Susanne Guly is a a senior physiotherapist in neurosciences. Originally from Germany, she joined CUH in 2004 after working in a number of different hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Here Susanne tells us more about the 20 years she has been at CUH and the changes she's seen.
What is your name and your role in our hospitals?
My name is Susanne Guly and I work as a senior physiotherapist in neurosciences.
I work across the neuro critical care unit (including the major trauma service) and the A-block treating acute patients under the neurosurgical and neurology teams.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I mostly enjoy making a difference to people’s lives every day, including that of my colleagues and the wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT).
Being challenged both on a professional and personal level, no day is the same, it is never boring being at work.
Tell us a bit about your career and your CUH journey.
Before coming to CUH I worked in a number of university hospitals and rehabilitation centres within my native Germany for 10 years and completing a further degree. I was concentrating on getting some experience in neuro rehabilitation while at the same time getting to know different parts of my own country. I wanted to broaden my professional and personal horizon and I made the decision to live abroad for some time. I wanted to live in a place where I could develop both professionally and personally, combining working in a big teaching hospital with my love for classical music, culture and beautiful architecture. So Cambridge was the perfect fit.
I joined CUH in March 2004 after having completed a four-week placement in early 2004 to gain my Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) registration. I started as a band 5 rotational physiotherapist moving to a static and more specialist role one year later.
The only place I have worked in the NHS is at CUH and I am still here 20 years later. But I did work in a lot of different jobs and lived in many different places prior to coming here.
Why you like working at CUH?
There are many things I love about working at CUH, it is such a big hospital bringing so many specialities, advanced care, teams and people together who feel passionate about giving patients the best possible care and outcomes. This is on top of a diverse and multicultural workforce.
It is such an enriching experience working here, I have learned a lot and made many friends. I am truly grateful for that.
What does a usual day look like for you?
I work across the acute neurosciences ward and the neuro critical care unit which is also part of the major trauma service. In the morning, we have a short handover where we prioritise and allocate patients. I then see my often complex patients, regularly working in small teams of physiotherapists or other members of the MDT.
The focus of my work is early mobilisation and rehabilitation of complex patients including seating, preventing secondary complications (splinting) and the weaning from ventilator and tracheostomy.
Training and supporting students, apprentices and colleagues is also a big part of my role both in formal and informal setting.
One project I have been involved with over the last few years is a peer support scheme called Physio for Physio (P4P), which has developed as part of the clinicians for clinicians’ service. I had some additional training to guide reflective practice, manage challenging conversations, and to support team members with regard to mental wellbeing.
I feel very strongly that it is important to ensure staff feel equipped to manage challenging clinical situations, to be able to reflect and learn and to be able to separate work and home life pressures. In this role, I contribute to creating a resilient and sustainable work force.
As part of that, I run regular training and catch-up sessions with individuals and teams, receive 1:1 supervision and help to develop this service.
Tell us about a case study/experience at CUH that really stands out to you.
It is such a privilege being part of someone’s journey. There are too many stories I have been part of to remember all of them over the last 20 years. I believe that even small or short interactions make an equally big difference to someone’s care as looking after someone for months. I am most challenged by our long-term patients. Many patients are with us for months, sometimes up to a year. Often, they need a lot of my and my colleague’s time to assist with chest clearance and rehabilitation. I remember some patients presenting after unusual accidents or circumstances as part of the major trauma service. And there have been a number of well-known personalities I have looked after which is also an interesting experience. Regardless whom I care for, I try and give everyone the same care and attention.
I always try to remember how I would like to be cared or spoken to if I were a patient myself and be guided by that.
How do you feel your role benefits our patients?
Firstly, I try and make a personal connection with every patient in order to try and engage the patients in the rehabilitation process as best as possible. Many of our patients are unable to return to the life they knew before their accident or neurological event. I try to help them to maximise their quality of life and help them achieve goals which are important to them. Sometimes a goal can be something relatively small but it can have a huge impact for someone’s independence and control over their day to day life. As a therapist working in an inpatient setting, I appreciate the flexibility I have working with patients and supporting them often in creative and unusual ways working towards their goals.
What is the most notable thing that has changed at CUH in your time working here?
Definitely the size of the hospital and the whole biomedical campus but also the complexity of patients. We see now many people surviving injuries, which they would not have survived 20 years ago. This is thanks to advances in medical care but also the introduction of the major trauma service. Unfortunately, that does not always mean better quality of life or access to ongoing rehabilitation or services.
What is the most notable thing that has changed in your profession/career in the years you’ve been working here?
The complexity of patients has gone up as have the demands on the hospital and our physiotherapy service. Unfortunately, the staffing has not always reflected these changes in service demands.