The ProFile Welcome to our new column where PH professionals tell us more about themselves and their work. NAME: Carl Harries, but I answer to Carl, Carlos, Carly, ‘Mr H’ or if you’re a Brompton consultant they call me Professor Harries with a big tongue in cheek! PLACE OF WORK: Royal Brompton Hospital, London. JOB: Lead clinical nurse speciali st in pulmon ary hypertension, aka ‘Agony Uncle’ and an honorar y good friend to patient s, their friends and family. LENGTH OF TIME IN JOB: 13 years, well past the seven year itch. HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED WITH PH PATIENTS: 18 years. I first started nursing patient s with PH as a staff nurse on Paul Wood Ward at Royal Brompton. It really only seems like yesterd ay. BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB: Meetin g new patient s is always special; giving them an answer as to why they’ve been unwell and, if we can help with treatm ents, seeing them hope for a better future. There is also something amazin g about seeing patients year after year. I also work within a dedicated and passionate team. We have an amazin g admini strative gang, the consulta nts are superb experts and approach able on all levels. What more could a nurse ask for - another nurse maybe? One final ‘best thing’, my partner in crime, Lisa - Lindfield nee Parfitt - yes she’s got married! FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET TO WORK: Greet the girls in the PH office with a big ‘GOOD MORNING’, put the kettle on, check the answer phone and emails and catch up on any office gossip. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE WORK: I could say marathon running and mounta in trekkin g but that would not be very truthful, so I’ll say that it’s like seeing seven magpies in a row, ‘a secret never to be told’… TELL US ABOUT A KEY DEVELOPMENT YOU’VE SEEN FOR PH PATIENTS: The easier access to medicin es through the NHS commissioning document has had a huge impact. People will not know or have forgotten that all therapi es had to be applied for and agreed before we could start them in the past, which could take weeks if not months. Commi ssioning does not come without rules, but it has broken down huge barriers to access PH treatm ents. PROUDEST MOMENT AT WORK: Setting up shared care with other hospital s linked to our service and making sure there is a strong nursing elemen t at each. Patient s have fantast ic support from the shared care speciali st nurses at Southam pton, SASH, Oxford and St George’s and they bring calm to chaos. I am really proud of what we’ve set up together. TEA OR COFFEE? Coffee. I’m fussy though, a Latte has to be nice ‘n’ sweet, but I don’t take sugar in other coffee. I don’t like weak or cheap stuff - and definitely no chicory. Black or white is fine by me though!
If you work with people with PH and would like to answer our Q&A please e-mail editor@phassociation.uk.com
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