I am Janet a geriatric congenital heart patient. I am married with two children and three grandchildren. I had my first surgery aged 11 at Myrtle Street hospital in Liverpool.
I trained as a cardiac and respiratory technician at the cardio-thoracic surgical centre, now known as Liverpool Heart and Chest, and worked there for six years. I moved to Chester Hospitals managing a very busy cardiac, respiratory, and vascular department. I was an active member of the British Heart Foundation in Chester for over thirty years and was vice chair or chair for many years. I set up a charitable fund in the hospital for the purchase of medical equipment and was heavily involved in the campaign to raise £500,000 to build a dedicated coronary care ward for Chester.
I took early retirement, due to differences of opinions with higher management but was then offered a consultancy post with the cardiac network initially to coordinate the training and degree courses of all technicians in the North West. I was then asked to assist the network with the ACHD service that had recently been set up in Manchester. This work was mainly on policies, patient pathways and looking at ways to find patients who had been lost to follow up.
I retired again in 2010 and had further surgery in London the following year. I think my four-year term runs out in March next year, so you won’t have to put up with me for long.