#NewProfilePic for September 2022
01 September 2022 - Every month, a different member of staff will be our #NewProfilePic on social media
Our new staff profile for September 2022 is Alexandra Barton, a Junior Sister in our iMobile Critical Care Outreach team at King’s College Hospital. She’s been working at King’s for nearly seven years, and spent three years training at the hospital. She said: I enjoy working at King’s because of the real community feel it has, especially during COVID everyone came together and worked incredibly hard to give the best care to our patients.”
We asked Alex, what makes her job special. She said: “Part of my role is to care for deteriorating patients, helping to prevent admission to intensive care and supporting ward staff. My role is special to me because each day is different, which is something I love. As a team, we are always ready for the unexpected. I also have the privilege of working with a wide range of people across the hospital and it’s lovely to meet new staff and patients when visiting the wards.
“An important part of my role is to follow up and support patients after they’ve been stepped down from intensive care, this includes inviting them to our follow-up clinic after they’ve been discharged from hospital. Providing education is also a fundamental part of my role, for example, we run our iRescue course, which focuses on detecting and treating deteriorating patients.
“A memorable moment in my role was when I supported a family by caring for their loved one at the end of their life. The family were very grateful for my care and it was a privilege to be able to be with the patient in their last moments when the family found it difficult.”
World Sepsis Day is on 13 September. We asked Alex why it is important to mark the day and how she helps patients with sepsis. She said: “Sepsis remains the number one preventable cause of death in the world. Every year, World Sepsis Day is marked globally. At King’s, it is important we raise awareness of sepsis among staff, patients and visitors so we can all identify and treat sepsis early, helping to prevent death. Sepsis can affect anyone but those more at risk include the very young, older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those who are pregnant. We involve all areas of the hospital for the day including paediatrics, maternity, and adult services, and this year we’re holding several events, including information boards, simulation sessions and a quiz for staff with a prize. I am really looking forward to the day.”