Case study: Ann-Marie, Healthcare Assistant

Ann-Marie has seen the wonderful world of the NHS from the nursing auxiliaries to the healthcare assistant roles as it stands today. She has been a vital team member at Pinderfields Hospital since she started and has cared for thousands of patients, making a difference to their health and wellbeing.

I have worked for The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust for 26 years. I started my career in Elderly and I absolutely love it!

This experience then inspired me to carry on, I felt I needed a challenge, so I decided to apply for two HCAs jobs, one on Accident and Emergency and one in Orthopaedic Trauma. I got both roles and I decided to go with orthopaedic trauma and I was in this service up until Covid-19 started in 2020.

During Covid-19, I was moved to where the need was the greatest to help with the pressures, for me this was in the Intensive Care Unit – a huge eye opener in my career! During this time I saw the real meaning of team work, pulling together as one to help over come one of the biggest challenged the NHS has faced.

Coming into to my career was a natural move for me. I spent a lot of time growing up caring for people due to family responsibilities. It was when I was caring for my grandma that everyone kept saying to me ‘why don’t you go do nursing?’ I knew didn’t want to be a trained nurse but I did want to be a healthcare assistant as I felt this was more meaningful to me.

I wanted to work in a role where I could provide personal care and I do just that. I am proud to be part of making a difference caring for peoples loved ones with the same dedication I did for my own.

To date, I have now returned to normal practice, this time working at Pinderfields Hospital on ENT/MAX FAX and I am part of the team that won the ‘Compassionate Care’ Award in the Trusts Celebrating Excellence Awards in 2022. This is a great moment in my professional career.

I absolutely love my job and I’m here all these years later!