Staff Stories: Bernadette

Introduce yourself:
My name is Bernadette Harte, I am a Continuous Care Nurse at The Private Clinic in Harley Street.

Tell us about your background:
I was educated in Ireland over 30 years ago and trained as a nurse in London. I have had a very varied career working as a staff nurse in Diagnostic Radiology, A/E, Orthopaedics and Cosmetic surgery. I also worked as a clinical education specialist for an international laser company travelling globally. Following this I became a non surgical training manager for a leading cosmetic surgery company and from there I become a ward sister on a busy cosmetic and bariatric surgical ward.

How long have you worked for The Private Clinic?
Over four years ago I felt the time was right to build upon my skills and joined The Private Clinic of Harley Street.

What does your role entail?
As a continuous care nurse, I ensure a high standard of care is delivered to our patients in a safe, friendly environment. I investigate out of range blood results and escalate them to our medical team. Having surgery can be a very anxious time for patients and their relatives and they need support both pre and post operatively. I assess treatment plans and patient’s responses to treatment and medications.

I also provide wellness calls to our patients post surgery to see how they are and to ensure their surgical journey is running smoothly. They value this service, and it is an opportunity for them to discuss their recovery. I regularly cover our out of hours call service for our post operative patients.

What do you enjoy about working for The Private Clinic?
I enjoy working for The Private Clinic and working alongside leading Surgeons and practitioners, their knowledge and expertise is outstanding. I enjoy the continuity of care and value the ongoing support from my manager which gives me the ability to deal with difficult patients and offer solutions for them. I appreciate the regular training mission, ethos and values of the company.