another Prosthetist in clinics and attended Theatres with them, and after a couple of years, the role of Maxillofacial Prosthetist was added to my job description due to the large increase in work.
“I then became the Principle Maxillofacial Prosthetist (MPT) and Maxillofacial and Orthodontic Laboratory Manager for the trust, over both laboratories.
“As a profession we have a number of titles, Maxillofacial Prosthetist, Anaplastologist and recently Reconstructive Scientist. We are classed as Healthcare Scientists.”
Sam says that she works closely with other Departments and Hospitals, designing new appliances and concepts.
“It is fantastic to be able to use the skills we have not just for Dentistry, but further afield, such as Radiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Dermatology, Audiology and other specialities. Our skills as a team overlap, and we all work very closely with the same end objective – the patient.
“I do feel very privileged to have a job in Maxillofacial Prosthetics and really fortunate that we have a department here at the Trust offering first-class treatment to patients. We build a strong professional relationship with our patients, and it is extremely rewarding when we help bring a level of normality back to their lives.”
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Steve Jenkins is a Specialist Orthodontic Technician, Deputy Manager at the Maxillofacial and Orthodontic Laboratory.
He said: “My first NHS role was as an Orthodontic technician working in the West Wales Health Authority at Glangwilli hospital in Carmarthen. I was supported by the West Glamorgan Trust at Morriston Hospital Swansea to enable me to achieve an advanced certificate in orthodontics at Cardiff on a part-time course.”
Steve later qualified in the advanced orthodontic certificate at Cardiff and was self-employed for 35 years as a laboratory owner/ manager specialising in orthodontic and restorative work.
“Since joining the NHS 12 years ago I have been really inspired by the variety and complexity of the work I am now involved in. The role has taken me into new areas and stretched me to work in a complex and interesting hospital environment.
“I have found the NHS to be an excellent employer with opportunities to develop and grow as a person. It is lovely to be part of a big and diverse team who are all happy to offer help and advise.”