‘Relatively’ speaking, patient care is a family affair at Newcastle-Under-Lyme eye hospital

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, mum and daughter Lisa Moors and Hannah Young won’t have to wait until Sunday 27^th March to spend time together – as the pair work side-by-side, caring for hundreds of cataract surgery patients each week in Staffordshire.

Hospital manager Lisa began working at SpaMedica in 2019, after 30 years in various healthcare roles. She loved her new job so much that she encouraged her daughter to apply for a position, and Hannah joined the team the following year, moving from her previous role as a carer at a local specialist dementia home.

With no prior ophthalmology experience, Hannah took advantage of the training and development offered, and has since been promoted to senior healthcare technician.

Hannah recently worked with colleague Kerry Harrison to develop the hospital’s inclusion initiative, which aims to support people with disabilities and conditions such as dementia – who may face increased challenges and anxieties before their cataract surgery.

Lisa says: “It’s great to work with Hannah every day – hopefully she thinks the same! When she was in her last job, it was hard to see her so exhausted all the time, especially as I was really enjoying my own role – it didn’t seem fair.

“She was working in a home for people with dementia when the first Covid pandemic hit, and was there 12 hours a day, six days a week, and she couldn’t see us. She is hugely passionate about caring for others and was more than happy to take on the responsibilities of her job, but was on her way to burnout.

“After 30 years in healthcare, I know what it’s like to feel like you’re always working. I have a good balance now in my role at SpaMedica, so when a job opportunity came up, I told Hannah to go for it – I knew she’d enjoy it, even if it meant having me as a boss!

“Establishing the new initiative with Kerry for vulnerable patients, which has been rolled out across all hospitals, is a fantastic achievement for her. We joke that she’s got her eye on my role and that I’ll have to watch out that she’s not going to overthrow me. Joking aside, it’s wonderful that she’s doing so well – I’m a very proud mum.”

Hannah says: “I think both mum and I were both initially slightly apprehensive about working together so closely – luckily it’s turned out really well and we actually get on much better now than we used to. It helps that we’ve got a great team around us and everyone is committed to giving patients the best possible experience. It’s fantastic to be able to make a big difference to people’s lives by giving them their sight back.

“Despite the fact we see each other every day, it’ll be nice to spend time together with Mum on Mother’s Day – hopefully she’ll hold off on giving me any jobs to do!”

SpaMedica has 37 hospitals across England and supports thousands of patients every week. Its expert team is dedicated to delivering the highest quality care, while reducing NHS cataract surgery waiting times, with appointments available within just four weeks.