Meet the senior nursing team

Tracy McDonnell

Lead Nurse For Endoscopy Services

My job role is to be responsible for the management and delivery of high quality patient focused care and services within endoscopy in line with best practice outcomes.

After a long and varied nursing career I joined the endoscopy team in 1992. After 26 years in endoscopy I still have a passion for the speciality. I have enjoyed my time and over the years seen many changes in practice which has allowed us to carry out state-of-the-art procedures and have one of the biggest and busiest endoscopy units in the country.

My role has changed over the years and it is more operational now but I still strive to improve standards and make sure that we provide a safe and caring environment for all whilst providing a high quality service.

Mel Constante-MacCallum

Unit manager / Senior Sister

I have been at the NNUH now for eight years and I am still enjoying this specialty.  Taking the senior post in a new big hospital is challenging but the reward was sweet.  I am focused and determined to give the best care for my patients and to all the service users.  The endoscopy unit is one of the busiest in the country.  Due to the increased activity, we needed a big unit.  The Quadram Institute will house our new purpose built endoscopy unit.  Patients will benefit to this amazing brand new unit that will accommodate diagnostic activities, delivering fast and timely procedures to the residents of Norwich and Norfolk. I am proud that I have been part of this big project from start to finish.

 

Clair Duncan

Deputy Sister

As a Deputy Sister, my role is to participate in the co-ordinating and day to day running of the unit. I provide support and leadership to members of the team and work with the Senior Sisters to support their management of the unit. Caring for patients remains an integral part of my nursing role.

I studied for my Nursing Degree in Adult Nursing at the University of Birmingham and qualified in 2011. Since then, I have spent the majority of this time working within the Gastroenterology speciality and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I joined the Endoscopy team at the NNUH in 2015 where my interest in Endoscopy grew, gaining further knowledge and experience within the speciality. I recently became a Deputy Sister within the team and I am enjoying the new challenges that this has brought. Providing support and guidance for my colleagues, whilst still providing direct patient care, creates an ideal combination in my role at work. Within the Endoscopy team, I also provide teaching on Basic Life Support and the skills surrounding this.

I am very proud to be a part of the team at the Endoscopy Unit at the NNUH and am looking forward to the changes and progression of the unit as my career continues.

 Anne Bujak

Sister

I have been working for the NHS for a long time in various roles, with a gap for bringing up my family. I worked at the old Norfolk and Norwich in the Intensive Care Unit before moving away from Norfolk, and I was happy to have the opportunity to move back once my children had flown the nest. Endoscopy is a very interesting area to work in as it is so varied and now the development of the new unit is giving us all a huge challenge.

 

 

Deborah Copage

Deputy Sister

 

I qualified in 2011 as a Staff Nurse working on Guist ward for 10 months before transferring to the endoscopy unit.  I was successful in gaining a Deputy Sister post in 2014.  I enjoy looking after patients, learning new skills and supporting and

Suni Joseph

Deputy sister

I have 28 years of nursing experience from different departments and had my nursing training in India in 1990, worked in paediatric theatre in India until 1992.

Then I had the chance to work in Kuwait in an outpatient clinic until 2002.

In September 2010, I joined the endoscopy unit after eight years working in a care home.

I enjoy working this unit and we have a great team. Now I’m working as a deputy sister and enjoying my new role.

Tyne Terry

Deputy Sister

Norwich is my home and although I completed my nurse training elsewhere, I came back here to stay. I always knew I wanted a career in procedure-based nursing and so since qualifying, I have spent the last five years progressing within our busy endoscopy unit in Norfolk. I love the patient contact that I have by looking after patients before, during and after their procedure, recognising and addressing any concerns. It is lovely to meet lots of different people every day, individually caring for them during these procedures which can be very stressful for patients. It is great to be able to work as a team to diagnose and treat a variety of gastrointestinal conditions which can prevent patients from needing surgery.

I am always interested in learning new knowledge and skills so I actively seek out relevant study days to further my learning and work on the wards when I can for the experience. Along with patient-centred care, my role as deputy sister is combined with the challenge of co-ordinating the department to deal with any issues. We have to work to ensure that the endoscopy lists run smoothly and timely, for the safety of patients and also to look after our staff. As one of the senior nurses, I also have a responsibility for teaching and support newer members of staff within the unit after our successful recruitment drive. Nurses are assessed in all the different areas of the department until competent to safely work without supervision.

I am really looking forward to being part of such an exciting new development for endoscopy and to be one of the deputy sisters running this new department. Our expansion should be an incredible opportunity for endoscopy staff to advance and for patients to be seen for procedures in a modern centre built for purpose.

Judith Balfour                                                                                               

Deputy Sister

I studied Adult Nursing at the University of East Anglia, graduating in 2011. I then obtained my first job as a registered staff nurse within the Gastroenterology Unit at the NNUH, where I quickly developed a love for endoscopy and was keen to increase my knowledge and skills in the area. Over the years I have become proficient in all endoscopy procedures, having an interest in ERCPs. I have enhanced my skills by attending various endoscopy courses, with some specialising in ERCPs.  After 6 years working in the unit I got the job of Deputy Sister and I am enjoying the new challenges that come with the role. It is a joy to work in the unit as there is a great team and we have close working relationships with the medical staff too, which enables great teaching opportunities. I have had an interest in working in developing countries since my nursing elective which I spent working in a rural hospital in Uganda. In 2016 I completed a diploma in Tropical Nursing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This course not only prepared me for the challenges of working within low income settings but has also positively influenced my practice within the Gastroenterology unit.