Three staff members from Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management are celebrating a special milestone alongside North Tyneside General Hospital. Wayne Roper, Wendy Rowley and Bryan Pears who all work in the catering department at North Tyneside General Hospital recently celebrated 40 years of service , the same year the hospital celebrates its 40th birthday.
Wayne Roper, kitchen superintendent
Wayne Roper, kitchen superintendent, began his career at the hospital in 1984 as an assistant cook. He joined the hospital straight after leaving school at the age of 16 and found out about a Youth Training Scheme placement at Preston Hospital which was due to become North Tyneside.
Talking about when he first started his career Wayne said: “When I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I always knew I wanted to do something practical. It was between joinery and cooking and fortunately, a position for an assistant cook came up at the new hospital. Being in a new hospital was brilliant as I got to work in a brand-new kitchen and back then all the cooking was done fresh for patients, it was a lot different to how it is now.”
Throughout his long-standing service, Wayne progressed into several roles but the one that sticks out happened in 1989 when he was successful in gaining the position as assistant head cook. “My manager was retiring and said that an assistant head cook job would be available when he was gone and said I should go for it. I didn’t feel confident to go for the role, I was 22 years old and it was a huge step up from my current role at the time. Having encouragement from my manager really pushed me out of my comfort zone to apply for the role and I am incredibly grateful that he did that. Without his encouragement at that time, I have no idea where I might have ended up.”
Since accepting his position as assistant head cook in 1989, Wayne has now progressed into a role as kitchen superintendent and has been in this role for the last 10 years. As part of this role, Wayne oversees the catering department within the whole hospital. His duties range from menu planning to managing the catering staff.
Most recently, Wayne has been involved in the roll-out of Project Boomerang at North Tyneside which is the process of recycling our food trays with our catering supplier, apetito. This process is greatly helping towards our net zero target for 2040.
Reflecting on his 40-year career Wayne said: “Celebrating 40 years of service is an incredible milestone to achieve, especially alongside the hospital itself. I’ve seen many changes throughout my career within catering, but one thing has always remained, the amazing people you meet along the way.
“I couldn’t have picked a better career, and I’d like to thank my colleagues who have supported me throughout my time at North Tyneside.”
Wendy Rowley, kitchen supervisor
Born and bred in North Shields, Wendy Rowley joined the hospital back in 1984 as a catering assistant. With plans originally to join the RAF, Wendy’s mother who worked at NTGH (formally known as Preston Hospital) recommended a job that was coming up within the catering department. Wendy said: “My mother, grandmother and aunty all worked at Preston Hospital and spoke of the place really highly so I just took a chance and decided to apply for the role. Luckily, I was successful and along with Wayne and Brian, became three of the first catering assistants at North Tyneside General Hospital.
“Although joining the RAF would have been a brilliant opportunity, I am glad I gained the position at the hospital as it has led me to meet some amazing people along the way.”
Wendy worked part-time in the kitchen at the hospital and was approached by her manager at the time to move into a full-time position. Wendy recalls this moment having a huge impact on her confidence saying: “This moment was really special to me as it was someone who I looked up to encouraging me to progress further within my career.”
Wendy has progressed throughout her time at the hospital and has now been a supervisor for over 20 years. As a supervisor, Wendy has moved away from the front of house duties and spends her time managing over 50 members of staff dealing with training and administrative duties. Talking about her role Wendy said: “I do miss the front-of-house side as you get to meet people from all different areas of the trust but I love managing my team. As a manager, you come up against complex situations and being compassionate is essential to this role. Throughout my time in this role, many of my colleagues have trusted me to give them advice and I think this is a real honour.”
North Tyneside is not only a special place to work for Wendy because of the people she met along the way, but it’s also where she met her partner. When asked what her hopes would be for the hospital in the next 40 years Wendy said: “To everyone that works at North Tyneside General Hospital just keep doing what you’re doing because it really is the people that have made it such a brilliant place to work over the last 40 years.
Bryan Pears, cook
Like Wayne, Bryan joined the hospital through a YTS placement at Preston Hospital and joined as a catering assistant. Talking about how he got into his career in catering Bryan said: “It was something I just fell into really. I had an interest in cooking in school and this placement became available and it was something that seemed right for me to pursue.”
Four years after starting his placement Bryan gained the position as a cook at North Tyneside where his duties involved creating nutritious meals for staff and patients. Talking about his extensive 40-year career, Bryan said; “For me, it’s the people that keep you going and make the job worthwhile. I have met some fantastic people throughout my 40 years of service, and they are responsible for getting me through some difficult personal times.
“A proud moment that sticks out to me is when I went to a comedy show in North Shields and I was approached by a lady who had been a long-term patient at the hospital. She told me how grateful she was to me and all the catering staff for making her enjoyable meals while she was in the hospital and said that it was the lovely meals that got her through being in hospital.
“Although a lot of what the catering staff do goes on behind the scenes, this moment showed me that what we do really does make a positive difference to our patients.”
Furthermore, Bryan said, “The NHS is truly a special place to work, and it can open up many doors. I’m delighted to be celebrating this milestone alongside the hospital itself and Wayne and Wendy who started this journey with me.”
Brian Cowan, chief operating officer of Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management said: “40 years of service is a massive achievement and we’re incredibly lucky to have three exceptional members of staff working within NHFM.
Celebrating this milestone alongside the hospital itself is very special. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Wayne, Wendy and Bryan for their hard work and dedication in making North Tyneside a great place to work and for giving our patients a positive experience when they are in hospital.”