Minding the Patient Experience (Podcast)

Jamanda Haddock, MA, MRCP, FRCR, is a cross-sectional radiologist with an interest in chest disease and a passion for clinical work. Along the way, she stepped into management and leadership role as well. Today she serves as Interim Chief of Staff and Chair of Hospital Services at Cleveland Clinic London.

In an interview with Brian Bolwell, MD, for the podcast “Beyond Leadership,” Dr. Haddock discusses the importance of having team members who value collaboration. She also describes how she discovered that she enjoyed more than just the clinical side of the profession.

Podcast excerpt

Dr. Bolwell: You had leadership roles in your department at the National Health Service. Can you tell me a little bit about that? How long that [took] to develop and what you were like as a new leader? Any lessons learned along the way?

Dr. Haddock: In my department, people didn’t really like leadership. We used to have a sort of Buggins’ turn. Well, after so many years the job has changed and the next person had to do it for a couple of years, … and it came to be my turn. But actually, there were things that I didn’t like about the system. From a very early stage of my career, I’ve understood that … patients want great clinical care, they want a surgeon with a low complication rate, they want a physician who understands the latest drugs. But around that, there is so much to the patient experience. And in my hospital, I felt that patients got great treatment and sometimes it was a poor experience.

And in my leadership role there, I think I was able to influence the experience in a very positive way, and I enjoyed doing that. I thought it made a very big difference for our patients, and I’m talking about things like the patient journey through the department. If you’re an inpatient, how that works, if you’re an outpatient, how you’re received, where you wait, where you get changed. These steps make a big difference. Who answers the phone? How quickly do you get your appointment made? I enjoyed doing that and I enjoyed also radiology as a support service, and I enjoyed working with my colleagues. I wanted my department to provide the best possible support for the clinicians and their patients. So, I found I enjoyed making a difference in that way in addition to the clinical work that I also love. I love being a doctor, always have done.