Five minutes with.... QEHB Senior Sister Roberta Batchelor

We caught up with Roberta Batchelor, Senior Sister at QEHB who has worked at the hospital for over three decades!

Hi Roberta. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi! I’m 56 years old, a Senior Sister at the QEHB and I live in Birmingham. I’ve lived here since 1974 and I’ve now worked at QEHB for 35 years.

Wow! That’s impressive. Tell us more about your career at the hospital.

I began working in the hospital when I was 21, as a domestic. Before that, I used to work in Wimpy! I started in September 1981, about seven months after the birth of my first child. After six months in that role, I started working as a nursing auxiliary- which I did until 1999- and became the first auxiliary in the Trust to have an NVQ Level Two and Three. I became a nurse and I’m now the Senior Sister/Ward Manager on Ward 302, the Surgical Emergency Unit.

So what do you enjoy most about the job?

Every day’s a new challenge! I love my team on the ward, and I love working for the Trust. My favourite part, though, is definitely caring for patients. I’m a real advocate for patients, and I want to ensure they have the best possible standard of care. It’s the feedback you get that makes it all so worthwhile, knowing that you’ve made a real difference to someone’s experience. If I couldn’t make a difference, I wouldn’t be here.

What are you proudest of?

In 2015 I won the Nursing Pride of Birmingham, and I’ve been nominated again this year which is really lovely. My unit has won an award for Most Outstanding Team as well. I do a national conference every year where I give a talk called ‘Managing a ward to be proud of’.

So, what do you do when you’re not at work?

I love going for food with my friends and hitting the dancefloor – and looking after my five grandchildren!

What would it surprise people to know about you?

Not many people know that I was a member of Team GB during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid! I was in the speed-skating team but came in last.

That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing your story with us, Roberta. Before we let you go, what would you say to anyone thinking about donating to QEHB Charity, or staff members considering applying for funds?

I think QEHB Charity is absolutely wonderful. The team is very approachable and never let me down; everything I’ve applied for where I’ve been able to show the benefit to patients, they’ve given us funds for. I’ve had TVs and equipment for patients, and we get vouchers at Christmas, plus QEHB Charity funds the Best in Care awards which are so important for staff morale – I don’t think people realise just how big the scope is of what the Charity does for the Trust. Please donate to the Charity if you can – your money will never be wasted here.