20 December 2011
Family and friends of the late Mike Carpenter, formerly a committee member of the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients' Association, along with staff from St Helier Hospital's renal (kidney) department gathered together recently (10 December 2011) to open a new 'procedure' room named in his honour.
The formal opening was performed by the Trust's joint lead nurse for renal services, Sue Woodcock, along with renal consultant Dr Hugh Gallagher and anaemia nurse Jo Burley, who took the opportunity to share some personal memories of Mike.
Thanks to a £14,000 contribution from the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients' Association, the room has been entirely refurbished and redecorated in order to become the Carpenter Suite. A plaque at the entrance pays tribute to Mike, who was a patient at St Helier, describing him as 'one of life's nice guys'.
The room will be used to perform procedures from kidney biopsies to the checking of fistulas (artificially created connections between veins and arteries that aid connections to dialysis machines). It will also be used for the fitting of blood lines, which are used to connect patients to dialysis equipment.
In addition to providing a quieter and more pleasant environment for patients undergoing treatment, the Carpenter Suite is also staffed by two dedicated nurses and a health care assistant.
Sue Woodcock, joint lead nurse for renal said: "From the patient point of view, the new procedure room is a big step forward.
"Previously, many of the activities that take place in the Carpenter Suite would have happened at the patient's bedside, so this represents a big improvement in both privacy and dignity and infection control.
"On a more personal level, it is really apt that it is named after Mike, as he was such an active member of our patient community."
Also at the opening was Dave Spensley, Chair of the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients' Association. He said: "The wording of the plaque says it all - Mike was genuinely one of life's nice guys.
"He served on the St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients' Association for eight years, and was there when I joined the committee in early 2005, but we weren't the only group he was involved with. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Mike, and he worked tirelessly to help others whilst battling with his own ill health.
"He was a real source of comfort and help to so many at St Helier, particularly through his work on our patient education programmes. Everyone misses Mike's belief in patient empowerment, his advocacy of others and fundamentally what a great person he was; the Carpenter Suite is a fitting legacy."
