We are The Christie magazine - Edition 6

Staff stories

Roxy Afzal, advanced nurse practitioner and REACH staff network lead Roxy works as part of the team providing medical support to children receiving proton beam therapy, for example, helping to manage complicated or unexpected side effects during treatment.

Staff stories Each and every person who works at The Christie performs a valuable role which directly links to patient care. Whether it is a nurse delivering chemotherapy or an IT engineer keeping our computer systems running, there is a huge variety of roles that come together to make The Christie special.

Roxy has been at The Christie for around two years now, having previously worked in public health and in neonatal health. She said: “Before I joined the NHS, I’d had quite a varied career. I’d done all sorts, from marketing to acting and even working as cabin crew. When I started training as a nurse, I knew I’d found my vocation.” One of Roxy’s big passions is racial equality - from both a staff and a patient perspective. She is the engagement lead for the REACH staff network group (race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage) bringing her experiences both personally and

professionally to raise awareness about how someone’s race, ethnicity and culture can have a profound impact on their experience in the NHS. She said: “Over the years, there have been some improvements, but ethnic minority patients still face issues with their care that put them at a disadvantage.

“It’s important to celebrate our differences, ask questions and have open discussions about how we can learn from different cultures." Roxy Afzal

All our staff go to tremendous lengths to help each and every one of our patients and, together:

Black and Asian women, for example, are proven to have higher mortality issues during pregnancy and childbirth and in cancer care there are many cultural barriers that can impact upon someone’s experience, for example, during early detection and screening. Roxy believes it’s vital to celebrate diversity, and that staff from different backgrounds improve the care we offer because of their lived experiences and the knowledge they have of different cultures. She said: “It’s important to celebrate our differences, ask questions and have open discussions about how we can learn from different cultures. When we understand the issues that our colleagues and patients face, we can take action to improve our interactions with others and promote equality.”

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