Senior Sister

Toseka is a Senior Sister on ward 14 at Bradford Royal Infirmary – our urology ward.

She recently left Leeds Teaching Hospitals to join the Trust after being impressed by the career development opportunities at Bradford within the urology field.

“I manage the ward, the nursing team and the patient flow. And I came here because of the specialty as it’s a specialty I’m interested in and want to get into.

“After studying for a nursing degree at the University of Bradford, I continued my training at Bradford Teaching Hospitals as a staff nurse, and then a clinical educator.

“I left Bradford to work in Leeds in 2014 but returned in November last year, and I’m now in charge of 20 nurses and healthcare assistants.”

Toseka really enjoys the variety of the job and the challenge of managing a busy ward.

“We run clinics too and can be running three clinics a day. And we have acute patients on the ward and patients who are here for elective surgery.

“It’s a challenging role but I enjoy it.

“The Trust itself is just the right size. The way each team works and the hierarchy is really good too. You know what you are dealing with because everything is manageable. And the training and support that you get here really sets you up for the future. There really are lots of opportunities to develop your career and everyone here is very friendly.

“I really enjoy it because I came from a Surgical Assessment Unit and it’s really nice to have a relationship with patients and see them through their journey and see the end result rather than send them off somewhere else.”

Toseka has also been impressed by the catering facilities in Bradford Royal Infirmary’s new, £28 million wing.

“When I was here before we didn’t have anything like M&S and Costa downstairs. If you are on a break you can just pop downstairs and get a coffee or something to eat. It really helps with staff morale if you are able to go for a drink!

“I came here to get my teeth into something and I’m really enjoying working on ward 14 with a fantastic team.

“I have also found that staff tend to stay on the wards because they enjoy the camaraderie of working here and the environment they are working in. There’s really good team support.

“It’s also a great place for young nurses to develop their careers as it’s such a positive, forward-thinking and progressive place. It’s not something that’s on my radar at the moment but I’d like to be a matron one day.”

Toseka lives in Shipley and particularly enjoys spending time in nearby Saltaire with its quirky cafes and coffee shops and historic Salts Mill, a UNESCO World Heritage site.