New nursing director heading for wards

A new nursing director has been appointed to take charge of the wards at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley.

Denise McMahon joins the Dudley Group of Hospitals Trust after nearly 30 years in nursing.

She says she is passionate about providing good care to patients and her role will include leading the nursing team and being in charge of nursing and midwifery education.

Her job now mainly involves administration but she has also volunteered to do a clinical shift on the wards each month.

The 48-year-old, from Cannock, said, "I have already been out on one shift with the infection control team, a subject I have much experience in and thoroughly enjoyed the shift. Infection control is the highest priority for the trust and is uppermost in the minds of our patients. It was good to go into the ward areas and see that this is also a real priority for our staff, with some areas of excellent practice.

"Our main aim is to provide care for patients where staff are considerate and passionate, providing top class services, in a clean environment with low infection rates. We are also looking at ways we can seek the experiences and views of our patients in order to make changes to our services that suit the needs of our local community." Mrs McMahon did her nurse training in 1978 at Walsall Manor Hospital and became a staff nurse and then a sister before moving to Sandwell Hospital in 1987 where she became deputy nurse director in 1997.

Then she moved to the Royal Orthopeadic Hospital, Birmingham as director of nursing and operations and onto Kettering General in as director of nursing and midwifery.